for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1151. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1151, a bill to direct the secretary of state to develop a strategic -- strategy to obtain observer status for taiwan at the try enial international civil aviation organization assembly, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include extraneous material on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of bipartisan legislation that i authored to help secure observer status for taiwan at the international civil aviation organization. this legislation requires the secretary of state to develop and execute a strategy to ensure taiwan has a seat at the table for i.k.o.'s upcoming september meeting. it has been over 40 years since taiwan was last a member of i.k.o., and indeed a lot has changed in that 40 years. as it stands now, all communications between taiwan and the u.s. on aviation safety must be channeled through the american institute in taiwan, which is our nation's de facto embassy in taiwan. the fact that taiwan can't speak directly to the federal aviation administration without this added layer of bureaucracy makes no sense. after all, we are talking about air safety information that is otherwise readily available to all of i.k.o.'s members. taiwan's entry into the u.s. visa waiver program last year has dramatically increased both the frequency of flights between our airports and the real number of travelers coming here to the united states. for my home state of california, the increase in visitors from taiwan has resulted in a significant boost for the local economy, especially for the travel industry, the leisure industry, restaurants, for example. shops. i'm proud to have worked on taiwan's entry into the visa waiver program because i know that as a result of this agreement taiwanese americans in southern california have a much easier time staying connected to their families. mr. speaker, as the number of visitors from taiwan has grown exponentially, there is an urgent need to ensure that taiwan has real time access to air safety information. strengthening air safety benefits american citizens as much as it does the taiwanese. every year tens of thousands of americans fly through taiwan's airspace which must be as safe as it can be, and this bill will certainly help. just as taiwan was allowed to join the world health organization as a result of the sars outbreak, so should taiwan be afforded the opportunity to observe the proceedings of the i.k.o. we all share the responsibility to ensure that international air travel be safe. taiwan's unique political status has thus far hindered its inclusion in i.k.o. with this piece of legislation we are sending a clear message that air safety is a priority and not a geopolitical issue. earlier this year my good friend, eliot engel, of new york and i traveled to taiwan to see firsthand the immense progress that the people of taiwan have made over such a short period of time. taiwan is, indeed, a beacon of freedom in the asia pacific region. we share many values with taiwan, including an unwavering commitment to democracy and to human rights and to free markets, to the rule of law. helping taiwan gain entry as an observer into the i.k.o. is the right thing to do and i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to extend and revise my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 1151, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: i would certainly like to thank, especially, the chief sponsor of this proposed bill, distinguished chairman of the foreign affairs committee, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, for his leadership on this issue. and also our senior ranking member, mr. eliot engel from new york, for his support as well. i'm happen to say i'm a proud co-sponsor of this bill as well. mr. speaker, this legislation directs the secretary of state to develop a strategy to gain observer status for taiwan at the triennia assembly of the international civil aviation organization. taiwan has made significant progress in its economic and political development. today taiwan is a leading trade partner of the united states and stands as a beacon of democracy throughout asia. however taiwan has been shut out of participating in international organizations like icom founded in 1947, this organization has been to ensure safety and efficiency on air transportation around the globe. taiwan deserves to be brought into the icaoa as an observer. it has jurisdiction over an airspace of approximately 180 thousand square nautical miles, and provides air traffic control services to more than 1.2 million flights a year. in my recent visit to taiwan as well, it was learned that approximately 600 weekly flights are now in existence between china and taiwan alone. taiwan's international airport is the world's 19th largest in terms of passenger volume, and the number of travelers between taiwan and the united states is likely to increase with taiwan's entry into the visa waiver program last year, as mentioned by my distinguished chairman, mr. royce. taiwan's exclusion from icaoa has impeded taiwan's efforts to maintain the civil aviation practices that keep up with rapidly evolving international standards. it is unable to even contact icaoa for up-to-date information on aviation standards and norms. nor can it receive the technical assistance in implementling new regulations or participate in technical and academic seminars. taiwan has made every effort to comply with icaoa standards, but a continued exclusion not only hurts taiwan, but it puts the rest of us and the entire world at risk, especially when you are talking about safety and hazardous conditions when it deals with air travel. with such a heavy volume of flights, taiwan's exclusion has prevent the icaoa from developing a truly global strategy to address security threats based on effective international cooperation. icaoa's own rules and practices allow for the meaningful participation of noncontracting countries, as well as other organizations. and its meetings and activities through the observer status. the united states in the review of taiwan policy conducted in 1994 declared its intention to support taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations and has consistently reiterated that support. mr. speaker, with this bill today congress is calling on the united states government to take a leading role at icaoa to assist taiwan in gaining observer status and look forward to working with our new administration officials to track the development of these efforts. again i thank the gentleman from california for his leadership on this bill. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i thank the gentleman from american samoa. i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, chairman emeritus of the foreign affairs committee and chairman of the subcommittee on the middle east and north africa. she's also a co-sponsor of this measure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for three minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the chairman of our committee for introducing this excellent piece of legislation and for his leadership in our committee. i am very pleased to speak in favor of this legislation which assists taiwan, one of our most valued allies, in obtaining observer status at icaoa international civil aviation organization. taiwan is a major hub for international air travel, and particularly it serves as a link between the northeast and southeast asia, and to europe, and the united states, and now that taiwan has joined the visa waiver program, travel between our two nations will undoubtedly increase. almost 1.3 million flights pass over the region each year, but due to the ill-advised appeasement of china at the united nations, taiwan must receive its international aviation safety and security information secondhand. taiwan's exclusion from international organizations like icaoa is a shortsighted and dangerous practice. it ends up hurting the international community as much as it does the taiwanese people themselves. preventing a significant player in aviation like taiwan from participating in icao threatens the entire international community who defend on the application of universal aviation standards. unfortunately, attempts to placate china at the united nations are nothing new and a reminder that that organization lacks seriousness. china's threat that foreign interference will hurt negotiations with taiwan to allow its participation in icao should be ignored by the u.n. the u.n. must do what is right for the entire international community, and i urge the organization to put aside its petty politics and work on behalf of the safety of all of the world's zints. mr. speaker, the taiwan relations act continues to be the cornerstone of u.s. foreign policy with our democratic ally, taiwan, and we must always keep it as the guiding beacon. the next meeting of icao is this september, and i expect to see our state department have a strategy that they will implement to make sure that taiwan will be at the table this fall. the friendship between the people of the united states and taiwan has cemented into one of our most cherished partnerships, and i look forward to the united states government demonstrating its continued commitment to the people of taiwan with the passage of this most excellent bill. i thank the chairman for the time. i thank him for his leadership on taiwan through the years. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, i want to associate myself and certainly commend the gentlelady from florida for her most eloquent statement and historical outline of what has happened in terms of our special relationship with the people and leaders of taiwan. and she could not have said it better. you know at the old saying, if you're not at the table you are going to be on the menu. i think taiwan has been on the menu for too long. they need to be at the table. especially playing such a strong and important economic role as a democracy in asia and as a beacon of light to all the people of asia what it means to live under democratic conditions. with that, mr. chairman, again i thank my good friend, the chairman for his leadership in bringing this bill. i have no further speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from american samoa yields back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, it has been over 40 years since taiwan last had a seat at the international civil aviation organization. the volume of air traffic in and out of taiwan's airports back then cannot be compared with that incredible volume of traffic, millions of planes a year, that come in and out of modern day taiwan. under the visa waiver program, airlines have added even more flights in order to take advantage of greater demand for tourists and business travel from taiwan into the united states. this number is only going to grow as more and more taiwanese take advantage of the visa waiver program. it is time that we readmit taiwan into icao so that everyone who words the plane can have the utmost confidence about the safety of their trip. aviation technology has progressed by leaps and bounds and the idea that taiwan cannot directly communicate with the united states or any other nation engaging in issues regarding air safety is not in anyone's interest. that's not in the interest of any nation. i urge my colleagues to join in supporting h.r. 1151. taiwan is one of america's closest friends in the world, we share so much in common, including a steadfast dedication to democracy and rule of law and human rights and it is time that we fixed this problem. . i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. all time having expired, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1151. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman from california. mr. royce: on that i would ask -- i would request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 266 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 33, house resolution 266,s remain solved that at any time -- resolved that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 1947. to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2018 and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on agriculture. after general debate, the committee of the whole shall rise without motion. no further consideration of the bill shall be in order except, pursuant to a subsequent order of the house. section 2, upon the adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 1797, to amend title 18, united states code, to protect pain-capable unborn children in the district of columbia and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary, now printed until the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-15 shall be considered as adopted. the bill as amended shall be considered as read. all points of order against against provisions in the bill as amended are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill as amended on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controled by the chair and ranking minority member of the judiciary, and, two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from maryland seek recognition? ms. edwards: mr. speaker, i raise a point of order against house resolution 266 because the resolution violates section 426-a of the congressional budget act. the resolution contains a waiver of all points of order against consideration of the bill, h.r. 1797, which includes a waiver of section 425 of the congressional budget act, which causes violation of the section 426-a. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maryland makes a point of order that the resolution violates section 426-a of the congressional budget act of 1974. the gentlewoman has met the threshold burden under the rule and the gentlewoman from maryland and a member opposed each will control 2010 minutes of debate on the question of -- 10 minutes of debate on the question of consideration. following debate the chair shall put the -- put the question. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from maryland. ms. edwards: thank you, mr. speaker. when the majority began this congress, it began with the idea, in their language, that they would adhere to fiscal responsibility, to constitutionality. in fact, we read the constitution on the floor of this body. and that they had learned the lessons from the election slaughtering in 2012. and that is to stop the assault on women's health care. but oh, no. here we are today with a bill, h.r. 1797, that violates the congressional budget act, it violates the constitution, that violates the doctor-patient relationship that a woman has with her doctor and we haven't focused on jobs. and so, when you look at h.r. 1797, the pain-capable unborn child protection act, it would impose a ban across the country on abortion after 20 weeks. aside from ignoring medical realities and placing the lives of mothers with serious medical conditions at risk through governmental interference with the doctor-patient relationship, the underlying bill also includes reporting requirements that, according to the congressional budget act, which it would violate, would add costs to local law enforcement. and with a total of 25 states introducing 64 similar abortion ban measures in the last three years, the bill is yet another assault on women's reproductive rights. and is blatantly unconstitutional. abortion care in this country is a private medical decision that's made between a woman and her health care provider. those are the only people who should be in the room. and yet here in this legislation, they've created just a narrow exception that doesn't even take into account the risk to a woman's health and would subject physicians to criminal penalties for caring for their patients. h.r. 1797 contains unreasonably justified penalties for doctors, including five years in jail and would have a negative impact on abortion care reproductive health care all across the country. by jeopardizing and criminalizing abortion care we limit the options women have to receive comprehensive reproductive health care. and these limitations could lead women to access abortion care that is both unsafe and dangerous to their health. i'd like to yield 15 seconds to the other side if they would care to address the question of whether this closed rule means that there will not be a single amendment or alternative offered to this bill which has a profound effect on women's health and reproductive rights. 15 seconds i'd yield to the gentlewoman from north carolina if she'd care to answer that question. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, this is a dilatory tactic and has nothing to do with this. ms. edwards: reclaiming my time under the rule,