protecting so many women. mr. speaker, i rise as a voice to tell this chamber that their stories are real and pain is real and fight is real. my bill can halt this tragedy by removing this dangerous from the market. join this fight because stories are tool important to ignore. . the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, today is rare disease day and it's the reason why i am wearing this special tie given to me by minnesotan, erica barnes, as part of the chloe's fight rare disease foundation's wear something rare campaign. mr. paulsen: rare disease is generally defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people and there are approximately 7,000 different types of rare diseases which impact the health of about 30 million

americans. half of which are children. february 29, a day which is rare in itself, is also set aside to bring awareness and improve access to treatment and medical representation for people living with a rare disease. it's recognized by over 80 countries around the world. mr. speaker, there is more that we can do to help. the house passed the 21st century cures act with strong bipartisan support, to help lower barriers to medical innovation and provide critical funding to find curious and treatment for medical afflictions, including rare diseases. so on this rare disease we raise attention to this issue and the need to continue our work to help those who are suffering from rare diseases and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> seek unanimous con sent to address the house for one minute -- consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to for the recent win at the international consumer electronics show.

the group earned the health and wellness project of the year from the consumer technology association. tom and his group designed an impressive home auto mation system to -- system -- auto mation system for a woman who was a quadriplegic. mr. emmer: they went above and beyond, creating a system that i louis her to control her entire media center, unlock her door, adjust her lighting and even place phone calls. technology's role in the world is rapidly increasing and with the increase, many new frontiers have been discovered and explored. and i am proud to represent a state and district that is home to medical innovation. i am constantly amazed by how technology has the capacity to improve and even save lives. that is exactly what tom and his team demonstrated with this automation system and i a-- and i applaud their ingenuity. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in recognition of the greenfield volunteer fire department stationed in erie county. which has been named pennsylvania's e.m.s. agency of the year. i am proud to have these dedicated volunteers stationed in the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. just two years ago their department only had two active volunteers, two active members. now they have a team of 25, with an additional two junior members. responders say 70% of their calls are for emergency services and that their department hasn't missed a call in two years. the department officials say they're overjoyed with the support they've received from both the volunteers and their community. at a time when many volunteer fire departments in my state and across the nation are shrinking, it is great to see this kind of growth. mr. speaker, it is the dedicated men and women like

the volunteers of greenfield township that make our communities across pennsylvania safe and great places to call home. well done, greenfield volunteer fire department. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new hampshire seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. guinta: thank you, mr. speaker. tomorrow the national oceanic and atmospheric administration will be will begin charging new england fishermen new fees. $710 per fishing trip to be exact. that could destroy an historic industry. granite state fishermen, just 10 remaining boat operators, are already struggling under regulations that severely limit their catch. now fishermen will also be responsible for the cost of federal contractors who monitor them at sea. noaa has always paid these associated costs. the agency has even delayed

implementation of new fees several times over the years. but somehow noaa has always found the extra money in its $6 billion budget. in my letter to the chief administrator i asked where the money is going and the agency can't account for much of it. nor can they appreciate or understand the economic impact of its regulations. so we've introduced legislation to stop noaa's new fees. a historic way of life and good jobs up and down the new england coast are at stake. and i ask for your help. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, peace corps volunteers are america's angels abroad. these unique volunteers are some of our best diplomats. they travel to the ends of the earth to spread the message of democracy in lands far, far away. sometimes they work alone and

they help in remote regions of the world, areas where most of us could not even locate with google maps. they help small villages with sanitation and lack of water, for instance. and they do it all with great passion. these volunteers are called to serve. however, we must serve and protect these volunteers as well. sometimes bad things happen to peace corps volunteers overseas. if so, america must help with medical services, we must help with care and counseling, if they are assaulted in a foreign country. that is why congress passed the peace corps volunteer protection act of 2011. congress must continue to advocate for victims in the peace corps. we need to make sure that our volunteers with service-related medical conditions and injuries are cared for and compensated both in the field and when they return home to america. we must protect these angels abroad. after all, mr. speaker, they are ambassadors to the world

from america. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dold: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize a small business in north brook, illinois. the chamber of commerce recently named it business of the year for 2016. it has been providing the community with innovative sound systems since the 1950's. and has grown to become an industry leader. in the past five years, the company's revenue grew by over 60%. most admirably throughout this growth the company has not lost sight of the community it serves. the c.e.o. sets an example for small businesses across the nation through his integrity, vision and emphasis on community involvement. small businesses are truly the

backbone of our economy and our communities. unfortunately backwards federal regulations are making it harder and harder for small businesses to thrive and create more jobs. i am committed to doing all that i can in this body to support small businesses and get more people back to work. congratulations again. thank you for representing the north brook community with passion and integrity. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i rise today to urge our south florida community to attend the live like bella superhero 5-k run and walk this saturday, march 5, at 8:00 a.m. at zoo, miami.

as you can see here, bella rodriguez torres was the oldest daughter of shanna and raymond, the founders of the live like bella childhood cancer foundation. bella was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer when she was only 4 years old. doctors and medical experts only gave her a few months to live. but bella miraculously lived and courageously fought cancer six times until her death in 2013. during that time, bella never feared. instead, bella encouraged everyone around her to enjoy life and appreciate each moment. by creating this wonderful organization, bella's parents and all of their supporters fight pediatric cancer while offering much needed support for families. i encourage everyone in our community to attend this organization's saturday's run and help end the number one

killer of children today. let's support the live like bella foundation. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maine seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poliquin: mr. speaker, one of our brave american heros is the late u.s. army corporal, joseph owe claire of ashland, maine. corporal fought for our freedom and was seriously wounded in the brutal month-long battle of heartbreak ridge in korea. in november, our congressional office presented the corporal with his long overdue purple heart. sadly, he passed away just two weeks ago. norm was a loving husband, father and grandfather from a small town in maine.

he and lydia were married for more than 61 years and raised five terrific children. after the war, he worked alongside two of his three sons at the logging and lumber companies. he was an avid outdoorsman, a terrific wood worker and a long -- life-long member of the v.f.w. post in ashland. for 240 years, patriotic americans from small towns across this great country have fought for our freedoms and our way of life. he corporal was among 66,000 courageous veterans throughout maine's second congressional district. thank you for what you have given us, your gift will last forever. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from virginia seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. comstock: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the life of prince william county police officer, ashley. ashley was 28 years old. she was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance in virginia on her first day on the job. she had just been sworn in the previous day and the incident occurred only 90 minutes into her first training shift. she also had been serving her country and community as a member of the u.s. marine corps reserve. she was a gifted and skilled officer. and this great sense of service that she had to her country and her community will be so missed by her family, friends and colleagues on the force.

28 years old. she represented the best of our youth. and her tragic murder is a reminder of the sacrifices that law enforcement in my district and all of virginia and throughout our country make every day. we honor her service and her sacrifice and that of all of our dedicated selfless law enforcement officers. they deserve our honor and respect every day. i also ask that we continue to pray for her fellow officers, jesse and david, who were also shot during this incident. and we pray for their full recovery. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. culberson of texas for today and tuesday, march 1. ms. sheila jackson lee of texas

for today and tomorrow. ms. eddie ber neens johnson of texas for today and tomorrow and mrs. napolitano of california for february 29 through march 4. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requested are -- the requests re granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from new york, mr. jevers is recognized ff 60 minutes as the dez igs knee of the minority leader -- as the designee of the minority leader. mr. jeffries: it's an honor and privilege for me to once again stand on the floor of the house of representatives along with my distinguished colleague from ohio, representative joyce beatty, to co-anchor this c.b.c. special order hour this hour of power, where for the next 60 minutes we'll have an opportunity to speak directly to the american people about an issue of grave importance to the

integrity of our democracy. and that is making sure the united states senate fulfills their constitutional obligation to advice and consent as it relates to considering any supreme court nomination that president obama sends up to that body. we know that justice antonin scalia has moved on after a long and distinguished career, though i disagree with almost every single judicial opinion that he has issued, he served this nation well. now that he's moved on, the supreme court, which is contained in article 3 of the united states constitution, has a vacancy. and it is the obligation of the united states senate to fill

that vacancy by considering whatever nominee president arack obama sends forward. members of the united states senate take an oath of office to faithfully discharge their responsibilities. and when you look at article 2, section 2 of the united states constitution, which gives the president the power to nominate someone to fill a vacancy on the supreme court, it's the senate that must consider that nominee. and since the early part of the 20th century, there have been eight different supreme court nominees who have been voted on in an election year. six of them actually were confirm bud all eight of them received a hearing. and so for the life of me, i

can't figure out why senator mitch mcconnell think he is can any way with holding nomination up without even the slightest bit of consideration. so we're going to explore that here today and we'll be joined by any number of distinguished members of the house of representatives and the congressional black caucus but let me proceed by yielding to my good friend and my colleague, my co-anchor, she does such a tremendous job on behalf of the people of the great state of ohio and the city of columbus, i yield now to my co-anchor for this special order hour, the dynamic representative, joyce beatty. mrs. beatty: thank you so much, congressman jeffries. it is certainly an honor and privilege for me to join you this evening and co-anchor for this congressional black caucus pecial order hour.

congressman jeffries, your scholarship and distinguished talent as a member of the judiciary committee have not gone unnoticed. thank you for lead big example and challenging us to initiate and follow through to sending a message on senate republicans when refusal to act on the supreme court vacancy. in part, tonight's congressional black caucus special order hour, senate republicans do your job, does just that. as you reflected in your opening statement, article 2, section 2 of the constitution expressly designates that the president has a duty to name and the senate has the responsibility to advise and consent a nominee to fill the seat.

president obama takes this very seriously he has stated, quote, it is a citizen to which i have devoted time, serious consultation with legal experts, members of both political parties, and people across the political spectrum. but republicans have made a decision to completely refuse consideration of anyone that president obama nominates to the supreme court. in fact, they have stated that they won't hold a hearing to vote. senate democrats never act sod recklessly when faced with the situation in 1988, when there was a vote to confirm justice

kennedy. there was no talk of doing nothing until after that year's election, because it was unthinkable then to leave the court shorthanded for that long. and it remains so now. the power of the court, mr. speaker is reflected in the work it does. its decisions often shape the policy as profoundly as any law passed by congress or any action taken by the president of these united states. when we look back to our history, especially african-americans, the importance of the decision handed down by the supreme court cannot be overstated. most of us are familiar with brown vs. the board of education, 1954, which

reversed plessy vs. ferguson and its separate but equal rule. striking town segregation in our nation's public schools provided a major catalyst for the civil rights movement and made advances in desegregating housing, public accommodations, and the institution of higher education possible. after brown, the nation made some great strides toward opening the doors of education to all students. unfortunately, the promise of the brown decision remains unfulfilled in many ways. more than two million black students atend schools where 90% of the student body is made up of minority students. on average, schools serving more minority populations have less experienced, lower paid teachers who are less likely to be certified. a report from the center for

american progress found that a 10% point increase in students of color at a school is associated with a decrease in per-pupil spending of $75. in many ways, more than 60 years after brown vs. the board of education, school systems in the united states are still separate and unequal. and we are just not witnessing educational disparities at the elementary and the secondary education level. college enrollment is racially polarized. white students are overrepresented in selective colleges. which have more resources to educate and to support them while african-american students are more overrepresented and less selective institutions. mr. speaker, congressman jeffries you see where i'm going with this.

this is also why the late justice scalia's comments during oral argument of the pending united states supreme court case fisher vs. the university of texas, texas -- university of texas at austin were so disturbing he stated in part, maybe the university of texas ought to have fewer african-americans. these comments are inaccurate and insulting to me and to african-americans. they undervalue the historic achievement of -- that african-americans have made, thousands of black americans have excelled to the top tier of their university. many of them you will hear tonight because they are members of the congressional black caucus. they are scholars, they are the conscience of the congress, and they represent the diversity of

america's best university, of america's historically black colleges and universities. there is much more that we will say tonight and i would like to reserve some more time, but now i turn it back to my co-anchor, congressman jeffries. mr. jeffries: i thank the distinguished jeament for her wonderful thoughts and observe igses -- observations. it is now my privilege to yield to one of those who ms. beatty mentioned a legal giant amongst us, someone who served this institution well, who understands the constitution, the notion of separation of powers, an the importance of a fair and equitable justice system. i yield now to the distinguished gentleman from virginia, representative bobby scott. mr. scott: thank you. i thank the gentleman from new york and the gentlelady from ohio for organizing tonight's special order to call on our

colleagues in the senate to do their job and provide their advice and consent on the president's upcoming nomination to the united states supreme court. the constitution is pretty clear on this issue, article 2, section 2, doesn't say the president might or the president should, it says the president shall nominate and by advice and consent of the senate shall appoint judges to the supreme court. there seems to be some suggestion that if it's an election year, you ought to skip that process and let the next president make the appointment. and they say there's very little precedent for a president nominating someone in an election year. that might be technically correct but the fact of the matter is, there have been virtually no vacancies that have occurred during an election year, i think the last one was about 50 years, almost 50 years ago and in that case, an appointment was made and

considered and that's the process that ought to take place in this case. the rarity of such an event should not preclude the senate from fulfilling its constitutional responsibility. there is every -- there is precedent for the senate -- for the president nominating and the senate at least considering the nomination during an election year. now, justice kennedy was confirmed in an election year, 1988, and that was a seven-month process. that began with the appointment of robert bjork to the supreme court, his nomination was considered and defeated. and then there was the appointment of douglas ginsburg and we'll just say his nomination went up in smoke. and then the nomination and confirmation of justice kennedy. seven months from start to

finish, consider, defeat, another nomination made and collapsing, another nomination made and -- seven months. we could complete that entire process by the first monday in october. the beginning of the supreme court session. there is no precedent for the president declining to nominate somebody in virtually -- and virtually no precedence for the senate to ignore a nomination that's made. the people overwhelmingly re-elected president obama in 2012 to a term that does not end until january 20, 2017, and we fully expect the president to fulfill his duty to nominate a qualified individual to the supreme court to fill the current vacancy. a failure of the senate to act this year would be unprecedented. there's ample time for that to take place. the longest confirmation process or a single nominee has been

125 days, on historic average 25 days it takes to confirm or reject a nominee. as of today, the senate has 216 days until the first monday in october. if the senate were to refuse to consider any of president obama's nominations, the -- and the senate has -- they've said they want the next president to make the appointment, there's been no indication they'll give expedited consideration to the next president's nomination. it could well be well into the next year by the time the new justice is confirmed and sworn in. even on an expedited schedule. the new president would not be able to nominate anyone until they're sworn in on january 20. the senate judiciary committee would need time to prepare for hearings, which could not occur until probably february, and