speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. boyle, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for two minutes. mr. boyle: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank mr. scott. one of the things that made the toth -- 20th century known as the american century was that the united states had the largest middle class in the history of the world. the idea that if you work hard, play by the rules you would get a fair wage and good benefits, and that your children would be even able to do a little bit better than you have been able to do. it wasn't always that way, though in the united states. we can thank to a great extent some of the great advances that we had in the 20th century as far as workers' rights to that of organized labor. without labor unions, we would not have the strength of the middle class today. it is no accident that in the post-world war ii period when you saw average incomes rise in the 1950's, 1960's 1970's, you saw average incomes ris

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, mr. speaker, 13 months ago, my constituents lee smith, tragically lost her three-month old baby beatrice due to a rare heart condition. in an effort to help other families avoid the grief and despair of losing a child mrs. smith wants all schools to install defibrillators and to teach life saving skills. will the prime minister offer his support for this vital cause. >> first of all, let me say to the my right honourable friend and his continue went there is nothing more heartbreaking than losing a child and everything we can do to help with this we should. the chancellor announced in his budget. a million pounds, 40 defibrillators including putting defibrillators. >> school. i want a situation, communities pubs schools, villages all have defibrillators. we can save lives this way particularly saving young lives particularly in his con at this time swent's -- constituent case we must do better. >> thank you mr. speaker. may i express my condolences to the families of those who lost their l

mr. speaker mr. speaker, mr. speaker, so it's all about leadership. well, there's a very -- [shouting] great. and there's a very good chance. the broadcast proposed head-to-head debate between the prime minister in me on the 30th of april. a week before polling day. i will be at that debate. will he be at that debate? >> it is all about leadership, mr. speaker, and we see no leadership from the party opposite. what's interesting, mr. speaker we are having a debate now and they cannot talk about the economy. they can't talk about jobs because there are more jobs being created. they can't talk about growth because growth is going out. they can't even talk about living standards because there's a breakthrough report today showing living standards are back and the pre-crisis level. i say let's have these debates. let's get on with them before the election. [shouting] >> okay. if he wants an additional debate between me and him before the election, i'm very happy to agree to it. but the broadcasters have set a date. he said the election is all about me and

mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. i now yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: mr. speaker. i further ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, house resolution 173 provides for consideration of h.r. 2, the medicare access and chip re-authorization act of 2015 under a closed rule reflecting the careful, intricate bipartisan negotiations which brought this legislation to the floor. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided amongst the chairs and ranking members of the committees on energy and commerce and ways and means. as is customary, the rule allows the minority to offer a motion to recommit on the bill. finally

mr. speaker mr. speaker, mr. speaker, so it's all about leadership. well, there's a very -- [shouting] great. and there's a very good chance. the broadcast proposed head-to-head debate between the prime minister in me on the 30th of april. a week before polling day. i will be at that debate. will he be at that debate? >> it is all about leadership, mr. speaker, and we see no leadership from the party opposite. what's interesting, mr. speaker we are having a debate now and they cannot talk about the economy. they can't talk about jobs because there are more jobs being created. they can't talk about growth because growth is going out. they can't even talk about living standards because there's a breakthrough report today showing living standards are back and the pre-crisis level. i say let's have these debates. let's get on with them before the election. [shouting] >> okay. if he wants an additional debate between me and him before the election, i'm very happy to agree to it. but the broadcasters have set a date. he said the election is all about me and

mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i rise today to speak out against the republican budget plan. budgets are not just numbers on a piece of paper. they are moral documents. moral documents that demonstrate our nation's values ideas and our priorities. the house republican budget of work harder and get less is not where it's at. their budget makes it harder for american families to pay for a home, to send their kids to college. it keeps paychecks in this country stagnant and it's something we should not tolerate. instead, republicans should work with democrats to end the sequestration so we can make it easier to send our kids to college. fix our roads that crumbling every day and also to make sure we can keep good-paying jobs here in our country. that's the american dream of the that's the land of opportunity, and i urge the republicans to

speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. clawson: and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: recognized. mr. massie: mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for one minute. mr. duncan: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. you know, last week ms. brown from florida she said, why are we here? she got all upset. let me tell you why we're here. the president of the united states violated the constitutional separation of powers. regardless of how you feel about immigration or immigration reform or even amnesty, surely you believe in the united states constitution that you swore an oath to. surely you believe in this institution that we're debating in today. he said 22 times he did not have the power to unilaterally make law or change the law, but yet that's in fact what he did. that's why this debate is so important today. it really has nothing to do with d.h.s. funding, amnesty or immigration. that's the vehicle we're using, sure but it has everything to do with the united states constituti

speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from kentucky ready to close? mr. massie: mr. speaker, i have more speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. massie: at this time i yield one minute to the gentleman from alabama, mr. palmer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized for one minute. mr. palmer: thank you, mr. speaker. there was a comment about this, this is about governing. it is it's about governing actually. we are not three separate but equal branches of the government. the abuse of the exec testify order has diminished congress and the abuse of the senate rules has diminished this house. we are now reduced to passing what the senate will allow us to pass. and we are -- and the senate's reduced to passing what the senate will not veto. this is about the constitution. we have three more days in which we can consider legislation that upholds the rule of law, that restores the balance of powers. we should take those three days. ladies and gentlemen this is a day that we will remember for the rest of our lives, that the country is l

mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute, and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to pay tribute to one of our nation's greatest higher education leaders and great advocate for accessible, quality higher education. he is a dear friend and a colleague of mine for the last 40 years. on june 30, dr. william e. kerwin will retire after 12 years as chancellor of the university of maryland system. under his leadership, the university system has transformed from being a national leader in public higher education, into a national model in several areas. these include campus diversity, academic innovation and efforts to close the achievement gap. there is, of course, a lot i could say mr. speaker, to my colleagues about dr. kerwin's distinguished career. and commitment to improving higher education across the country. so i ask th

speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, i do yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i am pleased that the house today will consider two bills relating to the federal support for trauma care. these bills have both passed the energy and commerce committee at the subcommittee and full committee levels on voice votes. trauma is the leading cause of death under the age of 65. it is expensive, costing over $400 billion per year, third only to heart disease and to cancer. it affects all individuals of all ages 35 million americans annually, or one person every 15 minutes. over many years, mr. green and i have worked closely on this issue, to update the law and ensure that the re-authorization of crucial trauma grant programs occurs. as a result of this coordination, today we will be voteing on two bills that continue our long bipartisan record of support for efforts to shore up the nation's trauma systems and centers. the access to life-saving trauma care for all a

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, mr. speaker 13 months ago my constituents tragically lost her 3-month-old baby beatriz due to a rare heart condition. in an effort to help other families avoid the grief and despair of losing a child mrs. smith wants all schools to install defibrillators and teach lifesaving skills. will the prime minister offered his support for this vital course? >> first of all let me say to my right honorable friend is his constituent there's nothing more heartbreaking than losing a child in everything we can do to help up as we should. in the budget for the group relators putting dfar bladers into schools. i want to see a situation where community building schools pubs village halls all of them have to fipa leaders because we can save lives in this way and particularly when we are saving such lives as in his constituent's case we must do better. >> thank you mr. speaker. can i start by expressing my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic german air wings air crash. the

speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. e speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. woodall: while we talk about agreements here on the floor, i think sometimes folks back home are concerned that we are agreeing on the little things. things that don't matter. that we are talking about renaming a post office. while that's important to that community, important to the man or woman being honored, i would argue it doesn't necessarily advance the cause of freedom and democracy. i can't tell you with a straight face what we are doing on passenger rail today is going to advance the cause of freedom and democracy. if you want to advance the freedom of cause and democracy, you needed to be here two hours ago when the prime minister came to deliver his message to the united states congress. freedom and democracy lived there. what we are advancing in this passenger rail bill, mr. speaker is just common sense. it's just common sense. i don't want to get in the weeds of all the exciting things that go on in there. of course i

mr. rokita: i thank the gentleman, reclaiming my time. i thank mr. mooney for his expertise. mr. speaker can i inquire how much time we have remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 28 minutes remaining. mr. rokita: i appreciate that, mr. speaker. i'd like to turn our attention now to another hard charging member of the budget committee, someone else who is new to congress and bringing that energy along with great ideas to the discussion, a lot of his ideas are found in this budget. congressman john mullen of michigan, he's part of an industry that's allowing us to -- allow the conversation to illustrate the solutions that come with raising our g.d.p. levels back to where they used to be, not just a few years ago so that we can have a better economy now and a better future for our children. before serving in congress, john moolenaar served on the midland city council and in the state legislature. with that, i yield such time as he may consume to congressman moolenaar. mr. moolenaar: thank you very much, i thank my colleague from indiana for his leadership, organizing this presentation today. mr. speaker it's clear from the charts an

speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the house republican budget proposal released last week will serve as a strong blueprint to put our country on a long-term path to fiscal responsibility and sustainability. unlike the president's proposed budget which is the same tax and spend policies that have not worked for the president or the american people, the house republican proposal aims to balance the budget within 10 years without ever raising taxes. mr. speaker, yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the affordable care act being signed into law. let me be clear, obamacare is certainly not worth celebrating. the house majority budget proposal would repeal obamacare in full including the tax increases, erroneous regulations and mandates, all while promoting freedom of choice, affordability, and true patient-centered health care solutions. furthermore, the budget proposal aims to further ensure a strong national security, economic competitiveness, and a atmosphere that will foster positive growth throughout pennsylvani

mr. woodall: i thank my friend here. mr. takano: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mr. woodall: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from california mr. desaler in. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. salmon: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise -- mr. desaulnier: in 2013 there were 37 million american student loan borrowers with outstanding student loans. those 37 million americans -- american students hold an enormous $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, as my friend from connecticut mentioned. student loan debt is growing by $3,000 per second. the bank on students emergency loan refinancing act would be a good first step in allowing students to refinance their loans and puts much-needed money back in their pockets and back in the american economy. in 2012, congress passed a bill to allow new student loan borrowers to receive a low interest rate. unfortunately students with existing student loan debt were left out of this fix. this bill would provide those students who borrowed before 2012 the same students that

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mrker, thank you and i rise in strong support of h.res. 53. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i'd like to begin by commending our colleague, robin kelly, colleague on the foreign affairs committee. she's a new member of the committee. i'd like to commend her for introducing this important resolution which condemns the brutal terrorist group boko haram and calls for free, fair and on time elections in nigeria. i also want to commend our colleague, frederica wilson of florida who has raised this issue time and time and time again with resolutions on the house floor and just in general. so i want to thank ms. wilson of florida. i want to thank chris smith and karen bass of our committee the africa subcommittee, who have also together pushed for a resolution of importance as this. for five years mr. speaker, boko haram has torn a path of violence and destruction across northeastern nigeria, ruthlessly killing civil

speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. miller: mr. speaker i rise in support of h.res. 132 which is a resolution setting the funding levels for each house committee. every congress it's the responsibility of the committee on house administration to establish funding levels for committees in the house so they may budget appropriately and prepare their oversight and operational responsibilities for the rest of this congress with the full knowledge of the resources available. the committee on house administration started the consideration process out of this committee funding resolution by holding hearings to receive input from the chair and ranking members of each of our house committees. these were very productive very informative hearings and i'm certain that my partner in this effort, the ranking member of our committee, mr. brady from pennsylvania, mr. certainly share that belief. each chair and ranking member worked together in the development of their committee's budget r

speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to s.j.res.le, the congressional review act resolution of disapproval that we are considering today would undo the nlrb's election rule. the national labor relations board -- election rule is promulgated to make the election process more efficient and fair. the current process to hold an election on whether to form a union is badly broken. after workers have filed a petition to hold an election, bad actors can use frivolous litigation to stall an election for months, even years. election delays can provide opportunities for unscrupulous employers to engage in threats, coercion, intimidation of workers. these plays can be exploited, to violate the workers' rights, including firing pro-union workers threatening to close the plant if the workers choose to vote a certain way. we all know that the sanctions against violations are insufficient to deter th

mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mreaker. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington, mr. heck. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields two minutes. the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. heck: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. green's repeated reference to the chamber of commerce, the united states chamber of commerce's point of view prompt me to believe entering their actual words, that of the chamber's, into the record would be a constructive addition to this debate. i read from their letter. failure to authorize ex-imwould put at risk more than 150,000 jobs. at 3,000 companies that depend on the bank to be able to compete in global markets. ex-im is especially important to small and medium sized businesses which company for more than 85% of the transactions. tens of thousands of smaller companies that supply goods and services to large exporters also benefit from ex-im 's activity. other countries are providing approximately 18 times more export credit assistance to their exporters than ex-im did

speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr. hardy, for five minutes. mr. hardy: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak on a bill i just introduced, my first as a member of this body. the land acquisition to cut the national debt or land act. is a commonsense piece of legislation that would prohibit the secretary of interior from using federal dollars to purchase land resulting in a net increase in rakeage under the jurisdiction of the national park service, the u.s. fish and wildlife, and bureau of land management unless the federal budget is balanced for the year in which the land would be purchased. the same would go to the secretary of agriculture unless the federal budget for the given year is balanced, no net increase in the land, acreage may be included in the national forest system. now, mr. speaker, some of this body may wonder why i have chosen to take up this charge in the 114th congress. for my friends on both sides of the aisle, many whom may not be too familiar with the life out west, let me give you some background. just before i arrived to washington, the national

mr. rothfus for five minutes. mr. rothfus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, last week the notre dame family lost two larger than life figures. one a holy cross priest father hessberg, served as president for 35 years and oversaw remarkable growth of the university named for our lady. the father was known and recognized around the world. the other was a layman, charles rice, who taught at notre dame law school for 40 years and was a retired marine, devoted husband to his wife without whom he could never have accomplished his work. a devoted father, and an academic who dove deep into the philosophical underpinnings of law. it is estimated at that he taught half the living alumni of the notre dame law school. while much has been written and said these last few days of father hessberg given the national state he walked, has been less than professor rice except for colleagues and pro-life and religious liberty advocates have given in the days since he passed. to my left is one of those iconic figures from the 1960's. dr. martin luther king and the father standing

mr. miller: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mrmiller: thank you very much, mr. speaker. h.r. 280 as amended is similar to a bill i introduced last congress. i'd like to thank my friend mr. chaffetz for helping us bring this bill to the floor today. it would authorize and provide for the secretary to have the authority to resend -- rescind a bonus or a performance award from v.a. employees when the secretary deems it appropriate. to ensure a fair process, the provision would also give the employee an oppoittool egn erars decisn to rtho news. -- that bonus. i proposed this legislation last congress because v.a. had given the veterans affairs committee conflicting states. whether or not they had the authority and later they confirmed that they did not have the authority, so it's clear to me that this is still an authority that the secretary still needs as more and more investigations in fact are being completed by the department, the v.a. inspector general and the veterans' affairs committee. as these investigations into falsified wa

speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. massie: mr. speaker, may i inquire how much time is remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky controls 3 1/ minutes. mr. massie: at this point i would like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from florida, mr. yoho. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. yoho: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to look around this body, what are we asking to you do? we are asking to fund d.h.s. 14u7bd%. we are asking to put safeguards in there so that we don't move with an executive order that's been deemed illegal by a federal judge. that's all we are asking. and we need to have that language in this bill. i don't know anybody here that doesn't want to fund d.h.s. for us to vote for this without that funding -- without that language in there blocking what this president wants to do, and if we vote for that. we are voting against our constitution. article 1, section 8 is very clear that we have the authority for naturalization. and i say we vote against funding without that safeguard. thank you. i yi

mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gallego: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today americans are working more and earning less. the cost of college is rising, young people are in debt, and america's infrastructure is in decay. mr. speaker, the republican budget does nothing to help struggling americans. it gives tax breaks to the wealthy ends the medicare guarantee, may it harder for americans to buy a home, and cuts funding for education. our military leaders even testified that the republican budget will put the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk. mr. speaker this is outrageous. the american people elected us. we owe it to them to pass a budget that addresses their needs, keeps them safe, and gives them the best opportunity possible to live the american people. -- dream. let's focus on creating good-paying jobs, providing universal pre-k, and restoring food stamm programs that's helped many american families through these tough times and ensure the military has the resources they need to make sure they can fight the fight th

mr. speaker. mr. speaker i know the whole house will wish to join me in offering our deepest condolences

mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. reed, for five minutes. mr. reed: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about an impending crisis that will come upon us in 2016. mr. speaker not too many people know or realize that our social security disability trust fund is going to be insolvent bankrupt, underfunded, whatever term you want to use by the middle of 2016. mr. speaker what that means is that our fellow americans approximately 11 million of them who receive social security disability checks are going to be looking at a 20% reduction in their benefit come the middle of 2016. if we do not step up to the plate and reform this critical program. now, mr. speaker, i serve on the ways and means committee here in washington, d.c. two years ago i questioned our treasury secretary from the white house and i said, mr. lew, where is the white house's proposal to deal with this issue? nothing in the budget from the white house. nothing in the treasury secretary's testimony addressed this canary in the coal mine that is coming down upon u

mr. johnson: to seek unanimous consent -- the speaker pro tempore: the house is not in order. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i rise in -- i rise asking for unanimous consent to remove the name of representative perlmutter from h.r. 1102 the police accountability act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> mr. speaker i ask unanimous consent to remove my name as co-sponsor of h.r. 1041. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to section 106-a, of the higher education opportunity act public law 110th congress 315, and the order of the house of january 3 2013 of the following individuals on the part of the house to the national advisory committee on the instructional quality and integrity for a term of six years. the clerk: upon the recommendation of the majority leader, william of scottsdale, arizona. arthur from washington, d.c. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. ms. ros-lehtinen: i request to address the ho

mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. engel: first of all i want to again thank our chairman emeritus of the foreign affairs committee, my dear friend from florida, ileana ros-lehtinen, who is very eloquent. i want to stand by every word she uttered. i agree with her 100%. i want to also thank our chairman ed royce who also has been steadfast in fighting for the freedom of the people of ukraine and it's been a pleasure to work with him on a bipartisan basis. this is a bipartisan issue. policy like this should not be partisan. and that's why we are rising today as democrats and republicans, really as americans, say enough is enough in ukraine. as i've been saying for month well, can't view the crisis in crew yain -- ukraine as some faraway crisis or somebody else's problem. this has left thousands o-- thousands dead, tens of thousands wounded and millions displace and has begun

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, in may 2010 unemployment in a next mining area stood at 1540, today it is all most a third of that at 580. i think the prime minister would agree with me that a strong conservative government and a conservative district council with a long-term economic plan are able to succeed in bringing jobs and growth where the labor equivalent failed to do so. pm cameron: my honorable friend is absolutely right. in south derbyshire, since the election, claimant for unemployment are down 68%. those are statistics but every one of those people is a job with a livelihood and chance to provide for their families. that is what this election is going to be about. young people who want jobs, we're offering apprenticeships. young families who want homes, we have homes. pensioners who want security we have pension benefits guaranteed. that is what is on the ballot paper and i think that is what people will choose. >> following the publication of the select committee yesterday it came about that the man who went about disturbing these letters to ira fugitives has actually received the royal prerogative of mercy for certain crimes. will the prime minister now list all of those other leading republicans who have likewise received the royal pardon so that republicans in northern ireland can know which one of their leaders have received, probably with a bended knee, such a royal pardon. and secondly, so everyone can know which governments have been involved with such nefarious activity. pm cameron: i will look very carefully at the question he asked and what we can do to be transparent. i would say to him that governments in the past have had to make difficult decisions with respect to northern ireland to try to bring people together that has involved difficult compromises and things that he and probably i have found at times deeply distasteful. but sometimes, in the pursuit of peace, these things have to be done. >> can i congratulate my right honorable friend and the department of transport for their securing a 15 million pound rails infrastructure scheme which feeds my constituency. however, we still need better infrastructure. additional tracks if we are to get longer trains and faster journey times. will my right honorable friend meet me and discuss how we can further boost the economy? pm cameron: always happy to meet with my honorable friend and discuss these issues. i believe this government has gone right by the southwest and not least with an additional 57,000 seats on southwest trains every week from december. 1, 400extra car parking spaces at train stations across the region. we can have this investment not just in the southwest but right across our country because we have a long-term economic plan is delivering the growth this country needs. >> how can the prime minister put himself on a fixed term contract? and isn't he concerned? pm cameron: very simple what i have said. i answered a very clear question and maybe the leader of the opposition will answer some clear questions. very simple. two terms, 10 years, and one kitchen. >> is your right honorable friend as alarmed as i am? is my right honorable friend as alarmed as i am that alex hammond is planning to impose demands on the u.k. government and is he concerned that he will have nothing to do. pm cameron: i think my honorable friend makes a very important point. as far as i can see, alex hammond has taken the entire labour party hostage. and today we got the ransom note. it says, higher borrowing, uncontrolled inflation unfettered welfare, higher taxes, and weaker defense. that is what is being demanded in the british people have only one way of saying no to this appalling hostage situation and that is to vote conservative in may. >> can i ask the prime minister about the continually dire condition at london bridge station. is he aware that the abysmal service and the chaotic scenes that a company network rail's latest stage of development? can i ask him to personally take responsibility for resolving this and to bring forward and early, straightforward compensation scheme for the many tens of thousands of commuters who have had their lives so seriously disrupted? pm cameron: anyone who has seen the pictures of what happens some mornings at london bridge station knows that the pressures are events. we need to know that the department of transport are working to bring about the best possible solutions. what i can say is that you can't criticize this government for failing to invest in london's transport infrastructure. the crossrail scheme is the biggest -- they say we did that, they left an enormous bill. it is one thing to promise something, another to put it in the ground. >> mr speaker, it is very easy just to say the words long-term economic plan. but the last five years has seen sharply falling unemployment, hugely increased business startups, and massive investment in the new hospitals. does the prime minister think that the sun will continue to shine on brighton? pm cameron: first of all, let me pay tribute to my honorable friend who has been a real champion for brighton. he has worked very hard for the extra investment and the rebuilding of this hospital and i am so glad that that redevelopment will take place. also, i would take note that the claimant count in his constituency has gone down 52%. the long-term use claimant count has gone down 50% since last election and i think we can say the sun will continue to shine on brighton. >> i agree with the prime minister that the sunshine's on brighton. it shines bright green on brighton. recently revealed that in the space of a single month, nearly 1700 trains between brighton and london ran late. to add in

mr. menendez, the senator from connecticut, mr. murphy. the speaker: members of the escort committee will please exit through the chamber lobby doors. >> mr. speaker, the acting dean of the diplomatic corps. >> mr. speaker, the president's cabinet. the sergeant at arms: mr. speaker, the president of the islamic republic of afghanistan. the speaker: members of congress, i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you his excellency mohammad ashraf ghani president of the islamic republic of afghanistan. president ghani: in the name of god the merciful and compassionate speaker boehner vice president biden, senate majority leader mcconnell, house majority leader mccarthy house minority leader ms. pelosi, senate minority leader, ladies and gentlemen of the congress, please allow me to thank you for your gracious invitation to address this unique forum of deliberative democracy. above all else i'd like to begin by thanking the people of the united states whose generous support for my country has been such immense value in advancing the cause of freedom. more than one million brave americans have served in afghanistan. they have come t

mr. speaker? these are commitments made commitments met. by contrast, -- >> mr. miliband. >> mr. speaker, now we know you can't believe the promise on immigration. it is not the take -- it is not worth the paper it is printed on. >> order! order! [shouting] order! can i just ask the house to have some regard to the views of the public about our behavior? given that we seek their support in the weeks ahead, it is straightforward, really. ed miliband, the last thing about a broken promise about immigration. he promised no migration in the tens of thousands. he now admits he has broken that promise. yes or no? we cut migration from outside the eu. we have seen it verizon's eye the eu. we have a plan to deal with that. he talks about commitments. >> mr. speaker, i have a few more. he says, we will cut wasteful spending. we cut wasteful spending. it says we will reduce carbon emissions. we cut carbon emissions. it's as we will rise -- the number of apprentices will rise. it is election time, we are all thinking about -- i have a question. you can go to his office, he stands on a soap rocks. h

mr. newhouse, for five minutes. mr. new house: mr. speaker, i -- mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of the port of kenoway. for 100 years, the port has been a driver of economic development, transportation improvement, job creation and opportunities for the mid columbia region. voters approved the creation of the port in 1915 after the construction of the dow canal which allowed boats to navigate from the pacific to the upper stretches of the columbia and snake rivers. looking back on its industrial legacy, the port has entered an exciting new phase of redevelopment in recent years. the revitalized port, which is washington state's fifth oldest promises to create tourism and recreational opportunities in the tricities, drawing visitors to our area with projects that include the clover island marina, columbia drive and vista field. this month we celebrate 100 years of economic opportunity and look forward to continued progress at the port of kennewick. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore:

speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. peters: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. lucas: i reserve a point of order. the speaker pro tempore: the point of order is reserved. without objection, the reading is dispensed with. the gentleman from -- the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. the house will come to order. the gentleman deserves to be heard. mr. peters: mr. speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee and if adopted the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. mr. speaker, let's make this simple. the fundamental role of the environmental protection agency is to rect our nation's environment -- protect our nation's environment and ensure we have healthy communities for children and families across the country. in the science advisory board -- and the science advisory board is the body that makes sure the e.p.a. uses the best scientific research available to protect environment and public h

mr. speaker, people must be first. i thank you mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. mrs. watson coleman: i thank the gentlelady from michigan very much. mr. speaker, with more women as their family's primary breadwinners than ever, it's important to point out that 2/3 of the minimum wage workers are women. women are notoriously under-represented with equal pay for equal work. the federal minimum wage right now is only $7.25 per hour. a woman working full time would make just $14,500. that's below the poverty line for a family of three. if we want to make sure american families can work hard to get ahead, it seems that we'd want to make sure they're getting paid enough to do so. yet this issue is completely absent from the republican budget and still women will be notoriously underpaid for the work that they do. mr. speaker, women are also notoriously under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. these are the jobs of tomorrow. these are the jobs that will grow our economy, will make us globally competitive. unfortunately we cannot address these iss

mr. takai for five minutes. mr. takai: i ask unanimous consent to address the house and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. takai: aloha, mr. speaker. there's a letter from me sitting on your desk today asking you to pass a clean funding bill for the department of homeland security. all democrats in the house have introduced and co-sponsored a clean bill and the republican-controlled senate has passed one as well. mr. speaker clause 2 of house rule 21 prohibits the inclusion of language changing existing law. commonly referred to as the prohibition on legislating on appropriations bills. yet, that is why the house comes in today facing another deadline that puts our national security and d.h.s. work force at risk because we are trying to legislate through appropriations. i am completely in favor of the deliberative process by which this body is supposed to conduct itself. and while i support the president's executive action on immigration reform, i would also support a robust debate on it in this house. however, you know as well as i do that forcing this debate through holding hostage a funding of a critical component of our nation

mr. speaker -- mr. schock: thank you mr. speaker. six years ago i entered this chamber and raised my right arm to take the oath of office as a member of the united states house of representatives. i remember feeling so excited about the opportunity that lied ahead. i remember vividly this chamber and all that it meant to me and to the country. the men and women debating the issues of the day, not always agreeing, but always fighting without pie -- without apology for what they believed in. over the past six years i've come to understand that this institution is far more bigger than any one person and that freedom itself is even more important than this institution. some of the world's greatest debates have occurred right here in this chamber, for what happens here effects more than just the people of my district or even my country. over those six years, i've done my best to contribute constructively to the process and to serve the people of my district and high country. my guiding principle halls been rooted in the belief that -- has

mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning, i had callings to my duties in the house. >> stellar creasey. >> thank you, mr. speaker. our allies are warning between dangers of us and the america list. so, tell us, for the next parliament, what is more important to him. >> we are with the black hole budget and we've filled that gap. we're investing in defense. our economy is strong and our country is safe. >> in the post-office mediation scheme, the post office has just sat and told them to destroy all of their papers. does my friend agree that it is essential the second report should not be suppressed but should be supplied to sub postmasters and mps starting with the honorable member for west palm beach west and the select committee. >> it makes a very important point. >> so that they can do their job properly. >> the prime minister said in this house, he wanted a head-to-head debate. >> he said -- he said -- he said it was game on. when did he lose his nerve. >> if he wans the debate, i offered a date. the week starting the 23rd of march. why wouldn't he say yes to it. i'm going to be at the debate. but i'

speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. mr. crawford: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert. mr. gohmert: 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 pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. crawford, is recognized for one minute. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to recognize my friend, pastor tim crumpton of hew bree springs, arkansas, who served as guest chaplain in the house of representatives. i haved the pleasure of knowing him for the past several years and i'm humble of his leadership, through his dedication to god and scripture. ever since he was a young man he has been involved in vari

speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced spoil of january 6 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you mr. speaker. it is interesting these days to hear our current secretary of state someone who as a congressman went to central america and basically was negotiating a deal with a communist leader, corrupt criminal communist leader, at the same time the reagan administration was conducting negotiations. so i'm very proud of my senate friends down at the other end of the capitol here who sent a letter to iran, since the former constitutional law instructor, not professor but instructor, from chicago was -- doesn't seem to realize he needs the senate advise and consent in order to create a binding treaty with another country, especially one that actually has a major impact on the ability to continue to exist for israel and the united states and that actually, the deal -- i mean if this president and this secretary of state get the deal that includes everything that we could want, that this administration's not already taken off the table overtly then it means nuclear proliferation in the northeast ou

speaker cards but there are no speaker cards for this item, or are there? >> mr. washington. >> okay, mr. washington? >> i just wanted to, i didn't know she was going to be here today. i want to speak on behalf of mjm. she came years ago and did a wonderful job in creating jobs and i wanted to lend a word of support. she did a wonderful job in the west edition. that's first part of my retirement that i came to support mj. i know mary. we were just going over some of the things. we talked about 15-20 years ago. i'm in support of that. if you ever need anything mary, give me a call. i have my cameras and videotape. i can do it all for you. >> we are on item 5b which is a matter moved from the consent. any other? okay. >> i just want to know was how many bids for this job? was there another bid for this job? >> back in 2009, commissioners -- >> i'm familiar with that. >> there were other applicants. no. perhaps catherine, you can respond to that question. >> catherine riley project manager from mission bay, when we went for the original rfp in 2009, mjm was the only bid for this one. it needed to be the full complex of subconsultants. >> i would like to have more than one bid. >> what we want to do since this contract expires at the end of the year we are going out for a new bid process and this amendment is structured so we are not amending the term and it's really the way the contract was structured to bring as new parks we are ready to come back and set that management fee, but we are not extending the contract and going out for a very extensive process for the next term. >> why is it $22,000 more? >> as the new parks come in. when we did the original contract back in 2009, the way the contract is structured you have three phases. parks that were already constructed and being maintained. you also had a set of parks that we call phasen parks which is the parks we did our best guess which parks were coming online as the terms on this contract and there were parks in mission bay that we knew were going to get done. two or three 3 years with the economy increases and the grant funds that we had not anticipated, they were not in that original contract as a phase in so we did not set that management fee but we always anticipated as any park that came on we would roll onto this contract and we needed to come back to you for this commission to get approval for management of these parks because we hadn't anticipated they would come on during this period. >> okay, thank you. >> so there will be additional hiring for this additional amount because we are adding parks. are they hiring more people? >> i don't know if mary wants to go, but what we looked at the frequency of maintenance would increase and whether or not that could mean staff working longer hours or also adding additional services, additional personnel in terms of the park. >> so with the maintenance, how many hours usually are put into maintaining a park or for example this particular park or any of the parks that mjm manages. is it like 8 or 6 hours a day? >> some of them are even longer than 8 hours as well as the capital maintenance exceeds 8 hours a day. the goal is to spread it throughout the parks so we are not hiring individuals to serve the park so they are equipped to cover the new park as they come on. in some cases the maintenance happens after hours depending on what the need is or on the weekends. it depends. recently we that had trees replaced along the promenade. that was additional. >> okay. thanks. >> do we have a motion for this item? >> commissioner mondejar moving and commissioner singh second. >> commissioners, please answer when i call your name. commissioner mondejar, yes, commissioner singh, bustos is absent. madam chair rosales. i have 3 ayes and one absent. >> next item. >> the next order of business is item c authorizing pursuant to the transbay implementation agreement, amendment no. 2 to the memorandum of agreement with the san francisco county transportation authority to expand the is scope of the project management and construction services and to increase the budget by an additional amount not to exceed 1200, 000 for total aggregate amount of $4679541 for construction of the realignment of the folsom street off ram transbay redevelopment project. >> as you recall just last month we were before you for the 1st amendment covering cost for design and services for this folsom street off ramp work. if you tried to take it recently it's closed. this work is critical because it builds a more valuable parcel for the construction terminal under way. back in february we said we would come back to you. we needed to do some hard work with cal trans and our partner the ta who is serving as our owners rep on this and we are back before you with a contract amendment for $1.2 million that deals with contaminated soils here. with that, kevin matsuda, our civil engineer will give you the background and the scope and the next steps. >> thank you, executive director bohee, i'm the civil engineer with staff. this office is for amendment no. 2 with the san francisco county transportation authority for the folsom street off ramp consideration in order to provide funding for exposed contaminated materials for the project site. background, the folsom street off ramp curves diagonally. in order to assemble and create the parcel to maximize the development and guidelines ocii is reconfiguring the guidelines. we are estimating these contracts with fca to provide the project delivery. in april 2013, the commission authorized the design services for this project. in november 2013, the commission authorized construction services for the project. last month in february 2015, the commission approved amendment no. 1 that provided funding for cost over runs and disposal of one area of stock piles for materials that needed to be deposed of at facilities that can handle motor oil material. the disposal of that stock pile is not subject to this amendment, however there are two other areas that are. at that time of that 1st amendment approval, ocii staff and transbay were in on going discussion over the position of other soils and seeking to find potential solutions in order to minimize project cost. this slide shows the folsom off ramp curve development block 8. the ramp does not allow pedestrians to walk on fairmount and clementina street. this slide shows block 8 after the off ramp is reconfigured. the parcel is rectangular shape with new connection. discovery of contaminated materials. in november 2014, the sfta general contractor excavated soil for the project and contaminants required by the landfill. anti-an will -- an alytic test soils of led in the area. from underneath the off ramp. it amounts to 1,000 cubic yards or 1083 tons. it's in place soils that have not been excavated yet. it's in an island between the folsom off ramp and the fremont street off ramp. the quantity of these soils is 2,000 cubic yards or 3,000 tons. the stock pile is in the way of construction and preventing some of the work from being completed. ocii staff and sfta considered other method to dispose of the soil since they can not remain on-site. together we reviewed other treatments. these scenarios were not compatible with the type of soils and did not save project cost. after extensive discussions ocii staff concludes that the only available option is to dispose of the contaminated materials at a regulated proposed facility which is clean harbors environmental disposal facility. which is the largest in north america and which is approximately 260 miles from the project site. staff will mitigate liability by requiring the disposal agreement contained in attachment no. 1 to be executed that the work be in compliance with state laws governoring hazard ous materials and oci insured through contracts through sfta. summary of dispose at cost. the cost to approximately 5500 tons at $135 a ton. there is also administrative and operational cost to conduct analytical test on the soils and maintain the stock piles in compliance with regulations. for the quantities estimated, the cost comes out to $42,000. the cost saefsz savings from the disposal to an ordinary landfill. since area three soil is covered by stock pile, the exact quantity can only be estimated at this time since the area is necessary. it's making the total cost of the disposal $1 million. there is a covered stock pile on the bottom left-hand corner previously authorized in amendment no. 1 for disposal and it's not subject to this amendment. area one stock pile is in the lower right hand corner is presently in the way of critical items of work. contract extension. the completion date of the project has been extended due to contaminated materials for the completion dates of april 20, 2015. there are cost for office equipment and office facilities and project staffing that amounts to $200,000 including contingency. other considerations, the cost subject to this moa amendment to 16a. funds will be used on the scope of work and any unused funds will remain with ocii. overall completion is at 60 percent goal. it's utilizing the city's local hiring policy local by trade. the general contractor and 35 percent for labor classification and 15 percent for operating engineers. there to operating engineer trade is short of 50 percent goal. ocii acting through the office of economic and workforce development continue to work with the contractor to meet this goal at the end of january and operating apprentice to improve local hiring performance. as stated in the resolution, the executive director would be authorized to enter into any and all ancillary documents to complete the necessary contract. that concludes the staff's presentation and we have people here from transportation authority to answer any questions you may have. >> thank you, do we have any speaker cards on this item. >> we have mr. ace washington. >> i just wanted to know what is the reason. it quite a bit of money. >> can there be competitive pricing? >> yeah. they give the bid from $3 million and now they are $4 million. >> the site condition knowable at the time the contract was entered into? >> the original m orca -- m oa and the amendment did not include for the contaminated materials. >> were they known? was it known at the time of the contract? >> it was not known. >> usually i don't like to change it. if it's $3 million and now it's $4 million. >> we don't like making this request. it's unfortunate the situation that we are in. >> why are we absorbing all of these cost? is this cost not shareable with other entities. >> we have a permit to do this work on cal trans land. cal trans states that it's not responsible, that it did not of these contaminant materials and that they only brought in topsoil >> it's been there all this time? >> yes. from many years back. >> what w

mrs. brooks, for five minutes. mrs. brooks: i ask unanimous consent to address the chamber for up to five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. brooks: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to discuss the sobering but extremely consequential topic of christian persecution. last week i had the honor of visiting with more than 100 parishioners at st. al fon as catholic church in zionsville indiana. including many interested high school students who shared with me their passionate concerns about the senseless persecution of their christian brethren. through the church's social action committee, they wanted to know how a small faithful community could make a difference in bringing attention to this commonly overlooked matter. however, they wondered if their cries for mercy were falling on deaf ears in washington. they felt helpless in bringing to light the barbarity torture, and living conditions that christians in places like iran endure. the parishioners felt that too often horrendous massacres are met with isolationism and arguments that it's not america's job to promote human rights beyond our shores. today i want to let the people of st. an fon sews and al

mr. price: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. moolenaar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. moolenaar: thank you mr. speaker. the federal government has a spending problem. last week, the government accountability office released a report estimating that the government made $124 billion in improper payments during 2014. spending like this is one of the reasons the national debt has skyrocketed to $18 trillion today. divide among 320 million americans, a child born today inherits $56,000 -- $56,250 in tet or $225,000 for -- in debt or $225,000 for a family of four. americans work too hard to have the government waste their tax dollars. it's time to start our country on a new course. this republican budget puts america on a more sustainable and responsible fiscal path. in my district there are over 130,000 medicare eligible residents and over 169,000 social security recipients. this budget keeps the promises that have been made to our seniors and those near retirement age by stabilizing the social security trust fund. it also grants flexibility to state ops medicaid, allowing them to craft their own -- states

. >> we have previously asked about speaker cards but there are no speaker cards for this item, or are there? >> mr. washington. >> okay, mr. washington? >> i just wanted to, i didn't know she was going to be here today. i want to speak on behalf of mjm. she came years ago and did a wonderful job in creating jobs and i wanted to lend a word of support. she did a wonderful job in the west edition. that's first part of my retirement that i came to support mj. i know mary. we were just going over some of the things. we talked about 15-20 years ago. i'm in support of that. if you ever need anything mary, give me a call. i have my cameras and videotape. i can do it all for you. >> we are on item 5b which is a matter moved from the consent. any other? okay. >> i just want to know was how many bids for this job? was there another bid for this job? >> back in 2009, commissioners -- >> i'm familiar with that. >> there were other applicants. no. perhaps catherine, you can respond to that question. >> catherine riley project manager from mission bay, when we went for the original rfp in 2009, mjm was the only bid for this one. it nee