The speaker pro tempore 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 ebate. 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 but in to five minutes, no event shall debate continue beyond 1 50 p. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from American Samoa, mr. Faleomavaega, for five minutes. Mr. Faleomavaega mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to extend and revise my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Faleomavaega mr. Speaker, i rise today to thank our fellow americans and the people of American Samoa for the opportunity they gave me to serve them. Having grown up in a small village in American Samoa and graduating high school in hawaii, i never expected the people of American Samoa would choose me to serve them in the u. S. House of representatives from the time they first elected me in 1988 until 2014. I pay special tribute to them and to the late paramount chief who served as American Samoas first elected representative to washington, d. C. The chief gave me the opportunity to serve as his chief of staff from 1973 to 1975, and im grateful for all he taught me. From 1975 to 1981, it was my honor to serve with the late congressman burton who was chairman of the house territory and insular affairs. During my serve as chief counsel, he instructed me with drafting legislation providing for the first elected governor and Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa, and for American Samoa to be represented by a delegate to the u. S. House of representatives. I will always be grateful and thankful for the opportunity that i had to participate in such an historic undertaking for and on behalf of the people of American Samoa. After my service with Chairman Senate d the late paramount chief. He encouraged me to come home and come back home to eat the dust and walk on the rocks so that i could feel the peoples pains and sufferings so that i might be able to serve them with more meaningful purpose. I followed his advice and as i took look back over my life of service, had i not returned to American Samoa to live among our people it would have been impossible for the people of American Samoa to have entrusted me to serve them for nearly four decades at home and abroad. As i now leave this great institution, mr. Speaker, i want to express my love for the people of American Samoa and to all my fellow americans. I also want to express my love my dear wife, to who is from tahiti, and our children for standing beside me throughout my years of service. I express my love to the late sr. , and father, eni my mother. I also want my to thank my siblings tore their unwavering support. Again, for their unwavering support. Again, mr. Speaker, i want to thank my colleagues, both republicans and democrats in the house and the u. S. Senate. We have worked together in close cooperation for many years, and i will always be grateful for their set fast friendship as well as their constant support for the initiatives i put forward for the benefit on behalf of the people of American Samoa. I especially want to thank fellow democratic leader nancy pelosi. My service with the late congressman philip burton, who was like a father to me, led to my friendship to congresswoman pelosi. Congresswoman pelosi had and i have been family since our burton days, and im grateful she has been part of my life for all of these years. I am also proud that congresswoman pelosi became the first woman in the u. S. House history to serve as speaker of the u. S. House of representatives. Congresswoman pelosi will always hold a special part in my heart. I thank my friends from around the world, including diplomats and World Leaders from vietnam, kazak stack, uzbekistan, malaysia, cambodia, laos, taiwan, both north and south korea, china, india, hong kong and elsewhere for their friendship and support. I also want to thank my staff in washington, d. C. , and in American Samoa for their loyalty and dedication to me, to our nation and to the people of American Samoa. Above all, i thank my heavenly father for his guidance and protection. I go forward, mr. Speaker, knowing that the best is yet to come and knowing and hoping that i will be remembered for trying my best. For the times i fell short and i ask for forgiveness. And to each of my colleagues and to you, mr. Speaker, i extend my kindness and highest regards. May god be with you, always. Thank you and may peace be with you always. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Roslehtinen, for five minutes. Mr. Speaker, n stability in the western hemisphere is in jeopardy due to the political and economic pressures occurring in venezuela. Misguided financial decisions, a tax on entrepreneurship and socialist policies have led the economy in venezuela to a freefall. While oil prices continuing to decrease, venezuela is suffering from large budget shortfalls due to its large dependency on oil sales. To try to make up for the deficiency, the venezuelans have a foreign debt of over 100 billion and have had to cut its Oil Shipments to some caribbean and Central American nations. This paradigm shift can lead to an opening for the u. S. To get more involved in the region and deter the large democratic setbacks that we have experienced in recent years. Venezuelas economic crisis is combined with its political problems and, mr. Speaker, i rise to urge this body to stand in solidarity with the freedomseeking people of venezuela. Icholas maduros intrang gent, brutal regime intransigent, brutal regime, are trying to silence those who believe in democracy, freedom and human rights. Corina week, maria machado, this courageous woman, who was until recently a member of the Venezuelan National assembly until she was illegally removed from her seat in congress by the venezuelan thugs, why was she removed from that seat . Because she spoke up for the people of venezuela. Before she was removed unjustly from her legislative seat, she was physically assaulted on the floor of the national assembly. Yes, on the floor of the vnslan congress, she was beat venezuelan congress, she was beaten up. Maria corrinea, despite being banned from her country, continues to use the power of her voice to spread the word of maduros d nicholas brutal regime. Her case was not an isolated incident. Savage repression met the thousands of students who peacefully demonstrated, seeking a better venezuela. Maduro in desperation used his National Guard and Paramilitary Forces to savagely quash the protest. During that time innocent people were injured, arrested and even killed. Unarmed demonstrators killed by maduro. 72 of those students remain in prison today as well as two mayors who are in prison, Opposition Leader lopez, another brave voice for corina. Like maria heres is lopez. He remains in solitary confinement in ramo verde military prison, without regular access to visitors and all denying hyzdu process. His wife, children, family and friends are not allowed to freely visit him, mr. Speaker. His cause caused International Outcry from Amnesty International stating that charges against him are politically motivated and an assault on dissent in venezuela. More recently, the United Nations working group on arbitrary detentions, along with that bodys top human rights officials, demanded the release of lopoldo lopez, as well as the release for all of those who have been detained for exercising their legit mate right to legit mate right to exercise their rights freely. They said that the decision was nonbinding on them and so these innocent civilians remain in prison. The venezuelan people have been met with intimidation, with violence, with imprisonment for simply calling for respect for human rights and democratic freedoms in their own country. So the United States must stand with them in their struggle for freedom. That is why this body passed h. R. 4587, the venezuelan human rights and democracy protection act in may, a bill that i authored. The bill targets venezuelan officials who by denying them visas entering the United States, blocks their property, freezes their assets and prohibits Financial Transactions of these thugs responsible for committing human rights abuses against the people of venezuela. I call on the senate to pass the venezuela sanctions legislation immediately, to send a signal that these abusive tactics by the maduro regime will have consequences. Mr. Speaker, the people of venezuela are sending us a distress signal, and the United States must stand ready to act for the cause of freedom, democracy of our own hemisphere, democracy leaders like lopez and machado are counting on us. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. Maffei, for five minutes. Mr. Maffei thank you, mr. Speaker. In this nations great history, the life of harriette ross tubman is certainly a life worth recognition by this country and this congress. Born in 1822, dedicated her life to the epans pasion movement Emancipation Movement as well as the underground railroad. She served for the union army during the civil war and established the tubman home for the age. She was hit by as a teenager with a heavyweight by a slave oversear who was trying to subdue another enslaved person. She was an advocate for womens right and worked to get women to vote. And she dedicated her life to the zion episcopal church. And the National ParkService Completed a special resource study to determine the most appropriate way to recognize the life of Harriette Tubman. They came to the conclusion that it should have two separate units. One would be tightly cluster set of buildings in auburn, new york, and the other would include large sections of landscape, who displayed her life as a slave and as a conductor of the underground railroad. Bill aims to establish a istoric park in auburn and another one in dorchester park, new york. A part of that that includes Historical Structures like the tubman home, the tubman home for the aged, the zion church she went to and the cemetery where she is buried. We passed legislation to establish a park in tubmans honor. This week i hope the senate will also pass this legislation and send it to president obama for his signature. It is completely appropriate that this provision should be included. For, though not as wellknown as her activity on the downground railroad, Harriette Tubman was one of our first africanamerican military veterans. She traveled to the south to help the Union War Effort by helping fugitives and serving as a nurse to Union Soldiers in port royal, south carolina. Eventually she was leading bans of scouts through the land and port royal where she where her ability to travel unseen and fool her adversaries made her an ideal spy. Her group, working under the orders of the secretary of war, made maps and collected important intelligence that aided the capture of jacksonville, florida. Tubman became the first woman to lead an armed assault during the civil war. When Union ColonelJames Montgomery and his troops attacked plantations, tubman went them and guided steam boats in the waters leading to the shore. More than 750 enslaved africanamericans were rescued in the river raid and according to newspapers at the time, most of those newly liberated men went on to join the union army, largely due to tubmans recruiting efforts. Tubman lived for freedom and worked hard to extend freedom to hundreds of others. In doing so she earned the nations respect and honor. A century after her death, i am proud to have worked so hard to establish a fitting memorial to her. I truly believe her dedication to the nation based on the principles of freedom make her as relevant today as she was in her own time. Mr. Speaker, our time is fill with too much cynicism. Filled with too much sin tism and people are feeling powerless to do much better in our society. We should look to the example of Harriet Tubman. She is someone for whom liberty and freedom were not just concepts but principles worth working for and fighting for. When tubman escaped from slavery in the northern states she said, i look at my hands to see if i was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees and over the fields and i felt like i was in heaven. We, mr. Speaker, should look to Harriet Tubman, an enslaved africanamerican woman of slight physical stature and suffering from head trauma and realized that the glory and heaven that is American Freedom is there for you will all if we are willing to work for for us all if were willing to work for it and fight for it and believe in it as Harriet Tubman did. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. Foxx, for five mibs. Minutes. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in october i had the privilege of visiting southern Prestige International to view firsthand the companys creative and innovative manufacturing solutions. Based in statesville, north carolina, jim wilson, one of the most creative and remarkable people ive ever met, started the company in march, 1979, as southern prestige industries. In 2013 this familyowned business joined with partners jeff edison and joey chambers to form a new company, southern Prestige International, and focus on future opportunities. Currently southern Prestige International has two operating mpanies, proedge precision and specialty perf. Proedge precision is an advanced manufacturer of precision machine components for the aerospace, defense, medical, energy and commercial industries. Specialty perf is a soft goods pepper rater, producing Specialty Products for signage, advertising, media and food packaging, as well as oneway vision, energy diffusion control and medical products. Although its businesses its business has taken on different forms over the years, today southern Prestige International is a place where experience and confidence have prevailed to forge an advanced Manufacturing Business that understands the needs of its customers. During my visit, i had the opportunity to meet with employees as well as local leaders in Work Force Development before touring the companys two manufacturing operations, proedge precision currently employees employs about 35 people. And during the visit mr. Chambers told me he could see the company doubling its work force in the next few years to keep up with increasing demand. However, he also said one of the companys greatest challenges is finding the qualified work force it needs to be a competitive manufacturer in todays marketplace. Its my hope that southern Prestige International will have an easier time finding these employees with implementation of the Work Force Innovation and opportunity act which aims to close the skills gap by modernizing and reforming our countrys Work Force Development system. By streamlining the jumble of paperwork and red tape that has been prevalent in federal Work Force Education programs, this law will provide direct access to education and Skills Development for in demand jobs. During the tour i saw firsthand the Cutting Edge Equipment and methods used by southern Prestige International and how they take advantage of industry innovations and develop proprietary advances of their own to give customers a competitive edge. Its clear we need to stop washington from telling employers every little jof and tiddle what have to do and turn the American Work force loose to be productive and innovative as it has been in the past. The underlying philosophy of southern Prestige International is that of Customer Service and highquality products. Its clear that theres more isdom in that county than in washington, d. C. I yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Poe, or five minutes. Mr. Poe mr. Speaker, the