Hereby appoint the honorable john j. Duncan to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, john boehner, speakers speerk of the house of representatives. 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 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 each, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Lumenauer, for five minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. I stepped away from a ways and means subcommittee on health to come to the floor. The purpose of this hearing is once again to attack the Affordable Care act, lay the foundation for the republican goal of repeal of the Affordable Care act. I frankly lost track of the number of attempts to repeal the bill. 50, 60, you know, it really doesnt matter. The Affordable Care act is here to stay and will be throughout the tenure of president obama. Despite some difficulties in its implementation, the president is justly proud of the Health Care Reform as a signal accomplishment of his administration. Many of the problems that were facing in the implementation of have been the result of republican intransigent. There was unrelenting opposition. Republicans in the senate refused to cooperate and refused to legislate, denying the 60vote threshold necessary to move the bill forward. As a result, the bill was adopted through a process called reconciliation where you just melded the two bills together. This is not a bill that anybody would have designed but could easily have been made better should our republican friends have chosen. But instead they continued this unyielding assault. Even without their results, the results is pretty remarkable. We have the lowest rate of medical inflation in years. The Congressional Budget Office have been skibtly lowering the longterm consistently lowering the longterm cost estimates of medicare. This is probably the most powerful evidence that were getting runaway Health Care Costs under control. That remains the single greatest threat to the fiscal stability of our country. Weve been doing much more than merely controlling costs. There are more than eight Million People with marketplace insurance and about 3 4 of them receive tax credits to help reduce the cost. Six million lowincome people have been enrolled in medicaid, another six million children have been able to stay on their Parents Health plans and 129 million, i dare say, that includes most of us in congress, can no longer be denied care because of preexisting medical conditions. As i said, there are lots that can be done to improve the system. Today i had a chance to address the Case Management society of america about one of them. Congressman petri and i introduced a transitional care benefit that would greatly reduce the chance of Hospital Readmissions that are not just costly. They represent a failure to deliver health care to our citizens and reduce the stress and strain on families with loved ones whove left the hospital. This could save billions of dollars and frankly doesnt remotely depend on whether or not you support obamacare. Another great example is legislation that dr. Phil row and i introduced phil roe and i introduced for the federal government finally placing a value on conversations with patients and their families concerning the end of life. There is valuebased insurance that im cosponsoring with representative black. Representative roskam has the prime act. Representative gerlach for several years had legislation for a secure access card. The list of opportunities is long and represents an extraordinary chance to build on reform, not just a futile effort at undermining it. Someday the American Public is going to insist we grow up and do our jobs. And there would be no better place to start than building on the promise of Health Care Reform, not just to save money but to improve the lives of americans of all ages. The hypocrisy here is breathtaking. Refuse to legislate and then attack it for its faults. Starve the i. R. S. And c. M. S. Of resources to properly administrator administer the law and then complain that the i. R. S. And c. M. S. Is not properlyly administering it. The American Public has a right to expect better from the peoples house. Omeday they will get it. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan is recognized for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Walberg although criminal forfeiture laws have been an important tool and a useful tool for Law Enforcement, civil Asset Forfeiture has been used too many times to seize, forfeit and indeed profit the properties of americans without charging them with crimes. Innocent until proven guilty. The activity can be a boon for Police Budgets as the federal Asset Forfeiture fund exceeded 2 billion in 2013 and equitable sharing agreements between the department of justice and local Police Departments accounted for over 600 million. While policing certainly is a vital element of an effective owe site, lets also be mindful of the fact that our constitution emphasizes individual rights above all. For this reason i introduced h. R. 5212, the civil Asset Forfeiture reform act, to limit the scope, the power and the reach of the government to abuse their forfeiture powers in violation of individual rights guaranteed to us by our constitution. I urge all my colleagues to support this needed reform effort and to again assure our citizens of their Civil Liberties and the opportunity to prove innocence or defend guilt. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Gutierrez, for five minutes. My press rez secretary kept me pretty busy the last few days talking about the president s decision to delay executive language on immigration in two languages. I made it clear from a political standpoint in the short run and the long run i think the president should have taken action before election day in order to be more transparent with the American People about the policy we all know is coming. It makes the job harder for me to generate enthusiasm to vote at all, let alone voting for democrats when there are members of my own party asking the president to hold his pen and his phone in a band until after the voters vote. From a policy standpoint every week we delay is bad for our country. From a humanitarian perspective, deporting the parents of u. S. Citizens is not in our national interest. Make it impossible for spouses of legal immigrants and citizens of the United States to pick up the pieces theyve visas theyve already been issued to them is not in our national interest. And it has a damaging impact on the fabric of our community. It dampens the economy along commercial thureo fares like 26th street, a key engine of the chicago economy and tax base. Perhaps more important to those living outside of immigrant communities is to know that when the president acts he will announce a tough but fair solution for millions of immigrants who do not have visas or any way of getting a visa but have lived and worked here peacefully for years, even decades. It would work Something Like this if they come forward, if they submit their fingerprints at their own expense of the f. B. I. And if they pass a rigorous background check and meet other requirements, well issue them a biometric identification card to say they are not a priority for deportation. Not only would we get them in the system and on the books, but now they are in a program that needs to be reviewed periodically with strict rules. This will create a huge incentive not to violate the rules of the program or the rules of our society. I know the president has heard all these arguments, and i dont think i will convince him to change his mind again and move forward with key improvements to our deportation policies before november 4, but let us be clear. I think hes already made two important decisions. Number one, there is no longer any question that the president of the United States has the Legal Authority to act on immigration and deportations under current law. Even republicans who have hired the best lawyers at taxpayers expense to prepare lawsuits against the president agree and didnt include immigration in their farfetched list of president ial overreaches. This is settled law and despite the shouts of talk radio and a few on the republican side, theres no real serious debate about the rocksolid legal ground from which the president can act and has already acted. Secondly, i know the president has decided that going big, going broad and going generous and going quickly after the election is the right decision because he and secretary jay johnson have to set enforcement priorities about which people they will deport first and which people they will deport last based on National Security, economic interests of this country. He will act up to the limits of current law. And believe me, i can hear the cries from the other side. He cant act because we, republicans, may try to do something on immigration in the lame duck. The president cant act because we, republicans, are going to put the Bipartisan Coalition back together again in the new 114th congress and well get reform passed in both houses. Or, you know, we were just kidding when we said all that stuff about immigration after our defeat on election day in 2012. Those say this time we really mean it because 2016 and the Electoral College are staring us in the face. But, no, i know the president and the democrats will not fall for that again. I dont see the president saying he will act if you dont act as we have been saying for two years. This time i see the president acting first, acting broadly and acting generously, laying out a broad array of executive actions to mitigate the damage that is being done by our country by congressional inaction on immigration reform. If the republicans are inclined, they can take action. Its what weve within begging them to do for decades on this issue. We may work with you if youre serious about it. But it will not longer be accepted by a delaying tactic by the executive branch of government. It will be a response to president ial action. I think the president will have the courage to act and then it is Congress Chance to act. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky, mr. Rogers, for five minutes. Mr. Rogers thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend of southern and eastern kentucky, mr. Bill sweary, upon his retirement as director of federal relations at the university of kentucky. During his 42 years at the university, bill has been a champion for progress and education, health care and Energy Research across the state. Behind the sayings of kentuckys highly esteemed flagship university, bill has been a driving force, seeking out partnerships, programs, funding to help the most distressed region of the commonwealth. Im certain theres not a single resource that bill hasnt reverend for the benefit of researched for the benefit of southern and eastern kentucky. No one knows the value and power of creating and sustaining longtime partnerships like bill. If the university of kentucky needed a partner to improve education or access to health care, bill ensured the connection was secured with his genuine, kind and humble approach. Most leaders seek recognition or credit for their own efforts, but thats never been the case for bill. His work has led to exponentialal growth of u. K. s Research Enterprise and just started new Research Initiatives that have enabled the university to be successful in completing competing for federal grants and contracts. This rivetting Scientific Research on cancer, fossel energy, transportation and agriculture is playsing new trails in every respect and every aspect of our everyday life and our country, to say nothing of our state is better off for it. Hes fought for legislation thats important to u. K. And Student Financial aid. Bill has been a leader in the Science Coalition and actively involved in the council on Governmental Affairs and the association of public and land grant universities. Over the years, hes deservedly gained the utmost respect of his peers in federal relations. As he farts his post, mr. Speaker, at the university of kentucky, its my intention to ensure bill receives the recognition thats due him. For his tireless efforts on behalf of students and families all across kentucky, and specifically living in kentuckys fifth congressional district. We hope he knows he always has the thanks of a grateful big blue nation. Mr. Speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me as we honor my friend bill as we bid him a joy filled retirement. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Quigley, for five minutes. Mr. Quigley thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just last month hundreds of thousands of residents in toledo, ohio, were left without access to Potable Water and faced an extended Drinking Water ban after unsafe toxin levels likely caused by a lake yeary algae bloom were found at a city Water Treatment plant. In january, charleston, West Virginia residents faced a similar ban on their Drinking Water after a chemical spill. George ber marched shaw once said, success does not consist in never making mistakes, but in never making the same one a second time. One would think after two new incidents that left hundreds of thousands of americans without access to clean Drinking Water, this body would jump into action to prevent this from ever happening again. And yet, mr. Speaker, the house hasnt only refused to act, yesterday we actually voted to prevent the administration from acting. Again and again my colleagues continue to introduce bills and riders that would endanger our Drinking Water while ignoring basic scientific principles in the process. Today more than 117 million americans get their Drinking Water from systems that rely on rivers, streams, and wetlands, which at this very moment are not clearly protected under the clean water act. Let me say that again. 117 million americans are getting their Drinking Water from bodies of water that may not be protected from pollution or destruction. American families deserve clarity, and thats exactly what the administration is trying to provide with their proposed clean water act rule. And unbelievably enough, thats exactly what the house voted to prevent yesterday. For years, we relied on the clean water act to protect the nations waters. For my constituents back home in chicago, that meant everything from wetlands on the shores of Lake Michigan to the inland streams that flow across the great lakes region. But two Supreme Court recent decisions in 2001 and 2006 changed all that leaving us with a confusing time consuming and frustrating process for determining which of the nations waters are now protected under federal law and which are not. It is imperative that we close what has become a harmful loophole, and thats what the e. P. A. And the army corps of engineers are trying to do with their proposed rule, claring filing the scope of the clean water act. Let clarifying the scope of the clean water act. The e. P. A. And engineers are acting within the authority granted them by congress under the clean water act to legally clarify the statutes jurisdiction. This clarity is desperately needed, especially in the great lakes basin. Half the streams in the great lakes states lack clear Water Protection simply because they do not all flow all year. This lack of protection has taken its toll, slowing permitted decisions for responsible development and reducing protections for Drinking Water supplies and critical habitats. The the proposed rule would restore clean water act protections to wetlands and trib torrey streams because the science clearly shows these water bodies are connected. Before proposing this rule, the e. P. A. Analyzed more than 1,000 pier re Peer Reviewed scientific watt articles. Pollution articles. Pollution is clearly going down water ways. Healthy wetlands filter polluted runoffs that otherwise would flow into rivers, streams, and great water bodies across the body. Wedlands and tributaries provide wetlands for wildlife and replenish ground water supplies. We cannot protect the great lakes without Drinking Water supplies and our Drinking Water supplies without first protecting the wedlands and upstream waters that feed into them. Congress passed the clean water