2009, the house rules committee issued an announcement stating that amendments for h.r. 2847, the commerce, justice, science and related agencies appropriations act of 2010, must be preprinted in the congressional record by the close of business on june 15, 2009. whereas, both republicans and democrats filed 127 amendments in the congressional record for consideration on the house floor. whereas, on june 15, 2009, the house rules committee reported h.res. 544, a rule with a preprinting requirement and unlimited pro forma amendments for purposes of debate. whereas, on june 16, 2009, the house proceeded with one hour of general debate or one minute to vet each $1.07 billion in h.r. 2847 in the committee of the whole. whereas, after one hour of general debate, the house proceeded with amendment debate. whereas, after just 22 minutes of amendment debate or one minute to vet each $3.02 billion in h.r. 2847 a motion that the committee rise was offered by congressional democrats. whereas, the house agreed that the committee rose by a recorded vote of 179 yeas and 124 nays with all votes in the af

code has delegated this responsibility to the secretary of commerce and within the department of commerce to the bureau of the census. let me be very clear on this point. the constitution stipulates that congress shall direct how the census is to be conducted and congress delegated this responsibility to the bureau of the census, not the office of the white house chief of staff. the united states census should remain independent of politics. it should not be directed by political operatives working out of the white house. such a move is especially troubling considering the census at the time was considering entering into a national partnership with acorn, an organization ripe with internal corruption and that was responsible for multiple instances of vote fraud in the 2008 presidential election. asking an organization like acorn to help recruit the 1.4 million temporary workers that will go door to door is akin to inviting the fox into the hen house. an estimated $3 billion in federal funds are distributed annually on the basis of census data, according to census officials. all the people

this week the senate commerce committee held a confirmation hearing in which he addressed the expansion of broadband in the u.s., media ownership rules, and the so-called fairness doctrine. >> host: well, the senate commerce committee this week held nomination hearings on julius general caw sky to be the new fcc chief, and joining us to talk about that, andrew feinberg and fawn johnson of dow jones news wire. mr. feinberg, before we review the hearing itself, give us a little background on julius genachowski. >> guest: well, the guy's been everywhere. he's been at the fcc, he's been in the private sector on both the entertainment side, he's been with venture capitalists actually right here in washington with launch box digital which is a d.c.-based start-up incubator, and he's sort of been a tech con cigly yea to the obama campaign all the way through, and now he's probably going to be our next fcc chairman barring anything horrible or strange. >> host: fawn johnson, given his background what do we know about him now, and where do you think he'll take the fcc? >> guest: well, we know he

the clerk: a bill making appropriations for the departments of commerce and justice and science and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2010 and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the first time. the gentleman from west virginia, mr. mollohan and the gentleman from virginia, mr. wolf, will each control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from west virginia. the committee will be in order. the gentleman from west virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia. mr. mollohan: mr. chairman, i rise to -- in regard to h.r. 2847, legislation on appropriating funds for commerce, justice and science and related agencies for 2010. mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume in general debate. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mollohan: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, if this is june, it must be appropriation season. and so today, i'm pleased to present to the house the first of the appropriation bills for fiscal year 2010, h.r. 2847, the commerce, justice, science and relat

the commerce department predicts that we'll lose another 247 jobs this year. remember, this isn't about airport c.e.o.'s. this is about the -- the people that -- the janitors that work at the airports, this is about the maids that are doing the beds, this is about the rate rests that are working at the restaurants of course, this is about the people that do the flowers for the hotels and for the banquets and for the business traveler. these are real jobs in america. this has always been a country that opened its arms to people from around the world. that's why we're so great, and we have to bring that back. we have to bring people in to visit this country. the travel promotion act will do just that, and by boosting travel to the u.s., it will give a boost to our economy. so it's a win-win for the tourism industry, for jobs for america, and for the american people. senator dorgan went through the bill. i did want to emphasize that not only will this consist of travel promotion and promoting our country like other countries have been doing for years and been leap

. >> another question i was asked by the senate commerce chair, senator rockefeller, was about the sec be more open to the public. >> you agree that the sec should be more open to the public? >> yes. >> how? >> it requires a commitment throughout the agency to principles of openness, transparency, fairness, fact based decision making. if confirmed, i would want to lead the sec in that direction. i do not see how it can be otherwise. the issues are too complex. we need an sec that a smart about technology, smart about the law, smart about economics, smart about the business, and navigating a complex communications world. so i think this is quite important. i had the same experience that you did in trying to navigate the fcc website. it should be a model for transparency, openness, and fairness. there's a lot of work to do, but i would like to see the fcc been modeled to communicate openly with the american people, and with all the constituencies interested in what the commission does. >> and along that same line, the senator had a statement he made. >> let me say however, it seems to me

. >> host: the senate commerce committee this week held nomination hearings on julius genachowski to be the new fcc chief, and joining us to talk about that this week on the communicators, andrew fine virga broadband census.org and fawn johnson of dow jones newswires. mr. feinberg, before we had reviewed the hearing itself, give us a little background on julius genachowski. >> guest: the guy has been everywhere. he is than that the fcc. he has been in the private sector on both the entertainment side. he has been a venture capitalist, actually weisser in washington with a d.c.-based start of incubator and he served-- sort have been a tech and city terry to the obama campaign all the way through. he is on the advisory committee, and now he is probably going to be our next sec chairman, barring anything horrible or strange. >> host: phone johnson, given his background what we know about him now and where do you think he will take the fcc? >> guest: we know he is passionate about the internet and this comes from the obama presidential campaign. he was one of the early supporters of obama

the u.s. chamber of commerce. it has many newspaper endorsements. as you can see, newspapers in every part of the country support this legislation. i'll read just a few. "the sacramento bee" -- the country needs to reclaim its status as a global magnet for visitors even in the post/9/11 climate and congress can help by passing the travel promotion act by the end of this year. the "dallas morning news," september 6: "the travel promotion act is a sensible first step toward putting the welcome mat back on america's doorstep. the orlando sentinel "charging travelers $10 on promotion to bring in all that money makes sense." "detroit free press," september 5, 2008, "doesn't it make sense to encourage at no cost to taxpayers foreign visiters to come here and leave some money? there's no good reason not to pass this bill." and finally, i leave the best to last, the "duluth news tribune," duluth, minnesota, may 18, 2009: "ideas to bolster economic recovery without plunging the nation any deeper into debt would be welcome by taxpayers from coast to coast." th

this title may be cited as the department of commerce appropriations act 2010. title 3, department of justice, general administrations, salaries and expensed, $118, 488,000. mr. boswell: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. boswell of iowa. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 552, the gentleman from iowa and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa for five minutes. mr. boswell: thank you. i'd like to thank chairman mollohan and ranking member wolf for their hard work on h.r. 2847, the commerce, justice, science, and related agencies appropriations act of 2010. this amendment would provide an increase of $2.5 million for the national criminal history improvement program. i have brought this issue to the floor for several years now and it consistently receives bipartisan support. i thank my colleagues for their continued support and their commitment to law enforcement officers and public safety. i believe that this increase is

program within the department of commerce is charged to do. so there's a perfect match here. to create jobs. to get people to become small business owners. to maintain low overhead. i think that that's what the american people want. and by doing this, saving jobs, not only in one area, but in many areas. to me that is something that should be applauded. not something that should be be taken away. we match the very definition of what the department of commerce has talked about. a perfect match. and we give in this process daylight so that the american people can understand we are trying to help them. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the time of the gentleman from west virginia has expired. mr. campbell: may inquire of the chair how much time i have remaining? the chair: 1:15. mr. campbell: thank you. i would like to point out to the gentleman from new york as well that this -- we could not find this earmark request on your website, which i believe is something that the committee rules require. we could not find that. so that is on

bob rush of illinois chairs the commerce committee on consumer protection. this is 2 1/2 hours. >> good morning. today is a joint hearing of the subcommittee's on commerce, trade, and consumer protection and communications technology and the internet. i want to welcome all of you to this hearing, and i want to just give you some advance notice that in about 20 minutes, we will be called to the floor for a series of votes. some have estimated to be -- we are scheduled for about 27 votes on the floor, which is certainly going to extend the hearing. we ask that you be patient with us. we will try to conduct this hearing and be mindful of your time, but our actions will be dictated by the house schedule and the votes on the floor. i now want to recognize myself for five minutes of opening statements. as i indicated, today, the two subcommittees, commerce and consumer protection, are combining our commitment to privacy -- and resources to conduct the import hearing on behavioral advertising and consumer protections. i want to just take a moment to think the chairm

speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, a member of the commerce, justice, science scomme, mr. schiff. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. schiff: i thank the gentleman for yielding. at the outset, i want to congratulate the chairman for the extraordinary job he's done in putting this bill together. in particular, i wanted to highlight a couple of key investments in the bill in the areas of law ens for -- enforcement and science. in particular we invest over $800 million in the cops program that's been successful in putting additional cops on the beat and deterring criminal activity and keeping our communities safe that is a vital investment. the legislation also makes a very important investigation optometrist those who live in the border states in a program called scaap which provides assistance to states that have to incarcerate illegal immigrants and bear the costs of flaws in our federal immigration policy. furthermore, the bill makes a very key investment, very substantial investment in d.n.a. technology and back log reduc

line, if you get a chance, a task force of representatives from the ports homeland security, the commerce department could possibly come up with some ideas of a threshold of entry that could give us some degree of protection, or at least send a signal to the world that we are looking at the quality of the products that are coming in. secondly, cosponsored senator demint legislation dealing with the consumer product safety improvement act which i voted for an chairman pryor spent a lot of time on, but it did have a lot of unintended consequences won by way of example i have eight, soon-to-be nine grandchildren. one of my daughters-in-law the mother of three all under five sheers the largest secondhand clothing sale and second heart book swap in the history of mankind, i think. but it raises a ton of money for the church. when that law passed within weeks they were called by their attorneys and told to cancel both those sales because of the potential effect and legal liability that was put on them as a secondhand seller of a product they neither manufactured nor took any responsibility for.

the money. if we are going to do it for chamber of commerce in jamaica, why not the one in irvine where i live or thousands of chambers of commerces that exist all over the country? i will not yield because i probably have 15 seconds. mr. chairman, i would ask for a no vote on this -- yes vote on this amendment to remove this $100,000 and save a little bit. and start now by not doing this sort of thing anymore that is just not in critical nature. given the deficits we have. thank you. . the chair: all time having expired, the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it -- the amendment is not agreed to. the gentleman from california. mr. campbell: i request a recorded vote. the chair: further proceedings on the amendment of the gentleman from california will be postponed. the gentleman from west virginia. mr. mollohan: move to strike the requisite number of words. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. mollohan: i thank the chairman. mr. chairman, i yield one m

but as we see passageways opening up, and the area of commerce and activity up north, this is becoming the place to look. unfortunately, if we do not ratify a law, we cannot claim any of those offshore resources, or make the claim before the commission. and that is to our detriment. if we are not at the table, we will not have the opportunity to claim those resources, or be involved with the environmental issues that will exist up there, the commerce, the fishing, the shipping, and there is so much that is at stake here, and i think that this is imperative that we stepped forward, finally, to ratify the law. in stepped off of the foreign relations committee to go to another and i tried to advocate for the passage. i have been working with john kerry to advance this. we have had some

i'd say to the gentleman he's noticed two appropriations bills for next week. commerce justice science and homeland security appropriations bills. and madam speaker, i'd ask the gentleman does he expect the house as is its custom to consider these bills under an open rule? i yield. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding. it certainly will be our intent to proceed with an open rule on the consideration of the commerce, justice, state bill. i guess it's science now bill. the intent of course as the gentleman knows based upon our discussions is that we will finish all 12 appropriation bills individually between now and the 30th of july. this will give the senate and house the opportunity to agree on a conversation -- conference report on the 12 appropriation bills and hopefully enact those bills and send them to the president prior to the onset of the fiscal year october 1. if we do that, of course, it will be unusual and it's an ambitious schedule. but because of that it will be necessary for us to consider these bills in an effective but also efficient fashion. an

. >> members of the house commerce oversight committee questioned the head of gm and chrysler today about the decision to close dealers. see the full hearing tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> the government funding of colleges, directed the colleges, and their students is really a 1950's thing or early 1960's thing. >> hillsdale college has never accepted government funding. today, not even government- backed student loans are permitted. >> title 4 is nearly -- is several hundred pages long. we have a lawyer in town that tries to keep the government from giving us money. he said there was not any use for it. >> sunday night at 8:00 on c- span's "q&a." listen to c-span radio or satellite radio. you can also download the c-span podcast. >> the special envoy on climate change said that the talks with china did not achieve any breakthroughs. he did say the two countries would continue to discuss the issues leading up to a climate change summit in copenhagen, denmark later this year. his remarks will be followed by the daily briefing with spokesman philip crowley. he talks about efforts to

>> guest: it means they've applied for a coupon to the commerce department, and that application has been approved. that means that they've been -- once it's approved, they're mailed coupons in the mail, and they'll receive them now in about 9-10 days. >> host: and this is the actual coupon, it's just like a credit card. >> guest: it's usable only once, and it's good for $40. so when you buy a converter box, you take that coupon in, and it's used as essentially a credit. households entitled to two coupons, so the number of coupons is not twice that but nearly twice that. >> host: now, those are the people who have applied. do people who have cable tv or satellite tv, had they needed to apply? >> guest: no. >> host: okay. >> guest: i take that back. if you have cable in one room of your home but you have another tv in the kitchen or the den and that receives programming over the air, you need to prepare for whatever set receives programming over the air. >> host: 30 million coupons have been redeemed, so what's going to, what's going to happen, are there still 18 million coupons out th

so the energy and commerce committee will begin to meet next week, chairman waxman has said he's going to have three hearings on health care next week. we'll be engaged in those. and if and when the democrats decide to go to marketup, we will have -- markup, we will have republican amendments and a republican alternative as part of the comprehensive package that's being talked about today. as has already been said, we believe that we need to reform medicaid, we need to reform schip, we believe that we should give people the right, the option, if they want to take the amount that we pay for medicaid and schip and get a private plan we would give them the premium assistance to do that. we believe we need to take appreciate off of medicaid by creating incentives for long-term health care so we have got some proposals that will do that. we believe people that work for small businesses that don't provide health care should be able to form associations and pooling arrangements either within like businesses, like associations, we even believe that states should be able to form regional pools

the commerce, the fishing, the shipping -- there is so much that is at stake here, and i think it is imperative that we as a nation step forward finally and ratify the laws at sea. i stepped up the foreign relations committee this year to go on toothpicks another, and i was trying to advocate for its passage, and even though i am no longer on the committee, i have still been working with chairman kerry to advance this and how we move it forward. we have been kind of doing our and checks and seeing what members we need to encourage. it is important for us as a nation, not only for the resource vallium but, again, to make sure the other countries are not going after what i would suggest would be rightfully the united states in terms of the undersea areas, so we are going to keep pushing. one of the areas that is subjected to by some colleagues, and we know we are not going to get something to take it up, and it will require some foretime, and fourth time is a precious commodity in the united states senate, so i am not entirely optimistic we will see anything advanced before the end of

gr and the department of commerce during the clinton administration. david goode joins the tata sons group in 2005. after a 34 year career at the state department. at state, david was the director of the office of india, nepal, sri lanka and multi-affairs. following a three-year stint as american council judgment in mumbai. arvind panagariya, professor of indian political economy at columbia university. as well as a nonresident senior fellow working institution. he has also worked for the asian development bank, world bank, imf, injuries capacities. he has also published extensively including a recent book i-india, the emerging giant. my colleague claude barfield is a resident scholar here at aei. is the author or editor of a number of books on trade and science policy. and has also served as an advisor to the office of the u.s. trade representative. our format will follow the one of the prior panel. each panelist will present eight to 10 minute remarks. we will then open up the floor for questions. so with that, i will turn the discussion over to susa

but as we are seeing changes and parsing passageways open up and we're seeing the level of commerce and activity up north, all of a sudden it's becoming the place to look at. unfortunately for this country, if we don't ratify the law of the sea, we can't make a claim to any of those offshore resources, or make that claim before the commission. and that's to our detriment. if we are not sitting at the table we don't have an opportunity to either claim those resources or be involved with the environmental issues that will exist out there, the commerce, the fishing, the shipping. there is so much that is at stake here, and i think that it's imperative that we as a nation step forward finally and ratify the law of the sea. i stepped off the foreign relations committee this year to go onto appropriations, and i had taken a very keen interest while on that committee and try to advocate a fourth passage even though i'm no longer on the committee i have still been working with chairman carries to help advance a. we have had some strategy a presence on how to move this forward. we have been kind

additionally, the act will increase coordination among the commerce, state, and homeland security departments to streamline the entry and departure procedure for our foreign tourists. you see, not only are we not promoting ourselves, we're also doing a lot to complicate travel to our country because of those things which were done as a necessity post-9/11, we have created a lot of layers of complications for foreign travelers to visit our country. we have to continue to have the kind of protection about who visits our land and protect our homeland, but at the same time we need to use some common sense about how this is done and incorporate modern technologies to ensure that the travel experience to the united states is not cumbersome, is not complicated and it is transparent and enjoyable for those who come to visit us. in today's economy, every visitor counts. in a competitive world that we live in, every competitive dollar that can be spent out there promoting travel to the united states will inure to the benefit of the job creation we will see in places like my home state. when you conside

the senate commerce committee, on which i've served, held no fewer than ten hearings on issues ranging from thousand implement the tobacco settlement, to protecting children from the health risks of becoming a smoker, to reviewing marketing and labeling restrictions that were under consideration at the time. 1997, senator mccain, who then chaired the commerce committee, introduced the national tobacco policy and youth smoking reduction act which contained many of the very same safeguards as the measure currently before us. while on the one hand it's irrefutable that protecting youth from the harms of smoking and ensuring tobacco products are manufactured under high standards was the correct course of action in 1997, how is it conceivable that it has taken 12 years to get this right? why after the first warnings 25 years ago by the surgeon general on the hazards of smoking has that message not been translated into law? so why is congress taking this action now? what has changed since 1997 to prompt this renewed action? for one, there's been a justifiable drumbeat of outrage over fraudul

reported out of the energy and commerce committee, the so-called cap and trade legislation. many of us know it as cap and tax or as massive new energy tax on the american people. the agriculture committee has wisely decided to hold a hearing on this complex legislation and, in fact, the secretary of agriculture has been answering questions from members on both sides of the aisle for the past 3 1/2 hours, as members are almost uniformly opposed to the legislation, regardless of their party status and have expressed grave concerns about the impact this will have on america's farmers and ranchers, that it will have on rural america and indeed, the devastating impact that it will have on our economy and jobs and our standard of living as a whole. and i want to bring to the attention to the members of the house some of the concerns that we have raised. the impact of this legislation will have on our economy and our

speaker, i rise in opposition to the flake amendment to strike funding from the commerce, justice, and state appropriations bill for the jason project and i again do want to thank chairman mollohan in particular for his unwavering support of this important program. which ultimately results in being a public-private partnership, which i think is a great example of haw howe to invest in education. -- of how to invest in education. the jason project was first created by dr. bob ballard. many of you may remember, dr. ballard was the famed underwater explorer who found the die titanic. dr. ballard has a real passion for children and educating the next generation. i've had the opportunity to work with dr. ballard who is now at the university of rhode island, on science education issues, and i'm grateful for his work to establish the jason project and his dedication to training and inspiring future scientists. as congress addresses today's economic challenge we must be vigilant in giving our future generations the tools they need to succeed. the gentleman from arizona noted the deficit that o

of course the gentleman understands we fund the national weather service through the commerce department accounts. but to really try to impact the creation or the noncreation of a national climate service in this bill i suggest to the gentleman is the wrong place to go. i think that we ought to respect the authorizing process, of course. the gentleman i would assume will direct his efforts with regard to frustrating the creation of a national climate service when the authorizing process moves -- the gentleman may serve on that committee, i don't know. you may be dealing with it now. but that's the place that i think respectfully that you could better direct your efforts. in an appropriation bill which particularly in an organization that's not even stood up is i think the wrong place for the gentleman to direct his energies. nor that reason -- for that reason and a number of other reasons that i could go into on this page dealing with the necessity for this nation and the world to better understand what's happening to the world's climate and who global -- how global climate change is goi

. >> how big of a problem would you have it you did not receive the $10 million from the commerce department to help with the call centers? >> it is hard to precisely it predicts that because we do not know note the problems that will occur. in my remarks, how would rather be over prepared and underprepared. it is very easy for me to envision a scenario. people get back from a long weekend and we do not have a sufficient number of operators, then there will be a great consumer dissatisfaction and the potential for considerable backlash. we don't need to take that risk. the money has been provided by the congress. this is a high priority for the utilization of that money. we have to make sure that it is up and running and running well. >> it is absolutely vital that we get that money for the call center. if there is a concern, regarding how to fund that, they can cut back to keep on program to make only those that have broadcast reception get the but coupons. >> i might point out that if we do not need that money, we can ramp down. " we do not have to spend that money. we will keep 4000 opera

problem with the-- how big a of a problem with you have if you don't receive the $10 million from the commerce department to help with the cullen centers? >> it is impossible to precisely predict that because we don't know all of the problems that are going to occur but as they said in my remarks during the course of the meeting today i would rather be over preparer than under prepared. it is very, very easy for me to envision a scenario where we would be unprepared. if we don't have the money in the calls really start coming in, not just freddie but people get back from the long weekend and monday and tuesday or wednesday and we don't have a sufficient number of operators, to take the calls and answer the questions, then there is going to be great consumer dissatisfaction and the potential for considerable backlash, so we don't need to take that risk. the money has been provided by the congress. this is a high priority for the utilization and of that money. as rob said, it is the lifeline, the last lifeline for people is that call center and we have got to make sure it is up and running and r

sure that hours and hours and hours ahead of that we would have been completed with the work of the commerce justice, science appropriations bill. i urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand up for the rights of democratic members of this institution who are being denied this, reject this rule, let's come back with what has been the case for 220 years under both politicalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

one clear way congress can promote greater use of the internet for access to information, for electronic commerce and for entertainment is to ensure that internet yearses have a high degree of privacy protection. including transparency about information, collection, practices and uses and control over the use of the information that is collected from those who use the internet. i previously announced my desire to work with chairman waxman -- in order to develop legislation this year. extending to internet users the assurance that their online experience will be more secure. such a measure would be a driver of greater levels of internet uses such as electronic commerce, not a hindrance to them. avenue general advertising and ways to enhance consumer protection in association with it. i'm a supporter and a beneficiary of targeted advertising. i would much prefer to receive internet advertisements that are truly relevant to my particular interests in. fact, i have bought a significant number of items based upon targeted advertising delivered to me from websites that i frequently visit. and so i have

i want to yield at this time to the chairman of our health subcommittee on the energy and commerce committee who has been a staunch supporter of this legislation and has looked after all the health matters that come before the congress, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank chairman waxman for his tireless work on this tobacco legislation. today is long overdue and he should be so proud of his -- the fact that this is finally passing today and going to the president's desk. as we pursue serious and historical health care reform, this legislation comes at the right time. smoking kills. smoking also is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and a host of other illnesses. almost half a million americans die from their own cigarette smoking a year, and even more alarming, studies have estimated that more than six million children alive today will ultimately die from smoking. when president obama's call for health care reform

the democrats' climate change, quote, compromise, unquote bill passed by the energy and commerce committee is still a job killer that will hit every american with a national energy tax. this plan will have a devastating impact on the price at the pump and utility bills across the country. one estimate for a similar proposal found that families would pay more than $3,100 a year in extra energy costs. representative john dingell said it best. nobody in this country realizes that tax and trade is a tax and it's a great big one, end quote. even the president admitted that his energy plan would cause energy prices to "necessarily skyrocket," and that the costs will be passed on to consumers. various estimates suggest anywhere between 1.8 million and 7 million american jobs could be lost. manufacturing jobs will relocate to countries with less stringent environmental regulations like china and india, inflicting grader harm on american families and small businesses while doing even greater damage to the environment. the american people know we can do better. republicans also support a clean envir

it passed a spending bill last night for the commerce justice department. the chaplain: let us pray. o god, lord of all, give us the things that will enable us to make life worthwhile. give to the members of this body a sense of proportion to see the things that really matter. help them to appreciate the long view that they may refuse to sell what is precious for temporary short-term gain. lord, remind them that laudable goal often require perseverance. impart to our lawmakers a teachable spirit that's willing to learn and a humble spirit that accepts advice and will not resent rebuke. give them also a diligent spirit that whatever their hands find to do they may do it with all their might. we pray in your mighty name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. 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 presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the

the speaker pro tempore: in lieu of the amendment recommended by the committee on energy and commerce printed in the bill, the amendment in the nature of a substitute, consisting of the tech of h.r. 2998 modified by the amendment printed in house report 111-185 is adopted and the bill is considered read. after three hours of debate on the bill, as amended, with 2 1/2 hours equally divided and control by the chairman and raking minority member of energy and commerce, and 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chairman of and ranking member of the committee of ways and means, it shall be in order to consider a further amendment in the nature of the substitute printed in part b of the report if offered by the gentleman from virginiaing mr. forbes, or his designee, which shall be considered read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally controlled by an opponent and a proponent. the gentleman new york -- the gentleman will control 30 minutes of the bait. the gentleman from california. mr. waxman: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to rhett rhett

waxman: how much time do we have from the energy and commerce committee? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 36 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from texas has 46 3/4 minutes. 36 3/4, 36 1/2. mr. waxman: i'd like to yield to the gentleman from california, mr. mcnerney, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. mcnerney: madam speaker, i rise in support of the american clean energy and security act. i'd also like to thank chairman waxman and chairman markey for their leadership on this issue. before i came to congress i developed new energy technologies, and i've seen firsthand these industries develop by leaps and bounds the economic benefits of the american clean arge and security act will be profound. the bill will create jobs across the country in fields as divess as construction, engineering, education and others. these jobs will lay the foundation for long-term prosperity. the american clean energy and security act is also a serious commitment to combating climate change. i

>> it means they have applied for a coupon to the commerce department and that application has been approved. that means that once it is approved day are mailed coupons in the mail and will receive them in about nine or ten days. >> and this is the actual coupon people will receive, it's just like a credit card. >> it looks like a credit card only usable ones and is good for $40 so when you buy a converter box you take that and it's used essentially as credit for $40. >> so 32 million times $40? >> a household is entitled to two coupons so the number isn't twice that nearly twice that. >> those are the people who've applied. do people who have cable-tv or satellite tv, do they need to apply? >> no. i take that back, if you have cable and one row of your home for example but another tv in the kitchen or the den and that receives programming over the air you need to prepare for whenever set receives programming over the air. >> some 58 million coupons have been mailed. 3 million have been redeemed. so what's going to happen? are there still 18 million coupons out there? >> that's a question we

chairman waxman of the commerce committee, chairman markey of the energy security and climate change committee, congressman rangel of the ways and means committee and chairman petersen of the agricultural committee. we thank you for their leadership. madam speaker, no matter how long this congress wants to talk about it, we cannot hold back the future. in order to move on with the future, i want to yield back my time, i submit my statement for the record and urge my colleagues to vote for this important legislation. when you do, remember these four words for what this legislation means jobs jobs -- jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs. let's vote for jobs. >> the house then went on to pass the energy and climate change bill. dara in samuelson joins us on the phone. what did the democrats have to do? >> they were working the hallways and the house floor. president obama called members and invited members to the white house. you had the people who wrote this bill going one by one and member by member to try to convince them that what they had passed out of the committee was a bill that had taken

on tuesday next fo they completed one this week, spending for the commerce and justice departments. live coverage when the house returns next week, here on c- span. >> there's still time to get your copy of c-span's 2009 congressional directory. with information on house and senate members, supreme court justices, and the nation's governors. it is $16.95 online at cspan.org/products. >> live tonight, coverage of the radio and television correspondents association dinner. president obama will make remarks, and guessed entertainers will and crude -- will include the singing group, sweet honey and the rock. >> people to not want to think of roosevelt's conservation as policy -- so much as policy as passion. as people are talking about environmentalism and green movements, results is becoming a key figure to understanding. he was the only politician of his day that absorbent are wind and understood biology -- absorbed darwin and understood biology. >> sunday on a "q&a." the first of two hours with douglas brinkley on "the wilderness warrior." also, download the cspan podcast. >> how c-sp

if i'm confirmed and when are you going to conclude your test and when can we get back with the senate commerce committees and house members in other states that are affected by the drywall and expedite this as soon as possible. but i'll have a full briefing and come up with a schedule of implementation working with you and making sure you are fully informed. >> great, i appreciate that. and i look forward to following up with regard to that specific timetable 'cause that right now it's on a very frustrating multimonth timetable. if i could have a couple more questions 'cause this is really important. this is also part of a broader issue, obviously, with china. and china is clearly the biggest problem worldwide with regard to many products. in louisiana another big concern is contaminated seafood. that's not your jurisdiction, i understand that. but my point is, it's clearly a pattern with regard to china. what are your thoughts about focusing on this chinese pattern to really get some significant new results across-the-board? >> if i'm confirmed one of the first things i will do is meet with a

i want to thank the ways and means committee and the commerce committee for working with me to harness billions of dollars over the life of the bill to have transportation that reduces carbon foot painting and things that will make a difference for a country that emits more carbon with its transportation than china, india, and europe combined. we have an opportunity to protect the planet, but unless you're prepared to lead, china and india will continue to pa lute -- pollute more and more. s the first step in this leadership and i urge the courage to vote yes on this legislation today. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman -- mr. camp: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. lender. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. linder: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to ask unanimous consent to submit a statement from the record -- for the record but i'm not going to read that statement. i want to respond to the gentleman from connecticut who said we need honesty in th

dingell, the chair emeritus of the energy and commerce committee. mr. stupak, all of our colleagues had an important role. mr. kildee. and our colleagues on the republican side of the aisle hopefully will have a good, strong bipartisan vote today on this legislation. because they have given -- you all have given us an opportunity to pass legislation that is a benefit to our economy and a benefit to our environment. we can create and save jobs while addressing the air pollution issue, so important to our children's health. we will do this by allowing americans to trade in their old gas guzzling vehicles and receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help pay for the new more fuel efficient cars and trucks. i go into the specifics. i know we heard it over and over again. this cars bill is quite a remarkable piece of legislation. and the timing is perfect. and when they trade in these cars they will strengthen america's auto industry, creating jobs and reducing layoffs and save more than 250 million gallons of gas. this has been tried and true around the world

he served as the cedar creek chamber of commerce president. he helped establish the cedar creek library. he was a charter million of the library'ser board of directors, and he and his wife worked tirelessly to support and grow that library. he led the can i juanies club and was -- kiwanis club. he served as secretary treasure of the club. he took a leadership in their pancake breakfast. he was an active member of the athens rotary club and the list goes on and on. now we all know across america that the rotary motto is service above self. dove lived those words every day of his life. he led by example and his example represents the best of the american character. madam speaker, dove was not indifferent to the direction of his state and nation, either. he cared passionately about faith and family and free enterprise and freedom. and he chose to put his principles into action by serving as chairman of the henderson county republican party for eight years. that's where i first met dove, this kind, giving, caring individual. he was always upbeat. h

bart stupak of michigan chairs the commerce subcommittee on oversight. this is a little over four hours. >> this committee will come to order. there's a lot of interest in this hearing today, and i expect members who are not on the committee will be coming in and out. we will try to hold a tight rein on time, statements, and questions in this hearing. there is a lot of interest in this oversight hearing, as i said. this hearing today is entitled gm and chrysler dealership closures and restructuring. i will begin. for much of the past 100 years, general motors has been the largest automobile company in the world. the detroit free, gm, ford, and chrysler have filled the engines of michigan's economy and that of the u.s. for generations. through their vehicle manufacturer, the industry has created and supported millions of jobs. with the recent global financial collapse, much of the domestic auto industry has been brought to its knees. in 2008, gm and chrysler lost $30.9 billion and $70 billion respectively. in order to survive, the both filed for bankruptcy

i congratulate chairman max men -- waxman for passing the bill and the commerce committee. the other committees have their jurisdiction to weigh in on. that is the process we are involved in. when we're finished, it will go to the floor. >> there are bipartisan discussions in the senate about an idea of looking at creating a privately run cooperatives instead of a public auction. i was wondering what you think of the concept. is it something you might be able to -- >> i think that members have been very clear about what their concerns might be about a public auction. i agree. it should be sound, it should be an administratively self- sufficient . it should be a real competitor with the private sector and not have an unfair vantage. when you say the words public auction, if that is the term we are using, you have to say right next to it, level playing field. there is strong support for a public auction in the house and a great respect for the concerns that have been raised within our caucus. we will address them. >> given that it is going to be very complicated for people to

but the commerce department recently reported that pretax profits at u.s. corporations rose from $42.6 billion in the first quarter to $1.3 trillion. the first quarterly increase after six straight declines. were you aware of those numbers? >> no, i wasn't. >> this just came out recently. we do know that profitable companies are more likely to hire than those that are faultering. have you seen this before in the unemployment rates when you have more profitable companies that you will not exactly that same month but you may see more hiring in the future? >> yeah, i'm not sure at the company level but i know on the national numbers you do tend to see the -- during early parts of expansion you do see the profits going up prior to the employment. but the employment does lag a little bit but it almost always goes in that order. >> right. so that -- that that this fact that we've seen some better profitability rates for our companies, which is as i said it is the first -- it's the first quarterly increase after six straight quarter declines. so that's after like a

eastern, they will continue to work on a bill for the commerce and justice departments. live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span. later this morning, rahm emanuel will speak at a meeting of the democratic leadership council where he will discuss the obama administration's agenda in it healthcare. we will have live coverage on c- span2 beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. >> online you can look for our redesigned web site for "book tv." it has a redesign is -- a redesigned search function. you can look for it today. .

something from the commerce department says that the demand for durable groupgoods rose onet 8% last month, better than expected. guest: durable-goods are washing machines, cars, things expected to last three years or longer. it is a barometer for the manufacturing sector. if those are good in means manufacturers will have to start up factories. it has been a bleak few months. not only long-term issues with losing jobs to overseas competitors, but also given the weak demand in the united states. people have held off on major purchases. so if there is an uptick there we might see a rebound in manufacturing. if they buy more raw materials the entire cycle of the economy will get a boost of a little. host: market joins us on the democrat blind from wilmington, delaware. caller: 01 to echo the comments from the jump in from tacoma, washington. like he said, most americans do not know that the federal reserve couperins the currency -- who prince the currency in makes monetary policy is a private entity made of several banks. it is the largest. am i correct in that it is the largest entity