opportunity dashboard. i should've said this first perhaps. we want to make sure in this reauthorization that the voice of educators are heard because those of the folks were closest to our students and have a better understanding of what asy and their parents need they know the kind of education that those students must have to be ready for college. to ouret's go back educators like your skin is on the teacher's line in valley springs, california. i really like this discussion because it really hits home with me. i grew up in the 1950's and 1960's through school and i can remember distinctly how school ran back in those days. there was no testing almost whatsoever. when i went through elementary school, we had weekly quizzes.

the final report was a report card and you took that home to your parents. that was how you were judged on how you were doing and school. it was a report card. it was no testing for what you are picking up in school. that went all the way through high school. was never any final tests or anything. it was all quizzes. the teacher would give feedback on how they were doing. toy did not use the quizzes use against students. they used it to help themselves help the students. life, i became a teacher. in the private industry, the computer industry. put the education system there, from thelot of praise

whole industry. they thought we were one of the best training organizations. when we had problems with teachers or students, teachers especially, what we would do his work with the teacher to become a better teacher. host: we appreciate your experience. guest: yes, absolutely. assessments should be only for the purpose of improving learning and improving teaching and focusing on individual students. i will say that one of the things and one of the reasons why the original was passed is that we do have and do have groups of students who are not getting what they need to be successful. sca, we re-authorized want to make sure we do not lose the disaggregation of data for underserved groups, for english language learners, for special needs students. we are to make sure that

providing them with the resources and the support that they need to meet the highest standards. basedt they too can excel on the standards we set. we do have to have information about how all of our students are doing and not just our individual students. it is just the use of that and what we do to make sure students are surrounded with the support for all them to be successful. host: that cholera talked about report cards and they are pretty much daily. a parent can log on and find where their kids are in many school jurisdictions. in terms of the digital divide in terms of internet access for kids around the country, not just in school but at home in particular? guest: we have been fighting the digital divide for over a decade. we know how important -- the federal government in the state government have a role to play in bridging that gap. we know that many of our

students do not have access to only to the technology and the tools themselves, but we know particularly in our rural areas across the country that they do not have the bandwidth they need to access the internet and the way that we do here in the nation's capital. that is something we continue to fight for. testnow that most of the as more andline and more tests are coming on board, you already saw the impact of not having proper tools to be able to give those tests. know thathat, we technology is growing by leaps and bounds every single second. possibly this needs are getting more and more left behind. we have a responsibility to bridge that gap and make sure they are prepared for the world air entering. host: a couple of comets on twitter and a couple of calls. johnson says, star gimme a break on texas if they choose to homeschool or send their child

to private school. this one says that common core was devised to make money from constant changes in books and testing. how do you feel about keeping the government out of schools? shouldn't parents and teachers and principals know best? why do we need the department of education, which we did not have until 1980? a couple of quick thoughts there. guest: the nea actually the department of education. we believe the federal government has a role to play. we actually believe that the parents and the educators and community members who are closest to the students should be making those decisions about what their students need. we should have standards. we absolutely should know what all of our kids throughout the nation should know and be able to do. been a lot there has of backlash around common core for a variety of reasons. i can tell you the same as that have -- standards that have been

set have been set with the ideal of the goal in mind that we are providing all persons to reach high standards to develop 21st century learning skills. some problems of course include not having the resources and time to prepare teachers and common core the state standards. we are try to make sure that happens and we should make sure that they have the standards to meet. what was the other question? [laughter] host: let's hear from a couple of parents. we will hear from chris in palm harbor, florida. caller: how are you doing? i was actually going to say that i'm surprised that we have not heard from parents. we have heard from a lot of teachers and administrators and no parents have come through. i'm glad you got me on. what i like to say is -- first of all, going back, when certain groups did not perform at level, they had social promotion, which

was the norm until they determined that certain kids are graduating high school and not being able to read. testing came in to see how the kids were doing and to halt the teachers responsible. this whole movement to stop testing is 100% to protect the teachers and the teachers union. teaching to the test is nothing more than teaching. if you want the answers to the test so you can give the answers to the students, that is called treating. -- cheating. donethe teachers union has and what florida has done is a great the schools. >> we'll leave this conversation. find the last few minutes online c-span.org. take you live to the floor of the house gaveling in for legislative work of the day. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] rhat rposeth tlem fm new york see cognion? mr. speaker, i mth the use suspend thrules pash.. 3mended.

the sear o teor clerkl report t of e ll. the cle:.r. 3361, a b to of002 tish t inser thrrond for er pses.the speakerrmpore: thaker prmpe: th gelean fneyo, mr. d heenem fro ssissippr. thompsonach willontrol 20 minutes. thchaicoizesth gelean frow yo. king: i asknanimous consent thatllbers h five lislae days withi ch to extend their rar a ilude ay etraneo aterial n l u the p tempo: tht mr. ngi yiel melsuch me asonsume riseuppof this slaon. e bilens t department heland secuty hae auhority and ongressional mando crat

em accs toecured facilitie h. 3361,eiorth eancis privi gran ndiduaho havpledged to amer the threats. ad investigators scrutinized snowden's background they would have found him unfit to hold a clearance and potential insider threat. federal adjudicateors had access to criminal history records from the seattle police department, they would have been aware of his arrest in 2004 on firearms charges and conducted a rigorous

screening of his background prior to giving him access to the navy yard. nd two others damaged national security but their actions led to the loss of life. the proast-breach review highlighted that the previously trusted individual exhibited suspicious behavior and not reported to a lack of understanding by colleagues or failures in the re-investigation process. in describing the new type of insider threat represented by snowden and wikileaks, michael hayden concluded in the new modern connected area, the trusted insider who betrays us will do damage far greater than these people were able to do in the past and we have to be vigilant. the department of homeland security has over 280,000 employees including tens of thousands with access to classified or sensitive

information. the department has an existing insider threat program and is moving to increase security controls and internal systems. much more remains to be done. the bill directs department of homeland security to identify, prevent, mitigate and respond to insider threats and requires d.h.s. to ensure that personnel workplace may be indicative of an insider threat. the bill codifies a comprehensive insider threat program to be implemented throughout the department and its component agencies and most importantly reinforces the importance of preventing future insider attacks. i thank chairman mccaul, ranking member thompson and congressman higgins, katko and barletta. the bill went through regular order and received bipartisan support through subcommittee and full committee consideration. i urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can establish a comprehensive transparent d.h.s.

program that is a model for the public and private sectors. i urge support and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: i rise in support of h.r. 3361, the department of homeland security insider threat and mitigation act of 2015 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker, h.r. 3361, the department of homeland security insider threat and mitigation act of 2015 authorizes the department of homeland security to address the homeland and national security risks posed by trusted insider. typically trusted insiders are given unrestricted access to mission critical assets such as computer networks. while d.h.s. like fellow agencies conducts extensive

vetting, there remains a risk that someone who gains insider status exploits their position to destroy the united states through espionage, terrorism or the unauthorized disclosure of national security information. as a ranking member of the committee on homeland security, i'm supportive of the department of homeland security's current insider threat program. it is targeted at preventing and detecting when a vetted d.h.s. employee or contractor with authorized access to government resources, including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, networks and systems, exploits such access for nefarious, trick or criminal purposes. while i support the d.h.s. program, i could not support this legislation when it was considered by the full committee, because it did not

include language to prevent the somewhat broad authority granted under this bill for being used by d.h.s. to deploy continuous evaluation. continuous evaluation is an automated system that constantly monitors public and private data bases for information regarding the credit, criminal and social media activities of certain individuals. the defense department has an extensive pilot under way and i'm concerned that fellow agencies with the understandable urge to protect their i.t. systems and facilities are racing to acquire this capability before knowing whether such costly systems are even effective. at this time, i would like to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from new york, mr. king, about concerns i have with the prospect that the department will use the authority under this act to establish a

continuous evaluation program. would the gentleman agree that it is important that prior to establishing any such program under which certain d.h.s. employees would be subjected to ongoing automated credit, social monitoring that engage congress about the potential cost and benefits of such a program but what protections would be in place for workers subject to such a program. i yield to mr. king of new york. mr. king: i look forward to working with the gentleman from mississippi on this issue as we go forward. mr. thompson: i thank the gentleman and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers. if the gentleman from mississippi has no further speakers, i am prepared to

close once the gentleman does. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, we live in a time when the threats of our nation are complex. none of us want to see someone exploit their access to d.h.s. networks to carry out cybercrimes, other criminal activity. even as d.h.s. works to detect and prevent such threats, it is important that such activities be carried out in a transparent way so as not to compound the chronic morale challenges that exist within the work force. each time d.h.s. considers making an adjustment to its insider threat program, thoughtful consideration must be paid to whether the operational drawbacks and cost of such an adjustment outweigh the benefit of such change. that said, i commend general taylor, the undersecretary for

intelligence and analysis at d.h.s., for the attention he's given to the insider threat challenge and look forward to continuing to work with him to bolster security within the department. and i'd like to add, i appreciate the gentleman from new york's cooperation and the colloquy and i look forward to the successful passage and approval of this bill. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. let me also at the outset thank the distinguished ranking member for his support and his cooperation as this bill has gone forward and will continue to, i'm sure the two of us will .e able to work and cooperate again, in the future. the department of homeland security and all federal agencies are targeted by adversaries on a daily basis. some of the most damaging attacks to the u.s. government

have been committed by u.s. citizens who have been granted access to government facilities and electronic networks. this bill provides the framework for d.h.s. to implement an insider threat program that identifies and disrupts malicious insiders who seek to do the department and its employees harm. it also seeks to protect the department's work force by conducting a transparent process to reinforce cyberhygiene, data security and awareness of malicious activity through a robust training program. i want to thank the committee staff, especially john and tyler. i urge my colleagues to vote for h.r. 3361. i thank the speaker and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time having been yielded back, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3361, as amended. hose in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. king: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and ass h.r. 3505. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3305, a bill to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to improve the management and administration of the security clearance processes throughout the department of homeland security, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new york, mr. king, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. king: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the legislation. in 2013, director of national

intelligence, james clapper, called the number of individuals with clearances, quote, too high. in a memo to government agencies, director clapper addressed his concern with the growing number of individuals with access to classified information, particularly tsci clearances. h.r. 3505 complements the bill the house just passed, h.r. 3361. one important element of any insider threat program is knowing who has access to classified information and who has a need to know specific information. this bill requires the d.h.s. secretary to conduct a review of all positions within the department designated as positions of national security to confirm whether or not those positions continue to require security clearances. this is an example of government -- good government. this conducts inventories of its positions that require security clearances and assess what positions may be duplicative or no longer necessary. as we know security clearances are costly to adjudicate and

maintain. this bill will ensure that d.h.s. conducts a thorough screening of the work force needs and reduces the number of positions if determined appropriate. the bill, introduced by ranking member thompson, is an example of the accounting of each federal department should be conducting today and will have a more effective department of homeland security in the future. i urge support of the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3505, the department of homeland security clearance management and administration act and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to start off by thanking the chairman of the counterterrorism subcommittee, mr. king, as well as chairman mccaul, for their support of my bill. i introduced h.r. 3505, the

department of homeland security clearance, management and administration act, to make specific reforms in how the department manages its security clearance process. specifically, h.r. 3505 addresses how d.h.s. carries out the complex and expensive task of identifying positions that warrant security clearances, investigating candidates for clearances and administering its clearance adjudication, denial, suspensions, revocation and appeal process. since september 11, there has been a massive proliferation of original and derivative classified materials across the federal government. along with the enormous growth of classified material, holdings have come a sizeable growth in the number of federal positions requiring security clearances. h.r. 3505 reflects recent regulations issued by the

office of personnel management and the office of the director of national intelligence to help ensure that federal agencies may correct designations for national security positions and in turn avoid the costly exercise of recruiting, investigating and hiring an individual at a clearance level and salary well above what is necessary. the 3505 will put d.h.s. position designations for its work force. specifically, my bill directs the secretary of the department of homeland security to ensure that the sensitivity levels of national security positions are designated appropriately across the department and its components. it also requires the department's chief security officer to audit national security positions periodically to ensure that such security

designations are still appropriate. additionally, the bill requires the department to develop a plan tone sure that adjudications of eligibility -- plan to ensure that adjudications of eligibility are done accurately across the department. lastly, in response to a growing security threat from data breaches, this act also provides safeguards for the protection of personal information. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers. if the gentleman from mississippi has none, i am prepared to close once the gentleman does. mr. thompson: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: as i mentioned, mr. speaker, my bill seeks to take targeted steps at improving critical aspects of how the department of homeland security administrators its ecurity clearance program.

if enacted, this would make d.h.s. a leader among federal agencies with respect to security clearance and position designation practices. with that i ask my colleagues for their support and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: mr. speaker, i once again urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3505. i commend the ranking member, the gentleman from mississippi, for authoring this legislation. i'm proud to support it. it is a commonsense, good government bill that will reduce waste and improve security and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time having been yielded back, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3505. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3598, as amended. cloipt -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. , a bill to .r. 3598 amend the homeland security act of 2002 to enhance the partnership between the department of homeland security and the national network of fusion centers and for other purposes. >> pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. barletta, and a member opposed will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i

ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barletta:, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barletta: the purpose of this legislation is to clarify and enhance the department of homeland security and the national network of fusion centers. the bill amends the existing statute to update are the department's responsibilities for sharing information with state and local law enforcement and other emergency personnel within the national network of fusion centers. after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, state and local governments created fusion centers as a way to communicate federal homeland security information to state and local law enforcement officials as well as few state and locally collected information with federal intelligence. congress supported this partnership by mandating that the office of intelligence and analysis within the department of homeland security coordinate and share information with

fusion centers. there are now 78 state and locally owned fusion centers across the country. h.r. 3598 amends existing law to improve the relationship and flow of information between the federal government and fusion centers. the bill includes language updating the responsibilities of the department of homeland security related to support and coordination within the national network. this includes improving coordination with other federal departments to provide better operational intelligence, reducing inefficiencies and coordinating nationwide suspicious activity reporting. as a member of the homeland security committee and a former mayor, a concern i have heard from law enforcement in my district is a lack of information and coordination from i.c.e., c.b.p. and other d.h.s. component agencies. i have seen this problem

firsthand and know that more can be done to help our local law enforcement get the support that they need from the federal government. this bill is one small step to make that fusion center a better resource for the people who know our communities the best, our local law enforcement officers. the bill includes language to direct d.h.s. to ensure that each component is providing information and personnel to work with the fusion centers. to address the need for better accountability, language is included throughout the bill requiring d.h.s. to coordinate nate with fusion centers -- coordinate with fusion centers and state homeland security advisors in air keying out the assigned -- in carrying out the assigned responsibilities. additionally, i added a requirement for the department to submit a report to congress on their efforts including the components to support fusion centers and specifically report on how they are meeting the requirements set forth in this

bill. i want to thank house intelligence committee chairman nunes, committee on homeland security chairman mccaul, ranking member thompson, subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence chairman king and ranking member higgins for working with me to bring this bill to the floor. the bill went through regular order and received bipartisan support during subcommittee and full committee consideration. i urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can add important requirements and accountability and how the department of homeland security interacts and shares information with key state and local stakeholders. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is secretary -- recognized. mr. thompson: i rise in support 3598.

let me compliment mr. barr leta for his bill. those of us who have been around kind of know the confusion that exists among fusion centers throughout the country and any effort to streamline that confusion is much appreciated. mr. speaker, this bipartisan bill seeks to update the law to reflect the evolution of the department of huferte's national network of fusion centers as well as the relationship of the department's office of intelligence and analysis, with the fusion centers and the network. h.r. 3598, as introduced by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. barr leta, clarifies that fusion centers are state and locally owned and operated and requires the department office of intelligence and analysis to

provide support to centers in its network through the deployment of appropriate personnel and providing access to information. importantly, h.r. 3598 also several new responsibilities to the under secretary of intelligence and analysis related to grant guidance, coordinating nationwide suspicious activity centers and fusion centers are the focal points. this makes technical changes to existing statutory language to increase information-sharing resources are made available to federal, state and local law enforcement officials at our national network of fusion centers. if enacted, h.r. 3598 will go a long way to providing states and localities that have invested significant resources in standing up fusion centers to

participate in d.h.s.'s national network with the port they need to keep their communities and ultimately the nation secure. with that, i urge passage of h.r. 3598 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: i have no more speakers, if the gentleman from mississippi has no more speakers, i'm prepared to close once the gentleman does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i yield such time s i may consume. again let me thank mr. barr leta confusion ut the that has existed with fusion

centers around the country. when created, it was congress' hope that everybody would be singing on the same sheet of music. hopefully this gets us real close to that performance and i look forward to the passage of h.r. 3598 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. barletta: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i ask unanimous consent to include a letter exchanged between chairman nunes and chairman mccaul regarding the bill in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barletta: one of the most critical responsibilities of the department of homeland security is to share threat information with state and local first responders. fusion centers are a key mechanism for that process. the original requirements directing d.h.s.'s responsibilities towards fusion centers were enacted in 2007.

in the past eight years, there have been significant changes to the information information environment and the fusion centers across the country. i urge my colleagues to vote for h.r. 3598 in order to bolster sharing mation shife environment within the department and between the department and local and state stakeholders. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3598 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the after activity, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona seek recognition? ms. mcsally: i move that the house pass h.r. 3503 as amended. the clerk: h.r. 3503 a bill to require assessment of fusion center personnel needs and for other purposes. pursuant to the rule, ms. mcsally and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. ms. mcsally: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to resize and stepped their remarks and include any extraneous remarks on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. . ms. mcsally: i rise in support of h.r. 3503, the department of homeland security's support to fusion centers act of 2015. we made improvements since 9/11 attacks to increase and increase

the nation's ability to detect and prevent terrorist attacks. the elevated potential for attacks carried out by individuals either directed or inspired by radical violent extremism reinforces there is more work to be done, especially breaking down information-sharing stovepipes. to ensure we are sharing with state and local officials is a vital component to that effort. in june, i visited the arizona counterterrorism intelligence center, my state's fusion center. i saw firsthand how they are disseminating federal threat and information to emergency responders and collecting state and local information and fusing it with federal intelligence to enhance terrorist investigations and create a more complete threat picture. while fusion centers are continuing to mature, i'm concerned about the lack of small cities and rural area's representation in the fusion centers. as we continue to enhance the

ability to share intelligence information, we need to ensure all emergency intelligence providers have access to this information. to break down the information-sharing stovepipes, the fusion centers need greater access to intelligence and information from department of homeland security and its components. i introduced h.r. 3503, along with chairman mccaul, chairman barlettarepresentative to ensure they are providing the resources needed to protect our nation from terrorist attacks and other emergencies. this bill passed the subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence and full committee on homeland security by voice vote with bipartisan support. i want to thank the gentleman from georgia, mr. loudermilk, for adding two important provisions during this bill. these provisions ensure that the department of homeland security's information technology systems are user friendly for state and local analysts and require the under

secretary of the office of intelligence and analysis to sign a memorandum of understanding with each fusion center to ensure that each center is aware of what information can be publicly disclosed and i thank chairman nunes and his staff for working with me and the committee on homeland security to get this bill to the floor today. i ask unanimous consent to include a letter exchanged between chairman nunes and chairman mccaul in the record regarding the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. mcsally: h.r. 3503 as modified requires the government accountability office, g.a.o., to conduct an assessment of the department of homeland security personnel, detailed fusion centers and whether deploying additional personnel from several of the departmental components will enhance threat security information. having a nonbiased assessment for department of homeland security personnel deployed fusion centers will be valuable

in making decisions moving forward. this bill applauds the effort of the office of intelligence and analysis and establishes a program to provide top-secret clearances to appropriate state and local analysts infusion centers. to ensure this initiative is carried out efficiently in a manner that ensures security, it requires d.h.s. to submit a one-time report. they have received testimony about the value additional clearances will provide. the need for top secret clearances is a key finding of the committee's foreign fighter task force of which i was proud to be a member. it is timely that we are considering this bill today. this week is the annual conference held by the national fusion center association. this bill will ensure that our state and local law enforcement officers as well as fire and e.m.s. personnel are getting access to the information they need to protect our communities. since the summer, our country

has been at its highest threat level given the large number of foreign fighters. it is essential that congress make sure that all of the dots are connected. i urge congress to support this bill and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: i rise in support of the department of homeland security's support to fusion centers act of 2015 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you very much, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, this bill was passed unanimously by the committee last month and i'm pleased that it is being considered on the house floor today. after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there was broad recognition that additional stovepipes to the sharing of homeland security information needed to be cleared and that the federal government needed to

do more to share timely information with state and local partners. key neck nism to information sharing has been the development of a network of fusion centers across the nation. these centers allow federal intelligence and homeland security information to be shared with state and local law enforcement and other key stakeholders. as of today, 77 fusion centers have been stood up by state and local governments and participate in the department of homeland security's national network of fusion centers. fusion centers to realize their full promise, it is critical that personnel assigned to fusion centers be able to access department of homeland security information data and personnel. in the course of conducting jore sight of fusion centers, the committee has learned that not enough state and local analysts and officials assigned to these

centers have the t.s.-s.c.i. clearances to foster the homeland security information sharing and intelligence. h.r. 3503 for the first time authorizes d.h.s. to sponsor state and local analysts for security clearances. all of us, as the chairwoman has said, have heard from our state and locals, that this is a problem. the push taken is consistent th ongoing d.h.s. efforts to support clearances on appropriate, state, local and tribal as well aster torial partners' level. in the 14 years since 9/11, there has been progress across the federal government and breaking down institutional stovepipes and moving away from a need to know to a need to share culture.

support at the federal level, the department's national network of fusion centers hold great promise for interdifficulting terrorists before they attack and contributing to better preparedness and responsiveness at all levels. with that, mr. speaker, i urge passage of h.r. 3503 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from arizona is recognized. ms. mcsally: i have no further speakers. i'm prepared to close once the gentleman does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i yield myself such time as i may consume. thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the gentlelady from arizona for this legislation. again, this is getting us all on the same sheet of music. we absolutely have to have fusion centers operating and we

should not have fusion centers doing their own thing. we are in this together, the stovepiping of information is not good, it's not healthy. we have problems identifying bad actors, terrorists and what have you. thege passage of h.r. 3503, department of homeland security's support to fusion centers act of 2015 and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from arizona is recognized. . ms. mcsally: one of the core missions is to share information with state and local responders. fusion centers are a key mickmism for that process. as -- mechanism for that process. as fusion centers continues to grow, congress must ensure that the department of homeland security is supporting fusion centers with the resources needed to keep our communities safe. once again, i urge my colleagues to vote for h.r.

3503, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. all time having been yielded back, the question is will the house suspend the rules and ss the bill h.r. 3503 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 293, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill.

the clerk: house resolution 293, resolution expressing concern over anti-israel and anti-semitic enseesment within the palestinian authority. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include extraneous material on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. ros-lehtinen thank you -- ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i want to thank the esteemed chairman of our full committee, chairman royce, and ranking member engel, who is before us today, for their leadership and for helping us to mark up and vote on this resolution at the subcommittee and at the full

committee, thereby landing us right here on the floor this afternoon. i'd also like to thank my friend and dear south florida colleague, ranking member of the middle east and north africa subcommittee, mr. deutch, for joining me in introducing this important resolution, condemning the anti-israel and anti-semitic incitement from within the palestinian authority. sadly, mr. speaker, as we have seen over the past two months in israel, violence and terror are on the rise and hardly a day goes by when we don't hear about yet another attack against innocent israelis. since the most recent round of attacks began on the jewish new year in mid september, there have been nearly 60 stabbing attacks, five shootings and six car ramming attacks resulting in 10 deaths and scores more

injured. let me repeat that again, mr. speaker. 60 stabbing attacks, five shootings and six car ramming attacks resulting in 10 deaths and many people injured. not to mention the psychological toll that these acts of terror have taken on israelis. today, today, mr. speaker, there were two separate stabbing attacks in two different cities. an 80-year-old woman was among the victims showing that these random attacks can happen anywhere and at anytime to anyone. and when israeli citizens cannot walk out of their homes to go to work or they cannot walk out of their homes to go to the grocery store for fear of yet another terrorist attack, we must hold the palestinian leadership accountable for its incitement and its unwillingness to ease

tensions in the region. the bill before us, mr. speaker, house resolution 293, unfortunately is the consequence of the continued failure of the palestinian leadership. instead of working toward achieving a lasting peace with israel, what has the leader of the palestinian authority doing? he's undermining the peace process. instead of encouraging the palestinian people and leading them toward a better future, abu mazzin's divisive actions are tearing -- mazin's divisive actions are tearing them apart, leading them into despair, into hatred and into violence. and instead of calling for an emergency meeting with palestinian leaders to discuss a way to walk back the rhetoric, a way to calm the tensions, no, abu mazin called

for an emergency meeting at the united nations human rights council. the preferred platform to spew anti-israel hatred. why? to delegitimize the jewish state when he further flamed the -- fanned the flames of violence. once again, as he's been doing, mr. speaker, since he assumed leadership. and already the perpetrators of these acts of terror are being glorified. yes, glorified. hailed as heroes. hailed as martyrs. last week in fact, the palestinian authority named a street after palestinian -- after a palestinian terrorist. what did he do? he fatally stabbed two israelis in jerusalem. but what is the world's condemnation for this? what is the response from the

international community? silence. too often we see attempts to place this false moral equivalence between the israeli s' actions and the palestinians because too many are unwilling to accept the truth and that is that the palestinian leadership is the problem. it is not the solution to the peace process. we cannot allow abu mazen's words and abu mazen's actions to continue to go unpunished because as we have seen over the past month and a half, they have consequences and innocent people have died. today, mr. speaker, we have an opportunity to send a clear message to abu mazen that his words and actions are unacceptable, that we condemn these actions and that we hold the palestinian authority responsible for inciting these recent acts of terror against

israeli citizens, that palestinian leaders have been indoctrinating the palestinian people with incitement against israel for generations and that is not something that is easily reversed. but by passing this resolution tonight, mr. speaker, we're sending a message to the palestinian leader that this behavior will not be tolerated and it will not be unaddressed. this is an opportunity to start to hold abu mazen and the p.a. accountable for their words, accountable for their deadly actions, and i urge my colleagues to join me in condemning anti-israel and anti-semitic incitement in all of its form. and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: let me start by

thanking our chair of the foreign affairs committee, ileana ros-lehtinen, for sponsoring this legislation. i agree with every word that she's said. she's been a good friend to the people and state of israel, and this measure, which i'm happy to co-sponsor, once again shows the support of israel and this is not a partisan issue. israel has much bipartisan support in this congress, and we intend to keep it this way. as the congresswoman has mentioned, the violence in israel has gone from bad to worse in recent days. day after day we hear new reports of innocent israeli victims of stabbings or shootings at the hands of palestinian terrorists, and i use the word terrorist, mr. speaker, because what they're doing are acts of terrorism. if random people, average citizens have nothing to do with policy, have nothing to do with politics, they are just civilians walking in the streets and if they are attacked by a knife or something else that harms them, that's a terrorist attack. and imagine if we had such things going on in the united

states. it would have a filling effect on what people can do -- can move around or can't move around as a result of it. so this is not something that's random. it's not something that's confined. it can strike at anybody at anytime at anyplace and it's terrorism, and i've often said while i supported a two-state solution, if the palestinians continue to use terrorism because they think it will get them closer to their state, they are wrong. it will prevent them from ever having a state if they don't renounce terrorism, and that's what this is all about. it's the incitement, it's the encouraging of hatred for israelis and for jews and for the united states as well, and this goes in time and time and time again and then we wonder why we have these acts of violence, because you cannot fan the fires and be a leader in it and then suddenly look the other way and say, well, you know, we're not encouraging it. the palestinian authority has been irresponsible and they've been irresponsible for many, many years.

so as it has every right to do, israel has defended itself against these attacks, these stabbings and shootings, but this bloodshed must be brought to answered. and i have no doubt, mr. speaker, that it could be in a hurry if palestinian leaders would do the right thing, repudiate the violence and most importantly, the seizeless campaign of incitement that demonizes jews and glorfies terrorists. chairman royce and i will soon send a bipartisan letter signed by more than 350 of our colleagues in both parties, and i'm very, very happy with the overwhelming support we've gotten from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for this letter and that's why chairman royce and i try to do things in a bipartisan manner because something like this is bipartisan. support for israel is bipartisan. support against terror is bipartisan, and we have to stand together as americans, regardless of party affiliation and say we will not couldn't nens terror and we are -- countenance terror and we're going to point fingers at the

palestinian authority who has been utterly irresponsible in this whole thing. so palestinian leaders would do the right thing and repudiate the violence and seize the campaign of incitement that glorfies terrorists, this could stop. so this letter that chairman royce and i have done, signed by more than 350 of our colleagues to president abbas, palestinian president abbas urging him to take that course, but i cannot say i have high hopes. after all, this type of rhetoric by palestinians against jews and israelis and even just americans in general is nothing new. in palestinian books and newspapers, on the television and radio, we see and hear a constant message of hatred and incitement. from a young age, palestinians are taught that the people of israel are their enemies and those who use violence are heroes, and this is very, very infuriating. it's the fuel that fires the violence we're seeing today,

and it's a roadblock, as i said before, on the path towards a two-state solution. palestinians will never build their own state on the backs of terrorists. it's a dead end for them, and it's counterproductive. they ought to know it. they are doing their people a tremendous disservice. so this resolution calls on palestinian leaders to show real responsibility to reject the violence and end incitement and return to the negotiating table with no preconditions. sit down and negotiate. it reaffirms our commitment to our israeli allies and our desire to see peace for both israelis and palestinians. so i urge my colleagues to support this measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. and i now am very proud to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge poe, who's the chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation and trade. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. poe: i thank the speaker and i thank the gentlelady from

florida for her yielding on this important resolution. mr. speaker, the conflict between the israelis and the palestinians have reached new levels of terror. over the past month, palestinians have stabbed, shot or run over innocent israelis almost every day. the cause of these tragedies is simple. the incitement by palestinian leaders. of course, our government is on the wrong side of this issue. our government stands by while palestinian authority president abbas praises violent riots on temple mount, but the problem is bigger than speeches. palestinian leaders have turned their schools into terrorist breeding grounds that teach hate. israel reacted to the violence how any other country should react, but the united states state department callously calls israel's self-defense executive force. like i said, the state

department has got it wrong. the palestinians should be called out for what they're doing -- inciting violence and committing violence, and they are responsible for their criminal acts, not the israelis. we can stand side by side with israel by condemning these terrorist acts, and the palestinian leader should be held personally accountable for inciting violence in the palestinian community. . the state department, the world need to quit making excuses for palestinian terrorists and hold them accountable for the crimes they commit. i'm glad to be an original co-sponsor of house resolution 293. i urge its passage so america and the roves the world understand that we stand by israel and not by the terrorists. and that's just the way it is. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman are reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognize. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes to the gentleman from florida, the ranking member of the foreign affairs subcommittee on the middle east and north africa, mr. deutch. mr. deutch: i thank my friend, mr. engel. mr. speaker, i want to thank chairman royce and ranking member engel and their staffs for working to bring this bipartisan resolution to the floor and i want to thank my friend and colleague and neighbor, congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen for partnering with me on this effort. there have been in the month of october more than 50 stabbings in israel, there have been attempted stabbings, there have been shootings, cars rammed into civilians. terrorists have killed 11 and have wounded more than 10 times that number. in a span of just 12 hours today, there were four separate terror attacks.

now, this resolution is important because these attacks aren't to protest or -- aren't a protest or political statement about holy sites or politics, it's terrorism. it flows from incitement at the highest levels of the palestinian government. i have said many times that all attacks on innocent civilians should be condemned and should be condemned regardless of who commits them. i have to point out that when a revenge attack occurred, committed by israeli the prime minister of israel himself condemns that action on national television. but when there are attempting stabbings every single day for nearly eight weeks, palestinian leadership does not condemn even one single attack. instead, we continue to see officials trying to justify acts of terror as an expected part of a religious conflict.

changesquisitions about to the temp mount when they've been repeatedly denied by leadership maintain the message that violence is necessary to mane tain muslim holy sites when in fact those holy sites aren't threatened at all. mr. speaker, unfortunately, incitement from officials within the palestinian authority is not new. despite statements from president abbas that he's committed and has been committed for years to nonviolence there are still countless examples in official textbooks, on social media pages, and television speeches that call for armed conflict and depict jews as dirty pegs. mr. speaker, secretary kerry was right then he recently said president oi -- abbas has been committed to vonninals -- nonviolence he needs to condemn this loudly and clearly and not engage in the invitement his voice has sometimes been heard

to encourage, so that has to stop. if president abbas remains committed to his stated voifings a peaceful palestinian state iving side-by-side, now is the time to go on national television and condemn these attacks. now is the time to accept the jordanian plan to ensure religious freedom is being protect. now is the time to stop dangerous rhetoric, when hen -- like when he said, and i quote, welcome every drop of blood spilled in jerusalem or when he accused israel of the summary execution of children when in fact the 13-year-old that he referenced was receiving medical care in an israeli hospital after he stabbed two israeli teenagers. now even before these recent terror attacks, incitement within the pal tin -- palestinian authority has been well documented. if these are the messages sent

to palestinian youth if they never see the state of israel on a map in their textbook or watch television programs that glorify attacks on israelis and jews, how can we ever expect them to mitt to peace? by passing today's resolution, the united states house of representatives is sending a message. it's a very simple message to the world. that we stand with the people of israel as they face this onslaught of terror and that incitement spurred by inflammatory violent rhetoric will not be tolerate. we won't tolerate officials using religion as a means to spur violence and we won't tolerate actions like the recent palestinian backed resolution at unesco that attempted to rewrite history and inflame tension on the ground. our resolution also expresses support for individuals an organizations working to encourage cooperation between israelis and palestinians. unfortunately, president abbas

and his government are doing just the opposite. ing mr., there must be an end to this wave of terrorism. type to stop the spread of incitement and this resolution puts the house on record that incitement leads to violence and it must end if there is to be a chance for peace. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank youing mr. speaker. i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from new york, mr. zell din a member of the committee -- mr. zeldin, a member of the committee on foreign affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. zeldin: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to thank ms. ros-lehtinen. i'm inspired as i listen to the words of mr. deutch and mr. engale. -- mr. engel.

this is something that allows americans to unite for a cause of strengthening our relationships with our friends, like israel, ensuring that we treat our enemies as our enemies. according to one report, president abbas said in an address, we will not foresake our country and we will keep every inch of our land. every drop of blood spilled in israel is pure. every shah heed will reach paradise. he insists that a future palestinian state include east israel as its capital. he said the mosque is ours, they have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty feet, we won't allow them to do that. a top hamas official on the gaza strip called on all palestinians to turn their weapons against

israelis, saying, ala created minnesota only to wage jihad and plunge knives in the chest of the enemies. we hear a lot of talk about the pursuits of a viable two-state solution. it's not just about israel recognizing the palestinians' right to exist. it's also about the palestinians recognizing israel's right to exist. and the palestinian authority by the day is under more and more influence of an element that will not rest until the other side is wiped off the map. i was disturbed when the secretary of state spokesperson said individuals on both sides of this divide are, have proved capable of, and in our view are guilty of acts of terrorism. last month the state department said the temple mount status quo was violated. i was just there a couple of months book at a place called

decks restaurant on the sea of galley. the owner of the restaurant got on sea of galilee. the own over the restaurant got on the microphone. she started preaching about the love of the u.s. and israelis. as she says this a boat comes in , it e sea of galilee starts setting off fireworks. they started singing god bless america. where else in the world can you go where you'll find a restaurant where the owner will get on the microphone and start talking about they love of america? i value the relationship we have with our friends such as israel. we didn't see the israeli prime minister go onto international tv trying to embarrass the president of the united states after there was an errant

hospital strike which the president took responsibility for. it's important that we don't embarrass our allies and we stand with them in tough times. right now we stand with innocent vims in israel who are being targeted by terrorist attacks through the incitement of violence by the leadership of the palestinian authority. that's why i'm so proud to stand here today with ms. ileana ros-lehtinen for again, her consistent and strong dedication and leadership, her determination to ensure that this body, body stands united with israel every single day. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: may i ask the gentlewoman from florida how many more speakers she has? ms. ros-lehtinen: i have no further requests for speakers. if the gentleman would like to finish up and then we'll close. mr. engel: thank you, i'll close now, i yield myself such time as i may consume. as you've heard from everyone

that's spoken, the recent surge of palestinian violence against israel must stop. it must stop to save innocent lives. it must stop so that negotiations can go forward. it must stop because acts of terrorism are not to be tolerated. any way you look at it, these are terrorist acts. can have y way we peace and the only way we can have a two-state solution is if both parties sit opposite each other with no preconditions and start negotiating. i do support two-state solution. a palestinian arab state and a -- an israeli jewish state, living together in peace and harmony. but it's not going to happen if the palestinian leadership which is bankrupt in more ways than one, refuses to teach its people the right thing, refuses to repudiate act of terror, you

mazzinahmoud abbas, abu the leader of the palestinian, he's on the eighth year of his four-year term. he's not really legitimate anymore. the more he talks with rhetoric and encitement, the less relevant he becomes. it's a shame because i do think that the palestinians deserve better and i do think that ultimately they deserve their own state. but they will not have their own state if they resort to terror. and it's bankrupt an it's a dead end for them. and instead of encouraging these kinds of acts of terror against innocent civilian the leadership of the palestinians ought to be dismissing it, ought to be condemning it, ought to be taking strong stands against it. we've yet to hear. and that's why this resolution is so important. this resolution sends the signal that palestinian lead verse a responsibility to repudiate this

violence and put an end to the horrific campaign of incitement against jews and israelis. everybody who spoke today is saying the same thing. we're saying the same thing because it's clear as night and day what is going on over there. so i urge all my colleagues to support this measure. the united states will always stand with the people of israel and the united states will always stand against violence and terrorism wherever it rears its head around the world. i urge my colleagues to support this measure. i again thank my dear friend, ileana ros-lehtinen for her leadership, and mr. deutch for his leadership as well, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i won't take up too much time to close. i want to thank the chairman of our committee, mr. royce, for his help in bringing this resolution to the floor after the markup in the subcommittee and the full committee. i want to thank mr. engel for his steadfast support of doing

everything that is humanly possible to support efforts to get peace in the middle east and his support for the democratic jewish state of israel. i want to thank mr. deutch, who is my partner in the middle east and north africa subcommittee, and he's been a person who understands the many obstacles to peace that the palestine abs encounter because of their failed leadership. and the responsibility lies in that leadership. i've had the opportunity to travel to israel with mr. deutch and i'm very thankful for his friendship and guidance. i also want to thank mr. poe, mr. zeldin, valued members of our committee on foreign affairs, for their perspective on how to reach peace. because when all is said and done, this is what this resolution is all about. we're condemning the anti-israel and anti-semitic incitement to violence by the palestinian authority but we do so because

this is antithetical to the cause of peace, which is what this body is all about and what the united states foreign policy is based on in the middle east system of with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 293? those in favor say aye. hose opposed, no. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 293, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1853.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1853, a bill to direct the president to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for taiwan and the international criminal police organization and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include extraneous material on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i first want to thank the chairman of the asia and pacific subcommittee, congressman matt salmon, for introducing this important resolution. taiwan is indeed a strong ally of the united states, one which shares our interest and values,

including an enduring commitment to democracy and the freedom of expression. taiwan is a beacon of freedom in the pacific, serving as an inspiration for the world's oppressed and it serves as a model for future democratic transitions. unfortunately, however, taiwan is under increasing pressure from an aggressive china that is attempting to assert its dominance in the pacific and to isolate taiwan on the international stage. one organization that china has prevented taiwan from joining is interpol, the international criminal police organization. interpol was created, mr. speaker, to promote international cooperation between criminal police authorities, but because of undue chinese pressure, taiwan is no longer a member of

interpol. taiwan is forced to receive less effective, second-hand information about international criminals and their illicit activities. tyke-wise, taiwan cannot share the -- likewise, taiwan can't share information to better help interpol. the efforts of some nations to accommodate china, they have ended up hurting taiwan and the entire international community in the process. so we have this bill before us, mr. speaker. this bill, by congressman salmon, directs the president to request observer status for taiwan at interpol, to urge other interpol members to support it and for the president to develop a strategy to ensure the participation of taiwan. i'm pleased to support this

legislation. i believe that the united states should be helping taiwan's meaningful participation in all international organizations and entities that it has expressed an interest in participating. taiwan's exclusion from organizations like interpol is dangerous. it's a dangerous practice. it hurts the international community just as much as it hurts the people of taiwan. we must not allow u.n. politics or china's efforts to isolate taiwan to exclude it from international organizations. it is therefore crucial that the united states provide the kind of military assistance, economic assistance and political assistance that will allow taiwan to resist any type of chinese coercion. the taiwan relations act, together with the six

the ances, while those are cornerstone of u.s.-taiwan relations and we must always keep it as our guiding beacon. and i know this is a sentiment that is greatly shared by the members of our foreign affairs committee ever so much by the chairman of our committee, mr. royce of california, because a friendship between the people of the united states and taiwan has cemented into one of the most cherished partnerships and i look forward to the united states government demonstrating its continued commitment to the people of taiwan with the passage of mr. salmon's bill. i want to thank, again, chairman salmon for introducing this important resolution. i am pleased to offer my support, and i urge my colleagues to do the same and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves her time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure and

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you. i want to also thank mr. salmon from arizona who chairs our foreign affairs subcommittee on asia and the pacific for authoring this bill. i'm proud to be a co-sponsor. the international criminal policy organization, what we call interpol, helps law enforcement agencies around the world collaborate with one another. thanks to interpol task force in new york can share information with the police agency in hamburg or flag a terrorist suspect to authorities in tokyo. sensitive information about criminals or missing persons is available at the push of a button for interpol's members and for decades it's been a vital tool for global security. until 1984, taiwan was a member of interpol, but since the people's republic of china applied for membership, taiwan

has been left out. this is ridiculous. absolutely ridiculous. taiwan has the 16th or 17th largest economy in the world, and anyone who's ever been to taiwan, as i have, as my colleague has, will just be amazed at the democracy they have built themselves on that tiny island and the fact they look toward the united states for protecting them and helping them because just like we share the same values with israel, we share the same values with taiwan. and that's why we work with them. so taiwan's been left out and this gap in interpol's membership creates a public safety risk for the people of taiwan and also for the rest of the world. so nobody is saying that china should not be a member, but china should not have the right to exclude taiwan. so this legislation would close that gap. it would instruct the

administration to push for taiwan to be granted observer status in interpol. observer status, that's what we're asking for. there are countries around the world that function as countries, that have everything that all other countries have and yet because of politics they are excluded from these international organizations. taiwan is one such a country. kosovo is another type of country. and we have to stop this. people that live in these countries need to not bear the brunt of politics but really need the protections that citizens of other countries have and by not giving them protections, we leave ourselves a bit unprotected as well. so this legislation wine instruct the administration to push for taiwan to be granted observer status at interpol. as an observer, taiwan would have access to the information that law enforcement agencies already have. it would also -- excuse me --

allow taiwan to contribute information to interpol, information that could be used to stop crime or thwart terrorist activity, arrest human traffickers or sideline other bad actors. good precedent exists for giving taiwan this status. taiwan is an observer in the world health assembly where it's played a vital role in contributing to public health and fighting pandemic disease. in fact, taiwan had repeatedly shown itself to be a constructive positive force in the global community. countries around the world stand to benefit from taiwan's inclusion in international organizations like interpol, so not only does taiwan benefit but the rest of the world benefits. so it's a no-brainer. it's a win-win situation for everybody. so i support this legislation wholeheartedly. i urge my colleagues to do the same. i thank my colleague from florida, ileana ros-lehtinen,

and the chairman from california, ed royce. again, we're all in this together. this is a great bipartisan legislation from the foreign affairs committee. it's important for taiwan and important for the united states. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves his time. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. and before i recognize mr. salmon, i would like to -- well, let me ask unanimous consent that mr. royce, our esteemed chair of our committee , control the rest of the time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield to mr. salmon, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee on asia and the pacific, and the author of this important measure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. salmon: i thank the gentlewoman. thank you, a special thank you to chairman ed royce for bringing this important measure

to the floor today and for being a constant champion of the people of taiwan. i was able to go on a trip with the chairman to taiwan, and i think that he is as close to royalty in taiwan as anybody i ever met. they love ed royce. in fact, the guy that used to be called mr. taiwan was the former senator from arizona, berry goldwater, but i think ed royce has taken that title away. i am just honored to be here supporting this bill that he's allowed to come to the floor. i've been a long time supporter of taiwan, as have members throughout this body on both sides of the aisle. and let me just segue for a minute. a lot of people out there get really, really frustrated by the partisan nature of what they see happening here in the nation's capital. a lot of people frustrated. why can't both sides just agree? i mean, after all, aren't we all americans?

the interesting thing is, i wish more americans could come and see our committee, the foreign affairs committee, in action because it is the epitome of bipartisanship. i think besides the fact the chairman, ed royce, leads the committee and demands that we exhibit bipartisanship, the ranking member, eliot engel, is one of the best men i ever met in my life and i mean that from the bottom of my heart. whether it's dealing with terrorism in the middle east or fairness across the globe, like this issue with taiwan, and common sense, he's always on the right side. and he leads his delegation, his folks on that side of the aisle in something that we've long believed but sometimes it kind of gets lost in the cacophony of arguments here on capitol hill on other things, but that is that partisanship ends at the water's edge. and my hat's off to you, mr.

engel, because i appreciate the way you led this body in that way. taiwan is a wonder rg thriving democracy. in fact, -- wonderful thriving democracy. in fact, i had an opportunity as a young man to live there for two years from 1977 to 1979 while serving on a mission for my church. while in 1978, president nixon normalized relations with china, recognizing the people's republic of china as the sole government of china and declaring it would withdraw diplomatic recognition from taiwan. the u.s. government has since articulated a one-china policy, which was a dark turn for u.s.-taiwan relations. and since then, we've seen a taiwan had a is marginalized in the international community. taiwan's ambiguous sovereignty status has contributed to its exclusion from many, many international organizations. despite taiwan's obvious willingness to play a larger

role in international affairs and international security, as they should. from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to law enforcement and global health, so often it's been denied the right to share its knowledge and its expertise in the international foray. this bill, h.r. 1853, would improve taiwan's capability to contribute and benefit from the international community in the interest of international security. h.r. 1853 would direct the president to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for taiwan in the international criminal police organization, or interpol. it would also require the president to report to congress on efforts to encourage taiwan's inclusion in interpol. since the early 20th century, interpol has facilitated mutual assistance between criminal police authorities worldwide through the sharing of

information such as access to comprehensive lists of suspicious persons and criminals. as we all know, i think as every american knows, terrorism and other nontraditional security challenges no longer end at our borders or anybody's borders. these threats are global by nature. in order to secure domestic and international security, the sharing of information across borders is vital. taiwan's exclusion from interpol hampers efforts to prevent and respond to threats. to ensure that terrorists are barred from entering taiwan, it's esen tharble taiwan have direct act stose interpol and its 24-7 system that provides realtime information on criminals around criminal activity. without this access, taiwan is forced to cobble together its own list based on incomplete and t of date information from

country's friendly to taiwan and their own intelligence. more importantly, taiwan is unable to share the information it gathers on suspicious persons with interpol directly. mr. engel called this policy silly. i think that's very, very appropriate and accurate. this puts everybody at risk when we have a policy that plays politics instead of common sense. cooperation between taiwan and interpol could be markedly enhanced if taiwan is able to become an observer. .r. 1853 with 114 bipartisan co-sponsors continues to carry the torch of congressional support for taiwan's membership and inclusion in the international community. taiwan is a vibrant, democratic society with much to contribute to the international community. the united states must do more to fulfill our obligations under the taiwan relations act which

provides that the u.s. treat taiwan the same as foreign countries, nations, states, government or similar entities. this is a vote for u.s. support of taiwan's inclusion in international affairs. this is a vote for international commurt. i urge my colleagues to vote to support taiwan's participation in international policing efforts by supporting this legislation, h.r. 1853, an i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i yield myself such time as i may consume. we're tall saying the same thing and i think it realy shows how important this legislation is. i want to mention the gentleman from arizona, as i mentioned before, he was very kind about some of the thing he is said about me. but you need to go on a trip with the gentleman from arizona

to china or taiwan because he's very modest, but he speaks great mandarin and diplomatic skills and the people there appreciate what he's done. i appreciate him being the author of this important piece of legislation. it's true when we talk about bipartisanship in foreign affairs, it's probably more important than in any other place. i have gone on a number of trips and we've had delegations of republicans and democrats together and always as americans the differences that we might have are very, very tiny when you travel together and you go to another country,, we realize how important it is that as americans we stand united and that other countries respect our country for what our country has done and is doing. and that's really important.

so i want to thank the gentleman, my friend from arizona, he has been a vital force for this legislation, h.r. 1853, but has always been a vital force on so many other issues on the foreign affairs committee and global issues that are really just so important. when we talk about global issues and talk about policy that we need to do, there really is no -- are no democrats and no republicans. we're all americans and we want to make sure that other countries respect what we try to do. we believe in what this country stands for and we want to have good relations with countries around the world and i think it's so important when members travel there and meet with dignitaries and meet with leads of the country and meet with other parliamentarians and poo people -- that people understand what the united states of america is all about.

i want to thank the gentleman from arizona for his leadership and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: well, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. royce: i rise in support of this bill as a strong original co-sponsor. i thank mr. engel and mr. salmon and mr. brad sherman for their support of this legislation. taiwan is a nation of 23 million people tavepls booming democracy with a free and open media. it's a loyal friend. it is a loyal partner to the united states. and taiwan is engaged in important missions worldwide. and we see the results of a lot of that engagement, ebola is one most recently on our mind because when ebola hit west africa, it was taiwan that

donated 100,000 sets of protective equipment that was used to stop the spread of ebola. it was taiwan that gave so much in financial resources to help the sickest in liberia. so taiwan today is assisting those who have been forced out of their homes by terrorists, whether it's in syria or iraq. yet despite its active and constructive role internationally, taiwan is excluded from many international organizations because of its political status. so while taiwan voluntarily adhere's to the rules and the regulations of international organizations like the u.n., it is barred from participating. it is barred from being included in u.n. treaties against transnational organized crime and nuclear proliferation, for example. and this is not good for taiwan. an it's not good for us.

to better protect its citizens and all the people around the world who travel there taiwan is seeking observer status in the international criminal police organization, which many know as interpol. this organization enables police from 190 member countries to work together to make the world a safer place through information sharing, capacity building, response coordination between police departments. that is 190 countries but taiwan is not included. the legislation before us today will help to secure observer status for taiwan at interpol. the measure requires the president of the united states to develop and execute a strategy to ensure that taiwan participates in interpol's next general assembly meeting, coming up in indonesia.

this will bring better international law enforcement cooperation with one of our most important partners. taiwan. mr. speaker, taiwan had full membership in interpol starting back in 1964 by way of history. but taiwan was ejected from the law enforcement group in 1984 when the people's republic of china applied for membership. since then, taiwan has relied on delayed secondhand information that they get from the united states about international criminals and global criminal activities and that frankly akes taiwan more vulnerable to security threats. likewise, taiwan can cannot share the law enforcement information it gathers to the benefit, frankly of interpol and the rest of the community and all of the members of interpol, all the police organizations

that try to rely on that, and of course we're part of that. we could utilize that benefit. mr. speaker, the fact that taiwan must rely on a convoluted process with an added layer of bureaucracy to access this critical information makes no sense. taiwan regularly hosts the type of mega events which often unfortunately attract terrorist activity, where they could. for example in 2009 taiwan hoed the world games and had to rely sole on the united states to vet athletes and media lists and with the u.s.'s help, several suspicious persons were in fact identified. they were denied entry into taiwan. in 2017, taiwan will host the universidad, a student event when n which students from 190 countries is expected to attend, second only to the number of opeople -- second only

to the olympics in terms of number of people attending. there must be a more streamlined way for iwan to act information from interpol. as the number of visitors from taiwan to the united states has grown ex-po then, rblely, there's an urgent need to make haveitaiwan's police force a way to communicate. the number of visits to the united states has increased by 42%. for my home state of california the increase in visitors from taiwan has been a boon to the economy. i'm proud to have worked on taiwan's enter into the visa waiver program, because i know that tie what these americans in southern california have a much easier time staying connected to their families and business travelers are having an easier time too. that's why i'm also supporting taiwan's participation in cust toms an border protections'

entry program which will make two-way travel easier. mr. speaker, strengthening taiwan's law enforcement capabilities benefits american citizens as much as it does the taiwan ease. every -- tie what these. every year -- -- taiwanese. every year thousands travel to taiwan and this will help taiwan protect american citizens traveling in taiwan. interpol's constitution allows for observers at its meetings by police bodies which are not members of the organization. so i'm confident taiwan will be able to be an observer. h.r. 1853 will support taiwan's efforts to gain observer status with interpol. it's going to improve everybody's security and mr. speaker, we must constantly be pressing to ensure that security across the globe is protected. taiwan's unique political status has thus far hindered its inclusion in interpol and is a

vulnerable loophole for criminals and frankly for terrorists to target. with this piece of legislation, we're sending a clear message that safety is a priority. so i want to again commend representative matt salmon of arizona, chairman of the asia and pacific subcommittee, and of course mr. engel, mr. sherman, for author -- for authoring and introducing this porn measure. i appreciate working with them on it. i'll say this of mr. salmon as well he has a long-standing interest in taiwan and his leadership on this issue is very much appreciated by all of us. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i'm prepared to close on our side. i -- as i said, we need to use every tool available to combat terrorism and disrupt criminal networks around the world and it only makes sense to have more partners at the table in that

effort. so bringing taiwan back into interpol as an observer just makes common sense. the more participants in interpol, the more good the organization can do. we should do all we can to bring willing contributors off the sideline. again, taiwan was a member and was thrown out when everyone recognized the people's republic of china. there is room for both. there should be both. again, i want to commend my friend, mr. salmon, who is largely responsible for this. our chairman, mr. royce, who i think has more people from taiwan in his district that virtually any other district in the country so he knows quite a bit about taiwan and quite a bit about what should be done. it's something we're all saying the same thing. it makes sense for taiwan, it makes sense for the united states, it makes sense for intermoll. -- interpol. i encourage my colleagues to support this measure and yield

back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1853. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, -- mr. royce: on that, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 further proceed thongs question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2494 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2494, a bill to support global anti-poaching efforts, strengthen the capacity of partner countries to counter wildlife trafficking, designate

major wildlife trafficking countries, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: i also ask unanimous consent to place into the record exchanges of letters between myself and the chairman of the natural resources and judiciary committees, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, the very disturbing reality is that some of the world's most majestic animals have become blood currency. blood currency for terrorist organizations and rebel groups, some of the same radical

organizations that carry out terror for political purposes, get their resources by use of rhino horn and by use of ivory by the sale and by the slaughter of these animals in order to fund their terrorist operations. so poachers are taking advantage of underequipped and undermanned park rangers, and as we watch this play out across the sub-saharan continent, they're decimating elephants and rhino populations and they're trading their tusks . in the 1980's, over one million african elephants roamed the continent's forests and savannahs. that's not that long ago. today there are less than 500,000 left, and with this explosion in poaching at these current rates, in about two

decades they would vanish. the rhino would vanish. in south african, one of the home to the largest largest rhino population, they killed 14 per year in the 1990's and 2000's and last year they killed 1,200. they killed 1,200 last year. the top year on record. this is bigger than security. a security is issue for the entire planet as we watch what is developing with these organizations. wildlife trafficking is now the most lucrative criminal activity, certainly one of the most lucrative around the world. i saw an estimate that out of africa poaching is a $10

billion annual income for these radical organizations. the foreign affairs committee has held several hearings and briefings in which we learned ow nefarious groups local that back, the janjaweed, joseph coney's lord resistance army, how they benefit from trafficking in wildlife and trading the ivory for guns. an average size tusk is worth 25 cases of fresh ammunition in central africa. 25 cases will enable rebel groups to continue to rampage and terrorize civilian populations. the u.s. has invested a great deal of resources in trying to bring stability to the countries where these armed groups operate, into somalia, into sudan, into the congo, and all of that effort and investment are undermined when

these terrorist organizations and rebel groups find these new financial lifelines. we remember the situation with blood diamonds. well, for the last decade and a half, it has been ivory and rhino horn. mr. speaker, to address this crisis, the global anti-poaching act tackles wildlife trafficking in several ways. this legislation designates those countries that are ignoring wildlife trafficking and allows the secretary of state to withhold security assistance from the worst offenders. in some wildlife trafficking cases, foreign governments have been found complicit. a naming and shaming of these countries is the minimum we can do if we are to contend with the proaching explosion. and we know from some of -- poaching explosion. and we know from some of our anti-trafficking legislation how much pressure this does in fact put on foreign governments. countries in asia that are driving the demand for wildlife

products also come under the spotlight in this bill. and the same tactic of naming and shaming that this legislation establishes, it's been used, as i mentioned, not just with traffickers but i'll also mention in drug trafficking cases. it is a way to force other countries to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. to make this big business riskier for those who are involved in it, the legislation makes wildlife trafficking an offense under racket tearing and money laundering statutes. going after the international networks that are taking profits out of this, because it is the terrorist organizations on the ground doing the work, but it is these international criminal syndicates that then move the ivory around the world. and we also have to stop that demand for the ivory. the legislation directs that any seized assets from these new penalties goes toward the

conservation of the very species that was trafficked. so when moneys are obtained from those involved in the pipeline, it can be deployed for that purpose. mr. speaker, tackling poaching can protect exotic wildlife, increase security and help africa's development. one of the fastest growing sectors in africa is eek tourism. in 2014, the industry contributed $70 billion to the african economy and directly employed eight million people. these majestic animals drive tourism in africa. they drive sustainable development there, but if we don't bring the slaughter to an end, there might not be any of these animals to see in a few years. the park rangers on the front lines trying to stop this slaughter at the hands of poachers are outmaneuvered and outgunned, and this bipartisan legislation will help even out the fight by pressuring the

administration to provide vital security assistance, including vehicles, as well as intelligence, as well as surveillance tools to these park rangers. we know the security and economic consequences of today's poaching go unchecked. the terrorist and rebel -- and rebels fund their dangerous activities and the african economy takes a major hit, so the legislation before us today is a chance to change this course, to reverse this course back towards one of sustainable development, back towards one where in the future people from around the globe can go to africa and see these magnificent animals and participate in building the economy through ecotourism in africa. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of this measure, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i want to first of all thank my friend, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, ed royce, for

authoring the global anti-poaching act. i'm very proud to be an original co-sponsor, and this bill again is a good example of our committee working across the aisle to get real results. on average one elephant is killed every 20 minutes. that's just a shocking statistic. so in the 40 minutes we have to debate this bill, two elephants will be killed. last year the total was 20,000. it's just disgusting. and make no mistake, these animals aren't being killed for sport. no matter how you feel about big game hunting, the real reason elephants and other iconic animals are being wiped out is far more sinister and it's why this issue deserves the attention of congress and the administration. those responsible for poaching are profiting from their crimes rhinoceros ory or horns or cheetah pelts. where do these profits go? these profits go to buy

violence for violent armed militia, to bribe government officials and law enforcement, to fuel criminal networks. in short, poaching pumps resources into groups that threaten security and stability, groups that want to do harm to innocent people and want to do harm to the united states of america. that's why chairman royce and i view wildlife trafficking as a security issue, and that's why we introduced the global anti-poaching act. our bill would bring wildlife trafficking under money laundering and racketeering statutes that are already part of our law. it would support the wildlife law enforcement units on the ground and allow us to provide them nonlethal assistance. it would strengthen regional wildlife enforcement networks designed to combat poaching. and it would name and shame governments that aren't taking this problem seriously.

mr. speaker, i would like to highlight the excellent work of the wildlife conservation society from my hometown, bronx, new york. the wildlife conservation society runs the bronx zoo and runs many other cultural institutions in new york city, but they have been actively fighting wildlife poaching and trafficking for many years. they have been in the forefront of the american fight against poaching and trafficking, and it's a pleasure to work with them on this and so many other issues. i have, of course, long-standing ties with one of their leaders, john calvelli, who used to be my chief of staff in washington, ran my washington office and so i know how dedicated this group is. so we need to crack down on wildlife trafficking, both to deny resources to dangerous organizations and to protect some of the world's most iconic creatures. now, people may feel, well, you

know, if i just buy a little ivory doll or i buy something made out of ivory, how can that hurt? after all, it's there. it may be cute. it may be trendy. what's wrong with it? i'll tell you what's wrong with it. it funnels and aids and abets terrorism because these groups that sell the tusks and sell the ivory, they are by and large groups that get the money back and use it to force the terror. so people who are buying these things are not buying some innocent things. they are buying things that help terrorist organizations, just like we have to fight with the artifacts that are coming takes syria that isis and lots and then sells abroad to -- loots and then sells abroad to help finance their

terrorist activities, the same thing is true for ivory and the same reasons are being used -- re being done to funnel this money towards helping sinister groups, many of whom are terrorist organizations. so i urge my colleagues to support this bill. this is a very important bill. i thank my friend and partner, chairman royce, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i just wanted to recognize mr. engel's commitment to conservation on this planet and to his work on this legislation as well, and i wanted to yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge ted poe, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation and trade. he's an original co-sponsor of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i thank the chairman for yielding time and also thank the chairman and ranking member for their work on this

very important piece of legislation. around the world big game like elephants and rhinos are getting slaughtered. ivory seeking poachers have killed 100,000 elephants in three years. the black rhino population has dropped 95% since the early 20th century. in 2007, there were 12 rhinos killed in south africa. 12. over 2013 and 2014, 1,000 were killed each year. regarding elephants, this is a photograph of one of the oldest elephants in existence. sato was his name. he was in his 40's, and he was , so long his tusk they drug the ground. that's what's happening to the elephant population in africa,

they're killed not for their meat, they're killed for their tusks. and most of the people doing the poaching are really not the locals who poach for an animal to eat. that's not most of the poaching. although that does occur. most of those doing the poaching are transnational criminal organizations. the criminal groups come from places like china and vietnam. china is the number one destination for elephant tusk. vietnam is the number one world destination for rhino horns. and criminal cartels that are involved in this trafficking, they don't just traffic wildlife but they traffic drugs, weapons and people. it's all the same group of criminals that are trafficking. they traffic anything for money. the wildlife trafficking trade has been exploited -- has exploded in recent years because of the criminals understanding that the profits they get from trafficking is bigger than what they get from trafficking drugs.

also, the chances of getting caught are less and if caught the punishment is less so that's why wildlife trafficking is on the increase. rhino horn is now worth about $27,000 a pound. that's twice the value of gold and platinum and more than cocaine and diamonds. . terrorist groups are involved in this as well. i a hearing. the witnesses testified that terrorists are one of several groups in wildlife trafficking and do it for the money. they use the money as mr. engel said to buy bullets and guns to cause terror. over the weekend, al qaeda's somalia's affiliate, released photographs of killing and hunting a gir