to stand against federal overreach. one of my first acts in office in fact was to ask the wyoming attorney general to join the constitutional challenge to the a.c.a. this is an important lawsuit and wyoming had to be part of it. many of us, including myself, did not like the result that wyoming didn't need to be involved. we've also been very active in filing or joining actions to support grazing rights. we in wyoming know how valuable ag is not just to our state but in fact this country. it is one thing as a country to not be able to fuel yourselves, it's another thing entirely to not be able to feed yourselves. we have to continue to have strong support for ag. in december we filed a case in wyoming federal district court to require b.l.m. to better manage wild horses. we continue to fight for wyoming's regional haze plan and it's a good plan for addressing visibility. last fall the 10th circuit upheld the state's plan regarding sulfur docks and

recently we filed our brief in the 10th circuit in support of the state's plan as it relates to nitrogen oxides. we have, as many of you know most frequently done battle with the e.p.a. the reason is simply, the e.p.a. rulemaking under president obama's administration has been troubling at best. wyoming is opposing power plant rules. the proposed rules for water of the u.s. as well as many other e.p.a. actions. and we will to do so. wyoming's fight against federal regulatory overreach will not stop. along with the attorney general, along with the support of this body, we must all continue fighting for wyoming. looking back at the past four years, there are some other matter i'll mention. we've reduced the d.d. waiting list. we've undertaken job initiatives, including those -- for those with disabilities. we will continue our work in this area with the

employment-first concept. at my direction, the d.f.s. has apoinltsed a statewide homeless coordinator and will create a 10-year plan to address homelessness. we've renewed our focus on suicide prevention with a statewide initiative. regarding worker safety, i support and i appreciate the safety alliances formed by the oil, gas transportation, refinery and construction industries. the state level, we've added new osha safety positions. we've created a $50000,000 fund to provide matching grants to companies for training. we created a program to reduce workers' compensation premiums for those willing to participate in health and safety consultations. in addition, work force services has developed annual reporting for better analysis of on the job accidents. in 2013, we had a better year. we saw improved statistics fewer fatalities and

hospitalizations. this was encouraging. we haven't got the numbers on 2014 but we have reason to believe at this point that 2013 is going to be a better year than 2014. we need to continue to look on how we do better as a state. to emphasize workplace safety and improve job safety. i know as you all do that employers care. we all do, about getting workers home safely at the end of the work day. we have been headed in the right direction. but there's more progress to be made and we have to keep at it. we will. for example, one of my funding requests is for passing lanes and that is safety related. finally, i'm very proud we have passed a law for our veterans. in 2011 we created the wyoming veterans home -- excuse me, the wyoming veterans welcome home day. thanks to this law, at the end of march every year, we hold ceremonies in communities

around the state. this day is especially for vets like our korean vets, our vietnam and gulf war vets who perhaps did not receive a proper homecoming after their military service ended. and as i go to each one of these events at the end of march, it's a remarkable thing that you all have done on that welcome home day. because as you see these vets, and you greet them, after you say a few words it's astounding because you have vietnam vets, for example who will greet you sometimes just with a nod or a handshake sometimes with a hug. oftentimes with tears in their eyes saying, it's all i ever wanted is to somebody say, welcome home and thank you for your service. certainly -- [applause] certainly that is the least we

owe our vets. so i congratulate this body on that wonderful concept. it has been tremendous. and today we have a vet with us who knows what it's like not to get what you should when you return home. art served as an army infantryman in the korean war. in 1951 art was wounded in action and earned a purple heart. a few years ago it came to light the medal was never awarded. last november 63 years after the fact, the situation was put right. art received his purple heart at a ceremony in cheyenne. it's never too late to put things right. veterans initiatives like the welcome home day, special license plates, recognition for -- of service for professional licensing, and in-state tuition can pay our respect and gratitude. art, we thank you and all our vets for serving and making

sacrifices for our country. art, please stand so we can recognize you. [cheers and applause] to sum up, wyoming has come far these past four years. compared to unemployment at about 6.5% in january of 2011, we have unemployment at 4.5% in november 2014. significantly lower than the u.s. unemployment rate.

compared to ballooning costs of state operations the past decade our state budget is staying relatively flat. we've improved state government and enhanced technology and infrastructure, given extra support to local government, developed an energy strategy, grown and diversified the economy and tackled other tough issues. so today i'm pleased to report to all of you, with full confidence, the state of the state is strong and getting stronger. [applause] this is because of the work you've done. for example, creating a great climate for bills. this is because of wyoming's natural advantages including abundant mineral and energy resources. above all, this is because of wyoming the wyoming people, our greatest strength. we should not take our eye off the ball now. or our foot off the gas.

we have built a solid foundation for our future. we will move ahead by building on the solid foundation laid, not by standing still. we have been sewing the seeds and harvesting the crops. if we continue to plant and steward well we will leave greiner pasteurs and even a better legacy. we have the fiscal resources, the people resources the natural resources and the civic leadership to make a difference for generations to come. we look at the next four years, i look at the next four years, with great optimism. in my second term i'll continue to focus on the areas i've talked about today. they've been important from day one, they remain important and there's more we can do on each. to add to these initiatives, i would add coal initiatives, advancing our energy strategy, increasing international trade, forest health, medicaid expansion and implementing our water strategy. again, i ask that we take on a

great deal. but again i say, wyoming is always up to the challenge. regarding coal. coal is critical to wyoming and we must ensure its fewture. beyond that, coal is critical to this country's future. and in my lifetime i've never seen an onslaught against a single industry, a single commodity like the obama administration's anticoal agenda. the e.p.a. has had a green light to go after the coal industry and six years later coal is still targeted by federal regulators. the coal industry provides about 40% of electricity for this country. it keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. it keeps the lights on and the factories humming. it is in fact the fastest growing energy source in the world. here in wyoming, the industry provides revenue for schools and infrastructure and thousands of direct and indirect jobs for wyoming workers. in the coming years, i will

continue to work with bulldog determination on coal initiatives, port expansion, new technology and value-added products. in the coming years, we don't need to let up, we need to double down. we must assure coal's continuity. there are legitimate opportunities such as the integrated test center project and we must seize them. we fight for coal and we'll fight for oil and we'll fight for gas and uranium and other resources if they are targeted by oppressive federal regulations. and part of that is advancing the energy strategy. last session you funded continued work on initiatives identified in the energy strategy. our task is to go further, to advance the strategy issued two years ago this may, by continuing the work on the initiatives and identifying new initiatives. i mentioned international trade. here's an interesting statistic. from 2010 to 2013, international trade grew from

$983 million to $1.35 billion. a growth of 36%. we want to see that growth continue. and you have added $350,000 in the biannual budget to develop international trade. funding i fully support. we are, my office and you all, can use this funding productively to continue the progress that we've made. our forests have been a challenge. with beetle kill. and forests are a great resource. they provide homes for wildlife lumber for industry and places for recreation. we want our forests to be as healthy as possible and so many have been devastated by beetle kill. i put together a task force to look at the condition of our forests and make recommendations. i support these recommendations and i've included funding in my budget proposal. last session, the legislature asked the department of health

to find the best deal possible for wyoming under the a.c.a. we have seen over the last four years much more flexibility from h.h.s. and c.m.s. our department of health was able to craft what we believe is the best plan for wyoming. some in the legislature are looking at an alternative plan and i appreciate their work. regarding the a.c.a., you as i may not like it. but it is upon us. we challenged it, but it is upon us. two years ago, not last year two years ago, as i said in my state of the state let us try within the law that is upon us to find the best deal, the best fit for wyoming. under the a.c.a. i fail to say the same today. here's some facts regarding the a.c.a. fact is, small and large

hospitals are anchors in our wyoming communities. the fact is businesses make clear to me they cannot recruit new people without reasonable health care. beyond that, they can't keep people in an area without reasonable health care. and if small hospitals close, our rural towns will suffer tremendous loss and opportunity for the future. fact is, we have working men and women of wyoming who cannot afford health care. this is true now as it was when both i and the legislature supported healthy frontiers in an attempt to address the issue. the fact is the wyoming hospital association reports $200 million in uncompensated care. the number in terms of their actual costs they believe is around $100 million. the fact is, economic analysis shows that medicaid expansion would create about 00 jobs in wyoming -- 800 jobs in wyoming.

the fact is, many of us don't like the a.c.a., including me. but here's another fact. our federal tax dollars pay for the a.c.a. wyoming federal tax dollars help pay for the a.c.a. do we choose to have that support that wyoming money returned to colorado, to california, or to wyoming? i say wyoming. my plan or yours or something better. we have fought the fight against the a.c.a. we've done our best tofight find a fit for wyoming. we're out of time-outs. and we need to address medicaid expansion this session. water strategy. wyoming is subject to seven water compacts and two supreme court decrees. water we're not committed to providing others under these compacts and decrees belongs to us. it is wyoming's water. and wyoming water is key to our future. all of us need water. municipalities industries, ag,

and individuals. it is our most important natural resource. water, more than anything, is tied to everything we do in this state. it's tied to everything we have done and it's going to be tied to everything we do in the future. yet wyoming has not had a water strategy. developing a water strategy was one of the initiatives identified in the energy strategy. over the last year or so, with wite public input, we've put together a very good strategy. it's going to be issued tomorrow and available online and in hard copy. the strategy includes a 10 and 10 proposal. 10 small reservoir projects in 10 years. and nine other initiatives including a proposal for something. the time to protect our water is now. and as a state, we cannot afford to delay. the supplemental budget gets us started on that. i requested a traffer of about $18.6 million for the water

development account. i hope you'll approve this request and the rest of my budget proposal. i also hope you'll consider supporting the water strategy and future budgets as you have supported the energy strategy. the budget in general, this is a general session, so i have it before you a model $156 million budget proposal. it is a conservative supplement to the biannual budget. i believe it positioned wyoming well for the years ahead. it strengthens u.w. and our community college system. it makes events -- investments in strategic areas. the fact is, the state has these funds. there are well over $100 million in reversions. money unused by agencies. which together with fully funds my proposal. with your recognition of the reversions, all fund something available. my proposal keeps government operating costs relatively

flat. state agencies have worked hard to keep budgets trim. only $17 million, less than one half of one percent of the standard budget sin creased by my budget. and is for operating and ongoing expenditures. now, i do make some requests that do not add to the future budgets, they are one-time proposals. these include $25 million for local government. $6.4 million for the municipal solid waste seasoned transport system $21.2 million for passinging lanes on highway 59 between douglas and gillett and casper and shoshone. funding for the high altitude sports performance training center unconventional oil and gas reservoirs research entrepreneurship initiative, science initiative, literacy program and athletic competitiveness. all at u.w. and subject to private matching funds. here's the deal. we have one four-year land grant university. in those areas that are important to wyoming such as

ag science engineering, we do not need to accept playing second fiddle to anyone. private citizens are recognizing this. private citizens have ever of wyoming -- of wyoming have been giving many millions of dollars out of their own pockets to u.w. and as with engineering, the science initiative has the ability to be transformational. making u.w. a leader, making wyoming a leader. we want important academic programs at u.w. to be top tier. and the same is true with athletics. i care about us competing. i care about us winning. it not only brings pride to our state, for example the u.w. basketball is in the top 25, as you may know. and this helps recruit students increases alumni dollars and builds the university. the funding i'm asking for u.w. will serve notice loud and clear that brown and gold is

not fading. it will be brighter. we will be leaders in business, education, science, athletics and many other areas. some of my funding requests may reoccur, but they would have to be asked for and approved again. for example, a new initiative i'm introducing today is called wyoming grown. here's the situation. for decades wyoming has had challenges keeping our kids in wyoming after they graduate. research shows that of all 18-year-olds working in wyoming, on any given year, only an estimated 40% are still working in wyoming 10 years later. we're losing 60% of our greatest talent. wyoming grown will seek to recruit wyoming computer programmers, doctors welders, engineers and others who have left the state but can continue to build their careers and raise their families here. work force services will use

this network of employment specialists to connect job seekers with job opportunities. as part of the initiative, the tourism office is developing a web page to highlight the wonderful qualities of our -- that our communities have to offer. the initiative is not costly. i've asked for $10,000. but it is critical for continuinging to strengthen our work force. businesses recruiting people -- businesses recruiting people to wyoming know that if a wyoming kid will come back, it's a great fit because they are coming home. let's open the door to get our kids home. another initiative is for job training and placement. we see what the private sector can do to help people become self-reliant. we have with us today ray fleming. she has a u.w. business degree and a doctorate in psychology from u.m.c. in 1986 she saw single mothers needed help reaching

independence. she founded climb wyoming, a nonprofit organization which provides single mothers the resources needed to succeed on their own. the program benefits mothers children, communities and the state. it started in cheyenne and branched out to other communities. ray remains executive director. more than 1,600 mothers with nearly 2,600 children have been served by climb wyoming. my request for job training and placement is $1 million and is subject to private matching funding. it's intended to allow innovative programs like climb wyoming to reach more people. ray has been remarkable, all that you have done. please stand so we can recognize her effort. [applause]

while the supplemental budget gets us started, there are other items in my budget that keep building wyoming. these items are a list of forward-looking initiatives. here we have to recognize some hard facts. with oil dropsing, the revenue estimates will be going down. and it should be a concern for all of us. but the fact is, it's not something new to wyoming. we've experienced this in the past. some of you have experienced this in the past while in the legislature. but we are in a better position now than we've been in the past. we have positioned ourselves. and with less government more efficient government we will work through this. we will be able to continue to build wyoming. the fact is, in wyoming we have never spent revenue we don't have at hand. we're not like d.c. and we never will be.

we recognize the drop in oil prices. for each $5 drop, the state loses about $35 million in revenue a year. but we know safely we have $220 to $240 million for the next fiscal year. this counts for versions in sipa which i already mentioned. and investment earnings as of december 10, 2014, which will be realized on june 30 2015. this does not come out of savings. it fully funds my supplemental budget as i've said and it leaves money left over for the list. i'll single out a few. as i said in my budget message, we need to fund the gillett madison. and the capital renovation projects. i don't view either of those projects as optional. in addition, we need to look at industrial parks like the heartland project in canada, which allow companies to cluster, benefit from each

other, develop technologies and produce innovative products from our natural resources. that are vital to our economy, especially to energy manufacturing and tech businesses. they'll benefit from the synergy such parks will provide. these parks need infrastructure to get off the ground. the startup cost for a reserve account would be small, a small down payment for big future gains. this year marks the 10th anniversary of the wildlife trust. fully funding the wildlife trust would be a one-time expense or rather a transfer to different savings accounts. once fully funded the trust will carry itself and not be any future budget. full funding would show that in wyoming, we do not just talk about balancing conservation and development, we actually do it. with us today is the bowsman family. they've been ranching for over a century. the ranch has several thousand acres of private land and also uses federal grazing

allotments. brad bowsman was the first to sign a canada conservation agreement with assurances for sage grouse and the first asked about a similar agreement used for federal lands. we congratulate him for these firsts. brad and his family represent the commitment of private landowners to take voluntary actions. brad we thank you for your commitment to conservation and please stand. [applause] like the conservation efforts of private landowners, the wildlife trust is a powerful force. it benefits ag tourism, energy wildlife and recreation. it preserves our rich heritage.

we can secure the trust in perpetuityy by fully funding the corpus. in addition to addressing items on the list, we must also address our state's fiscal policy. wyoming has billions of dollars in various savings accounts. the rainy day fund alone during my time in office, which is a liquid account, is almost -- has almost doubled. it has $2 billion in it. and the permanent minnow trust fund has gloun by 55% in my time in office. last year $1 billion flowed into liquid and permanent savings accounts. the estimates as we now know do not tell the whole story. and it does not provide a fiscal policy. there are questions to be asked and there are questions to be answered. for example, how much should we

have in savings? what is the purpose of the rainy day account? can we count earned investment income for planning purposes? in answering these questions, we need to recognize the stock markets can go up and down. but infrastructure has inherent value. we need a sensible fiscal policy going forward so we can continue to save and also continue to invest in the future. we need transparency, we need predictability we need clarity . only then, in good times and in lean, can we provide the best future for wyoming. these discussions have already begun with leadership. they've got some great ideas. we must continue this conversation with the entire legislature. as we go about our work, we continue never way to be inspired by people around us and i want to recognize a few of them today. wyoming's 11,000 family farms and ranches give our state its special look and its special feel.

open spaces, beautiful views, historic buildings, growing crops, grazing livestock, we have these things and more thanks to wyoming ag. the working hands on our ag lands make these operations tick and keep rodeo our state sport. russell pinky walter started in rodeo as a bull rider and served as a backup man for bare back riders. today he managed a ranch north of fort laramie. he still steer ropes. he spent his entire life on horseback. the people he met on the rodeo circuit and while ranching got walter think being a wyoming cowboy hall of fame. he and others interested in the idea carried it through. a hall of fame board, and pinky as vice chairman, established high standards to qualify for induction, a person has to be more than 45 years old and have spent the majority of their life working on horseback on wyoming ranches.

the first induction ceremony was last fall. pinky, we recognize you, all wyoming cowboys and cow girls and initial inductees in the wyoming cowboy hall of fame. pinky, you helped keep wyoming forever west. thank you, picy -- thank you pinky. [applause] pinky, i used to rodeo in high school, and there's no chance i'll ever be in that cowboy hall of fame. [laughter] we think always about the importance of education in our state and what it means for our kids and for our future. walt represents our education

system. beyond k-12. he's been president of casper college for the past 10 years. with leaders like walt our university and community college system is getting stronger and stronger. u.w. and our seven great community they want to provide the post-high school education in our state including what i believe is so important, career and technical education. focused on students' success, a team effort, not competition. walt will retire in june and leaves impressive achievements, a dozen new programs and five new buildings. walt we all thank you for your work. you will be missed. please stand so we can recognize you today. [applause]

>> our predecessors made decisions that put wyoming in an envyable position and it's our position to preserve and improve upon it. we are a leader in energy and many other areas. we are happy to take on these responsibilities that go with leadership now and in the future. since i took office, the constant in all my messages besides wyoming's strength has been putting wyoming first believing in our people, local government our small businesses to invest in our state and its future.

>> so as we go forward, with courage, with respect with civility with motivation, not for ourselves but for wyoming we make the future bright. may god grant us the wisdom. may god bless our state, our country and all who live in our wonderful land. may god bless you. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by

national captioning institute] going to take you live to the west virginia state capital for the annual state of the state address and will be speaking to the west virginia legislature in the house of delegates chamber.

this speech coming to us from west virginia public broadcasting west virginia state of the state address live on c-span. [applause] >> the governor is making his way up to the speaker's podium, to begin his state of the state address. we also note that the state's congressional delegation is here and two senators and the members from the house of representatives. the house speaker along with new clerk for the senate and the house.

as well as other legislative officials to preside over the session. >> and standing ovation and warm welcome for governor earl ray tomblin as he begins his state of the state address. >> the honorable earl ray tomblin. [applause] >> thank you.

>> thank you. please be seated. mr. speaker, mr. president, members of the legislature, members of the board of public works justices of the supreme court of appeals, members of congress, distinguished guests and my fellow residents of west virginia 40 years ago tonight, i joined as a young man and recent college graduate just legitimated to the house of delegates. i wondered what on earth i got myself into. [laughter] >> armed with a fresh perspective and passion to make

my home state the best it could be, i was eager to take on the challenges i knew we faced as a state. on my first trip down the hall to the supply room to pick up my pens folders and papers, i was stopped by the clerk and wanted to know who the supplies were for and i said they are for me. and he said who are you? and i said i'm the new delegate from logan county. i wasn't a page. i imagine my emotions and expecttations were unlike our state and our nation's youngest lawmaker sarah blair, who finds herself -- [applause] >> who finds herself in this

chamber as a member of the majority working for the governor of the opposite party just as i did 40 years ago. now, as many of you know, that governor was governor moore junior. [applause] >> tonight, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with senator capito and her family has mourned his passing. as governor moore was welcomed me tonight i welcome delegate blair and all the new faces in this chamber. i'm confident we all share the same goal, and that goal being putting west virginia first and making it the greatest place it can be. serving our state comes with great responsibility. we must work together, not as democrats or republicans, but as

west vaians united for the common good. >> we eliminated our business state franchise tax and eliminated extra paperwork that made it more difficult to do business here. eliminating the business franchise tax is just one of the

recent steps we have taken to responsibly reduce taxes for employers. these steps continue to encourage investments in west virginia jobs. as i speak to the newest members of this legislature, and i know we got more than a few of those -- several of you out fl, i'm sure that you are aware this is not the only or last hurdle we face to improve our state's business climate. nearly four decades ago, our state was in danger of having the heat turned off in the governor's mansion because we couldn't pay our bills. we owed billions of dollars in unfunded pension liabilities. our credit rating was approaching junk bond status. our residents waited months to receive their tax refunds and doctors weren't being paid for treating patients.

there are challenges that still lay ahead, the state of our state is much different, much better than before. we have one of the strongest rainy day funds in the country. we are credited of being one of the most fiscally responsible states in the nation. our bond ratings were recently reafffirmed, a move that saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars while building schools, roads and making long-term investments to improve our infrastructure. we accomplished these things together. we reformed our workers' compensation system so businesses pay more reasonable insurance rates and hard working west virginians get benefits in a timely manner. businesses in west virginia saw a reduction in workers' compensation premiums for the

10th straight year $280 million since 2005. [applause] >> we have worked together to make tough decisions and next year we will pay off the remaining debt from the old workers' comp. fund. we have come too far and worked too hard to go back on the commitments we made several years ago. we accomplished these things together. in the early 2000's, doctors were threatening to leave the state because of unreasonable medical malpractice premiums. we created the west virginia mute tall insurance company which serves as a model, providing physicians with good coverage at reasonable rates. we accomplished these things

together. and just three years ago, we rolled up our sleeves to tackle our state's debt. while other states were only talking about eliminating debt, we had taken bold actions. we were the first state in the country to address the concerns of local officials who were terrified of bankruptcy and we found a way to pay down in a fiscally responsible manner. because of these steps our state's $5 billion debt will be paid off without any tax increases. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, we accomplished this together. responsible actions like workers' compensation reform, medical malpractice reform and gradal differences help west

virginia employers protect our residents that are critical to our continued economic growth. we have worked together to make significant changes to improve our state's legal system. and i resist those who irresponsibly label us as a judicial hell hole. irrational labels do not help our efforts to engage potential investors and strengthen our economy. [applause] >> there's always more work to be done. and together, we can consider reasonable and responsible reforms to our legal system. we have worked hard to create an environment that allows us to compete for new and expanding businesses. projects like diamond electric,

which relocated its north america headquarters to putnam county wind mark, a $30 million expansion invested tens of millions of dollars, employing hundreds of west virginians. we look forward to having project assent, the company, to this impressive and growing list. this november, i traveled to brazil, to meet with senior officials from two companies, to review their continued progress and chart our next steps moving forward. this type of project will serve as an anchor for new value-added agencies that will be part of our renaissance in america. company officials are pleased with the progress they have made over the past year and the

tremendous welcome they have received from the number of west virginians who have touched this project in one way or the other. we demonstrated our firm commitment to bring this facility to the mountain state. and tonight i'm more confident than ever, this investment will bring in unprecedented growth for our entire region. [applause] >> in 2011, we were the first state to pass comprehensive legislation regulating the drilling of shale. since then, we have taken significant steps to ensure we remain at the center of the boom. companies have invested billions of dollars in our state to support the production, processing and transportation of natural gas and creating a

number of new opportunities to develop these rich deposits. this past october, southwestern energy invested more than $5 billion in west virginia and southwestern pennsylvania to acquire properties. this investment is one of the largest of its kind, not only in our state, but across the country. tonight, i would like to welcome home west virginia native and the new general manager of the operations derrick cartwright and paul gieger. please stand, so we may recognize you. [applause] >> tens of thousands of our residents are already benefiting

from these developments and i'm committed to make sure that our state continues to capitalize on this abundant natural resource and the opportunities it brings. with this in mind, i have directed the department of revenue to launch a comprehensive review of our state's public lands to identify opportunities for west virginia and take advantage of this energy revolution. we have the potential to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus and royalty payments, monies that could be invested to improve our state parks support tourism across the state and finance a number of other worry endeavors to strengthen job creation. for generations west virginia has been one of our nation's leading energy states. as we continue to explore opportunities to diversify our state's energy portfolio, we must ensure the safety of

hard-working west virginians across the state. i'm requesting a study to determine how we can best protect our workers at natural gas operations. we must ensure our workers have proper training and skills to do their jobs in the most effective way possible and return home safely at night. [applause] >> work force safety must be the expectations for businesses operating in west virginia not an afterthought. economic investments as well as those we are making to improve our infrastructure are important to all of us. but they come at a cost. our state's highways and bridges are critical to our continued economic growth. this year, the division of

highways spent an additional $48 million on resurfacing projects and bridgework compared to what was spent in 2013. we are making progress, but we must find ways to do more. with the help of legislation we pass together, our division of highways is now able to use innovative financing options to maintain and build our roads and bridges. i'm directing the division of highways to complete the come please of u.s. 35 as part of its six-year plan. [applause] >> in recent years, inaction at the federal level has put construction at a standstill and new highway projects have been

difficult to complete. i will continue to work with our congressional delegation to identify stable federal funding source for our much needed road improvements. when highway funding is hard to come by, eliminating more than $85 million indeed indicated revenues to maintain our state's highways is irresponsible. 84% of all tolls collected were collected from out of state drivers and commercial vehicles. instead of eliminating tolls, we need to work together to identify alternative ways to modify the impact of our residents who travel the turnpike each and every day. we create a business climate where companies are encouraged to innovate, expand and create new jobs. companies across the country and around the world are noticing the changes that we have made. when i became governor four

years ago, i made a promise that i will go anywhere and sit down with anyone to bring jobs to the mountain state with investors knock on the door, we ask, how can we help you. these strong personal relationships are critical for our state and our economy. when companies invest here have unmet needs, we take action and we must do the same thing for our small business owners who already call our state home. west virginians make great progress and we need to make sure that entrepreneurs like isabela, can continue to succeed. soon after her second son was born, she and her husband ray were told by doctors that he would have to have low muscle tone -- would have low muscle tone and weakness common to children with down syndrome.

isabela saw the solution. she took a scrap of cloth and sand from her boy's sandbox and created a tiny pair of weights to put on his wrists and ankles to develop physical strength. her physical therapist encouraged her to make them for similar children. in may isabela launched her company, mighty tikes, making these as part of the 2014 expo in new york city. we celebrate the spirit of this family. isabela, issac, pierce and ray, please stand so we can celebrate your family's achievement. [applause]

>> we must encourage the same innovation we ask of all those investing in our state and allow entrepreneurs to put their skills to work without the burden of unnecessary state restrictions. that's why tonight, i am proposing legislation to give our craft brewers to succeed as part of our state's craft beer industry. together, we can continue to show those across the country, around the world and here at home that west virginia is the right place to make an investment in the mountain state and it is a great place to do business. our continued economic growth and the enormous potential that lies ahead placing the more urgency on developing a skilled

work force. recent studies show that west virginia will generate 30,000 new jobs each year through 2018 and nearly 60% of these jobs will require at least a two-year degree. these are good paying jobs in the manufacturing construction and natural gas industries, as well as health care and education. since 2007, west virginia's community and technical colleges have developed 133 new programs specifically tailored toward work force and development training. many of these partnerships were created to strengthen our state's growing manufacturing, chemical and natural gas sectors. this is a joint partnership between this company and

community college is one of its kind. it brings together industry representatives and academic community with the skills they need to be part of these growing industries. recent investors have identified a critical need for technology programs to support new and growing industries across the state. blue ridge and bridge valley technical colleges answered their call with technical programs supported by private sector companies eager to hire west virginia workers. toyota dow chemical recognize the progress we have made and working with us to train west virginia's workforce of the jobs for today and tomorrow. the number of students now earning degrees and two-year associate degrees has increase by 7% and that's an

accomplishment we can all be proud of. [applause] preparing our future work force doesn't start with our community and technical colleges. across the state we are working with middle schools and high school students to share the opportunities that await them after graduation. over the past several months, i traveled to a number of schools to meet our students and introduce a new education initiative. it's called my state, my life. and it's designed to inspire and encourage our students to embrace their bright future here in the mountain state. the west virginia of today is not the same place it was decades ago. we are ushering in an era of change that will provide our students with opportunities for a great life here at home. in classrooms from hancock to

wayne and berkley counties, there are thousands of young, bright minds with untapped potential. there are endless possibilities for our students to succeed. and it doesn't matter which training or career path they choose, as they choose one. as we work to develop these programs we understand we must expand our vision to prepare more than just the future members of our workforce. we must also support existing workers, especially our state's hard-working coal miners. i know times are tough. but let it be clear, i will never stop against federal regulations that harm our state's energy industry and devastate our miners. their families and our communities. [applause]

>> last month, we filed comments relating to the e.p.a.'s carbon pollution emission guidelines and erged them to reconsider its proposed plan. federal bureaucrats must understand the impact these new rules will have on families and communities here and across the country. we must work together to develop reasonable achievable goals that balance the environmental protection we all support with economic growth, which we must maintain. while we remain hopeful that e.p.a. will consider the effects of regulations it is already having on our economy, we continue to offer programs to provide coal miners and their families the training they need to explore a different career path if that's the choice they wish to make. bridge valley, new river and southern west virginia and technical colleges offer

programs to retrain hard-working families with the skills they need to succeed. these accelerated training programs are based on fundamental skills that are valuable no matter what high demand field they choose, even if they are able to find re-employment underground. no matter how many have been feathed, by the downturn in our energy's sector, job training and assistance are available. over the past four years workforce west virginia has invested $48 million to retrain displaced workers and their families. today, we continue to prepare these workers for jobs in high demand fields across the state like nursing education, welding and related industries. as west virginia's military men

and women who return from serving from around the world, we stand together to welcome them home with open arms. we are proud of our state's legacy of serving our country, and we must continue to honor our veterans every chance we get. these men and women aren't just dedicated members of our military. they are also important members of our communities. when they return home, we owe it to them to provide the training they need to succeed. in 2009, my friend and one of our state's silver star recipients james mccormick came up with an idea to help veterans to find meaningful work here at home. last year, the legislature passed a bipartisan bill to establish the veterans and warriors to agriculture program which helps our state's veterans to provide fresh produce to our

families and develop small working farms across the state. james has dedicated his time and talents to helping our veterans to transition to careers as farmers and livestock managers. james, please stand so we may thank you for your service and hard work on behalf of the state's veterans. [applause] >> as a former teacher, a father and husband of a college president, who is sitting right

over there, i understand the importance of a good education. as governor, i recognize improving educational programs and increasing opportunities for our kids and our teachers is fundamental to our state's continued growth and economic success. over the past several years, we have made changes in our classrooms to put our kids on the right track to a bright future. frf touring edge wood elementary school to celebrating the renovated harpers ferry middle school i see firsthand to see the changes we are making. we are laying the groundwork to support our communities and develop future leaders and innovators of the next generation. as we compete in today's global economy, we must start with our middle school and high school students by providing them with the high-tech skills they need.

in 2013, business and industry in west virginia identified a critical need for workers with strong math, technical computer and mechanical skills. that's why this year, i set aside funding to establish a stem network to review current stem-related education initiatives and refine and expand local programs to better serve our students. as we increase and improve stem education opportunities, there will be a need for more certified chemistry, robotics and advanced math teachers in our classrooms. we must ensure our students are being taught by great teachers, including those who may not have a traditional education degree. this year, i will introduce legislation to expand opportunities for skilled west virginians who have a passion for teaching, but not have a teaching background. we need to find ways to

streamline the process and encourage those who have a passion to teach, so they can share their knowledge with our kids. we must give local school systems better flexibility to train and hire subject-matter experts to fill long-term vacancies in critical subject areas. [applause] >> each year, our teachers gather in schools and classrooms across the state with a shared vision, to inspire our students and encourage a lifetime of learning. tonight, i'm horpped to introduce our 2015 toyota high mark blue cross/blue shield teacher of the year. sometimes it comes from teaching a jazzercise class.

while leading each class, gail laughed as she corrected the lyrics of a song that was playing. she felt a spark that awakened the passion for teaching. she followed her heart enrolled in college and four years later earned her teaching degree. today, gail is not only teaching advanced english to her students but answering the tough questions she once had as a high school senior. instead of reading modern literature and studying the classics, her students are learning about banking about financing their college education and finding a rewarding career. she makes things work makes things better and makes teaching and learning special. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming in our 2015

teacher of the year, gail adams. [applause] >> we are fortunate to have businesses that understands the value of good education here in west virginia and at this time, i would like to recognize two individuals who deserve our thanks for their continued support of the teacher of the year program. mr. fred early, president of blue cross/blue shield and the please stand so we thank you for

your continued commitment to our state's teachers. [applause] >> a strong workforce is a drug-free workforce. substance abuse is a heartbreaking problem facing families each and every day. with the help of the governor's council on substance abuse, we have taken bold production to stop the production of meth and increased pain clinics to make sure our residents are using prescription drugs responsibly. over the past two years, we have worked together to draft legislation and improve new rules to regulate pain management clinics across the state. since july the department of health and human services resources has inspected seven pain clinics, three of those

have been ordered to close and denied license you are for violation of these new standards. our residents must have options but not at the expense of irresponsible prescription practices. i'm proud of the steps we have taken to curb this epidemic, but we must do more. as we continue our efforts to address the abuse of prescription medications, we must be prepared to combat the increase and vablingt of illegal street drugs. heroin use is on the rise. and we must stop this lethal drug from ruining the lives of our residents. i will introduce legislation to help our emergency responders and families facing drug abuse save the lives of those who abuse heroin. the drug is countering the

heroin overdoes. we can prevent deaths and gives those suffering the opportunity to seek help overcome their addiction and return to their families workplaces and communities. [applause] >> the communities we live in are more than just places where we put down our roots, start new businesses or watch our children grow. they are places we call home and they must be places where we feel safe. in may, we announced a significant step toward reducing prison overcrowding and drug abuse. since then, we have invested $2.5 million in community-based treatment and recovery services across the state.

i announce the investment of $660,000 to expand treatment options across the state including new intensive out-patient services in the northern and eastern panhandles. [applause] >> in 2013, we worked together to have the justice investment act and reekt those in our justice system. these reforms maximize our correction dollars and lower the financial burdenen on our overextended prison system. through our landmark efforts, we have learned that programs do work. most of our efforts have focused on addressing our adult correction system but we must do everything we can to meet the

needs of our youth. we must do more to keep our kids out of the courtroom and in the classroom. [applause] >> between 1997 and 2011, west virginia saw the largest percentage increase of youth confinements than any state in the country. this june with bipartisan support from every level of our three branches of government we embark on a comprehensive review of our juvenile justice system. this task force including law enforcement, prosecutors public defenders, faith-based representatives and west virginia families looked at evidence-based programs and identified best practices that make the most sense for west virginia. we must take action to create a smarter more effective system for our children.

tonight, i'm announcing legislation to reform our state's juvenile justice system. it will establish specialists in all 55 counties and increase the use of community-based services to help families mend and get our kids back on track. [applause] >> to produce better outcomes for our children and families by giving them the help they need. at a cost of $4.5 million, this legislation is projected to reduce the number of d.h.h.r., residential placement and juvenile placement services. and will save taxpayers $59 million. [applause]

we are strengthening the west virginia national guard's successful mountain ear challenge academy. since the academy was established in 1993, nearly 3,000 teens have graduated and gone on to be productive influences in their communities. this december, 131 cadets graduated from the academy. of the new graduates 16% are pursuing college degrees with the help of scholarships, 26% are receiving training at one of our state's vocational schools. 24% have chosen military careers and the rest have completed training programs to enter our workforce. that's a pretty good record, i think. [applause]

>> the challenge academy is making the difference in lives of at-risk kids and we welcome two graduates whose experiences will inspire others to follow their lead. after graduating in 1999, michael joined the united states army and after serving his country as a bomb technician, michael returned home to serve as a law enforcement officer. in 2013, he returned to the academy. this time as a squad leader mentoring new cadets. and ron bass, stood with his fellow cadets as a new graduate and a member of the 43rd class. he plans to join the west virginia national guard and continue his education. michael and ryan, please stand

you so we macon grat late you on your achievements. -- so we may congratulate you on your achievements. please stand. [applause] >> as we expand opportunities for our kids to succeed, child welfare reform is critical to keeping our children safe at home. with this in mind, i directed the department of health and human services resources to work together with workforce west virginia to help parents find stable employment to support their families. we can make a difference in the lives of our state's children,

and together, we can accomplish these life-changing and meaningful reforms. this legislative session i challenge those of us gathered in this chamber and west virginians all across the state to come together. we must set aside our political differences and stand united as west virginians for the greater good. tonight, i'm proud to welcome two west virginia law enforcement heroes who personify what it means to put the welfare of others above themselves. two weeks ago a police lieutenant and a corporal and a patrolman responded to what was a routine traffic stop. as they approached the stop vehicle, lieutenant dove and controlman sands were shot in the line of duty. across the state dedicated officers answer the call to

protect and serve. for the safety and well-being of our west virginians first. this week, lieutenant dove, corporal harbaugh and lieutenant sands returned to work. lieutenant dove and controlman sands, please stand so we may thank you for your service and thank you for your commitment and what you have been involved in. [cheers and applause]

>> just as these brothers in blue have taught us, we are all part of something much bigger. among the mountains we call home we are charting a new path, one built on collaboration and mutual respect and one that places our state and our people first. i'm proud of the work we've done. i'm proud of the progress we have made and i'm confident that we can continue to move west virginia forward together. tonight, we are more than just democrats or republicans.

we are and will forever be west virginians. thank you. god bless you and your families. and god bless the state we call home. thank you. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> live coverage of the state of the state address by governor

earl ray tomblin on west virginia public broadcasting. >> he made early reference to governor arch moore who was governor when he first served in the house of delegates 40 years ago. governor moore passed away late last week. calling for bipartisan to work together on the challenges faces the state. yet mentioning that 40 years ago when arch moore was governor that the state couldn't afford to pay its bills, almost as a reminder as such. >> dr. anthony fauci is on the front line battling against infectious diseases. >> we have drugs right now when given to people who are h.i.v. infected and i can show, in the early 1980's if someone came into my clinic with aids, the

survival would be six to eight months, which means half of them would be dead in eight months. now, if tomorrow when i go back to rounds on friday and someone comes into a clinic who is 20-plus years old and recently infected and i put them on the combination of three drugs, the cocktail of highly active therapy, i can accurately predict and say, we can do modeling to say if you take your medicine regularly, you could live an additional 50 years. the goal from knowing that 50% of the people are going to die in eight months knowing that if you take your medicines you could live a normal life span. that's a huge advance. >> director of the national institutes of allergy and infectious diseases, dr. anthony

fauci on sunday night. >> headline here, house votes to revoke legal protections for immigrants. members of the house undo major provisions approving legislation that would revoke legal protections for millions of undocumented immigrants. the "new york times" reports that it drew outrage from democrats and led more than two dozen immigrants to break away. here's more about what happened. >> we covered today's debate and covers congress for politico. thank you for being with us. i want to focus on the politics within the house republican party. first, what did lawmakers vote on today? >> so basically lawmakers did a lot of voting on immigration policies as well as funding for

department of homeland security. so the base bill, the underlying bill is a funding bill for d.h.s. that runs through the end of this fiscal year, september 30. d.h.s. was put on the short-term funding leash and current funding runs out february 27. leadership did precisely that so they could fight president obama's immigration policies when they had control of both chambers. in addition to that, the house voted on several different amendments that rolled back different parts of the president's executive actions on immigration, not just the one he announced this past november, but dating as far back as 2011. >> let me ask you about the proposal of the amendment by representative blackburn which could end the daca program. why did she put on the floor and why did it fail? >> republicans many house republicans felt that going

after the most recent executive actions on immigration was not enough. they wanted to go all the way back to what you call the deferred action for childhood arrivals program which was announced in 2012 and other enforcement directives from 2011 to get at the root of the president's executive actions on immigration that he has taken under his administration. and what the -- what congresswoman blackburn's language made clear not only could daca not take any new applications but not have current immigrants who have benefited from the program could not renew their applications. it is a two-year work permit. it changes to three years. a lot of republicans had a problem with that provision. they are saying, look, we don't like the president's executive

action and don't agree with it, but it went a little too far when you are blocking people who have submitted all their information to the federal government and living here free without fear and it just went too far for them. >> and that became part of the democratic party strategy, correct? >> correct. they knew they had their party together on the immigration amendments. it was republican leadership had to count every last vote especially on the blackburn amendment. we knew that was going to be the closest one, to make sure that it passed, leadership wouldn't want a measure on the floor that they couldn't pass or that couldn't pass their chamber and the vote was close 218-209. >> let me ask you about the republican party. the politics that the g.o.p. is now facing in the house. you write that the chances of getting it in the senate are nil and saying that the president would veto this bill, but it did

create some africa shon within the g.o.p. >> there are a lot of issues and it is devries i have in the republican party and has been even after we saw the election numbers in 2012 when romney lost the latino vote by a large margin and everyone in washington wanted to do comprehensive immigration reform, but we see there are different wings of the republican party when it comes to immigration. on the one end you have congressmen like congressman steve king who is one of the most vocal opponents. he is called for much tougher crackdowns on immigration and you have voices on the other end like congressman diaz-balart who has been working on a pathway to

citizenship. there is an element of presidential politics here as well. this is legislation that others who are considering a run for the presidential nomination. like marco rubio of florida, rand paul of kentucky and ted cruz of texas will have a chance to vote on in the coming weeks and it will be fascinating to see the influence of the 2016 races. >> so this will come before the senate. senator mcconnell will bring it to the floor? >> there is no final decision. his office is saying that numbers are discussing the pathway forward. no formal decision as of now, but if the house takes up -- or if the senate takes up this legislation or something similar, the implication will be interesting to observe. >> she covers congress for politico. thanks. >> the house voted today to roll back president obama's

immigration actions. the vote 236-191. that reporter from politico writing that the house version of the homeland security spending bill has no hope of getting through the senate, where democrats have said they will wage a filibuster and some republicans are likely to join in opposition. some senators weighed in. senator boxer sent a tweet writing instead of fixing our broken immigration system, the house g.o.p. wants to deport millions of hard-working students and split apart loving families. we will hear some of the debate now from the house floor before the vote. >> i want to thank the chairman of the appropriations committee mr. carter for his leadership, and putting a comprehensive bill on the floor. our presenting today along with my distinguished colleagues in particular from south carolina, mr. mulvaney, and also mr. barr

leta from pennsylvania, an amendment that defunds the president's unconstitutional executive actions on illegal as has been noted here, the house voted to fund the federal government for this fiscal year. but we kept funding on a continual resolution. we made a promise to the american people that once we had a republican senate, we would work together as a congress to ensure that the president's unconstitutional and unilateral actions would not go unchecked. today, with this amendment, that promise has been kept. at this time, i would like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from texas, the chairman of the homeland security subcommittee for one minute.

the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one meant. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this amendment. executive action of november 20 2014, and the marton memos of 2011-2012 are direct contravention of congressional intent and have no standing in current law and must be dismantled. apparently the president learned nothing from the devastating results of his previous executive amnesty. deferred action for childhood arrival, daca, which led to nearly 70,000 children arriving on our southern border last summer at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to the american taxpayer. this amendment turns back the president's shortsighted executive overreach. for that reason i strongly support its passage. we will also consider four additional amendments today. all of them seek to correct many of the dangerous actions the president has taken on this issue and restore the rule of law. i plan to support all of these

amendments and urge my colleagues to do the same. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: without objection. mr. price: mr. chairman i rise in strong opposition to this poison pill amendment which is a laundry list of attacks on anything the executive branch has done to improve immigration and border security policy. it caters to every whim of the republican conference most extreme elements. it would defund the secretary's southern border campaign designed to unify border security efforts. it would defund the policies to improve employment-based immigration and bring highly skilled workers into our country. it would defund the policy to parole in place family members of citizens or lawful permanent residents who seek to enlist in the u.s. military. a policy supported by the department of defense. incredibly, it would defund the department's provision of temporary relief to individuals who are brought to this country

illegally as children. those covered by the dream act. and to the parents of u.s. citizens who meet certain criteria. it would defund the secretary's policy of immigration enforcement priorities. every prosecutor in this country exercises some level of discretion to make the most of limited resources. we want our police to pursue murderers over traffic violators. we also should want d.h.s. to focus enforcement efforts on illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities. it would be preferable as the president is the first to acknowledge to pass comprehensive immigration reform to address our country's festering immigration challenges. but in the face of house republicans' failure to act, the president has taken well considered steps, each of them well-grounded, in his legal authority. if the republican majority wishes to change the law in some way to deny him such authority they should introduce legislation to do so.

but adoption of this amendment would sabotage the homeland security funding bill and undermine our nation's security at a time of great danger. i urge colleagues to oppose this amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you mr. chairman. i'd like at this point to recognize the majority leader of the house of representatives and thank him for his leadership. yield him one minute to speak. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, when the president was asked about his deportation policy early in 2013, mr. speaker, president obama said, quote i'm the president of the united states of america. i'm not the emperor of the united states. my job is to execute laws that are passed. a few days earlier, he said, mr. speaker and i quote, i'm not a

king. i'm the head of the executive branch of government. i'm required to follow the law. 22 times mr. speaker, the president said he couldn't ignore immigration law and create new laws by himself. but now, mr. speaker, president obama has done exactly what he said he could not do. what changed between then and now? nothing. le it our constitution is exactly the same. -- our constitution is exactly the same. and congress retains the sole power to legislate. mr. speaker presidents do not have the right to rewrite any law in any instance. the fact is explicit and clear in regards to immigration, actually when it comes to immigration, the supreme court stated, i quote, over no conceivable subject is the legislative power of congress more complete. this is not a battle between democrats and republicans.

or a battle between pro-immigration and anti-immigration. it doesn't matter whether mr. speaker, we like the results of what the president did or not. this is about resisting the assault on democratic government and protecting the constitutional separation of powers. let me be clear, this bill funds the entire department of homeland security. so that is not an issue here. when we vote today there is only one question to ask, do we weaken our constitution by allowing the executive to legislate? or do we defend the most fundamental laws of our democracy? there is no middle ground. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman, i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from new york, our ranking member on appropriations, mrs. lowey. the chair: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for two

minutes. mrs. lowey: thank you mr. chairman. the 114th congress started one week ago with republican leadership saying they wanted to work together. while it only took a week for republican leadership to fold to its right wing instead of compromise we see confrontation. make no mistake. the amendments being debated this morning would stop the bill, would kill the bill, hurt those who are brought here as children, and know no other country than the united states prevent the department of homeland security from prioritizing the deportation of national security threats and dangerous felons, and a little more than a collection of political sound bites. if you don't agree with the president's enforcement actions, which are legal and similar to

steps taken by several republican presidents then let us have a serious debate about comprehensive immigration reform then bring an immigration bill to the floor. the president's executive actions will grow the economy by le $90 billion to $210 billion over the next 10 years, raise average wages for u.s.-born workers by 170 a year. the house republican proposal would not only eradicate these gains, but harm numerous security initiatives. after the tragic events in paris, it is appalling that some would jeopardize our national security by adding these irresponsible amendments. let's vote against these poison bills and move forward with a solid bipartisan homeland

security bill supported by democrats republicans and the house and the senate. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from reserves. the gentleman from aba is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from virginia, the chairman of the house judiciary committee, mr. goodlatte. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. goodlatte: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this issue. i urge my colleagues to support the aderholt-mulvaney-barletta amendment. the amendment will completely defund president obama's unconstitutional power grab, granting deferred action status and work authorization to over four million unlawful aliens. this policy threatens the separation of powers between congress and the executive branch. and violates president obama's obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. in addition to barring the use of appropriated funds to carry out this policy the amendment will also bar president obama from using immigration user fees

to accomplish his executive fiat. the amendment also defunds the obama administration's so-called prosecutorial suppression memo that have gutted immigration enforcement within the united states and the amendment defunds the ability of aliens to receive any federal benefit based on these policies. finally, the amendment makes clear that the defunded programs have no statutory or constitutional basis and therefore have no legal effect. i again urge my colleagues to support this very good amendment. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. gutierrez, the chairman of the immigration task force of the congressional hispanic caucus. the chair: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mr. gue tear rest: -- mr. gutierrez: mr. gutierrez: wow.

time flies when you're playing politics with people's lives. just a year ago as the republican majority was rushing off to their retreat, they had a very different story. here it is. house immigration reform 2013, goodlatte, cantor working to give legal stat to us kids. house majority has status for undocumented. republicans see the light on immigration reform. and what are the headlines today? behold, the republican immigration strategy mass deportation. one year ago. this is the difference in the headlines that your parties, public policy on immigration have caused. but wait. let's see what you said in your principles. it is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence

and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own. those who no -- know no other place as home. we cheered on and one year later you want to take away from 600,000 dreamers their right to live in this country and to live legally. you want to deport them all. what happened? the chair: the ware would remind the gentleman to direct their remarks to the chair and not to other members. mr. gutierrez: well then let me say this. i just think if that's what happened in one year what are you going to come up with next year? what's your game plan for next year? if this is the kind of position you've taken from one year to the next. let me say this, the action you take today i know you believe will cause fear and confusion

and consternation in the immigrant community throughout this nation so thereby causing the failure of the president's executive order because no one will sign up. but let me tell you something. the fruits of your action today will cause only anger and outrage and the mobilization of an immigrant community throughout this nation that will be the death nail to the future of your party as a national institution. that is what you will reap today with this. tonight, i will be with congressman cicilline and i will be there standing with the archdiocese, catholic archdiocese evangelicals in providence, rhode island. where will the republican party be? telling them we can't do any better. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, the co-sponsor of this

amendment and who has been helpful in crafting this amendment and at this time i'd like to recognize mr. barletta. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. barletta: mr. speaker i rise in support of this amendment which i co-authored with my colleagues. its purpose is simple. we defund president obama's unlawful executive amnesty program for illegal immigrants. as we know, the president announced that only two months ago but we also know that's not when this executive amnesty truly began. it began in 2011 with the morton memos. those memos told officials not to pursue certain broad categories of illegal immigrants. our amendment defunds the enforcement of those memos and that goes to the heart of the amnesty program. in short, these memos told immigration officers to view the law the way president obama wished it had been written rather than how congress actually wrote it. that's the crux of this. in the united states, we still have a legislative branch of

government, and our amendment defends it. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, ms. sanchez, the chair of the congressional hispanic caucus. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. sanchez: mr. speaker, i rise today to speak against h.r. 240, the venomous and dangerous republican appropriations bill for the department of homeland security. this bill and its amendments pandor to those in the republican party who are unhappy with president obama's executive action on immigration. it's malicious and foolishly puts our country at risk. republicans brought this legislation under the guise of defending the constitution, but the president's actions are constitutional. the obstruction and political games that republicans are playing are the true behaviors

that need to be condemned. republicans aren't interested in offering solutions or working to tackle the most pressing issues facing our country. how do i know? because instead of offering a long-term solution to fix our broken immigration system, republicans have opted to hold hostage funding for one of the most critical agencies in our government. and as they peddle their mall otts about immigrants, to pander to their base, they put our national security at risk. we should be doing everything we can to provide our security agencies with the support and the resources they need to prevent attacks like the ones that occurred in france last week. instead, republicans are willing to withhold funding our national security in order to send a message to the president. and as if that weren't juvenile enough, this bill also attacks the most vulnerable in our society. republican amendments seek to revictimize those who have suffered domestic violence.

picking on one of the groups least able to defend themselves. you know, when i was a kid we just called that bullying. republicans are consciously targeting millions of families who work hard, who contribute to their communities and are just trying to give their children a chance at the american dream. you know that same dream that many of our parents and grandparents had when they came to this country? mr. speaker, with this bill, republicans are not just abandoning basic humanity, they're also turning their backs on the economic benefits that come with bringing these people out of the shadows. we could grow our economy anywhere from $90 billion to $210 billion over the next 10 years if we allow workers a chance to participate in the formal economy. mr. speaker, this is a new congress and a new opportunity to work together. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. sanchez: as a country we are better than that and shame on you. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady's

time has expired. the gentleman from alabama is recognized mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from south carolina who not only is a co-sponsor of this amendment, but who is very instrumental in this amendment taking place so at this time i'd like to yield to mr. mulvane eave south carolina. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. mulvaney: mr. chairman, i want to implore my colleagues across the aisle to please, please, please support this amendment. let's take away for at least one day the r or the d from behind the president's name. let's take away the r and the d from behind our names and look at this for what it is. a president doing something for something he cannot do -- make law. using the excuse of this body cannot act so that he can? that's not how the system works and it is wrong and i'm here today to tell you that if in the future a republican president does the same thing, i will be the first to be here with you to stand against that to fight back. but today i implore you,

please, support the amendment even if you are voting against the bill in order to send the message that law is not made in the white house. law is not made because congress fails to act. law is made in this room when we do act, and every single time that any president violates that he violates all of this institution. thank you, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman may i inquire as to the remaining time on both sides? the chair: the gentleman has two minutes remaining. the gentleman from alabama has four minutes remaining. mr. price: i reserve, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman. at this time i'd like to yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. our nation's constitution is

clear -- congress holds the power of the purse. there are no exceptions, there's no asterisks and there's no fine print. the founders in order to prevent these exact these circumstances, a president who ignores the law, intends to govern unilaterally. it's the responsibility of every member of this house to support this amendment to maintain our representative government and to uphold the framework of our republic. our immigration system isn't broken. it's just not being used. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: i'd like to inquire how many speakers are on the minority side. mr. price: mr. chairman, we have no further speakers. that's why i'm reserving. the chair: the gentleman reserves. mr. price: i intend to close. the chair: the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman

from alabama, mr. palmer, who is joining us from the birmingham and is a new member to the house of representatives and i'd like to recognize him for 130ekds. the chair: the gentleman from alabama is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. palmer: i thank you mr. speaker. president obama has created a constitutional crisis by taking action that in his own words changes the law. that power is not vested in the president. it's vested in congress, along with the power of the purse, as has been mentioned, to take action when the executive branch overreaches. this isn't about immigration policy. it's about defending and upholding the constitution. this amendment defunds the president's action and i'm prow to -- i'm proud to support it. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of hisim the gentn rv the gelen omor cara reserves. the gentleman is recognized from alabama. mr. aderholt: oh, at this time i'd like to recognize the gentleman from pennsylvania.

he is not available right now. at this time let me yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. sensenbrenner. the chair: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. sensenbrenne mr. chairman eight days ago members of this house said the following -- i do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of which i am about to enter, so help me god. this is a question of whether this house and its members fulfill that oath. we have a choice here. we can either agree with what the president did or defend the constitution. vote aye. the chair: the gentleman's time

has expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. aderholt: i'd like to yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from arkansas, mr. westerman, again, a new member to this body and, again, i yield him 30 seconds. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. westerman: i thank the gentleman for yielding, and i rise in support of this amendment. mr. speaker, many of my constituents are much like me. we are ready for a government that works like the one we studied in civics class, one with co-equal branches of power. winston churchill once stated that the price of greatness is responsibility. as members of the legislative branch voting yes for this amendment is a responsible step in the right direction. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina has two minutes remaining.

mr. price: mr. chairman, i would like to close so i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama has two minutes remaining. and is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman. again, let me just say before the gentleman closes, the amendment here before us today prevents any funds appropriated or user fees collected by any federal agency to be used to carry out executive actions that were announced on november 20 2014, which would grant deferred action to an estimated four million people in the country illegally and unlawfully. again, this goes back to the promise made back by the republican congress -- republican house of representatives back at the end of last year and we addressed this issue saying that we would work on this issue, make a commitment to address this issue of the president's action when this bill came before the floor and that's fulfilling this promise today.

so, again, i would ask my colleagues to support this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: mr. chairman, i want to close by, again, thanking colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the good work done on the underlying bill, which is a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated agreement on homeland security. it's really a shame that we're faced here today with an amendment that has the potential to wreck this bill and to damage the homeland security department so badly. now, i don't say that lightly. i think members know i don't interject terms like poison pill into debates lightly. but believe me, that term applies to this amendment we're considering right now. . this amendment caters to every whim of the most extreme

elements of the republican conference. it doesn't just roll back the president's recent executive action action i which by the way, is thoroughly grounded in law and precedent. it goes beyond that. it rolls back in its entirety the progress that's been made over many years on prioritizing dangerous criminals for deportation and bring common sense to our deportation policy. it's a political vendetta. and in pursuing this political vendetta, republicans are putting at risk a full-year funding bill, worked out months ago, for the department of homeland security and they are doing that at a time of heightened alert. mr. chairman, this is an egregious abuse probably the worst i have ever seen, of the appropriations process. more than that it's a reprehensible reckless tactic

which will compromise, has already compromised the full and effective functioning of our homeland security department and puts the security of our country at risk. this amendment richly deserves our rejection. i reserve the balance of my time. i yield the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from -- the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from alabama, so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. price: i ask for the yeas and nays. the chair: the gentleman asks for a recorded vote. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18 further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from alabama will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 114-2. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from tennessee seek recognition? mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. chairman. i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2, printed in part b of house report number 114-2 offered by mrs. blackburn of tennessee. it the chair: pursuant to house resolution 27, the gentlelady from tennessee mrs. blackburn, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady fromtown tfpblet mrs. blackburn: thank you. -- fromtown tfpblet mrs. blackburn: thank you. i rise in support of my amendment to for -- unlawfully created by executive memo of june 15, 2012. my amendment prohibits federal funding fees and resources from being used to consider or adjudicate any new renewal, or previously denied application for any alien requesting consideration for deferred

action. article 1 section 8, clause 4 states, that the congress shall have power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. congress not the executive. president obama has circumvented congress and unilaterally rewritten immigration law from the oval office. a federal judge in pennsylvania said president obama's amnesty is unconstitutional and i quote number one inaction by congress does not make unconstitutional executive action constitutional, and number two, executive action goes beyond prosecutorial discretion. it is legislation. that is the reason we bring the amendment. at this time i yield one minute to the chairman of the house judiciary committee, chairman goodlatte. the chair: the gentlelady yields

one minute to the gentleman from virginia. the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. goodlatte: i thank the gentlewoman for yielding. i strongly support her amendment to h.r. 240 which prohibits federal funding or resources from being used to adjudicate any new, renewal, or previously denied application for the president's deferred action for childhood arrivals program. it is that simple. the president's daca program announced by the president and the secretary of the department of homeland security on june 15, 2015 violates the laws congress has written and is a user patient of plenary authority over immigration law that article 1, section 8 clause 4 of the united states constitution confers upon the legislative branch. for these reasons i urge my colleagues to support the gentlewoman's amendment to defund daca. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. chairman, i y