e measure blocks bulk data collection and the storage of phone metadata and increases oversight for the rest of the surveillance program. also today they're taking up a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. it's the second time it's come up in the house but now contains an exemption for victims of rape and incest with 48 hours of counseling prior to that abortion. and also on the house floor today, beginning work on the defense authorization bill for 2016. now live to the house floor here on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] will be offered by the guest chaplain,, united methodist church. >> father god, we place before your grace this day the united states of america and this government. father, in your word, we are told that you have a quiet and

peaceful life. as your annointed leaders, lead us to recognize our true representatives and authentic leaders, men and women who love your people, who walk with and among them who feel their pain and share their joys, who share their dreams and achieve their common goal. in your spirit empower us to serve your people, to bring praise and glory to your name. we believe today that the hearts of these leaders are in your hands and their addition decisions will be directed by the lord. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces the approval thereof. the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> pursuant to clause 1, rule 1 i demand a vote on growing to the speaker's approval of the

journal. the speaker pro tempore: those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it and the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: 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 pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from north carolina, mr. pittenger. mr. pittenger: 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 pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from tennessee mr. fincher, is recognized for one minute. mr. fincher: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the pastor who gave our opening

prayer this morning, brother larry kendrick, who breeches at my home urch -- who preaches at my home church. i just want to tell him how much we appreciate his service to the kingdom, his wife and daughter, karen and vicky, are here with him also. and their service to god's kingdom and we wish them the best. god always be with you and thank you for coming today and opening us up with prayer and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois -- sorry. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, sometimes a tragedy has to happen for us to

recognize unsung heroes. on monday, i received word that lowell had passed away. mr. bost: lowell was an intern in our d.c. office for the past three months. his passing was sudden. it was unexpected and it was painful to our entire office family. he was just 20 years old. but while lowell's years had been short, his reach was very long and that was reflected when over 200 students who attended a vigil earlier this week at the university of maryland. lowell's love of life had a big impact on our office as well. he handled every project we gave him with a positive attitude and a smile on his face. i offer my thoughts and prayers

to lowell's parents, ellen and fenwick, as well as his extended family and countless friends during this time of suffering and as difficult as it is. and to my colleagues i know that each one of you have special people like lowell in your office. these are young people who work long hours for little or no pay because they want to make a difference in this country. in honor of lowell, please take a moment and thank these unsung heroes that work in our offices every day. thank you mr. speaker, and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i recently met with two veterans and their families who traveled to

buffalo for medical treatment. mr. higgins: initially, i thought they were receiving karat our highly regarded v.a. hospital, but in fact they were brought to buffalo by operation backbone, an organization that works with private doctors to provide specialty care that is not available within the veterans administration system. the families expressed frustration they could not obtain through the v.a. the highly specialized and efficient care they were receiving in buffalo. it is not -- it was not until operation backbone arranged their treatment and the buffalo sabres hockey team facilitated recovery that these men received the care they needed. i commend operation backbone and the buffalo sabres for their commitment to our veterans, but their work is necessary only because congress is failing in its responsibility to these men and women. when we ask our service members to put their bodies on the line, we incur a moral obligation to get them the best possible care when injury

occurs. last year congress provided funding for the v.a. to hire more physician specialists. it was a good first step, but making sure the v.a. has the resources to care for our veterans is a sacred responsibility that will require our attention this year and for many years to come. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker this morning i was especially grateful to meet the honor flight members from south carolina during their trip to washington. these world war ii and korean war veterans are heroes for their honorable service in defense of american families. i appreciate the honor flight network, coordinated by bill dukes, for enabling these veterans the ability to visit the me yorials -- memorials built in their honor and sacrifice. i was privileged to meet with corporal kyle carpenter, a

constituent of lexington whose service in the united states marine corps during operation enduring freedom saved countless american citizens. i have no doubt because of corporal carpenter's service, american families are more secure. thank you, kyle, and thank you for all of the honor flight veterans visiting today. and to all the veterans and military families in south carolina and across our nation, for your dedication to america. in conclusion, god bless and the president, by his actions, should never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. our sympathy to the family of lowell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. beatty: mr. speaker, i rise to highlight my introduction of house resolution 256, a resolution to recognize may, 2015, as stroke awareness month.

mr. speaker i proudly stand here today because of our nation's commitment to greater awareness about stroke and funding to find treatments for stroke survivors. stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the united states, killing nearly 130000 americans per year. on average someone in the united states has a stroke every 40 seconds while one american dies of stroke every four minutes. in light of these sobering statistics, i am reintroducing my resolution recognizing may as stroke awareness month. this resolution strives to enhance public awareness urges continued coordination and cooperation between researchers and families and advocates for improved treatment for individuals who suffer stroke. mr. speaker together we can combat this devastating illness and work together towards long-term solutions to prevent and treat and improve the lives

of those suffering from stroke. i'm a stroke survivor and i ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing may as stroke awareness month. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek roll call anything? -- seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pitts: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the pain-capable unborn child protection act, which would restrict the practice of abortion after the six month of an unborn child's life. today marks the second anniversary of the conviction of dr. kermit gosnell of pennsylvania who ran a late-term abortion mill in philadelphia. despite media silence about the case we were able to learn that dr. gosnell regularly delivered third trimuster babies and then snipped their -- tridmester babies and then snipped their spinal cords with

scissors, he hospitalized many women. even if he even allowed an ambulance to be called. most of his victims were poor. one mother, ms. monger, died in the process. it seems that some members of this body want to regulate things like light bulbs and rain dust, but late term abortionists driven by profit undeterred by the deaths of countless innocent lives, we must protect these women and children by passing the bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the district of columbia rise? ms. norton: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. norton: mr. speaker, the majority is finding a new way to keep from funding a

long-term surface transportation bill within six days. keep passing short-term patches. as a result, we are starving the nation's infrastructure. 23 states are so desperate that they have either raised their state gas taxes or are in the process. still the states are screaming for congress to have the guts to do the same. state gas taxes were meant to partner with the federal tax. states can't do it alone. the states have shown that the public understands the gas tax is a user fee. the roads bridges and transit america most needs can't even be started with short-term patch funding. the people are leading us to their roads and bridges. it's time we followed, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise?

>> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of harlem, ashley and scott. these officers who serve and protect our community. in the aftermath of a recent tragic domestic violence homicide and arson officer proctor was assigned to drive the victims' children to the police station. mr. pittenger: and listened attentively as the children discussed losing everything, including an 8-year-old's favorite dress. officer proctor, brown and evan thoughtfully contacted target to track down that favorite dress and with donations from these officers and target were able to provide clothes, toys and gift cards to help the family recover in this distressing time. mr. speaker, i ask all my colleagues to join me in thanking officers proctor evan and brown for their humble act of service and to thank all of the brave and dedicated police officers across the united

states who put their lives on the line to protect each and every one of us every day and still make time to perform thoughtful acts of kindness in our communities. may god bless. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, before i begin, i want to offer my condolences to everyone who was affected by the derailment of amtrak train 188 yesterday. the victims and their loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers today. this week, mr. speaker is national infrastructure week, and i rise today to underscore the importance of a long-term re-authorization for the highway and transit trust fund so we can address the urgent responsibility to repair and rebuild our roads, bridges, ports and transit systems. there are just six legislative days remaining until the expiration of the highway trust fund. we're putting at risk 6,000 infrastructure projects and more than 600000 jobs. the american association of

state highway and transportation officials estimate that my home state of rhode island could lose $200 million in federal funding, $3 million in federal transit funding and 1,689 jobs and 40 infrastructure projects are at risk. some of the other -- some on the other side of the aisle say we need to pass another short-term patch rather than a long-term solution to the highway trust fund. if we're serious about rebuilding our economy we need to be able to move goods, services and information to compete in the fwevert. it's critical we pass a long-term fund to the highway trust fund to rebuild our crumbling bridges, roads and schools and helps create good-paying jobs for hardworking americans. our constituents deserve nothing less. and our economic recovery requires this. and with that, mr. speaker i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute.

. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. with one in four seniors afliggetted with obesity at a price of $50 billion to medicare, it is apparent to put medicare on a path must deal with this disease. i want to expand access to medicare beneficiaries afliggetted with obesity. it removes the exclusion for medicare part d that cover drugs to reduce obesity and more treatment options. it was created in 2006. there were no widely accepted f.d.a. approved drugs on the market so they were declared exempt. with significant medical advantages now and advances, a number of f.d.a. weight loss drugs. obesity is responsible for nearly 20% for the increased spending and time we take action to target, to treat and reduce obesity. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? mr. guinta: permission to address the house for one minute. . i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. today i rise to honor the acheeflts of an educator from my district, michael o'malley will retire after 40 years of service as he spent as a social studies' teacher. custecuste it has been named the secondary school of excellence of 2010 and the state association of secondary school principals twice honored mr. o'malley as an outstanding role model. education week has noticed recognizing the school for its accomplishments under mr. o'malley's guidance. he has made a difference beyond school with his work with the new england association of schools and colleges and the

center for secondary center of redine. ever school deserves a principal like mr. o'malley who is committed to building relationships with students while maintaining a focus on educational innovation at the same time. as we continue our efforts to increase access to high quality education, let's look to educators like mr. o'malley as examples of what dedicated school teachers can accomplish. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. johnson: thank you mr. speaker. it's no secret that a majority of americans oppose obama's amnesty and i have been fighting against it from day one. as part of my ongoing effort to combat obama's amnesty i'm re-introducing my bill to stop

illegals from claiming the refundable child tax credit. right now, the i.r.s. does not require social security numbers for this credit. the inspector general said that as a result, illegals can get thousands of dollars from the i.r.s. it's no surprise that it also ip encourages more illegals to come here, to stop this, my bill requires individuals to provide their social security number if they want to claim the tax credit. last year, the house passed this measure, which was estimated to save taxpayers $24.5 billion. this is a commonsense bill americans want need and deserve. let's get it done. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. frankel: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. ms. frankel: thank you, mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the pain-capable unborn child act. mr. speaker, enough is enough. another painful piece of legislation inflicted on the women of this country by people who don't believe we are smart enough or moral enough to make our own life-changing decisions. you want to talk about pain? let's talk about the agony of a woman who is raped and again violated by unnecessary government intrusion. well, what about the suffering of a woman and her family knowing that her pregnancy will end in tragedy because her doctor would be sent to jail for saving her life. mr. speaker, enough is enough.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? observation. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: this week is national police week. every day, law enforcement officials put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. sadly in my district tarpon springs police officer charlie k. condit was killed before christmas as he patroled the streets on the midnight shift. police officers don't have a typical day. on average, an officer dice in the line of duty every 58 hours 150 deaths per year. this week and every day, we thub thankful for the good that the police officers do for our communities. let's never frget the sacrifices of those who have fallen in the

line of duty and let's be thankful. god bless them. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. . the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker another mother's day has come and gone and millions of americans took time out to express their gratitude to their mothers for all the wonderful things they do. but some still have an outdated picture in their mind of their mothers spending all their time home baking cookies. when more typically american mothers are out at a job bringing home the bacon. a report produced by the joint economic committee, the typical american family has changesed dramatically over the last 50 years and fewer one in five families match the old stereotype of the father at the job and mom at home. 70% of mothers are in the labor force because they have to be in

the labor force to provide for their families. our lives have changesed dramatically, but our public policies haven't kept pace with these changes. for instance the united states are the only country in the world only in the world that do not provide paid leave for the birth of a child. so before another mother's day rolls around, let's give mothers something they want, policies that allow them to hold well-paying jobs so they can provide for their families. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the granite state hero and fallen police officer, steven arkel. the state of new hampshire lost

a true granite state hero. mr. guinta: we remember and celebrate the life of a tremendous police officer but also a father, brother master carpenter, coach and friend. he devoted his life to protecting our families and our communities. and ultimately died in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence dispute. as his family, friends and neighbors knew, he was one of a kind. the bravery and compassion he demonstrated during his 15 years of service are not and will not be forgotten. it takes a remarkable individual to rise and risk their life daily to keep us safe and protect us from harm. let us take a moment today to pause, reflect and celebrate the life of officer arkel. you put your life on the line and we are forever grateful. and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: i rise today, mr. speaker, to speak to the american people. first let me say that i join my colleagues in standing again on wednesday to ask to bring the girls back and ask that the group boko haram be brought to justice immediately and cease their violence in nigeria. i stand today to ask the incredible question, how can we put on the floor of the house the h.r. 36 pain-capable unborn protection act, which is merely a disregard, disrespect of the constitution and a woman's right to choice. i look forward to a vigorous debate standing on the side of the constitution. more of congress' work is not

done. we are not dealing with the highway trust bill. in my own county of harris, there are 3,316 bridges, 1059 of them are deficient. they are driving over bridges that are destroying their economy and their cars and stopping them from moving about the community. mothers and fathers and car poolers and workers trying to get to work. total deficiency is 43%. when are we going to get a long-term infrastructure bill? and stand up as americans and not republicans and democrats, democrats want to stand up as americans to pass a long-term infrastructure bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: i rise today in support of h.r. 36 the pain-capable unborn child protection act which is expected to be voted on later today.

this legislation, which is based on substantial scientific evidence establishes federal legal protection for unborn children at 20 weeks with limited exceptions in the case of rape or incease. mr. speaker, i believe this could be one of the human rights issues of our day. it has been scientifically proven that unborn feel pain at 20 weeks and in many cases capable of living outside of the womb. i remain greatly that the united states continues to be one of the few countries in the world that allows for abortions this far into pregnancy. this commonsense legislation, which is supported by 60% of all americans seeks to correct this injustice. i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of h.r. 36 and i urge my colleagues in voting to protect the lives of the unborn. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? >> permission to address the

house for one minute. . i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. scoop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> on monday, i held a press conference at a bridge in my district to highlight the dire need to renew the highway trust fund before it expires. mr. pallone: this bridge like thousands of other bridges throughout the country is in dire need of repair. unless republicans in congress join with democrats and our commitment to invest in our nation's infrastructure, not only will our roads and bridges continue to did he the deer yate, jobs will be lost and the economy will suffer. when republicans took control of the house, they have shown neglect and indifference to the nation's infrastructure needs. since republicans assumed the majority in january of 2011, the republican-led ways and means committee has not held a single hearing on financing options for the highway trust fund despite

the u.s. ranked 16th, yind switzerland, united emirates and japan. and the country received a d-plus from civil engineers. mr. speaker, i strongly urge my colleagues in congress to quickly extend the highway trust fund. we only have another six days, jobs economic strength and safety health of our nation's safety is at stake. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to dress the house. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. hahn: as we celebrate national infrastructure week here in this country, i urge my colleagues across the aisle to work with us to develop a sensible long-term solution to fix our infrastructure and put an end to our infrastructure crisis. we need reliable highways, roads

and bridges to keep our economy moving and we have depended on the highway trust to make necessary repairs to our nation's deteriorating infrastructure. however, the gas tax hasn't been raised in 20 years and no longer again rates enough revenue to meet our needs. the highway trust fund faces an immediate funding shortage. the deadline to fix this is just weeks away, just six legislative days. so unless we act now, construction projects across the country will come to a standstill, putting the jobs of 600,000 american workers on the line. paving our highways and keeping our bridges safe and reliable is one of the most basic jobs of congress. we have until may 31 to fix this . failing is not an option. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from illinois seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the accomplishments of nick peller. nick is an eagle scout in troop 13 and is a senior in north suburban illinois. mr. dold: mr. speaker, as you know the boy scouts of america is the most prominent values-based youth development organization. the boy scouts provide a program for young people that provides character, participates in citizenship and develops personal fitness. nick embodies all of these ideals and more. mr. speaker, nick recently earned his 140th merit badge. that means not only does nick have every single badge available, he actually has earned seven more that you can get today. as scouts go into the program today, there's only 133 available merit badges. as merit badges are added, some are taken off. he's earned 140 merit badges.

eagle scouts, mr. speaker are one of the top -- some of the top 4% of scouts across the country. nick's accomplishments put him among the top handful of eagle scouts in the entire nation. he's so incredibly accomplished for this young age and this achievement demonstrates his personal dedication and moral fortitude. mr. speaker, i've known nick for many years and i'm proud of this awesome accomplishment. mr. speaker, i offer my sincere congratulations to nick and wish him the best as he starts his college this fall at my alma matter, denson university. i yield back -- dennison university. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. ashford: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my unwavering support for the import-export bank of the united states and its chairman. in fiscal 2014 alone, ex-im bank supported 107 million in

nebraska -- dollars in nebraska exports. as the bank looks to extend its charter until 2022, the chairman graciously accepted my invitation to come to omaha where he recently sat down with several of the nebraska firms which work hand in hand with the ex-im bank. i also wish to express my support for the many nebraska firms who work with the bank. among these is chief industries of carney nebraska, which manufacturers grains storage systems and employs 245 hull-time workers. for the last 15 -- full-time workers. for the last 15 years, they've increased its export sales by 1,000%. that's right, 1,000%. it's this kind of success story which makes clear the significant contribution which the ex-im bank makes to our nation's economy. among these contributions the 1.3 million american jobs the bank has helped create since 2009 while reducing the federal deficit alone by $7 billion over the last 20 years.

thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. wilson: madam speaker -- madam speaker it's been over a year since the girls were stolen from their families by boko haram. today, i've asked my fellow congress women to join me in wearing red on wenses. wear red in solidarity with the mothers and sisters who fear their stolen daughters and sisters have been sexually assaulted and sold into slavery. soldiers are beginning to capture abandon nigerian women and girls. so far not one is a school girl

so we will continue our advocacy. this week i've also asked the gentlemen of congress to join us in wearing red on wenses. wear red in solidarity with the fathers and brothers who fear their daughters and sisters are being physically abused and have been married off against their will. until they have returned, we will continue to wear red on wenses in solidarity with their families. we will continue to tweet tweet tweet, #bringbackour girls, tweet tweet, tweet #joinrepwilson. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. adams: i rise against h.r.

36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. in january, women of the republican conference was so appalled by h.r. 36 they blocked it from coming to the floor. four months later it's back. shameful. the changes republicans have made to this legislation are mere smoke screens. and it has done nothing to alleviate the burdens placed on women who are already grappling with the hard decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. h.r. 36 poses grave dangers to women and the american people will not be fooled. women's health and personal decisions should be between a woman, her family and her doctor, not a male-dominated congress. most abortions take place before 21 weeks. though many women who have abortions later in pregnancy do so because of medical complications and other barriers to access. h.r. 36 would harm women in need and increase obstacles to obtaining safe and legal abortions. i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation. it's really bad.

madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair lays before the house the following communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives sir, pursuant to the permission granted in twaws 2-h of rule 2 -- clause 2-h of rule 2 of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on may 13, 2015, at 9:45 a.m. that the senate passed without amendment h.r. 1075. with best wishes. -- with best i am. signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: thank you madam speaker. by the direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 255 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 31. house resolution 255 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. 1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the department of defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, 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 armed services. 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 adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 36, to amend

title 18, united states code, to protect pain-capable unborn children, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary or their respective designees, and two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 3, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 2048, to reform

the authorities of the federal government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic surveillance, use pen registers and trap and trace devices, and use other forms of information gathering for foreign intelligence, counterterrorism and criminal purposes, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary, and two, one motion

to recommit with or without instructions. section 4, it shall be in order at any time on the legislative day of may 14, 2015, or may 15, 2015, for the speaker to entertain motions that the house suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule 15. the speaker or his designee shall consult with the minority leader or her designee on the designation of any matter for consideration pursuant to this section. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized for one hour. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. i now yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. slaughter pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: madam speaker, house

resolution 255 provides for general debate for h.r. 1735, the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2016, provides for a closed rule for consideration of h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act, and provides for a closed rule for consideration of h.r. 2048, the u.s.a. freedom act. the rule before us today provides for general debate for h.r. 1735, the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2016. also known as the ndaa. the ndaa, which has passed congress and has been enacted for over 50 years in a row is a vital exercise each year in providing for the common defense, one of our most profound constitutional responsibilities. the ndaa includes over $600

billion in important national security funding, providing resources to each of our four military branches, our nuclear deterrent and related agencies. the legislation fully funds the president's request for funding for our war fighters overseas and includes important steps to advance department of defense acquisition policies to ensure we're saving taxpayer dollars and stretching our precious defense dollars as far as possible. h.r. 1735 also includes provisions improving military readiness, strengthening our cyberwarfare defenses and holding the line on keeping terrorists in cells at guantanamo bay, not in our states or back in the battlefield. this rule also provides for consideration of h.r. 2048, the u.s.a. freedom act which addresses critical national security investigation concerns while making needed changes to

protect the privacy of americans. h.r. 2048 prohibits explicitly the bulk collection of all records under section 215 of the patriot act. the fisa pen register authority and national security letter statutes, this provision provents government overreach by ending the indiscriminant collection of records that violates the privacy of all americans. this bill also improves transparency making significant fisa interpretations available to the public and requiring the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to disclose how they use these national security authorities. finally, the u.s.a. freedom act ensures that national security is strengthened by closing loopholes that prevent tracking of foreign terrorists narrowly

defining which records the federal government may obtain and enhancing investigations of international proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. madam speaker, i share the concern that our colleagues across the aisle have about the return of the young women taken by boko haram and salute their wearing red today and you're wearing red today. however, madam speaker, i chose to wear pink today because we are dealing with a very sensitive issue about unborn children. . today's rule provides for h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. this is important legislation for the house to consider particularly this week. two years after the conviction

of philadelphia-based late-term abortionist, dr. gosnell, who was found guilty of first degree murder in the case of three babies born alive in his clinic. he killed these children using a procedure he called snipping, which involved gosnell inserting a pair of scissors into the baby's neck and cutting its spinal cord, a procedure that was reportedly routine. a doctor testified to the grand jury that one of the babies known as baby boy a spent his few moments of life in pain. late-term abortions are agonizingly painful and they are happening all too often in our nation. americans have been asking, how different those abortions are from gosnell's snipping. thankfully they know the answer to those questions and support

protecting these nearly fully developed lives. on march 2013 poll conducting by the polling company found that 64% of the public supports a law prohibiting an abortion after 20 weeks when an unborn baby can feel pain. supporters included 63% of women and 47% of those who identified themselves as quote, pro-choice. that finding was not an outliar. it's representative of the public's true beliefs. according to a 2013 gallup poll 64% of americans prohibiting second trimester abortions and 80% support prohibiting third trimester abortions. even the huffington post found in 2013 that 59% of americans support limiting abortions after 20 weeks and the cosmo magazine

had an article recently about the impact of smoking by pregnant women on their quote, unborn babies. they weren't blobs of tissue or fetuses, but quote unborn children. these unborn children can feel pain, which is why they are provided anesthesia when surgery is performed on them and they can survive outside the womb. the "new york times" reporting on a study that the new england journal of medicine published that found 25% of children born prematurely at the stage of pregnancy covered by this legislation survive. there are countless stories no longer so uncommon we call them miracles of children surviving and thriving such as one who was born right at the stage where

this legislation would protect other children in the womb and is now a spunky almost three-year-old, according to his mother. the legislation we consider today, the pain-capable unborn child protection act is carefully written to advance the consensus of the majority of americans that these late-term abortions should cease. in order to maintain that consensus, the bill includes provisions allowing abortions in cases of rape or where the life of the mother is in danger. it provides strong protections for minors who have been sexually assaulted, stopping abortionists from ignoring child abuse that enters their facility. most importantly, it protects the lives of well developed pain-capable children who could well survive outside the womb. america is one of only seven nations that allow elective

abortions after 20 weeks which includes such well known human rights leaders as north korea, china and vietnam. the pain-capable unborn child protection act would finally put an end to that. madam speaker, i commend this rule and the underlying bills to my colleagues for their support. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i yield myself such time as i may consume. as soon as i get my glasses. madam speaker, i rise today frustrated and angry by the state of affairs in the united states. last night an amtrak derailed which was traveling over the busiest track, the tragedy killed six injured more than

200 just days before the highway trust fund is about to expire. republicans will spend millions of dollars in this bill on war, but let the roads and rails and bridges rot. $38 billion is in a defense bill under the o.c.o. account because it does not affect the budget cap. what are we going to do about the busiest corridor in the united states? nothing. as a matter of fact, according to politico on this very day the republicans in the appropriations committee are 21-29 vote defeated an amendment offered by the ranking member, david price that would have boosted funding for several transportation programs including amtrak. the very day after this. now the "baltimore sun" tells us

that the operation advisory commission for the northeast corridor says thes estimation of loss of service for a single day will be the cost of $100 million in travel delays and lost productivity. six people have died, 200 were hospitalized. add the medical costs on all of that it will only take a week or a little bit more to use up the entire account for the amount of money the appropriations committee is willing to put into amtrak. as we look at that, what we do here saving money and cutting out and dropping everything has to be the costs that are borne outside with people with their medical costs, by the delay, by unable to get the goods to market. if i have ever seen in haste penny-wise and dollar-foolish

this one is it. that isn't even our discussion today. what i want to talk about here is that the majority of priorities are so misplaced, they can't even govern this body in an ordinary way. the cost today under this one rule, we will consider a 20-week abortion ban, which is unconstitutional and we know it but they are going to do it any way and consider bulk data collection and we will do the general debate to our national defense authorization act. we have an hour to do this rule to talk about those. the bills have no commonality at all and there was no need to put them in a single rule. the rule is called a grab bag rule and governance the floor debate for pieces of legislation and debate in this chamber suffers when many unrelated bills are crammed into a single rule. it is legislative malpractice

madam speaker practiced here all the time and getting worse term after term. under this procedure, arguments for and against multiple measures are interspeakersed which leads to disjointed, fragmented and confusing debate and furthermore each bill doesn't get due consideration which harms not only the rules committee but the house of representatives and above all, the american people. but the most egregious use of our time is prioritizing the attacking of women's health over everything else that is going on in the country. this majority has introduced another 20-week abortion ban that prohibits abortions after 20 weeks based on a widely disputed scientific claim that a fetus can feel pain at that point in a pregnancy. but this is not the first time we have seen this bill and not the first time we have seen it in this congress, which is five

months old. just weeks ago, on the anniversary of the supreme court decision of roe v. wade, the provision and so offensive that the women in the majority party ball beinged. in the middle of the night the majority pulled the bill from the floor. the first version was bad enough and included exceptions for rape and incease. 48 hours had to report it to the law enforcement or could not be eligible for an abortion. and the new bill is worst because it says she has to have 48 hours of counseling but can't get it at the hospital where the abortion has to be done. but the most owed youse thing they have done is what they have done, they put an age limit on

it. can you imagine that? it is unbelievable and i know this bill will not go anywhere and i doubt the senate will take it up. it is something to apiece people who believe anything that they hear anything such as abortion on demand. there is not. third trimester abortions that is medley necessary, if you haven't talked to any of those women, you don't know what they have been through. they desperately want that baby but sometimes they have no brains, sometimes they are born with organs -- they are unable to survive. and many times those case the woman can preserve her reproductive system so she can have more children, how incredibly cruel it is that we want to take that decision away from the woman and her doctor whm ever she wants to consult

and put it of the hands of legislators? maybe we should decide who should have gall bladder operations or whether broken legs should be treated. but what is happening here today is disgustingly cruel. the supreme court has long held a woman has an unequivocal right to choose abortions until the point of fetal viability which is accepted by the scientific community to be 24 weeks. 20-week abortion ban challenges the supreme court standards and attempts to push for earlier and earlier into a woman's pregnancy, because that is the number one issue and we have been told that. when i started working on this issue four decades ago, i surely thought by now we would not decide whether or not a woman

can make a decision about her own health. how awful it is that just less than a week after mother's day when we are reminded how brilliant and far-seeing, how great in their judgment, but we decide that every other woman in the country has not the ability to make decisions for herself. enough of this. enough of practicing medicine without a license. let's get to the business at hand and fix the infrastructure of the united states of america and make it safe for our fellow citizens to get to work and the idea that all these people are wounded and hurt today and died because we failed to keep up the tracks in the united states of america, which was known worldwide for its infrastructure. and now stands barely a pittance on trying to maintain old tracks. and the mayor of new york says

he has bridges of new york that are over 100 years old. i have bridges over the canal that trucks can't go over them. but no, we aren't going to talk about that but making women what we want them to do. i yield back. -- i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: probably throughout the day we will be setting the record straight on things my colleague said, victims of rape can get counseling. but most egregiously the arguments raised by incease. if a woman is sexually assaulted there is a rape exception in this legislation that applies regardless of the family's status of her agressor or the age of the victim.

as the legislation includes an exception for all women who are sexually assaulted those across the aisle who raise incease appear to believe we provide special exceptions to individuals in a consenual relationship. that boggles the mind. this is a shameful distraction we are having about protecting well developed unborn children being ripped apart in the womb. i yield one minute to the the gentleman from kansas, mr. huelskamp. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. huelskamp: thank you madam speaker. abortionists, gosnell was convicted of murdering three innocent newborn infants in his filthy abortion complex and one of his employees nearly 100 babies also murdered. he cut the spines of crying

five-month old born babies who survived the attempts to kill them and human dignity makes it impossible to ignore that image. killing of two of them by drug jow dose and per for ating the wombs and bowls. it is painful to have their spines snipped before birth or after birth. babies can feel pain intense pain. it is barbaric to allow gosnell or anyone else to rip these babies apart limb by limb whether in or out of their mother's wombs. we must protect the defenseless unborn and pass the pain-capable unborn child protection act. i yield back. . ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the

gentlewoman from the district of columbia for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. norton: i thank my good friend for her work on this bill, strong and protective of women. i want to speak to where this bill started. the district of columbia was the starting horse for h.r. 7 until women's groups, and i protested vigorously. sorry, colleagues we may have chased the majority from the d.c. 20-week abortion bill only to see them now target all of the nation's women with an even worse bill. however, not even the republican majority can overrule the roe vs. wade holding that h.r. 7 is unconstitutional for lowering the court's and scientific findings on when a fetus becomes

viable. h.r. 7 focuses on a previability fetus, but excludes any protection for the health of the woman involved. shamefully, even traumatized, rape victims are punished further by steps that require that they virtually prove they were raped before they can get an abortion. my colleagues, what i say to you is that now is the time to oppose h.r. 7. the supreme court already has. i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. kelly: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady.

this is a very commonsense bill. h.r. 36 being presented by my colleague, mr. franks from arizona and the reason is why do we have to do this? i'm going to tell you something because scientific evidence now shows that unborn babies can feel bane by 20 weeks post fertilization and likely even earlier. because a late-term abortion is an excruciatingly painful and inhumane act against children being born and their mothers. women turning -- terminating pregnancies at 20 weeks are 35 times more likely to die from an abortion than in the first trimester. and 90 more times more likely to die from an abortion at 20 or more weeks at beyond. after five months into a pregnancy, the baby is undeniably a living, growing human and government's first duty is to protect innocent life. because overwhelmingly most americans, i'm talking about men and women, young and old, support legislation to protect these innocent people.

because the hideous case of kermit gosnell in philadelphia is a brutal reminder of what can occur without these types of legislation in place. h.r. 36 would federally ban almost all abortions being performed beyond the 20th week. except for instances of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is at stake. i want to tell my colleagues, just think of how little effort it would be tate to take your voth card out -- today to take your voting card out, put it in the machine, and press on the green button and by doing that you are saying yes to protecting the most vulnerable people in our society from going through unbelievable amounts of pain. isn't it amazing that in america's house we have to pass legislation to protect the most innocent life? this is incredible that we have to even come forward and debate this. my goodness, this is just so intuitive of who we are not as republicans or democrats, but as human beings. we have to protect the unborn

because they cannot protect themselves. vote yes on this today. let's make sure that our children are not subjected to this pain and that their mothers are not subjected to the same pain. and the resulting loss of life. i thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: thank you madam speaker. i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from colorado, co-chair of the pro-choice caucus, ms. degette. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. ms. degette: madam speaker, in six days the highway trust fund expires. so what is congress spending its time doing today? of course, debating a bill that will limit a woman's access to a safe and legal medical procedure and place politicians in the place they should never be between a woman and her doctor. ask your mother, your sister, your daughter your wife, or your neighbor and she will tell you, women don't need

politicians interference when making their own health care decisions. yet here we are again today debating a bill that does just that. now everybody remembers this bill was pulled from the floor in january because it was so extreme. but today the bill that's on the floor is even worse than the bill that they pulled in january. h.r. 36 is particularly harmful to victims of rape and incest. women who have had unbelievable trauma would be effectively forced to get permission before they could seek medical treatment that they need to regain some control over their bodies, their house, and their safety. they would have to jump through complex and punitive legal hoops to get -- before they could have the procedure that they need. so therefore somebody who has been victimized once would end up being victimized again by our government. now, let's be clear.

the new provisions in this law include a number of burdensome requirements on rape and incest victims. first, there is a waiting period of 48 hours for an adult rape survivor. second, there is a requirement that a minor a minor who is a victim of rape or incest after 20 weeks give written proof that she reported the crime to law enforcement or a government agency. a minor who is a victim of incest has to do this. there is language that special phis that the counseling or medical treatment described above may not be from a health center that provides abortion services. so let's say she goes to her doctor. she gets counseling. but someone knells that medical practice provides abortion -- someone knells that medical practice provides abortion. she's out of luck. if she doesn't thread that needle, too bad. she can't get it. perhaps the most outrageous

thing about this bill though is the fundamental disrespect that it shows for women. it assumes that women will just wake up in this country after 20 weeks of pregnancy, decide to have an abortion, and then lie about being a victim of rape or incest. that view is just wrong and it's offensive to women. oh by the way, as ms. slaughter mentioned this bill is patently unconstitutional, even if it didn't get vetoed by the president, it would be struck down by the supreme court. so i suggest that we vote no now and that we respect women's ability to make their own health and their own decisions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york reserves her time. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. the claim that minors have to report to law enforcement is false. they do not need to report anything to law enforcement. the law provides that the

abortionist must report to social services or law enforcement to ensure that they do not let child abuse that comes to their attention continue unchecked. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. duffy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. duffy: thank you, madam speaker. this is a bill that is protecting babies that can survive outsite the womb. this is babies who can feel pain. this is institution wouldn't stand up for those vulnerable children in our society is a sad day for this institution. i have seven children. this is my sixth this picture was taken with the two of us the day she was born. she is now five years old. she's gregarious, awesome, fun. the most beautiful joy in our family. the way the law stands today is that the day before this picture was taken it would have been legal to abort her.

i want to talk about women's rights. it's a little girl. this is a little baby girl who will one day grow up to be a woman. let's stand up and protect this little girl not the day she was born only but also the day that she's in the womb. let's protect her from the pain of abortion. the silent screams of those babies who were aborted in the room that aren't heard because they don't have voices in this institution defending them. madam speaker i listened to the floor debate day after day whether in this chamber or on c-span, and i'm here to decide, talk about how they fight for the forgotten. they fight for the defenseless. they fight for the voiceless. and they pound their chest and stomp their feet. you don't have anyone in our society that's more defenseless than these little babies. and we are not talking -- i believe in conception --

immaculate conception, i know my colleagues can't agree with me on that. can't we come together and stay we are going to stand with little babies that feel pain that survive outside the womb, one that is don't have lobbyists, money, can't offer contributions to campaign? don't we stand with those little babies? if you stand with the defenseless, with the voiceless, you have to stand with little babies. don't talk to me about cruelty in our bill. when you look at little babies being dismembered, feeling excruciating pain, if we can't stand to defend these children, what do we stand for in this institution? what do we stand for in america if we can't stand up for the most defenseless and voiceless among us? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. and the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: thank you, madam speaker. i want to just correct my friend from north carolina who said that nothing has to be reported to law enforcement. it says and i read, if the

pregnancy is the result of rape against a minor or incest against a minor, and the rape or incest has been reported to either one, a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse or, two law enforcement. i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, ms. speier. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. speier: i thank the gentlelady from new york. members, i am just so perplexed by our willingness every time an abortion issue is brought up that we don the equivalent of a white coat. we believe that we are doctors in this august body. that we should be making decisions on behalf of the women who are pregnant and their spouses and their physicians. that we know better than everyone else. if we had women in america who

saw their doctors as frequently as we talk about their health on the house floor boy, they would have a lot of access to doctors. four months ago this bill was taken up and the women many of the women, in the republican caucus thought it went too far. and so it's been amended a little bit and now they think it doesn't go too far. well, let me tell you what too far is. first of all, remember, that only 1.5% of abortions take place after 20 months. they take place for a lot of personal and profoundly physical reasons, and the decision is made by the physician in conjunction with the pregnant woman and her family. what in the heck are we doing putting our noses in their lives? it is constitutional, members. it is legal in this country to have an abortion.

now, rape. if you are raped and it's after 20 weeks, you have to go to a law enforcement officer or you have to have mental health services. now, let me remind you, the sexual assaults that take place in the military, 81% of them are never reported. when you are raped, the last thing you want to do is relive that experience to be victimized again. because you are so offended and feel so violated. and now we are going to say, whether you're 17 or 19, you're going to have to report this to law enforcement. or go to a mental health officer. beyond that we are saying if there's an anomaly, you're going to have to take that fetus -- ms. slaughter: i yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. speier: if there is an anomaly and your fetus is not going to be able to survive as an infant outside of the womb, that you're going to have to

carry that to term. ladies and gentlemen let me say this. i have had two abortions. one was at 10 weeks when the fetus no longer had a heartbeat. and i was told, you're going to have to wait a few days before you have that d.n.c. a d.n.c. is an abortion. and i said i i just lost this baby that i wanted and you want me to carry around a dead fetus for two days? and i finally got that d.n.c. in time. at 17 weeks, i lost another baby. it was an extraordinarily painful experience. it was an abortion. women who go through these experiences go through them with so much pain and anguish, and here we are as members of this

body trying to don another white coat. i think we should put this down and put -- -- i think we should stop playing doctor and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves and the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from indiana, mrs. what lors sky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. walorski: i rise today because i believe that all i'm life is worth protecting. each of us are here today because we all stand for something greater, we believe that all human life is precious. we believe each life is worth living that life deserves respect and protection and every human being has equal worth and dignity. that's why everybody matters. that's why everyone counts. the pain-capable unborn child

protection act protects life, empowers women and will save lives. this legislation represents the will of the american people with over 60% of americans support protecting unborn children after 20 weeks. a critical component of this legislation ensures that women receive counseling or medical care for a traumatic event that precipitated her pregnancy prior to obtaining an abortion. because the pain of an abortion is felt by both mother and child, those who feel abortion is the only option deserves medical treatment and emotional assistance beyond what can be provided by an aorganizationist. we have the responsibility of representing our constituents to protect the most vulnerable among us and ensure that women do not face judgment or condemnation but have positive support structures and access to health care to help them through their pregnancies. this bill protects life.

thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina is reserving and the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: one of our former colleagues barney frank of massachusetts made one of the most telling statements i think that many of the people who are speaking today and obviously by their action believe that life begins at conception but ends at birth, because these are the very same people who refuse to fund schools and cut back on food stamps and pay no attention to children who grow up under unsanitary and dreadful conditions, who take away from their parents the unemployment insurance which they might be able to live and keep the children together that callous disregard of the living makes the proprietary of the statement

that they love life. if you have to practice that for the living as well. the children in this country -- the rates are becoming appalling. the number of children who live under the poverty line in america who suffer every day and get the only food they get often at school, if they are able to get there. should soften the hearts of the people who want to make sure that every fetus is born, nobody has to have an abortion, but for women who need it for medical reasons or are protected by the constitution, make that decision. and how awful it is and i have to echo what i had said earlier, the idea that members of the house of representatives or any other legal body -- i have been in three men have usually carried this debate deciding what women should do, but in the

three legislation legislatures i have been in, never talked to anybody who was in the position, but i also do know people who change their minds when their daughters perhaps got into a position and had to make that decision or not. heaven's sakes let's examine what we do here in this house of representatives. tell me that you are going to make sure that children are fed, that you are going to make sure that children are housed did he sently and afford their education and that the health care they are going to need is going to be there for them so they have the opportunity to grow up into a healthy strong american that you are talking about, because the actions belie it. i remember the pain doing away with the unfloiment insurance, people gave up their homes and in some cases they spent -- sent

their children to live with relatives. we can't divorce this debate from that reality in america. go visit in your districts some of the children who live that way. go into some of the poor areas and see what their housing is like and see what kind of nutrition they have and it makes it much more pallattable to understand their point of view. what it comes down to is that once people are born in this country that we are our brother's keeper. and hillary clinton was right, it does take a village to raise a child. do your part. i reserve. i'm terribly emotional today. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman from new york reserves and the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. mr. smith: two years ago today pennsylvania abortion dr. gosnell was convicted of murder conspiracy to kill and involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to life imprisonment. it was depressed by the mainstream media dr. gosnell operated a large philadelphia abortion clinic where women died and countless babies were dismembered or chemically destroyed often by having their spinal cords snipped, all gruesome procedures causing pain to the victim. today the house considers landmark legislation authored by congressman trent franks to protect unborn children beginning at the age of 20 weeks post fertilization from these

pain-filled abortions. the act is needed now more than ever because there are gosnells all over america dismembering and decap tating pain-capable babies for profit. men like steven bripham of new jersey, some 35 aborted babies were found in his freezer. another caught on videotape joking about his abortion tool kit complete with a axe and drill bits by describing a three-day late-term abortion procedure and the victim, quote like putting meat in a crockpot. some call this choice but a growing of americans rightly regard it as violence against children and huge majority, 60% according to the november poll want it stopped.

this came from a youth study of nearly 5,000 babies, preemies published last week in the new england journal of medicine. "new york times" article touted the journal's extraordinary findings of survival and hope. just imagine, madam speakers babies at 20 weeks are surviving as technology and medical science advances. and some like alexis hutchison is today a healthy five-year-old who originally weighed in at a mere 1.1 pounds. thus, the babies we seek to protect from harm today they indeed survive if treated humanely with expertise and with an abundance of compassion. i urge support for the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is

recognized. ms. slaughter: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to read from a patient's story, starting with the fact that women need access to abortion care later in pregnancy for a variety of reasons and must have the ability to make decisions that are right for them in consultation with their health care providers and those they trust. a woman's health, not politics, should be the bases of important medical decisions. chris from indiana when chris went on her 20-week ultrasound, she thought she would learn the sex, but found out that her baby had problems. the doctor said there was no chance survival and it could risk her health and future fertility or safely terminate the pregnancy. chris said it was a hard decision but happy she was able

to make it with her family because of a 20-week ban in indiana, she had to travel to ohio to obtain her abortion care. if h.r. 36 would pass she would have no place to go. lorna is a mother of three with a number of health issues, including lupus, a tumor on up upper intestine. she knew carrying another pregnancy to term was not an option to her. she hemorrhaged while giving birth to her last child and her sister had died after giving birth. lorna didn't want to risk another potentially dangerous delivery and have her children be without a mother and went to the closest abortion clinic and was unable to obtain an abortion because of her health issues. the clinic recommended that she obtain an abortion in a hospital setting, but the closest

hospital that could handle her health care needs was in california. with help from the clinic lorna was able to fly more than 2,000 miles to california to obtain the abortion care she needed at almost 22 weeks pregnancy. she wouldn't be able to do it under this bill. another moved from texas to florida with two children. while trying to create a new stable home for her children. josephine was raped. and couldn't afford to pay for her abortion and the closest provider was more than 80 miles away. she attempted to inject poison and ended up being hospitalized and needed several blood transfusions. by the time she was able to gather resources to cover her abortion services and transportation, she was 23 weeks

pregnant. mua live in georgia, she and her mother tried to borrow money to pay for her abortion but couldn't gather enough resources in time and had to delay the care. by the time she was able to raise money to make her appointment she found out she was further along and now 21 weeks pregnant and was able to access care, but if h.r. 36 was the law, she would have been prohibited. another was raped by her friend. she knew immediately she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. as a full-time student she had no income and couldn't tell her mom because she knew her mom would want to keep the pregnancy. she spent two months trying to raise enough money to pay for her procedure and nothing to pawn or sell and was so desperate and even asked the rapist for money, but he refused to help her.

when she was past 20 weeks, she was put in touch with a hotline and able to provide the financial money she needed. another one in south carolina was working to build a stable life in a homeless shelter and found out she was pregnant. she decided to terminate her pregnancy was the best decision for her and her family who had no home. she found she was already more than 20 weeks pregnant. thanks to friends willing to help her with money, sarah was able to get the care she needed. gloria from washington was -- moved in with her parents to financially support them and faced with an unwanted pregnancy. the men involved don't have to pay anything or do anything at all? isn't that a strange circumstance. when she was faced with unwanted pregnancy, she was working and making minimum wage and had no

paid sick leave and still in her new job probationary period. after receiving her paycheck she didn't have enough funds to support her family and to travel to the provider three hours away and pay for the procedure itself. she decided not to pay her other bills and in order to have funds to cover travel and care. she ran into a barrier, her boss, she needed to take time off work but her employer wouldn't allow her to do so. her job was jeopardy and her boss relented and able to obtain the abortion care she needed. . i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: i yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. franks: i thank the

gentlelady. i thank madam speaker, i would like to first just express my deepest and sincerest gratitude to every last person who played a role in the creation and development of the pain capable and unborn child protection act now before us on this unique and historic day. madam speaker, we really understand what we are all talking about here. but protecting little pain capeable unborn babies is not the republican issue or democrat issue. it really is a test of our basic humanity and who we are as a human family. i would just hope that members of congress as well as all americans will go on pain capable.com and see for themselves what technology has found in 2015. that unborn children entering their sixth month of pregnancy are capable of feeling pain is now beyond question. the real question that remains is will those of us privileged

to live and breathe in this the land of the free and home of the brave finally come together and protect mothers and their little innocent pain capable unborn babies from monsters like kermit gosnell? that's the question madam speaker. god help us to do it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. abraham. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. abraham: madam speaker, i stand here as a proud sponsor of the pain capable unborn child protection act. this is strong, common sense legislation focused on protecting the lives of unborn children and their mothers. and i'm very happy that this new language is even stronger than the bill that was original -- original bill in january.

as a doctor i know and i can attest that this bill is backed by scientific research, showing that babies can, indeed, feel pain at 20 weeks. if not, before. that's why it's so important we stand up for life and stand up for this human rights issue. this is a pro-life effort that deserves bipartisan support. i fully urge passage of thi the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the the gentlewoman from new york. ms. slaughter: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you madam speaker. i yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan mr. benishek. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. benishek: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in suthe pain capable unborn child protection act. i along with many of my constituents in northern michigan believe that life inside the womb is just as precious as life outside the womb.

and it must be protected. the pain capable unborn child protection act will prevent abortions from occurring after the point at which many scientific studies have demonstrated that children in the womb can actually feel pain. all children, even the unborn, have the absolute right to life. we need to do our utmost to protect the most defenseless among us. i served as a doctor in northern michigan where i was able to witness the miracle of new life in the delivery room. because of this, because of my experience as a father and as a grandfather, i have made protecting the rights of the unborn my priority while serving in congress. i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: madam speaker, may i inquire how many speakers

my colleague has? the speaker pro tempore: inquire regarding number of speakers. ms. foxx: we have three remaining speakers madam speaker. ms. slaughter: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york continues to reserve. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, dr. boustany. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. boustany: thank you, madam speaker. as a medical doctor i took an oath to protect lives. as a cardiothoracic surgeon for many years, i worked day and night to save lives in the operating room. and today, i stand proudly with my colleagues here on the house floor to defend the lives of those poor, innocent, unborn children who don't have anybody else to stand up to defend them. the scientific evidence is clear. unborn babies feel pain. they feel pain at 20 weeks post fertilization. this bill bans late-term abortions with limited

exceptions. according to the charlotte institute, the united states is one of only seven countries worldwide, including north korea and china, that allows elective late-term abortions. the nonpartisan congressional budget office estimates enacting this bill will save 2,750 lives each year. my state has already acted to ban these late-term abortions. i urge my colleagues to be compassionate. i urge my colleagues to support the pain capable unborn child protect action act so that unborn lives in all 50 states are protected from painful late-term abortions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you madam speaker. i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from south dakota mrs. noem. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mrs. noem: thank you madam

speaker. today i rise in support of the rule of h.r. 36, the pain capable unborn child protection act. this is a strong bill that prevents abortions after 20 weeks. except in certain circumstances. i urge my colleagues to support this bill today. as the mother of three, i know that the worry and anxiety that comes along with carrying a child. many times that worry doesn't end after birth. i still think about my children with concern every day. i understand the difficulties and decisions that many women have during this time. motherhood is a big responsibility. and it's a huge change. and as a community we need to help women through this time. we also have the responsibility to come together as a country. and to protect the most innocent and vulnerable among us. in this bill, we are talking about protecting unborn babies that are already 20 weeks old. and the mothers who are halfway through their pregnancy. that's about five months. at this stage many women already have a baby bump. they are wearing maternity clothing. the baby can be as long as as a

banana and kicking and moving around even to the point the mother will feel those kicks and movement. more importantly, this is the stage where we know the babe can feel pain and could be viable outside the womb with proper care. in fact, there is evidence that the pain that the unborn baby feels is even more intense than what a young child or adult would feel because of their nervous system isn't developed enough to block that pain. the majority of women in the united states are with us on this bill. we must protect these innocent lives when they are the most vulnerable and sensitive among us to feeling pain. so thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina nks is recognized. ms. foxx: i yield one minute to the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamborn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamborn: madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 36, the pain capable unborn child protection

act. scientific evidence has demonstrated that by 20 weeks unborn babies are able to feel pain. and thanks to ongoing medical improvements, premature babies at this stage with increasingly able to live outside the womb. this bill will protect unborn babies 20 weeks and older from having to suffer the excruciating pain from an abortion death. abortions at this late stage are brutal and extremely painful where the child is either dismembered or poisoned. every life at this stage is a precious gift from god and we as americans should continue to protect life. this bill will do just that. madam speaker, i urge full support of the rule and for this legislation. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: may inquire if my colleague is ready to close. ms. foxx: madam speaker, we are

prepared to close.d. ms. slaughter: thank you, madam speaker. let me continue with gloria from washington. this is somewhat different, but certainly poignant. gloria just -- and her husband, chris, will go to south carolina. amy and chris were very excited about their pregnancy. the previous pregnancies had been uncomplicated so they decided to forgo genetic testing. however during the scheduled 20-week ultrasound the couple received lethal abnor mallity -- abnormality. they were advised to go for further genetic testing which were expensive. the results of this took an additional 10 to 14 days, amy was past the 20 weeks gestation when she made the decision to obtain an abortion. with a nationwide 20 week ban couples like chris and amy, would not have been able to make decisions right for their families. the night before careena called

the hotline, she literally slept against a lamp post. she's homeless, makes herself jewelry in order to buy food. she can't afford housing. she called the hotline because she realized she was pregnant after being raped by the father of her five children. even though she was raped, arizona medicaid would not cover her abortion care. she could barely afford food days and could nooth forward the cost of the abortion and had to delay her care. thanks to multiple abortion funds including the hotline fund, and discount from her care provider, she was able to obtain the abortion she needed. this bill would stop that. katherine from georgia. katherine was planning on carrying her pregnancy to term even though she had a number of pregnancy complications, including having to receive blood transfusions throughout the pregnancy. when she was post 20 weeks pregnant katherine found out her fetus had an anomaly. she placed the child up for adoption. in the past she knew adoption was not an option for her again

nor was parenting this pregnancy. she started to save money and tried pawning the title to her car but was told it was too old and worth nothing. she was able to borrow money from friends and called the hotline to find a provider. the night before her appointment, she said even though she knew she was making the right decision, she was nervous about the protestors who would be outside the clinic. the next day she did not let the protesters yelling at her scare her away. she was able to obtain the care she needed. madam speaker, i have just received news that the death toll has risen to seven in the amtrak tragedy. and it's time in this house -- past time, really, to focus on the real priorities that face our country. i ask unanimous consent to insert into the record articles from "baltimore sun" and politico that i referred to previously. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. slaughter: madam speaker, we have before us a bill that

solidifies the majority's incense of putting political gain before women's health. we also have a rule and unnecessary govern consideration of three unrelated built, each needing its own debate. these so-called grab bag rules harm our institution, muddle debate and dishonor the importance of the rules committee and its jurisdiction. for all these reasons, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the rule and madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. and thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. this rule provides for the consideration of several important pieces of legislation. h.r. 1735, the f.y. ndaa was the result of months of bipartisan work that includes crucial provisions to ensure our armed forces are efficient, ready, and lethal no debate would be complete without an expression

of our deep gratitude and thanks to the members of our military serving at home and overseas and the veterans who serve before them. . by providing funding in this legislation, we make a small beginning on the impossible to repay debt that we owe them. consistent with our constitutional obligation to provide for the defense of our country, fulfilled by consideration of the ndaa, h.r. 2048, u.s. freedom act similarly meets our responsibility to secure america by tightening necessary authorities to combat potential terrorist threats while making fundamental reforms such as the end of bulk collection of phone records to protect americans' privacy and civil liberties. the provisions of this bill that increase transparency by declassifying decisions, orders and opinions by the fisa court and require the post of reports to congress also ensure that

congress and the public can hold these actors accountable. these critical reforms strengthen our national security, give the federal government the tools needed to combat threats and ensure that privacy and civil liberties are protected. our civil liberties aren't the only rights meriting protection, the right to life is the most fundamental of rights. and i'm proud the people's house will consider h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. getting america out of the group with north korea, china and vietnam is one of seven nations permitting such late-term abortions. it provides protections for 20 weeks old and older. fingers and toes and can kick hard enough to start will their mothers. thanks to the gays of god and advances of modern science many of them can survive outside the

womb. millions of americans welcome the protections for defending the lives of almost fully developed unborn children. there is no surprise in the wake of dr. gosnell's horrors and will only continue as more americans learn about the dismemberment and other practices that accompany killing an unborn child of that age. this legislation is a necessary step in recognizing the truth that science has made more clear with the pass eaming of time. the unborn child in the womb is alive. i urge my colleagues to join me in speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves by supporting this legislation and i thank all of my eloquent colleagues who came down today to speak on this rule. madam speaker, the rule before us provides for action by the house on three critical pieces of legislation. and i strongly urge my colleagues' support. i yield back and i move the

previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to. ms. slaughter: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 240 and the nays are 186. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the chair may postpone further proceedings today on a motion to recommit as though under clause 8 of rule 20. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 255, i call up h.r. 2048 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 77, h.r. 2048, a bill to reform the authorities of the federal government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic surveillance, use pen registers and trap and trace devices, and use other forms of information gathering for foreign intelligenc -- intelligence counterterrorism and criminal purposes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 255, the amendment printed in part b of house report 114-111 is adopted and the bill, as amend, is considered as read. the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and mr. conyers will each control 30 minutes -- the gentleman -- the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on

h.r. 2048, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: as we speak, thousands -- no, millions of telephone metadata records are flowing into the n.s.a. on a daily basis. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, despite changes to the n.s.a. bulk telephone metadata program announced by president obama last year, the bulk collection of the records has not ceased and will not cease unless and until congress acts to shut it down. not even last week's decision by the second circuit court of appeals will end this collection. the responsibility falls to us, and today we must answer the call and the will of the american people to do just that. when we set out to reform this program one year ago, i made the pledge to my colleagues in congress and to the american people that americans' liberty and america's security can

coexist. that these fundamental concepts are not mutually exclusive. they are embedded in the very fabric that makes this nation great and that makes this nation an example for the world. the legislation before the house today h.r. 2048, the u.s.a. freedom act protects these pillers of american democracy. it affirmatively ends the indiscriminant bulk collection of telephone metadata, but it does much further than this. it prohibits the bulk collection of all records under section 215 of the patriot act as well as under the fisa pen register trap and trade device statute and the national security letters statute. in place of the current bulk telephone metadata program the u.s.a. freedom act creates a targeted program that allows the intelligence community to collect noncontent call detail records held by the telephone companies that only with the prior approval of the fisa

court and subject to the special selection term limitation. the records provided to the government in response to queries will be limited to two hops, and the government's handling of any records it acquires will be governed by minimumization procedures approved by the fisa court. the u.s.a. freedom act prevents government overreach by strengthening the definition of specific selection term. the mechanism used to prohibit bulk collection. to ensure the government can collect the information it needs to further a national security investigation while also prohibiting large-scale indiscriminant collection such as data from an entire state, city or zip code. the u.s.a. freedom act strengthens civil liberties and privacy protections by authorizing the fisa court to appoint an individual to serve as an advisor on matters of

privacy and civil liberties, communications technology and other technical or legal matters. it also codifies important procedures for recipients of national security letters to challenge nondisclosure requests. the bill increases transparency by requiring declassification of all significant fisa court opinions and provides procedures for certified questions of law to the fisa court of review and to the united states supreme court. additionally, h.r. 2048 requires the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to provide the public with detailed information about how the intelligence community uses these national security authorities and provides even more robust transparency reporting by america's technology companies. the u.s.a. freedom act enhances america's national security by closing loopholes that make it difficult for the government to track foreign terrorists and spies as they enter or leave

the country, clarifying the application of fisa to foreign targets who facilitate the international proliferation of weapons of mass destruction increasing the maximum penalties for material support of a foreign terrorist organization and extending the sunsets of the expiring patriot act provisions to december 2019. from beginning to end, this is a carefully crafted bipartisan bill that enjoys wide support. i would like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, crime subcommittee chairman jim sensenbrenner full committee ranking member john conyers and intellectual property subcommittee ranking member jerry nadler for working together with me on this important bipartisan legislation. i also want to thank the staffs of these members for the many hours, weeks, yes, even months of hard work they put into this effort. furthermore i'd like to thank

my staff, caroline lynch chief counsel of the crime subcommittee, and jason herring, as well as arthur hiller with mr. conyers -- aaron hiller with mr. conyers and bart forsyth with mr. sensenbrenner, for their long hours and steadfast dedication to this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserbs. the gentleman from michigan is recognized -- the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, sir. ladies and gentlemen, with the passage of the u.s.a. freedom act today, the house will have done its part to enact historic and sweeping reforms to the government surveillance program and powers. this legislation ends bulk collection creates a panel of experts to guide the foreign

intelligence surveillance court and mandates extensive government reporting. today we have a rare opportunity to restore a measure of strength to surveillance programs that have simply gone too far. for years the government has read section 215 of the patriot act to mean that it may collect all domestic telephone records and that merely because some of them may be relevant at sometime in the future. last week, endorsing a view that i and many of my colleagues have held for years, the second circuit court of appeals held that text of section 215 cannot bear the weight the government asks us to assign it, and it does not

authorize the telephone metadata program. now with section 215 set to expire on june 1 we have the opportunity and the obligation to act clearly and decisively and end the program that has infringed on our rights for far too long. a vote in favor of the u.s.a. freedom act is an explicit rejection of the government's unlawful interpretation of section 215 and similar statute. put another way, a vote in favor of this bill is a vote to end dragnet surveillance in the united states. the ban on bulk collection contained in this legislation turns on the idea of a specific

selection term and requires the government to limit the scope of production as narrowly as possible. this definition is much improved from the version of this bill that passed the house last congress. the bill further requires the government to declassify and publish all novel and significant opinions of the foreign intelligence surveillance court. it also creates a panel of experts to advise the court on the protection of privacy and civil liberties, communication technology and other legal and technical matters. these changes along with robust reporting requirements for the government and flexible reporting options for private companies create a new and inescapeable level of that

all-important consideration of transparency. mr. speaker, there are members of the house and senate who oppose this bill because it does not include every reform to surveillance law that we can create. and then there are others who oppose it because it includes any changes to and will accomplish the most sweeping set of reforms to government surveillance in nearly 40 years. h.r. 2048 has earned the support of privacy advocates, private industry, the white house, and the intelligence community. it ends dragnet surveillance. and does so without diminishing in any way our ability to protect this country. i want to extend my sincere thanks to chairman goodlatte to

mr. sensenbrenner of wisconsin, and to mr. nadler of new york who, working with me, to bring a stronger version of the u.s.a. freedom act to the floor i think we succeeded. i also want to thank chairman nunes and ranking member schiff for helping us to reach this point. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 2048. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: at this time it's my pleasure to yield five minutes to the chairman of the crime subcommittee, crime terrorism homeland security and investigation subcommittee, and chief sponsor of this legislation, mr. sensenbrenner. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for five minutes. mr. sensenbrenner: thank you, mr. speaker. you know you drafted a strong bill when unites both national

security hawks and civil libertarians. u.s.a. freedom act has done that. it also has the support of privacy groups, tech companies, and the intelligence community. this bill is an extremely well drafted compromise. the product of nearly two years of work. it effectively protects america's civil liberties and our national security. i am very proud of the u.s.a. freedom act, and am confident it is the most responsible path forward. i do not fault my colleagues who wish that this bill went further to protect our civil liberties. for years the government has violated the privacy of innocent americans, and i share your anger. but letting 215 and other surveillance authorities expire will not only threaten our national security, it would also mean less privacy protection.

i emphasize it would also mean also privacy protections. u.s.a. freedom act also ends both collections across all domestic surveillance authorities not just section 215. it also expands transparency with increased reporting from both government and private companies. if the administration finds a new way to circumvent the law, congress and the public will know. the bill also requires the f.s.c. to declassify legal decisions bringing an end to secret laws. if the patriot act authorities expire, the f.s.c. -- and the f.s.c. approves bulk collection under different authority how will the public know? without the u.s.a. freedom act they will not. allowing the patriot act authority to expire sounds like a civil libertarian victory, but it will actually mean less privacy and more risk. less privacy and more risk.

and now to my colleagues who oppose the u.s.a. freedom act because they don't believe it does enough for national security. this bill is a significant improvement over the status quo. americans will be safer post u.s.a. freedom an they would be if congress passes a clean re-authorization of the expiring provisions. i'm not ignorant to the threats we face but a clean re-authorization would be irresponsible. congress never intended section 215 to allow bulk collection. that program is illegal and based on a blatant misinterpretation of the law. that said, the freedom act gives the intelligence community new tools to combat terrorism in more targeted and effective ways. specifically, the bill replaces the administration's bulk metta data collection with a targeted program to collect only the records the government needs without compromising the privacy

of innocent americans. it includes new authorities to allow the administration to expedite emergency requests under section 215, and fills holes in our surveillance law that require intelligence agencies to go dark on known terrorist or spies when they transit from outside to inside the u.s. or vice versa. under current law, the administration has to temporarily stop monitoring persons of interest as it shifts between domestic and international surveillance authorities. what's more likely to stop the next terrorist attack, the bulk collection of records of innocent americans, or the ability to track down a known terrorist as soon as he or she enters the united states? if you answer that question the same way i do, then don't let the bluster and fear mongering of the bill's opponents convince you that we are safer with a clean re-authorization than we are with this bill.

attorney general lynch and director of national intelligence clapper recognize this. in a recent letter of support they wrote, the significant reforms contained in this legislation will provide the public greater confidence in how our intelligence activities are carried out and in the oversight of those activities while ensuring vital national security authorities remain in place, unquote. let's not kill these important reforms because we wish this bill did more. there is no perfect. every bill we vote on could do more. i play the lottery. when i win, i don't throw away the winning ticket because i wish the jackpot were higher. it's time to pass the u.s.a. freedom act. i'm asking all my colleagues, democrats and republicans, security hawks and civil libertarians, to vote for it. let's speak with one voice in the house of representatives and together urge the united states senate to work quickly and to

adopt these important reforms. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman will suspend. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: mr. 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: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased now to recognize the indefatigable work of the gentleman from new york, a senior member of judiciary committee, mr. nadler, for three minutes. mr. nadler: thank you chairman. mr. speaker the u.s.a. freedom act represents a return to the basic principles of the fourth amendment. the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. before the government may search our homes, zeeze our persons, or

intercept our communications, it must first make a showing of individualized suspicion. the intrusion it requests must be as targeted and brief as circumstances allow. the fourth amendment demands no less. that is why we are here today. we have learned that the government has engaged in unreasonable searches against all of us. it has gathered an enormous amount of information about every phone call in the united states. it has deemed all of our phone calls relevant to a terrorism investigation. it is intolerable to our sense of freedom. today we are acting to stop it. the bill before us prohibits the intelligence community from engaging in bulk data collection within the united states. this practice the dragon collection without a warrant, to telephone records and internet metadata, is the equivalent of the british assistance in the revolutionary word imposed. it never complied with the constitution and must be brought

to an end without delay. the legal theories that justified these programs were developed and approved in secret that. practice must also come to an end. it must not be a body of secret law in the united states. section 215 says tangible things may be seized if they are relevant to a terrorism investigation. the government's interpretation that this means everything is obviously wrong. it only have been advanced in secret and cannot withstand the public scrutiny which it is now subjected. the second circuit court of appeals threw out this notion last week and now we must do so as well. this bill further requires the government to promptly declassify and release each novel or significant opinion of the foreign intelligence surveillance court. in the future if the government advances a similarly dubious claim, there will be an advocate in court to oppose it. if the court should agree with the novel claim the public will know about it almost immediately, and their responsibility will lie with us to correct it just as quickly. before i close i want to be clear, not every reform i would

have voted to enact is included in this bill. we must do more to protect u.s. person information collected under section 702 of fisa. we must act to reform other authorities, many in law enforcement rather than intelligence community authorities to prevent indiscriminate searches. i will continue to fight for these reforms among others and i know i will not be alone in taking up that challenge in the days to come. but i am grateful that we have the opportunity to take this first major step to restore the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects and to do so without in any way endangering their social security. i thank chairman goodlatte, chairman sensenbrenner, and ranking member conyers for their continued leadership on this legislation. i urge every one of my colleagues to support this bill. i thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, before i yield to the next speaker, i want to say to him and his colleagues on the house intelligence committee that they

did marvelous work in protecting not only the national security but the civil liberties of americans. and they worked with the judiciary committee together to prove that we can have very high levels of civil liberty and very high levels of national security. i thank chairman nunes and his staff for that outstanding work. now it's my pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, the chairman of the house intelligence committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. nunes: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2048, the u.s.a. freedom act of 2015. ideally we would have re-authorized section 215 of the u.s. patriot act and other expiring fisa authorities without making any changes. these provisions authorize important counterterrorism programs, including the n.s.a. bulk data -- bulk telephone metadata programs. once more they are constitutional. authorize authorized by congress

and responsible to oversight from all three branches of government. as threats to americans at home and abroad i crease by the day, now is not time to be weakening our national security with all the tragic consequences that may follow. however, i also realize in a some of my colleagues disagree. despite the fact that the n.s.a. bulk telephone metadata program has never been intentionally misused, many members wish to make changes to increase confidence in the program and allow greater transparency into intelligence activities. like the bill, the house passed last year with more than 300 votes, this bill would replace the bulk program that will expire on june 1 with a targeted authority. this new targeted authority will be slower and potentially less effective than the current program. but along with ranking member schiff, i have worked with the judiciary committee to ensure these changes still allow as much operational flexibility as possible. chairman goodlatte, ranking member conyers, and subcommittee chairman sensenbrenner thank you for the constructive work

between our committees. in addition, the u.s.a. freedom act of 2015 contain several significant measures to improve national security that were not part of last year's bill. it closes a loophole in current law that requires the government to stop monitoring the communications of foreign terrorists, including isil fighters from syria and iraq when they enter the united states. it streamlines the process for the government to track foreign spies who temporarily leave the united states. it helps the government investigate proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and it increases the maximum bns for material support to foreign terrorist organizations. those changes are real improvements that will make it easier for our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to keep americans safe. again, i would prefer clean re-authorization, but the bill we consider today is the best way forward in the house to ensure congress takes

responsible action to protect national security. i urge my colleagues to support it. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: thank you mr. speaker. i'm pleased now to recognize an effective member of the house judiciary committee, ms. lofgren of california, and i recognize her -- i yield to her for 2 1/2 minutes. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. ms. lofgren: thank you, mr. speaker. i believe this bill makes a meaningful reform to a few of the surveillance programs but in no way stops all of the bulk collection of u.s. person communications currently occurring. this bill won't stop the most egregious and widely reported privacy violations that occur under section 702 and executive order 12333. in a classified decision, the

fisa court was collecting more communications through the upstream collection program than it originally told the court. with upstream collection, the n.s.a. directly taps into international internet cables to search through all of the communications that flow through it looking for communications that map certain criteria. four years ago, the court found that government is collecting tens of thousands of wholly domestic communications a year. why? because all your data is everywhere. no accurate estimate can be given for the even larger number of communications collected where a u.s. person was a party to the communication. the government searches this vast amount of data including the content of email and telephone calls without individualized suspicion, probable cause and without a warrant. the director of the f.b.i. says they use information to build criminal cases against u.s. persons.

this is an end run around the fourth amendment and it has to stop. now, this bill did not create those problems. however, this bill doesn't correct those problems. chairman goodlatte stated during the markup of the bill that these issues would be next, but we can't afford to wait until the final hour of expiration to take action like we did with this bill. to do so would mean at least another two years of mass surveillance of americans, which is unconscionable. last year the house voted 293-123 to close these back door loopholes, but the rules committee would not allow the house to vote today to put these fixes into this bill. now, i voted in committee to advance this bill for a couple of reasons. first -- and i do want to thank all the members who worked on this but single out congressman jim sensenbrenner, who was the author of the bill, who has worked so hard to make sure that improvements are made and the bill is an improvement over

a straight re-authorization of the bill. but i also listened carefully to the verbal commitments that the 702 fix would be included, and i reserve the right to oppose this bill when it comes back from the senate if we can't close these loopholes. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. forbes, a member of the house judiciary committee and an original co-sponsor of this legislation two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. forbes: mr. chairman, thank you. mr. speaker, thank you. i rise today in support of the u.s.a. freedom act, which passed the judiciary committee with bipartisan support just two weeks ago. the bill accomplishes the twin goals of protecting our nation from our enemies while safeguarding the civil liberties that our service members fight for every day. americans across the country have called for the n.s.a. to listen less and elected

officials to listen more. u.s.a. freedom act will end the n.s.a.'s bulk collection program which was established under section 215 of the patriot act and will further protect americans' fourth amendment rights by strengthening oversight and accountability of the intelligence community. as a member of the house armed services committee, i work with our service members and military leaders daily to ensure our adversaries do not harm this great nation. that's why i applaud chairman goodlatte, mr. sensenbrenner for including provisions in the bill to address the growing threat of isil. with continued threats of terrorism, our nation's intelligence community must be equipped to protect our nation and national security interests. however, any intelligence framework must be confined within the boundaries of the united states' constitution. striking this balance between safeguarding privacy and protecting americans is a challenge in today's post-9/11 world, but it's one that should not tip towards allowing the government to trample on our constitutional rights.

security must not come at the cost of americans' liberties. that's why i urge my colleagues today to support this bill and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased now to recognize the distinguished the gentlelady from texas, ms. sheila jackson lee, for 2 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the ranking member and the chairman of the full committee, and as my colleagues have done let me also acknowledge the chairman of the subcommittee which i serve as a ranking member of the crime subcommittee mr. sensenbrenner as many have noted worked with mr.

goodlatte, mr. conyers on their leadership on a very important statement on behalf of the american people. let me clearly say that the u.s.a. freedom act is the house's unified response to the unauthorized disclosures and subsequent publication in the media in june, 2013, regarding the national security agency's collection from verizon of the phone records of all of its americans' records pursuant to section 215 of the patriot act. you can imagine, mr. speaker, the public was not happy. there was justifiable concern on the part of the public and a large percentage of members of this body that the extent and scale of the n.s.a. data collection bundling which exceeded by orders of magnitude anything previously contemplated was an unwarranted invasion of privacy and the civil liberties of americans. i've been a decade-long-plus

then we are in very bad shape. to quell the growing controversy, the released information of the bram was established but it did not satisfy any means the concerns raised by americans. the d.n.i. stated the only type of information stated is telephone metadata such as telephone numbers dialed, that bipartisan legislation that gave much-needed transparency without compromising national security to the decision orders and opinions of the foreign intelligence court, or fisa. that bill will require the attorney general to disclose these decisions. i'm glad that in this bill we have positions and points where the attorney general is conducting declassification review. i'm also pleased that the bill before us contains an explicit prohibition and restraint of bulk collection pursuant to section 215. we are making a difference with the u.s.a. freedom act and it is interesting that groups as different as the r street

institute and the human rights watch are in essence supporting this legislation. mr. speaker, i believe that we can do what we need to do by passing this legislation and then going to an amendment on section 702 of which i will support. security goes along with protection, and i believe this particular legislation does it. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, ms. walters, a member of the house judiciary committee and an original co-sponsor of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. ms. walters: mr. speaker, -- mrs. walters: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the u.s.a. freedom act of which i am proud to be an original co-sponsor. this vital bill will reform our nation's intelligence gathering programs to end the bulk collection of data, strengthen american civil liberties and protect our homeland from those

who wish to do us harm. in passing this legislation we can provide officials with the tools they need to combat terrorist groups such as isil, by closing a current loophole that requires the government to stop tracking foreign terrorists upon entering the united states. this bill will also provide for robust oversight of our intelligence agencies by requiring additional reporting standards on how fisa authorities are employed. furthermore, h.r. 2048 will prevent government overreach and increase privacy protections by ending the large-scale indiscriminant collection of data, including all records from an entire state city or zip code. with section 215 of the patriot act set to expire soon, it is vital that congress act quickly to pass this bipartisan bill so that we can keep our country safe and work to restore the trust of the american people.

mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased now to yield to the distinguished gentleman from new york, mr. jefferies one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. jefferies: i thank the distinguished gentleman from michigan. in a democracy there must be a balance between effective national security protection on the one hand and a healthy respect for privacy and civil liberties' interests on the other. this is a balance that traces all the way back to the founding of the republic. it is rooted most prominently in the bill of rights, in the constitution, in the fourth amendment and in protecting the homeland, our national security apparatus overreached into the lives of everyday

hardworking americans in a manner that was inconsistent with our traditional notions of privacy and civil liberties. this overreach was unnecessary unacceptable and unconstitutional. and by ending bulk collection through 215, we have taken a substantial step in the right direction toward restoring the balance. more must be done, but i'm going to support this legislation because of the meaningful effort that has been made to help strike the appropriate balance. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, ms. issa, chairman of the courts, intellectual property subcommittee and a strong supporter of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. issa: thank you, mr. chairman thank you, mr. speaker. each person that comes up here will talk about the painstaking

work that the clarme, ranking member went through to craft a bill that would both strengthen our security piling on with things we earned -- learned since enactment of the patriot act, lessons learned that the patriot act did -- overdid and the presidential usurping of the intent of congress and we achieved that by a 25-2 vote in our committee, one that is almost unheard of. i think most importantly, though, we're doing something the american people need to know mr. speaker, and that is we're bringing transparency to the process for the first time. under this legislation, a fisa court, working in secrecy, who makes a decision to expand or in some other way add more surveillance will have to publish those findings, declassify them, make them available not just to congress but to the american people. we cannot guarantee the

behind-closed-doors and necessarily secret actions that we would like but under this reform we can ensure that congress and the american people will have the transparency and oversight as to those actions, not by who they were after but what they did, and that's going to brings the true reform that has been needed and a process in which the trust of the american people has been in doubt since the snowden revelation. so i personally want to thank the chairman and the ranking member. this could not happen without bipartisan work and without the support, both of those who want to strengthen our security and those who want to strengthen and retain our freedoms under the fourth amendment, and i thank the speaker the chairman and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished the gentlelady

from washington ms. delbene. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington is recognized for one minute. ms. delbene: thank you, mr. speaker. last week the second circuit confirmed what a lot of members of congress have been saying for years, the n.s.a. has brazenly exploited the patriot act to conduct surveillance far beyond what the law permits. but the court refrained from enforcing its decision, instead placing the burden on congress to protect americans from unwarranted mass surveillance. that's why i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of this year's u.s.a. freedom act a serious reform bill that would go a long way to protect americans' privacy by ending bulk collection and creating greater transparency, oversight and accountability. after the house acts today it's up to the senate -- senate leaders to pass these reforms or let the expiring provisions of the patriot act sunset on june 1, because a clean re-authorization is absolutely unacceptable. i urge my colleagues in each chamber to support this critical effort to end bulk collection and protect both americans' privacy and

america's security and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from pli reserves. the gentleman from -- michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. . >> it's -- mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. hurd. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hurd: as a former c.i.a. officer, i completely understand the need for the men and women in our intelligence agencies to have -- access to timely, vital information as they track down bad guys. as an american citizen, i know how important our civil rights are, and that it's the government's job to protect those rights, not infringe upon them. i believe we has as a nation as a government, as a people can do both. that's why i'm supporting the u.s.a. freedom act. because it prioritizes both and strikes the right balance between privacy and security.

americans can rest ea sured that their private information suspect being subjected to bulk collection by the n.s.a. they can be confident that there are privacy experts advising the fisa courts protecting our civil liberties and they can be proud of an intelligence community that works hard every day to make sure our country is protected. i've seen firsthand the value these programs bring but i also know if americans don't feel they can trust their own government we're losing the battle right here at home. it's my hope that this bill will increase transparency and accountability to the program so our hardworking intelligence community can continue their job of defending the country and american citizens can be confident that they're being protected from enemies both foreign and domestic. upholding civil liberties are not burdens, they're what make all of us safer and stronger. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves.

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to yield eight minutes to the distinguished gentleman from kale, mr. schiff, ranking member of the -- mr. california, mr. schiff, ranking member of the house committee on intelligence and i ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to manage the time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized if -- recognized for eight minutes. mr. schiff: i thank the gentleman and i yield myself such time as i may consume. first, let me say thank you to chairman goodlatte and ranking member conyers as well as to my colleague, chairman nunes. we have worked on this issue together for a long time and i'm very proud of the bipartisan legislation we have produced. i also want to thank the administration that worked with us so long and hard and the work done in the last congress by a former chairman mike rogers and former ranking member dutch ruppersberger. i rise in strong support of h r.

4028 this nation was founded on the revolutionary principle that liberty need not be sacrificed to security that public safety can and must coexist with individual liberty. our founders set out to create a lasting union and great nation, one in which the people would be free to govern themselves, express themselves, worship for themselves while also being secure in their home their papers and their persons. nearly 2 1/2 centuries later it's easy to forget these rights for enshrined in the constitution amidst great peril. americans had only recently fought a war for independence and would be confronted by powerful and often hostile forces in the future, including the powers of britain, france and spain. here were truly exiss ten rble threats yet the founders say, we can be secure and we can be free. and they were right. we can and we must. today in another moment of

national danger we are challenged to reaffirm our commitment to these twin imperative security and inler ity -- liberty and prove we can find the right balance for our times. u.s.a. freedom act strikes that balance. on the side of freedom, it ends bulk collection, not just of telephone metadata but of any bulk collection under any other authority. it creates a specific proceed wrur for telephone metadata that allows the government, upon court approval, to query the data that telephone companies already keep, something i've long advocated. it increases transparency by requiring a review of all significant fie phi sa court opinions and requiring the government to provide the public with detailed information about how they use these national security authorities. and it provides for a panel of experts to advocate for privacy and civil liberties before the fisa court, also smag i've

advocated for quite some time. at the same time the u.s.a. freedom act of 2015 preserves important capabilities and makes further national security enhancements by closing loopholes that make it difficult for the government to track foreign terrorists and spies as they enter or leave the country clarifying the application of fisa to those who facilitate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and increasing the maximum penalties for those who provide material support for terrorism. this is a strong bill and should advance with such an overwhelming majority that it compels the senate to act. but this is not a one and done legislate i fix or the end of our work. rather it's a reaffirmation of our commitment to constantly recalibrate our laws and make sure that privacy and security are coexisting and mutually reinforcing. while the public may have begun its debate two years ago, many of us, myself included, have been working the issue since

long before and will continue to work them long afterwards. that's our responsibility and the great obligation the founders bequeathed to us. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: at this time it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holden. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. holden: thank you mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from virginia, the chair of the judiciary committee for the time today and for is diligent work on the i.s.a. freedom act of 2015. -- on the u.s.a. freedom act of 2015. the world we live in is a dangerous place. indeed it's far more dangerous than it ever has been. acts of terror reached a record level last year and with the wickedness of groups like isis and boko haram continuing to show a complete disregard of human life, our nation must

always remain prepared and vigilant. the legislation before us today mr. speaker, builds on the reforms of the legislation passed last congress, championed by my friend representative sensenbrenner and it accounts for the absolute need to protedget civil liberties while also remaining clear-eyed and vigilant about the real threats that we face every day around the world. so i thank the chairman and i thank the committee for their work. i urge support for h.r. 2048 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. schiff: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. ruppersberger. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. ruppersberger: thank you. i rise in strong support of the u.s.a. freedom act which virtually deletes the national security administration's database of americans' phone

records. the bulk collection of what we know as metadata will end. under this bill the government will have to seek court approval before petitioning private cell phone companies for records. the court will have to approve each application, except in emergencies and major court decisions will be made public. it is very similar to legislation drafted and introduced last year by the intelligence committee under the leadership of former chairman rogers and myself together with our colleagues on the judiciary committee led by congressman goodlatte and conyers. that bill passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and i want to thank congressman goodlatte and conyers as well as congressman schiff and nunes, also congressman sensenbrenner and jerry nadler and other members who worked hard and continued the pursuit of this much-needed reform. we need this bill, though, to keep our country safe. section 215 of the patriot act which is the part that legalizes much of n.s.a.'s critical work to protect us from terrorists

expires in less than three weeks, on june 1. if we do not re-authorize it with the reforms demanded by the public essential cape -- by the public, essential abilities to track suspects will expire also. this couldn't happen at a worse time. the threats posed by isis and other terrorist groups are just the tip of the iceberg. we also need strong defenses against increasingly aggressive cyberterrorists and the lone wolf terrorists that are often american citizens, for example this bill restores americans' confidence that the government is not snooping on its own citizens by improving the necessary checks and balances to our democracy. this bill balances the need to protect our country with the need to protect our constitutional rights and civil liberties. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the

gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. moreno chairman of the regulatory reform subcommittee and strong supporter of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. moreno: i rise in support of the u.s.a. freedom act and applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their hard work. mr. marino: this is a true compromise piece of legislation that protects the privacy of the american people while ensuring our national security, i understand the importance of re-authorizing these important fisa provisions. as a u.s. attorney, i had these tools at my disposal and used them to protect americans in pennsylvania and across the country and we needed them at the time and we need them now. however, i equally understand the importance of also protecting the privacy interests of american citizens. the act ends bulk collection, it strengthens protections of civil

liberties it increases transparency, all while ensuring that our intelligence and national security agencies have the tools they need to fight terrorism abroad. in addition, u.s.a. freedom act protects american citizens at home. with that, i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. schiff: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from connecticut, mr. himes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. himes: thank you, mr. speaker. let me begin by thanking the chairman and ranking member of the judiciary committee as well as chairman nunes and ranking member schiff of the intelligence committee for their good bipartisan work on a bill that i think is long overdue. the good work on this bill, mr. speaker goes back to the fact that the patriot act a piece of legislation crafted in haste and fear after the tragic events of

9/11, in my opinion pushed the boundaries too far. on the government's ability to surveil and gather information on people, including american citizens. the u.s.a. freedom act which i stand today to support, gos a very long way to restoring an appropriate balance between the imperative of national security and the civil liberty which is we hold so dear. this bill makes important reforms to the fisa court but importantly it prohibits, i'll say again, prohibit thinks bulk collection under section 215 under the pen register authorities and under national security letter statute the bulk collection of data on american citizens. americans will now rest easy, knowing that their calls or other records will not be warehoused by the government. no matter how careful that government is in the procedures itudeses to access those files. mr. speaker, whatever the legal

interpretation most recently definitively ruled upon by the second circuit court of aappeals, whatever the legal interpretations there's something about the idea of a government keeping extensive records on its free citizens which damages our intuitive sense of freedom and liberty. so whatever the law and whatever the legal interpretations, and i do believe those have been settled, what we do here today which is to say that the government of the united states will not keep detailed call or other bulk records on its free citizens, i believe is an important step forward nor country. i urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of the u.s.a. freedom act and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: may i inquire how much time is remaining on each side? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 30 seconds. the gentleman from verge has 8 1/2 minutes.

and the gentleman from michigan has 6 1/2 minutes. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, 30 seconds is the total -- the speaker pro tempore: seven minutes total. mr. goodlatte: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. schiff: once again i want to thank my colleagues for their their good work and want to acknowledge mr. sensenbrenner for his strong advocacy on this and i yield back to mr. conyers, the ranking member on the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i thank the gentleman from california and mr. speaker, members of the house, i'd like to simply ask my colleagues to reject an unlawful surveillance program to restore limits to a reaning of

surveillance authorities, to compel the government to act with some measure of transparency, and to end the practice of dragnet surveillance in the united states. . in addition i would like to thank the staff, who have worked so hard on this bill. carolyn, jason, laura chan, matthew and aaron. and i close by thanking in advance my colleagues who like many of us are inclined to strongly support h.r. 2048 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan yields back.

the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: from the founding of the american republic this country has been engaged in the debate about the responsibilities and limit of our federal government. the tension between these two essential functions of the government did not suddenly spring into existence in this age of cyberattacks and terrorist plots. americans have long grappled with their need for security and desire to protect their personal liberty from government intrusion. benjamin franklin is often quoted as saying that those who give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. after the horrific attacks on september 11, the country was determined not to allow such an attack to occur again. the changes we made then to our

intelligence laws help keep us safe from enemies. today, we renew our commitment to our nation's security and to the safety of the american people. we also make this pledge that the united states of america will remain a nation whose government answers to the will of its people. this country must be what it has always been a beacon of freedom to the world, a place where the principles of the founders including the commitment to individual liberties will continue to live protected and nourished for future generations. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 22, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. the question is on engrossment

and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to reform the authorities of the federal government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic surveillance use pen registers and other forms of information gathering for foreign intelligence, counterterrorism and criminal purposes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. goodlatte: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman asks for the yeas and nays. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. 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: the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, section 202-d of the national emergency act, provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless within 0 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration the president publishes in the federal register and transmits to the congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. in accordance with this provision i have sent the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in executive order 13611 of may 16, 2012, with respect to yemen is to continue in effect beyond may 16 2015. the actions and policies of certain members of the government of yemen and others continue to threaten yemen's peace and security by

obstructing the implementation of the agreement of november 23, 2011 between the government of yemen and those in opposition to it, was provided for a peaceful transition of power which meets the legitimate demands of the yemen people for change and obstructing the political process in yemen. for this reason i have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in executive order 13611 with respect to yemen. signed barack obama the white house, may 13, 2015. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 10775 an act to designate the united states customs and border protection port of entry located at first

street and pan american avenue in douglas arizona as the rule hector port of entry. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. goodlatte: pursuant to house resolution 255, i call up h.r. 36, and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 36, a bill to amend title 18 united states code to protect pain-capable unborn children and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house 255, the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part a of house report 114-111 is adopted and the bill as amended is considered read.

the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. conyers each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia mr. goodlatte. mr. goodlatte: that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material under h.r. 36 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. goodlatte: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: since the supreme court's decision in roe versus wade, medical knowledge regarding the development of unborn babies and their capacities at various stages of growth has advanced dramatically. to give you a sense of how much technology has advanced, here's the issue of the "new york times" announcing the roe versus wade decision in 1973. it contains ads for the latest in advanced technology, including a computer the size of a file cabinet you could rent for $3,000 a month that only had

1/1000th the memory of a cell phone and basic a.m. radio that was as big as your hand. the same newspaper would report on the latest advanced research on the pain experienced by unborn children focused on the research of an oxford-trained neonatal pediatrician who held an appointment at harvard medical school. if the fetus is beyond 20 weeks of gestation, i would assume that there will be pain caused to the fetus and i believe it will be severe and excruciating pain. a few years later the terrifying facts uncovered in the gand jury report regarding dr. gosnell, would contain references to a neonatal expert who said the cutting of babies' spinal cords intended to be

late-term aborted would cause them, and i quote, a tremendous amount of pain. congress has the power and the responsibility to acknowledge these developments in our understanding of the ability of unborn children to feel pain by prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, post-fertilization the point at which evidence shows the unborn can experience great suffering. the bill before us would do just that. it also includes provisions to protect the life of the mother and additional exceptions of rape and incease. some members last congress and today have called this bill extreme but such claims are false as evidenced by the polls which show astounding support for this bill. a poll found that 62% of people surveyed supported the ban on abortions after 20 weeks or

earlier. a clear majority of men women, whites, blacks, hispanics, married people and single people support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks. among women, 68% of women support a ban on abortions at 20 weeks or earlier, including 66% of single women and 71% of married women. even 49% of the democrats polled support a ban on abortion at 20 weeks or earlier significantly more than those who opposed it. a washington post poll similarly found 66% support for this bill and a huffington post poll found support at 59%. today, america is one of the few countries on earth including north korea and china that allows per miss i have late-term abortion.

these polls show the american people want to change that. today is the second anniversary of kermit gosnell's conviction for first degree murder. following the gosnell trial, we were all reminded that when late-term babies are taken from the womb and cut with scissors, they whimper, cry and flinch from pain. an unborn babies when cut inside the womb also whimper and cry and flinch from pain. delivered or not babies are babies and they can feel pain at least by 20 weeks. it is time to welcome young children who can feel pain into the human family. and this bill, at last, will do just that. finally i would note that it is rare for the nonpartisan congressional budget office to be so -- confident that a bill would save lives that it makes estimates to the number of lives to be saved.

but the c.b.o. did just that, conservatively estimating that this bill if enacted would save 2,500 lives each year. it could save many thousands more. but let that sink in for a moment. this bill if enacted would probably save at a minimum thousands of lives per year. it would give america the gift of thousands more children and consequently thousands more mothers and thousands more fathers. with all the wonders human gifts they will bring to the world in so many amazing forms, including their own children for generations to come. i congratulate the subcommittee on the constitution and civil justice chairman, trent franks, for introducing this vital legislation, and i urge my colleagues to support it. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves.

the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker and members of the house, this legislation is a dangerous and far-reaching attack on a woman's constitutional right to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, a right that the supreme court guaranteed 42 years ago in the case of roe versus wade. one of the most significant problems with this legislation is that it fails to include any exception for a woman's health. many serious health conditions materialize or worsened late in pregnancy, including damage to the heart and kidneys, hyper

tension and even some forms of hormone-induced cancer. and yet by failing to include a health exception, h.r. 36 would force a woman to wait until her condition was nearly terminal before she could obtain an abortion to address her health condition. . in addition it's unconstitutional based on long-standing supreme court precedent. i will explain. roe v. wade's basic holding is that a woman has a constitutional right to have an abortion prior to the fetus' viability. viability is generally considered to be around 24 weeks from fertilization, not 20 weeks.

by banning pre-viability abortions, h.r. 36 is a direct challenge to roe v. wade. in addition, roe made clear that any regulation or abortion, even after viability, must not pose a substantial risk to the woman's health. but as i have already noted, h.r. 36 lacks any exception to protect a pregnant woman's health. it's therefore not surprising that the nation's leading civil rights organizations, medical professionals, and women's groups oppose this bill. in addition, 15 religious organizations noted in a letter to members of congress opposing nearly identical legislation in the last congress that, quote,

the decision to end a pregnancy is best left to a woman in consultation with her family, her doctor, and her faith. end quotation. finally, i want to be clear that the -- that contrary to assertions made by the bill's proponents this legislation still contains a woefully inadequate exception for victims of rape. the so-called rape exception is still based on a complete lack of understanding of the very real challenges rape survivors face and why a rape may go unreported. it is also grounded in the distrust of women, assuming that women cannot be trusted to tell the truth, to make the best

medical decisions for themselves and their families. for adult rape survivors, the bill no longer requires that the rape be reported to law enforcement. however, a woman must still obtain counseling 48 hours prior to the abortion and the fact that she has obtained counseling for a rape must be certified and documented in her medical file. and this counseling cannot be obtained in the same facility where the abortion is provided. for minor victims of rape or incest an exception from the bill's onerous and unconstitutional restrictions only applies if the rape has

been reported to law enforcement or a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse. rape is not rape unless the minor has reported it, even if that means putting her own safety at risk. for these reasons, my colleagues, i urge opposition to this dangerous legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: at this time, i yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from tennessee congressman black, as my designee for purposes of controlling the remainder of the debate on our side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee will be recognized as the designee of the gentleman from virginia. and the gentlewoman from

tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you madam chair. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, when i became a nurse more than 40 years ago, i took a vow to devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. but our understanding of the science limited to the extent to which i could fulfill that promise has evolved. during my first years of nurse if a woman came into our hospital in labor at 32 weeks of pregnancy, our odds of saving her child were slim. however today, babies are being saved as early as 22 weeks into fetal development, according to a study just released this past week by "the new york times." what's more, there is significant evidence that at 20 weeks of development unborn children have the capacity to feel pain. sadly, while we celebrate

advances in technology that prove life has value and worth before leaving the hospital, we also continue to be one of only seven nations that allow elective long-term -- elective late-term abortions. one of only seven nations around this world. it is difficult to imagine a more important measure of society than how it treats the most innocent and defenseless population and by condoning the destruction of unborn life that could otherwise live outside the womb the united states tragically fails to meet this most fundamental human rights standard. basic decency and human compassion demand that something has to change. polls consistently show that upwards of 60% of americans support putting an end to the dangerous and inhumane practice of late-term abortion. so to be clear, we have a

mandate to act. that is why i strongly support the pain-capable unborn child protection act this week which will provide several protections for an unborn child at 20 weeks with exceptions to the saving the lie of the mother or in cases of rape and incest. today's vote coincides with the two-year anniversary of the conviction of the evil abortionist kermit gosnell, who killed babies born alive in his clinic and is responsible for the death of an adult woman. americans were rightfully outraged when they were told of his crimes. but the truth is that innocent unborn children routinely suffer that same fate as goes nell's victims did -- as gosnell's victims did through normal late-term abortions and the government does not bat an eye. the only difference between these casualties and the loss of life that resulted in gosnell's

murder conviction is the location. madam speaker if we cannot appeal to my pro-abortion lawmakers' sense of compassion when it comes to this issue surely we can at least appeal to their senses of logic and fact. knowing that premature babies are being saved as early as 22 weeks into fetal development there's no legitimate reason to oppose this bill. in the year 2015 the united states has no business aborting a life that can live outside the womb. science agrees and so do the majority of americans. the pain-capable unborn child protection act will right this wrong. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am

pleased now to yield to the gentleman from tennessee -- i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from tennessee three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker, thank you, mr. chairman, for the time. i appreciate the good feelings and earnest arguments made by the lady from tennessee and the gentleman from arizona. but the fact is this bill is patently unconstitutional. because this bill is not about viability it's a subterfuge for viability and talks about the issue of pain. pain is not the issue, viability is the issue. with real -- and what the real issue is, politicians are not medical experts and women should make these decisions based upon information from people they

trust. women should make these decisions based upon information from people they trust. the information given about this bill is limited. the fact is, doctor anan, cited by my friend the chairman of the committee is from the university of tennessee in memphis where i'm from. and the fact is, dr. anan, since 2005 has turned down requests to testify in regards to this type of legislation because he doesn't think that his studies have been used properly. abortion is not the focus and the polityization of his work has got -- the politicization of his work has gotten out of hands. there are polls that say one thing and polls that say the other. the wol i respect shows about an even one third, one third split on support, opposition and indecision. but this isn't about polls.

this is supposed to be about the constitution. and upholding roe v. wade and medical experts and not politicians making decisions that are poll-driven and possibly favorable to their own constituency. the exceptions for incest is the most egregious. if a person is pregnant a woman is pregnant because of incest, under this law, if the lady is under 18 years of age, there's one rule. but if she's 18 years of age or older there's another rule. and what it says is if you're 18 over and you're pregnant as a result of incest then you cannot get an abortion. you cannot. but if you're under 18, you can if you report it to law enforcement authorities. and a discussion last night in rules committee, the vice chair of the rules committee errantly compared rape and incest. incest does not necessarily involve rape, it involves

intercourse between parties that are not legally supposed to have intercourse and issues which could result in problems for the child. incest should always be an exception and the life and health of the mother should always be an exception and the health exceptions are limited to physical and not mental and emotional which are the most pressing for women and they're also a 48-hour waiting period in this bill system of this bill is unconstitutional and wrong, we should respect medical experts and not politicians and women to make decisions with people they trust and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. it is my pleasure to yield a minute to our majority whip, mr. scalise from louisiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. scalise: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlelady

from tennessee for yielding and for her leadership and for all of the people that have work sod hard to bring this important bill to the house floor. if you look at what we're doing here today we're standing up for life of our most innocent. we're talking about babies that are more than 20 weeks in the womb. scientific evidence shows that after 20 weeks these babies can feel pain and so this bill prohibits abortions after five months of pregnancy. i'm proud to come from louisiana which has a distinction of being the most pro-life state in the nation. our state already bans this procedure, as do many. and not just states we're talking about. most nations in the world don't allow this procedure. after 20 weeks. and so the united states will finally be joining the vast majority of other countries around the world and the vast majority of americans who understand that it's not right to have abortions after 20 weeks. this is an important bill. i think it's very strong message to we're going to be sending in

defense of life by passing it and i urge my colleagues to support it as well. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired this egentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am pleased to yield to a senior member of the house judiciary committee, jerry nadler of new york, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for threemens. mr. nadler: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in opposition to h.r. 36. for more than 40 years, the supreme court has clearly and consistently held that women have the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability or at any time to protect the life and health of a mother. this bill is unconstitutional as violating both of those provisions. the bill provides a narrow depomings protect women's lives, allowing physicians to terminate pregnancy after 20 weeks only in a woman's life is at imminent risk. this exemption fails to account for the many severe health issues that may arise late in pregnancy and forces physicians

to think about legal implications rather than about a patient's health. that's -- perhaps most cruelly it encludes only a very narrow exemption for victims of rape and incest, requiring that any woman seeking an abortion after, prove she either reported the rape to authorities of sought counseling services. only 35% of sexual assaults are ever reported and we know there are many reasons for not reporting a rape. the toll our criminal justice system takes on victim the humiliation and intimidation faced by victims of i a 15u89 and the adegreesal risk to her safety. so why place this limit on the rape quite simple. this bill says they believe women lie. the republicans seem to think that women are too dishonest to believe when they say they have been raped. this bill continues a tradition of treating women like

second-class citizens. measures to restrict abortions that women lie about rape and must undergo invasive tests and exams and women are immoral. that is insulting. frankly none of our business. enough is enough. doctors, not politicians should be providing women guidance and medical support throughout their pregnancy and making a personal decision about terminating a pregnancy and women should make that decision for themselves. we must defeat this unconstitutional bill and afford women their constitutional right enjoyed by every man to make decisions about their health care in the privacy of their doctors' offices. i urge to vote no and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: it is my honor now to call op representative franks

from arizona, who is the sponsor of the bill. for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for five minutes. mr. franks: i thank the gentlelady. madam speaker, for the sake of all of those who founded this nation and dreamed of what america could someday be and for the sake of all of those who died in darkness so americans can walk in the light of freedom, it is important that those of us who are privileged to be members of this congress pause from time to time. thomas jefferson marked the beginning of this nation said, quote the care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government. the phrase in the 15th amendment

talks about our constitution it says no person shall be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law and the 14th amendment says no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. madam speaker protecting the lives of all americans and their constitutional rights are especially those who can't defend themselves is why we are all here. and yet today madam speaker, a great shadow looms over america. more than 18,000 very late-term abortions are occurring in america every year placing the mothers at greater risk and subbing their pain-capable unborn babies to torture and death without anesthesia and without any federal protection of any kind in the land of the free and the home of the brave. it is the greatest human rights

atrocity in the united states today. and almost every other civilized nation on earth protects pain-capable unborn babies at this age particularly and every credible poll of americans show the american people are overwhelmingly in favor of protecting them. and yet we have given these little babies less legal protection than the protection we have given farm animals under the federal humane slaughter act. madam speaker, it just seems we are never quite so eloquent as when we decry the crimes of a past generation, but we often become staggered when it becomes facing and rejecting the worst of atrocities in our own time. thankfully madam speaker i believe the winds are changing and now beginning to blow and that tid -- tide of blindness

and blood is finally turning in america. because today today, we are poised to pass the pain-capable unborn child protection act in this chamber. and no matter how it is shouted down or if distractions, diversions, twisting of the words, changing the subject or falsehoods it remains that this bill is a deeply sincere effort beginning at the sixth month, at the sixth month of pregnancy to protect both mothers and their pain-capable unborn babies from the atrocities of late-term abortion on demand. and ultimately it is one that all humane americans can support if they truly understand it for themselves. madam speaker, this is a vote all of us will remember the rest of our lives. it will be considered in history

and i believe in the councils of eternity itself, but it shouldn't be such a hard vote. because in spite of all the political noise, protecting little unborn pain-capable babies is not a republican issue and it's not a democrat issue, but a test of our basic humanity and who we are as a human family. and it is time that we open our eyes and let our consciouses catch up with technology. time for the members of the united states congress to open our eyes and our souls and remember that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is why we are all here. that's why we're here. madam speaker it's time for all americans to open our eyes and hearts to the humanity of these little pain-capable unborn children of god and the inhumanity of what is being done

to them. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back. the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm now pleased to recognize a distinguished member of the house judiciary committee, the gentlelady from washington ms. delbene for four -- one minute. ms. delbene: i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 36, a nationwide 20-week abortion ban. it's truly appalling to me that house leaders keep ignoring the needs of middle-class bill while restricting women's health care and during women's national

week, the legislation we are debating is an attack that ignores medical safety and puts women's health at risk and survivors are facing facing difficult circumstances and it has ideology into the doctor-patient relationship and puts politicians in charge of their medical care. house leaders need to stop interfering. the american people expect better from this chamber and deserve real solutions to the challenges they are facing. this bill fails women and their families and i urge my colleagues to vote no. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: it is my delight to have the speaker of the house, john boehner from ohio, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute.

the speaker: i rise today to urge the whole house to support h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. h.r. 36 is the most full-life legislation to ever to come before this body and it reflects the will of the american people. as such, it also reflects the contributions of many people and many perspectives. i take this opportunity to thank mrs. black, mr. franks, mr. pitts and mr. smith of new jersey for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. i thank our conference chair for her leadership in helping us bring this bill to the floor. i'm going to take a moment to recognize all of the americans who spoke out for this bill. your voices have been heard. after all, we have no obligation, no higher obligation than to speak out for those who can't speak for themselves, to

defend the defenseless. that's what this bill does. because we know that by five months in the womb unborn babies of capable of feeling pain and wrong to inflict pain on an innocent human being. and protecting these lives is the right thing to do. and again, a majority of americans agree. my colleagues, growing up with 11 brothers and sisters, i didn't need my parents to tell me that every child is a gift from god. but let me tell you, they did and did it often and because of that respect, that sanctity and that dignity is everything. a vote for this bill is a vote to protect innocent lives and to protect our dearest values for generations to come. we should all be proud to take this stand today.

and i urge my colleagues to vote for this bill today. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you madam speaker. i am now pleased to yield three minutes to the distinguished member of the judiciary committee ms. jackson lee from houston, texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, i have had more than a momentous time to be in this body. i was moved by the conviction of my friend and colleague and the speaker boehner and representative franks, because i know they speak from their heart. but states cannot be distributed

on one side of the aisle. my faith my god is no less than the republicans'. and i speak for those who cannot be here today. i speak for mothers who suffer in corners trying to provide for their children, but love their children and gave birth to them. i speak for those who i sat in a room called the judiciary committee some years ago by listening to the pain of mothers who said, i want this child. but my doctor has advised me that my life would not have survived to take care of my other children had i not had the ability to be able to follow my doctor and my faith. praying with my husband, my faith leader, my extended

families to make decisions that would, in fact, provide for not only future children, but for my sanctity and ability to be the woman that i need to be. just outside this chamber, i met the author of the song "glory." many of us heard it in the movie of "selma." and it says one day when the glory comes, it will be ours. it will be ours. everybody's glory is different. but h.r. 36 besides being unconstitutional speaks against 25,000 women in the united states who came -- became pregnant as a result of rape. 30% of -- 30% requires that women to report their ordeal before they go to a law enforcement officer.

it challenges their faith and their love of god. and so i am incensed that we challenge someone's faith. i speak to those women who cannot be here today, who love children who love life who are good mothers. and i take no less in the conviction of those who have spoken for my conviction and the conviction of those women or tiffany campbell when she was 19 she was pregnant, she and her husband her pregnancy was inflicted with twins' infusion -- mr. conyers: i yield to the gentlelady an additional unit -- minute. ms. jackson lee: the news was devastating. but they had to make a decision that was guided by the doctor

and their faith. the campbells it was out of selected termination, they risked the loss of both fetuses and would not have any. and in 22 weeks in consultation with their doctors, they aborted one fetus in order to save the other. the life-saving procedure for one of the fetuses would be illegal under the new 20-week ban. i beg of my colleagues. i know there will be those who will vote. but as i stand here today i do not condemn the conviction of my friends, but i'm welled up with tears because i have hugged those who had no where else to go. and no man can stand and tell a woman what rape is and how it feels or what the results of that is. that is why the constitution, the ninth amendment and the supreme court interpreted roe v. wade as it did. .

mr. conyers: i yield the gentlewoman one more minute. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman. i am welled with emotion. not nor killing. but for saving. not for condemnation, but for appreciation. not for judging, but for letting people know that i have constituents who are huddled in places right now in houston, texas, in fear. huddles because laws have prevented them from good counseling counseling before such tragedy would happen. laws that he would prevent them from having facilities in their area. they fall victim to sheisters because of laws we have passed here. i can't see that anymore and h.r. 36 now make it a federal offense and owe fends doctors and people -- owe fends doctors and people of -- offends doctors and people of faith. i love that song "glory" and it says one day when the glory comes it will be ours. it will be ours.

the glory has to be tolerance and acceptance of people's condition. we must do the right thing in this congress. vote against h.r. 36. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. >> i yield 1 1/2 minutes to mrs. wagner. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her leadership on this issue. madam speaker i rise today in support of life. life begins at conception. we know that after three weeks the baby has a heart beat. after seven weeks the baby begins kicking in the womb, leaving -- believe me, as a mother of three i know it well. by week eight the baby begins to hear and fingerprints start to form. after 10 weeks the baby is able to turn his or her head frown and get the hiccups. by week 11 the baby can grass wp his or her hand. by week 12 the baby can suck or

her thumb. by week 15 the baby has an adult taste buds and the week of 1 that baby can flex hiser -- 18 that baby can flex his or her arm and by the week of 20, madam speaker, not only can that baby recognize the sound of his or her own mother's voice, that baby can also feel pain. madam speaker it is not only the pain of the child that must be -- that we must be concerned with, it is the pain of the mother. h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act, provides protections for both the woman and the child. this is not a bill restricting women's rights. this is a bill that supports and protects life. it is pro-woman it. encourages discussion, medical treatment and counseling for women who have been victimized. this bill is pro-woman. it empowers women with a civil right of action if this law is not followed and this bill, madam speaker is pro-child. it ensures a baby born alive

will be given life saving treatment. this bill is pro-woman and pro-child. solutions to who our science and our values are deep -- values already tell us. a baby of 20 weeks can feel pain and the baby deserves protection. madam speaker, i am for life at all stages. i am for the life of the baby and the life of the mother. i will continue to work toward the day when not only is abortion illegal but, madam speaker, it is unthinkable. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to have the gentleman from tennessee replace me as -- the control time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will be recognized to control the time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. that is an august responsibility, to control time. and in that control i yield two

minutes to the gentleman from rhode island. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for two minutes. mr. cicilline: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 36. instead of considering legislation that would help to promote our economic recovery, expand educational opportunities, repair our crumbling infrastructure or invest in science and research, our house colleagues on the republican side continue to pursue an extreme social agenda. i stand to strongly oppose h.r. 36, which would violate supreme court precedent and impose arbitrary and unconstitutional restrictions on women's health care decisions. every woman in america deserves access to affordable comprehensive health care, including full reproductive health care. h.r. 36 would ban abortions after 20 weeks, even though medical professionals have explained that some deadly and severe conditions cannot be diagnosed earlier. politicians are not medical

experts. and should not be making health care decisions for women in this country. these decisions are probably made by women in consultation with their health care professionals, not by a bunch of politicians in washington. in addition the bill contains an unreasonably narrow exception for cases in which a woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. only if the woman has sought mental health counseling or reported the incident to law enforcement. even though we know that a majority of these crimes go undisclosed or unreported. this bill is a dangerous distraction from the pressing needs facing our country. i urge my colleagues to oppose this terrible bill and leave health care decisions in the hands of the people they belong in the women of this country. that i -- with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. now i yield one minute to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. fortenberry. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from nebraska is recognized for one minute. mr. fortenberry: thank you madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady from tennessee for her leadership on this important issue. madam speaker, there's a rule in the house of representatives that any little child who is a guest of ours can come right down here and be in the well with us. lease a-- let's assume for a moment that one of those children tripped and fell and hurt themselves and cried out in pain. there's not a member of this body that wouldn't rush to their side and comfort them. that's what this bill does today. it rushes to the side of children who are feeling the pain of violence of abortion. let's stand with them. let's stand with women who deserve better than the aggressive tactics of the abortion industry and their profit-seeking and marketing. let's rebuild our nation's compassion capacity so that we can understand what is right and just, by protecting the little ones who are most vulnerable. let's do something good for

america today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. i yield a minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you. i thank the gentleman for yielding, for your leadership. madam speaker of course i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 36, which is nothing more than another ideological attack on women's reproductive rights. this bill would institute a nation-wide ban on abortion after 20 weeks with no exceptions to protect women's health. it adds unnecessary burdens, obstacles to deny medical care to women in the most desperate of circumstances, including in the instance of rape, by requiring women to seek counseling or medical treatment prior to their medical procedure. i remember the days of back alley abortions. many women died and more were permanently injured before row vs. wade.

with this -- roe vs. wade. with this bill, republicans have once again decided to take us back there, that threatens physicians with criminal prosecution. this bill is unconstitutional, it's dangerous and it's wrong. no woman should have a politician interfering in her personal health decisions. they should always be kept private, period. my faith is as deep as those using their faith, imposing their faith on women who must make these very difficult personal decisions. instead of passing yet another bill that attacks women, we should get back to the real work that american families desperately need -- mr. cohen: i yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds. ms. lee: like eliminating poverty, instituting real criminal justice reform and increasing job opportunities for all. for those who say that they support life then why not support universal preschool, paid family medical leave affordable child care, support those life-affirming measures that we're trying to get passed here? i urge a no vote on this outrageous attack on women. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the chair of the pro-life caucus, mr. smith from new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. smith: thank you to present it franks, speaker boehner mrs. mcmorris rogers, the gentlelady presiding in the chair. this has been a team effort and it will yield considerable protection when it's finally enacted into law. the pain-capable unborn child protection act is landmark human rights law. it recognizes the compelling body of medical evidence that unborn children feel pain and seeks to safeguard and protect vulnerable children from the violence of abortion. a leading expert in the area of fetal pain has said, and i quote, it is my opinion that the human fetus possesses the ability to experience pain from 20 weeks of gestation, if not earlier, and the pain perceived

by a fetus is possibly more intense than that perceived by term newborns or older children. the doctor testified before the judiciary committee and said when we speak of infants at 20 weeks, we no longer have to rely on ultrasound imagery. because such premature patients are kicking, moving and reacting and developing right before our eyes in the neonatal intensive care unit. today madam speaker, surgeons routinely administer anesthesia to unborn children society's littlest patients, to treat diseases and anomallies and to perform benign corrective surgeries. today there are kermit gosnells, you remember him, the inif if a mouse abortionist who was -- infamous abortionist who was convicted two years ago today in philadelphia, they're all over america inflicting not only violence and death on very young children but

excruciating pain as well. when it comes to pain, i he don't know about -- i don't know about you, but i feel this way i dread it. we all seek to avoid it. we even fear it. we go to great and extraordinarily lengths to mitigate its severity and duration. this legislation protects an entire age-specific class of kids from preventable pain and death. this is human rights legislation. i urge my colleagues to support it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i would yield a minute to the gentlelady from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. vela: i thank the gentleman for yielding -- velazquez velazquez i thank the gentleman for yield -- ms. have a less questions: i -- ms. velazquez: i rise in strong opposition to this legislation. this is about a woman's ability

to make her own decisions in consultation with her doctor, not politicians. not only does this unconstitutional bill run afoul of long standing judicial precedent, but it will also jeopardize women's health by banning abortion after 20 weeks, even in cases where pregnancy complications arise from serious health issues like heart conditions kidney disease and cancers. what about the life of the mother? women facing desperate medical situations will see their health care options restricted through this unacceptable bill. furthermore, rape and incest victims will face additional hurdles when terminating a pregnancy. doctors and health care providers will encounter threats or fines and even imprisonment when they are simply trying to provide compassionate care to women in

need. madam speaker, this bill inserts the government into one of the most personal decisions a woman can make and would interfere with the relationship between women and their doctors. so much for getting government off my back. i would like to say two things get the government out of my bedroom. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. rothman: madam speaker, our -- mr. rothfus: madam speaker, our declaration of independence states that everyone is endowed with an inhe will al-- with an inalienable right to life. who could forget president kennedy's words more than 50 years ago when he said our rights do not come from the generosity of the state but from the hand of god? this legislation expands

protections for the right to life. it recognizes that a class of children, unborn babys older than 20 weeks who feel the pain of abortion, should be protected. we must stand in solidarity with these vulnerable children and affirm we will protect you. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 36. i thank the speaker and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the patient woman from massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from massachusetts is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. clark: i agree with the gentleman from tennessee that we are privileged, we're privileged to represent our districts and our country but we are not medical experts and we are not privileged to insert ourselves into these most personal decisions that must

remain with women, their doctors, their families and their faith. clearly absent from this congress' agenda is any discussion about persistent wage inequality hurting women and their families. what about paid parental leave or making sure families get access to quality childcare? what are we doing about feeding hungry children or making sure that every child can access education? how about anything at all concerning women that doesn't have to do with restricting reproductive rights? let's call this bill what it is, it's an unconstitutional bill that would force survivors of sexual assault and incest to jump through hoops in order to get the medical care they need. this bill is an insult to women and to their families. as women and families are working hard to move this country forward, we're seeing a

republican congress obsessed with moving us backwards. i urge this congress to get back to work for them and reject this unconstitutional and insulting bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from texas mr. babin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. babin: i rise in support of this bill. this act takes an important step to protecting unborn life. unborn babies have the capacity to experience pain after 20 weeks. ending these lives through abortion is both unconscionable and inhumane. as members of congress, it's our duty to protect those who are defenseless. our bill affirms the highlyity

of the unborn while curbing the unhumanity of abortion. one of seven children and five children of my own and grandfather of 12, i ask my colleagues to support this pro-life bill and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: may i inquire as to how much time we have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee has 7 1/2 minutes. the gentlewoman from tennessee has 8 1/2 minutes. mr. cohen: i yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: thank you. i thank my friend for yielding. you know, here we are again at a time when this congress should be focusing on the american people's top priorities, growing our economy creating good-paying jobs, dealing with crumbling infrastructure, dealing with the big challenges that the american people sent us to do and we are not doing that, we continue yet another attack on

women's health. health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians in washington. let me repeat. health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians here in washington. we need to work together on the things we agree on. this keeps coming up over and over again. american people, american women deserve the respect that should be accorded to them, to exercise their right of privacy and their constitutionally protected right and not have people here in this chamber continually attack their decisions that should be made in direct personal private consultation with their physician. and to do anything other than that i think is taking this country and this congress in the wrong direction. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker i

now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from alabama, mr. aderholt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. aderholt: thank you madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlewoman from tennessee for her work on this bill and all of my colleagues that had a hand in it. in particular, the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks, for authoring this important legislation. i think most people would be surprised to learn that the united states is one of only seven countries in the world that allows elective abortions to be performed after 20 weeks. science has shown us that underborn children can feel pain. some argue against this. but then why would unborn babies who are given life-saving operations in the womb are given anesthesia? the founding fathers strongly believed that human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain alienable rights. it is the duty of members of congress to protect those who

cannot speak for themselves and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i recognize the gentleman from california on the day after yogi berra's 90th birth-day, mr. bera, not related. -- birthday, mr. bera, not related. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman. mr. bera: i am a doctor and when i graduated medical school i took an oath, i'm going to sit with my patient. i'm going to answer their questions and i'm going to empower them to make the decisions that best fit their lives and their health care. that is sacred to the oath that i swore when i became a doctor. this bill will make it criminal for me to do my job as a doctor. it is all about empowering our patients to make the decisions that best fit their lives. answering their questions.

it's personal. you know, i think about this as a father of a daughter. i want my daughter to grow up in a country where she's in charge of her own health care decisions. you know, when we think about women in government, none of us wants the government to come into the exam room and get between that doctor-patient relationship. this is sacred. this is what health care's all about. it's about working with our patients answering their questions and putting them in charge of their own health care decisions. this is a bad bill. this is a bill, massive government overreach. vote against this bill. let us do our jobs as doctors. thank you and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i now yield -- excuse me -- 30 seconds to the gentleman from north dakota, mr. cramer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north dakota is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. cramer: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker the most basic responsibility of a government of the people, by the people and for the people is to

protect the people. we protect our senior citizens' economic security, social security. we protect our country with our national security. we have a department of homeland security to protect all people. it seems that the very least we can do for the most vulnerable, defenseless and innocent among us is to protect them with this most basic right. to protect them from the imposition of the excruciating pain of abortion. i ask my colleagues to vote yes on this important bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: mrs. maloney from new york, i recognize for a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. i rise in opposition to h.r. 36. it endangers women's health. it contains a woefully inadequate rape exception and is patently unconstitutional.

it contains no health exception for the mother. the entire premise that women must provide quote, proof of rape is preposterous and hurtful to women who have already faced incredible trauma. most of us cannot begin to fathom what a woman has faced in these situations. the f.b.i. rates rape the second worst crime preceded only by murder in terms of the destruction and continuing harm to the victim. this is truly adding insult to injury. the majority party expects survivors to be mindful of keeping good medical paper records and to file paperwork that they, the majority, have decided that the rape victims should file. the reality is that abortions after 20 weekends are rare and

represent just 1.5% of pregnancies that are terminated. in almost all of these cases the woman choosing an abortion are doing so because there is a grave problem with their pregnancy and their own health that affects their fetus. some fetuses are incompatible with life, and in some cases going to full term would destroy a woman's ability to have future children. even after four decades of settled law, some of my colleagues still refuse to cede women their constitutional right and the autonomy and human dignity that goes with being allowed to make your own decisions about your own body and your own health care. the party of individual rights and states' rights wants to go into medical personal decisions of women in this country with

their doctors. i urge my colleagues to reject this awful bill, h.r. 36, and recognize that women are both capable and prepared to make decisions about their own bodies and their own medical care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from iowa is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. king: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 36, and i would point out that we have had an estimate of 58 million abortions in this country since roe v. wade. that's roughly 14 million by planned parenthood alone. it's about one million abortions a year in this country. but we ended partial birth abortion for one reason because those babies were -- their lives were ended the moment before they could scream for their own mercy, and now with

pain capable, we're going to be able to -- we're going to be able to stop that abortion that's coming because we can see in 4-d ultrasound that these babies are thriving for their own mercy. these babies need to be brought forth so they can live, learn laugh and love so they can celebrate the life that we gave them. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. i'd like to make note that we have the american college of nurse mid wives, the american obstetricians and gynecologists, the american medical association, the american medical women's association, american nurses association, american miracle association, many others against this bill. and i'd like to hear from the other side those against -- for this bill. and with that i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, mrs. walters. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. mrs. walters: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. this bill will protect women and children by establishing federal legal protections from unborn babies of 20 weeks. substantial evidence has shown that children at 20 weeks or the fifth month of pregnancy have the capacity to feel pain and due to modern medicine are increasingly likely to survive a premature birth. furthermore this bill protects the health of mothers when they are at their most vulnerable state. at 20 weeks, a woman is 30 times more likely to die from abortion than she would in the first trimester. after 1 weeks, that risk -- 21 weeks, that risk of mother increases almost 100-fold.

this is week-long women's health week, encouraging women to prioritize their health. i'm pleased to stand in support of this piece of women's health legislation today. this bill will empower women in their health care decisions and protect the lives of the innocent unborn. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from tennessee continues to -- mr. cohen: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: i'm going to yield one minute to the gentlelady from missouri mrs. hartzler. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized for one minute. mrs. hartzler: madam speaker, i rise today in support of the pain-capable unborn tried protection act. this protects unborn children and ensures that those born alive are given the same level of care as other premature

infants. i'd like to introduce you to micah and his parents. his mom danieal recalls telling if her son was not -- we were told our baby would not cry upon birth. we were told he would be stillborn. he would have a 95% chance of horrible life-altering disabilities like not talking, not walking, not eating on his own. on the morning micah was born, he defied all odds. we didn't know what god's will for micah was but we do now. it is to be a voice for all those other babies. i ask unanimous consent to insert danieal's full story and letter into the -- dan yell's full storly and letter into the record. -- story and letter into the record. without objection. mrs. hartzler we are i urge my colleagues -- mrs. hartzler: i urge my

colleagues to support h.r. 36. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i'd like to recognize mr. deutch from florida for a minute and a half. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized -- i'm sorry, florida, is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. deutch: i thank my friend for yielding. my republican colleagues have no interest in preventing abortions after 20 weeks. motivation behind h.r. 36 couldn't be more transparent. they want to make abortion after 20 weeks illegal and abortions before 20 weeks impossible. consider the story of a young woman named josephine. who recently moved to florida from texas. with her two kids after escaping an abusive husband. while trying to build a stable home for her children, she was raped and she became pregnant.

she couldn't afford an abortion or a trip to her provider more than 80 miles away. so josephine attempted to perm terminate the pregnancy herself by -- to terminate the pregnancy herself by ingesting poison. by the time she gathered enough resources to cover her procedure and transportation to her provider nearly 80 miles away, she was 23 weeks pregnant. if this republican majority had its way, josephine would be denied access to a safe and legal abortion. from regulating providers out of business, to requiring waiting periods to mandating counseling and medically unnecessary ultrasounds, this republican majority has made securing an abortion has made exercising a woman's constitutional right a long and expensive process. let's reject this bill and

instead work to ensure that all women can control their own bodies their own health and their own destinies. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from maryland, mr. harills. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. mr. harris: thank you madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 36 today and let's call this bill what it is. it's a late term abortion ban. that's what it is. the majority of americans agree, madam speaker that late term abortions should be illegal in this country. whether it's unconstitutional is not up for this body to determine. i believe the supreme court will rule that this is constitutional. because there's a reason why a majority of americans believe that late term abortions should be illegal. it's because that baby is

developed at 20 weeks, developed enough to perceive pain. that's how developed. developed enough to survive outside the womb. that's how developed. that's why a majority of americans believe that that baby has rights as well. that's what we're here to do today. h.r. 36 preserves the rights of that baby to survive. i practicalitiesed medicine for over 20 years -- practiced o.b. for 20 years. down the corridor you'd abort them. this bill says that if that baby being aborted is born alive, someone's going to recesstate that baby. that's what we need, madam speaker. that's why i support h.r. 36. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee has 1 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. cohen: we go back to the reserve mode.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from alabama, mrs. roby. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from alabama is recognized for one minute. mrs. roby: thank you madam speaker. thank you to the gentlelady from tennessee. and everyone who has worked so hard on this bill. i've sat here for the past 20 minutes, 25 minutes listening, for however long listening to this it bait. i've been struck by the op -- this debate. i've been struck by the opposition to this bill's con stapt and consistent argument that this is about leaving these decisions to the mother and her doctor. what about the baby? who's standing up for that baby who cannot speak for themselves? that is what we are doing here today. this is such an important measure, on behalf of those who don't have a voice and can feel pain. and it's a shame that such a humane and compassionate

measure has opposition at all. especially since great care has been taken to protect women and babies in this bill. if we won't stop abortions at five months, when unborn babies feel pain, when will we stop it? there has to be limits. and even those of us who want to end abortion altogether, in any form, we support this restriction. you know why? because it protects babies, it saves babies it protects women and it assigns a greater value to human life. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. fleming. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for one minute. mr. fleming: i thank my good friend from tennessee. and i rise today as a physician, as a father and as a

grandfather in support of h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. it's no surprise that unborn children as young as 20 weeks postfertilization feel, respond to and recoil from pain. these tiny forming human beings make faces yawn, stretch and suck their thumb. my own granddaughter, who is now about 20 months of age, when we viewed her 4-d ultrasound, her face, compared to today, is almost exactly the same. it's unbelievable how human-like, how much like a baby a baby really is in the womb. because, let's admit it, it is a child. it is a human life. we celebrate when our friends and family post these precious ultrasound pictures. in fact, life is always a celebration. and it's only right that we should be vigilant to ensure that the womb remains the most peaceful, protected place for a

child to grow and be nurtured. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 36, which will protect children in the fifth month of development from the excruciating pain and intended violent death of an abortion. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i yield one minute to the gentlelady from utah mrs. love. ms. love: thank you madam speaker. i wasn't planning on speaking today. i didn't put my name on a list to speak today. i was actually sitting in my office listening to the debate. about this bill. and i started thinking of my three children. i started thinking about the decisions that we have to make in order to protect them. and i'm disappointed. i am disappointed that there's

even opposition to this piece of legislation. i want you to know that we as adults have a voice. we're able to speak, we're able to speak on opposition to things. but we have children that do not have a voice. those babies that we know can feel pain. do not have a voice. now, i want everyone who is watching today, because i'm not trying to convince my colleagues i want every american that is watching this today to think of their children think of their nieces their nephews, their grandchildren, the ones that they love, would they inflict this kind of pain to keep them from coming into the world? we have a moral obligation in this country to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. it is time that we do our job. life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee has one minute remaining.

the gentleman from tennessee has 1 1/2 minutes remange. -- remaining. is the gentleman from tennessee prepared to close? mr. cohen: yes indeed, i am. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman prepared to close? mrs. black: i am, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. cohen: thank you madam speaker. i think if anybody listened to this debate, they would see one thing clearly. that there's a difference on the two sides. a difference in perspective and a difference on the facts. some say that clearly the fetus feels pain. and my data shows the majority of medical opinions says the fetus does not. and doctor anan, who they cite, mine research shows has retracted his position and doesn't want to be in this debate and he's an outliar. the bottom line is there are differences. differences to the facts as well as the opinions. and what that should say to anybody madam speaker, who watches this debate is this issue shouldn't be decided by politicians but it should be

decided by medical experts and by women with the people they trust. medical experts not politicians. and by women with the people they trust. and the truth of this debate came down to a lady from north carolina who testified, contrary to what she said in january, in january she said the bill that came before this house was not a good bill and shouldn't come to the house and was withdrawn because incest is incest. and it shouldn't be seen that people 18 and over doesn't get an abortion if they're the victim of incest. this bill allows it. she changed her position. at the close of her statement she said, i will not rest until abortion is illegal. and that's what this is about. it's the beginning of the end of abortion at 20 weeks, at 17 weeks, at 1 weeks, at one week -- 12 weeks, at one week at conception. this is an ty abortion bill, it's -- anti-abortion bill, it's not about fetal pain it's not about 20 weeks. that's what it's about. american women need to wake up. i thank and i close.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you madam speaker. madam speaker, during the course of this debate we have heard more than a few mischaracterizations against this legislation. in truth, this is just a modest compassionate bill that does not in any way change abortion law for the first five months of pregnancy. as a nurse for more than 40 years, i know that late term abortion is not health and it is not caring. it takes an innocent life that we know can feel pain inside the womb and sin creasingly viable outside the womb. this is a human right issue. and we have the responsibility to act. i therefore urge a yes vote on

h.r. 36 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 255, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to amend title 18, united states code, to protect pain-capable unborn children and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i have a motion to recommit at the desk madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill? >> i am in its current form. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman qualifies. the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: ms. brownley of california moves to recommit the bill h.r. 36, to the

committee on the judiciary, with instructions to report the same to the house for thewith with the following amendment. page 6, line 11, insert after life the following, or health. page 6, beginning on line 12, strike whose and all that follows through conditions on line 17. page 11, line 13, insert after life the following or health. page 11, beginning on line 14, strike by and all that follows through injury on line 15. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentlewoman from california is recognized for five minutes this support of her motion. ms. brownley: thank you, madam speaker. this is the final amendment to h.r. 36, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. if adopted the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. my amendment would ensure that nothing in the bill would prevent a woman from

terminating her pregnancy after 20 weeks if her health were at risk. only 1.1% of abortions performed in the united states occur after the 20-week mark. these rare procedures are often the most medically difficult and dangerous cases where women many of whom want and have dreamed of being parents, are faced with impossible decisions. . a condition would be life threatening before performing an abortion. it has no concern for the long-term life of the mother, her future ability to bear children or making her own medical decisions. there are very real and very serious reasons why a woman may need an abortion later in

pregnancy. for example, pregnant women with severe fetal anomaly or woman's whose amniotic sac ruptures prematurely and cannot support a fetus are forced to give birth. and parentals providing care that has been the law of the land for 42 years. and it puts doctors' safety at risk by requiring public disclosure of doctors who provide abortion care around the country. both the american medical association, the american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists understand that there is no appropriate one-size-fits-all solution. they oppose bills not based on sound science and that interfere with the physician's ability to provide the highest quality of care. h.r. 36 does more than endanger the health and lives of women.

it also robs rape victims of their constitutionally protected right to choose. the bill's revised rape exception continues to question rape victims' honesty by requiring that adult rape victims obtain counseling or medical treatment 48 hours before obtaining an abortion and prohibits both services from being performed by a woman's regular ob-gyn. by placing these onerous burdens on women, this bill revictimizes women who have already been traumatized and denies women the right to choose her own doctor. further, many women, especially victims of abuse, do not report rape for fear of reprisal. the national institute of justice estimates that only 35% of women report rape. forcing a survivor to report her sexual assault before she

can terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest denies her basic rights. if we are serious about reducing the number of abortions, we should improve access to birth control and family planning. we should support comprehensive sexual education. we should do anything but pass this misguided, misinformed and ill-conceived legislation. instead of bills that harm women, we should work together on bipartisan legislation to help women and families including passing legislation that provides equal pay for equal work, access to childcare and paid family leave. we should also pass a transportation bill, fix our crumbling infrastructure, create jobs and strengthen the economy. backward bills not based on science that fail to respect a woman's right to privacy and right to make her own health

decisions have no place in local, state or federal legislation. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the motion to recommit. vote yes to protect women's health. vote yes for a woman's right to choose and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? >> i rise in opposition to the motion to recommit? >> the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: madam speaker, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights and among these rights are the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. the bill before the house today affirms what a majority of americans believe, that over halfway through a pregnancy an unborn baby deserves the full

protection of the law and the constitution. as a mother of three and a legislator i've always believed that every life has value, every life deserves the opportunity to reach its full potential. we live in an extraordinary time in which we are not bound by the conditions of our birth. we are not sentenced by our circumstance. and we should not be defined by what limits us but empower by what we can become and as lawmakers it's our responsibility to ensure that our laws reflect that. medical science continues to evolve to create greater potential for life. emerging research is challenging what we thought to be true of the earliest stages of human life. just last week, "the new york times" highlighted a study that showed a growing number of premature infants surviving after the point at where i this bill would -- which this bill would make this -- would make abortion illegal. we need to ask whether we want

to move forward with a better standard of living or if we want to rely on the outdated scientific research of the past. i want to legislate for the future, and the future will be defined by how we use the advancements taking place today to protect and improve human life. those who represent the future are already there. there was a recent poll that 57% of millennials support this legislation, and they echo the voice of america. 60% of americans, democrats, republicans, independents, support the pain-capable act. abortion is really a symptom of larger challenges that exist in our society. and these challenges demand attention of lawmakers. pretending that there's a one-size-fits-all approach to abortion ignores the complex circumstances that surround each woman who is forced to consider choosing an abortion. this bill recognizes that at the halfway point of a pregnancy a baby, who is

developed five months those circumstances are increasingly more unique. research shows that abortion becomes riskier to a woman's health the later it occurs in pregnancy. we should not trivialize the decision to undertake an abortion at 20 weeks by suggesting that it should be made without additional medical or emotional support. we should write laws that empower women to make these decisions. we should support laws that show compassion for women. we should trust individuals to make the best decisions for themselves. we want to empower every single person to reach their full potential. this country has made great strides in empowering all people no matter where they started. it's why i'm here. to stand as a fierce protector of every life. the human rights and dignity of each person should be reflected in every single piece of

legislation we bring to the floor. this bill asks us to consider whether we as a society will tolerate abortion at any point of development, even though we know babies can fill pain at 20 weeks and survive -- feel pain at 20 weeks and survive outside the womb. this bill asks us to consider if it is compassionate to maintain a system that does nothing to offer emotional or medical support for a woman facing the most difficult decision of choosing an abortion five months into her pregnancy. these are questions that we must ask, and i am prepared to answer them by supporting the pain-capable unborn child protection act, and i urge my colleagues to reject the motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. the motion -- the question is

on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. the motion is not agreed to. ms. brownley: i ask for the yeas and nays, madam speaker -- i demand the yeas and nays madam speaker. i apologize. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, the 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by five-minute votes on passage of h.r. 36 if ordered, passage of h.r. 2048 and agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal, if ordered. this is a 15-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 181 and the nays are 246. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor, please say aye.

those opposed, please say no. the nose have it. -- the noes have it. the ayes have it. the bill -- >> a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: i ask for a record vote, please. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those supporting a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]