King snake enters gopher burrow at night, Florida (Core Number: NBRY047S)

10:00 a.m. - HOUSE FLOOR DEBATE: The House meets at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. One Minutes // H.R. 1994 - VA Accountability Act of 2015 (Structured Rule) (Rep. Miller (FL) / Veterans' Affairs) // The Rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments: Benishek / Sinema Amendment (10 minutes); Takano Amendment (20 minutes) // H.R. 3236 - Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 (Closed Rule, One Hour of Debate) (Rep. Shuster / Transportation and Infrastructure / Ways and Means / Veterans' Affairs) // Postponed Suspension Vote: H.R. 1300 - First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, as amended (Rep. King (NY) / Homeland Security) 10:00:16THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. THE CLERK:. the speaker's room, washington, d.c., july 29, 2015. i hereby appoint the honorable 10:00:38charles j. fleischmann to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the 10:00:54chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip 10:01:09limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a.m. 10:01:30the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. Blumenauer (D-OR):congress is side stepping the transportation funding issue for the 45th time for the short-term extension, this one until the end of october. no nation has become great 10:01:45building its infrastructure three months, eight months, 10 months at a time. this is a symbol of the failure of congress to deal meaningfully with a need to rebuild and renew america. our country is falling apart 10:02:01when we're falling behind. the united states had the finest infrastructure in the world. well, those days have long since passed. by any objective measure, we're now down about 25th in the world. and we continue to follow 10:02:16further. this damage has consequences for americans every single day. the average damage to a car is over $500 a year in maintenance due to poor road conditions. more than $125 billion a year 10:02:34to the economy with congestion being stuck in traffic. because of poor road conditions, infrastructure failures and an inability to keep pace with growth, there are people being killed and injured every day across 10:02:50america. it doesn't have to be this way. the failure to get a six-year re-authorization, which we haven't had since 1998, is due to one simple fact. congress is still trying to pay for 2015 infrastructure with 10:03:081993 dollars. the solution is simple. over three dozen members of congress have co-sponsored legislation to raise the gas tax for the first time in 22 years. legislation that is supported 10:03:23by the u.s. chamber of commerce, afl-cio, local government, transit, environmentalists, contractors. the largest collection of groups supporting any major issue before congress. it's a solution that was 10:03:39advocated by president ronald reagan when he led the effort in his administration to raise the gas tax 125%. it's a solution thates that been embraced by six red republican -- that has been 10:03:54embraced by six red republican states already this year. the latest failure to slide into the end of october is our salvation. i lobbied president obama to call for an end to this 10:04:10charade. every year the president has offered and approach from his perspective. i would urge the congress and all of us to draw one final red line. this october 31 deadline ought to be it. let congress stew, let things 10:04:26grind to a halt if we don't do our job. the gas tax legislation's already written and can be approved if the ways and means committee and the senate finance committee would deal with it for a week. it's a simple, one-page bill. 10:04:42it is not necessary to tie ourselves in knots, and then if we give a number to the authorizing committee, in a matter of weeks they can develop that six-year bill that would make such a difference. 10:04:57we could meet the president's deadline, have this done once and for all, put hundreds of thousands of people to work at family wage jobs all across the country, improving the quality of life, making our communities more livable, our families 10:05:13safer, healthier and more safer, healthier and more 10:05:17economically secure and stop playing with gimmicks that highlight our dysfunction. let's prove to the american public and more important to us that we can actually function the way things were designed using a user fee perfectly 10:05:31atuned to road needs that have served us well for over half a century. please, mr. president, why don't you call an end to this charade? give congress three more months to do our job. it doesn't need any more. 10:05:47we operate from cliff to crisis. deadlines are simply in our alarm clock to get started. well, this particular alarm clock could start ticking time if you're calling a halt to our continued irresponsibility. 10:06:02THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL):thank you, mr. speaker. a bad deal is a bad deal under 10:06:19a republican president or a democratic president, and this iran nuclear deal is a bad deal because we have seen this movie before. we know how it ends. i have repeatedly stated that iran has been following the north korean playbook on 10:06:34exactly how to extract concessions from the united states and the international community while simultaneously continuing to improve its nuclear program, expand its infrastructure and support its 10:06:50illicit activities. many analysts have made the same observations including allen in a jerusalem post article last week. it's not just how the process unfolded and how the international community fell for the tricks of the roads of 10:07:05the regime that is so scary because iran saw north korea as having been the victors in the battle over its nuclear program so naturally it would want to replicate that. but it is alarming and striking just how similar the rhetoric 10:07:21is between president clinton's announcement of a nuclear agreement with north korea and president obama's announcement of a nuclear agreement with iran. let's look at the similarities that he noted between president clinton's remarks in 1994 and 10:07:38president obama's from earlier this month. then, mr. speaker, it will be easy to understand why so many of us oppose this nuclear deal. in 1994, president clinton said that the north korea agreement will make the u.s., the korean 10:07:53peninsula and the world safer. earlier this month, president obama said that this deal will bring about change that makes the u.s. and the world safer and more secure. in 1994, president clinton assured the world that the north korea deal, quote, does 10:08:08not rely on trust, compliance will be certified by the international atomic energy agency, end quote. last week, president obama proclaimed, quote, this deal is not built on trust. it's built on verification, end 10:08:23quote. president clinton predicted, as now we are painfully aware inaccurately, that the north korea agreement would be, quote, a crucial step toward drawing north korea into the global community, end quote. and predicted the end of the rogue regime's isolation. 10:08:40similarly, last week's statements poses that the iran deal, quote, offers an opportunity to move in a new direction, end quote, because we have taken a different path that, quote, leads to more integration into the global 10:08:55economy, more engagement with the international community and the ability of the iranian people to prosper and thrive, end quote. hmm. and of course, there was the spurious promise to an ally to 10:09:11assuage them that we wouldn't put them in jeopardy. first, we were told we would protect south korea. now, president obama knowing that israel vehemently objects to this deal and feels this 10:09:26gives iran an threat to its existence and a regime that has promised to wipe the jewish state off the map, the ultimate weapon to achieve its goals promises to, quote, continue our effort to strengthen 10:09:41israel's security, efforts that go beyond what any american administration has done before, end quote. not only are they empty words, mr. speaker, they are not to boot. 10:09:56one of the most significant flaws is it failed to dismantle any of north korea's nuclear infrastructure. the deal, as was designed merely to delay the north korean bomb, not prevent it, and that is what this nuclear deal with iran is designed to do. 10:10:12we saw what happened with north korea and we can be sure that iran plans to iran plans to 10:10:17the totality of this deal hinges on a bet by the administration and the rest of the p-5 plus one that the iranian regime will see the error of its ways and wants to be part of the global community and fore sake its support for 10:10:33terror and -- forsake its support for terror and other illicit behavior. that's a gamble to play with national security and it's not a gamble that i or anyone should be willing to take and that's why, mr. speaker, we should reject this deal and demand a better deal or else 10:10:51reimpose the sanctions and use the only thing, the only tactic that iran understands, strength to force it to abandon its nuclear ambitions. thank you, mr. speaker, for the time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman 10:11:06from illinois, mr. gutierrez, for five minutes. Gutierrez (D-IL):yesterday, i spoke about puerto rico's debt crisis and how there must be a sense of urgency because without action bondholders will 10:11:21be pay but teachers, cops and nurses won't. i want to continue today make two points. let's not let the bondholders bleed puerto rico at a discount. number two, let's work together what unites us, not what divides us. because the only way we will make any progress is if the 10:11:37people of puerto rico will come together and make a plan and demand that the united states will work with puerto rico on puerto rico's plan. without consistent pressure from puerto rico, washington will do nothing, as both the administration and the congress are content to let the bondholders on wall street call 10:11:53the tune. we all know washington should start with h.r. 870, the bankruptcy bill. it is simply a bill that will allow puerto rico to declare bankruptcy and restructure its debt within the u.s. legal system. this would allow an orderly and 10:12:08fair restructure of the debt in a court of law. it is an important step but will not solve all of puerto rico's problems. what puerto rico should do right now is demand to know what wall street vullchur 10:12:23capitalists are reporting for bonds. we're told they're selling 15 cents to 20 cents on the dollar yet the bondholders want a full dollar on the interest. they need to pay for the price and should disclose this 10:12:39amount. just as a congressman does in this congress every time we make an investment. then, puerto rico can service its debt based on what was paid to buy the debt. i came here to protect people, not the profits of billionaires on wall street. secondly and most importantly, 10:12:56for the time being, we must set aside politics and get away from the smokescreen of the status issue in puerto rico. whether puerto rico should be a state, an independent nation or remain a commonwealth cannot be the priority right now before 10:13:11this congress. if everyone leaves puerto rico, and they're leaving by 5,000 a month, it will not matter what kind of government is left behind. mr. speaker, nobody should use the current debt crisis as an opportunity to score political 10:13:26points for their party. at a time when the people of puerto rico must be clear, precise and unified, the status issue divides puerto ricans. i read in "the new york times" the argument of the resident commissioner of the statehood party that the only solution to puerto rico's problems is to 10:13:41make it a state. really? that is going to solve the debt crisis? the power crisis? the public employees pension gap crisis? the medicare advantage budget crisis? we should be working together 10:13:56to figure out how puerto rico is going to pay teachers and honor their pensions. how we will make sure health care is delivered to all and bridges do not collapse. a statehood bill is not going to create housing, create jobs or heal a sick child. 10:14:12when members of congress ask me about puerto rico, they ask me which is it, is it statehood, do you want a bankruptcy bill, do you want more medicaid? we have to prioritize. we have to be clear and put aside the status issue. please, we need to work 10:14:29together. and i'd like to use my remaining minute to restate my call to action in spanish. [speaking spanish] 10:15:18[no caption text available] 10:16:23thank you, and i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman will provide a translation of his remarks. the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding, for five minutes. 10:16:41Holding (R-NC):thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize an outstanding family business in my home state of north carolina. when southern piping company opened in 1965, it had two employees and a loan from the small business administration. the two employees were peggy and 10:16:58her husband. who was one of the first licensed mechanical contractors in north carolina. s.p.c., a classic family business with all three of peggy and buren's sons, continue to lead the company. since 1965 the s.p.c. family 10:17:17have weathered recessions, hard times, and over the years through good old-fashioned hard work, they have grown. starting with one office in wilson, s.p.c. has expanded their plumbing, heating, and air conditioning business to four 10:17:32offices statewide, and their trucks are a familiar sight on the roads across north carolina. the biggest story is the family they built through s.p.c. today providing jobs to 450 people. when it came to building the 10:17:50company, buren always had a commonsense philosophy. he said, successful companies look for like-minded people to do business with. and today southern piping company is adopting a new name, s.p.c. mechanical. to more accurately describe its 10:18:05growth and success. the family still practices the old-fashioned principles of integrity, safety, and giving back to their community. for example, by offering young employees scholarships to attend a nearby 10:18:24college. they have now been in business for 50 years. it is my pleasure today to recognize the accomplishments of peggy and buren. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the 10:18:39gentleman from texas, mr. hinojosa, for five minutes. Hinojosa (D-TX):mr. speaker, i'd like to address the house for five minutes. request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in the congressional record. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:without objection. Hinojosa (D-TX):mr. speaker, i am 10:19:13proud to rise -- to recognize my long time chief of staff, connie jane humphrey, who is retiring after a long and distinguished career on capitol hill. it is an honor and a privilege to mr. speaker, recognize connis of service and achievements. she has proven herself as a talented and dedicated public 10:19:28servant who has made innumerable contributions in the service of my constituents, residing in texas' 15th congressional district along the rio grande valley. connie has compiled a long list 10:19:44of accomplishments throughout her career and as a senior member of my staff. she has earned an impeccable reputation on capitol hill among her peers and my colleagues in the texas congressional 10:20:00delegation with whom she has worked very closely in support of our mutual objectives for our great state of texas. connie brought an array of talents and experience as my chief of staff. she has a thorough understanding 10:20:16of federal policy, particularly in the areas 10:20:19in the areas of health care, education, transportation, the environment, and on women's issues. she is fluent in many other policy areas important to mire -- my constituents in the valley 10:20:32as she has been an invaluable source of guidance and counsel during my appointments on the house education and work force as well as on the financial services committees. connie approaches her position 10:20:48as the leader of my office with a training and detail oriented scruteniff an attorney who graduated from the university of maryland. and with the policy expertise of a congressional aide who served a staff 10:21:05leadership positions for nearly three decades. she was instrumental in helping me lead the work force innovation and opportunity act of 2010, which is aiding organizations like work force solutions based in mcallen, 10:21:21texas, and is committed to the success of the employers and work force of the rio grande valley. by matching them with skilled productive employees and upgrading the skills of their current work force. connie has been particularly 10:21:38effective in helping me address urgent needs in deep south texas. latino students aspiring to attain the dream of a college education are that much closer to realizing their hopes. 10:21:53thanks to connie's involvement resulting in passage of the higher education opportunity act and the student loan and health care wreck sellation bill of 2010. -- health care and reconciliation bill of 2010. 10:22:13particularly for latino and minority serving higher education institutions in our contry. this crew -- country. this crucial legislation also created an unprecedented health care system that complements the patient protection and affordable care act of 2010 that 10:22:30connie also played a major role in helping shepherd through the education and work force committee, and that is now providing millions of americans with affordable health care who previously had no coverage. 10:22:46mr. speaker, it's -- it is with much more than coincidence that the high school graduation rate in my congressional district has accelerated from 55% to 85% during connie's tenure as my 10:23:02chief of staff. this sharp increase has lifted up a generation of young latinos who are making significant contributions to our communities and regional economy, and it's a direct result of connie's 10:23:18advocacy and leadership contributing to the passage of each of these four aforeaforementioned bills. she's public laws constitute my collection of legislation in my congressional office that i was 10:23:34very proud to pass as either chairman or ranking member of the higher education and work force training subcommittee with connie at the helm of my office. i thank connie for her tireless 10:23:49efforts to take two new land international bridges design to stimulate commercial activity, economic growth and in the rio grande vally. her intimate knowledge of the transportation policy was a key element in the process culminating in the approval of 10:24:05presidential permits that paved the way to open the donna rio bravo and saduas international bridges. similarly she was instrumental in securing $300 million in federal investments for flood 10:24:21relief levee improvements along the texas and mexican borders. we still remember the impact of hurricane dolly in 2008 that brought between a foot and 15 inches of rain to the valley. hurricane ike followed shortly 10:24:47thereafter with storm surges as high as 20 feet and cost almost $20 billion in -- caused almost $20 billion in damages. my district would have been more highly susceptible to damage and our residents even more imperiled if the levees were breached by a hurricane or heavy rains without her assistance. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman's time has expired. 10:25:03Hinojosa (D-TX):property was spared during the landful in 2010 when the rio grande river crested to a record of 59 feet and in the wake of economic crisis, connie led my team in preparing our communities to apply for assistance that ultimately received o ultimately received over 10:25:19ultimately received over half a billion dollars for the county alone under the arra. mr. speaker, i am saddened to lose connie as a trusted and beloved member of my staff, but i am happy for her as she 10:25:36embarks upon a new endeavor as the senior vice president of public and community relations and special counsel of the doctors hospital at renaissance where she will continue to serve my constituents in the unique 10:25:57position to help the hospital deliver and expand the ridge of health care to underserved communities and economically disadvantaged families. i wish to again thank connie for all of her hard work, steadfast commitment to the people of south texas, and for her skillful management of my staff and congressional offices on behalf of the 15th congressional district of texas, i 10:26:14congratulate connie for her excellent service and for a job very well-done. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. costello, for five minutes. Costello (R-PA):mr. speaker, this 10:26:30past sunday was a special and historic day. it marked 25 years since the americans with disabilities act was signed into law. the a.d.a. has had a profound impact on our country and its citizens. it speaks to the best about our 10:26:47country. forming a more perfect union it aims to provide equal opportunity for those who have a disability. this anniversary, i feel, allows us to reflect on something that unites us. that is, it's estimated that one 10:27:03in five americans is living with a disability. disabilities affect individuals in every congressional district in this country, in every state, in every neighborhood. it touches the lives of everyone. race, gender, income, no 10:27:22demographic is exempt from disability. this law provides hope for those who have a disability and offers promise that opportunities exist for self-fulfillment. on both a philosophical and practical level, it stands for 10:27:38the proposition that providing reasonable accommodation to those with a disability is how a civil society addresses an imbalance born through no fault of the individual. the law and its legislative regulatory and judicial progeny 10:27:54enables us to address issues such as public transportation, housing, education, social services in a more thoughtful, proactive, effective, and humane way. and while there is no doubt that 10:28:10substantial progress has been made, i am not here on the house floor to say that our work is done. because it isn't. but thanks to the law, about 50 million americans have been helped. and that doesn't include their 10:28:26families and loved one who is can point to how laws do matter and can make a positive impact. so let's focus on the challenges that we still confront that relate to access and opportunity. on holding up the standard of 10:28:41self-sufficiency for individuals with a disability and looking at how public policy can be shaped to help achieve this standard for disabled americans. and the crux is often that time between ending in the classroom and looking for employment 10:28:57opportunity. just yesterday i met with abilities in motion, an organization in my district that provides outstanding services to individuals and families in burks county. during our discussion, i heard from individuals and parents 10:29:13through grit and determination were able and are able to navigate the complex maze of programs and services and funding streams to coordinate caregivers, transportation, and employment in the post academic 10:29:29world. let's focus on streamlining and better integrating these programs and funding streams. and let's focus on encouraging job opportunities for disabled individuals who want to work and build a meaningful career. let's also focus on improving 10:29:45transportation options so that individuals who want to work are able to get to work without difficulty. let's continue to set forth and advance good policy like the able act from last congress which will encourage individuals and families to save tax-free 10:30:02dollars to help finance the cost associated with disabilities. i'm grateful for the tireless work of abilities in motion and other organizations that serve families and individuals in my district such as the national federation of the blind, the arc 10:30:17alliance, the disability rights network, an network, and pennsylvan 10:30:20statewide independent living council. these organizations, their employees, and volunteers workday in and day out to improve everyday lives. . let's also thank the families who sacrificed for their loved 10:30:37ones who have a disability. and let's recognize the courage and the hard work that those who have a disability endure every day to become 10:30:52self-sufficient. it really speaks to what's great about this country. everyone out there who suffers from a disability and wakes up every day with optimism and purpose, you are to be commended. you are the american success story. mr. speaker, over the past 25 10:31:09years, the a.d.a. has increased accessibility and empowered millions of americans with disabilities. it's important to acknowledge the progress, but it's also important to recognize that there are still challenges that we should address from a public 10:31:24policy perspective. we must continue our efforts in a bipartisan manner to advance policy that keeps us a step ahead, that meets the needs of disability americans today and tomorrow. i yield back the remainder of 10:31:39my time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, for five minutes. Norton (D-DC):mr. speaker, work on the nation's bridges, highways and transit has all but stopped because of 34 patch 10:31:58extensions that keep everything except patchwork on hold. today, the house is rushing out of town early, leaving a new three-month patch. this time, though, the 10:32:14republican house is scrambling out of the capitol literally getting away from the republican senate which had been trying for a six-year bill. the republican house my way or the highway was addressed to 10:32:29the republican senate and the public itself be damned and it worked. the republican senate has given up on the nation's infrastructure too. 10:32:44the republican senate announced this morning they will accept the house's three-month patch. six months of control of the house and senate by the republicans has made congress 10:33:02even more dysfunctional. the house -- the new house's three-month patch has nothing to do with roads and bridges. who knows what will get done? 10:33:18house republicans see political goals at the end of their three-month road when the must-pass highway bill can serve purposes such as the usual dangerous dispute over 10:33:36extension of the debt ceiling. yet, republican and democratic states alike keep continuing to -- keep continuing their part of the state-federal partnership. 18 states and the district of 10:33:51columbia have raised their gas user fee, going as high as 10 cents increase in iowa and in wyoming, but the roads, bridges and transit remains stalled 10:34:09because the federal partner keeps dropping out. more than half of funds for a nationwide system that connects states with one another comes from the federal trust fund. 10:34:25during the 34 patched delays, not a lick of work on a final bill has been done except the senate's current try at a six-year bill. no serious talks here on alternatives to the gas user 10:34:40fee, although it long ago was swallowed by fuel efficiency that leaves the transit trust fund thirsty for refill after a year and a half or so. democrats have offered four 10:34:58alternatives to the current user fee that is the legacy of the eisenhower years. the republicans have offered none. congress has refused to raise the federal user fee since 10:35:131992, adding to the woes of the 1950 method we use to pay for ou our 10:35:21our roads. the republican house runs out of town today to hide from the republican senate. as they run home, i can only hope they run into the arms of their own angry constituents on 10:35:36their own rickety roads. house republicans can run, but they can't hide from their own broken down bridges, roads and transit back home. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the 10:35:51gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr. hardy, for five minutes. Hardy (R-NV):mr. speaker, i rise today in order to address a 10:36:07concern that anyone who has ever owned or run a business truly understands, the negative effects on unchecked government regulations in our american economy. no matter how large or small the federal regulations are being added each day into law 10:36:22by hundreds and even sometimes by thousands. most of which are not directly approved by congress. by allowing washington bureaucrats to continue to stuff the overwhelming amount of regulations into the connolly passed legislation, we 10:36:37are essentially handing over the authority to the federal agencies to legislate as they please. it is our -- into the congressly passed legislation, we are essentially handing over the authority to the federal agencies to legislate as they please. 10:36:53we need to tell our constituents they are not left behind. during this congress, we made great stride in reforming a regulation process in order to help the economy grow. a great example of that occurred yesterday with the passage of the reins act. 10:37:09there should be no question that any regulation that makes an annual impact of $100 million on the economy should require congressional approval before it could become law. as my colleagues are aware, a copy of the day's federal 10:37:27register is delivered to each of our offices daily. this book provides a hard copy of every new regulation that ranges from environmental protection to labor standards to health guidelines to restrictions on financial institutions. 10:37:42last year the federal register contained over 77,000 pages with 3,554 new regulations. even though this large number of pages is absurd, it's only 10:37:58the sixth highest page count in the federal register's history. as of this morning, the 2015 federal register sits at over 45,000 pages. it is unthinkable to me that the most important document, 10:38:14the constitution, can fit in 39 pages in this little book. in comparison to the july 13th edings of the federal register -- edition of the federal register, that's 627 pages, and 10:38:30only one of three editions from that day alone. mr. speaker, when is enough enough? and when does it become too much? the continual expans of our government, though a vast amount of regulations causes 10:38:46our economy to be shaky and unstable as the stacks of the federal registers stacked in my office from this year, which is unacceptable and very concerning. and even larger issue comes from how the general public is 10:39:02made aware of these proposed rules and the opportunity to voice their concerns on the rules. while we are provided with a daily index of rules and new regulations through the federal register, the american taxpayer, whom we work for, are 10:39:18left in the dark. these regulations do not take into account the economic impact that is placed on the american businesses and the families. each new regulation can lead to higher prices for goods, lower wages and job losses. 10:39:34in 2014, the federal regulations cost the american family an estimated $1.88 trillion in the yearly financial burden, representing roughly $15,000 per household. 10:39:49this cost is larger than the economy of canada, larger than the economy of mexico, larger than the economies of australia, russia, spain and south korea, just to name a few. in fact, the economy of nine nations in this world are 10:40:05larger than the cost of our regulations. although all size businesses in the industry feel the effects of regulations, it is small businesses that feel this due to the cost 10:40:21to the cost to comply. limited comment periods and the lack of information pertaining to how they make their opinions heard, business owners are usually those left out in the cold. i ask my colleagues to join me 10:40:35in demanding more transparency in the regulatory and rulemaking process because it is our duty to our constituents and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the 10:40:51gentleman from florida, mr. grayson, for five minutes. Grayson (D-FL):thank you. 50 years ago this week president lyndon johnson signed a law that created medicare and 10:41:06medicaid, the most important health care programs in our country's history prior to the affordable care act. with one stroke of his pen, president johnson guaranteed both poor americans and older americans the right to 10:41:22high-quality, affordable medical treatment. thanks to medicare, for 50 years now our seniors received the health care they needed to stay healthy and to live a full life. but despite the success, there are gaps in medicare coverage 10:41:38that need to be closed. the most glaring gap is the fact that medicare does not provide basic medical coverage for seniors' eyes, ears and teeth. it's as though medicare assumes that seniors don't need to see or to hear or to chew. 10:41:54we're not talking about exotic, high-tech treatments. we mean no medicare coverage for eyeglasses, eye examines, cavity fillings or dentures. we're talking about no 10:42:11procedures that leads to lost teeth, gum disease which is strongly linked to heart disease. it's unthinkable we deny our seniors this elementary level of care. there are 2.7 million seniors 10:42:26in america who are blind. how many of them would be able to see today if they'd receive a simple annual eye exam as part of their medicare coverage? medicare is a promise that we make to ourselves, the young, 10:42:41the old, one generation to the next. the promise is after you reach your 65th birthday your medical needs will be met. to keep that promise, our seniors have paid into the 10:42:57system for half a century, in some cases, before they receive a single earned benefit. they deserve the best care we can provide to them. this week to honor the 50th anniversary of this life-saving program we call medicare, i'm introducing the seniors have 10:43:13eyes, ears and teeth act. this bill will amend title 18, the medicare provision of the social security act, to repeal the arbitrary exclusion from medicare coverage of eyeglasses, eye exams, hearing 10:43:31aids, dental care. two short lines in the u.s. code have barred that coverage for 50 years. i simply delete those lines. i urge my congressional colleagues to enact this quick, easy and necessary reform. 10:43:47medicare should provide health coverage for every part of your body, including eyes, ears and teeth. over 50 million americans enjoy medicare coverage. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of medicare, let's 10:44:02guarantee to 50 million americans the health care that they need to look into the eyes of the ones they love, to see our fourth of july fireworks each year and to hear it when freedom rings. thank you. i yield. 10:44:17THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen, for five minutes. Paulsen (R-MN):thank you, mr. speaker. earlier this summer, democrats and republicans came together to pass a trade authorization 10:44:32bill that set the standards for any trade deal that the united states negotiates with other countries. it guarantees oversight by congress. it guarantees transparency for the public, and it guarantees that our negotiators have the opportunity to get the best deal for our workers, our 10:44:49farmers, our ranchers and our employers. this week trade negotiators from 12 different countries around the pacific rim are meeting in hawaii for negotiations for the trans-pacific partnership. it's a deal that will open doors for american businesses to sell their products overseas 10:45:05and create jobs right here at home. the fact of the matter is this. 95% of the world's consumers live outside of the united states. 80% of the world's purchasing power is outside of the united states. we need to allow our american companies to compete and to be 10:45:21able to sell their p able to sell their products an 10:45:22able to sell their products and goods and services or we will fall behind. . this will acts a counter weight to china. if the united states doesn't 10:45:36write the rules for the global economy, china will write them and it won't be to the been fit of american workers and businesses. mr. speaker, while congress and the americans, people should and will vet any deal that results from the current transpacific 10:45:52partnership negotiations, it is important to understand what a successful agreement will mean here at home. for starters, it means boosting pay and higher wages. that's because jobs that rely on trade pay 18% higher than those jobs that don't. it also means boosting job growth right here in america. 10:46:08that's because one in five jobs are tied to trade. in minnesota, 775,000 jobs are currently supported by trade and new trade with asia will enhance and support that opportunity to build on new success. it also means boosting our 10:46:25country's small, medium sized businesses. in minnesota, 90% of these small businesses are the companies that export goods and services. that being said, there's still work that needs to be done by our negotiators to make sure they reach an agreement that is the best for the american 10:46:40people. we need cooperation from the other countries that are involved in these negotiations. canada needs to step up to put -- to the plate on tariff and quota issues dealing with their dairy and egg industries. japan needs to step up on agriculture issues. progress still needs to be made 10:46:57to ensure the american intellectual property is protected. however, with commitment from our trading partners, i am confident that we can overcome these remaining hurdles. mr. speaker, we need trade deals where everyone benefits and everyone follows the rules. we live in an interconnected 10:47:15world we should be embracing opportunities that open more markets for american goods and services. it's time to show the world that america will continue to lead the way in the 21st century global economy. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the the 10:47:32gentlewoman from florida, ms. wilson, for five minutes. Wilson, F. (D-FL):mr. chair, i rise 10:47:48today with a heavy heart and i'm deeply saddened by the death of norme miami-dade county police director, robert parker. i extend my sincerest sympathies to his 10:48:05family at this difficult time. he was a friend and true humanitarianian. throughout his career in law enforcement with the miami-dade county police department, he was committed to making south florida a safe place to work, live, and to visit. 10:48:20he was well respected and celebrated. and he fought to create opportunities for men and women of color. as a long time mentor and leader of the 5,000 low models of 10:48:35excellence project, he worked closely with me to save at-risk minority boys and young men. his impact is evidenced by the thousands of success stories of role model boys who under his mentorship have gone on to 10:48:52college and thriving careers. the 5,000 role models of excellence project in south florida owe to director parker a huge debt of gratitude. director parker testified before congress on behalf of violence 10:49:09in black communities. he testified before congress about the tragic death of trayvon martin. he went on to be featured on cnn, msnbc, and all of our local tv shows. because of his knowledge, he went on to serve as a consultant 10:49:25for cities all over this country. our boys in our community were so very, very proud of this wonderful role model. director parker adored his family, his sweet, sweet grandchildren, his daughter, his 10:49:44son, his son and devoted wife, the love of his life. our great nation has lost a patriot who lived to embody the principles of equality, justice, and freedom upon which america is founded. to fully understand our loss, 10:50:00you must first understand the treasure that we all shared in director parker. director parker showed that by the caring nature growing up as a child in the rural community of monticello, florida. he bravely served in the united 10:50:16states army. he joined the miami police department in 1976 and it was s 10:50:23still known as the dade county police safety department. he was a bright and egger young officer who wanted to make his community safer. director parker was an officer's officer. he worked hard, he made great 10:50:38sacrifices for his career throughout the love and support of his family. he enjoyed a storied rise up the ladder of police leadership baufs his determination to solve crimes. he was affectionately called bobby by his friends and 10:50:53colleagues, but he was also nicknamed, marathon man. he nameously earned that name by giving a foot chase to catch one of the most notorious deeds in miami-dade county history. the suspect had consistently 10:51:09eluded capture of -- because he was too crafty and fast for most officers, but not too fast for robert parker. his determination is what set him apart from others. he did not view his responsibility to his community 10:51:25as an adjective, something that was hard or tedious. however he saw it as a verb. it was something that he had to do. he was never concerned about the spotlight or awards, but his dutiful and bravey it almost 10:51:43impossible to deny him wreck nation. his service to south florida and our nation had an underlying theme that permanent nated everything -- permeated everything he did, his love of his community. he understood the best police officers are not the police that 10:52:00wore the badges, but the people who paid the mortgages who sent their children to school, and who worked hard to build their community. residents were always quick to admire the notion of no snitching and gave director parker information that solved 10:52:17crimes. his sense of community and respect eventually led to his promotion to director of the miami-dade department in 2004. his appointment was historic. by his being the very first 10:52:33african-american to hold that post and he opened the door for many others to follow. dade county has the largest police force in the southeast united states, leading over 4 10:52:48,700 sworn and civilian employees. as director, he worked to create a more diverse agency and create opportunities for minorities and women. he was an exemplary leader and even earned the respect of the police union. he retired in 2009 after 33 10:53:08years. his absence will create a huge void. mr. speaker, america has lost an iconic law enforcement, his legacy will live in the hearts of all of us forever. 10:53:24i ask that these remarks be entered into the official congressional record. they will then be permanently placed in the library of congress. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentlewoman yields back. the chair will receive a message. THE MESSENGER:mr. speaker, a message from the senate. 10:53:39THE SECRETARY:mr. speaker. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:madam secretary. THE SECRETARY:i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 614, cited as the federal proper payments coordination act of 2015, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. 10:54:04some the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. Thompson, G. (R-PA):thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, responsible use and recycle of coal ash has the ability to reduce waste, provide construction materials, and keep utility costs low. 10:54:19this past april the e.p.a. released yet another rule aimed at coal by mandating new standards for the disposal of storage of coal combustion residuals. 10:54:35as a result of this proposal, the house considered and passed h.r. 1734, the improving coal combustion residuals regulation act of 2015. this legislation codifies the final proposal rule while giving flexibility to the states to implement. specifically, h.r. 1734 will allow states to create and 10:54:54enforce their own coal ash recycling permit programs. it also sets up enforceable state permit programs while utilizing the e.p.a.'s minimum requirements that will protect jobs. states also have the option to make their requirements more stringent than the e.p.a.'s 10:55:09final rule if they choose. i strongly support and was happy to vote for h.r. 1734 and the responsible use of coal and coal ash. 10:55:23mr. speaker, recently i visited the research natural area of the allegheny national forest. this old growth area is home to many 600-year-old hemlock trees. during this visit i spoke with 10:55:39forestry individuals to combat the invasive insect to one of these trees. mr. speaker, many states are involved in the efforts to fight this bug which originated in 10:55:55japan. it can kill hemlocks within a few years after they become infested. 2012, i teamed with federal researchers and those from my alma mater, penn state university, in a forum i hosted to discuss efforts to save our state tree, the eastern hemlock. 10:56:10as chairman of the conservation forestry subcommittee, i'm proud pennsylvania is among those leading the way in fighting this disease and protecting our forests and the economic stimulus these forests provide, both through timber and tourism. 10:56:26making sure that these magnificent trees have stood for centuries will stand tall for future generations. mr. speaker, on sunday, july 26, we marked the 25th anniversary of the americans with disabilities act. 10:56:41the passage of this landmark legislation signified a commitment to eliminating barriers faced by millions of individuals with differing levels of disability. it required businesses, buildings, transportation, and other services to accommodate those living with disabilities 10:56:57and guaranteed equal opportunities for workers with disabilities. 25 years later, as a parent, we have made tremendous strides in upholding the intent of this vastly important civil rights law. today countless americans are empowered to shape their own lives and plan their own futures 10:57:12as they experience their daily obstacles decreasing over time. now, while we have so much to celebrate, there's always more progress to be made. this congress i introduced the special needs trust fairness act with the goal of eliminating a 10:57:27current prohibition on a person with a disability to create his or own special needs trust. this long overdue legislative fix was recently passed by the senate finance committee, and i'm committed to working with my 10:57:43colleagues to guide this and similar measures through the legislative processes here in the house. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. sanchez, for five minutes. Sanchez, Loretta (D-CA):thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, we are on a 10:57:59dangerous path. first, my republican colleagues pulled two critical appropriation bills from the floor simply because their party cannot come to an agreement on a flag that represents a very dark 10:58:14time in our nation's history. second, my colleagues across the aisle rather than focusing their energy on passing comprehensive immigration reform passed a poisonous anti-immigrant bill in response to an isolated incident 10:58:30in the city of san francisco. pulling money away from our law enforcement funding for public safety. then they refused to authorize the export-import bank which 10:58:47helps ensure that americans' businesses can compete with their global competitors. and now the house republicans refuse to come to the table yet again to provide a robust, long-term funding bill for our 10:59:06decaying infrastructure system in america. why do we continue to refuse and cut services that our communities need? the american people need good paying jobs. safe and modern infrastructure 10:59:22and efficient transportation in order to provide a better life for themselves and their families. we need to stop these stopgap extensions. how do we fix a broken bridge or broken highway? 10:59:37two months of highway funding will not do that. in my home state of california, 60% of our roads are in poor or mediocre condition. and moreover, almost 30% of california's bridges have been 10:59:53recognized by the department of transportation as structurally deficient. and just a little bit over a week ago california residents experienced the real life consequences of this statistic 11:00:10when the interstate 10, which connects california and arizona, collapsed. . jurring a resident and shut -- injuring a resident and shuttin shutting 11:00:24shutting down the highway. this is critical for the southwest which is suffering from deficiencies from the drought we have going on. with more than 60,000 bridges throughout the united states in need of drastic repairs, 11:00:39failing to provide americans with a long-term highway bill, we're putting jobs at risk and we're putting our lives at risk. which is why my fellow house democrats have come together to provide a six-year -- a 11:00:55six-year funding bill known as the grow america act. the bill will provide $478 billion over six years so that states and local municipalities can address critical infrastructure needs. 11:01:10this commonsense legislation would help pay for the investments by ending an unfair tax loophole and limiting corporate inversions, meaning that big corporations, when they're renouncing their united 11:01:27states citizenship, they do that in order to avoid paying taxes. let's use that money for transportation investments here in america. investing in local public 11:01:44transportation projects not only helps to improve our traffic flow but it also helps create good jobs. as we look for ways to put our economy back on track, we must be mindful of the services that 11:02:00we provide to the american people. we need to stop slashing and we need to start providing. we need to get away from sequestration and patchwork funding mentality to actually 11:02:16fulfill our duty as public servants in and to the american people. our families and our roads and our economy deserve a highway funding bill that will invest 11:02:31in america's future. it will invest in better infrastructure. it will invest in bigger paychecks for our hardworking families who are trying to make it in america. 11:02:47i yield the balance of my time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. posey, for five minutes. Posey (R-FL):thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today on matters of 11:03:03research and scientific integrity. to begin with, i am absolutely, resolutey pro-vaccine. advancements in medical immunization have saved countless lives and greatly benefited public health. that being said, it's troubling 11:03:20to me that in a recent designate hearing on childhood vaccinations it was never mentioned that our government has paid out over $3 billion through a vaccine injury compensation program for children who have been injured 11:03:35by vaccinations. regardless of the subject matter, parents making decisions about their children's health deserve to have the best information available to them. they should be able to count on federal agencies to tell them 11:03:50the truth. for these reasons, i bring the following matter to the house floor. in august, 2014, dr. william thompson, a senior scientists at the centers for disease control and prevention, worked with a whistleblower attorney to provide my office with 11:04:06documents related to a 2004 c.d.c. study that examined the possibility of a relationships between mumps, measles, rubella and autism. in a statement released in august, 2014, dr. thompson 11:04:22stated, i regret that my co-authors and i omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the journal of pediatrics, end quote. mr. speaker, i respectfully request the following excerpts 11:04:37from the statement written by dr. thompson be entered into the record. now quoting dr. thompson. my primary job duties while working in the immunization safety branch from 2000 to 2006 were to lead or co-lead three major vaccine safety studies. 11:04:53the maddsp, m.m.r., autism cases controlled studies were being carried out in response to the wakefield lancity study that suggested an autism-like health outcome. 11:05:08there were several major concerns between consumer advocates outside the c.d.c. following the execution of the study. one of the important goals that was determined upfront in the spring of 2001 before any of these studies star these studies started was to 11:05:24these studies started was to have all three protocols vetted outside the c.d.c. prior to the start of the analyses so that consumer advocates could not claim that we were presenting analyses that suited our own 11:05:38goals and biases. we hypothesized if we found statistically effects at either 18 or 36-month thresholds, we concluded that vaccines could 11:05:53lead to autism characteristics or liked features. we -- the goal was to not deviate from the analysis plan to avoid the debacle that occurred with the study published in the pediatrics in 11:06:102003. at the september 5 meeting we discussed in detail how to code race for both a sample and the birth certificate sample. at the bottom of table 7, it also shows that for the nonbirth certificate sample, the adjusted race effect 11:06:27statistical significance was huge. all the authors and i met and decided somewhere between august and september 2002 not to report any race effects for the paper. sometime soon after the meeting we decided to exclude reporting 11:06:46any race effects, the co-authors scheduled a meeting to destroy documents related to the study. the remaining four co-authors all met and brought a big garbage can into the meeting room and revuned went through all the hard copy documents that we thought we should 11:07:01discard and put them in a huge garbage can. however, because i assumed it was illegal and would violate both foia and d.o.j. requests, i kept hard copies of my office and i retained all associated computer files. i believe we intentionally 11:07:17withheld controversial findings from the final draft of the pediatrics paper, end of quote of the doctor. mr. speaker, i believe it's our duty to ensure that the documents dr. thompson provided are not ignored. therefore, i will provide them to members of congress and the 11:07:35house committees upon request. considering the nature of the whistleblower's documents as well as the involvement of the c.d.c., a hearing and a thorough investigation is warranted. so i ask, mr. speaker, i beg, i 11:07:51implore my colleagues on the appropriations committees to please, please take such action. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. LaMalfa (R-CA):thank you, mr. speaker. 11:08:09mr. speaker, yesterday the house passed a measure i co-sponsored, h.r. 427, known as the reins act, to end this administration's disregard for the separation of powers. the bill rightly reasserts congress' proper role in writing our nation's laws but 11:08:25requiring that any regulation written with accumulative impact of over $100 million be reviewed and approved by congress before going into effect. instead of the stifling innovation that we've seen the effects of this. 11:08:41too often we've seen this administration attempt to use creative interpretation of the law or aggressive rulemaking that have had a massive negative impact on our states' economy, resulting in higher prices, thousands of dollars per cost additionally per 11:08:57family per year, lower wages, less working hours or complete loss of job opportunities altogether. for example, the proposed waters of the united states regulation would insert the environmental protection agency in local land use planning areas across the nation. 11:09:13do we really need the federal government telling us how to landscape our own back yards? is that even proper? i think not. do we really think the federal government should be regulating man-made ditches along country roads or fields or dry stream beds and puddles which hold 11:09:29water during and immediately after rain storms? or irrigation and draining ditches which wouldn't even exist if not created by water districts and the people involved? what a giant leap of grab of power by the federal government 11:09:44in asserting itself over these private properties via these regulations written by bureaucracies and not overseen by congress directly. in my district, federal bureaucrats are unilaterally decided with no evidence or science that small depressions 11:10:02in fields, placing vast areas of land out of production. despite bipartisan congressional opposition, the administration's moving -- attempting to move forward with this aggressive regulation, waterways of the united states. mr. speaker, the examples this 11:10:18administration's careless decisions, eliminating jobs are almost too numerous to 11:10:25almost too numerous to counsel. in 2014 federal regulations cost our economy $1.88 trillion in higher prices for food, energy and goods, averaging about $14,000 per u.s. household. this price tag is spiked thanks 11:10:40to president obama administration which add nearly 500 new regulations, 184 of those which combined to raise cost to americans about $80 billion. 81 new major regulations per 11:10:55year is the result. mr. speaker, unelected bureaucrats shouldn't be imposing their will on the american people at a cost of billions of dollars each year. this is not the way to stop the difficult head winds our 11:11:11economy faces. indeed, this is causing more economic problems for us to recover from in this nation. it's time for the senate to join the house and send h.r. 427, the reins act, and help 11:11:26with our jobs economy, the boost we all need, that we needed for so long during this last six years. the reins act is needed to rein in out-of-control governments. even the president himself said in his state of the union address january, 2011, he said 11:11:42that to reduce barriers to growth and investment, when we find rules that put unnecessary burden on businesses, we need to fix them. the reins act is that fix. let's get it done. let's get the senate to get it done. mr. speaker, i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the 11:11:57gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes. Jackson Lee, S. (D-TX):i thank the speaker and ask to address the house and to revise and extend. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:without objection. Jackson Lee, S. (D-TX):mr. speaker, thank you very much. it gives me great privilege, first of all, to speak about 11:12:14the first item of interest to america and to many of us, certainly when the president represents the united states of america overseas. i had the privilege of traveling with the president for a most dynamic, unique and 11:12:31historic mission and that was the kenya and ethiopia. let me congratulate him for his stupendous diplomatic success and interaction with a continent that will be the largest populated land area in 11:12:46the 21st century. what an amazing experience to be able to engage with businesses and see the opportunity for economic empowerment and cooperation between the united states and the many nation states of the continent of africa. 11:13:03exciting to see new young business persons seeking an opportunity to work in their countries but work with the united states. eager to work with u.s. businesses, welcoming u.s. investment, creating jobs in africa, creating jobs in america. in particular, an energy or a 11:13:21broadcasting company that had been there for 50 years, creating jobs in the united states, creating jobs in kenya. so let me indicate what a success this story was, along with the regional security issues, a commitment with the african union to stand against 11:13:37boko haram and a commitment to establish civility and peace in south sudan by demanding there be a resolution of this by august 17. not the president standing alone but working with the african union, representing the 11:13:52tens upon tens of african nations. it was a resounding success, and i congratulate the president. as i come home and a member of the judiciary committee, i'm reminded of the tragedy of a young woman who had all of her life before her and that was 11:14:07sandra bland. my commitment still is to offer my appreciation to the law enforcement officers across america, and as we all do respect law and order. but in the instance where there is a tragic result, the death of this young woman, 28 with 11:14:23two undergraduate degrees and a masters degree, her death with the result of malfeasance. and so we must walk together in a respectful manner with law enforcement and civilian. we have done it before. we must do it again. and i believe that it is crucial for the department of 11:14:39justice to take over this investigation on a number of aspects. dealing with law enforcement in the county and certainly the question of this young lady's civil rights. so i ask they look seriously because even though there are 11:14:55alleged good intentions by the local authorities with establishing committees to review this, this is not a regular order. this is not a procedure that works. no one understands how the district attorney, unless he yields to an independent prosecutor, which this district 11:15:10attorney is not, to have a committee of individuals with no authority whatsoever to review this matter, people are in pain, families are in pain and certainly we can do better as law enforcement and civilians working together. . 11:15:26i recognize this is the 50th year of the voting rights act and i join my leadership in celebrating and acknowledging this exciting time when it opened the doors of voting for 11:15:38everyone. one vote, one person. on august 6 i call upon my community in the 18th congressional district in houston to have a voting day. registering people to vote in a nonpartisan manner. bringing them out, celebrating the right to vote where many countries do not have t let's 11:15:53make the voting right authorization, re-authorization the cause of this congress. let's have americans celebrate voting rights. finally, mr. speaker, let me say this, i was in africa, and one of the headlines was the killing of cecil. this beautiful lion that the 11:16:10country was -- nation i was in, were falling to their knees because they believe in wildlife preservation. we enjoy it here in the nation's zoos. we haven't had the privilege of these wonderful animals of giraffes and lions and tigers 11:16:26and a whole array, and to think it was an american who killed this lionly lion, what a disgrace. this individual is a disgrace. this individual had the responsibility for knowing in 11:16:41his guide and procedures of doing this kill for sport. and he lured this animal out of his preservation. america must stand with kenya and ethiopia and other african-americans in -- african 11:16:57nations in showing the outrage and sadly it was a citizen of the united states who was more interested in personal privilege and pleasure than he was in understanding this iconic lion, the last male species of this kind with a black main -- maine and a giant of a personality -- 11:17:13mane and giant of a personality. yet we couldn't find any other joy than killing cecil. i'm saddened by this and america should be saddened as well. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentlelady's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. price, for five minutes. 11:17:30Price, T. (R-GA):thank you, mr. 11:17:47speaker. mr. speaker, sometimes the terrorism that we witness in this day and age is a world away. sometimes it occurs very close to home. two weeks ago terror visited 11:18:06chattanooga, tennessee. in so doing hit home for us in georgia. one of the five service men murdered on july 16 in chattanooga grew up in the sixth district of georgia, graduated from high school in 2012. 11:18:22skip wells was a marine. was a proud marine. a proud american. he was a hero. last week in georgia thousands gathered to honor the life of this patriot, skip wells, who 11:18:38lost his life in the terrorist attack in chattanooga. nothing we say will replace the loss, the heartbreak, the pain and family and friends, those who knew him best, but we can say how much heroes enlighten us 11:18:57and inspire us and strengthen the faith in our nation and in our own lives. skip wells is a hero. it's been said that a hero is someone who has given his life to something bigger than one's 11:19:13self. that's precisely what skip did. his closest friends said that skip wells felt called to serve, to protect. when asked why skip joined the marines, a friend of skip's told 11:19:29folks simply that skip just loved his country. he knew that freedom isn't free. he knew that liberty requires sacrifice. and what an inspiration his dedication and his heroism is for all of us. 11:19:47chesterton said that the true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him but because he loves what is behind him. skip wells loved his family, he loved his friends, he loved the 11:20:02marines, oh how he loved the marines. he loved his country. his death in the service of this great nation places him in the ranks of those with the greatest of valor. so on behalf of all who 11:20:17represent this nation, we send our deepest and heartfelt thanks and sympathy to skip's family and his friends on their 11:20:26loss. and we all, every single american, mourn for those who make the ultimate sacrifice for this great land. the bible says, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. 11:20:41and in its broadest sense this verse is so very, very true. in the book of john, we read that greater love at-no one than this than -- hath no one than this than lay down his life for 11:20:58his friends. to his mom, his friends and family, you may be very, very proud of skip and his ultimate sacrifice that he gave to our contry. may god's grace comfort you in this difficult time. please know that a grateful nation loves you and mourns with 11:21:14you and may we never, ever, ever forget skip wells and the great men and women who stand in harm's way every single day and protect this, the greatest nation on earth. may god bless us all and may he 11:21:31continue to bless the united states of america. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. curbelo, for five minutes. Curbelo (R-FL):mr. speaker, i rise 11:21:50today with a heavy heart to recognize the 24th of august as the 23rd anniversary of hurricane andrew. on this date in 1992, the category five storm made landfall on elliott key and 11:22:08homestead, florida, killing 26 immediately with dozens more fatalities from injuries stemming from the storm's aftermath. we continue to mourn this loss of life. the winds of hurricane andrew were calculated at 164 miles per 11:22:25hour and completely wiped out homestead air force base. until hurricane katrina in 2005, andrew was the costliest storm in u.s. history, totaling $had 11:22:453.7 billion when -- totaling $ 23.7 billion when adjusted for inflation. they noticed much of the destruction was due to substandard construction standards. florida now has the strongest build building codes in the nation. furthermore, homes are now required to have storm shutters 11:23:04or impact resistant glass. while we will never be able to fully prevent damage from a serious storm, we can mitigate the damage caused and thus 11:23:19reduce the costs of rebuilding our neighborhoods. the national hurricane center located at florida international university in my congressional district provides important research on the effects these storms have on our coast canline 11:23:35and maintains a -- coastline and maintains a continuous watch on developing weather patterns that could become a tropical storm. i was able to tour this center earlier in the year and commend their efforts. the memory of andrew forces us to remain cautious and vigilant so our communities and homes are protected. in the midst of this hurricane season, i strongly encourage all those in the potential path of 11:23:51these storms to have a plan already in place to secure property and protect loved ones. by taking the appropriate preventive measures, we can ensure that our families and neighborhoods remain safe. storms have 11:24:09mr. speaker, i rise to offer my sincere gratitude to the brave law enforcement officials who prevented a terrorist plot from unfolding in key west. on july 28, it was announced 11:24:25that a key west man was arrested and charged with attempting to use a weapons of mass destruction. key west is the southern most point of not only my district but the entire united states. anyone who has visited the keys knows how truly special this 11:24:40part of our country is. not just for its natural beauty, but for the welcoming and creative people who call the keys home. a terrorist attack occurring anywhere in the united states is 11:24:59a cause for serious alarm and i'm glad the efforts of one lone wolf were thwarted. it's important to recognize the f.b.i., the u.s. attorney's office, the south florida joint terrorism task force, the key west police department, the monroe county sheriff's office, and other law enforcement 11:25:14agencies for working together to neutralize this threat to key west and to our country. because of their efforts, an untold number of lives were saved. 11:25:27unfortunately, this incident reminds us that we continue to be targeted by those who wish to do us harm. we must remain vigilant against these ongoing threats and ensure our law enforcement agencies 11:25:42continue to have the necessary resources to execute their critical mission. mr. speaker, i rise to thank all those who attended the job fair in my district office hosted 11:25:57last month for employers and workers in the kendall area of south florida. we were able to connect over 1,000 of our friends and neighbors who are looking for work with hundreds of businesses, agencies, and nonprofit organizations. the feedback was positive from 11:26:15countless participants who said they were able to collect resumes from well qualified potential candidates for job opportunities. one of my main priorities here in congress is helping those who are most in need. at events like this job fair are 11:26:31an excellent way for communities to come together and find opportunities for people with all sorts of different skill sets. i'd also like to give special thanks to miami-dade college for hosting this terrific event. they provide excellent 11:26:46opportunities to south florida residents who are looking to further their education and learn new skills to enhance their job credentials. i'm also very proud to note that miami-dade college was recently named a great college to work for the 7th consecutive year by 11:27:03the chronicle of higher education. south florida's fortunate to have a strong network of business leaders who work closely with educational institutions to help people find work. every job is an opportunity and today we celebrate the constituents in my district who 11:27:20have found gainful new employment as a result of the job fair at miami-dade college. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana, ms. walorski, for five minutes. Walorski (R-IN):thank you, mr. 11:27:37speaker. i rise today to recognize jenna of south wood junior senior high school for being selected to participate in the library of congress teaching with pry rarery sources summer teacher institute. her he dedication to providing the highest quality of education 11:27:53to young hoosiers is nothing short of remarkable. educators participate in and develop primary source based teaching strategies they can take back to their school districts, apply in the classroom, and share with their colleagues. 11:28:08this is an opportunity reserved for only the finest teachers in the country and a testament to her success as an educator. it is the work of passionate teachers like her that make me so grateful to represent indiana's second congressional district. the future of indiana's children 11:28:23lies in the hands of our educators. because of that, they deserve our support and recognition. today i congratulate her and thank her for her dedication to educating young hoosiers. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentlewoman yields bafpblgt the chair recognize the the -- the 11:28:39gentleman from south carolina for five minutes. mr. wilson. Wilson, J. (R-SC):thank you, mr. speaker. i'm grateful to co-sponsor the 11:28:55employee rights act introduced by chairman tom price. which establishes protection for american workers. not to join a union, to have a secret ballot, and to choose to have a union if they would know how their dues were being spent. this legislation is critical to 11:29:14empowering american workers and shielding them from unfair treatment in the workplace. south carolina is a staunch defender of the right to work protections even when threatened by the national labor relations board. for years, the nlrb has threatened to destroy jobs, particularly in the charleston community. it's incaded the employee privacy, encroached bonn their rights. i'm grateful to senator lindsey graham, senator tim scott, 11:29:31governor haley, and attorney general allen wilson for their leadership in protecting our state's rights to work laws. right to work states like south carolina have seen firsthand that job creation and economic growth come from expanded freedoms. we need to expand commonsense 11:29:47reforms like those of the employee rights act to protect american workers and create jobs. in conclusion, god bless our troops, may the president by his actions never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the 11:30:02gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today.

LATEST UPDATE ON THE FATAL SHOOTING AND CHASE THAT STRETCHED FROM TITUSVILLE TO ORLANDO, YESTERDAY.

MATERIAL CONSOLIDATED / WILL RESTORE WITH PROBER TIME CODE, BUT NOT WHEN SCREENED IN MARS DEMOCRATS BEGIN A SIT IN / SITIN TO DEMAND A VOTE OVER GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION. VARIOUS SPEAKERS ABOUT GUN CONTROL JOHN LEWIS SPEAKS AND ASKS COLLEAGUES TO JOIN HIM ON THE FLOOR AND START SPEAKING - 02:23 THE FOLLOWING IS A LOG WITH THE ACTUAL TIME OF DAY TIMECODE OF THE HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS FROM 10:00 AM THROUGH 12:003 PM. 10:00:12 THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. THE CLERK: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. June 22, 2016. i hereby appoint the honorable daniel webster to act as 10:00:35 speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul d. ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:pursuant to the order of the house of january 5, 2016, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour 10:00:51 debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties and each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall the debate continue beyond 11 50 a.m. the chair recognizes the 10:01:08 gentleman from florida, mr. jolly, for five minutes. Jolly (R-FL): thank you, mr. speaker. since the tragedy the nation witnessed in orlando about 10 days ago, a tragedy that struck at the heart of the american people, struck at the heart of 10:01:24 the lgbt community we have a nation that feels less secure. a nation looking to congress for answers. answers regarding our national security, posture, the policies 10:01:4 0 of this administration, of this congress, but answers also legitimately about how to protect our communities while also protecting the constitutional privileges of due process and the second amendment. they are very legitimate questions we cannot turn a deaf 10:01:57 ear to. we answer to the american people. they entrust us to serve. i was in florida the weekend of the attacks. and when i left florida to fly up here, i left a state, a community that was united in 10:02:12 greefing, united in mourning, and united in resolve to do something about it and i arrived at an institution as divided as ever. folks, it is not constructive to shout shame to your colleagues. it is not constructive to suggest that one side of the 10:02:27 aisle is complicit in mass attacks on our nation. simply because some of us have grave concerns about the proposal that for two years has been offered that we believe is flawed in recognizing constitutional protections. 10:02:43 but it is also not acceptable to embrace inaction. and that is true on my side of the aisle as well. i have voted against the democratic proposal in committee for a couple years and here's why. this is important for the american people to understand. 10:02:58 if you are on a watch list, you should not be able to buy a gun. but if you are wrongfully on that, and you are a law-abiding american citizen, your constitutional protections should be provided for. you see, when an individual 10:03:13 today is not allowed to purchase a firearm, the seven, eight, nine classes of individuals, they are all post adjudication. they have received a due process hearing. either convicted of a violent felony. or dishonorably discharged. 10:03:30 in each case there has been due process. posted adjudication is when the ban has been implemented. the proposal on the left says there is no due process if you're on the watch list, you're banned. i think that's wrong. but let's lead on our side of the aisle. let's lead as a body and figure 10:03:45 this out together. last week i circulated a proposal, i didn't introduce it, i circulated it. i said all my colleagues help me make this bert. last night with some changes based on input from my colleagues i introduced h.r. 5544 and it makes changes. 10:04:02 it accepts the proposal that no fly-no buy. it's common sense. if you are on the watch list you shouldn't be able to purchase a firearm. but under my legislation, if you are denied, you must be notified not at the point of sale but within 10 days by the government that you were denied 10:04:17 because you are on a watch list. you are then entitled a due process hearing within 30 days by a judge. not by a political appointee within the department of justice. the government must then demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence a 5149 burden. 10:04:32 why you should be prohibited. if they can do, that you are prohibited. if they cannot satisfy that burden, your second amendment rights remain intact. importantly, the individual is entitled to all unclassified information against them. the hearing is private to 10:04:49 protect privacy of the individual and interest of the government. as a result of circulating it, i also added a provision by a colleague of mine in the senate that if a terror investigation has been closed and someone's been removed from the watch list, they later go to purchase a firearm, the f.b.i. should be notified. i think that's reasonable. 10:05:05 that is h.r. 5444. i ask for your -- 5544. i ask for your consideration. i ask to help make it better. the terror strike in orlando struck at the heart of america. yes, it struck in the name of isis, a terrorist who 10:05:21 proclaimed he was doing it in the name of radical islam. those were his words. but it also struck at the heart of an lgbt community that for generations have been fighting for freedom and they saw that freedom attacked. americans, all americans feel 10:05:36 less safe now. let's inject some radical common sense into this debate. we can ensure no fly-no buy, while also ensuring due process and the senate amendment. if we take the context of november, the narrative of a 10:05:51 campaign out of this, we can actually get this done. let's listen to the 85% of americans who disapproves of the job we're doing. rather than going home and having a message of blaming each other, let's go home 10:06:06 saying we solved it together. folks, if h.r. 5544 is not something you can support, let's talk about how to improve it. to my friends on the left, the proposal you have had for two years, add due process. 10:06:24 real due process. you'll get the support. you'll get support on our side of the aisle if you add due process. to my friends on my side of the aisle, let's lead on this issue. the american people are degbegging for leadership. 10:06:39 there is a community that is broken. nation that's broken in the wake of orlando. let's honor the memories of those who are lost. let's do right by the american people. do right by the surviving families. let's do something. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady 10:06:54 from massachusetts, ms. clark, for five minutes. Clark, K. (D-MA):thank you, mr. speaker. we have come to the floor today to demand action. we have come to the floor with 10:07:10 john lewis. when john lewis speaks, the conscience of our congress, america listens. as the barbaric details of the massacre of people dancing at the pulse nightclub were released, i grieved for those 10:07:26 lost. i thought about them dancing. and how humans are the only species that dance. maybe that's because dancing is a celebration of spirit. whether you love the waltz, 10:07:43 square dancing, disco or raves, dancing connects us. and for the lgbt community, the dance floor is often the place where acceptance and belonging come together. and while the massacre of 49 10:08:00 people would have been horrifying and shocking wherever it happened, it happened on the dance floor at a gay club. a place of refuge where fear and intimidation give way to 10:08:15 joy, acceptance, and belonging, was transformed by hate and coward dice into a grotesqueness. many of our sanctuaries have been violated by gun violence. it is grisly routine. 10:08:31 first graders and their teachers shot in their elementary school. students and professors shot in their college classrooms. parishioners shot after bible study and fellship in their church. social workers and disabled 10:08:47 clients shot at a holiday party. our colleague shot while meeting with constituents. neighborhoods, sidewalks, and parks are transformed into blood-soaked memorials. over the last 12 years, gun 10:09:03 violence has claimed more american lives than war, aids, and illegal drug overdoses combined. since newtown, tens of thousands of lives have been lost to this deadly crisis. yet the number of bills that 10:09:18 have been debated and passed by this congress to help prevent such deaths? zero. inaction is a choice. inaction is costing lives. and today i am asking that this 10:09:34 house have a vote. that we perform our basic responsibilities not only as members of congress but as members of a community and debate and vote on two commonsense measures to curb gun violence. 10:09:49 i am asking for a vote on expanding background checks and preventing suspected terrorists from being able to buy a gun. the debate wages on on cable news in our living rooms, twitter feeds, and facebook. 10:10:05 why can't the debate happen here? there is no one solution to end gun violence or even reduce it. but we have to try. this absolutist approach that we can't even vote on commonsense measures to help 10:10:22 protect our families leave us in a deadly arms race with ourselves. why is a vote so paralyzing? is it special interest? is it fear? does the house leadership really believe that our 10:10:37 constitution and our liberties are so fragile that we have to tolerate carnage like we see in orlando, like we see in the streets of chicago rather than risk a vote? these two proposals have widespread support from the 10:10:54 american people. whatever your position on the substance of the bill, let's vote. let's put it out there for people to judge. the american people get it. they understand we can protect 10:11:09 our constitutional rights and take reasoned steps to reduce gun violence. the american people understand that the two are combatable -- compatible under a robust democracy, not mutually 10:11:25 exclusive. millions of americans at home are worried and frustrated by this congress' silence on this deadly epidemic. without action, moments of silence cease to honor the thousands of victims, 10:11:42 survivors, and families that have been devastated by gun violence. moments of silence should be where action begins. sadly in this congress it's the only action that is taken. no more silence. 10:11:58 i urge the speaker before he sends members home for the fourth of july have us vote on these two practical proposals. there is no holiday from gun violence for ordinary americans. 10:12:14 our communities and our democracy deserve a vote. so our children can dance again in freedom and safety. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. 10:12:29 thompson, for five minutes. Thompson, G. (R-PA):thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, thousands of americans lose their lives 10:12:45 every year across communities of all sizes to a terrible epidemic. and that is an epidemic of substance abuse. it steals lives, futures, tears apart families. mr. speaker, i rise today to 10:13:01 commend the efforts of a constituent of mine, dennis behindle, who lives in elk county, located in the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. he's the owner of laurel media, based in ridgeway, and after seeing the effects of opioid 10:13:17 abuse and heroin epidemic affecting our nation, the commonwealth of pennsylvania, and areas such as elk county, dennis was compelled to act. he set up a telephone hot line in an effort to fight back against drug use in communities 10:13:32 across the region. the hotline is anonymous, strictly confidential, and is being administered by the north central pennsylvania municipal drug task force. he's offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest or conviction of 10:13:49 any individual selling or distributing illegal or prescription drugs. in addition to the hotline and reward, he's organizing a series of anti-drug meetings across the area. in fact, the latest meeting in the community of ridgeway drew a crowd of nearly 300 people. 10:14:05 all interested in taking their town back from this horrible epidemic. just like so many other areas of our nation, communities across the pennsylvania fifth congressional district have suffered as a result of this drug epidemic. elk county is ranked ninth in 10:14:21 pennsylvania and overdose deaths for population 100,000 people. while further west, crawford county, has seen its overdose deaths double in the past four years. i'm so proud of the efforts of the people such as dennis and all those across the fifth 10:14:36 congressional district who are helping in the efforts to fight back against drugs. i'm also proud of the package passed recently in this house which will make grant funding available to states and local governments for the creation of opioid reduction programs, 10:14:54 creates a task force to review prescribing practices, and cares for babies who are born opioid addicted and dependent. we all work together i know we can continue wynn this battle. thank you, mr. speaker -- i 10:15:09 know we can win this battle. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. Blumenauer (D-OR):thank you, mr. speaker. the slaughter in orlando struck 10:15:24 me with impact. hatred of those in the gay nightclub focused on the lgbt community, came at a time of unparalleled progress for equality. capped by marriage equality. it was jarring. even though the struggle 10:15:39 continues in places like north carolina, these killings came at a time of amazing progress and hope. but horrific episodes of gun violence are always personal for me and not just because of the carnage of multiple shootings and murders. 10:15:55 we've had shootings in oregon in shopping centers and schools. mass shootings in high schools in springfield. community college in roseburg. we've had many deaths and injuries. the gun violence issue began 10:16:11 with me with a senseless freak death from a single shot at a high school friend from a passing car. it's personal. i saw this single random shot devastate a family, friends, 10:16:27 classmates. my own brother took his life with a handgun. we know like other forms of suicide attempts, people with handguns almost always succeed. after each horrific event, my hope and those of millions of other americans are raised 10:16:44 again. maybe this time it will be different. you might ask after the slaughter of 20 first graders couldn't give spineless politicians the courage to stand up to apologists for gun 10:16:59 violence? well, in part, what is different was that at sandy hook, those 20 little children and their six teachers struck a chord that remains. it laid the foundation to help focus the relentless outspoken 10:17:18 efforts of president obama and his entire administration in dealing with each little element of gun safety that was within their power to make. we have secretary clinton running for president who has put a spotlight on gun safety 10:17:35 throughout her campaign in a way unlike any we've seen in a presidential campaign before. one of the most encouraging signs for me is that there's a new approach to reducing gun violence, focused on gun 10:17:51 safety. this is taking hold. a number of us have come up with our own plans. couple years ago i formulated my approach, looking at the concept we did with traffic safety. not a single magic solution but 10:18:07 a series of thoughtful, focused effects that in traffic safety ended up cutting deaths and injuries in half with education, research, enforcement and policy changes, 10:18:24 large and small, that had a cumulative effect of saving hundreds of thousands of lives. we can do this with gun violence. an agenda of simple, commonsense approaches have 10:18:39 been taken in other parts of the world and it's made a difference. we see in the united states evidence in those states and communities that have taken actions to reduce gun violence, people are in fact safer. 10:18:55 it makes a difference. sometimes in politics we can feel an issue crest, and i think we're watching it now. this week we have a simple single little powerful symbol. 10:19:11 the no fly, no buy legislation would prevent people we think are too dangerous to allow them to buy a ticket for a plane should not be allowed to buy an assault weapon. today, my colleagues and i are here supporting the notion that 10:19:26 if there's no bill to vote on, there should be no congressional break, demanding at least to allow us to vote on the floor of the house the same way there was some action in the senate that gave people 10:19:42 hope. let's do our part this morning to raise public awareness, to build momentum to make america safer. we shouldn't go home for the fourth of july break without at least another small step 10:19:57 forward. we owe it to the memory of tens of thousands who have died needlessly from gun violence, and we owe it to the tens of thousands of lives that we can save. 10:20:12 THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL): thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the situation in venezuela is deteriorating very 10:20:26 quickly, and venezuela, the people are running out of medicine, running out of food, experiencing electricity shortages. the regime cannot even provide basic goods for the people. time is ticking, mr. speaker. it's not a matter of if, it's a 10:20:42 matter of when venezuela implodes due to the destructive policies of the nicholas maduro, and the united states cannot sit idly by and watch this train wreck occur before our very eyes. responsible countries in latin 10:20:58 america must also stand up and be a voice for those suffering in venezuela. last week, 15 countries from the region signed a joint statement that expressed respect for the venezuelan constitution and called on responsible nations to 10:21:14 guarantee due process and human rights. this is a good first step, mr. speaker, and i applaud those countries, but more needs to be done. tomorrow the organization of american states, will have a 10:21:31 meeting and i know there are some advocating for dialogue but we have tried dialogue before and it was unsuccessful as maduro kept coming up with new delays and obstacles in order to prevent a solution. we cannot allow maduro to continue the charade of a 10:21:48 dialogue as a stalling tactic. a referendum, mr. speaker, must occur this year. the people demand it because if it doesn't, then next year maduro can step aside, hand over power to his vice president and the same abusive 10:22:04 regime continues while not addressing any of the underlying problems. and if a dialogue does occur, all sectors of the venezuelan opposition must be at the table. that is only fair. but it cannot happen if some of 10:22:19 them are in jail and a precondition to any dialogue must include the release of all political prisoners. the regime could show a good faith effort by doing this, but instead it continues to go the other direction. 10:22:35 it continues to go backwards, postponing the appeal of political prisoner lopez indefinitely after it was scheduled to occur just two days ago. with its repression, its corruption, its disastrous 10:22:51 economic policies, the maduro regime is running venezuela into the ground and it is no wonder that venezuelans feel like they are under siege. riots are occurring on a daily basis, and according to one recent study, 87% of 10:23:06 venezuelans say they don't have enough money to buy enough food. this travesty is simply unsustainable, and the regime must be held accountable to the people. tomorrow at the o.a.s., i hope to see the hemisphere finally 10:23:22 stand up for itself, stop allowing itself to be mollified by the regime's stall tactics and hold maduro's feet to the fire. humanitarian aid must be allowed to get through to the people and the referendum must be held this year. 10:23:39 let the venezuelan people have their say and finally put an end to this suffering. in september of last year, mr. speaker, i joined 19 of my colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to secretary kerry and secretary lew urging 10:23:56 the administration to force a bill i sent with senator rubeo, and to apply sanctions to -- rubio, and to apply sanctions to the venezuelan court system in response to the unjust 10:24:12 sentencing of leopoldo lopez. so i asked obama administration officials, what justification do you have for not carrying out and implementing these sanctions for this miscarriage of justice? and what is the dollar amounts of the assets, fees of the 10:24:29 seven individuals whom you have sanctioned? the state department has pulled some visas due to human rights violations, but i asked the state department, can you tell us how many visas the state department has pulled and who are these individuals? last week at the o.a.s. meeting 10:24:46 in the dominican republic, secretary kerry stated that venezuela should follow its own constitution and hold free and fair and timely recall referendum. does he believe or expect it will happen this year? and lastly, mr. speaker, maduro has stated he's ready to 10:25:02 exchange ambassadors. i think this would be a big mistake because it would look as we are legitimizing this illegitimate maduro regime. i hope the state department will not vote for someone to be ambassador to venezuela and i 10:25:18 hope we will do more to help the long suffering people of venezuela. thank you for the time, mr. speaker. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman 10:25:26 from rhode island, mr. cicilline, for five minutes. Cicilline (D-RI):mr. speaker, the horrific mass shooting that took place on june 12 at the pulse nightclub in orlando, florida, is a stark reminder of the urgent responsibility that we have to reduce combun violence in this country -- gun 10:25:41 violence in this country. the monstrous attack on the lgbt community in a place of refuge and empowerment requires us to act. the shooter in orlando used an assault rifle that is virtually identical to the ones used in 10:25:56 the mass shootings in san bernardino, umpqua community college and sandy hook. out of the eight high profile mass shootings that have taken place in the past year, -- past five years, and the number of 10:26:16 people killed increases by 63%. these are weapons of war that are designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. they belong on a battlefield. they don't belong in our communities, and i'll continue to fight to reinstate the 10:26:33 assault weapons ban. but this morning i want to use the time i have to talk about two proposals that the speaker should bring up for immediate vote, no fly, no buy, and universal background checks. this is really, really simple. if you're too dangerous to fly on an airplane, then you're too 10:26:49 dangerous to buy a gun. but under the laws that we have in place today, someone who is on the f.b.i.'s terrorist watch list, too dangerous to get on a plane, can walk into any gun store in america, pass a background check and walk out with an assault weapon or any 10:27:04 gun he wants. in fact, from 2004 to 2014, more than 2,000 suspected terrorists bought firearms legally in this country, and they're going to continue doing so until we stop them. until 9/11, bombs were the weapon of choice for terrorists 10:27:20 looking to strike the united states. but in the 15 years since then, 95% of terror deaths that took place in the united states resulted from gunfire. it's impossible, impossible to understand that house republicans have now voted 13 10:27:36 times to block the no fly, no buy proposal that congressman peter king and congressman mike thompson introduced, to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists in this country. why? what are they afraid of? that we might actually stop a terrorist from passing a 10:27:52 background check before buying an assault weapon at cabelas? let's have an up or down vote. let the american people hold us accountable where we stand. this should be a no-brainer. more than 80% think we should 10:28:07 prevent suspected terrorists from buying a gun and they expect a background check should be used to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those that have mental illness. bills are pending to fix or 10:28:24 background check system. this is one of the single most important and effective steps that we can take to reduce gun violence in this country. right now anyone can go to a gun show or get on the internet and purchase a gun without a background check. as many as two out of every five firearm transactions today 10:28:40 are conducted without a background check. it's too easy for a criminal, domestic abuser, a terrorist or someone with a serious mental illness to buy a gun through this loophole. every day background checks block 171 attempted purchases by felons, 48 attempted 10:28:57 purchases by domestic abusers and 19 attempted purchases by fugitives. it's critical we strengthen the background check system, require checks on all firearm sales so we can keep more dangerous individuals from acquiring these deadly weapons. 10:29:13 bring the fix gun checks act to the floor today. mr. speaker, we held a moment of silence last week for the victims of orlando. i know we keep them in our thoughts and prayers since june 12, but the best way to honor the lives lost in this horrific 10:29:29 tragedy it is to something to prevent it from happening to others. a moment of silence is not enough. we need a moment of sustained action in this commameber, and we need it today -- chamber and we need it today. mr. speaker, it would be an insult to the victims of this 10:29:44 shooting and their families and others if we continue to do nothing to prevent future tragedies. do not let this chamber adjourn until we vote on these critical issues. bring these bills to the floor today. nothing is more important than stopping the bloodshed and ensuring the safety and 10:30:00security of our constituents. and with that i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. weber, for five minutes. . Weber (R-TX):thank you, mr. speaker. 10:30:15 mr. speaker, i rise today to speak in support of h.con.res 129. to do so let me share a story about a constituent of mine who is a holocaust survivor from lithuania. 10:30:26 she was 11 years old when the german s.s. nazis marched into her town and gathered her and her family up. she was separated right away from her family and i guess fortunately for her she did not appear jewish to the german 10:30:42 soldiers so when she was asked her name, she told them it was vebba -- weber which happens to be my name and the way my grandfather would have pronounced it when he came over from germany. 10:30:58 anyway the soldier thought she wasn't jewish so he let her go. she ran into the forest, mr. speaker, and hid in barns and other places until the end of the war. she spent the years of that war hungry and frightened. but somehow managed to survive. 10:31:14 she was liberated by the russians at the war's end. now, who was a young girl when she was 11 back in world war ii is in her 90's and living in my district in her home in galveston, texas. mr. speaker, she is in need of 10:31:32 24-hour care to remain in her home. unfortunately, with the cost of high provider's care running low to keep her in her home, she's unable to stay there. it doesn't look like. she lives on social security. 10:31:50 but fortunately the claims conference has been able to assist her through providing funding by the german government for 25 regular hours a week and some exceptional hours a week provided on her increasing health care needs. 10:32:06 additionally, the jewish community of houston through the generosity of a private fund which assists holocaust survivors through case management efforts of a jewish family service in houston has also been able to provide up to 10:32:22 59 hours a week of home care above that which the german government has funded. as of june 1, 2016, mr. speaker, as of june 1, the jewish family service in 10:32:38 houston has not been able to continue this level of care. she and there are other constituents of mine who are holocaust victims, would all greatly benefit from increased funding which is included in house concurrent resolution 129 10:32:56 , asking the german government to provide that funding for that very home care. this would ensure that they are able -- those holocaust survivors are able to remain in their homes with dignity for the remaining few years of their life. 10:33:12 thankfully h.con.res. 129 passed with bipartisan support, i might add, in the house last week. i encourage our counterparts in the senate to pass this legislation swiftly. mr. speaker, you know i'm 10:33:27 right. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from connecticut, ms. delauro, for five minutes. DeLauro (D-CT): thank you, mr. 10:33:51 speaker. i am rosa delauro from the state of connecticut. i represent the third congressional district. so proud today to join with my colleagues on the issue of what do we do in the united states 10:34:06 congress? the body that deliberates the major issues of the day. the body that is entrusted by the people who puts their faith 10:34:22 and trust in their elected representatives. to do right, to do right by the american people. yes, to keep them and their families safe. in connecticut, gun homicides 10:34:40 in 2013 were 71. in 2014, 56. we went down. 2015, 79. probably one of the most 10:34:57 searing events in the united states of america was the massacre of children, of babies, in sandy hook. that isn't to say that in every 10:35:15 city in this country children are not dying every day. since sandy hook, one american 10:35:29 child is killed every single day. these are our children. almost 100,000 have died by gun violence since sandy hook. 10:35:44 what i'd like to do is to read to you because these are not -- what we heard today to speak about, yes, we talk about statistics and we talk about percentages. but what's important is to know 10:36:00 about the flesh and blood behind those numbers. and at sandy hook, rachel, 29, a teacher's aide. dawn, 47, principal of sandy 10:36:18 hook. ann marie murphy, 52, a teacher's aide. lauren russo, 30, a teacher. mary, 56, school psychologist. 10:36:36 and victoria, 27, a teacher who hid her children in a closet. and i know because she's a 10:36:53 constituent. her family today suffers every day because of her loss. she shielded these babies and she lost her life. 10:37:10 who are these babies? charlotte, 6 years old. daniel, 7. olivia engel, 6. josephine, 7. 10:37:27 dillon, 6. madeline, 6. katherine hubbard, 6. chase, 7. jessie, 6. anna, 6. 10:37:44 james, 6. grace, 7. emily parker, 6. jack, 6. noah, 6. caroline, 6. 10:38:01 jessica, 6. aviel, 6. benjamin, 6. allison, 6. we all have children. we have grandchildren. and i won't forget that day 10:38:19 because my grandchildren at that time were 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old. and i had to steel myself to be away from them because when i looked at them i just began to cry. 10:38:36 because it can be anyone's child. anyone's grandchild. that will lose their life, one child every single day is killed by gun violence. in the united states of america. 10:38:54 they leave families, they leave siblings who are unable to even cope with the sense of loss. these families have tried to channel their grief by the newtown promise. why are we here today? 10:39:09 we're here today to say, universal background checks, no fly-no buy. it's as simple as that. for me personally as my colleague from rhode island said, we should ban assault weapons. 10:39:26 we should ban them. that's what occurred at sandy hook and several others, these tragedies. the american people sent us here to vote. that's what you have done. 10:39:43 demand that this congress vote on this issue, debate it and vote. and people can be free to vote whatever way they choose to, but our constitution says, we vote on these issues. we should not be denied, those 10:40:00 children all over america, the adults should not be forgotten. they should be remembered and that this body allowed to vote on their behalf. i yield back my time. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady 10:40:15 from tennessee, ms. blackburn, for five minutes. Blackburn (R-TN):thank you, mr. speaker. the digital millenium copyright act, the dmca as it is commonly 10:40:31 known here in this chamber, is nearly 20 years old. now, just as a reminder, 20 years ago google was being born, americans were out dancing the macarena, and they 10:40:45 were holding cell phones that were the size of bricks. that was 20 years ago. tech companies like youtube may have changed the way americans consume music, but our laws 10:41:01 have not kept pace to protect the songwriters and artists who actually create that music. this week 180 musical artists and songwriters, including taylor swift, paul mccarty, the 10:41:19 black teas, and the band chicago, sent a letter to congress calling for the reform of the 1998 digital millennium copyright act. mr. speaker, i am holding a copy of this letter and i wish to enter it in the record with 10:41:36 my remarks. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:without objection. Blackburn (R-TN): here's the problem. the dmca safe harbor provision, what this does. youtube has created a platform where anyone with a smart phone can access nearly any song ever 10:41:53 recorded. often this content is infringed and it does not, does not compensate the artist who create it. the safe harbor provision immunizes youtube from claims 10:42:08 of robby right infringement if it removes the infringing content in a timely fashion after youtube has been notified by an rtist or record company. with millions of songs on youtube it's impossible. 10:42:23 grammy winning jazz classical compose sure, maria schneider, has said the following about the dmca, i'm quoting, it makes it my responsibility to police the entire internet on a daily basis. as fast as i take my music 10:42:39 down, it reappears again on the same site like an endless whack-a-mole game. this not only threatens the vitality of songwriters, but the economic contributions they make in our communities. 10:42:55 take my home area in tennessee, a 2012 study shows that in nashville itself, the music industry is a $5.5 billion asset to the economy. 10:43:10 looking at the entire middle tennessee region, it is $9.7 billion. this is a fundamental american principle, if you make something, if you create something, it belongs to you. 10:43:27 in no other walk of life do we allow people to steal the work of others and turn a blind eye except when it comes to songwriters and entertainers. our friends in the tech industry who do little to 10:43:42 nothing to see that the songwriter is protected on their platforms are the first ones to complain if one of their patents is slightly infringed upon. so i ask them, why are their creations deserving of 10:43:58 protection but the creations of others are not? it's unfair and they know it. but creators are not going to keep taking it. the times they are achanging as bob dillon would say, that's 10:44:14 why for years -- dylan would say. that's why for years i thought sought legislation like the fair play act that representative nadler and i are working on and the songwriters equity act. to our friends in the tech 10:44:30industry i say, this situational ethics aren't ok. ignorance and denial, not acceptable. refusing to pay people for their work is unfair and it really needs to stop. 10:44:47 this is about fairness and honoring the law by enforcing the law. it's that simple. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from maine, ms. pingree, for five minutes. Pingree (D-ME):thank you, mr. speaker. 10:45:02 mr. speaker, we should not be here today. we should not have to come to the floor of the house of representatives to beg the majority party just to get a debate and a vote on commonsense gun legislation that the vast majority of americans demand. 10:45:17. we should not be living a society where this is stifled by silence by the majority in this congress and where gun 10:45:33 violence takes a toll on our citizens. but here we are. standing up for the millions of americans who want congress to do something and honoring the thousands of americans who have lost their lives to gun violence. 10:45:48 here we are standing up for our constituents tired of the excuses and want to see debate and want us to take action on gun violence. and here we are to represent the victims. the list is so long. orlando, san bernardino, 10:46:05 newtown, fort hood, charleston, the list goes on. nine in a church, 23 in a restaurant, 26 in an elementary school and now 49 in a nightclub. the victims are men and women, black and white, rich and poor, 10:46:20 old and young. at a mcdonald's in california, an 8-month-old baby was killed with his mother who was trying to shelter him when a gunman came in and started shooting. at a north carolina nursing home, a 98-year-old grandmother was killed when a shooter came 10:46:36 in and opened fire. here in the united states, you are 10 times more likely to be killed by a gun than in any other developed nation in the world. of the 23 richest and most developed countries in the 10:46:52 world, we have by far the most gun violence. we have half the population of the other 22, but 90% of the women killed by a gun are killed by a gun in the united states. 91% of the children under age 10:47:0814 who are killed by a gun are killed by a gun in the united states. and if you are a young person in this country, you are 50 times more likely to die of a gun death than in all of those other countries. 10:47:23we have the most guns and we have the most gun violence. and mr. speaker, we have the n.r.a. who fear intimidation and misinformation. the n.r.a. has taken the debate 10:47:39that we can't even vote in this chamber on whether we should keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. right now somebody can be on both the terrorist watch list and the no fly list. in other words, the f.b.i. thinks you're a terrorist and the t.s.a. bans you from flying, but if you want to 10:47:55drive down to your local gun store and buy an assault rifle, there is nothing anyone can do to stop you. over the last 10 years, people on the terrorist watch list try to buy explosives or firearms 10:48:102,233 times. over 90% of the time they were successful. this is wrong. the american people know it's wrong. public health officials know it's wrong, and nearly every single law enforcement association in america knows 10:48:26it's wrong which is why they are all in favor of closing the terrorist gun loophole. in fact, a recent poll by a republican pollster found 76% of gun owners and 71% of n.r.a. 10:48:41members should suspected terrorists should not be allowed to buy guns. if you were to walk outside the house of representatives and stop someone walking down the street and ask the simple question -- should terrorists be allowed to buy guns? you would get a very simple answer. they would say, no, of course 10:48:59 shifts shouldn't be allowed to buy guns but they can and republicans here in the house won't even let us have a debate and a vote on it. how do -- did we get here, mr. speaker? how has the debate shifted so 10:49:14 far away from this that it is this controversial? why is it here in the house debate is silent? the closest we came to debate 10:49:29 on gun legislation recently came last week when a controversy erupted about the standard procedure to observe a moment of silence on the house floor after a mass shooting. mr. speaker, it's shameful we have allowed this country to get to a point where congress 10:49:44 has to even have a standard procedure to observe mass shootings, yet, we're not allowed to have debate to address this problem. it is time for us to stand up to the n.r.a., to have a fair and open debate about gun 10:50:00 violence and it is time to -- for all of us to do our job representing the american people. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from illinois, ms. kelly, for five minutes. 10:50:16 Kelly, R. (D-IL):thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today heart broken and agered once again by the rampant epidemic of gun violence plaguing our nation. gun violence is on the rise across the country. 10:50:32 i am not just talking about the 10:50:33 tragic mass shootings that grip our collective attention. i am talking about the everyday shootings that go undetected by the national media. last year gun deaths became the number one killer of youth aged 16 through 24. 10:50:48 we're on track to break this record in 2016. just this past father's day weekend, 41 people were shot, 13 of them fatally in chicago. the shootings in those 60 hours claimed the city's 300. 10:51:03 this is the list of the names of the people that have lost their lives to gun violence. i don't have enough time to name every name. amar'e brown, 7 years old, was the youngest. he was shot in the back. in 2016 alone, more than 1,800 10:51:19 people have been shot across chicago. among this weekend's victims was 3-year-old davone quinn. on sunday, davone was riding with his father to pick up his mother from work when a hail of bullets hit their car. davone is still hospitalized. 10:51:36 davone's story is unfortunately all too common in communities like some of the ones that i represent where a trip down the street to a convenient store, a gas -- or a gas station could end in tragedy. i am tired of hearing stories like this. 10:51:52 it saddens me and agers me each time i speak with constituents and -- angers me each time i speak to constituents and hear their stories of losing their loved ones to gun violence. i'm tired because so many of 10:52:07 these deaths are preventable if congress had just had the courage to take action. sadly, we don't even talk about gun deaths until it's forced into our lives with another tragic mass shooting, and when this happens we give fiery 10:52:22 speeches, we hold our moments of silence and then we wait for the national buzz to fade. it is a shameful and disrespectful ritual that moves that congress has little to no plans to truly honor the lives of gun violence victims. this weekend on "meet the 10:52:39 press," the speaker gave his fellow republicans a pass to vote their conscience with respect to their presidential support. i ask the speaker to give his colleagues a pass when it comes to voting on background checks which 90% of americans support. with each shooting, we're quick 10:52:55to say it's a mental health problem, it's a family problem, it's a terror problem, but somehow it's never a gun problem. it's time we look at the common denominator and accept that the root of the problem is about how guns get into the hands of 10:53:10 those seeking to do harm. prayer and reflection brings comfort to those who mourn, but scripture of all faiths teaches that prayer must be met by good deeds. silence without action is deafening. the majority of the american 10:53:25 people want greater action. they want to close the gun show and online loopholes that allow people to purchase guns without a background check. they want medical experts and their government to research this plague of gun violence for what it is, a public health 10:53:41 crisis. they want to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists on the no-fly list. why is it that when someone poses a credible national security threat we ensure that they cannot fly on a plane but they can still purchase a firearm? 10:53:56 with each second that passes without action, we're risking another davone quinn, another hidea pendleton, another blair holt. we're risking another orlando, another sandy hook, another virginia tech. so i ask my colleagues, just 10:54:13 who exactly has to die and how many before we finally put an end to this? just how many birthdays, father's days, mother's day would go uncelebrated? how many would-be graduations 10:54:29 must be passed? how many empty chairs at the kitchen table before we say enough and take measures to keep us safe instead of going out with our silence? it's deafening. bring these bills to the floor 10:54:45 and i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from virgin islands, mississippi plaskett, for five minutes. -- ms. plaskett, for five minutes. 10:55:01 Plaskett (D-VI):mr. speaker, i rise this morning in solidarity with my colleagues about the mass shootings that are going on in our country. the orlando mass shooting has been another demonstration of an ongoing for some americans 10:55:18 daily violence and daily nightmare. gun violence in our country. now, we all know there is a systemic problem for many in our communities for lack of opportunities, lack of education, lack of adequate after school, summer programs, 10:55:33 job training, lack of expansion of economic opportunities but we know measures to increase funding for these programs that will help will never reach this floor. but we know also that now that the republicans refuse to take up other measures as well. 10:55:48 what they can address right now right here is expanded background checks, prevention of gun sales to those on a no-fly list, a ban on assault weapons. now, i grew up fishing, hunting with my dad and i pass that on 10:56:05 to my children, so owning a gun is not something that i believe should not happen, but i know that it's not an absolute right. as the granddaughter of a police commissioner, the daughter of a new york city cop, a former bronx prosecutor 10:56:20 and a justice department official, the war on crime, the war on these mass shootings and destruction would be well served by voting on expanded background checks, prevention of gun safety to those on the no-fly list and a ban on 10:56:36 assault weapons. on the small islands that i represent, the u.s. virgin islands, there have been over 300 gun-related deaths over the last five years. now, with a place with a population of 100,000 to have 10:56:53 300 gun-related deaths in three years, that accounts for a murder rate, a death per capita that is several times the national average. now, much of this is through a lack of opportunity, but also and absolutely the influx of 10:57:10 illegal assault weapons, high-caliber weapons of mass murder that come into the market. those coupled in our instance with drug trade have left our community in fear and mourning for our young. last year alone, there were twice as many gun deaths per 10:57:26 capita in the virgin islands than there were in most american cities that we could traditionally think of as high gun rates. who are the victims of the destruction this year in the virgin islands? and i'm going to name them, because we never hear names 10:57:42 like this. we have our moments of silence for the large groupings, but the day-to-day individuals that die, january 9, two unnamed males. january 20, stefan coleman and heidi mills. 10:57:58 january 21, deshawn sam ules, 24. february 2, juan encarnacion, 30. march 5, evan joseph, 38. march 8, conrad fips, 30. 10:58:13 march 30, 23. march 27, hans oliver, 38. march 28, cayenne payne, conte payne, 33 and 29. april 19, joseph decree, 19. 10:58:29 april 28, javon benjamin, 22. may 1, shadale gabriel, 25. may 22, vershon monsonto, 21. 10:58:50 kervaun joseph, 19. june 22, johania atkins, 22. samuels, 34. the blood of these victims speak to me. i hope, mr. speaker, it speaks 10:59:07 to you. bring the bills to the floor, vote it up or vote it down but do your job. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. capuano, for five minutes. Capuano (D-MA): thank you, mr. 10:59:22 speaker. mr. speaker, pretty much everything has been said except the leadership is still not hearing us. it's not just us that are saying this, the american people are saying this. everyone is seeing the polls, 10:59:38 everyone knows the reality that in the last couple of weeks 90% of the american people want us to do very simple things. no fly, no buy. and closing gaping -- not small but gaping holes in the background check. 10:59:53 i, like some of my colleagues, would personally go further. my constituents would support that. there are many things we could be doing but we are not asking for those things because we know it's a difficult lift in the house of representatives. but i represent the same number of people as every other member here, about 750,000 people, and 11:00:11 when 90% of those constituents in every district wants us to take simple, direct action, i think it's a dereliction of 11:00:26 duty and responsibility and our oath to ignore that unless there are some moral reason for us to disagree with our 11:00:33 constituents, and on this issue i can't believe anyone has a more disagreement with this. everyone is talking about orlando. and that's the most compelling one. but since the orlando shooting, 11:00:50 in the last 10 days, the last 10 days in america, there have been 77 people at least killed with guns. at least. i say that because many of 11:01:05 these things get minimal reporting. why? because all of uses are used to turning on the local news and every corner of this country, every single night, seeing another act of violence almost always committed with a gun 11:01:22 across america. it's not an urban problem or rural problem. it's across the country. and we have become a little desensitized to it. because it happens all the time. once in a while we'll get an 11:01:39 orlando tragedy or sandy hook tragedy, and we'll all jump up and down and say how upset we're. as has been pointed out many times, we don't seem to get all that upset when two or three people get shot in the middle of someplace. 11:01:54 sometimes we think it's gang violence. one gang member shooting another gang member. maybe they deserve it. america's better off. how do you say that when there is a 3-year-old who gets shot? or 7-year-old? how dare you say that. 11:02:10 or a woman walking down the street or people literally sitting in their homes innocently. people say that some of the proposals have been made wouldn't have stopped orlando or wouldn't have stopped sandy hook or wouldn't have stopped something else. 11:02:25you know what? maybe they're right. i don't know. but i've never in my life either politically or personally used the excuse because i can't do everything that therefore i should do nothing. 11:02:43 that is -- that is nothing more than a lame excuse. if we can save the life of one person by taking simple actions that everybody seems to agree with. if you can't fly you can't buy 11:03:00 a gun. close the loopholes and background checks. no one has a problem with background checks. most americans don't know there are loopholes. i don't mean little ones. i mean gaping ones as you heard earlier, about 40% of the guns sold in this country are not 11:03:16 subject to background checks. that's not a loophole, that's a gaping loophole. in their last 10 days, 239 americans have been injured with guns. some say, well, it's in home 11:03:32defense. it's accidental shootings. that's true. some of them are. all this stuff is available who anybody who wants to take five minutes and do a simple internet search like i did. there are dozens of reputable 11:03:49 websites that have this information. one of them, the gun violence archive, simple statistics. not advocating, statistics. in 2015, the last calendar year, they list 13,433 deaths 11:04:06 by guns. that's 36.8 per day. this year we're on pace to exceed that. of that two children under the age of 11 per day were shot. 11:04:26 two per day. yes, about 10% of the incidents were home invasions, defensive use, and accidental shooting, which is why none of us are trying to impede law-abiding 11:04:42 american citizens from owning a gun. but that leaves 90% of the gun activity outside that. for us to not take action, in my opinion, is indefensible. 11:04:59 in 18 years i have never participated in this morning hour discussion. i haven't done it because i find most of this more often than not somebody's reason to make a political statement. i guess in some levels that's what i'm doing right now. 11:05:15 but on occasion things get to the point we as a group have to stand up. we individually have to stand up and demand what is the simplest action imaginable. 11:05:34 if you're too dangerous to fly, you're too dangerous to buy. the simplest action, put it on the floor. i would respect someone for coming up and voting no. i would disagree, but at least 11:05:50 they wouldn't be able to hide behind their own political rhetoric that somehow people like me are trying to pull guns away from them. the truth is, it's a simple action. and i will tell you this, a 11:06:06 house member i'm a bit embarrassed that the senate was at least able to put it on the floor. at least they'll have to answer to their constituents. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman's time has expired. Capuano (D-MA):i understand that, mr. speaker. this issue has not expired. and this issue will not go away 11:06:21 and be the end of this debate today or tomorrow until we get a vote on these simple issues and do something to protect the children of america. thank you. 11:06:40 THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentlelady has been recognized. five minutes. Schakowsky (D-IL):over last father's day weekend, 13 people were killed with guns in chicago, my hometown. 11:06:57 another 46 were injured, and one of those critically injured was 3-year-old devon quinn. devon and his father were sitting in their green van when someone pulled up and started firing shots into a crowd of people. 11:07:13 devon was hit in the right shoulder by a bullet as he sat in his car. he was not the target. and he was another innocent victim in the terrible year of gun violence. a 17-year-old boy was walking down 46th street and he was 11:07:30 mowed down by an assault weapon. according to the chicago tribute, about 1,800 people have been shot in chicago this year. over 200 of them have died from guns. when shooting becomes so 11:07:45commonplace we risk forgetting how traumatic each one is for the people involved. i recently received a letter from kierra, a high school senior, she wrote, quote, 11:08:00 talking on the phone a few nights ago i heard the disturbing noise of gunshots. feelings of fear overwhelmed me as my friend was talking and walking home from the train station from work. almost immediately communication broke. i called back over and over 11:08:15a gain with no response i was on the verge of a meltdown thinking of what could have happened to him after what seemed like the longest 10 minutes of my life i received a text. letting me know that he was ok but needed to call 9-1-1 as someone had been shot by a 11:08:31 driver bye shoot -- drive by shooting. i sat there frozen, what could i do? thoughts of hopelessness and sadness took hold over me and i thought about the family of this poor innocent person who was just shot and how terrible 11:08:46 that phone call must have been from the hospital. i understand the need for guns and the role they play in protection in times of war and so on, but what i don't understand is the internal debate and menace within the united states over the use and misuse of weapons. 11:09:03 too often we forget the names of victims and the pain of their loved ones as congress continues to do nothing to stop the violence. most don't even get that empty gesture of a moment of silence. even so, we have done 27 11:09:20 moments of silence since sandy hook. how number -- numb have we become to everyday violence and only stop for that lone minute to recognize the most horrific shootings. 49 victims in orlando. school children in newtown. 11:09:37 church goers murdered in charleston just during the senate filibuster on gun violence last week, 48 people were shot. as the mass shootings get worse and worse, we can't let these daily shootings fade into the 11:09:52 background of america. we must -- i know that my constituents feel frustrated and ignored when congress responds to each of these tragedies with inaction. angela wrote to me from the rogers park neighborhood of 11:10:07 chicago where i grew up, quote, i am writing to you as a frustrated and saddened constituent who's tired of watching innocent people die because the n.r.a. holds our congresspeople hostage. 11:10:23 i'm begging you on behalf of our students and teachers and police, lgbt, and every person who has been affected by gun violence to please use this 11:10:34 moment to enact meaningful gun control in our country. we have had decades of complacency from our government on this issue. it's no longer excusable, particularly for someone representing chicago. you know where these legally purchased guns end up, and that 11:10:49 hundreds of our children and families pay the price for what selfish maniacs claim is their personal freedom, unquote. and i have many more letters like those calling on those of us in congress to do our job and reduce gun violence in our 11:11:04 country. neighbors ask me for action at the grocery store and at the gym and as i boarded the plane yesterday. we can start by enacting two gun safety proposals that are overwhelmingly supported among 11:11:21 our constituents. all of our constituents. close the terrorist loophole. if you're too dangerous to fly on an airplane, you should not be able to buy a gun. people can't even believe that isn't the law already. we need une vs.al background -- universal background checks. 11:11:37 40% of those guns used in violence in chicago are bought legally at indiana gun shows where there are no background checks. these proposals won't stop every single gun death. but we know that they will stop 11:11:55 some. yes, there are a lot of other things we could do, too. i call on speaker ryan, along with my colleagues, to bring these bills to the floor. before we break. americans are calling for action on gun violence. they are tired of being 11:12:12 ignored. no bill, no break. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentlelady from maryland, for five minutes . 11:12:29 Edwards (D-MD):our nation is still horrified by the late that killed 49 in orlando just over a week ago. we stand in solidarity with the loved ones of those lost, with 11:12:44 the lgbt community that suffered this unimaginable act of violence and entire orlando community as they work to move forward from this tradgedy. we can work together to disarm hate. gun violence has become unacceptably commonplace in the 11:13:00 country. the orlando attack is only the latest and the most deadly mass shooting in the history of the united states. we have a responsibility to do more to keep guns out of the wrong hands. but, mr. speaker, it's not just mass shootings that should be our focus. 11:13:16 guns have taken more lives in this country since 1968 than were lost in all the wars this nation has ever fought. on average, more than 89 people each day die due to guns violence. whether that's by homicide, 11:13:32 suicide, or accident. that's more than 33,000 americans being killed by guns each year. and just over the three years since newtown, more than 111,300 people have been killed 11:13:47 by someone using a gun in america. in my state of maryland in 2015 alone, more than 340 marylanders have lost their lives to homicides by guns. yet despite the national 11:14:03 consensus for legislation to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and convicted felons and domestic abusers, a vocal minority led by the national rifle association, stands in the way of commonsense proposals to keep our nation safe. 11:14:19 those voices are forcing a false choice between doing constitutional rights and safe streets. we can do both. congress can and must enact laws that improve the public safety while respecting the constitution. and this congress has no right 11:14:36 to hold moments of silence anymore, and do nothing to prevent the next tragedy. this is a moment of truth for congress. we cannot have another moment of silence without action. we can and should expand and 11:14:52 strengthen our background checks. pass the bipartisan no fly-no buy bill to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists. and so today what we know is that across this country there are people who go to unlicensed 11:15:09 dealers, at gun shows, and do what they could not do if they went to wal-mart to get a gun, and that is to get one without passing a background check. these unlicensed dealers are a significant source of crimes in my state and across the 11:15:24c ountry, with an estimate of 40% of all purchases made through them without background check. . 11:15:36 studies do show they do stop 171 felons, 20 fugitives every single day from buying weapons. it works when you do it. recent polling shows that universal background checks are universally supported across 11:15:51 the political spectrum. a cbs poll released just last week showed 89% of the public supports legislation requiring background checks. the low-hanging fruit, the common denominator. and that includes 97% of 11:16:08 democrats, 92% of republicans, 82% of independents. who's left out? the vocal minority led by the national rifle association. and let's talk about the naffle rifle association, mr. speaker. 11:16:23 -- national rifle association, mr. speaker, because they actually used to support universal background checks at gun shows. on may 27, 1999, wayne lapierre, the current president of the national rifle 11:16:38 association, testified before the house about one month before columbine in which 12 high school students and one teacher were murdered and he said this and i quote. we think it's reasonable to 11:16:54 provide mandatory instant background checks for every sale at every gun show. no loopholes anywhere for anyone, and that is a direct quote from wayne lai pmbings ierre from the national rifle association. when did they change? 11:17:10 when it became politically expedient to do the job of the gun industry. and so unfortunately they flipped their position and they no longer support expanded background checks and they've worked to prohibit that action here in congress. 11:17:26 and so i will say, mr. speaker, to speaker rirne -- ryan, to my republican colleagues, enough already. we are tired. we are done. it is past time for the congress to listen to the american public instead of to 11:17:43 the national rifle association, to listen to the overwhelming number of democrats and republicans and independents, and to take guns out of the hands of terrorists, convicted felons and those who would do harm to others. 11:17:58 no bill, no break. it's time to disarm hate. ********* THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis, for five minutes. JOHN LEWIS 11:18:23 Lewis, John (D-GA):mr. speaker, i will ask that all of my colleagues join me on the floor. 11:18:54 on occasion, mr. speaker, i have had what i call an executive session with myself. for months, even for years, i 11:19:11 wondered what would bring this body to take action? what will finally make congress do what is right? what is just what the people of this country have been demanding, and what is long overdue? 11:19:28 we have lost hundreds and thousands of innocent people to gun violence, to iny little children, babies, students and 11:19:46 teachers, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, friends and neighbors . and what has this body done? 11:20:02 mr. speaker, nothing. not one thing. we have turned a deaf ear. we have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the concern of our nation. 11:20:19 we are blind to a crisis. mr. speaker, where is the heart of this body? where is our soul? where is our moral leadership? where is our courage? 11:20:38 those who work on bipartisan solutions are pushed aside. those who pursue commonsense improvement are beaten down. reason is criticized. 11:20:53 obstruction is praised. newtown, aurora, charleston, orlando. what is the tipping point? are we blind? can we see? 11:21:10 how many more mothers, how many more fathers need to shed tears of grief before we do something ? we were elected to lead, mr. speaker. we must be headlights and not 11:21:26 taillights. we cannot continue to stick our heads in the sand. deadly mass shootings are becoming more and more frequent 11:21:41 . mr. speaker, this is the fight. it is not an opinion. we must remove the blinders. the time for silence and patience is long gone. we're calling on the leadership 11:21:57 of the house to bring commonsense gun control legislation to the house floor. give us a vote. let us vote. we came here to do our job. we came here to work. the american people are 11:22:14 demanding action. do we have the courage? do we have raw courage to make at least a down payment on ending gun violence in america? we can no longer wait. 11:22:31 we can no longer be patient, so today we come to the well of the house to drum the need for action. not next month. not next year. but now. today. 11:22:48 sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary. sometimes you have to make a way out of no way. we have been too quiet for too long. there comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise. 11:23:05 when you have to move your feet . this is the time. now is the time to get in the way. the time to act is now. we will be silent no more. 11:23:23 the time for silence is over. thank you, mr. speaker. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia -- i'm sorry -- connecticut, mr. larson, for 11:23:39 two minutes. Larson, J. (D-CT): thank you, mr. speaker. and thank my colleagues and for all of america that's listening. you just heard the soul of the united states congress speak, 11:23:54 the soul of this nation cries out for a vote. we are gathered here on this floor today to accomplish a single goal. we implore, we ask our colleagues, our colleague from 11:24:11 georgia stood on that side to appeal to the better angels on that side of the aisle to provide us with the simple dignity that every american is calling for -- a vote. and with that i yield back to 11:24:27 my colleague from georgia. JOHN LEWIS Lewis, John (D-GA): thank you, my friend, my brother, for yielding. now is the time for us to find a way to make it real. 11:24:43 we have to occupy the floor of the house until there is action. Larson, J. (D-CT):rise up, democrats. rise up, americans. this cannot stand. we will occupy this floor. we will no longer be denied a right to vote. 11:25:00 i yield to our majority whip and leader. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the gentleman's time has expired. 11:25:16 pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until the hour of 12 00. RECESS 12:01:25 THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the chair wishes to entertain the prayer by the chaplain. will members please be in order 12:01:43 for the prayer and the prayer will be offered by the chaplain, father conroy. CHAPLAIN CONROY: let us pray, father of mercy, we give you 12:01:58 thanks for giving us another day. bless the members of the people's house. may all their deliberations give rise to understanding. you have called us to serve this 12:02:15 nation by your divine inspiration, may we reach the destiny you have in mind for us and may all that is done be for your greater honor and glory, amen. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:the chair has examined the journal 12:02:30 of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, the journal stands approved. members will be asked to remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. 12:02:49 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. 12:03:08THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE:under clause 2 of rule 1, the chair is charged with preserving order and decorum and the proceedings of the house. the chair finds that the house is currently not in a state of order due to the presence of members in the well who are not 12:03:25 recognized. the chair would ask members to please leave the well so the house may proceed with business and decorum. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the house 12:03:41 stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. RECESS

Some aerial views of a police chase that happened in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida after a robbery. News chopper followed the chase after a suspect stole a car and some merchandise from a store. According to police, the suspect indicated at the beginning of the chase that he would pull over, and he then attempted to run over the police officer. A chase then commenced throughout a hollywood neighborhood until the suspect sideswiped a car and ran through a fence. Police surrounded the car, but the suspect again attempted to run the police over. An officer fearing his life discharged his weapon striking the suspects car. The suspect took off again and was finally stopped when the suspect got out of his vehicle and tried to run. He has been arrested and is charged with 3 counts of aggravated assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, and one count of felony fleeing

Osprey dives into surf, Miami Beach (Core Number: NBRY047S)

All residents in Palatka and East Palatka, Florida are being urged to get free meningitis vaccinations following an outbreak in the area of the disease. The vaccinations are being offered today and tomorrow. Five cases of bacterial meningitis have been confirmed in the county since December 12-th.

Florida panther looks up and jumps, Florida (Core Number: NBRY047S)

PAN DOWN FROM NEW YORK HOTEL TO HIGH ANGLE DOWN OF WET CITY STREET POLICE CAR CHASE. SPEEDING VEHICLE SPLASHES AND SWERVES THROUGH PUDDLES. POLICE PURSUITS. HIGH RISES, BUILDINGS, NEON SIGNS, AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL FLAGS VISIBLE HANGING FROM HOTEL. FLASHING LIGHTS, BIZBARS.

PAN DOWN FROM NEW YORK HOTEL TO HIGH ANGLE DOWN OF WET CITY STREET POLICE CAR CHASE. SPEEDING VEHICLE SPLASHES AND SWERVES THROUGH PUDDLES. POLICE PURSUITS. HIGH RISES, BUILDINGS, NEON SIGNS, AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL FLAGS VISIBLE HANGING FROM HOTEL. FLASHING LIGHTS, BIZBARS.

THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL RELEASES SURVEILLANCE TAPE FROM THREE DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES OF A CAR CHASE IN PINELLAS COUNTY.

A bird on the loose in south Florida...wildlife officials caught up with the emu last night after cornering it a backyard. They used a tranquilizer to catch the emu--but he got nervous and slid right into the fence.They finally captured it...but while loading the bird, it started kicking, nearly breaking the cage. Wildlife officials are treating the emu for malnutrition and injuries to its' neck.

PAN DOWN FROM NEW YORK HOTEL TO HIGH ANGLE DOWN OF WET CITY STREET POLICE CAR CHASE. SPEEDING VEHICLE SPLASHES AND SWERVES THROUGH PUDDLES. POLICE PURSUITS. HIGH RISES, BUILDINGS, NEON SIGNS, AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL FLAGS VISIBLE HANGING FROM HOTEL. FLASHING LIGHTS, BIZBARS.

1980s: People walk around city. Skyscraper. Miami. Map showing migratory paths to Miami from nearby countries

Coast Guard officials attempt to negotiate the surrender of a sailboat filled with Cubans just southeast of Miami.

A WILD CAR CHASE BEGINS IN TITUSVILLE AND WINDS UP IN ORLANDO.

Cineflex Aerial footage of Key Biscayne in Miami with a boat running in the water.

Affluent Florida marina with cruisers palm trees in background (Core Number: LFEX139FA)

MISSING COUPLE MAY BE FOUND AFTER A HIGH SPEED CHASE. COPS GO TO HOUSE AND THEY FIND ITS ALL UNLOCKED AND HAS BEEN RANSACKED.

Aerial Palm Beach Marina; Shot on 35mm

Cineflex Aerial footage of the Lighthouse at Bill Baggs State park on Key Biscayne.