Be with them and with all who labor here to serve this great nation and its people. Assure them that whatever their responsibilities, you provide the grace to enable them to be faithful in their duties and the wisdom to be conscious of their obligations and fulfill them with integrity. Remind us all of the dignity of work and teach us to use our talents and abilities in ways that are honorable and just and are a benefit to those we serve. May all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. Amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof. His approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise . Pursuant 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. 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 is 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 gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick our guests in the gallery, please rise. 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 the chair will entertain up to five requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise . Mr. Fitzpatrick i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker without objection. Mr. Fitzpatrick thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise to honor the Lifetime Service of harry w. Fox who passed away in pennsylvania this week. Im fortunate and honored to have known harry fox and benefited from his leadership. On a personal level, his friendship and advice made me a Stronger Public servant and person. As role of republican chairman, harry was selfless and mag in an muss. Everything he did was to the benefit of bucks county where he was born, married, raised and family and served his community in elected office. Harry was recognized as an effective leader and Decision Maker because he led the party based on principles and worked tirelessly to find common ground. His only request of me of a Public Servant was to take care of bucks county. Well never see another like harry again. Our community has lost a giant of a man, strong in stature and principle and humility and graciousness. May he be granted eternal graceful that he earned. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Thank you, madam speaker. Mr. Barrow madam speaker, its a Great Sadness that i rise to honor jack who passed away at the age of 93. For 34 years, jack represented augusta, georgia, as a member of the Georgia House of representatives. Or 26 of those years, jack served as speaker protemperature of the Georgia House. Speaker pro tempore of the Georgia House. He worked as a traveling salesman, went on to own several businesses in the Augusta Community and began a long career of public service. Someone once said its easier to fight for your country than it is to live for your country. Jack did both which we can all be grateful. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from missouri seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Hartzler the 113th congress was elected to tackle the big problems and there is nothing more than getting hardworking americans back to work with the skills they need to compete in a very tough economy. Today the federal government currently operates more than 50 different job Training Programs, many of which are duplicative. At a cost of 18 million annually to taxpayers. With nearly 20 million americans unemployed or underemployed, its time to cut through the red tape and start training individuals with the skills they need to find highpaying middleclass jobs. Mrs. Wagner thats why the house will take up the skills lap, which overlaps Training Programs which eliminates unnecessary red tape so state and local resources goes directly to job seekers. According to the report released by st. Louis Community College, 76 of employers said that employees lack proper training to contribute right away on the most important demand certificates for job openings were for registered nurses. The skills acts addresses those needs. We need to invest in nurses, manufacturing assistants and cut the ineffective Government Programs that do little to train employees for the skills they need. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Wilson madam speaker, its now been 803 days since i arrived in congress and the Republican Leadership has still not allowed a single vote on serious legislation to address our unemployment crisis. My question is simple, why then are we here . In poll after poll, election after election, unemployment ranks as our constituents number one priority and for good reason. Unemployment deprives people of their basic dignity, their health care, their homes and their selfworth. And high levels of unemployment deprive the government of the tax revenue needed to overcome our fiscal challenges. President obama has proposed the comprehensive american jobs act to get people trained, get people working and get people contributing to the tax base. Mr. Speaker madam speaker, its time to bring this bill to the floor. Our mantra should be simple jobs, jobs, jobs. People are suffering. People are hurting for jobs, jobs, jobs. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The chair will receive a message. The messenger madam speaker, a message from the president of the United States. The secretary madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore mr. Secretary. The secretary i am directed by the president of the United States to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Madam speaker, today i speak of the importance of working together to adopt a budget on time in the 113th congress. Mr. Hultgren for the past few years the house passed a responsible budget that would rein in spending and debt without raising taxes while protecting the vital safety net of medicare and Social Security only to see the senate fail to pass any budget at all. This is irresponsible, and it cannot happen again this year. The American People and families back home in my district in illinois cannot afford a government that does not meet its basic responsibility to adopt a budget on time each year and every year. The very first bill i introduced in congress was the congressional pay accountability act of 2011, legislation if Congress Fails to meet its statutory deadline to meet appropriation bills on time then members of congress should not get paid. This straightforward concept defines what every American Family and job creator understands, that you cannot spend more than you take in. Lets act responsibly to pass a budget and work with our closing in the senate to ensure we get the job done this year. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Butterfield madam speaker, i rise to honor and congratulate Sergeant Major andrea farmer who will soon retire from the United States army after 30 years of service. A native of North Carolinas first district, Sergeant Major farmers work ethic has allowed her to successfully hold a variety of positions, including chief Career Management n. C. O. Sergeant major farmers abilities resulted in her being awarded masters degrees in Human Affairs and receiving the army women legacy scholarship award. Sergeant major farmer will retire as Program Manager for the 23rd quarter master, Sexual AssaultPrevention Program where she works very hard to aid victims of Sexual Assault. That ith great pleasure i congratulate Sergeant Major andrea farmer upon her retirement and also to recognize andreas parents, bobby and mildred farmer, of nash county, North Carolina, who instilled high values in their daughter many years ago. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Sergeant Major farmer for 30 years of service to our country. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek rick anything . Seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. For too many years our leaders have irresponsibly put off the tough decisions necessary to place our country on the sound financial footing. President obama seems not to be focused on the problem as he never even mentioned our nearly 17 trillion debt during his inaugural address and state of the union speech. His former budget director recently told a Bipartisan Group of freshmen representatives that unless you deal with the debt youre playing games with our economic future. Unless you find savings with entitlements, youre playing games with the debt. You better go fix it. Well, american taxpayers deserve and expect an accountable government, not a bloated bureaucracy in need of credit counseling. Each passing year makes the decision more difficult and the changes more painful. Medicare will be insolvent by 2024 which means we are rapidly squandering any chance to fix the problem. Our 17 trillion debt which currently results in 220 billion in annual Interest Payments is a drag on our economy, deduring our ability to create jobs for american families. Mr. Pittenger we must provide for the future. Any plan to reform entitlements must preserve the current benefits promised to this generation while providing guaranteed options for future generations. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Madam speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the medal of honor day as well as honoring Master Sergeant richard pittman, a veteran who served more than 0 years in the marines. Mr. Mcnerney he had the distinguished service medal, the republic of Vietnam Campaign medal along with others. Mr. Pittman was born in stockton, california, and attended local schools. After graduating from Franklin High School in stockton, he enlisted in the United States marine corps. During the vietnam war, he was assigned as a rifleman to the third battalion, fifth marines and would later become squad leader. When on assignment near the demilitarized zone, his unit came under range. He risked his life while he exchanged fire and destroyed many enemy forces. Ive had the honor to get to know mr. Pittman over the years and know he cares deeply for this con. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring mr. Pittman and all our veterans for their bravery and service to the United States. Madam chairman, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition . Mr. Fleming madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Fleming , madam speaker, the assault on religious freedom must stop. The socalled h. H. S. Mandate established under obamacare forces individuals, charities and businesses to buy Health Insurance that includes coverage for drugs which may destroy life. This week a federal judge stopped the enforcement of the h. H. S. Mandate against the founder of dominos pizza, the former founder. Like many other companies, dominos corporations, the Company OffersHealth Insurance to its employees but not coverage for drugs that could destroy human life. To do so would violate the religious rights and beliefs of the companies owners. That injunction is a victory, but no one should have to battle the federal government in court to stop it from infringing on religious values. Thats why i am proud to introduce with my colleagues, diane black and Jeff Fortenberry the Health Care Conscience act, our government must not force people to violate their religious and moral beliefs. I ask everyone to sign on today to support this bill. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Madam speaker, i rise to recognize courageous women whose work on behalf of the advancement of human rights has inspired millions throughout the world and continues to shine a light on the cause of freedom just 90 miles away. For over 10 years, one has documented the realities of life in cuba through her blog. They have earned their recognition throughout the world. The strength stands as a beacon of hope for cubas future and her strength in the face of incredible odds has earned our communitys profound admiration and respect. If my colleagues will indulge me, i would like to say a few words in spanish. [speaking in spanish. Shell be here next week and ill ask our colleagues to take the opportunity to meet this very courageous woman. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman will provide translation to the official reporters. For what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h. R. 803. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Pursuant to House Resolution 113 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h. R. 803. The chair appoints the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Roslehtinen, to preside over he committee of the whole. The chair the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h. R. 803, which the clerk will report by title. The clerk a bill to reform and strengthen the Work Force Investment system of a nation to put americans back to work and make the United States more competitive in the 21st century. The chair pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. The gentleman from minnesota, mr. Klein, and the gentleman from crarks, mr. George miller, each will control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. Mr. Klein madam chair, i rise in strong support of h. R. 803, the supporting knowledge and investing lifelong skills act, the skills act. And i yield myself such time as i may consume. He despite an increase in hiring last month, our nation is still experiencing a jobs crisis. 12 million americans are searching for work. Nearly five million of these unemployed workers have been without a job for six months or longer. For Many Americans the hope of a new job grows more desperate the lodger they are unemployed. Longer they are unemployed. Jack has not had fulltime work for more than three years and has lost count of the number of times hes applied for a job. He recently told cbs news, quote, from my perspective, my eyes, i still see that we are in a deep recession, close quote. Today we have an opportunity to advance reforms that will give workers like jack a better chance to succeed. Our economy is extreelly extremely competitive and constantly changing. Unfortunately, the Work Force Training system has failed to keep up. Its not surprising when you consider the size of the bureaucracy that now exists. This chart is a snapshot of the current job Training System. It includes more than 50 programs spread across nine federal agencies. President obama described it