line 22, strike the period at the end and insert the following. colon, provided further that not less than $1 million of the funds proswrided under this heading shall be for the finalization and implementation of rules require under section 60102 n of title 49 united states code and section 8-b-3 of the pipeline safety regulatory certainty and job creation act of 211, 49 united states code, 60108 note, 125 stat 1911. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentlewoman from california and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california. mrs. capps: i mrs. capps: this issue is of particular importance to me and my constituents. two weeks ago, more than 100,000

gallons of crude oil spilled just north of santa barbara in my district. the oil flowed on to the beach and into the ocean where the oil slick spread south for miles affecting environmental habitats, recreational interests. while the exact cause of this spill are still being investigated, it is clear that inadequate pipeline standards played a significant role. it didn't have to be this way. in 2011, the house passed the pipeline safety regulatory certainty. this law which passed the house directed the pipeline administration to update and safety standards. the law required shutoff valves on new pipelines and to strengthen requirements for the

inclusion of leak detection technologies on pipelines. the law required these laws to be finalized. yet here today, we are still waiting. it has not even issued a proposed rule on these commonsense regulations. it continues to drag its feet in communities like mine continue to pay the price. it is time to follow the law. so my amendment is simple. it would set aside $1 million of its own budget for the finalization and implementation of these overdue rules. my amendment would help ensure that section 4 and section 8 of the bipartisan 2011 pipeline safety law are finally implemented so there are federal regulations in line with today's reality. my amendment does not cost a dime or authorize any new programs. section 4 requires new pipelines to install automatic shutoff

valves and pipeline operators to use the latest leak detection technologies. both of these provisions were enacted unanimously by this house in 2011. the pipeline that burst in my district did not have an automatic shutoff valve despite other pipelines in the area do use this technology. a valve would not have prevented the spill necessarily but would have minimized it. it took over two hours for the operator to identify where the pipeline ruptured and stop the flow of crude oil. if the standards required under section 4 and section 8 had been required of the pipeline in my district, the spill likely would have been less severe. my amendment would take a small and important step forward to address these issues by pushing them to get their act together and finalize these rules. oil and gas development by its nature are dangerous and dirty

businesses. the mere fact that businesses have oil spill contingency funds shows that there is no such thing as a safe pipeline. spills do happen and will continue to happen as we depend on fossil fuels. we have a responsibility to do all we can to make these pipelines as safe as possible. congress has repeatedly them to strengthen their standards yet this agency has done little. my amendment would hold their feet to the fire and get standards finalized and implemented. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment. the chair: the gentlelady from california reserves. any member seeking time in opposition? the gentlelady from california. mrs. capps: my amendment as i said -- i appreciate -- thank you -- i don't have anything further to say.

the chair: the gentlelady yields back. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? mrs. capps: i have amendment number 33. the clerk: amendment offered by mrs. capps of california, page 61 line 14, after the dollar amount insert increase by $26 million. page 61, line 17, insert increase by $27 million. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentlelady from california and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mrs. capps: despite respeeded bipartisan efforts to strengthen standards, the pipeline hazardous materials administration that is dragged its feet in implementings the

rules and not only has it failed to keep up with statutory requirements, they struggle to go with the rules on their books. rapid growth in the miles of new pipelines to inspect and needing to compete with the private sector for the best talent using limited resources. their preliminary estimates shows an increase in 2014 and with the miles of pipelines only multiplying, these numbers will grow. that's why my amendment would increase funding for the pipeline safety program by $27 million to simply match the president's own fiscal year 2016 budget request. while this will not solve the problems facing the agency, it will make a big difference in two key areas. first it would help retain and recruit the best inspectors and staff. last year, congress provided funding for 100 additional full-time employ crease to help

them adjust to the increasing demand and as part of the request, they requested $15 million to fully fund these employees. the current bill provides funding for one year of salaries. how is this agency supposed to attract the best talent when they can't count on their employees for more than a year at a time. my amendment would provide requested funding for the national pipeline information exchange. this information exchange would be a data base of integrated pipeline safety information from state regulators, industry and other federal resources. of the 2.6 million miles of pipeline in the united states, they inspect only 0%, while states monitor the remaining 80%. the information that the states gather is neither shared among the states nor with the agency.

that's kind of unbelievable. it makes no sense. we should be doing everything we can to analyze and understand this data. my amendment would fund this exchange to help regulators be more effective and better communities like mine from future spills. there are pilot exchange information programs in seven states and the funding provided by my amendment would allow the agency to extend these to 25 states. my amendment costs absolutely nothing for the american taxpayers. not one dime. the increased funding would come from a modest increase in user fees paid into the pipeline safety fund. these user fees are paid by the oil companies that profit enormously from the oil and gas flowing from the pipelines. oil companies are seeing record profits from a booming oil and gas development. this is leading to more miles of pipeline and more risks for local communities. the least they can do is to

ensure federal oversight of the industry is keeping pace with the growth. because when pipelines fail it's our local communities and our constituents, not the oil companies, that suffer most. my amendment takes this small step forward to help strengthen the pipeline safety and oversight. i urge my colleagues to support it. i would yield. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: i commend my colleague for offering this amendment and offer my strong support. we are talking about analyzing the funding and bringing these people on board permanently, people that were hired in fiscal 2015 and the better coordination of enforcement activities. we have two -- 2.6 million miles of pipeline across this country and i think the number is 548 personnel in the pipeline and

hazardous materials safety administration. this is an enormous task the the gentlelady's amendment would improve for us to address this challenge and i urge its adoption and i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady from california reserves. mr. diaz-balart: claim time in opposition. you know, the authorization for this program expires this year, mr. chairman and frankly, there are many questions and not clear that the next authorization would accommodate this funding level. so i understand the gentlewoman's passion but i would urge a no-vote on this amendment. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. capps: i again say i urge the passage of this bill. i have a classic example of why it's needed and ask for your

consideration. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the the gentlewoman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mrs. capps: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from california will be postponed. clerk will read. the clerk: page 62, line 1 emergency preparedness grants, emergency preparedness fund $188,000 to remain available until september 30, 2017. office of inspector general, salaries and expenses, $86 million. surface transportation board salaries and expenses $3137 ,000. general provisions department of transportation, section 180, during the current fiscal year appropriations to the department shall be available for

maintenance. section 181, appropriations shall be available for services as authorized by 5 united states code 3109. none of the funds shall be available for salaries and expenses of more than 110 political and presidential appointees in the department. section 183 no recipient of funds shall disseminate personal information obtained by a state department of motor vehicles. section 184 funds received by the administration from states counties and public authorities and private sources may be credited to the administration's federal aid highways account. section 185 none of the funds may be used to make a loan or a grant unless the secretary notifies the committees. section 186 rebaits minor fees and other funds are to be credited and allocated to the

department. section 187, amounts made available that the secretary determines represents improper payments by the department to a third party contractor which are recovered, shall be available to reimburse expenses incurred in recovering improper payments. section 188, funds provided in or limited by this act or subject to a reprogramming action. section 1889, none of the funds may be used by the surface transportation board to charge or collect any filing fee. section 190 funds appropriated may be obligated for the costs related to assessments or reimburseable agreements. section 191, the secretary is authorized to carry out a program that establishes uniform standards. section 192 none of the funds shall be used by the surface transportation board with respect to the construction of a high-speed rail project in california. section 193, none of the funds

may be used to facilitate new scheduled air transportation originating from the united states if such flights would land on or pass through property confiscated by the cuban government. this title may be cite as the department of transportation appropriations act 2016. title 2, department of housing and urban development management and administration, executive offices. $14,500,000. add tiffer support offices including frfer transfer of funds $547 million. program office salaries and expenses, public and indian housing $203 million. community planning and development $102 million. housing, $372 million. policy development and research

322 million. fair housing and equal opportunity 73 million. office of lead hazard control and healthy homes, $6,700,000. public and indian housing programs -- the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. green: i have an amendment at the desk. . . the clerk: page 74, line 3 -- mr. green: i ask that the amendment be considered as read. the chair: is there objection? without objection, the amendment is considered read. mr. diaz-balart: i reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. the chair: the point of order is reserve. the gentleman from texas and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. green: i rise tonight in support of the people who make it possible for us to be here. of course i speak of those persons who go to distant

places, those persons who serve us in our military who don't always return the same way they left. and i rise tonight because we've had a successful program the h.u.d. dash program has been successful and it has contributed to the decline in homelessness among those persons who make it possible for us to be here, who make real the great and noble american ideals, liberty and justice for all. government of the people, by the people for the people. mr. chairman homelessness has declined 33% among our veteran population since 2010. and this is because the president made it a priority president obama indicated that he would reduce homelessness among veterans and he had 2015 as a targeted date.

i'm proud to say that in my city of houston, texas our mayor had an event just recently with three h.u.d. secretaries and it was announced at that event that in houston texas, the resources were available to accommodate a veteran in need of a place to call home. tonight mr. chairman i have an amendment that would accord $75 million to the h.u.d. dash program. this $75 million would be used to make sure that what we have done, we will not only continue to do but we can do even better. i believe that the people who have served us and who find themselves now living on the streets of life should have a better quality of life. for this reason, i will promote this amendment tonight understanding that a point of

order has been made but also understanding that it's necessary for us to continue to remind ourselves that we have people who are willing to make the sacrifice and that we should make sacrifices for them. i yield. mr. diaz-balart: i thank the gentleman for raising this issue, i look forward to working with this gentleman. all of us know there's never anything, never enough that we could ever do for our veterans. so again, i thank the gentleman and i look forward to continuing to work with the gentleman. i thank you for yielding your time. mr. green: thank you, mr. chairman. if i may say so i would also like to, i think the congress -- i thank the congress of the united states of america. congress has appropriated money for this dash program. i've always tried to get more because i think our veterans deserve as much as we can give them but i am appreciative for

what congress has done and i'm appreciative for what you've done. tonight i will withdraw my amendment mr. chairman, but i do so with the understanding that as we move forward knowing that we have done a great job, the president has done well, that the cities and municipalities have worked well with the president, this has been an integrated system, holistic approach to ending homelessness among our veterans, but i still believe we cannot allow ourselves to relax. we must never assume we have done enough for those who are willing to do all for us. with this i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman seeks unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. hearing no objection, the amendment is withdrawn. for what purpose does the gentlelady from the district of columbia seek recognition? ms. norton: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by ms. norton of the district of

columbia. after the dollar amount insert increased by $512 million. page 75rk line 6, after the dollar amount insert increased by $512 million. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. diaz-balart: i reserve a point of order on the gentlewoman's amendment. the chair: the gentleman's point of order is reserved. pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentlewoman from the district of columbia and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from district of columbia. ms. norton: i rise to offer an amendment to h.r. 2577. the transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies appropriations act, that would fully fund the existing housing choice vouchers and replenish the 67,000 vouchers lost to fiscal year 2013 sequestration. it is difficult, mr. speaker to think of a more urgent issue confronting the american people. affordable housing has reached

zero in many communities of our can'try. it is estimated that 2137b9 million low income families utilize the housing choice voucher program. these are the most vulnerable among us including children, senior citizens veterans, and persons with disabilities who rely on this important program to keep their families from becoming homeless. most families must make roughly $18.92 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment which is more than 2 1/2 times the federal minimum wage. in the district of columbia, families -- where affordable housing has virtually disappeared, families must make $28.25 per hour. to afford a two-bedroom apartment. in the nation's capital, one --

making the nation's capital one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation. the district mirrors cities and suburbs throughout the country, however. for over a decade, district residents have faced increasing rents, stag fant incomes and disappearance of affordable rental units. as a result the city has had to close, actually close altogether, its housing waiting list which includes vouchers leaving more than 72,000 people waiting to be placed and thousands more waiting for a chance even to get on the list. my amendment would fund president obama's budget request to restore 67,000 vouchers lost in the fiscal year 2013 sequestration. bringing urgently needed relief to struggling families across the country. i urge my colleagues to support

this amendment. what is congress here for if not to bring some relief to millions of families across the country, those who are most in need. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from florida insists on his point of order? mr. diaz-balart: i do. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: this amendment is not in order under section 3-d-3-house resolution 5, 114th congress which states the following, mr. chairman. it shall not be in order to consider an amendment to a general appropriations bill proposing a net increase in budget authority in the bill unless mr. chairman unless convert -- unless considered en bloc with another amendment or amendments proposing an equal or greater decrease in such budget authority pursuant to clause 2-f of rule 21. the amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill in violation of such section. mr. chairman i respectfully ask

for a ruling from the chair. the chair: does any member wish to be heard on the point of order? ms. norton: i would like to be heard. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. norton: but for sequestration, probably most of these vouchers would have gone through. they're already cut. these are cuts that were never anticipated. these were sequestration cuts. the congress cannot ignore forever the neediest people for housing. as homelessness increases and as there is no relief whatsoever. so i understand the point of order i can't agree wit. i think at some point this congress must face what it must do for people who but for sequestration, something none of us wanted, none of us anticipated would at least among them have some who would have these housing vouchers. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman makes a point of

order on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from the d.c. degree violates section 3-d-3 as asserted by this gentleman from florida it proposes a net increase in budget authority therefore the point of order is sustain and the amendment is not in order. the clerk will read. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. nadler of new york. page 4, line 23, after the dollar am insert increased by $1204,853,210. page 75, line 6, after the dollar amount insert increased by $182,816,000. page 79, line 1, after the dollar amount insert increased by $20 million. page 81, line 13 after the dollar amount insert increased by $490397,000.

shall be for incremental rental voucher assistance under section 80 of the act to be distributed based on relative need. as determined by the secretary provided that the secretary shall make such funding available notwithstanding section 204 competition provision of this title. 6. $176,000,000 shall be used for incremental rental voucher system for use by families, veterans -- mr. nadler: i move to waive reading of the bill. the chair: without objection, the reading is waived. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. diaz-balart: i reserve a point of order on the amendment. the chair: the point of order is reserved. purr suvente to house resolution 287, the gentleman from new york and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. nadler: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the funding levels in this bill are uh unrealistic and

unsustainable and clearly demonstrate that the budget process has failed. it shows where the majority's focus lies clearly not to provide for the safety bnd ale -- and well being of its citizens they have public housing capital fund is slashed by $200 million. barely reaching its 1989 level, almost 30 years ago. this will cover less than half of the basic maintenance needs and does nothing to address the $25 billion in deferred projects. for the first time since 2007 this body will provide no new funding to provide housing and support to homeless veterans. the housing control is cut by 32% even as the "washington post" reported two months ago that in low income wealth baltimore -- west baltimore neighborhoods more than 3% of children under the age of 6 have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood which we know leads to learning disabilities and can lead to lifelong

dependency, not to mention lifelong dependency on the taxpayers. perhaps most startling is the bill's failure to provide low income seniors adequate access to affordable housing. 2.1 million very low income households to rent at an afford cost. households that use vouchers have an average income of $13,000 per year. well below the federal poverty line. nearly all include children, seniors or people with disabilities. only about one in four eligible low income families receive federal rental assistance. long waiting lists remain in nearly every community and these long waits are exacerbated by a lack of administrate funding for public housing agencies. sequestration has only made the situation worse. as of june of last year, an estimated 100,000 fewer families were receiving assistance from section 8 due to sequestration cuts. 100,000 families cut off. these cuts have had a severe impact in communities at a time

when the number of low income renters remain 30% higher than it was before the great recession. through the f.y. 2004 and f.y. 2015 appropriations bills, congress began the work of reversing the deep cuts in assistance caused by sequestration but nearly 67,000 vouchers have yet to be restored. my amendment would finally restore those lost vouchers by providing an additional $512 million to the voucher renewal account. this amendment mirrors the president's request and targets 30,000 vouchers for those families and individuals most in need of housing assistance. homeless family, veterans including those not covered by the v.a. program victims of domestic violence and native americans. the bill does include important and hetchful language directing thoud target vouchers to the vulnerable populations as they become available but provides no funds for h.u.d. to do so. my amendment sets aside specific

funding for these target vouchers to ensure the most vulnerable populations have access to affordable housing this will go a long way to make sure that every family that qualifies for rental assistance finds a home. at the funning levels of administrative fees it would be impossible forepublic housing agencies to hire and main stain taff to process an renew vouchers. we cannot continue to undermine our hardworking public housing agencies by failing to provide them money to function. my amendment would finally address the undercutting of public housing agencies by providing an additional $490 million to match the president's request. this is the minimal we can do to meet vital, vital needs of our lowest income citizens of our veterans. i urge the adoption of this amendment. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. . mr. nadler: i reserve. the chair: for what purpose does -- the gentleman from florida

continue to he reserve? mr. diaz-balart: mr. chairman, the amendment is not in under on resolution 5 which states it shall not be in order to consider an amendment to a general r general appropriations bill unless considered en bloc with another amendment or amendments proposing an equal or greater decrease in such budget authority pursuant to clause 2-f of rule 21. the amendment clearly proposed -- proposes a net increase in budget authority in violation of such section. i ask a ruling from the chair. the chair: anyone wish to be heard? the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: we can agree that this amendment is necessary. we are talking about the tens of thousands of families.

without this amendment we will see a spike in homelessness and spike in medical costs and spike in hungry children. i understand the point of order and the rules demand eanch offset for funding increases and i appreciate the chairman's efforts to support section 8. it is impossible to offset this drastic underfunding. when faced with a funding bill that provides -- i'm speaking to the point of order. the chair: the gentleman will confine his remarks to the point of order. nat mr. nadler: it is leaving victims of domestic violence with no access to housing we need to take action. i hope that as we go forward we can provide funds so kids, working families and seniors are not out on the street.

the chair: the chair is prepared to rule. the point of order is sustained and the amendment is not in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? mr. price: i move to strike the last word. i think it's very important that this moment not pass without expressing appreciation to mr. nadler and to ms. norton for these amendments they've offered, because they are addressing a critical issue, a critical deficiency in this will bill and believe me mr. chairman, this is just the tip of the iceberg. the president proposed in his budget to provide additional

rental vouchers to compensate for those lost earlier to sequestration. he also proposed funding for 30000 new targeted vouchers. homeless families, veterans, native americans, victims of domestic violence and stalking, reuniting families. because of this budget policy that has us so hamstrung we are simply not in this bill addressing any of these desperate needs and i invite colleagues to talk to their local housing authorities if they haven't already and ask how many are on the waiting list, ask how many people are desperate for housing, nothing more than decent housing. i don't know of a single housing

program that is underresourced and a budget policy that isn't working, a fiscal policy that is supposed to be doing. i said the tip of the iceberg, here's what i mean. the choice neighborhoods initiative the successor to the hopes 6, that has been a successful program in my area of north carolina. $20 million. that's a token amount and i hope we will revisit that amount later. public housing capital fund, $1.68 billion. that is a cut from last year. that goes back to where we were 26 years ago. and then we have a $25 billion backlog not even beginning to address that. mr. chairman, my district displays housing for the elderly , rental housing for the elderly

and housing for the disabled local congregations have taken on these projects and group homes that have done a wonderful job. this budget turns them into rental renewal programs, no increase in the supply. and so it goes. so mr. nadler and ms. norton have impressed the case for tenant-based rental assistance, for these vouchers. and for addressing some of these very needy categories of our fellow citizens. but i tell you, it is the tip of the iceberg and only one of an array of programs that we very much need to address. and i'm hopeful that the inadequacy of this bill tonight and the kind of debate we are

having tonight and the sharp relief that these needs are being put into -- let's not wait for a presidential veto or some kind of governmental shutdown. let's show we can govern and take hold of our situation invest the way a great country should invest, and secure our fiscal future and makes room for the kind of investments we should make. i thank my colleagues for bringing up these critical housing needs. we simply must address them in the weeks ahead. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i have an amendment. the clerk: page 74, line 23, after the dollar amount insert reduced by $614 million. page 75, line 6, after the dollar amount insert reduced by

$434 million. page 31, line 13, insert reduced by $180 million. page 81, line 23, insert by $180 million. line 15 after the dollar amount increase by $614 million. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287 the gentleman from wisconsin and a member opposed will recognize the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. grothman: i look at this budget and see an increase in section 8 housing and i look at the huge debt and why are we spending more. and people look at the increase and say why, that is just a pitance. a 3% in increase in any program in the debt that we are should be viewed skepticically.

i have an amendment to get rid of the increase. now as i understand there is an increase is because we are getting resets under section 8 housing and we feel that the citizens of this country have to make up the difference. my opinion is they have done nothing that we have to take more out of their pocket by taxes or ways of inflation and should not be increasing this. there is a waiting list on a lot of these programs. that doesn't mean we have to spend more money. if we are giving something away for free, there is always going to be a waiting list. if you go out out in society and the store says we are going to give something away for free, we have a waiting. this is a flawed program for a couple of reasons. i don't object to using it for elderly or disabled people but for many programs eligibility

for this program is to help you. first of all, you are required not to work very hard. and the gentleman made a point that the income level of these people in the projects isn't that high. if they made more high, they wouldn't be eligible. of course they aren't making a lot of money. it is wrong to set up a program that discourges industry. the second thing wrong with this program is it discourages marriage. a lot of these are set up such that if somebody marries the mother or father of their children working harder you lose the subsidy. i can't imagine anything more foolish of setting up a program we will give you a apartment but if you get married we'll take away the apartment. it's time we look at it again and the idea of pouring $614

million in this program is out of line. thank you for the time. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. anyone seeking time in opposition? mr. price: i claim time in opposition. mr. price: i claim the time in opposition with considerable enthusiasm. it's as though what i said five minutes ago about the deficiencies of this bill, this whole budget strategy has left us so unenabled to address our needs. it's as if this gentleman took it and went in the opposite direction. his amendment reduces the allocation for the committee, an allocation that is already far too low. and it takes these rental assistance programs and reduces

them further. not only doesn't meet the need that we're seeing, but actually reduces what we're already doing. this means avicks and large-scale avicks. and it means a cutting back in communities across this country of the housing alternatives that people have. i have always thought that rental assistance, section 8 should be a housing program that conservatives should love because it is market-based. it is not contrary to what the gentleman says, a total free ride. as a matter of fact people a pay a third of their income in rent. what section 8 provides is a boost a modest boost, so that the housing -- these housing developments these apartment buildings can work, people can live there and put their own

money in and get a boost and able to move toward self- sufficiency. so it's not public housing it's housing for people who are able to do more for themselves and who are receiving support as they do that. this will be unconscionable to cut this program further. i, with great conviction, believe this would be a mistaken amendment, one that this body should reject. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it and the amendment is not adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. nadler: i have an amendment at the desk, nadler 33. the chair: we're not there. clerk will read. the clerk: page 83, line 13,

housing certificate fund, unobligated balances remaining from funds appropriated to the department may be used for renewal or amendments to section 8, project-based contracts. public housing capital fund, $1,186,000,000 to remain available until september 30 2019. $4,440,000,000. choice neighborhoods initiative, $20 million to remain available until september 30, 2018. family self-sufficiency, 75 million to remain available until september 30 2017. native american block grants $650 million to remain available until september 30, 2020. indian housing loan guarantee fund account $8 million.

community planning and development housing opportunities for persons with aids $332 million to remain available until september 30 -- the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. nadler of new york, page 9 , line 1, after the dollar amount drk the chair: without objection, the reading is suspended and pursuant to house resolution 287 the gentleman from new york mr. nadler: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. diaz-balart: i would like to reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. the chair: the point of order is reserved. the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: since 1992, the housing opportunities for persons with aids have provided a vital resource. 1237b9 million people in the

u.s. are living with hiv-aids. more than 500,000 of these individuals will need some form of housing assistance in the course of their illness, but 145,000 individuals have unmet housing needs. this combines housing support for people with hiv-aids allowing them and their families to stay in their house and remain active in the community. research clearly shows that stable housing leads to better health outcomes. providing stable housing reduces the risk of transnoigs a partner by 96%. it reduces emergency room visits by 36% and hospitalizations by 57%. in other words, investing a modest amount today saves us millions, if not billions of federal taxpayer dollars in the future. this is the only federal housing program to provide cities and states with dedicated resources to address the housing crisis

facing people living with hiv-aids and it traditionally enjoys strong bipartisan support. it's clear in this legislation. while nearly every other program, the bill -- it has been slashed by millions and funded at levels below functioning, it saw a slight increase in funding in the consideration of the bill. somehow the bill slimmed $320 million. i applaud any additional funding for it but i cannot call it a victory to understood it below the 2010 level when the wait list continues to grow and thousands die on the streets and in shelters because we refuse to provide a few million extra to provide them with the care they need. the national aids housing coalition estimates that in f.y. 2016 they need $364 million to those who need ther is vess us -- services and provide vital administrative spoth to improve the program. to reach that goal we need to find $32 million to trnch to

this program but the funding levels are so as by ma lil -- abysmally low that it's nearly impossible to move that money without gutting other programs. instead we have a scant $3 million increase that makes only a small dent in their real need but it will give hundreds of people -- hundreds more people and families access to life-saving services. it is a very small step but it is in the right direction. i believe if we have the chance to save even one life, let alone hundreds, we have a duty to act. to protect those living with h.i.v.-aids to stay within house rules, my amendment offset this is additional funding thru cuts to h.u.d.'s information technology fund. i recognize the importance of providing h.u.d. with phones and computers and understand the chairman and ranking member's concerns about additional cuts to this account but nothing is more important than quite simply saving lives. we must pass this amendment and give those families battling

hiv-aids a fighting chance. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and reserve. the chair: the gentleman from new york reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. diaz-balart: i withdraw my point of order. the chair: the gentleman withdraws his point of order. does any member seek time in opposition? mr. price: let me inquire of the chairman, does he plan to claim time in opposition? mr. diaz-balart: no, we will not be climbing time in opposition. mr. price: mr. chairman, although -- as a formality, i will claim that time. the chair: the gentleman claims time in opposition. mr. price: i'm not only not opposed, i'm enthusiastically in support of the amendment. but i do want to take a little extra time to mention some things connected to this that i think need to come to our colleagues' attention. first of all, this is not an ideal offset that mr. nadler has

chosen. it is simply an example of the problem we have had all evening. any funding amendment will fill only one hole by digging another. and so that's just the reality we're dealing with. but i do support this amendment. it runs the risk of further delaying h.u.d.'s acquisition of improved i.p. systems. we need to attend to that. in this bill, h.u.d.'s i.t. account is already $150 million below the fiscal 2015 million and $215 million below the president's request. this is not an account that has a will the to spare. i hope we can revisit that. but we've got to provide, maybe relatively easey to target this funding line we've got to provide h.u.d. with the tools it needs to properly administer other programs. we need, of course eventually a bipartisan budget agreement to allow for more credible bill that will adequately fund h.u.d.

and that h.u.d.'s i.t. -- that will adequately fund this and h.u.d.'s i.t. account both. let me say, in addition i hope that the chairman and other longtime supporters of this program are going to be able to work, we're all going to be able to work together to get this formula updated once and for all. the formula hasn't been updated for the distribution of funds, the allocation of funds, it hasn't been updated since the inception of the program in the early 1990's. without an update, many americans living with h.i.v. in areas of the country with the fastest growing infection rates, namely the south and rural america are not getting the housing support they desperately need. so as a member from a state with an aids death rate higher than the national average, issue, getting this form rah -- formula right is a matter of life and death for many of my constituents. so as we work on this bill in

the months to come, try to get the funding levels where they need to be, we also very much need to address that formula issue and i pledge my readytons work with my colleagues to have an equitable funding form rah. with that i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. nadler: how much time do i have left. the chair: a minute and a half. mr. nadler: i yield myself the balance of my time, i won't use it. i want to express my appreciation to the chairman despite the painful offset that he will have to deal with, which i won't have to deal with. i want to thank the chairman for not opposing this amendment. this amendment is a matter of life or death far large number of people. i urge my colleagues to adopt it. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the

ayes have it. the amendment is adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. nadler: i'd like the roll call on that. no a roll call on that. i withdraw that. the chair: the clerk will read. the clerk: community development fund $3,060,000,000 to remain available until september 30, 2018 unless otherwise specified. community development loan guarantees program account including rescission. $300 million. home investment partnerships program including transfer of funds, $767 million. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by

mr. al green of texas. in the department of housing and urban -- mr. green: i ask that the amendment be considered as read. the chair: without objection the amendment is considered as read. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. diaz-balart: i reserve a point of order. the chair: the gentleman's point of order is reserved. pursuant to hougs resolution 287, the gentleman from texas and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. green: let me start by acknowledging the honorable maxine waters. what i rent tonight is an amendment that she actually authored and i'd like to present it and in so doing, i want to remind us that this amendment deals with two programs that are near and dear to my heart. the affordable housing trust fund and the home program. these programs are near and deer to -- near and dear to my heart because the greatness of a nation will not be measured by how we treat people who live in the suites of life, how we treat the well off, the well heeled

and the well to do. the greatness of a nation is often measured by how we treat people who live in the streets of life. those who are too often among the least, the last, and the lost. this amendment seeks to provide aid and comfort for those who, but for the grace of god, could be you or me, but those who find themselves living in the streets of life. this amendment and dealing with the affordable housing trust fund will restore it. the current bill would actually eliminate the affordable housing trust fund. this amendment provides some degree of aid and comfort for those who are living at 30% of the area median income wherever they happen to live and in ms. waters' district this would mean an annual income of $20,200 for a family of four. i would dare say that there are few among us who would dare

attempt to live off of $20,200 as an individual. this helps a family of four with $20,00. this is what the affordable housing trust fund does. it helps people who are extremely low of income. my hope is that we'll be able to present this elimination of the affordable housing trust fund and this amendment does it. this amendment also will help those who can benefit from the home program, the home program can serve a family of four that earns up to $53,900 per year. this program is a partnership if you will, between state, municipal and federal government. it has been a program that has been of great benefit across the length and dredth of this country. there's -- and breadth of this

country. there's not a state that has not benefited from the home program. it is my hope that we can meet the president's request for the home program. it right now is about $293 million short of the president's request. this amendment would add that $293 million that the president has requested. i started by indicating that these are two programs that are near and dear to me. mr. chairman i believe that ruth smeltser was right when she indicated that some measure their lives by days and years, others by heartthrobs, passions and tears, but the surest measure under god's sun is what for others in your lifetime have you done? these programs afford us an opportunity to do for others, to be a blessing to those that have not been as blessed as we. my hope is that we will find a way to salvage both of these

programs restore the home program to what the president has requested and prevent the affordable housing trust fund from finding its way to the ash heap of history. i will reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: -- the chair: does the gentleman insist on his point of order? mr. diaz-balart: i insist on my point of order. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: mr. chairman, the amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill. the amendment is not in order under section -- as i get my glasses, mr. chairman. 3-d-3 of house resolution 5 114th congress, which states the following, it shall not be in order to consider an amendment to a general appropriations bill proposing a net increase in that bill unless considered en bloc with another amendment or amendments proposing an equal or greater decrease in such budget authority pursuant to clause 2-f of rule 21.

the amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill in violation of such section. so i ask for a ruling from the chair. the chair: any member wish to be heard on the point of order? mr. green: fi may. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized on the point of order. mr. green: thank you, mr. chairman. on the point of order understanding the rules, estill would beseech us mr. chairman, to give some consideration to the salvation of these programs. perhaps i'll be able to work with the chairman and in some way help those who are not in a position to help themselves. the chair: does the gentleman yield back in mr. green: i yield. the chair: the chair is prepared to rule. the gentleman from florida makes a point of order on the amendment of the gentleman from texas violates section 3-d-3 of house rule 5. the amendment poses a knelt increases in budget authority in the bill and therefore the point of order is sustained and the amendment is not in ordered of -- in order.

the clerk will read. the clerk: page 9 , line five, self-help and assisted home ownership opportunity program. $50 million to remain available until september 30, 018. homeless assistance grant including transfer funds $2,185 million to remain available until september 30 2018. housing programs, project based rental assistance. housing for the elderly $414 million to remain available until september 30, 2019. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. grayson: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: page 105, line 9 after the dollar amount insert increased by $2,000,000.

the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287 and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. grayson: this amendment seeks increase the elderly amount and decrease the research account within the department of housing and development. i hope my good friend agrees with me and i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. any member seeking time in opposition. the gentleman from florida. mr. grayson: i yield the balance of my time. the chair: those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the amendment is agreed to. clerk will read. the clerk: page 106 line 12, housing for persons with disabilities $152 million to remain available until september

30, 2019. housing crouge assistance, $47 million to remain available until september 30, 2017. rental housing assistance $30 million. payment to manufactured housing fees trust fund, $11 million. federal housing administration, mutual mortgage insurance program account $400 billion to remain available until september 30 2017. general and special risk program account $30 billion. government national mortgage association guarantees of mortgage-backsed security loans program account, $500 billion to remain available until september 30 2017. policy development and research, research and technology, $52,500,000 to remain available until september 30, 2017. fair housing and equal opportunity fair housing

activities $65,3 00,000 to remain available until september 0, 2017. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? clarmente the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. stivers page 114, line 10, reduce by $238 million, increase by 28 million. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287. mr. stivers: i would like to thank chairman diaz-balart and ranking member price for their hard work on this bill in preparing a bill in the best that we can do. i rise to curb lawsuit abuse and help fund our local governments. this creates congressional intent to redirect funds away

from the private enforcement account. my amendment would decrease by $28.375 million the private enforcement initiative and redirect those resources to the administrative initiative. i believe that the most efficient and effective way to protect fair housing is through administrative enforcement and we have state and local governments who administer those laws including rights and remedies every day. they act to help fair housing and they know their communities and can enforce in their communities best. my amendment would help protect more consumers. in fact i believe administrative enforcement is less expensive to taxpayers and more certain and has faster resolution and has less conflict of interest than some of these nonprofit proxy

agencies that use private enforcement through the private enforcement initiative. there is a gamplet a.o. study that revealed that more than half of the private enforcement initiative dollars were concentrated in just six of the 27 awardeys. i have asked the g.a.o. to look at private enforcement as far as its effectiveness because as i said, it is slower and more expensive than administrative enforcement. i would ask my colleagues to support my amendment to redirect these resources to our state and local governments who can more effectively administer justice. i ask my colleagues to support this amendment. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? mr. price: i seek the time in recognition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. price: i rise in opposition

to this amendment. we have only recently received it and haven't fully analyzed it but on the face it does appear to be shifting the support among private enforcement and public enforcement, the kind of private enforcement that involves community-based groups and involves more flexible ways of resolving conflicts and issues. i simply think it's ill-advised to undertake that shifting of funds and would suggest that we reject this. understanding that we can return to it and can examine this more fully. see exactly what's implied by this kind of internal shifting of funds within fair housing accounts. i suggest we reject. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio.

mr. stivers: to my colleague from north carolina that the administrative enforcement is more effective and more efficient and that's why we should redirect these resources internally inside fair housing. doesn't change fair housing dollars one penny. but redirects the resources to more efficient and effective means of enforcement from folks who enforce these laws every day to make sure the people that might be discriminated against get their redress sooner. i'm excited about this amendment and will lead to much more effective enforcement and does so without the conflict of these private organizations that can have conflicts of interests. and it's something i have been

working on a couple days since that rules committee meeting when it came up. and i apologize for not giving the gentleman from north carolina more notice. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk grayson number one. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. grayson of florida, page 114 line 19 after the dollar amount insert increase by $150,000. the chair: the gentleman from is recognized.

mr. grayson: this seeks to raise the cap for funding for the limited english by 50%. we aren't taking away anything from programs but lifting the cap. this amendment has passed by voice vote the last two years and it's my hope that it will do so again. more than 40 million americans who do not speak english as first english. this demonstrates that we have equal protection under the law. i hope for once again having the support of my friend from florida and for the house as a whole and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. member seeking time in opposition? question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the amendment is adopted. clerk will read.

the clerk: page 115 line 1 office of lead hazard control and healthy homes lead hazard reduction $75 million to remain available until september 30, 2017. information technology fund, $100 million, office of inspector general, $126 million. general provisions, department of housing and urban development including revisions, section 201, ooments recaptured from projects of the stewart b. mckinney act shall be rescinded. section 202, none of the amounts available may be used to for the purpose of achieving action by a government official. section 203. sections 203 and 209 shall apply

if such sections were included in this title. section 204. any grant made pursuant to title 2 shall be made on a competitive basis. section 205, funds shall be available for legal services and making payment for the services of the national mortgage association. section 206, no part of any appropriation shall be available for any program. section 207 corporations and agencies of the department are subject to the government corporation control act, authorized to make such expenditures. section 208, the secretary shall provide reports to the committees regarding all excess funds within the jurisdiction of the department. section 209, the president's budget request for fiscal year 2017 shall use the identical account structure provided under this act. section 210, public housing agency that administers housing

assistance for the housing authority for the county of los angeles, california and the states of alaska ohio and mississippi. section 211 no funds may be used for an audit of the governmental national mortgage association. section 212, the secretary may authorize the transfer of some or all project-based assistance associated with one or more multi-family housing project. section 213. no assistance shall be provided under section 8 -- the chair: the clerk will suspend. >> i ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 156 line 8 be considered read print printed in the record and open to amendment. the chair: without objection, so ordered. are there any amendments to that section?

clerk will read. the clerk: page 156 line 9, section 415 spending reduction account the amount by which the applicable allocation of new budget authority made by the committee on appropriations is zero dollars. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i have an amendment at the desk. clerment the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. stivers at the end of the bill before the short title insert the following, none of the funds made available may be used for the private enforcement for the fair housing initiatives program of 561-b of the community development act of 1986 42 united states code of

section 125.401 of the regulations of the secretary of housing and urban development 24 c.f.r. 125.401. the chair: the gentleman from ohio and a member opposed will each control five minutes. mr. stivers: we have accepted the congressional intent that we will have a preference towards administrative enforcement. this is a followup limitation amendment that says that we will not for this calendar year use the private enforcement initiative and as the gentleman from north carolina said we can come back but we need to have time for this study to come back because i would assert that administrative enforcement is less expensive and creates more certainty and happens faster and

has less conflict of interest than the private enforcement initiative and i would ask my colleagues support this limitation amendment on private enforcement initiative for this year period. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. any member seeking time in opposition. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. price: i claim time in opposition. mr. price: let me say how unfortunate i believe it is that we are dealing with this kind of amendment in this setting here tonight without really having much notice, million ability to understand the full implications. i do think we need to appreciate the role of what the gentleman calls private organizations, we're really talking about nonprofits, about mediators about the kind of working out of complaints, working out of problems, informal work with land lords, the kind of thing that actually helps avoid legal

action, avoid litigation. there's a lot that can be mediated, a lot that can be worked out in the fair housing arena, and there are many nonprofit groups that do a good job of that. the gentleman apparently has a lot of complaints about this, and there have been a couple of prominent complaints about this, i'm aware of that. but the notion that we would come in here and make a chidge of this magnitude, this importance, i simply don't think is responsible. so i'll speak for myself i'm perfectly willing to look at this matter down the road. i understand there may be some issues here. but this is a pretty drastic amendment. you're taking a whole area here of mediation, informal conciliation things that keep things out of the courts, keep things out of the legal system, out of litigation. i don't know why we'd want to do that. it seems reckless to me.

i recommend we reject this amendment. at the same time, pledging to look at this carefully, work on it later. with that i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from ohio. >> thank you, the gentleman from north carolina does recognize that there are problems in the private enforcement initiative he admitted that, there's a lot of lawsuit abuse. many of these organizations sue first, ask questions later don't do their due dill jebs, send interns to actually look at -- diligence, sent interns to actually look at the place before they get the facts. mr. stivers: the gentleman asserted we shouldn't make these changes. that's why the people sent us here to make things better. we're supposed to do it every day. this is a temporary one-year halt of the private enforcement initiative with the g.a.o. study not directed in this study but i asked for by letter to the g.a.o., when you ask them to,

they haven't looked at the program since 1997. it's time to look at this program in detail and i would assert that our local and state governments can also do the mediation that the gentleman from north carolina talked about mr. chairman. they can do it better and more efficiently and without the conflicts of interest some of these organizations have done. i think we ought to give it a try. that's the great thing about the annual appropriations bill. i'm certainly willing to admit if i'm wrong and we find out through a g.a.o. study that the private enforcement has worked well but there have been paper -- articles in the paper about some of the lawsuit abuse we've seen all across the country and i think we should just take a strategic pause here and give the money to our state and local governments who can betteren enforce our laws, they do it

every day. they can do it through the mediation and things that the gentleman asserts that these private enforcement initiatives can do so well. so i would urge my colleagues to support this amendment, i i think it will help make our fair housing laws better, it will protect more consumers. so with that, i yield back the balance of my time, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio. those in favor say aye. those opposed no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. mr. price: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: the gentleman requests a prorded -- recorded vote. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18 further proceed thonings amendment offered by the gentleman from ohio will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. grayson: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. grayson of florida. at the end of the bill before the short title insert the following, section, none of the funds made available -- mr. grayson: i ask unanimous consent that the read being

waived. the chair: without objection the reading is waived. pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentleman from florida and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. grayson: this amendment is identical to other amendments inserted by voice vote into every appropriations bill considered under open rule in the 113th and 114th congress. my amendment would expand the list of parties with whom the federal government is prohibited from contracting with due to serious misconduct on the part of the contractor. it's my hope that the amendment will be noncontroversial as it aws always has been. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: any member wish to claim time in opposition in the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the -- chair the ayes have it. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i have an amendment at the desk. choi -- the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: at the end of the bill before she short title

insert the following, none of the funds made available by this act may be used in contravention of section 121.584 to ed code of federal regulations. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentleman from pennsylvania and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. fitzpatrick: my amendment will ensure the f.a.a. is doing everything it can to certify that our aircraft are protected in a moment that pilots, flight attendants and federal security officers have said the plane is vulnerable. despite the attempt to secure the cockpit, a moment of as a rule nernlt remains when a pilot must open the hard cockpit door to eat, rest, or use the bathroom in long flights. during this door transition, the flight deck is vulnerable. current f.a.a. regulations require that the area outside

the flight deck be secure before the reinforced cockpit door is open. currently some airlines are using human shields or in some cases drink carts to try to block entry to the cockpit and claim it secure. but only one method has been thoroughly studied and proven to beat the threat of a trained hijacker exploiting this particular vulnerability. and that is an installed physical secondary barrier door. these barriers are light inexpensive wire gates able to protect the flight deck long enough for the pilot to shut the reinforced door. this double door security procedure is something that is rare -- that israeli airlines have been using for over a decade. they understand the risks and how to mitigate it. a cato study has shown the secondary barrier doors to be the most cost effective way to protect the cockpit door when the reinforced door is opened. this is not some hypothetical threat. we know for a fact that terrorists maintain the desire

to exploit vulnerabilities in our aircraft and the safety protocols to bring down an airliner as they did on seventh 2001. a recent "usa today" headline read isis' next test could be a 9/11-style attack. in 2013, outgoing f.b.i. director robert mueller said that the terror scenario he fears most remains an attack on an aircraft. perhaps no one knows the consequences of a terrorist hijacking an aircraft more than my constituent ellen. the terror hijackings of seventh took the life of her husband victor, captain of united flight 175, hijacked and flown into the south tower of the world trade center by al qaeda terrorists. inspired by ellen had the pilots and flight attendants that stand with her, i've been working with a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers to have these commonsense, cost effective security features installed on every single large passenger

aircraft in the united states through the bill h.r. 911, the aviation safety act. some have pointed to the layered security approach to aircraft security as proof that we don't need secondary barriers. but one only need to read current headlines to see the huge gap in our layered security. as we recently learned undercover agents we saw this week were able to get weapons past the t.s.a. 95% of the time. a recent advisory circumstance la issued by the f.a.a. highlights the risk to the cockpit during door transition and calls for the use of effective protection measures. support for this amendment today will build on this positive step used by the f.a.a. by showing that congress is serious about this issue. and that installed physical secondary barriers are the only way we can guarantee as f.a.a. regulations do require that the flight deck be secure prior to that reinforcement door being open. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from

pennsylvania reserves. any member wish to claim time in opposition? the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. fitzpatrick: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. grayson: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: the clerk will report. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. grayson of florida at the end of the bill before the short title insert the following, section none of the funds made available by this act may be used to make incentive payments -- mr. grayson: i ask unanimous consent that the read being waived. the clerk: without objection waiving of the reading. pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentleman from florida and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mr. grayson: this is a good government amendment the house passed by voice vote last year. it states that bonus payments should not be paid to contractors whose projects are behind schedule or overbudget. i urge support for this amendment that combats waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer

dollars and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. any member seeking to claim time in opposition? the gentleman -- the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinioner of the chair the ayes have it. the amendment is adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i move that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the committee rises. the chair: the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. -- the speaker pro tempore: the committee of the whole house on

the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 2877 -- the speaker pro tempore: the chairman of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports the committee committee has had under consideration h.r. 25 7 and and has come to no resolution thereon. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. grayson: i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourn today it adjourn to meet today at 9:00 a.m. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. diaz-balart: i move that the house adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn

that issue. a democrat from oregon talked about the fact that republicans really had proposed lower levels for amtrak. he would like to see higher level so that amtrak and other railroads could implement what is known as positive train control that the ntsb has said could have prevented the accident in philadelphia a few weeks ago. >> the white house has already issued a veto threat against the housing and urban development bill, largely based on amtrak funding. are other issues the white house is concerned about? >> largely based on amtrak, but there is a reduction for the pipeline. so he said that overall, he

finds the funding levels for transportation department to be insufficient as you said. earlier this week, he threatened to the bill if it should pass out of congress. >> before congress broker recess, they passed a patch for highway funding. what does the bill opposed to do about the highway funding measure? >> the highway funding in this bill would stay about the same as it was for fiscal year 2015. for that is contingent on lawmakers coming up with a long-term reauthorization bill. as you said, it is only a two-month patch. july, lawmakers will have to figure out what they want to do next. so far, they have not identified a long-term hunting mechanism. so that will be interesting. host: we have touched on transportation issues. but any other issues you expect to come up? >> i cover transportation, but

some of the issues that might come up, there are policy writers on this bill. there are some dealing with truck safety. the department of transportation has proposed a rule that would limit how long truck drivers are able to drive without rest. that is something i expect to be controversial. there is a policy writer that would block travel to and from cuba by plane or boat. that is something i expect to hear about as the debate gets to the floor. host: stephanie beasley covers transportation issues for bloomberg and bna. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> the new congressional directory is a handy guide to the 114th congress with color photos of every house member, plus contact information and twitter handles. plus, district maps, a foldout

map, a look at the president's cabinet, federal agencies, and state government. that is $13.95 plus shipping and handling on www.c-span.org. >> a house hearing on how isis uses social media to recruit spread propaganda, and plot terror attacks. law-enforcement officials testified about the online activities of isis and the gunman who attacked a cartoon contest in garland texas. congressman michael mccaul chairs the homeland security committee. >> the committee on homeland security will come to order. the purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony regarding increasing threat from violent islamic extremist groups such as isis who use the internet and social media to recruit fighter

share information, and inspire direct attacks. before i recognize myself for an opening statement i mind like to recommend daniel donovan of new york we have another new yorker on this committee. we are building a relationship here. his experience as a district attorney and dedication to public service make him i believe a valuable asset to this committee and we are happy to have you sir. appreciate it. >> gentlemen? >> i yield for the gentlemen from new york. >> i would like to welcome mr. donovan. he is an outstanding district attorney public servant and will work across the aisle. it is great to have you on board. >> ms. rice? >> as a democrat i would like to welcome my former colleague former da dan donovan.

great too you here and looking forward to working with you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> anybody else like to say hi? >> on a more serious topic, yesterday in boston reports are emerging that a man was killed by federal law enforcement officers after lunging at them with a knife. he was being investigated by the boston joint terrorism task force after communicating with and spreading isis propaganda online. non-associates of the man are being arrested as we speak. these cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized by social media. elton simpson in garland, fired

off tweets declaring loyalty to the islamic state and urged others to do the same. since then texas attack the decision to terrorize the prophet mohammed cartoon contest had signaled the event as a target. simpson told followers to follow a 20-year-old british foreign fighter embedded with isis in syria, and one of the group's top recruiters who has been linked to the sent com attack earlier this year. he issued a warning that same night stating quote the knives have been sharpened and soon we will come to your streets with death and slaughter. this attack shows a new era in which terrorism has gone viral.

extremist issued a call to arms to attack a radicalized follower he heeded the call and made sure information spread and motivated more. social networks are an ex tension of the battlefield overseas turning home-grown extremist into attackers. the proliferation of material online is extending a new battle. we are no longer hunting terrorist living in caves and only communicate through cure areas. we are facing an enemy to people whose violence is posted and promoted over the internet. the threat level at military basis across the country was elevated after isis supporters

post- post- posted the names of military members serves. inspiring fanatics can receive updates from extremist via twitter, watch isis blood lust on youtube view jihad selfies on instagram, read religious justifications for murder on just paste it and find travel guides to the battlefield on ask fm jihad. recruiters are mastering the ability to prey on susceptible youth seeking out users who have questions about islam or want to know what life is like in the so-called islamic state. they engage establish bonds of trust, and assess the commitment of their potential recruits.

from there extremist direct users to continue the conversation on more apps and secure communication hide the message from intelligence agencies. such communication involves advice for terror safe havens, contact information for smugglers or the membership process for joining isis. i know people are disturbed by the trend joining us. mobile apps like kick and what is up and apps like whicker and sure spot are allowing extremist to communicate outside of the of law enforcement isis attempts to use the dark or deep web with just as concerning. these websites hide ip addresses and can't be reached by search engines giving terrorist another means by which they can recruit

fighters, share intelligence raise funds. yesterday in boston they tailored the message for specific audiences and in doing so it projects power beyond the growing safe havens by amp amplifying battlefield susceptive people. this helps them achieve their self proclaimed caliphate. it stands in stark contrast to al-qaeda's past outreach that relied on top down messaging and propaganda more difficult for inspiring jihadist to find. instead, isis is taking a grassroots approach to terror seeding the oppressive world view frameom the ground up.

isis is using its multi platform engagement to create a subculture that supports violent behavior and encourages attacks against the united states and its allies. they are a change for spreading terror and acquire from us a shift in the counter terrorism intelligence and operations. for example we can start by doing what the fbi director suggested and that is shaking the trees more aggressively to quickly identify and engage potential home-grown jihadist. but this is a new front in the war against terror and it will require a new approach with a focus on the battle space. i am grateful for the thee witnesses we have here that arefirsthand on the front lines with how this terror is going viral. and i look forward to hearing your testimony and

recommendations for confronting this new and dangerous challenge. with that i now recognize the ranking member. >> thank you, mr. chairman and thank you for holding today's hearing. i would like to also thank the witnesses for appearing today. on may 3rd the american freedom defense initiative which is recognized as a hate group by the southern policy law center organized the mohammed art exhibit and contest in garland, texas. two violent extremist attacked police who were providing security to the event resulting in the wounding of a dedicated police officer. according to the fbi, hours before the attack a bulletin was issued to state and local police stating one of the

assailiants may have interest in traveling to the event. unfortunately, the bulletin wasn't received in time. by no means am i saying the bulletin would have changed the outcome of the situation but i think it illustrates we need to continue to look into information sharing with state and local police and listening to the boots n on the ground. supporters of the terrorist group isil praised the attacks. after the attack it was discovered that one of the gunmen detailed his plans to leave the country and travel to syria to join isil on twitter. the assailants plans were disrupted when the fbi arrested some people that planned to travel with him. it also came to light he engaged with other isil followers from around the world true twitter.

mr. chairman we know that the threats from foreign and domestic terrorist groups are not going away overnight. using the internet and social media to recruit members, plan attacks, and spread ideas is not novel. as director of the counter terrorism center pointed out in the hearing in this committee in february isil's exploitation plays a role in recruiting fighters from around the world. as we look at social media and how violent propaganda is spread we must look at ways to counter message. both sides of the aisle are engaged in an examineation of the role and there is a dedicated

coordinate who is working on this. mr. chairman at the time i request the committee have an open oversight hearing where we can take testimony from dhs's coordinater about the role in implementing the strategy. furthermore we know that more work remains to insure our foreign partners are willing and able to stop and identify foreign fighters at their borders. last friday, the council issued a statement urging countries to enforce border controls that allow terrorist to travel from borders. it was stated in our february hearing there was work to be done in this area. i know that a committee has a task force that is examining this issue and we should be receiving their recommendations soon.

mr. chairman as i stated in our last hearing on this issue, we all have to prevent terrorist attacks against americans and on american soil. i encourage this committee to continue serious discussions on how to counter violent extremist messages while protecting constitutionalal constitutionalal -- constitution constitutional rights. we need to work together to pursue new approaches to stop violent extremists. >> i ask consent that the gentlemen from texas mr. sessions, the chairman of the rules committee, also represents garland, texas be allowed to sit on the meeting and be

allowed to participate. the gentlemen from texas is recognized. >> i would like to be recognized out of order for two minutes. >> without objection. >> i appreciate you and the ranking members indullgence and i will yield my two minutes to pete sessions. >> mr. sessions is recognized. >> mr. chairman thank you very much and thank you to chairman smith, my colleagues from san antonio for yielding time to

with almost a quarter million people that call texas home. the mayor of garland is a friend of mine, and he works closely with city managers, as well as the police chief and local officials, including other community leaders to ensure it is a safe city. on sunday, march 3 2015, a courageous police officer swiftly acted to protect the people of garland from what could have been a devastating situation.

i would like to commend the police officers and all members of the local law enforcement who stood in the face of terrorism and protected countless innocent lives. it is my sincere hope that we can learn positive lessons so that other cities in communities can be as prepared as garland if an event were to happen. thank you very much. >> i thank the gentleman from texas. we have a distinguished panel of witnesses. the first joined the national counterterrorism center.

next, we have mr. francis taylor at the department of homeland security. previously he served as the secretary of state for diplomatic security and director of the office of foreign ministers. finally we have mr. michael steinbeck, the fbi director under james calmly, the assistant director of the counterterrorism division. prior to assuming his current edition, he served as deputy assistant director in the international terrorism operations center. thank you all for being here today. >> thank you, i greatly

appreciate the opportunity to discuss the growing threat of extremist views of social media to national security. i am pleased to join my colleagues. we work closely every day as part of the counterterrorist communities and it is one of the keystones of our homeland security. i will speak briefly about the recent attack and the role of violence in social media, then transition to a broader topic before concluding by sharing what we are pursuing to counter the avenue. as has already been described the attackers arrived on the day of the event, opened fire with semiautomatic rifles, injuring a guard. semi-automatic rifles injuring a

guard on the scene. they were aware of the potential violence and responded quickly to prevent injuring or killing others. this event highlights the growing threat the nation faces from a new generation of terrorist operating from a far often who use social media to find like-minded associates within our borders who can be motivated to violence attacking with little to no warning. an isil supporter on twitter hosted a link to information about the cartoon contest a couple weeks beforehand and the message suggested extremist should follow in the footsteps of the charlie hebdo attack in paris. days later, one of the attackers reached out and asked to move communication to private twitter messaging and the same individual urged members to follow the account of a known

isil member. hours before thutack,e attack, the attacker post-ed on his twitter terrorist attack. isil operators praised the attacks and urged others to follow suit. they highlighted the attack in their online magazine. like any brand that seeks to target young people isil continually innovates its online marketing to insure it is developing affectively crafted messages using well known platforms like youtube, facebook or twitter isil works to make sure they reach audiences far and wide through reposting and

translations into multiply languages. they employ marketing trade craft, attaching messages to trending topics in order to gain additional readership. their social media presence is wide spread more so than any other terrorist group. since the beginning of year isil published 1,070 pieces of terrorist information. they are timely in delivery underscore isil's commitment to master social media tools to advance their objectives. isil shaped their media content to amplify the affects of the violent opportunities to inject power and intimidation and employ appear approach to enhance recruitment a projection of the caliphate as an idealized

family-friendly environment in when personal fulfillment can be realized. this has induced large number of young people to make their way to combat zone of syria and iraq. isil's social media operators have pursued a new line of effort and following statements from isil leaders encouraging loan attacks in the west these operators are practicing online recruitment and were provisions of terrorist organizations. as we have seen some individuals have embraced the messaging and sought to commit acts of violence on this bases. when it comes to countering the spread of isil's violent messaging several social media platforms have closed down accounts advocating terrorism and violent attacks.

however, efforts to prohibit the propagation of violent messaging has not been universal and there is much work to be done to encourage greater vigilance and a broader sense of corporate responsibility to address this threat to public safety. we are employing the knowledge we have developed that has been developed by the u.s. counter terrorism community to refine and expand our efforts. we have seen a steady proliferation of community engaged initiatives across the state working the goal to give communities information and tools they need to the threats needed and to engage it before it manifest in violence. with our dhs colleagues we have created and deliver a resilience exercise program a table top exercise that brings together law enforcement and community leaders to run through a

hypethetical scenario and potential responses. in summary we need multi level partnership efforts to enable local u.s. communities to deal with the dual capabilities of addressing radicalization and insuring responses when an individual moves from radical ideas to radical violence. we need to communicate the knowledge so it could be used to minimize the application of terrorist online tactics against our citizens. i will stop there mr. chairman. thank you for the opportunity to address the community. >> chair new recognizes secretary taylor to testify. >> chairman mccaul representative thompson and members of the committee thank you for the opportunity to appear with my colleagues to discuss the home-grown violent extremist threat. the terrorist threat is decentralized and complex and not constrained to one group

race ethnicity, origin religion or geographic location. isis and others have expanded their recruiting at home and continue to be effective in recruiting foreign fighters from western countries to travel to syria and iraq. core al-qaeda and affiliates remain a major concern for dhs the group and their affiliates maintain the intent and in some cases the capability to facilitate and conduct attacks against u.s. citizens and facilities. the attack planning continues despite our persistent efforts to disrupt them. through the sophisticated messaging capability as mentioned, isil has been able to reach a global audience and encourage acts of violence inspiring citizens to travel to syria to recruit and radicalize

the balance of the western homegrown homegrown homegrown homegrown extremist at home. mobilized offenders present law enforcement with limited opportunities for detection and disrupting their plots. the recent attacks in texas reinforce the importance of close sharing information between dhs, fbi and other state, federal and local partners. prior to the attack the fbi and dhs served with texas and local law enforcement warnings that the event was at risk for being targeted for violent extremism. this led to the action taken by garland police that thwarted the at