positive sentiment created by virtue of the joint plan of action and its extension. which is helping to create some modest growth. gdp is expected to grow at 2%. that is modest, been a huge improvement over iran's economic 2012 fiscalin the year. inflation is beginning to go down. dippede of inflation chaplain, reverend jeff parrish, first baptist church of indian rocks, largo, florida. the chaplain: ok. let's pray. lord, we come before you today

and pray for our elected officials and, god, pray for wisdom for them in areas they need it and guidance to follow you, lord, in all things. god, we pause today and ask you to use us as your servants. we realize our dependence on you and look to you for answers to the problems that face our country. and i pray that the discussion and the decisions made in this chamber today, god, will reflect your heart and your direction and, lord, we pray in jesus' name. 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. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor independent diindicate by saying -- indicate by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. >> mr. speaker, i obtobt and i

make a point of order that a quorum is not present -- i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings will be postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from maryland, mr. harris. mr. harris: 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: without objection, the gentleman from florida, mr. joly is recognized for one minute -- mr. jolly, is recognized for one minute. mr. jolly: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to introduce to my colleagues and to this house our guest chaplain for the day, pastor jeff parrish. pastor jeff serves as a senior pastor of first baptist church of indian rocks in largo, florida. he first entered the ministry in 1986. sharing with others the message of christian salvation and of the redeeming love and grace of the god in whom we put our

trust. and counseling fellow believers along their personal faith journey. pastor jeff is joined in his ministry by his wife, martha, and by the congregation and believers at the first baptist indian rocks, a church family for over 50 years has shared its message of faith with the pinellas county community and also remote lands around the globe. i thank him personally for the ministry he leads every day that's had an impact on the life of this member, but likewise on the many of thousands of others he has touched during his career of service to our loving god. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, over half of americans view the president's

health care law unfavorably, according to a new rasmussen report, but this is no surprise. mr. harris: started only as a failed website has turned into a more logistical failures, problems with applications, questions about subsidies and lots of confusion. but the policy behind obamacare is equally flawed. premiums are rising, americans are losing the coverage they liked, they're unable to see the doctors they were previously visiting and they're finding that many of the services or drugs that they need are not covered. president obama promised the on sit of this, and americans should not be misled by their leaders. house republicans will continue to pursue patient-centered reforms so americans can get the care they need and want, the care therm promised. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

so there are three legislative days left before we go on recess and the most pressing issue that the house republican leadership has decided we need to he devote our time to is a resolution to sue the president of the united states. mr. kildee: not to bring up a jobs bill, not to deal with comprehensive immigration reform, not to extend emergency unemployment benefits for the millions of people who have lost their benefits, but to debate a dangerous and unprecedented lawsuit with the house of representatives suing the president. what's next, the senate suing the house? i mean, this is really ridiculous. and after all that's done, what we're going to do is recess for five weeks. instead of taking up the issues that the people have sent us here to deal with, we're going to leave for five weeks after taking action, presumably the majority will vote to sue the president of the united states. it's a waste of our time. it's a horrible waste of money.

it's unconscionable. we ought to stay here and do the work of the american people that we were sent here to do. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the president has taken the oath of office two times, twice he has sworn to faithfully execute the laws, twice he's sworn to protect and defend the constitution. yet, he has unilaterally delayed the employer mandate of his own health care law twice. mr. messer: on topic after topic, this president has violated the law through overreaching executive action, often not even bothering to issue an executive order. our former constitutional law professor turned president

should know that it's congress' job to make the laws and it's his job to carry them out, not make them up. that's why the house is asking the judicial branch to step in and referee this dispute. champions of the president's choices today may regret when future presidents are in power to run roughshod over the people's representatives. let's defend the constitution and support the house lawsuit. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. members are reminded not to -- members are reminded not to -- to refrain from improper references toward the president. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? mr. courtney: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, 9 1/2 million americans are unemployed. america's roads and rails are

crumbling. college graduates are saddled with $1 trillion in debt that they can't refinance. ukraine and the middle east are on fire, and what has the speaker got lined up in the final three weeks before his five-week recess? he wants to sue the president for actions he does not like. mainstream legal experts have said that this lawsuit is both ludicrous and dangerous but what it mostly is is dangerous. he speaker, 50 a.c.a. repeal votes cost $75 million. billable hours. we should address the issue of jobs in this country. we should stop lining the pockets of politically connected lawyers. let's stand up for the middle class, let's fix the infrastructure and skip the lawsuit. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hultgren: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the human trafficking prioritization act, h.r. 2283, and commend my friend and colleague, representative chris smith, for introducing it. the state department's office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons does a fantastic job of maintaining u.s. leadership and accountability in the worldwide effort to combat human trafficking. more than 130 countries have created or strengthened their anti-trafficking laws, largely due to jtip's work. among other provisions, this bill raises the status the office to that of bureau. it also achieves this without any additional bureaucracy or cost to the taxpayer. as a member of the congressional human trafficking task force, working with the congressional leadership, jtip and anti-trafficking groups, i

know it is crucial to keep this fight from being consumed in a bureaucratic shuffle. i thank congressman smith for his leadership and look forward to senate passage of h.r. 2283. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. r. veasey: mr. speaker, this week house republicans will be considering a resolution that will authorize the speaker of the house to sue president obama. this lawsuit is frivolous. it's also weathsful and without merit. we must focus on critical legislative priorities instead of political lawsuits that will do nothing but waste millions of the taxpayers' dollars. there are critical issues that need action now. how about creating some jobs, raising the minimum wage or maybe fixing our broken immigration system before we leave here?

i can tell you that the constituents in my district could use a raise in the minimum wage. there are also people out there that are hurting, that need their unemployment benefits extended. this lawsuit disregards the priorities of the american people. i do not support this lawsuit. it is frivolous, and i suggest that we use our time to address critical issues that will positively impact americans. i will be voting no on this lawsuit and urge house leadership to use their timewisely like we're taught early in elementary school and bring up bills that will put hardworking americans back to work. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado 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 to recognize general william l. shelton on the occasion of his retirement from the u.s. air force. mr. lamborn: over the course of his career, he served with great distunks and made

countless sacrifices to our country. we commend and service and the sacrifice of his wife and two children in support of that service. general shelton has been a vigilant advocate for national security space programs. as a commander of air force space command, he was responsible for more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel who assure space and cyberspace protection for our nation. he established an unmatched level of success during a time of increasing challenges. his frank and informed discussions on space systems have helped leaders around the world appreciate the value of our nation's space capabilities. general shelton deserves our most heart felt gratitude and praise. thank you, general shelton, and best wishes to you and your family. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. hahn: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. hahn: mr. speaker, while

the house republicans are busy wasting taxpayer dollars on conspiracy theories and a lawsuit to nowhere, democrats have unveiled an agenda to put working families and the middle class first. for millions of americans struggling to make ends meet on the current minimum wage, times have gotten harder and harder as the cost of living rises and wages stagnate. our plan puts families first and expands opportunity for all americans by fighting to create good-paying jobs here at home, supporting equality for women, both in their workplaces and in their doctors' offices and creating a sustainable future for students by helping to slow down the ballooning cost of college. now is the time to empower our work force by showing them that they can make ends meet and provide for their families by working hard. now is the time to pass the paycheck fairness act, to ensure that women finally receive equal pay for equal work. now is not the time to be suing

the president. now is the time for action and dedication to making our country stronger. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> day three, washington under siege. three days ago a federal judge struck d.c.'s ban on the right to bear arms. d.c. went from having the most restrictive gun laws in the country to virtually having no restrictions from carrying a handgun in public. mr. massie: did residents cowher in their homes? did vigilante posses go about the city? did politicians revert to dueling at 10 paces? history will show that the streets are safer today as more lie-abiding visitors are armed.

contrary to warnings from d.c.'s leaders, no one is paniced. except for the city's leaders. but why are the city's leaders asking for an immediate stay from the judge's ruling? because the emperor has no clothes. and all the lies about gun control are being exposed right here in the district of columbia on day three. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york 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, our nation's obligations to our veterans goes beyond thanking them for their service. we must take care of them when they return home. -- igh bop mr. higgins: i'm pleased that

our nation's leaders have begun to work on this i'm hopeful that future reform tours v.a. medical system will include a unified electronic health records system between the v.a. and department of defense. in today's hyper connected world, we ought to be doing much better than shuffling large paper files between facilities. mr. speaker, i call on my colleagues to put partisanship aside and take action to correct this crisis at the v.a. now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> 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. >> i rise to recognize moose lodge in angola, indiana, for its 150th an verse vi -- anniversary celebration.

anniversary 50th celebration. importantly the organization's robust community service program has been engaged in countless humanitarian efforts through the lodge's own work, as well as annual donations to other community groups, health support organizations and local services such as food banks and homeless shelters. in closing, mr. speaker, i would like to recognize, for the record, mr. ed palmer, the angola lodge's first governor. in addition, i would like to recognize eric conyer, ron nuss balm for their leadership of the organization as well as the rest of the moose lodge's membership as they begin their next 100 years of service to the angola community.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? ms. titus: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. titus: in two days, we'll go home, leaving behind a long list of unfinished business. but it's not for lack of trying on the part of democrats. we have introduced bills, signed discharge petitions, protested on the steps of the capitol, fasted on the mall. all to try to prompt or at least shame the republicans into some kind of action. but they are shameless. apparently, they just don't care. they don't care if women get paid less, as long as c.e.o.'s get record salaries. they don't care if children stack up at the border and families are divided as long as they can sue the president. they don't care if people struggle to get by on low wages or with no unemployment insurance, as long as corporations can keep their tax

loopholes. and they don't care if the environment is raped as long as big polluters can continue to circumvent regulations that protect our air and water. before we go home, we need to show the american people that congress does care about them, and we need to pass important measures that jump start the middle class so we can say we did something while we were here. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> 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. wilson: mr. speaker, the failing afordable health care act has proven not to be affordable for american families. health care costs have increased with confusing coverage destroying jobs. when stephanie went to the doctor, she found her co-pay for each therapy session is $250. however, i can be uninsured, self-pay patient and get the same therapy for $85 per visit.

connie from akin says, quote, i was more than shocked to learn what used to be an $89 prescription is now more than $300. america's devoted mothers know firsthand of the failure of obamacare. small businesses are hire manager part-time workers than full-time workers because obamacare costs are too high. longtime employees are having hours redeuced, putting families at risk. we must repeal and replace obamacare so people like stephanie and connie receive relief from unworkable mandates. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. best wishes for continued success for chad, for continued service with senator john boozman of arkansas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: often the american people hear the term congress. i think it's important to let all of my colleagues know, and remind them what the republicans will be doing over the next 48 hours. it's important to know that there will be a resolution a bill, on the floor of the house, h.res. 676, and it says that they're looking for the power to intervene in one or more civil actions. to file suit against the president, seek any appropriate relief against the president, the head of any department or agency or any other officer or employee. let me be very clear. the republicans are looking to sue the secretary who didn't order enough paper clips. and indicate that we need to sue the president for not doing his job. while veterans are suffering and need reformation in a new

bill, while people are not getting their unemployment insurance, while we're not able to expand medicaid to help those who need health care, and while we're not raying the minimum wage. democrats want to work for the american people. republicans want to sue the secretary, meaning the secretary who orders paper clips, because the president is not doing his job. let's work for the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas 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. yoder: the sunflower state has a long and proud history of kansans answering the call oserve their country from precivil war battles to keep kansas a free state, from brothers joining arms around the globe, to today's battles fighting terrorism, kansans proudly step up and serve when asked, time and time again. kansas is now home to 220,000 veterans, clages men and women

who sacrificed in serving. sadly, our nation doesn't always honor. the i've been heart broke ton see how some of our veterans are treated when they return home from service. mr. speaker, it's pastime that democrats and republicans, house and senate, unites on legislation to fix the problems in the v.a. that would give our veterans in long waiting lines options to receive quicker and better care when needed and legislation to ensure that adequate resources are available to care for post-traumatic stress disorders and other injuries sustained in oodtees battles. our veterans have honored and fought for us. how about we as a congress honor and fight for them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 693 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar 130, house resolution 693, resolved that at any time after adoption of this resolution, the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 4315, amend the endangered species act of 1973, require publication on the internet of the basis for determinations that species are endangered species or threatened species or for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waved. general debate shall be confined to the bill and amendments specified in this resolution and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on natural resources. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute

recommended by the committee on natural resources now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-55. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall in the be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against

such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall raise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized for one hour. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlelady from new york by way of kentucky, ms. slaughter, and pending which, i yield myself such time as i may consume. durgs consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. i ask that all members have

five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. bishop: this resolution provides for a structured rule for consideration of the endangered species transparency and reasonableness act and makes in order four separate amendments. this rule is generous in making all filed jermaines which are ver germane and -- all filed amendments which are germane made in order. only four for filed and they were all made in order, it'sard ho -- hard to see how anybody could argue this isn't fair. mr. speaker with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend from utah mr. bishop for yielding me the time. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized.

ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. the bill before us is actually a package of four bills, h.r. 4315, h.r. 4316, h.r. 4317, and h.r. 4318, which aim to derail the endangered spees see act. the four bills are -- species act. the four bills are the product of the natural resources committee endangered species working group, a group that had not one democrat member on it so there was no bipartisan discussion. there's always room to discuss how we can improve legislation but the negotiations should not be limited to backroom negotiations with a select few from a single party. it's ironic the bill is entitled 21st century endangered species transparency act when the process to create the bill was anything but transparent. if the endangered species act needs to be improved in order to better achieve the bill's purpose, then let's have a

robust, bipartisan conversation in an open forum which is what we call the committee process. now the package we're considering today, however, does not have any bipartisan support because it would create additional red tape that undermines essential protections provide for the endangered species act. the endangered species act was passed over 40 years ago to protect imperled animals and plants from -- imperiled animals and plants from extinction and it's one of the most important tools we have to make sure our nation's wildlife is protected for future generations. these bills do nothing to continue that wonderful background. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to introduce you an individual in history by the name of john gotchner a shortstop for the cleveland indians in 1902 and 1903.

in 1902, he played the entire year and his batting average was .185 as he committed also 48 errors but still good enough to be the shortstop in 1903 as well where he completed a second season, once again hitting .185, but this time committing a still record 98 errors as shortstop. which means one out of every five time he is thitched ball he, threw it away. john gotchner probably has the record of being the most inept major league player we'ved in a history, never hitting above and the record for errors. the worst major league player we've had hit .185. e endangered species act's batting average would be 10. -- it's the 00

most ineffective and inefficient piece of legislation that we have in the history of this country. it doesn't work. it does not meet its goals. it never has, and it never will. the sad part is, though, this act does not go into significant changes to the endangered species act which would change that batting average. instead, chairman hastings has to be commended for getting a group of people to work together that did a study, got testimony, produced a report, and came up with the most -- with the most basic of reforms that have to be necessary before anything significant can go on past that. . what these reforms are saying, look, if you're going to have a endangered species act, for heaven's sake, make sure that the data that's used is open to

the people, it's transparent. they're paying for it. you ought to make sure they have an opportunity of actually seeing it. president of the united states recognized this when he actually said in 2008 that democracy requires accountability, accountability requires transparency. then he quoted justice brand eyes who said that -- justice brand ice who said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. the data that is used to make these decisions should be available to the public. and presently it is not. one of the witnesses in the committee when there was a full committee markup on these bills was longtime biologist by the name mr. reclaiming my timey, what are the effects of this lack of transparency on the public when data are not possible or accessible, legitimate scientific inquiry and debate is effectively eliminated and no independent third party can produce the results. this action puts the basis of

some e.s.a. decisions outside the realm of science. what we have simply is this issue that if there is data that's making these decisions it should be transparent. all the data they are using should be trabs parent. that is not what is happening today. in exchange between the director of the fish and wildlife and the ranking member the ranking member asks, ok, but, again, why would a scientific wish to withhold that data? if we give them require fund we could request that. we could change. we could put that into law. the fish and wildlife official said congress could do that in which case the ranking member said, ok, that might be something we want to do. i don't understand why we would go down the path of withholding the data. that's what this bill does. two elements to it the most significant part is the first of transparency. if there is data that's going to be used, we need to make sure we have access to that particular data.

this is a bill that was passed almost four decades ago. this is a bill the last time it was addressed i was still wearing saddle bag jeans and platform shoes and my was the clerk will designate and parted down the middle and passed down my ears. they didn't have ipods when we passed it. there is new data and there is no reason that should be withheld from the american people and that's what this bill trires to do. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i have no requests for time and i ight inquire of my colleague has further requests? mr. bishop: i have requests. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bishop: let me yield two minutes -- give him there -- three minutes to the gentleman from montana who has had to live with the endangered species act in the reality in representing the state of montana, the gentleman, mr. daines. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. daines: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank chairman bishop

and i do rise in support of the rule and h.r. 4315, the 21st century endangered species transparency act. you know, my home state of montana is called the treasure state where we found settlers. in fact, my great great grandmother came out in montana where they productive ag land, they found riches of minerals to sustain the industries among the many species that are important to our fishing and our hunting heritage. you know, when the endangered species act became law, congress committed to helping to sustain our unique ecosystems and our way of life. however, too often the e.s.a. decisions are not based on sound science but it's about political science, unfortunately, and the law results in encouraging habitual litigation and the result has been this. deteriorating

forest health and as chairman bishop mentioned, the species aren't recovering with a batting average of .008. frankly the endangered species act is like a 40-year-old ranch pickup. it once served a useful purpose but it's in bad need of repair. by increasing transparency -- and this is about repairing the endangered species act, bringing it forward to the 21st century so it actually delivers the outcomes we all desire and that's recovering the species versus just listing them, h.r. 4315 begins an important process towards modernizing this well-intentioned but out-of-balance and out-of-date law. i urge the house and the senate to pass it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. ms. slaughter: i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady continues to reserve. mr. bishop: let me recognize the gentleman from georgia, mr. collins, for five minutes. he also is faced with the unique situation because this is just not a western issue, this is an issue that affects all of us, i recognize him for

five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. collins: i appreciate him and thank you, mr. speaker. as we come here today, one of the things that strikes me and, one, of course, i support the rule and the underlying bill, h.r. 4315, because it really strikes a banled is part of the working group that's been meeting and under chairman hastings and others, mr. bishop, it is dealing with, as my friend from utah said, an issue that's not been touched in many, many years and there's nothing that really from our perspective of government that should not be looked at every once in a while. and especially when you get things such as the endangered species act, which has grown and multiplied and just really expanded to where not it only affects western states, it affects states like georgia. to take issue with bail that simply from the concept there could have been -- i think my

friend from utah said, we could have went after a lot more in this. we could have taken on the endangered species act and said we should make it better for the 21st century but we went to targeted reforms, targeted aspects and let's look at capping attorneys' fees. instead of paying the pockets of attorneys, it's ok if you want to sue but we will not pay unlimited amounts so you can sue for maybe dubious data. this is a basic issue of transparency. wouldn't we want to put that money into protecting actually endangered species? is that not what the endangered species act is about? it's actually protecting endangered species. the problem with the endangered species act, however, it's expanded to now the endangered species are jobs, it's people. all we're saying, let's shine a little light on it. i think a song back when the a.c.a. was signed, let's shine light. this little light of mine, i'm

going to let it shine. let's shine a little bit of light as we go forward. one of the things, a no vote on this legislation to me is simply a no vote whether it's the rule or the bill is a no vote for the status quo. if there's anything that this country is screaming, whether it's republican or democrat, they're tired of the status quo and especially something like this because when they hear about it they don't understand it. i'm going to tell a little story, and the little story comes from georgia and it involves, though, a friend from indiana called the indiana bat. e indiana bat on the endangered species list a few years ago -- uh-oh. be quiet. a few years ago a transmitter went off. it was a little beep. uh-oh. you might hear it on your phone. it was a beep in southern tennessee. it only went off one time from everything that we can gather,

but that transresponder hit that said the indiana bat is moving south. well, we expanded saying nothing north of atlanta, we got to start checking for the indiana bat. we checked. we've looked. i have it on my phone here. i brought one to the floor today. i have a compass. i have a map. i asked this before and nobody stepped forward but i'll take my compass, i'll take my map and if you help me come to northeast georgia and find the indiana bat there's probably a prize. i'll take you to the waffle house and buy you whatever you want because so far it hasn't been found. in fact, the last time the indiana bat was actually seen in georgia was in athens in the 19450e6789s now, athens is home to a wonderful, fine, upstanding institution called the university of georgia. go, dogs. but it was probably found or seen maybe after one of the celebrations of our great

victories on the gridiron was everybody was probably -- and they might have saw the indiana bat and said, there's the bat, but we haven't seen it since. so i'm not sure what we're looking for, but i tell you what we are doing. we're paying almost $100,000 on every road project over and above the cost for hard-earned taxpayer dollars on the federal and state level looking for a bat that may have existed in a fraternity party in athens 45, 50, 60 years ago because nobody knows but it came because, listen, listen, those in the gal reerks those watching on tv, -- gallery, those watching on tv, listen, the transponder may go off and we may block off all kinds of areas to say, pay more because the transponder went off. now, many times our friends across the aisle, we on our side, we want business and we don't care about endangered species. we don't care about the environment.

there's no other republican -- you come to the ninth district of georgia -- i know my friend from colorado feels to say it is beautiful and it is great but the ninth district of georgia is pretty nice too. i want clean water. i want good roads. the environment in georgia is great. i don't want an overreaching regulation that doesn't exist when we're simply asking for transparency. we're simply asking for transparency. mr. bishop: one minute. mr. collins: when you're asking for transparentsy my question is not where's the bat, where's the problem? where's the bat, where's the problem? the problem with this bill is nothing. the problem with this bill is it begins to shine light. disinfectant, i'm not sure what we're doing here. we need transparency to shine a light. this little light of mine, i'm going to let it shine. i'm going to let it shine on something that protects taxpayer dollars, protects

transparency and does the things it's supposed to do. by the way, if you happen -- the problem it's simply transparentsy it protects taxpayer dollars and protects the endangered species act by using the latest science and being open to the public. let me ask who may be watching, if you're driving in the great state of georgia, if you're in the ninth district of georgia, i have a lot of places for you to come. if you come, bring your binoculars, bring your compass, bring the map and if you find the bat, i'll see you at waffle house. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. members are reminded to address your remarks to the chair and refrain from addressing to occupants in the gallery. without objection, the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: so to be clear, the goal of the endangered species act doesn't exist just to get species off the list. it exists to keep species on

the planet and has a tremendous track record of success, 99% effective at preventing extinction of species that have been listed on the endangered species list. now, there is strong precedent for passing bipartisan endangered species act measures. last congress i was very proud to be an original co-sponsor of mr. bishop's endangered fish recovery extension act, which became law in january of 2013. the endangered fish recovery program extension act recovered four fish species native to the upper colorado river basin. it was in compliance with the endangered species act and provide enough water for agriculture, municipal water use as well. i salute representative bishop's efforts to pull together a bipartisan group from utah, colorado, new mexico and wyoming to work together on that successful modification to

the endangered species act. what we have before us today is not an example of that same bipartisan spirit and open process of work that can build upon rather than take a step back from protecting species that are an important part of our ecosystem. this bill in the current form would not only waste taxpayer dollars and federal government agency time by creating additional red tape and bureaucracy but it is also a waste of our limited remaining time in session. here we are, mr. speaker, with a border crisis, crisises breaking out across the middle east and yet we are debating a particular change to the endangered species act which regardless of its merits is simply not one of the top two issues, five issues, 10 issues, even top 100 issues that i heard from my constituents over

the last year. people wonder why this legislative body is as unpopular as we are with an approval rating of 12%. one need look no further than what we are working on. . rather than addressing the deficit or restoring fiscal security tour country, rather than securing the border or passing comprehensive immigration reform, we are instead discussing a bill that weakens the endangered species act and regardless of whether members want to strengthen it or weaken it or modify it, americans care about the border crisis, having problems with the endangered species act is not on the minds of most everyday american families. i think most american families think the endangered species act is a fine thing, maybe they think it should move this way or that way, or be better or stronger or weaker, but that's not the issue they want us addressing with our limited time in session.

this is our last week in session in the month of july. the month of august is -- this esteemed body won't even meet once. in september, we will come back for two or three weeks, i don't know, are we going to be discussing endangered species for those two or three weeks as well? you know, it kind of gives me -- reminds me of the historical precedent of emperor nero fiddling while rome burned. here we are in a time of record deficits, war and threatened wars are enveloping the middle east with the islamic state and isis occupying much of syria and iraq, and separatist -- separatists engaged in battle, with the precarious recovery of the economy, with things getting harder and harder for middle class american families to get by and support themselves and their family, here we are with only three days left in session before september, discussing

relatively minor changes that add another bureaucratic layer in red tape to the endangered species act. it's not what the people in my district hired me to fight for them on and i don't think it's what the people of this country want congress to do at this point. there are so many issues that the american people, the people who sent us here to represent them, agree on, where there's common ground. one example is immigration reform. polls have shown that 87% of americans support comprehensive immigration reform. you know, perhaps we found that last 13% of people who approve of congress, maybe it's the same people who don't want to see immigration reform. the only people left who approve of these obstructionist tactics with regard to immigration reform, the tactics that are tearing families apart, hurting our smi, bloating our deficit, preventing us from se ouring our border are an ever-dwindling percentage of americans.

now that we've dealt with this, or are dealing with the endangered species act, i hope we can get back to addressing immigration reform. let vuss a vote on comprehensive immigration reform. a vote on raising the minimum wage. a vote on comprehensive plan to balance the budget. let's have a real debate, exchange real ideas to move our nation forward. there are a number of flaws in is modification of the endangered species act which prevent it from being a true piece of bipartisan legislation with wide support from this body like i had the opportunity to work on with mr. bishop last session. but i think even more importantly, mr. speaker, we need to ask ourselves, why, with days left before congress adjourns for summer, are we considering a topic that while surely worthy of debate, hardly raises to the level of these pressing issues like our budget

deficit, the border crisis, or the middle east in which i hope that this body can have a sub tant -- substantive debate around resolving. while we're here debating a partisan, politically charged bill that undermines the endangered spees cease -- species act, 32 wildfires are burning in seven states. my district had several last summer and we're worried about this summer. these fires cover 1. million acres and are a sere a -- serious threat to homes and lives and livelihoods and health. if we defeat the previous question, i'll bring ahn amendment to the rule for the wildfire act of 2014. almost 196 members have signed a discharge petition to bring this legislation to the floor of the house. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. polis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: i'm ready to close if the gentleman is as well, if he has other speakers, i'll reserve. mr. polis: i am ready to close. mr. bishop: i reserve until he closes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker i have cannot support this rule or the underlying bill. the republicans are committed to partisan politics over progress for our country. this bill is another example of that agenda. in the last three days of legislative business, before summer recess of a month and a half, house republicans are using this valuable time in the people's chamber to simply pass a bill that obstructs the endangered spees cease -- species act rather than deals with the critical issues facing our country. congress should be considering legislation to secure the border or deal with the crisis of unaccompanied my no, sir on the southern border, to balance

our budget, to reform our broken immigration system, to deal with wildfires, to raise the minimum wage, to protect workers. but instead, here we are. debating partisan changes to a piece of legislation that has, frankly, served us well and our ecosystems well over the prior decades. we do have an emergency on our southern border with regard to unaccompanied my no, sir in el salvador, honduras and guatemala. we need a comprehensive strategy to deal with that and make sure we're not overwhelmed by people from other countries. before we adjourn for recess, congress all -- congress should and could address immigration reform. the american people want us to pass immigration reform. the bill passed the senate with over 2/3 majority, that's very rare. democrats and republicans came together to pass a commonsense immigration reform bill that more than 80% of the american people support and more than 2/3 of the senate supported. if we could schedule that bill far vote this week, i'm confident it would pass here on the floor of the house of representatives.

we have a bipartisan house bill, h.r. 15, that is ready to come to the floor and be voted on and i believe it would pass. i'm honored to be a sponsor of h.r. 15, the bipartisan immigration reform bill. the bill would create jobs here, redeuce our budget deficit, ensure america is more competitive in the global economy, unite famentlies and secure or borders. just as importantly, it will make sure our immigration system reflect ours values as americans. a nation of laws and immigrants. house republicans continue to allow a vote on immigration reform and have failed to bring forth a single bill to help improve our broken immigration system or our dire crisis at the border. instead, we're left with time that we could use to debate minute changes that add bureaucracy and red type an already encumbered endangered species act. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question so that we can discuss the

wildfire disaster funding act of 2014, so important to my home state and so many others in the west and mountain west. i also will oppose the rule and the underlying bill and encourage my colleagues to do the same. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to talk about the endangered species act here because we need to make sure the purpose of the endangered pee cease act is not to make sure the government is always funding the maintenance of the species to make sure they are healthy enough so the government doesn't have to do that. in which case, i'm sorry, the battle sarge still .008, the endangered species act is a fail dwhrirk methods don't work. but we're not discussing methods here today. we're discussing commonsense solutions of 40u to move forward with the endangered

species act. the governors understand that as well. i've received a letter from the governors association, signed by the governor from nevada as well as my friend's home state of colorado, urging us to have transparency in this action, transparency in the endangered species act. it is important to know what is or is not taking place. the endangered species act unfortunately has an impact on real people. it is a regulatory taking by the federal government. it impacts real people's ability to use their property, it impacts real people's ability to have jobs and maintain them, to say that talking about this impact on these people is not good enough, that this is not a high enough version, this is not raising to the level, we don't care enough about these people who are impacted by that act is something we in congress should never say. it is significant, it is important. and to make commonsense improvements to the endangered species act should be the goal. let me explain a couple of

different areas in which these reforms are going to be significant and important. first one is this tries to cap the amount of money we spend wasted for litigation costs that should be going to the enforcement and the recovery of the -- the enforcement of the endangered species act and recover riff oeads -- of these species this act ties to set a limit on what an attorney can get for engaging in a pesigs -- petition against the government for the endangered species act. it's mind-boggling to me that in most agent -- agent i -- agencies of the government we put caps on what can be obtained by attorneys, but on this we don't. so an elementary school was postponed indefinitely and the firm that did that charged the government six figures and the first figure was not one. in the clinton administration they were average 20g petitions

a year. today we are averaging 1,200 petitions a year. obviously we have a problem as no one has a total concept of what the total cost of this litigation is or how many full-time employees we are using simply for this litigation. although we do know that the fish and wildlife service allotted $ 1 million and 86 million employees for the litigation. the litigation cost is the third largest cost they're running. we don't have the day tark we need to have that particular data and we need to put caps so we are not wasting our money on litigation, we are putting money into the program where it should be. that's a significant, commonsense element of this particular bill but the most significant commonsense element is simply saying, people should know what data is being used to reach the decision. the bill itself says the federal government shall cooperate. shall cooperate to the maximum extent practical with the state. that's simply not being done. let me give you a couple of

examples. first of all, the doom sage -- the dune sage brushly sard, mr. speaker, a wonderful lizard in your home state of texas. they were using data from the 1960's, determined they were locally extinct in an area where it flat out was not extinct. had they gone through with this listing, 47,000 jobs in this district in texas would have been impacted by this particular listing and the data was inaccurate. the governor of idaho asked for a four-year request dealing with the sage grass. he got back four emails and to summarize, the emails basically said, this is our approach, does anyone out there have any data we can use? and if there was no data, then their next step was to use the best guess of the elements of the members who were actually working in that particular department. that's not the way you make decisions. you collect the data first, make it public, let people know

about it, then create the decisions on where you want it to go in colorado, garrfield county, colorado, actually had to go to court to try to get the department to give them the data they were using for the decisions they were going to try to use on the endangered species in that county and that's not an example of thousand cooperate to the maximum extent possible with the state. we have an issue with prairie dogs in southern utah. problem is, federal government only counts prairie dogs on federal lands to determine if they're a viable species or not. prairie dogs are abundant on private and state lands that you can get a permit to hunt them on private land. nonetheless, the fact dollar an abundance of prairie dogs, rural electric -- the rural elect rake co-op down there had to spend $150,000 to airlift transmission lines to build their transmission lines so they went over federal habitat for prairie dogs even though other people were hunting prairie dogs that happened to

be on the private property. this is silly. this is unrealistic. this should not take place if we were actually having a commonsense approach to it. the bladder pod up in franklin county, washington, was threatened to be listed on the endangered species list. a local university came up with a study that proved the d.n.a. of this bladder pod was no different than another flower that was not endangered in that area. nonetheless, fish and wildlife service rejecked that day tark they ignored it, said it wasn't peer reviewed but the sad part is, they refused, ultimately refused to tell the day that they were using to reach their own decision. even when asked to subpoena that day tark they refused to comply with that particular subpoena. we simply have a problem here. in that decisions are being made on the endangered species act without having public access to the data being used to make those decisions. and that is wrong. that is not the way you run a government. that's not the way transparency

has to be. the people of the united states are paying for all this data. they have the right to see what it is. they have the right to look at it, they have the right to question it, and all this bill does is simply say, the data that's being used, make it public so people know exactly upon which you are making those decisions, and try to limit the amount that we are spending on needless litigation so you put some kind of caps on that. that's the first step. will that solve all the problems? of course not. but it is the first and most important step, this is a commonsense approach that is rational, it is where we need to go if we can't get this done, no other reforms of the system that is failing can possibly take place. . i urge adoption of this bill. i support the underlying bill. i urge adoption of the rule that would do it. in closing, i want to reiterate, this is a fair rule, it's appropriate, and it's appropriate to the underlying piece of legislation. with that i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes y electronic device. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, the chair will reduce to five minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on the question of adoption of the resolution. 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 224. the nays are 192. the previous question is ordered. the question is on the adoption of the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the

ayes have it. mr. polis. mr. polis: on that i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-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 225. he nays --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 225. the nays are 192. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the chair lays before the house n enrolled bill. the clerk: senate 1104, an act to measure the progress of recovery and development efforts in haiti following the earthquake of january 12, 2010, nd for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and

nays are ordered, or on which vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken up later. the house will be in order. members take their conversations off the floor. the house will be in order.

for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3896, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will reminority title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3896, a bill to amend the longshore and harbor workers' compensation act to provide a definition of recreational vessel for purposes of such act. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. walberg, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous material on h.r. 3896. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. walberg: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3896, the longshore and harbor workers' compensation clarification act of 2014. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walberg: thank you, mr. speaker. the bill before us today provides an opportunity to correct a bureaucratic mistake by the obama administration that is creating a great deal of confusion and anxiety among certain maritime employers, including a lot of small business owners. for more than 85 years, the longshore and harbor workers' somp case act has provided relief to maritime workers who sustain an injury or illness through work-related activity.

under current law, those who repair or dismantle recreational vessels as well as those who build reck rageigs -- recreational vessels under 65 feet long are covered under available state compensation program not the federal act. in 2009, congress tried to simplify the law by stipulate anything maritime worker providing maintenance of recreational vessels is covered by a state workers' compensation program, regardless of the size of the vessel. unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. the obama administration issued regulations that further muddied the waters. now employers are forced to engage in a complicated analysis to determine which employees are covered by which workers' comp program. federal or state coverage. it's a mess that's forcing employers to suspend or -- to

spend even more time and money managing their workers' comp programs. as a national marine manufacturers association warns in a letter to congress, the administration's regulatory approach has led to higher rates that could cause business to lay off employees or to decide to buy no insurance coverage for their employees at all. members of congress have raised concerns with the administration's implementation of the 2009 law and to no avail. so we are here once again, mr. speaker, clarifying what was already made clear in the hopes that the department of labor will finally get it right. h.r. 3896 amends the longshore act to define what a, quote, recreational vessel is in order to convey the true intent of the 2009 law. the bill cleans up any regulatory ambiguity and helps ensure maritime employers have access to affordable workers'

compensation coverage for their employees. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3896 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from florida. ms. wasserman schultz: first as the prime sponsor of this legislation, let me thank chairman kline, ranking member member and the talented staff on the education and work force committee for their guidance in bringing forth this bipartisan piece of legislation. this is a project that has been bipartisan from the start. and i think it's unfortunate that my colleague, squall though speaking in favor of the bill -- although speaking in favor of the bill, has chosen to stray from the bipartisan commentary we should be working together on on this legislation, the bill before us, the longshore harbor workers' compensation clarification act, would

reinstate the intent of congress to ensure that workers in the recreational marine repair industry have adequate workers' compensation coverage. that's the crux of the matter before us. in 2009, congress passed section 803 of the american recovery and reinvestment act which expanded an existing exception that allowed more recreational marine repair workers to receive workers' compensation coverage under state law rather than under the longshore harbor workers compensation act. this was necessary because repair workers were not buying the more expensive longshore policies and thus they were left uncovered. and businesses found it was difficult for marine underwriters to determine what law their employees fell under. therefore section 803 expanded the exception for the recreational marine industry for retirement to purchase higher cost workers' compensation insurance under the longshore act. as part of this provision, a repair workers was required to be covered by the state workers' compensation in order to take full advantage of the

exception. as a result, more workers would be covered, a good thing. the recovery act, signed into law in 2009, prosthride clarity for workers to get the coverage they need under state workest' compensation laws. marine insurance underwriters can to -- began to write state policies because of this. unfortunately, new regulations issued in 2011 that adopted a definition of recreational vessel this was far more complicated and onerous than the existing law. it ran counter to what congress intended, it contracted the exception rather than expanding it, to ensure that we could get more employees covered. it mud fied the -- muddied the watters of when longshore coverage was required and when the new congressionally mandated exception to use state law applied and it caused underwriters to stop writing policies under state law, leaving many recreational workers in the same predicament they were in before passage of

section 803. the bill today establishes a definition for recreational vessel and restores the intent of congress in the original 2009 enactment to get coverage for these workers under less expensive state workers' compensation insurance. this is about protecting jobs and keeping workers cover nsmed broward county florida, a-- broward county, florida, alone there are 90,000 jobs in the recklational yachting industry, we are the yachting capital of the world. these jobs allow workers to buy homes and contribute to the local economy. many of these businesses have fewer than 10 employees. congress intended in 1984 and in 2009, to make sure these workers and their families were covered and this bill keeps that promise. it does so in a bipartisan way. i also urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from michigan is ecognized.

mr. walberg: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. ho seeks time? ms. wasserman shultz: at this time, let me reiterate, unless the gentleman wants to say anything further, i have no additional speakers. after simply saying that again, i appreciate chairman kline and ranking member miller's support, the work of all of the members who have significant marine industries in their congressional districts, and really pleased that we're going to be able to finally make sure that the intent of congress is carried out and that these marine workers who are vital and a part of the back ben of so many economies will have the coverage they need rather than for going that coverage and we'll be -- than foregoing that coverage and we'll be able to make sure that employers who employ them will be able to provide less expensive coverage. it's a win-win, and i look forward to seeing it become

law. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. walberg: i yield myself the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walberg: i couldn't have said it better than my colleague. having a district that borders the great lakes, having marinas and harbors in my district, having the opportunity to use the resources and make sure that the intent of congress is followed out and that we have employees and employers who are treated fairly under workers' comp laws, that they're cared for completely at the lowest cost that we intended with original intent of congress. this bill does that. so i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 4896 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3896 as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 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. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from west virginia seek recognition? mrs. capito: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4626. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4626 a bill to ensure access to certain information for financial services industry regulators and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from west virginia, mrs. capito, and the gentleman from colorado, mr. perlmutter, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, 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. 4626, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. capito: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. capito: i rise in strong support of the safe act confidentiality and privilege enhancement act, legislation i introduced this year. one of the lessons learned from the financial crisis of the last decade is there were significant gaps in communication between state

regulators. duplicitous mortgage regulators were - mortgage providers able to move from state to state. in response, congress passed the safe act. which required all mortgage loan originators to be licensed and registered through the national mortgage licensing system and registry. the safe act also set minimum licensing standards states must meet. since its creation in 2008 this registry has allowed state regulators to efficiently search a mortgage loan originator's history and detect previous fraudulent behavior. the success of this registry has not gone unnoticed. since april, 2012, state regulators have been working with other financial services providers to use the nmls as a platform for the licensing and reg city of -- registry of other financial services providers, like debt collectors, pawnbrokers and

check cashers. my home state of west virginia is cruising -- of west virginia money g this for lenders. the licensing of these providers and the sharing of information between state regulators helps ensure that consumers are properly protected from fraudulent lending. these will allow state regulators to better track fraudulent actors making it less likely they can do business and harm consumers. h.r. 4626 provides a minor amendment to the safe act ensuring that information shared between the state financial services regulators is protected. my legislation simply clarifies that information that is shared with these state regulators received the same privileged and confidential treatment currently afforded to state banking and mortgage regulators without this minor change there will be gaps in the system that could limit information

sharing. during a hearing at the financial institution and consumer credit subcommittee two weeks ago, west virginia division of financial institution commissioners sally kline said, and i quote, this possible gap allows the state's ility to use nmls as a licensing system for non mortgage services. the change proposed by h.r. 4626 addresses this uncertainty d will provide regulated entities with certainty that information would be protected under pral and state law. ensuring the confidentiality of shared information will bolster e effectiveness of regulations. it will protect consumers in my state and across the country. i would like to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. perlmutter: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. perlmutter: h.r. 4626, introduced by chairwoman capito, aims at protecting shared information in the mortgage and financial services industry by putting safeguards on confidentiality. the bill is very simple, it applies the same confidentiality standards to information shared with state regulators regarding nondepository financial services companies that enjoyed -- being entered into in the national mortgage licensing system. as long as that information is shared through nationwide mortgage licensing system among all mortgage regulators. . in the leadup to the financial crisis, state regulators and congress needed the need to zwrofere see the mortgage industry and efficiently by promoting start regulation to state