mr. johnson and that he called him a boy. he warned mr. johnson not to call him a boy. when mr. johnson called him a boy again, he became enrage and had chased mr. johnson down the halway. as he caught him, he admitted to striking him once. the arena football league commissioner has told both teams to keep quiet. >> and the saber cats are putting on the jacksonville shaeshgs. they say it was their fault. they issued a written statement saying this all stems from a verbal confrontation involving an alleged racial directed at their coaching staff by the front office officials with the jacksonville sharks. saber cats call the whole thing unfortunate. >> and mr. walker was released from jail on one condition, that he show up at his next court appearance. >>> a crime emergency in east palo alto. the escalating violence is blamed not on rival gangs but members of one gang that are fighting each other. the latest victim is 16-year-old jose, jr. he died in a drive-by shooting late last night. kpix 5 joe vasquez on what this crime emergency mean sgls what it means is the east palo alto po

mr. johnson called him a boy again. he became enraged and chased mr. johnson down the hallway. as he caught him, he admitted to striking him once. the arena football league commissioner told both teams to keep quiet. and the saber cats issued a written statement saying this stems from a verbal confrontation involving alleged racial, directs at coaching staff by a front office official of a jacksonville sharks. they call the whole incident unfortunate. live in san jose, kpix5. >> walker is charged with battery with a person 65 or older. he was released from jail late sunday on the condition he shows up at his next court appearance. >>> i hit the pavement and i watched the vehicle run me over. >> a bizarre and frightening case of road rage leaves a bay area bicyclist battered. >> you were stuck in that big backup on the bay bridge, we guarantee your commute was not the most painful. as one new mom has a new baby t >> i help -- >> and in the mist of that tragic situation in oklahoma, a small miracl look at this. best friends reunited against all odds. ,,,, for our families... our

mr. johnson: i'll reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? mr. terry: to rise in opposition and claim the time and i'll reserve. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: i'll yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from nebraska is recognized. mr. terry: thank you. and i rise in opposition to the study. it requires another additional study around the refineries. keep in mind that the refineries have already been through extensive research and studies to obtain their permits. yes, the refineries, many of . em are expanding right now also, under the tute ledge and permitting -- tute lidge and permitting process of the e.p.a. they're already been studied. it is not necessary to include as a condition prior to the construction of the keystone pipeline which in essence this bill does. the gentleman from georgia mentioned that the two people -- entities that are encouraging this amendment are t

mr. johnson: absolutely. every time we ask mr. cohen, who are premiums going to go down for, he couldn't tell us. he couldn't tell us the premiums were going to go down for anyone. are they going to go down for the young, old, women, men, he had no answers. we'll have to wait and see. that's a far cry from the promise that the president made of lowering costs and making health care more affordable. mr. griffith: that was the promise given to so many americans why they supported this image. and look, we as republicans, we know there are a number of things. mr. murphy: we want to make sure we are preventing illnesses and make sure we are caring for those who are ill. the high-risk pool, the door was close odd that, many people will not be getting additional care. we want to make sure that doctors can be paid for coordinating care. making sure there is follow-up and the patient can call with a question, nobody gets paid for that. they do get paid if they have more tests and fee-for-service plan and tough for doctors to try and help r

mr. johnson of georgia. amendment number 4 by mr. connolly of virginia. amendment number 5 by mr. rahall of west virginia. amendment number 6 by ms. esty from connecticut. amendment number 7 by ms. jackson lee of texas. amendment number 8 by ms. chu of california. and amendment number 10 by mr. holt of new jersey. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 1 printed in the house report 113-88 by the gentleman from texas, mr. weber, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in house report 113-88 offered by mr. weber of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support for the request of a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning

mr. johnson. >> yeah, we have some limited capability in terms of aircraft and on site helicopters in our outskirting area, but in terms of a major event in the san francisco bay area, we would be heavily focused on those folks who provide that service to us under contract. we do not have our own helicopters in oakland or san francisco itself, as was already mentioned to, san francisco is very difficult to get to in the case of a major event. it's either going to be getting people in or obviously getting across the bridges and getting material in. while we have the transport ability on the ground we don't have a lot of aircraft capability. most of our facilities wouldn't come in via aircraft anyway. the services we need, it's not typically getting the people, it's getting to the location you need to do the work. while we can drop folks via helicopter, we do that on a pretty regular basis during fires and storms up in the mountains, it's going to be able to get the roads clear and get the bridges open or get access into the location for which we need to get to. in fact, we suffered tlie th

mr. johnson? >> i'd be happy to start. in terms of testing for their effectiveness, they are tested almost every day with pg&e service territory we probably have 80 electrical outages every day. we have opportunities to test our emergency centers on a regular basis and in fact there's an emergency center open today just for some of the work that's happening throughout the service territory. so in terms of just our effectiveness it's something we do each and every day, unfortunately it's something we do every day but at least it's there. our infrastructure, we don't want to have outages, we design so we minimize that damage but we always know there will be things mother nature throws at us that we can't design around whether it's an earthquake or a major storm. we get challenged with major storms throughout the service territory so it's not unusual that a major storm comes by every year and takes out about a fifth of our base. we have service responders on our own teams well in excess of a hundred a year. in terms of prepar

mrs. johnson 8 miles ahead of the herd. they were the scouts, for heavens sakes. so i verified the story. lucy said, oh, you know, this has been handed down through the family, and i verified it though. it had been used in the caro books, and there was even more information. so i was able to put her in the book. and it was right at the end of my writing it, so i was really glad to have rebecca baines johnson. and then i did an end chapter on the two great -- well, not two great. we've had some great hand ranches in texas. but there were two men who were a factor, of course, henrietta king who, again, a genteel woman who had to tame a hard-drinking ship captain, richard king. but she did. just like margaret houston did. and turned them into the productive entrepreneurs that they were. and both molly goodnight and henrietta king started out in mud huts. but the ja ranch is in the -- [inaudible] canyon which is one of the most beautiful parts of texas as many of you know. and then my last chapter was the bridge to the 20th century, and it was two great businesswomen,

mr. johnson, mr. miscimarra. at least that's how i was told to do that anyway. again, we welcome you all here to the committee. i again thank each and everyone of you for, as a lot of the introducers said, your willingness to serve on this very crucial and important independent board. we will start first and ask you to sum up your statement -- your statement will be made up part of the record in their entirety. i will ask you to sum up in five minutes or less a we can get into our it question and answer your. we will start with mr. pearce. welcome back to the committee. and please proceed as you so desire. >> thank you, chairman harkin, senator alexander, and members of the committee. it is a great honor to appear before you today as well as to be considered for another term as member of the national labor relations board. i am joined here by my wife, nancy, my daughter could not make it. i was born as senator schumer said, in brooklyn, one of five children. my parents, jamaican and cuban born immigrant, came tohe ia tht honest hard work, one can publish anythin

mrs. johnson attended church. johnson did not because i think there were vague lines between politics and religion a lot of times. >> at that time period, we do have a letter when he thought he was dying in the 18 70's where he is at peace. so it shows that while not practicing at a church in particular, he was still a religious man. >> and before we leave this life in the early days in the white house, tell us more about how the white house ended up in such a state. mrs. lincoln spent a lot of money and was criticized. >> that is very true. after the president passed away, she went upstairs and was there for six weeks and the white house was open to the public. as soon as the doors were open in the morning, people were constantly coming through. there was a tremendous amount of traffic. and there was a lot of vandalism also. they wanted pieces of the carpeting or drapery or pieces of fabric, china was missing and it was in disarray. there's a lot of people coming through the white house. >> where was the security?

mr. johnson, it's great to see you. >> thank you for having me back, rachel. >> 18 months ago, it was announced anwar al awlaki was killed, but not that we killed him. why wouldn't we have said before that we killed him, and why could it be said now, why should it be said now? >> well, any disclosure of that nature, which today involved declassifying certain things, involves careful consideration. we think about the consequences in a variety of context, and i think what we saw today was the result of continued efforts at transparency. when i was in office, i, john brennan, the attorney general, harold coe, gave a number of speeches on the legal foundations of our efforts. last year we declassified the military's counterterrorism efforts in yemen and somalia, and so the conversation about acknowledging anwar al awlaki, who was a u.s. citizen, and acknowledging there were three other u.s. citizens who were not targeted, but who were killed as a result of our actions, was something that has began a while ago, has been going on for quite some time. and there were a number of people in government, t

mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i find it irresponsible if i didn't mention it. it sounds like the light bulb has come on for my colleague from maryland. he says we need to replace the sequester. i only wish that light bulb had come on when the house passed under republican leadership twice in the 112th congress to replace the sequester are responsible spending cuts. so it looks like here we are again. and you know the recent admission by the i.r.s. that it used its considerable authority and resources to target certain americans because of their political affiliation should serve as an urgent warning to all americans. the federal government is getting too large and has too much control. the simple truth is that when the government expands, personal liberty contracts. i found it both stunning and revealing when former advisor to president obama, david axelrod, said this. and i quote, part of being president is there's so much beneath you that you can't know because the government is so vast. for a member of this president's inner circle to admit that the federal

mr. johnson has done is covered taxes and the irs and he has laid out, you know, in the thorough fashion, a litany and in his title, he has talked about things that are arguably legal under the tax code and this talks about how manipulable the tax code currently is. which is having to do with one of the points i made due to the laxity of this code. you want to have an exhaustive list of how these things can be done. >> sir, are you concerned about the results of corporate research credit and how they are often exported as part of offshore and? >> well, i don't know. i think i will stop that one. i'm not sure that i know the answer to that. after five years at the internal revenue service, would you like to tackle another government agency? >> that is an easy one. no, i do not. that is something that i did once in a lifetime. >> this is kind of discouraging. because many of the changes that have been implemented under your watch have been reversed. please explain your feelings about taxation without representation is tyranny. >> i just don't agree and i think that my successor has done an

mrs. johnson ahead of the curve. i verified the story. lisa said that this had been handed down through the family. there was even more information. so i was able to put her in the book and it was right at the end of my writing it. so i was really so glad to have rebekah baines johnson. then i did and ends chapter. there were two women that were part of the goodnight ranch and then, henrietta king, who again, a woman who then turned it into the productive entrepreneurs that they were and both of them, mollie goodnight and henrietta king started out in a mud hut a ranch is in the canon, one of the most beautiful places in texas, as many of you know. my last chapter was of the 20th century. and it's too great businesswoman. the most accurate man, emily austen, who is the richest woman in texas when she died in 1860. the next time she had really rich businesswomen. she took the first ferry to go back and forth. across the infiniti river and up the first time you could start to go out west from east texas. and then she eventually built this a

mr. johnson and then also with mr.gardiner, you stated that as of january 1st, 2014 that health care premiums will go down. is this correct? >> no, but i think i said -- what i believe is that first of all we don't know yet what premiums are going to be for the coverage in january 2014 because the plants are just now submitting those rates to their state insurance departments for approval to the exchange's. >> but that was not the promise. the promise that was made continuously when this was being implemented was that health care premium cost would go down. so i masking you under oath today as you see it so you are no longer standing behind that statement. you are saying that we are -- we do not know, and probably more than likely you are seeing a health care in insurance premiums going up, is that correct? >> no, that is not correct. what i think i said is that for 2014 we need to wait to see how the rate comes in, in overtime i believe that the affordable care act will result in a lower overall cost. >> and what do y

mr. johnson.ny way. >> we welcome you all here to the committee. again i think each and every one of you for your -- as a lot of them have said for your willingness to serve on this very important and independent board. we will start first and ask you to some of the restatement. they will be made a part of the record and i would ask if you would sum up with five minutes or less so that we can then get into our question and answer period. we'll start with our distinguished chairman and welcome back to the committee. please proceed as you so desire. >> thank you chairman, senator alexander and members of the committee. it is a great honor to appear before you today as well as to be considered for another term as the member of the national labor relations board. i am joined here by my wife, my daughter couldn't make it. i was brought in as the senator schumer said in brooklyn one of five children. my parents, jimmy denney and cubin came from the united states with the idea that all honest hard work a

mrs. johnson and she agreed that we should process the conversations and make them available to the public43 about six hours of conversation. we have processed about -- everis is from the first press conference. i was a former "the new york times reporter. regarded as the finest press secretary in the history of the job. was not the political innocent that he portrayed himself to be. he is trying to walk him through this to make sure he does not make any slips. eisenhower was very self assured. what he did.ly each -- howing, much of it was scrambled syntax. if they can find a copy to read, they cannot understand it. they cannot find how the money is to be spent. [indiscernible] is there anything you can do to tell these people where the money is to be spent? >>-understanding is that is what the committees of congress are for. the national defence officials willthe secretary on down beef -- will appear before them and they will explain every single item. forget the number of pages. [indiscernible] > would you comment -- [indiscernible] will commenthink i on it. commenting would make it appe

mr. johnson. >> i just said thank you for the time. >> it was senator leahy that first said this and maybe it's been around longer than that but he said that senators are a constitutional impediment to the smooth functioning of staff. [laughter] i have just learned that we are moving the nominees next wednesday. [laughter] next wednesday morning. scumbuchank you. the committee will stand adjourned. thank you. >> [inaudible conversations] >>> so the question is why do we do it? why take the risks? is it for fun, for adventure? no. is it for the money? there are certainly easier ways of making a living and doing this. we do it to understand the world and how it changes. the world tends to move like the earth's plate, tensions building, and then suddenly they snap with violent political change and we go to where the cracks are to see how all the plates are fitting together. we do this of the innocents have a voice and we do it to show tv pundits the studio jockeys that they are usually wrong. we do it because we decide this is what we want to do with our slice of time on this planet. ♪ >> how

mr. johnson.your testimony one of the answers to one of the questions, you mentioned that online video distributors are having problems getting access to some content. do you have to explain that a little further? >> sure, online providers are successful and i don't think they want to change their business model and become virtual cable systems. that said, we do see content available for traditional channels is not available online and i would imagine it's not for want of trying, but it not available because the current incumbent of control over the business models and incentives of the content creators. we've seen a number of providers, sky angel is a company that wanted to offer family-friendly christian cable system and they were in on system. they lost access because they were in online to send for that reason only. that's just a hint of the competitive services we might see entries present controls if these providers are about to basically do the cable model except online. >> is that because

mr. johnson: mr.speaker, i rise today to announce legislation i introduced that will designate the post office in marietta, ohio, as the lance corporal joshua c. taylor memorial post office building. lance corporal joshua taylor is a true american hero who lost his life on march 18 during a training exercise at the hawthorne army depot in nevada. from the early age, josh had dreamed of serving his country and becoming a marine. he entered the marine corps upon graduating from marietta high school in 2010. after basic training, joshua was stationed in camp lejeune, north carolina, and specialized in mortar weaponry. he honorably served tours of duty in afghanistan and kuwait. in addition to being a dedicated marine, josh was an exceptional individual. he will be remembered for his gentle spirit, unfailing love and his love for his family. dedicating the marietta post office for josh taylor serves as a small tribute to honor and remember the life of a remarkable young man and the sacrifices he made for

mr. johnson: mr. speaker, we'll be voting on the house floor for the working families flexibility act. this legislation will allow the private sector employees to empower their work force to choose compensation in the form of paid time off or cash wages. let me tell you a story about karen and her family. karen works hour after hour to meet the family needs to make ends meet and provide for her two children. sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. when school starts, she can't have enough to support her children in their extra curricular activities. instead of using overtime for her time instead of wages, she has to take time off without pay. federal law mandates that karen take money when what she really values is time with the family. folks, the key word when discussing this bill is choice. this is not a mandate on our job creators. let me repeat. this is not a mandate. this is the step toward letting hard-working americans to decide what is best for them and getting government out of their lives. i yield back my time. i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: th

mrs. johnson for the record. the speaker pro tempore: the statement will be included. mr. horsford: i would like to recognize the chair of the congressional black caucuses health brain trust, the gentlelady from virgin islands, doctor in the house, the person who knows more about health care than most, the honorable gentlelady from the virgin islands, mischristensen. . . mrs. christensen: thank you. it's been with great pride that we've watched our young new members come to the floor and present the case so forcefully and so effectively to the american people on the disparities in all areas that african-americans and other people of color and poort are facing -- and the poor are facing. before i start i want to also ask unanimous consent for barbara lee to enter a statement in the record. she could not be with us this evening but her work in h.i.v. and aids and other areas in health care, but specifically in h.i.v. and aids, both, in the united states, and across the globe -- both here in the united states and across the globe is worthy of recognition and i know she'll be

mr. johnson, hi. also to dan and sharon you're going to college.austing business. with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving. >>> two decades ago my husband, james, became the first eagle scout from his troop 185. his troop leader has remained a role model, mentor and friend to james to this day. and both of them believe that all boys should have access to the lessons of character, are honesty, lead ership, and preparedness that come from scouting. thursday the boy scouts of america from their own commitment to access by ending the ban on participation by openly gay youth. it is a substantive but only partial victory because bsa continues to ban gay adults from serving as leaders. those of us who believe in scouting and are also committed

mr. and pat johnson who's the assistant to the managerial financeses and i'm going to intros them a little later. we have basically and you nerve can tell because of the surprises from the other government and is the feds and the elimination of redevelopment and et cetera but we have got an 80 million-dollar revival in five years and in case we have to ref development -- all of our economic indicators are up and they are above rejection and up $11 million above our projection and that is every revenue and income source and standard business source and is tour restaurant tax and is most of the rest of the city has holt new restaurants and? jack land and still a heart in the center of the bay area [name?] who was just one of the chef's award warded of the year and oakland is a city boomings and we are tryinged and part of ourselves and we have had amazing growth and we are going to move more towards towards it's business second thoors you care about we have -- taken $11 million and invested it in our town and we have even with the loss of economic development we have a new economic developme

mr. johnson thought about maybe rethinking our drug policy. and what kind of affect that gun crime in this country could i will take my answer off the air. guest: thanks for your question. a lot of states, a lot of communities are struggling with that issue. do you put them in prison or get some suitable treatment for them? this is a struggle that a number of states are going through. simplyomes to mind because their budget problems, as many states are feeling the now, theyey pinch, have looked at how they can save money by reelecting at cap -- how they at incarcerate offenders, and they have put a lot of money into diverting drug offenders into treatment programs. they have seen some success with that. we have seen a proliferation of drug courts in a number of states throughout the country, where people deal with drug offenders through treatment, special courts that monitor treatment, and hold the hammer of prison time over them to ensure that they complete their treatment. hoping that once treatment is completed, they are less likely to get

mr. johnson: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i implore my colleagues to address the global climate process. a recrept academic study found that 97% of scientists agree that human activity is mainly responsible for climate change. that same study concluded that the public has been misled into in king that a difference thinking between scientists on this, but 97% of scientists agree that this is a problem. how much longer will science de and their deniers spread misinformation about the facts and dangers of climate change? the fact that we are now -- we have more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than at any time in the past three million years. as a member of the state climate caucus, i urge all of my colleagues to recognize the danger from climate change and to come together and address this problem asap. e don't have much time to -- i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

mr. johnson. this is an opportunity to talk about an exciting time in the automobile industry. with a focus on worthiness for over 40 years since we've been in the business since 1966 and these technologies you alluded to in your opening statement is the new northstar for the agency. as opposed to people from a crash after mckeith the opportunity to make a disruptive change and make sure we get well below 20,000, 10,000 lives in the future. we feel that the national highway illustration the future for the automobile is extremely bright. increasingly, capabilities are determined more by electronics and mechanical linkages. this is the account's innovation and improve comfort, information and entertainment and most importantly advanced safety. according to early estimates, over 34,000 fatalities on america's roadways in 2012 and safety tech ologies we discussed today could produce numbers significantly. traditionally we've improved advancing the worthiness or technology such as seatbelts and airbags, occupants are more likely to survive than 20, 30 years ago. today we've exciting

mr. johnson: today i rise in support of consumer protection and privacy on mobile dwiteses. -- devices. every day millions of americans use mobile applications to help us get through the day but many consumers don't know that their data is being collected this privacy breach is just not ones and zeros, it's personal information, including our location at any given moment, our photos, messages, and many of the things meant only for our friends and loved ones. yet we lack basic rights to control how and how much of our tai ta is collected on our phones, ipads, and tablets. data has become the oil of the 21st semplingry and like any other resource, there must be commonsense rules of the road for this emerging challenge. the damage -- today i'm introducing the apps act a commonsense approach to this urgent challenge. the apps act will protect consumers without disrupting functionality or innovation. privacy is an issue that should unite us, not drive us apart. i ask that my colleagues come together and support this bill, creating transparency and trust in the mobile marketplace and i yield

mrs. johnson and she agreed that we should process the conversations and make them available to the public. there are about six under 43 hours of conversation. we have processed about -- >> this is from the first ever press conference. >> he was a former "the new york times" reporter. he is regarded as the finest press secretary in the history of the job. eisenhower was not the political innocent that he portrayed himself to be. he is trying to walk him this to make sure he does not make any slips. eisenhower was very self assured. that is exactly what he did. people debated, how much of it was scrambled syntax. >> if they can find a copy to read, they cannot understand it. they cannot find how the money is to be spent. [indiscernible] is there anything you can do to tell these people where the money is to be spent? >>-understanding is that is what the committees of congress are for. the national defense officials from the secretary on down will appear before them and they will explain every single item. i forget the number of pages. [indiscernible] >> would you comment -- [indiscernible]

mr. johnson. >> that becomes the question in about five different scandals in america today.e day that nbc outed eric holder, the attorney general of the united states, as the man who signed off on this sno snooping at fox news that they are talking about restoring civil liberties and eric holder will meet with the media heads to discuss what needs to be done. what needs to be done is adherence to the constitution. i would love to be in the meeting when the head of fox news talks with the attorney general about what's gone on with their phone lines, e-mails, 30 phone lines at fox news. on this memorial day when we invoke the loss and memory of the people who served our country so well, who fought and died for our constitution, for our bill of rights, for our way of life, it's important to understand what press and reportage means to the future and the stability of this country. we have seen a pattern where the obama administration, through the attorney general, has served to chill the press. i will say one more thing. >> all right. >> to say james rosen, a great reporter and

mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, as i meet with my constituents back home, they they're ud and clear concerned about our record debt and deficits. we're nearly $17 trillion in debt. that comes out to about $53,000 per person. my constituents back home get it. they've had to make tough choices to live within their means and they expect washington to do the same. my republican colleagues and i have been committed to getting our fiscal house in order, growing our economy and getting america back to work. in fact, we've passed a budget that balances in 10 years. on the other hand, the president and the senate's budgets never balance ever. hardworking taxpayers and their children and grandchildren deserve better. we need to leave them a stronger and more secure america, not a mountain of debt. mr. speaker, the bill we are considering today, the full faith and credit act, would be requiring treasury to make good on debt payments. the bill also enables treasury to pay social security benefits

mrs. johnson and she agreed that we should process the conversations and make them available to the publice about 643 hours of conversation. we have processed about -- 552 hours. >> this is from the first ever press conference. -- first ever televised press conference. >> he was a former "the new york times" reporter. he is regarded as the finest press secretary in the history of the job. eisenhower was not the political innocent that he portrayed himself to be. he is trying to walk him through this to make sure he does not make any slips. eisenhower was very self assured. he says, don't worry, if the question comes up, i will just confuse them. that is exactly what he did. about confusing syntax. people debated, how much of it was scrambled syntax. >> if they can find a copy to read, they cannot understand it. they cannot find how the money is to be spent. [indiscernible] is there anything you can do to tell these people where the money is to be spent? isthe understanding is that what the committees of congress are for. and that's what the people that appear before those committees are fo

mr. johnson's super low prices and people are getting stock really cheaply.ntly soaring, but the flipside of that may be that they may be selling more or less at cost. what are you hearing and what is your view of j.c. penney in general? >> yeah, was there some buzz out that traffic trends improved. they came out with their advertisement think thatting customers for coming back so that was a sign, but there were also some hiccups in that whole strategy to bring back couponing. there were some reports out that they'd been given $10 off $10 and many people were giving away free tou else. i think there is a period of transing, but the traffic coming back is very important and it's a good first step in terms of restoring lost sales. >> there's been a belief that macy's has benefited from the travails of j.c. penney. a, is that true? and b., is that going to stop now? >> it's true to some extent. i don't think macy's benefited as much as they were expecting or others were expecting. >> what they found was the traffic decline urt hur more with penney's. so they ben

mr. johnson and -- at least that is how i was told to do it anyway. we welcome you all here to the committee. i again thank each and everyone of you for, as a lot of us have said for your willingness to serve on this crucial and important independent ward. we will start first and ask you to sum up your statement. your statements will be made a part of the record in your retirement and i would ask you to sum up in five minutes or less so we can get into our question and answer. matsui will start with her distinguished chairman mr. pierce and again welcome back to the committee and please proceed as you so desire. >> thank you chairman harkin senator alexander and members of the committee. it is a great honor to appear before you today as well as to be considered for another term as a member of the national labor relations board. i am joined here by my wife nancy, my daughter could not make it. i was born as senator schumer said in brooklyn, one of five children. my parents jamaican and cuban born immigrants came to the united states with the idea that

mr. speaker, i rise today to announce that the circle drive of the oscar g. johnson medical center will be named after a local son in the iraq war veteran, sergeant first class prestap. he graduated from north dickinson high school in 1985 before attending northern michigan. sergeant prestap also served as a police officer at the v.a. medical center where i worked as a physician. while bravely defending his nation in iraq, sergeant prestap was killed in action on thanksgiving day, 2006. the entire dickinson community came together to memorialize him at the v.a. facility where he guarded our veterans. i am honored today to have helped him fight for this distinction over the past two years. this memorial represents a small but important gesture of gratitude, mott only for sergeant prestap's sacrifice but for his life-long pursuit of selfless service to others. i'm very pleased that all visitors to the world-class v.a. hospital will soon be able to remember a true hero from northern michigan who laid down his life so others could live in freedom. i yield. the speaker pr