mr. womack. >> i've got a couple of follow up questions. i'm not going to be near as understanding or forgiving for what my colleague brought to the attention of this panel here just a few minutes ago in regard to the number of employees that are now receiving in excess of $150,000 annually in earnings. he went through the full list. i'm just going to take 2008 and 2009 and just set them side by side because i can't imagine an explanation that can justify this. in 2008 there were 46 and in 2009 there were 431. those numbers -- i cannot wrap my head around a one-year growth pattern unless magically hundreds of those workers were making $149,000 a year and they got a couple thousand dollar raises and took them over that threshold. what i'm specifically asking is not specifically an explanation today because there may not be one that can be supported better by what research might be able to uncover. but i sit in hearings with the national nuclear security administration and health institutes and other very, very high level high energy, high co

mr. womack. >> thank you, madam chairwoman. thank you, mr. chairman, and commissioner, for being here today. i've got a couple of questions. you know, as i was explaining to the chairman before the hearing began today, i've got a little background in broadcasting in small market radio. i have a couple of questions about that. i know a lot of the discussion has been among public inspection files as it concerns tv broadcasters and what have you. but i've got a constituent in my district that owns five radio stations. he also happens to be my father. and when we talk of -- because it's been a while since i've been in the trade. my relationship to the business now is he interviews me once in a while, but his argument is the onerous recordkeeping that he has to keep specifically in the area of equal opportunity employment. now you have to understand that his business is in an area where there is a pretty significant population of latinos in the area. and he has to, i think, according to him, if i understand his explanation, that he has to keep the

mr. womack, thanks for your patience down there. >> thank you. happy birthday. happy anniversary. my compliments to the secretary for his comments this morning at the rpe energy summit. i thought your comments, i found them to be enlightening. a well attended event by the way. my compliments to the host of the event. i want to stay on the natural gas subject for just a moment. i'm troubled by the fact when you look at the budget numbers, a little over $2 billion in renewable energy request, if i'm reading the numbers correctly, we're looking at just a few million dollars on the subject of natural gas. and as was indicated in that previous round of questioning, that money is dedicated, i think, to, if i heard correctly, to determining whether or not -- you said it's got promise. to make sure we're not doing something environmentally. can you help me -- i know those numbers, that's a wide range. the numbers from the information agency suggests natural gas use by 2035 will be equal to all the renewables put together. those numbers don't seem to match up to me. help me out with that.

mr. womack said to follow up about the salaries. you're absolutely right. there may be a very good explanation for it if there's a whole category of individuals that went up. however, when you look at the change between 2009 and 2010 and 2010 and 2011 there's also a rather lark increase. again, i'm sure there was an explanation. what gives me a little bit of reason to pause is the fact that -- by the way, i for one have no problem if you need qualified people and you have to pay them well, if that's the policy, i don't have a problem with that, but we should know that's the case. if that is the policy. if it southbound traffic the policy and then again, why are these numbers taking place. in kind of a almost a technical question. in several places in your budget request you indicate that you expect to keep 1900 employees that's keeping it flat. i believe the request is $249.5 million to fund that staffing level. in other places there seems to be an indication that fcc expects to retain only 1776 employees. what is the actual number? >> the number is the low

mr. womack? >> thank you, madam chairman, and i totally understand the tremendous pressure that your organization is under, given the last several years of -- of issues that have already been articulated in this hearing and in other hearings but i want to go back to some of your numbers for just a minute to be clear. you -- you say had you a record number of enforcement actions and as i'm looking at the testimony, the number was 735. and an impressive list of different actions involving ceo, cfos and senior corporate officers, broker dealers, et cetera, et set ral, but of those 735 it is my understanding that a significant percentage of these actions are really follow-on administrative actions. and i realize they count in the numbers, but if i'm looking at the numbers correctly between 2009 and 2011, the number of original cases is actually down. now, am i reading these numbers wrong? >> well, a couple of things. first of all these are apples to apples comparisons. we count add minnive pro procee

mr. womack. i would like to ask for us to have a separate meeting with your i.t. director, please, because i want to know exact exactly -- i want to know how fast we could work together to get that i.t. system unsiloed, because i think, obviously, perhaps in the past for, you know, in between the times that you were there, if you had been able to put in the name bernie madoff, just for example, and had found any kind of filings that he and his company did in several different places, maybe we could have found something faster, but i would like to have a separate meeting so we can discuss how much it would cost to get this up and running and to totally modernize your system in the shortest amount of time possible. >> and if i could just add to that, we'd be happy to actually demonstrate four the new examination system calmed trends that allows examiners to have access to all information about a particular retchs traunt at their fingertips instead are searching multiple data bases and also to talk about the tips, complaints and referral system we talked about a lot

mr. womack: his iconic service with the m.f.o. impacted thousands of soldiers from many forces.hen the will is strong, everything is easy was his mantra. soldiering was everything for this patriot. he rarely took a vacation. never away from the soldiers at south camp. his wife, his two children in saluting herb for his service to country and his fellow man. let us remember his immortal words, when the will is strong, everything is easy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: and the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to honor and recognize a true american patriot, sergeant william wilson of amherst, new york, my district, forg giving the ultimate sacrifice and service to his country. ms. hochul: on march 26 of this year, sergeant wilson lost his life defending us in afghanistan while serving with nato forces. billy, as he was fondly called by his family, served our country for seven years and was on his th