mr. conyers is recognized? > can i yield to jerry nadler. >> the gentleman yields to the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler. >> thank you. madam secretary there are many serious problems with respect to immigrant detention. i want to focus on repeated transfers of detainees between heirs facilities. according to june 2011 report by human rights watch two million detainee transfers between 1998 and 2010. often over long distances require use of airplanes. half of all detainees were removed at least twice. these lead to inefficient removal hearings and cost $366 million in transportation alone, fact that should concern my friend on other side of the aisle among others. problems seem to be growing. transfers tripled between 2004 and 2009. now, moving detainees away from where they live impeeds ability to retain counsel often on pro bono basis since they are often removed when removal hearings are underway the entire process bogs down. detainees lose access to evidence as well as friend and family which makes diffi

mr. john conyers for his opening statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i am happy to be with you to form a quorum so that we can hold this hearing this afternoon and they wanted to just go over some materials here to make sure i understand what it is we are doing because according to the author, she did not intend to affect the enjoyment of the present law -- to affect veterans, social security claimants and small businesses. and maybe i am wrong here, but i i -- but we have information that the pro bono provision that would prove a disaster for social security claimants in the nonprofit legal service organizations in the private bar, who often provide pro bono services would be in many if not most instances precluding from any legal recovery. so i hope that this becomes clarified in the course of our hearing today. now, the equal access to justice at is more than 30 years old. and it has helped seniors, veterans, social security claimants indicate their rights against inaccurate or unreasonable or sometimes illegal government action. so the first thing

mr. conyers is recognized? can i yield to jerry nadler. >> the gentleman yields to the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler. >> thank you. madam secretary there are many serious problems with respect to immigrant detention. i want to focus on repeated transfers of detainees between heirs facilities. according to june 2011 report by human rights watch two million detainee transfers between 1998 and 2010. often over long distances require use of airplanes. half of all detainees were removed at least twice. these lead to inefficient removal hearings and cost $366 million in transportation alone, fact that should concern my friend on other side of the aisle among others. problems seem to be growing. transfers tripled between 2004 and 2009. now, moving detainees away from where they live impeeds ability to retain counsel often on pro bono basis since they are often removed when removal hearings are underway the entire process bogs down. detainees lose access to evidence as well as friend and family which makes difficu

mr. conyers: i would ask for -- mr. connolly: i would ask for a recorded vote. the chair: further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont rise? mr. welch: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 20 printed in the congressional record offered by mr. welch of vermont. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. welch: in this legislation, there are findings. it is common in our legislation for there to be a finding section. this amendment would propose a finding for inclusion in this important legislation and finding would read that congress finds that the american people are exposed to mercury from industrial sources addressed by the rules listed in section 2-b of this act and through the consumption of fish containing mercury in every state in the nation has issued at least one mercury advisory for fish consumption. so the question is to the proponents of this legislation as to wh

mr. conyers, the gentleman from new york, mr. ackerman, the gentlewoman from california, ms.ta sanchez, the gentleman from pennsylvania, ms. schwartz and the gentlewoman from california, ms. matsui. the vice president: the president of the senate appoints the following members on the part of the senate to escort his excellencecy, president lee of the republic of korea, the senator from alaska in beg itch, the senator from virginia, mr. webb, the senator from kentucky, mr. mcconnel, the senator from tennessee, mr. accident happeneder, the senator from wyoming, mr. boras smbing o the senator from south dakota, mr. une, the senator from texas, mr. cornyn, the senator from wrin, mr. lugar, and the senator from ohio, mr. port map. the speaker: members of the escort committee shall exit the chamber through the lobby doors. >> mr. speaker, the acting dean of the diplomatic corps. >> mr. speaker, the president's cabinet. >> mr. speaker, the president of the republic of korea. president lee myung-bak: thank you. thank you. the speaker: members of congress, i have the high privilege an