mrs. biggert: the gentleman yields back. thank you. mr. platts: thank you. mrs. biggert: i yield one minute to mr. yoder. mr. yoder: i thank the gentlelady from illinois for yielding a minute. mr. speaker, i rise today to salute the legacy and service and dedication to my friend, kansas speaker of the house, michael o'neill. mike has decided to retire from public service. he leaves behind a history of courageous leadership and making smart public policy on behalf of all kansans. mike spent his career in the kansas house notably chairing the judiciary committee and the education committee before eventually being elected by his colleagues twice to the kansas speaker of the house. while mike's career in the people's house in kansas will be remembered for his many notable legislative achievements, his most prominent legacy may be the many wonderful friendships and relationships he built along the way. many consider mike a mentor and true friend, someone you can always count on, a rare quality in politics today. so as the gavel falls one more time and mike closes this

mrs. biggert. mrs. biggert: please join me in the pledge. 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: the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 2606, an act to authorize the secretary of the interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gasline facilities in the gateway national recreation area and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for other purposes -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: mr. speaker, as waves crashed across the east coast a few weeks ago, taxpayer dollars were still being funneled as foreign aid around the globe. as families watched superstorm sandy wash away their homeland, the liv

mrs. biggert: thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you so much, mr. chairman, for your kind words. but also for what you have done for this country as far as trade and how you have really worked so hard to make sure that all of the members of congress realize the impact that trade has for our economy and for our place in the world, either bilateral agreements, multilateral commitments, you were always there to make sure that we moved forward in that and i really thank you and i do rise in support today of this rule and h.r. 6156, to grant permanent normal trade relations to russia. . this important legislation is a small step towards a big reward. without it the united states exporters and service providers will continue to lose business to our foreign competitors that have already have trade relations -- relationships with russia. and once we lose those markets, our competitors will only become stronger and better positioned to surpass the u.s. in a critical marketplace of the 21st century global economy. according to the national association of manufacturers, russia imported over