conyers. mr. conyers: i thank you, mr. speaker. i ask that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. conyers: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, on april 20, an explosion on the deepwater horizon oil drilling platform sank the vessel resulting in the death of 11 men and injured at least 17 others. we are on honored to have the widows -- we are honored to have the widows -- four of the widows of the men there including the father of gordon jones, attorney chief jones, shelly anderson -- mrs. shelly anderson, mrs. correspondent knee kemp, mrs. natalie rush. and we come here -- they join us in the gallery to observe these proceedings. they were at the judiciary committee hearing. this april 20 disaster has now become the most massive environmental disaster in our nation's history, poisonin

i would like to thank chairman conyers, mr. scott and their commitment for advancing this necessary common sense legislation. i urge its passage. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. >> i have an additional speaker. >> i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i recognize the gentlelady from ohio, ms. sutton. ms. sutton: i thank the gentleman for his time and his leadership on this important issue. i rise today in strong support and as a co-sponsor for the prevention of interstate commerce in animal crush video ares act and i thank mr. gallegly and mr. peters and all those involved in dealing with this horrific, her risk problem. the recent supreme court decision overturned 10 years of federal law that outlawed animal crush videos. they said that the 1999 law was over-broad and the supreme court also left open an avenue for a more targeted law. so today we make it clear, again, that the intentional crushing, burn

representatives, charles rangel of new york, north carolina's rep and john conyers. [applause] >> good morning. we're here to honor those who served and to remember those who perished in the conflict. please stand for the presentation of the colors. ♪ 06 n uc ♪ by the dawn's early light? ♪ what so proudly we hail ♪ let the toilettes less greening ♪ whose bright stripes and bright stars ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ over the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets' red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night ♪ that our flag was still there ♪ 0, said, does that star spangled banner ♪ yet wave ♪ over the land of the free ♪ and if the home of the brave >> please remain standing as dr. gary black gives the indication. >> lettuce pray. the eternal lord god will loan spreads up the heavens, we gather in prayer on of this 60th anniversary of america's forgotten war to seek your blessings. bless the family is of the fallen as well as the shrinking core of aging and korean war veterans -- of aging korean war veterans. let t

conyers, sheila jackson lee, maxine waters, charlie rangel and mel watt. on pass of the organizations and members of congress who support s. 1789, i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, those who fail to learn the lessons of history often pay a price. unfortunately, the real cost usually falls on others. in the 1980's america faced an epidemic created by a new potent form of cocaine known as crack. its abuse spread through major cities and across the country at a stunning speed. along with crack came guns and violence which riddled many urban communities. these communities cried out for help, and in 1986 congress responded. we enacted tough penalties to protect these neighborhoods and bring an end to the scourge of crack cocaine. and the penalties helped make america's communities safer. now, c

conyers is deferring to chairman burr who's recogn e recognized for five minutes. thank you.aver, i -- this issue of what is amnesty and what is not. what jimmy carter did was a -- was a blanket amnesty that defined a group of people and said they're okay, notwithstanding what they did. the law that ronald reagan signed turned out to be seriously flawed, not because it gave a blanket amnesty. it invited individuals to apply, pay money and take english language in courses. it didn't have all the features we have now, but it was -- it was a specific individual generated legalization program that conferred a temporary status before it confirmed a permanent res accident status. the flaws were that it didn't -- while it attempted to increase border patrol numbers it didn't secure the border. most of awe, the ini forms that he keeps in his files were not an effective process of providing workers, and so we have a problem compounded at this particular time. you mentioned three alternatives. there's a fourth alternative. it's the alternative we seem to be locked into, which is really

representatives, charles rangel, coble, and john conyers. this lasts about 50 minutes. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> good morning. today we are here to remember those who perished in the conflict. please stand for the presentation of the colors. >> ♪ 0, say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ was so proudly we hail at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose bright stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ over the ramparts we watched were so proudlvaliantly streami♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ is approved through the night that our flag was still there -- gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ jose does that star spangled banner yet wave yetoh -- oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave for the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing. >> let us pray. the internal lord god who loan spreads out the heavens, we gather on prayer and rigid we gather in prayer

conyers has arrived. he has an opening remark that he would like to make. >> if i could just briefly, madam chairman, and ranking member king, at this hearing, i think, is sort of a landmark in this discussion, this national discussion that we're entering into, and i am so pleased depth the bishop is here, that the president of the southern baptist convention is here, that the dean of liberty university law school is present with us, and of course, dr. james edwards. we welcome you all, and i would just mentioned to the chair person here, and i have not talked to steve king about it yet, but i just want to put on the record that we might like to meet with you after the hearing itself to talk about how we can expand our discussion be on the formalities of a committee hearing -- beyond the formalities of a committee hearing. i am so pleased and honored that you would be here with the senate judiciary committee. if i could, i would like to yield the balance of any time to our distinguished colleague from ill

conyers is deferring to chairman burr who's recogn e recognized for five minutes. thank you. dean staver, i -- this issue of what is amnesty and what is not. what jimmy carter did was a -- was a blanket amnesty that defined a group of people and said they're okay, notwithstanding what they did. the law that ronald reagan signed turned out to be seriously flawed, not because it gave a blanket amnesty. it invited individuals to apply, pay money and take english language in courses. it didn't have all the features we have now, but it was -- it was a specific individual generated legalization program that conferred a temporary status before it confirmed a permanent res accident status. the flaws were that it didn't -- while it attempted to increase border patrol numbers it didn't secure the border. most of awe, the ini forms that he keeps in his files were not an effective process of providing workers, and so we have a problem compounded at this partilar me. you mentioned three alternatives. there's a fourth alternative. it's the alternative we seem to be locked into, which is re

john conyers was so important in the passage of this bill. everybody has mentioned attorney general thornburgh. he and his wife are both giants in the support of the education of so many of us and the challenge confronting those with disabilities. it has been mentioned over and over again that this is an historic time, 20 years, two decades since the passage of the americans with disabilities act. the first president bush signed into law one of the greatest leap and civil-rights legislation in history. it has been called the most significant civil rights legislation in 25 years, since the passage in 1965 of the civil rights act. the ceremony in the south line -- at the ceremony on the south lawn of the white house, president bush said that with the signing of this bill, every man, woman and child could now passed through once closed doors into a bright era of quality, independence and freedom. he was right. those stories certainly have come open. tens of millions of americans with disabilities now enjoy rights the rest of us have long taken f

conyers and conviction of mr. jefferson, sex payroll of former congressman tim mahoney and there are other cases but no reason to go into those things. but all these things need to be brought up, because we aren't the most open, ethical congress in the history of the congress of the united states. it was promised and that promise has not been delivered upon. and i think that we have a duty as members of this house to examine that and wonder why the leadership of this house has not delivered on that promise. i don't expect the speaker to know or be in charge of every private life of every member here. god forbid. nobody wants that. that's way beyond the scope of the pale. but there are duties and responsibilities that leaders have and i would argue that we saw what happened with other leaders that had accusations against them, because in the republican congress, they went there and gave their side of the story and got it resolved in 70 days. sometime waiting to resolve an almost identical case. the question was, wh

conyers is doing on the racial profiling and that is some of the concern that we have about the arizona law. all the more reason for us to. >> fantastic. now let's take a few questions from the audience. thank you for submitting those. this week the senate announced that they are not attempting to pass climate change legislation, even though cap-and-trade with a republican idea. will they get an energy bill this year but that really shifts the u.s. from oil to alternatives and brings jobs to the u.s.? [applause] >> i certainly hope so. let me say when i'd became speaker of the house my flagship issue was energy, security and addressing the climate crisis. it is somportant and the priority that i established a select committee, established just for this purpose. ed markey of massachusetts, a master on all of these issues, is the chair of that committee. probably 100 members who wanted to be on the committee, everyone wanted to be on it. it is very important. this is not an issue that the senate can walk away from. this is a national security issue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

here too are chairman conyers and chairman moran. chairman conyers on the committee and chairman moran, a gished -- distinguished member of the appropriations committee. they've been at the forefront of fighting for uspto so they can reduce the backlog of what we speak today. mr. murphy is a young member, i'm pleased he's a distinguished member of the commerce, science subcommittee. he has take an particular interest in this issue. he's becoming very knowledgeable about it and has been in the forefront of moving this legislation that would help them. so it's my pleasure to recognize the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. murphy, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. speaker, thank you, chairman mollohan, i appreciate your leadership on this issue and allowing me to partner with you on this important piece of legislation. mr. speaker, we need to continue to get our economy back on the right track. this bill is about boosting american technology and innovation. i

conyers: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? mr. conyers: madam speaker, by direction of the committee on rules -- by the direction of the committee on judiciary, i send to the desk a privileged report for filing under the rule to accompany house resolution 1455. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 1455, resolution directing the attorney general to transmit to the house of representatives copies of certain communications relating to certain recommendations regarding administration appointments. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. cantor: i ask to address the house for one minute for the purpose of inquiring about next week's schedule. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: i thank the speaker. and yield to the gentleman f

maile co-sponsors are john conyers and barney frank -- my lead the co-sponsors are john conyers and barney frank. >> senator george. >> thank you. i have the best record a bipartisan accomplishment. i have had to work with democrats. i have found a way to do it. one of by first packages a bill was end of life care legislation. it was meant to bring better care to dying patients. i have worked on smoke-free air regulation, which would not have passed the michigan senate without my help. i'm working on a bipartisan package of bills to help facilitate new uses for abandoned and tax reverted properties. there are nearly 70,000 in michigan. bipartisanship is necessary. working together with the other side to get things done for the common good of the citizens. >> share of bouchard. >> thank you. i do not think the last eight years have been a success story. we need to move things for dramatically. i was the majority floor leader in the senate before i left, the assistant before that, the president pro tem. i know how get votes. that is what a leader does. governor has not introduced one bill --

i also want to thank chairman scott and chairman conyers and ranking members gohmert and smith for their long standing commitment to america's seniors. mr. speaker, when i saw my grandmother go through the last years of her life and what she went through with these solicitations, i made a pledge to make sure that all older americans have the tools that they need to protect themselves against financial crimes and fraud. i urge support for the senior financial empowerment act and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman roufs. -- reserves. >> mr. speaker, i continue to reserve. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i'll be prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes mr. rooney. mr. rooney: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes mr. scott. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentlelady from wisconsin for her leadership on this bill as well as the gentleman from north carolina, mr. coble. this is important legi

conyers, as well as my good friend, mr. scott, chairman of the subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security. through their efforts on the judiciary committee the bill has been strengthened in its final form. i'd like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. cole, and his staff for his strong partnership in moving this important bill through the house. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that passed the senate by unanimous consent. the tribal law and order act will improve law enforcement efforts and combat sexual assault and drug smuggling in indian country. it re-authorizes existing programs designed to strengthen tribal courts, police departments, and correction centers, as well as programs to prevent and treat alcohol and substance abuse and improve opportunities for at-risk indian youth. a vote geps this bill is a vote to keep the status quo. the status quo where it's estimated one in three women, american indian women, and alaska native women, will be raped in their lifetime

conyers, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5609 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. thclerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5609, a bill to amend the federal election campaign act of 1971 to prohibit any region strerd lobbyist whose employer includes foreign governments which are found to be sponsors of terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states hou of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] . host: on your screen is congressman john tierney of massachusetts. a report on contract thing in afghanistan. the famous phrase that an army moves on its stomach. we have a $2.1 billion contract there. what are we getting from it? guest: yes, $2.16 billion for c

and i would like to thank chairman conyers, ranking member smith and ranking member of the court subcommittee, howard coble of north carolina, for their work on this bill, and i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. and i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. rooney: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rooney: the removal clarification act of 2010 amends a statute that allows federal officers under limited conditions to remove cases filed against them in state court to the u.s. district court for disposition. the purpose of concurrent law is to restrict state courts the power to hold federal officers liable for acts allegedly performed in the execution of their federal duties. this doesn't mean federal officers can break the law, it just means these cases are transferred to federal courts for determination. federal officers and agents, even members of congress, should be forced to answer to fe

. >> i turn to conyers for his questions. think mr. conyers is deferring to chairman burr who's recogn e recognized for five minutes. thank you. dean staver, i -- this issue of what is amnesty and what is not. what jimmy carter did was a -- was a blanket amnesty that defined a group of people and said they're okay, notwithstaing what they did. the law that ronaldeagan signed turned out to be seriously flawed, not because it gave a blanket amnesty. it invited individuals to apply, pay money and take english language in courses. it didn't have all the features we have now, but it was -- it was a specific individual generatedegalization program that conferred a temporary status beforit confirmed a permanent res accident status. the flaws were that it didn't -- while it attempted to increase border prol numbers it didn't secure the border. most of awe, the ini forms that he keeps in his files wer not an effective process of providing workers, and so we have a problem compounded at this particular time. you mentioned three alternatives. the

john conyers was on "democracy now" yesterday, and one of his colleagues came up with a little mottolike the republicans usually do, and that is "the war is making you poor." if we look at 70 cents of every tax dollar going to the military-industrial complex, at all public-works, schools closing left and right, parks are closing, you take 55 cents back from the military- industrial machine and invested back into our country, and then we would see infrastructure, our roads being fixed. we have the technology to go ahead with the wind turbines. we have the technology. we just take it away from the big oil, take it away from the big company, and give all our research and all of our resources -- we cannot put america back to work -- we can put america back to work, we just have to give them the profits and get off fossil fuels. host: to new yorkers feel like they should be getting more support from the federal government to lessen the burden? guest: i think that is why the governors of these large estates are lobbying the federal government to extend the assistance package. there is no d

maile co-sponsors were john conyers and barney frank. an ability to focus on the issues and to focus on solutions and get the job done. >> i am the candidate with the best record of bipartisan accomplishment. i have served in the legislature for 10 years in a term limited and burma. i have had to work with democrats and found a way to do it. one of my bills was end of life care legislation. i am a physician. it was to facilitate better care for dying patients. i have also worked on smoke-free air legislation that would not have passed without my help. right now, i am working on a bipartisan package of bills to facilitate new uses for abandoned properties. there are nearly 70,000 in detroit, the face of michigan to the outside world. bipartisanship is going to be necessary, not giving up on one's principles but working together with the other side to get things done for the common good of the citizens of michigan. >> with all due respect, i do not think the last eight years have been a success story. i believe we need to move things forwa

staff of the judiciary committee, with the consent of the chairman of the judiciary committee, john conyers, with the compolicesy of the rules committee, chaired by louise slaughter, and i think at least in the silence of it all, within the arrangement of the speaker of the house's method of running this place, speaker pelosi. and so, this franchise that is every member of congress, each of us that represents about 700,000 people in this congress, we come here to carry the values of our constituents and out among our districts, we have all the solutions for america. we have all the answers that man and woman can device out there among our constituents, 700,000 i have the privilege to represent added to the other 305.3 million or so that are represented by the other 435 members of congress. and we go out, we have an information network. we gather data and we have those voices coming in to my office constantly. that's what we do. and as part of my job, weigh those ideas in, place them in the right place, get them to the subcommittees, get information before the hearings, get them to the subke

john conyers was on "democracy now" yesterday, and one of his colleagues came up with a little motto like the republicans usually do, and that is "the war is making you poor." if we look at 70 cents of every tax dollar going to the military-industrial complex, at all public-works, schools closing left and right, parks are closing, you take 55 cents back from the military- industrial machine and invested back into our country, and then we would see infrastructure, our roads being fixed. we have the technology to go ahead with the wind turbines. we have the technology. we just take it away from the big oil, take it away from the big company, and give all our research and all of our resources -- we cannot put america back to work -- we can put america back to work, we just have to give them the profits and get off fossil fuels. host: to new yorkers feel like they should be getting more support from the federal government to lessen the burden? guest: i think that is why the governors of these large estates are lobbying the federal government to extend the assistance package. there is no