speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate and the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois mr. gutierrez, for five minutes. mr. gutierrez: mr. speaker, i'm very proud of the president for speaking directly to the american people on immigration last night in a town hall on telemondayo and on msnbc. he -- telemundo and on msnbc. he is fighting a temporary injunction in federal court and is prepared to appeal those rulings all the way to the supreme court, if needed. he will comply with the injunction, but let me be clear to my republican friends and to the american families impacted for now by the court's action. nothing about the injunction -- he's eye department find as a low priority for enforcement. no matter how many lawsuits are filed, no matter how many symbolics in votes there's nothing that they can do to go after u.s. citizens if they have no criminal record and have lived here for a while and the republicans know there is nothing they can do to force the president to deport five million people that he has said he is going to protect. nothing. for years congress has only provided enough funding to deport 4% of the total undocumented population or 400,000 people a year. clearly we here in congress know that only a small percentage of people will be targeted because of the limited enforcement resources because that is the law that we here in congress made. for all the talk about a rogue or empeerial president he's actually doing the job we asked him to do, to spend the limited enforcement resources we appropriated on doing, what, protecting the homeland by deporting the worst of the worst. not on dreamers, not on the parents of u.s. citizens who have strong ties to this country and decades with no criminal background, and the daca program for dreamers announced in 2012 that is still in place and renewals are happening right now as we speak. 640,000 strong. so under the enforcement priorities and under daca program, it is clear to me -- and i want to make it clear to everyone at home that president has no plans to deport dreamers or the parents of u.s. citizens who have never been involved in crime. now, i know firsthand about numerous efforts to negotiate across the aisle that the majority of our country and the majority of the republican party would like to have a functioning legal immigration system, but the impression the republican party is leaving with the american people, the only solution republicans are offering is that they demand deportation of dreamers and the deportation of parents of five million american citizens who will be protected and continue to be protected under the president's executive actions. that is what my colleagues fail to appreciate. when they stand alongside hardliners and opponents of legal immigration in their zeal to support noncitizens, republicans are hurting themselves with citizens. in my district in chicago, just like the rest of the country there is no system where people who are born in the u.s. never mix up with people who weren't born here. there's no difference between the people who came with a visa, the people who overstayed a visa, the people that never had a visa to begin with and the people who were born u.s. citizens. when we celebrate the fourth of july or thanksgiving, believe it or not, we all sit at the same table. the undocumented are part of our family. they live in our neighborhoods attend our churches and are in classrooms with our children. what the republican party fails to see is that when they call for the deportation of dreamers and long-term residents, they're calling for the deportation of our family members, our neighbors and my children's classmates. don't forget, most latinos in america are not immigrants but u.s. citizens, so it should come to no surprise when one million or so latino u.s. citizens turn 18 this year, they will not think fondly of the republican party, the party that is bent on deporting members of their families and their community. another statistic. 93% of latinos under the age of 18 are u.s. citizens. 93% of them are u.s. citizens. they will not have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the party that fought tooth and nail to throw out their moms and dads. and five million u.s. citizens whose parents are undocumented, who worry every day about whether their families will remain intact, they'll remember which party was cruel to their moms and their dads using them as scapegoats and insinuating they were criminals bringing diseases to this country. the republican goal of deporting all the noncitizens will simply never be achieved until the republican party elects one of their own to the white house. and the strategy of the republican party, forcing the president to deport all the noncitizens they want deported pretty much guarantees that one of their own isn't going to get to the white house anytime soon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. mchenry for five minutes. mr. mchenry: thank you mr. speaker. a few weeks ago -- actually a week ago yesterday, the nation lost one of its most selfless and unique public servants with the passing of my predecessor former north carolina 10th district congressman cass balinger. from 2000 -- up until 2005, congressman balinger represented the 10th district of north carolina in the house of representatives. during that time he was on the subcommittee of work force protections where he authored downbreaking legislation that improved workplace safety and created an opportunity for employers and regulators to be partners, not adversaries, in protecting the health and safety of workers. as chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee on the international relations committee, he took on the daunting and often thankless task of fighting to promote democracy and defend human rights in central and south american nations. he did this not only for the sake of justice in those countries but also to protect the interest of the united states. his personal commitment to serving his constituents is a legendary example that i strife every day to follow -- strive every day to follow. i was a beneficiary of his kind and gracious nature when i was elected to represent the 10th district in 2005, after his decision to retire from the house. he personally provided me with guidance and assistance that immeasurablely helped me as a new member of congress and ensured the continuity of our quality constituent services for western north carolina. in his personal and professional life, cass placed himself -- well, he placed others before himself. he's part of the greatest generation. went and fought world ward ii, returned home to go -- world war ii, returned home to go to college, raised a family, joined his family's business, his father's business that was in box manufacturing. he told his fire that boxes were the thing of the past and the wave of the future was plastics. it's almost like it was george bailey coming home to say that. so as a county commissioner he was one of the first republicans elected after the civil war and then now at this date it is one of the most republican counties in the state of north carolina. he led the way to establish the valley community college and katava medical center. as a legislator in the north carolina general assembly, he had the open meetings law that was named the most effective republican legislator by the north carolina institute of government. it would take volumes to talk about all of his philanthropic work of him and his wife but they helped the u.s. and central and south america as well. cass was the ultimate character. he could tell a great story and great joke and tell you off and you would all laugh at everything that he said. he -- in addition to being one of the most distinguished members of the north carolina republican delegation and north carolina delegation generally congressman balinger was also very colorful. there are great moments here on the house floor that we can point to but anyone who spent any time with him knew he was of aable, kind and brutally on -- affable, kind and brutally honest. he was one of the few people who could hold someone accountable in the most blistering way possible, make you laugh and also help you out of a tight spot all in one conversation. he was a rare person indeed. and he will be missed. so i ask my colleagues to join with me in a moment of silence on the passing of congressman cass balancinger. -- cass balinger. mr. mchenry: thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, like many of you, as a kid i learned about robin hood. you know the story, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but today i come to talk to you about something a little less storybook. in this case my friends on the other side of the aisle are supporting a bill that robs from poor schools and gives to rich schools, the so-called student success act that we are debating today takes money from schools with the greatest need and redistributes it to less needy schools in nor affluent communities, hurting teachers and students in their wake. that's hardly the success the bill claims to make. the student success act would re-authorize education funds first signed into law in 1965 by president lyndon johnson who said that full educational opportunity should be our first national goal. but the student success act completely misses the mark of what l.b.j. was trying to accomplish. a former teacher, l.b.j. believed that equal access to education was the key to success and the vital education funding that the elementary and secondary educationnd act provided -- would help millions of children of poor families would overcome the greatest barrier to progress, poverty. for 50 years, the esea has provided essential funding for school districts that serve low-income students as well as education agencies to help them improve the quality of elementary and secondary education around the country. but the robust progress that our schools made in the first 40 years after the passage of esea has slowed over the last decade. since the passage of no child left behind we've seen both sides acknowledge the problems that have resulted and commit to fixing them. but rather than fixing those problems and redoubling our commitment to equal access to education, the student success act actually creates more problems moving even further away from what we know is best for students, is best for teachers and is best for our country. in its current form, h.r. 5 undermines the progress our nation has made in providing a high quality education for all americans regardless of their zip code. if we allow h.r. 5 to become law, school districts in illinois and across the country will see their funding cut exponentially. nationally this bill will cut education funding by over half a billion dollars in 2016 alone. chicago public schools where over 60% of students are below the poverty level, will lose over $64 million in title 1 funding. that's a 23% cut in federal education dollars at a time when chicago schools need it the most. but wait, there's more. this bill eliminates qualifications requirements for paraprofessionals, the teachers aids and support staff who provide help to our students. it eliminates -- it will ensure quality professional development for teachers it directs one out of every $10 away from public schools and directs it to private companies. it allows students with disabilities to be taught by separate lower standards. the bill fails to ensure that students succeed in the classroom or after graduation by gutting accountability standards. these are standards that help ensure that students graduate from high school which we know is so intimately linked to economic success. this bill simply fails to provide our teachers and students with the resources they so desperately need to succeed. it's time to go back to the drawing board. it's time to actually focus on providing students schools and teachers the ability to be more successful with an esea that puts in focus -- puts the focus where it belongs, on investing in education. we need an esea that returns to its original purpose of fighting poverty and ensuring equity, one that holds states and districts accountable for providing equitable resources, one that includes a system of supportive interventions for struggling schools and students, one that deals with the fact that 2/3 of the achievement gap is due to poverty and does something about it such as funding community schools, one that provides our teachers with the resources and support they need to help our young people succeed. we can do better mr. speaker, we must do better. this is simply too important. i urge my colleagues to vote no on the so-called student success act. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. . the chair now recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. weber, for five minutes. mr. weber:00 thank you mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to honor the memory of helen killroy of galveston county. she was a woman of service who always put community and others first. in march of 1989 her son, mark kilroy, hers and jim's son, disappeared during the spring break in mexico. unfortunately, the kilroys ultimately learned that their beloved son was murdered during a cult practicing human sacrifice. losing a loved one, especially a son or daughter, can be debilitating. instead, helen and jim kilroy decided to channel their grief into action. the memory of their son was honored through their support of causes to help those in need. in 1995, the kilroys founded the mark kilroy foundation to support the safe communities coalition. the coalition works to promote drug-free communities, violence prevention, and anger management. it also provides counseling for at-risk children. helen kilroy's selfishness did not stop at the creation of the foundation. helen was a foster parent to seven children. a district leader for the bay area council club scouts from 1976 to 1983. she was a meals on wheels volunteer. she was a santa fe parks and recreation board member. a dedicated church eucharistic minister as well as a volunteer e.m.t. and paramedic for santa fe texas e.m.s. on december 22 2014 helen kilroy lost her battle with a.l.s., lou gehrig's disease. she died after fighting that long battle. she's survived by her husband, jim kilroy, her son keith, her daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, three sisters, two brothers-in-law, numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. the many individuals helped by the mark kilroy foundation and her many service roles are a living legacy to herselfless nature. helen's impact in our community was unparalleled. it takes a strong person to take a family tragedy and turn it into a lasting influence on our community. helen's serving heart truly changed and even saved lives. helen, you're missed. jim you're beloved wife is a legacy to both of you. helen, may you rest in peace. jim and family, you all are in our prayers. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new mexico, mr. lujan, for five minutes. mr. lujan: mr. speaker we are only days away from a shutdown of the department of homeland security. when republicans took control of the house and senate, they pledged to avoid more government shutdowns. instead, we have sadly learned that speaker boehner and leader mitch mcconnell went nearly two weeks two weeks without talking. and their failure to govern us has us once again on the brink of a shut down. i have been shocked and disappointed to hear some of my republican colleagues say that a shut down of the department of homeland security would not be a serious issue. and try to minimize its impact on people. minimize its impact on workers. and even try to minimize its impact on america. in my home state of new mexico a border state, where we have many men and women who proudly serve our country as employees of the border patrol, the t.s.a., and other agencies, getting furloughed or working without a paycheck is a serious issue. if republicans continue down this path paychecks will stop, rent and mortgages and utility bills for these workers will not. time and again house republicans have failed to govern. moving only from one crisis to the next. sadly the failure to fund d.h.s. is the latest manufactured crisis that will have a real impact on working families. in new mexico and across america. while needlessly putting our national security at risk. it's time for congressional republicans to stop putting their political security ahead of national security and pass a clean bill. it's time for house republicans to stop catering to the extreme anti-immigration wing of their party that is willing to sacrifice our nation's security in order to attack dreamers who are going to college and serving our great nation. mr. speaker the eyes of the american people are watching this republican-led congress, and so far all they have seen is gridlock and dysfunction. mr. speaker, the united states senate is moving forward to fund the department of homeland security. house democrats are ready to support a clean bill. the only one standing in the way of preventing a department of homeland security shut down are house republicans. for our country's sake, let us hope that changes. mr. speaker i ask unanimous consent that the house bring up h.r. 86 1, the clean department of homeland security funding bill that will keep the department opened so it can carry out its mission of keeping the american people safe. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the house is in session solely for the purpose of conducting morning hour debate. therefore, that unanimous consent request cannot be entertained. mr. lujan: with that mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. loudermilk, for five minutes. mr. loudermilk: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, during our recess, i had the opportunity to attend oakland heights baptist church in beautiful cartersville, georgia, as they celebrated a very special occasion. while oakland heights is a prominent church in our community it would not be considered a large church in most metropolitan areas. the congregation consists of mostly average hardworking americans who love gd and their families -- god and their families and are eager to help their neighbor in time of need. throughout the years the church has been a beacon of hope to those seeking truth and a haven to those seeking help. as a body of christian believers they also believe it has a responsibility to not only serve our community but to be an example. three years ago, the pastor and the congregation of oakland heights determined their responsibilities to god and the community included being good stewards. although they were burdened with over $1 million of debt, they had a vision of being debt free. they determined to pay off their debt within three years without affecting their core ministries to the congregation or the community. it wasn't easy. it took sacrifice, but with determination they stuck to their plan, lived within their means, and in less than three years made the final payment on their bank note. during the time they were eliminating the debt the church gave over a half million dollars to local ministries, charities, and world missions. in less than 36 months this relatively small congregation took on a mountain, a mountain of debt, and at the end of last week's service after hearing a sermon about moving mountains, the congregation celebrated as they burned their bank note. today i congratulate pastor joe and the congregation of oakland heights baptist church for achieving this significant goal and being an example of fiscal responsibility. mr. speaker, if a church with a modest congregation in an average community can pay off an overwhelming debt, i believe the most powerful and influential nation on the earth should be able to pay off its overwhelming debt. but just as with this church it starts with a vision followed by a plan, and a determination to achieve the goal. mr. speaker, i have a vision. a vision of a debt-free america. with the goal of sound fiscal plan that includes living within our means while providing the constitutional services of our government, we can achieve a debt-free nation. we owe it to our children to one day one day soon, write the final check to our creditors an burn america's bank note to the world. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker in 2013 i participated in my first monties march to raise money for the food bank of western massachusetts. along with my friend local radio host monty, and several others, we walked 26 miles in one day from north hampton to greenfield massachusetts. along the way we stopped at the amherst survival center where low-income people can go to receive food, clothing, medical advice, and a number of other services to help them through hard times. the executive director handed me a stack of paper plates. on the plates people who use the center had written how hunger had impacted their lives. inspired by this simple yet powerful message, last thursday i launched #fillupyourplate at my website at mcgovern.house.gov. it's place that people can tell me what snap or food stamps means to them or how hunger has impacted their lives. responses are posted on my website to create a wall of virtual paper plates. yesterday the house agriculture committee, of which i am proud to serve on, held the first hearing in its top to bottom review of the supplemental nutrition assistance program, or snap. snap is the nation's pre-eminent anti-hunger program that provides critical food assistance to more than 46 million americans. last year 16 million american, or one in five american children, relied on snap. unfortunately, every indication is that republicans will try to cut this critical safety net program yet again. mr. speaker i fully support rigorous oversight of federal programs. but we shouldn't single snap out for aggressive or unnecessary scrutenifment it already has one of the lowest error rates among all federal programs. and c.b.o. projection show that snap caseloads and spending are expected to fall as our economy continues to improve. one of the reasons why i started the #fillupyourplate campaign was to make sure the voices of those who use snap, who are struggling to make ends meet, are heard in the discussions here in washington. all too often the real stories of those who are struggling get drowned out by false rhetoric and partisan talking points. mr. speaker, so far i have received more than 100 virtual paper plates. i want to read just a few of the messages. from michelle, she wrote, snap means that many junior ranking members' families will not go hungry while their military spouses are away defending this nation, end quote. from patricia, let me quote, i'm a single mother of two. i currently work at dunkin' donuts if my snap benefits got curkts i would not be able to pay my rent because i would be spending all of my paychecks for food for my children. i lived in a homeless shelter for a year before coming to my apartment in october of 2014. if my snap benefits are cut, i'll be back in a shelter. do i not plan on being -- snap benefits forever. i would like to finish my degree and get a job that will support my household without any assistance. but for now i need help end quote. another, it means my children won't go to bed hungry and function better in school because they have food in their bellies. it also lets me buy more healthy and fresh foods i wouldn't have access to if hi to pay out of pocket. i'm grateful for this program. there is no joy in watching children struggle over something so easily prevented. end quote. from sabean, quote snap to my family means i don't have to choose between paying the lights or make sure i sfeed my son breakfast in the morning. having my snap benefits takes my huge load off my $243 take home check from work a week w snap my son is guaranteed food in his tummy, end quote. from david, quote, i met my family still able to eat while i was between jobs. my wife had to quit her job to stay home and take care of our special needs daughter. a month after the birth of our second daughter, i lost my job and went almost a year before finding a job that paid enough to provide for our family. at one time i was holding four part-time jobs at the same time. i never thought i would have to rely on government assistance, but now don't know how we would have gotten by out it. end quote. mr. speaker i am committed to making sure the voices of those who rely on snap are heard in the conversation here in washington, and i am committed to end hunger now. i would remind my colleagues that those who are on snap are real people. who have real families. they are facing difficult times that they hope will soon pass. rather than cugget their food benefit or making them jump through more hoops as some of in -- some in this chamber had advocated, we should support them. we must not forget those who are struggling. they are our constituents, they are our neighbors, they are our brothers and sisters. i encourage people to visit my website at mcgovern.house.gov to share what snap means to them. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill for five minutes. . mr. hill: thank you mr. speaker. as we celebrate black history month i rise in recognition of john edward bush whose entrepreneurial spirit and service to his community continue to this day. john edward bush was born into slavery on november 14 1856 orphanned at the age of 7 and freed at the end of the civil war. when he had no permanent home or means to support himself he worked odd jobs until one day he was taken to capital hiddy school in little rock and forced to attend. he became a dedicated student, working as a brick molder to pay for his education. in 1876 he graduated with honors from capital hill city school in little rock where he served as then a principal for two years. mr. bush served as the chairman of the republican party in arkansas, but he's best known in arkansas as the co-founder of the mosaic temperature peculiars of america in 1883. today with chester, he began it to aid african-americans who were being refused insurance coverage for illness, death and funeral costs by white insurers. the effort of mr. bush and mr. keats in service to their community brought economic security and advancement to a group that had been marginalized and neglected. by 1900, the activities of the mosaic temperature peculiars had broaden -- templars had a building and loan association a business college and even a hospital. what started as a small enterprise to provide services to former slaves seeking a better life evolved into a thriving business. at the height in the 1920's, mosaic templars was felt by more than 80,000 members and belonging to chapters in 26 states and six foreign countries. while this noble institution fell on hard times during the great depression, its impact continued. a pillar in the little rock community, mr. bush rose to the heights as being appointed as the seaver of public moneys by -- receiver of public moneys by mckinley and friend to booker t. washington and facilitated his leadership four times by president rosevelt and president taft. the friendship with dr. washington was a close friendship. he was asked to be the dedication of the mosaic templar building in 19 15. he passed in 1916. today, bush's descendents remain pillars in our community in little rock and his legacy lives on with the cultural center which is an outstanding educational resource for our rich african-american traditions in arkansas. as we celebrate black history month, we remember john bush's legacy that continues to inspire and be a major and important part of arkansas history. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york mr. jeffries, for five minutes. mr. jeffries: mr. speaker, in less than two days house republicans are prepared to shut down the department of homeland security threatening the safety of the american people. at home there is a noted and beloved philosopher by the name of yogi berra who once said it's like deja vu all over again, and once more, house republicans are taking the american people on another reckless unnecessary, irresponsible legislative joyride, guaranteed to crash and burn. you did it first in october of 2013 by shutting down the government for 16 days crashing and burning parts of the american economy costing us $24 billion in lost economic productivity. and now you're prepared to crash and burn the safety and the security of the american people. why would you contemplate mr. speaker, such a reckless action? particularly at a time when there are terrorists all across the world who want to kill americans including as recently uncovered, three terrorists at home in new york determined apparently to bomb parts of the coney island district i represent. why would you contemplate shutting down the department of homeland security at this moment or at any moment? simply to satisfy the right-wing thirst of the anti-immigration faction of your party? let me pause there paraphernalia theycally for a moment because they -- paraphernalia they accountly for a moment because executive action providing immigration relief notwithstanding the fact that every president since dwight eisenhower has taken executive action to provide some form of immigration relief. it's occurred 39 times since the 1950's. president eisenhower did it, president nixon did it, president ford did it president reagan did it president george herbert walker bush did it, president george w. bush did it. but when president obama issues an executive action to provide immigration relief to fit these times all of a sudden we got a constitutional crisis. now, perhaps reasonable people can disagree about the lawfulness of his order, but the reasonable approach would be to allow the courts to work it out, not shutting down the department of homeland security. many of my friends on the other side of the aisle are so-called strict constructionalists. what would the constitution have us do? well, we have an article 1 legislative branch, an article 2 legislative branch an article 3 judicial branch. the founders have indicated, i believe, that they would have us work out constitutional differences through the crort system -- through the court system, not shutting down the department of homeland security, causing 30,000 employees to have to go home and another 210,000 employees to have to come to work without pay, stressed, suffering from anxiety, uncertain as to how to pay their bills, pay their mortgage, pay their rent, pay their medical expenses. do we want to subject our homeland security employees to that type of anxiety when terrorists only have to be right once and we have to be right 100% of the time? and then i was troubled mr. speaker to learn that apparently you haven't spoken to mitch mcconnell in several weeks. the people back home in the district that i represent and americans all across the country are shaking their head. i know you don't like talking to nancy pelosi, i know you didn't like talking to harry reid, you don't like talking to the president of the united states but you can't have a conversation with senate republican majority leader mitch mcconnell? it's not a long commute from this side of the capitol to the other side of the capitol. in fact, mr. speaker, you can take the train. is it not reasonable that you have a conversation to try to work this out? the american people want us to focus on bigger paychecks better jobs, retirement security, higher education affordability, strengthening the middle class. instead, you're throwing a legislative temper tantrum jeopardizing the safety and security of the american people. shame on you. let's get back to doing america's business. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes -- the gentleman's time has expired. excuse me. the chair recognizes the gentleman from west virginia mr. mooney, for five minutes. mr. mooney: thank you, mr. speaker. with his veto of the keystone x.l. pipeline, the president has again decided to stand with radical environmentalists at the expense of the american people. republicans and democrats came together in both houses of congress to pass this commonsense bill. yet, the president has seen fit to deny the american people the new jobs it would create. the president has demonstrated a record of picking favorites in the energy industry. we all remember how the president steered billions in taxpayer dollars to solyndra only to see the flawed solar company collapse. in 2014 alone, the department of energy directed over $1.9 billion in taxpayer dollars to investments in alternative energy. at the same time, the president has waged war on west virginia energy jobs. this year the administration is expected to ratchet up that war with new ozone standards and a new stream buffer zone rule. these overreaching regulations are intentionally designed to kill coal with devastating outcomes for west virginia and our entire nation. coal splice over 90% -- supplies over 90% of energy consumed in west virginia. an escalation of the president's war on coal would cause families in west virginia to see huge increases in their home energy prices. the escalation would also have a terrible impact on jobs in our state. the american mining association has projected that the new stream buffer zone regulation would destroy as many as 85,000 jobs in the app latchan region. the -- appalachian region. the administration has also held up permitting for natural gas exports and proposed damaging regulation ons the exploration of new natural -- regulation on exploration of new natural gas. the keystone veto further confirms the president's commitment to continuing his obstructionist agenda. with so much at stake for west virginia families, we must strengthen our resolve like never before to fight for an energy policy which allows the free market and consumers to choose, not government to discriminate. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the lady from illinois, ms. kelly, for five minutes. ms. kelly: thank you, mr. speaker. as we recognize the achievements of many african-americans this black history month, i want to acknowledge the divine nine from a current black sororities and fraternities and the role of their members in shaping our nation. the divine nine members of congress continue to grow. the divine nine organizations consist of alpha phi alpha fraternity founded in 1906 at cornell university, whose brotherhood includes the reverend dr. martin luther king jr.. my colleagues, emanuel cleaver, danny davis, chaka fatah, al green, gregory meeks, charles rangel and bobby scott. olympic gold medalist owens, and legal pioneers charles hamilton houston and thurgood marshall. and they are led by graham president mark s. tillman. kappa cy fraternity founded in indiana university. the reverend ralph abernathy and my colleague sanford bishop william lacy clay the dean of the house, john conyers, alcee hastings, benny thompson and hakeem jeffries. general daniel james, the first african-american four-star general. attorney johnny cochran. and also the first black astronaut. and a special shoutout to a proud kappa brace klemoned of seattle, washington. they're land by william randy bates. alpha kappa alpha sorority founded in 1908 at howard university, a sisterhood who proudly boasts of congresswoman sheila jackson lee, eddie bernice johnson, terri sewell, alma adams and bonnie watson coleman. astronaut mae jenson, maya angelou, rosa parks and coretta scott king. and their honorable president, dorothy wilson. omega cy phi fraternity founded in 1911 at howard university, men who include in their ranks james clyburn of south carolina, congressman hank johnson kendrick meek, nasa administrator charles boldin, hall of fame chicago bulls star michael jordan, dr. charles drew whose medical research in the field of blood transfusions led to the founding of the blood bank and led by antonio f. knox sr. delta sigma theta founded in 1913 at howard university who counted our next attorney general loretta lynch, congresswoman marcia fudge, yvette clarke, joyce beatty and brenda lawrence. the first african-american woman elected to congress, shirley chisholm one of my heros. former secretary of labor alexis herman. and their honorable president paulette c. walker. another special shout out to mide bonus daughter, michelle mills, and my mentee mickie grace. phi beta sigma founded in 1913 at howard university, the fraternity of my husband, dr. nathaniel horn. the brotherhood of sleeping car porters a. philip randolph. civil rights icon congressman john lewis, dr. george washington car very james weldon johnson author, politician, songwriter. his works include lift every voice and sing, the black national anthem, allen leroy locks, first black rhodes scholar and former president of the united states, william jefferson clinton and thereby led by president jonathan a. mason. beta phi beta founded in 1920 at howard university, a sisterhood that counts be congresswoman donna edwards, the late congresswoman julia carson, lillian fishburne, first african-american to hold the rank of rear admiral in the u.s. navy and their honorable president mary wright. . sigma gamma ro, my sorority. first female prime minister of dominica. first woman elected head of government in the americas. first african-american winner of the academy awards, haddy mcdaniel. broadcast trail blazer, founder of radio one, kathy hughs. and ba nita herring. last but certainly not least, i iota sigh fatea. who includes bobby rush, former alderman of chicago's 26th ward and advisor to former governor pat quinn. elvin hayes, nba player. the brothers and sisters of the divine nine have saved countless lives advanced civil rights, and left a lasting legacy across our nation. i thank divine nine brothers and sisters for their groundbreaking contributions and for their commitment to molding future leaders, improving education, and the advancement of civil rights. i yield back. search jere. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. culberson, for five minutes. mr. culberson: thank you mr. speaker. i believe this debate over the funding for the detcht homeland security represents a pivotal moment in the history of the united states because it will, i think, determine whether or not we will continue to be a nation of laws, and whether or not we will preserve the american republic left to us by our founders. i always remember as benjamin franklin left the constitutional convention, a woman asked him, what kind of government have you given us, dr. franklin? he said a republic if you can keep it. my hero and mentor, thomas jefferson, always said a government was republican only in proportion to the extent that it embodied the will of the people. and this past november, the people of the united states decisively and overwhelmingly rejected the policies of bram -- barack obama. president obama said i'm not on the ballot but my policies are. the country spoke with one voice from coast to coast. said we are done. we want our elected officials to enforce the law. we want our borders secure. we want to ensure that america maintains its supremacy around the world. we want our american economy to continue to grow. we want the government out of our lives, out of our way, out of our pocket, and off our backs as we have done in texas so successfully with the -- over the years and because of the strength, diversity of our economy in texas the economy in texas has continued to grow and the people of texas have elected a republican governor, republican lieutenant governor republican senate, republican house. and they embody the will of the people of texas. the minority party in texas, the democrats in the senate, continued to block the will of the people of texas and the new lieutenant governor, dan patrick changed the rules, because the people of texas insisted they wanted to see a government that reflected their will, that would enforce the law, secure the border, preserve peace and prosperity because we all understand that without law enforcement you can't have good schools, safe streets, a strong economy. this is just common sense. the people who live along the rio grande river understand better than anybody in texas that if you don't have a secure border, if you don't enforce the law, the streets aren't safe, you can't have good schools, a strong economy. laredo is the largest inland port in the united states. they depend more than anyone else on a safe border, good schools. the texas people rejected the policies of president obama. yet the democrat minority in the senate continued to block the will of the people. so our lieutenant governor changed the rules. i would call on leader mcconnell to reflect the will of the people of america. change the rules of the united states senate just as we did in texas. the people of america have spoken decisively. they rejected the policies of barack obama and the democrat party. they expect this congress to see that the law is enforced. that we respect a separation of powers. laws are elected by the people's representatives. change the rules, mr. leader, as we did in texas. and make sure that no minority can block the will of the people. make sure that our laws are enforced. that the border is security. that no one person can enact laws with a stroke of a pen. laws are enacted here in the people's house, in the congress of the united states, and the people of america voted overwhelmingly to reject the policies of barack obama. it is time for the congress to embody the will of the american people, enforce the law, stop the policies of barack obama that the people just decisively rejected. let's follow the lead of texas. change the rules in the senate, mr. leader. by the way, make the democrat senator stand up and filibuster. let's have a real filibuster. make him stand up there for 18 24, 48 hours. make them stand up there as long as it takes. if they are going to have a filibuster, do it as we do in texas. enforce the law, follow the will of the american people, and do what we were elected to do to preserve this great american republic handed down to us as precious inheritance, handed down to us by the founding fathers and let's honor the hope of benjamin franklin that we would preserve this great american republic. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the lady from washington ms.delbeney, for five minutes. ms.delbene: thank you, mr. speaker. in my state of washington we are very family with the vital role of the department of homeland security. nearly one year ago in a matter of seconds one square mile of land slid into the river. that landslide was a heartbreaking disaster that was unbelievably devastating in the damage and tragic loss of life it caused. 43 people died in the blink of an eye. but fema, which is part of the department of homeland security was immediately on the scene to coordinate search and rescue operations. congress needs to do everything possible to ensure that resources are available to respond to disasters because landslides have no season, earthquakes have no season, and terrorists attacks have no season. by failing to fund the department of -- the department, congress risks the lives of americans and that is simply unacceptable. now some have said that the most employees will be deemed essential, meaning they'll be asked to do their already high pressure jobs of protecting our communities, without pay. that will be the case for more than 6,000 workers in my state. but fema administrator few gate said a lapse in funding would delay urgent disaster relief services because he would have to call staff back to work while the agency responds to an messagecy. not only that emergency responders who have requested department of homeland security grants would be left without much needed assistance. the watt kin county fire district 18, mostly volunteer force that serves part of my district, applied for a $24,000 firefighters grant to replace vital equipment. this is equipment that protects the lives of these volunteers who are saving the lives of others. as congress fails to fund the department of homeland security, those grants are at risk. if house leadership would simply bring a clean d.h.s. funding bill to the floor, we have the votes to pass it today. but instead, that legislation is being held hostage because some disagree with the president's executive actions. i helped introduce h.r. 15, a comprehensive immigration reform bill during the last congress. but we never got a vote. if leadership agrees that this is such an important issue so important that it's worth defunding an essential federal agency, then congress should be working right now on comprehensive immigration reform and consider legislation immediately. but after we finish our job of funding the department of homeland security. we need to stop playing politics and fund the department of homeland security now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. price, for five minutes. mr. price: i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. price: mr. speaker, i rise yet again today in support of a clean homeland security funding bill. first, mr. speaker though, i want to thank my colleague, patrick mchenry, for the tribute he gave a few moments ago to his predecessor in the 10th congressional district of north carolina, cass ballenger. who passed away last week. cass ballenger was a treasured colleague of mine. he and i came to the house together, the class of 1986. we worked together on a number of matters, teacher recruitment, disaster relief. cass used his time here and the work of his foundation to reach out to some of the neediest people in the hemisphere in latin america and addressing their health care needs. he came here after a successful business career. he was a man of great good will good humor. someone who was a great favorite on both sides of the aisle. so i'm happy to join patrick mchenry and other colleagues in remembering cass ballenger. paying tribute to his years of good citizenship and service. now, at this moment, mr. speaker, we are 38 hours away from a department of homeland security shutdown. which will undermine many of the agency's critical missions and force its essential employees to go without pay until the politics of all this are worked out. frontline personnel at customs and border protection, at immigrations and customs enforcement, at the coast guard, at the secret service, at the transportation security administration, and other critical agencies they are going to be left wondering how to pay their mortgages, how to feed their families, instead of focusing on their critical missions. in north carolina alone mr. speaker, over 4,000 homeland security employees are going to be furloughed or go without pay. house republicans forced this unnecessary stalemate by including poison pill riders in the bipartisan bill that our homeland security subcommittee negotiated late last year. it was a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated bill. it's ready to be passed right at this moment. should have been passed in december along with the rest of the appropriations bills. instead, the republicans held back homeland security and they added riders designed to poke the president in the eye and to impose radical immigration policies. now thankfully senate republican leaders understand the potential consequences of a shutdown. they have resisted this tea party bait and decided to take up a clean homeland security funding bill. so, the senate must quickly pass that bill. and speaker boehner must let us vote on that bill. the american people didn't send us to washington to shut down critical functions of the united states government on which all of our citizens depend. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington, mr. kilmer, for five minutes. mr. kilmer: unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to call on the house to fund the department of homeland security and avoid an unnecessary shut down. instead of having a real debate about fixing a broken immigration system congress is putting at risk government operations that soist people we represent. and it's playing politics with the livelihoods of our federal workers. threatening to shut down a federal agency because you disagree with the president's action is an irresponsible approach. we have got to move away from this kind of dysfunctional government and get back to legislating. . that's what the american people sent us here to do. this current fight is exhibit number one of why folks doesn't think congress works for them. the folks i represent want to see a government that's responsive, that provides needed services, that supports economic growth. mr. speaker folks in my region deal with reality. earlier this year residents and businesses in the cities of aberdeen and hokium were swamped by head rains. mudslides and flooding took a toll on neighborhoods that they call home. local officials were looking for help and they got it when
The Hill City School will take part in the Minnesota High School League One Act Play Competition at Aitkin High School Saturday, Jan. 27. Performances will also be held in
Republican Dennis Krull Announces for District 30 House of Representatives After deliberate consideration I, Dennis Krull, Republican from Hill City, SD would like to announce my intention to run for the District 30 House of Representatives. My wife Kim and I have owned and operated Krull’s market in Hill City since 1992, retiring from that…