thank you, madam president. ms. murkowski: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: thank you, madam chairwoman. before i begin, i'd ask unanimous consent that three individuals from my staff -- catit, kimberly, be allowed to be on the floor during the debate on this appropriations bill. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: madam president, i rise this afternoon in support of the legislative branch appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010. the chairman of the subcommittee, senator nelson, and i have worked collaboratively in this process of putting the bill together. i thank him for that. i think we had some real substance in our hearings and spent the time, energy, the focus that we needed to on these matters regarding this particular appropriations. when combined with the house items, the bill before us totals $4.7 billion, and while this is an increase of 5% over the current year, the bill that we reported out of the committee represented less than a 3% increase over fy2009, as the

lynch: thank you, madam speaker. we yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 435 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 a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 420. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 420, resolution celebrating the symbol of the united states flag and supporting the goals and ideals of flag day. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes t

lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: thank you. madam speaker, on behalf of the house committee on oversight and government reform, i'm pleased to present house resolution 356 for consideration. this legislation expressing our support -- expresses our support for the designation of february 8, 2010, as boy scouts america day. in recognition of the youth organization'sup coming 100th anniversary. house resolution 356 was introduced by my colleague, representative ralph hall, of texas on april 23, 2009, and favorably reported out of the oversight committee on may 6, 2009. additionally house resolution 356 enjoys the support of over 70 members of the congress. madam speaker, the boy scouts of america was incorporated by chicago publisher william dickson boys

collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to proceed as if in morning business for 15 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, moments from now president obama will unveil his administration's long-awaited proposal to restructure and reform our nation's financial regulatory system. i'd like to take a few minutes to share my initial reactions to some of the most important features in the president's plan. at the outset, madam president, let me say that the president and his financial team deserve considerable credit for tackling this critical issue. it's important that all of us recognize how critical federal financial regulatory reform is and that we not put this issue off until some distant future. when the pr*e present crisis is behind us -- when the present crisis is behind us, something we all hope will be sooner rather than later, other issues will demand our attention and calls for reform, i f

sessions: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i yield three minutes to the gentleman from the republican caucus, mr. pence. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. pence: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pence: madam speaker, this is a difficult time in the life of our nation. in the life of our nation's economy and that of families and small businesses and family farms. remarkably today with an embarrassingly brief amount of debate and discussion and amendment, the democratic majority is poised to bring to the floor of the congress what amounts to the largest tax increase in american history. under the guise of climate change legislation. now, there's a lot of debate about what this bill will cost the average american household, from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars, but there actually is no debate over the fact that this legislation will cost millions of american jobs. on t

thank you, madam speaker. i rise this evening to announce the sad passing of dr. bob frederic. a distinguished kansan and an exceptional human being. dr. frederic served as athletic director at the university of kansas for 14 years, the second longest tenure in the school's history and a period during which the jayhawks experienced tremendous success. under bob's leadership, jayhawk athletics received 32 conference championships and generated 31 all-american -- academic all americans. the latter of which i'm sure meant the most to dr. frederic, as that was the kind of person he was. dr. frederic felt most concerned about the well-being of student athletes. first as a coach and later as an athletic director, dr. frederic showed that concern as he personally took an interest in the students at kansas university that were also engaged in an intense dedication that it takes to be a college athlete today. while very competitive by nature, he was as gracious in defeat and as much a class act as any athletic director

>> madam speaker, i have a motion at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. lewis of california moves that the managers on the part of the house at the conference on disagreeing votes of the two houses on the senate amendment to the bilh.r. 2346 be instructed as follows. one, to agree within the scope of conference the funding levels that will result in a total funding level in the conference report that does not exceed the total funding level provided in the senate amendment. two, to insist on the house funding levels under each account under title 1 of the house bill related to defense matters. three, to insist on the house funding levels for each account under chapter 9 of title 2 of the house bill related to military construction. four, to recede to section 1305 of the senate amendment related to detainee photographic records protection. five, to not record their approval of the final conference agreement within the meaning of clause a of house rule 22 unless such the text of the ag

platts: thank you, madam speaker. i yield five minutes to the distinguished the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, i rise to support this resolution. in recognizing the national center for missing and exploited children on its 25th anniversary, it is time for us to reflect on just what a role it played in terms of increasing the recovery rate over time of missing children. if you think about the last 25 years and the fact that 138,000 missing children have been recovered, returned to their families, but then in the early years, that rate ran at 62%. and now that rate is up to 97%. you begin to get an appreciation for just what the national center for missing and exploited children were able to do for humanity for these children, for these families. as mentioned, it was officially opened in june of 1984 by president ronald reagan and since its inception, it has become the leading organization worldwide dealing with the issue of missing and exploited kids.

madam speaker, i'm confused. why on this earth would my friends on your side of the aisle create such a big tax on all american families and businesses during a time that a recession is so serious? why are we rushing to do this with $1 trillion spending plan that will such have a large impact on the american people on killing jobs and making it more difficult for us to come out of this recession? on june 15 i received a letter from the texas comptroller of public accounts stating that the current plan to implement mandatory mission caps would weigh far more heavily on texas than any other region in the country. it goes on to note that, and i quote, based on rising fuel prices as a result of the cap and trade provisions of this bill, texas could see $1 -- 135,000 to 277,000 fewer jobs in 2012, the first year of the bill. madam speaker, texas leads this country in jobs, and people are coming to texas from all over the united states just to have jobs. why would we go and diminish the opportunities for people to find

vitter: thank you, madam president. madam president, today i rise to speak on two crucial issues which i had hoped we would not only be debating in the context of this f.d.a. bill currently before the senate, but actually acting on in that context. and so i have to say, madam president, as i speak about these two issues, i'm really disappointed we're not taking this obvious major opportunity of acting on a major f.d.a. bill to, again, not only have me speak, but all of us act together on the crucial issues of, number one, the re-importation of prescription drugs. and, number two, meaningful generic drug reform so that we get generics to market sooner as a lower cost alternative for american consumers. i want to touch on each of these in turn, madam president. madam president, i was glad to support my friend, the distinguished senator from north dakota, and many democratic and republican colleagues in introducing an amendment to the f.d.a. tobacco bill to enact comprehensive re-importation of prescription drugs. this is

engel: thank you, madam speaker. i want to take this opportunity to commend the young people and the brave people of iran who are marching in the streets -- streets, clamminger for freedom and democracy -- clamoring for freedom and democracy. >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. the gentleman may proceed. mr. engel: thank you, madam speaker. i want to commend the brave people of iran who have been demonstrating in the streets of tehran for freedom and democracy and demanding that they have a free and fair election. the election that was held was obviously neither free nor fair, it was fraudulent. and the declared winner, president ahmadinejad, obviously lost the election. and the people of iran deserve better and i think that i want to commend those brave people. they remind me of the people in tiananmen square, they remind me of the people in prague during the prague spring of 1968. they remind me of people everywher

perlmutter: thank you, madam speaker. i do want to compliment my friend from california on his debate and his comments and his remarks. and his complaints. some of them are legitimate. but what we're here today to deal with is the security of the united states of america. he's complaining about an 85% increase in spending when my friend knows full well that spending came about because of tax cut the prosecution of two wars and the collapse of a banking system and an emergency in the united states of america to get us back on track and to change the direction of this nation. now what we're dealing with in this bill and the reason we need to bring it to the floor and act, not delay, not delay like we saw last week, with members circling the well, changing their votes, time and time again, or presenting amendments where they add a million, subtract a million to have an amendment. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? mr. perlmutter: i will not. i will close. we are here because this is one of our most important responsibilit

madam president, i yield the floor and -- mr. burris: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. burris: i'd like to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. burris: thank you, madam president. more than 200 years ago, at the height of a humid summer in philadelphia, 56 men affixed their signatures to a document that contained these words -- i quote -- "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." these words expressed a sentiment that could not be realized for all americans until more than a century later. at that moment, the united states of america was born and a declaration signed. a great injustice was woven into the fabric of our nation. slavery, racial segregation that followed have left a tragic legacy that divided this country in the bloodiest war we have yet known. it is a legacy that still affects each and every one of us this day. my colleagues, senator harkin, senator brownback, have introduced a resolution apologizing for slavery, jim-crow laws a

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leader ship time is reserved. under the previous order there will now be a period of morning business until 2:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each, with the first hour equally divided and controlled between the two leaders and their designees with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i rise to discuss two issues this morning, health care reform, and also the pending supplemental spending bill that, according to news reports does not include the senate language that explicitly allowed president obama to keep photos of detainee abuse during the bush administration confidential. i want to thank my friend, the republican leader from kentucky, who has shown such impressive leadership on as he describes probably the most important -- domestic issue, certainly, that will be addressed by this congr

sutton: thank you, madam speaker. at this time, it's my honor to yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman rim tuss and a leader in this effort as well, congressman john dingell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. dingell: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. dingell: i rise in strong support of this fine bipartisan bill. the consumer steens recycle and save act, authored by my friend and colleague ms. sutson of ohio. i commend her and her bipartisan co-sponsors for their work on behalf of this. the bill has the support of the obama administration, the u.a.w., domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers. it also will result in meaningful reductions in vehicle fleet and carbon emissions and fuel consumption while providing much-needed stimulus to our ailing automakers and economy. i express my deep gratitude to chairman waxman, mr. markey, mr

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: how much time is remaining on the republican time? the presiding officer: 18 minutes. mr. alexander: thank you, madam president. will you please let me know when four minutes remain? the presiding officer: will do. mr. alexander: i would like to congratulate the senator from nebraska, and recognizing the importance of the united states to trade with our friends in the rest of the world, especially our friends in latin america, especially when they're taking advantage of low tariffs with us and we're not taking advantage of low tariffs with them. our principal concern on the republican side, and i'm sure many democrats too, is the cost of living for middle-class families in america. there are many issues that come before us that deal with that. the level of our taxes, the level of tuition. if we get medicaid spending -- excuse me -- under control, states will be able to fund the states of tennessee and nebraska better. b

leahy: madam president, what is the parliamentary situation? the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask consent that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, for the sake of my colleagues, i want to talk about the time of the hearing of the sonia sotomayor nomination. i talked with the distinguished ranking member last week on this -- on this schedule and i would note the concerns he had raised. but i'm announcing today that the senate judiciary committee will hold the confirmation hearing on the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to be associate justice of the united states supreme court on july 13th. that's a reasonable schedule. it will be the middle of next month. it's in line with past experience. it's going to allow several more weeks for committee members to prepare for the hearing. several more weeks that if i held the hearing this month, and there's no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee.

thank you, madam speaker. and i want to thank the chair for yielding and also for your leadership, you and mr. markey, everyone has done a phenomenal job on this bill. i rise in support of h.r. 2454 which really sends a clear and unequivocal message that polluting our planet, our communities and our livelihood no longer comes without a cost. this bill will create millions of high-paying career term green jobs that represents a much-needed pathway out of poverty for millions of individuals across this country. and i am pleased to see the inclusion of much-needed funding for the green jobs act. i must also be clear in saying that in america we should do more to address the climate crisis than provided for in this bill, but this is an unbelievable first start. i believe we can produce more renewable electricity and achieve more aggressive emission reductions over time. i also recognize that passing the american clean energy and security act is a major, major bold critical first step toward achieving our goal of r

degette: thank you, madam speaker. rye rise in support of this environmental legislation, probably the most important the body has ever considered. i will say to my friends who say it's not enough, we have we need to remember how important it is for us to put together a framework in place so we can assure energy independence and create jobs. in colorado, madam speaker, in 2004, our voters passed a renewable energy standard. the first time that it was done in any state by ballot initiative. industry opposed it universally, but yet it passed 53% to 47%. that standard was 10% by 2015, we exceeded that standard by two years. two years late every we came back to the college slayture and doubled that and industry supported it. when people see the wonderful framework we're putting in place today for energy independence which will create jobs they will embrace this concept. they will embrace the concept of becoming independent from foreign oil and making sure that we develop clean alternative sources of energy which are going

kirk: thank you, madam speaker. on friday the international atomic energy agency submitted a report on the iranian nuclear program. after producing low enriched uranium at a rate of 40 kilogram per month over a 21-month period, iran has now increased its stockpile by 60% in just the last six months, doubling its rate to over 80 kilograms per month. with 5,000 centrifuges, they are producing enough enriched uranium to produce two nuclear weapons per year, one for them and one for hezbollah. the iaea now reports that iran denied inspectors access to the iraq heavy water reactor since august of 2008 where we suspect they will try to produce plutonium. mr. musabby, the leading candidate for president in iran told them, i will not suspend uranium enrichment. he said to "the financial times," no one will stop suspension. no matter who wins the iranian elections on friday, we know that the production of fissile material, useful in this oil-producing country only for nuclear weapons is accelerating. the speaker pro tempore:

lucas: madam speaker, i'd like to recognize the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. goodlatte: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. goodlatte: i rise in strong opposition to this bill. i agree with one thing the gentleman from massachusetts had to say and that is this bill has very important consequences, but those consequences are devastating for the future of the economy of this country. it's in pursuit of the fantsoif thinking this legislation will be able to cause us to turn down the thermostat of the world by reducing co-2 gas emissions when china and india and other nations are pumping more and more co-2 gas into the atmosphere all the time. we would be far better served with legislation that devotes itself to developing new technologies before we slam the door on our traditional sources of energy like coal and oil and natural gas and nuclear

campbell: thank you, madam chair. this amendment strikes $150,000 allocated to the traditional arts in upstate new york and reduces the overall funding of the bill by that amount. madam chair, i'm not sure if this earmark is going for the village park historic preservation, which is indicated on the list released by the appropriations committee and posted on their website or to the traditional arts in upstate new york evergreen folklife center as listed on the the gentleman from new york on his website or maybe those are the same thing with a different name. i'm not quite sure. but regardless, when i googled village park historic preservation, the only thing that came up was the house appropriations earmark list. when i googled evergreen folklife center, the gentleman's earmark request came up on his website. the gentleman, i'm sure he will say this with greater passion, sees that this benefits upstate new york and that this is a destination location and there is a high unemployment rate in the district. there is a hi

sutton: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of this legislation, and i want to thank the chairman for his leadership and for working with me and other members of this house to address our concerns about manufacturing and jobs in this bill. this bill isn't perfect. i have yet to see a bill that is. but the status quo is not the right choice. we must unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of this country and provide the economic opportunities that our constituents need. this bill is part of that mission. it's not the entire answer to all that ails us, but let there be no mistake, this is a jobs bill. this bill has support from groups that represent workers. the united states steel workers, the u.a.w., the c.w.i., and the afl-cio are all urging a yes vote on this legislation. madam speaker, the people i represent are facing difficult times. they're looking for jobs and sometimes they can't find them the way they used to. the inaction of the past has cost them dearly. there are those who complain that this bill is not

akin: thank you, madam chair. i'm the ranking member on the armed services subcommittee on sea power. we've talked a lot about climate change and global things and taxes, but my concern is very specific with this bill. i have had a chance to tour the huge shipyards where the steel frames go up and the nuclear reactors go into our ships of the mighty navy. and every single step of the way there is energy involved in making the steel and making the aluminum for the aircraft, heavy, heavy uses of energy in welding the steel together. if this bill passes, it is a major threat to heavy industry, because it increases the cost of energy. when we increase the cost of ships and planes, we're going to be able to buy less because we aren't going to have enough money in the defense budget to be able to buy as many and in that regard we become more vulnerable as a nation. this bill, while it has not been talked about in this regard is a serious threat to our industrial base and therefore, a threat to the security of our nation

the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed with s.con.res. 30, commending the bureau of labor statistics on the occasion of its 125th anniversary in which the concurrence of the house has requested. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from wyoming, congresswoman aluminum miss, is recognized for one -- congresswoman lumm simbings, is recognized for one minute. mrs. lummis: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. lummis: i rise in support of pastor shawn kumm. he's joining us from laramie, wyoming, where he's part of the zion evangelicallet ran church. he settled in wyoming in 1996. he held two offices, first as secretary to the board of directors, followed by his nomination in 2003 to vice president of the senate, a position which he currently holds. p

trier drier madam speaker, i ask for the -- mr. dreier: madam speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. alalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

madam speaker, i will be honest. darn right this is going to be a tough vote for members of congress. are we going to pay attention to what's happening back home or are we going to come up here and spend another $1 billion. i urge my colleagues to vote no on this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: thank you, madam speaker. i would just respond to the gentleman that this is less than $100 million a year for the entire country. while every dollar that the taxpayers pays is significant and important, i'd say that this particular bill is much more important in some ways than many expenditures this federal government makes. and it is also something that i believe is fundamentally important in many sectors, especially in the area that i talked about with adopting new children. the gentleman says that federal employees is some of the most stable work force we have in this country. well, that is the kind of people you want adopting children, sta

i thank you, madam speaker.

with that, madam president, i yield back the door. mr. sanders: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: madam president, i rise today to introduce the energy market manipulation prevent act. madam president, as you know, we are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the great depression. millions of our fellow americans are losing their homes, they are losing their jobs, they're losing their live savings and their ability to seep thei sends to college and the hope that their own children will have a brighter future and a better life than they have had and this is just the very unusual moment in the history of our country. in the midst of all of this concern and decline in the standard of living of millions of americans, the last thing, the last thing that our country needs right now is to see our people be ripped off at the gas pump this summer because speculators on wall street, some of the very same people who caused this recession, and who have received the largest taxpayer bailout in american history, are allowed

poe: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered noork the following members may be permitted to address this house, revise and extends their remarks and include there therein extraneous material. mr. mccotter for today, mr. mcclintock for today and mr. mccotter for june 26. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair lays before the house a message from the senate. the clerk: i, nancy ericson, having custody of the seal of the united states senate, hereby certify that the attached record is a true and correct copy of a record of the united states senate, received by the united states senate sergeant at arms from samuel b. kent on june 24, 2009, and presented to the senate in open sessi o

mccain: madam president, i yield the floor. mr. nelson: i respect greatly my colleague from arizona and his concern about spending. i share that. the presiding officer: i'm sorry, go ahead. mr. nelson: i share that concern. and as it is noted, the increase in the spending requested in the appropriations bill is about 2.4%. while $200,000 is a lot of money and it certainly is a lot for people today i think it's important to point out that this is associated with a the legislative branch in the following matter. the durham museum is seeking to provide a public service of federal interest making it appropriate to promote a public-private partnership. the funding of the project in this bill is only 10% of that total cost. the durham museum will be privately raising the remaining 90% and occur all ongoing operating costs. $200,000 requested to this bill for the durham museum is to begin the brez vacation and digitalization of the museum's photo archive collection that will create new jobs, preserve our history and improve access to thes

lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i am pleased to present for consideration h.r. 2325, which is legislation to designate the united states postal facility located at 1300 matamoros street in laredo, texas, as the laredo veterans post office. introduced by my colleague, representative henry cuellar from texas on may 7, 2009, and reported out of the oversight committee by unanimous consent on june 4, 2009, h.r. 2325 enjoys the support of the entire texas house congressional delegation. as evidence by the short title of the bill, madam speaker, the legislation before us seeks to pay tribute to all the brave men and women from the city of laredo, texas, as well as the state of texas and across the united states who have serve

thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. cao: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cao: madam speaker, although we live in the 21st century, many people today are still deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of love by governments that lack the rule of law. one such government is the socialist republic of vietnam. about 10 years ago the vietnamese ministry of labor and social affairs directly oversaw and operated two state-owned labor companies that were involved in the largest human trafficking case ever prosecuted by the u.s. department of justice. the case thoroughly documented the exploitation and abusive conditions faced by more than 230 workers at the factory in american samoa. these victims were beaten, starved, sexually harassed, and threaten with deo portation. the high court of american samoa subsequently found these state-owned labor

cohen: thank you, madam speaker. like representative lee before me i was shocked at hearing of the shooting at the holocaust museum yesterday. it's a place of special reverence and a place you wouldn't think violence would occur. deranged minds do deranged things and the man who did the shooting has a history of hate toward african-americans and toward jews and toward our government it appears even though he served in our armed forces. it reminds me of the need for passing hate crimes legislation because hate today still exists in people's hearts. when people hate any group, they generally hate all different minorities. they don't understand the america of tolerence and inclusion that we celebrate which -- on which we were founded. it also reminds me of the need to have a cops bill passed torques have more protection in the cops that were approved in the arra to protect our society from these type of attacks. yesterday there was to be a play debuted at the holocaust museum, wife the former secretary of defense, billo

merkley: thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. madam president, i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: madam president, i ask that the quorum call vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: madam president, during these tough economic times, american families expect and deserve that we will do everything we can to get the economy moving again. and of course, that involves investing in our country, investing in our infrastructure, involves getting our financial system in order, involves getting the credit moving again. but we should not forget that one out of eight americans is employed in the travel industry. i chair the subcommittee of commerce that deals with tourism issues and i've cosponsored the bipartisan legislation to bring new visitors and new spending and new jobs to the united states. i want to thank senator byron dorgan fo

feingold: thank you, madam president. every year i have a town hall meeting in every county in wisconsin after 1,188 of those sessions, i heard a lot from my constituents on pretty much every issue you can imagine. but one issue in particular stands out as it is consistently been one of the top issues raised throughout the 17 years, than issue is, of course, health care. again and again, and not just at listening sessions, but at conversations an phone calls an letters and e-mails, wisconsinites have talked to me about their struggles to obtain and afford health insurance coverage. their stories have stayed with me and been the foundation of my work to push comprehensive health reform throughout my career in the united states senate. as freshman senator i worked to increase access to long-term care and home and community-based services in the wisconsin tradition during the 1994 attempt at health reform. because i knew how valuable these programs were to my constituents. i continue to fight for real and fair access to affo

madam president, i yield the floor. madam president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. a senator: madam president, the house of representatives is prepared to pass the -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. barrasso: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be suspended. i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. barrasso: the house of representatives is prepared to pass the energy tax, the american clean energy and security act. the act, therefore; known as american clean energy and security act -- acs. that is the right thing to call this bill because it gambles, it gambles with the future of the american people. in blackjack, the dealer might have an ace that's showing but one card in the dealer's hand is always hidden. in this case, the hidden card is the card that shows the real costs of this bill to the american taxpayer

boozman: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to honor the life of martin renic, a gracious contributor to the third district of arkansas who unexpectedly passed away last week. marty was a philantropist, a preservationist and above all a friend who knew him. he spent the last 12 years as an arkansan. although he was a relatively new resident, you could never tell because of his passion for the community. marty is being described as a visionary and traveling in northwest arkansas you could see that vision come alive. his love of historic preservation transformed eureka springs. in 1999 he and his wife bought the 1905 basin park hotel and then the 1886 crescent hotel and spa. the renics restored these historic hotels and helped revitalize tourism to this town. they were instrumental in preserving the war eagle bridge. madam speaker, marty will certainly be missed. however, his legacy will live on for generations to come because of his generosity. i ask my colleagues to keep marty's family and friends in their thoughts

thank you, madam president. i've just finished reading an excellent address by secretary of education arne duncan. secretary duncan made this to the national governors' association and he said this. "i'm continually struck by the profound wisdom underlying the american political system. the genius of our system is that much of our power that shapes our future was wisely distributed to the states instead of being confined in washington." continuing he says, "our best ideas have always come from state and local governments which are the real hot houses of innovation in america." secretary duncan says, "on so many issues, energy efficiency, economic development, and education, it is the states that are often leading the way, sometimes with federal help and sometimes without." that is indeed the american way. that's my comment. that american way was recognized by president lincoln, who honored the importance of states. he argued for a limited federal government. he used the limited federal government to confer oppor

the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed with s.con.res. 23, supporting the goals and objectives of the preying conference oner-ea assets in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: mr. moran from kansas. mr. garrett from new jersey. mr. king. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. king: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i appreciate the honor to be recognized. address you this evening on the floor of the house of representatives. and at the conclusion of what some consider to be a long week here in congress. i'd like to go back and reflect upon some of the events that took place this week and perhaps look into the future and always our deliberation here on the floor of the world's greatest deliberative body should be be abou

boehner: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. boehner: i move that the house now do adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. boehner: madam speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will please rise. a sufficient number having the demonstrators themselves see the united states calling for regime change, a loaded term in that part of the world following the iraq war in becomes more complicated. it answers the united states into something that would complicate the demonstrators' cause. host: guest: let's go to the phones. -- host: but the to the phones. caller: i would like to talk about the history ofiran. we overthrew the government in 1973 by the cia and we install shah was a mass-murder. look at what we h

madam president, in 2005 the u.s. senate passed a resolution formally apologizing for another tragic legacy of historic racial inequalities in our nation: lynching. from 1880 to as recently as the 196's an estimated 5,000 americans, predominantly african-americans were killed by public hangings, burnings and mutilations. members of the armed forces were lynched in the country they had defended following both world war i and world war ii, returning soldiers were lynched, many while still wearing their military uniforms. there would be no new respect for these brave african-americans who had fought for our country. only the old order of injustice. the senate passed the resolution apologizing for lynching in an attempt to acknowledge the senate's past failure to address the prevalence of those despicable acts and to allow for some national healing. it is my hope that the slavery apology resolution before us can serve a similar purpose. we're fortunate to live in a time that is not blighted by slavery in this country or s

madam president, all of us took economics 101. what they told us in economics 101 is that when supply is low and demand is high, prices go up. and when supply is broad and demand is minimal, prices go down. well, right now, unfortunately, it seems we can throw out mocks 101 right out the window because at this moment the supply of oil in the united states is as high today as it was 20 years ago and demand for oil in this country is lower than it was a decade ago. so the question that we are wrestling with now, if supply is high and demand is low, why are oil prices soars? up until today, as a matter of fact, madam president, gasoline prices increased for 54 treaty days, the longest streak on record dating to 1996. today the national average for a gallon of gasoline is $2.69 a gallon, up more than $1 since late last year. madam president, there is mounting evidence that the run-up in oil and gas prices have little to do with the fundamentals of sly and demand and have everything -- of supply and demand and have everything to do by

alexander: i thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mrs. boxer: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: i ask unanimous consent that morning business be extended until 15 minutes from now when we have our vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: thank you. i also ask unanimous consent that jonathan colacant and matthew long of senator bingam bingaman's office be granted the privileges of the floor during the pendency of the travel promotion bill. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: thank you very much. madam president, i decided to come to the floor to talk about a couple of things. one, health care reform, and the other, the stimulus package. we're seeing attacks from the party of "no," the republican party, every day on this floor, and i believe the purpose is to derail health reform. and, you know, i think it's perfectly legitimate to debate how we proceed, but i think when everything is stripped away, you're going to see again the republicans as the party of the status quo, and i hav

that, madam president, is absolutely false. in fact, we had -- we had an agreement that they could offer amendments. there were no restrictions on what they offered. they wanted to offer amendments regarding tarp. they wanted to offer five of those. fine, i said, go ahead. we had one amendment we wanted to offer. they said, no, we want to just offer ours; you can't offer yours. every state would benefit from this piece of legislation because tourism is so pop expler so important -- popular and so important in every state. but the republicans killed this. now, madam president, is it any wonder they have lost during the last two election cycles by election 15 republican senators. i mean, is it any wonder? they are so enthralled with the status quo, they want no improvements of anything, including they don't want to save the government a half a billion dollars, they don't want to improve tourism because this may be another victory for oba obama. i -- i am aware, madam president, of the work done by the committee. the commerce comm

madam chair woman, as you know, mr. wamp and i worked with you to name the main hall in emancipation hall. however, we feel that name needs context and want to work with you, the house administration committee and the senate rules committee to do this. i yield to mr. wamp. mr. wamp: madam chair woman, emans pasion means free or equal -- emancipation means free or equal. the process of emancipation liberated all americans from the bondage of slavery and emancipation hall will tell freedom story to millions of visitors each year. but there is a missing element in the hall to educate visitors about the process of emancipation that this great hall was named to honor. we would like to design and construct an educational display in the capitol visitor center that recognizes the naming of emancipation hall and provides a historical narrative of president lincoln's emancipation of slaves. madam chair woman, can you work with us to help make that happen? ms. wasserman schultz: madam speaker, reclaiming my time. i would not only

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: how much time remains on our side in morning business? the presiding officer: 18 and a half minutes. mr. isakson: i'd ask that that time be divided between myself and senator mccain. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: thank you, madam president. to the senator from florida who left quickly -- and i'm sorry he left -- i want to associate myself with the first part of his remarks with regard to the tourism bill. he is a floridian. florida is a tourism destination and it is the number-one business in florida, but you got to go through georgia to get there. so i have to chime in and say that he is exactly right. given the economic conditions our country is experiencing right now, tourism is one business that we can be a catalyst for that will pay back both in terms of revenues and tax dollars, but more importantly, in terms of jobs. so i just want to associate myself with his support of the tourism bill and

thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. kaufman: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. kaufman: i rise today to draw our attention to the tourism promotion act on 2009 and specifically to focus on my small state of delaware. one is treated to a range of arts from marvelous recollection to dozens of fairs an festivals. in the area of art and culture, there is the gardens, the, and the now famous dupont hospital. visitors can visit the bellview state park or the delaware museum or see a show at the hotel few front in wilmington. the state of delaware also has a significant historical site for tourists to enjoy. you can view the birthday of the dupont. the luxurious home of harry and frances dupont. since delaware is one of the original 13 colonies, we have war historical sites, the amstel house can offer visitors a rare insight of life before the revolution much our constitution park offers a tribute to the ratification of the constitution made significant by the fact that delaware was the first state to do so. civil w

lucas: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from texas. thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the gentleman and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, madam speaker. the waxman-markey bill promises to destroy our standard of living and quality of life with higher energy costs, higher food prices and loss of jobs. the bill is the single largest economic threat to our farmers and ranchers in decades. we have more than 115 agricultural and food groups who have publicly opposed this bill as of today. madam speaker, i'd ask that the list be entered into the record at the appropriate place. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lucas: do you know why? the greatest threat to agricultural producers is ignored. under h.r. 2452 input costs will escalate as a direct result of the energy tax. markets will shrink because foreign competitors whose government will not place burdens on their farmers, they will be able to undersell us. but what about the billions of dollars that fa