Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives 12122017 20171212

Several other measures, including u. S. Partnerships with mexico and can dand naming several post offices. Later in the week in the house, two financerelated bills dealing with iran. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the speaker the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. Chaplain conroy let us pray. God, father of us all, we give you thanks for giving us another day. Ever faithful to your promises, we ask your presence with your people, now and forever. The sun grows dim and the daylight is measured, in the darkness phantoms loom. The eye the company discern as the distance cannot discern as the distance fades. Be for us light. Help the members of Congress Make clear judgments that will propel us into a blessed future. Remove any shadowy clouds so that they might follow the patterns of your inspiration. O lord of the ages, ever faithful to your promises, be with us throughout these waning days of the session. And may all that is done in the peoples house be for your greater honor and glory, amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from arkansas, mr. Westerman. Mr. Westerman 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 stice for all. The speaker the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina eek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Wilson mr. Speaker, im grateful to recognize that this is a day december 14, to recognize Law Enforcement and their families dedicated to protecting american families. I appreciate the hard work of cassie in recognizing her husband in such a positive way with greg eller day, giving back to the community and recognizing his service to the American People. Greg was a fine young man and also a sevenyear veteran of the Forest Acres Police department. I was fortunate to have the privilege to travel with greg in Boy Scout Troop to the scout ranch in new mexico. I learned then what a dedicated person he was. His legacy and courage will live on through the great work of his wife, cassy son, cal, and parents. To the many Law Enforcement and families across the country, we thank you for your service, dedication and sacrifice which over the weekend i saw with sheriff michael hunt of richland and sheriff kohn of lexington. In conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition . Mr. Cohen to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Cohen thank you, mr. Speaker. Today i recognize the career of hall of fame Magazine Editor regan carter. Regan carter is one of the great journalist of our time. He retires today after 25 years of editor of vanity fair. He cofounded spy magazine which he also editied as well as the new York Observer. In vanity fair he gave Michael Lewis and Dominick Dunne a venue and Christopher Hitchins, one of the great journalists of our time. One said about Christopher Hitchins that he was a charmer and trouble maker and he was a gift from, dare i say it, god. From the beginning at spy magazine, and through his days in the new York Observer and vanity fair he talked about the shortcomings of donald trump. And he gave him the name short finger vullgarian. He i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from West Virginia eek recognition . The gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor Gunnery Sergeant dale significantler of West Virginia. Mr. Mckinley dales life has been one of leadership and service to his community and country. At the age of 17 during the height of the world war ii, he got his parents permission and enlisted in the United States navy. Even before he had finished high school. He served in the navy until 1946 before returning home to finish his education. Then upon graduation he then joined the marines and led an exemplary military career as a Gunnery Sergeant. He retired after 20 years of military service but his desire to service the community didnt stop there. He went on to serve as chaplain for the local chapters of the american legion, the veterans of foreign wars, and the marine corps legion and was recently named lifetime of Achievement Award for his dedicated service. Gunnery sergeant significantler, we salute you d sigler, we salute you and offer you appreciation. Thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Jeffries republican tax scam will raise taxes on 36 million middleclass americans, undermine medicare, and explode the deficit. It will saddle our children and grandchildren with more than 1 trillion in additional debt. Simply to pay for an unnecessary, unamerican, unconscionable tax cut for millionaires, billionaires, special interests, corporations, and big donors. And to justify this reckless ponzi scheme, the Treasury Department has produced a onepage analysis. Really . One page. Thats the best that you can do . You are insulting the intelligence of the American People, insulting the intelligence of this congress, insulting the intelligence of our democratic republic, the American People deserve a better deal. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize a truly remarkable family from the fourth Congressional District of arkansas. Mena was family of recognized arkansas farm of the year. Mr. Westerman they have angus cattle, chicken houses in polk county. Not only is the family which includes sons ryan and dre, active in traditional farming, but the austins are also a leader in arkansas agritourism with a variety of crops bringing families across the region to Holly Springs homestead. Their work supports the polk county economy and brings pride to friends and neighbors. I send my congratulations to the Austin Family on this prestigious honor as well as all the Arkansas County farm family winners. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Higgins mr. Speaker, the Trump White House and the u. S. Treasury secretary continues to issue formal reports about the republican Corporate Tax cut plan. These reports are devoid of fact or credibility and have been categorically rejected by each and every respectable tax expert. These tax cuts will pay for themselves and fuel new 2 trillion in Economic Growth over the next decade. Not true. Tax cuts have never come close to paying for themselves not once or ever in human history. Corporate tax cuts will trickle down to increase annual Household Income in america by between 2,000 and ,000. No one believes this or them. For the White House Council of economic advisors to say this is official misconduct and a blatant fraud perpetrated against middle america. Mr. Speaker, this big Corporate Tax cut is a massive giveaway to Corporate America and a major takeaway from middle america. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition . Ms. Roslehtinen i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Roslehtinen thank you so much, mr. Speaker. I rise to celebrate the career of maria diaz who will be retiring after more than 35 years serving at the Social Security administration in my hometown of miami. My staff and i have had an opportunity to know and work with her over the last 17 years as she served as Public Affairs specialist. Throughout that time shes been an invaluable resource to us and to our constituents. Maria started working at the Social Security administration in 1982 in what she thought would be a temporary job, but she quickly grew to love her work and those she had an opportunity to serve. Over the last three decades with her calm demeanor and her everpresent smile, maria has made a Significant Impact in the lives of countless individuals in our community. Mr. Speaker, maria diaz is the embodiment of the ideal Public Servant. She has dedicated her life to faithfully and diligently serving those most in need in south florida. So on behalf of a grateful community, i wish her the best of luck in the next exciting chapter of her life. Felicidades, amiga. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Maloney mr. Speaker, yesterday a terrorist tried to attack the lifeblood of new york city, our subway system. It is another somber reminder that new york city, a beacon of hope and freedom, remains a target for terrorists. We had the First World Trade Center attack in 1993. Another one on 9 11 01. We had the Chelsea Bombing last year. Earlier this year the truck attack, and yesterday another bomb attack. In addition to the new York Police Department talks about 27 other attempts to harm new yorkers that was stopped. By now it should be clear, we cannot play politics with federal funding for local Law Enforcement and Homeland Security. The funding for states and cities, especially highthreat areas, must not be delayed or diminished or cut off. While we are still learning about this latest attack, one thing is clear, the terrorist wanted to strike fear into the hearts of every new yorker but they failed. New yorkers will always persevere in the face of adversity. Our trains are running, our people are back to work. I wish the three people injured yesterday a swift and speedy recovery and want to express my gratitude to the Law Enforcement of new york city and for the heroic response of our first responders. We are all very grateful to them for what they do for us every day. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlewoman has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Without objection, so ordered. Thank you, mr. Speaker. You know, its amazing, in the past little over a year theres 25 more percent forest tree deaths. Mr. Lamalfa than was previously. This past spring and summer, after record prescription, were seeing the beetle kill, the tree dieoff in amazing amounts. As we see the forests that devastate the west each year, you see them in southern california, not necessarily all forested areas, but you see what the effects looks like in communities on the east side of the state and the north. The devastation must end. We must be managing forests. We have the beetle kill. We have trees dying off. More tree deaths. Billions that are dying off that are assets to the American People that we should be taken out of the good, used it positive, having our forests managed in a way thats sustainable, thats good for the habitat, good for the wildlife. We need action to be taken by usda and u. S. Forest service. Were meeting with those folks there to try to get a new direction for that. Under the Previous Administration we got a lot of talk and a lot of smoke. We need action thats going to be positive so that the west doesnt have to burn every year and have all those negative effects to air quality and the peoples economy. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Bustos thank you, mr. Speaker. Youve been hearing a lot about this tax plan, but really its a tax scam. Its not a mistake that Congressional Republicans are going after hardworking middleclass families. In fact, it is an intentional attack against them. Let me explain briefly. They have laid out a simple threestep process. Here they are. Step one pass a tax scam that they know will raise taxes on millions of middleclass families in order to give tax cuts to corporate special interests and billionaires. That alone will saddle our children with more than 1 trillion in debt. Step two, flip out about this new debt. Step three, then demand cuts to Social Security and medicare. For months, Congressional Republicans have denied that this is what theyre doing. Well, let me tell what you happened last week. Speaker ryan, and i quote, said this, word for word. Were going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and deficit. End quote. He says that entitlements are what hes going to go after. Well, you know what indictments are . Medicare and social entitlements are . Medicare and Social Security, under his definition. I urge my colleagues to reject this tax scam. Instead, lets offer a better deal to the american public. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlelady has expired. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition . Without objection, so ordered. Ms. Lee thank you, mr. Speaker. Today i rise with a very heavy heart upon learning of the passing of a great human being, San Franciscos mayor, ed lee. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, his wife, anita, and two daughters, and the entire city and county of San Francisco and the bay area. My condolences also are with leader pelosi and congresswoman jackie speier, who san fran leaders who loved ed and will San Francisco leaders who loved ed and will miss him deeply. He was a tireless Public Servant and personally a friend. He always put a smile on my face when he considered me and called me his sister. Being two lees. He was such a kind and thoughtful person and a truly great leader. Even before he was mayor, ed was a champion for the people of San Francisco as a Community Organizer and civil rights attorney. As the first Asian American mayor of San Francisco, he broke new ground for the city. As mayor he fought to expand Affordable Housing, address the homelessness crisis, and ensure that residents could earn a living wage. Ed will be missed tremendously. He helped so many people in his life and he touched so many lives. Mayor lee set the highest standard for mayors and all elected officials as a true Public Servant. As we grieve, we take comfort in knowing that he has left an inspiring and Lasting Legacy of uplifting and empowering families. We will always remember his beautiful smile and his passion for making life better for others. Ay his soul rest in peace. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlelady has expired. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Lawrence mr. Speaker, i rise today to address the republican spending plan. Republicans in congress have passed a tax giveaway to corporations and left behind everyday americans. Now republicans are refusing to address constituents urgent priorities. From Childrens Health care to disaster relief. To certainty for dreamers and more. They refuse to bring a clean reauthorization for the Childrens Health insurance program, chip. Which serves nine million children and 370,000 pregnant women. They want to drastically cut other Health Care Funding while saying they support chip. Republicans are also planning to cut medicare and medicaid. These cuts will be devastating for millions of people who depend on medicaid for essential health services. Children, seniors, lowincome and people with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, this budget will hurt children, it will hurt women, and all americans, just to pay for a tax giveaway. And it is simply unacceptable. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir. Pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2h of rule 2 of the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on december 12, 2017, at 11 23 a. M. That the Senate Passed senate 447. Signed, sincerely, karen l. Aas. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 647 i call up h. R. 3971 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 319. H. R. 3971, a bill to amend the truth in lending act and the real estate settlement procedures act of 1974, to modify the requirements for Community Financial institutions with respect to certain rules relating to Mortgage Loans and or other purposes. Ms. Tenney mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Pursuant to House Resolution 647 and amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules Committee Print 11544 is adopted and the bill as amended is considered read. The bill shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Financial Services. After one hour of debate, it shall be in order to consider the further amendment printed in art b of house report 115443, if offered by the member designated in the report, which shall be considered read and shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report. Equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. Ms. Tenney mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized and each and the gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters, each will control 30 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. Ms. Tenney meerks thank you. I now shall mr. Speaker, thank you. I now shall yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Speaker, over the last 10 years the Community Financial Institution Industry has undergone a dramatic transformation. Since 2006, more than 1,500 banks have failed, been acquired or merged due to economic factors and the overwhelmingly expensive regulation brought forth by the passage of doddfrank act. During the same period, there have been a drought in de novo banks. In fact, only five new Bank Charters and 16 new credit Union Charters have been granted. Today, for the first time in over 125 years, there are fewer than 6,000 banks and roughly 6,000 Credit Unions serving all consumers in the United States. This is proof that the Community Financial institutions need smart, commonsense regulatory relief so they can properly serve local communities by assisting with Small Business startup and consumer credit. My bill, h. R. 3971, the Community Institution mortgage relief act, would alleviate harmful burdens on Small Institutions across the nation, while saving money for lowincome borrowers. This bipartisan measure would exempt Small Communitybased institutions from mandatory escrow requirements. My bill will also provide relief from new regulations that have nearly doubled the cost of servicing loans specifically to lowincome borrowers. I know that certain institutions will wish to continue to provide the same Escrow Services to their consumers and they are welcome to do that. By offering these real changes, smaller institutions, like g. P. O. Federal credit union, for example, in my district, can once again focus their full attention on relationship lending in the community, without worry of government overregulation. Once again, the current law mandates that all institutions follow escrow requirements which raises the cost of credit for those borrowers who can least afford it, while harming small local institutions. I want to specifically thank mr. Sherman from california for working with me on this bill and i appreciate his support throughout the process. I urge all my colleagues to vote the bill and i yield back no. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that chairman hensarling control the remainder of the time. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. The time the gentlewoman has reserved the time for mr. Hensarling. And the gentlewoman from california is now recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for such time. Ms. Waters i rise today in opposition to h. R. 3971. Contrary to what is implied by its title, h. R. 3971 would not provide regulatory relief to Community Banks. Instead this bill would allow a large number of Mortgage Services to drop important Consumer Protections and set the stage for a return of the harmful practices of the subprime meltdown and the worst financial crisis since the great depression. Doddfrank tasked Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with implementing mortgage rules under the truth in lending act that would re would restrict the type of practices that led to the financial crisis. This bill would harm consumers by raising the Consumer Bureaus exemption threshold owns crow account requirements for higherpriced Mortgage Loans. Mortgages are classified as higherpriced if the an if the annual percentage rate, or a. P. R. , exceeds the average prime offer rate by 1. 5 , and higherpriced Mortgage Loans often reflect riskier or subprime borrowers. Pursuant to doddfrank act, the Consumer Bureau has issued escrow rules that require borrowers with higherpriced Mortgage Loans to escrow their homeowners insurance, property taxes and private mortgage insurance for at least the first five years of their mortgage. Escrow accounts are an important Consumer Protection mechanism, especially for higherrisk borrowers. Because they ensure that homeowners have funds for these expenses, thereby reducing mortgage defaults or loss of the property. In fact, before the Consumer Bureau issued its final rule on escrow requirements in 2013, a Federal Reserve study from 2011 found that consumers with higherpriced mortgages that did not have an escrow account in the first year after the consummation of their mortgage had higher instances of default. Escrow accounts also keep homeowners from being blindsided by additional costs at the end of each year and provide a more accurate monthly cost estimate for homeownership when the loan is originated. That is why the Consumer Bureaus rules are designed to ensure that homeowners understand and can meet the full cost of Home Ownership. Even though escrow accounts are particularly important for these higherpriced loans they certainly not unique. In fact, most homeowners escrow these funds. Funds ensured by the federal Housing Administration and the u. S. Department of agriculture must have borrower escrow accounts and conventional mortgages with a loan to value ratio of 80 or higher required as well. I have not heard a single convincing argument as to what is so burdensome about banks with 25 billion in assets ensuring that their borrowers have enough money set aside every month to pay their taxes and insurance. Furthermore, banks with less than 2 billion in assets that serve rural or underserved areas are already exempt from the Consumer Bureaus escrow requirements, which reflects the bureaus commitment to balance and tailored regulations. This bill would make a dramatic leap from the Consumer Bureaus targeted relief and exempt banks up to 25 billion in assets or over 98 of banks from the escrow requirement. And they would get this exemption regardless of whether theyre serving underserved borrowers and without any evidence that this large exemption would increase access to credit for those who need it. The Consumer Bureau also addressed the fact that Large Services and especially services that Service Loans that they did not own for an extended period of time often did not adequately communicate with customers or approximately track paperwork. During the crisis, this contributed to millions of unnecessary foreclosures. And later on, several billion dollar settlements for abusive and fraudulent Business Practices. In its rule, the Consumer Bureau also provides other flexibilities through exemptions to the real estate settlement procedures act Loan Servicing and escrow account administration, requirements to only small Bank Services. If they and their affiliates owned the loans they service and service no more than 5,000 loans each year, h. R. 3971 would increase the exemption by 500 . From 5,000 loans a year to 30,000 loans, allowing significantly larger Bank Services to avoid these important consumer safeguards and only requiring the lenders to hold the loans in portfolio for three years. So, lets be clear. Home owners do not get to choose their own homeowners do not get to choose their own Mortgage Loan servicer. We can at least ensure theyre adequately protected after they sign on the dotted line. As we saw leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, servicers often choose profits over people and that is why we need the Consumer Bureau to look out for the needs of consumers. The Consumer Bureau has continued to do its job in spite of the unrelenting Republican Campaign to slow it down or eliminate it completely. Simply put, h. R. 3971 would enable larger servicers, whose incentives are not alined with the owners of the loans aligned with the owners of the loans or the borrowers, to revive the abusive practices with the predatory lending that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. This is the second time in less than two weeks that ive come before you to discuss a bill that would erode vital Consumer Protections under the truth in lending act, for borrowers with highpriced Mortgage Loans. I cannot support legislation that would keep consumers looking at highcost mortgages from the vital protections and security scrutiny they deserve. For all these reasons i oppose the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for such time. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i rise in strong support of h. R. 3971, the Community Institution mortgage relief act. Its an important bill that is cosponsored by a Bipartisan Group of members, again, bipartisan. It was approved in the Financial Services committee with a strong bipartisan vote of 4119, and it has a long track record of bipartisan support, and all members should take note of this. I want to thank the gentlelady from new york, representative tenney, who is a fine member of the Financial Services committee. I want to thank her for introducing the legislation and really helping lead our congressional effort. To provide needed regulatory relief for our Small Community banks and Credit Unions, to give them relief from rules that are unfairly restricting our constituents access to mortgage credit. And this is mortgage credit that will help americans achieve a greater level of financial independence, by being able to achieve perhaps their version of the American Dream, a home they can actually afford to keep. H. R. 3971 is a narrowly focused, modest effort to resolve concerns related to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus rules implementing doddfrank act provisions on escrows and Mortgage Servicing. The cfpbs escrow requirements for property taxes and insurance are unnecessary. They are impractical, and they are a significant expense that just makes it harder for our Community Banks and Credit Unions to offer Mortgage Loans to their customers and members. These escrow accounts are the accounts that people use to pay their taxes and pay their homeowners insurance. With the amendment soon to be introduced by mr. Sherman of california, a cosponsor of this legislation, this bipartisan bill would simply relieve certain Small Community banks and Credit Unions from the obligation to provide escrow accounts if they have consolidated assets of 10 billion or less and hold the mortgage on their Balance Sheet for three years. Again, mr. Speaker, if they are holding the mortgage on their Balance Sheet, they have every incentive, every incentive to protect the collateral and ensure that tax Insurance Payment that tax and Insurance Payments are current. There is no reason to force them, these Community Banks and Credit Unions to go through this very expensive process of escrowing, particularly if the customer or the Credit Union Member doesnt want it. A large majority of Community Banks do not currently escrow because of the cost of which i have spoke. In requiring them to do so, mr. Speaker, is only going to stop them from making loans. Fewer home loans, fewer people with homeownership opportunity. You know, Community Banker in missouri told us that the cfpbs rule has forced his bank to, quote, limit inhouse Residential Real Estate lending, unquote. The banker went on to say, quote, this is hurting the Housing Market in our community. That just shouldnt be happening, mr. Speaker. A credit Union Official in pennsylvania said the bureaucratic cfpb requirement has caused his Credit Union Members to be, quote, very upset and confused as to why they were unable to pay their taxes how they always had. He went on to write, quote, these members had managed their tax and Insurance Payments for years without institution interference, but suddenly they feel like the government now told them they were not responsible enough to manage their own affairs. This echoes precisely what we learned from a credit union leader in pennsylvania who wrote a letter saying that, quote, changes to Mortgage Servicing rules have made it more expensive and more time consuming. Servicing rules and regulations have become a fulltime regulatory and compliance nightmare. Again, mr. Speaker, fewer home loans means fewer homes for our constituents. Its not right. To fix these problems, h. R. 3971 would also increase the small servicer exemption threshold from 5,000 mortgages to 20,000 mortgages annually by better delineates small servicers from the large servicers. A Community Bank or credit union that services fewer than 20,000 mortgages should not be subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as a big Financial Institution that has a 2 trillion servicing portfolio. Again, these important reforms will give smaller Credit Unions and Community Banks greater flexibility to ensure more their members and customers can get a loan to buy a home and stay in their home. Again, mr. Speaker, ms. Tenneys bill has strong bipartisan support. It has in the past. I expect it will have it again today. It solves a real problem for our constituents, and i urge adoption of the measure and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Very ers thank you much, mr. Chairman and members. I think it is important for us to realize that in present law Community Banks of 2 billion or less are exempted from requiring escrow accounts on higher priced loans if they serve rural and underserved areas. So were talking about present law that gives this exemption, and not only does it exempt these real Community Banks of 2 billion or less, the banks are required to serve Rural Communities and underserved areas. This is so important because oftentimes these are loans to riskier customers. These are loans where they are a higher interest rate. These are loans where they are taking more risk. So when we hear those on the opposite side of the aisle different ways to service the Rural Communities, this is one way that the law allows that kind of attention to Rural Communities and underserved areas. They say Small Community banks, you dont have to have escrow accounts and so what were saying to you is, give your attention to these rural and they rved areas where are higher priced loans, riskier accounts and we are not going to require you to have to force upon these kinds of ccounts the rules that will be forced upon different kinds of Financial Institutions. And so if we adopt this bill, it would not be about Community Banks at all. And i have to disagree with my chairman of the committee who talked about this in some way enhancing Community Banks ability to Service Rural and underserved areas. Theyre talking about expanding the exemption from 2 billion or less to 25 billion. Thats not a Community Bank. We dont have any Community Bank that banks that are worth 25 billion or more. So i want everybody to be clear what this bill is attempting to do, and with that ill reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i am now pleased to yield five minutes to the distinguished gentleman from missouri, the chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on Financial Institutions and consumer credit, mr. Luetkemeyer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from missouri is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Luetkemeyer thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from texas, our distinguished chairman of the committee, as well. I want to start thanking the gentlelady from new york, ms. Tenney, who has become an advocate for Small Institutions and their customers. Escrow requirements are costly and burdensome for Community Banks and Credit Unions. Many institutions lack the resources to create and maintain escrow accounts inhouse and outsourcing the work is cost prohibitive. This doesnt mean these Financial Institutions should be in the business of mortgage lending. Truth in amends the lending act to have the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to exempt a loan secured by a first lien on a principal dwelling if its held by a creditor of 25 billion or less. Under the bill the bureau must also provide exemptions to or adjustments from the mortgage Loan Servicing and escrow requirements of the real estate settlement procedures act. That relief applies only to servicers of 300,000 or fewer more 300,000 or fewer Mortgage Loans. These are higher thresholds nor are they large or complex. The gentleladys legislation is targeted squarely for the small banks and Credit Unions servicing main street. The Financial Institutions that have relationships with their customers. This isnt an important aspect in the legislation that isnt delineated. As someone that made loans in my community for more than 30 years, these Small Institutions care about their customers. Community bankers help people fulfill their dreams of homeownership because they care about the customer and Economic Health of their community. The unfortunate reality is that across the nation these banks and Credit Unions are exiting the Residential Mortgage business. I heard from one just a few days ago. Isnt one rule thats driving this trend. Its the onslaught of rules from the cfpb and the federal produngs regulators that in totality make mortgage lending and servicing cost prohibitive. These rules arent helping consumeers. They are forcing banks to cut off services and access to mortgage credit. Theyre pushing borrowers to large Financial Institutions and nonbank servicers. The very entities that the Ranking Member and some of my friends on the other side of the aisle say pose the greatest threat to consumers. The gentleladys legislation ensures that consumers continue to have various credit choices by allowing smaller institutions without being deterred by high cost of Regulatory Compliance. Increasing small servicer exemption threshold will delineate and give Credit Unions and Community Banks greater flexibility. This will ensure more customers have access to the Mortgage Market and achieve the dream of homeownership. We shouldnt be driving that business away from small servicers and we shouldnt subject Community Institutions in this instance to the same Regulatory Regime as larger ones. This is an issue the Financial Services committee has forced has worked on for several years. Always a bipartisan support. I want to thank the gentlelady from new york for picking up this legislation and for her diligent work on this matter. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting h. R. 3971, a measure that allows our nations smaller Financial Institutions, their customers and their communities to thrive. Mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from missouri yields back. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much, mr. Chairman and members. I think it is important to further explain what this bill would do and why they could be harmful. Under the present law, the real estate settlement and procedures act would require that the services handle no more than 5,000 or less loans. Why is this important. It is important because when you have servicers that are handling a relatively small number of these kinds of accounts they can Pay Attention to them. Dont forget, these are loans by Community Banks. They are riskier, they are higher priced loans. They are directed toward Rural Communities and communities that basically you have to pay a lot of attention to when you give out these loans and so now this bill would say, yes, we know that when you are servicing a small number, 5,000 or less, that the servicers have to Pay Attention because they are under the rule of the real estate settlement procedures act. And that acts not only do you have to Pay Attention and you have to contact your borrower when you are going to transfer the loan and let me tell you how important this is. This is so important because when you transfer a loan, if you dont give the kind of notification to the borrower that they will understand that the originator of the loan no longer has the servicing or has the same servicing contract that its now going to move to another servicer, then people oftentimes end up not sending their payment to the right place and, guess what, i have seen this go on for months and then people end up in a situation where they are defaulting on the loan and the new servicers are putting them in a position where now their homes are in danger. So this contact, this oversight, this attention that you pay to these small borrowers are so important and thats why the 5,000. Now, with this bill, they want to take it up to 30,000. What does that mean . It means that were going to see the kind of problems that we have seen in the subprime meltdown that we have gone through. We have found that servicers caused us the most problems. Of course, they didnt service the loans adequately. They lost them. They had people applying over and over again. First of all, we discovered that many of the servicers had no training, that they were literally hired off the street, and that they were basically saying to senior citizens, 75 and 80 years old, we lost your paper, reapply again, reapply again, were sorry, and it has been just an awful situation that was created because the servicers could not handle the volume that they were contracted with, oftentimes for the Financial Institution that they were supposed to be doing this work for. And so here you have a bill that literally is not about Community Banks. This is about increasing the number of banks that can now have the kind of protection that we were given to the very Small Community banks, so dont believe this is about Community Banks. In addition to that, what youre doing is youre changing the rules and the laws under the real estate settlement procedures act that protects these borrowers and these small high risk loans that are in these communities that need special kind of help and so with that i will reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i yield myself 30 seconds just to say were losing a Community Bank or credit union a day in america. And we are losing them because they are drowning in a sea of doddfrank regulations. And as they perish, so do the dreams of many of our constituents. And mr. Speaker, if a Small Community bank or credit union makes a loan and keeps it on their books, guess what, they want the loan repaid. Theyre going to make sure the taxes are kept current. Theyre going to make sure the insurance is kept current. They dont need the burdensome regulation coming out from some washington bureaucrat telling them how to do their business. They want to ensure the loan gets paid anyway. Mr. Speaker, im now pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, the vice chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on Financial Institutions and consumer credit, mr. Rothfus. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Rothfus i thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in support of h. R. 3971, the Community Institution mortgage relief act. And i thank representative tenney for her hard work on this piece of legislation. At the Financial Institution subcommittee, we often talk about right sizing regulations. If we want to have a robust Financial System that balances smart regulation and Consumer Protections with the need to make capital available to American Consumers, we need to consider targeted opportunities to tailor requirements to fit the size and nature of the Financial Institution. Representative tenneys legislation does just that. This Community Institution mortgage relief act directs the cfpb to exempt creditors with 25 billion or less in assets from certain costly escrow and impound requirements on loans secured by a first lean on a consumers principle dwelling. These requirements are especially burdensome for Community Financial institutions. They often force institutions to pass increased costs on to their consumers. This can drive business away from small banks and Credit Unions, which are already suffering from overregulation and other economic challenges. As a result, in some cases Community Financial institutions have exited the Mortgage Business altogether. This does not help consumers and it further imperils our shrinking number of Community Banks and Credit Unions. This bill offers a targeted, reasonable fix so these institutions can continue to serve their customers. This is smart, its reasonable, its common sense, particularly for those who understand how overregulation from washington, d. C. , has hurt consumerhoice. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california is recogniz. Ms. Waters i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, im now very pleased to yield three minutes to a fellow texan, a member of the Financial Services committe mr. Williams. The speaker pro tempore the gentman from texas, mr. Williams, is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Williams mr. Speaker, i rise today in favor of h. R. 3971, the Community Institution mortgage relief act of 2017. I would like to also thank the gentlelady from new rk, ms. Tenney, for heward ork on this piece of ledge for her hard work on this piece of legislation. An overwhelmg majority of my Financial Services Committee Colleagues recognize the need for this bill. And i hope that the full house will also recognize that very same need by voting in favor of this meaningful legislation. Mr. Speaker, the problem right now is that Community Banks are being crushed by sheer weight. Magnitude and intricacy of habitual washington regulations and this is all the thanks to the crippling effects of the failed doddfrank. Currently Community Financial institutions are facing overly burdensome rules implemented by the cfpb. The fact of the matter is we need h. R. 3971 in order to provide needed regulatory relief to small Financial Institutions. By making two simple minor change, Community Financial institutions will be able to better serve their customers. To be clear, the institutions we are trying to help are not big banks and they do not have the capabilities of the big banks. To comply with current burdensome escrow rules, Community Financial institutions must devote more resources, time and employees on compliance and those costs get passed down to the consumer. Oftentimes under the pressure of current regulatory framework, these Financial Institutions will choose not to participate in the escrow market at all, simply because the rules are financially and technically hindering. By directing the crp to provide relief to lower the thresholds, we can help make things just a little bit easier on these vital Community Banks. Overall, we should not allow oppressive regulations to drive opportunity away from small servicers. Big banks and Community Financial institutions are not the same and we should not treat them as such. As a Small Business owner myself, of over 44 years, and a steadfast defender of main street, i do not hesitate to support this measure. It is good for this country. I see the need for the good people of Central Texas to have more options. Our job here in washington, many miles away from our communities, and those we love, is to do what we can to make their lives easier. Mr. Speaker, h. R. 3971 makes life easier. And takes a step in the direction of making america better. So in god we trust. Merry christmas. I yield my time back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from california is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you. It is irman and members, important to understand why we have a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and why it is the centerpiece of the doddfrank reforms. Prior to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we did not have anybody looking out for consumers. And so that led us into the crisis that this country experienced in 2008, that took use in a recession and almost a depression. When i come before you with opposition to this kind of legislation, it is because i know and understand and we should all understand what we can do to protect our consumers and how we can work with Community Banks and what that means when were talking about a bill like this, where real Community Banks of 2 billion or less are dealing with populations that ive alluded to over and over again in the presentation of my opposition to this bill. The Rural Communities and those communities that are underserved and where these are riskier oans and where they need not only the attention of the Small Community banks, but the services servicers who service these loans. And knowing that the servicers who service a small number of loans can in fact pay the attention to them that is sure ed by respa and make the people are understanding when there are transfers and they are in contact with them constantly, and this goes from everything from transfers to modifications. And how to deal with highrisk loans who may need to modify those loans, who they would talk to, how they would talk to them. I want to tell you, if you expand that you have servicers that are handling 30,000 or more , these borrowers are not going to get this kind of intention. And so these escrows that were talking about are extremely important and we should know exactly who were protecting and who were not protecting. And with that, i will continue to reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california continues to reserve. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Hensarling im happy to yield three minutes to the gentleman from kentucky, chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on Monetary Policy and trade. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Barr thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, chairman hensarling, for your leadership and especially thank you to the gentlelady from new york, my friend, ms. Tenney, for her outstanding leadership on this issue. And i rise in support of her legislation, the Community Institution mortgage relief act. Home ownership is part of the American Dream. However, an illconceived rule promulgated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made it harder for americans to purchase a home in typical onesizefitsall washington bureaucrat fashion, the bureaus rule places excessive escrow and Mortgage Servicing requirements on the backs of smaller Community Financial institutions and Mortgage Servicers. What the bureau missed is that these lenders are rarely in subprime lending and frequently hold the loan and portfolio for the term of the loan. This means these lenders have a very strong incentive to ensure that taxes and insurance premiums are being paid because theyre taking on 100 of the Downside Risk if the borrower fails to hold up their side of the deal. Therefore an escrow account isnt necessary. However, as a direct result of the rule, there is Less Consumer choice and more expense. Thats because many Community Financial institutions are leaving the market or have been forced to charge homebuyers more so they can afford to hire the extra professional staff they need to comply with this rule. For these reasons i support the Community Institution mortgage relief act, which exempts Community Financial institutions with assets of 25 billion or less from much of the Regulatory Burden of the bureaus rule. Again, i want to thank my good friend from new york, congresswoman Claudia Tenney, and our chairman, congressman hensarling, for their leadership on this issue. And i urge my colleagues to vote for the Community Institution mortgage relief act. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from kentucky yields back. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters well, mr. Chairman, and members, im paying special attention to this legislation. And i take pause when i see bills like 3971, that are just a small part of the republicans relentless attack on the work of the Consumer Bureau. The Consumer Bureaus work on highcost loans and Consumer Protections for them was well thought through and the result of cafrle research. Leading up careful research. Leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, many looking to fulfill the American Dream and purchase a house were convinced to take out highercost loans without any regard for their ability to repay them. There were false promises, the coves their mortgage, without adequate protections. The Consumer Bureau took years to talk to experts, hear from advocates and do the research to come up with a strong rule to prevent those types of abuses from occurring again. While also providing regulatory relief to banks that serve rural and underserved communities. So let me take pause and again focus everyone on rural and underserved communities. I am oftentimes appalled at the fact that we have too many legislators who represent Rural Communities and underserved communities, but when it comes to look out for their financial interest looking out for their financial interest, theyre not doing it. Yet they go back to these communities and they talk about all the other kinds of issues. They talk about people who are not saluting the flag properly. They will talk about freedom choice issues. And they will rally folks around everything except their financial interest. If Rural Communities oftentimes are being hurt, its because the very people who say they represent them are not indeed representing them. And we can see this in this kind of discussion. Sure that , we are focused weg rural and underserved communities are served properly d thrown to the wolves and into situations after they take out these loans. When they take out these loans, they need servicers who are trained and committed and understand why underserved and Rural Communities need special protection and who will work with them and contact them and work with them to work out situations where Loan Modifications may be required or requested. So im going to continue to oppose. I understand there are others who would like to open this up. And with that, let me reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the the gentlewoman from california continues to reserve. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Hensarling i yield two minutes to outstanding member of the Financial Services committee, the gentlelady from utah, mrs. Love. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from utah is recognized. Ms. Lofgren i rise in support of h. R. 3971, the Community Institution mortgage relief act, because the ability to purchase a home is one of the most sacred financial goals we have as americans. This is an important path to Home Ownership and we hope and are doing everything we can to make sure it remains accessible. This bill will ensure that Community Banks and Credit Unions stay in the mortgage lending business and continue to provide potential homeowners with diverse credit options in their communities. I would like to thank representative Claudia Tenney from new york for providing such a great relief to Community Institutions. Unfortunately as we have seen too often, this is one more instance where government efforts to protect people are inadvertently having the opposite effect. Though intended to protect owners, the final rule on escrow and Mortgage Service requirements are so burdensome and costly for smaller institutions that we are driving Mortgage Businesses away from them. And this comes on top of an already burdensome Regulatory Environment in which our small Financial Institutions are facing rules and regulations that were made for larger banks causing them to close their door at a rate of one Small Institution a day. We need a more Regulatory Environment that balances the credit needs of consumers with appropriate Consumer Protection. This legislation would do that by exempting lenders with assets of 20 billion or less from escrow requirements on Mortgage Loans and provide much needed regulatory relief for small services. With smaller staff and fewer resources existing escrow rules are financially and technically prohibittive for small Community Institutions. In addition, these smaller lenders often hold the liability in portfolio for term of the loan making an escrow account unnecessary because the lender has a strong interest in protecting its collateral by ensuring that taxes and insurance premiums get paid. When it comes to purchasing or refinancing a home it is important that consumers have credit options. We preserve those options by allowing Community Institutions to enter or remain in the Mortgage Market. Mr. Hensarling i yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds. Ms. Lofgren the fact is in my district and many other districts there are small barnings getting out of the lending business and cannot provide those options for the communities they live in. We need to do everything we can to make sure that we are allowing these institutions to stay in the market without the high costs of Regulatory Compliance and thank goodness h. R. 3971 supports those yoles. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentlelady from california. Ms. Waters may i inquire how much time i have left . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california has 11 1 2 minutes. Waters quarters thank you very much, mr. Chairman. This bill is strongly opposed by all of the consumer groups, americans financial reform, center for american progress, center for responsible lending, the National Consumer law center and public citizens. Why are they so opposed to this bill . This bill would again amend the truth in lending act that is tila and real estate settlement procedures act to on widen the size of two exemptions that the Consumer Financial protection ureau has already provided for smallersized institutions on escrow accounts for higher priced Mortgage Loans and servicing requirements for small Mortgage Services. Under the bill, escrow accounts ould no longer be required for riskier high priced loans at institutions with less than 25 billion in assets. Currently the exemption applies to firms with less than 2 billion in assets. The Smaller Service exemption with increased notification requirements to consumers would be increased again from services with 5,000 loans to those with 30,000 loans. Why do all of these consumer groups oppose this legislation . Because it is obvious what is happening here. We are taking away the protection from those who need it the most. Were not doing anything for Community Banks. There are no 25 billion Community Banks. And so i would ask that my colleagues in this house to oppose this bill. It goes in the opposite direction of what we have done to try and give consumers to those who need protection the most and doddfrank reform has done this. And i would just ask opposition to this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Hensarling i yield a minute to the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Duncan. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Duncan i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. The gentlelady from new york started this debate with an amazing statistic when she said that over 1,500 small banks and Financial Institutions have been forced to merge or be acquired or go out of business all together since the passage of the doddfrank bill. Those of us who opposed the doddfrank bill at that time said this would happen and that is exactly what happened. The big have gotten bigger. Five wall street banks had 22 before doddfrank. Last night when i read the update they now have 44 of total deposits. There is a big government, big business monopoly that controls the life of this country and ends up being consolidated and controlled in the hands of a few big giants and that is what happened in this case. When my wife and i bought our first house we signed two or three pages, 3 1 2 years ago we bought a lake house and signed over 100 pages of documents, i knew all it was was meaningless paperwork for bureaucrats and lawyers. This is important legislation. I have had many bankers across the state of tennessee hold me how harmful and difficult it is for the smaller institutions to comply with the rules and regulations and red tape. We need this bill passed and i urge its support. And i yield bark. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from california. Ms. Waters mr. Chairman and members, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus regulations address many questionable practices that contributed to the collapse of the Housing Market. Such practices were widespread, in the Mortgage Servicing industry. The bureau servicing rules apply across the board while providing a narrow exemption for small services. This exemption minimizes the Regulatory Compliance burden on small and Community Banks, expanding current exemptions to larger institutions, however, just opens the door wide to abuses and larger banks primarily doing businesses not in the communities, the Rural Communities and the underserved communities but outside of the communities where they are based and by nonbanks which still make most of the riskier subprime Mortgage Loans. I continue to ask opposition to this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time. The gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Hensarling i yield two minutes to a very hard working member of the Financial Services committee the gentleman from north carolina, mr. Budd. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Budd thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of the gentlelady from new yorks legislation h. R. 3971 and i thank her for her leadership on this very important issue. As many of my friend here today know, doddfrank and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have made life difficulty for many. The Community Institution mortgage relief act will solve a problem that they created. This time regarding escrow and Mortgage Servicing requirements. The cfpb rule regarding these accounts has done nothing more than accelerate consolidation in this space causing harm to rural consumers leaving them with less financing options. This bill reverses that problem though and will help bring local banks and Financial Institutions back into the picture. This bill simply lets them reenter the Mortgage Market and directs the cfpb to exempt them from the escrow requirement of doddfrank. Though this is a bipartisan bill, some of my friend on the other side of the aisle may claim this bill removes consumer safeguards. But i would argue this rule that they support creates an unnecessary burden on local banks and Credit Unions which in the end hurts local communities and people that they claim to protect with this very rule. Im glad this bill remains largely bipartisan and returns power back to the Financial Institutions and ensures that consumers have credit through versus credit choices. I thank representative tenney and i urge adoption of her legislation. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from california. Ms. Waters may you inquire again as to how much time i have left . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady has 8 1 2 minutes remaining. Ms. Waters i reserve the balance of my time. Mr. Hensarling i have no more members seeking time. I believe i have the right to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is correct. The gentlelady from california. Ms. Waters i want to move now say a word about what i attempt my colleague is attempting to do. I appreciate my colleague, mr. Sherman, is going to offer an amendment to extend the hirle threshold in the underlying bill. And having talked to him that i do understand that he believes that this is important to expand opportunity rather than to limit the ability for protection for a certain of our consumers who come from these areas that i described as rural and areas that are underserved. This amendment that hes going to present would allow creditors again with less than 10 billion in assets to be exempted from escrow requirements on higher priced loans if they hold loans in portfolios for three years and those enhangsed protection requirements under the real estate procedures act. His amendment changes from 25 billion to 10 billion. Thats still too much and from 20,000 loans or less from 30,000 to 20,000 loans to be exempted from enhanced Consumer Protection requirements under the real estate settlement procedures act. Although im pleased that this amendment would tighten up the language in the underlying bill somewhat, i remain concerned about the impact it could have on many consumers. The bill is called the consumer act and it relief the title implies it will relieve smaller institutions from burdens. When the Consumer Bureau conducted research for its rulemaking, it found that none of the entities it identified as operating predominantly in rural or underserved areas had total assets at the end of 2009 greater than 2 billion and when the research Mortgage Service practices it concluded that the problematic practices that have plagued the servicing industry particularly in recent years are a function of a Business Model in which servicing is viewed as a discrete line of business and profit center, unquote. However, they also found that approximately 96 of Community Bank and small Credit Union Services that only purchase a whole mortgaging Service Rights for Mortgage Loans they originate service 5,000 or fewer loans. This amendment would exceed the Consumer Bureaus research threshold by billions of dollars and its carefully Research Loan and threshold by 400 . If the amendment is adopted, i must continue to oppose the bill because it would undermine the work of the Consumer Bureau and weaken Consumer Protections in Home Ownership. Congress should not be complicit in these acts bypassing legislation that further erode the rights and protections of americas consumers. We must continue to do all that we can to ensure Mortgage Loan borrowers are fully aware of the terms and conditions of their Mortgage Loans and how much they willow in obtaining these loans and if were successful in convincing our colleagues today that they should not support this bill, i will be happy to work with my colleagues who i know has good intentions and seeing what we can do to address what i think are some of his concerns. But for now i must oppose the bill. And even with the amendment, it does not satisfy the concerns that i have addressed here. It does nothing to protect those in the Rural Communities and the underserved communities and it does nothing to help Community Banks. And so, im opposed. Both to the bill and to the amendment. And i ask for a no vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, may i inquire how much time i have remaining . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has seven minutes remaining. Mr. Hensarling thank you, mr. Speaker. Ill yield myself the remaining time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i listened very carefully to my mr. Speaker, i listened very carefully to my colleague, the Ranking Member, and know how much respect that she has, bordering perhaps on religious feelty, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I must admit, nows that being led by our former colleague, mick mull veiny of South Carolina, i am taking mulvaney of South Carolina, im taking a renewed interest in their actions and pronouncements. Im just curious, as time goes by, whether the Ranking Member will continue to show such faith and confidence in that particular institution. Heres what we know, mr. Speaker. All across america, we are losing. We continue to lose one Community Bank or credit union a day. One a day. And theyre not perishing of natural causes. They are perishing from the sheer weight, volume, load, cost, complexity and expense of the doddfrank Regulatory Burden of which the cfpb rule is just one aspect. Again, as my colleague, the chairman of the Financial Institution subcommittee, i believe it was him, who pointed out, its not any one particular regulation that may cause the demise of these Financial Institutions. But its the totality of them all. And as they perish, so perishes the American Dream of Home Ownership for so many of our constituents. Particularly in rural areas, like much of the Fifth District of texas that i have the honor and pleasure of representing. And so it is important, it is important that we save our Community Financial institutions. They play a vital role in our economy. It takes small banks and Credit Unions to fund our Small Businesses, which are the job engine of america. But again, they are being crushed by a Regulatory Burden. And so i want to thank the gentlelady from new york, ms. Tenney, for bringing, again, just one, just one needed, vital regulatory relief bill. And so again, lets make sure, mr. Speaker, Everybody Knows what this bill is talking about. Number one, already in current law there is an exemption for small Financial Institutions dealing with having doing Mortgage Servicing and mortgage escrows. Were trying to bring it to a more reasonable level. An exemption that already exists, and i assume that the Ranking Member believes in the exemption or she would offer legislation to repeal it in total. So now were debating on how large this exemption ought to be. Given how many of our constituents still are in need of mortgage opportunities, given the demise of our Community Banks and Credit Unions, i think what were trying to do here is most reasonable. And soon the gentleman from california, on other side of the aisle, respected democrat member of the committee, will offer an amendment that i believe the sponsor of the legislation and i myself am willing to accept. Because were trying to work on a bipartisan basis. And theres a lot of Bipartisan Legislation that goes through the house Financial Services committee. I wish the Ranking Member would participate in more of it. As she did last week. Im sorry shes losing out on this opportunity today. So im happy to work with the gentleman from california on a bipartisan basis to get this legislation done. Another Important Note to be had, mr. Speaker, is we get this implication from the Ranking Member that, oh, my lord, if we pass this bill, h. R. 3971, all of a sudden all Consumer Protection law disappears from the books. Well, ive got good news. It doesnt. It doesnt. After the pass afpble h. R. 3971 passage of h. R. 3971, all of these mortgages will still be subject to the equal credit opportunity act. Theyll still be subject to regulation b. Theyll still be subject to the fair housing act. Theyll still be subject to the fair credit reporting act. They will still be subject to the Home Mortgage disclosure act. They will still be subject to the home oners protection act. They will still be subject to the real estate settlement and procedures act. I have a whole sheet here, mr. Speaker. Again, thats a red herring. Thats a red herring. At the end of the day, this is about ensuring our constituents, particularly in rural areas, have access to mortgage credit. And that Community Banks and Credit Unions that are absolutely suffering under the weight of the load arent forced toes crow when they keep a mortgage on their books for three years. Theyre going to make sure the taxes are paid. Theyre going to make sure the insurance is paid. Instead, all that regulation does is burdens them and causes them to make fewer Mortgage Loans. In some cases no Mortgage Loans. So again, i just want to salute the gentlelady from new york, i want to thank her for her leadership in what shes doing for her constituents in rural new york. And i urge everybody to adopt h. R. 3971 and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. All time for debate on the bill has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Sherman i have an amendment at the desk. The clerk the clerk will designate the amendment the speaker pro tempore the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment number 1 offered by mr. Sherman of california. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 647, the gentleman from california, mr. Sherm be, mr. Sherman, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Sherman thank you, mr. Speaker. This bill began with a propose albie mr. Luetkemeyer of minnesota proposal by mr. Luetkemeyer of minnesota two congresses ago. Last congress i introduced it and now the gentlewoman from new york is carrying the bill. This bill, i wouldnt be here supporting it in any form if it undermined doddfrank. I cosponsored doddfrank. Or if it undermined the cfpb and institution cfpb, an institution i think was very important and was created by dodd frank. Doddfrank. With the amendment that i am proposing, this bill goes back to the text that i introduced last year. That text came before the Financial Services committee and secured the vote of all publicans and 60 of the democrats. Now, you cant get all the votes all the time. But if you can get, for any particular draft, 100 of the republicans and 60 of the democrats on the committee, that i think is Bipartisan Legislation. Now, the first part of this bill, and by far the most important part, deals with loans made by Small Institutions that would otherwise require be equired to have an impound account. An impound account is when the bank collect from you not only your mortgage payment, but collects every month the money toward your property taxes and toward your insurance. And then the bank pays those bills for you. Small institutions are not set up in order to keep track of when of how much property tax and llect and pay and fire other homeowners insurance. Theyd rather rely on the borrower, somebody they know, to pay their fire insurance, to pay their property taxes. Now, we can count on them to make sure that theyre not giving this responsibility to somebody who cant handle it because theyre required under this bill to hold the mortgage for three years in their portfolio. Keep in mind that the whole requirement only relates to the first five years. So here they have to keep it in their portfolio for three years. This i think ensures that the bank or other or credit union or other Small Institution will make sure that the property taxes and property insurance is paid. While at the same time it wont take out of the market those Small Institutions that cant set up special impound accounts. A second part of this bill deals telling the cfpb to make whatever adjustments it thinks are appropriate for Small Institutions with regard to the small servicer exemption. And that leaves that authority with the cfpb. And under this amendment the rule, whatever they decide to do for smaller institutions, applies to those who are servicing not 30,000 but only 20,000 total loans. Because it makes sense to have different, less complicated rules for Smaller Servicers. So i dont think my amendment is sufficient to gain support for the bill from the Ranking Member. It was in the bill, in its amended form, it was sufficient to get 60 of the democrats to vote for it in Committee Last year. And i want to thank the gentlelady from new york for her work on this issue and what i understand is her support for this amendment. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentlelady from new york rise . Ms. Tenney i rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment although i am not opposed. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Tenney thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, chairman hensarling and mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from california for his amendment and work on this bill. I think this amendment is acceptable. And adopting it will still allow the bill to provide some regulatory relief to our Small Community banks and Credit Unions. And will also assist in helping our lowincome borrowers. In districts like mine, n. Y. 22, where weve lost so many Community Banks. I think this will help encourage lending and allow Small Community banks to again lend to people that are in lowerincome levels. I urge my colleagues to adopt the amendment and i thank the gentleman again from california, mr. Sherman, for his hard work on the bill and for this bipartisan effort and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from california. Mr. Sherman seeing no speakers, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Pursuant to the rule, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended and on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california, mr. Sherman. The question is on the amendment by the gentleman from california, mr. Sherman. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend the truth in lending act and the real estate settlement procedures act of 1974, to modify the requirements for Community Financial institutions with respect to certain rules relating to Mortgage Loans and or other purposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition . Ms. Titus i have a motion to recommit at the desk. The speaker pro tempore is the gentlelady opposed to the bill . Ms. Titus i am opposed in its current form. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady qualifies. The clerk will report the motion. The clerk ms. Titus of nevada moves to recommit the bill, h. R. 3971. Ms. Titus i was just going to ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to dispensing with the reading . Without objection, the reading is dispensed with. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from nevada is recognized for five minutes in support of her motion. Ms. Titus thank you, ms. Titus this will will not kill the bill or send it back to committee and if adopted the bill will proceed to final passage as amended. My motion to recommit is a commonsense measure that i believe everybody in this house could support because it would prevent the bad actors from being able to use the exemptions in the underlying bill to dodge the Consumer Protections that are found in both the truth and lending act and real estate settlement procedures act. My motion says if a lender has committed or engaged in an unfair deceptive act or practice under federal law in connection with any transaction with a consumer for a Financial Product or service or if they have been convicted of fraud under federal or state law in connection with a residential Mortgage Loan, they cannot avail themselves of this bills decreased requirements. I represent the heart of the Las Vegas Valley. More than 43 million visitors come to my district every year from all around the world to enjoy our firstclass resorts, hotels, entertainment and the Natural Beauty around us. It is also home to two million people. Less than a decade ago, Southern Nevada unfortunately had the distinction of being at the center of the forecast crisis that was caused by the great recession. At its peak nearly 70 of all homes in the Las Vegas Valley were underwater and the forecast rate was five times the national average. Nevada led the nation in reclosures and 219,000 flokeses occurred during that period. Newspapers from coast to coast where homes after homes were boarded up and mortgages skyrocketed and major businesses that were under construction ent belly up leaving highrise rusting skeletons in the did he desert. We were one of the first states to be hit so hard by the recession and one of the last states to recover. But now housing prices are coming back and new construction is taking place. Unfortunately, it seems that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to turn back the clock and go back to the abusive practices including predatory lending that contributed to the great recession. Supporters of this legislation, you have heard them say its needed to provide relief for smaller sized institutions and smaller sized Mortgage Servicers but that is the red herring, the cfpb has already as you heard, too, provided a targeted exemption to cover those folks. This bill is really about protecting the large servicers that fail to provide necessary loan documentation and to communicate openly with their customers, in turn contributing to millions of unnecessary disclosures and settlements for abusive Business Practices during the financial crisis. Nevada had to bring lawsuits against Financial Institutions like countrywide and bank of america that engaged in this predatory lending. My motion to recommit to ensure that such lending practices and Loan Servicing activities cannot resurface at the expense of consumers. This is especially important also in light of the fact that at the same time we are eroding Consumer Protections put in place after the financial crisis, my republican colleagues are also simultaneously taking away Affordable Housing from our constituents. The job tax and tax act passed by this house eliminates tax exempt private activity bonds, a move that will stifle investments in Affordable Housing. The Nevada Housing Division has already suspended its Mortgage Credit Certificate Program which provides an average ever 2,000 in income tax savings to firsttime home buyers and veterans because of the threat of this provision. Furthermore, multifamily housing bonds make Affordable Housing possible for seniors, and lowincome families and seniors. Without the Tax Exemption on these bonds nevada could lose up to 7,000 rental homes. I ask you how can this body pass bills that make ownership more expensive for firsttime buyers and open the door again to predatory lending practices that target lowincome borrowers and put them at risk at foreclosure. This mix of anticonsumer, antiAffordable Housing policies does not bode well for a country that suffered a housing crisis just a decade ago. So i would urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Hensarling mr. Speaker, i claim time in opposition. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hensarling thank you, mr. Speaker. So im looking at this motion to recommit and on its best day, it may be redundant on its worst day, it may be confusing. In many respects, its a smoke screen to give many of my friends on the other side of the aisle an excuse not to vote for the underlying legislation, h. R. 3971. Udap y, the cfpb has full authority to deal with abusive deceptive acts. That already exists. So this is a red herring that some people are using the lack of the passage of the m. T. R. As a rationale not to support h. R. 3971, which is vitally needed for so many of our Community Financial institutions to be able to make home Mortgage Loans to hardworking americans that deserve their chance at the American Dream. And again, as i said earlier during this debate, mr. Speaker, all of these mortgages continue to be subject to the equal credit opportunity act, the fair housing act, the fair credit reporting act, the Home Mortgage disclosure act, the homeowners protection act, real estate settlement and procedures act. The secure enforcement for mortgage licensing act, the truth in lending act, regulation z and the list goes on and on and on. The m. T. R. Is an excuse not to save our struggling Community Banks and our citizens in Rural America that deserve the services of these Community Banks and Credit Unions. Ain, on its best day it is superfluous and redundant and introduceing confusing language into a settled area of the law. I urge members to reject the motion to recommit and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The noes have it. The motion is not agreed to. Ms. Titus mr. Speaker, i would request the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postponefurther proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. The chair will resume questions on postponed proceedings at a later time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i would ask that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 1733. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk union call encar number 339, h. R. 1733, a bill to direct the secretary of energy to review an Arnold Palmer dated report on the energy and environmental benefits of the rerefining of used lieu bring indicating oil. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. Up ton and the gentleman from illinois, mr. Rush each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from recognition. Mr. Upton i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Upton i yield myself such time as i may consume. So this bill h. R. 1733 was introduced by energy and Commerce Committee member susan brooks from indiana on march 27 of this year, the legislation went through regular order. And it was reported by the full Committee Without amendment by a voice vote. This bill, 1733, requires the secretary of energy to review and update the environmental been fights of refining used lubricating oil. The bill reauthorizes a study that was directed under the Energy Policy act of 2005. We know that recycling used lubricating oil provides environmental benefits. It does, in fact, reduce Energy Consumption and yes it produces high quality products for consumers. Its a good bill, h. R. 1733. Its a good bipartisan bill. I want to thank ms. Brooks for her hard work on this important issue and for the other side of the aisle for working with us to bring the bill to the floor this afternoon. I would urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h. R. 1733 and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i rise in , ong support of h. R. 1733 2006 would update a department of Energy Report on energy and environmental benefits of rerefining used lubricating oil. Mr. Speaker, h. R. 1733 represents a commonsense bill aimed at saving energy and protecting the environment by finding additional ways to reuse lubricating oil. Mr. Speaker, these measures may include increasing the ollection of used oil, disseminating Public Information on sustainable reuse and encouraging the recycling of used oils. Mr. Speaker, the u. S. Is responsible for almost a quarter of the Global Lubricating Oil market. However, unfortunately, mr. Speaker, were currently behind our european counterparts in our ability to recycle this product. Mr. Speaker, this bill would help conserve energy, help protect the environment by providing a federal strategy to rerefine lubricating oil that can be used in different types of gases and diesel engines. Mr. Speaker, i would like to commend my colleague from the energy and Commerce Committee, ms. Brooks from indiana for sponsoring this bipartisan bill. And i would urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i would yield five minutes to the gentlelady from indiana, a member of the committee and the author of this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. Mrs. Brooks thank you, mr. Speaker. And i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in favor of h. R. 1733. Like many hoosiers, i believe in the value of recycling and the benefits it brings to indiana and our country. This bill would help us understand how to better recycle lubricating oil. It requires a 2006 study that was mandated by the Energy Policy act of 2005 to be updated to reflect current information about the bending fits of rerefind lubricating oil and how its use in the country. It removes contaminant from the used oil and adds administratives. Used oil can be rerefind infinitely and it is suitable for use in many types of gas and diesel engines. Many state and local governments require its use as well. But ensuring that congress has up to date data on a the data on the value of recycled oil will allow legislators to make smarter decisions when developing environmental and Energy Policies moving forward. By updating this study, Companies Across the country that produce rerefined oil, like indianas own crystal clean, will have a better understanding of latest trends regarding this product and how they can better anticipate the needs of the federal government. Im proud to say members on both sides of the aisle supported this bill when it passed through the energy and Commerce Committee, because it is environmentally conscious. And it supports an alloftheabove energy strategy. I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Kennedy, for his continued support on this bill, and the Ranking Member on the Energy Subcommittee, mr. Rush, as we introduced this together earlier this year to move this through committee. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from illinois. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i have no further speakers. So i the speaker pro tempore does the gentleman yield back his time . Mr. Rush i yield all my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Speaker, i have no further speakers either. I just would remind my colleagues that this is a bipartisan bill. I would like to think we can pass this on a voice vote. I again commend the gentlelady from indiana, our Committee Staff, to get this done again. We hope the senate will take it up soon. Mr. Upton with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 1733. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i i would move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2872 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 343, h. R. 2871. A bill to amend the federal power act to promote Hydropower Development at existing nonpowered dams and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. Upton, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. Rush, will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton i thank the speaker and i would again ask man con unanimous consent that all members have be five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill, including exchanges of letters between the energy and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources and transportation and Infrastructure Committee that i have here in my hand. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i would again yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Upton and again, mr. Speaker, i thank you. This bill, h. R. 2872, was introduced by energy and commerce member Larry Bucshon in june of this year. Legislation went through regular order. Was reported by the full committee with a bipartisan amendment, by a voice vote. This bill promotes hydropower by development at existing nonpowered dams by establishing an expedited licensing process that will result in a final decision on an application in two years or less. Hydropower we know is a clean, renewable and reliable source of energy that provides lowcost electricity to, yes, millions of americans. As weve learned through hearings at the energy and Commerce Committee, the current regulatory process places new hydropower projects at existing nonpowered dams at a significant disadvanta. The current process takes way too ng. It creates too much uncertainty, burning consumers with additional unnecessary costs and preventing jobs and economic opportunity. This bill, h. R. 2872, makes important changes to t process, to enae ferc to issue a decision in two years or lells. The legislation also requires that the ferc or less. The legislation also requires that the ferc and the department of interior develop a list of existing nonpowered federal dams that have missed excuse me, that have the greatest potential for nonfederal hydropower devopment. This is a goo bipartisan bill. I want to thank dr. Bucshon for his hard work on this important issue and for working with our colleagues across the aisle to bring thbill to the floor. I would urge all my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gtleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i yield myself as muchime as i ma consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rush mr. Peaker, iise in strong support of h. R. 2872, the promoting Hydropower Development. T existing nonpowered dams act mr. Speaker, i would like to commend my colleague from the energy and Commerce Committee, mr. Bucshon, from indiana, for sponsoring this bipartisan piece of legislation. I would also like to acknowledge the Committee Staffs from both the majority and the minority sides for working together, in doing things to develop a bill that resolves the differences between the two sides, as we proceeded through the committee process, in order to get the bill onto the floor here today. Mr. Speaker, im a huge roponent of hydropower, as a safe, reliable, carbonfreeway of providing energy to millions of carbonfree way of providing energy to millions of americans, especially when the licensing process is conducted in a reasonable and transparent manner that takes into account environmental safeguards, as well as the rights and interests of the affected local communities. Mr. Speaker, i believe that h. R. 2872 encompasses all of these notable objectives. , in 2872 will allow ferc consultation with the federal and state resource agencies, as well as native american tribes, to establish an expedited licensing process for installing hydroPower Generation at existing dams that dont produce electricity, by exempting these projects from regulation under the federal power act. Mr. Speaker, under this bill ferc would be required to provide a final decision on license applications within two years of receiving a completed application for new projects at nonpowered dams that are completely constructed and which arent generating electricity hrough hydropower. Probablies must not result in any material projects must not result in any Material Change to storage, to release or through operations of the dam. Ferc2872 will also require to establish an Interagency Task force consisting of relevant federal and state agencies, as ll as native american tribes that would all coordinate their authorizations knows license the facility. Ferc would also be required to gauge the safety of nonfederal dams under consideration tooned require the facility consideration, and to require the facility to meet the dam safety requirements throughout the term of the license. Additionally, mr. Speaker, ferc, when working with the ferc would work with the u. S. Army corps of engineers, as well as the interior and the agricultural departments to develop a list of existing nonpowered federally owned dams with the greatest potential for private or other nonfederal Hydropower Development. Finally, mr. Speaker, h. R. 2872 would exempt hydropower applicants from having to pay annual fees associated with the once construction commences on the project. H. R. 2872 represents a major step in the right direction for increasing our ability to issue hydropower permits in a fair, transparent and expedited way. And i urge all of my colleagues to support this notable bill. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i want to say i appreciate the gentlemans willingness to work on these bills together. I really appreciate his hard work. That the point i would yield five minutes to the gentleman from at this point i would yield five minutes to the gentleman from indiana, the sponsor of this legislation, in support of the bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bucshon thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Whether its turning on the light above the Kitchen Table in a home or powering heavy machinery in a factory, the American People expect there to be reliable and Affordable Energy to power their lives and our economy. Thats why its important that we take advantage of all forms of americanmade energy. According to the department of energy estimates, there are more than 50,000 suitable nonpowered dams across the country that collectively have the technical potential to add 12 gigawatts of hydropower capacity. To put that in context, that is the same potential capacity as two dozen coalfired power plants. Back home in indiana, in my district, there are six nonpowered dams located in the eighth district. And that could benefit from an ex pe indicted permitting process expedited permitting process that promotes hydroPower Generation and provides quality hoosier jobs. Unfortunately unnecessary government red tape is preventing us from taking advantage of clean, Renewable Energy from hydropower at existing nonpowered dams. The current regulatory process simply takes too long. It takes up to a decade. To approve a project that would stifle the investment needed to bring additional capacity at existing dams online. We have the opportunity to change this with h. R. 2872, the promoting Hydropower Development at existing nonpowered dams act. Specifically, this legislation cuts through the red tape and instructs ferc to create an expedited permitting process that will result in a final decision on an application in just two years or less. Streamlining the permitting process for qualifying nonpowered dam projects represents an important first step in modernizing our existing infrastructure. Additionally, it will incentivize investments in clean Hydropower Development, allowing us to take advantage of an american source of energy. I applaud both sides of the aisle for their work to reach a bipartisan solution. And i ask my colleagues to support h. R. 2872. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to the outstanding member of the committee, subcommittee, mr. Loebsack of iowa. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Loebsack thank you, mr. Speaker. And thank you, mr. Rush, from illinois. The Ranking Member. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of h. R. 2872, the promoting Hydropower Development at existing nonpourd dams act. Iowa nonpowered dams at. Iowa has become a National Leader in Renewable Energy. Currently my state provides over 40 of its electricity from renewable sources, including over 37 from wind power alone. But theres a lot of potential. In 2012 the u. S. Department of energy found that theres over 12,000 megawatts of untapped hydropower potential in the nations existing dams. Thats enough electricity to power four million homes. That same report ranked iowa 10th in Available Energy capacity in the United States. If these nonpowered dams were converted. With the potential to generate 427 megawatts. Renewable Energy Development like hydropower has created thousands of goodpaying jobs across iowa. And my district is the home of three hydroelectric generation plants and will soon be the home of the second largest hydroplant in the state of iowa, the red rock hydroelectric project. Upon completion, red rock will produce upwards of 36 megawatts of energy, thats enough electricity to power the nearby city of pela and it has led to hundreds of jobs across the state of iowa. Projects like red rock and around have been slowed by oupler cumbersome processing. Congress must work to streamline the high trow power licensing processes so more, more clean Renewable Energy and Domestic Energy can be brought onto the grid for the American Consumer while ensuring these projects do not harm the environment. Thats why im proud to have worked with mr. Bushon and my colleagues on the energy and Commerce Committee to bring this jobcreating legislation to the floor today. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I urge all of us to support this bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i would yield five minutes to the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from oregon, mr. Walden. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Walden i want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their great work, mr. Rush from illinois and former chairman of the energy and Commerce Committee for their work and other Committee Members who put so much into this important piece of legislation. The committee has examined and advanced Thoughtful Solutions to support american businesses and jobs and protect the envimet. These commonsense bipartisan bills we are considering today continue this very strong bipartisan effort. As many of you heard me discuss fore, hydro power plays an integral role across our country as well as my home state of oregon. 43 of electricity comes from this base load power resource and it has supported jobs along the columbia river. Two of the three bills under consideration today build upon the committees work promoting emissionsfree energy resource. The house of representatives has already passed 10 energy and Commerce Committee bills that promote hydropower and modernize the licensing process so we can get these projects to market faster. H. R. 2872, thats the promoting Hydropower Development at existing nonpowered dams act is uthored by my good friend, dr. Bucshon. It would promote developing by expediting the licensing process, dams that could have hydropower put on them but dont right now. H. R. 2872 requires the federal Energy Regulatory commission and u. S. Army corps of engineers and department of interior to develop a list of existing dams, federal facilities across the that have the greatest potential for nonfd hydropower. We could put a generator on and create electricity without emission. Second bill under consideration was authored by Committee Vice chairman morgan griffith. Mr. Give iggets bill, the promoting closed pum storage act. This promotes closed loop Hydropower Development by streamlining the licensing process for such facilities. What happens is if you generate power and when it is surplus power and puts water on top of a reservoir and when you need to generate the energy on peak times, the water comes through another generator and back into a lower level reservation. And acts like a battery in some respects and produces emissionsfree power. Third bill was authored by representative susan brooks, h. R. 1733. This directs the secretary of nergy to update the strategy for rerefining lubricating oil. It reduces Energy Consumption which is important and produces high quality products for consumers across our country. Mr. Speaker, these bills underscore the energy and Commerce Committees willingness to Work Together in a bipartisan way to find Commonsense Solutions to make a difference for people across the country and improve the environment. And i would like to thank my colleagues and the staffs on both sides for the great work in this case and i urge all my colleagues to support these measures and get them to the president s desk. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Rush i yield myself as much time the speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i have no urther speakers. And i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton i have no further speakers and commend members on both side of the aisle for getting this bill to the floor and staff. Appreciate the leadership for scug scheduling this and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the ill h. R. 2872. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition. Mr. Upton i would move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2880 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 2880, a bill to amend the federal power act to promote closed loop hydropower and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, squasm michigan, mr. Up ton and the gentleman from illinois, mr. Rush, each will control 20 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton i would ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert ex trainous materials on the record on that bill. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Upton i yield myself such time as i might consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Upton this bill h. R. 2880 was introduced by energy and Commerce Committee member morgan give igget. The legislation went through regular order and reported by the full committee with a bipartisan amendment by a voice vote. The bill promotes closed loop pump storage hydropower projects by expediting a licensing process that will result in an application in two years or less. We know that hydropower is clean and renewable and reliable source of energy that provides low cost electricity to millions of americans across the country. Closed loop pump storage is different than conventional hydro. These types of projects move water between two reservoirs located at different elevations in order to store energy and then generate that electricity. As we have learned through hearings at the energy and Commerce Committee the current regulatory process places new projects at a significant disadvantage. Pump storage hydro has been around for almost 100 years but with more Intermittent Renewables coming online the need for grid scale storage is more important than ever. The current process to license pump storage takes way too long and creates too much uncertainty burdening consumers with unnecessary costs and preventing jobs and economic opportunities. This bill makes important changes to the process to enable ferc to issue a decision in two years or less. The legislation requires ferc to hold a workshop to explore potential opportunities for development of closed loop pump storage projects at abandoned mine sites. This bill is good. Its a bipartisan bill. I want to thank mr. Griffith for his hard work and working with our colleagues across the aisle to bring the bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. Mr. Rush i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized. Mr. Rush i rise in strong support of h. R. 2880, the promoting closed loop pump storage hydropower act. Mr. Speaker, as i have said many times before, im a strong supporter of hydropower which provides clean renewable harmingfree and allow more energy for millions of american usinesses and american households. Therefore, mr. Speaker, i must commend my energy and Commerce Committee colleague, mr. Riffith of virginia, for authoring this important bipartisan piece of legislation. I must also applaud the Committee Staff of both sides of the aisle for their tireless work and negotiating a bill that i believe that all members can fully support. Mr. Speaker, closed loop pump hydroelectric Storage Facilities operates similarly and when there is a surplus of energy, water is pumped to an Upper Reservoir and when more energy needed, that water can then released to produce electricity through the use of turbine. Will eaker, h. R. 2880 create a c to licensing process for closed loop pump storage projects anhin two years of receiving application. Ferc would be required to issue new e establishing the process within 100 days of this bills enactment. R. Speaker, in order to ensure local stakeholders input and collaboration, this would establish an inner Agency Task Force rather than a federal and state agency as well as native american tribes that will coordinate the authorizations eeded to license the facility. H. R. 2880, mr. Speaker, will direct ferc to evaluate the fety of any dam or any existing structure that will be associated with the project and pecify that potential projects could not call significant uses orfor ground water adverse impacts that threaten endangered species. Mr. Speaker, h. R. 2880 would for he first time allow additional entities including private as colicenseys with municipalities in order to take advantage of the municipal preference. The l continue with such partnership even at the point that the municipality does not retain a majority interest of the project. Ferc to , mr. Speaker, issue guidance within six months of enactment of a an applicant for closed loop pump storage and abandonned mine sites. This would alou abandoned mines ich already have these findings to be repurposed potentially putting unemployed mining communities back to work. Is mr. Speaker, h. R. 2880 piece of d Bipartisan Legislation that would help to increase the number of low carbon hydropower projects while taking into account the needs and the interests of impacted local homeowners. I strongly support this bill, mr. Speaker. And i urge all of my colleagues to do the same. With that, i reserve with that, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i would yield five minutes to the gentleman from virginia, the author of the bill for debate, mr. Griffith. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Griffith on i want to thank the teams i want to thank the teams on both sides of the aisle. The chairman and Ranking Member have done a lot to advance this bill. Hydropower has an alloftheabove energy strategy. We have a tremendous opportunity to expand hydropower production. However, without some muchneeded licensing improvements, we risk losing Investment Opportunities in new hydropower infrastructure. In particular, closed pump hydropower projects have the opportunity to store for use when it is needed. In essence, its a giant natural battery. H. R. 2880, the promoting closed loop pump storage hydropower act, establishes an expedited licensing process for these projects. This bill cuts unnecessary red tape that currently accompanies approval of these projects, hindering Energy Security and job creation. Im excited about the possibility that some are exploring to build these facilities in abandoned mines and or the coal fields of central appalachia. As a part of this, h. R. 2880 also requires ferc to hold a workshop to explore opportunities for closed loop projects in abandoned mine sites. I am hopeful this will be a real benefit to our coal field regions in the form of jobs, economic development, and Energy Security, and im proud of what were doing here in an effort to make this happen. If we can repurpose some of these mines or bring jobs into central appalachia that dont currently exist, its an energy region, and its a region that understands the Energy Issues and as people want to get rid of coal and i support keeping coal but all of the above requires we also do hydropower, and so i urge my colleagues to help us create new jobs in these regions by supporting this bipartisan, commonsense legislation promoting closed loop Hydropower Development. And with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois. Mr. Rush mr. Speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to another outstanding member of the subcommittee, mr. Peters of california. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Peters i thank and thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you to mr. Griffith for introducing promoting a closed pump storage hydropower act. He did valuable work to make this the bipartisan version we see today. More electricity from hydropower is key to meeting our Clean Energy Goals and reducing harmful emissions that pollute our air and water and contribute to climate change. Hydropower is one of the few carbonfree Energy Sources that provides a steady base load of electricity. His bill will give closed pump hydropower projects approval from ferc. It will consider interagency input through a new task force and provide appropriate protection for wildlife and endangered species while. Lping us grow emissionsfree solar will help a Power Generation cycle thats clean, secure and reliable. In san diego where large rivers and typical hydro generation are less common, closed pump hydropower offers a solution and can benefit. In my district, we have one thats provided clean energy since 2001 and one at the san vicente is being considered now. We must have productive, bipartisan conversations like these that produce the ultimate goal of streamlining the regulatory process so hydropower projects can be approved more quickly while still meeting high environmental standards. Id also like to thank energy and Commerce Committee leadership and staff for helping advance this bill to the floor, and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois. Mr. Rush i have no further speakers on this side so ill yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Mr. Speaker, i commend my colleagues for pushing this legislation. Congrats to my Ranking Member on the Energy Subcommittee and all my colleagues and with that, mr. Speaker, id urge my colleagues to vote yes and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h. R. 2880, as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman rom montana seek recognition mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i ask that the house suspend the rules h. R. 4171 with an amendment. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 4171, a bill to amend title 5, United States code, to extend the authority to conduct telework travel expenses test programs, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the entleman from montana, mr. Gianforte, and the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. Demings, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i ask for unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Gianforte i rise today in support of h. R. 4171, a bill i introduced with congressman connelly, to extend federal agencies authorities to conduct a telework Pilot Program. The telework enhancement act of 2010 provided federal agencies and specifically the u. S. Patent and tradeoffs, with the authority to conduct a Pilot Program to incentivize telework. The Pilot Program allows agencies to waive the reimbursement of travel cost for teleworking employees who return to headquarters for mandatory training programs. Both agencies and employees benefit from this arrangement. Agencies benefit from having an additional tool for recruitment and retention. Agencies also realize cost savings by allowing employees to work at different locations. For example, according to the. S. P. T. O. , telework saved 77. 4 million in fiscal year 2016 alone. The savings are related to lower real estate costs and increased personnel retention. In turn, teleworking employees can work from almost anywhere in the United States. The teleworking Program Moves u. S. P. T. O. Employees into their communities that they serve. For example, in my state of montana, the Pilot Program allowed u. S. P. T. O. To place patent examiners in bozeman, butte, billings and missoula. Teleworking can grow mmunities in our that arent in heavily populated agencies. It promises to bring more goodpaying jobs to montana and other rural areas across the country. Now that agencies are seeing the cost savings associated with telework, this Pilot Program can be wound down. Absent congressional action, this program expired last week. However, u. S. P. T. O. Has requested an extension in order to allow it to budget for increased travel expenses related to paying for employees to return to Agency Headquarters in Northern Virginia or one of its regional offices. This bill extends the program for three years. I thank my colleague from virginia, representative connelly, for working with me in a bipartisan fashion to bring this bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings thank you so much, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Demings thank you very much. Want to thank representative gianforte and connelly for their work on this bipartisan bill to extend the authority for agencies to conduct telework Pilot Programs for travel expenses. The Current Authority for this program expired on december 9 of this year, so passage of this bill is urgently needed. The bill extends the program until december 13, 2020. In february, 2012, the United States patent and Trademark Office used this authority to initiate the telework Pilot Program. This Program Allows p. T. O. Employees to work throughout the country and waive the requirement that the agency pay their travel cost for mandatory trips back to its headquarters. According to the p. T. O. , the program significantly expanded the agencys teleworking work force and allowed it to hire and retain a highly skilled work force. P. T. O. Also estimates that this program has saved the agency more than 77 million in fiscal year 2016, including 17 million in avoited real estate costs, and nearly 32 million in re avoided real estate costs and annual 32 million in reduced retention. It has decreased Environmental Impact as benefits of the pilot. Given its benefits, it makes sense to authorize an extension of this Pilot Program. I would also like to enter into the record a letter that the Oversight Committee received from the National Treasury employees Union Yesterday supporting the bill. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Demings thank you, mr. Speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, id like to make the gentlewoman from florida aware that i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i would like to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from texas, representative Sheila Jackson lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee let me thank the manager, the gentlelady from florida, and the author of the legislation, manager, as members of the Oversight Committee and indicate that i rise to support h. R. 4171. I am a member of the Judiciary Committee and have worked very hard on patent and trade issues and particularly the Patent Office and i see this as raising the caliber of opportunity of different types of employees which are very important. The Patent Office is a skilled entity and clearly this gives a greater opportunity for those individuals to work in places beyond washington, d. C. I also think it is important to note that telework is advancing , and it should not be considered less work than anyone who lives at an office. I would hope that as we look at legislation dealing with telework that telework would not diminish the benefits of that an employee gets and they would not be distinguished because they are working at home if it was allowed versus in an office. So i think this is an important responsibility of the Oversight Committee, and clearly i rise to support that. Keeping in mind that the Judiciary Committee and the oversight house Oversight Committee house Judiciary Committee and House Oversight have worked together on a number of issues. I might just comment on, i think, an element that needs the cooperation of the Judiciary Committee as well. I think today many of us heard of a statement being offered by the oval office. Id like to read part of it into the record. It deals with the standards of accountability and protocol and decorum. It was sent by the oval office. Lightweight senator kirsten gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for Campaign Contributions not so long ago and would do anything for them is now in the ring fighting against, i will just say the oval office. This requires oversight of the appropriate committees because it is a question of protocol, dignity of the office. I would offer to say as a woman i am outraged these comments were made. I dont know what it means, would do anything. We all know we dont have Public Finance and members of various parties and levels of government raise fundraising dollars to communicate to their constituents. I would imagine that they go to any number of individuals who live in their state. I think that this senator gillibrand obviously went to an individual who lived in her state, but to silence a sitting senator on her expression of outrage over treatment of women and to utilize a theme that has een used for decades regarding how women rise, this is a larger question, how women rise. Are they ph. D. s, are they Law Enforcement, doctors, secretaries, teachers, in hollywood, in aviation, how do they rise . And this squarely talks about overall all women and frankly i think it is important in the oversight capacity that the women who have asked to be heard as it relates to issues of the oval office should be heard as all in a process of combining committees such as oversight and judiciary. I have always said that these issues should be allowed the appropriate investigation and due process. And that, i think would be what the American People would want us to do. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. Could not be i would be remiss the dastardly comments that does not fit the office and really characterizes women, american women since this is an issue and statement made here in the United States, characterizes women in a highly inappropriate manner and a professional colleague in an equal branch of government to be cast ti debated by the oval office. I think an apology is warranted and investigation is warranted for those women who have made allegations to have yet to date been heard or sued. They have not had their day in court to answer any such allegations. I hope our respective chairpersons a will investigate this this the most appropriate way forward. And any woman that is of this made the anyals allege made against them, they have acted in a certain manner, i dont think that is appropriate and appropriate decor umh. With that, i support this legislation. I yield back my time. I look forward to the answer to our request for full hearings on these women who have to have their say and to be heard regarding the protocols of the oval office. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the members are reminded to refrain from engaging against members of the senate. I have no additional speakers. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i urge adoption of the bill and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 4171 as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 1208 a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9155 schaefer road converse, texas, as the converse veterans post office building. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman frommon tan and and gentlelady from florida each will control 20 minutes. Mr. Gianforte i ask unanimous to ent that all members include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. Without objection. Mr. Gianforte i yield myself such time as i consume. I rise in support of h. R. 1208 introduced by the gentleman from texas, mr. Cuellar. The bill names United States post office at 9155 schaefer road in converse, texas, after the veterans from converse. H. R. 1208 honors the veterans of converse, texas, for their service to this nation. I look forward to hearing more of the brave exploits of the converse veterans from representative henry cuellar. In the meantime, i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings i yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Speaker, im pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h. R. 1208, a bill to designate the facility of the United States post Office Located at 9155 schaefer road, in converse texas, as the converse veteran post office. Men and women make great sacrifices to defend this nation and protect our freedom. While we can never repay them for our service, naming the Converse Post Office in their honor is the least we can do. Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill and name this post office so we might recognize the Selfless Service of our veterans and honor the sacrifices they have made for this nation. I, too, urge the passage of h. R. 1208 and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. Cuellar. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Cuellar i thank the gentlewoman from florida for yielding and for her leadership on this issue. And i want to thank my friend from montana also for his leadership in supporting veterans across the nation. Today, mr. Speaker, i rise to present h. R. 1208, which will rename the post Office Facility in my district as the converse veterans post office building. Across my district, i have fine men and women, all walks of lives that have honorably served our country. It is critical that we honor their service and their dedication to our nation. Converse alone is home to over 3,000 veterans according to the u. S. Census. Dedicating this post office to our veterans will serve as a reminder of the sacrifices that our friends, our neighbors, our families have made while serving their country. These individuals put country ahead of self and im proud to recognize them with the dedicating of this post Office Facility. Today, i want to acknowledge one sacrifice of one individual, that is an individual from onverse, texas, a veteran of quinten v. Cain. He received numerous medals. After being honorably discharged he used the medical training that he had to train combat medic students as a civilian. We owe our freedom to veterans such as mr. Cain, which is why im recognizing him and the other veterans by dedicating this post office. He is just one example of many veterans who have made countless sacrifices for their country in the face of danger. The commitment demonstrates what it really means to be an american, the essence of being an american. I would like to thank the veterans organizations throughout my district for their tireless work in providing care to our veterans when they need it. They are good men and women that provide that care to our veterans. Lets express gattude to the veterans, their families as well as their care providers. In the words of president kennedy when he said, a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also the men it honors and the men it remembers. And i would like to add and women also. This allows us to show our appreciation for the men and women of converse, texas and across the nation to make sure their service and sacrifice to our county is not forgotten. Thank you, mr. Speaker. And i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings i have no further speakers and i yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i urge adoption and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 1208. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . Mr. Gianforte i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2815. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 2815 a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 30 east somerset street in raritan, new jersey as the Sergeant John basilone post office. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and include tear remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana is recognized. Mr. Gianforte i rise in support of h. R. 2815 introduced by mr. Lance. The bill names the United States post office at 30 east somerset aseet in raritan, new jersey Sergeant John basilone. He stormed the shores in 1945. I thank representative lance for introducing this bill to pay tribute to the life and sacrifice of Sergeant Basilone. I yield such time to mr. Lance to explain his bill. The speaker pro tempore scrasm ew jersey is recognized. Mr. Lance i thank the gentleman from from montana. I rise to honor an American Hero and proud son of new jersey, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone and to name this post office in new jersey in his honor. He is an exemplar of brave service in our armed forces and the member of the greatest generation whose collective bravery and selflessness won world war ii and liberated millions from oppression. In congress, there are many actions we take to honor and serve our nation. These commendations matter. Younger generations ask whose name is inscribed atmon youments, flag posts or on federal properties. We inspire Young Americans to appreciate the generations that came before in public service. Sergeant basilone has a tremendous story. Born on november 4, 1916 in buffalo, new york. He was one of 10 siblings born to salvatore and dora. His father an immigrant from italy and his mother, a nattive of manville, new jersey, decided raise their family in raritan. Just barely 18 years of age, a young basilone decided to enlist in the United States army in the 1930s. It would begin his career with a tour to the phillip evens. In the army, he was popular, extremely well liked. He boxed and contributed that put the young men who were a world away from home at ease. He would be honorly discharged from the army and returned home. In 1940, the trumpet summoned him again and reenlisted this time in the marines and dispatched to the height of battle in the Pacific Theater. Sergeant basilone and many fellow marines were part of peration watch tower to regain territory the sight of a japanese air field. The group took the air field and defended it bravely from japanese attempts to reconquer the territory. In october of 1942, the japanese began another land attack to gain control of the canal. He fought proudly for two days and contributed to a considerable portion of the japanese regular meant. The moment of Selfless Service o his fellow marines, Sergeant Basilone endured brutal assault. Seeing the immediate danger, he killed eight encroaching japanese soldiers and provided id and equipment to the pinned marines and saved lives that day and in testimony his fellow marines credited his heroic conduct for saving their lives, actions that would earn him the medal of honor in recognition for his actions. Sergeant basilone would return home for a short time selling war bonds to continue doing what he could for the country he loved and the work of which he was so proud. However, staying state side was not where he wanted to be. He volunteered to go back to the pacific. Before he left Camp Pendleton and returned to battle, he married nina on july 10, 1944. Ne of Gunnery Sergeant basilones greatest he couldnt let it happen again and trained rerecruits on proper machine gun use and trainees became known as the basilone boys. William douglas lansford spoke of the courage he instilled in him. We wanted to be just like him. While he could have remained state side at home with his new wife, he insisted on staying with the basilone boys. Silone stormed the shores of iwo jima on february 19, 1945. The japanese returned heavy fire and he ran to the block houses, source of japanese fire and destroyed it with grenades. And he scrambled to rescue an American Tank that was trapped in a mine field. In a moment that will forever live in our hearts, Sergeant Basilone and handful of marines were hit by heavy mortar fire, he died along side the brave men who stepped forward who served his county and the men he wanted to return to battle to protect and defend. Thanks to his bravery and fellow marines, the allied forces completed the invasion and with he would be awarded the navy cross, the United States navys highest decoration for his sacrifice and service becoming the only marine in the war to receive both the navy cross and the medal of honor. Sergeant basilone has rightfully taken his place as an American Hero of the second world war. A parade is in his honor. His staff ue stands in the heart of the borough. His legacy to the country has been maintained by his extended family such as his niece, kim, through the basilone foundation. Kim joins us today in the house gallery. Gunnery Sergeant Basilone more than self, his country loved and it is that great love of country and american spirit that i hope inspires future generations for years, might i suggest decades, to come. Its the least we can do in the house of representatives to name the post office in his honor. Mr. Speaker, i am honored to sponsor this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i am honored to join my colleagues in consideration of h. R. 2815, a bill to designate the facility of the United States 30 al Office Located at east somerset street in raritan, new jersey, as the Sergeant John basilone post office. He was born in 1916 and enlisted in the United States army at the young age of 18. While serving in the philippines, Sergeant Basilone developed a reputation as a championship boxer. He returned to the United States in 1937 to begin work as a truck driver, but what weve heard, that was not enough. He reenlisted in the marines in 1940. Sergeant basilone earned the reputation as the marine who proved that the opposition was not invincible. Sergeant basilone was a hero. As stated upon his death, he was awarded a navy cross, the navys highest decoration. Mr. Speaker, we must pass this bill to name the post office in raritan, new jersey, after their hometown hero, so that future generations might continue to be inspired by his selfless and heroic service. Urge the passage of h. R. 2815 and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, id like to make the gentlewoman from florida aware that i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, at this time i yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague, mr. Pascrell. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pascrell thank you, mr. Speaker. Ergeant basilone was the first enlisted marine to receive the congressional medal of honor in. He war d in 1943, the sunday news captured his picture with his award, first that he would receive and the first of anyone in that war. I have it in my office for the years that ive been on this particular issue, mr. Speaker. O its a great honor to salute ergeant basilones family, a native of new jersey, a hero of our Italian American community. He started serving his country, as you already heard, very early in the u. S. Army and then three years later he enlisted in the u. S. Marine, in the marine corps. U. S. Marines, in the marine corps, where he was sent to guadalcanal, placed in command of two secons of heavy machine gs. Despite being outnumbered, Sergeant Basilone and himen successfully defended henderson airfield from the japanese assault. In the process, he caused enemy linesto replenish ammunition. He repaired artillery and went several days and nights without food or sleep to lead his troops. He ledis troops to victory. Sergeant basilones unprecedented heroics in the Pacific Theater dural during world war ii have become during world war ii have become part of the mane corps lohr. We worked together a few years john immortalize asilone. Thanks to the campaign, the United States Postal Services distinguished marine stamp series included John Basilone beginning in 2005. He embodied the best we could hope for in a Service Member and was a true new jersey guy. A scrappy fighter who always wanted to be on the front lines. After his first tour, the marine corps offered to commission him as an officer, but basilone responded, i aint no officer, i aint no museum people, i belong back with my outfit. He opted to return to the front lines rather than ride out the war helping promote war bonds here at home. Tragically Sergeant John basilone died when he returned to the front lines while fighting in iwo jima. 27 years old. He earned the congressional medal of honor, the navy cross, the purple heart, and the deep appreciation of a grateful nation. John basilone, his story was brought to life through the passes in the 2010 hbo mini series, the pacific. Montclair State University has a basilone dormitory. And just last year, the u. S. Navy commissioned destroyer as the u. S. S. Basilone. I marched in that parade several years ago. I know that the people of raritan, new jersey, have never forgotten their favorite son, and they will be honored to have a basilone post office. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Italian American congressional delegation, i thank my colleague, leonard lance, for introducing this measure, i encourage all my colleagues and all americans to learn about the storied history of Sergeant Basilone. I thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i have no further speakers at this time, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i urge adoption of the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2815. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 having responded in the affirmative the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 3638. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 3638, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1100 kings road in jacksonville, florida, as the Rutledge Pearson post office building. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from montana, mr. Gianforte, and the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. Demings, each will control 20 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana is recognized. Mr. Gianforte i rise today in support of h. R. 3638, introduced by the gentleman from florida, mr. Lawson. The bill names the United States post office at 1100 kings road in jacksonville, florida, as the rutledge after Rutledge Pearson. He was an educator and instrumental leader in the civil rice movement. Hes remembered for his civil rights movement. Hes remembered for his ability to attract young people to fight for civil rights. Tragically he was killed in a car accident in 1967. Today we honor his legacy and service to his community in jacksonville. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, im pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h. R. 3638, a bill to designate the facility of the United States post Office Located at 1100 kings road in jacksonville, florida, as the Rutledge Pearson post office building. Born in 1929, Rutledge Pearson graduated from new stanton high school. In 1947. Before attending tilliston college on a baseball scholarship. Following his graduation, he began playing for the negro leagues birmingham black barron but because of his race, the jacksonville sea birds refused to allow mr. Pearson to play on their team. Deciding they would rather close the park. His rejection, however, inspired him, and he went on to become an influential member of jacksonvilles Education System and civil rights movement. He served at every level in the naacp, and he continued to energize and inspire young people around his community as he did in the classroom every day. Mr. Speaker, i am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation to honor mr. Rutledge pearson. Urge the passage of h. R. 3638, and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, id like to make the gentlewoman aware i have no speakers and i am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from florida, mr. Lawson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida is ecognized. Mr. Lawson mr. Speaker, im honored to stand before you day in a move to honor the legacy of Rutledge Pearson by in his he post office honor. He was a civil rights leader and baseball player. His legacy is long lasting and this is a fitting way to honor his contribution to our community. As a young man, Rutledge Pearson had a successful baseball career fore heard from congressman the birmingham black barrens of the negro barons of the negro league. This granted him the opportunity to play Major League Baseball in his hometown. However, as we heard earlier, because of his race the Jacksonville Beach sun birds rejected pearson from joining the team. In fact, park officials, as we stated also earlier, said they would rather close the park than to have this outstanding hero and baseball player and educator to play in his hometown. This experience prepared pearson to pursue an a career in education. Like most of us, when you pursue a career in education you break down a lot of barriers. Rutledge pearson was elected president of the Jacksonville Branch of the naacp and was later elected president of the Florida State conference of the naacp. He was known for his ability to attract young people which all of us do today to get young people involved in the naacp and Many Community organizations. Pearson was instrumental as a leader in the fight for civil rights. Little did i know that i would on the floor speaking for this great person that i learned about many years noog a history class. The landscape pearson was instrumental in all of this effort especially locally and nationally helping change jacksonville culture as it is today and its landscape. I want to thank you for this time and your vote to honor pearson for his contribution to the city of jacksonville and to our nation. Lso, little did i know in 1970 that i would be sitting in a pearsons llege with niece. It was so it is so exciting for congress to honor this great leader among people throughout the state of florida and with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 3638. Those in favor say aye. Pose pez those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . Mr. Gianforte i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 4042. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the titetholve title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 4042 a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1415 west oak street n kissimmee, florida, as the boriqueneers post office building. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana and the gentlewoman from florida will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte i yield myself such time as i may consume. I rise in support of h. R. 4042, introduced by the gentleman from florida, mr. Soto. The bill names the United States post office at 1415 west oak street kissimmee, florida, after the borinqueneers. Army ors the 65th regiment. Congress created this special unit of puerto rican soldiers shortly after puerto rico became part of the United States in 1898 desm spite years of segfwation and discrimination, he bourqueneers served admirably in world war i, world war ii and the korean war. We owe a great debt to the soldiers who fought in this unit. They were awarded the congressional gold medal by leads of the United States souse houths and senate. We honor their service and sacrifice for the country. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentlelady from d the gentleman reserve the gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings im pleased to join my colleague in Central Florida in conversation of h. R. 4042, a bill to designate the facility of the United States post Office Located in kissimmee , florida, as the borinqueneers pest office building. Originally started in 1849, it became part of the u. S. Army in 1908. The unit distinguished itself throughout europe in world war ii. The 65th regiment rapidly gained a reputation as one of the bravest and most reliable regiments and by november of 1950 had become the leading regiment by the third infantry division. June of 2014, the boringueneers were honored for their bravery and distinguished service through which they broke down racial barriers in defense of our nation. Mr. Speaker, im proud to cosponsor this bill and i look forward to passing this legislation in honor of the 65th reg meant for their service, their sacrifice and lasting contributions to our country. I urge me pass i urge passage of h. R. 4042 and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte id like to make the gentlewoman from florida aware i have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from florida, mr. Soto. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Soto i rise in support of h. R. 4042. Id like to thank the gentleman from montana and the gentlelady from orlando, florida, for your kind and historic words this bill would name the United States post office at 1415 west ok street in kissimmee, florida, after the 65th infantry, also borinqueneers. Named after the indigenous word for puerto rico, which means land of the brave lord is where the name is derived from. This was a segregated unit, one of only a few we have in history, much like the heralded tuskegee airmen. And they fought for our country even while facing discrimination and segregation and they fought bravely. They quickly gained a welldeserved reputation as one of the third infantrys most reliable units. Their bravery inspired general douglas mcarthur, then the Supreme Commander for the allied powers, to write, the puerto rican forming the ranks of the gallant 65th give daily proof on battlefields of korea of their courage, determination and resolute will to victory. Their invincible principles of human nature which the continent and puerto rico have in common. They are writing a brillabout tale of heroism in battle and i am proud to have them under my command. I wish we could count on many more like them. I had a moment a couple of months ago to go to the Demilitarized Zone in korea and i thought as i saw those hills and mountains that were filled with trees and with forests again about the stark difference that some of my constituents that ive got ton speak with personally saw there in korea. There was nothing left but muddy, cold hills. Freezing temperatures. And these folks who lived their whole lives on an island in the caribbean were surrounded by both the chinese and korean armies. And to talk with some of our cal veterans like luis lives in d lou, who congresswoman demings district in apopka, what they faced that day compared to the semiserene d. M. Z. Now, obviously we face other threats there, reminded how far they had gone and what they did, crossing the globe to make sure our country was safe and as the gentleman from montana and the gentlelady from florida mentioned, we ultimately recognized that valor and the fact that they fought so bravely even in the face of discrimination in our country on june 10, 2014, when this body borinqueneers the congressional gold medal, the econd set of Puerto Ricans after Roberto Clemente to receive this award, and so many who served in that unit now live in kissimmee, this is an important place to recognize a group of heros who defied expectations and cemented a legacy of heroism all americans can be proud of. I want to thank the members of the government and Oversight Reform Committee for passing this bill favorably with unanimous consent and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. With that, i yield back. Mrs. Demings i have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i urge adoption of the bill and yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 4042. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . Mr. Gianforte i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 3655. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 3655, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1300 main street in belmar, new jersey, as the dr. Walter s. Mcafee post office building. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana, mr. Gianforte, and the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. Demings, each will control 20 minutes. Mr. Gianforte i ask unanimous consen that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Gianforte i rise in support of h. R. 3655, introduced by the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Smith. The bill names the United States post office at 1300 main street in belmar, new jersey, after dr. Walter mcafee. Dr. Walter mcafee was scientist, educator and advisor to the United States Army Communications electronics command. Hes credited as the first person to calculate the speed of the moon. I now yield the gentleman from new jersey and sponsor of the bill, mr. Smith, such time as he may consume to explain his bill. Mr. Smith i thank the gentleman for yielding. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Smith and to him and the Ranking Member for support of the legislation. Its an honor to bring h. R. 3655 to the house today to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service loycailted at 1415 west main street in located at 1300 main street in belmar, new jersey as the dr. Walter s. Mcafee post office building. I reached out to leads of the Information Age learning center, so known as infoage, and ask them to recommend someone in their community to honor in this way. They recommended dr. Mcafee. Infoage has been the leading organization preserving scientific and Communications Technology located at former camp evans. Dr. Mcafee was instrumental in project diana, the effort to pierce the earths ats no fear with radar. It was his mathematical calculations that enabled a team to bounce the first signals off the moons surface. Without the success of his calculations, the achievements of launching satellite into space or sending a man to the moon would not have been possible. It is the achievement of this extriretnary man that actually helped launch us into the space age. During his time at fort monmouth, dr. Mcafee also developed sensors used to detect and track enemy movements in the vietnam war and served as director of a nato study on surveillance and target acquisition, high priority technologies in the cold war. He was the first africanamerican to be promoted to g. S. 16 a super grade civilian position in the u. S. Army Material Command a. M. C. And to be inducted into the a. M. C. Hall of fame. Received dous dozens of awards and honesters he received for his contributions to science and in his defense of the United States. He was known for his love of learning, his high ethical standards, and a great sense of humor. He passed away in 1995 in belmar, new jersey. He and his wife were married for close to 54 years and are survived by their daughters, diane, mercedes mcafee, and marsha barra moirs. Im thankful to my colleagues for their support, anticipated support, for this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from montana. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. The gentlewoman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h. R. 3655, a bill to designate the facility of the United States post Office Located at 1300 main street in belmar, new jersey, as the dr. Walter s. Mcafee post office building. Democrat democrat mrs. Demings dr. Mcafee was born in texas in 1914 and earned degrees in mathematics, physics, and before receiving a ph. D. In Nuclear Physics from Cornell University in 1949. Youve already heard that dr. Mcafee launched this country into the space age. Dr. Mcafee also made important contributions to this country as an advisor to the u. S. Army during the vietnam war. Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the illustrious career of dr. Mcafee and the legacy he leaves behind through his impressive scientific accomplishments. I urge the passage of h. R. 3655, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte id like to make the gentlewoman from florida aware that i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i urge adoption of the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana yields back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 3655. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition . Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 4285. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 4285. A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 Bridgeton Pike in mullica hill, new jersey, as the james c. Billy Johnson Post Office building. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from montana, mr. Gianforte, and the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. Demings, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five death five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Gianforte i rise in support of h. R. 4285, introduced by the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Lobiondo. The bill names the United States post office at 123 Bridgeton Pike in mullica hill, new jersey, after james c. Billy johnson. Billy johnson joined the United States army in 1941 as a private and was later commissioned as an officer. Second lieutenant johnson was killed in action in 1944. I now yield to the gentleman from new jersey and the spobser of the bill, mr. Lobiondo, such time as he may consume to explain his bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Loebsack mr. Lobiondo thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from montana. I rise today to bring h. R. 4285, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 Bridgeton Pike in mullica hill, new jersey, as the james c. Billy Johnson Post Office building to the floor for consideration. Second lieutenant johnson was born and raised in my district in richwood, new jersey in 1920. Due to his strong new jersey, in 1920. Due to his strong desire to serve his country, he enlisted in the United States army in 1941. He was later commissioned as an officer. 307th ssigned to the infantry regiment, 92nd division, during the height of the Italian Campaign in world war ii. Second lieutenant johnson made the ultimate sacrifice for his country where he was tragically killed in action in october of 1944. It is because of his steadfast commitment to his country, along with his valor and dedication to our great nation, that i support the naming of this post office after Second Lieutenant johnson. I urge passage of this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey yields back. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from montana reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Demings mr. Speaker, i am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h. R. 4285, a bill to designate the facility of the United States pose Office Located in mullica post Office Located in mullica hill, new jersey, as the james c. Billy Johnson Post Office building. Youve heard he was a native of richwood, new jersey. He attended Elementary School at ullica hill and graduated from Glassboro High School before attending Benedict College in 1941. He began his military service in the United States army. Youve heard he was assigned to the cannon company. The 307th 370th infantry regiment and the 92nd division. Regretfully he made the ultimate sacrifice in 1944 when he was tragically killed. But his legacy lives on. He serves as an inspiration to those who have benefited from his sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the sacrifice of Second Lieutenant johnson, the sacrifice that Second Lieutenant johnson made to his country. I urge the passage of h. R. 4285 and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte mr. Speaker, id like to make the gentlewoman from florida aware that i have no further speakers and im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from florida. Mrs. Demings meerks i have no further speakers and mr. Speaker, i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from montana. Mr. Gianforte i urge adoption of the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 4285. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass House Resolution 407 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk House Resolution 407. Resolution condemning the persecution of christians around the world. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel, will each control 20 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the record for this debate. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, thank you. Let me begin here by thanking the gentleman from wisconsin, representative Glenn Grothman, for his work on this resolution. As many in our country are preparing to celebrate this season, a season of peace and joy, thousands of christian believers around the world are making the holiday in a much more somber way. Theyre marking this holiday under a threat of persecution. Under a threat of violence. Pope francis has said when we read the history of the first centuries, we read of so much cruelty towards christians. I tell you, there is the same cruelty today and to a greater extent. Those were his words. According to research, christians today are more targeted for attack than any other body of believers. While about 30 of the worlds population identifies as christian, 80 of all reported acts of religious persecution right now are directed at christians. Open Doors Charity reports that each month around the world 300 christians are murdered. This would be for their faith. More than 200 churches and properties are destroyed. This is each month. Over 770 acts of violence are committed against christians, including beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, forced marriages. For example, across the middle east, there are historic Christian Communities that are only one or two generations away from extinction. In iraq, and these were the Indigenous People to this region, in iraq there are now fewer than 250,000 christians remaining. Of the community that once had more than 1. 4 million believers. Last congress the house took the lead in declaring the violence against christians committed by isis in iraq and syria as genocide. Since then, congress has pushed hard to make sure that these vulnerable communities are protected and receive the assistance that they need. I have visited these communities up in northern iraq. And i can attest to the amount of persecution that they have been through. And of course our brave men and women in uniform deserve our praise for leading the fight to destroy isis. The socalled caliphate. Allowing for the safe return of christians and other religious minorities in the region. We are blessed to live in this country, free to enjoy our religious festivals in peace and security. We must not turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening elsewhere in the world. With passage of this measure, we acknowledge the disturbing rise in persecution of christians around this globe, and recommit our nation to support the religious freedom of all people. We also call on other World Leaders to end persecution of christians. And other religious minorities that are also persecuted. At the national, local, government and community level. This includes persecution, of course, by violent nonstate actors, terrorist groups like boko haram and isis. With this call to action, we work to advance our nations historic goal, to promote peace on earth and goodwill towards men. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, i rise in support of this measure and yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank mr. Grothman of wisconsin for offering this resolution. And also to my good friend and chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, ed royce, for his leadership as always. Mr. Speaker, freedom of worship is a basic human right. Yet we see religious minorities all over the world subjected to persecution and violence. In iraq and syria, isis has forced christians in mosul to convert to islam, to pay a protection tax, to flee or face execution. Isis has carried out genocide against the yazidis, christians and shias. In europe we see synagogues firebombed and a surge of antisemitism across the continent. And in burma we see Government Security forces engaged in ethnic cleansing against the rohingya. The freedom of religious has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries. It is enshrined in our founding documents, in the universal declaration of human rights, and in charters of democracies all over the world. The freedom to worship as a person chooses or not to worship at all is a right that should not be restrained by a government or fanatical group. Religious persecution holds societies back, undercuts progress and is associated with a much broader assault on basic human rights. Here in the United States we must make it clear its not enough to guarantee religious liberty to people, we must speak out and act when we see this liberty under attack anywhere and hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses. In places like china we see freedom of speech under attack. In chechnya we see lgbt individuals targeted, tortured and executed by putins cronies just for who they love. And we see womens reproductive rights under attack. So we must also speak out against attacks on our press, on our right to organize, on equality, lgbt persons oranges womens rights to control their own bodies. This legislation helps us send the clear message that pretending all human rights is a that protecting all human rights is a priority for the United States. We all know americas first immigrants came here because they were fleeing religious persecution in their home countries. It would be hypocritical for us to condemn religious persecution around the world and then slam our doors shut in the face of those trying to flee such persecution. America must remain a place where those facing persecution or death can find refugism support this measure, i urge my colleagues to do the same and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i yield five minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Grothman, the author of the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Grothman i thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of my resolution, h. Res. 407, condemning the persecution of christians around the world. The persecution of christians is a Global Human Rights Program Congress needs to address. According to open doors world watch list, around the world, one out of 12 christians is experiencing persecution for their faith. North korea, one of the worlds most repressive regimes is a serious violator of christian right, not surprising given its a communist country and like communist countries throughout history has done what they can to suppress and destroy christianity. Human Rights Groups reported hat members of underground churches in north korea have been beaten or killed. In china, christian groups are required to register with the government and those who do not face torture. 232 protestants were punished for their religious activities. Some 2,000 protestant buildings have been demolished since 2014, according to the state department. In the middle east, Islamic State and other jihadist militant groups forced christians in iraq, syria, libya and other countries to free, risk enslavement, execution or death. Since the u. S. Invasion of iraq, the number of christians in iraq has plunged from 1. 5 million to a couple hundred thousand. In libya, isis and other extremist groups have been a stronghold in this country since the fall of gaddafi. I reluctantly have to point out that the christian persecution going on in libya and iraq has happened after the United States decided to get involved in these countries. So we have a special a special responsibility to look out for the christians there. In egypt, isis claimed responsibility for killing over 70 Coptic Christians earlier this year. Persecution of christians in the northeast doesnt end with terrorists, its institutional as well. Pakistan has some of the most extreme blasphemy laws in the world. In june of 2016, two christians received death sentences for blasphemy convictions. In iran, 200 christians were arrested last year, at least 90 remain in illegal detention. Acts of persecution against christians across the globe is a violate of international law, which is why Congress Must act. Sadly in our own country, the United States, sometimes christians can be forced to participate in ceremonies with which they dont agree. Hard to believe this is going on in the United States of america. House resolution 407 will condemn the persecution of christians around the world and calls for all discriminatory countries and extremist groups to cease their persecution of religious minorities and force leaders to uphold universal religious freedom. I urge my colleagues to support this born resolution and yield back the remainder of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel its my pleasure to yield one minute to my fellow new yorker, the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. Maloney. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Maloney i thank my friend and colleague for yielding and for his incredible leadership as the Ranking Member on this important committee. I thank chairman royce for his work on this issue, for bringing the bill to the floor, and truly being a visionary legislator and shining a spotlight on the systematic persecution of christians around the world. Its frightening, its wrong, and we need to do everything we can to stop it. Freedom of religion is a core american principle and a key component for peace and stability around the world. There are too many examples of christian persecution. Congress must clearly condemn these atrocities. As cofounder and cochair of forcaucus, i have advocated reforms in turkey to respect the rights of the ecumenical pay tree ark and reopen the seminary. Boko haram has weakened and wreaked havoc in nigeria, killing innocent christians and muslims alike. Coptic christians in egypt and elsewhere face the constant threat of violence and we have seen some the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for another minute. Mrs. Maloney we have seen tragedies for this community in the last year. The number of Coptic Christians that have been killed is truly astounding. And they have laws now that if a wall falls or any church needs repair you cannot even repair the church. These are just a few examples of spots around the world where christian persecution is rampant. Persecution against christians and other religious minorities around the world is a Security Risk and the United States government was must remain vigilant in monitoring and response. I ask per noigs revise and extend my remarks. Were involved in a debate on another bill of mine in the Financial Services committee, but i thank my colleagues, this should be a unanimous vote in support of this important resolution. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for bringing this to the attention of congress and hopefully the world. I yield back to the Ranking Member. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i continue to reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. Im going to close. Protecting human rights has been and must remain a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Around the world, we see religious liberties under siege in places like iraq, syria, burma, certainly iran. But we also see threats to free press, rights to organize, persecution for Sexual Orientation and even reproductive rights in places like china, chechnya and other places as well. We must send a clear message to the world that the United States does not and will not stand idly by in helping pass this measure helps us to say just that. I want to thank chairman royce, as always, for his cooperation. S that strong, important, bipartisan resolution and we should pass it unanimously. So i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h. Res. 407 and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from california. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate it. I also want to thank mr. Engel for his leadership in bringing these issues to the floor and certainly our colleague, cosponsor of this resolution, Carolyn Maloney and i thank, again, congressman Glenn Grothman for offering this important important resolution here because it is a fact that christians around the world are being assaulted, theyre being raped and tortured and murdered. Believers in north korea, for example, have disappeared by the hundreds and theyre hidden away in labor camps there for decades. Many of them worked to death, as you may know about the conditions in those camps. The reason theyre there is because theyve attempted to practice their faith. Theyve attempted to practice christianity. We know at the hands of sigh isis, brutal atrocities against christians have risen to the level of genocide. Wherever isis goes you see the consequence in the terror and the terror that is visited on christians, yazidis, jews and other races. But in terms of the positioning that isis has in the middle east ey had ready access to the communities there that were christian. And having visited those Christian Communities in the aftermath of those attacks, as they escaped into the kurdish regions, it was absolutely heart wrenching to hear the accounts of the survivors of what had happened, from the christians and among yazidis. These are just a few examples of the persecution against christians happening around this world. I urge my colleagues to join me in this call to World Leaders to work to stop the global persecution of christians and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to House Resolution 407 as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass House Resolution 336. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk House Resolution 336. Resolution reaffirming a strong commitment to the United Statesmexico partnership. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Royce, and the gentleman from new york will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Royce. Mr. Royce i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extrainouts material in the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, i want to thank this to thank the rajing member othey have Foreign Affairs committee, mr. Engel. This is his bill. And let me also say that the chairman of the Homeland Security committee, mike mccaul who is his primary cosponsor for this, theyve worked hard on this resolution and it represents a broad, bipartisan act ngment of the importance of acknowledgment of the importance of the relationship between the United States of america and with the country of mexico. The United States and mexico share strong ties and passage of this resolution will signal this bodys commitment to strengthening our bilateral relationship with mexico. This is a relationship that impacts americans on a daily basis. Today, the United States is grappling with challenges, just as mexico is grappling with some challenges. We have a deadly drug crisis. Were where more than a thousand people a week die from opioid related overdoses that crisis that started with over prescribed pain medication here in the United States, but is now fueled by heroin and fentanyl supplied by drug cartels. Weve got to strengthen our important Security Partnership with mexico and got to continue to work with mexican Security Forces to stem the tide of these ill deal Illegal Drugs entering into our communities and harden our shared border against terrorism and criminality. So this resolution also affirms the strong commercial relationship between our two countries. Mexico was the second largest export market for u. S. Goods last year. And it affirm ours long history of cooperation on environmental nd on Natural Resource issues. For example, this past september, our two countries signed an agreement to improve reservoir levels in lake immediate and in the Colorado River basin that will help prevent prevent water shortages currently affecting americans in the southwest United States. These are of course areas in which the u. S. Mexico relationship, there are these areas that i think we can improve the relationship. Mexico needs to do more to combat the corruption thats taken its toll on its citizens trust. But this resolution comes at an important time in the u. S. With our relationship with mexico. And should signal to the people of mexico that the people of the United States want to continue to work with mexico on matters of mutual concern. From security to combating illegal drug trade to strengthening our respective economies, and i urge my colleagues to all support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume. I want to thank our chairman, ed royce, for working with me to bring this measure to the floor. I want to thank congressman mccaul, the lead republican sponsor of this resolution, as well. I am pleased to be the lead sponsor on this resolution. After more than a decade of Good Progress in the u. S. Mexico partnership, this year weve seen some things change course in a troubling way. If its a probably and its a probably and it needs to be problem and it needs to be stopped. Thats why i introduced this measure. We dont want anyone there to have any kinds of questions. We believe in a strong u. S. Mexico relationship. Id also like to thank the Ranking Member on our western hemisphere subcommittee, mr. Seres, and representative castro for their efforts on this resolution. And their support day in and day out, for a robust u. S. Mexico partnership. Mr. Speaker, its hard to overstate how important the u. S. Mexico relationship is. And the tremendous impact it has on americans every single day. Mexico is a friend and ally, mexico is our Third Largest trading partner. A country with which we share deep person to person, family and cultural ties. And a country where weve pain stakingly cultivated a vibrant, critical relationship between our two countries. Over the past century, there have been many highs and lows in he u. S. Mexico relationship. Unfortunately, sometimes recently weve had a lot of lows with talk about building walls and other derogatory talk about mexicans. So we dont want that to continue. We want to establish and reaffirm the strong u. S. Mexico relationship. In 2007 i became chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee of the house Foreign Affairs committee. That was the same day where a initiative was announced an initiative was announced by president s bush and calderon which led to a new level Security Cooperation between the United States and mexico. That effort wasnt perfect then and it isnt today. The civilian toll of mexicos drug war is still far too high. And Human Rights Violations at the federal, state and local level in mexico remain a serious problem. But what we gain from the initiative was an entirely new way of collaborating with the meck can Mexican Government on a wide range of security issues. President s obama and pena and nieto built on a foundation and one of the results was a remarkable achievement in the last hours of the obama administration, which walz the ex tradition of drug which was the extradition of drug kingpin to my hometown of new york city to stand trial. Without a strong u. S. Mexico partnership, that would not have been possible. A decade ago, it probably would not have happened at all. And while we absolutely dont need to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on a 2,000milelong wall against our southern border, what we do need is to maintain our partnership on Security Matters with the mention cab government. With the Mexican Government. We want the Mexican Government to continue to reach out to us with information regarding suspected terrorists. We want to say that the Mexican Government will cooperate with us and extradite the next drug kingpin in the United States. And it goes on and on. So we cannot overemphasize just how important the u. S. Mexico partnership is and how it keeps americans safe on a day to day basis. House resolution 336 underscores the importance of a u. S. Mexico relationship built on mutual respect. Mutual respect means building bridges, not walls, between our two countries. It means recognizing the vast contributions of mexican americans to our country and not classifying an entire population as drug dealers and rapists. It means not singling out an esteemed judge based solely on his race. Congress has an important opportunity today to be the adult in the room and let the Mexican Government and the mexican people know that our relationship with them is very, very important and will continue to be important. So i urge my colleagues to support this measure. I am pleased that we have support for this from both sides of the aisle. I thank chairman royce as always for his cooperation and his partnership. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves. The gentleman from california. Mr. Royce ill continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel its now my pleasure to yield two minutes to my good friend and colleague on the Foreign Affairs committee, a very valued member of the Foreign Affairs committee, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. Torres. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california is recognized. Mrs. Torres thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of h. R. 336, which reaffirms our strong commitment to the United Statesmexico partnership. Mexico is our neighbor and one of our most important strategic allies. Under nafta and the anywheretive initiative, our countries have expanded our economic and Security Cooperation in ways that involve almost every aspect of our lives. Work with mexico goes beyond our work with mexico goes beyond the federal government. It is in our state and local governments. It is in our businesses, in our churches. H. R. 336 holds up the idea that working with mexico has been good for our security and our economy. No one is saying that our relationship is perfect. We still have Real Security problems to address. Especially the smuggling of guns, drugs and money across our borders. And we need to do more. A lot more. To lift up those communities that have not benefited from nafta. But on the whole, we are better off when we Work Together. And working together is what makes it possible to have those strong conversations, tough conversations about those issues where we disagree. So we shouldnt even need to pass a resolution like this. It should be assumed. It should be common sense. But the rhetoric across this administration has made it necessary for congress to seek out, in defense of our neighbor and our ally. And we are here speak out in defense of our neighbor and our ally. And were here today speaking out. I thank chairman royce for his ongoing work in bringing this resolution forward. And ongoing work in a committee to ensure that we work on a bipartisan level. And i urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. Mr. Royce ill continue to reserve, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california reserves. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. Ill close now. And want to close on a positive note. I believe that it is not too late to reverse course on the latest direction of u. S. Mexico ties. At a difficult moment in our bilateral relationship, im heartened to stand here on the house floor, listen to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle offer such robust support for the u. S. Mexico relationship. I want to again thank chairman royce and mr. Mccaul for their help in and support of this resolution help and support of this resolution. What we need is to maintain and even strengthen our collaboration on security and economic matters with the Mexican Government. Passage of House Resolution 336 today is an excellent step. Congress really needs to lead the way. So i thank, again, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this resolution and pledge to do everything i can to continue to enhance a very important u. S. Mexico relationship. And i think its important to state that this relationship is not only important to mexico, its important to the United States. For so many different reasons. And thats why i think its important for congress to reaffirm its support, strong support for the u. S. Mexico relationship. So i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this resolution. And i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york yields back. The gentleman from california. Mr. Royce well, again, i would just like to thank the author here, the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs committee, mr. Engel. And thank congresswoman normaer toess as well. And the chair norma torres as well. And the chairman of the Homeland Security committee, mike mccaul, for their work on this important resolution. Recognizing the u. S. Mexico partnership, recognizing our important economic relationship. As our countries continue to Work Together, this resolution signals our commitment to strengthen our ties with our mexican neighbors. And i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california yields back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to House Resolution 336. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Royce yes, mr. Speaker. I move the house suspend the rules and pass House Resolution 357 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk House Resolution 357. Resolution reaffirming the Strategic Partnership between the United States and canada, recognizing bilateral cooperation that advances United States national interests, and urging increased bilateral cooperation on security, Economic Issues and energy, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel, will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Royce. Mr. Royce im going to ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce and i also ask unanimous consent to place into the record an exchange of letters with the committee on ways and means. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, i just want to recognize the leadership of mr. Duncan, who until recently served as the chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee. And also want to recognize mr. Gregory meeks, the Ranking Member, in bringing this important resolution forward. I want to recognize mr. Huizenga, chairman of the Capital Markets subcommittee on the Financial Services committee, who led the delegation this past fall with the u. S. Canada intr Parliamentary Group in windsor, canada. So this resolution affirms the already Strong Partnership we enjoyed with our neighbors. With our neighbors to the north. And recognize that this bilateral relationship has advanced u. S. National interests. Canada and the u. S. Share the Longest International Border of any countries in the world. Canada is one of our largest trading partners with the u. S. Our largest agricultural export market. U. S. Export of goods and services to canada supported 1. 6 million jobs in the United States last year. And in addition, the u. S. And canada enjoy a very close and vital security relationship which is seen most acutely in our close Border Security collaboration, as well as in defense arrangements such as for thised a. And our shared nato mutual security commitments. Our two countries have an exceptionally close energy relationship. Canadas our largest supplier of oil. Natural gas. Electricity. Uranium. And our two countries collaborate on environmental concerns, particularly with our shared responsibility for the great lakes. Which is this Worlds Largest fresh water ecosystem freshwater ecosystem. And it contains 20 of the earths surface freshwater. So this relationship gives congress the opportunity to reaffirm through this resolution our important and close bilateral ties with canada. And to renew our commitment to growing and improving that relationship to the benefit of both countries. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i want to first of all thank the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Duncan, who until recently was the chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee. Well have you back on the committee any time you want to come, mr. Duncan. I thank you for authorizing this resolution, reaffirming the importance of the Strategic Partnership between the United States and canada. I appreciate the efforts of my good friend, mr. Meeks, as the lead democratic sponsor, and again thank chairman royce for working to bring this measure to the house floor. Its only appropriate that after spending time on the house floor discussing the importance of the u. S. Relationship with our neighbor to the south, that we also focus on the Strategic Partnership between the United States and our neighbor to the north, which of course is canada. Canada is our second largest trading partner. Interesting, canada is our second largest trading partner. Mexico our Third Largest trading partner with about 1. 7 billion in goods and services and 400,000 citizens in both countries crossing the border on a daily basis. Think about that. 400,000 citizens from both i had cris cross the u. S. Canadian board orn a daily basis. This makes it easy for travelers to clear customs and arrive back home as if they were on a domestic flight. Of course our Partnership Goes beyond tourism. Im pleased this bill takes note of the extensive cooperation between the United States and canada at nato. Canada is and remains a key u. S. Ally in several conflicts around the world, including in afghanistan, where canada sent 2,800 troops from 2006 to 2011. I also want to note the crucial vote that canada has played in Holding Venezuelan president nicholas ma duro and his lackeys accountable doctor maduro and hi lackeys accountable. Most recently i was pleased that the Canadian Foreign minister hosted the lima group in toronto in october. Unfortunately, the u. S. Canada relationship needs to be rejuvenated. Needs to be needs to not be taken for granted. We have to work at that all the time. I think its important that we all work at that. As a global entity, the u. S. Canada relationship should be a relatively even one to manage. We dont want to have jobs at risk by creating a trade war with canada. Trade disputes between two big neighbors is normal. We should not be escalating manageable disagreements in a way that could hurt workers in both our countries. I believe that we should let all the leaders know that the house is leading the way and we hope that everyone follows Congress Lead today in affirming the importance of the u. S. Canada relationship and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves his time they have chair recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i yield four minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Jeff duncan, the author of this resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Duncan thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And the Foreign Affairs committee for helping move this resolution. Mr. Speaker, i rise being the former chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee on the house Foreign Affairs committee to encourage the passage of House Resolution 357 to reaffirm the Strategic Partnership between the United States and canada. As my good friend and former United States ambassador to canada David Wilkins taught me, canada is one of our strongest allies and one of our largest and best trading partners and we are dependent upon cooperation between the nations to promote trade, security, and Energy Issues. Its imperative that we protect the Close Partnership with canada and the interdependent north American Energy market. Enforcing the strength of our relationship with canada would expand the size of our nrning market, create more jobs, redeuce energy costs for consumers, and enhance north american Energy Security and interdependencence. Interdependence. I remind the administration that Energy Issues should be a top priority on any nafta negotiation as canada is the largest supplier of energy to the United States. This includes oil, uranium, natural gas and electricity. We share the longest undefended border and one of the deepest security and Energy Partnerships in the world. Today, 32 United States states consider canada their primary trading partner the comprehensive trade and investment which the United States has can with canada supports millions of jobs and goods and services on both sides of the border. This importance of this bilateral relationship is critical for both countries. Let me conclude by saying its vital that we continue to look for if ways to strengthen our relationship with canada and i hope my colleagues will support this resolution to reaffirm the importance of u. S. Canada relations. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from South Carolina yields back. The gentleman from california reserves. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. Mr. Engel thank you, mr. Speaker. Let me say in closing that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the canadian confederation. Its appropriate we are considering this important resolution on the house floor before 2017 comes to a close. As is said by all the other members, the u. S. And canada share so much more than just our extensive borders and daily commerce. We share people to people ties that run generations deep and continue on a daily basis. Today by passing h. Res. 357, congress has an opportunity to show our commitment to and gratitude for the u. S. Canada relationship. We also have an opportunity to show the world how two nations can get along with miles and miles and miles of borders, continuous borders. So i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution. I again thank chairman ross and the former chair of the western hemisphere subcommittee and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york yields back. The gentleman from california is recognized for the remainder of his time. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to once again thank representative duncan and mr. Meeks and mr. Huizenga, mr. Engel for their commitment to the u. S. Canada relationship and for bringing this important resolution forward. This resolution affirms the already Strong Partnership we enjoy with our neighbors to the north while recognizing that this bilateral relationship has advanced our national interests. In addition to working together on trade, on Border Security, on energy, canada is also valuable partner in security. As my leagues know, canada is a Founding Member of nato and leads a nato battalion in latvia. I happen to have seen that battalion recently in latvia. While maintaining 200 military trainers in ukraine. Our shared values and proximity have rendered canada one of our most important allies and are resolution allow this is body to stand together in affirming that relationship. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california yields back his time. All time having been yielded back, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to resolution House Resolution 357 as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, hoirps, sir, pursuant to section 12 house of representatives, sir, pursuant o section 128, for fiscal year 2018, i am pleased to reappoint the following individuals to the United Stateschina economic and security review commission. These appointments would be effective january 1, 2018. Ms. Carolyn bartholomew of washington, d. C. Mr. Michael wessel of falls church, virginia. Thank you for your attention to these appointments. Signed, sincerely, nancy pelosi, democratic leader. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair. W washington journal continues. Paulsen is with us now and now the Conference Committee is i running out the differences between the house and Senate Versions of their tax reform bill. What do you expect to see and when and how different will it be from what you voted for . Guest good morning, the house mood and he swiftly past the first significant tax reform since 1986. 31 years is a long time ago. The senate followed pretty quickly right after. We dont often have these Conference Committees. There are significant differences both on the business side of the equation protect reform and the individual side. My sense is that the Conference Committee got going right away prior to the weekend last week. I would not be surprised if we are voting early next week at some point. We are heading into the final weeks of december but they will take each of the bills and take the good provisions out of both and make it a better product. I like the direction its going. Host you mention we dont get to see these Conference Committees a lot stop how much time do you get to review with a send back before you have to vote . Guest one thing that chairman brady has done. Effectively, he has involved all of us, particularly the republicans on the ways and means committee. We will have an hournd