ms. ros-lehtinen seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask to be removed as a co-sponsor from h.r. 2560. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman's request will be granted. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to recognize a young member of our south florida community. just 17 years old, she used her skills that she learned from her high school's emergency medical responder class to save the life of one of our miami-dade police officers, major rickey carter was off duty traveling on his motorcycle when a crash left him critically critically injured. thalia applied first aid to the injured police officer. she realized his injuries were too severe, she made the slit-second decision made a town ket.

ms. ros-lehtinen and mr. cicilline and their leadership supporting lgbt communities around the world and i thank chairman royce for his support of this resolution. mr. speaker, day after day we hear new reports of abuse of lgbt individuals in chechnya. this spring, they rounded up hundreds of gay men, some were tortured and murdered and activists tell us that the authorities have rounded up lgbt individuals, beaten them and tortured them with electric shocks and outed them to their families in the perverse hope of honor killings. this is horrific. let's not get forget chechnya is part of russia. this disregard for human rights and human dignity lie at the feet of vladimir putin and his cronny ruler. no one should face violence, persecution or death because of who they love. gay rights are human rights and human rights is gay rights as hillary clinton said when she was secretary of state. under putin's rule, those rights are a myth. i was disappointed when secretary tillerson testified about whether those atro

ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. in the last two months alone reports indicate that nearly 3,000 venezuelans have been jailed and 69 have been killed by the regime. peaceful protests have led venezuelan strongman to issue a decree to convene a constituent national assembly, what he -- in order to rewrite venezuela's constitution. as we all know, mr. speaker, maduro is fooling no one. this is another attempt to undermine and discredit the current democratically elected legislature in the national assembly. another attempt of a power grab which seeks to consolidate more power around the executive and possibly rewrite the constitution to favor only one individual. another attempt to pull a fast one over some in the international community who may make the mistake and call this week and dangerous gesture progress. we know the truth. this is not progress. in fact, this is a major setback to democratcy. maduro is once again trying to delay the inevitable. free, fair, transparent, and democratic elections in venezuela under

ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. last week's general assembly meeting of the organization of american states, the o.a.s., in cancun was intended to get greater support from the region to hold nicholas maduro and his regime accountable for their horrific actions against the venezuelan people. however, we fell short of the 23 votes needed to fully enforce a resolution condemning maduro for convening a fake constituent assembly with the purpose of undermining the democratically elected national assembly. it condemned -- i commend the 20 nations, thank you to the 20 nations that stood up to the vendslan tyrant, especially i -- venezuelan tyrant, especially bar badeos, the bahamas, belize. for those that voted with the people of venezuela and not with the regime, i say thank you. to those who voted against the people of venezuela and with the regime, my message to you is wake up. the maduro regime is a sinking ship, and as that economy continues to implode, it will take some of the caribbean nations along with it. it is i

ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to recognize the nora children's foundation, a nonprofit organization in my home city of miami, working around the clock to serve kids in our community who have been separated from their parents by deportation. i have known nora, the founder of this organization, for so many years, and i have seen firsthand the true passion for ensuring the well-being of these children. through the support of donors and volunteers, this organization is able to provide assistance in the form of food, clothing, educational programs, legal advice and many other vital services. this week nora will be visiting our nation's capital waddell gation of 50 children -- with a delegation of 50 children to help restructure our immigration policies for the children who she cares, who is as american as you and i, do not have to grow up apart from their parents. mr. speaker, i nation must do right for these childre

ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to congratulate the national air traffic controllers ssociation, also known as nact a. it's worked to guide aviation policies and improve working conditions for its members with one goal in mind, to ensure that passengers arrive safely to our destination. i'd also like to recognize three remarkable individuals, billy, jim, and mitch who i've met through the group's advocacy efforts. these men are committed to public service, first through their service in our armed forces and then later as air traffic controllers, ensuring that miami's skies remain safe for all. though mitch has now retired, i know that his contributions to our nation have not stopped. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the group and its members on 30 years of outstanding public service. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does

ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. i would like to bring attention common cia, a autoimmune disease affecting almost seven million americans today. this disease is characterized by hair loss in round patches throughout the body and can affect everyone, regardless of race, gender or ethnicity. alopecia can have a devastating psychological consequence on patients, especially children whose confidence and emotional well-being can be severely impacted by the physical manifestation of this disease. although there's currently no cure for this disease, we are blessed to have organizations like the national alopecia ariata foundation working tirelessly to bring hope to those whose lives have been touched by this condition. although this wonderful staff of volunteers work night and day, we are confident that naff

ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise tonight to recognize george logostades, chairman and c.e.o. of the libra group, a private organization in my congressional district that's dedicated to bolstering local communities through education and business programs. george is a visionary who recognizes the value of promoting startup businesses as a catalyst for financial self-sufficiency, economic development, and job creation. in 2015, george created the american entrepreneurship award, a nonprofit with one goal in mind, to make prix enterprise accessible to every underserved community across our nation. this friday, june 23, george will host a.e.a.'s annual awards ceremony in our home city of miami where george will announce the winners of the 2017 business plan competition from miami and the brn,. the awardees will receive a cash prize as well as vital consultation and mentorship to get their new business ventures off the ground. i'd like to thank george for his leadership in promoting innovation and i look forward to

ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. representative ed perlmutter and i will be introducing the deferment for active cancer treatment act. in 2017, more than 1.6 million americans will be diagnosed with cancer. and many of them are currently repaying their student loans. for these individuals, a cancer diagnosis goes beyond the exhaustive treatment and increased medical expenditures, it often leads to unemployment or underemployment. as a response to this growing problem i have introduced a deferment for act i cancer treatment act this common sense bill will enable cancer patients to defer payment on their public student loans while actively receiving treatment without interest accruing during this difficult period, helping them thusly to avoid defaults. this measure will also help lenders by empowering borrowers to continue repaying their public loans after the treatment ends leading to fewer defaults. mr. speaker, i encourage my colleagues to join ed and me in standing with cancer patients throughout our nation and sup

ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise to recognize june as lgbt pride month, a time in which we celebrate the progress our country has made toward equality and honor the contributions of lgbt americans to the diverse fabric that is our nation. i'd like to thank the many organizations in my congressional district, save, unity coalition, the national lgbtq task force, just to name a few and recognize their invaluable work to promote acceptance and fight harassment, bullying, and discrimination wherever it takes place. this month we also celebrate two years of marriage equality, the union of two people in marriage should not be based on gender but on love. and those legally married couples deserve equal respect and treatment under the law. mr. speaker, this month of celebration is also sadly a stark reminder that we have a ot more work to do to end lgbt violence and we also commemorate the one-year anniversary they have pulse nightclub terrorist shooting. as we honor the memory of those we have lost we must also make a commitment to stand together, to disarm hate and demand the equality, dignity and resp

ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. the house will come to order. the members will move their conversations out of the aisles, please. madam. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to highlight the debbie's dream foundation, an organization in south florida that seeks to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality. while also supporting patients, families and caregivers who are impacted by this disease. according to the n.i.h., mr. speaker, there are nearly 100,000 people living with stomach cancer in our great nation. but despite these alarming numbers, americans diagnosed with stomach cancer face a challenging battle as it is difficult to find reliable information, good treatments and valuable resources. here is where debbie's dream steps in. debbie's dream works with local communities, businesses, government agencies and the