sanity. chairman wolf's done very nice work on this bill. but we're all familiar with the way agencies that have outlived their usefulness and no longer can with stand budget scrutiny. in these times, if we don't set priorities, nothing is a priority. and here's one opportunity for all of us to make one tiny step towards getting rid of what is now over $17 trillion in debt. . we often talk on our side of the aisle about how we have a spending problem, here's a chance for all of us on both sides of the aisle to begin to attack that. we have an opportunity. part of the department of commerce was established in 1965 as an element of lyndon johnson's great society. the current administration and to be frank, many administrations, have used this for their own pork barrel projects and their own cookie jar,. the e.d.a. has spent $3.2 billion in grants and does

nothing more than pick among winners and losers by region and industry. at its core, it's the purest of wealth distribution programs. my amendment would eliminate funding for the e.d.a., totaling $247 million. s bied on current levels, this will save over $2.5 billion over the next decade. even though i ran two small businesses for 16 years, i had never heard of the economic development administration before coming to congress. i suspect many of my colleagues are similarly situated. so first let me describe what the e.d.a. does. it takes dollars from across the country. that money comes to washington, from the e.d.a. takes about 20% of it off the top. that's cost of the administrationive -- administrative burden of running the economic development administration. it then asks companies and communities to apply for free

money from the federal government to renovate a movie theater or bill a new industrial park. while many of these projects are not necessarily bad, some are ridiculous. these are local projects that either have enough support from local communities so they could advance without federal funding or they require federal money because the local community won't support them. either way, the federal government has no role in being involved. you might not be familiar with e.d.a. projects so let me talk about a couple of them. in 2008, the economic development administration provided $2 million to begin construction of the unlv harry reid research and technology park in las vegas, nevada. currently, this technology park features a paved road and a website claiming to be first anticipated tenant moving in 2010. no construction has even begun. in 2010, $25 million was spent by the e.d.a. for global climate mitigation incentive fund and $2 million for a culinary

amphitheater, wine tasting room and gift shop in washington state. the e.d.a. gave new mexico $1.5 million to renovate a at the for the 2012, in 2013 it gave massachusetts $1.4 million to promote video games. in the 1980's they used taxpayer dollars to build replicas of the great wall of china and the great pyramid in the state of indiana. they were never completed. it's now a dumping ground for tires. a local congressman or senator takes credit for the project, they go to ribbon cuttings. the e.d.a. travels around the country for such ceremonies. i was sitting in committee when the this edirector of the deferment a. took credit for the billion ed at a $1.6 steel plant. grant, s a $1.4 billion

they did less than 1%. canceling the e.d. samplet a good idea that gets us closer to fiscal sanity. my amendment is fairly modest given the amount of debt we're piling on our children and grandchildren but this is an important vote to show that members of the body are serious about limiting the size and scope of our federal government. i urbling the passage of this amendment and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. wolf: i rise in opposition to this amendment. the bill before the house includes for the e.d.a. $5 million to facilitate relocation to the united states jobs currently being done overseas. if you have an iphone it's made in china. g.e. has moved plants off of the united states to china.

this is to -- in order to fund to enable e.d.a. to help work with american businesses to bring back, to repatriate their manufacturing activities back to the united states. also, and it does not support any project in my district, but it does support projects in some very, very poor districts throughout the united states. these are areas that are struggling and so because of that, sometimes e.d.a. is only a lifeline, a path to more economic sustainability. so i oppose the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fattah: first of all new york terms of the previous amendment, that was withdrawn, it is very important that we note that the innovation is the

driving force in our economy. the world economic forum says innovation -- america's economy is built on innovation system of i want to just add my voice in terms of that amendment. but in terms of this -- the offering relative to the economic development administration. the speaker of the house earlier was saying that as you listen to americans, they are concerned about jobs. well the one entity in the federal government that has a track record of developing jobs in each of our 50 states, just recently they announced a $300,000 initiative in alaska. alaska is a little bit aways from my hometown in philadelphia, pennsylvania, but wherever you look in our country, the e.d.a. has been working to stitch together communities of interest, build support and jobs. it's a very -- it's a program that the majority would love because it's not decisions from

on high. these are decisions made at the local level about where the -- where to build industry, what types of industries to attract, it has a proven record, decade after decade, stitched throughout america. not one piece of unbroken cloth but kind of like a quilt. many color, many different pieces patched together and so i support the e.d.a. i oppose this amendment. and i hope that we give a resounding vote in support of the economic development administration. if we can spend american taxpayers' money in faroff places in this world -- building economies under the notion that that's how you strengthen democracies and provide peaceful places in the world, then we can take american taxpayers' money and invest in communities right here at home so americans can go to work. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? >> i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman -- does the gentleman strike the last word? >> move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognize -- recognized for five minutes. mr. rogers: my region has historically lagged behind others in the commonwealth and the country, particularly in recent years as we have reeled from crushing downturn in the coal industry that's cost my district some 8,000 good-paying mining jobs in the last few months. we have had to think and act strategically to revitalize our economic engine. creating jobs in a mountainous region without sufficient roadways or suitable water infrastructure might seem an insurmountable challenge but

i've always encouraged my constituents and community leaders to plan their work and work their plan. and with the help of e.d.a., this is what we've been doing. the economic development administration is one of the few entities in our federal government uniquely qualified to address the needs of communities with chronically high unemployment issues or facing enormous setbacks due to natural disasters. e.d.a.'s grants, awarded in a competitive fashion, leverage over $10 from the private sector for every federal dollar invested and are targeted at the -- at facilities that are essential for private industry to remain or locate in these underachieving areas. as a result of these targeted investments in water systems, work forest training centers, intermodal facilities, broadband networks, struggling communities

across the country have seen the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in just the last decade. i whole heartedly concur with the sponsor of the amendment that the role of the federal government is not to create jobs but instead to create the conditions favorable for private sector job creation. by partnering with local area development districts, leveraging public and private dollars and engaging the local work forest, e.d.a. just -- does just that. this bill provides $247.5 million for the agency, which is already below the president's request. rejects the administration's request to shift funds away from vital public works programs, and supports a loan guarantee program to develop innovative manufacturing technologies that will keep rural areas competitive nationally and globally.

with unemployment in rural areas around the country still horing well above the national average, particularly in the coal country, the victims of the war on coal, this is an investment we cannot afford to lose. i urge a no vote on the amendment. the chair: the gentleman from kentucky yields back. the gentleman from -- the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from kansas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. rogers: madam chair, i request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from kansas will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition?

the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> madam chairman -- mr. cantor: madam champlee, let me begin by voicing my admiration for the chairman of the subcommittee, frank wolf. the committee and individuals around the world owe chairman wolf a deep debt of fwrattude for his years of service. the positive impacts of frank wolf's efforts literally span the globe as he has been a leader in the fight for and defense of human rights and he will jouse freedom around the world. chairman wol san francisco a principled leaders than -- and i and the rest of my colleagues will miss his leadership in the house in years to come. madam chair, i also rise to address the shosh of funding for research through the national science foundation. i believe the federal government has an important role to play in basic research, including the research conducted by the national science foundation. the dollars we invest in

research in the physical and biological sciences in particular have the potential to cure diseases and create new innovations that will become the building blocks for future economic growth and prosperity. but i have been troubled that the administration has been spending scarce federal resources allocated to the national science foundation, not on these hard sciences but instead on political and social science research. including, for example, the attitude of americans on the filibuster. studying what makes politics interesting. and how politicians change their websites. the national science foundation even spent $700,000 to fund a usical -- a musical. not research. on climate change my colleague, lamar smith, chairman of the science, space, and technology committee has been leading an effort to reform the n.s.f.

to eliminate wasteful spending and prioritize research that has the potential of truly benefiting our nation. chairman smith's committee currently has a national science foundation reform bill under consideration that bill takes important steps to set appropriate national priorities. i thank him for his efforts on this important front. in addition, chairman smith is offering an amendment that will be offered tomorrow to this bill that would seek to leave funding for the social, behavioral and economic sciences direct rat at the current levels and then allocate the $15 million increase requested by the president to other research priorities. i fully support chairman smith's amendment, urge my colleagues to support it as well. this is the first step of many that i hope will take -- i hope we'll take to protect taxpayers while at the same time ensuring that high priority research is

appropriately funded. i look forward to continuing to work with chairman smith on this initiative and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i seek to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fattah: i appreciate the majority leader and i know for certain he has an interest, particularly in these areas that he has spoken about because on one day, the end of a long week, the two of us ventured over to the national institutes of health to sit and learn a little bit more about the merit based selection process for an -- for investments and investigations to end diseases and lamar smith, who is a great member, led the effort on patent reform. . however both are misguided in is attempt to move away from

the world renowned merit based selection process at the national science foundation. all of our competitors are actually trying to mimic the merit based selection process that the national science foundation utilizes, and it's critically important that the national science board in the ways these decisions are made are not going to be influenced by politics, and that was in the wisdom of the creation of this and has worked so well we now lead the world. if we want to continue to lead the world, the last thing we want to do is interject politics into the decisionmaking process of what basic scientific research should be supported. there are more proposals that come in than can be funded. they are done on a peer review, science only baycy, and i think it would be a very unwise signal

for this congress to send to move in this direction. so i hope that our colleagues even though we have great respect for the majority leader would act in more respect for basic science and for a baret-based selection process. i yield back the remainder of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the clerk will read. the clerk: page six, line 4, salaries and expenses. $37 million. minority business development agency, minority business development, $30 million. economic and statistical analysis, salaries and expenses, $99 million to remain available until september 30, 2016. bureau of the census, salaries and expenses, $248 million. periodics censuses and programs, $858,500,000 to remain available

until september 30, 2016. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> madam chair, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. gibson of new york, page 7, line 17, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $4 million. page 30, line 24, after the first dollar amount, insert increased by $4 million. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. gibson: thank you, madam chair. let me begin by first of all recognizing my friend, the chairman, chairman wolf, for his long and distinguished career? tub pick serb serb? tub pick -- in public service, and most of all to say how impressed we are with the teamwork of chairman wolf and ranking member fattah in putting together this piece of legislation. i'm giving it my highest endorsement here. an ising today to offer

amendment about an issue area that is of great concern to us in upstate new york. this is a harrowin and -- hair win and opiate epidemic going on. this is an issue across our country. noted that the governor of vermont spent the time in his state of the state to address this issue. we certainly have to do more on this score. i have convened meetings where i have had an opportunity to listen very carefully to district attorneys, to law enforcement professionals, medical professionals, and the families of those affected. without any doubt we are going to have to do more to address this issue. i see it in three basic categories, one is prevention, doing more on prevention. second is enforcement. and the third is treatment. and treatment is handled in the labor-hhs bill. i look forward to us addressing that in the weeks to come.

tonight we can address prevention and enforcement. do i want to commend the committee -- i do want to read some specific areas of the bill that the committee i think has done great work on this issue. in d.e.a. language, prescription drug and hair win -- harrow win abuse, we are concerned about the continued threat posed by prescription drug abuse, and overdose that is appear connected to enforcement of laws against prescription drug diversion. the committee has included in its recommendation funding to support enhancement of d.e.a.'s investigative efforts to deal with these growing threats and directs d.e.a. to report to the committee no later than 60 days after enactment of this act on the numbers of actual and estimated harrow win investigations in fiscal years 2013 to 2015. the amounts in street value with heroin investigations and prosecutions resulting from such investigations. and then in the d.o.j. general administration the committee

notes with concern the increase in heroin abuse. the department shall report no later than 90 days after enactment of this act on potential ways to address this problem. such as prevention, law enforcement strategies, prescription drug disposal site expansion, and other evidence-based approaches, and then finally, organized crime, drug enforcement task force, the resent surge in heroin abuse shows it to be one of the gravest problems now facing law enforcement and drug treatment communities. the d.e.a. noted in its 2013 threat assessment a trend of users switching to heroin from prescription drug abuse as one explanation for rise in overdose deaths and warns persons addicted to prescription pills heroin easier to obtain. i'm rising to offer an amendment to increase by $4 million the funding for the account that

addresses organized crime, drug enforcement task force. this will help our country in my district in particular in dealing with high level traffickers and gangs that are selling heroin and opioids. i think it will help. i think it synchronizes with the committee. i urge my colleagues to support the amendment. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman may not reserve. mr. gibson: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. wolf: i have no objection to the amendment. i think it's a very good amendment. i share the gentleman's person. in the western part of my district in the shenandoah valley, i think they had one h eroin death in 2012, 11 or 12 in 2013, this year they are surpassing that and it's only

may. this is a epidemic that's hitting the contry. they are finding growers of marijuana and mexico are getting out of that business and growing poppies. i think it's a good amendment and i urge support of it. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. fattah: i move to the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fattah: i rise in support of the amendment. this is a crisis. any way you look at it in my home state of pennsylvania, the poke know mountain areas or city of philadelphia,ual throughout the country we see this epidemic. people are losing their lives and extraordinary action needs to be taken. i do not want to say that our side, east bound though we support this particular amendment, concern about the offset, and just so that we can start to make sure everyone understands that we are concerned about it, we will want to -- a recorded vote on this and i will vote in favor of it. we do have a responsibility at some point to think about funding the census.

i'll stop there. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? > recorded vote on that. the speaker pro tempore: the chair had already moved on to the -- the chair: the chair had already moved on. indicated in my remarks that we could ask for a recorded vote. would you like to reback my remarks? the chair: the chair did not see any member seeking recognition at the time the vote was called. mr. fattah: madam chair, i respect your decision then. and we'll proceed. thank you. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk.

the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. mcnerney of california, page 7, line 17, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $3 million. page 52, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert increased by $3 million. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. mcnerney: first i want to recognize that chairman wolf, his service to this body and country. the chairman and ranking member fattah for their work on this bill. my amendment takes $3 million from the census bureau and transfers it to the cops grant program. with the intent that the $p million go toward cop technology grants program at the department of justice. i'm proud to represent california's ninth congressional district and the work of our law enforcement agencies are doing in our region. however, they need additional support. several cities in my district have violent crime rates well

above state average. law enforcement agencies are understaffed and are struggling to retain and recruit officers. these first responders are doing their best to stress budgets in the tough economic times while trying to manage crime activity. this is an extremely difficult task that stresses police departments officers, their families, and our neighborhoods. consequently it's even more important that our communities and law enforcement work together to ensure crime fighting is as effective as possible, while also yielding the best results. one way to accomplish this goal is through improvements in technology. this increases effectiveness, it streamlines capabilities, increases information sharing, and most importantly it improves public and officer safety. through 2010 the cops technology program helped more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies acquire essential technology to help

meet the needs of their regions. that demand for technology funding by law enforcement agencies across the country has increased in the past four years. i recently met with the chief of police from a city in my district who asked how his department could obtain funding for an innovative project that will help officers identify the exact location of gun shops within the city? this pilot project in a very smallaire has been extremely successful. these technology grants would be awarded on a competitive basis ensuring that each applicant has a fair opportunity to receive money and acquire and deploy crime fighting technologies. i do understand the concerns about taking money from the census bureau as it begins its preparations for the census. but i believe that individuals, families, and businesses in high crime areas would greatly benefit from the cop technology

grant funding in the short and long term. this technology will save lives. lastly, i want to mention that the international association of chiefs of police support my amendment. i urge the adoption of the amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. wolf: and announce we are going to postpone the 2020 census and move it to 2021 or maybe 2022. i'm going to accept the amendment, but if we keep taking it from the census, there will be no census, unless it's going to be done on a voluntary basis. i think it's a good amendment. i understand what you're trying to do. if we keep finding census, census, census, there will be no census. i accept the gentleman's amendment. he makes a very powerful case. i think it's a very good issue.

except for that i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. fattah: i follow the chairman's lead. i remain standing and when we get to the moment i'm going to request a recorded vote. the chair: the question sont amendment offered by the gentleman from california. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. fattah: i seek a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california will e postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment.

the clerk: amendment offered by mr. bridenstine of oklahoma. page 13, line 21, after the dollar amendment, insert increasededly $12 million. -- increased by $12 million. the chair: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for five minutes. mr. bridenstine: my amendment transfers $12 million from the census bureau to the national oceanic and atmospheric association for research -- for weather research. we know technology exists that can predict tornadoes one hour in advance this technology will move us toward a day when we have zero deaths from tornadoes. my amendment today will direct funds to research and technology vital to saving lives and property. i want to thank chairman wolf for working with us toward this goal. the $12 million added by this amendment is for weather research in noaa's office of

atmospheric research as authorized in my house-passed, bipartisan, weather forecasting improvement act. specifically, this increase provides for a total of $76 million for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes to advance observational computing and modeling capabilities and quantitative assessment tools for measures the value of data and specific observing systems. the funding will accelerate research, development and the development of critical technologies like new aerial weather observing systems, transformative global, national and regional weather models, advancing high performance exup computing using computer networks and observing experiments to deliver substantial data improvements in weather forecasting and predictions of high impact weather events such as those associated with hurricanes and tornadoes. this will save countless

american lives in the future and allow our citizens to better protect their personal property. this should be noaa's highest priority. another critical part of the weather forecasting improvement act is a joint technology transfer initiative by noaa research and the national weather service. i urge the weather service to throw -- to follow threw on the bipartisan voice vote back in april and transfer the full $20 million authorized in that legislation to noaa research to carry out the transthoifings latest scientific and technological advances into the weather service operation. this will sun set outdated and expensive tools and allow cost effective transfer of new methods and tools into operation. noaa is the only federal agency tasked with providing accurate and timely forecasts. i believe this amendment is a big step forward in reflecting this priority. again, i am grateful for the chairman's guidance in working

on this amendment and i'm thankful for his leadership on this issue. i hope that we can work together to keep weather research funding at this level when it comes time to conference with the senate. this amendment will save lives and property. with that, i urge the support of my amendment and yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. wolf: i have no objection to the amendment, the gentleman's area has been hit, we have seen the pictures of the towns in oklahoma. i appreciate his efforts and diligence. i just want members to know that the commerce, justice and science bill already includes strong funding for the national weather service, the bill is $16 million above the request for the national weather service. we restored the $10 million proposed reduction for information technology officers at each weather forecast office.

we restored a proposed $8 million cut to the hurricane forecast improvement program, we restored $6 million in proposed cuts to the tsunami community education awareness program and so -- but i think the gentleman makes a very, very powerful case and we'll work to make sure that this stays in until we go to conference. as he said, we can save lives. that's what we want to do. with that, i accept the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from -- mr. fattah: i rise in support of the amendment and spent a lot of time and effort on this issue and i join with the chairman in acknowledging the fact that in the chairman's mark, a very significant investment in the national weather service, in ourer is severe weather forecasting activities and again the offset here is the u.s. census and so, i support the amendment, i'm going to be

seeking and will remain standing, a recorded vote because the house needs to acknowledge that if we are taking money from the census now, there will come a time in which we will have to ante up on our constitutional responsibilities. i yield back. thank you. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. mr. fattah: i seek a recorded vote. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. fattah: i seek a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceed option the amendment offered by the gentleman from oklahoma will e postponed. the gentleman from florida -- for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> madam chairwoman, i move to strike the last word for purposes of entering into a colloquy with the chairman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes.

>> i rise today for the purpose of entering into a colloquy with chairman wolf, somebody i have great respect for and compliment him on a bill he has prepared along with the ranking member. i prepared an amendment at the desk this evening that would reduce $8 million from the census bureau and instead move that money to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration's operations research and facilities account for the office of marine and aviation operations, essentially noaa marine research. i appreciate the chairman's comments about continuing to slice at the census bureau account and that's -- for that reason, i rise for purposes of a colloquy. i understand the bill includes $175 million to operate and main tai noaa ships. while i would have liked to see that number increase, i understand it does match the president's budget and in fact represents an increase of over $5 million above the enacted level from last year for purposes of additional days at

sea. noaa research, marine research, is critical for a number of reasons. i represent a gulf coast district. many members of the house do. mr. jolly: one of the purposes of noaa marine research and one benefit we see from it is more and better stock assessments when it comes to fisheries. we need to do better as a nation in our stock assessments and how we study fisheries. we need to have additional study and research into juvenile stock the survivability of juvenile stocks. we need to have better research into invasive species and how that leads to closures. perhaps the best way we could ever address closures is with additional research into studying the survivability of juvenile stocks. noaa marine research also advances our interest in water quality. it educates us and provides additional research for federal agencies when it comes to emergency situations like oil

spills, red tide plumes which are critical in the gulf as well as responding to the stranding of endangered marine ma'amals. noaa marine research also for areas along the gulf and other areas in the nation improve our economies. it affects the quantity of fish that we are able to produce for our food supply, but it also addresses quality of life for communities like mine in pinellas county. it also assists the economic development for -- development for regional economies that depend on a robust fish stock. the increase i would have proposed was in an effort to help noaa better fulfill this research mission as it's something i believe we need to continue to put an emphasis on. i thank the chairman for his commitment thus far already in the bill we are considering today when it comes to noaa marine fisheries but i would ask the chairman to consider

continuing this commitment as this process winds its way, as you get to conference if there's an opportunity to identify additional research -- resources, i would appreciate the gentleman's consideration. mr. wolf: if the gentleman would yield. i thank the gentleman for withdrawing the amendment. as the gentleman is aware, the bill before the house includes $175 million to operate noaa's research vessels. this is the same as the request and $5 million above the enacted level. we'll take a look at it, i appreciate the gentleman for raising this an we'll stay with it as we go to congress. mr. jolly: i yield back. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: the clerk will report the amendment. -- the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by

mr. nugent of florida. page 17, insert $4 million. page 44, line 6, after the dollar amount insert increased by $4 million. page 45, line 19, after the dollar amount insert increased by $2 million. page 49, line 11, after the dollar amount insert increased by $2 million. the chair: the gentleman from florida is recognize for five minutes. mr. nugent: thank you, madam chair. chairman wolf, i want to thank you for your leadership and all the years to this body and to the nation in general. each day, more and more americans are realizing we need to take action to deal with mental health issues in this country. you merely need to watch the news. we need to make it a priority. my amendment, in keeping with that sentiment, would provide additional funding for programs under the mental ill offenders treatment and crime reduction ct and for treatment courts.

these programs are a proven track record of addressing important issues associated with mental health illnesses. my amendment would justify seat the increase by taking millions from the census account that i have heard been hit over and over again. this is less than one-half of one percent. both programs that would receive an increase in funding highlight the need for justice and mental health systems to work together. as a former sheriff, i can tell you cooperation is vital. if our justice and mental health systems are collaborate, we can provide a more positive outcome not only for those with mental health issues but for our taxpayers as well. grants provided under this program are used among other purposes to set up mental health courts, training for state and local law enforcement officers, help identify and respond to people with mental illness. which should be obvious to folks

back home just is what happened in california. during my 37 years as a cop, i first -- i saw firsthand our jails are becoming warehouses for people with mental health issues. no one is well served by this process. not those with mental health issues, not our taxpayers, and certainly not our veterans. let me provide some numbers to illustrate what's going on in our jails. according to the florida mental health institute, in over a five-year period, 97 individuals in metro miami-dade area accounted for 2,200 bookings into the county jail. 27,000 days in jail. and 13,000 days in crisis units, state hospitals and emergency rooms. the cost to state and local taxpayers was nearly $13 million for just 97 people over a five-year period.

the type of program misamendment supports have shown to dramatically reduce the rates. in pinellas county, another county in florida a mental health jail diversion program showed an 87% reduction in rearrests for nearly 3,000 offenders enrolled in that program. not only does my amendment support these programs but recognizes the unique responsibilities we have to our veterans. veterans are disproportionately affected by mental health and mental illness issues. even more, they likely wouldn't have these issues had it not been for their service to our country. we owe them a better outcome in veterans treatment -- and veterans treatment courts can help. the point, madam chairman is that we don't have to waste taxpayer dollars warehousing people in jail. we don't have to be content with a system that isn't effectively serving the people it's supposed to. we have programs to help and save money and we can make this a priority. i know that this account has

been hit numerous times. i would tell you that you need to only see what's going on in this country, mental ill sns a problem that needs to be addressed and mental illness with our veterans in veteran courts that can be put in place by this, i think is owe tourd veterans. and certainly is owed to the people we represent. i urge adoption of my amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wolf: i rise in support of the amendment, mr. nugent makes a powerful case. as more veterans return from combat, we're seeing increased involvement in the justice system. the committee did establish the veterans core program in 2013 and increased funding for this year. the president didn't request funding specifically for this

program. the mental health court program is important as well and given the significance -- significant percentage of the justice involved population of mental health disorders, these courts help with recidivism. i think mr. nugent makes a very powerful case. i support the amendment and urge its adoption and i yield back. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. fattah: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. fattah: i will not request a recorded vote on this amendment but i wanted to speak on behalf of it. colleagues in my home state of pennsylvania, have been very interested in the veterans' courts. i was origin nayly involved in the drug courts in pennsylvania years ago, i think this is a very important effort, particularly as it relates to veterans but in terms of a host of populations to help divert people when possible from the criminal justice system and make

our communities safer at the same time so this is a very important amendment. i disagree with the offset. i want that to be registered. but i will not burden the house with another recorded vote and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. mcdermott: madam chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. mcdermott of washington, page 7, line 17, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by

$3 million. page 13, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert increased by $3 million. the chair: the gentleman from washington is recognized for five minutes. mr. mcdermott: thank u. madam chairman. - thank you, madam chairman. management is something that has had a long history on the pacific coast. as we book the dams on the colombia river back in the 1930's, we made treaties with the canadians. the mitchell act was passed and we have been subsidizing the propagation of fish since that period. we also have canadian and united states treaties for the fish caught in the rivers along our borders. the fish don't know where they came from. they don't know whose fish they are. and the human beings have got to sort it out. we have had these treaties in place, but we have been

gradually reducing the amount of money we spend in enforcement and propagation of fish. this $3 million seems like a very small amount, but what it's really all about is it means a hatchery closure which will reduce by $3 million the shin knock that are released next -- chinook that are released next year along with other kinds of salmon. you can't do this fisheries management by turning on the switch and turning off the switch. the fish go out for three years, they come back. and it is a long-standing process. and we are gradually whittling down what we are doing to one of the major sources of protein for this country. it's a huge economic impact on alaska, washington, idaho, and california -- northern

california, and it is money well spent. i think that there is -- there's -- if you don't understand fish, or you don't live in a community as i do, where the entire alaska fishing fleet is right now getting ready to go up and catch the salmon that you're used to eating in this country, you don't understand what it means when you don't have hatcheries producing salmon. the enforcement issue is really a matter of getting people to count and make sure that we get what's ours and also make sure that the fish are counted so we know about the sustainability. one of the issues going on in the world today and people are not paying attention to is the acidfication of the ocean. and acidfication of the ocean means that salmon eggs don't -- aren't being -- they are not as

fertile as they were before, and you're coming to a time when we are going to have serious problems with our fisheries all along the northwest coast of the united states. so this $3 million although it seems like a very minimal amount is necessary to continue the treaties with the canadians and continue the propagation. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: strike to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. the lf: i oppose amendment. we are taking everything out of census. so the members know this is same as last year's level. there are not any big major cuts here. also we are above the request. e are $3 million above the request. so i sont question what the gentleman says.

he knows more about salmon. he's probably forgotten more about salmon than i will ever know. but we just can't keep going into the census and going into the census. and since it is $3 million above the request, it is at the same level last year. we added money into salmon in the full committee. so i'm going to ask for a no vote on the amendment. yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. fattah: i rise to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fattah: so the chairman and i sat through some hearings last year listening to and learning about the hatcheries in washington state. and learning about both the treat way responsibilities -- treaty responsibilities and the natural hatchery programs. i think we funded it at the level that was requested and then above that.

on top of the fact that we are at a level beyond what was requested, this again would diminish the account for the census. we have a constitutional responsibility, we swore an oath to the constitution. it requires the united states congress to fund a census. and even though the hatcheries in the -- in washington state deserve appropriate support, i think that the committee has moved in that direction, and i have opposed this on the basis that it again attacks an account that we have a responsibility to protect even though it may not have the same level of political or popular support as some of these items. i love eating the fish, but we got to make sure we count the census so that we can have --

live up to our responsibility as a congress. i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from washington. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the clerk will read. page 8, line 1. national telecommunications and information administration, salaries and expenses. $36,700,000 to remain available until september 30, 2016. public telecommunications facilities, planning and construction, for the administration of prior year grants on obligated balances previously appropriated. united states patent and trademark office, salaries and expenses including transfers of funds, $3,458,000,000.

page 12, line 1, national institute of standards and technology. scientific and technical research and services, $670,500,000. industrial technology services, $130 million. construction of research facilities, $55,300,000. national oceanic and spheric administration, operations research and facilities, cluding transfer of funds, $3,089,480,000. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. holt: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. holt of new jersey, page 13, line 21, and page 14, lines 8 and 9, after the dollar amounts,

insert, increased by $37 million,450,000, reduced by $37,450,000. the chair: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for five minutes. mr. holt: i thank the chair. i rise today as a member of the sustainable energy environment caucus. this coalition of members has formed in order to advance policies to promote clean energy, protect our land, air, and water. and to address one of the dominant issues of our time. human induced global climate change. i'm joined in this amendment tonight by representatives moran, mr. peters of california, polis, lowenthal, connolly, mr. hastings of florida, huffman, tonko, and cartwright, and we rise because, unfortunately, this bill fails to make the critical investments that are needed to further our understanding of the spheric --

at moss spheric changes -- atmospheric changes we know are affecting our planet. it would cut climate research in the next fiscal year buy $37.5 million below the current year or $69 million below what the president is asking for. noaa climate research funds atmospheric and oceanic research, climate research laboratories, cooperative institutes, regional climate data, and information, competitive climate research, global data collection, and sharing. as the climate changes, we will continue to experience deeper droughts, more intense wildfires, more frequent storms and floods, superstorms like hurricane sandy, higher sea levels, bigger storm surges. would we not want to understand what's going on? it's ironic that as members here tonight are trying to outdo each

other in supporting weather research, they propose to cut climate research. i suppose when we come back to n.i.h. they will be tripping over themselves to talk about research in symptoms but ban any study of the causes of the disease. now, earlier this year the intergovernmental panel on climate change released their fifth assessment report, and earlier this month the federal government released the u.s. national climate assessment. both reports which were the product of years and years of research, the combined efforts of literally thousands of scientists, spanning the globe, came to the same conclusions. the climate is changing, emissions of greenhouse gas from human activities are the principal cause, and the result is costly. in lives and dollars. yes, deadly. just about a year ago we passed

a landmark in human history, 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air worldwide. i say in human history because, indeed, it is human activity the way we produce and use energy, that is primarily responsible for this large increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide. it is of historic importance because as scientists have made clear this great concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is changing our very climate. now, we know some members even in this chamber have their doubts about man-made climate change. they say the human induced climate change, they may maybe the climate is ink chaing and humans around to blame, or maybe humans are changing the climate but it's not as bad as the alarmists say. still others outright deny the

science. reject the calls for action by scientists. why this denial? it wouldn't happen in other instances. if a firefighter bangs on your door toll you your house is on he -- to tell you your house is on fire, would you look at this stranger wearing a helmet and oxygen tank and say -- i don't believe you. or would you get out? why, then, when thousands of the world's best scientists are telling us that you whomans are dangerously changing the planet's climate, that your house, planet earth, is in deep trouble, then get moving. this is not a joke. it's not a hoax. it's not a false alarm. this bill would cut critical investments that are needed for ongoing climate research. and failing to provide the resources necessary to study our changing climate won't make the problem go away.

it will just make it harder to predict, more difficult to understand. denial is the result of ignorance and only deepens our ignorance. we need to support the science behind climate change. we need to develop policies that would help us mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. . for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> i rise in support of dr. rush holt, probably the smartest scientist we've ever had in the united states congress, give us a warning that we need to pay attention to climate research. it's not weather research, we put a lot more money into

weather research. we're worried about prediction. we're worried about what's going to happen, we want to know the next few days, whether it's going to be a tornado, a hurricane. but climate is what tells us what's going to happen in the long-term future. whether we're going to have a sustained drought. whether we're going to have fire danger buzz of winds and droughts. whether we'll have rainfall patterns that have fallen in one part of the country and not in another that affect agriculture and water resources. i live on the coast and though a lot of people deny there's global warming and therefore ice melting and therefore the oceans rising, i can tell you that it's actually asked in the all the zoning matters in california if you're going to build along the coastline, what will that coastline look like in years out.

what is the climate forecast, climate, not weather, tell us about rising oceans that will not allow your house to be built exactly where you want it to be built. this is important information to have. we've understood, you know, how important ports are to the united states trade. we can't live without goods going out of this country and goods coming in and they come through our ports. if the oceans are going to rise and destroy our docks and facilities, that's going to have a huge impact on our national economy. ocean chemistry, talking -- the next amendment will talk about ocean acidify case, i'm going to rise on that as well but these are important to our fisheries. mr. farr: i think that an amendment like this is really important to invest in. we cannot really understand weather unless we understand the patterns of climate. climate change will impact trade. climate change will impact food

security. climate change will impact national security. climate change will impact human health. it is imperative that we robustly fund noaa climate research in order to be prepared and adapt to changing climate. changing weather. thank you, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognize for five minutes. mr. tonko: this bill is providing level fouchsd -- of funding for research through the national science foundation and nasa. but in the noaa, research is cut from last year's spending. there are a numb of us who believe we can improve weather forecasting without doing climate research. this is not the case. the distinction between weather and climate is created by the

time period we define to examine the temperature, humidity and other atmospheric phenomena we're experiencing. as our society and our economy have become more advanced, more interconnected and more global, we increasingly operate seven days a week, 24 hours a kay, 365 days a year. for better or worse we assume everything can and is operating all the time. often because of weather conditions, that assumption is challenged. travel delays in the airline industry alone can result in multibillion dollar losses. phenomena such as droughts and floods and fires are not merely single weather events, their probability of occurrence, duration and intensity is a function of climatic factors that can only be understood and predicted if we can better understand short, medium and long-term climate trends. i note that the bill before us retaining funding for the national drought information

system. that's good news. but by cutting the climate research that driving -- drives improvements and the information delivered through this system, we are stifling the potential nor tool to provide better information to farmers, ranchers, water managers, and many other businesses, communities and citizens who are required -- who require dependable, adequate water supplies. it was climate research that led to our much improved understanding of the el nino and la nina cycles that drive predictable changes in weather. as a result, farmers are able to adjust crop varieties and practices to prevent losses. we are spending an increasing amount every year on relieving drought, fighting forest fires and relieving disaster from tornadoes, hurricanes and flood events. instead of cutting climate research funds, we should be expanding them. instead this congress continues to deny what is all too obvious to many of our citizens and those of other nations that climate change is under way. some of our agricultural

systems, and essential infrastructure are at risk. we can adapt, we can redesign and rebuild infrastructure but we need to know where to concentrate our efforts and what type of adaptations will be necessary. we need to have a better understanding of the rate of change that we will experience. climate research is providing that understanding. in february of last year, the government accountability office added the financial risk of climate change to its high risk list. this past january, they testified about the fiscal liability associated with disasters. climatic they found that the number of disaster declarations increased from 65 in 2004 to 98 in 2011. the financial risks from the two primary federal insurance program the national flood insurance program and the federal crop insurance program are over $1 million. we paid over $60 billion on hurricane sandy recovery alone.

and these ronell the financial costs. hurricanes like irene and lee swept through my district in 2012, i saw the suffering caused by these storms. the loss of lives and destruction of homes and communs extract a terrible cost on those who experience these devastating events. we should be doing more to spare our citizens from these experiences. with financial exposure of over $1 trillion and the known risk to individuals, communities, businesses and infrastructure from climate and weather, it is absurd to claim we are saving money by cutting $37 million from these programs. we must do our part to ensure that future generations have opportunities that our parents and granchtes secured for us. past generations built this nation through their willingness to tackle the challenges of their time by believing in the future of this nation and investing in it. climate change is real and will not have less impact if we pretend it isn't happening. we must stop ignoring this problem. we can choose to deny, we can

bury our heads in the sand. when that sand is washed away, however by cloot mat change, it's over. climate research is vital to national security, food security, economic security and to our future as a nation. we should continue this important research effort and use the knowledge gained from it to inform and implement an adaptive strategy. with that, i urge support of this amendment and yield back. hypothe gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman -- the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> i also rise in support of the amendment and i echo representative farr in sing that it's been an honor and privilege to serve in his company in the united states house of representatives. mr. cartwright: madam speaker, average temperatures have risen across the contiguous 48 states

since 1901. with an increased rate of warming over the past 30 years. seven of the top 10 warmest years on record have occurred since just 1998. tropical storm activity in the atlantic ocean, the caribbean and the gulf of mexico has increased during the past 20 years. in the past two years alone, extreme weather events resulted in 109 presidential major disaster declarations, 20 events that each inflicked at least $1 billion in damage, and 409 deaths and $130 billion in economic losses in 44 states caused by these 20 events alone. every part of the southwest experienced higher average temperatures between 2000 and 2013 than the long-term average dating back to 19 -- to 1895.

some areas were nearly two degrees warmer than average. we simply cannot afford to ignore this increasing threat in the future. in times like these it would be irresponsible to cut funding for research dedicated to predicting future extreme weather events, but that's just what this legislation does. madam speaker, research is how we educate ourselves and the familiar maxim to everyone is, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. the as it stands currently would cut $37.5 million from research on the effects of climate change like tropical storms, floods, and droughts. that's why i support dr. holt's amendment, which would restore funding to the f.y. 2014 budget

levels so that we can continue research into these disasters and save the lives and businesses affected by climate change. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. polis: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. polis: i'm very concerned with regard to the house c.g.s. appropriations bill and the drastic cuts to climate research. the bill provides for $69 billion below the president's request and $37.5 billion below the 2014 level. these cuts endanger our economy, our recovery and harm our understanding of climate change and could set scientists back years with regard to understanding our climate. climate research is critical for our economy. it provides us with forecasts beyond two weeks, including heat waves, hurricanes, drougs, tornado predictions. cutting these would negatively

impact transportation, agriculture, commerce and all industries that make important planning decisions based on these long-term forecasts. cutting this important investment will hurt economic growth and destroy jobs in these critical sectors. based on climate research information, some examples of how it's used are a car go ship can reroute its course to circumvent a storl. er can choose a different road to mitigate delays or a water manager may restrict types of water use to plan for extended droughts like we've had in colorado the last few years. the second congressional district of colorado is home to two world class universities, university of colorado at boulder and colorado state university. in addition to numerous federal lans and collaborative institutes -- federal labs and collaborative institutes, i'm proud to represent this area. we have research in both public

and nonprofit and private sector. federally funded research is a linchpin helping our country understand and respond to concerns of climate change serk veer storms, drought, fire risk, we need to invest more in climate research in order to plan for and respond to severe weather events and climate events. reducing damage and -- damage and increasing economic growth. that's why for they are second year in a row i was proud to lead an appropriations letter along with 73 of my colleagues requesting full funding for the noaa office of atmospheric science. climate is an important part of this program. i urge my colleagues to support climate research and restore critical funding to at least the 014 levels and hopefully more so that we can have the very best science guide our decisions, provide to companies and commerce, transportation, and agriculture and employ the very best information that we have with regard to climate science.

i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from colorado yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to strike the we can zit number of words. -- the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. lowenthal: i join my colleagues in opposition to the cuts to vital climate research. below es noaa's budget the 2014 levels and 37% below the president's fiscal year 2015 request. does the majority think that with less climate research, we can make better informed decisions? does the majority think that with less lie mat research we can better prepare our communities for higher storm surges? does the majority think with less climate research, we can

better understand why the western united states has increased wildfires and water shortages? does the majority think that with less climate research, we can improve our predictions and responses in our planning for hurricanes? finally, does the majority think that with less climate research we can improve our ability to model regional weather pattern changes which will affect the productivity of our agricultural sector? unfortunately, the majority's bill sure changes our ability to realize all these vital benefits of climate research. we hide our head in the sands, the law of physics will not change. we cannot wish away this problem. denying changing climate is not just another political position. . it's a denial of reality. i want to make this point to those in congress who think the verdict is still out whether

human actions contribute to climate change. this is false, it's wrong, it's misleading. the case is closed. climate change is happening and humans are contributing. today there's not a single scientific body of national or international standing that rejects the findings of human contributions to climate change. not one. to further make this point let me share the latest work from researcher dr. james powell, a geochemist, 12-year member of the national science board appointed by both president reagan and president george h.w. bush. dr. powell recently completed an update to his comprehensive study of the peer reviewed literature on climate change. . powell found that of the 10,885 pier peer review scientific papers that were published on climate change in l of 2013, only two papers

reject human contributions to climate change. two out of nearly 11,000. 2 of s less than .0 published papers in 2013 of peer review rejected some form of human contribution to climate change. this is not disagreement. this is not a divided scientific community. the reason for this is simple. there is no convincing scientific evidence against a human role in climate change. period. end of discussion. those that deny human contributions to climate change offer no compelling evidence to better explain the undeniable rise in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and accompanying global temperatures, rising global temperature. case is closed. we need to put this illusion of major scientific agreement behind us and take action.

we should be fully funding noaa's climate research, hopefully at the level requested by president obama in his 2015 budget request. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from alifornia yields back. the question is on the amendment . for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. fattah: i rise in support of this amendment and will seek unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the chair: without objection. mr. fattah: at a later time. thank you. the chair: the question is on the endment offered by gentleman from new jersey. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have t the amendment is not agreed to -- the noes have it.

the amendment is not agreed to. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from oregon seek recognition? >> isk an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. bonamici of oregon. page 13, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $9 million. increased by $9 million. the chair: the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized for five minutes. ms. bonamici: thank you, i rise in support of increasing fund to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, noaa, to support its integrated ocean acidfication research line and fulfill the administration's requested funding level of $15 million in fiscal year 2015. the administration's requested increase in funds for ocean acidfication research reflects a growing consensus in both the scientific community and coastal and fishing communities that i and so many of our colleagues

represent that ocean acidfication is affecting marine organisms and could irreversibly alter the marine environment and harm our coastal ecosystems and economies. on the west coast alone, a $270 million shellfish industry has experienced disastrous oyster production failures and near collapse in recent years because of changes in water conditions that have been attributed to ocean acidfication. this change in chemistry is caused by carbon dioxide in the sphere dissolving into the ocean and the increased acidity of the ocean is harming the basic building blocks for life in the ocean. making it more difficult for marine organize niches to build their skeltons and shells and slowing the formation of important ecosystem features, such as coral reefs. in the pacific northwest, for example, the combination of seasonal upwelling of acidic ters, low al can lynnity and

increased co-2 create some of the most corrosive conditions in the world. in just the last few years, the scientific community has been increasingly raising concerns about ocean acidfication with policymakers. researchers at oregon state university have been working with the fishing community in oregon to determine the impacts of acidfication. they have been helping the shellfish industry, especially the hatcheries, assess the causes of oyster die off, and how to mitigate the harmful upwelling through monitoring the water entering the if acy. this exemplifies the kind of academic and industry partnerships that become possible when the federal government supports the academic research enterprise. funds provided by noaa's integrated ocean acidfication research program will support research awards that will fund

studies on the impact of acidfication in coastal estuaries, coral reefs, and shell environments. not only will noaa support studies on the impact of acidfication, the agency runs the observing system that helps monitor areas experience increased acidity, and helps coastal communities and impacted industries develop adaptation strategies. my examples thus far have focused on the impact on oregon and the west coast, colleagues this is important to everyone because it affects the whole shellfish industry. i know from working with my colleagues in the pacific coast states that this is a problem that their constituents raise with them more frequently, and they point to it as an immediate threat to coastal economies. in conversations i have had with many constituents, the threat is made more immediate by how little is known about how these changes could impact the marine organisms and the people who depend on ocean resources for

their livelihood. this is why we need more information. this is why we need noaa's integrated ocean acidfication research program and why it needs more funding. the science community at large is still grappling with the extent and impact of changing ocean conditions. the bill before us today is full of important priorities and accounts that could use more funding if we in congress were able to provide it. researchers at noaa have indicated that even increasing the funding to $15 million does not provide them with enough resources to fully address a problem of this magnitude. even a modest increase will go a long way to supporting our hard-hit coastal communities and industries and would better prepare communities to address the creeping threat of changing ocean chemistry. madam chair, at the appropriate time i man to withdraw my amendment, but i do hope that the committee -- the chairman and ranking member and the

committee will work with me on this important issue going forward. i know there's at least one additional member who wishes to speak on this issue, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. farr: thank you very much, madam chair. i rise in support of this amendment and its concept. i want to thank the gentlewoman from the northwest, congresswoman bonna meacha, for introducing this amendment -- bonamici, for introducing this amendment. there is a lot of discussion on science and a lot is on weather and climate. what generates the climate of this planet is the ocean. and we sometimes often overlook the importance that the ocean plays. if we are killing the ocean, which some people think we are doing because if you think about it we have dumped everything we don't want on mainland in the ocean, including nuclear waste,

all kinds of other waste, we have caught everything that's in the ocean that's edible, and we have never found a balance. there's one industry that has. that's the shellfish industry. which doesn't have to go out and just collect wild shellfish anymore. it's a fish farming industry. and it's $270 million industry on the west coast. guess what's happening to that industry? the water -- seawater that they use has become acidic and therefore the shells can't form. it's sort of like remember when we were doing with d.d.t. and you had eggshells from birds, pelicans that couldn't get hard, we eliminated the d.d.t. we got sensible about that. we have to get sensible about what we are going to do about ocean acidfication. don young, our colleague from alaska, and i are working on a bill on a substantive bill for

the policy of ocean acidfication, but that policy can't be implemented unless the department carries it out, which the amendment that the gentlewoman has introduced will allow it to do. i don't know how to put this in clearer terms, but if our water we were trying to drink was getting so bad it was killing people, we would -- we did something about it in congress, we passed a national clean water act. you can't do bad things to water that we use for beneficial purposes. when air was getting so bad that people were getting harmed by air, congress enacted the national air pollution act. and said you got to clean up clean air act, we have to clean up the air. it certainly was a big impact in california with all the smog in southern california. we tackled it. we invested money in it. we invested politics in it and cleaned up the air in the

southern california basin. not perfectly, but it's certainly better than it used to be. so the point of it here is, look, if we don't pay attention to the ocean and what's happening with the chemistry of the ocean, in the long run our concerns about deficits and war and pestilence around the world mean nothing. if 245 ocean gets so toxic it kills us all. it kills all living things, 73% of the planet is ocean. let's begin doing what we have done well in paying attention to clean air and clean water and start thinking about what's it going to take to pay attention to clean oceans or do no harm or stop dumping into the ocean. -- one kill our very of earth's life forms that's so important. particularly since we get so much from the ocean in the

shellfish industry, let's not kill a private sector business that is managing itself well because we are not paying attention to acidfication of our oceans. please adopt this amendment. if you're going to withdraw it i hope we can work something out in conference to pay attention to this very important issue. yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. holt: i move to strike the requisite number of words. the clerk: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. holt: i rise in support of the amendment from our colleague from oregon. there's been a lot of talk tonight on both sides of the aisle about science. the point of science research is to teach us things that we don't already know. and in fact it was just a few years ago that science research showed something that we should have known but didn't. which was that our oceans were becoming acidic.

that our oceans were becoming acidic to the point of damaging fisheries, damaging coral reefs, damaging many of the things that we value and should value in this world of ours. this is an important amendment, and although i understand that the gentlelady intends to withdraw it, i do hope that the chair will find some way to address her point as this bill goes through the legislative process. as i also hope the chair will find some way to address the point of my earlier amendment about noaa climate research. and with that expressing strong support for this amendment, i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields ack.

does the gentlewoman from oregon withdraw the amendment? ms. bonamici: with great hope this issue will be addressed as we move forward in conference i do ask unanimous consent that my amendment be withdrawn. the chair: without objection, the gentlewoman's amendment is withdrawn. for what purpose does the gentleman from delaware seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk i would like to withdraw. in lieu of offering my amendment i rise for the purposes of engaging in a colloquy with the chairman. the chair: the gentleman strikes the last word and is recognized or five minutes. >> mr. chairman, i rise to talk about fisheries. the delaware bay supports the largest pop leags of horseshoe crabs in the world.

this unique species is crucial to the region and my state's economy as well. it's a critical food source for migrating shore birds. an estimated 450,000 to one million of these birds visit delaware bay each year. along with them come bird watchers who contribute to our tourism economy. they also provide bait for fisheries along the coast. less well known is horseshoe crabs are qused for biomedical aply keagses. aply -- extract of horseshoe crab blood is used to ensure that medical devices are free of contamination. we need additional research about the migratory patterns and prevalence in other parts of the

mid atlantic regions. mr. carney: the data collected through these surveys allowed the states to set annual quotas for the delaware bay region to protect both horseshoe crabs and migratory shore birds. for a small investment, we can generate the research necessary to ensure this critical species remains on a sustainable path. although i'm withdrawing my amendment tonight, i look forward to continuing to work with the appropriations committee on ways to improve funding for the science an data collection needed for surveys of horseshoe crab population along the atlantic coast. i yield to the chairman. the chair: the gentleman from verge is recognized. mr. wolf: -- the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. wolf: i strike the requisite number of words. i thank the gentleman for withdrawing the amendment. i understand how important the horseshoe crab is. i've been to delaware many times and see and i understand.

you make a powerful point. as the gentleman is aware, the bill before the house today includes $72 million for stock assessments, which is the same as the request, and $3 million above the enacted level. we'll continue to work with the gentleman, i appreciate his comments and i yield back. mr. carney: i thank the gentleman and look forward to working with the committee more on this issue. the chair: the gentleman from delaware yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman -- >> move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fattah: i'd like to concur with the chairman that i look forward to working with the gentleman from delaware on this issue about horseshoe crabs because they are critically important to the to the biomedical research and to the economy and we look forward to working with him as we go forward. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 15, line 3,

procurement, acquisition and construction. $2,176,290,000 to remain available until september 30, 2017. pacific coastal salmon recovery, $65 million to remain available until september 30, 2016. fisherman's contingency fund. for carrying out the provegses of public law 24-372 not oexceed $350,000. fisheries financed program account. $24 million. departmental management salaries and expenses, $54 million. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. thompson of california. page 17, line 24, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by

$1 million. page 22, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $3 million. page 35, line 21, after the dollar amount, incest reduced by $5,500,000. page 35, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $5,500,000. page 44, line six, after the dollar amount insert increased by $19,500,000. page 46, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert increased by $19,500,000. mr. thompson: i move to waive the reading. the chair: is there any objection to dispensing with the reading? the reading is dispensed with. the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, madam chair. i want to thank my friend, mr. wolf, for all your years of outstanding service to this fine

institution. i rise in support of the bipartisan thompson-king-estity-heck-fits patic amendment to strengthen the national criminal background check system. madam chair, i ask unanimous consent to enter congresswoman's esty's statement into the record. the congresswoman was a strong supporter of increased funding for the program. the chair: the gentleman's request is covered by general leave. mr. thompson: everyone agrees we don't want criminals, demest exabusers or dangerously mentally ill folks getting guns. the first step in stopping this is through a background check system but the background check system is only ased two as the kata you put in it. right now, all the information isn't getting in. when the information doesn't get into the system, we can't enforce the law and dangerous people who otherwise wouldn't pass a background check can slip through the cracks and can buy

guns. a recent "usa today" report found that in just five states, records for at least 2.5 million fugitives weren't entered into the system. six states have fewer than 30 total records in the system. 12 states have submitted fewer than 100 mental health records to the system. when states fail to submit these records, there is nothing to stop a dangerously mentally ill person from passing a background check and buying a gun. this is exactly what happened at the tragedy at virginia tech. my bipartisan amendment will address this dangerous shortfall, provides an additional $19.5 million to help states improve their submission into the criminal justice background check system. it will bring grand funding to $78 million. now many people on both sides of the aisle have already voted to support funding at levels that are much higher. after the virginia tech

shooting, congress unanimously enacted legislation that authorizes d.o.j. to provide up to nearly $190 million per year to help states improve submissions into the system. the n.r.a. supported it too. as a matter of fact, wane la pierre said, and i quote, our members don't want mental defectives and criminals buying handguns. we support the background checks and support the money to make it work effectively, end quote. but since the unanimous passage of this improvement legislation, congress hasn't come close to appropriating these funds. in f.y. 2013, congress appropriated just $18 million. last year, we started to move in the right direction, increasing funding to almost $59 million. this was a good bump, but it wasn't enough because also last year, almost $20 million in requests from states went unfunded.

our states need more resources to get all their information into the system. if we give them the resources, we can stop dangerous people from getting guns and we can save lives. every day our background check system stops more than 170 felons, some 50 domestic abusers and nearly 20 fugitives from buying a gun. but millions of dangerous purchasers could be passing background checks when they shouldn't be. all because states don't have the money they need to get records into the criminal background check system. madam chair this is dangerous. we can only stop criminals, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill from getting guns if their information is in the system. so let's pass this amendment, let's give our states the resources they need to keep people safe. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek

recognition? mr. wolf: move to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wolf: i rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. i thank him for taking the initiative and doing what he's done, forcing existing laws to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited individuals is a goal we all share. the bill already includes funding over 6% of the president's request for grants. the levels -- the level is above the 2013 level. if we can get it higher than the gentleman has, maybe when we go to conference if there's -- i think what he's doing is very important. i'm going to ask for a roll call vote on this. i think it's very, very important. it's not enough just to talk about something but i think it's important that we do it. i thank the gentleman and strongly support it and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman -- for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. fattah: i rise to strike the necessary number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognize for five minutes. mr. fattah: i rise in support of this amendment. i thank the chairman for

accepting it and i join with the chairman on his call for a recorded vote. my home state, like many of our states, rushed forward hundreds of thousands of names into the system after the newtown shooting. -- shooting of 20 schoolchildren. but names that should have been in the system from the beginning . and so i think it's very important if we're going to have this system that we have the information in it. and this amendment provides the resources and none of the offsets from the census account. i yelled back. -- i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. wolf: i ask for a recorded vote.

the chair: the gentleman -- pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18 further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california will be postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 18, line 4. renovation and modernization. $4 million. office of inspect jor -- inspector general, $30 million,596,000. -- $30,596,000. for what purpose does -- the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i have an amendment. the chair: clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia. page 100, line 17 a after the dollar amount insert increased by $596,000. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: thank you, madam speaker. this amendment would eliminate the increase of $596,000 for the

office of inspector general under the department of commerce and apply that amount to the spending reduction account. this amendment has the support of they have ranking member of the subcommittee on oversight, representative ma fay, as well. -- maffei as well. as chairman of the subcommittee on the science, space and technology committee, i've had the unfortunate responsibility of discovering incidents of whistleblower intimidation perpetrated by top level agency employees at the department of commerce office of inspector general. consequently, the office of special counsel was brought in to investigate these allegations of whistleblower retaliation. the investigation in this particular case found that the down -- counsel to the inspector general and the principal assistant inspector general for

whistleblower protection had threatened whistleblowers with an ultimatum. to either sign an agreement to not, quote, disparage the agency, the congress, and their staff, the office of special counsel, and the media, unquote, or have daily performance reviews added to their perform -- failing performance reviews added to their permanent files. unfortunately, the office of inspector general ignored these findings and took minimal action against these individuals. that's not enough. as a result, i, along with all the mens of the subcommittee, sent a letter on april 1, 2014, to the commerce i.t. tissue i.g. demanding he immediately fire the two officials in question. the inspector genre sponded by saying in part that the office had, quote, moved on, unquote. it is beyond hypocritical that the inspector general's office has conducted itself in this manner.

according to its website, the office of inspector general, quote, endeavors to detect and term waste, fraud, and abuse, unquote. throughout the commerce department, and to, quote, keep congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies and the need for corrective action, unquote. as maw larke -- as law makes we depend on just and ethical inspectors general to protect taxpayers' interest and to hold federal government officials accountable to the law. yet we can't depend on the office of inspector general at the department of commerce to even police its own. much less others who may seek to violate whistleblower protection laws. at the very least, we must refuse to increase the o.i.g.'s appropriation until corrective action is taken. i urge my colleagues to adopt this nonpartisan amendment. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from georgia yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. wolf: i rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment. the i.g. performs an oversight for the department and for our subcommittee and committee. i understand the inspector general has asked the integrity committee of the counsel of inspectors general for integrity and efficiency for an objective review and recommendations concerning this matter, taking into accounts all the facts. the o.i.g. has implemented each of the corrective actions proposed by the office of special counsel and that those actions were accepted by the office of special counsel to address concerns contained in its report as a result of its investigation. further, i understand there was no testimonial or documentary evidence that the inspector general had committed any prohibition with regard to

personnel. it appears also that the i.g. has asked the counsel, the so called cigia to further review this matter. until that process is concluded it could be premature to reduce the common inspector general funding. because of that i rise in opposition to the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the clrk will read. the clerk: -- the clerk will read. the clerk: page 18, line 12, general provisions, department of commerce, section 101, appropriations made available to the department by this act shall be available for the activities

specified in the act of october 26, 1949, 15 u.s.c. 1514. section 102, appropriations made available to the department shall be available for higher of -- for hire of passenger votor vehicles. section 103 not to exceed 5% of any appropriation for the department of commerce may be transferred between such appropriations but no such appropriations shall be increased by more than 10%. section 104, requirements set forth by section 105 of the commerce, justice, science, and related agencies appropriations act, 2012, public law 112-55, are hereby adopted by reference and made applicable both respect to fiscal year 2015. section 105, the secretary may furnish services necessary to support the operation and improvement of space that persons, firms, or organizations use or occupy in the herbert c.

hoover building, washington, d.c., or other buildings. up to $200,000 shall be credited to the appropriation which initially bears the cost of such services. section 106, nothing in this title shall be construed to prevent a grant recipient from deterring child pornography or any other unlawful activity over its networks. section 107, the administrator of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration is authorized to use with consent the land surfaces or instrumentality of the united states for purposes related to carrying out the responsibilities of any statute administered. section 108, the department shall provide a monthly report to the committees of the house and the senate on any official travel to china by any employee of the u.s. department, including the purpose of such travel.

this title may be cited as the department of commerce appropriations act 2015. title 2, department of justice, general administration, salaries nd expenses, $103,851,000. the chair: the clerk will suspend. >> madam chair, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. moore of wisconsin, page 22, line 6, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $1 million. age 22, line 25, after the first dollar amount insert increased by $1 million. ms. moore: madam chair -- the chair: the gentlewoman -- ms. moore: dispense with the reading. ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the chair: the amendment's been read. the gentlewoman from wisconsin's

recognized for five minutes. ms. moore: my amendment adds $1 million to the executive office of administration review, eoir and offset through the department of justice salaries and expenses accounts. i do want to acknowledge the committee for their great work in increasing funding for the eoir for this fiscal year, but even with this increase, madam chair, funding is still woefully short of the president's request. and this bill doesn't nearly go far enough to address the crisis our immigration courts face today. this house has spared no expense, no expense when it comes to throwing money at our failed enforcement only immigration system. since we are spending about $18 billion a year on enforcement, we are detaining and deporting immigrants at record levels.

an estimated 1,000 deportations take place each day. yet, madam chair, we have done little to nothing to assure that our nation's immigration courts keep up with that face, let alone fix many of these problems. this is one more example to demonstrate why we should have passed comprehensive immigration reform this year, but that having been said this amendment .eeks to address that disparity this mismatch, madam chair, between immigration review resources and aggressive enforcement efforts has created a backlog of over 366,000 cases in our immigration courts. the average wait for a hearing is over 570 days. many justified, justified immigration relief and ally sum

seekers can find themselves waiting years in limbo. and these unacceptable delays waste taxpayer dollars by keeping people in detention. moreover, our tradition of due process is in serious jeopardy. eoir has been forced to do everything in its power to accommodate their docket, but only so much could be done without sacrificing essential aspects of the court. now, madam chair, in february a "washington post" article described the day-to-day world of one of our immigration courts where a judge had on average seven minutes to decide each case. seven minutes to decide whether to deport a person who might be eligible for asylum because they could be killed if they are sent back to their home country, seven minutes for a judge to decide if a child will grow up without their father or mother. seven minutes. one judge described it in

testimony before congress, it's like doing death penalty cases in a traffic court setting. my amendment also highlights the need to fund and expand the legal or thentation program. this important program gives the detainees basic legal information, makes our system more efficient, and strengthens due process. about 41% of those awaiting hearings before an immigration judge don't have legal representation. children, madam chair, would benefit from this. in march of 2014, a u.n. refugee agency report cited a strong link between instability and violence in the americas region d new displaced pattern of children fleeing. yet these children range interesting toddlers to teenagers are so vulnerable but they are less likely to have the legal advice and counsel. our notion of guardian add lie

tell to help them navigate the complex immigration laws. this is so important, madam chair. and i hope we can work together to expand it. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from wisconsin yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: move to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wolf: i understand it takes millions from attorney general holders' office and puts it into immigration. i have no objection. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from wisconsin. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek

recognition? >> i move to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. goodlatte: thank you, madam chairman. i rise today to express my support for the f.y. 2015 commerce, justice, science, and related agencies appropriations bill and to thank chairman wolf for his steadfast service as chairman of the commerce, justice, science, and related agency subcommittee. on behalf of the members of house judiciary, i'd like to express my gratitude for the cooperative spirit in which chairman wolf and the c.j.s. subcommittee has worked with us to ensure that many of the judiciary committee's concerns were addressed. funding for immigration courts, intellectual property rights, enforcement and crime victims are just a few of the critical priorities addressed by the bill. i'm pleased to say that the bill includes an increase in funding for the administrative review and appeals account. this increase will support much needed additional immigration

judge teams. i commend the committee for their efforts to allocate this funding which is crucial to reducing the backlog of unadjudicated removal and asylum cases. i also want to express my appreciation for language included to ensure that the executive office for immigration review will not use taxpayer funds to pay for attorneys for aliens in removal proceedings except to the extent required by federal court order. this bill also increases funding available for crime victims by raising the cap on the victim -- crime victims fund, a mandatory account supported by criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, and special assessments as opposed to appropriated funding. furthermore, i applaud chairman wolf and ranking member fattah for the extraordinary efforts shown throughout title 2 of this bill to prioritize the elimination of human trafficking

using all of the law enforcement components and tools of the department of justice. this bill also maintains many important restrictions on the use of funds such as the prohibition on the transfer or release of guantanamo detainees into the u.s., the continuation of various provisions related to firearms, and limitations on the use of funds by the legal services corporation. the bill also provides $3.46 billion for the patent and trademark office, an amount equal to the fees expected to be collected by the p.t.o. in the coming fiscal year. while i'm disappointed the bill includes no funds for the juvenile accountability block grant program, a program that was zeroed out as of fiscal year 2014, the house judiciary committee intends to examine this program further, including to potentially re-authorize this program. in conclusion, i appreciate the efforts of chairman wolf and

ranking member fattah to work with the judiciary committee on this very important bill. i urge its support. i also want to take a moment to personally thank chairman wolf for his service to this body and to the commonwealth of virginia. he has been a leading advocate for justice, human rights, and religious freedom and his efforts have left an indelible mark on the nation as well as the world. thank you. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from virginia yields back. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? >> madam chair, i have an amendment at the desk and report that amendment at this time. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by miss sinema of arizona, page 22 line 6 after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $1 million. page 38, line 2, after the dollar amount, i sert increased by $1 million. page 40, line 3, after the dollar amount, insert increased

by $1 million. the chair: the gentlewoman from arizona is recognized for five minutes. ms. sinema: i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam chair, the amendment today is commonsense budget neutral amendment that provides colleges and universities with additional resources to prevent and respond to sexual violence on campus. this amendment increases funding for the department of justice's grants to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus programs by $1 million and offset this increase by reducing d.o.j. general administration funding by the same amount. . i offer this amendment because nearly one in five female undergraduate students report being sexually assaulted in college. according to the department of education, of higher education institutions across the country, including arizona state university, which i represent are under investigation for their li