ms. bonamici. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. 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: without objection, the gentleman from virginia, the distinguished majority leader, is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i rise today to welcome pastor bradley hales of the reformation lutheran church of culpepper, virginia, to the house floor. for the past 19 years, pastor hales has been focusing on the renewal and revitalization of churches for greater involvement in their communities. as a leader of his church in culpepper, he's overseen the expansion of a congregation that was once only several dozen members' strong to over 240 today. with a great passion and caring for our senior citizens, pastor hales was very inflution in starting the place, a gathering center

ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. the equal pay act passed in congress and it should be no surprise. it makes sense. back in 1963, 201 democrats joined with 161 republicans to support equal pay for equal work. only nine members voted no. back then women earned just 59 cents for every $1 men earned and today we're still 23 cents short on the promise of equal pay. half a century later, women earn 7 -- 77 cents for every $1 men make for the same work. the paycheck fairness act would strengthen equal pay act, giving women the paychecks they deserve. and have earned. it would eliminate the loopholes and carveouts that have denied women basic fairness for decades. as we celebrate the passage of the equal pay act, let's hope for a return to bipartisanship and common sense. let's make sure that women are paid what they deserve and pass the paycheck fairness act. equal pay was bipartisan 50 years ago. it should be bipartisan today. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gen

ms. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. s. bonamici: we passed the ruth moore act to help protect those in the military. but more must be done to stop these crimes before they occur. i thank the armed services committee members for their work on this issue to date but unfortunately the sexual assault training, oversight and prevention amendment, offered by congresswoman jack eeling speier, was not made -- jackie speier, was not made in order. we should have a chance to vote up or down on the provision. we're missing a crucial opportunity to stop the unwanted sexual contact that is now experienced by one in five service women. i've heard from oregonians who live with the painful memory of sexual assault they experienced while serving and veterans associations concerned for the safety of those who answer the call of duty. we all agree that these crimes have no place in our society and no place in our military. it's too bad that we were deprived of an opportunity to do something meaningful about it. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. t