Pursuant to the order of the house of january 7, 2014, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Roslehtinen, for five minutes. Ms. Roslehtinen thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to strongly oppose the december 17 announcement by president obama on policy changes toward the cuban communist regime. The cuban regime from day one was planning on using alan gross as a pawn to receive concessions from the Obama Administration and their strategy worked. In april, 2013 when asked about a possible swap for mr. Gross secretary kerry testified before congress that, quote, we have refused to do that because there is no equivalency. Alan gross is wrongly imprisoned and we are not going to trade as if it were a spy for a spy, end quote. That turned out not to be true. President obama unilaterally released three cuban spies. They were responsible for the deaths of three american citizens and one u. S. Resident carlos, Armando Mario and pablo, whose brothers to the rescue planes were unjustly shot down over International Airspace on direct orders of the castro brothers. And to make matters worse, we learned that u. S. Government used resources to facilitate the Artificial Insemination of one of the wives of the cuban spies. Good grief. So the white house ignores the fact that these innocent u. S. Pilots were not able to have their own families but rewards one of the persons responsible for their deaths. Not only did the dictatorship achieve the return of five convicted spies, it was also able to attain major concessions from our president in order to support cubas struggling economy. Cubas largest supporters, russia and venezuela, are struggling due to their own fiscal crises so the castro brothers needed a bailout from a new source, and sadly they found one with president obama. By increasing Tourism Travel on the island, the Obama Administration will be injecting millions of dollars into the pockets of the castro brothers. The cuban police state runs the hotels. Lets examine the president s announcement very closely. First, he claims these new policy changes will empower the cuban people. Well, the prodemocracy advocates on the eye atlanta have stated that the changes will help their repressor, not the people of cuba. Second the issue is not only impacting the people of cuba, it also poses a greater threat to u. S. National security interests. Cuba is a designated state sponsor of terrorism and is an avowed enemy of the United States. With these concessions by the administration the castro brothers will use some of their new economic stream to invest more funds into their espionage activities, activities that are aimed against our nation. With the ability to garner more intelligence against the u. S. , the castro brothers are likely to hit the black market and sell this intelligence to the highest bidder. This is not a theory, it is a fact. One example of the fact is the case of anna montez. She was a convicted cuban spy who worked for our u. S. Defense Intelligence Agency collecting information for castro so it can be sold to our enemies. Third, the human rights situation on the island has not changed one bit. The president says that he got raul castro to agree to the release of 53 Political Prisoners prisoners who should never have been in jail in the first place. Yet, the white house will not release the names of these 53 Political Prisoners. Why not . What do they have to hide . Plus, what good is it for the castro brothers to release these 53 when he doesnt stop capturing and detaining other prisoners, which he will. What has been happening in cuba lately in these past few weeks well, according to reports, more than 80 cubans have been detained. The cuban coast guards sank a boat recently on International Waters that was carrying over 30 people, causing death of some of them onboard. Hezbollah celebrated the president obamas announcement after meeting with the cuban ambassador to lebanon. Mr. Speaker, this misguided message sends a signal to our enemy that we will cave and we will surrender at every turn. We in the Congress Must do everything we can to prevent this disastrous policy to go into effect. This is a bad deal for u. S. National security and for the cuban opposition, and it is a sweetheart deal for the repressive cuban regime. Thank you, mr. Speaker for the time. Mr. Speaker, for the time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, for five minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. Theres always a great deal of excitement surrounding a new congress and a new year. One area thats been very encouraging is the focus on rebuilding and renewing america. That was where we left off in the last congress, frustrated by an inability to produce a sixyear reauthorization largely because of an inability for congress to address meaningfully how it would be funded. This continues the struggle of almost two decades as weve not increased the gas tax or develop a viable sustainable adequate alternative. Its why we recognize that america is falling apart and falling behind. Our infrastructure, once the envy of the world, has put us to a secondtier status with the risk of america falling behind. This is costing americans, far more to endure the damage to their cars and the delays to their lives through congestion than simply funding an alternative and fixing it. Its encouraging that both parties in both chambers might be prepared to aagrees the issue anew. There are some shortterm stopgap solutions which would nowhere near solve the problem but nudge us in the right direction. In the senate theres bipartisan interest in and openness to a comprehensive solution, including the gas tax. Senators bob corker and his partner, chris murphy, have been champions. Senator carper continues his leadership and advocacy for the gas tax solution. Senator john thune a key republican leader, has signaled his openness to the gas tax, which is the simplest, most logical and most effective solution. Even the problematic proposal to use dynamic scoring to evaluate budget proposals could make a difference in solving this huge problem for america if it would be applied in the spirit of dynamic scoring. The Standard Poors research report, u. S. Infrastructure investment, a chance to reap more than we sow pointed out the overwhelming Economic Impact in terms of jobs created, economic benefits actually exceeded the direct amount invested and longterm deficit reduction of 200 million for every 1. 2 billion invested. This should be one of the easiest economic decisions we ever make. In an era of low interest rates, gasoline prices falling dramatically, when theres still hundreds of thousands of people ready to go to work at family wage jobs rebuilding this country, the economic case has never been stronger. By all means, lets evaluate all of the proposals. Lets expand the discussion. Lets look at the leadership of states around the country who are stepping up to do their part. State, local and private investment all have a role to play, to be sure but recognize that the 25 of infrastructure funding that comes from the federal government plays a critical role. Let this Congress Give america a solution thats sustainable, not one that would put us back in the same fix in a year or two or even sooner. Lets have a Revenue Source that is dedicated so that we can begin on longer term projects that demand multimodal, multistate multiyear solutions and is large enough to give us a long overdue sixyear comprehensive reauthorization. Stable dedicated big enough to do the job. This is a test that new congress and administration should meet to revitalize our economy and rebuild and renew this country. At a time at dramatically falling oil and gas prices, when the public is suffering from congress dithering on our transportation and other infrastructure needs, interest will never be a better time to heed the advice of president Ronald Reagan 33 years ago in his thanksgiving day radio address to the country to raise the gas tax and put americans to work fixing the problem that has only gotten worse. It was good advice then, its good advice today. I would ask unanimous consent to add to submit this for the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlemans time has expired. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Murphy, for five minutes. Mr. Murphy thank you, madam speaker. Sadly, each day we read sensationalized headlines that boggle the mind, but heres the rest of the story. In new york, headlines read, a 30yearold man has been charged with killing his father who found a hedge fund because his allowance had been cut. The rest of the story, he had been in a Mental Health decline for years. A friend told the press, clearly their son had serious Mental Illness. There were stories about things he had been doing in the past few years really erratic behavior. Another newspaper reports the man was off his medication. In florida, headlines read a 23yearold man cut off his mothers head with an ax last week because of her nagging about daily chores. The rest of the story, this man had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been involuntarily held under the states civil commitment law but released. Despite his illness and past commitments he was no longer in treatment because florida requires a person to be homicidal for treatment. In pennsylvania, a former marine killed his exwife and five of her family members last month because of quoteunquote family issues. The rest of the story, the marine hab evaluated and cleared of having suicidal or homicidal tendencies by a department of Veterans Affairs psychology five days before, a decision we now see is wrong. Each week there are half a dozen new reports that man more than a sensationalized headline because the rest of the story tells the real story. Mental disease is not lifestyle choice. Psychosis skets friendia translates into a specific set of disturbing behaviors. This is not a condemnation of the mentally ill nor criticism of those who have issues. Hallucinations lead to those to a bad choice. For those that dont have a brain disorder its hard to think about. When we hear that behaviors is symptom attic that is occurring in the brain we can address those like other medical diseases and other lifesaving treatments. The reason why a individual acts out in a violent matter on a mass scale are complex and not as simple to a response to a mothers nagging. Sadly, in all cases the families knew there was something wrong but they were ignored and frustrated or turned away by a broken system of state and federal laws that create walls and barriers instead of access to care. Parents know theres a problem and on when they have the resources to get a child help the family efforts are thwarted by this broken system and not in getting effective evidencebased treatment and communities rarely have the programs, doctors to deal with the most severe cases. In the face of this growing crisis, we must approach serious Mental Illness as a medical emergency that engages the community and medical response to help people and families trapped in the system that is misguided, in denial or disconnected. We can change this tragic pattern and thats will ill reintroduce the helping families in Mental Health crisis act which makes sure that mentally ill gets treatment. It clarifies and simplifies hipaa privacy laws. It reforms federal programs to folks on programs that reach or shows work, not feel good fads. It helps patients who are unable to understand their treatment get care. People with schizophrenia are not even aware they have problems and this leads to noncompliance with treatment. And helps explain why 40 of americans with serious Mental Illness do not get any treatment. It occurs most frequently with schizophrenia because of frontal lobe problems and we need to understand it. There is accountability of how Public Health dollars are being spent. We owe it to the 10 million americans with a serious Mental Illness and the five million who are not with treatment to take meaningful action. To fix the chaotic patchwork of problems and laws that make it impossible to get meaningful medical care until it is too late to do anything beyond mourning. Each day i receive countless letters and telephone calls from parents across the country who most courageously battle a broken system who is trying to help a loved one in a Mental Health crisis. Let their struggles be our motivation to take action of our own now. As i said ill soon be reintroducing helping families of Mental Health crisis act and i welcome all members interested in joining me in this quest to Work Together as we reintroduce this to make sure we get treatment before tragedy. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from puerto rico mr. Pierluisi, for five minutes. Mr. Pierluisi as the new Congress Begins the work on behalf of the American People i rise to address my colleagues about an issue of national importance, namely puerto ricos quest to discard its status as a u. S. Territory and to become a u. S. State. Puerto rico has been a territory since 1898. Puerto rico does not desire to remain a territory, it can follow one of two paths, the territory can become a state or it can become a sovereign nation, either fully independent from the u. S. Or with the compact of Free Association with the u. S. That either nation can terminate. If puerto rico becomes a nation, future generations of island residents would not be american citizens. My constituents have made countless contributions to the United States in times of peace and war. Serving in every military conflict since world war 1. They fight today in afghanistan and other dangerous locations. In the same units as young men and women from states such as florida, texas, and new mexico. Many of them have made the ultimate sacrifice in battle. When they, too, their casket is flown back to this country draped in the american flag. It takes a special kind of patriotism to fight for a nation that you love but one that does not treat you equally. Although puerto ricos home to more american citizens than 21 states my constituents cannot vote for president , are not represented in the senate, and have one nonvoting delegate in the house. Moreover, territory status gives congress license to puerto rico worse than the states and congress often uses that license. Everyone other than apologists for the status quo comprehends that territory status is the root cause of the economic crisis in puerto rico. As a result of the structural problems this status has created, residents of puerto rico are relocating to the states in staggering numbers. I know it breaks their hearts to leave behind the island they love, but most see no other option. Yet through the clouds a bright sun is emerging. The people of puerto rico have finally said no more. They have come to the conclusion that they deserve a status that is both democratic and dignified. They will no longer tolerate being second class citizens. They do not want special treatment. Rather, they demand equal treatment, nothing more, but nothing less. The puerto rico people was expressed in a 2012 referendum sponsored by the puerto rico government. There a majority of my constituents expressed their opposition to territory status. Statehood received more votes than territory status. And statehood received far more votes than independence or Free Association. Proving that puerto rico has no desire to weaken the bonds forged with the United States over nearly 12 decades. In short, statehood is now the predominant force in puerto rico. At my urging and in response to this landmark referendum, the Obama Administration proposed and Congress Approved an appropriation of 2. 5 million to fund the first federally sponsored vote in puerto ricos history with the stated goal of resolving the status issue. I have proposed that the funding be used to hold a simple federally sponsored yes or no vote on whether puerto rico should be admitted as a state just as alaska and hawaii did. This approach would yield a definitive result that nobody could reasonably question. And it has broad congressional support. Since the bill i introduced last congress that embodies this approach had 131 cosponsors and led to the filing of an Identical Senate companion bill. All that remains is for the governor of puerto rico to schedule the vote. Yet a year has passed and we have seen only inertia and indecision. All talk and no action. For my part, i will continue to press for action both in san juan and in washington, d. C. , using any strategy and technique that will advance the statehood cause. Since none of my colleagues in this chamber representing states would accept territory status for their constituents, i know they will understand that i will not accept it for my constituents, either. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i rise today to recognize one individual and one organization from pennsylvanias fifth Congressional District that during the past year made su