Providence to guide the affairs of our nation and those who serve. Guide our representatives, we pray, on a path consistent with the original intent of our constitution. Grant them the strength of character to defend life, liberty and freedom. For future generations. Lead them in the path of righteousness, which will exalt this nation. As public servants, keep them from the sin of arrogance and selfcentered pride by reminding them they are accountable to the people and to you for their decisions. And i pray each representative of this house may know that they are greatly loved by you. As a follower of jesus christ, i pray this in him name, 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. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise . Mr. Speaker, purr superintendent to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. The speaker the question is on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The journal stands approved. The gentleman from illinois. 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 s not present. The speaker pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. The pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady rom illinois, ms. Kelly. Ms. Kelly i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker without objection, the gentleman from North Carolina, mr. Coble, is recognized for one minute. I thank the speaker. Mr. Speaker, i am pleased that you accepted our nomination of commissioner Larry Philips to lead the house with the opening prayer. In the short time that i represented the county, ive come to know larry as an outstanding elected official and a thoughtful person. Reverend philips is serving in his 25th year as Senior Pastor in my area. Hes grad yit and holds a master of art in Biblical Studies and completed his masters of religious education. Mr. Speaker, it has been said in North Carolina there are re baptists than there are North Carolinaians and reverend philips and his family belong to that very distinguished group. Larry philips was born in cherokee county, North Carolina, and has been married for 36 years and is father to andrea and darren, farnle to megan and grand frn to madison and grandfather to madison and bryson. He was elected to the board of commissioners in 2004 and served on the economic county commission, Economic Development task force, including the North Carolina association of county commissioners and board of directors. Were pleased, mr. Speaker, to have Larry Philips as our guest speaker today, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair will entertain 15 requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition . The speaker i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. The speaker madam speaker, i heard from many of my constituents over the last couple of weeks who are struggling mightily under the president S Health Care law and from hamilton is one of them. He and his wife recently retired but arent old enough yet for medicare. Their Health Care Plan is being canceled. Its being replaced with one that will cost 500 more per month. Now, think about that. 500 more per month every month for their new Health Care Plan. Then, theres brian from westchester, my hometown. He runs a Small Business, just like i used to. Brians been told that hiS Health Care premiums are going to double. If that happens, brian said to me, he might have to close his doors. That means his workers will lose their plan and lose their job. Now, these are just two stories from my district in ohio, and theres millions more of them all around the country. Premiums are going up, people are losing their coverage and Small Businesses are being terrified. The president S Health Care law our rting a lot of constituents. If youre serious about helping them, he can make good on his promise and support the keep your health care act. I would encourage every member to help keep that promise and vote for this important bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from california eek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Today my thoughts are with the victims of Supertyphoon Haiyan in the philippines. The high foon ravaged the philippines, bringing sustained winds that reached 175 Miles Per Hour and storm surges reaching 13 feet. Ms. Chu in the aftermath, reports of more than 2,300 dead, but the number could be far larger. Haiyan wiped out roads, electricity and communications in much of the country. Mayors are faced with unthinkable decisions like choosing between transporting in food and relief supplies or transporting out the bodies of victims. When those in the other parts of the globe are in need due to disaster, the United States always lends a hand. Right now the philippines are in need. I urge members of congress and all members of this United States of america to continue opening their hearts to provide critical support to the recovery efforts. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee 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, the gentlewoman from the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Black madam speaker, a constituent is one of tens of thousands across our state who received one of these. A letter canceling their insurance policy. Greg wrote to me that he, and i quote, operates a small painting business and was very happy with cover Tennessee Program for Small Businesses and their employees. This program is being canceled effective january, 2014, because it does not meet the minimum requirements of obamacare. This directly contradicts the promise made by president obama that we could keep our existing programs, he says. Madam speaker, just yesterday 992 s reported that only tennesseans, yes, less than 1,000 tennesseans selected new coverage through the obamacare exchanges. Yet, at least 94,000, yes, 94,000 across our state have lost their coverage. The president must honor his promise to the American People and work with congress to protect the americans like greg. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Kelly thank you, madam speaker. Last week i met with businesses around my district as part of the Economic Development tour. I went to a coffee shop in hyde park where people go for great coffee and conversation. I met with one ranked 63rd on the foshese list of best Small Businesses in america. They are keeping our troops safe by investing in technologies that protect them from the harmful effects of radiation. I spoke with workers at new course steel in kankakee who are helping lead the manufacturing renaissance in the United States. These businesses take pride in the work they do, but they need a congress thats willing to work just as hard for them. We need folks on both sides who will reduce the barriers to Business Growth and support the Small Businesses that create 65 of the new jobs in our economy. I recently introduced h. R. 3328, the American Work opportunity act, which extends the work opportunity tax credit for businesses that put americans back to work. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to Work Together to pass a comprehensive jobs bill. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois 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, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. Madam speaker, this past weekend we remembered the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for this nation. Mr. Mult green in many cases their families joined in their sacrifice, forced to be apart for birthdays and family celebrations while their loved ones served overseas. Im so grateful for these defenders of freedom who make the tough commitment to be away from their families so they can protect us abroad so we can enjoy peace at home. Mr. Hultgren as these military families make sacrifices, we remember our own families who benefit from their service. I want to wish my incredible son, kaden, a happy birthday as he turns 12 today. Your mom and i are so blessed for having you in our family and we are looking forward for the great future god has planned for you. I am so glad we will be able to see each other this weekend and celebrate when many other fathers and mothers abroad have to wait months to celebrate with their own kids. Birthdays and holidays give us a chance to pause and remember them this year. Thank you, veterans, and happy birthday, kaden. I yield back. 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. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Higgins madam speaker, earlier this week, the federal Communications Commission chair put forth a proposal to end Government Support for sports blackouts. This is a welcomed step in the fight to end blackouts once and for all. In my Home Community of western new york, theres a threat of a blackout for the next two home games. This means that despite Overwhelming Community support, men spent on merchandise and tax dollars being spent for stadium improvements, buffalo fans will not be able to see their nfl team on television. On tuesday, i introduced the furthering access and networks for sports, orphans act, which would eliminate or fans act, which would eliminate these blackouts. Senator blumenthal introduced similar legislation in the senate. Blackout rules are unfair, outdated and alienate fans. Ill continue to fight until sports teams do the right thing for their fans. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i rise today to shed light on the president s broken health care promise. The president promised over and over again that if they like their Insurance Plans they can keep them but thats not true. Heres what wendy from my district wrote me. My Blue Cross Blue Shield policy will be canceled starting march 1, 2014. I checked out other policy options under obamacare and the least expensive qualifying plan was an additional 208. 44 per month. This is with a higher deductible, larger outofpocket expense and only three doctor visits per year per person. This is outrageous. Additionally, this rate only includes me and my three children. Not even my husband. I guess we cant even keep a family together under obamacare. As wendys story exemplifies and as we predicted since 2010, obamacare is fundamentally flawed in both concept and execution. Dictated health care cant cant Beat Health Care choices. As a Health Care Professional ill protect people from obamacare and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise today to talk about the recent veterans tour i conducted across my region of illinois. B mrs. Bustos i listened to their priorities and to their concerns. I held listening round tables with veterans to talk about ways we can cut down on the shameful backlog of v. A. Claims. To make sure that veterans have access to goodpaying jobs, to education and to job training programs. And to put an end to veterans homelessness. I also worked a shift at the sterling, illinois, v. A. Clinic where i shadowed nurses and saw firsthand new technology that helps veterans with treatment closer to home. And finally, i interviewed Leyland Chandler for the veterans history congress. Mr. Chandler is a world war ii veteran from galesburg, illinois, who was a prisoner of war in the pacific theater. He received many awards and declarations for his brave service to our nation. He is a true american hero, and i am honored to share his story with the public. During my time in congress, i have made veterans my top priority, and i will continue to fight to protect their benefits that they have worked so hard to achieve. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition . Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers thank you, madam speaker. Today i want to talk about debby brown from Garfield County in Washington State. She has a daughter and two grandchildren, 53 years old. She works at the local gas station to help support her family. And a few weeks ago she was one of many who was told, as of december 31, 2013, her plan, her Health Insurance plan, would no longer be available. Shes looked at other plans and hasnt found one thats affordable. So she is uninsured now. And unfortunately her story is too common and its repeated all across this country. Heartbreaking stories of everyday, average, hardworking americans losing their Health Insurance. We can do better. Too Many Americans are receiving cancellation notices. Too Many Americans are losing their doctors and too Many Americans dont have affordable Health Insurance because of the Affordable Care act. 3 1 2 million americans have seen their plans canceled, almost 300,000 in Washington State alone. President obama promised the American People that if you liked your Health Care Plan, you could keep it. Not if he liked your plan you could keep it. Lets support the legislation tomorrow. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. Today i rise to call on the house to pass the employment nondiscrimination act which passed the senate with bipartisan support. Its a bill with a simple premise. That people should be hired and fired and assessed based on their capabilities and job performance, not on prejudice. It would take the commonsense step of extending federal employment nondiscrimination protections to include Sexual Orientation and gender identity. I spent a decade working in Economic Development. And the research is pretty clear. One of the prime drivers of Economic Growth is tolerance. Ms. Kilpatrick and yet in mr. Kilmer and yet in 29 states its legal to fire an employee because of Sexual Orientation. The rights granted in my state shouldnt end at our borders. Failure to act on this doesnt make economic sense, it doesnt make legislative sense and it doesnt make moral sense. But im not here just as an economic developer. Im here as someone whose faith dictates that i love and respect all people. And live by the golden rule. And im here as a dad of two little girls. I want my daughters to grow up in a country where discrimination is a thing of the past. Where folks cant be treated differently because of their gender or who they love. Its time to pass this. Thank you, madam speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina eek recognition . The gentleman is recognized. President ofr, the iran is doing what he was put in power t