The speaker pro tempore the as are the 225, its nays are 187, one voting present. The journal stands approved. The chair announces the speakers appointment pursuant to section 5 of the Frederick Douglass bicentennial Commission Act 11577 and the order of the house january 3, 2017 on the part of the house to the Frederick Douglas s bicentennial commission. The clerk mr. Harris of maryland and from private life, mr. Joseph man and trotman. I ask unanimous consent to take Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. The clerk Senate Concurrent Resolution 31, authorizing the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony to award the congressional gold medal to bob dole. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to consideration of the concurrent resolution . Without objection, the concurrent resolution is goode to and the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of h. R. 4641 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk a bill to authorize the president to award the medal a honor for john conley while member of the marine corps. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to consideration of the bill . Without objection, the bill is engrossed, read and a third time and passed and the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 230, the chair will postponefurther proceedings today on motion to suspend the rules if a recorded vote of the yeas and nays are ordered. Or if the vote is objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. The house will resume proceedings on the postponed question at a later time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 1766, the safer act of 2017. The speaker pro tempore kwlort the title of the bill. The clerk senate 1766, an act to reauthorize the safer act of 2013, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from georgia, mrs. Handel, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from georgia. Mrs. Handel thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include extraneous material on senate 1766, currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mrs. Handel thank you. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. Senate bill 1766, the Sexual Assault forensic evidence reporting act of 2017, also known as the safer act, will strengthen state and local Law Enforcements ability to reduce the number of untested rape kits and help take more offenders off the street. Congress provides significant resources annually to the department of justice to help reduce backlogs of untested forensic evidence. Is legislation will the speaker pro tempore the house is not in order. Can the members take their conversation off the floor. The gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Handel thank you, mr. Speaker. This legislation will reauthorize the attorneys authority to allocate 5 to 7 of funds made available to carry out the debbie smith d. N. A. Backlog Grant Program to help communities audit their backlogs, which is an important first step in any effort to eliminate backlogs. Despite the cases analyzed and improvements made with our federal resources, backlogs do persist due to the ever increasing demand for evidence testing. According to the National Institute of justice, as the value of d. N. A. Evidence is increasingly recognized, more evidence gets collected and submitted to laboratories for analysis. Delays in the analysis of forensic evidence often result in delays of justice. Serial offenders can continue victimizing, and innocent individuals may be incarcerated. The safer act helps address this common impediment in response to rape and Sexual Assault at the state, local, and tribal levels. Importantly, the safer act also will clarify that pediatric forensic nurses are eligible for training and employment grants. This provision underscores the Critical Role that pediatric Sexual Assault nurse examiners can play in communities response to children who are the victims of abuse. Senate bill 1766 can help ensure that resources provided for d. N. A. Analysis are focused on grant recipients making a good faith effort to estimate and manage their backlog of untested samples and improve efforts to get sex offenders off our streets. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure. Mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from georgia reserves. The gentlewoman from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. I rise in support of s. 1766, the Sexual Assault forensic evidence reporting. This Bipartisan Legislation passed the senate on october 23, 2017. I am glad that this house is moving this legislation because it is about children. It is about the scourge that children and women and others find themselves victims of Sexual Assault. S. 1766 will reauthorize the d. N. A. Analysis backlog elimination act of 2000 through the year 2022. By amending the language in ction 2 c4 of the 34 u. S. C. 4701 c4. It also amends other sections of the d. N. A. Sexual assault justice act of 2004 by ensuring that role of forensic nurses pertains to both adult and pediatric care. The safer act also amends the statute by making a provision for the need se of nurse for the need of nurse examplers, particularly where there is the need for pediatric Sexual Assault nurse examiners, including such nurse examiners working the multidisciplinary setting in responding to the children and adolescence. Mr. Speaker, the house is not in order. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is correct. The house is not in order. Please take your conversations off the floor. The gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee i thank you. As i indicated where there is the need for pediatric Sexual Assault nurse examiners, including such nurse examiners working in the multidisciplinary setting, responding to both abuse of children and adolescence. Timely, this legislation will sun set through 2023 by act. Ng the safer the safer act is act. The safer act is a Critical Program administered by the u. S. Department of justice that allows local lerment programs to obtain funding for programs to reduce the rape kit backlog in communities across the country. Victims get justice more quickly than in the past. 35 of Funds Available under the debbie smith act for grants to local Law Enforcement agencies to focus more resources on rape kit testing, 5 to 7 of the debbie smith act funding to be used by local jurisdictions to conduct oneyear audits of untested Sexual Assault evidence to identify serious areas of backlog, and forensic testing to be done by both pediatric and adult Sexual Assault nurse examiners. This is a very important measure that will address the large volume of cases that fester during the excessive backlog and our processing of rape kit. According to the National Institute of justice, multidisciplinary victims approach and standardized efficient evidence processing cases are the lt focus of its new report. The report and best practices for Sexual Assault kits signs 35 suggestions for laboratories and Law Enforcement to improve their investigations, tackling issues such as evidence collection and storage and maintenance, backlog tracking, and processing, victim advocacy and notification and sensitivity to trauma in Sexual Assault victim. The working group consisting of victims and stridge advocates, and medical examiners, forensics lacktories, Law Enforcement agencies, prosecutors, members of the judiciary developed the suggestion overs a twoyear period following the Sexual Assault forensic evidence safer act of 2013 a component of the violence against women act. We will soon reauthorize the violence against women act and we will be very happy to have this expansion included in this. A victim sensitive approach is the focus on the needs and concerns of the victim to ensure a compassionate and sensitive delivery in a nonjudgmental manner. A trauma informed approach considers the impact of trauma and victim safety consideration. Id like to thank my colleague from texas, congressman poe. I know congresswoman Carolyn Maloney have worked on a number of these issues. Also senator cornyn. This is a very important step. The days in our respective jurisdiction that we had mounting backlog of rape kits. Means, ow what that the days n mr. Speaker . Women and children do not get either their day in court or do not get justicement i believe that this is a timely and very important legislative initiative. I ask my colleagues to support the legislation. And i reserve the balance of my time. Means, the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from texas reserves. The gentlewoman from georgia is recognized. Mrs. Handel thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield two minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from texas, representative poe. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Poe mr. Speaker, one of the worst things that can happen to any of us is to lose our voice, and i have lost mine. But i want to try i know some of the democrats are glad about, that but i want to say this on behalf of safer. On e are in our country shelves and wear houses warehouses and Law Enforcement, office buildings, rape kits that have never been examined. That is shameful. Everybodys to blame from the federal government to local government. Its shameful because victims, i knew a lot of them at the courthouse as a judge, they dont know who committed this crime against them. And we have the ability to tell them. We dont. Because of bureaucratic incompetence. These havent been examined. They have the right to know we Sexual Assaulted them. Also there are criminals running loose who have never prosecuted because these rape kits have never been analyzed. And, yes, there are people pros incarcerated who are innocent and the rape kit can prove their incense. It is important that we pass this safer legislation. Get those Sexual Assault kits analyzed. There are no more excuses. And thats just the way it is. I ask unanimous consent to put my entire excellent speech into the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentleman from texas yields back. The gentlewoman from georgia reserves. The gentlewoman from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee i ask the gentlelady from georgia if she has any other speakers and is she prepared to close . Mrs. Handel prepared to close. Ms. Jackson lee to my good friend from texas. Im just a measure above your loss. I am suffering from somewhat of the same thing but have a little bit of a voice. I can say thank you again for your very hard work on this legislation as a former judge in Harris County on the criminal bench, i know you saw injustices because rape kits had not been processed. I believe that as the chair and cochair of the congressional childrens caucus, the Ranking Member in the subcommittee on crime and terrorism, Homeland Security, that he we went through this as well. I was very pleased that the Justice Department understood the importance of grants to help our local Law Enforcement, but more importantly that the Judiciary Committee understood the importance of this legislation to really move forward to process kits. Can you imagine, mr. Speaker, children having a backlog of kits that have been subjected to Sexual Assault, most dastardly act and violation, not only against adults but against these children. Like 3montholds or toddlers. Sick people who sexually assault them. The development and implementation of policies and procedures that the National Institute that leads to more timely submission of evidence to forensic laboratories enhances communications and investigative procedures to most better inform prosecutorial consideration. As my friend said it helps the accused and accuser. These approaches are the most important because they get victim participation. Victims of Sexual Assault require justice that is swift, thorough, and expedient so they may begin to heal and attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. They deserve the best efforts of Law Enforcement to help them along the way. When houston was trying to rebuild its rape testing structure, we utilized the f. B. I. I want to take a moment to thank the f. B. I. For its deep abiding integrity and honesty and how it comes to the rescue of so many local jurisdictions, local Law Enforcement. Let us be very clear on how important it is to maintain the integrity and the respect for the f. B. I. As opposed to demeaning the f. B. I. Today on the floor of the house i want to thank them for their service. This legislation would reauthorize the safer act, provide funding to conduct oneyear audits of untested Sexual Assault evidence, and ensure that Law Enforcement agencies across the country are trained and armed with the skills and tools they require to stand against Sexual Assault and stand for those individuals who might be victimized. Would also ensure that forensic nurses are eligible for training under the program. These professionals would also indespencible. Our citizens deserve to be protected and free from harm. Our children, women, and men who are sexually assaulted, they deserve to be protected, but their cases must move expeditiously. Accordingly, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation as e continue to stand with those victims who are the victims of sexual crimes, for the victims and against the viciousness of sexual crimes of any kind and floget and bring the perpetrators to justice w that i yield back the balance of my time asking for vote for this legislation. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from texas yields back. The gentlewoman from georgia is recognized. Mrs. Handel thank you, mr. Speaker. Let me start by recognizing the tremendous leadership of my colleague, representative ted poe from texas, and representative i thank you for giving me the honor of being your wingwoman in presenting this important piece of legislation today. And indeed the safer act is an important piece of legislation to reinforce the efforts of our local and state Law Enforcement in their work to reduce the number of untested rape kits and help take these Sexual Assault predators off the street. At the same time, this legislation underscores that Critical Role that the pediatric Sexual Assault examiners play in this process and makes them eligible for key training. Again, i ask my colleagues to pass this bill. Mr. Speaker, with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. He question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 1766. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative the the gentlewoman from mrs. Handel i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 , further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . Mr. Frelinghuysen i ask unanimous consent that members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h. R. 4667. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Frelinghuysen pursuant to House Resolution 670, i call up the bill h. R. 4667, a bill making further supplemental appropriations for Disaster Assistance for hurricanes harry, irma, maria, for wildfires and for other purposes and ask for its immediate consideration. The clerk h. R. 4667 a bill making further supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year september 30, 2018 for Disaster Assistance for hurricanes and wildfires and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 670, the amendments printed in house report 115477 are adopted. The bill as amended contains an emergency designation pursuant to section 4g1 of the statutory payasyougo act of 2010. The question of consideration under section 4g23 of the statutory pay as you go act of 2010. The question is, will the house now consider the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The