mr. buck: mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 394. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 153, house resolution 934, resolved, that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 2851, to amend the controlled substances act to clarify how controlled substance analogues are to be regulated, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary. after general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. in lieu of the amen

. >> so mr. buck, we're expecting something really special since you're sitting in scott's seat this evening. >> thank you. good evening. chris buck, bureau of urban forestry. i'm going to have a bunch of images on the overhead in a moment. >> have a seat, miss mar. >> so we'll go to overhead now, and you can just keep these zoomed out because there will be some that are horizontal and some that are vertical. the subject trees are two large monterey pine trees, and i do acknowledge that the property owner has done a good job of being a steward of these trees. i also agree that she's committed to keeping them and her intentions originally were to really live with these trees. we did approve a permit to remove two monterey pine trees about the same size in 2014. so we are out there approving trees. we approve a lot of trees for removal. one item of housekeeping, we do still need two trees to be planted. it's not the subject of tonight's hearing, but the spaces are close together. i do want to be realist

mr. buck? >>. >> good evening. chris buck with the public works. couple of points, and then kind of maybe some recommendations for consideration. one quick thing, let me just show the overhead site again. so one thing, if -- if both trees are approved by the commission, one recommendation i would make is the current permit is for the removal of these two trees with replacement of the two. they're only 15 feet apart. we really only need one tree where there's two pine trees right now. i would recommend one tree in the yard behind the fence again. it could be a medium stature tree that's never going to get near the size of these current ones. it won't overwhelm the property and it won't encroach on the property across the street. we really only need one tree. so what i would recommend is that we have removal of these two trees with one tree in this location. we can work with the property owner to either have them reduce the open -- open area here or get a landscaping permit if the desire is to keep it open. so that's one point. i do want to be reason

mr. buck? mr. ratcliffe votes yes. miss robbie? mr. gates? mr. johnson of louisiana? mr. biggs votes aye. mr. fof fort votes aye. miss handle votes yes. mr. rothfus votes aye. mr. ladler? miss laugh green? miss jackson lee votes no. mr. cohen votes yes. mr. johnson of georgia? >> don't understand russian yes. mr. cohen votes no. mr. johnson of georgia? mr. johnson votes no. mr. duties votes no. mr. gutierrez votes no. miss bass? mr. ri mr. rich man? mr. jeffries? mr. cyst lynn ee votes no. mr. swalwell? mr. lieu? mr. lieu votes no. mr. raskin? miss ghia poll votes no. mr. schneider votes no. miss demings votes no. >> has every member voted who wishes to vote? >> mr. chairman. >> gentle woman is recorded wom no. >> we are going to wait another minute or two for the ranking member. so are you recorded? the gentleman is recorded. mr. chairman, how am i recorded? >> the gentleman from luis is not recorded. >> yes. >> mr. johnson votes yes. >> mr. chairman. >> gentleman from california. >> no. >> mr. swalwell votes no. >> chairman, may i make a parliamentary inquiry? >> state

mr. buck? mr. ratcliffe votes yes. ms. robie? mr. gates? mr. johnson of louisiana? mr. big votes aye. mr. rutherford votes aye. ms. handel votes yes. mr. rothfus votes aye. mr. nadler? ms. lofgren? ms. jackson lee votes no. mr. cohen votes yes. mr. johnson of georgia? mr. cohen votes no. mr. johnson of georgia. no. mr. deutsche votes no. mr. gutierrez votes no. ms. bass? mr. richmond? mr. jeffries? mr. cicilline? mr. cicilline votes no. mr. swalwell? mr. liu? mr. liu votes no. mr.s are a kind? ms. jayapal? ms. jayapal votes no, mr. schneider votes no. ms. demmings votes no. >> has every member voted who wishes to vote? >> mr. chairman? >> the gentlewoman is recorded as no. >> we're going to wait another minute two for the ranking member. are you recorded? the gentleman is recorded. >> mr. chairman, how am i recorded? >> not recorded? >> the gentleman from louisiana is not recorded. >> yes. >> mr. johnson votes yes. mr. swalwell votes no. >> may i make a parliamentary inquiry? >> the gentlewoman will state her parliamentary inquiry. >> i'm trying to inquire of the basis

removed no confidence vote he described as a very grave president by mr buck you see he told his senior colleagues at the people's party headquarters of madrid it was time to go. you know to be in show get you had one moment i think the time has come to bring this to end and for the people's party to continue under someone else's leadership. it was an emotional farewell after more than three decades in politics but he will remain in place in a caretaker role until a special party conference decides who will replace him. it was the shadow of what judges called institutionalized corruption within his own party the brought him down but the whole he said the socialist government was extremely weak and spain was now facing an uncertain future. in a bitter attack on new prime minister petro sanchez he said a frankenstein government was being formed with disastrous travelling companions the nationalists uncatalogued separatists who backed his no confidence motion. so but political scientists believe with a new leadership the people's party could reinvigorated space and distance itself from the

. >> mr. buck? mr. ratcliff? >> yes. >> ms. roby? mr. gates? mr. johnson of louisiana? mr. biggs? >> aye. >> mr. rutherford. >> aye. >> miss handle. >> yes. >> mr. nadler? ms. lofgren? ms. jackson-lee? >> no. >> mr. cohen? >> yes. >> mr. johnson of georgia? >> mr. cohen votes no. mr. johnson of georgia? >> no. >> mr. deutsche? >> no. >> mr. gutierrez? >> no. >> ms. bass? mr. richmond? mr. jeffries? mr. cicilline? >> no. >> mr. swalwell? mr. lieu? >> no. >> mr. raskin? >> ms. jayapal? >> no. >> mr. schneider? >> no. >> ms. demings? >> no. >> has every member voted who wishes to vote? >> mr. chairman? >> the gentle woman is recorded as no. >> we're going to wait another minute or two for the ranking member. so are you recorded? the gentleman is recorded. >> mr. chairman? how am i recorded? >> the gentleman from louisiana is not recorded. >> yes. >> mr. johnson votes yes. >> mr. chairman? >> the gentleman from california. >> no. >> mr. swalwell votes no. >> chairman, may i make a parliamentary inquiry? >> the gentle woman will state her parliamentary inquiry? >> mr. chairman, i'm try

candidates are paying a price for bucking mr.mp, who enjoys an 85% approval rating among republicans. trat's why you hear so little tiiticism from most g.o.p. lawmakers. for example, house speaker ryan and senate majority leader mcconnell have spent their g reers fighting off talks of tariffs or negotiations with ksrth korea. but they know that republican voters now expect them to support the president. >> dickerson: all right, let's talk about the other party. democrats are nominating women at a record pace. why is that important? >> reporter: well, the latest evidence came in virginia, where democrats picked women to run in all four of the commonwealth's most competitive congressional races. earlier today, new york senator kirsten gillibrand told me she toinks women are running because the president "doesn't value women." whatever it is, the energy and the enthusiasm displayed by women is good news for democrats heading into november. john. , dickerson: ed o'keefe, ocanks. paul marciano has resigned as the executive chairman of

mr. speaker, i rise to honor the central bucks rotary club who will host its ninthua reor the heroes where motorcyclists from across bucks y ricnt to raise money for local veterans' organizations. organized by the rotary member mark glidon, thihas grown from 200 bikers in the initial year to anywhere between 500 to 700 participants originally. originally intended to provide assistance to nonprofits in the community, ride for the heroes became focused on helping military families at the inspiration of the travis manon foundation in doylestown. founded by tom mannion and his late wife janet in honor of their son, their mission is to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character and future generations. in doing this, the travis mannion foundation seeks engagement between veterans and families of fallen soldiers with the local community. the foundation brings young people together with veterans so that they can learn our nation's values from heroes who have put those values into action in the united states military. i applaud the vision of the travis mannion foundation an

and there is no question that gop candidates are paying a price for bucking mr. trump who enjoys an 85% approval rating among republicans. you hear so little criticism from lawmakers. house speaker ryan and mcconnell have spent their careers fighting off talk of tariffs or negotiations with north korea. but they know republican voters now expect them to support the president. >> let's talk about the other party. democrats nominating women at record pace. why is that important? >> well the latest evidence came in virginia where democrats picked women to run in all four co races. kirsten gillebrand thinks women are running because the president doesn't value women. the energy and enthusiasm by women is good news for democrats heading into november. >> paul marciano, resigned as chairman of the fashion brand guess, following allegations of sexual misconduct. without admitting wrongdoing settled with five accusers. and elaine quijano reports he will continue to be paid by the company he helped to create. >> read my lips. false. >> the investigation into allegations o

mr. speaker, sergeant thelma williams has made immense contributions, not just to bucks county, but to our entire nation. i commend thelma for her heroism and encourage our constituents to aspire her standard of excellence. -- aspire to her standard of xcellence. mr. speaker, i rise today to bring attention to the issue of food insecurity in bucks county, pennsylvania, and as public officials, it is incumbent upon all of us to increase access to food resources for all of our constituents. in our community, i applaud the united way of bucks county for their work in combating hunger. later this month, nearly 600 volunteers will gather at delaware valley university for the sixth annual bucks knocks out hunger event. this year volunteers plan on packing over 100,000 nonperishable meals for senior centers and food pantries throughout bucks county. i'd like to recognize other worthy organizationes that are vital partners including rolling harvest food rescue, the bucks county opportunity council and fresh connect which will play a vital role in providing fresh fruits and vegetables to families.

mr. speaker, i rise today to honor a faith leader in our community who has made a tremendous impact on individuals in our home in bucks county, pennsylvania. rabbi joel simon of the synagogue in newtown has been a force in providing spiritual guidance to his congress regants. during his time, mr. speaker, at the reform congregation, joel has made great strides to enhance the educational environment for the over 700 families who attend the synagogue. a strong proponent of strengthening jewish identity, rabbi simon oversees community building exercises such as yoga, youth groups, and theater trips. rabbi simon will be departing to return to his home in florida. and while he will be dearly missed by our community, we are sure that he will flourish in this next chapter. we wish him, his wife, and his family all the best going forward. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize several individuals from our community in bucks county, pennsylvania, who administered first aid that would ultimately save the life of a beloved school bus driver. in january, janet suffered a life-threatening medical emergency. discovered unconscious

mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the heroic actions of an individual from bucks county, pennsylvania, for which he was awarded the carnegie medal from the carnegie hero which seeks to recognize acts of civilian bravery. christian of newtown played a critical role in saving the life of a 32-year-old man who was swept out to sea on the jersey shore last year. christian seeks seeing a man t immediately sprang into action, swimming christian immediately sprang into action, swimming o out to save this man. when christian reached him, he was barely above water. despite the tall waves and strong rip current, christian was able to keep him afloat for several minutes until two lifeguards and a responding police officer were able to swim out to them with floatation devices to assist until the coast guard was able to respond. mr. speaker, i'm proud to report that all individuals have recovered from this ordeal and we commend christian for his tremendous act of bravery which undoubtedly saved the life on that day. christian, your community and your country are extremely proud of you. mr. speaker, i y

mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the 2018 graduates of bucks county technical high school who graduated last week. watched by over 1,000 family members and friends, the nearly 300 graduates walked across the aisle at the arena to receive their diploma. i am proud to report this impressive clasarned approximately $1.2 million in scholarships and 72% of the class moving on to continue their education. i'd especially like to recognize the students who have decided to join the armed services and i speak on behalf l of us in bucks county when i say we appreciate your dedication to service and passion for keeping america safe. i also applaud the principal, robert, and the administrative director for their work in molding the minds of the next generation. i wish the 2018 graduates of the bucks county technical high school and all those who are the best this year of luck in their next chapters. i encourage them to use their skills to strive to make our communities a better place. the f luck mr. speaker, i rise today to ecognize my constituent, irene malloy, for her artistic accomplishments both

mr. weissmann who commended sally yates for bucking president trump.hat did they say. >> sean: andrew weissmann, mueller's pit bull was at hillary clinton's so- called victory party. it can't get more corrupt. it is the same thing early are in the process. >> absolutely. >> that's right. >> exposed today by one of the things. the stiff arm that the ig was given by the f.b.i. they would not him those tex message and it took four iterations. >> and they still don't have them. >> this is just the beginning. all of theseem and rank and file f.b.i. tomorrow will be a big day. when we come back. a lot more to come. former speaker of the house, newt gingrich is with us. that is straight ahead. >> sean: the detry trump media liberal democrats will do going to detract from the president's successes and they are numerous. the new gall up poll called survey satisfaction with the u.s. direction and a 12 year high. numbers don't lie. the book chronicles president's success. it is call the "trump's america: the truth about our nation's great come back. ". amazon.com

is the best key to open that door that's what diplomacy is all about so i think buck son is doing it but the. probably. mr as we're going to take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to shout god as he's agast as former prime minister stay with us. for a world cup twenty eight team coverage we've signed one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time but there was one more question and by the way it's going to be our coach. guys i know you are nervous he's a huge star among us and the huge amount of pressure come out you have to come in eighty percent of the shuttle with you and do so with all the great great you are the rock at the back nobody gets past you we need you to get on the wing let's go. alone and just i want to you know and i'm really happy to join the team for the two thousand and thirteen world cup in russia meet the special one come on don't appreciate me to just say the reno bianchi team's latest edition to make up the figure so i need to. look. at the plate from many clubs over the years so i know the game and so i got. the ball isn't only about what happens on the p

is the best key to open that door that's what diplomacy is all about so i think buck son is doing it but the. probably. mr as will then take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to. former prime minister stay with us. i've been saying the numbers mean something they matter the u.s. has over one trillion dollars in debt more than ten white collar crimes happen each day. eighty five percent of the global wealth you long to be ultra rich eight point six percent market saw a thirty percent rise last year some with four hundred to five hundred trade per second per second and bitcoin rose to twenty thousand dollars. china is building a two point one billion dollar a i industrial park but don't let the numbers overwhelm. the only numbers you need to remember is one one business shows you can afford to miss the one and only pool by. joining me every thursday on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guest on the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then. movie. child's seemed wrong on one old rule just all. the world is yet to shape our disdain because to

is the best key to open that door that's what diplomacy is all about so i think buck son is doing it but the. probably. mr as we're going to take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to shout god as he's agast as former prime minister stay with us. radially reinforced rammed earth bricks was what they really are. this more than seventy houses about a hundred and forty people with families living here but. it's really a way of forming same at least the sun's coming in and hitting the house and being stored in massive walls. sagebrush is the natural environment here but as we're containing the sewage and and using the plant stuff to process the sewage we create our own little the races out here. to. apply to many clubs over the years so i know the game inside guides. football isn't only about what happens on the pitch for the final school it's about the passion from the fans it's the age of the super money just kill you narrowness and spending shouldn't twenty million one player. it's an experience like nothing else not to me because i want to show what i think what i know about th

is the best key to open that door that's what diplomacy is all about so i think buck son is doing it but the. probably. mr as we're going to take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to. the prime minister stay with us. and we're back talking to shuttles east pakistan's former prime minister mr aziz china is another huge topic it has promised to invest fifty seven billion dollars in pakistan it already has become number one or number one arms seller to the country it has initiated trilateral talks between pakistan and afghanistan now to my view this kind of help never comes for free there are always strings attached what do you think what what would pakistan has to do in my years i have been closely involved in. activities in my eight years in government first as finance minister before as the prime minister and. as a professional. coming from the financial sector you know. i didn't get involved for any personal gain or benefit i always get involved for my country's benefit and i found them very professional very understanding of our situation so in my experience and i'm still ac

mr. weissmann, who commended sally yates for bucking president trump. >> sean: andrew weissmann, miller's pitbull, was at hillary clinton so-called victory party. it can't get any more corrupt. it's the same exact thing earlier in the process. >> absolutely. >> that's right. >> exposed today, one of the most important things, the stiff arm the ig was given by the fbi. they would not give them those text messages, and it took four iterations. that's a bigger story and hopefully will come out tomorrow in the house hearing. >> sean: thank you both. >> they still don't have them. >> sean: this is just beginning. all of these people, rank-and-file fbi, they are going to talk. just the beginning. tomorrow's a big day. when we come back, a lot more to come. former speaker of the house newt gingrich is with us. that straight ahead. >> sean: the destroyer have been trump median level democrats will do anything to detract from the president's successes and they are numerous. a new gallup poll called survey satisfaction with the u.s. direction and a 12 year high. numbers don't lie. facts don't lie.

mr. fitzpatrick: i rise today to recognize measm our community in bucks county, pennsylvania, who recently was honored as a red cross hero. last new year's eve, vincent sprang into action following a serious action in which an impaired driver crashed his vehicle into the home of his neighbors. jim and mary albright. vincent provided immediate assistance to jim, who was seriously injured, and was bleeding heavily from a sustained head wound. for the rest of that night, vincent comforted mary who had to face the devastating reality of an injured husband, damaged , and the death of the family's beloved yellow lab because of this horrific incident. today, jim, who is fully recovered, refers to vincent as his and mary's guardian angel. i'd like to honor vincent for his quick thinking and selfless actions. i encourage all my constituents to follow his lead and to look out for each other in times of risis. mr. speaker, i'm proud to recognize a heroic young man who is already teaching our community in bucks county, pennsylvania, the values of respect and compassion. logan of fairless hills was bor

mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the accomplishments of several young people in bucks county, pennsylvania that are advocating for environmental protection using their autistic -- artistic talents. recently the gallery in newtown featured an exhibit titled one planet, wild wife vulnerable to climate change. this gave students under the guidance of an artist the ability to share their wildlife paintings in an effort to spread aware awareness of climate change. i'm proud to acknowledge them now. victoria, taylor, amanda, brady, addison, emily, kate logan, jessica, nicole, grace porter, olivia, nolan, abby, violet, gabby, aaron, katie, ella, and anna. madam speaker, i applaud the activism, thoughtfulness, and impressive artistic abilities of these young citizens. i'm proud to stand with them and continue to fight with my colleagues to combat climate change and protect our environment. madam speaker, i rise today in recognition of two outstanding law enforcement officials in bucks county, pennsylvania who are working tirelessly to make safer place. a assistant district attorney, megan brooks,

mr. anton: i hope you ask mick mulvaney this question. as i understood at the time, the president was trying to give a pep rally for the members themselves who needed bucking up and public support to keep going. in order i don't think that was to exactly the motivation for as that. mr. hayes: that the president wanted to take a victory lap. mr. anton: there was a strategic and you side to what he did there. and you are mr. hayes: he is coming close to declaring what you are premature victory on isis. a premature victory on isis. my concern is he goes this summit, whatever comes out of and he is a summit, whatever comes out of it, we can be certain that the president is going to say this is a breakthrough, he has done something no other president ever has done. [speaking simultaneously] mr. anton: he is doing something the president has ever done if he talks to the leader of north korea. mr. hayes: is that a victory? mr. anton: i think his language on the north korean front has been sober and responsible so far. he has talked about willingness to walk away. he has said i think the meeting would be great if it were to you would be great if it were to happen

mr speaker, you might —— he might want to blame network rail, but it is he who failed in his responsibility to oversee it. the buck has burned his bridges with the leadership of network rail, which can only have damaged his oversight of this process. isn't this a terrible failure of him and his role at the top of the system? the northern rail thameslink contracts were awarded by his department to private operators. it is thejob his department to private operators. it is the job of his department to ensure that companies fulfil their contracts. sarries and gtr have had yea rs contracts. sarries and gtr have had years to prepare for these timetable changes —— arriva and gtr. yet the department has failed to hold the companies to account. can he confirm that it companies to account. can he confirm thatitis companies to account. can he confirm that it is within the franchise agreement for arriva to report directly to him as the progress in recruiting and training drivers? doesn't the buck, once again, stop with him? gtr even had its own readiness board to implement the timetable changes, except it wasn't ready. mr spe

mr speaker, there must be a special compensation scheme for passengers on affected routes. no—one will take responsibility for great britain's rail industry. but amid all the clamour, recriminations and the buckharacterises discussions about rail, there is one person who is ultimately responsible, and that is the right honourable gentleman, the member for epsom and ewell, the secretary of state for transport. but he blames network rail for the timetabling failures. he seems to forget that as a company limited by guarantee, network rail has one member. the secretary of state for transport. were the prime minister not so enfeebled, she would sack him. if he had any concept of responsibility, he would resign. the transport secretary should do the right thing and step aside. mr speaker, i was rather expecting him to say that, and i'll simply responding by saying it is myjob to make sure the problem is fixed, and that is what i intend to do. but i would say they can't have it both ways. half the time he says to me that the government should run the railways, and when something goes wrong, he says it's the government's fault. a continually highlights the failings. when will he accept that he is res

the buck has to stop with mr grayling, the transport secretary.really given carte blanche for too long for gtr to plough the same furrow. this latest episode, for anybody that works in the rail industry themselves, they were not surprised, just disappointed that it had not been picked up before. there is absolutely no reason that it should have happened. isn't it also down to things like the mechanics, the management contract? they were under contract and basically the company was told what to do, they said get on and manage it. it didn't really have an enormous control over what they were doing. they weren't allowed to? well, absolutely. management contracts in this particular instance are very badly designed, a badly designed way of running such a vast chunk of the network. the vast majority of passengers' journey every day are made on the gdr network. millions of journeys every single day. to have such a vast franchise almost set up to fell from the start. you only have a set amount of money coming from the government, so internally they salami

mrs. incredible jumps back into the action as a full-time superheroine. jillian: kevin mccarthy is here to tell us if the movie is worth your box office bucks. >> good morning clip you use, we hear saul from breaking bad, the character you saw on screen, an amazing actor, 14 years since the first incredibles film in 2004. i have my original ticket $6.50 back then. bread bird is directing the sequel, back of the filmmaker. he directs like he directs live-action, the animation is gorgeous, craig t nelson, holly hunter, samuel jackson, elastic girl's character trying to change the perception of superheroes in the world because they have been banned, they are in hiding. it is a beautiful film, pixar has great balance working for adults and kids, they understand adults are paying for these tickets and they want to be entertained as well. the short before the pixar film is very well done and a cool fact about this movie, bread bird the director is the voice of the character of edna which i love. edna and jack jack are the best characters in the phone, jack jack is the baby and has the greatest moments in the movie. i love that, it is as good as the first incredib

mr. bush turns 94 next week. >>> the cbs "overnight news" will be right back. hey, want the fastest internet? done. and now, xfinity mobile's included. you could get up to five lines. you could save 400 bucks or more a year, which you could spend on a funk-tastic music video. ♪ dance party boom. ♪ simple. easy. awesome. get started with xfinity internet, with three times the speed of at&t and directv, and tv for $35 each a month for a year when you buy both. and ask how you can save with xfinity mobile. click, call or visit us today. >>> former president bill clinton on a book tour promoting first novel co-authored by james patterson. the tour dominated by questions straight out of the history books about the darkest moments of his presidency. his ed o'keefe. >> you are giving one side. >> in a combative interview with nbc, former president bill clinton said the me too movement has not changed how he views his affair with white house intern monica lewinsky. >> did you ever apologize for it? >> yes, and nobody believes -- that i got out of that for free. i left the white house $16 million in debt. >> do you feel like you owe her an apology -- >> no, i do not -- for frz i never talked to her

mr. speaker. thank you, chairman walden. the opioid epidemic is devastating my community in bucks and montgomery counties. i talk to these families every day. as our nation continues to grapple with the deadly effects of the opioid epidemic, it is crucial that we take every step possible to stop prescription medication from falling into the wrong hands. we need to ensure our medical professionals possess the latest best practices for preventing prescription medication abuse. including non-opioid pain management. that's why i'm proud that the house is considering my reach out act, h.r. 5796. by facilitating outreach to outlier opioid prescribers, the reach out act seeks to educate physicians on their prescribing behaviors, without limiting their ability to give patient care. it will be an effective step toward reducing the amount of unnecessary prescription opioids in communities across the nation. the responsible education achieves care and healthy outcomes for users treatment act, the reach out act, h.r. 576, will direct the center for medicaid and medicare services to work with eligible he entities, inc

mr. speaker, the opioid epidemic is devastating communities within my district and across the country. and last year alone bucks county, pennsylvania, has lost 232 individuals in drug-related deaths. a staggering 26% increase from 2016. as vice chair of the bipartisan task force, i'm proud toise today in strong support of h.r. 5812, the connections act. while my district is just one area in the nation that is struggling to cope with the opioid crisis, i believe the connections act will provide officials on the ground the necessary training techniques and resources they need to turn the tide on this epidemic. as a long-time proponent of states fully utilizing prescription drug monitoring programs to track controlled substance purchases, i'm proud of the pdmp enhancements in this bipartisan bill. our nation's drug epidemic is a complicated issue, mr. speaker. and our response must be multifaceted. this means a reduction in the unnecessary dispensing of prescriptions, which could be accomplished by tracking and reporting information that allows physicians, pharmacists and other health professionals to make informe

manoeuvring and appeals to the rebels to buck the national interest and national unity first, it matters, because this vote will determine what power parliament house to send mrs negotiating room if she does not secure a deal. and it matters as well because very often in previous showdowns, between mrs may and the critics, clash has been averted by some sort of last—minute compromise 01’ some sort of last—minute compromise orfudge or delay. this some sort of last—minute compromise or fudge or delay. this time you sense that neither side is prepared to back off. mrs may because she is not prepared to cede that power to parliament and because brexiteers wa nt parliament and because brexiteers want her to on and defeat her critics, and for the rebels, because they believe they has been betrayed by mrs may after they say she promised them last week that she would address their concerns over a meaningful vote. so what we have todayis meaningful vote. so what we have today is a trial of strength between mrs may and her brexit critics. and by the end of the day we will know whether those tory rebels have the numbers and the guts to defeat mrs may. thank you norman. p

mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time and as we like to say in eastern oregon, let her buck. >> okay. thank you very much. and at this time, the ranking member of the subcommittee and the ranking member of the full committee haven't arrived. we'll informally pass on their opening statements and i'll go into my opening statement at this time. again, i want to thank you all very much for appearing today before us to discuss representative bar's, representative tanko's legislation, hr-2651. the horse racing integrity act of 2017. this legislation will establish an independent, nonprofit authority for horse racing, anti doping and medication control authority. this authority would be tasked with developing and administering an anti doping and medication control program for horse races and affiliated persons. the bill also aims to ban the use of medication 24 hours before a race which advocates and opponents tell the committee would result in a ban on the use of lass i cans, a widely used medication administered four hours before to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging. h

strategy was to pass the buck, keep their head down and it will all go away and be lost in the complexity of the project and the building regulations surrounding it. the qc representing mrabout some of the things reported about mr kebedein of the things reported about mr kebede in media. there was one particularly offensive article in the daily mail that seem to scapegoat mr kebede for the fire itself. within 2a hours, that's one article was the subject of over 1000 complaints to the press watchdog from members of the public. the calamitous events at grenfell tower and the subsequent media intrusion have had serious consequences for mr kebede and his family. his partner and children felt unsafe in their home and were forced to move out. the police was so concerned about mr kebede's safety that they suggested a witness protection, relocation and a witness protection, relocation and a change of name. without going into any detail, mr kebede's health has been so severely affected that he feels terrified and i use that word advisedly, terrified about the prospect of being compelled to give oral evidence to this enquiry. within the last few minutes we heard from lesley thoma