and congresswoman hirono is going to be the last word. this is the congressional progressive caucus. ms. hirono: health care is a right and not a privilege and everyone in our country deserves quality, affordable health care with choice. mr. ellison: that pretty much does it. this has been the progressive caucus with the progressive message. and we'll see you next week. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from from wyoming, mrs. lummis is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mrs. lummis: i'm a member of congress from wyoming. i'm a freshman and a republican. this is the first time that the freshman republicans have engaged in a special order and it's my privilege to be joined by members of the republican freshman. this is our opportunity to share with you our perspective on these first five months in congress that we have shared together as freshmen, to tell you about ourselves and about our views

hirono: i will. mr. ellison: it shocked me that because i thought only people who are struggling, and the progressive caucus is all about fighting with poverty. i thought this was just a poor folks' problem. but this study seems to say something else. the debtors were well-educated, owned homes, had middle class jobs. ms. hirono: it points out how broken the welfare system is. people who are work, people who are well-educated, people who have good jobs cannot afford their health care. again, it points out there are things we need to do. i mentioned earlier in my remarks i had -- many of us have been having forums, health care forums in our communities. i had one in my community last week on the big island of hawaii. we had representatives from hospitals, from the medical profession, from -- the dean of our medical school. and while this whole health care issue is very complicated, certain common themes came out. first of all, of course, the recognition that the cost is astronomical, no end in sight, and

hirono: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and also i'd like to thank neil abercrombie and the previous speaker for his kind and knowledgeable remarks. and you pronounced his name correctly, too, which is wonderful. thank you. h.res. 479 recognizes the accomplishments of jesse kuhaulua, which is known as takamiyama daigoro, a trail blazer in the sport of sumo wrestling. maui born, jesse made his bay due as an aspirant in 1974 in osaka. at the time he knew little of the japanese language and the subtleties of the sport itself. he wondered if his stay in japan would be counted in weeks or months. today, takamiyama daigoro will retire from a 45-year-long sumo career filled with historic milestones. this marks the day before his 65th birthday when senior members of the sport must retire. takamiyama daigoro was the first united states-born wrestler to enter the sport of sumo. in 1972 he became the first foreigner to win the emperor's cup, a top division championship in the s

hirono: reest permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. hirono: madam speaker, today i'd like to recognize a brave young woman who was shot and killed while joining iranians in tehran who were demonstrating against the presidential election results. nata's name means the name in farsay. she wanted her voice to be heard and votes to be counted. the people from around the world, -- like the people from around the world, i have been touched by the voice of women in iran. i ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of nata and is supporting all of the courageous women in iran who are raising their voices and fighting for the fundamental freedoms and human rights that we so often take for granted. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. shimkus: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: with

hirono of hawaii, and ms. roibled of -- and ms. roybal-allard of california. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to section 4-b of house resolution 5, 111th congress, i am pleased to appoint the following members to the house democracy assistance commission. the honorable david dreier of california. the honorable john boozman of arkansas. the honorable jeff fortenberry of nebraska. the honorable judy biggert of illinois. the honorable bill shuster of pennsylvania. the honorable kay granger of texas. the honorable charles w. boustany jr. of louisiana. the honorable k. michael conaway of texas. the honorable vern cannon of nebraska. i am pleased to fulfill their requests. signed sincerely, john a. boehner, republican leader.

woolsey: i yield to congresswoman hirono from hawaii. ms. hirono: thank you very much. we are going to be focusing on health care tonight for this hour and i just wanted to share with all of you a little bit of my background, because i know what it's like not to have health care. i came to this country as a immigrant. my mother brought me and my brothers to hawaii, lucky me, and raised us as a single parent. and we didn't have much. and she worked for many years in a job that did not have any benefits, innovation, no health care. and i remember growing up that migratest fear was that my mother would get sick and if she did, she wouldn't be able to go to work and if she didn't go to work there wouldn't be any money for food or rent. today, in our country, over 45 million people have no health insurance. i know what that's like. our current system does not serve these millions of people, nor does our current system serve those who have health insurance because of rising costs, which have not kept up with wages. our current system also does not serve our businesses well, w

hirono: mr. speaker, later today the house will consider h.res. 505 a. bill that condemns the tragic murder of dr. george tiller, and offers our condolences to his wife, four children, and 10 grandchildren. he was known as a doctor of last resort and a friend to women when they were in desperate need of support and care. his murder in his church in wichita where he served as an usher and where his wife sang in the choir was a violent and lawless and senseless act. at his memorial service this past saturday, he was remembered for his sense of humor and spirit. let us also remember him for his courage. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: mr. speaker, news came yesterday that will laura ling and euna lee, two american journalists held in north korea, and held there since march, have been found guilty of illegally entering north korea. they have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. these court pr

hirono: mr. speaker, it's time to stop playing politics and solve the health care crisis. americans deserve a choice in quality health care that is affordable. health care reform will make sure that we have the option to keep the health care insurance we have if we like it. or to choose a quality public health care option. health care reform will stop the insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. you will also no longer be denied care because of your age. health care reform will make sure that you will have coverage that can never be denied or taken away. our families need this peace of mind. we spend almost 50% more per person on health care than the next most costly nation. but we are no healthier for it. we cannot wait any longer to make health care reform a reality. quality, affordable health care for all is long overdue. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? mr. ellison: to address the house for one minute.