jim oberstar is a giant in this body. there is no person who chairs any committee in the time that i have been a member of the house of representatives which covers a period of 30 years, no chairman with whom i have served during that period of time has known his subject, has worked harder, studied harder and focused us on investing in building america any more than jim oberstar of minnesota. jim oberstar graduatedy college. he has been in many places in this world. he taught in haiti. he comes, his family comes from slovenia. jim oberstar is not only a giant when it comes to how we make america a stronger country, how we build our country, how we make sure that we can get goods and services to and from and we can get our citizens to and from places where they need to be, but jim oberstar also is a giant when it comes to understanding the world in which we live. jim oberstar has been a continual unwavering voice on behalf of working people in america. jim oberstar in my view is the definition of a democrat. someone who pu

oberstar, chairman oberstar. so often we look at our lives and we question how they will intersect with other people's lives. and we hope that when those intersections come about, that we're made a better person because of them. and i can say that when my life, eclipsed with that of jim oberstar's, my life became a better life. as the chairman of the coast guard subcommittee, mr. oberstar was consistently there, guiding, showing me the ropes and giving me an opportunity to be all that i could be. it's not every chairman that does that. that says, you know, i'm going to allow you to be all that you can be and then give you the guidance to get there and then support you throughout. and so i've learned a lot in all my years and it's been about 15 years on that committee from our chairman. but there's also the thing that a number of people have already said. i've been just amazed with his leadership and his compassion and passion with regard to the issues of aviation, the coast guard, water, the rail. i mean, and all

veteran lawmaker james oberstar of minnesota has served in congress for nearly four decades.ust before the 111th congress came to a close, the powerful chairman of the transportation committee sat down with our judy woodruff. >> woodruff: congressman james oberstar, thank you for sitting down to talk to us. >> it's a privilege to join you, thank you for inviting me. >> woodruff: so leaving the congress after 18 terms, what happened to you? >> there was a wave, no question about it. i've seen other waves. there was one in 1974. >> woodruff: that swept new. >> that was the year that i lost the party endorsement, but i ran in the primary and my theme was the people will decide. they did. in 1974. they decided again this year. and the outcomes were very different. but as thomas jefferson said, taking a group through the capitol after you had left the presidency, stopped at the door to the house chamber and said here, sir, the people rule. the people rule. >> woodruff: a lot of voters said in this election that we are frustrated, we're even angry at washington, we don't think wash

sudan's coming vote on independence; new models for charitable giving; departing democrat james oberstar; shutting down ethnic studies classes and remembering jazz legend billy taylor. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: the snow plows kept going in new york city today, four days after last weekend's blizzard. officials said crews have plowed every street at least once, and they're trying to get down to the asphalt streets. some blocks were still impassable because of abandoned cars. mayor michael bloomberg today called the city's response to the storm inadequate and unacceptable. he's been heavily criticized, but he promised to get answers, after the cleanup. >> you can get angry or you can focus on number one keep our work force out there and trying to solve problem of today. number one priority and to do it safely. number two, we can then go and have an investigation to learn so that we can do it better. >> sreenivasan: meanwhile, new storms in the west dumped heavy rain and snow on arizona,

he said jim oberstar and by our joint at the head. we have different viewpoints but we reach a common ground. we stuck with it. we forged something better for the country. not everyone has the best ideas. if you find common ground, you reach good ideas and good policy and -- that is workable for the country. throughout 2007, 2008, we passed a significant legislation recall authorizing amtrak which had not been done in 15 years. mr. micah came from one perspective and i came from another. he wanted to engage the private sector and i did not think that would be workable. as we talked, as we look each other in the eye and laid out specific proposals, there was a trust between us. he is not setting a trap for me and i am not setting a trap for him. we are being open and honest with each other. we are seeing what we can do for the public good. we achieved an authorization for amtrak that eventually in the following year, 2008, president bush signed into law. i can say that for the state revolving loan fund and other bills we passed in 2007

that is congressman james oberstar of minnesota. in my entire 22 years in this congress, i have served on the transportation and infrastructure committee. i had chances a cup -- a couple of chances in my early years to move to other committees and i think people were surprised i didn't take one or -- either one of those offers. but i enjoyed serving on the transportation and infrastructure committee. it was originally tchailed public works and transportation committee, in part because it was considered to be the most bipartisan or nonpartisan committee probably in the congress. it was often said there's no such thing as a republican highway or a democratic highway and on many, many things, people on both sides of the aisle on that committee worked together to help build america. certainly congressman oberstar was one of the great leaders of that committee through his entire time in the congress. jim oberstar served for 11 years on the committee staff, rising to the position of staff director. he then has -- he then served -- began h

shuster in said "where your republican traveling with jim oberstar?" he said that we were joined at the hip their reach a common ground -- joined at the hip and we reached a common ground for the better of the country. not everyone has the best t ideas. they are out to do throughout 2000 and 2008 we passed significant -- throughout 20007 in 2008 we pass significant legislation. he had an idea of engaging the private sector. as you looked each other in the eye -- as we looked each other in the eye, there was a trust between us. he is not setting a trap for me and i am not setting a trap for him. on are being opene and and this to see what we predict open and honest to see what we can do for the better good. -- we were being opened and honest to see what we could do for the better good. there is one pass in 2007 and then again in 2009. there were a host of other cops that brought the first affordable pay system on the department of energy, burst of affordable pay system about big -- there were a host of other ones that brought the first affordable pay sy

oberstar would very much appreciate your remarks as well. he's a one of a kind chairman who has been here as a staff member with enormous influence then he became a chairman. with outside influence as well. i understand that my good friend, mr. diaz-balart, thinks he has found sunnier shores on another committee, but i want him to know that i don't think he will ever have a better relationship with another member on this side of the aisle than the relationship he and i have formed and it has come to be a friendship. i say to him until we meet again, mr. diaz-balart, i want to simply emphasize in closing the little bit of money for which there is a great return for three years, the federal government spent a token amount, $500 million, but according to the c.b.o. the reduction and future losses associated with that small $500 million was $1.6 billion in present value. no wonder this bill passed the other body. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to approve this bill as well. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: th

is with the departing chairman of the transportation committee, 18-term minnesota democrat james oberstar. when congress convenes next month, we'll talk with members of the new republican majority. >> suarez: now, we begin a year- long partnership with "national geographic" magazine, which will be reporting on population issues throughout 2011. tonight, the looming crisis of water scarcity in india. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports from the indian capital of new delhi. >> reporter: to really know what it's like to live in an overpopulated place, watch the daily vigil for the municipal water tanker truck here in delhi's vasant kunj or thousands of similar neighborhoods across urban india. chanda lives in an illegal settlement here in this city of 16 million and growing. on this day, she left her job as a daily laborer mid-morning to run back and collect some water. exactly when the truck arrives is anyone's guess. every day, these women say they spend four hours a day-- their children often miss school-- just waiting for the only source of water for their daily consumption

oberstar, who will be leaving this house at the end of the year, an extraordinary individual who over his 40 years in this house has led the way for good american union jobs in the construction industry. unfortunately, when it came time in the stimulus bill, not one republican voted for the stimulus bill that created 1 1/2 million union jobs in the construction industry. unfortunately that was the case. can't have it both ways, i suppose, but mr. oberstar has led the way time and time again for workers' safety, to make sure that americans had the transportation, the infrastructure that they needed. i've had the great pleasure of working with him and learning from him, and i'm sure i join with every colleague in this house, democrat and republican, to say that we will miss him deeply and his leadership will be lost upon us. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from california is recognized

i also want to give special thanks to chairman oberstar for his long and distinguished leadership on this issue and to ranking member micah for their support to bring this -- mica for their support to bring this bill to the floor. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert into the record a support letter from over 50 of the country's leading building professionals, manufacturers and small businesses. they are pleased to support this legislation and are poised to provide the necessary training to achieve both public and private sector goals. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman's request is ordered. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: thank you. this bill would require, as we just heard, the justice service administration to consult various professional associations in order to establish a training and certification requirements in order to establish

want to thank her for always being extremely courteous to me and i also need to mention chairman oberstar and i was able to speak to him at length and i if i didn't ss mention how i enjoyed working with him. she has been mentioned a couple of times, the gentlelady from the state of illinois, representative biggert. as much time as she would like o consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized. mrs. biggert: thank you and i the gentleman for yielding me the time. i would like to begin by my colleagues senator carper and senator collins and my co-chair of the high performance building caucus, representative carnahan and representative pete sessions for their hard work in bringing this bipartisan legislation for us today. the federal buildings personnel act of 2010 will save taxpayers dollars as has been times by putting federal buildings on the cutting edge of energy efficiency and will help build expertise among america's work force needed for tomorrow's green jobs. as my colleagues are aware, the is the government nation's largest property manager with more

. >> chairman oberstar, thank you. >> coming up >> next, former solicitor natural walter diligent talks with constitutional law experts. southern methodist university law school hosted the panel. kathleen sullivan, and kenneth starr, and john you are the panelists. this is a little less than two hours. >> does the president have to obey and follow the law? my panel members -- i will go from my right and your left, i guess. we have kathleen sullivan, david cole, walter dellinger, prof. drawn -- professor john yoo. i will tell you a little bit about who we are as a group and what the panel is as a group. of our group, we have five law professors. we have three that have been deans of law schools. we have four that have been appellate clerks, circuit clerks, three that have been supreme court clerks, oral arguments in front of the u.s. supreme court, 70 oral arguments, amazing, and hundreds of argument before the intermediate courts throughout the country. we have two solicitor general's. we have two members that have been head of the lessee and office of legal counsel for the president. -

michigan and his successor, the seating at 6:30, fall by the outgoing minnesota representative, jim oberstarimetime, 8:00 p.m., will look with ken starr about executive power. that is at 8:00 p.m. at 10:00 p.m., q&a with john burns. garrison keeler talks about humor later tonight. all that getting under way tonight, on c-span. >> sunday, the grand public places and those only available to the justices and their staff. you'll hear about how the court parts from all the current supreme court justices, including elena kagan. learn about some of the recent developments. the supreme court, home to the highest court, caring for the first time in high definition on sunday, ion c-span. >> a movement called no labels. it will expand to all 435 congressional districts in the coming year. founding members of the group and david brooks joins michael bloomberg, charlie crist, and michael castle to talk about proposals for electoral change. the conversation is just under two hours. >> please welcome our panel. [applause] it is important before we begin -- with knowledge a conversation at the start about a

then representative james oberstar followed by "washington journal." five candidates have put their names forward to challenge incumbent michael steele as chairman of the republican national committee. c-span's original documentary on the supreme court has been updated. sunday you'll see "the grand public places" and those only available to the justices and their staff and you'll hear how the staff works from all of the justices including the newest justice, elena kagan. the supreme court, home to america's highest court airing for the first time in high definition sunday at 6:30 p.m. on c-span. >> this year, nine-term representative pete hoekstra decided not to seek re-election and to run for michigan governor. he sat down with us for half an hour. is spending a half hour with us. he first came to congress in 1992 and back for the lame-duck session. that is it for you. what is that like? >> it is kind of liberating. it is a wonderful job but my wife and i and our family is excited about what the future may bring. >> you thought you had a bid for a pub

and we have speeches from transportation director james oberstar. starting at 8:00 p.m., we will look at executive power and employment with former independent counsel kenneth starr and attorney john yoo, who wrote the memos on torture during the george w. bush administration. at 10:00 p.m., from london with the and "new york times" bureau chief. then the radio personality garrison keeler talking about public life. the supreme court is considering an employment law to require workers to check immigration status in a national database. it checks and business licenses of employers who hire illegal immigrants and knowingly. whether a state can require participation in the database. janet napolitano, who was arizona's government -- arizona's governor at the time, the bill into law. the oral argument is just over an hour. >> case 09115. =-mber of commerce bursa's versus whiting. >> there was a question of how to regulate worker authorization, and it was converted into a core concern of immigration policy by the passing of the immigration reform and contr