mrs. walorski: -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. walorski: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. walorski: thank you, madam speaker. sexual assault in the military is maiming our troops. these aren't my words. they're the words of general raymond odierno, the chief of the army. he likened sexual assault to other threat of our troops downrange. the threat of sexual assault in the military is real. the wounds it inflicts on our service members are also just as real. i introduced h.r. 1864 with my colleague and tireless advocate, congresswoman loretta sanchez. the bill on the floor today is a product of a lot of time and hard work. i remember sitting in the house armed services committee hearing and becoming shocked as i learned firsthand about the widespread abuse at lackland air force base. i remember thinking that our brave service members deserve so much better and those charged be held accountable. after that hearing i went to work, and the bill we're debating tod

mrs. walorski: thank you, mr. chair. in may, the president declared a renewed intention to transfer detainees from guantanamo, quote, to the greatest extent possible, end quote. he also announced he was lifting his self-imposed suss suspension on the transfers of -- suspension on the transfers of detainees to yemen. it's dangerous for our troops fighting overseas. it's dangerous for our citizens living in the homeland. the amendment i'm offering prohibits the department of defense from transferring gitmo detainees to yemen for one year. in other words, this amendment simply puts into the law the president's previous judgment that transfers to yemen should be suspended. those listening to the debate today might be asking, why is this prohibition needed? for starters, the defense department should not transfer detainees to yemen because they represent some of the most dangerous terrorists known in the world. it's important to note that these individuals are still in gitmo because even the obama administration believes they

mrs. walorski mrs. rski: 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: the chair will entertain up to five one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california -- ndiana rise? mrs. walorski: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection. mrs. walorski: thank you, mr. speaker. last night the house armed services committee approved its version of the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2014. included was a provision i sponsored along with congresswoman sancheza to extend military protections of victims of re sexual assault. the pentagon recently reported that an estimated 26,000 service members were sexually assaulted last year, was just ver -- with over 3,000 cases reported. our military represents the bravest men and women in the nation. and growin

mrs. walorski of indiana. amendment number 46 by mr. courtney of connecticut. amendment number 47 by mr.d of wisconsin. amendment number 48 by mr. carney of delaware. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the unfinished business is the request for recorded vote on amendment number 18 printed in part b of house report 113-117 by the gentleman from alabama, mr. brooks, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: part b, amendment number 18, printed in house report number 113-117, offered by mr. brooks of alabama. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of

mrs. walorski of indiana. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the chair: on this vote the yeas are 197 and the nays are 227, the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 46 printed in part b of house report 113-117 by the gentleman from connecticut, mr. fortney, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: part b, amendment number 46, printed in the house eport 113-117 offe

mrs. walorski: i request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceed option the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from indiana will be postponed. it is new in order to consider amendment number 46 printed in part b of house report 113-117. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition in mr. courtney: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: part b, amendment number 46, printed in house report 113-117. offered by mr. courtney of connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 271, the gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney and a member opposed each will rove m the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut. mr. courtney: this bipartisan amendment which i have introduced with my friend mr. ittman of virginia is budget neutral, it does not change any level of spending it adds shellfish farming to the specialty crops competitive block grant program. this is i think a reasonable addition give

mrs. walorski, for five minutes. mrs. walorski: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to address the importance of protecting life. when i'm home in indiana spending time in our communities, the importance of strong values and hoosier common sense continues to rule the foundations of our families. i believe it's critical for congress to act today to protect human life and treat women and the unborn children with the protection they deserve from the dangers of late-term abortions. we're talking about the next generation of moms and grandmothers, of aunts and sisters and our loved ones. there is not a price that can be put on the value of an innocent human life. i've been a strong supporter of life and for defending the unborn and feel it is our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable who cannot protect themselves. i urge my colleagues to join me in support of h.r. 1797, for the sake of protecting the unborn from late-term abortions and, mr. speaker, i yield back he balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the chair recognizes the gentle

mrs. walorski. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. mrs. walorski: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak in support of this rule. being new to the house committee i was very encouraged to see the committee, to see the bipartisan fashion in which this bill was crafted. we worked together as a committee. we had vigorous debates on these issues in the committee. i even had the privilege to work with colleagues across the aisle to address the issue of sexual assault language. i want to thank chairman mckeon, ranking member smith for making efforts to combat sexual assault as a cornerstone of this bill. within this bill are provisions that would strip commanders of their authority to dismiss findings. my bipartisan provision adds rape, sexual assault, or our sexual misconduct to the protected communications of service members with a member of congress or inspector general. this bill also establishes minimum sentencing guidelines, establishes an independent panel to examine the role of the commander of sex related offenses. it also reviews

mrs. walorski: i thank the chairman for his tremendous leadership in crafting a bill that brings solutions to combat solutions to sexual assaults. this encourages victims to step out of the darkness. the provisions identifies reports of sexual assault as a form of communication under histle blower protections. sexual violence has reached epidemic proportions and eroding the foundations of trust. i had the privilege to visit our troops in afghanistan and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the finest military. hearing their concerns on this issue typifies the horrific reality of this situation. there are 28,000 cases of sexual assault with 3,600 victims reporting. those who have been assaulted resulted in retaliation. this is not a test to the victims and real-life faces of this problem. we are talking about our sons and daughters. we are talking about our brothers and sisters. in indiana, a brave woman an air force veteran came forward to share her own story of repetitive sexual abuse. after being raped, she reported the incident to the air force. her description of the reporting process was c

mrs. walorski: nearly 12 million americans relane out of work. 4.4 million people have been out of work for six months or more. these are more than just numbers. they come out of some monthly bureau of labor statistics. these are our fellow americans. these are our friends, family. these are our neighbors and kids. these are the folks next door. and they each and every one of them deserve better. house republicans have passed legislation that helps wrking -- working families maintain that crucial work-life balance. we passed a long-term fix to the student loan programs to make life better for our recent grads. these are real solutions and they are all a part of the house republican plan to create jobs and to carry our future. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the entlelady is recognized. it has on: mr. speaker, been 893 days since i arrived in congress and the republican leadership has not allowed a single vote on serious legislation to

mr. mckeon: i yield two and a half minutes to the gentlelady from indiana, ms. what horsekey. -- ms. walorski. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. walorski mplet while i respect the author of theament i must rise in opposition this amendment does strike section 1251 of the underlying bill that expresses a sense of congress in regard to syria. section 1251 says the president should have a plan in place to secure u.s. interests in syria. that, the u.s. should support the stability of our allies like israel, our strongest ally in the region and that the u.s. should continue to conduct rigorous planning to secure any chemical and biological stockpiles. it does not say that the u.s. should intrveen in syria. and it does -- intervene in sir yasm it requires the president to provide a supplemental budget should military action be necessary. though much delayed, the confirmation from the obama administration a few hours ago that the assaad regime has used chemical weapons against rebel forces demonstrates why section 1251 is needed. it's time to get serious about addressing syria. and develo