mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the participants of the 2017 teach for america capitol hill fellows program. soon many fellows will conclude their year-long placement with committees and member offices throughout the house and senate. this fellowship offers insight into legislative -- into the legislative process with a focus on professional development, mentorship and networking opportunities. i've had the pleasure of hosting paul camacho, an educator from philadelphia, pennsylvania, as part of my staff. prior to his fellowship, he fought six years in philadelphia and two years in cholula vista, california. before becoming a teacher he spent eight years in the marine corps where he traveled extensively and learned important leadership skills. he's been a valuable member of my team and i'm grateful for his service. i wish paul and his teamly the best as they start the next -- their next chapter. i commend all the 2017 teach for america for taking a year to immerse themselves in pub

mr. krishnamoorthi: as g.t. said, as congressman thompsont's landmark, bipartisan piece of legislation. to me it does at least three things. it modestly increases funding so that more students can participate in a career and technical education. two, it shifts authority from washington to local authorities, community colleges, high school districts to spend the money because they know the local labor conditions best. and then, three, it makes sure that if any federal dollars are spent that private companies and businesses are at the table to help validate the skills that are taught. that's very important because at the end of the day we want these students and people in career transition to basically end up in what i call the greatest anti-poverty program devised by human beings, a j-o-b, a job. that's what this is about. host: for veers, what we're talking about, career and technical education. the term applies to schools, institutions, and educational programs that specialize in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies, ca

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my you remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today at 12:30, the u.s. institute of peace will offer an educational briefing for members and staff on the institute's role in reducing violent conflict abroad. as a strong supporter of the u.s. institute of peace, i'm pleased to welcome the president to the hill today. she'll explain the history and relevance of the institute's mission and how they find nonviolent solutions to international conflicts. she will provide the update on the institute's programs and how its training and educational functions are building long-term capacities for nonviolent conflict resolution that helps countries solve their own problems. she will be joined by colleagues who will provide policy updates and explain how the institute's efforts are after n impac

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the kennedy luger youth exchange and study abroad program, otherwise known as the yes program. sponsored by department of state and funded by congress, the yes program is celebrating 15 years of connect canning the world. -- connecting the world. established after the september 11 attacks, high school students spend a year in countries with a a significant muslim population. they attend a local high school and engage in ack aivities to learn about their host country's society and values. in turn the students share american culture and values to the people of their host country. i recently met with a yes rogram participants, josh lynn jocelyn. she lived and learned in boss kneea. she and other students were able to participate in this important cultural exchange that fosters understanding and collaboration between the people of different backgrounds. mr. speaker, i know that this great program will continue to grow and connect cultures to truly build a global

mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, tomorrow the house education and work force committee will host innovators from across the country for the bipartisan innovation forum and showcase. the innovation forum will begin at 10:00 a.m. in room 2175 of the rayburn house office building. five panels of innovators will speak and answer questions from committee members about their work. from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., members of the public are invited to tour the innovation showcase in the rayburn for yea they they will share -- will share information about their work. i'm part of the innovation showcase. this will highlight people from all walks of life. tomorrow there will be 24 innovators who have traveled to washington to discuss how they run career and technical education and work force development programs in their communities. i'm incredibly honored to have joe luther from the central pennsylvania institute of and mr. nd technology, luther is the horticulture and landscaping professor and has received numerous acco

mr. thompson: mr. speak, i object to the ve on the grnds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that quoruis n present. he speaker: pursuant to lause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this queson are postned. the plee of aliege abc will be led by the gentleman from -- the pleng of allegiance- pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman om whington. mr. kier: please join ufor the pledge. i pledge allegiance to thelag of thunited states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and ustice for all. the speer: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina eek recognition? withut objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, on friy, the "washington tes" correctlyeporteon the front page that the nato cnference that president trump's bare knuckles diplomacy paid off. mr. trump declared the u.s. remained

mr. thompson, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, when the endangered species act was signed into law in 1973 the goal was simple -- safeguard endangered species and assist and recovery of their population. until last week, no recent attempts have been made to reform this essential piece of legislation. over the past several years, congressional western caucus has been working together to determine what parts of the endangered species act are broken and to develop solutions to repair this law. the endangered species act is in dire need of modernization reform. which is why last week the western caucus, which i am proud to belong to, rolled out solutions. among them, to address the broken litigation process that incentivizes litigation for profit at the expense of the taxpayer. address the lack of clear listing and delisting criterion. address the lack of transparency and endangered species act decisionmaking and data collection. consider the needs of states more seriously. and address the unnecessary impediments to economic

mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, th speaker. i rise today on made in america oday to speak about american craftsmanship, specifically in the commonwealth of pennsylvania. american entrepreneurs, workers, farmers, and inknow veterans day tors are have built craftsmanship, specifically in the commonwealth this economy. they are the heart of the nation and ensure the made in the u.s.a. label means quality and value which is something we treasure. pennsylvania has a rich history of being a manufacturing leader. especially our storied pennsylvania steel. the commonwealth has been an important cog in the wheel of this country's industrial revolution thanks to industries like iron, coal, and lumber. in addition to steel. our pennsylvania farmers have fed and continue to feed generations of americans, providing safe, nutritious food of our neighbors. and this rich history continues today. the penn

mr. mccaul, ratcliffe and thompson of mississippi. from the committee on judiciary for section of 826, 104 , 1085, 1090, 1079, 12990-2. and 4710 of the house bill in sections 1025, 1035 and 1715 of the senate amendment and modifications committed to conference mr. demrat, sensenbrenner and nadler. from the committee on natural resources for consideration of sections 313, 314, 316, 342, 2830, 076, 1079, 2822, 3402, 3549,2845-47, 837 division e and section 101 of the house bill, 2833 and 718 of the senate amendment in modifications committed to conference, mr. westerman and grijalva. from the committee on government oversight and reform, 5 9, 822, 875, 2, 834, 835, 860, 4829 of6, 917, 4711 and the house bill and sections 568, 902.607, 702, 819, 1101 dash 5. 1254. 1716, 1726, 2835 and 6702 of the senate amendment and modifications committed to conference mr. sanford, ross and lynch. from the committee on space, science and technology, of the house bill and sections 893 and 1604 of the senate amendment and modifications committed to confe

do you sleep well at night, mr thompson? me? out brexit. jon thompson promoting the new brexit diet. and that's all we've got time for. don't forget there's a round—up of each day in parliament every night at 11pm on bbc parliament. but for now, from me, mandy baker, goodbye. hello. with temperatures as high as 31 celsius, sunday was another hot day across eastern areas of england throughout the weekend, with scenes like this, it was england and wales that had the lion's share of the sunshine and warmth. england the sunshine and warmth. and wales, we have out of england and wales, we have outbreaks of rain and heavy and thundery weather spreading east as the day goes on. others have something decent on their garden. another hot day in east anglia and south—east england where the sunshine the last longest. the odd shower in eastern areas to end the day and when it clears the cool and fresh air will progress behind the weather system so progress behind the weather system so temperatures coming down overnight. it is easier for sleep

do you sleep well at night, mr thompson? me? w, worrying about brexit. jon thompson promoting the new brexit diet. and that's all we've got time for. don't forget there's a round up of each day in parliament every night at 11pm on bbc parliament. but for now, from me, mandy baker, goodbye. hello there. well, this glorious summer hello there. well, this glorious summer weather has continued for many of us through the course of the weekend, but things are about to change a bit. for some of us, there's been barely any rain in the past six weeks or so. there is some rain on the way through this week. we've already seen it this afternoon across northern ireland and the west of scotland. at the east of scotland and england and wales, hot, humid and england and wales, hot, humid and sunny through to the end of the day. tonight, humid and sticky across england and wales. this front is moving in bringing rain across bars of scotland, northern england and wales. things turning fresher behind this front. but still muggy towards the self—ind

mr thompson says he's having to prioritise which crimes to investigate. sima kotecha reports. a taxi driver doing hisjob, and then attacked. one of the guys came and smashed the windscreen wipers, threw more bricks, and one of the guys, i did not even see from where he came, he threw a pile of bricks on me and first it hit me, i was like that, in this position, so it hit me on my elbow, and then on this side, then ijust lie down and i saw them running. he says i was repeatedly targeted in a matter of minutes. his arm and waist were severely bruised. i don't feel safe. they are not scared of the police because they feel they will not get caught. that is what they told you to your face. the next year and that it expects the police to investigate it inspects the it expects the police to investigate every crime thoroughly. but according to the officer who leads the department, thatis officer who leads the department, that is simply not possible. a group of mps says that voters are being systematically manipulated by fa ke being systematically manipulated by fake news. the committe

mr thompson says he's having to prioritise which crimes to investigate. sima kotecha reports. and then attacked. one of the guys came and smashed the windscreen wipers, threw more bricks, and one of the guys, i did not even see from where he came, he threw a pile of bricks on me. and first it hit me, i was like that, in this position, so it hit me on my elbow, and then on this side, then ijust lie down and i saw them running. he says he was repeatedly targeted in a matter of minutes. his arm and waist were severely bruised. but he claims the police response was nil, leaving him feeling afraid and deflated. i don't feel safe. they're not scared of the police because they feel they will not get caught. that is what they told you to your face. west midlands police admits at times it's struggling to cope and that it simply cannot investigate every crime because of a lack of resources. sometimes that service that we provide in those peak times does not meet what the public expect, i get that. sometimes that service will be a poor service. sometimes, actually, the service is what we

do you sleep well at night, mr thompson? i've lost 35lb this year because of worrying about brexit. time for. don't forget there's a round up of each day in parliament every night at 11pm on bbc parliament. but for now, from me, mandy baker, goodbye. hello. for much of the uk the weekend got off to a fine, warm to hot start with long, sunny spells. england and wales are going to hold on to more of the same during sunday, whereas for scotland and northern ireland, more clouds and some rain coming in. already on saturday this weather system showed itself in highland scotland with cloudy skies and patchy rain. sunday, it's on the move across more of scotland and northern ireland, taking some occasional rain and making it cooler than it was on saturday. high pressure holding on in england and wales, and this is where the sunshine and the very warm to hot weather will prevail for another day. this is how sunday is shaping up. very slowly, some patchy rain easing through northern ireland and scotland. i don't think much at all in eastern scotland until late in the day. for england and wal

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, sunday is national ice cream day. in 1984, president ronald reagan issued a proclamation designating the third sunday in july as national ice cream day in the united states. the sweet treat holds a special place in the hearts and refrigerators of many americans. in fact, almost 90% of americans have ice cream in their freezers as i speak. the commonwealth of pennsylvania produces 10.8 billion pounds of milk annually and 10% of our nation's milk supply goes to the production of ice cream. in the fifth district, the penn state berky creamry has been researching dairy and producing ice cream for more than 150 years. they were the first institution in the united states to offer lessons on making ice cream. in 1978, two men by the name of ben cohen and jerry gre

mr. thompson, for five minutes. : thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, 1918, a group of pennsylvania crude oil and natural gas producers got together to form a tradist organization, the pennsylvania oil, gas, and minerals association was formed. it is believed to be the oldest continuously operating oil and gas trade association in the united states. in april, 2010, members of the pennsylvania oil and gas association and the independent oil and gas association of ga, merged it io into one representing oil and gas interests throughout pennsylvania. the merger reunited two organizations that split apart nearly some 30 years earlier to form the pennsylvania independent oil and gas association, or pioga. a century later, industry leaders, supporters, friends will gather to celebrate pioga. the centennial celebration will take place next week at drake well in titusville, pennsylvania, pennsylvania's fifth congressional district, to mark 100 years of the industry's growth and sustainibility in pennsylvania. pioga represents 515 members including oil a

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, soon the house will go -- will vote to go to conference with the senate on the 2018 farm bill. as vice chair of the house agriculture committee, i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of moving this important process forward. as chairman of the nutrition subcommittee, i'm proud of the provisions we've included to give many americans the skills needed to obtain a family-sustaining job and ultimate food security. food insecurity exists for so many in america today. the work force and job training provisions in the bill will help millions of americans find employment. the agriculture committee has done its work. in fact, the nutrition subcommittee hosted 1 hearings on snap and -- 21 hearings on snap and heard from over 80 witnesses how we can imp

mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak about the strengthening career and technical education for the 21st century act, which has been -- seen unanimous support in both chambers of congress. something i hope continues today. i proudly champion this bill because i truly believing passing it will be a win for students, workers, and for every person in america. mr. speaker, america's ready for a win. in june, 2017, the house unanimously passed this bill to strengthen career and technical education. monday, the senate also approved it unanimously and we're now just steps away from getting this critical legislation to the president's desk to be signed into law. this bill has been supported by house education and work force committee chairwoman virginia foxx, ranking member -- and ranking member bobby scott. i thank them both. i want to thank the democratic lead, representative krishnamoorthi, and my caucus could he chairman, representative jim langevin. house and senate leaders have brought this legislatio

mrs. thompson's vehicle. >> what evidence was there that justine had done it, as the law says, purposefullyinvestigators pulled the so-called black box out of justine's pontiac and analyzed the data and found another sign that pointed to suicide. she'd taken off her seat belt. the black box recorded speed, acceleration and braking and found that justine was accelerating, flooring it, so to speak, in the five seconds before the crash, speeding up from 81 to 86 miles per hour before hitting the brakes at the last second. >> she did not swerve. and she drove head on into that other vehicle. >> to back it up, investigators pulled speedometer from justine's car, and there above the mark an of 85 miles per hour found an orange mark. it's known as a slap mark. made when the needle smashes against the console at high speed. and prosecutors revealed the reasoning behind it all. justine like many 16-year-old girl also a boyfriend. hers was named ryan. it was white hot, this relationship. he was her world. that day in march, there'd been a tiff. they'd had words. that night she drove ryan home, asked

mr. thompson, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, yesterday on monday, i hosted a listening -- chair to listening session on organic agriculture at our state capital in harrisburg. agriculture is a key economic driver in pennsylvania and remains the commonwealth's number one industry. one in seven jobs in pennsylvania's connected to more than agriculture, a fact that's important in rural areas generating some $7.4 billion in sales in 2017. yet, agriculture in pennsylvania and around the country goes well beyond our local communities. our farmers not only feed, clothe, provide energy and fiber for all americans but also to many other nations around the world. pennsylvania agriculture's diverse and encompasses a wide array of commodities and production methods. monday's listening session was specifically focused on the organic agriculture sector in pennsylvania. i was proudly joined by my colleagues, congressman scott perry and congressman tom marino as well as the deb ute secretary sheryl cook. we heard from a number of exper

mr. thompson threw me in jail for 19 years. he's such a javert. #lesquizerables.4601. [ cheers and applause ] our last teen slang term is "beer eye." this is when five drunk guys come into your dorm room and rearrange all your furniture. [ laughter ] here it is in a sentence. i don't know what the hell just what happened but five wasted dudes just busted in and moved all my stuff around. the place looks like [ bleep ], but i think i learned something about myself. #beereye. this has been "seth explains teen slang." [ cheers and applause ] we'll be right back with joel mchale, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ mom? dad? hi! i had a very minor fender bender tonight in an unreasonably narrow fast food drive thru lane. but what a powerful life lesson. and don't worry i have everything handled. i already spoke to our allstate agent, and i know that we have accident forgiveness. which is so smart on your guy's part. like fact that they'll just... forgive you... four weeks without the car. okay, yup. good night. with accident forgiveness your rates won't go up just be

mr thompson says he's having to prioritise which crimes to investigate. sima kotecha reports. the guys came and smashed the screen and the wipers. the great pile of bricks on me and for said hit me, i was in this position and hit me on my elbow, and then on the side. then ijust lied down my elbow, and then on the side. then i just lied down and my elbow, and then on the side. then ijust lied down and saw them coming. he says he was reviewed the targeted in a matter of minutes, his arm and waste were severely bruised. he claims the police or sponsor was neil leaving him feeling afraid and deflated. i don't feel safe. they are not scared of police because they feel they will not get caught. that's what they told you on yourface. west midlands police admits, at times, it's struggling. and that is simply can't investigate every crime because of a lack of resources . every crime because of a lack of resources. sometimes the service will be poor service, sometimes actually the service is what we can offer. sometimes that may not be where it is. the head of the country is the second—

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the zonta club of warren, pennsylvania, as they celebrate 90 years of empowering women through service and advocacy. they mark 100 years on the world stage this year. and the zonta club of warren was one of the first clubs. it was founded in buffalo, new york, with the mission of advancing the status of women. the war on zonta club has worked to improve the lives of women locally, nationally, and worldwide. warren zonta has worked with various community organizations through its 90-year history. at its core, the club has maked to make warren a better place to work. they worked with the girl scouts, the salvation army and the warren general hospital, among others. the word zonta means honest and trustworthy and is derived

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, sunday was world youth skills day. the united nations general assembly started this initiative to raise awareness about the importance of investing in utah skills awareness. young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. young people are exposed to lower quality jobs, greater labor market inequities and a longer school to work period. that's why i'm pleased the house pproved my act last year, it has seen action in the senate as. we too often we've seen students pushed down the college for all pathway that doesn't work for some students. c.t.e. established itself as a path that many students choose in pursuit of industry certifications and hands on skills they can use right out of high school, in skills based programs, or in college. by modernizing federal investment in c.t.e. programs we'll be able to connect more educators with industry stake holders and close the skills gap. c.t.e. is an important part of youth skills development not only in the united states but in nations around the world. t

mr. thompson: she's an alzheimer's ambassador and through the program, people like christy work throughout the clint to connect with people -- with members of congress and share their personal experience with alzheimer's disease. als him sthers sixth leading cause of death in the united states and has reached crisis proportions. there's no means of treatment, no method of slowing the progression of the disease. one in three seniors will die with the disease. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, five million americans were living with als himmers in 2013. this number is expected to almost triple to 14 million by the year 2050. mr. speaker, alzheimer's not only has a devastating impact on those who are diagnosed with the disease but also their car care -- their care 2005ers -- care givers and loved ones. my own mom, mary thompson, lived with the disease for 10 years before it took her life. i thank christy and the alzheimer's am bass course for the important work they do to raise awareness of alzheimer's disease and to never stop searching for a cure. thank you and i

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thomson: i rise today to welcome members of the penn state 4-h program to the nation's capital. students will share their experiences with me and discuss the importance the program has had in their lives. 4-h is opened to all young people regardless of where they live, what their backgrounds are, or what interests them. from tra contiguousal activities for youth in rural places to afterschool programs for city youth, 4-h has it all. ast mopt penn state 4-h hosted 4-h rst pennsylvania science agriculture challenge in state college. scores of 4-h teams competed in the challenge based on the american 4-h science agriculture challenge farm bureaus -- bureau's, pillars of agriculture diversity literacy. the marketsing team from clarion county came in second. the third place went to the armstrong county idea makers. teams from allegheny countin and washington county rounded out the

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to congratulate brookville equipment corporation on its centennial anniversary. for 100 years brookville equipment corporation has been a leading american manufacturer of diesel locomotive engines, street trolleys, and mining machinery. in 1918, mr. l.a.letters founded the business when he started installing railroad wheels on gasoline powered trucks. the company went into full-scale production of gasoline and diesel poured locomotives during world war i. over the course of its history, constantly as redesigned and adapted its machines with new technology to keep up with striving industry needs. it also -- also prevailed over many challenges, including a flood on july 19, 1996, where more than eight feet of water nearly drowned the company. with the help of the brookville's dedicated work force, family and friends, they were able to restore the facility to 100% production in one month. the u.s. small business administration recognized brookville for its resilience with an

mr. thompson that would allow eligible plans to offer a certain amount of first dollar coverage in their plan design without losing their h.s.a. eligibility. this allows plans to offer coverage for valuable services like telehealth or primary care appointments without a deductible. the bill permits patients to access the patient-centered direct primary care arrangements. provision champion by the bipartisan team of mr. paulsen and mr. blumenauer. the bill also allows coverage for certain medical services from a retail or onsite clinic and permits contributions to an s.a. if their spouse has a f.s.a. which is prohibited today. another provision allows rollovers from other tax-advantaged health accounts to be used to fund h.s.a.'s. these proposals were included in mr. kelly and mr. blumenauer's bipartisan legislation. additionally, this bill contains the fit act introduced by mr. jason smith and mr. kind, that would allow certain qualified fitness expenses to be eligible items that can be paid for with tax-advantaged dollars offsetting a portion of their costs and promoting healthy activit

mr. thompson. >> thank you for the hearing. thanks to the members of the panel. thank you for joining us today. year after lasher's disasters the energy grid, as we've heard is still incomplete. it's been fraught with infighting and polarization and has been unable to effectively restore power to the island. can you discuss additional challenges that are affecting puerto rico's energy grid? >> sure. fundamentally there are some design issues that have resulted due to lack of maintenance. one of the biggest flaws in the system which is part of the reason we bought the model is a lack of generation near san juan, 70% of the load existence san juan but the majority of the generation is in the southern tier. that creates some basic physics problems that need to be overcome and we need to put generation in the north near the low pocket which is a traditional generation design and that will provide opportunities for new types of generation whether the combination of renewables or things like liquid natural gas that will have the opportunity to drive down the cost. kilo

mr. thompson. >> thank you for the hearing. thanks to the members of the panel. thank you for joining us today. year after lasher's disasters the energy grid, as we've heard is still incomplete. it's been fraught with infighting and polarization and has been unable to effectively restore power to the island. can you discuss additional challenges that are affecting puerto rico's energy grid? >> sure. fundamentally there are some design issues that have resulted due to lack of maintenance. one of the biggest flaws in the system which is part of the reason we bought the model is a lack of generation near san juan, 70% of the load existence san juan but the majority of the generation is in the southern tier. that creates some basic physics problems that need to be overcome and we need to put generation in the north near the low pocket which is a traditional generation design and that will provide opportunities for new types of generation whether the combination of renewables or things like liquid natural gas that will have the opportunity to drive down the cost. kilo

mr. chairman. >> let me first thank ms. thompson for -- you make a terrific advocate just to begin with, and the program is so important. i can't tell you how many families in rhode island depend on the program and depend on the earned income tax credit and the whole state's economy is lifted when those returns come in. so i just want to appreciate you. my question goes, however, more to the end of the income spectrum that you do not represent. and primarily i think probably asking the others. what i'm interested in, is if you look at for instance the corporate income tax generally, you see corporate income tax revenues declining steadily as a proportion of our national federal tax revenues. when i was young, it was about, you know, steadily about 30% of federal tax revenues. now it is down around 10%. so as a share of, you know, everybody's contribution to funding our government, corporations seem to have managed to evade a lot of their responsibility, and now only provide 10% of our revenues. relatedly perhaps, the irs publishes i

mr. thompson. >> thank you, chairman, for the hearing. thanks to the members of the panel. assistant secretary walker, thank you for joining us today. nearly a year ago -- year after last year's disastrous hurricanes, puerto rico's energy grid, as we've heard, is still incomplete. and prepa has been fraught, it appears with in-fighting and politicization and has been unable to effectively restore power to the island. can you discuss additional challenges that aree affecting puerto rico's energy grid? >> sure. you know, fundamentally there are some design issues by, that have red lighted due to -- resulted due to lack of maintenance. one of the biggest flaws in the system, which is part of the reason we built the model, is the lack of generation near san juan. 70% of theis load exists in the san juan area, but the majority of the generation is in the southern tier. that creates some basic physics problems that need to be, you know, overcome as the model will identify as we go forward, we need to put generation in the north near the load pocket which is a traditional generati

thompson. he is so happy with his job. he is just so happy to be principal, and he loves -- he's like a real life mr. belding.s, like, happy, like -- he is so proud of the kids, and i ju love the guy so much. i want to thank him. i want to thank all the faculty and the students. it was amazing day, and i'llee- [ and applause ] i'll never forget it. what else did i do? i went to the belmont stakes. [ cheers ]as itnbelievable. i saw mike smith win on justify. he won the triple crown. >> steve: wo >> jimmy: it was insane. it was great. [ applause ] i went to andy cohen -- my friend andy cohen turns 50 years old. he had a 50th birthday bash, and it was unbelievable. it was -- it was great. it was "the pool".e called you ever heard of the place? >> steve: no. >> jimmy: yeah. i think it's -- [ laughter ]at it was g marc shaiman was there, played piano.'s ust unbelievable, guy's great. so everyone got up and sang songs. sarah jessica parker was great.e everas fantastic. but i walk in, i see andy. i say hi. but i walk i then i make eye contact with henry winkler. >> steve: ooh. >> jimmy: the fonz himself. , yeah, and

mr. speaker. i'm pleased to see the inclusion of the promoting high-value health care through flexibility for deductible health plans in this bill today. this is legislation that's bipartisan, that i introduced along with congressman thompson of california, that gives consumers the choice and flexibility that they need to be engaged in their health care. in a nutshell, the bill allows plans to cover -- to offer coverage for high-value, low-cost services, like telehealth, chronic disease management, such as diabetic testing strips, or primary care visits below the deductible. in a nutshell, what we're trying to do is give patients more choices, more capacity, to be more demonstrative about navigating through their own health care needs. this is a good bipartisan approach. i thank the gentlelady for including it, and i thank her for the time. i urge its passage, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from kansas reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. blumenauer: reserves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentlewoman from kansas is recognized. jenkjnk -- ms. jenkins: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota,