my amendment turns our attention again maybe to the obvious, maybe if i say alexander bell as children in school everybody knew that he created the telephone and george washington carver was associated with the many scientific discoveries out of a single peanut. and those in this month when they would teach us african-american history, we would all know george washington carver and a role model that was a scienceist and generated thousands of scientists. and so i want my amendment to emphasize that we want the long list of innovation to be on our side and to continue the tradition and trajectory that we have had of basic research that then applies to all levels to create opportunities of work and genius that is here in this country. i ask my colleagues to support my amendment and i reserve.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: i rise in opposition to the amendment though i'm not opposed. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: i support this amendment from ms. jackson lee, her second amendment we're accepting on this side of the aisle. it aims to ensure the national science foundation grants funds research that meets the highest standards so taxpayer dollars are not wasted on frivolous grants or poorly designed research propose also. it recognizes the national science foundation's basic research mission and endorses applying the bill's national interest standards to national science foundation's basic research grant. i thank the gentlewoman for her amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the yom from texas. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman for supporting this member and the ranking member for supporting it. in closing, let me say that in addition to following protocol,

we must invest funds, money, in basic research. but i also want to take note of something that i've watched over the years and i've added growth. s and seen the one of my first acts on the science committee was to utilize laboratory tools or equipment that was no longer needed by the federal government in its national science labs to give them to middle schools and high schools so that they would have access to this kind of equipment. many of us know that there are schools throughout america who are deficient in science labs. i see them in my district, i hear about them. i think the other important point is, over the year we was expanded the research collaboration to historically black college, hispanic serving college, native american serving and colleges that serve the economically disadvantaged. those are good things because we don't know where the genius is in america and how many people may come up with outstanding research. i hope we do focus on how important basic research is.

i ask my colleagues to support the jackson lee amendment and i yield back my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much. the chair: it is now in order to consider amendment number five printed in part b of house eport 114-420. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? ms. delbene: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 printed in house report 114-420, offered by ms. delbene of washington. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 609, the gentlewoman from washington, ms. delbene, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from washington. ms. delbene: thank you. mr. chairman, i rise to offer this amendment to ensure the national science foundation can continue investing in the

development of an american work force that is globally competitive in computer science and information technology. this has been a bipartisan goal in the past and i'm hopeful everyone in this chamber will be able to support it. computing technology has become an integral part of our lifes, transforming our society and our nation's economy. nowhere is this clearer than in the puget sound region. i have the honor of representing washington's first district, which has some of the world's leading software companies and innovators, but the same can be seen across the country. according to the bureau of labor statistics, there will be roughly 10 million stem jobs by 2020 and of those job half are expected to be in computing nnd information technology. that's near live five million good paying jobs but unless we step up our game, our country won't have enough computer science graduates to fill those positions. today, there continues to be a substantial shortage of americans with the skills needed to fill computing jobs and too few of our students are being

given the opportunity to learn computer science, both at the k through 12 level and in college. what's worse, dramatic dispair triss main for girls and students of color. last year, less than 25% of students taking the a.p. computer science exam were girls while less than 15% were african-american or latino. to remain economically competitive, we need to make smart investments now to address these disparities and ensure we have a strong 21st century work force in the decades to come. thankfully, n.s.f. supports vital research and development projects to help prepare the next generation to compete in stem jobs, something we all agree is an important goal. my amendment simply clarifies that under the legislation, n.s.f. can also invest in projects aimed at developing an american work force that is globally competitive in computing and information technology, sectors that are the -- that are seeing enormous growth here at home and around the globe.

if we want our students to be prepared for the digital economy, n.s.f. must be able to fund projects that support the teaching and learning of essential computer science skills like coding, programming, designing and debugging. my amendment will do just that. it will ensure we're looking forward and preparing students for college degrees and deleefers future. uh-uh -- i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: i claim time in opposition to the ealt though i do not oppose it. the chair: without objection the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: i accept the gentlewoman's amendment. it clarifies it is in the national interest to fund grants that support the development of an american stem work force that's globally competitive that includes computer science and the information technology sectors. in october, the president signed into law the stem education act, a bill i introduced with with my colleague, ms. esty, which

expands the definition of stem to include computer science this amendment reinforces that new federal definition of stem. it's a perfecting amendment to the bill and i welcome it. i agree with my colleague that it is in the national interest to support training a stem work force which includes computer science and i support her amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from washington is recognized. ms. delbene: i thank the gentleman for his support and i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from washington. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed. to -- is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 6 printed in part b of house report 114-420. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? ms. delbene: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 printed in part b of house

report 114-420, offered by ms. delbene of washington. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 609, the gentlewoman from washington, ms. delbene, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from washington. ms. delbene: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise to offer an important amendment for scientists across the country engaged in ongoing research funded by the national science foundation. as everyone in this chamber knows, research and innovation are central to american competitiveness and driving our national economy. each year, investments in research through n.s.f. help us push the boundaries of scientific knowledge, support new industries and address the challenges facing our society. i don't think anyone would deny that funding for n.s.f. has overwhelmingly benefited our country. it's also key to our country's continued economic growth. funding new explorations in science and technology is how we stay on the cutting edge of research. it's how we continue to compete globally in the 21st century economy. that's why i have serious

concerns about the implications of the underlying legislation, which needlessly inserts a layer of political review into the scientific research process. to remain a world leader, we need to ensure scientists are exploring transformative new ideas and frontiers based on the mir rits of their research, not the subjective opinions of politicians an congress. unfortunately, those subjective opinions are exactly what's being injected into the process under this legislation and what's worse, it as the potential to put ongoing research at risk. by changing the rules about how n.s.f. funding is awarded, scientistries as -- scientists across the country may rightfully be concerned about how this legislation affects the work they're doing today. as someone who started their career in research, i can tell you firsthand it's incredibly important that you have the certainty to see a project through to the end, starting and stop regular search is highly detrimental. we should provide scientists the long-term visibility to know

their ongoing research can be completed without interference from politicians and that's precisely what my amendment does. my amendment simply clarifies that the underlying legislation does not impact any grant funding that has already been awarded by the n.s.f. it's critical that we pass it to ensure ongoing research is not disrupted by this unfortunate bill. mr. chairman, research isn't a spigot you can turn on and off. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense amendment and with that, i reserve the balance of my time. . the chair: the gentlewoman from washington reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the amendment though i do not oppose the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: mr. chairman, i accept the gentlewoman's amendment it clarifies that new requirements in the bill do not apply to grants already awarded by the national science foundation. i agree the bill is not intended to be retroactive. in january, 2015, n.s.f. began to implement new internal

guidelines that promote accountability and transparency. these guidelines are compatible with this bill, with you the implementation of them -- but the implementation of them is a work in progress. i will continue to communicate with n.s.f. about how they implement their internal guidelines but agree this bill will only apply to future grants once enacted. so mr. chairman, i support the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. ms. delbene: i thank the chairman for his support of the amendment and i yield back my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from washington yields back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from washington. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: mr. chair, i move that the committee do now rise.

the chair: the question is on the committee rising. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. speaker. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 3293 directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the eaker pro tempore: chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 3293 and has come to no resolution.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair.

there's a bill on the house floor, what would it do? guest: it's about increasing notification to the public when there are water problems such as we saw in flint. one of the central issues in flint is the federal e.p.a. and state regulators knew there could have been a lead problem in early 2015, more than a year ago, and didn't tell the public. for months. this really didn't start to get out to the public until much laettner 2015 after people had already been drinking the water for a while. this bill takes a couple of steps to make sure the e.p.a. nd water utilities are telling customers when lead levels get to be very high beyond the

regulatory limits or much higher than that. host: what's the e.p.a.'s current role in terms of notification on city water systems? guest: the primary responsibility for drinking water is usually at the state level. the e.p.a. is still to enforce the law so they're supposed to have stringent oversight over what the states and cities are doing. so e.p.a. often often knows when these problems are coming or when they happen because they're in constant communication with the states but usually the states and cities are still the main responsibility to make sure that this doesn't happen or when it does happen it's fixed romptly. host: the dan kildee bill is supported by fred upton. what other legislation may be in the works on the house side in terms of dealing with the flint rye sis?

guest: on the house side, just like the senate side they've been working on the money side to get money to flint to help out on this. the democrats would still like to get there, get some hundreds of millions of dollars to flint to help them get through this and eventually replace their lead pipes or repair them to a point where the lead isn't a problem anymore. so that might come down the line especially if the senate acts first on that. but for now this kildee bill, kildee and upton bill is sort of the first action of the house -- first action the house is taking on flint. also the house democrats today are doing a hearing into the crisis, their main witness is going to be karen weaver, the mayor of flint. that's a hearing to sort of figure out what went wrong and who is responsible. michigan's governor rick snyder was invited to that hearing but he declined an invitation and refused to testify.

host: michigan governor won't attend dems' hearing on flint. also brought up in the house oversight committee hear, is it possible the governor would attend one of these congressional hearings? ghost: it might be possible someday. the house energy and commerce, chaired by manufacture's own fred upton is planning a hearing in march. they haven't said yet if they're going to try to get snider to go. so far, republicans on both sides -- republicans in the house have focused more on the federal side of things and the e.p.a. than trying to weigh in to what the state and local governments have done or should have been doing in response to this crisis. host: let's look at the senate, the issue of the flint crisis, brought up in debate over energy legislation, michigan senators tried to bring forth funding through their amendment, your headline, senators no deal on

fingerprint aid and energy bill. what was the holdup in the enate? guest: senators stabenow and peters from manufacture were trying to get a $600 million package for flint attached to the energy bill. as far as we can tell, they're still negotiating on that. that might turn out to be something that ends up being separated from the energy bill so the senate will still consider its energy bill independent of that and then separately consider what to do about flint, and that will probably include money but it's hard to see where that's going right now because democrats initially wanted to attach it to the energy bill since that is sort of a must-pass, relatively easy thing to pass so they could get through on that. but the negotiations are still ongoing on the flint side of things and the energy side of hings right now.

host: timothy kama, a reporter for "the hill." follow him on twitter. guest: thanks, bill. >> the bill did pass, two no votes were rokita of indiana and mass see of kentucky. the house should be back for votes on final passage on a bill that aims to provide greater accountability in federal funding for funding, about 4:45 eastern we'll have the house live when they do gavel back in. until then, the british house of commons in today's prime minister's questions. supporting it. >> order. questions to the prime minister. >> number one, mr. speaker, please. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i know the whole house has been deeply saddened by the death of harry's last week from cancer.

after distinguished career as a minor and advisor to david and to counsel he was returned to this place last may succeeding david block and into. while he was only in this place a short time he quickly became a popular mp, recognized for his commitment and his police. it's a measure of the man he can continue to carry out his work as an empty throughout history. we offer his wife and children are profound condolences. >> here, here. >> mr. speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> men's davis. >> firstly may i state myself alongside colleagues with the sentiments expressed for the member for sheffield. he came to this house with an excellent record in labour government and will be greatly missed but i'm sure the whole house since our condolence to his family at this time. >> here, here. >> housing is the number one

issue in my constituency. queries on a workable local man looking after -- whilst on the offering that pure conservative value. with the prime minister agree to our help to fight isis one being taken every 30 seconds or the right way to promote both savings and encourage homeownership? >> i agree with my honorable friend. one of the most difficult things for young people is to get that deposit together for the first flat for the first house and that's what these -- this help to make such a big difference. it is right to know a quarter of a million first time buyers have opened an account at what we've seen is the 40,000 people exercise their right to buy their council house. now we are extending that to all housing association tenants and we've seen one of 30,000 people with help to buy getting their

first flat or the first house. there's more to do, building houses, but helping people with their deposits is a vital for our country. >> jeremy corbyn. [shouting] >> thank you, mr. speaker. i joined the prime minister and a member in paying tribute to harry, a former miner who passed away last week. just a short time ago harry used his last question here to ask the prime minister questions about the sheffield forge masters and the steel industry. i hope the prime minister will reflect on his diligence and representing the industry and his constituents turn 12 yesterday, mr. speaker, i had a chance to have a very nice conversation with harry's widow and his family. and the last them to say how would you like to remember harry executed in this message which i will read out. we have it marked the bravery and courage he showed in his

life which was formed during the strike and carried him for for the rest of his life. i'm sure the whole house and many in a much wider committee were remember harry as a decent, honorable man absolutely dedicated to his community and his constituents, and whatever he said he has passed. >> here, here. >> mr. speaker, also followed the member for me so i to question. i got an e-mail from rosie, she's in her 20s -- [laughter] [shouting] unfortunately, mr. speaker, the rosie who has written to me doesn't have the same good housing that the chief whip of our party does.

[laughter] but after -- aspirations spring ago. the rosie who was rented is in her '20s and she says -- [laughter] i worked incredibly, i worked incredibly hard at my job yet i'm still having to live at home with my parents. the lack of housing options, mr. speaker, of forcing her to consider moving, even leaving the country. she asked the prime minister what action he's going to take to help young people and families suffering from unrealistic house prices and uncapped rates to get somewhere safe and secure to live? >> first of all let me say to the right honorable gentleman when you get a letter from the chief whip, that normally spells trouble. but what i would say to rosie, the rosie wrote to him is we want to do everything we can to

help young people get on housine housing ladder. that's why we've got these help to save account until to look at that but cutting rosie's taxes so that you should be able to earn 11,000 pounds before she starts paying any taxes. the rosie is a 10 and housing association she can buy that house because the we are introducing and extending the right to buy. of course, with help to buy she will have the opportunity to register for help to buy which gives people the chance to a smaller deposit on owning their own home. in rosie is the earning that much money but wants to be homeowner, shared ownership can make a real difference in some parts of the country you only need a deposit of some one or 2000 pounds to begin the process of becoming a homeowner. i recognize in this parliament building more houses following these schemes without to deliver for rosie. >> mr. speaker, i'm pleased the prime minister once to help deliver decent housing for

rosie. she lives and works in london and as the prime minister knows london is a very, very expensive. he talks the people getting on the housing ladder but the reality is that homeownership asphalt under his government i 200,000. it rose by a million under the last labour government. his record is one of actually some years of failure on housing. he said council homes sold under right to buy would be replaced like for like. and the prime minister tell us how that policy is panning out? >> first of all let me start with what happened under labour with right to buy sales. because what happened was one council home was built, one council home was built for every 170 council homes they sold. that is the record. we have said that we will make sure that you homes are built for every council home in london that is sold. that is because my honorable

friend the member for richmond park insisted on that. these take some years to build but the money that they will be built or the money comes back to the treasury. >> mr. speaker, the prime minister ought to be aware that just one home has been built for every eight that have been sold under his government. people are finding it difficult to find anywhere to live the. the chancellor's crude cuts in housing benefits for those in support, supportive housing are putting at risk hundreds of thousands of older people, people with mental health conditions can war veterans and winning fling domestic violence or need support. can't the prime minister tell the house what estimate housing providers have made in terms of the impact of this policy on supportive housing? >> first of all we're going to increase housing supply in the

social sector by 8 billion-pound housing budget during this parliament is going to build 400,000 affordable homes. when it comes to our reforms of housing benefit, yes, we have cut housing benefit because it was completely out of control when we came to government. that were families in london who were getting 100,000 pounds of housing benefit per family. think how many people, think how many rosie's were going to work working hard everyday just to provide that housing benefit for one family. we support supported housing scheme and we will look very carefully to make sure they can work well in the future, but i make no apology for the fact that in this parliament we are cutting social rent. so the roses were living in social houses going out to work will have lower rents under this government. >> at least the prime minister finally got on the question of supported housing.

housing providers estimate that nearly half of all supported housing schemes will close, one in four providers are set to close all other provisions. this is a very serious crisis. i assume the prime minister is not content to see the elderly people with mental health conditions and others with nowhere to live, so can he assure the house now that the warm words he's just given will be matched by action and he will stop this cut which will destroy the supported housing sector? >> we will continue to support the supported housing sector, and the report he quotes from was an opinion poll with an extremely leading question, if he actually looks at what it was he was looking at. but the changes we are making reducing social rents by 1% every year for four years, that is good news for people who go out to work, work hard would like to pay less rent. that goes with a lower taxes and

the more childhood obesity. the other change we are making which doesn't come into force until 2018 is to make sure we are not paying housing benefit to social tenants way above what we would pay to private sector tenants. because the simple point is this, this is what i think labour have got to focus, every penny you spend on housing subsidy is money you can't spend on building housing. so let's take this back, let's take us right back to rosie in the beginning. she wants a country where we build homes. she wants a country where you can buy a home. she wants a country with a strong economy so you can afford to buy a home. all of those things where delivering, and she will not deliver them if you go on spending more and more money on subsidized housing and housing benefits. one day labour has got to realize that welfare bills have to be brought under control. [shouting] >> mr. speaker, shelter estimates the measures and in housing they will loose 180,000

affordable homes over the next four years. the prime minister is overseeing a very damaging housing crisis. it's a pricey out people from buying. it's not providing enough social housing. therefore, many people are forced to rely on the private rented sector. the benches behind them recently voted against an amendment put forward by my honorable friend for homes to be fit for human habitation. labour invested 22 billion pounds in government in bringing social homes up to a decent home standards. that are now 11 million people in this country who are private renters. does the prime minister know how many of those homes don't need a decent home standards? >> to listen to labour win in the last five years we have held a more council houses than they

built in 30 years -- we built more. [shouting] where was he? where was he when that was going on? 13 years and absolutely hopeless record on housing. what we are doing is an 8 billion-pound housing budget that will provide 400,000 new affordable homes, cover to build 1 million homes during this parliament, getting as a benefit down so he can spend money on housing and having a strong economy that can support the housing we need. >> mr. speaker, i was asking through you the prime minister how many of the 11 million renters are living in a that are not, did not meet the decent home standard and, therefore, substandard. i will help them. one-third of those in the private rented sector don't meet those decent home standards, shelter found that six out of 10 renters have to do with damp, moldy, leaking roads and

windows. it's simply not good enough. millions are struggling to get the home they deserve. more families living in temporary accommodation from elderly threatened with conviction, too few homes being built, social housing under pressure, families forced into standards, overpriced private rented sector. young people unable to move out of the family home and start their own life. when is the prime minister going to realize there is a housing prices in britain? his government needs to address it now so that we do not continue with this dreadful situation in this country. [shouting] >> let me take one of the figures he mentioned about homelessness. homelessness is less than half the picture was today under the last labour government. there's a simple point. you can only invest in new houses, you can only restore existing houses, you can only build new houses, you can only support people into those houses the you've got a strong economy.

we inherited mass unemployment, and economy that was completed collapse, a banking crisis and now we've got zero inflation, wages are growing, unemployment at 5% and an economy growing and people able for the first time to look to the future and see taken by ann althouse in our country. [shouting] >> -- buy a house in our country. >> a 19 year old ucd woman when days came to her village. they killed most of her family, they tortured her, raped her and then make her their slave. mr. speaker, her story is the same as thousands of ucd women except thousands of ucd women are still in captivity and nadia managed to escape. in fact, not he is in the public gallery today. mr. speaker, with a prime minister join me in acknowledging her resilience,

bravery, the essential qualities that allowed her to triumph over daesh? will he do everything in his power to redouble his efforts to support the yazidi women and eradicate the daesh? >> let me thank my honorable friend are raising this issue in a way which has done so, let me welcome nokia who is here with us today. she and the ucd committee have suffered at the hands of his murderous, brutal, fascist organization in syria and in iraq. we must do everything we can to defeat daesh and its violent ideology. we are playing a leading role in this global coalition. in terms of iraq where so many ucd's supper, wage has lost over 40% of the territory it once controlled -- suffered. assets at the time of the debate about syria it's going to take a long time to build up iraqi

security forces, working with opposition forces, building the capacity of governments in both countries to try this evil organization out of the middle these. for however long it takes we must stick at it. >> we on the benches of join in the condolences the prime minister and a leader of the opposition coalition to harriet harman and pass our best wishes to his family of this sad, difficult time. mr. speaker, the prime minister made -- his party signed an agreement that would be no detriment to scotland with new devolution arrangements. why is the uk treasury hosting plans that may be detrimental for scotland to the tune of 3 billion pounds? >> first of all we except the smith principles of no detriment that there are two principles. personal no detriment has gone quite rightly at the time when this transfer is made in terms of scotland having these new tax

raising powers. and then no detriment to scottish taxpayers but also to the rest of the united kingdom taxpayers who we have to bear in mind as we take into account this important negotiation. i've had good conversations with the first minister, negotiations are under way. i want us to successfully complete this important piece of devolution and a fair and reasonable way. these negotiations should continue. met me remind right honorable gentleman. if we had full fiscal devolution with oil revenues have been collapsed i 94%, to the right honorable gentleman and his party would be just weeks away from a financial calamity for scotland. [inaudible] don't voters have a right to know that what is promised can be trusted and will be delivered in full? will the prime minister to the

treasury that time is running out on delivering a fair fiscal framework and that he must have a deal that is there both to the people of scotland and fair to the rest of united kingdom? >> i can tell him everything that has been committed to by this government will be delivered. we committed to this huge act of devolution to scotland and we delivered it. we committed to the scotland bill. we are well on the way to delivering it. all the things we said would including those smith principles but there's an ongoing negotiation to reach a fair settlement and i would say to the scottish first minister and the finance minister they have to recognize there must be fairness across the rest of united kingdom, too. but with goodwill i can tell you, mr. speaker, no one is more keen on agreements than me. i want to scottish national party here and in holyrood to start making decisions which taxes are going to raise? would are you going to do with benefits? i want to get rid of, frankly,

this greatest agenda let you get on with a governing agenda and that we can see what you are made of. [shouting] >> thank you, mr. speaker. [inaudible] is threatening and undermining all the work we've done in job creation but also supporting businesses. it is quite simply a ticking timebomb. what, mr. speaker, to ask the prime minister what more can he do to remove the stigma, misunderstanding and all the problems associated around this subject because i think my friend is right to raise the specter our special circumstances because of course you got the enormous success of dyson which is hiring engineers and skills mathematicians and scientists from every university in the country, and long may that continue. what we will do so by training 3 million apprentices in this parliament, give special help to teachers of stem subject and

encouraging them into teaching. i think there's a lot that business industry can do to help us in this by going into schools and talking about what these modern engineering covers are all about. how much fulfillment people can get from these careers to encourage people to change the goal to it comes to pursuing these careers. >> people are afraid of losing their homes. women deny pensions they were expected come and increase in left expose without the social care they need to live a decent life. when will the prime minister address of these scoundrels? >> what we are doing for pensioners is putting in place the triple lock for every pensioner knows that can never be another shameful 75p increase that we saw under labour. they know every year it would either the wages, prices or 2.5% and that's why the pension is so

much-when i became prime minister. but, of course, we need to make sure there's a fair settlement for local government, and will be hearing more about that later today. the visibility of local councils to a special council tax for social care will help them everywhere there is great pressure. >> nigel adams. [shouting] >> this bit fire was a crucial element within the battle of britain 75 years ago. >> here, here. >> and keeping our country free from tyranny. however, there are some who fear that our independence nuclear deterrent could be as obsolete as the spitfire. could my right honorable friend the prime minister ashore the house and the country that this is not the case? >> it takes quite a talent and a shadow defense to to -- --

[inaudible] another week, another completely ludicrous labour position on the bench. i think the last word should go to the honorable member of an thank you, twitter for this whether i should get out of the meeting tweeted this. oh dear, oh dear, oh, my god, oh dear, do. need to go to rest in a darkened room. i suspect you'll find the rest of her party there with her. [laughter] >> thank you, mr. speaker. [shouting] >> at today's committee that this is secretary confirmed that the government will not support the eu commission in racing tariffs. why won't the uk government stand up for uk steel? >> because we have repeatedly stood up for uk steel, including

supporting taking at the dumping measured in the you but that's not enough. also need to get beyond covering procurement for steel and that's what we're doing. we need to get behind reducing energy bills for steel and that's a weird thing. we need support communities like his own medicine job losses, and that's exactly what we're doing. we recognize what a vital part of britain's national base for steel industry is and that's why we are backing it. >> gloria atkins. [shouting] >> thank you, mr. speaker. julian assange is accused of rape and is on the run. despite this the united nation's panel nobody has ever heard of declared last week that he has been arbitrarily detained of the somehow deserving of compensation to does my right honorable friend agree with me that this was a nonsensical decision that julian assange should hand himself over to

swedish prosecutors about anyone is deserving of compensation it is the british taxpayer? who was had to pay 12 million pounds to police come his ecuadorian carveouts because my friend is absolutely. i think this was a ridiculous decision. you've got a man with an outstanding allegation of rape against them. he barricaded himself into the ecuadorian embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily again. the person who detained himself was insulted what he should do is come out of the embassy and face the arrests were that is against them. he is being asked to stand trial in sweden, country with a rare reputation for justice -- a fair reputation to justice and he should bring to in this whole sorry saga. [inaudible] -- have raised his concerns a change in housing benefits have

forced the closure of many refugees people the prime minister undertake specifically exclude refugees from these changes and protect the vital services for vulnerable women and children is because i said and answers to questions from the leader of the opposition we want to support supportive housing projects that work in many of our constituencies. we have all seen how important they are. these changes were talking about, but housing benefits don't come into place until 2018 so there's plenty of time to make sure that we support supportive housing projects. >> thank you, mr. speaker next month we will host the first ever national apprenticeship affair. we have a strong record and expanding apprenticeships but is there not still indeed a cultural shift in career supply to show the high level of apprenticeships are equally valued to university places? >> i think my friend is right that careers advice m? >> this week's prime minister

questions sunday at 9:00 eastern. we go become to the house for a series of votes. , nraonf h.rfor 2017, to amend the federal food, drug and cosmetic act to improve and clarify certain disclosure requirements for restaurants and similar retail food establishments and to amend the authority to bring proceedings under section 403-a and providing for proceedings during the period from february 15, 2016, through february 22, 2016. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. pursuant to house resolution 609 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the commol committee of the whole -- committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 3293. ill the gentleman from iowa,

mr. blum, kindly take the chair. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further consideration of h.r. 3293 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to provide for greater accountability in federal funding for scientific research, to promote the progress of science in the united states that serves that national interest. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, amendment number 6 printed in part b of house report 114-420 offered by the gentlewoman from washington, mississippi delbene, had been dispose -- ms. delbene, had been disposed of. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, the unfinished business is

the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 114-420 by the gentlewoman from texas, ms. eddie bernice johnson, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 114-420 offered by ms. eddie bernice johnson of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a pifment vote. -- this will be 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 chair: on this vote the eas are --

the chair: on this vote the eas are 179, the nays are --

the chair: on this vote the eas are 181, the nays are 235. the amendment is not acosmopolitanned. -- adopted. there being no further amendments, under the rule the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. chairman. he chair: mr. speaker, the

committee of the whole house on the state of the union has had under consideration house resolution 3293 and pursuant to house resolution 609 i report that the bill back to the house with sundry amendments adopted in the committee of the whole. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration house bill 3293 and pursuant to house resolution 609 reports the bill back to the house with sundry amendments adopted in the committee of the whole. under the rule, the previous question is ordered. is a separate vote demanded on any amendment reported from the committee of the whole? if not, the chair will put them engross. the question is on the adoption of the amendments. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the amendments are agreed to.

the question is on the 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 provide for greater accountability in federal funding for scientific research, to promote the progress of science in the united states that serves the national interest. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will come to order. please take your conversations outside. members, please take conversations off the floor. the gentleman deserves time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maryland seek recognition? edwards edwards edwards mr. speaker, i have -- ms. edwards: mr. speaker, i have a motion to reconsider at the desk ifmente opposed to the

bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman qualifies. the clerk: ms. edswards of maryland moves to recommit the bill to the committee on science, space and technology with instructions to the report -- to report the same back to the house with the following amendments. page 4, line 13, strike or. page 4, line 15, strike the period and insert semicolon or. page 4, after line 15, insert the following, h, increased understanding of the causes and revention of gun violence. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will come to order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, this is a final amendment to the bill, it will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. if adopted the bill will

immediately -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman will suspend. the house will please come to order. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. edwards: if adopted the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. h.r. 3293, the deceptively titled scientific research in the national interest, represents an effort by the majority to overrule expert scientists in deciding which scientific grants the federal scientific agency should fund. what this really translates to, mr. speaker, is that these are areas that some politicians do not want to fund because they don't believe in scientists. just two weeks ago -- just a nashante 6-year-old davis, a teacher in washington, and her 2-year-old daughter, khloe, were gunned down because of child support. we have a gun violence problem in this -- in the united states. and according to the american journal of medicine, compared to other rich nations, americans -- >> mr. speaker, the house is

not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will come to order. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: americans are 25 times more likely to be violently killed with a firearm, six times more likely to be accidentally killed with a gun, eight times more likely to commit suicide using a firearm, and 10 times more likely to die from a gun death overall. to address this, americans deserve the facts. and congress needs the breadth and data for the epidemic. using the public health approach, we've reduced smoking among americans from 43% at the time of the first surgeon general's report in 1964. since the 1970's, using the public health approach, we've reduced deaths from motor vehicle crashes by more than 70%. in 1970, there were over 55,000 deaths from motor vehicle crashes per year. today there are over 30,000.

so what does the public health approach yield? the essence is this. to find the problem, including its magnitude, nature and distribution in the population, define the cause of risk and protected factors for the problem. >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. ms. edwards: what are the characteristics -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. the house will come to order. . the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: what are the characteristics to prevent the problem? for example, educating people about the risk of guns that come with gun ownership and how to reduce that risk and develop widely implemented programs using proven strategies to prevent the problem. help -- pep health can help solve this problem. at this time i want to recognize to my colleague, the gentleman from california. >> i want to thank the gentlelady from maryland. on every block and community across america, people are asking, what is the federal

government doing to keep our community safe from gun violence? and they're asking for good reason. nearly 11,000 americans were victims of homicide by firearm in 2014, and there is nearly one mass shooting for each day of the year in 2015, according to "the new york times." mr. swalwell: with these stats, are we doing enough, can we do more? our motion to recommit answers this question by endeavoring to understand the causes of gun violence and learning how we can curb it. as members of congress, we have no higher obligation than to protect those we represent. i urge all members, live up to that responsibility, help do all we can to reduce gun violence and pass this motion to recommit. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, using the public health approach, we've eliminated smallpox, reduced polio in most countries, reduced smoking rates by half.

we can do something about gun violence and we have an obligation to do it today. just think if we were to -- were able to do the same thing to address the gun violence epidemic? this is a small and yet powerful step with research, just research that could lead to significantly reducing the number of americans killed by firearms. all we want to do is look at the problem. all we want to do is measure the magnitude. all we want to do is find solutions for neshante davis, 26 years old, and her 2-year-old daughter, chloe, gunned down, gunned down. and in every single community across this country, we can do this by enabling the national science foundation to look into this issue, find some answers and look for solutions. we owe it to neshante. we owe it to chloe. we owe it to every american. end gun violence in this

country and i urge my colleagues to support my commonsense motion, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. is the gentleman from texas -- for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i oppose the motion to recommit. h.r. 3293, the scientific research and the national interest act, is a bipartisan bill that ensures the grant process at the national science is transparent accountand accountable to the american people. the national security depend on innovation. public and private investments in research and development create jobs and lead to new technologies that benefits americans' daily lives. n.s.f. invests about $6 billion

of taxpayers' funds every year on research and activities. in recent years the federal government has rewarded too many grants that few americans would consider to be in the national interest. only one out of five grant proposals are approved. we cannot fund every worthy proposal, much less frivolous ones like $516,000 to create a video game "relive prom night." the legislation before us reaffirms in law that every n.s.f. grant must support research that is in the national interest. the 1950 enabling legislation that created the n.s.f. set forth the foundation's mission and decided the national interest as the foundation for public support in dissemination of basic science research. the act restores this crucial mission and requires the n.s.f.

grants meet at least one of seven criteria that demonstrates it is in the national interest. this will add transparency, accountability and credibility to the n.s.f. and its grant process. opponents of this bill must think they know better than n.s.f. director. the director testified before the house science, space and technology committee that the policy in h.r. 3293 is, quote, compatible with the n.s.f.'s internal guidelines, end quote. this legislation makes that standard clear, explicit and permanent. scientists still make the decisions. they just do not get a blank check signed by the taxpayer. they need to be accountable to the american people by showing their proposals are in the national interest. the national science foundation has supported and continues to support basic research into the causes and prevention of crime

and mass violence. n.s.f. funded research has included studies of violent impulse behavior, cultural and social behaviors affecting predisposition to violence, the links between mental disorder, parental influence over their children's disposition toward violent behavior and patterns of crime and violence in american cities. there is no need for this motion to recommit and in fact, it is an inappropriate earmark. for those reasons i urge my colleagues to reject the motion to recommit and support the underlying bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the motion to recommit. those in favor say aye. those opposed will say no. the noes have it. ms. edwards: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: i would ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is

ordered. members will record their votes y electronic device. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, the chair will reduce to five minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on the question of passage. this is 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.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 177. nd the nays are 241. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor, please say aye. those opposed say no. the ayes have it. the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: those in support of a recorded vote will advise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is 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.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 236, the nays are 178. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous

consent that the committee on house administration be discharged from further consideration of house concurrent resolution 111 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 111. concurrent resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall and the capitol visitor's center for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the holocaust. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to. and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table the bill, h.r. 907, with the senate

amendments thereto and concur in the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill and the senate amendment. the clerk: h.r. 907, an act tim: prove defense cooperation between the united states and the hashemite kingdom of jordan. senate amendment. strike all after the ening clause and insert the following. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading is dispensed with. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, sir. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the original request of the gentlewoman? without objection, the senate amendment is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table the bill h.r. 1428, the judicial redress act, with the senate amendment thereto and to concur in the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill and the senate amendment. the clerk: h.r. 1428, an act to extend privacy act remedies to citizens of certified states and for other purposes. senate amendment. on page 3, strike line 6 and all that follows through page 4, line 21.

mr. goodlatte: without objection, i ask that the reading be dispensed with. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the read is dispensed with -- the reading is dispensed with. is there objection to the original request of the gentleman from virginia? without objection, the senate amendment is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlelady from arizona seek recognition? the speaker pro tempore: mr. speaker, the house is not -- >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. members are advised to please take their conversations off the floor.

he house will come to order. the gentlewoman may proceed. ms. mcsally: mr. speaker, it's been said that no veteran dies alone. yesterday southern arizonans proved that true in an amazing way. recently asy sierra vista resident passed away at the age of 93. he served 20 years in the u.s. army, serving in both world war ii and korea. but he died without any family to attend his funeral. so a call wept out at the end of last week on social media to encourage anyone to attend his service. over 300 people came out to show their respects. at that a advice tal

herald reported that american legion riders escorted the sergeant to the cemetery. were members of the tucson-based patriot guarders were waiting to greet him. the honor guard carried him to his final resting place and an arizona national guard helicopter conducted a fly-over. the manager for the cemetery remarked that she'd never seen a service like that before. mr. speaker, i applaud everyone in my district who took the time to give sergeant cochran this honor he deserved. southern arizona is unique for so many reasons and not least of all is the amazing way our community shows appreciation for our veterans and their service. with that, mr. speaker, i yield ack. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. langevin: mr. speaker, yesterday the president announced his cybersecurity national action plan in conjunction with his 2017

budget proposal. this proposal starts with a much-needed investment in federal cybersecurity. a 35% increase in spending anchored by a $3.1 billion revolving fund designed to kick-start the modernization of outdated government i.t. systems, something that is sorely needed. the action plan is notable for its emphasis on centralized federal cybersecurity. something i have long called for. while the -- it does not all have the authority i think the position requires, it is certainly a step in the right direction. the plan also makes needed investments in work force development, including in the very successful cybercore program. and shartcharters a presidential commission to do more long range planning in the domain. i commend the president's efforts, which reflects an appropriate strategic adjustment to the breach of officer-personnel management systems last year. however, i hope we will leverage this increased attention to address the challenges of tomorrow, not just those of yesterday.

with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, it was a routine exercise sailing from kuwait to bahrain through the persian gulf. until allegedly the navigation system failed on one of the two u.s. gun boats. mysteriously the boats lost communication. next, 10 american sailors surrendered and were captured by iran. they were led off the boat at gun point and held hostage. iran unsurprisingly violated rticle 13 of the gentlemen geneva convention by failing to protect our sailors from insults and public curiosity. here's a poster of our sailors surrendering, small boat of iranians, the bottom foe toe

are arms taken off the two american boats. i assume the iranians kept those. the iran's supreme leader has awarded victory medals to the navy commanders for capturing the americans. international law states anyone can have innocent passage through a state's territorial waters as long as it's nonthreatening, continuous and expeditious. iran claimed the americans were sent to spy, claims that turnted out to be delusional. iran acted without consequences but the u.s. didn't act all ath all. many questions remain. where as we the effective air cover for the navy? why did the sailors give up the ship? who gave the order to surrender? the navy needs to let the american public know how two american boats were confiscated by the iranians and why it happened. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition?

without objection. mr. payne: mr. speaker, in michigan thousands of young children were poisoned because their governor used a contaminated water source to cut costs. in my state of new jersey last year, over 3,000 children under 6 years old were afflicted with dangerous levels of lead, according to a new report. for the communities i represent in congress, irvington, east orange, newark, and jersey city, have dangerous lead levels. at the same time, our runaway governor continues to rollback protections for clean water -- roll back protections for clean water. it is a national disgrace that children in new jersey, michigan and other u.s. states

are being poisoned by lead in the year 2016. many of these children will suffer irreparable harm, never reaching their full potential because of the neglect and indifference of their leaders. we have a moral obligation to protect the health and well-being of our communities, especially our children. let's meet it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the alance of his time. florida seek recognition? ros-lehtinen i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise remarks.d my the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge south floridians to join me at the dolphins cancer challenge on saturday, february 20. the dolphins cancer challenge raises money for the university of miami's sylvester

comprehensive cancer center to help tackle cancer to the tune its .5 million since inception in 2010. this event was inspired by jim, whom we tragically lost to cancer nearly five years ago. a champion both on and off the field, the mad dog was a key contributor for the still-perfect and still-peerless undefeated 1972 miami dolphins. but jim was perhaps best known and loved for his broadcasting work where he cheered our own dolphins with his patented "all right, miami" so please ride, run or walk with me at the dolphins cancer challenge to help support sylvester's innovative cancer care. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to join my colleagues in decrying this man-made disaster that's affecting the residents and city of flint, michigan. every day we learn more about how the governor and michigan public officials made decisions that sacrificed the health and futures of flint residents in order to save a few dollars. that's just plain wrong. the people of flint deserve better. we cannot stand silent while americans, while children are poisoned. flint is the majority african-american city and the average household income is just $24,834. that's a year. which is barely half of michigan's average household income. had the same decisions had been made had this been an affluent community, i doubt it. earlier today the house passed the safe drinking water act but

we can and must do more to prevent this from ever happening again. our response must be comprehensive and urgent. it is a state of emergency that requires members of congress to find all of the federal resources possible to demonstrate that we are really nd truly our brothers' and sister's keeper. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, this is the cover of president obama's last budget proposal. mr. rothfus: whether or not the administration intended it, it is a fitting and appropriate cover because it symbolizes the mountain of debt president obama will leave behind. his latest budget proposal increases spending by a record

breaking 4.9% or $2.5 trillion over the next decade. the president's budget leaves our children and grandchildren burdened with an unfathomable mountain of debt, regulations and taxes. and like every other budget he's presented, it never balances. this budget is reckless and unconscionable. when president obama took office on january 20, 2009, the national debt was $10.6 trillion. yet, mr. obama has increased the national debt to $19 trillion, and this budget would increase our national debt to $27.4 trillion over the next decade, more than twice the debt when he first took office. this cover will be part of the archives of the united states. it will be a fitting historical record for the mountains of debt it represents. i thank the speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. johnson: to address the body for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. data collection affects countless americans and touches many parts of our lives. data collection is very personal and may include your location, photos, messages and many of the things that make up who we are. yet, we lack basic rights for data collected on mobile devices. this week i introduced a pair of bills to safeguard consumer privacy. .r. 4517, the apps act, will bolster consumer privacy by requiring developers obtain consent from consumers before collecting data and securely maintain the data they collect. h.r. 4516, the data act, would create transparency and control for consumers over their personal data and provide consumers with the tools to correct their record and minimize collection. privacy is an issue that should unite us, not drive us apart.

it's past time for our laws to reflect this reality for commonsense rules for data collection, transparency and use and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the rfouse for one minute -- house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> bucks county will be the 2016 dr. nathan davis award for outstanding government service, which is named for its founder. mr. fitzpatrick: through advocacy and legislative work in the pennsylvania house of representatives earned the doctor this prestigious award. he's third term for the house human services committee. he steadfastly continues his advocacy related to drug,

alcohol treatment. he wrote legislation that increased funding for vital rehabilitation centers while establishing a separate cabinet agency for the important effort that streamline drug and alcohol treatment services in pennsylvania. representative alamo has provided leadership to his associates and constituents and i'm honored to call him my friend. congratulations, gene. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, earlier this week i joined my colleagues representative mike kelley from pennsylvania's third congressional district, along with pennsylvania senators pat toomey and bob casey jr. in sending a letter to the assistant secretary of the army

and that letter we requested prescott state park remain a high priority park for the army corps of engineer's project along 2016. the park's beaches require proper care and nourishment every single year to fight their constant erosion. more than four million people visit the park each year making it pennsylvania's most visited state park. the park is woven into the social fabric of the region, is highly important part of northwestern pennsylvania's economy. it is my hope that u.s. army corps of engineers will continue to support flenishment of this vital -- replenishment of this vital area. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair lays before the house the following personal request. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. hudson of north carolina for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request s granted.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from california, mr. swalwell, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. swalwell: good evening. we are here for another future forum discussion and tonight ur topic is "restoring our democracy, campaign system and voting rights." the integrity of our democracy is at stake. future forum is a house democratic caucus group consisting of 17 of our youngest members who've gone across the country to 11 cities now talking to young people about their democracy and what they care about. we were just in dallas this past friday hosted in the dallas-fort worth area by

congressman mark veasey as well as ruben gallego of phoenix and today we are following up on what we heard in dallas and what we heard in many of the cities before it which is for all of the issues facing millennials, many of them understand that at the root of the problem is the influence of outside money and politician and access to the ballot box and joining us tonight is one of the leaders in the house on the issue of money and politics, congressman john sarbanes of maryland, and he's the lead sponsor government by the people act. and will be joined by congressman kill more from the seattle area and delegate plaskett and i want to ask you this question which we heard from so many millennials across the country. what can we do to restore their faith in their government? mr. sarbanes: well, first of all, i want to thank you, congressman swalwell, for the future forum, for convening

around issues in the chamber and out in the country that are importantly critical for the next generation out there and what we can do to bring their interest in, bring them into the political town square, if you will, and get the benefit of their choices. and you're absolutely right to point to the challenge, the problem we have. many young people, many americans of all ages these days feel that their voice really isn't accounted for here in washington. their sense is there's kind of an insider game being played, that big money and special interests hold particular sway in this place in the voice of everyday americans, average citizens, this doesn't have a place. that's led to cynicism. it's led to anger. it's led to frustration, and it's led to a lot of people deciding to exit the political arena. it doesn't mean they're not passionate about things. that's clearly the case. you see a lot of young people are focused on climate change,

on the economy, on jobs, on issues that are important to them. they just kind of given up that maybe washington and congress are the place where important decisions and progress can be made on those issues. so the challenge for us is, how do we bring people back? how do we get them back in the conversation? so we can benefit from what a pluristic democratic society is all about? which is you get people in there, you tussle around, you reach compromise and then you move forward. that's what progress is all about. and i think one of the critical ways to address this is we got to look at revamping the way we fund campaigns in this country. and so you're right to call attention to that and we have a lot of leadership here in the house that's focused on what we can do to restore the voices of everyday americans. i appreciate you citing the government by the people act,

which is reform legislation that we've introduced in this congress. we have almost 160 co-sponsors, including i think everybody who's going to speak this evening as part of the future forum. and the idea there is just to basically go build a different way of funding campaigns that puts everyday citizens back at the center. so they're the lynch pen. they're the -- linchpin, they're the driver, where small donors can match funds and help power the campaign of members of congress and candidates out there who want to run and become part of this place. and they'll be a place for candidates to turn to support their campaigns other than to the special interests and the big money crowd. and we can build a system like that that's viable, that puts everyday citizens at the center of it and i think if we do that, young people and people, frankly, of all ages and stripes are going to decide they want to step back into the political space because they'll feel appreciated again like

their voice matters. so i look forward to the discussion tonight, and i want to thank you for your work on the future forum and particularly calling attention tonight to this issue of money in politics, how we address it, how we bring the voices of everyday citizens back into the next -- into the people's house. mr. swalwell: i want to again thank my colleague from the baltimore area in maryland. i want to ask congressman kilmore, we went to seattle and we visited college campuses in the tacoma and seattle area. we want to a couple of the big businesses in your area and we heard in tacoma the same thing we heard when we went to the manchester, new hampshire, area, the same thing we heard in the dallas area which is that millennials, they think the system is -- there's no reason to participate and the numbers show it. oughly 22% of the eligible

millennials showed up to vote in 2014. what are you hearing in the seattle area about this issue? mr. kilmer: i think that's pretty consistent what we hear in our neck of the woods. listen, you saw in the last election season 2/3 of americans cast a no confidence vote by not voting at all. and those numbers are even worse when it comes to millennial voters. i think as mr. sarbanes said, it's not that they don't care. there are a lot of things they care about, but i think it's out of a fair belief that -- that there's too much money and too many deep pockets and too many special interests that are driving our democracy. this week, politico came out th a study that they spent $195 million and more than two million small donors. it's fair to sayha