mr. higgins recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. firstly, let me just say, i was proud to join with my colleague jeff duncan to introduce hr-3783. the countering iran, the western hemisphere act which i am pleased to say was marked up and passed in the foreign affairs committee earlier this month. the legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term comprehensive strategy for keeping our communities and our nation safe. the purpose of this legislation or the inspiration came from hearings in this very committee where expert witnesses had informed our committee that hezbollah has a presence in the 20-country region of latin america, but also in 15 american cities, as well as four canadian cities. we were also told in subsequent testimony that we shouldn't be all that concerned about that presence because that presence was their activities were limited to fund-raising. well, that's not comforting. and i think where there is a presence, there is an inte

mr. higgins for referencing a bill, hr-3783 that i sponsored. a bipartisan bill that passed out of the committee. members of this committee hopefully will have an opportunity to bring some of the lessons learned from this panel and this hearing to the debate on the floor to pass this bill out and focus on the iranian threat and what the united states can do to counter that. when i said others are beginning to notice this threat, i'll reference univision's documentary recently which basically pointed out a lot of the things the iranians are involved in. in fact, cyberterrorism threat, the venezuela consulate in miami and the resulting removal of one lady from that consulate back to venezuela. there was an article today in the "jerusalem post" that talks about why congress suddenly cares about iran. the iran threat and latin america. that was just today in the "jerusalem post." so the threat is real. so i guess the question i have -- we've identified it. we're all on the same page, this is a real threat. i'll ask mr. braun, what can we do now? wha

mr. higgins. mr. higgins: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: mr. speaker, iran continues to inch closer to making its nuclear ambitions a reality. the administration wants israel to diplomacy more time but prime minister netanyahu said pressure on iran is growing but time is growing short. for israel a nuclear armed iran threatens its very existence. ahmadinejad says he wants to wipe israel off the face of the earth, and this radical extremist means what he says. israel will do what it has to in order to be master of its own fate with or without the united

mr. higgins is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman.irst, let me say i was proud to join my colleague jeff duncan to introduce h.r. 3783, the counter in iran and the western hemisphere act which i am pleased to say was marked up and passed in the foreign affairs committee earlier this month. the legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term comprehensive strategy for keeping our communities and in our nation safe. the purpose of this legislation were the inspiration came from hearings in this committee where expert witnesses have informed our committee that hezbollah has a presence in the country region in latin america but also in 15 american cities as well as canadian cities. we were also told in the subsequent testimony that we shouldn't be all that concerned about that presents because the presence was their activities limited to fund-raising. well, that is not comforting and i think where there is a presence and there's a threat. we all know hezb

mr. higgins, for five minutes. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, as our nation winds down from its military engagements overseas, it's time for america to do some nation building here at home. a $1.2 trillion investment in rebuilding american roads, bridges, transit and water systems would create 27 million jobs over five years. in the first year alone the economy would add 5.2 million new jobs and grow by over $400 billion. in the second year, unemployment would be reduced to 5.6%. these are among the findings of a new america foundation report, "a way forward." nearly expert agrees that america's infrastructure is broken and in need of immediate repair and replacement. the american society of civil engineers gave america a d grade for infrastructure quality, and it's estimated that $.2 trillion is needed to -- $2.2 trillion is needed to bring our infrastructure in good repair. america is 23rd in infrastructure quality. transportation for america reports that there are 69,000 structurally deficient bridges nationwide, including 2,000 in n

mr. higgins: i have no requests for time and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, as pastor youcef sits in prison awaiting a manningman's noose, i want him -- hang mans noose i want him to know that we stand with him. our thoughts and our prayers are with him. and i would say to those international guests who might watch this telecast, you will never understand america until you understand that in our constitution, the very first amendment contains the freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, freedom of religion. it's not our second, our sixth, 16th or 26th amendment, it's our first amendment. it's the first thing mentioned in the first amendment, freedom of religion. congress shall not act to establish a religion and shall not prohibit the free exercise delf and that comes before the freedom of the press or speech or assembly or petition of grievances and so if you want to understand america, you must understand t

mr. higgins: mr. speaker, the steel plant in lackawanna, new york, was one the center of the economy, employing thousands of people. tragically these workers were unknowingly exposed to toxic uranium dust and high levels of radiation, leaving many suffering from cancer and other health problems. thanks to the efforts of the employees' families, congress established a program to compensate former bethlehem steel employees for their illnesses. however, this process is a difficult one to navigate. i am proud to have worked with the individual families and help countless of them to receive the compensation they are owed. mr. speaker, there is still more to be done. there are families who deserve to be compensated for their suffering and that's why i, along with new york senators chuck schumer and kirs continue gillibrand, are calling on the national institute of occupational safety in help to expanding the eligibility period. mr. speaker, western new yorkers have long been recognized as some of the most d

mr. higgins: testimony at a recrept postal regulatory commission hearing brought to light details of a study kept secret because the projected billions of dollars in losses despite facility closures. it would also reveal mail volume would take a huge hit due to service standard changes. if the postal service has no plans to change its course, further proof that the postal service is operating under an ill-conceived decide now, justify later strategy. the buffalo processing facility recently developed a training session for postal employees that is now the template for a national model. this facility is scheduled for closing. it doesn't make sense. my colleague, gerry connolly, is asking the postal service to release the poll results from this study and i agree. we should not and cannot stand by and watch these facilities close without taking all facts into account. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. rerned my remarks. the speaker pro tempore

mr. higgins in a true bipartisan fashion to deliver to the exciting news that this team, skating together, is part of the congressional hockey caucus. after a two-year absence on sunday at the verizon center won back the important cup in a victory 5-3 over the lobbyists. now, it's tough enough skating together, but quigley's awfully chippy and we have to watch his back, there's no question about that. mr. speaker, this is a great game for the spirit of the conference, but in all honesty -- the true value of this game is it is a charity. and with the great cooperation and support of the national hockey league and the washington capitals and the owner, we were able to raise in excess of $160,000, and those dollars first will be dedicated to support a program the national hockey league has which is hockey is for everyone and that is to bring the game of hockey to inner city youth which otherwise would not have an opportunity. more significantly, mr. speaker, in cooperation with the national hockey league and for the first time there has been a commitment that has been made. part of these pro

mr. jimmy fallon. [ cheers and applause ] i am your host, steve higgins., hello. i'll be playing with zachary from cape cod, massachusetts. [ cheers and applause ] >> steve: oh, fantastic! and who's your partner, jimmy? >> jimmy: i'll be playing with meghan from valencia, california. >> steve: oh. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you. >> steve: and here's how we play. you'll each be picking a category. then, you'll try to get your partner to guess as many words or phrases in that category in 30 seconds. 30 seconds as many as you can guess. >> okay. >> steve: the team with the highest score after we clear the pyramid is the winner. questions? >> umm. >> steve: okay, great. here are our categories tonight. we have -- always a bridesmaid. >> jimmy: yeah. >> steve: as seen on tv. >> jimmy: mm. >> steve: i scream you scream. >> oh! >> steve: two by two. >> jimmy: oh, no. >> steve: is it hoffa in here? >> oh, hell no! [ laughter ] >> steve: and, friends with "p." maya, why don't you pick the first category. >> well, i'm going to go for friends with p. >>

mr. hall took the test. he didn't take the test. >> with his first line of defense shot down, higgins pivots to explain ziggy's actions. >> richie, how many times have you been up for parole in the last 18 years? >> twice. >> what's happened each of those times? >> they've continued me because of something i've done. >> why would you purposely try to ditch your parole? >> because i'm scared of getting out. >> you've been at the program before? >> yes, sir. >> if you didn't want to make parole, could you say, i don't want to go? >> i don't know if you would understand, but a convict saying that he's not ready to get out, i'd feel like i would be ostracized. >> is that it? >> yes, sir. >> the lieutenant's decision comes swiftly. >> guilty of the charge of refusal, attempt to alter a drug screen, recommend five days penal segregation, assess a fee of $25, $4 fine. recommend a job drop. you want to appeal this? >> yes, sir. >> yes, sir, i don't think the $25 is appropriate. >> i can suspend that. i will suspend the $25. >> okay. >> and richie would like a little time to get his affairs in order before he has to go away for five days.

mr. jeffrey tambor! ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: jeffrey tambor thank you for coming on the show. thank you for sitting in for higginsous. i did pretty well though. >> jimmy: you did fantastic. everybody loves you. [ cheers and applause ] you didn't see. they gave you a standing ovation. >> no, they didn't. >> jimmy: when you left. >> oh. >> jimmy: yes. [ light laughter ] we have -- >> can i throw a compliment your way real fast? >> jimmy: sure. >> you do the best neil -- what's his name? >> jimmy: neil young. >> neil young. >> jimmy: yes. >> impression i have ever seen. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you very, very much. >> it is flawless. >> jimmy: now i got to say, when you start late night talk shows, the first thing that you should go to, the first thing i went to, is "the larry sanders show." >> yeah. >> jimmy: and i watched the show. it was you and garry shandling. >> right. >> jimmy: it is a brilliant -- do you guys remember who larry sanders? you have seen this? [ cheers ] it is lake a documentary about late night show. but it is so accurate. >> yeah, it's great. it was a life-changing time. but i a