anyone who signs up for medicaid is possibly allowing their home to be taken away from them at the end of their life, because that is what the state does, when you are on medicaid the government can actually retain your home to get any value back to them through your house, which is taken away fr >> see the rest of this discussion in the c-span video library. the house is about to gavel back in for legislative work, returning after a weeklong break. members will begin debating legislation devoting transportation and housing. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. we ask your eternal blessing on this, the people's house. keep them aware of your presence as they face the tasks of this

day that no burden be too heavy, no duty too difficult, and no work too weari sm. help them and indeed help us all to obey your law, do your will and to walk in your way. grant that they might be good in thought, gracious in word, and great in spirit. make this a glorious day in which all are glad to be alive, eager to work and ready to serb you, our great nation, and all our fellow brothers and sisters. may all that is done this day be done for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx.

ms. foxx: please join the pledge to our wonderful flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. over $1 billion in federal grants have been wasted on poorly functioning state obamacare exchanges, including a reported $655 million for three exchanges that have been completely shut down. these failed websites fit into a long line of government information technology projects that are over budget and underperforming. repeated attempts to build an electronic system that would allow the defense department and

the v.a. to share medical records have failed, despite billions spent. this is a significant contributing factor to many of the v.a.'s problems. mr. speaker, it's increasingly clear that the government is simply unable to procure i.t. products at a reasonable cost. with the internet's growing role in nearly all commerce and communication, this is yet another reason to stop expanding the reach of the bureaucracy and return our government to its constitutionally defined limits. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the a rts of lauren daberco, retired worker. for the third year in a row, lauren traveled to haiti as part

of a project through the rural electric cooperative association. each year, lauren transports the materials necessary toer is vess utility trucks and offers hands on training so local staff can address such issues in the future. while only 13% of the people in iti have regular access to electricity, when this project is linked to other projects, approximately 300,000 customers will have access. it can improve health care, education, and clean water. for this reason, i thank him and the national rural electric cooperative association for their efforts to electrify communities around the world. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in remembrance of a member to have the greatest generation, colonel

joe hart of pea ridge, arkansas, who passed away on may 23 at the age of 93. colonel joe was known for many things, he was a decorated world war ii hero a b-17 pilot, a participant in january, 1945's, infamous death march. mr. womack: a purple heart recipient, a test pilot for boeing, he was an author, a father, a grandfather, a local radio commentator and a frequent caller to my office. he was not shy about his strong opinions. his many visits to my rogers office were welcomed by my staff. we will undoubtedly miss his presence. my thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends. rest in peace, colonel joe, we'll miss you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute

and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: i rise today to honor mr. jude harrington, supervisor and park ranger at the u.s. army corps of engineers racetown lake, located in huntington county. mr. harrington has been recognized as recipient of the 2014 coalition legends award. his efforts have significantly contributed to the improvement of visitor recreational experiences, enhancement of our mental, social, and health benefit os for -- for people of all ages and backgrounds. his efforts helped make racetown lakeal destination. jude is a founding member of the friends of racetown lake a longtime advisor. which has led them to more than $1.7 million in partnership contributions. mr. speaker, without mr. harrington's high standards, customers in the surrounding

community would not have such high quality camping facilities and beaches to enjoy. he's a true professional, leader, and team member. congratulations, jude, for your commitment to excellence as the 2014 legends award winner. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, imagine if you have a medical show up to the emergency room and you're in the waiting room. that's what's happening. overcrowding has become a reality. more than half of all e.r. doctors have reported this trend. it's ironic that the main pillar of the affordable care act, an increase in patient's access to care, is exactly the opposite of what is happening. we're having a hearing on thursday in the energy and commerce subcommittee on health.

i'm looking forward toyota. we'll discuss the impact of the president's health care law on access to health care. it's my sincere hope that the administration is cooperative and forthcoming as we investigate yet another aspect of the affordable care act that instead of helping is hurting patients, doctors, and hospitals and putting a strain on our system. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk receive the following message from the secretary of the senate june 5, 2014, at 5:05 p.m., that the senate passed senate 1044. signed sincerely, karen l. hawes. -- karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may

have five legislate i days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4745 and that i may include tabular material on the same. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 604 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 4745, the chair appoints the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding, to preside over the committee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 4745 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: for the departments of transportation and housing and urban development and related agencies for the fiscal

year ending september 30, 2015, and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the first timeful the gentleman from iowa, mr. latham, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor, will each control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa. mr. latham: i thank the chairman and yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latham: i'm pleased to present to the house for consideration h.r. 4745, the transportation, housing, urban development appropriations act for fiscal year 2015. the committee has put forth a bill that conforms to our 302-b aldecision of $5 billion in budget -- allocation of $52 billion and is in line with the budget cap of 2014. under such an allocation, we prioritize programs and spending to achieve three important goals. to continue the funding levels on he map 21 contingent

re-authorization, keep the ares space running smoothly and preserve the housing option for all current h.u.d.-assisted families. i think this is a good bill with the allocation given to us. we may hear today from some who say the bill spends too much money and i'm sure we'll hear from those who believe we should be spending more money. however this bill received a fair allocation under the ryan murray budget agreement to a large bipartisan majority and as such we should continue to support. thanks to the return to regular order, the whole house of representatives has the opportunity for full consideration of this legislation. it's imperative that we move this bill to final passage, reflecting the amendments adopted by the house and move this bill to conference in time for the new fiscal year. i'd like to thank my good friend nd fellow -- future retiree,

the gentleman from arizona and ranking member mr. pastor for his ideas and support in drafting the bill. it's been a real pleasure to work with the gentleman and i really do appreciate his friendship. i'd also like to thank chairman -- and the anking ranking member, and the full committee and the subcommittee for the hours spent in hearings, markups and meetings working together to bring this bill to the floor and eventually signed into law. finally i'd like to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle, they have worked tirelessly to get this bill done to this point and i urge the adoption of this bill and thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. pastor: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the chair: without objection. mr. pastor: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is

recognized. mr. pastor: mr. chairman, i'm pleased that we are beginning onsideration of h.r. 4745, the y.-2015 -- the f.y. 2015 department of housing and urban development and related agencies bill. i want to thank chairman latham for his work on this bill. he has been a good friend throughout the years and has been a great chairman over these last few years on this subcommittee and i really have enjoyed his friendship and i enjoy working with him and i thank him for all the courtesies he's extended to me. i also want to thank the staff, the staff on the majority and the staff on the minority side. they've worked well together over these last few months to bring this bill on the floor. on paper, this bill appears to be nearly $1.2 billion higher han f.y. 2014 enacted level.

however, the sharp difference between o.m.b. and c.b.o. on the receipt estimates for the f.h.a. loan program means that this bill is actually $1.8 billion lower than the f.y. 2014 bill. as a result, many programs are frozen at last year's level. deep cuts were made to amtrak. cuts were made to grants for new transit systems. h.u.d.'s home program and h.u.d.'s program to reduce the hazards of lead and other household toxins have been reduced osm on a positive note, the bill addresses -- have been reduced. on a pstive note, the bill addresses many -- on a positive note, the bill addresses many other issues. it provides funding for the federal aviation administration to allow the f.a.a. to continue

to hire and train new controllers that were lost due to sequestration. the bill also ensures that the f.a.a. will be able to continue to make important investments to modernize our aging air traffic control system. with regard to the housing programs, the community development block grant program is adequately funded and the chairman has worked to ensure that the tenet -- tenants in assisted housing can retain their housing. the administration's statement of administration policy makes it clear that this bill needs improvement before president obama will sign it into law. as we consider the bill over the next few days, i hope that we can prevent further cuts to important transportation and housing programs, and i also hope that we can defeat legislative provisions that will only weaken this bill's chances

for enactment. finally, mr. chairman, i would like to point out to my colleagues that the senate allocation for this bill is nearly $2.4 billion higher than this bill. i hope that we can -- that we are able to consider this bill quickly so that we can go to conference with the senate to produce a bill that we can all support. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. >> i hadded' like to recognize as much time as he may consume, the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers. the chair: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: thank you, mr. chairman. for yielding the time. mr. chairman, i rise obviously in great support of this bill. this is the fourth of the 12 appropriations bills that i hope to bring to the floor before august. it continues to move the ball

down the field toward our goal of completing all of our appropriations work on time within the framework of the ryan-murray budget deal. the bill contains a fiscally responsible level of discretionary funding. $52 billion for the important departments of transportation and housing and urban development. agencies that support critical transportation infrastructure, safety, and housing assistance programs. with this bill in particular, we had to make some smart but difficult decisions as mr. pastor and chairman latham has said, although the 302-b allocation is $1.2 billion more than last year, when technical adjustments are taken into account, it's more than $1 billion below the current level.

as chairman latham and mr. pastor described, this is due to a considerable drop in federal housing administration receipts that are used as offsets within this legislation. as a result, the bill by necessity strikes a fine balance between fiscal restraint and target investment in programs that will boost our economy, improve our quality of life, and provide housing options to those americans most in need. one of our chief priorities in this bill is providing key infrastructure programs with a funded needed to keep our economy moving. the bill provides $40.26 billion from the highway trust fund for the federal highway program for road investments, the same as the current level, and contingent on the enactment of a new transportation authorization bill. it also includes funding to help communities bill, maintain, and

keep safe their mass transit systems. smooth, efficient, and safe air travel is another priority in this bill. it ensures that we provided full funding for air traffic control personnel, including controllers and safety inspectors. we are investing in the future of air travel as well. helping to ease future congestion and reduce delays by fully funding next gwen. and protect every american who uses or lives near our roads, airways, pipelines, waterways we increased funding for important transportation safety programs. within the department of housing and urban development we ensure that all those currently served by critical housing programs continue to keep a roof over their heads. to do so the bill increases funding for public and indian housing by $6.2 million.

we also fully fund the president's request for veterans housing vouchers. lastly, community development block grants have been held consistent with last year's funding level. as i said before, to balance out the important increases in the bill and to factor in the reductions in f.h.a. receipts, cuts to lower priority programs were necessary. for instance, the bill reduces amtrak by $193 million below last year and places strict policy reforms on how tax dollars are spent on this service. we also reduced tiger grants by $500 million below last year's level and mandate that these funds address our most critical transportation needs -- road, highway, bridge construction, and improvements. none of these funds under this

bill will go toward nonessential purposes like street scaping. overall, mr. chairman, this is a good bill. it will address our most immediate infrastructure needs and provides our most vulnerable citizens with housing. before i close my remarks, mr. chairman, i want to say a few words about the co-authors of this bill. chairman latham and the ranking member, mr. pastor, as you know this will be their last t hud bill before they leave us at the end of the year for greener pastures. these two men have been great assets to our committee. their expertise, their willingness to work together, their great attitudes, and we are going to miss them greatly. their swan song, this bill, is a

fine achievement, a capstone to two accomplished careers. i want to thank them both for their hard work on this bill and the others down through the years. and for their contributions to the appropriations committee. and the house and the nation. and so my friend, mr. latham, and i have labored together on this committee for a good while. 18 years, tom says. and we have been friends a long -- all along. we served together on the commerce, justice, state subcommittee for many years, among others, and i have learned to respect mr. latham, chairman latham and he's a great personal friend whom i treasure greatly. mr. pastor, the same way. we have worked together on this committee for a number of years as well.

and we have tried to serve the nation and the congress as best we could. and these two gentlemen have done great work on behalf of the american people. this is a tough bill. it's a good bill. but it's a tough bill. they had to squeeze some oversized feet into undersized shoes given the allocation that they had to work with. but they came through with flying colors. so i enthusiastically urge my colleagues in the house to vote for this bill because it's the best we can do, and it's a great bill. but also i want to say in closing as a tribute to these two fine public servants, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. chairman, waints to thank chairman rogers for his kind words. we have worked together for many years and over those years we

have been tible do appropriation bills, also developed great friendship. thank you, chairman rogers. i would like to yield to the ranking member, mrs. lowey, as much time as she may consume. the chair: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to chairman latham, ranking member pastor for your outstanding service to the congress, to the country. they exemplify the spirit and history of bipartisan cooperation tft appropriations committee. -- of the appropriations committee, and they will certainly be missed. i wish them both the best in the next chapter of their lives. and i appreciate their efforts their this bill together, job was made all the more difficult by much lower than expected f.a.a. and ginnie mae receipts. unfortunately, however, i must oppose this bill because it

provides inadequate funding for our country's highway and transit infrastructure. specifically cuts to the following critical infrastructure programs are unacceptable. amtrak's capital funding is decreased by $200 million below f.y. 2014, which will defer critical repairs. capital investment grants which support new subway, light rail, commuter projects are $809 million below the request. and the bill contains no funding for transit projects that are in the pipeline. tiger would receive a paltry, $100 million. while i'm pleased the majority included it in its bill for the first time, the proposed level is insufficient. on the housing side both home and the public housing capital fund, which are vital to the

rehabilitation and modernization of our country's affordable housing stock, face sharp decreases. at $700 million, home is funded at its lowest level since the program began in 1992 and the public housing capital fund is funded below the sequester level. in addition, funding wasn't included to support the installation of positive train control, which could prevent deadly rail accidents like those experienced in new york and connecticut in recent years. however, i do appreciate that e chairman is committed to addressing this issue. with -- issue if additional resources become available. while i would have liked this bill to fully support the president's new safe transportation of energy products fund for prevention and response to activities across all agencies at d.o.t. that are

grappling with the dangers of crude oil transport by rail, i thank the chairman for working with me to include approximately $11 million to the federal railroad administration to support grade crossing, safety improvements on rail routes that transport energy products and the hiring of safety staff to monitor the routing of energy products. there is also $7 million for pipeline, has aroundous materials, safety administration to improve training and outreach efforts related to incident response along with report language that directs the department of transportation to update emergency spill response plans for rail crude oil spills. improve first responder training protocols for spill incidents, and finalize a rule for improving safety standards for crude oil tank cars like the

d.o.t. 1-1-1 by the end of september. i would be remiss if i didn't note my objection to the inclusion of riders on california high speed rail and on truck waste exemptions. these controversial riders will only hinder the bill's progress through the congress. i would note for my colleagues that the senate appropriation committee marked up its transportation and housing bill last week. the senate bill's allocation was nearly $2.4 billion higher than this bill. as a result, it addresses many of the shortfalls of the bill we can today. it's my sincere hope that we can improve this bill in a conference with the senate before it is signed into law. and i thank you, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: just inquire of the

gentleman from arizona if he intend to yield back or if you ave any more speakers. mr. pastor: i'm prepared to yield back, mr. chairman. mr. latham: in that case, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. it the chair: all time having been yielded back, all time for general debate has expired. pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. during consideration of the bill for amendment the chair may accord priority and recognition to a member offering an amendment who has caused it to be printed in the designated place in the congressional record. those amendments will be considered as read. the clerk will read. the clerk: be it enacted that the following sums are appropriated for the departments of transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies for fiscal year 2015, namely, title 1, department of

transportation, office of the secretary, salaries and expenses, $103 million. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. meehan of pennsylvania, age 2, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by 3d million. page 41 line 6, after the dollar amount, increase increased by $3 million. the chair: does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: i do. i reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for five minutes. mr. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meehan: my amendment seeks to transfer money from the salaries account to the railroad administration to support the use of a second car to support

the inspection of crude oil routes. this funding would also be available to expedite implementation of a remote automated track inspection capability to increase inspection mileage while reducing costs. for more than 30 year, the federal railroad administration's automated track inspection program has provided accurate track geometry data as well as other track-related performance data to assess compliance with the federal track safety standards. currently, f.r.a. is operating only one atip car for inspections. my amendment would enable the f.r.a. to add an addition car to support safety -- an additional car to support safety positions. i realize you're -- realize you're in the unenvieable position of allocating the money given to you. i would like to say i think you and your cohorts have done a

good job of doing more with less. my amendment seeks to match what's in the 2014 housing and urban development bill. according to the pipeline and hazardous materials safety administration, more than 1.15 million gallons of crude oil ere spilled in 2013. 99.9% of shipments arrived without indent, but recent derailments in my home state of pennsylvania, including one in my district in philadelphia, made us all keenly awear of the dangers a train derailment can goes a country. just yesterday a train derailed outside pittsburgh and is dangling off the track over water. the sober truth is people's lives are at risk and we must do everything in our power to ensure we transport this crude in the safest manner possible.

atip is used to assist in assuring track safety. oil has been moved by rail for decades, the industry has responded by increasing safety. mr. chairman this program produces results. it's not just people on one side of the aisle that recognizes this, the congress as a whole does. so why not take a modest increase in the funding of the f.r.a. to double their capability in performing safety evaluations. it would make our rail lines safer while reducing costs. i urge its adoption and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: the amendment is well intended but mr. chairman, the amendment proposes to amendment portions of the bill not yet read. the amendment may not be considered en bloc because 2-f of rule 21, the amendment

proposes to increase the level of outlays in the bill and therefore, mr. chairman, i must ask for a point of order and ask for a ruling of the chair. the chair: does any member wish to be heard on the point of order? the chair will rule. to be considered en bloc pursuant to clause 2-f of rule 21, an amendment must not propose to increase levels of budget authority or outlays in the bill. buzz the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania proposes a net increase in the outlays in the bill as argued by the chairman of the subcommittee on appropriations it may not avail itself of clause 2-f to avail itself -- to address portions of the bill not yet ead. does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i do. mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: the gentleman would send your amendment to the desk please.

-- the chair: the gentleman would send your amendment to the desk lease. the clerk will read. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. farenthold of texas, page 2, line 13, after the first dollar amount, insert reduced by $6 million. page 15, line 2, after the first dollar amount increase increased by $6 million. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. farenthold: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to offer an amendment that directs $6 million to the f.a.a. for additional radar technology and equipment to the standard terminal arrival route, stars, in area navigation. this additional radar technology would be placed on u.s. navy property where flight training operations are conducting. -- are conducted. it's designed to mitigate the

cumulative effects of electromagnetic radar interference from con strucked or proposed wind turbines. what we've got is a problem that's developing throughout the country where wind farms are interfering with the ability of our radar to track planes. this is a safety consideration and it's important to make sure we have adequately trained pilots in the navy. as we move toward more clean energy like wind energy, it's important that we look at some of the unintended consequences of these. is radar interference with f.a.a. radar and radar used by the navy in training purposes and in some instances other branches of the service is a real safety hazard. this money will be used to develop technology so these radars can either be networked or additional weather band parts

of the radar can be adapted to mitigate the interference of these wind turbines. there's a real chance the wind farms, as more and more of them come on line, would severely impact radar operations throughout the country. it's crucial we invest in mitigation technology to make renewable energy products even more compatible with our naval training and f.a.a. operations and the time to act is now. i urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment and yield back the remainder of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: the purpose of the amendment is to provide funding for navy operations that might be affected by new and existing wind turbines. upgrades to air traffic control to address navy requirements resulting from the construction of wind farms are the responsibility of the department of defense.

and potentially those who are conducting the new wind farms. f.a.a. would have a role in consulting with d.o.d. to upgrades of air traffic control facilities, but this is typically done as a reimbursable agreement between d.o.d. and the f.a.a. further we cannot accept this offset. we've already reduced d.o.t. salaries and expensers in office of the sec retear down to the level provided in fiscal year 2012. we have provided funds in this account to protect transportation consumers, ensure safety across d.o.t. programs and provide oversight of d.o.t. programs to safeguard the taxpayer. i'd be happy to work with the gentleman to ensure the f.a.a. is -- has an appropriate partner to help in addressing this issue but i must oppose the gentleman's amendment and i urge a no vote and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields

back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: rerise in opposition to the -- we rise in opposition to the amendment. move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. pastor: we rise in opposition to the amendment. we agree with the chairman that d.o.d., department of defense, has the primary responsibility and f.a.a. would be a partner in this venture and we also agree that the reduction of salaries and expenses below the f.y. 2014 level, we don't know what ns consequences that would have, and so for that reason we ask opposition to the amendment. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. he amendment is not agreed to.

the clerk will read. the clerk: page 4, line 3, research and technology. $12,625,000,000 of which $8,218,000 shall remain available until september 30, 2017. national infrastructure investments, $100 million to remain available through september 30, 2017. financial management capital, $5,000,000 to remain available through september 30, 2016. cybersecurity initiative, $5 million to remain available through september 30, 2016. office of civil rights. $9,600,000. transportation planning, research, and development, $6 billion. working capital fund, $181 million. minority business resource center program, $417,000 as

authorized by 49 u.s.c. 332. in addition, for administrative expenses, $596,000. minority business outreach, $ 3,099,000 to remain avail ntil september 30, 2016. transport for air carriers trust fund, $4 million. office of the secretary of transportation, section 101, none of the funds made available may be obligated to improve assessments to funds appropriated to the mobile administration. section 102, the secretary may engage in activities with states related to reduction of motorcycle fatalities. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. walberg of michigan, page

10, strike lines 12 through 14. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today in support of an amendment which i'm offering with representative sensenbrenner and ribble -- representatives sensenbrenner and ribble of wisconsin. i believe this amendment represents a simple, commonsense change to an otherwise excellent bill. i thank chairman latham and his staff for their hard work in getting us here today. mr. chairman, current federal law prohibits federal agencies from lobbying congress in support of or against legislation and thanks to representative sensenbrenner's past leadership, congress passed similar anti-lobbying language to prohibit the department of transportation from lobbying state and local officials in 1998. in 1997, the government accountability office released a report on activities undertaken by the national highway transportation safety

administration, nhtsa, to lobby state legislators to enact state motorcycle helmet laws or discourage the repeal of existing state laws. at the cost of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, nhtsa officials traveled across the country to testify before state legislative committees, participate in conferences and produce videotapes and other printed materials, all toward the goal of weakening state laws requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. nhtsa has an appropriate role to play in developing programs that prevent accidents but congress has made it clear, they should not be in the business of lobbying state college lay sures. -- lobbying state legislatures. unfortunately the act of 2014 included language that repealed the lobby ban and that provision is carried over into this bill. allowing federal agencies to lobby states would add to the severe governmental overreach

while violating the principles our founding fathers laid out in the 10th amendment. the amendment i'm offering today clarifies that federal government agencies should not be in the business of lobbying state legislators. it is an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars and it violates the rights of states and local communities to make their own decisions. just as importantly, i believe these funds can be better spent on programs to prevent distracted driving or on educating writers and the driving publicism ask my colleagues to support this amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman may not reserve. mr. walberg: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of the amendment and we would be happy

to accept it. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: mr. chairman, i claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. pastor: the gentleman's amendment would strike an a provision carried in every bill since 2009. it simply grants the secretary or his representatives the authority to engage in activities with states and state legislators to consider proposals related to the reduction of motorcycle fatalities. in 2012, there were nearly 5,000 motorcycle fatalities, an increase of more than 7% over the previous year. the research and expertise of the national highway traffic safety administration can be extremely help to feel state highway traffic safety agencies as they consider measures to improve motorcycle safety. we ought to provide any resource to help states address this important safety issue. i urge my colleagues to oppose

the amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. . the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from michigan. 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. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 10, line 15, section 103, the department's working capital fund is authorized to provide payments in advance to vendors to carry out the federal transit past transportation benefit program. section 104, the secretary shall post on the website a schedule of all meetings at the credit council. federal aviation administration, operations, airport and airway rust fund. $967,000,750,000. facilities and equipment, rport and airway trust fund, $2,600,000. research engineering and

development. airport and airway trust fund, $156, 750,000 to remain available until september 30, 2017. grants and aid for airports, liquidation of contracts authorization, limitation on obligations, airport and airway trust fund, including transfer of funds, $3,200,000. cancellation, $260 million. administrative provisions, federal aviation administration, section 110, none of the funds in this act may be used to compensate in excess of 600 technical staff years. section 111, none of the funds shall be used to pursue guidelines requiring airport sponsors. section 112, the administrator may reimburse amounts made available to satisfy 49 u.s.c. 41742-a-1. section 113, amendments collected shall be credit to the appropriation current at the time.

section 114, none of the funds in this act shall be available for paying premium pay unless such employee actually performed work during the time corresponding to such premium pay. section 115, none of the funds in this act may be obligated for an employee to purchase a store or gift card through use of a government issued credit card. section 116, none of the funds in this act may be used for retention bonuses without prior written approval. section 117, none of the funds made available may be used to implement any limitation on the ability of an owner of a private aircraft to obtain a blocking of that owner's aircraft registration number. section 118. none of the funds in this act shall be available for salaries of more than nine political and presidential appointees of the federal aviation administration. section 119, none of the funds made available may be used to increase fees pursuant to

section 44721 of title 49 united states code. section 119-a, none of the funds appropriated may be used to change weight restrictions at teeter borrow airport in teeterborough, new jersey. federal highway administration, limitation on administrative expenses. highway trust fund, including transfer of funds, $426,100,000. federal-aid highways, limitation on obligations, highway trust 000,256,000. $40,256,000,000. liquidation of contract authorization, highway trust fund, $40,995,000,000. administrative provision, federal highway administration, section 120, contingent upon re-authorization, the secretary shall not distribute from the obligation limitation amounts authorized for administrative

expenses. section 121, funds received by the bureau of transportation and statistics shall be credited to the federal-aid highways account. section 122, any american requirement for federal-aid highways projects, the secretary shall make a public notice on the intent to issue such waiver. section 123, none of the funds made available shall be used to approve the imposition of any toll on any segment of highway located on the federal aid system in texas that adds of the date of enactment of this act is not told. section 124, none of the funds in this act may be used to provide, assistance of less not less than three days before any application approval. section 125, section 127 of title 23 united states code is amended by adding at the end, j, operation of vehicles on certain

other wisconsin highways. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. duffy of wisconsin, page 34, line 15, strike the closing quotation marks and final period. page 34, after line 15, insert the fog. m, logging vehicles in wisconsin. no limit or other prohibition under this section except as provided in this subsection applies to a vehicle transporting raw or unfinished forest product and operating on interstate route 39 from wisconsin for mile markers 175.8, to mile marker 189 if such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 98,000 pounds or less. the chair: the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: i reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. the chair: a without objection is reserved. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for five minutes. mr. duffy: thank you, mr. chairman. in central and northern wisconsin a logging is an

incredibly important industry for our community and economy. and in mosnewa, wisconsin, we have large paper mill. and the vast majority of the wood that feeds that paper mill comes from northern wisconsin. what happens is the wood is harvested in northern wisconsin and it comes down highway 51 where the weight limits for a truck is 98,000 pounds. but in warsaw, wisconsin, highway 51 turns into i-39. and it's at that time that the weight limits go from 98,000 pounds down to 80,000 pounds. and at that point those logging trucks are still 12 miles away from their destination, the paper mill. so what happens is our logging trucks go off the interstate and go on to our back roads through our communities and through our neighborhoods. through downtown where we have

vep populated areas and much narrower roads. also they can make it to the paper mill. what my amendment would do would allow for a 12-mile extension so those trucks can come from our forests in northern wisconsin and stay on the freeway that extra 12 miles to get to the paper mill. this amendment is an amendment that affects the safety of my community, my constituents, and t would have a small impact on our economy. those trucks have a straight route to the paper mill w that i would ask that my -- paychecker mill. with that i would ask my colleagues support the amendment. i yep. the speaker pro tempore: the chair: the gentleman may not reserved. mr. duffy: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: mr. chairman, i make point of order against the amendment because it proposes to

change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of rule 21. the rule states in pertinent part, an amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law. the amendment directly amends existing law and is not merely perfecting to the existing text of the bill. and i ask for a ruling of the chair. the chair: anyone else wish to speak on the point of order? the gentleman is recognized. mr. did you have if i: i would ask -- mr. duffy: the chairman and the ranking member when this goes to conference committee if they would consider the issue i brought up today and consider my constituents and the safety of my constituents in central and northern wisconsin. with that i withdraw my amendment. the chair: is there objection to the withdrawing of the amendment? hearing none, the amendment is withdrawn. the clerk will read. many page 34, line

16, federal motor carrier safety administration, motor carrier safety operations and programs. liquidation of contract authorization, limitation on obligation, highway trust fund. $259 million. motor carrier safety grants, liquidation of contract authorization, limitation on obligation, highway trust fund. $313 million. administrative provisions, federal motor carrier safety administration, section 130, funds appropriated shall be subject to terms and conditions. section 131, the federal motor carrier safety administration shall send notice of violations by mail which records the receipt of notice. national highway traffic safety administration operations and research. $134 million of which $22,500,000 shall remain

available through september 30, 2016. operations and research, liquidation of contract authorization, limitation on obligations, highway trust fund. $128,500,000. highway traffic safety grant liquidation of contract authorization, limitation on obligations, highway trust fund, $561,500,000. administrative provisions, national highway traffic safety administration, section 140, an additional $130,000 shall be available to pay for travel expenses for state management review. on ion 141, the limitations obligations on obligations shall not apply to obligations for which obligation authority which made available in previous public laws. section 142, none of the funds in this act shall be used to implement section 404 tighting 23 united states code, federal railway -- railroad

administration safety and perations, $185,250,000. rail road research and development, $35,250,000. rail row rehabilitation and improvement financing program, the secretary is authorized to issue direct loans and loan guarantees pursuant to sections 501-c-504 of the rail road revitalization and regulatory eform asket 1976, public law 94-2210. operating grands to the national rail road, passenger corporation, $340 million. the chair: the clerk will dund. -- the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. number 107. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia, page 42, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert reduce by $340 million. page 156, line 16, after the

dollar amount, insert increase by $340 million. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: thank you, mr. chairman. my amendment would reduce the amount appropriated for the operation -- operating grants to amtrak by $340 million and increase the spending reduction account by that same amount. this reduction would eliminatele all operating funds for amtrak. my amendment would seem to some harsh, but i suspect that my colleagues that support amtrak will argue since the underlying bill keeps funding at current levels, we h should leave the embattled entity alone. but the committee reports this reasons s us plenty of why we shouldn't allow amtrak to continue at the status quo. the first sentence of the committee report says this, quote, amtrak runs a deficit each year. it requires a federal subsidy to

cover both operating losses and capital improvements. a couple paragraphs later it says this, quote, although the northeast corridor is profitable, the federally mandated service such as long distance and state supported routes, sustain large losses that cannot be overcome by amtrak's profitable services. let's talk about the long distance routes, mr. chairman. according to amtrak's fiscal the 2013, ridership tables longest its routes experienced the highest ridership in 30 years at 4.8 million passengers. that sounds pretty good. but despite this growth, these routes still lost $587 million last year. in other words, for every passenger who traveled as one of

amtrak's long distance routes $122.29 amtrak lost cents. if you found a good deal on priceline, we might be able to actually cut our losses by buying these passengers one way airline tickets. they'd get to their destinations much more quickly. i wish i could say this is the extent of amtrak's failures, but i can't. the committee report also addresses amtrak's notoriously wasteful food and beverage service -- which lost an estimated $ 3 million in fiscal year 2013 alen. -- alone. over the last five years, food and beverage service has been responsible for approximately $387 million in total losses on top of the long distance routes.

look at the fine print. the committee points out that amtrak routinely cook its books to make these losses look better. usually by transferring amounts from first class tickets onto the food and beverage accounts. the current amtrak inspector general has reported that these transfers have increased by more than $22 million between fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2012. so while the top line numbers make it look as though the food and beverage losses have gotten slightly less over the past year th current estimated costs recovery at a paltry 65% of these numbers, they can't be trusted in the least. had enough, mr. speaker? mr. chairman? let me leave you with one final thought. amtrak is losing money, hand

over fist. they're cooking their books. there is not an end in sight. but how much do you suppose amtrak's food and beverage service employees are paid annually? according to the committee report, these 1,200 employees are paid an average of $106,000 -- over $106,000 a year. amtrak is a pseudo private entity with priorities that are way, way out of whack and it cannot become solvent. it will not right itself until congress steps up and says enough is enough. and now is the time for enough. i urge my colleagues to join me and send amtrak a message that its mismanagement is time to come to an end and is intolerable to the u.s. taxpayers.

mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman may not reserve. mr. broun: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latham: the gentleman's amendment would shut down amtrak. i concede that amtrak could be more efficient, however, it has made significant improvements in this area recently and it's moving in the right direction. the bill provides $340 million in operation grants to amtrak which fully cover amtrak's anticipated operating losses for fiscal year 2015. this is a realistic number that we pace -- that we base on amtrak's most recent operating loss projecks. the bill does not include arbitrary funding decisions. we held hearings and scrubbed every account. it isn't prudent to eliminate an entire transportation option. and i urge a no vote on the amendment. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields

back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. pastor: i rise in opposition to the amendment. i would tell my colleague and friend, the congressman from is more than harsh mild in what you want to do and i know that you and i want to continue to have your constituents take the midnight train to georgia. i can't support your amendment. i would tell you, mr. chairman, do amtrak because we have just a few lines in arizona but i understand that amtrak is very important to the northeast and other parts of the country and in my opinion, this is the nation's railroad line, we need to improve it, and i'm for that.

and this amendment would not improve it, it would eliminate it. therefore i'm in opposition to this amendment. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman georgia seek recognition? mr. broun: i have an amendment at the desk, number 108. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia, page 42 line 15, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $34 million. page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount insert encreased by $34 million. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: thank you, mr. chairman. this amendment is along the same lines as the amendment i just

offered, only it will reduce amtrak by the paltry amount of only $34 million, or just a 10% reduction. in offering my last amendment i laid out a number of reasons why amtrak has failed to be a good steward of taxpayers' money. i understand that many of my colleagues might not want to -- want to fully defund this entity so i'm now asking that we join together and send a message to the amtrak leadership a smaller message, but a strong one nonetheless. i'm asking my colleagues to tell amtrak that we will not continue to reward bad behavior. and that when we ask for reform, we expect real reform to begin and take place. not fuzzy numbers. not misleading reports. not sky high employee salaries. but real, honest reform. amtrak has struggled for way too

long under the status quo. it's time to send them a message and i urge my colleagues to support my amendment. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i really -- i have to oppose the amendment. the fact of the matter is, the bill provides $340 million for operating grants to amtrak, which fully cover their operating losses if in fact -- losses. if in fact the amendment were put in place, there could be interruptions of service in the northeast or throughout the system and could cause real problems as far as the operation itself, obviously, of amtrak system of for those reasons, i would oppose the amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: for what purpose does

the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: we are also in opposition. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceed option the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia will be postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 44, line 4, capital and debt service grants to the national railroad passenger corporation. $850 million. administrative provisions, federal railroad administration, section 150, the secretary may receive and expend cash and utilize spare parts from nonunited states government sources to repair damages. section 151. the secretary is authorized to allow the issuer of any preferred stock sold to the the department to redeem such stock. section 152.

none of the funds provided to the national railroad passenger corporation may be used to fund any overtime costs in excess of $35,000 for any individual employee. federal transit administration. administrative expenses. $103 million. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. griffin -- the chair: the clerk will suspend. the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. butterfield of north carolina. after the dollar amount, insert reduce by $2 million. page 49, line 1, after the

$amount insert encrease by $2 million. page 49, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert increase by $2 million. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for five minutes. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. chairman the amendment i'm offering today with my good friends congressman langevin, congressman prees, and congressman quigley will increase funding for f.t.a. training back to 2014 levels. individuals with disabilities and older adults disproportionately rely on peculiar transit to live, to learn, and work and access recreation in their communities. there's a complex and ever-evolving need to adapt our transit systems and services so they are more accessible for people with disabilities and older adults who rely on them. f.t.a., mr. chairman, has a -- has a long history of working with easter seals and the national association of area agencies on aging and others to provide training and technical

assistance and other problem solving support to the transit industry. people with disabilities and older adults. and it is imperative for this work to continue as more people age and more people with disabilities seek to live as independently as possible. mr. latham: we accept the amendment. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. latham. thank you very much. the chair: does the gentleman yield back. mr. butterfield: i yield back. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from north carolina. those 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 arkansas seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: -- the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by

mr. griffin of arkansas, after the -- page 45, after the dollar mendment, insert $5 million. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for five minutes. mr. griffin: i want to begin by thanking -- mr. latham: if think gentleman will yield. we accept the amendment. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for five minutes. mr. griffin: i want to thank -- i want to begin by thanking chairman latham who has made this possible, by working with his staff, i want to thank all the bipartisan support for this amendment from mr. kind, mr. waltz and mr. terry as well as my staff. i want to acknowledge the success that this bill -- builds on from the omniwith us bus -- omnibus bill from earlier in this year that included my

amendment to increase funding for d.o.t.'s pipeline and hazardous material and safety administration over lower priority programs. mr. chairman, on march 29, 2013, the exxonmobil pegasus pipeline in my district, the second district, suffered a catastrophic accidental rupture. it inundated nearby homes and businesses with thus -- thousands of gallons of spilled oil. i'm committed to making things right to the people of mayflower and ensuring that another spill never occurs again in arkansas. femsa is the government's primary body for regulating oil and petroleum products through america's interstate pipelines. as an interstate pipeline, the inspection of the pipeline in my district was femsa's responsibility. interstate pipelines deliver 11.3 11.3 billion -- over

billion barrels of petroleum each year. the cost to transport it on the pipeline is about $1. it's the safest way to move oil and ensuring the safest pipelines that move oil from one state to another is unquestionably a necessary function of the federal government. though the amount of oil spilled from these pipelines is a minimal fraction of what we safely transport every day through the the country, there's more we can do to ensure they're operated safely. my amendment would increase the operational sa's to support the inspections. this will keep the pipelines and communities like mayflower that surround them safe from another tradge exbut preventable accident without spending additional dollars. i ask that the house support this amendment and i thank the chairman for supporting this

amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields ack. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arkansas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. the clerk will read.ed to. the clerk: page 48, line 17, transit formula grant, liquidation on obligation, highway trust fund, $9,500,000,000. technical assistance and training, $3 million. capital investment grants, including rescission of funds, $1,691,000,000. grants to the washington metropolitan area transit authority, $150 million.

administrative provisions, federal transit administration including recisions, section 160. the limitations on great lakeses for programs of the federal -- obligations for programs of the federal transit administration shall not apply. fix guideway capital investment shall be directed to projects eligible to use the funds. section 162, funds appropriated before october 1, 2014, that remain available may be transferred. section 163, for the purposes of applying the project justification to a new starts project and which private parties are making significant financial contributions. section 164, none of the funds made available shall be used to enter into a full funding grant agreement. section 165, none of the funds may be available to advance a new light or heavy rail project towards a full funding grant agreement. the chair: the clerk will

suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. poe of texas. page 52, strike lines 14-21. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, today i rise to introduce an amendment to strike section 165 from the underlying bill. section 165 states that no funds in this or any other act may be available for light or heavy rail projects in houston, texas, if the route goes through richmond or down post oak boulevard. this language is contrary to the will of the voters of harris county, texas, and shall not be included in this federal government appropriations bill. houstonians voted in support of new transit -- transportation options for the houston area in a local referendum in twee. now, some disagree -- in 2003. now, some disagree with the

results of that referendum but local voters support their decision and i rise in support of their decisions in houston, texas, and in local elections without the interference of congress. if the federal government has the right to overrule a local election and referendum, then what is next? blocking federal funds via obscure riders in appropriation bills in order to try and steer routing decisions is wrong. it is inappropriate overreach by the federal government. it violates the will of the voters of harris county and ultimately hurts the city of houston, texas. for members outside of texas, that may be unfamiliar with this debate, the precedent that this language will set if followed to remain in the bill is far reaching and will affect more than just texas. passage of this language, as is, means that local votes don't matter to congress, that local members don't decide transit matters in each states

and cities because these decisions can be i had to with and overruled by -- can be toyed with and overruled by congress. it's a throw back to houston when our only transportation plan was to build nor highways as far as the eye can see and block any attempt to do anything else. houston is one of the most expansive and efficient highway systems in the world and will soon to be completed the grand parkway the system will be even better. but we can only build so many roads. we can only build so many concrete monstrosities like the i-10 west corridor. over 130,000 people moved to harris county, texas. and an estimated 150,000 will move to hairs county next year. houston will soon be the third largest in the country overtaking chicago. and with this increasing population, we need solutions for transportation, not attempts to stonewall all options from washington.

the debate that we are having on the floor is not about whether or not metro is doing a good job or even about metro. we know that metro's had its fair share of problems over the years. it must get its financial house in order. it must become efficient and it also must get the credibility it needs from the voters once again. but it's not our job to debate that local issue in congress. the voters in a local referendum made that decision 11 years ago. it's inappropriate misuse of authority to divert money from houston because the federal government disagrees with the outcome of a local election. as the saying goes, when you let texans run texas, these decisions should not be made or should be made at the local level. supporters of this language may try to argue that this is an attempt of fiscal responsibility. that is nonsense. this money it already appropriated for houston. if houston doesn't use it it's not going back into the coffers. it's not going to pay down the national debt.

the money is going to some other city that will take the money. and the idea we will not take available transportation money to houston sets a bad precedent to houston because next time houston wants some federal money, which is taxpayer money, we may not be so fortunate to get that money because the folks up here said we offered you money once before and you won't take it. no more money for transportation. houston is donor state. 90% of the funds we get back here is all we get back. this is about the availability of transportation money to houston, texas. the underlying bill prohibits that money because of certain factors in the houston area that don't like the outcome of this election and don't like light rail. debate that issue in the city. let city officials make that decision. let them be a lively debate among the citizens that are affected by light rail, but don't let congress come in and overrule the will of the people of houston, texas, an election

they had 11 years ago to accept federal funding when it's appropriate for us to take it. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas sook recognition? -- seek recognition? >> i rise in opposition? the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> mr. speaker, in years to come when history books say why will america go bankrupt, they'll look at ted poe's mendment, exhibit a. he portrayed himself as a fiscal conservative that would force the people of my district to spend money we don't have on a project we don't want that is unaffordable, unnecessary and unapproved by the voters. mr. culberson: these are my constituents and and it has no affect on mr. poe's district -- mr. poe: if the gentleman will yield? mr. culberson: if the gentleman will yield? this does not affect -- mr. poe: it does not affect

your district. mr. culberson: i wrote this amendment because it would -- it says that no money can be spent on rail in my district. in the boundaries, district seven, which is west of shepard on rimmed, and on post oak, north of richmond, those are entirely in my district. the people of my district oppose this line. 80% of the folks that own property or live or work on those two streets don't want it. the voters did not approve on the line on richmond. the people on post oak do not want it. it will destroy the gallerya. mr. poe is allowing for construction of rail on richmond and post oak which will destroy those two streets. these lines are not approved by the richmond -- richmond line is not approved by the voters. the post oak line will destroy that area. houston has no money to build it. there's no money in this bill or any other bill to pay for those lines. the local voters have said in this election -- in fact, the

lines that have been approved by the voters, metro is building a rail line on the east side of town which support it, local transit authority, mr. speaker, is spending $3,000 an inch to build a rail line on the east side of houston. this is a waste of money we simply cannot afford and that's why the -- the citizens against government waste oppose mr. poe's amendment. americans for tax reform opposes mr. poe's amendment. the national taxpayers' union oppose mrs. poe's amendment. because it's amendments like this attempting to force us to spend money we don't have on projects we don't want that are completely unnecessary, that the voters did not approve, that are going to bankrupt this nation. imagine if you did not want to build a pool in your backyard but your next door neighbor had the deed restriction change to force you to build a pool in your back yard. that's exactly what this amendment is. this amendment affects only my district.

i'm doing my job as -- to protect their pocketbook against a rail line we cannot afford and that nobody wants and the voters did not approve and that's why i'm proud to have the help of -- support of chairman latham, the ranking member, mr. pastor, the americans for tax reform, the national taxpayers union, citizens government waste, are all in opposition to this amendment. as are the people that i represent. and i'm very disappointed and disheartened that my friend, mr. poe, would stand up and offer this amendment and call the katy freeway a concrete monstrosity. it's my pride and joy. i got the katy freeway built without an earmark. got it built from five years, three months. went from eight lanes to 23 lanes. the economics has boomed because of the katy freeway. it's moving more cars in less time, more savings to taxi pears than any other

transportation project in the history of houston. i'm immensely proud to represent my district. the language in this bill conformity with the voters' decision in 2003. and i urge my colleagues to join me in opposing mr. poe's amendment and voting no. i want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for joining me in opposition to this amendment. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >>ry ask unanimous consent to introduce letter from the greater houston partnership, upper kirby, the women and transportation, the letter from the mayor's office, the washington avenue improvement committee, houston tomorrow and other letters that i have received in support of my amendment to allow these federal funds -- the chair: the gentleman's requests will be covered by general leave. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. poe: mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas will be postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 52, line 22, section 166. unobligated fiscal year 2010 through 2012 funds shall be available to carry out 49 u.s.c. 5309 as amended by ublic law 112-141. st. lawrence seaway development corporation. the development corporation authorized to make such recollection pend turs available to the corporation and accord of law. operations and maintenance, harbor maintenance trust fund, $32,500,000. maritime administration, maritime security program, $166 million. operations and training, $132

million. ship disposal, $4 million. maritime guaranteed loan, title 11 program account, including transfer and rescission of funds, $3,100,000. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? the clerk will continue to ead.

the clerk: administrative provisions, maritime administration, section 170. the administration is authorized to make necessary repairs involving government property. section 171. none of the funds shall be used to negotiate or perform fee for service contracts for vessel disposal. pipeline and hazardous material safety administration, operational expenses, including ansfer of funds, $21,564,000,000. hazardous materials, safety, $52 million of which $7 million shall remain available until september 30, 2017. pipeline safety, pipeline safety fund, oil spill liability trust fund. pipeline safety design review fund $131,500,000. emergency preparedness grants, emergency preparedness fund,

$188,000 to remain available until september 30, 2016. office of inspector general, salaries and expenses, $86,223,000. surface transportation board, salaries and expenses, $31,250,000. . general provisions, department of transportation, section 180, during the current fiscal year, appropriations to the department shall be available for maintenance. section 181. appropriations shall be available for services as authorized by 5 u.s.c. 3109. section 182. none of the funds shall be available for salaries and expenses of more than 110 political and presidential appointees in the department. section 183. no recipient of funds shall disseminate personal information obtained by the state department of motor vehicles. section 184. funds received by the

administration from states, counties and other public authorities and private sources may be credited to the administration's federal aid highways accounts. section 185. none of the funds may be used to make a loan or grant unless the secretary notified the committee. section 186. rebates, minor fees and other funds received by the department are to be posted and allocated to the department. section 187. amounts made available that the secretary determines represent improper payments by the department to a third party contractor which are resoevered -- recovered shall be available to reimburse expenses incurred in recovering improper payment. section 188, funds provided in or limited by this act are subject to programming action. section 189. none of the funds may be used by the surface transportation board to charge or collect any filing fee.

section 190. funds appropriated may be obligated for the costs related to assessment or reimbursement agreement. section 191. the secretary is authorized to carry out a program that establishes uniform standards. section 192. none of the funds shall be used by the surface transportation board with respect to the construction of a high speed rail project in california. section 193. none of the funds made available may be used to subsidize a credit instrument or fund project located in a single state. section 194. none of the funds may be used to deny an application to renew a hazardous material safety program. section 195. any unexpended amounts shall be made available for rail safety, over-- rail safety oversight activities for the transportation of energy products. this title may be cited as the department of transportation appropriations act 2015.

title 2, department of housing and urban development. management and administration, executive offices. $14 million. administrative support offices. 500 million. the chair: cleric will read. the clerk: program office salaries and expenses. housing, $4 -- $200 million.

housing, $370 million. the ex-- the chair: the clerk will suspend. >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? the gentleman will send his amendment to the desk. the clerk will report.

the chair: the clerk will read the bill to that point and report the amendment. the clerk: community planning and development, $100 million. housing, $370 million. policy development and research, $20 million. fair housing and equal opportunity, $68 million. office of lead hazard control and healthy homes, $7 million. public and indian housing, enant based rental assistance, $15,356,529,000 to remain available until september 30, 017. the chair: does the gentleman from ohio offer his amendment? the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. chabot of ohio, page 73,

line 7, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $1,535 ,652,900,000. page 73, line 11, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $400 million. page 73, line 15, after the ollar amount insert reduced by $1,769, 307,900. page 76, line 15, after the ollar amount insert reduced by $7,500,000. page 77, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert educededly $million. the chair: without objection the amendment is considered as read. the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. chairman. my amendment would reduce spending across the board and

place the savings in the spending reduction account. the section 8 voucher program, which was intended to provide temporary assistance for struggling americans, has unfortunately become a way of life for far too many and many communities, like mine in cincinnati, are struggling to deal with the program's unintended consequences in many instances in many neighborhoods. as a result the program is in need of serious reform. for example, to help reduce dependency on the program, we should establish time limits for beneficiaries except for the elderly or disabled. the payments should not go on basically forever as they do under current law. to make certain that section 8 landlords are accountable to local communities, landlords should be required to comply with local laws and ordinances and not be allowed to hide behind h.u.d. regulations when faced with complaints about their properties. to make the program safer for both its recipients and the neighbors of those recipients,

we need to ensure the convicted felons and sex offenders are barred from participation in the section 8 program. and if you're able to work, then you should have to work in order to be eligible for section 8 benefits. until reforms like these have been implemented, spending more tax dollars on section 8 voucher program is akin to throwing good money after bad. and faced with the national debt that exceeds $17 trillion and in fact is around $17.5 trillion now, that's something continuing continuing this funding is something we cannot afford. as we look for areas to reduce federal spending, a broken program like section 8 that rewards government dependency with our tax dollars is a good place to start. and those other things that i mentioned are things that we have offered in the past and intend to offer in legislation in the future but relative to this particular amendment this would just cut the funding by $3

billion which is approximately 10% of the section 8 program. with that, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: thank you for mr. chairman, for the chance. i think we all know in section 8, there are reforms that are needed this amendment does nothing to those reforms and it should be to the authorizing and financial services committee to initiate the reforms so that in it, make it change work better and do the right thing for the people in the system. but this is not the way to approach it. we have worked in this -- in this bill to cut all unnecessary

spending in h.u.d.'s programs, we provided funds to continue assistance to the 2.2 million families while cutting administrative fees by $150 million to $1.35 billion. it also would cut the veterans' homeless assistance housing program which we need to give those veterans the kind of services that they desperately need. i agree with the gentleman from ohio that reforms need to be done to the program. this is not the place to do those reforms, nor is he proposing reforms to the program, rather than just slashing important programs for people and i don't want to be the one to have to pick and choose who is going to lose their house, their place to live, under this amendment so for those reasons, mr. chairman, i would oppose the amendment. the chair: for what purpose does

the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. pastor: i also rise in opposition to this amendment. as you know, mr. chairman, recently, they have announced that we are slowly, still recovering from the great recession and we still have a large number of people who are underemployed or unemployed and the reality is that the reform that my friend from ohio would like to bring in section 8 housing will not occur by these cuts, as pointed out by the chairman. we believe that what this endment would do would evict 150,000 people from they home. it would have an effect on homeless veterans and reduce their assistance and the reality is today that over half of the residents who live in section 8 are families with children and so the consequences of this

amendment are too dire and we can't support it so we rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. engel: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: an amendment is currently pending. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. he amendment is not agreed to. >> mr. chairman, i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? does the gentleman from new york

seek recognition? >> yes, mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. nadler of new york. page 53, line 7, after the llar amount, after insert, 830,000.d by $9, page 0, line 10 after the dollar amount insert increased by $355 million. page 80, line 21, after the dollar amount insert increased by $350 million. the chair: the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: we have not seen the amendment, for that reason we reserve a point of order. the chair: a point of order is reserved. the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: two of our missions as congress is to support strong national infrastructure and make sure every american has a place to call home.

the funding levels in this bill will make it impossible to fund either of those responsibilities. there's no question we must put people become to work and bring our crumbling, jut dated infrastructure into the 21st century. at the current funding levels, few of those goals can be accomplished. the grant is cut by $250 million. it includes a $200 million cut to the tiger program, funding it $1.15 billion below the president's request and cuts $200 million from amtrak capital funding while provide nothing funding for high speed rail. beyond simply cutting funding, it places restrictions on the grants for tiger grants and high speed rail and exempts several states from truck size and weight limits. congress shouldn't preempt the comprehensive study being conducted currently and as required by map 2124erk last legislation we enacted on the

study, by enacting piecemeal varieties in appropriations bills. the home investment partnership program is funded at its lowest level since its creation in 1992 and the public housing capital fund falls below its funding level. perhaps most starkly is the failure to provide enough funding for every low-income senior and hardworking family to have supportable and secure housing through section 8. my amendment finally provides enough funding for h.u.d. to renew every section 8 voucher. including the 70,000 vouchers lost under sequestration. and to support robust staffing of public housing agencies around the country. rental assistance helps .1 million very low income households rebt modest housing at affordable prices. those who use section 8 have

incomes well below the poverty line and nearly every family using them includes children, seniors or people with december ability. research shows it reduces poverty and helps families live in safe, healthy communities. despite the success, only about one in four eligible low income families received federal rental assistance. long waiting lists remain in nearly every community, even as the number of poor families who pay more than half their monthly income for n housing costs has risen. these long wait lists are exacerbated by lack of public funding for housing agencies. in the past, congress provided the necessary funds to ensure that no one receiving a section 8 voucher loses access to decent and stable housing yore to year. but sequestration has had an a devastating impact on section 8. with inadequate funding for enewables state assisted 187,000 fewer families

compared to a year earlier. the increased funding that congress provided through the f.y. 2014 agreement restored half of those vouchers leaving 40,000 with no access to affordable housing. this bill does nothing to help those families. my amendment will ensure that public housing agencies can renew every current voucher and restore those lost under sequestration. the amendment funds section 8 voucher renewals at the president's request of $18 billion and provides an additional $320 million to provide vouchers to the 40,000 families who lost access due to congress' inability to address sequestration. of course, this is additional funding will go a long way to ensuring that every family who qualifies for rentlessness finds a home. however, the administrative fees in this legislation, it will be impossible for them to hire and maintain staff to process and renew vouchers. we cannot continue to undermine our hardworking public housing agencies by failing to provide them enough money to function. yet, once again this bill

woefully underfunds administrative fees for public housing by providing $1.35 billion or $150 million reduction from last year's inacted level. it will provide -- enacted level it will provide $330,000 to match the president's request for administrative fees. mr. speaker, our first priority will be to ensure every working family, every senior and every child has access to a safe, healthy and affordable home. this amendment will guarantee that no one has to choose between paying their rent and putting food on the table. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. the amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill. the amendment is not in order under section 3-d-3 of house resolution 513 which states it shall not be in order to

consider an amendment to a general appropriation bill proposing a net increase in budget authority in the bill unless considered en bloc with another amendment or amendments proposing an equal or greater decrease in such budget authority pursuant to clause 2-f of rule 21. the amendment proposes net increase in budget authority in the bill and vy -- in violation of such section. i ask for a ruling of the chair. the chair: does any member wish to be heard on the point of order? the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. chairman, i think we can all agree that this amendment is necessary. we are talking about the tens of thousands of families and seniors' access to an efficient and cost-effective program that keeps families together and without this amendment we will see a spike in homelessness, a spike in medical costs and a spike in hungry kids. i understand the point of order. i understand that the rule demands an offset for any

funding increase in the bill. i also appreciate the chairman's efforts to support section 8 and public housing, but when funding levels are this restrictive across the board as they are in this bill, it is impossible to offset such drastic underfunding without hurting other people in need. the rules and the drastic underfunding of this bill make it impossible to meet basic human needs. i hope that as we go forward we can find a way to provide these funds so that kids, working families and seniors are not out on the street, as i guarantee this bill at this funding level will do. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the chair is prepared to rule on the point of order. the gentleman from iowa makes a point of order -- a point of order that the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york violates section 3-d-3 of house resolution 5 -- section 3-d-3 establishes a point of order against an amendment proposing a net increase in budget authority in the pending bill. as persuasively asserted by the gentleman from iowa, the amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in

the bill. therefore, the point of order is sustained. the amendment is not in order. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? mr. castor: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that we return to page 70, line 16, to consider my amendment that was passed earlier today. the chair: is there objection for a return in the reading? mr. latham: objection. the chair: an objection is heard. ms. castor: i ask to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. castor: thank you, mr. chairman. if i had an opportunity to offer my amendment today that an amendment that passed with support of both parties in last year's t-hud appropriations bill, i would raise the discussion of the fact that the department of housing and urban development in many communities across the country has taken a step back from their mission. and they have a very important

mission when it comes to homelessness among veterans, ensuring affordable housing partnerships, combating the foreclosure crisis. but still last year we were disserved by the leadership at the department when they closed a number of field offices all across the country, including the field office in the tampa bay area that i represent and that in the orlando area. now, florida has a population of almost 20 million people. we have 1.5 million veterans, and it is estimated about 8,000 of them are homeless. we have 47,000 people in florida that are battling homelessness and our forecloserure rate is too high. so it was very disturbing last year when h.u.d. pulled back on the ground, closed community offices in tampa and orlando. in fact, they shut down 16 field offices. the problem was that they didn't consult congress as they were supposed to. they came, they talked with us

but they didn't really allow us any adequate input. today, if i had an opportunity to offer my amendment, and i encourage the leaders like mr. pastor who has been on this issue to continue this dialogue with the department and the u.s. senate in conference, my amendment would have cut the executive office in washington, d.c., by $3.5 million and instead devoted those funds back to our local communities to fight homelessness among veterans, foreclosure and other challenges we have. ship the dollars out to our local communities would have sent a very strong message. you know, those field offices, especially the one i had in the tampa bay area, was a critical access point for my neighbors and for many of the community nonprofits. we are being hurt by their decision and all my amendment would have done, and i hope this dialogue will continue, is ensure that the department remains focused on backing up what they said, that they would ensure that our local communities would not be hurt

by taking away people on the ground that interact on an everyday basis with the people we represent. so at this time i want to thank mr. pastor for his involvement in this issue and please commend everyone involved in the negotiations to emphasize the importance of having h.u.d. focused on their mission on the ground in our neighborhoods, in our cities and towns and not on the bureaucracy here in washington, d.c. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent that we go back to page 70 for the purpose of offering an amendment. the chair: is there objection? mr. latham: there is an objection. the chair: the objection is heard. mr. butterfield: mr. chairman, i ask permission to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, my amendment, if i had been able to offer it

today, would have clarified an existing federal highway priority card between raleigh, north carolina, and norfolk, virginia. it would codify the corridor for a future interstate highway. this designation, mr. chair -- chairman, could improve transportation and commerce and economic development in north carolina and virginia. eastern north carolina, mr. chairman, remains one of the poorest areas in the country. despite the economic resurgence many other areas of the country have seen. my amendment, if it had been made in order, would enable future construction between raleigh and norfolk to build on an existing route which already meets highway standards, it can save taxpayer money. mr. chairman, i urge my colleagues in future debate to consider this request. thank you. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields ack.

for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: mr. chairman, i move the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the yirse have it. the motion -- the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. chairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 4745 directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 4745 and has

come to no resolution thereon.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings on motions to suspend the rules or on which the vote incurs oklahoma under clause 6 of rule 20678 record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h. resolution 600 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution.

the clerk: house resolution 600, uveraging the government of afghanistan, following a successful first round of the presidential election on april 5, 2014, pursue a transparent, credible, and inclusive run-off presidential election on june 14, 2014rks while ensuring the safety of voters, candidates, poll workers and election observers. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from florida, mr. grayson, each criminal control 20 minutes. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. this coming saturday, the afghan people will exercise their right to vote and their right to determine their country's future, choosing between two candidates to complete the first

democrat transfer of power in afghanistan's long, violent history. this vote holds out the promise of helping to solidify the achievements of u.s. and international forces there. that is why this bipartisan resolution which i am pleased to co-sponsor urges the government of afghanistan to pursue a secure, transparent and credible runoff presidential election. make no mistake, the taliban would love nothing more than to disrupt this democratic process and see the government of afghanistan fail. during the past month, taliban fighters have ramped up their attacks, sk, while threatening polling centers and election officials. indeed, on friday, the taliban attempted to assassinate the leading afghan presidential candidate, abdul abdullah in a suicide car bombing. after emerging unharmed, abdullah said that threats can't

stop us and our people, we are still dedicated to what we have promised for a better future. for those of you who followed his campaign later that day, he was undeterred, went from event to event. this election offers the chance for afghanistan to embark on that better future by taking the final steps toward a legitimate transition of power. just over two months ago, afghans overwhelmingly flocked to the polls to vote in presidential and in provegsal elections. more than seven million afghan citizens cast a ballot during the first round of voting. to put that in perspective, for those of you who remember, that was about 4.5 million who voted in 2009. this dwarfed that number, seven million. and that first round election also saw a prominent female

politician selected as a running mate, a choice that likely helped inspire some 2.5 million after began women to come out to the polls and to vote -- after gann women to come out to the pollsen -- afghan women to come out to the polls and vote. no aspiring leader can afford to ignore half of afbhan's population who want better education and services. there's plenty of room for progress. numerous electoral complaints led to the invalidation of votes and in may, afghanistan's independent election commission fired workers, some of whom were accused of voter fraud. this is why it's so critical for the government of afghanistan to take these proactive steps to champion a secure and fair runoff election. a successful election will help emphasize afghanistan's

commitment to good governments and it will provide much needed legitimacy to the incoming president of that country. mr. speaker, the united states has bnch heavily involved in afghanistan for years. we have made great sacrifice. while the obama administration has u.s. involvement in afghanistan coming to a close, u.s. interests in a stable and secure afghanistan will continue. the united states maintains an enduring national security interest. afghanistan prevents itself from becoming a state haven for terrorism that goal becomes much harder if the taliban is rejuvenated and successful in wrecking this weekend's elected government. but one way we can demonstrate our commitment to afghanistan's success is by supporting the country's first ever democratic transition of executive power. this resolution does exactly

that and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida is ecognized. >> thank you, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grayson: i rise in support of this resolution and urge my colleagues to support it as well. this saturday, the people of afghanistan will go to the polls o elect a president. he winner will replace karzai. this resolution urges afghanistan to pursue a translouisent, credible and secure runoff election while ensuring the safety of voters, candidates and poll workers. so far the u.s. government has contributed $100 million toward

the afghanistan election and numerous united states and coalition forces have sacrificed their lives to prepare for this moment of peaceful transfer of power. i think it's important to recognize these facts and that's part of what this resolution seeks to do. n april 5, the government of afghanistan held its first round of presidential election, in which 60% of voters participated. now, because no candidate claimed more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates will be held. there were no civilian deaths in attacks on election tai and a quick certification of results in order to set the stage for a runoff election, but more work remains to be done. votes from 331 polling stations were invalidated and removed from the final taplations. reports of voter and election

monitor intimidation persists. reports of attempts to bribe election monitors have occurred. reports that s.m.s. and texting capabilities being suspended on election day exist. concerns remain about the lack of transparency and the activities of the afghan independent election commission and the electoral complaints commission. 17 members of the afghan national security forces were killed in attacks on election day and female voter participation and protection remains at a level below what after began males enjoy. in light of these issues, house resolution -- below what afghan males enjoy. in light of these issues, the resolution expresses support for an -- a transparent, credible and inclusive election, encouraging the government of afghanistan to implement measures to increase voter participation, particularly

among afghan females and continue to provide protection to vulnerable areas of the country in the election period as well as recognizes the -- recognizing the sacrifices of those forces who have contributed and will continue to cent to the security and stability of afghanistan. this is an exciting time for afghanistan and this election is an important one. american forces have been in afghanistan now for a decade and most of them are now coming home. this election will be crucial in proving to the world that afghanistan is ready to chart its own course and to provide its own security. i wish the afghan people well in this endeavor and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. messer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. messer: i rise in support of this bipartisan resolution to urge the government of afghanistan to ensure a transparent process in its june

14 runoff presidential election. i want to commend my foreign affairs committee -- my former foreign affairs committee colleague in grayson for bringing this measure forward and also chairman royce for his leadership on this important issue. it makes clear that the united states supports the afghan people in their pursuit to form an effective government through credible, violence-free elections. afghanistan certainly faces major challenges but this transition is an opportunity for afghanistan to build upon the progress it has made since 2001. under the taliban, women were banned from social, political, and educational participation. now, more than one quarter of the country's parliament is female. more than one third of the voters in the first round of elections were women. there have been other strong progress vote big and small.

infant mortality has declined, the media is more accessible, the literacy rates have increased from the single digits. there are even substantially more paved roads. don't get me wrong it's not all cotton candy and rainbows. to be certain, afghanistan still has a long road ahead to achieve a democratic future. but this election is a critical step in the right direction. it is my hope that the government of afghanistan recognizes the sacrifices that have been made to get to this point and will turn a page to ensure a peaceful transition of power. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. grayson: i have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i will just take a moment and recognize the gentleman from

florida for his initiative, mr. grayson, for his initiative in introducing this bill and for his commitment to the success of democratic governance in afghanistan and i would yield myself such time as i might consume here. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: the international community has previously pledged aid support to afghanistan on the condition that the country hold transparent, credible, inclues i elections this year and next year. this resolution encouraging -- encourages the government of afghan to uphold that commitment when afghans finally select a successor to president karzai on june 14. and this new government will have a chance to start anew, tackling corruption, the kind of corruption that has jeopardized the success of international aid efforts there. . this resolution urges afghanistan to lessen the risk of proud, to improve electoral

transparency, to enhance security efforts and increase voter participation during the upcoming runoff. importantly, it has also been the case that we need to recognize the sacrifices of members of the armed forces, and this resolution does that. it recollection those in our armed -- it recognizes those in our armed forces and underscores this resolution will deal with the security interests of both afghanistan and the united states. this is an historic opportunity to bolster the electoral process and i ask my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution which demonstrates our commitment to a legitimate and democratic transition to power in afghanistan. also, mr. gohmert of texas has reminded me that as afghanistan walks down this road, it might behoove the new government there to look at local

elections as part of the solution rather than to have people parentally appointed from the center of the country, empower people locally to elected their own local mayors, their own local leaders. they'll certainly have that opportunity next year in the parliamentary elections, and so with that said, i yield back the balance of my time and, again, i thank the gentleman from florida for this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass -- and agree to house resolution 600, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4412, the national aeronautics and space administration authorization act of 2014, as amended. the clerk: h.r. 4412, a bill to

authorize the programs of the national aeronautics and space administration and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. johnson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.r. 4412, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: and mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, nasa has accomplished some of the most awe-inspires space initiatives in the history of mankind. this bill, h.r. 412, the nasa authorization act of 2014, helps ensure that the united states will continue its proud tradition of being a world leader in spouse exploration. the u.s. was the first nation to put a human on the moon, and nasa's voyager 1, an american

space mission, was the first human object. our astronauts are our national heroes. many are household names. today's' row knotts, like rick -- astronauts, like rick, chris inspire american students to study science, technology, engineering and math. space exploration is an investment in our nation's future, often a distant future. this bill expresses bipartisan support for investment in the future of america's space endeavors. the bill provides the funds necessary to push us further in the cosmos. american rockets will take cargo and people to low earth orbit and beyond. it supports the james webb space telescope which will identify and characterize new planets in our galaxy and help

researchers look back in time to see how the universe began it directs nasa to continue to focus resources on the detection of near earth asteroids that may threaten the earth and its inhabitants. it instructs nasa to design and send a robertic mission to europa to see if any life exists under the icy surface. it directs nasa to work with the national academies to find more x.o. planets. the bill requires nasa to develop a human exploration road map, sem to the recommendation made in last week national academy of science's report. this road map will provide a long-term plan for human exploration. the bill reflects the skepticism that members of the science committee and the scientific community have about the obama administration's proposed asteroid retrieval mission. the bill requires the administration to provide congress with a detailed budget profile, a detailed technical

plan, a description of the technologies and capabilities expected to be gained in the area of planetary defense and a review by the small bodies assessment group and the nasa advisory council. congress will be better equipped to consider the administration's proposed missions once we have all the proper information. the bill is an example of how well congress can work together to accomplish an objective that will benefit the entire nation. it was voted out of committee with unanimous bipartisan support. mr. chairman, i also want to thank the ranking member, ms. johnson, mr. palazzo, the chairman of the space subcommittee and ms. edwards, ranking member of the space subcommittee, for their leadership in working to find common ground on this bill. i ask my colleagues vote in support of this bill to make sure that the united states maintains leadership in space and continue to inspire young people to shoot for the stars. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you very

much, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 4412, the nasa authorization act of 2014. this act has come a long ways from its original state nearly a year ago when the committee on science, space and technology, which i serve as ranking member, passed a different version of the bill on a party line vote. a departure from the committee's traditional bipartisan approach to nasa. however, much has changed since that time, and i want to recognize the efforts of the committee leadership, including chairman lamar smith and especially space subcommittee chairman steve palazzo and ranking member donna edwards for their dedication and willingness to work together with me to achieve this bipartisan committee-passed bill, h.r. 4412, the nasa authorization act of 2014. while this is not a perfect bill, especially in terms of

its short duration and lack of meaningful funding guidance, the bill in its present form includes many important policy provisions that help guide the future of nasa at a critical time for our space program. in that regard, just last week a connelly mandated report -- congressionally mandated report by the national academies was released that stated a sustainable program of human deep space exploration requires an ultimate horizon goal and provides a long-term focus. the report further states that there is a consensus in national space policy, international coordination groups and the public imagination for mars as a major goal for human space exploration. i am pleased that h.r. 4412 is consistent with the national academy's recommendation on both points. it establishes a long-term goal for nasa's exploration program

to carry out a human mission to the surface of mars, and it directs nasa to prepare a human exploration road map that will lay out the required milestones and capabilities for achieving that goal. achieving many of nasa's goals, including sending humans to the surface of mars, however, requires investments across nasa's portfolio programs. to that end, building upon the past, successive re-authorization act of h.r. 4412 ensures the continuation of nasa as a multimission agency that includes programs in science, aeronautics, human space flight and human exploration. the bill also builds upon a pillar of congress' oversight role of our civil space program, namely, ensuring the safety of our astronauts in outer space. consistent with the

recommendations of the columbia accident investigation board, h.r. 4412 requires that safety be given the highest priority in the selection of a commercial human space flight system to transport our astronauts to the international space station. mr. speaker, in recent years, to land een able curiousity rover on mars and continue to study the sun, our earth system and advancement of science and space. continued ensure the strength of the science programs. has new stradjees of x.o. planets and mars robotic exploration while providing future capabilities for astrophysical and objection, such as james webb space telescope and planning for potential infrared survey

telescope. about a year and a half ago, a meteor explode part of russia, drawing attention to the risk of near earth asteroids. congress set to research, survey, detect near earth asteroids and their risk. the bill provides direction on nasa's aeronautics research program, an important contributor to our competitiveness in aviation and it directs a study to benchmark the position of the united states on the aeronautics research and respect -- in respect to the rest of the world. h.r. 4412 includes many other good government provisions, including those on orbital debris, information technology governance, cost controls, among other areas. it is well-known that many of our nation's top engineers and scientists were inspired to pursue science and technologies

as a result of what we and nasa did with the space program during the apollo era. nasa's ability to inspire and engage is like no other part of our government, and while this bill makes clear that nasa's scientists and engineers, as well as n.s.a.a-supported researchers need to continue to play a strong role in nasa's education activities to convey their knowledge and passion to the next generation, that is not enough. we need a strong nasa with an inspiring agenda for the next generation, and we need to fund it at a level commensurate with the tasks we have given it. our children and grandchildren are our future science and technology work force. they will sustain our leadership on the global science and technology stage, maintain our competitiveness and make the future discoveries in science and technology. as i have said before, we must maintain our commitment to nasa, to ensure our continued strength and leadership in

space going forward. i urge my colleagues to vote s on h.r. 4412, the nasa authorization act of 2014. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from mississippi, mr. palazzo, who is the chairman of the space subcommittee of the science committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. palazzo: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for the time. i want to echo the words of mr. smith and mr. johnson of the space science committee, this is truly a borne bill the house should be proud of the work the committee has done to be inclusive of members on both sides of the aisle. the authorization levels are consistent with the consolidated act of 2014. in a time of increasing partisanship on capitol hill, both republicans and democrats came together on the house science space and technology committee to craft legislation

hat moves beyond congressional driggets and colloquial interests. it also continues looking to nasa to provide a strategic road map. space subcommittee donna edwards and i worked long days to put this legislation together. while ms. edwards and i don't always agree, we are united in our unwavering support for nasa and space exploration in this crucial time in our nation's history. we are committed to once more launching american astronauts on american rockets from american soil. i know many of our colleagues agree american leadership in space is a matter of both national pride and national security. yet over the last decade, the human exploration program at nasa has been plagued with instability from constantly changing requirements, budgets, and missions. since president obama canceled the constellation program in 2010, the human space flight program has been adrift.

we cannot continue changing our program of record every time there's a new president. we must be consistent in our commitment to human exploration. that commit suspect reflected in today's bipartisan bill and i'm confident it will continue into the future. the bill before us today requires nasa to develop a human exploration road map and provides a framework for future exploration efforts. the plan required in this bill will serve as a pathway to mars, with multiple missions, or mission sets that may be used to demonstrate those technologies and capabilities necessary for deep space exploration. nasa must use this plan as an opportunity to utilize assets from all the mission directorates to find the most efficient and effective ways to build technologies and capabilities within constrained budgets. both the space launch system and the ryan crew capsule are reaffirmed in this bill. consistent with the act of 2010 which laid out clear guidelines and direction for the development of these systems.

this bill authorizes ample funding for the commercial crew program to ensure safe and on-time development of domestic access to the international space station. there are also oversight rovegses -- provisions for the systems used to develop these. this represents an understanding of both our commercial crew partners and those developing reliance on our russian rockets. a concrete plan must be developed if we have any hope of ensuring america's leadership in space. while this bill does not require nasa to return humans to the moon, current federal law still in place that provides guidance on the best path forward into our solar system. as a recent study from the national research council pointed out, a return to extended surface operations on the moon would make significant contributions to a stat ji ultimately aimed at landing

people on mars. this bill is not perfect. i will continue to raise questions and concerns over nasa's budgets. increases in earth sciences funding at the risk of space exploration budgets. costly and complex distractions such as the proposed asteroid retrieval mission and maintaining adequate funding for the space launch system as the next generation of deep space exploration rockets and vehicles. our bill represents a serious bipartisan commitment to space exploration at a serious time in our nation's history. american leadership in space depends on our ability to put people and sound policy ahead of politics. that is what we have tried to do with the house bill. i urge our friends in the senate to move forward with us by adopting our commonsense compromise and passing the house bill. our nation's space program needs this legislation. space exploration has always had its challenges but the united states has always risen to the occasion. this country was built by people who dream big and do the hard things.

i believe the decisions we make today will determine whether the u.s. maintains its leadership in space tomorrow. that's why i'm proud to stand by this responsible proposal alongside chairman smith and ranking members johnson and edwards in support of this bill. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi yields back the gentleman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield six minutes to the gentlelady from maryland, ms. edwards. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 441, the nasa authorization act of 2014. i want to say first, a special thank you to our chairman, mr. smith, our ranking member, ms. johnson, and my partner in crime, our subcommittee chairman, mr. palazzo. this is indeed -- this has indeed been a bipartisan effort. it didn't start out that way but america and our national space

program should be glad that it has ended that way. the national err naughtics and space administration, nasa, is recognized across the world as a symbol of the united states' greatness as a nation and its leadership in science and technology. it should not be a surprise that so many developed and emerging nations seek to follow suit in pursuing space exploration. space exploration in the united states -- and the united states' pre-eminence in space is critical to our economic success in the 21st century. nasa, in fact is our crownule -- jewel, it's one oaf things our government does -- our crown jewel. it's one of the things our government does best. it helps us challenge our industries and work force in ways that sustain their global competitiveness, advance scientific understanding and inspire the next generation to dream big and acquire the skills to turn those dreams into action. in my district, the space flight

center supports 16,000 jobs in my home county of prince georges county, including highly skilled occupations like engineers, mathematicians and scientists. nasa also collaborates extensively with maryland's high tech business sector. this encourages the expansion of the skilled work forest that's made maryland a leader in research and technology. our state's economy is strengthened by our collective investment in space and that is true for maryland but it's also true across the nation. because we are explorers and we're innovators. the nasa authorization act of 2014 builds on the bipartisan support that congress has given nasa as a multimission agency with programs in space and earth science. err naughtics, human space flight and explore eags. it also authorizes funding consistent with fiscal year 2014 appropriations that were enacted through the consolidated appropriations act of 2014.

while i, too, would have prefered a multiyear authorization of appropriations that would have provided the stability that nasa and its contractor work force need over time this bill is foundational and it provides important policy directions that will strengthen our nation's space program. in particular, h.r. 4412 sets the long-term goal for nasa's human exploration program of sending humans to the surface of mars and directs nasa to provide a human exploration road map outlining the capabilities and milestones needed to achieve that goal. recognizing two of the primary systems needed to accomplish this, h.r. 4412 directs the expeditious development, test and achievement of the space launch system and the o'ryan crew sap sewell for operation -- oh ryon crew capsule for -- orion crew capsule for operations. it also directs the utilization of the international space

station including a strategic plan for i.s.s. research and a report on the progress of the organization chose ton manage the i.s.s. national laboratory. mr. speaker, nasa is in the process of working with a commercial industry on the development of human space flight systems that can support and transport, rather, nasa's astronauts to and from i.s.s. on u.s. systems this bill is faithful to the key recommendations of the columbia accident investigation report as indicated by the ranking member. in the area of science, the bill a steady sa to have cadence of large, medium, and small missions. it requires new science acadny strategies in planet exploration and astrobiology and in nasa's mission plans and goals. h.r. 4412 also sustains a strong and comprehensive earth science program. that's important to us at

goddard space flight center but also to the nation and a sense of the congress of the importance of the james webb directs priority to be given to ensure it stays on budget and on schedule. we're also becoming sensitive to orbital debro or space junk. the bill include a number of proigs have to grow our technical understand og of these issues an the risks they pose. further activities are critical ensuring advancement in the industry and maintaining the -- and maintaining the effect on the environment. the bill requires that nasa maintain a ranging portfolio of research. h.r. 4412 also provides important policy and

programmatic direction on nasa's technology program and reaffirms the importance of nasa's education activities, especially as they involve the nasa mission directorate and the scientists and engineers engaged in nasa programs. the space grant program in particular provides critical opportunities for engaging students in the space related as well as broader stem fields this bill ensures the continuation of space grants and requires an infeint review to recommend measures to enhance the program's effectiveness. the bill also provides important good government policy direction, including on cost controls and cost estimation, avoiding conflicts of interest in major nasa acquisition -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. johnson: i yield the gentlelady one more minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: i thank the gentlelady. it also provides for detection and avoidance of counterfeit

electronic parts and increased transparency in space act agreement. in closing, mr. speaker, i'm pleased that our committee has worked hard to improve the original base bill and pass it on a bipartisan basis. i want to thank our rank -- ranking member again and our chairman and chairman palazzo and i want to particularly thank all our staff, especially our subcommittee staff and our personal staff, chris shank, tom hammond, alison, richard, allen, pam, megan, and ann. with that, i yield and urge the passage of h.r. 4412. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentlewoman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield six minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. weber, a member of the science, space and technology committee. the speaker pro tempore: the swrelt is recognized. mr. weber: i rise in support of the national err naughtic and

space administration appropriations act of 2014. if enacted it would authorize nasa programs and set funding levels for fiscal year 2014. it supports the development of space exploration technology like the space launch system and critical nasa functions at the johnson space center which just happens to be located just outside my district. it also sets a clear goal that nasa's human space flight program should focus on missions below low earth orbit. it is time for nasa to focus scarce taxpayer resources on nasa's core mission -- the development of capabilities necessary for manned missions to the moon and beyond. as nasa no longer has the ability to transport american astronauts into space, it is also important that nasa continue development of systems to transport american astronauts to and from the international space station. we cannot afford to continue paying millions of dollars for

seats on a russian aircraft. and on another front, mr. speaker, i would argue that nasa is critical for four more reasons. first, stem -- science, technology, engineering and math. imagine instiring -- inspiring and encouraging young american students to shoot for the stars. nasa does just that. second, the technological advances afforded by nasa and its mission would once again make us, as my colleague from maryland said, the envy of the world. and give us the competitive edge in attracting new ideas, new talent, new businesses. and third, and very importantly, mr. speaker, i would arlington that any military commander knows that whoever occupies the highest space in a military conflict will most likely win that conflict. mr. speaker, there is no other ultimate high ground than space. fourth and lastly, i would tell you it's about international

security. what do i mean by that? think with me for a moment, mr. speaker. when the world has a catastrophe, whether it's a hurricane a tsunami, a war, floods, pestilence, famine, whatever it is, then the world has a catastrophe and dials 911, who is it that answers? it's us, isn't it, with our military might? we have to have a strong america. nasa ensures that we have a strong america. a strong america ensures that we have a safe world. when america is that strong, safe world leader militarily and in innovation, world will be a safer place. so nasa is critical, mr. speaker, and so are the brave innovative men and women of nasa and they deserve a clear mission and a road map from the administration and from us, the united states congress. that's why i support this legislation. as a member of the science, space, and technology committee,

i look forward to continue working to ensure that precious taxpayer resources at nasa are not wasted but prioritized in support of nasa's core mission so that it can remain the world's premier space exploration agency. i'm randy weberer, there you have it. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from smith, -- mr. texas, mr. smith, reserves. the gentlelady from texas, ms. johnson. ms. johnson: i yield to the gentlelady from oregon, ms. bonamici. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. bonamici: i rise in support of h.r. 4412, the nasa authorization act of 2014, and to applaud the commitment made by my colleagues, ranking members edwards and palazzo to work to find common ground on these issues.

the process of re-authorization nasa's important research and exploration has historically been bipartisan. with space and the wonder it instills in our constituents, unifying by sides of the aisle. now as budgets become tighter and we're evaluating federal investments to find places to cut back, authorizing significant resources for nasa research and the operations that research supports has become more challenges. when the markup process of the original nasa authorization bill began about a year ago, i joined several of my colleagues on the science committee to raise concerns about proposed cuts to important programs like nasa's earth, science research. and i'm pleased to see important programs like earth, science, space technology and education and environmental compliance is authorized in this legislation at levels that mirror their appropriations for fiscal year 2014.

as i've learned through my work on the environment subcommittee, bipartisan solutions are possible as long as both sides are committed to achieving an outcome and mindful of the impact that our efforts have on our constituents. chairman palazzo and ranking member edwards have embraced this spirit when drafting the nasa authorization act of 2014, and though the bill before us today may not be perfect, it's a positive step forward and worthy of our support. i would also like to acknowledge the role of chairman smith and ranking member johnson for supporting this committee leadership in their efforts to arrive at a bipartisan consensus. i know that ms. edwards and i both appreciate this approach to leadership, as do our constituents. i encourage support for this important legislation. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from oregon yields back. the gentlewoman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i have no other individuals who wish to speak on this bill on this

side and if the ranking member is willing to yield back her time i am as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from texas. ms. johnson: i have no further requests for time and i yield back. i urge support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield back my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4412, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- does the gentleman seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 1254, the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research and control amendments act of 2013, as amended. the clerk: senate 1254, a bill to reform the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research act of 1998 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. johnson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on s. 1254, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, s. 1254, the harmful algal blooms and hypoxia research and control amendments act of 2014 re-authorizes oceanic and

freshwater research activities. it streamlines existing activities at the national aeronautics and space administration and other federal agencies. senator nelson. harmful algal blooms affects rivers, lakes and tidal areas around the country. known most often as red tide, harmful alge hurts local economies that are depending on fishing, recreation and tourism. sometimes referred as dead zones, they harm fish populations by decreasing oxygen levels in the area. our current understanding in response to these problems is rin adequate. in my home state of texas, red and brown tides often affect our base and coastlines. this damages tourism, harms our fishing industry and impacts public health. this bill strengthens

scientific research about these phenomena, fosters collaboration between federal agencies, states and localities and advances technological solutions to better understand and respond to outbreaks when they occur. this bipartisan legislation passed the committee on science, space and technology by unanimous voice vote last month. i'd also like to thank the gentleman from florida, mr. posey, and our environmental subcommittee ranking member, ms. bonamici from oregon, for their bipartisan amendment they offered in committee to improve this legislation. i want to thank chairman hastings and chairman shuster for working with me to bring this legislation to the floor. i will insert our letters of exchange in the congressional record. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair wishes to clarify that the gentleman wants to propose the bill as reported. mr. smith: mr. speaker, that is correct. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar umber 350, senate 1254, a bill

to amend the -- a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to improve the accountability of the secretary of veterans affairs to the inspector general of the department of veterans affairs -- a bill to reform the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research act of 1998 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. johnson: i rise in support of h.r. 1254, the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research and controlled amendments act of 2014. senate 1254 is a bipartisan bill that i want to thank my colleague, ms. bonamici and mr. posey, for their hard work to advance this important legislation. it authorizes an interagency program led by noaa to improve our understanding and respond to harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events. unfortunately, over the past decade, the distribution and frequency of harelful algal

blooms and -- harmful algal blooms have increased steadily, and today nearly every state is hreatened by this toxic algae. they can have serious economic and public health effects. shell beds along the gulf of mexico, atlantic coast are closed during a major event to protect the public from significant respiratory events, shellfish poisoning and other illnesses. the economic impact these closures can have on shellfish industry and tourism is quite large. a single event can cost a coastal community tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue. and while noaa and the research community has made great strides since the establishment of this program, we need for continued research and tools to lessen the impact of these events is greater than ever before. more accurate and efficient

tools for detecting toxins, early warning blooms, better prediction of bloom movements, methods of controlling outbreaks and the development of local and regional partnerships will all allow for a more effective response. for instance, in 2009, noaa funded scientists from texas a&m university, developed and deployed a sensor in galveston y that can detect algae, responsible for shellfish poisoning. the sensor now provides an early warning to texas state health officials, allowing them to temporarily close the bay to oyster harvesting. this early warning capability is a perfect example of how this program can minimize economic impacts and protect human health. dimensions e many of halves requires a multiagency and coordinated approach.

and passage of senate 1254 and re-authorization of this program will have innovative approaches to addressing hypoxia events in our waters. this is critical to our economy, and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of this bill. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'm happy to yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. posey, a members of the science, space and technology committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. posey: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentleman for yielding. harmful algae blooms and hypoxia events happen across the united states. they're harmful to plant and animal life. they also cost local communities millions of dollars d many hours of recreational enjoyment. the effects is near term and long term.

research on harmful algae blooms and hypoxia event is apparent. better continue to research and costs we can take -- steps we can take to prevent harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events in the future. a report from the science, space and technology committee, s. 1254, the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research and , ntrol amendments act of 2013 as amended, this bill will better streamline, coordinate existing harmful algal bloom and hypoxia research activities norksa and other federal agencies. we place a high priority on using research to create implemental action plans to minimize the economic, eek logic and human -- ecologic and human impacts from harmful algal blooms. the research between local,

state and federal agencies, we will be able to avoid costly, duplicative research which will stretch every dollar further and significantly advance this important research. in my congressional district, the indian river lagoon has experienced algae blooms each year from 2011 to 2013, leading to the loss of nearly half of all the sea grass beds. the primary means of measuring health in and near the lagoon. prior to 2011, sea grass beds in the lagoon had been on a steady increase for nearly 15 years. the devastating economic and ecologic impacts on of these blools can be felt across the entire length of the 156-mile lagoon. the economic impact of the indian river lagoon is approximately $3.5 billion. health of the lagoon is vital to the well-being on the coast. i raised my family on the

lagoon so i can speak of the changes we've seen and the damage to the lagoon to our communities. our bill gives researchers and others tools to help us better understand, anticipate, control and mitigate harmful blooms like those we have seen in the indian river lagoon and the communities across the country. i'd like to thank chairman smith and majority and minority staff who worked together to shepherd this bill through committee. i'd also like to thank the ranking member of the environmental subcommittee, ms. bonamici. it was a pleasure to work with you and your staff to make several bipartisan perfecting changes to the senate bill so this bipartisan measure can make it here to the house floor. i'd encourage my colleagues to support the bill before us so that we can re-authorize this important program and continue to advance this research so that it is so important to our communities, like the coastal community i'm privileged to live in and represent in congress. i thank you and yield back, mr.

chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield such time as she may consume, ms. bonamici of oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and thank you to the ranking member of the science committee for yielding. this is an important piece of legislation, and i'm glad the house is considering it today. i'd like to begin by thanking the gentleman from florida, mr. posey, for his willingness to work with me on an amendment to senate bill 1254 that was adopted in committee and made some modifications to the legislation we're considering today. . i would also like to thank mr. smith and ms. johnson for supporting us as we develop the amendment and move the bill forward. this was truly a team effort and our constituents are well served by this collaboration. and i want to join mr. posey also in thanking our staff on both sides of the aisle for

their hard work on this bill. authorization for the programs under the harmful algal blooms and hypoxia research and control act expired in 2010. so this re-authorization is long overdue. the rapid overproduction of algae can have devastating effects on aquatic plants and animals, as well as on human health. for coastal and great lakes ecosystems and communities, that depend on fishing and tourism to sustain their economies, the effect of algae blooms is a threat to their livelihood. the cost of these blooms has been estimated to be close to $82 million each year. a significant hit to the economyy areas that are still -- economy in areas that are still struggling to recover. this issue was first brought to my attention by oregon state university scientists and the crab industry in oregon where business was struggling when certain crabs were dying because of low oxygen levels in the water.

a hypoxia event call causted by algal blooms -- caused by algal blooms. the effect of these blooms is not only felt in coastal communities. last year in my home state of oregon, lakes, ponds and reservoirs experiencing hypoxia were closed to protect public health for a combined total of more than 700 days. research has helped advance our understanding of and response to harmful algal blooms. but we need to continue to invest in this research. the frequency and duration of these events and subsequent hypoxia conditions are on the rise and our constituents need us to act. in order to equip ourselves with the tools we need to manage these events, and to reduce the environmental and economic damage they cause, we need to better understand how and why algal blooms occur and how they respond to a changing environment. the bill before us today

directs noaa, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, to develop and implement a national strategy that takes a regional approach to help communities understand, predict and mitigate harmful algal bloom and hypoxia. it will ensure we are prepared for these events and able to respond in an effective and efficient manner. this will become increasingly important as coastal populations increase and changes in the environment, such as warmer water temperatures, have the potential to alter the growth, toxicity and geographic distribution of algal blooms. the stakeholder community has been calling for the re-authorization of this critical program and they are eager to see noaa continue its work on this important issue. the amendment that mr. posey and i included responds to a number of suggestions offered by our colleagues on the

natural resources committee, which has joint jurisdiction over these programs, and the amendment clarifies that the bill does not establish any new programs or regulatory authority. the amendment also ensures the state and local governments, along with other stakeholder groups, are involved in efforts to reduce harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. because freshwater ecosystems are also susceptible, the amendment makes certain that the plan also addresses harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events in the great lakes, in a cost-efficient and technically feasible manner. noaa researchers in the academic community have established a strong partnership to lead this effort and i applaud their work. now congress needs to re-authorize these important programs so that the work can continue and this bill accomplishes that goal. i urge our colleagues to support this legislation, thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from oregon yields back. the gentlewoman from texas reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. posey: mr. speaker, i have no -- mr. smith: mr. speaker, i have no other speakers and i'm prepared to yield back after the gentlewoman from texas, the ranking member. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: i have no further requests for time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 1254. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2072 as amended, the demanding accountability for veterans act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2072, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to improve the accountability of the secretary of veterans affairs to the inspector general of the department of veterans affairs. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr.

benishek, and the gentlewoman -- florida, ms. broun, misbrown, each will control 20 minutes -- ms. brown, each will control 20 minutes. mr. benishek: i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. benishek: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. benishek: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 2072 as amended, the demanding accountability for veterans act. this bill would require the department of veterans affairs' inspector general, the i.g., to determine whether appropriation act has been take -- action has been taken by v.a. in response to an i.g. report concerning public health or patient safety. it would require the i.g. to notify the house and senate veterans affairs committees and the secretary of any failure of v.a. to respond appropriately. it would require the secretary, following such notification, to report the names of managers

responsible for implementing the relevant action plan to the i.g. within 15 days and prohibit the i.g. from making such names public. it would require the secretary to promptly notify each responsible manager of an issue in a report and direct that responsible manager to resolve the issue, provide such manager with counseling and a mitigation plan to resolve the issue. it would require the v.a. to include an evaluation of whether such manager took appropriate action to recover the report in his or her performance review and prohibit the v.a. from paying a bonus or performance award to any responsible manager if an issue in a covered report is left unresolved. other provisions of the bill will authorize the v.a. for three years, beginning in october 1, 2014, to enter into a contract or depreement with certified medical foster homes to pay for long-term care for certain veterans already

eligible for v.a.-paid nursing home care and require an eligible veteran to receive v.a. home health services as a component of such payment. it would require per diem payment recipients to provide v.a. with certification of compliance with all relevant fire, safety and building codes, allow entities already receiving grants or assistance under the program to submit such certification within two years of enactment. it would require the v.a. to determine the code requirement for a facility in a location without a code requirement and also to determine how such facility would be inspeblingted -- inspected and require the v.a. to include an accounting and evaluation of the safety and accessibility of facilities used for homeless veterans in the annual report on assistance to homeless veterans. it would also extend the current rate of is certain v.a. housing loan guarantee funding fees from october 21, 2017, to october 1, 2018. and extend v.a.'s authority to

receive information from the internal revenue service for pension income verification purposes from september 30, 2016, to may 31, 2017. h.r. 2072 as amended was reported out of the full committee last year with full support and is fully offset. i'd like to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the members who co-sponsored the provisions in this bill. in particular, chairman miller and representative david mckinley from west virginia, who we will be hearing from shortly. i'd also like to commend chairman miller, ranking member michaud, ranking member of the subcommittee on health, julia brownly, and all the members of the subcommittee on health for their hard work and leadership on behalf of our nation's veterans. mr. speaker, two weeks ago today our nation commemorated memorial day. in remembrance of the brave men and women throughout history who paid the ultimate price in defense of our freedoms. one of the best ways we can honor these heroes is to ensure

that their fellow service members, those they fought side by side with, receive the best possible health care when they return home. unfortunately it has become painfully clear that the v.a. is not only failing to reach this standard, but not even coming close. the sad legacy that i have seen firsthand as a v.a. surgeon for 20 years. from my first day on this committee we have been working to identify the problems at v.a. and find solutions for our veterans. it has been more than a year since we on the house veterans affairs committee first began investigating delays in care and seeking answers and it's been two months since public awareness of these problems took off after cnn highlighted the tragedy in phoenix, allegations which were first brought to light by the committee. yet we still cannot get clear answers from the v.a. and are still waiting for key v.a. officials to be held accountable. i'm sick and tired of these

bureaucrats and undersecretaries coming before us to say, we know there's a problem and we're working on it, we take this seriously, we're going to have a fix in a little while. and yet there never seems to be a fix. veterans are dying. the time for excuses and clays is long past -- delays is long past. time for action is now. two weeks ago the v.a. i.g. released an interim report on the alleged negligence and mismanagement of the phoenix v.a. health care system. in that report the i.g. states that they had issued reports to call attention to problems, analyzing critical data for almost a decade and called for a system to monitor v.a.'s corrective action. that system is exactly what we are creating today. no longer will v.a. officials be able to hide behind excuses. instead, with this bill we'll take both steps toward ending the culture of had mismanagement and complacency in v.a. when the v.a. concurs with an

inspector general recommendation on an issue that need to be fixed and nothing happens, who is the person responsible for following through on that fix? why is the fact that they didn't reply to an i.g. report and stated a v.a. concurrence that an action would be completed? why is that person not punished? why are they still getting bonuses if they don't comply? why are they getting promotions for not getting the job done? anywhere else in america, these questions would already have been answered but not in bureaucracies like v.a. the demanding accountability for veterans act will correct this injustice. let me be clear. i know the people that are providing direct patient care for our veterans, the nurses, doctors, are good people who work hard. but their leadership has failed them and has failed our veterans and it must stop now. i urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and in doing so, take a needed step to ensure the responsible individuals are held accountable for correcting any lapses in care that impact

the health and well-being of our veterans. thank you, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. brown: mr. speaker, i rise in full support of h.r. 2072 as amended. the demanding accountability for veterans act. this legislation addresses a number of concerns that have arisen during hearings and other forms we've conducted in this congress. too often we've seen inspector general reports that find the same problem time and time again at v.a. medical centers, but nothing seems to change. recommendations are made, solutions are identified, plans are made, but there's no followthrough. problems aren't fixed.

processes aren't changed. and problems reoccur several times over. this bill would require the department of veterans affairs' inspector general to determine whether appropriate action has been taken by the department in response to a report concerning public health or patient safety and if they determine it has ot, it is authorizing the v.a. i.g. to alert the secretary and congress. this authorization will increase accountability and hopefully get the actions needed for things to change. . h.r. 2072, as amended, also addresses medical foster homes. it authorizes the department to enter into contract with medical foster homes to pay for long-term care for veterans already eligible for v.a., paid nursing home care. we know that many veterans prefer to care in a home-like

setting rather than in an institution. this provision gives them that option. the department of veterans affairs has many homeless programs, and i'm proud to say that we have a 50% increase in decreasing veterans' homelessness and have done a great job in reducing the number of homeless veterans. ildings in which these veterans receive, services must be held to the highest of standards concerning safety. this bill would require per diem payment recipients under v.a. homeless grants and per diem grants to have a certification of compliance with all fire and safety building codes. it's our commitment -- no -- our obligation to ensure that veterans receive the best care and treatment available. whether it is fighting homelessness, ensuring the safety and security of facilities or ensuring that

when a problem and solution is identified, it gets addressed. thank you, mr. speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: mr. speaker, i recognize my colleague on the veterans' affairs committee and a member of the subcommittee on health, the gentlewoman from indiana, ms. jackie with a lors key. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from indiana is recognized. mrs. walorski: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the act, a bill i'm proud to co-sponsor. as the recent scandals at the v.a. have clearly demonstrated, better accountability and oversight is needed at the v.a. this bill will help provide better accountability and oversight by ensuring that the v.a. inspector general recommendations are fully implemented by the v.a. currently, after the v.a. inspector general investigates a v.a. facility, the inspector general releases a list of

recommendations for what the v.a. must do to correct the problems identified during the investigation. oftentimes these recommendations are never fully implemented by the v.a. this bill will provide additional tools to make sure they implement the v.a. recommendations. specifically, this bill requires the v.a. secretary to determine exactly which employees within the v.a. are responsible for implementing the suggested changes. this bill prevents the employees charged with implementing those recommendations from receiving a bonus until the problems identified by the v.a. have been addressed. this bill also makes it easier to fire employees who are refusing or failing to implement those i.g. recommendations. the v.a.'s failure to fully implement i.g. recommendations has contributed to the mismanagement and corruption we're seeing in the v.a. today. think about it. if the v.a. had done a better job of implementing the i.g.'s corrective actions, maybe we wouldn't be hearing about the things we're hearing about today. falsified records, secret waiting lists, debts due to

negligence. our veterans certainly deserve better. i'll continue to work with my colleagues on the house veterans' affairs committee to bring the accountability to the v.a. and protect the men and women who've sacrificed so much for our nation. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. brown: i yield, what, two i tes -- one minute -- reserve my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: mr. speaker, could i inquire how much time i have? the speaker pro tempore: 11 1/2 minutes. mr. benishek: mr. speaker, i'd recognize my colleague on the veterans' affairs committee from west virginia, mr. david mckinley. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from west virginia. how much time have you yielded? mr. benishek: three minutes.

the speaker pro tempore: three minutes, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mckinley: thank you. and i commend the chairman for bringing this bill before us today. today i'm rising in support of h.r. 2072, but i'd specifically like to talk about section 5 of the bill which is based on legislation i previously introduced. the safe housing for homeless veterans act. this is a modification of the bill that passed the house in 2012. currently there are over 2,100 shelters for homeless veterans across the country. unfortunately, some of these shelters have been found to be unsafe for habitation. om 2006 to 2010, more than 1,900 fires have been reported in these structures. in the last decade alone, nearly 200 residents have been lost in unsafe -- residence have been lost in unsafe shelters. how did it slip through the cracks? there is no law maintaining v.a. homeless shelters meet

building codes. there's only a loosely defined policy that is not universally followed. this is licensed professional engineers -- as a licensed professional engineer, i find this shocking in a law governing our veterans homeless program funds. this bill would require any organization that seeks funding for v.a. for services to homeless veterans, they have documentation that the shelter meet or exceeds building codes. as a nation, it should be unacceptable for us to allow homeless veterans to be housed in unsafe conditions. the defense of our country, these men and women were put in harm's way. they should not be in doubt about their own safety now they're back in this country. mr. speaker, this is a commonsense legislation that will ensure our homeless veterans are in a safe environment while they work and struggle to get back to a normal life. i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. brown: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. how much time do i have? the speaker pro tempore: 17 minutes. ms. brown: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: madam speaker, i recognize my colleague from new york, mr. collins, for three minutes. mr. collins: i thank the gentleman from michigan for his leadership on this important issue. i come to the house floor tonight to speak in support of the demanding accountability for veterans act, which i'm proud to co-sponsor. you'd think congress wouldn't have to act to demand accountability from the v.a. on behalf of our veterans, but sadly, as everyone knows, that's not the case with the current v.a. the v.a. is supposed to provide service and benefits that all our veterans have earned by protecting our freedom. instead what we have in too many cases is a bunch of bureaucrats in both washington and in the local facilities who seem content to collect a paycheck and not serve the

public. enough is enough. the least we should expect is when the inspector general issues a corrective action report about a public health or patient safety problem v.a. employees would be held accountable for fixing it. at the v.a. hospital in buffalo, new york, right outside my district, the improper use of insulin pence resulted in some 700 veterans being potentially exposed to h.i.v. and hepatitis. in this case, the i.g. issued a corrective action report. the public has every right to expect the v.a. to be held accountable for implementing a fix to make sure something like that never happens again. without this legislation, we can't make that promise, and that's an insult to our veterans and all federal taxpayers. this legislation also makes it easier to get rid of the bad apples at the v.a. to issues with problem employees won't fester and overshadow the care being delivered by hardworking

v.a. nurses and doctors. i want to thank congressman benishek for his work on this legislation, and i urge my colleagues to pass the bill. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. brown: madam speaker, i am reminded of the word from the first president of the united states, and i think it's worth repeating here today. the willingness with which our young men are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justifiable, shall be directly proportionate as to how they perceive that the veterans of early wars are treated and appreciated by their country. and i want everyone to know that i have been on this committee for 22 years. i am the longest serving member on this committee, and i support the veterans 100%. but i remember in 2005 when the

first servicemen started returning home and the bush administration was underfunding the v.a. at the tune of $1.5 billion. congress had to pass a supplemental funding bill to pay for this shortfall. because the administration was using old data taken before all of these veterans was returning for care, the number was wrong and the veterans paid the price. following that, a democratic-leaning congress increased the v.a. budget to its highest level ever in the history of the united states, guaranteeing that veterans health care would not be subject to the whims of policies on capitol hill with advanced appropriation. i know many people don't remember that because sometimes it's like we don't have any

memory around here, and i want to commend secretary shinseki. he did a yeoman's job as the secretary. when the vietnam veterans, each one of them, had to prove their case, he opened up the v.a. so that all of the veterans could come in. certainly the v.a. wasn't prepared for millions of additional veterans, but it was the right thing to do and i can tell you i've done my reconnaissance in florida, and we are not -- and we are not involved in any scandals in florida. when we had a problem in the miami hospital -- and this is a service that we should give the secretary the authority to do -- two small projects had to be stopped because they combined to one project, the operating

facility. we were able to get it amended and get it taken care of, and so the veterans in the miami hospital are being cared for. in orlando, we've been working on that v.a. hospital for over 25 years. long time. but the v.a. has not built any hospitals until recently. we are building six new hospitals. we had not built a v.a. hospital in the veterans administration for 15 years. 15 years. yes, we are coming together in congress and doing what we should do for the veterans, but let me point out. i support this bill, but this bill should go to every agency because every single agency ignores the reports that come in. so we are going to do our oversight, we should do it with

all of the agencies and we should not let veterans think that we are not doing their -- what we need to do to take care of them. it should be one team, one fight and we should be fighting for the veterans. ever since i've been on this committee, it's been all for the veterans, and it hasn't been the politics that goes on. you did not fill out my report. the important thing is we are taking care of the veterans. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: i have no more speakers, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. brown: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields? ms. brown: i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. --

cheab. ker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: i ask members support the bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 20 2, as amended. -- h.r. 2072, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on he table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i would move the house suspend

the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 100. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 100. concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the civil rights act of 1964. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. miller, and the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. fudge, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i'd ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. miller: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support today of house concurrent resolution 100, authorizing the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the civil rights act of 1964. it's certainly fitting that we take pause and recognize the passage of this historic

landmark legislation that was passed into law in the -- and the events in our nation that called upon its leaders to act all those years ago. the passage of the civil rights act was a major step forward for america that finally allowed our great nation to truly live up to its creed found in the declaration of independence, that all men are created equal. 188 years following the adoption of the declaration of independence and 99 years after the conclusion of the civil war and decades of struggle by great leaders like martin luther king and so many americans who fought valiantly so that america and broad bipartisan majorities of both parties of congress to come together to ensure equality for every american. the passage of the civil rights act was a very proud moment for the house of representatives. because america faced a time of choosing in 1964. and together our congress rallied and voted to strengthen individual protection and rights and voted to end

discrimination and segregation 50 years ago. the civil rights act still remains one of the most important pieces of legislation that has ever been debated in our chamber and instituted across our great nation, not only for people of color or different nations of origin but for each and every american, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status or their religious background. our nation has a very vibrant and rich history and that moment 50 years ago when many different people of various walks of life joined together and in one voice called for equality, stands as one of the most monumental in our history. our nation stood as a witness to those who led and participated in civil rights protests such as the march on washington to sit-ins at lunch counters, to maintaining one's seat on a bus and not removing solely based on one's color of one's skin.

many faced prisonen to overcome huge odds to stand for what they truly believed must be changed. their contributions reverberated across every state in every town, in every home. many took up roles as spokespersons, using their talents or what was available to them to make peaceful statements. several have joined this chamber as members. and i see john lewis has joined us today and i am just very proud to be able to serve with a man of his historic background and distinguished service to our nation, mr. speaker. these people were pillars, absolutely pillars of strength, they used their courage to meet injustice head-on. and they are memorialized in the history that we carry forward. the actions of those individuals called on every citizen of our nation to recognize and to listen to the struggles of others and to support their call for a change to our laws. so many individuals, from all walks of life, rose up and

lifted their voices to add the call for change in our nation and they stood for all of those who were to come after them in the next generation and for the betterment of their lives. they brought their concerns to the forefront of our political stage and they spoke for all of us. men, women, rich or poor. in my home state of michigan, mr. speaker, we were blessed to have so many great leaders in this moment -- movement. but one of those individuals was truly a civil rights icon who became a treasured member of our community. rosa parks. inspired countless americans with her grace, her dignity and strength and through the simple yet profound act of refusing to give up her seat on a bus. she continued her advocacy for equality and freedom and inspired so many others who have carried the cause for individual rights forward to this very day. and she also has a connection to this house from another member of congress as well. a michigan colleague of mine, john conyers, who is also a recognized leader in the civil

rights movement. and as we mark this 50th anniversary of the civil rights act, we remember the efforts, the struggles and the achievement of those who stood for equal rights. they saw to it that america will make good on its promise for every individual to obtain justice, freedom and equality. and it is certainly fitting, mr. speaker, that the house and the senate join together later this month to formally remember and pay tribute to our nation's civil rights, attaining this milestone. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from michigan reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio. ms. fudge: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and i would like to thank the chair lady for the support, it's very much appreciated. and now, mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. fudge: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.con.res. 100, which authorizes the use of the capitol rotunda to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the civil rights act

of 1964. the passing of the bill that became the civil rights act of 1964 was a critical turning point in the history of this nation. prohibiting all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. this significant law also ensured that the promise of equal protection under the law would be true for all americans. millions of americans faced violent opposition to ensure that the civil rights act was brought before members of the house and the senate for a vote. during what was one of the most turbulent times in this nation, a time when discrimination was commonplace and sellinggation -- segregation was an accepted norm, passing this law was a true bipartisan effort with members of both parties overcoming their differences to do what was best for this nation. if passed, h.con.res. 100 would allow the use of the capitol

rotunda to recognize the courageous efforts made by former members of this house to pass the landmark civil rights act of 1964 and will honor civil rights and community leaders who dedicated their lives to see this bill become a reality and signed into law by the president of the united states, president lyndon b. johnson. i urge all members to support h.con.res. 100 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. miller: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from ohio. ms. fudge: thank you, mr. speaker. it is now my pleasure to yield to the assistant democratic leader of the house, my friend, mr. clyburn from south carolina, for as much time as consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. clyburn: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i request permission to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. mr. clyburn: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the chair of the congressional black caucus, representative marcia fudge, for yielding time to me on this important resolution. i also want to commend her for her leadership on this initiative, to pay appropriate commemoration to the civil rights act of 1964. prior to my first election to the house of representatives, i served in the state government of my native state, south carolina, in an office charged with administering this landmark legislative achievement. we in south carolina effectively used provisions of the civil rights active 1964 to enforce fair employment practices. that instrument has had tremendously positive impact on the working men and women of my

state and across the country. the civil rights act of 1964, along with the voting rights ct of 1965, the fair housing law of 1968 and other initiatives embodied the ideals upon which this nation was founded. i had the opportunity to ex pound on this notion -- expound on this notion at some length, when i spoke in dayton, ohio, in 1985 as president of the international association of official human rights agencies. at that time i spoke these words. we are an experimental nation, torn with the idea of individual rights as opposed to collective control and tyranny.

so far the experiment has worked. no doubt to the surprise of many who witnessed its birth over 200 years ago. it is interesting to speculate why not only has the nation survived, but also its ideals and principles. let me have a few guesses as to why america and its ideals have worked over all these years. first of all, i do not believe america is perfect. neither did the founding fathers of the nation. no sooner had our constitution been written than the first 10 amendments were presented and adopted. they were called the bill of rights. and we can all be thankful that

they were included in the package. i continued on that day, americans have never tried to conceal or ignore their imperfections. for the most part they have tried to recognize and correct them. when the enslavement of a race of people created a conflict which threatened very foundation of our constitution, the nation went to war with itself to resolve the conflict and ensure the integrity and sovereignty of the constitution. and a century later, when it was found that discrimination still prevented millions of americans from participating as full-flenged -- full-fledged citizens, our nation moved to correct the flaw. with wide ranging civil rights ledge slailings.

-- legislation. that bill that we commemorate today was one of them. now, while it is common to say that no nation in the history of the world has granted more individual freedom, it is just as valid to say that no nation has ever tried harder to correct the flaws and impediments in its system. we are still imperfect. and we are still trying to live up to the principles to which the constitution has commilted us. -- committed us. the important message is that this nation has never stopped trying. and we would do well not to top now. mr. speaker, unfortunately too

many in this country hold the view that the flaws in the system are not worth fixing or no longer need attention. too often the view is advanced that the civil rights movement and all of its achievements are things of the past. i strongly disagree with that view. the work of securing a more perfect union is never completed. the struggle continues. and i want to thank chairwoman fudge for her leadership on this resolution to commemorate in civil rights act of 1964 the rotunda of the capitol. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina yields back. the gentlewoman from ohio reserves. the chair recognizes the

gentlelady from michigan. mr. miller:my i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserve -- mrs. miller: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlelady from ohio. ms. fudge: thank you, mr. speaker. i have been blessed and privileged to work with many great people in this house. you just heard from one, the assistant leader who is our historian and an activist in many, many ways throughout his life. i now want to yield to someone who all of us consider an icon, as was referenced by the chairwoman earlier. it is indeed an honor to yield time to my friend, who is the face and voice for so many of the civil rights movement, my good friend, and can't say enough words, john lewis from georgia. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. ms. fudge: for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. fudge, esteemed chairwoman of the congressional black caucus, for her hard

work, her leadership on this resolution and for her kind words. the d also like to thank gentlelady from michigan, for your kind words and for your leadership. . the two of you have never given up or given in. you've kept the faith, and thank you so much. i'd also like to thank the speaker and our friends on both sides of the aisle for helping to bring this resolution to the floor. to be on the floor with jim clyburn, who i met more than 50 ears ago, more than 50 years ago, mr. chairman, at an organized meeting of the student nonviolent coordinating committee when we were both very young.

esh from the sit-in and we had all our hair. if somebody told me then that the two of us would be sitting here in the congress, i would say you're crazy, air out of your mind, you don't know what you're -- you're out of your mind, you don't know what you're talking about. the president signed the civil rights act into law 50 years ago. this outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. the following year, president johnson signed the voting rights act into law. it was a bipartisan effort. you should visit my office in the cannon building. you will see both democrats and epublicans standing together standing with members of the senate. one man i will never forget.

your republican leader, everett dirkson, who helped make it possible to help get the bill passed. too many people i knew and loved lost their lives in the fight for civil rights and simple justice. every single day each and every one of us must remember the heroes, average men, women and children who put their lives on the line in the fight for equality. we cannot forget their sacrifice, and we must not ignore the lessons of history. when we come together across party lines, racial lines, religion and from all regions, we can achieve the greater good. i hope and pray we will come together again, democrats and republicans of all faiths, colors and region to pass laws

that maintain, protect and strengthen rights which many gave their ultimate sacrifice. the , mr. speaker, i thank gentlewoman from michigan and the gentlewoman from ohio and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for this -- their strong support of this resolution and i yield back my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from ohio reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i recognize myself for one minute and say that representative lewis mentioned the term heroes and he truly is a hero, an american hero, an american treasure. in the 12 years i've been honored to be a member of office, anytime i hear him come to the floor and talk about the civil rights, someone who actually lived it, i wish i could take you home and have you talk to school groups of children -- and i know you do that in your own district and around the country because

every time he comes to this floor and talks about the civil rights movement and certainly representative clyburn as well and so many others, it's very moving. it makes us think before we are anything we're americans and he's a hero. i reserve. s. fudge: i ask if she has speakers. mrs. miller: i have no speakers. ms. fudge: mr. speaker, there are some things inherently american. be it truth, freedom and justice, doing what is best for our nation. i know that we have disagreements, we have differences but today we stand together as one house and i thank the chairlady for allowing that to happen today. again, i urge all members to support h.con.res 100, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, thank

you and i would certainly urge all my colleagues as well to support this resolution which will authorize the use of the rotunda of the united states capitol building for a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the civil rights act of 1964, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 100. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from michigan seek recognize snigs mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to senate concurrent resolution 36. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 36, concurrent resolution permitting the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony to award the congressional gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of raoul wallenberg. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. miller, and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i'd ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. miller and mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. miller: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the concurrent resolution permitting the use of the rotunda of the u.s. capitol for a ceremony to award the congressional gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of raoul

wallenberg. the issuing of the congressional gold medal is in recognition and honor of this individual's heroism and selfless humanitarian actions. raoul wallenberg was born on august 4, 1912, in sweden. in 1931 mr. wallenberg attended college actually in my home state of michigan, ann arbor, after graduating at the top of his class in architecture he established himself in business in his home nation of sweden. he quickly established himself, like so many others, then he also witnessed the ever-growing threats coming from germany. at the age of 32, mr. wallenberg was recruited by the u.s. war refugee board, a board that was established by then-president roosevelt and whose mission was to rescue jewish -- the jewish from occupied territories and to provide relief to those sent to concentration camps. mr. wallenberg later became known as an individual who led

one of the war refugee board's most extensive operations. mr. wallenberg was given status as a swedish diplomat and 1944, rred to hungary in a few months after nazis occupied that nation. nazi forces are the complying hungarian authorities could not easily arrest or otherwise harm swedish citizens. this enabled mr. wallenberg to save tens of thousands of hungarian jews from concentration camps. shortly following nazi occupation, the transferring them into custody began. and when he arrived in budapest that summer, the nazis already deported nearly 440,000 hungarian jews with almost all of them being sent to auschwitz or to the killing centers. we all know that the s.s. killed approximately 320,000 of these individuals upon arrival and used the rest as forced labor.

when mr. wallenberg made it to budapest, about only 200,000 jews remained in the city, but there were plans made by the hungarian authorities under nazi rule to deport those as well. provided with diplomatic credentials and the authorization from the swedish government, mr. wallenberg took heroic action to save as many of these individuals and families as he could by creating and distributing protective swedish certificates. through the war refugee board and assistance from sweden, he was able to set up hospitals, nurseries, a soup kitchen and dozens of safe houses for the jewish of budapest. these safe houses actually formed the international ghetto. holding some of the same protective swedish certificates that wallenberg handed out. face with a further breakdown of the hungarian government and increased nazi control, deportations of the jewish population resumed, but this time the authorities decided to force tens of thousands to march toward austria due to the

cutoff of the railroads by the soviet troops. that fall mr. wallenberg personally worked to stop the further deportation of many by securing the release of those who had already had some of the same protection certificates that he had worked to dwribts and he was able to help -- distribute and he was able to help them return to the safe houses in the city. mr. wallen brerg wasn't alone. he worked with his other colleagues and diplomats who issued their own neutral country's protective certificates to jewish people and found ways to house them. by the end of the 1944, mr. wallenberg and others were able to keep authorities from destroying the ghetto and the individuals who resided there. by the beginning of 1945, soviet forces came to budapest and liberated the city in february. more than 00,000 jewish people remained -- 100,000 jewish people remained. what happened to mr. wallenberg, like so many others during this time, is unknown. mr. wallenberg was last seen in soviet custody and thought he may have died in prison.

mr. speaker, the end of mr. wallenberg's life remains a mystery, but the life that he led and especially the actions he took while living in budapest for those six months and saving as many so many innocents are forever remembered. raoul wallenberg is a hero, not just for those who were in budapest at the time, but a hero that the world remembers. mr. speaker, mr. wallenberg's memory lives on and serves as the best kind of reminder for what it means to serve and accomplish the greater good for all of humanity and it is certainly fitting that we gather as a congress in the rotunda of the united states capitol to formerly remember and pay tribute to this man, a man who used the tools he was given to work tirelessly for the lives of others, a man who did so much even as his own peril, awarding mr. wallenberg the congressional gold medal is the very least we can do as a grateful nation and as a grateful member of the world. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lowenthal: mr. speaker, i rise in support of senate concurrent resolution 36. few people in history have shown the sort of bravery for which we will be honoring raoul wallenberg. a sweden special envoy to hungary during the second world war, mr. wallenberg quietly issued thousands and i say thousands of protective passports and protected thousands of jews in swedish embassy buildings, protecting them from being rounded up by the fascist authorities. it's estimated that his efforts saved potentially up to 100,000 jews from the horrors of the holocaust. sadly, as the gentlewoman from michigan pointed out, mr. wallenberg would never see the impact of his great work. as the iron curtain descended

on eastern europe, he was apprehended by soviet authorities never to be again. but if not for his commitment to the protection of human rights, untold thousands would not be among us today. one of the lives that he saved was that of our former colleague, congressman tom lantos, who wrote the bill making raoul wallenberg an honorary citizen of the united states in 1981. awarded e posthumously raoul wallenberg the congressional gold medal in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the holocaust. this resolution will allow the use of the rotunda for a ceremony presenting the gold medal to his family in honor of

mr. wallenberg for his noble and selfless actions. i urge all members to support senate concurrent resolution 36 , and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close if the gentleman has further speakers. mr. lowenthal: i'm prepared. i'd like tourge all my colleagues to support -- encourage all my colleagues to support this bill. i urge all members to support senate concurrent resolution 36, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, as well, i'd urge all of my colleagues to support s. conresolution 36, which is a resolution -- s.con.res. 36, which is a resolution to permit the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony to award

the congressional gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of raoul wallenberg. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for the gentleman es from michigan seek recognition? i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3211. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3211, a bill to amend the truth in lending act to improve upon the definitions provided for points and fees in connection with a mortgage transaction. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott, each will control 20 minutes. chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. huizenga: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask also unanimous consent that all members have five

lelingtive days within which to -- legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous materials for the record on h.r. 3211, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. huizenga: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. huizenga: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3211, the mortgage choice act. as someone who worked in the housing industry for a number of years, this is a very important issue to me and more importantly to my constituents in michigan, as well as frankly all of our constituents across the country. earlier this year the qualified mortgage, also known as the q.m., ability to repay rule as mandated by dodd-frank walstrute reform act went into effect. -- wall street reform act went into effect. it's the primary means for mortgage lenders to satisfy their ability to repay requirements. additionally, dodd-frank provides that a q.m. may not have points and fees in excess of 3% of the loan amount.

as currently defined, points in fees include, among other charges, sorry, one, fees paid to affiliated but not unaffiliated title companies, two, salaries paid to loan originators, three, amounts of insurance and taxes held in escrow, four, loan level price adjustments and, number five, payments by lenders to corresponding banks as they interact with them, credit unions and mortgage brokers in wholesale transactions. not in any kind of retail transaction. as a result of this confusing and problematic definition, many afill combrated -- affiliated loans, particularly those made to low and moderate income borrowers, would not qualify as q.m.'s and would be unlikely to be made or would only be made available at much higher rates due to heightened liability risks. consumers would lose the ability to take advantage of the convenience and the market efficiencies offered by

one-stop-shopping. i along with representative gregory meeks introduced h.r. 3211, a strong bipartisan bill that would modify and clarify the ways points and fees are calculated and i should note, mr. speaker, that of our nine original co-sponsors, two of them were republicans, seven of them were democrats and we're very pleased that this is has seen wide and -- this has seen wide and broad support. this legislation is narrowly focused to provide access to mortgage credit without overturning the important consumer protections and sound underwriting rirped under dodd-frank's ability to repay provisions. specifically, my bill, h.r. 3211, would provide equal treatment for affiliated title fees compared to unaffiliated title fees. what that means is, for companies that are owned and integrated in, those same requirements and same designations would apply to those who are totally separate and independent companies.

it also would clarify the treatment of insurance and taxes held in escrow. now, think about that. we're talking about taxes that no one makes a profit off of, that just literally gets sent to the government, being counted in this points and fees definition. that to me just seems fundamentally unfair. and only, again, i might add, if they are an affiliated company versus an unaffiliated company. these commonsense changes will promote access to affordable mortgage credit for low and moderate income families and first-time homebuyers by ensuring that safer, properly underwritten mortgages pass the q.m. test. i'd like to thank my colleague, representative meeks, along with many of the others who have worked tirelessly to help fix this flawed provision currently being implemented. mr. speaker, this evening congress has the opportunity to help more americans realize a portion of the american dream. not by some grandiose law or decree or something that's going to be big, but by simply reforming a burdensome

regulation. homeownership has been a biller -- piller in american life for generations. tonight we can i reaffirm that pillar and can reaffirm that homeownership can and should be a retainble goal. i urge my colleagues to vote in support of this and make the dreams of so many americans a reality by ensuring all consumers have greater access to mortgage credit and more sources to credit providers. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: it's certainly been a pleasure to work with representative huizenga on this very, very important bill. this legislation is about two things. fairness and opportunity. my fellow co-sponsors, both democrats and republicans, and i support h.r. 3211, which is the mortgage choice act. because of our shared concern

about access. access to credit, yes, for all consumers, but especially for lower income consumers and middle income consumers. and to ensure that everybody in america that needs a home, wants a home, securing a loan, that they have a choice in selecting both the mortgage and the title insurance providers of their choice. i urge my colleagues to support this needed legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. huizenga: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm prepared to close but tie would like to thank my friend, mr. scott, from georgia, working with representative meeks to bring this to the forefront and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 3211. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. huizenga: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1679 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1679. a bill to amend the expedited funds availability act to clarify the application of that act to american samoa. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott, each will control 20 minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. huizenga: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous materials for the record on h.r. 1679, as amended, currently under consideration.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. huizenga: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. huizenga: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to also thank my colleague, delegate faleomavaega, for introducing this bill. this bill makes a technical change to clarify that the expedited funds availability act applies to banks located in american samoa and the northern mariana islands, as well as the other 50 states. it was an inadvertent error that these territories were not included in this act. this legislation remedies this error and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. scott: yes, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may need. the financial services -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: our financial services committee simply amends the expedited funds availability act to apply it to american samoa. and essentially it does just

these few things. it extends by two business days for american samoa any time periods established for large or redeposited checks, repeated overdraft, reasonable cause or other emergency exceptions to the 30-day funds availability requirements for deposits in a depository institution account by a new depositor it. also applies this two-day extension to any deposit and account at a depository institution located in american samoa by a check drawn on an originating depository institution which is not located in the same state as the receiving depository institution. and with that, mr. speaker, i would like to recognize the distinguished gentleman from american samoa, who has worked tirelessly on this effort and deserves so much credit for his

eadership, mr. faleomavaega. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from had american samoa is recognized -- the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. faleomavaega mr. speaker, i rise today in strong -- faleomavaega mr. speaker, i rise today -- mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, to discuss this bill. mr. speaker, this has been a bipartisan effort. and want to thank chairman hensarling and waters for bringing this legislation on the floor today. i also want to thank my good friend, congressman sablan, for his support of this bill. and i would be remiss if i did not also express my appreciation to the subcommittee chairman of our financial committee, congresswoman capito and ranking member gregory meeks, for their efforts in supporting

this bill. mr. speaker, this legislation is important because it will not only improve the current banking system in both territories, but it will also allow our constituents quicker access to their funds. i introduced this legislation last year because one of our only two banks in the territory was scheduled to close all of its branches for good. in working together with the governor and many stake holders in delaying the bank's departure, we learned that there was a systemic delay in access to funds for bank customers in american samoa. h.r. 1679 will fix this delay and will put american samoa and the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands in line with the availability of funds that are already required of banks in all states and other territories under regulation c.c. under regulation c.c., banks on the u.s. mainland and certain territories are required to make funds available for consumer use, for instate

checks no later than second business day after the check is deposited. our state checks can be held up to five business days before funds can be released. banks in hawaii, alaska, the u.s. virgin islands and puerto rico may at their discretion hold out of state checks for an extra day. this is not the same for american samoa. checks can be held for an intermittent and undetermined amount of time, even up to 21 days, before funds are available for the consumer to have access. this is unfair for my quibblets and -- constituents and as a direct -- has a direct and indirect impact on our local economy. for the record, i do not hold the banks at fault, but given the trend of electronic banking and quicker access to services, i feel that they are able to provide quicker and better services for their customers. again, i thank the chairman hensarling and ranking member waters and their staff for

their work on this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. huizenga: i'm prepared to reserve as well, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. scott: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. huizenga: with that i'd just like to again congratulate delegate faleomavaega for his leadership on this and am glad that we could get this done and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1679, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the ble.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the title is amended. for what purpose does does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. duncan: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4228. the clerk: to improve discipline accountability and transparency in ack which situation program management. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan and the gentleman from arizona, mr. barber, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina. mr. duncan: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to include

extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, before i begin, i ask unanimous consent that the official score provided by the congressional budget office, which was not available at the time the committee on homeland security filed the report accompanying h.r. 4228 be entered. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. duncan: improve d.h.s. ack which situation management. after 9/11 attacks, d.h.s. was created to ensure that no attack would occur again. proper management has taken a back seat. d.h.s. is the third largest federal department with a budget authority of almost $60 billion a significant amount of the budget is used to buy systems and programs used to secure our borders, protect our shores, scan people and cargo coming in the united states among other

missions. unfortunately, many of these acquisition programs cost more, they're late or do more -- do less than is expected. for nine years, the government accountability office has been telling the d.h.s. in its high risk list that its acquisition programs are susceptible to fraud, waste abuse and mismanagement. he d.h.s. has identified major management challenge for its audits and found serious mismanagement in body scanners and k-9 teams failure to improve radio systems and waste in c.v.p. and helicopters. it has taken steps to implement an acquisition policy and put mechanisms in place to review programs, it has failed to hold routine programs accountable. it must change. in a time of reduced budgets, d.h.s. must make every dollar

count. today's legislation, h.r. 4228, the d.h.s. accountability and efficiency act follows consistent oversight of acquisition issues. a subcommittee published a report providing recommendations to d.h.s. to correct weaknesses in its acquisition and contracting practices. this report went unheeded and the weaknesses remain. in the 113th congress we sent numerous letters to the d.h.s. and g.a.o. requiring acquisition programs and we held a hearing that the d.h.s. could use best practices from the dens department and private sector to save taxpayer dollars. in view of these efforts, i'm pleased in the bipartisan cooperation that the ranking member and i have had in drafting h.r. 4228 and i'm grateful for the strong support this bill has received. letters of support from the

project management institute, security industry association, professional services council, i.t. alliance for public sector. business executives for national security have also stated its support publicly. this bill addresses the d.h.s. problems in several ways. first, it requires leadership accountability from the chief acquisition officer and components in following federal law. the federal acquisition regulation and d.h.s. acquisition management directives. it requires discipline. every major acquisition program must have a program baseline. which is a vital document that d.h.s. programs need to measure performance, manage cost growth and schedule slips and acquisition review must validate acquisition documents and programs. it provides clarity by authorizing the chief procurement officer to serve as the mainly aceon to industry and

oversee a certification and training program for d.h.s. acquisition work force. by requiring a multi-year strategy to guide the direction and help industry better understand, plan and align resources to meet future acquisition needs of d.h.s. and compelling them to address issues regarding protest. this bill increases transparency quiring them to instruct d.h.s. to eliminate unnecessary duplication. i believe we have a precedent for such efforts under president reagan's leadership. in the 19 on's, he worpgd with 1980's, he worked with congress and i believe d.h.s. needs similar leadership from the president and congress. h.r. 4228 will not solve every acquisition problem but it is

the first step to hold its acquisition programs accountable. this bill will find cost savings through better management policies and strategy. this is essential if our government is going to climb out of the debt that we have. it starts one good decision at a time and d.h.s. can make a difference by improving its acquisition management and thinking more strategicically about its acquisition choices. the american people deserve nothing less. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. barber: i rise in support of h.r. 4228, the d.h.s. acquisition accountability and efficiency act and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barber: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to urge the house to pass h.r. 4228 the d.h.s.

acquisition accountability and efficiency act. as an orange co-sponsor of this legislation i was pleased to work with my colleague congressman duncan who chairs our oversight subcommittee and i fully support the legislation as yet another product of collaboration between republicans and democrats on our committee. to ensure that the department of homeland security succeeds in streamlining its acquisition management process. as the ranking member of the house homeland security subcommittee on oversight and management efficiency, i'm absolutely committed to saving taxpayer money and working to ensure that the department of homeland security eliminates waste, fraud and abuse. we must be good stewards of the taxpayers' money and we must require the departments to do the same. as a representative whose district covers 83 miles of arizona border with mexico, i

have seen firsthand the failures of the department of homeland security's acquisition processes and the need for effective and efficient process that gets resources to the agents and other d.h.s. employees on the ground. they need them to secure our borders, our ports of entry and our nation. in my district, we have witnessed for far too long many acquisitions that did not stand up to scrutiny, cost overruns and money spent in excessive ways that did not meet the end goal. if enacted, h.r. 4228 would give the department the tools to bring greater transparency, accountability and consistency to the department's acquisitions process. the department expends almost one quarter of its overall budget to purchase goods and services with a total of $12.2 billion spent in fiscal year

2013 on 85,000 acquisitions. thus far in fiscal year 2014, the department has allocated upwards of $4 billion on 27,000 transactions with more expenditures to come. since january, 2003, the government accountability office has included the department on its high risk list due to its task of integrated 22 legacy agencies into one entity and still obviously a work in progress. in this in its 2013 high risk update, the g.a.o. cited the department with failure with adequately overhauling its systems including its acquisition process. inefficient management practices and procedures hurt the department and efficiently achieve its mission and keep america safe. in spite of the department's agreement with the government

accountability office's findings, the department has yet to fully improve its management functions and as a result the department remains on the high risk list. according to the g.a.o., the department's acquisition costs increased from $17. billion in billion in 2011, 166%senting an increase of in the 16 major acquisition programs. in response, h.r. 4228 will assist the department in better managing its acquisitions management process by directing individual agencies to follow the agency's rules for acquisitions and ensure that resources are spent as intended. this legislation also will address the department's ongoing management challenges by implementing a process to alert

congress to programs that begin to veer overbudget or off schedule. h.r. 4228 will make sure that for the first time that the department as a whole takes part in the acquisition review board process, a process that brings officials from across the entire department together to monitor department acquisitions. it hill help d.h.s. in achieving another reform, a need for a stable, well-trained acquisitions work force across all component agencies and furthermore h.r. 4228 will ensure that small businesses are able to fairly compete for contracting opportunities. making the department of homeland security's acquisition process more efficient and effective will absolutely save taxpayers money and allow the department to more effectively accomplish its mission of protecting the nation. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan piece of legislation and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina. mr. duncan: i thank the ranking member for all of his efforts to help get this bill passed out of committee, a truly bipartisan effort and i know he was rushed to get here from a flight from arizona, but i'm glad he was able to participate today. mr. speaker, i want to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished the gentleman from texas, the chairman of the homeland security security ppropriations committee, mr. carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carter: i thank the entleman for yielding. i rise in strong support of h.r. 4228. over this past year, i have aggressively called for a reform agenda to address the evolving needs of d.h.s. and this bill tackles one of the most urgent need to reform d.h.s.

acquisitions. these reforms are much needed and long overdue. i sincerely appreciate the chairman's collaboration on this effort. mr. speaker, i urge a yes vote. and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from south carolina reserves. mr. duncan: i reserve the time to close when mr. barber is finished. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. barber: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barber: thank you, mr. speaker. a lot is said about how congress cannot find common ground. with this piece of legislation, we truly have shown that that's possible. in fact, i would go on to say, mr. speaker that our committee works in a very bipartisan manner. i'm proud to be a member of our group who are interested in securing the homeland. i was pleased to work with chairman duncan who chairs the house oversight management

subcommittee on this very important piece of legislation. in order for the department of homeland security to better achieve its mission of securing our nation, it must have efficient and effective management practices in place. and this legislation gives the department the tools needed to bring greater transparency, accountability and consistency to its acquisition process and to make sure that it report accurately and timely to congress on its progress. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina. mr. duncan: i yield such time as i may consume to the distinguished gentleman from montana, mr. daines. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. daines: i rise in support of h.r. 4228. as the vice chairman of the oversight and management efficiency subcommittee, i'm

proud to chairman duncan in sponsoring this important legislation which works to improve efficiency at d.h.s. and improve accountability to hard-working american taxpayers. the d.h.s. acquisition process has long faced problems resulting in waste, delays and mismanaged taxpayer dollars. this is simply unacceptable. american taxpayers deserve better from their government. through increased accountability, transparency and improved collaboration with the private sector, this bill works to address these problems and brings accountability to d.h.s. this legislation adopts common sense, private sector principles like developing incentives for program managers and senior department officials to prevent cost overruns, avoid scheduled delays and achieve cost savings in major programs. it's long time we move away from

the government agency spend it or lose it budgeting tactic and this legislation could serve as a pilot program for adopting this principal -- principle across other agencies. i urge a yes vote and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from montana yields back. mr. duncan: i don't have any further speakers. . i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, hmplets r. 4 28 as amended -- 4228 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on the motion to suspend the rules previously postponed. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4412 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4412, a bill to authorize the programs of the national aeronautics and space administration and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the house is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 401, the nays are two. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the

bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. he house will be in order. he house will be in order. will members please take their conversations out of the house and remove themselves from the aisles. ill the house come to order.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from nevada seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order and address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> the nevada delegation comes before you with a heavy heart in the wake of yesterday yesterday's tragic events. on a beautiful sunday afternoon, two individuals who had recently moved to southern nevada and participated in a resistance, walked into a neighborhood pizza parlor, carrying the gaston flag shothouting rhetoric, they and killed two police officers and then killed an innocent

bystander shopping at a nearby department stores. the officers were both veterans of the las vegas metropolitan police department with a combined 21 years on the force. officer beck leaves behind a wife and three children and officer sodo leaves behind a wife and a baby. joseph robert wilcox, 31 oofls of las vegas was shopping when the two killers entered the department store and he lost his life attempting to intervene. tonight, we ask you to join us in honoring the lives of these three victims of senseless violence and mourning their families' devastating loss and praying for those who suffered as a result of these horrible events and commending metro for its effective action and steadfast commitment to protecting our community even under the worst of

circumstances. i now ask for a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: the house will rise for a moment the speaker pro tempore: please ise for a moment of silence. the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further consideration of h.r. 4745. will the gentleman from georgia, mr. woodall, kindly ake the chair.

the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 4745 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: making appropriations for the democratics of transportation and housing and urban development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2015, and for what purpose does. -- and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole house rose earlier today, a request on a record vote offered by the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, had been postponed and the bill had been read through page 83, line 23. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, proceedings will now resume on those amendments on which further proceedings were postponed in the following order. an amendment by mr. broun of georgia, an amendment by mr. chabot of ohio. the chair will reduce to two minutes the time for each lectronic vote in this series.

the unfin innered business is the recorded vote on an amendment offered by mr. broun. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 154, the nays are 248. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, on which further proceedings were postponed and the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk are will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. chabot of ohio. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 127, the nays are 279, he amendment is not adopted. the committee will come to order. the chair would ask all members to please take their onversations from the aisle. the committee would come to order.

the chair would ask all members to please take their onversations from the floor. he house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to withdraw my request for a recorded vote on my amendment, the amendment stood rejected by the earlier house vote. the chair: without objection, the request for a record vote is withdrawn and the amendment stands rejected in accordance ith the previous vote thereon. the committee will come to order. the chair would again ask all members to please take their

conversations from the floor. ask all members and staff to please take their seats. the chair would once again ask all members to please take their conversations from the floor. ask all members to please take heir seats. the chair would ask members, particular -- particularly on

the right side of the chamber, to please take their conversations from the floor and ake their seats. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 84, line one, ho -- line 1, housing certificate fund, include regular sigses. recaptures including funds from department may be used for renewal of section 8 project based contracts. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> at a time when we should be

making progress, today's t-h.u.d. bill makes it harder to meet our transportation needs. mr. quigley: it cuts funds to one of our most vital funds, tiger grants, and prevents funding for public transit, bike and pedestrian projects. the significant funding eligibility changes this makes have left this important program without any teeth. it seems the tiger is no longer a fitting name. instead we should be referring to this bill's national infrastructure investments program simply as kitten grants. these grants drive economic growth and jobs growth across the nation. this bill encludes a reduction of 80% from this year's funding level. this move is ridiculous given that the current funding level

can't keep up with demand of an incredibly popular program. already the current grant application round, u.s. department of transportation has received nearly 800 applications requesting a total of $9.5 billion. a request of more than 15 times what can be awarded. adegreesally the bill ecluneds -- includes a bad policy ride we are language that restricts tiger eligibility to roads, highways bridges, freight rail and forts. this will be a devastating change for a wide variety of innovative projects that include public transportation and passenger rail, bicycle and pedestrian programs. tiger grants help us modernize our transportation infrastructure and create the 21st century highway and public transit systems america desperately needs. nowhere are these programs needed more than in my hometown of chicago. back home, tiger grants have

supported updates to the chicago transit authority, advanced the sustainable transportation efforts of the chicago metropolitan agency for planning and local bike share programs, and helped fund the elgin-o'hare western access project, investing in a 21st century transportation system is essential for our economy and more importantly, it will create jobs. remember that every billion dollars invested in our infrastructure creates 30,000 jobs. i join the house committee on appropriations to make the tough funding choices to shape our national priorities but this year's budget allocations have only taken that power away from us. forcing taos vote on a bill that drastically cuts vital services that people around the country depend upon. as we consider the t-h.u.d. bill, we must stand together and demand congress take action on a long-term, smart investment that will move our people and country

forward. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields ack. for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i rise to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. duckworth: businesses in the eighth congressional district need a strong transportation system to send their projects across the country. the citizens of my district are investing in infrastruck sure yet the national investment hasn't kept up. 00 bridges in the chicagoland area are structurally deficient and this is unacceptable. we need to invest in infrastructure bawl aws americans will benefit from

results, be it an increase in job opportunities or a shorter trife to work. that's why i'm appalled by the low tiger funding in this bill. $100 million is nowhere near what my eighth district and other projects around the country need to get people back to work and our economy moving again. one of these projects he -- projects is the fox river bridge improvement flodget elgin, illinois. this bridge hasn't been updated in 80 years and is crucial to railways that carry both commercial freight and commuters. i am disappointed we have cut this investment that would make our economy competitive. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> i want to join with mr. quigley, ms. duckworth and other colleagues to call attention to the abysmally low funding in

this bill for tiger program and the need to increase and multiple this investment for the sake of our communities. mr. price: we have many concerns with this t-h.u.d. bill before us but i want to talk particularly about the tiger program, otherwise known as the national infrastructure investments. it's a critical grant program which provides a unique opportunity for the department of transportation to invest in shovel-ready projects across transportation modes that promise to achieve critical national objectives, laying the groundwork for future prosperity. tiger bridges critical gaps in formula funding programs to ensure we're able to make investments in projects that are esen torble both local and national goals. each innovative project that this program funds is multimodal. multijurisdictional. and otherwise challenging to fund through existing transportation programs and funding screams -- streams.

unfortunately the bill before us would reduce the landmark flexibility by restricting eligibility for tighter to only road, bridge, and freight projects. there's nothing wrong with these projects but the downside of the restrictions is that there's no room for funding that involved pedestrian crossings or bike lanes or recreational trails or planting activities or public transit or intercity passenger rail. many of us have benefited from having tiger funding help a critical project in our district. let me give one example of a project, it's gotten a lot of bipartisan praise. a project that would not have received funding if these eligibility restrictions had been in place. the indianapolis cultural trail. now that's a bicycle and pedestrian network, one third funded by tiger. it's now touted as a draw to convention planners, a central catalyst for hundreds of millions of there ares in new

commercial and residential development and the linchpin of a vibrant community. it simply could not have been funded if these redrixes -- restrictions which the majority has included in this bill had been in place. my district has been fortunate to receive tiger funds to build our multimodal raleigh union station. but my community is not alone. over the last five funding rounds, tiger has provided $3.5 billion for 270 critical infrastructure projects covering all 50 states, d.c. and puerto rico. that's just the tip of the iceberg. previous tiger funding rounds have shown significant latent demand for this type of federal program. in tiger rounds one through five, u.s. d.o.t. received more than 5,300 project proposals seeking more than $115 billion. with only between 4% and 8% of grant applicants each year able to receive funding. in the current grant application round, d.t. -- d.o.t.'s received

,000 proposals, with requests totaling 15 times what can be awarded. next year, rather than doubling down on essential transportation and enfra structure developments as the president's request would do, the bill calls for funding decreases of over 80% to the tiger program. now this unfortunately is not the first time house republicans have tried to cut or eliminate tiger funding. it's hard to escape the conclusion that this is another example of reflexive opposition to anything coming from the obama administration. because this is in fact a model program in terms of stretching federal dollars. tiger programs have been catalysts that leveraged federal funds to secure further investment from the private sector and other sources. each dollar invested through 3 1/2 as leveraged

nonfederal dollars. the projects that received tiger funding along with those awaiting an announcement will help address transportation challenges, create good-paying jobs, spur local economic development, revive our city centers and create regional transportation solutions. we can do better than the bill before us today. let's re-examine and restore funding for these tiger grants. i yield back, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition? >> move to strike the last cord. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for phi minutes. -- for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you. i must join with mr. price, mr. quigley, the reference here to the tiger program is incomprehensible in terms of what one would think congress

and even our friends in the republican majority should be supporting. these are amongst the most popular programs that we've had in transportation. and the goal of the tiger program was to maximize the impact. it required local communities to come together, aven cross jurisdictional boundaries, to figure out how to leverage the most impact from this program. mr. price referenced the heritage trail in indianapolis. i've heard the mayor of indianapolis give a spirited explanation of what difference that's made in the revitalization of that community. it is leveraging over 60 -- over $60 million to be able to improve the livability of indianapolis. i was in philadelphia watching the program there, where the entire region came together for a $23 million program for bike and pedestrian which would not

be possible under the restrictions that republicans have inexplicably designed. mr. latham has a couple of tiger grants in his district. which would not be possible thunder language. in houston, a $200 million investment in bike and pedestrian trails has leveraged another $50 million from the private sector and is part of their effort to revitalize the downtown. it's a formula that's used across the country, being able to give people more choices. but instead, the committee has decided that they know better than the mayor of indianapolis. they know better than local communities about what they need to be able to make a difference. the irony is that the resources that are used for bike and pedestrian programs actually create more jobs than simply

road construction. i talk to people -- talk to people around the country, as i have, about the ability to invest in making their children safer for cycling and pedestrian. it's not ince definital, it's not something that should be simply brushed aside. mr. speaker, this is part of what we should be doing. i've got two of these projects in my district that have leveraged private investment, that are wildly supported by the ublic, it's why we're seeing that these -- that there are thousands of requests for only a couple hundred slots. to dra maltcally reduce the -- to dramatically reduce the spending and restrict what local communities can use it for is misguided, it's a step in the wrong direction, it's not where america is going, and it's not what we're seing in communities large and small, red states, blue states, what they want to

be able to revitalize their community, to keep young, talented professionals there, to give people more choices, cut down on lution -- on pollution, and be able to maximize transportation investment. i hope that this misguided language does not survive the legislative process. it would be a tragic mistake. and it's one that is actually going to end up undercutting some of the most progressive and energetic efforts we're seing in communities large an small. i respectfully urge my colleagues to think again, eliminate the restrictions, and look at where we're going to be able to maximize the impact, where we're watching people in this congress not willing to provide adequate resources for a transportation bill, we should be maximizing elements like the tiger grant because we're going

to need them more than ever. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from california, for what purpose does she seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. waters: i rise to oppose the republican transportation housing and urban development bill for 2015. this bill drastically underfunds critical transportation and housing programs. the bill's cuts to the tiger program are particularly egregious. tiger, formerly known as transportation investment generating economic recovery is a competitive grant program that creates jobs by funding investments in transportation infrastructure. the republican bill cuts tiger from the 2014 level of $600 million down to a mere $100 million in 2015. moreover, the bill includes restrictive language that limits

tiger grant by excluding public transit, passenger israel, bicycle and pedestrian projects. public transit is an essential part of a modern transportation system. a previous tiger grant helped the los angeles county metropolitan transportation authority to accelerate the construction of the crenshaw-l.a.x. transit corridor a light rail project that will reduce traffic congestion and improve transportation service in my district. . this inowevative project would never have qualified for -- innovative project would never have qualified for a grant. tiger theeds to be expanded, -- needs to be expanded, not restricted, not cut. the president requested $1.25 billion for tiger in fiscal year 2015 in order to create jobs and modernize our nation's transportation frals. earlier this year i sent -- infrastructure. earlier this year i sent a

letter to the appropriations committee urging support for the president's request and 144 members of congress signed my letter. i urge my colleagues to strike the restrictive language in this bill, expand the tiger program and invest in a transportation system for the 21st century. thank you very much, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut seek recognition? ms. delauro: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. delauro: thank you. the appropriations bill before us includes only $100 million for the national infrastructure investment grants, otherwise known as tiger grants. this is an 83% cut to this critical investment. this wrongheaded and foolish slashing of infrastructure moneys will cost us far more than the money saved. tiger grants have invested, as my colleagues have pointed out, in road, in rail, in transit

and port projects that achieve vital national objectives all across this great nation and yet the bill before us not only imposes a savage cut to the program, it restricts the use of these grants to highway, bridge, port and freight, intermodal projects only, it says that these are the only projects that can get done. meaning that transit, passenger rail, bike and p.e.d. paths would no longer -- pedestrian paths would no longer be available. we face an infrastructure crisis in this country. the american society of civil engineers has estimated that we need to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 to bring our nation's infrastructure back to good condition. we also face a job crisis in this country. and tiger creates jobs. a study last year on the economic impact of public transportation investment found that every $1 billion invested

supports 21,00 jobs and these are jobs -- 21,800 jobs, and these are jobs that cannot be outsourced it. generates $3 billion of additional business sales and $432 million in federal, state and local tax revenues. we need to invest in our national infrastructure, we need to support projects that make our communities more livable and sustainable and in this project's history we have found that so many of our colleagues, in arkansas and illinois, ohio, minnesota, arizona, iowa, pennsylvania and, yes, connecticut, georgia, utah, washington state, idaho, florida, virginia, maine, california, nevada, north carolina, many who have received more than one tiger ant, it does make that investment in infrastructure. it creates jobs and creates

future economic growth. tiger grants are an excellent way to do this, that make our communities more livable, more sustainable and we should support them. i urge my colleagues to oppose this deep and this dangerous cut and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? ms. kaptur: i move to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. kaptur: i think, first i wish to dedicate my remarks tonight in memory of our former colleague, james oberstar, who through the -- knew the transportation system of this nation like the back of his hand. and i know the first thing he would say if he were down here, he would say, transportation investment, infrastructure investment is the largest job creator that this congress and this nation can provide to the american people. infrastructure creates jobs. it is the highest form of investment we can give to the american people.

what are they asking this congress for? they're asking us for jobs and they're asking us to fix the roads. every place i go, the public's complaining about potholes because of the bad winter in the part of the country that i represent. we know where do these jobs come from? the construction industry. the landscape industry. the paving industry. the fencing industry. the stone quarries, the concrete manufacturers, the list is endless. in public transit we're talking about building rail cars to serve a growing population. america isn't declining in population. by 2050 we will have 500 million people in this country, up from 310 million today. and so communities across our country are asking for our help. they ask for $9.5 billion in high-priority infrastructure projects just this year. 15 times more than the current funding. and so what does the majority do? they cut the current funding by

80%, down to $100 million when the american people are saying, the mayors, the county commissioners, the governors across this country, help us out. tiger has proven to be a successful program. it is not stovepiped. it's multimode al. the vice president, vice president biden just visited cleveland. he saw the largest transit point in ohio, for all of the rail cars that serve cleveland, ohio. cleveland is waiting. it's only one of hundreds of places in america that are waiting for this congress to do what the public wants us to do and that is build this country forward. underinvestment will only hurt our people and cost us more in the long run. we know tiger works. the president recommended doubling the current funding to .25 billion, up from $600 to

$800 million. to begin to meet the needs of our country. but remember, i said the public was asking for $9.5 billion. tiger has provided already $3.5 billion for 270 critical infrastructure projects across 50 states, the district of columbia and puerto rico. in prior years we know that transit and rail passenger projects have received only about 1/4 of tiger funds available and there's typically no other predictable dedicated funding source for this type of project. you know, without tiger, and a few other federal programs, mass transit and the shape of our nation's highway system and rail system would be so much worse. americans increasingly look to this congress and say, what are they worse? this is one of the places where we should be worth something for the american people. so we rise tonight to say, this is really a misguided decision. we need to take funds from

elsewhere. we send funds all over the world. we're building dams in afghanistan. who's going to take care of it after we leave? hundreds of millions of dollars in other places and yet our own people are having to go get their cars realigned and buy new suspension systems because they're having to ride through all these potholes all over the country. we ought to do our jobs, we ought to find a way to fund this program and repair this country from one end to the other. i asked myself, if we had to build the hoover dam again, would this congress have the guts to do it? you know. so we have a program like tiger that coast-to-coast works. where's the majority? out to lunch. no wonder the public doesn't have respect in the congress of the united states. we're not at one with where the public is. our county commissioners are begging us, our governors are begging us, our transit systems are saying, measure up, congress. wake up. wake up. i rise in strong support of

restoring the funding and frankly funding at the levels the president has proposed, $1.25 billion, but even that is only about 1/7 of what the country has asked for. so it's veerl underfunded for the need -- severely underfunded for the needs of the nation. we know it's the best job creator. we know it has a proven record and we know the american people want it. what more do we need to know? i can just hear jim oberstar talking to me now. thank you so very much. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> mr. speaker, infrastructure investment creates jobs in southern illinois and nationwide. while repairing highways, bridges and mass transit. the tiger grant program is critical to infrastructure investment. we must fully fund this program.

two great examples of successful tiger recipients are in southern illinois. enenamerican's central port in granite -- mr. enyart: america's central port in granite city, illinois, has leveraged federal dollars with state and local funding to connect rail lines and four interstate highways with the mississippi river. because of that investment, there are more private jobs at america's central port today than government jobs when it was an army support center. another southern illinois tiger grant recipient, the alton regional multimodal transportation center, will allow passenger transfers between high-speed amtrak trains, regional transit, bicycle and even pedestrian trails. tiger not only creates jobs, but better ways to get to those jobs. at a time when we need to grow our economy and invest in our infrastructure here at home, it's a mistake to cut this

critical program. i urge my colleagues to restore its funding. i yield back, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> mr. speaker, many of us here grew up in a time in this country when our parents and our politicians weren't afraid to invest in america. i've been having a series of meetings along with other members here with the inspector general for afghanistan. he has 250 investigators. of the last $100 billion in infrastructure that we have spent in afghanistan, he can't find where the money's gone and/or where the projects have been completed. mr. nolan: and yet here we are today, with bridges falling down, roads crumbling, and we're debating legislation that ives an 80% cut in our transportation needs, imposes

severe restrictions onto a program that's so crucial to our long-term economic growth here in this country. this program, the tiger grant program, as you know, and the public needs to know, allows communities to compete for the funding of railroad upgrades, airport runways, highways, bridges, ports. recently at a meeting with the transportation committee, we had about 10 transportation leaders from business and commerce before the committee. and i asked the question that every one of them, every one of them, is there any disagreement here that our roads, our bridges are crumbling? no. make a note of it, mr. chairman. second question, is there anyone here who disagrees with the notion that this is jeopardizing our economic growth and our ability to create good-payinging jobs and facilitate the advancement of business interests?

nobody objects, mr. chairman. make a note of it. lastly, mr. chairman, is there anybody here, now, mind you, all the democrats and republicans were there, is there anybody here on this committee that rejects the notions that we need to find more revenue for our transportation, our infrastructure, not less? nobody disagreed. so where does this notion come from that we should pass an 80% reduction in our tiger grant program? clearly someone's not listening to the business and commercial interests in this country and they are making a tragedy and serious mistake -- tragic and serious mistake. recently duluth harbor in my district was the recipient of a $10 million grant. as a result of that we were able to restore abandoned pier, dredged the harbor so that the great lakes freighters could access it and extend the rail and the highway transportation

accessing the terminal. we're losing $3 billion in business income a year through the great lakes because we're 10 years behind on the dredging. the lakers are only operating at 0% of capacity. we're talking -- 80% of capacity. we're talking about real jobs, we're talking about real business income. we're talking about our future as a nation. mr. speaker, this bill does contain some good and necessary increases in funding, such as the f.a.a. and the pipeline hazardous materials safety administration, but an 80% cut in this program, that spurs innovation, that boosts american manufacturing, creates good-paying jobs, that's no way to in-- invest in our future, that's no way to have a progrowth, projob economy. mr. speaker, i strongly urge all of my colleagues, let's come together here, let's -- we have common ground. let's be bipartisan. let's reject this 80% cut. thank you, mr. speaker.

the chair: the gentleman yields back. the clerk will read. the clerk: line 23, public housing capital fund, $1,775,000,000. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> mr. speaker this this bill represents a mass i step backwards, reducing funds for rail, transit and highway programs our communities desperately need. in addition to slashing tiger grants, it restricts eligibility for these grants, effectively locking out public transportation and passenger rail projects from this critical funding stream. mr. huffman: in my district, we've come together to support the smart rail project. this is a new public transit project that will provide a critical service to commuters,

to students going to school, to tourists spending money in the local economy. the counties are putting a significant share forward in local funding. over 0% of the cost has come from these local courses -- sources. but they need the ability to access funds like tiger grants to extend the first phase. this puts roadblocks in the path of the smart project and other projects like it all over the country. in addition it contains a rider blocking funding for california's high speed rail project. we shouldn't undermine local and state's ability to -- states' ability to invest. with my remaining time, mr. speaker, i want to encourage the f.h.a. to expand the power saver pilot program to address the unique condition of many native american communities where housing is often in great need and capital is difficult to access.

congress should enable homeowners to make cost effective and energy saving improvements to their houses this body took an important step in 2009 by creating the power saver pilot program. which has helped in financing and constructing energy efficient homes and since that time, home owners all over the country have take -- taken using ge of the program, it to purchase energy star appliances and install solar units. it's created jobs an saved money for homeowners, goals we should all support. western be extending this program to native american communs. native american communities across the country have embraced sustainable, energy efficient housing. this is lowering their electrical bills, increasing the value of their homes and reducing dependency on dirty energy sources. to enable other tribes to make similar investments in their homes the f.h.a. will need to

make substantive changes to the power saver program. and i'm pleased that the underlying bill demonstrates support for native american communities by fully funding the block grants but i encourage f.h.a. to go further by ensuring that programs like power saver are implemented with all communities in mind. thank you, mr. speakering and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to strike the last word. the chair: the swrelt gentlelady is recognized ffered -- the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. lee: i join in opposition with my colleagues to the drastic cuts that this bill sets forth for the tiger program, as well as language that would prohibit important environmentally sustainable projects from competing for these grants. we know that smart and targeted investments in infrastructure

projects grow local economies and they create jobs. they create good paying jobs. i know firsthand the effectiveness of this program in my own district. at the port of oakland, for example, and the east bay greenway where local agencies have leveraged federal tiger grant funds to bring projects toward completion. these cuts will reduce private sector investment which is are esen torble public-private partnerships. these urban projects around the country need to be able to compete for this important source of funding and the funding levels and policy provisions simply won't allow that to happen. we spend billions, mind you, billions on infrastructure projects in iraq and afghanistan. why not in our own country? tiger grants allow taos nation build here at home and we need this desperately. i look forward to working with our ranking member and our chair so we can fix the funding level

as this bill goes to conference. i think these grants, and i think we know on both sides of the aisle, they've created jobs and economic opportunity and helped create and fix our infrastructure. it's very important that we fully fund these tiger grants and so i thank, again, the ranking member and i yield. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> mr. speaker, this discussion tonight is, i think, exemplary of the disnungsality of this place. mr. cleaver: no matter whose fault it is, we are not serving the public. onust came in from the break a third world road from dulles airport to the capitol. if anybody wonders whether or not we are falling behind other

countries, visit china. look at the percentage of their g.d.p. being spent on infrastructure being compared to ours. i'd like to talk about something that affects americans in every single state in this country. there is no republican road, there is no democratic road there is no independent road or tea party road or black panther road. we all have to live in this nation and function on the roads we build. and the only people on this planet, the only people on planet earth who can make a decision about tiger and our infrastructure are people who were elected to sit in this police. it's us. in the first four years of tiger, funds were awarded to all 50 states. tiger funds are nearly evenly disbursed across the central, south, west, and northwest regions of the great country. the department of transportation

is required by statute to ensure that tiger funds are awarded to rural communities as well as you are been. these grants are used to build highways, repair badly damaged bridges and upgrade rails. they're used to help communities who are struggling in this period of economic recovery. to make key investments in their infrastructure and bolster local economies. but this bill would decimate tiger funding, destroying one of the most successful federal programs in generating bottom up transportation solutions to our nation's crumbling infrastructure problem. tiger has made a tremendous impact in my district and i can call the names of projects from the green impact zone, brush creek, all of these improvements in our communities made my congressional district better. last year, tiger provided $20 million to help finance a 2.2

mile street car project in downtown kansas city, missouri. the street car project will encourage economic development, housing and along the line, we would also see a whole new community being rebuilt. so my friends, i don't know what's going to happen. i hope that we can make a decision that at least on the insfra structure we can put -- infrastructure we can put down partisanship and this political tribalism to the side and do wast in the best interest of the american public. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. gohmert of texas. page 85, line three -- line 3 after the dollar amount insert reduced by $7,100,000. page 7, line 24, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by

$17,600,000. page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert increased by $24,700,000. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i agree with my friend that congress is dysfunctional. i'm told by people that were here in the late 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, that if a president started usurping power of the legislature, of the congress that very quietly the leaders of the house and senate from both parties would make a quick trip down pennsylvania avenue and tell the president that he either needed to stop usurping congressional authority, start living within the law, quit being lawless, and that would generally take care of it. and it was a bipartisan and bicameral effort. unfortunately, this body is dysfunctional. when you look at the efforts to

protect and ad-- protect an administration that keeps acting lawlessly. i would like to have had ccurate numbers as to how much of section 8 housing is being provided to people illegally. that is, providing them to -- providing them section 8 housing to people who are not authorized, who are getting the housing against the law. mainly, people illegally here, but the last official numbers that my staff and i could find go back to the first of january, 2009. so from the bush administration. attributed under section 8 housing to people illegally. it was illegally going to people because they were not authorized

to be there. there were indications from a report in 2010 that that had increased to 1.17%, but mr. speaker, i just felt it was imperative that we send a message if you're not going to provide the housing to americans who desperately need it, and you're going to continue to provide housing to people who are not legally authorized to have that housing, then we'll make a small cut here and then we'll get more accurate numbers in the future and we'll continue cut the program until the department of housing and urban development gets serious about making sure that only people authorized under the law to have the section 8 housing get it. so we took .4% times that set

aside for the public housing capital fund at line 3, and the same percentage from the public housing operating fund at line 24 of page 87, and then added that to the spending reduction account. why? because this generation has shown that we are immoral. we, like no other generation before us, are spending lavishly on our own generation without regard for the mass i millstone or albatross if you prefer -- massive millstone, or albatross if you prefer, around future generations' necks. that's immoral. it's immoral that we cannot live within our means and that we would cast that on future generations. with that, i argue for passage of this amendment. it does not legislate. it simply appropriates a more

appropriate amount and with that, i would reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman may not reserve. mr. gohmert: i yield become. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: i thank the chairman and i reluctantly rise in opposition to the amendment and i -- the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: i appreciate very much the gentleman raising the issue and i think we should remember, this is an appropriations bill, it's a funding bill, it's not an authorizing bill. this is an issue that should be dealt with by the committee of jurisdiction that needs to make a lot of changes at h.u.d. and there's no question about it. but this being a funding bill and mr. chairman, we've already made tough, responsible choices

in the bill, we've already cut the public housing capital fund by $100 million below last year. so while he wants to cut a little bit more, i understand that. but the fact of the matter is, we are down $00 million from last year. the public -- $100 million from last year. the public housing fund is held at last year's level, $4.4 billion. i think to cut any more out of this could possibly pose a risk to the health and safety of these -- of our housing capital. for those reasons, again, i appreciate the gentleman bringing the issue forward. it's an authorizing issue. and on this, as a funding bill, i would urge a no vote. yield back. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> as the chairman has outlined,

-- funds are either funded underfunded and the cuts would cause many individuals who qualify for public housing to either leave public housing. for those reasons, we oppose the amendment. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it, and the amendment is not agreed to. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? > i rise today to express my

opposition. while i'm supportive of advancing the appropriations bill, this bill underfunds many important programs and initiatives including tiger grants, the lead-based program, housing assistance and our rail programs. we undertake improvement. tiger grants are critical for our communities to leverage federal funds to create lasting financial improvements but unfortunately this bill underfunds the tiger grant program. this bill funds $500 million less than last year and less than the president's request. tyler grants are essential to provide that leverage for our state and local communities to make those choices what will

create jobs and allow those jobs for people to get something using the highways. the difficulty, particularly in the northeast with our aging infrastructure. in addition to the tiger provisions in the bill, some of the most important life saving programs are the lead-based hazard reduction program. approximately 23 million households have significant lead paint hazards. it gives dollars to low-income. and makes young children particularly vulnerable. i'm disappointed this bill funds that program at $40 million below last year and $50 million less than the president's budget request. with 23 millions households

expose sure, we must fully fund this program to protect our children and young families. in connecticut, we are still recovering from the recession and we have the seventh most expensive housing market in the country. in dan bury, an individual making the minimum wage, which is higher in connecticut than the federal minimum wage would ed 3.5 full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom rental unit. that is why housing choice vouchers are essential in my state and why it is so disappointing that hud is not funded at a level. finally, mr. chairman, we need to get serious about investing in our highways and rail infrastructure. failed day, the railway last friday.

the bridge, which was built in 1895 is now 118 years old and in desperate need of repair. earlier today, the connecticut delegation sent a letter to the department of transportation asking that the state receive funding to repair this old and crumbling bridge. we should not have to wait until the bridge falls down or the train derails to repair our country's infrastructure. unfortunately, this bill does not adequately fund the needs of the federal transit administration. until we do our job, together in this body, and fully fund the department of transportation, our bridges and roads will continue to fail. these r&d's face tough budgetary times. we must protect and serve the constituents we represent. i yield back the balance of my

time. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlelady is ecognized. >> these are not crucial parts of our transportation network. rails to trails projects like the one championed by the mount washington trails association in new hampshire are innovative and important. more than 11% of all trips are made by biking and more than 12% by walking. we should continue to invest in trappings infrastructure that our constituents rely on and keep this tiger program strong. thank you, and i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the clerk will read. he clerk: page 87 line 20.

$4 billion. choice neighborhoods initiatives, $25 millions to remain available until september 302017. family self-sufficiency, $75 million. native american housing block grants $650 million to remain available until september 30, 2019. indian housing lon guarantee fund program account, $8 million. community planning and development housing opportunities for persons with ds, $305 to remain available until september 30, 2013. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition. mr. nadler: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. nadler. after the dollar amendment insert increased by $29 million.

page 114 line 7 after the dollar amount reduce $29 million. page 114, line 8, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $29 million. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for five minutes. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, since 1992, the housing opportunity for persons with aids has provided the vital safety net for people living with hiv-aids. in the united states, 50,000 people become infected with h.i.v. and more than 500,000 of those individuals who need some form of housing assistance during the course of their illness. but 145,000 of these individuals will have unmet housing needs. this is critical in our fight against hiv-aids. and research shows that housing

leads to housing outcomes. they are less likely to access routine medical care and and leads to fair higher health costs. immediate r immediate outcomes. reducing the risk of a transmission. reducing emergency room visits by 36% and reducing hospitalizations by 57%. investing dem this program today saves us billions of taxpayer dollars in the future not to mention many lives. it is the only federal program to provide cities and states with dedicate the resources to address the housing crisis and yet despite the bipartisan agreement and the clear need for additional funding this legislation provides only $305

million. a cut of more than $24 million from last year and pushes the funding below the fiscal year 2008 funding levels. ,000 e an estimated 300 people being infected. at this funding level, thousands of families and individuals will lose access to this program and face dire health consequences. my amendment would stop this cut by increasing funding to the program and restoring the program to $335 million the level it received five years ago in 2010. i recognize $29 million may sound small, but this additional funding will ensure those families and individuals who rely on this program for secure stable housing will not find themselves back on the street with no access to life-saving medical treatment. to protect those living with

hiv-aids, my amendment offsets this additional funding to cuts to h.u.d. i recognize the importance of providing phones and computers, but nothing is more important than saving lives. we must pass this amendment and give those families battling hiv-aids a fighting chance. i urge my colleagues to support this support and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: strike the last word. i rise in opposition to the amendment. i appreciate very much the gentleman's effort toll help more vulnerable households by increasing funding but i cannot support this amendment. the increase is offset by more than 30% reduction in funding for h.u.d.'s information technology systems. these systems are critical to h.u.d.'s ability to oversee billions of dollars in grants,

subsidies and loans. many h.u.d. systems are old and require significant maintenance to keep operating. a cut would undermine the agency's ability to function. i would urge a no vote and emind folks that there is $305 million for the program in the bill, a slight reduction from last year. but with our allocation, very significant funding for this program. so i rise in opposition to the amendment. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: i ask for the yeas and nays. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york will be postponed. the clerk will read.

the clerk: community development fund, $3 billion to remain available until september 30, 2017 unless otherwise specified. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentlelady from west virginia seek recognition? the clerk: amendment offered by mrs. capito. insert increased by $100 million. page 94, line 20, after the dollar amount insert increase by $100 million. after the dollar amount reduce by 100 million. the chair: the gentlelady from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: i offered an amendment which would increase a program critical. the community development block grant has been essential to helping our local communities addressing critical needs and improve quality of life.

many residents need funds and the grant is a life saver for these towns. my home state, this program has funded projects improving residents' health and health. they have benefited from $71 million in community block grants over the last five years. it is invaluable to rural states like west virginia. funding for the program has been cut every year. as we prioritize programs in this will appropriations bill, it is my believe that the program and the residents it helps should be considered a priority. in this era of fiscal restraint we must use taxpayer dollars where they can have the most impact and it would increase and redirecting $100 million from the troubled home program.

this redirection makes my amendment budget-neutral. the evidence shows it is a program struggling from dubious oversight that has been slow to adapt to improvements that have been suggested. states aren't using their old home phones. captured $16 million from states. and the state of west virginia, h.u.d. has recaptured millions of dollars and the home program is scheduled to have more funds recaptured. it is clear that the home program has more than enough money and should be reallocating these funds. so it is a vital program and i ask my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield to my colleague to -- from west virginia.

i'd like to yield to the gentleman from west virginia. the chair: the gentleman is ecognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you to my colleague. it consistently states that upgrades for sewer and water lines is an absolute priority. mr. mckinley: the program that funds these projects is the community development block grant, known as cdbg. this amendment would provide much needed fund to cdbg and provide try tall funds for improving sewer and water lines throughout america, rehabilitating public buildings and assisting economic development initiatives. the past two years and again this year, president obe ma has cut the crucial funding to the cdbg funds program. therefore i'm honored to work

with my fellow colleague from west virginia, shell lee moore capito, on this amendment to once again put the money back into this program that the president took away. mr. chairman, the cdbg has made a difference in the lives of americans and thousands of people all across west virginia and this country. that's why even in difficult financial times, we must make sure that the cdbg is fully funded. i yield back the balance of my time and urge support for this amendment. thank you. the chair: the gentlelady from west virginia. mrs. capito: immaterial to thank the gentleman for his support. we know how important this fund is, not to fund entire project bus to back phil and front phil projects that wouldn't get done without the great help of the communities joining together and using the cdbg funds in the proper fashion to enhance the

quality of life for so many across the country. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: i rise in opposition to the amendment. i think we should keep in mind that we have $3 billion in the community development block grant account, that's slightly less than last year by $30 million but there are $3 billion in that. and i appreciate the gentlewoman's effort to increase funding but the offset for that increase is a $100 million reduction to the home program which is already reduced by $300 million system of we're already cutting home by $300 million from the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. it's important to remember that just a few years ago, the home program was funded at $1.6

billion and it's currently in this bill will be at, what, $700 million, it's less than half of what it was at that time. the program is targeted to the development of affordable housing and benefits for low income families and we don't believe at this point at least that further reduction is warranted. while i appreciate the benefits of the block grants, i must urge a no vote on the amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i appreciate the intention of the amendment. the program the member seeks to increase is one that's worthwhile and successful and if we had a better allocation we would have provided more for cdbg. however, i must rise in opposition to the amendment because of the offset. it is my hope that we can improve the funding levels of

this bill as we conference with the senate. i yield become. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from west virginia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. the gentlelady from west virginia. mrs. capito: i ask for the yeas and nays. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from werge will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia, page 94, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $200 million. page 94, line 20, after the there are amount, insert are edeuced by $200 million. page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount insert increased by $200 million. the chair: the gentleman is recognize for five minutes on his amendment. mr. broun: thank you, mr. chairman.

two of my colleagues just came asking to increase the community block grant program by $100 million. actually, the bill itself has an increase above the president's request by $200 million. sometimes i agree with the president, sometimes i don't. this is one time i do agree with the president. he only requested $2.8 billion for the community block grant program. and this bill would appropriate $3 billion. so my amendment would remove $200 million -- the $200 million increase over the obama administration's 2015 budgetary request. only the increase from the community block grant program. and transfer that amount to the spending reduction account. why the committee has chose ton go above and beyond what even the president has requested fails me.

mr. chairman, the community block grant program is one of the most wasteful and ineffective programs found within the department of housing and urban development. it was originally proposed by president gerald ford. in his effort to revitalize the decaying, low-income neighborhoods in american cities and towns. unfortunately, cdbg has strayed from its original purpose. today, many of these grants have been diverted to wasteful parochial projects such as funding a pet shampoo company. issuing risky business loans, paying for renovation of a wealthy multinational architectural company, and i could go on and on. but i'm not asking that we eliminate this program. or even drastically cut its funding. mr. chairman, i'm simply asking that we do not increase this funding above what the president has asked for.

and that we put the rest of this large increase toward paydown -- paying down our nation's debt. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yold become the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: strike the -- strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latham: i thank the chairman. i rise in opposition to the amendment, this is obviously just the opposite of the previous amendment in the reduction from our proposed amount of $3 billion for the community development block grant. this amendment would accept the president's proposal to cut $230 million from the community development block grant program. our bill already has a small reduction, $30 million from what was enacted last year. the program provides critical funding to state and local jurisdiction for afofferedable housing, economic development, and public service projects such

as homeless shelters. what is great about the program is that the grants are very flexible, which empowers jurisdictions to identify and fund investments that meet their local preerities. also, these funds often attract significant co-investment from private and other nonfederal sources. it's an important source of the federal partnership and support many of our jurisdictions and so i must urge a no vote on the amendment. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields backle for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. chairman, i would tell my colleague from georgia, if there's one line item in this bill that has bipartisan support in terms of keeping the program and funding it at this level, this is it. and so i would tell him that even i, because of the borne agreement that i would rise in opposition to his amendment. i yield back my time.

the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. broun: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia. page 94, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $20 million. page 94, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $20 million. page 156, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert increased by $20 million. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: thank you, mr. chairman. i'll try again. this amendment is much like my previous amendment. as i noted before, this bill provides for a $200 million increase above the president's request in the community

development block grant program. for his request, the president's request, the democratic president's request, for the f.y. 2015 budget. my previous amendment would have removed that $200 million encrease above the president's request in its entirety. this amendment just cuts 10% of that increase. above the president's request. $20 million. it's a lot of money to most georgians. seems to be not a lot of money around here but it's a lot of money to me. and it transfers that sum to the spend regular ducks account. mr. chairman, as i spoke earlier about wasteful spending being funded by the community development block grant program, and i would like to take this opportunity to prove -- to provide some examples. the state of nebraska has directed approximately $500,000

in taxpayers' funds, hard-earned money, from the cdbg grant program to a pet shampoo company. the state of vermont has directed $255,000 of its federal funded community development block grant to support a program for graduates for the center of cartoon studies. the community development block grant program has provided $356,000 to pay for infrastructure improvements for quote-unquote, manufacturer of beef jerky. i lowe pet, particularly dogs. i love cartoons. and i really like beef jerky. i like these things as much as anyone. but i fail to see how it's appropriate for the federal

government to provide taxpayer money to fund these projects. again, i'm not asking to eliminate the community development block grant program. or even cut its funding below he f.y. 2014 levels. obviously my amendment to cut out the increase above the president's requested amount to cdbg failed. now i'm just asking to cut out wrust 20% of that increase above the president's level. so if my colleagues cannot bring themselves to cut the entire $200 million increase over the president's budget request, then let's cut at least one small percentage of that increase. just 10%. and save the american taxpayers $20 million. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the

gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latham: i rise in opposition to the amendment. i'm not going through the merits of the program again but the fact of the matter is, we are $30 million less than the enacted level from last year, so there is a reduction in the account. a lot of people would say unfortunately. but there is in fact a reduction and for that reason, i would oppose the amendment. i yield become. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. pastor: move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: we also rise in opposition to the amendment, oppose the amendment, and i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it, the amendment is not agreed. to the gentleman from georgia. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 1, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia will be

postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 96, line 1, community development loan guarantees program account including rescission. $500 million. home investment partnership program. $700 million to remain vabble until september 30, 2017. capacity building. $35 billion to remain available until september 30, 2017. homeless assistance grants, including transfer of funds, $2,105,000,000 to remain available until september 30, 2017. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. duffy of wisconsin. page 99, line 8, after the dollar amount insert increasededly brs -- by $10 million. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. duffy: thank you, mr.

chairman. this town, this congress spends a lot of money to alleviate the pain of poverty, of homelessness and hunger. and i don't take issue with is that. there is a lot of poverty in the usual and parts of our country. but so often, the rural parts of america are forgotten and i have to tell you, coming from rural america, the pain of poverty is just as great. and it affects our communities in rural america just like in usual and america but it can be more complicated in rural america. the face of poverty is different in rural america. instead of having families going out onto the street, oftentimes

we see two families move into a single-room apartment so they can give their kids a shelter. last year i hosted a summit to bring in people who provide food and shelter for folks in rural wisconsin. we had a conversation how to help them address the pain of this poverty in our community. and in regard to the homeless shelters, their main point was they need flexibility so that they can address the risks of homelessness in our community. in 2009, a program was included in called the housing rural housing assistance program. this program allows rural communities to serve individuals that don't necessarily meet the h.u.d.'s definition of homelessness, butr in fact, without a stable home of their

own. my amendment is very simple and doesn't cost a lot of money. it would allow $10 million to be made available for the rural housing stability assistance program. now, take a look at how much money we spend on homelessness. $2.1 billion. my amendment asks for $10 million to be used for the rural housing stability program. let's not forget rural america. >> would the gentleman yield? mr. duffy: i would. mr. latham: i would accept the amendment. mr. duffy: thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate the chairman's support and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the clerk will read. the clerk: the speaker pro tempore: question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin. those 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 michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: thank you, mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk, conyers number one. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: page 99, line 11, after the dollar amount insert increased by $2 million. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for five minutes. mr. conyers: mr. chair, ladies and gentlemen, this amendment seeks to increase funding for the national homeless data nalysis project by $2 million. this requested increase from $5 million to $7 million is consistent with both the president's budget request and the appropriations bill the senate reported out of the committee late last week. the level of funding provided

for in this bill falls below not just requested amounts, but also below the current enacted amount for this program. my amendment amount would solve this discrepancy. mr. chairman, homelessness is not only could rose i have to individual lives but also to our national character. it's unthinkable that more than one million people routinely go homeless in the most prosperous nation this nation has ever known. the national homeless data analysis project is essential. in 2001, congress directed h.u.d. to take the lead on data collection on homelessness and the result was this project.

it provides critical resources to communities to improve data collection reporting and integration of data with other federal funding streams. over the past decade, the data collection integration and reporting produced by this project has allowed h.u.d. and other agencies to move away from using largely inconsistent evidence to using quality data for policy decisions. and at the end of the day, no matter which side of the aisle we sit on, this is the type of initiative we should all support. better information leads to better decision making and ultimately better policy outcomes, particularly in times of shrinking budgets. in a policy arena as important as homelessness assist fans,

this house cannot afford to underfund enhanced data collection initiatives. and so a vote for this amendment is a vote for smarter use of federal funds and a vote to make every homeless assistance program better targeted and more effective. in my own district, homelessness is a chronic problem. in the detroit area during 2012, over 19,000 people were homeless at some point. that figure includes nearly 4,000 children. in order to help them, we need to understand the circumstances that have forced them onto the streets. the 6,000 homeless families with children in detroit have different needs than homeless adults. certain similarities between

those who are homeless because of unaffordable housing and those who are homeless because may hide free ss achieving its intended goal. i support any project that would lead to a better accounting of the real experiences of the poorest people in my district or anyone else's and ultimately result in better decision making in provision and administration of federal homeless assistance programs. i hope and feel certain that my colleagues feel the same. this measure is quite simply about good government. this measure is not a budget increase. this amendment would simply grant discretion to allocate up to $2 million of the already

existing funding in the bill for homelessness assistance grants to the national homeless data analysis project. it would not increase the overall appropriations under the heading for homelessness assistance grants. $2.1 billion for homelessness assistance grants, there is still $100 million in flexibility. i urge support for this project. i urge support for smarter usage of federal funds and i urge support for enhanced policy outcomes. i thank you for the time. and i hope we can pass this amendment. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from

michigan. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. the clerk will read. 101 line 4, ge brownfield redevelopment decision, unobligated funds under this heading are rescinded. the chair: the clerk will suspend. >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. holding: i thank my good friend to the chairman but there is a matter we have to do some more work in. the federal government through the department of housing and usual and development allocates to public housing authorities to provide affordable and safe housing to those in need. unfortunately, some public

housing authorities, skiffs, are aking home some generous packages. one needs to look no further than the public housing authority in rally, north carolina, the rally, housing authority to see the example of excessive compensation. audits that i have requested have brought to light this fundamental problem with compensation. when the executive director of the raleigh housing authority manages a housing authority that ranks near 400 in terms of overall size but still receives a total compensation package that puts him in the top 10 of all public housing authority directors in terms of salary and other benefits, certainly raises some red flags to me. following the disclosure of the

executive director's compensation package which brought outrage from the local community, congress and made changes, cosmetic hich still flaut congress' input. i commend chairman for including provision, section 2207 in the base text that continues a cap on how many federal dollars public housing authorities can use, compensate a chief executive officer or any other official or public employee. so i commend for that. and i thank the chairman for his work on this issue and hope we company examine additional measures that congress can take to ensure that public housing authorities can serve the public. thank you, mr. chairman. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the clerk will read. 101, line 10, housing programs, project-based rental assistance, $9 billion. housing for the elderly, $420 million to remain available until september 30, 2018. housing for persons with disability, $135 million to remain available until september 30, 2018. housing counseling assistance, $47 million to remain available ntil september 30, 2016. the chair: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. lee: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk has not yet .ead that far into the bill

rental k: rental -- housing assistance, $28 million. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. broun: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. broun of georgia, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $7 million. page 156 line 16 after the dollar amount, insert increased by $7 million. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: my amendment would remove the $7 million increase over current spending levels this year to the rental housing assistance account to the u.s.

department of housing and urban development and transfer that amount to the spending reduction account. times are tough nationwide. they are tough for families. they are tough for businesses. and everyone has had to cut back. unfortunately, the fact remains an we as a nation are in incredible amount of debt. it is an unsustainable amount of debt. i'm not asking that we cut funding at all, just that we hold the line. fund what we've been fund, not increase it as proposed by this legislation. i think it's irresponsible to continue expanding programs without being able to pay for them. we're in an economic emergency as a nation. we're headed to an economic collapse of america if we don't

stop spending money that we don't have. we have to restore fiscal sanity to washington. and i'm just asking that we hold the line on this program. cut the $7 million increase that's proposed. i think that's reasonable. it's not a cut of current funding, it's holding the line. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. latham: thank you, mr. chairman. i must oppose the gentleman's amendment. the bill funds rental housing assistance at $28 million. this is the amount necessary to fund the 18,000 existing long-term project based rental assistance contracts. this will ensure that these units remain available to low

income families and in fact if the gentleman's amendment were adopted we would break contracts, we would not be able to fund contracts, that we are legally only gated to do. the bill's funding levels are not arbitrary, we have scrubbed these accounts, we've held hearings and made recommendations on what must be funded. again, i must oppose it. there are no new contracts. we're not expanding the program. we're basically paying for what we already have in this account and again to have this reduction, we would in fact break our contract. so with that, i would oppose the amendment and urge a no vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? -- move to strike the mr. pastor: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: the amount needed to renew these contracts depends on

how many agreements h.u.d. entered into years ago, not the number we renewed last year. reducing the funds in this account will threaten the viability of these units. if the funding is not preserved. i oppose the amendment and yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the gentleman from georgia. the chair: i request -- mr. broun: i request a recorded vote. the chair: further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from georgia will be postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 107, line , payment to manufactured housing fees trust fund. $10 million. federal housing administration mutual mortgage insurance program account, $4 million to remain available until september 30, 2016. for administrative contract expenses $130 million to remain available until september 30, 2016.

general and specific risk program accounts. $30 million billion. government national mortgage association guarantees of mortgage backed securities loans, guaranteed program accounts. $500 billion to remain available until september 30, 2016. policy development and research, research and technology. the chair: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: what page are

we on? the chair: we're on page 111, line 23. does the gentlelady seek to ffer an amendment. ms. jackson lee: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. jackson lee of texas, page 111, line 3, after the dollar amendment insert increased by $1 million. page 140, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $1 million. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. latham: i reserve -- i reserve a point of order on the gentlelady's amendment. the chair: the point of order is reserved. the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes on her amendment. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman very much. working with housing developments in my own district,

there is a a -- an interest in making sure that the tenants are informed of their rights and responsibilities. this amendment provides for informing tenants of their rights and responsibilities. the amendment would encrease funding to the department of housing and urban development's policy development and research and technology office to support efforts to inform tenants of their rights and responsibility. in 2012, 23.8% of houstonians were living in poverty. according to the christian community service, 27.3% of houston families lived below poverty. in houston, 33.1% of children under the edge of 12 live in poverty. the amendment would increase the department of housing and urban development research funding to support work by h.u.d. to inform tenants of their rights and responsibilities. those who provide shelter to

residents of publicly subsidized housing. the relationship between the tenant and homeowner is necessaries. to many residents -- many residents in the low income communities may not have lived in a home ofer that own and may not know the basic of -- basics of the obligation to abide by basics greements or the of the obligations for the housing. it's my intention to press toward to the many housing developments in my district. enge it's important to give notice to the department of housing and urban development that a better job can be done. with that, mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. the chair: is there objection? without objection, the amendment is withdrawn. the clerk will read. the clerk will suspend.

for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? the clerk will read. the clerk: page 112, line 1, fair housing and equal opportunity. fair housing opportunities. $46 billion to remain available until september 30, 2016. the chair: the clerk will suspend. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. lee: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. lee of california, page 112, line 8, after the dollar amount, incest increasededly $10 million. page 114, line , after the dollar amount, insert reduced by $10 million. page 114, line 8, after the dollar amount, incest reduced by $10 million. the chair: the gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you, mr. chairman. this amendment is co-sponsored by my colleague the gentleman from texas, mr. al green, who has been such a tremendous leader on fair housing and equal opportunity issues, civil rights issues, since way before he came

to congress. but he's kept his passion and his focus on issues of fairness and justice even now to this day. i want to thank him for co-sponsoring this amendment. our amendment would increase funding for the fair housing initiative programs by $10 million offset from information services. i want to thank the chairman, mr. latham and mr. pastoring for your assistance in helping us work through this and for your commitment to fair housing. fare housing initiatives are a central component of our nation's civil rights protections under the fair housing act. unfortunately, we know that despite gains, discrimination remains. the program funds competitive grants to provide nonprofit entities with critical education and enforcement services to prevent housing discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, veterans' status, familial status and other factors. in my home district of

california, bay area legal aid and fair housing of morin -- of marin have used these to provide fair housing for domestic violence victims and investigations of discriminatory housing practices. in 2013, private fare housing organizations investigated more than twice as many housing complaints as government agencies. at the same time, however, many fair housing organizations have had to close or reduce their staffing capacity due to continuous cuts to this program. this program has a history of bipartisan support and i know that my colleagues across the aisle acknowledge this vital role in ensuring that our constituents are not the subject of unfair and discriminatory practices in an increasingly competitive and uncertain housing market. so while i'm very pleased that we were able to provide the supplemental fund, i must also acknowledge that the funding levels across the bill are still

far too low to truly provide the affordable housing resource this is our nation sorely needs. i want to thank, again, congressman al green from texas, sharme latham and our ranking member mr. pastor for your support for this amendment and more importantly, for this important program. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields ack. the gentlelady from texas -- the gentleman from texas, for what purpose does he seek recognition? >> move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank ms. lee for her efforts. this does not bring it back to the f.y. 2014 funding level but it does help. i'm so grateful that ms. lee took the lead to get this done, she worked with the ranking member and chair of the committee and i want to compliment and thank both of them for working with ms. lee for -- to get this done. let me mention this about this

program. the fair housing initiative program, affectionately known as f.h.i.p., has been of great benefit to those being discriminated against, especially veterans now. we have a good many veterans coming bark they don't return the way they left, and they're kiss abled. many times when -- they're disabled. many times when someone is december criminating against people, they don't know the person is a veteran because the person happens to be in a wheelchair this initiative allows for housing entities, n.g.o.'s, that are qualified an certified to actually do testing to ascertain whether or not this kind of insidious discrimination exists and when they do find that there is this discrimination, most of the cases, about 70% are resolved by way of reconciliation. there is not a lawsuit filed, there's a means by which people become educated and they abide

by the law. this opportunity for us to continue the program, not withstanding the fact that it's not at the senate level, it's not at the level the president requested, but it is at an additional $10 million and i'm grate to feel ms. lee for what she's done. ms. lee, i compliment you and i'm grateful that you took the time to work with our colleagues to show some bipartisanship in getting this done. mr. chairman, thank you for your bipartisanship on this effort. mr. ranking member, i thank you as well and i will yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from california. those 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 florida seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report