grateful nation, i say thank you, amanda. you are indeed loved. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. >> i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady is recognized. >> i am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting this bill to designate the facility of the united states post after amanda pinson.

mrs. lawrence: she enlisted in the military and served her country. she was assigned to the 101st military intelligence detachment out of fort campbell, kentucky, where she served as the signal intelligence analysis --age us. -- analyst. it has been stated that while she was deployed to iraq in 2006, sergeant pinson was ragically killed when a mortar round -- by a mortar round on march 16. she was the first female signal intelligence agent analyst to ever be killed in combat. sergeant pinson was honored by having the army's new center named in her honor, in her memory. additionally, sergeant pinson's

parents were accept -- parents accepted a bronze star a good conduct medal and a global war on terrorism medal and a purple heart for their daughter's military service. mr. speaker, we should pass this bill to remember sergeant amanda pinson's unselfish dedication to bettering the lives of those around her and for her ultimate sacrifice she so bravely made. i urge the passage of h.r. 323 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i have no additional speakers but i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. mrs. lawrence: i have no more speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i urge passage of this bill. it is appropriate that the united states congress honor

sergeant pinson. i hope that her family will always know how much this nation is grateful for this young woman's service and sacrifice to her country. 21 years old. 21 years old. answered the call, stepped up, served her nation. while her life is taken, i think the inspiration and dedication she gave her nation should always be remembered. i urge the passage of this bill and i thank congresswoman wagner for bringing this to the attention of the congress and championing it through and urge the passage of h r. 323. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time being yielded back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 323. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. chaffetz: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 324, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located in st. louis, missouri, as the lieutenant daniel p. riordan post office. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. caller: h.r. 324, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 11662 gravois road in st. louis, missouri, as the lieutenant daniel p. riordan post office. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, and the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. lawrence, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and

extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: we are here today to honor lieutenant daniel p. riordan with a post office naming in st. louis, missouri. this has been brought to our attention by congresswoman ann wagner. we appreciate her championing this through congress and we would like to recognize and have her speak. she's in the best position to give the background and the reasoning for the naming of this post office. i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to congresswoman ann wagner. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. wagner: i thank the chairman very, very much for his indulgence in these three post office namings and the ranking member also. mr. speaker, today i rise in honor of a brave young man from missouri's second congressional district. june 23, 2007, missouri's

second congressional district lost a true american hero when united states army first lieutenant daniel riordan made the ultimate sacrifice for his country while serving in operation iraqi freedom. mr. speaker, i'd like to take a moment to reflect on the life of this young pay trod. daniel patrick riordan was born to rick and jeanine riordan on february 17, 1983. he had a twin brother, nick and an older sister, suzanne. after graduating from high school in kirkwood, missouri, dan attended soviet missouri state where he was in the air force's rotc program. after graduation, dan decided to follow his father into the military and joined the u.s. army, quickly becoming known as lieutenant dan. lieutenant dan became a tank commander and in 2006, he was

deployed to iraq as part of operation iraqi freedom. s a member of the neiman company in the first cavalry division he served with courage and determination. despite frequently being outnumbered in enemy territory, dan was always out on point, leading his platoon into battle. dan took his leadership responsibilities literally, as he put it, how can i order my men forward if i'm not willing to go first? to those who knew dan, his devotion to his country through service and sacrifice came as no surprise. he was both a fierce and dedicated warrior in the service of our country and a caring and loving gentleman who felt a duty to help those in need. from a very young age, dan showed sensitivity beyond his

years. at the age of 5 or 6, while attending a funeral, dan's mom found him sitting with an elderly woman. when she asked him why he was sitting with her, he said, she looked sad and lonely. it was this kind of compassion that drew him to the united states military. his desire to serve, help, and protect those in need. while at home on leave from operation iraqi freedom, dan consistently reassured his family that our country's military efforts were truly bringing empowerment and freedom to the people of iraq. he believed in a cause greater than himself, that of freedom, democracy, and the dignity of all people. while in the army, dan wrote his mother a letter in case he didn't return. one thing that he said was, i

quote, don't mourn for me, mom. celebrate. -- celebrate my life. so today, we celebrate first lieutenant daniel p. riordan's life by designating the sappington branch post office in st. louis, missouri, as the lieutenant daniel p. riordan post office. the united states of america owes dan a priceless debt we will never be able to fully repay. but we can do our part to ensure that his memory lives on. therefore, it is my honor to sponsor h.r. 324, a bill that names the sappington branch post office after such a courageous young man, immortalizing a hero who gave up his life in the service to the nation that he loved. this legislation will serve as a testament to the dedication and sacrifice of first lieutenant daniel riordan. standing as a physical reminder

of the bravery of one american from missouri's second congressional district. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. lawrence: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. lawrence: i'm pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h.r. 324, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service in st. louis, missouri, as the lieutenant daniel riordan post office. daniel riordan was born in fworts, texas, and at the age -- in fort worth, texas, and at the age of 5 moved to st. louis, missouri. there he attended the high school of st. john, while

attending college at soviet missouri state university. he worked for the department of public safety and the jackson sheriff's department. in pursuit of his childhood dream of becoming a fighter pilot he also joined the university's air force rotc program. upon graduation, daniel was commissioned in the u.s. army beginning his career in the infantry at fort benning, georgia. by 2006, he had become a tank commander of the blue platoon and in october of that year, his unit deployed for a 15-month tour to iraq. lieutenant riordan survived many attacks, from explosive devices with only minor wounds and he was proud of his unit's brave actions on behalf of

iraqi citizens. but sadly, in june of 2007, a massive i.e.d. explosion instantly took the life of lieutenant riordan and four others in his unit. he was post hue mousely awarded a bronze star and purple heart. mr. speaker, we should pass this bill to remember the brave leadership of lieutenant daniel riordan and to honor the sacrifices he made for the love of our nation. i urge the passage of h.r. 324 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i have no additional speakers but i would like to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman in michigan is recognized. -- from michigan is recognized. lawrence: i yield back my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: lieutenant riordan served and sacrificed for his nation. i hope we will look to him for inspiration, someone who answers the call of the country and i can only hope and pray that family knows how much we all care, across the country, for people like lieutenant riordan. it's an appropriate bill to pass today. i appreciate the help on both sides of the aisle to get this pass and appreciate congresswoman wagner who brought this to everybody's attention and pushed to get it done and i hope we find it in our hearts to pass this, it's very appropriate. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: all time having been yielded back, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 324.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 558 to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 55 south pioneer boulevard in intring bro, ohio, as the richard "dick" chenault post office building. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. caller: h.r. 55 , to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 55 south pioneer boulevard in springboro, ohio, as the

richard "dick" scrmbings henault post office building. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: i rise in support of h.r. 558 introduced by mr. chabot. it's a very appropriate bill to recognize somebody in that community and we'd like to recognize and grant as much time as he may consume to congressman steve chabot. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. . mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the gentleman from utah for yielding. i rise today to speak on behalf of h.r. 558, which names the post office in springboro, ohio, after richard chenault. he was born in ohio on december 26, 1925. he was married to his wife,

phyllis, for 63 years. they have four children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. he was a life long resident of springboro and clear creek townships before passing away back in november of 2010. throughout his life, richard chenault dedicated himself to serving his community and his nation. a world war ii veteran, mr. chenault served in the united states army's first cavalry division from 1944 to 1946, including a year in occupied japan. upon returning to ohio after the war, he sought a career in which he could continue to serve, this time his local community. he found that opportunity with the u.s. postal service. where he was one of the first letter carriers for springboro, for that particular post office. he served his community as an employee of the post office for 22 years. but richard chenault's

dedication to his community and his neighbors did not stop there. he was a member of the clear creek township volunteer fire department for 45 years and served as chief of the department for 23 of those years. additionally, he was a part time police officer during the 1950's and 1960's and early 1970's. and he was charter member of the springboro lions club, which was founded in 1953, and he didn't miss a meeting for 57 years. somehow he even found time to frequently mow lawns and shovel snow and check on his elderly neighbors. not surprisingly, mr. chenault was adored and revered by the springboro community. when he passed, his obituary in the "dayton daily news" was headlined, springboro icon dies. and he had one of the largest funerals in springboro history. since his passing, members of

the community have sought the best way to honor a man who did so much for so many. fittingly, the community has rallied to remember him by naming their local post office the richard chenault post office, and it was the post office that allowed mr. chenault to do what he loved best, to serve his neighbors. i ask for your support in honoring this extraordinary public servant by supporting this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah reserves. the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h.r. 558, the bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service in springboro, ohio, as the richard "dick" chenault post

office building. we have heard the amazing career and service of mr. chenault. his service includes that to his country in many ways, serving during world war ii, he returned back to his community and continued to serve. and was well known as a friendly face in springboro. he became the first letter carrier when the postal delivery started in 1965. and continued to do so. i want to take the time to note is a e postal service form of service to our country and to the citizens and that is included in his resume of service and dembinging recognition. -- deserving recognition.

he served in the volunteer fire department, served as their chief. he served as a deputy policeman. he also was involved in community groups such as being a charter member of the lions club. he had unwavering commitment to service in his community. one thing that's note softball that he had a perfect attendance -- that's notable is he had a perfect attendance at the lions club for 53 years. he's survived by his family, but also by the community that he served. and, mr. speaker, we should pass this bill to recognize dick chenault, devotion to public service, and the impact he made on his community and those fortunate enough to know him. i urge the passage and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah.

mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i have no additional speakers but i would like to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah reserves. the gentlelady from michigan. mrs. lawrence: i have no other speakers, mr. speaker, but also note that this is an example of an individual who at every level he was given an opportunity to serve he did. it is with such honor that we should give this recognition to him, his family and those who knew him, the naming of this postal facility. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: thank you, mr. speaker. from what i know about mr. chenault, he was a great american. and i'm proud that congressman steve chabot brought this up and moved this bill. because he did everything as an american. he served his country, he served his community, he served his family. he was a volunteer firefighter, a fire chief, a part time

police officer, charter member and president of the lions club, for more than 50 years he had a perfect attendance at the lions club. my goodness. he's somebody who gives back to his community and somebody that i would hope young people will learn more about when they see the designation of this post office. we thank his family, we thank him for his service to his country, his family and his community and with that i will yield back. the speaker pro tempore: all time being yielded back, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 558. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1884, to designate the facility of the united states postal service

located at 206 west commercial street in east rochester, new york, as the officer daryl r. pearson memorial post office building. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1884, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 206 west commercial street in east rochester, new york, as the officer daryl r. pierson memorial post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, and the gentlewoman from michigan, ms. laurence, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. chaffetz: we are preparing

and supporting the designation of a post office for a great american. this was brought to our attention and introduced by congresswoman slaughter. it's probably most appropriate that she be the one to tell us about this person's background, this person's life, and why we should name this post office, it is a great american story. with that i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to ms. slaughter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i thank you so much, mr. speaker. i thank you, mr. chaffetz, for yielding to me. i want to come before you today to honor a great young man who in the rochester, new york, community continues to mourn and we seek to memorialize. on september 3 of last year, rochester police officer daryl r. pierson was killed in the line of duty. his job with the rochester police department's tactical unit was important to all of us and he was recognized for

working to remove illegal guns from the streets. while securing our neighborhoods and ensuring our children were safe, officer pierson paid the ultimate price at the young age of 32. he was the first rochester police department officer killed by gun fire in the line of duty since 1959. and our community will not forget him. he left behind a wife, amy, a young widow now, and two young children, christian and charity. and it brings me great sadness to know that he will not be able to see them grow up and that they will only know him now from memory. officer pierson's death traumatized the entire community which came together in mourning and over 1,000 police officers and citizens of our area attended his funeral at the war memorial building. but he served far more than what he did in the police

department. he served as a member of the national guard. and he was also an army veteran of the war in afghanistan. and after all that, he came home to try to make his community safer and died trying to do that. he was a devoted police officer who did his best every single day of his life. the bill before us would rename the united states post office in his hometown community of east rochester, new york, after him. it would be a wonderful tribute to his service, and the most important thing is that every citizen of east rochester and anyone else who uses that post office will never go into that door without remembering daryl pearson -- pierson and who he was and what he did. i think daryl's mother summed it up better than anyone could. she said, and i quote, daryl lived as a hero.

he didn't have to die to be a hero. i thank you very much for the time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah reserves. the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. lawrence: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h.r. 1884, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located in east rochester, new york, as the officer daryl r. pierson memorial post office building. he was a native of rochester, new york, and graduated from east rochester high school, and attended the money row community college. he served our country in afghanistan before he began his service in the rochester police

force. it is said his calming demeanor and ability to deal with chaotic situations made him a perfect fit for the department's technical unit. as a member of that unit, officer pierson received numerous awards, including the 2013 good conduct award and 11 letters of recognition from the police chief. in addition to his service in afghanistan and his service as a police officer, he continued to serve as a member of the national guard. it was a sad night on september 3, when officer pierson was shot and killed in the line of duty, while pursuing a suspect after a traffic stop. he leaves behind a family and a community and a country that he served. mr. speaker, we should pass this bill to remember officer pierson, honor his years of

dedicated public service and his ultimate sacrifice in order to protect his community. i urge the passage of h.r. 1884 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from michigan reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i'd like to reserve the balance of my time. i have no additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah reserves. the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. mrs. lawrence: i have no additional speakers and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: thank you, mr. speaker. it's a great -- a great american. he was serving his country, he served his community. as congresswoman slaughter brought up, this is a well-supported person within the community. my heart goes out to his wife, amy, and their two children, christian and charity. very young children, very young children. but i hope they remember that their father served this country nobly, in the united

states army, serving in afghanistan, serving in the army national guard, putting his life on the line so that other young families can be safe from and protected. i hope that -- safe and protected. i hope that his legacy continues on and that, truly, this post office naming will serve as a reminder to all those in the community, and our country, that these great people step up, they serve their country, they serve their community, they're loved by their families and they do tough, difficult things that a lot of other americans wouldn't do. we honor him this day, we encourage the passage of congresswoman slaughter's bill, h.r. 1884, encourage its passage, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time yielded, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1884. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. . in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the

bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. chaffetz: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3059 to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 4500 soviet 28th street in del city, oklahoma, as the james robert kalsu post office building. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3059, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 4500 southeast 28th street, del city, oklahoma, as the james robert kalsu post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, and the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. lawrence, each will control 20 minutes.

the chair is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i yield myself such time as i may consume and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislate i days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: i rise in support of h.r. 3059, congressman steve russell who has served this country in a very noble way has introduced this bill and shepherded it through the government and oversight reform committee, we would be honored, ex, all of us to name this post off office after such a great american. i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to congressman russell to tell us more about this amazing person. mr. russell: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. chairman. this measure is to memorialize the service of bob kalsu by designating the post office in del city, oklahoma, to carry his name.

bob was born as james robert kalsu and attended del city high school in del city, oklahoma, my alma mater and my hometown. at 6'3" and 235 pounds he was an all american offensive tackle in 1967 playing for the university of oklahoma as they on the big 8 conference title. the buffalo bills of new york selected him in the eighth round of the 1968 college draft but he quickly proved himself by earning the team's rookie of the year award in his first american football league season as forward. it would also be his final season of professional football. bob had made an rotc commitment, earning a commission in the field artillery in college, and in late 1969 he was called to duty in the republic of vietnam. he was told that as a pro football player, arrangements could be made where he wouldn't have to serve, but bob would

have none of it. he said, quote, i gave my word to my country. just because i play professional football doesn't make me any better of a man or any different of a man than the men already serving our country. i'm going to live foup that commitment and the word i gave. end quote. bob deployed to the 101st airborne division leaving behind his beloved wife jan, who was pregnant, and a 10-month-old daughter named jill. on july 21, 1970, only eight months into his tour of duty, first lieutenant bob kalsu was killed in action at fire support base rip cord on an isolated jungle mountain top near the valley in south vietnam. he was awarded the bronze star and purple heart. bob was survived by his wife january, his daughter jill, and son james robert kalsu jr.,

born two days after he was killed in action. bob kalsu was the only active professional football player killed in the vietnam war. he has been further emorialized as the name of f.o.b. or camp kalsu in iraq. as long as we have breath, we will remember him. this act allows others who live after us to do so as well. i ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the service of this fallen american hero. mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from michigan is recognized. mrs. lawrence: mr. chairman, i mean, mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mrs. lawrence: i am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h.r. 3059, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service in del city, oklahoma, as the james robert kalsu post office building. we've heard this amazing who was blessed with such amazing athletic skills, who was selected to play football at the university of oklahoma, and received all american honors in 1967, leading his team to a 10-1 record in an orange bowl win. the following year, being drafted into the nfl, the buffalo bills, and starting in ne of his 14 appearances and being recognized as rookie of the year. it was more than his efforts on

the football field that made robert, or bob, kalsu stand out. he always put others first and chose to lead by example. he joined the rotc at the university of oklahoma and took to heart the pledge he made to serve his country in the army. while many athletes elected to serve in the reserves, he insisted that he was no better than anyone else and chose to serve on active duty. we know that after eight months, -- eight months of being stationed in lawton, oklahoma, lieutenant bob kalsu received orders to go to vietnam and less than one year later, in 1970, he was killed by enemy fire. it is significant to note that the only active nfl player to

give his life in vietnam and one of only a handful of professional athletes to serve in active duty, lieutenant kalsu is survived by a family and amazingly a son who was born just two days after his tragic death. mr. speaker, we should pass this bill to honor this individual, lieutenant bob kalsu, and recognize the last full measure of devotion he made on behalf of our great country. i urge passage of h.r. 3059 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. shea fets: i have no further -- mr. chaffetz: i have no further speakers and reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

mrs. lawrence: i want to say, as this is our last post office naming we have on the floor tonight, so many of us go to postal facilities across the country. i was a postal employee for 30 years and i know that the services given in a postal service, but the ability to name a building and a -- in a community where so many of us go, i would like americans to pause and recognize the names that are given to these facilities. do take the time to learn about these individuals and this is done so that their service will never be forgotten and that as we go about our day, it's one of the things that we can do to give tribute, to make sure their service is not forgotten, and to give some comfort to the families who lost someone in service to our country. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i first want to thank congressman

steve russell for highlighting this person and his life buzz he truly was an all american, in every sense of the word. he serves as inspiration to a lot of people and i do hope that his loved ones will remember him fondly for the great sacrifice he gai and commitment he gave to his country. as did millions of other americans. it is appropriate that we recognize him and as has been said, i do hope that as americans, when we go into post offices, we recognize people like mr. kalsu who put everything on the line to serb and sacrifice for their country. give us the freedoms we have here today, that we don't take them for granted. that there are men and women who serve and step up and answer the call of the country and certainly mr. kalsu did that. i urge passage of this bill at this time. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time has been yielded. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the

ill h.r. 3059. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pusuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, to suspend the rules d pass h.r. 322 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 322, a bill to designate the facility of the united states post office at at 10105 in chesterfield, missouri, as the severaget zachary m. fisher post office. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote.

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and without objection the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 405. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members and staff, take your conversations off the house floor.

members, take your conversations off the house floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous material on h.r. 348. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 420 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 348. the chair appoints the

gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, to preside over the ommittee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 348 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to provide for improved coordination of agency actions in the preparation and adoption of environmental documents for permitting determinations, and or other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. conyers, each will control 30 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. america's voters sent the 114th congress to washington to help

turn around this nation's struggling economy. for more than 6 1/2 long years, america's families and workers have been waiting for the obama administration to join with congress to pass measures that will adequately restore jobs and growth to our land. the job clearly has not been finished. throughout the obama administration, america's growth rate has been historically anemic. the truest measure of unemployment, the rate that includes both discouraged workers and those who cannot find a full-time job, remains over 10%. our labor force participation rate remains mired among historic lows. median real household income, meanwhile, is 5% lower than in june, 2009, when the recession officially ended. median incomes are suppose to rise during economic recoveries, not fall. the obama administration has managed to buck the historical trend. .

however the president pays lip service to the need to unleash construction projects. if one thinks back to the start of the obama administration, one can remember president obama's plan to solve the great recession with the nearly $1 trillion stimulus bill. the stimulus was supposed to work, according to the president, because america had shovel-ready projects from which new, good-paying jobsing would created. once -- jobs would be created. once the stimulus was enacted and the money dolled out, while many, including myself, disagreed with the fundamental bill, of the stimulus the president blamed his stimulus bill's failure on the lack of shovel-ready projects. as he put it, shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected. mr. chairman, that is the problem that today's legislation, the rapid act a, is intended to solve -- act, is intended to solve. this legislation fulfills poststimulus bill calls of leaders in congress, the white house, the president's council

on jobs and competitiveness, and the private sector, to streamline the review of federal construction permit applications. it contains well thought out, balanced reforms that provide more efficient and effective decision making. stated succinctly, the rapid act gives lead federal agencies more responsibility to conduct and conclude efficiency interagency reviews of permit requests, demands that any entity challenging a final permitting decision in court first have presented the substance of its claims during the agency review process, and requires that lawsuits challenging permitting decisions be filed within six months of the decisions, not six years, as the law currently allows. these are simple, but powerful reforms that will allow good projects to move forward more quickly, delivering high quality jobs and improvements to americans' daily lives. prior iterations of the rapid

act passed the house three times during the 112th and 113th congresses, each time with bipartisan support. once enacted, this legislation will help to create millions of high paying jobs and make government decision making more efficient and effective. importantly, it will also continue to ensure that the impacts of new projects on the environment can be considered responsibly before permitting decisions are made. i thank regulatory reform subcommittee chairman marino of pennsylvania for introducing this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to vote for the rapid act. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia -- cheryl: the gentleman from virginia reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. cheryl: the gentleman is recognized -- the chair: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may use. mr. conyers: thank you. my colleagues, i rise in rather

strong opposition to the measure before us, h.r. 348, entitled, responsibility and professionally invigorating development act of 2015. t's nicknamed the rapid act. h.r. 348 has a number of flawless. i won't try to go -- flaws. i won't try to go into each and every one of them. this measure would jeopardize public safety and health by prioritizing project approval ver meaningful analysis that occurred -- that is currently required under the national environmental policy act. by giving the proponents of the construction projects greater control over environmental approval process, this bill is

the equivalent of giving wall street the authority to write its own regulations for financial responsibility. the bill accomplishes that result in several respects. to begin with, under the guise of streamline the approval process -- streamlining the approval process, foreclosures potential critical input from federal, state and local agencies, as well as from members of the public to comment on -- on -- the chair: the gentleman is correct. the house will come to order, please. the committee will come to order. the gentleman may proceed. mr. conyers: thank you. the public to comment on environmentally sensitive construction projects that are federally funded or that

require federal approval. if it -- it would foreclose that possibility. the bill also imposes hard and fast deadlines that may be unrealistic. under certain circumstances. moreover, if an agency fails to meet these unrealistic deadlines, the bill simply declares that a project must be deemed approved regardless of whether the agency has horoughly assessed the task. this is an embarrassment, my friends. as a result, h.r. 348 could allow projects that put public health and safety at risk to be approved before the safety review is completed. this failing of the bill, along with some others, explains why the administration and the

president's council on environmental quality, along with more than 40 respected environmental groups, vigorously oppose this legislation before us today. these organizations include public citizen, the league of conservation voters, natural resources defense council, the sierra club and the wilderness society. likewise, the administration has appropriately issued a veto threat. stating that the bill will increase litigation, regulatory delays and potential -- potentially force agencies to approve a project if the review and analysis cannot be completed before the proposed arbitrary deadlines. the administration warns that

if h.r. 348 ever became law, it would lead to more confusion and delay, limit public participation in the permitting process, and ultimately hamper economic growth. another concern among many that i have with this measure is it is a flawed solution in search of an imaginary problem. and that's not just my opinion. the nonpartisan congressional research service, for instance, states that highway construction project delays based on environmental requirements stem not from the national environmental policy act, but from laws other than the national environmental policy act.

in fact, the congressional research service found that the primary source of approval delays for these projects are more often tied to local or state and project-specific factors. or state local agency priority, project funding levels, local opposition to a project, project complexity or late hanges in project scope. undoubtedly the so-called rapid act will make the process less clear and less protective of . blic health and safety my final major concern with rather than that

streamlining the environmental review process, which we need to do, it will sew utter confusion. h.r. 348 does this by creating a separate, but only partly parallel environmental review process, for construction projects, which will cause confusion, delay and litigation. and as i've noted, the changes to the national environmental olicy act's review process, as contemplated by the measure before us today, apply only to certain construction projects. the national environmental policy act, on the other hand, applies a broad array of federal actions, including fishing, hunting and grazing permits, land management plans, base realignment, and closure activities and treaties. as a result of the bill, there

could be potentially two different environmental review rocesses for the same project. for instance, the bill's requirements would apply to the construction of a nuclear reactor but not to its decommissioning or to the transportation and storage of its spent fuel. rather than improving the environmental review process, the measure before us will complicate it and generate more litigation. but more importantly, this bill is yet another effort by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to undermine regulatory protections. tory th all other regular

bills, this measure is a thinly disguised effort to hobble the ability of federal agencies to do the work the congress requires that it do. so for those reasons i urge you to strenuously oppose this seriously flawed bill. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: mr. chairman, at this time it's my pleasure to yield three minutes to the chief sponsor of this legislation and the chairman of the regulatory reform subcommittee of the judiciary committee, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. marino. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for three minutes. marina franklin thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. marino: thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you, chairman goodlatte. our friends on the other side think we need more government, more ellen: overreach, more regulation -- more e.p.a. overreach, more regulation to continue the $19 trillion in debt we have and to continue the flawed job opportunities of

this administration over the past six years. today we once again consider the rapid act. as the gentleman from virginia stated during the 112th and the 113th congress, the house passed this bill on three separate occasions, in bipartisan fashion. once again, we are considering a number of important regulatory reforms that present the potential for immediately impactful economic growth across our nation. our federal permitting process is undeniably broken. duplicative environmental reviews have clawed decision making for years. although recent studies have sean that on average an viral -- have shown that on average an environmental impact study will take years, the permitting process takes years more or sadly even decades. even more disappointing are indications that average environmental review times are increasing by over a month per year.

furthermore, final decision making has been driven by political whims rather than the merits of any particular project that would be borne through economic growth and job creation. political pressure should never impede projects of worth that would get americans back to work. one recent study found that seven years of delay on the keystone pipeline have kept us from realizing nearly $175 billion in potential economic activity. at a time when true economic recovery lags and more americans become disheartened and leave the work force, such delays are unacceptable. the rapid act reforms remove government obstructions from the equation by implementing hard deadlines for environmental review and shortening the window for judicial review it. doesn't take review away -- review. it doesn't take review away, it shortens it to a reasonable

time. we can't delay while infrastructure for highways and bridges, to transmission lines and waterways, crumble around in america's cities, towns and counties. i hope that we can get this country working again. federal agencies and departments and employees have to be held accountable just like we are in private industry and they cannot sit back and let these permits and these issues stack up on their desk while they play games on their computers. i have hope that we can get this through the -- this bill through and the country working again. please support the rapid act. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields ack the balance of his time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: please recognize the distinguish gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, the ranking subcommittee member, eight minutes. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for eight minutes.

mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, mr. ranking member. mr. speaker, i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 348, the responsibly inrig vating development act, or the rapid act, but if i had my drothers, i would change it to the responsibly and professionally invigorating diversion act, or rapid act, and i would say it's a diversion because we've got important work to do in this chamber, mr. speaker. everybody knows that we're approaching the end of the fiscal year. it will be here in six short days and during this whole month of september, we are at september 24, today. eight d a total of legislative days during this month.

knowing that we're coming up at the end of the fiscal year and we need to pass a spending bill to keep the government open and operating. we've been knowing this. we spent six weeks in august from july to september, total of about six weeks at home lounging while the nation's business in washington, d.c., went undone. and we've spent a total of eight legislative days out of 24 days in september doing everything other than addressing the looming issue which is the coming or impending government shutdown. now we are here today, we just took one vote, this is the first legislative day of this week.

we've got one business day left. first legislative day after hearing from the pope, we've just had our last vote for the day. our one and only vote for the day. what are we dealing with? instead of dealing with the nation's finances, we're dealing with this rapid act, a diversion from the real duty we need to be taking care of today. but the misguided attempt to sow misguided confusion and environmental policy act or nepa. for over 40 years, the approval

process under nepa has saved time, money and protected the environment, which the pope spoke of our need to protect today. in fact, since nepa was enacted, the u.s. economy has not contracted, it has actually tripled in size from just over $5 trillion to more than $16 trillion. among other things, nepa requires agencies to prepare a detailed environmental review for proposals relating to major federal actions, significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, end quote. nepa's purpose is to provide a framework for wide ranging input from all affected interests. when a federal agency conducts an environmental review of a proposed project. h.r. 348, the so-called rapid act, up ends this review process in three ways. first, h.r. 348 carves out a

separate environmental review process for construction projects. currently nepa applies to a broad range of federal projects, including hunting permits, land management plans, base realignment and closure activities and treaties. in contrast, h.r. 348 only applies to a subseth of these federal projects, creating more regulatory complexity in the permitting system. not less. second, section c of the rapid act allows any project sponsor to prepare an environmental document in lieu of such analysis by the lead agency. it is not difficult to imagine the shortcomings of allowing corporations which seek to maximize shareholder value to sit in the drive's seat on environmental -- the driver's seat on environmental policy. in fact, that's why we have such environmental degradation

today. during a legislative hearing on a public policy compare that to asking big companies to consider their environmental change. the inherent conflict of interest shows the clear design to allow project sponsors to manipulate the approval process to the greatest extent possible. it's clear not only does this republican bill task the fox with guarding the hen house it would also have them -- have him install the chicken wire as well. under section i of 348 if an agency fails to meet the unrealist deadlines mandated by h.r. 348, the bill would

automatically green light the -- a federal construction project regardless of whether or not the agency has thoroughly reviewed the project's risks. even if i were to set aside these concerns, it is difficult for me to look past the complete lack of empirical data supporting the premise of the rapid act which is that agency compliance with nepa is the cause of delays in approving permits this enonpartisan congressional research service reported in 2012 that project approval delays, based on environmental requirements are not caused by nepa but, quote, are more often tied to local, state, and project specific factors, primarily local, state priorities, project funding levels, local opposition to a project, project complexity, or late changes in project scope, end quote. similarly, the general counsel for the white house council on

environmental quality which oversees nepa's implementation, for over 0 years under both republican and democratic administrations, testified in the 112th congress that most delays in environmental review process or in this process are not the result of nepa but due to other factors, entirely unrelated to nepa. in other words, the rapid act does nothing to address the lack of adequate funds allocated to federal construction projects or state-based barriers to the timely completion of construction projects which are two of the most common delays and have nothing to do with regulatory permits under nepa. so therefore i urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. >> mr. chairman, at this time

i'm pleased to yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for four minutes. mr. poe: i thank the chairman mo reno t to thank mr. and mr. smith for -- mr. moreno and mr. smith for bringing to the house floor. eeding up the approval process is important. the snail pace decision or lack of decision process of the e.p.a. to make a decision on whether or not to approve a project is absurd. the rapid act addresses the problem of extensive requirements and growing delays in the federal permitting process and approvals for construction projects stemming from multiple agencies, excessive environments and unnecessary lawsuits. according to the g.a.o. new york 2014, the average

preparation time for the required environmental impact statement finalized in 2012 was over423456 years. -- was over 4 1/2 years. the environmental impact statement is just the first requirement in getting a permit. 4 1/2 years. 4 1/2 years. world war ii took less time than it takes the e.p.a. to make a decision on whether or not to approve a project or not. they just continued to study and study and study. mr. speaker, it's about time for the e.p.a. to pick a horse and ride it. make a decision about these projects. i'm not going to talk about theory. i'm going to talk about an actual project down in my congressional district, the sabine natures waterway. most americans have never heard of. that's what texans call the other international border between texas and louisiana.

it's the riverway between texas and louisiana. we have been wanting since 1997 to deep than 40 foot waterway to 48 feet. that's just eight feet. we want to make it a little deep sore ships can come in and offload their cargo, offload their fuel. because what they're doing now they can't come in with a full load of fuel on those tankers, they have to offload it, sometimes 20%, in the gulf of mexico and then bring in the rest and then bring in the other 20%. that costs money. we just want a -- we just want eight feet. so in 1997, my predecessors asked the e.p.a. for an environmental impact statement and finally got that impact statement. it took 20 years to get that impact statement. i've had 11 grandkids since i began in congress and that legislation was pending all that time. we just want eight feet. is it ok? and the e.p.a. finally made a decision but yet we still haven't started moving dirt.

the original project was about $600 million. $1,300,000,000 and we still don't have that extra eight feet. why? because the bureaucrats can't make a decision. delay, delay, delay. that is the name of the e.p.a. delay, delay, delay. and all this bill does is says to this bureaucracy, study the information. reach a conclusion. and approve the project if it ought to be approve sod america can be competitive worldwide. but no, the other side says, we need more study. we need more information. mr. speaker if teddy roosevelt would have had to deal with the e.p.a. in building the panama canal, it never would have been built because of all the regulatory requirements, some unnecessary. in my opinion. so let's approve the rapid act.

let's get america working again. the sabine waterway has numerous refineries on it. it's the energy hub of the united states. we just want eight feet, mr. speaker. that's all we want. pick a horse and ride it. the e.p.a. needs to get their act together. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i turn to the gentleman from california, mr. lieu, and yield him two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. lieu: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to oppose h.r. 348, also known as the rapid act. this bill will rapidly cause environmental degradation. under this bill, if it became law, you could have projects that harm the environment that are deemed approved even if the review process was not yet completed.

that's crazy. and keep in mind, we have had over 60 straight months of job creation under the obama administration. these are the facts. this bill is written in such a way that it will cause confusion, it will cause increased delays and limit public involvement in this important process and it's also unscientific. there is a provision in this bill that says we cannot count the social costs of carbon. now, i believe in the free market and i believe that it has made america strong. but we can't have government artificially come in and say, some things are cost and things are not cost when it's not scientifically based and we know carbon has done a lot to increase climate change and cause global warming and that's why i, along with representatives peters, polis and lowenthal have introduced an amendment to put that language back. in we can't just say, stop talking and ignore carbon.

then keep in mind, just a few hours ago, pope francis came in and to a jonet session of congress told taos really revert and look at what we've done in terms of causing environmental degradation. and now, just hours later, we're back to attacking the environment. this is not right. i urge that we not support the rapid act. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: i yield myself one minute to say to the gentleman from california that we may have 60 straight months of increased job creation but that average american worker is making 5% less than they were before those 60 months began. and the reason is that we are overregulating our economy. and if we're really going to eate jobs, we've got to have the infrastructure to do it. we've got to have the projects like were just described by congressman poe of texas. just eight more feet of depth would bring a lot of jobs to east texas and to louisiana,

being able to bring that product further up inland. these kind of projects require careful environmental 'assessment, but it doesn't -- assessment, but it doesn't require assessment that takes 0 years to take place. it should take place in a much limited period of time. this bill helps to encourage, focusing the mind on what needs to get done, and that includes taking careful consideration of the environment, but it doesn't include delay, delay, delay. at this time, mr. chairman, it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from nevada, a member of the transportation committee and the resource committee, both of which understand the importance f these projects, mr. hardy. the chair: the gentleman from nevada is recognized for two minutes. mr. hardy: i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding me time. mr. chairman, before i had the privilege of being elected to the 114th congress, i spent more than four decades in the construction industry. after growing up as a fifth

generation son of farm and ranchers, i set out to learn the trades and acquire the skills that would one day allow me to support myself and my family. over the course of those four decades, in construction, i learned what it takes to start and run a successful business and how to create quality, good paying jobs. i also learned the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labor in the roads and the bridges and the dams we built and how they defined the communities we serve. but, mr. speaker, small construction businesses like the one i used to own are struggling all across america. from federal bureaucracy. that's rife with delays, dume -- rife with delays, duplication and uncertainty. i can speak from firsthand experience about construction projects that have ground to a halt as resources are edirected to navigate the nepa

process. on projects like the ones i used to manage, nepa delays meant idle equipment, mass layoffs and millions of dollars going toward compliance. these are slump costs on the mass row level and will -- macrolevel and it will -- and continue to hold our economy back. we need to get start about environmental protection and ensure we do it in ways that allow businesses to thrive. h.r. 348, the rapid act, will go a long way toward achieving that goal. mr. speaker, at a time when our nation's infrastructure is crumbling and far too many are in search quality employment, we have the responsibility to give manufacturers, construction workers and the engines of our economy gregget and certainty -- growth and certainty that they desperately need to create high paying jobs. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rapid act and with that i yield back.

mr. conyers: mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: it's my pleasure now to grant to the gentleman from georgia, a distinguished member of our committee, two additional minutes to him. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. ranking member and thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. ranking member, and thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, my friend, chairman goodlatte, mentioned or bemoaned the fact that over the last 64 straight months of job growth under the obama administration, that wages have remained stagnant. well, that's true. except for the wages of the top 10%. specifically the top 1%, which have gone through the roof, despite what he calls overregulation. we continue to have the problem that pope isparity

francis mentioned today. and it's unrelated to this issue of regulations, which are there to protect people, and they in fact protect people and they protect our environment. and we've had a speaker today come in and a talk about a dredging project that was delayed because of nepa, but altogether -- actually the truth of the matter is that that project was delayed due to lack of funding. it was -- funding for the project was only authorized last year. so while congress sits around and talks about -- while the republicans in congress sit around and talk about how much the regulatory agencies study and study and study, well, what we do in congress is simply

ignore the funding needs for infrastructure in this country, which is what that dredging project was all about. 've got one down in georgia, the savannah dredging project, which the savannah a harbor expansion project, which -- savannah harbor expansion project, which was supposed to st $260 million to complete, but prior to the act last year, the federal government had only provided $1.28 million, $1.28 million, less than 1% -- mr. conyers: i give the gentleman another minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: so let's take it back to the year 2011, with the ryan budget control act, which imposed sequestration on the federal government, cutting both defense and nondefense spending, 10% whacked across

the board. i mean, come on. we can't have it both ways. if we're not going to fund, we have toed a a mitt that that's the reason -- we have to admit that that's the reason why these projects are not getting done and don't blame it on nepa. with that i'll yield back. the chair: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. chairman, we're prepared to close. we'll reserve. the chair: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i have a brief closing and i will likewise be prepared to close. members of the committee, do ot be misled by the title of this bill. ther than aeffectuating real reforms to the process by which take up encies environmental reviews is

required, this measure before us will actually result in making the process less responsible, less professional and less accountable. these kinds of attempts are not new to this session of congress . but i urge, accordingly, that my colleagues carefully consider the discussion in this measure and oppose h.r. 348. and with that, mr. speaker, i will yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. chairman, i yield myself the remainder of my time. mr. chairman, first, to the gentleman from georgia, let me just say that the water resources development act, which passed this house, has in it the same streamlining provisions of the permitting

processes for the projects that it would fund that are based on the ideas in this bill. why? because we know that just because we come up with the funds for something, those funds can be churned and churned and churned for year after year after year in the permitting process and never, ever get to a permit, so the underlying construction can take. in texas or savannah, georgia, or virginia, or all of the other places where infrastructure projects are needed. part of the enormous cost of it is the enormous process that we go through and the length of that process and the review and review and review that never gets to to a decision -- gets to a decision. so, during this debate, over this bill, this term, and last, we've heard several false alarms from my friends on the other side of the aisle.

for example, we've heard that the bill does not allow enough time for environmental reviews to be completed. but with all due respect, the bill when necessary allows as much time for the completion of an environmental impact statement as it took our nation to win world war ii. surely that is time enough. we've heard that the bill will generate more litigation because there may be litigation over what its new terms mean. but that argument can be made against any reform legislation. if it were a valid and sufficient reason to defeat legislation, we would never pass another reform bill. furthermore, the bill for the first time requires litigants to present their claims during permit agencies before they sue in court. and to file lawsuits no later than 180 days after the agency's final decisions. that will reduce litigation, not increase it. we've also heard that the white house has threatened to veto

the bill. mr. chairman, that is what is truly alarming. this legislation fulfills the calls of the president's own council on jobs and competitiveness to streamline the review of federal permit applications. we're doing that in this legislation. it creates shovel-ready projects which even president obama claims would create jobs. in fact, it would generate millions of high-paying, good jobs for our nation's workers and families who so desperately need them. it would raise the standard of living of americans. the white house should not be issuing threats to veto the legislation. the white house should be running to lend its support to this bill. ignore the false alarms and embrace the commonsense reforms in this bill. pass the rapid act, call the president's bluff, give the nation shovel-ready projects. i yield back. the chair: all time for general debate has expired.

for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. goodlatte: mr. chairman, 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 speaker pro tempore: mr. chairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union, having had under consideration h.r.

348, direct mess to report that it has come to -- directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chairman of the committee of the whole on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 348 and has come come to no resolution thereon. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests . the clerk: leaves be a a sense requested for mr. had -- of absence requested for mr. hudson of north carolina fo today, mr. jones of north carolina for today and the balance of the week, and ms. mccollum of minnesota for today and the balance of the week. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute peeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise, this month marks the 25th year of september being national rice month. so today i want to pay a special tribute to the hardworking american farmers, millers, measure chants, the suppliers and the consumers who make rice not only such a whole gym so -- wholesome food but an important part of our economy. rice farming in america predates our nation's founding, beginning some 300 years ago in the deep south. today america's rice industry creates 125,000 good paying jobs and contributes an estimated $34 billion to our nation's economy. america's rice farmers have also a long standing commitment to preserve and protect natural resources. today u.s. rice farmers produce

more rice using less land, energy and water, using cutting edge technology and land leveling and yield and in technology for using less chemicals. much more so -- much more efficient than 20 years ago. while providing critical water foul habitat for hundreds of species. i know personally because i've leveled many of these fields myself. america's rice farmers continue to serve as leaders in the farming community by producing a healthy, conservation-friendly, rice crop that generates jobs, economic opportunity. i ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing september as national rice month. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015 the gentlewoman from new jersey, mrs. watson coleman, is recognized for 60 minutes as