mr. thompson, is recognized, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to recognize october as national fire prevention month and would like to thank all the firefighters across my district and across the nation for all that they do to keep our community safe. in 2013, departments across the united states responded to nearly 400,000 fires, resulting in $7 billion in property damage and more than 2,700 deaths. that unfortunately amounts to an average of eight people every day. of those who lost their lives as a result of fire, one in four was caused by a fire that started in a bedroom. this is one of the reasons why one focus of this year's fire prevention month is to raise awareness that every bedroom needs a working smoke detector. mr. speaker, as a volunteer firefighter with nearly three decades of experience, i know that smoke detectors save lives. the statistics prove this, showing that working smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in a fire by half. smoke detectors are inexpensive and easy to install and i urge everyone to take action to help

mr. thompson: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the rule today and in support of bringing the bipartisan king-thompson background check bill to the floor for a vote. let me give you some numbers. 278, the number of mass shootings in our country since newtown. 275, the number of days this congress has been in session. 16, the number of gun related moments of silence congress has held since the start of last year. and zero, the number of votes taken to help prevent or lessen gun violence. just a week ago we endured another mass shooting. this time it was nine people at a community college in oregon. six weeks ago it was a news reporter and cameraman in virginia. five weeks before that it was two people at the movies in lafayette. and five weeks before that was a prayer group in charleston. every single time a mass shooting happens, we go through the same routine. thoughts and prayers are sent. statements are made. stories are written. moments of silence are held. and nothing changes. no action is taken

mr. thompson was saying on that as well. we have been hearing eggs are bad. it turns out eggs are okay later. then you hear beef, red meat. and high protein diets help you lose weight. somebody was talking just over the weekend, a constituent lost weight but they're staying away from fruit. because fruit has carbs and sugars in it. how are people supposed to know when the guidelines are changing all the time. i guess following up on the five-year thought. is it good to have a hard and fast five-year timeline on changing the dietary guidelines, or should it be less frequent, more frequent, or change what you know to change and have -- leave the rest alone? what do you think of that? >> i think making a choice on five years probably made a good choice. and the reason for that is, while we heard from some of your colleagues about extending the period, you know, let's think this took 18 months for the advisory committee to do its work, then you have an additional 75 days with a period of comment for us to receive comments on that. and then you have the period for

mr. thompson. mr. thompson: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it ands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the house. the form of the resolution is as follows. whereas the attacks in benghazi, libya, on september 11, 2012, took the lives of u.s. ambassador christopher stevens, foreign service officer sean smith, and former naval seals tyrone woods and glen daugherty. wheresas the events leading up to and in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi were rightfully and thoroughly examined to honor the memory of the victims and to improve the safety of the men and women serving our country overseas. whereas the independent accountability review board convened by the united states stat

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in recognition of national forest products week and in support of our nation's foresters, timber producers, researchers. the forest product industry as a whole. pennsylvania derives its name from penns woods, as history shows our forests have played a central role in the building of this contry. today the commonwealth has 16.7 million acres of forestlands, 70% of which is privately owned and managed. the forest products industry in pennsylvania employs 10% of our state's work force, and according to the pennsylvania forest products association, generates approximately $5.5 billion annually. pennsylvania's well-known for its high quality hardwoods, forest product industry also plays a fundamental role in actively managing our forests. active management is essential in order to foster healthy lands, as w

mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the national day of the deployed. which honors all the men and women who have been deployed and who have dedicated their lives to defense and continued freedom of our nation. on sunday, october 25, i attended a welcome home celebration for 25 members of the 112th air operation squadron. these are -- these men and women were involved in operations in the middle east. the 112th air operations squadron was the first in the nation to be deployed in this manner setting precedent for similar units that have been deployed since. the men and women leave behind their families to travel overseas to serve in iraq and afghanistan along with other missions. their sacrifices embody bravery and love of country. i pray to those still serving those overseas. thank you, mr. speaker and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose do

mr. thompson was saying on that as well. we have been hearing eggs are bad.it turns out eggs are okay later. then you hear beef, red meat. and high protein diets help you lose weight. somebody was talking just over the weekend, a constituent lost weight but they're staying away from fruit. because fruit has carbs and sugars in it. how are people supposed to know when the guidelines are changing all the time. i guess following up on the five-year thought. is it good to have a hard and fast five-year timeline on changing the dietary guidelines, or should it be less frequent, more frequent, or change what you know to change and have -- leave the rest alone? what do you think of that? >> i think making a choice on five years probably made a good choice. and the reason for that is, while we heard from some of your colleagues about extending the period, you know, let's think this took 18 months for the advisory committee to do its work, then you have an additional 75 days with a period of comment for us to receive comments on that. and then you have the period for

mr. thompson of pennsylvania who is involved in the field. i yield to you. mr. thompson: i thank my colleague from pennsylvania for yielding and for leading on this incredibly important issue that's important us. i rise in support of congressman murphy's bill h.r. 2646, helping families of mental health crisis act of 2015. this legislation aims to address the fact that millions of americans who suffer from a serious mental illness have gone without treatment. as families and caregivers tried to find support -- i practiced rehabilitation services for 28 years before i had the privilege and honor in 2009 to come to work on behalf of the citizens of pennsylvania's fifth congressional district. and part of my career was trick in acute sike at services and working with people . and in times the system we are in only responded when people were in crisis but responded as long as until the person was no longer a danger to themselves or someone else, we really didn't -- the system did not allow for the types of resources to be deployed, the care to be provided to really m

mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. rise today to recognize elk county, pennsylvania commissioner. it was awarded outstanding commissioner of the year. this award recognizes a commissioner that contributed to the advancement of community government. june has a long-term, totalling 24 years. she has been a leader in issues from human services, prison issues, infrastructure improvement, recycling and environmental issues. specific accomplishments during her tenure include the centralized and improvements to the county jail. as you know, mr. speaker, county commissioners across the country dedicate countless hours towards the improvement of the communities and counties and i know her work proves this true in elk county. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new hampshire seek recognition. >> permission to address the house for one minute. mr. guinta: permission to address

mr. thompson was saying on that as well. we have been hearing eggs are bad. it turns out eggs are okay later. then you hear beef, red meat. and high protein diets help you to weight. i was talk to go a constituent but they are staying away from fruit. it has carbs, sugar in it. how are people supposed to know when the guidelines are changing all the time. i guess following up on your five-year thought. is it good to have a hard and fast five-year timeline on changing the dietary guidelines, less frequent, more frequent, or change what you know to change and have -- leave the rest alone? what do you think of that? >> i think making a choice on five years probably made a good choice. and the reason for that is is while we heard from some of your colleagues about extending the period, you know, let's think this took 18 months for the advisory committee to do its work. then you have an additional 75 days with a period of comment for us to receive comments on that. and then you have the period for us to review and get out. when you add that up and you think about

mr. thompson's questions have pretty much elicited most of the testimony. saying most times in the white house itself, either in the oval office or in the executive office of the president where there was a locator light, whenever the president moved and the locator light moved to where the president was, it triggered the microphones. >> there's the democratic counsel saying that he has very few questions because the republican counsel has done such a good job of taking nixon aide alexander butterfield through his bombshell testimony about the taping system richard nixon had in the white house. you won't see any of that kind of bipartisan professional, respectful and cooperative interaction tomorrow. here are a couple of sam dash's follow-up questions. >> it was your understanding that this operated on an ongoing basis daily? the system operated on an ongoing basis daily. >> yes, sir. >> to your knowledge, did the president ever ask while he was in the oval office to have the system not operate? the light not -- the locator not show in that office so as to

mr. thompson: permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> the numbers never lie unless they do. each month we all the employment report of the supposed indicator of economic health. the most recent jobs numbers is at 5.1% but the headline number papets a picture that doesn't exist. it distorts the economic outlooks and distracts this chamber for creating more opportunities. mr. fitzpatrick: they have criticized this and noting that the bureau of labor statistics considers the limited factors and ignoring things like underemployment or the number of workers who have left. we are left with a flawed view. with that in mind, i'm joined with colleagues in the act which would clear the changes in methodology which would help the employment rate reflect the strength of the labor market. if the jobs report dictates how .his congress addresses i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker

mr. thompson, for five minutes. . mr. thompson: i rise today in recognition of the students from pennsylvania participating in this week's national future farmers of america, or f.f.a., convention in louisville, kentucky. i believe in the future of agriculture. those are the first words from the f.f.a. creed. the pennsylvania group is among 60,000 f.f.a. members at this week's convention. participating in a variety of competitions and stressing the importance of agriculture to our nation. among pennsylvania's state officers attending the convention is tony rice. tony is a student at the pennsylvania state university's main campus in pennsylvania's fifth congressional district. and tony has had one of two officers candidates traveling to louisville. each year six student members are selected as national officers of the f.f.a. these young men and women travel as many as 100,000 miles per year, stressing the importance of agriculture, agriculture education, and the f.f.a. candidates are judged upon their ability to be effecti

mr. thompson, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 597, renewal of the united states export-import bank. in pennsylvania, the ex-im bank is essential to the economic health throughout pennsylvania's fifth district supporting 11,000 jobs. the bank supports 0,000 jobs across the commonwealth and nearly 300 companies adding $7 billion to pennsylvania's economy. exporters range from powdered metal companies and those involved in the manufacture of rubber and plastic products. all of these businesses provide jobs which sustain our local communities. since 2007, exports in pennsylvania have amounted to $1.3 billion supporting thousands of jobs in rural pennsylvania. the ex-im bank is not a burden on the taxpayers. in 2013, the bank covered its own expenses before directing more than $1 billion in the u.s. treasury. i joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to bring renewal of the bank to the floor today and cast a vote in favor of the bill's passage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: t

mr. thompson, one minute. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: i thank the chairman. i thank my colleague for the time to speak on this bill. which i wholeheartedly support because ending this oil export ban will not only boost our economy, it would also improve our foreign policy. i also rise with hesitation to a proposed amendment that would remove a provision of this bill boosting payments to the 60 ships of our maritime security fleet. these ships are essential in transporting cargo to the men and women of our armed forces who are serving overseas in harm's way. as evidence of this, 90% of all cargo moved to iraq and afghanistan have been transported on these privately owned ships. as of right now, mr. speaker, the stipend provided by the government is too low to make this program viable for those who have stepped up to defend our nation against foreign threats. without this increase, it is likely that participants will drop out of the program. this obviously is a national security threat. it is estimated that for the government to r

mr. thompson, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 597, renewal of the united states export-import bank. in pennsylvania, the ex-im bank is essential to the economic health throughout pennsylvania's fifth district supporting 11,000 jobs. the bank supports 0,000 jobs across the commonwealth and nearly 300 companies adding $7 billion to pennsylvania's economy. exporters range from powdered metal companies and those involved in the manufacture of rubber and plastic products. all of these businesses provide jobs which sustain our local communities. since 2007, exports in pennsylvania have amounted to $1.3 billion supporting thousands of jobs in rural pennsylvania. the ex-im bank is not a burden on the taxpayers. in 2013, the bank covered its own expenses before directing more than $1 billion in the u.s. treasury. i joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to bring renewal of the bank to the floor today and cast a vote in favor of the bill's passage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: t

mr. thompson was saying about that as well.we've been hearing ever since i was a kid that eggs were bad and then eggs were okay later. and beef and red meat and high protein diets are supposed to help you lose weight. someone was talking to me over the weekend they lost weight and they are staying away from fruit because it has carbs and sugar in it. how are people supposed to know when the ideals are changing all the time, the guidelines. following up on the five h-84 thought, is it good to have a hard-and-fast five-year timeline, should it be less frequent or more frequent or does it need to be even more kind of change what you know to change and have -- and leave the rest alone? what do you think of that, please? >> i think that the congress in making a choice on five years probably made a good choice. and the reason for that is, is while we heard from some of your colleagues about extending the period, you know, let's think that this took 18 months for the advisory committee to do its work, then you had an additional 75 day

mr. thompson was saying about that as well. we've been hearing ever since i was a kid that eggs were bad and so my grandparents had a lot of powdered eggs because of their age and then eggs were okay later. and beef and red meat and high protein diets are supposed to help you lose weight. someone was talking to me over the weekend they lost weight and they are staying away from fruit because it has carbs and sugar in it. how are people supposed to know when the ideals are changing all the time, the guidelines? following up on the five-84 thought, is it good to have a s it need to be more -- kind of change what you know and have -- leave the rest alone? what do you think? >> i think the congress, in making a choice on five years, probably made a good choice. the reason for that is, while we've heard about extending the period, let's think that this took 18 months for the advisory committee to do it work, then you had an additional 75 days, the period of comment, for us to receive comments on that. then you have the period for us

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table bill h.r. 2617, with the senate amendments thereto, and concur in the senate amendments. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill and the senate amendments. the clerk: h.r. 2617, an act to meand the fair minimum wage act of 2007 to postpone a scheduled increase in the minimum wage applicable to american samoa. senate amendments. strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following, section 1, minimum wage for american samoa a, minimum wage. paragraph 2 of section 8103-b of the fair minimum wage act of 2007, 29 united states code 206 note is amended to read as follows. two, the minimum wage applicable to american samoa under section 6-a-1 of the fair labor standards act of 1938, 29 united states code 20 -a-1 shall be a, the applicable wage rate in effect for each industry and classification as of september 29, 2015, and b, increased by 40 cents an hour. or such lesser amount. . mr. th

mr. thompson, one minute. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: i thank the chairman. i thank my colleague for the time to speak on this bill. which i wholeheartedly support because ending this oil export ban will not only boost our economy, it would also improve our foreign policy. i also rise with hesitation to a proposed amendment that would remove a provision of this bill boosting payments to the 60 ships of our maritime security fleet. these ships are essential in transporting cargo to the men and women of our armed forces who are serving overseas in harm's way. as evidence of this, 90% of all cargo moved to iraq and afghanistan have been transported on these privately owned ships. as of right now, mr. speaker, the stipend provided by the government is too low to make this program viable for those who have stepped up to defend our nation against foreign threats. without this increase, it is likely that participants will drop out of the program. this obviously is a national security threat. it is estimated that for the government to r

mr. thompson, congressman ompson is the chair of our select -- our task force, gun violence prevention task force, and he's introduced legislation to establish that select committee. so we should act, we should do something about it, we should make some progress instead of having moments of silence, however respectful we want to be. yesterday yet again the republicans voted to waste taxpayer dollars on yet again another of their politically motivated select committees. we call it the select committee to attack women's health. with this committee, republicans are trying to make it easier to shut down government and harder, harder for millions of american women to access affordable family planning and life-saving preventive care they need. our thoughts and prayers are with the people of south carolina struggling with the flooding in their state. we send our prayers. we also send our assurances that congress is here to help them in the recovery of their communities. any questions? yes, ma'am. >> the republicans are voting for speaker today, and i know you said you don't want to get involved in

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to set the record straight regarding a claim this week by the international agency for research on cancer, classifying processed meats as carcinogenic and red meats as a possible carcinogen. according to the american cancer society, there is a lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer of 5%. by this organization's own findings, eating a cold cut sandwich or hot dog every day would only raise that risk to around 6%. doctors with the international agency for the research on cancer admit that the risk for someone to develop cancer due to red meat consumption is dwarfed by the risk caused by cigarette and alcohol consumption. with that in mind, mr. speaker, this study should not be used for scare mongering. in causing people across the nation to believe that red meats or processed foods are dangerous. the fact remains that variety is the key to a healthy, well-balanced diet and that cancer is not caused by a single food. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my ti

mr. thompson, for support of my bill. h.r. 3350, the know the cbrn terrorism threats to transportation act, would direct the department of homeland security's office of intelligence and analysis to conduct a terrorism threat assessment of the risks associated with transportation of chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological materials. terrorists and militant groups have expressed an interest in using weapons of mass destruction, especially those utilized in chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological, known as cbrn. according to an investigation, the f.b.i. uncovered a plot by rogue operatives to sell nuclear material to foreign terrorist organizationes that have an interest in targeting the united states. next year, the department of energy plans to allow the transporting by truck of highly enriched uranium from canada to south carolina. as a cost saving measure, the planned shipment would be in liquid form. these trucks are scheduled to enter the united states via the peace bridge in buffalo, new york. an attack

mr. thompson, members of the committee. thank you for inviting me here today. my colleagues have made clear in their opening statements something that it will not repeat, the ice was broken the model. i want to explain why the change in model leads us to talk so much about the challenges we face with encryption and very briefly. social media is transform human experience in wonderful ways. i have no idea what anybody for my fifth grade class at ps 16 and yonkers, new york, today. my kids will know everything about everybody from the fifth grade class for the rest of their life. there's good and bad to that. on balance it's wonderful isil has used that ubiquitous social media to break the model and pushing to the united states into the pocket, onto the mobile devices of troubled souls throughout our country in all 50 states a twin message, or kill, or killed. him to the so-called caliphate, live a life of glory, participate in the final battle between good and evil on god's aside. come to the caliphate and if you can't come, to where you all are. social media wo

mr. thompson really did a fine job. i don't have to do that much. that's the way a real investigative committee hearing works. that's not what you're seeing here. >> we will take a break in our discussion. we will resume our discussion when we come right back. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. to take their act to the next level... before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time... 2% back at the grocery store... and 3% back on gas... vince of the flying branzinos got a bankamericard cash rewards credit card, because he may earn his living jumping through hoops, but he'd rather not earn cash back that way. that's the spectacle of rewarding connections. apply online or at a bank of america near you. >>> we are back. we just finished watching three plus hours of this select committee on benghazi. seven republicans, five democrats. the minority leader in effect on the committee is congressman cummings from

mr. thompson of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: here we go again, we're only weeks from defaulting on our debt and this bill does nothing to deal with that. the bill before us is essential i a plan for defaulting on our obligations. as my friend, the gentleman, the republican gentleman from louisiana said, all this does is prioritize our debt. if you're prioritizing your debt by definition you're defaulting. you're not paying your bills. this would prioritize our repayment, putting our veterans, small businesses, and our first responders behind foreign governments in regard to receiving the payment that's due to them. we have to pay our bills. we cannot go down this road again. we've seen this movie before and it's not going to change. the last time we came close to defaulting on our debt, the results were terrible. in one month, job growth dropped by more than 130,000 jobs. the s&p 500 tanked by nearly 20%. and our credit rating was downgraded for the first time in history. no one knows for sure what the full extent of th

mr. kasich: i did. >> it's my pleasure this morning to join senator john sununu and peter thompson and so many other publicicials and private citizens around the state and extending my endorsement to governor john kasich of ohio in his campaign for the office of president. mr. kasich: this is a big deal to have gordon humphrey and peter thompson. i would like to call on the president of the united states and the leadership in the congress of the united states to create sanctuaries, safe havens in syria, perhaps along the jordanian border, perhaps along the border with turkey, where we would create no-fly zones. mark: do you think other candidates are seeing you as a major threat? mr. kasich: what is interesting to me is they are kind of bragging about being in my library. it's really cool. they set up my old congressional office, and now they have material from me being governor and all that. i love and people visit that library. i just never expected bush people to be directed to that library, but they say they are having a lovely time. i would think they were there because they are getting nervous, but w

mr. thompson, who all signed on to support the legs. h.r. 3510, the department of homeland security cybersecurity strategy act of 2015, will require the secretary of homeland security to develop a comprehensive strategy and implementation plan for carrying out its diverse and complex cyber and information security missions. today the department of homeland security is not only responsible for working with federal agencies to protect federal civilian networks but also bolster information security within the private sector, principally through the national cybersecurity and communications integration center. it also plays a major role in information security research and development, cybercrime investigations and international engagement with cybersecurity partners. my bill requires d.h.s. to put in place a strategy that includes necessary strategic and operational goals for executing the secretary's broad responsibilities. in september, the inspector general issued a report highlighting the need for such strategy. the report titled "d.h.

mr. thompson: this weekend, i will be joining countless advocates for a buddy walk hosted by the national down syndrome society. these walks have been held across the nation for the past 20 years raising awareness and promoting self-advocacy. in spite of extra challenges, many people with down sin dome, attend school, work and contribute to society. in order to provide those living with down syndrome and other disabilities, i was happy to co-sponsor along with my colleagues in the house, achieving a better experience in life. this law allows people with disabilities and their families to help save for medical and dental care, employment training, housing and transportation. in my home state of pennsylvania, state legislation that will allow deductions of account contributions from taxable income has been introduced in the commonwealth's house and senate. i urge passage to complete the work the federal government has started. thank you. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recogni

mr. gorman back to his time at mckenzie, comments to mary thompson from the cfo, we will focus on what we can control in fixed income currencies, commodity, balance sheet, capital expenses and head count. head count. >> my charitable trust just sitting there astonished. i was telling my portfolio manager, listen, don't forget goldman which looked really bad. conference call didn't embolden me do anything and yet the stock went up eight points from its low. so i think anything is possible in this market. this one, the book value they put out seems cheap, but cheap doesn't make it in a world where skrchlt jp are mo pchlpmorgan was subst better. >> we looked like we were going to breach 10% for a while. >> and there it is, this is the one, this is the industry. i expected better. i expected better. >>> let's move on to another stock that will be moving this morning, valiant shares volable in the pre-market. reported better than expected quarterly profits. ceo says outside pressures are creating a new pricing environment and that valeant keeps to 10% or less next year. they put out a fairly l

mr. west, good morning and thank you for joining us. i wanted to ask you right off the bat. is it true that you threatened to walk away from the warriors if they traded clay thompson for kevin love? >> a lot of people fabricate stories and that is another fabrication by the way. i think it -- this organization is a really good organization. i think everyone talks about the things that will be best for our franchise. everyone who is involved with making decisions from the owner to bob meyers to travis to kirk and myself. everyone who is involved has a right to speak their peace. i think that is a way these organizations work best. at the end of the day you know it was a trade that wasn't made which turned out to be really good for us. >> i want to talk to you about the state of basketball. a lot of people make these comparisons about the good old days. when you were playing it was the good old days. what do you think about the state of basketball now? >> you know it's a growing sport. obviously worldwide has become a factor particularly in asia people love basketball over there. and in europe they play very good basketball now. they have played for a long time over

thompson, and describes the need for the reforms. i ask it be submitted into the record of this hearing, mr. chairman. specifically, there are a few provisions i believe to be the most important and impactful provisions on the front end of s-2123. it preserves the five and ten-year mandatory minimum sentences but broadens the existing safety valve and creates a second safety valve that focuses the minimums to higher level drug offenders. it clarifies and reduces the sentence for certain firearms offences but expands its application to include similar prior state level convictions, a very useful tool for assistant u.s. attorneys. it raises the statutory maximum for unlawful possession of a firearm and creates an overlapping range by reducing the mandatory minimum for armed career criminals. it applies the sentencing reforms retroactively. these are important because they refocus mandatory federal sentences and limited resources on higher level offenders and provide additional new tools to help law enforcement target criminals and enhanced penalties. they provide a more accurate focus on the role of the

likes of the honorable larry thompson, and others which describes the need for these meaningful reforms and endorses s-2123. i ask it be submitted into the record of this hearing, mr. chairman. specifically, there are a few provisions i believe to be the most important and impactful provisions on the front end of s 2123. it preserves the five and ten-year mandatory minimum sentences but broadens the existing safety valve and creates a second safety valve that focuses the minimums to higher level drug offenders. it clarifies and reduces the sentence for certain firearms offences but expands its application to include similar prior state level convictions, a very useful tool for assistant u.s. attorneys. it raises the statutory maximum for unlawful possession of a firearm and creates an overlapping range by reducing the mandatory minimum for armed career criminals. it applies the sentencing reforms retroactively. these are important because they refocus mandatory federal resources on higher level offenders and provide additional new tools to help law enforcement target criminals and enhanced penalties. they provide a more accurate focus on the role of the offender i