you can see the entire hearing on our website at c-span.org. we take you now to the house floor. members will debate several bills, including one to require a search warrant for the government to access someone's email. and another bill changing the way startup companies are allowed to market their securities to investors. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ffered by the guest chaplain wade stevenson, gideon mission baptist church, waukegan, llinois. >> god of unity and of peace, we come to this opening session acknowledging that you are the source of life and that each person's life is subject to your governance. we bring to the session the diverse concerns of the districts we represent and in bringing those concerns, we

acknowledge that through you, we can serve in unity. as we come to this session and into these halls, we also acknowledge that through you, we can have peace. let peace rest within these halls and let us rest in that peace. through the demonstration of our patience and cooperation in serving. finally, we pray that our time spent here, will be meaningful and that you will bless our service to produce fruit in the lives of those we represent. we thank you for the opportunity to serve through your unity as instruments of your peace. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the jourm of the last day's proceedings and announces his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 rule 1. the journal stands a proved. the pledge of allegiance will be

led by mr. crawford. mr. crawford: 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: without objection, the gentleman from illinois, mr. dold, is recognized for one minute. mr. ld: thank you, speaker. i rise to my friend, pastor stevens from waukegan, illinois, from illinois' 10th congressional district. all his life he's been called to serve others. pastor stevens is the head pastor at gidian church in waukegan and he helps bring god's grace and the word of our lord to the community. pastor stevens is part of north shore baptist alliance and second vice president of the

lake county chapter of the naacp. his numerous recognitions reveal a life of public service to the people of our community. but pastor stevenson's role in our community cannot be summed up by a list of titles or awards. since he became pastor of gidian baptist church more than 10 years ago, he's become a beacon of hope for countless people in our community. he's one of the first people of our community when people turn to when they are looking for both guidance, spiritual or otherwise. i have been blessed to work side by side with him to distribute thanksgiving turkeys to people in need. his dedication has brought joy to countless families during the holidays year in and year out. it's a great privilege to welcome my friend, pastor stevenson, to the house of representatives today, and i'm confident that the blessings he brings will be well-served. the speaker pro tempore: 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 arkansas seek recognition? mr. crawford: 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. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. 19 students from valley view high school in my hometown of jonesboro, arkansas, has been studying our constitution for several months. the course called we the people is taught to students particularly interested in the history and principles of the united states government. last week those students put their knowledge to the ultimate test in washington, d.c. they competed in a simulated congressional hearing by evaluating, taking and defending positions on a variety of historical and contemporary issues. our government functions more efficiently when passionate citizens engage in the political and policymaking process and i'm proud that these students are already preparing themselves for that process through their education. tracy smith, the group's civic teacher, deserves our thanks and respect as she prepares our rising generation. recognize like to

the coordinator who has done such a remarkable job through the years organizing and directing the we the people program for our state. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: 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. higgins: mr. speaker, the discovery of major off-shore natural gas deposits 90 west of haifa presents israel with new opportunities and new threats. developing this resource will reduce israel's dependence on fuel imports and with its neighbors through export agreements. however, the off-shore platforms will be an attractive target for hamas, hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. a successful attack could be a humanitarian, economic and environmental disaster. he united states,-israel maritime partnership act would authorize the use of the

weapons system to intercept short-range missiles, promote israel's inclusion in naval exercises and increase the mber of visits by u.s. naval vessels to israeli ports. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to support this timely legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, 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. speaker, i rise today to recognize the 125th anniversary of the heckla mining company. started in : it was 1991. over the years this mining district has produced $1.2 -- 1.2 billion ounces of silver. the company has survived through world wars and economic depressions and today it is the

largest primary producer of silver and employs over 1,300 people in my district and throughout the world. i recently had the opportunity to visit heckla's lucky friday mine and was able to see the state-of-the-art process to extract silver from deep in the earth. as they celebrate the 125th anniversary, i join with others in celebrating the company's great legacy and success and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. 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: thank you, mr. speaker. this weekend the rhode island school for the deaf will celebrate 125 years as an educational institution that serves deaf and hard of hearing students in rhode island. each year approximately 12,000 children are born with some level of hearing loss in this country. the school of the deaf provides education for deaf and hearing impaired children when they are

born and throughout their school. the program helps develop english and american sign language school. and the middle and senior high school programs provides quality education as well as vocational programs to participate fully in social activities and athletic events alongside hearing children. i applaud the extraordinary educators and staff of the rhode island school of the deaf for their ongoing work to serve deaf and hearing impaired children and i congratulate them on their 125th birthday celebration this friday. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: 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 gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. i rise to honor bob, one of south florida's most distinguished business and civic leaders. bob currently serves as the president and c.e.o. of community bank of south florida and sits on numerous boards, including the national football

foundation and the college hall of fame. bob earned this installment in part because of his arduous work as president of the orange bowl committee. he also serves as chairman of tomorrow's south dade, a project, a vision that addresses business development, infrastructure, agriculture and other issues that impact the residents of south dade. another testament of bob's commitment to our community was as chairman of the board of the international hurricane research center where he spent countless hours helping to rebuild homestead following the devastating impact of hurricane andrew. bob has also been the recipient of numerous accolades, including the florida bankers association legends award as well as the university distinguished service award and the f.i.u. medallion, both from my alma mater, florida international university. i encourage our community to join me in honoring bob and his contributions to the agricultural sector at this

saturday's dade county farm bureau's annual barbecue and fundraiser. congratulations, bob, on a job well done. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california 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, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. chu: this month marks the fifth anniversary of the death f my nephew, harry lieu. while deployed in afghanistan, he was hazed and assaulted by his fellow marines for almost four hours. he took his own life. he was 21 years old. harry's story is not unique. i have now heard from families and service members across the country who have their own tragic stories and try to seek help. but many are at a loss at where to turn. that is because the pentagon's guidance on hazing is unclear, inconsistent and imperfectly applied. without an accurate system of

tracking hazing incidents, we have no way to actually know the full extent of the problem. this failure costs lives. it is time the military treat this problem seriously. my bill, the harry lieu hazing accountability and prevention act would require the department of defense to track and report annually of hazing in the military. our men and women in uniform protect us. we must do what we can to protect them. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, 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. speaker, i rise today to ommemorate the life of reginald wallace. it's a nickname he earned for good reason, when you heard his voice on the radio, you knew immediately that he was reg.

as a former myself, i knew i needed to listen up because what he was going to tell me was important. mr. abraham: reg launched this week in louisiana agriculture, a show he imagined as a new way to tell the public about the incredible work taking place in the fields and processing plants across the state by some of the hardest working men and women in louisiana. 35 years later, this show is still carried by 18 affiliates louisiana and nationwide by r.f.d.-tv, bringing the story of agriculture to 400,000 people each week. reg died earlier this month in franklin parish, which i represent. those of us in louisiana will be forever grateful for reg's contribution to agriculture in our state and the life he dedicating to serving farmers. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> 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. >> thank you, mr. speaker. chicago lost a tremendous judge, attorney, mother, wife and friend on april 15, with the death of justice laura lu. mr. quigley: she fought a courageous battle of breast cancer for five years and her spirit, passion and determination never faltered. born to immigrant parents, justice lu didn't start speaking english until elementary school but ended up as class valedictorian. for nearly 20 years, justice lu worked as a litigator and then as a circuit court judge and then appointed to the illinois apellate court. in the court, justice lu was a strong advocate for interpreter services for people with limited english who might have been otherwise overwhelmed. she was a tremendous advocate and mentor of the chicago's chinese american community, setting an exemplary model for

young boys and girls that their opportunities were endless if you worked hard. our thoughts and prayers are with justice lu's family during this difficult time. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. stewart stewart mr. speaker, the b.l.m. announced that it would significantly cut grazing allotments and eliminate all cattle grazing. to accommodate the overpopulation of wild horses. many in my district are facing with the identical situation where wild horses are taking over the ranges. i grew up ranching and riding horses and i desperately want to protect them but with 50,000 wild horses on ranges in the west, which is double what the land can sustain, the ranges

are overgrazed and now horses are starving to death. not only are the current conditions inhumane, but due to overpopulation, the federal government is forced to house additional 50,000 horses at a cost of $55,000 per horse. i want to ask my colleagues to join with me to look for solutions to this problem. one solution is my bill, the wild horse oversight act, which would simply allow states to borrows. d horses and if you care about these horses like i do, then help me solve the problem. if you care about these ranges and how these horses are destroying the range, then, of course, help me solve this problem. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise to give voice to the lament that house

republican leadership have done nothing at this point to help the thousands of americans struggling to protect their families from the threat of three different public health emergencies, zika virus, the opioid addiction and overdose and the flint water crisis as well. mr. cartwright: last month house democratic leadership wrote to speaker ryan asking for him to address these public health calling for swift congressional action. unfortunately, the house republican leadership has not responded with anything but inaction and indifference as reported by "roll call." an average of 78 people are dying every day from open oid overdoses and mosquitoes carrying the zika virus is found in 30 states. congress has not addressed those

issues. it is not surprising that the republicans cannot adopt a budget resolution after months of discussions. hardworking families deserve a congress to get things done. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the obama administration recently released a report that tried to tie extreme extreme weather events to climate change. this is an to scare the public. the report ignores science in order to justify the administration's dire predictions. mr. smith: the administration's report says that hurricanes are projected to increase, but hurricanes have not increased in intensity, frequency or damage since 1900.

the same can be said for almost all other extreme weather events. the administration continues to incite fear so americans will believe that extreme weather events are due to climate change. the administration should not push costly regulations on americans when there is no good reason for them to do so. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and resize and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor ken christie, a letter carrier a leader of our community and a friend of mine. ken passed away this past easter weekend . mr. foster: he left behind his wife and three daughters and his high school sweetheart with whom he was married 52 years. ken gave back to his community in spades and volunteered hours

to the annual food drive because he wanted to make a real difference in the libes of those in our community who are less fortunate. since 2013, ken served as the clerk of aroara township. as president of the illinois letter carriers association, he made sure that the voices of his members were heard by public officials on both sides of the aisle. not surprisingly, ken was named to the illinois letter carriers hall of fame in 2012. he knew people from all walks of life and all political persuasions, but i never heard a bad word said about him. ken was a friend. he was a friend to the city of aurora and a friend to the letter carriers throughout the state of illinois. ken christie will be missed. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition?

>> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. blackburn: i commend state senator mark norris and terry lynn weaver for their work in the tennessee general assembly to authorize the state to enter into a lawsuit against the federal government. this lawsuit is over concerns with the refugee resettlement program and the 10th amendment. i have put forth legislation at the federal level. h.r. 4218 that would immediately suspend the syrian refugee program. yesterday, governor brownback announced he was with druge the resettlement program because of security concerns. there is no way to vet these syrian refugees. islamic radicals want to attack america. it is no secret to the american people.

however, president obama and this administration deem not to recognize this. i call on my colleagues to join me and let's stand against the president's lawless and delusional refugee program. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute and resize and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> in 1999, the italian supreme court ruled that a 5-year-old driving strunthor had not raped his 18-year-old student because, quote, she wore very, very tight jeans and had to help him remove them and by removing her jeans, it was no longer rape but consenual sex. outraged, the women said they would wear jeans to work until decisions were changed. ms. speier: their protests heard across the globe.

during sexual assault awareness month, i wear this denim jacket in solidarity with advocates around the world. i wish i could say the need for denim day was a thing of the past. but sexual assaults remain rampant on our military and college campuses. one in five college coeds will be raped or sexual assault attempt odd them and 20,000 men and women in the military are assaulted. i urge my colleagues to wear denim today and support sexual violence prevention every day and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time is expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of clinton county. it is located in western clinton county. built for and by the railroad. a and erie for many years, it was advertised as a mountain resort location with several hotels built there before the turn of the 20th century. although it was the railroad that attracted travelers, it formed the bedrock. its timber industry continues to thrive contributing $90 million to the economy of that county. many celebrations are planned, including a parade, the opening of a time capsule and fireworks display. i commend the local officials and the residents and the surrounding area of western

clinton county for recognition of their long history. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to extend and revise my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the richmond hill high school marching band for being selected to perform in the 2016 national cherry blossom parade. the band has gained accolades and enjoyed numerous successes. membership in the band has become popular as it has grown from original 90 musicic ands to 200. it has come -- competed across the state. the selection process to perform at the national cherry blossom parade is highly competitive, high schools, universities and

marching bands from across the u.s. apply to march in the parade. crowds of people line the streets and thousands at home watch on tv as these bands march down constitution avenue. the band used to visit -- used the visit to washington as an educational experience. the students spent time visiting museums andmon youments on national mall. i rise to honor the members of the richmond hill marching band for their hard work, determination and perseverance to become a successful marching band. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. sessions: by the direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 701. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the house

resolution. the clerk: house resolution 701. resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 4498 to clarify the definition of general solicitation under federal securities law. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the bill shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on financial services; (2) the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, if offered by the member designated in the report, which shall be in order without intervention of any point of order, shall be considered as read, shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question;

and (3) one motion to recommit with or without nstructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. sessions: during consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. i now yield -- i will also yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, my friend, mr. mcgovern, a member of the rules committee, upon which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i rise in support of the rule and the underlying legislation, which will benefit small innovative companies and startups by ensuring that they have access to the necessary capital to succeed growing and

creating jobs in their companies. and i stand up today to make sure we are here for a marketplace that is fair and equitable to all americans regardless of whether they work for a small company or a large company, or whether they are a big-time investor or whether they are a person who is looking at the marketplace with perhaps ideas and opportunities. last night the rules committee met and reported a structured rule for h.r. 4498 the helping angels lead our startups or the halos act. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided between the chairman and the ranking member of the financial services committee. i also want to point out that the rules committee asked members -- all of our members of this body to submit ideas and amendments. as a result, this resolution

makes in order all of the amendments that were submitted. and that's important, because what this rules committee is attempting to accomplish is is to ask all the members for their feedback about how to make bills better and in this case, when something was germane, it was made in order. the securities and exchange commission has a three-pronged statutory mission in overseeing u.s. capital markets to protect investors, to maintain fair, orderly and efficient markets and to facilitate capital formation. unfortunately, the s.e.c. has historically has ignored its mandate to facilitate capital formation in the absence of congressesally mandated rulemaking. the s.e.c.'s inability to fulfill its statutory mandate is ultimately to the detriment of

interviewers, small companies -- entrepreneurs and small companies and the largest telehealth platform which if it had not received startup investment, may not have existed at all. to rename the s.e.c.'s inaction on capital formation, my colleagues and i are passing the bipartisan jum start our business startups or jobs act, which was signed into law, april 1, 2012. the recognition that we had problems in the marketplace for smaller companies, smaller groups of people to bring their ideas to marketplace was a huge impediment based on the s.e.c., and that's why this jobs act was created. .

they often still face significant and unnecessary obstacles in obtaining funding in capital markets. the jobs act lifted the burden of certain securities regulations to help small companies obtain access to these important markets, but we're back at the table again. unfortunately we're back when the s.e.c. promulgated rules to implement the jobs act, it classified events held by angel investors as general solicitations and thus subject to accredited investor mandates. yet, another example of the federal government creating unnecessary red tape, stifling innovation and quite honestly, making it hard for smaller, single entrepreneurs to

participate in a worldwide marketplace. this new classification is burdensome and it jeopardizes educational and economic development for events like demo days. demo days are held in marketplaces all across our country where it is an opportunity for not just investors but general communities to come, primarily in the tech field, to learn about the newest startups as they are occurring. where startups interact with angel investors and venture capitalists get together, it means that best ideas can then be brought forward to more jobs , the creation of investment and moving forward to where an idea that perhaps was on somebody's black board goes directly to marketplace. demo days have been an

important part of the entrepreneurial financing process for decades. nothing new. often with lead sponsorships by federal, state and local governments who are bringing these best ideas to play for the marketplace to see not only about the idea but for it to become a reality in an economic development format. to be clear, demo days existed long before the passage of the jobs act, creating collaborative and engaging educational environments that brought together startups, leading edge thought leaders, young programmers, people looking to network and i think overall a more diverse network of individuals looking to exchange ideas. they are the kind of educational thing that our country needs more of and not

less of. and we are here today because the s.e.c. developed rules that would change demo days and other activities like this greatly to the detriment of the marketplace, yes, but more importantly to the detriment of small business and entrepreneurs. to address the s.e.c.'s burdensome rule, congressman steve chabot from ohio, the chairman of the small business committee, introduced h.r. 4498, the helping angels lead our startups act. this legislation defines an angel investor group which clarifies that securities act general solicitation limitations do not apply to a presentation, communication or an event conducted on behalf of an issuer of an event sponsored by certain organizations where

any advertising for the event does not reference any specific offering of securities by the issuer or where no specific information regarding an offering of securities could be issued by -- the issuer is committed on behalf of the issuer. what does this mean? this means that these demo days that are regularly held across the country are communities whereby a presenter of an idea, a person that represents that idea might bring forward those ideas many times to hear about a collaborative basis where there may be someone who recognizes they could add onto that idea or be part of that idea or work with that idea or be a programmer for that idea or to host or sponsor something that would enable that idea to

get further down the road. what the s.e.c. did is throw a wet blanket across it and say you can't do these. we're trying to segment that out and say, for the purpose of a demo day where it does not relate to a specific offer or ask for funding, they still can take place. is is not a narrow interpretation. this is the intent to understand the purpose of a demo day should be to get ideas further down the road to where they can gain not only the opportunity for investment but where they can make their idea even better. h.r. 4498 provides essential protections for states, municipalities, trade associations and other venues

that facilitates such meetings between investors and fund managers. it is important for congress to act. just because we are not aware of how marketplaces work does not mean that we should wait for the federal government to regulate them and then find out, whoops, they made a mistake. members of congress need to be active to understand that the s.e.c. should live up to its statutes, should live up to its mission statement and should not stifle innovation but rather to allow creative opportunity, the development of these issues and ideas to come forward, to not only employ ideas, but specifically employment within the united states and consumers that then have better options over time. to ensure that angel investors play an active role in

startups, that is why we are here today. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. mcgovern: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman from texas, my friend, the chairman of the committee on rules, mr. sessions, for the customary 30 minutes. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to this structured rule, which provides for consideration of h.r. 4498, the so-called helping angels lead our startups act, otherwise known as the hail oast -- halos act, and i oppose the underlying legislation unless through the amendment process we can improve it. the gentleman from texas said something that i agree with, and what he said, and i quote,

it is important for congress to act. i think where we differ is act on what? what should congress be acting on right now? should we be talking about this or should we be talking about other things, quite frankly, that are much more important to this country and to the american people? four days from now puerto rico faces a $422 million debt payment, and given the items listed for consideration in the house this week, it appears as though the republican majority has no plans to act on legislation to address the debt crisis in puerto rico. i understand that my friends in the majority party are having a hard time coming to an agreement but i ask them to work with leader pelosi and ranking member grijalva to a bipartisan solution that allows puerto rico to restructure its debt. this is a big deal. the senate is waiting for us to act. the people of puerto rico are waiting for us to act. our constituents are waiting for us to act, and rather than

acting on that which is urgent, we're doing this. or, you know, another thing we might want to think about acting on in an area where the house republican leadership has so failed to act is on the public health emergency created by the zika virus. i mean, this is a big deal. the public health, the well-being of our citizens is a big deal or at least it should be, but you'd never know it if you're following the proceedings on the house floor. my colleague from new york, congresswoman lowey, has a bill, an emergency supplemental bill to help to fund what is necessary to protect our people from this virus, but we're told that's on the back burner. what about doing something about the -- in response to the terrible tragedy that unfolded in flint, michigan? you know, where that community

was poisoned by the water that came out of their faucets. why aren't we addressing that emergency? and by the way, flint is not unique, unfortunately. there are other places across this country where the levels of lead in the drinking water is unacceptably high, dangerously high. we need to make sure that our infrastructure in this country is up to the point where people don't have to worry about drinking the water that comes out of their faucet. we should be addressing that issue, but for some reason we don't have the time. lots of young people here visiting the capitol this week. why aren't we doing something about student financial aid so people can afford to go to college or creating a situation where young people who go to college are debt-free when they get out of college or lowering the interest rates on college loans or eliminating the interest rates on college

loans, making college more affordable? that's a huge priority. that's important, but we don't have time to talk about here in the people's house. you know, this congress also continues to shirk its constitutional duty to vote on an authorization for the war against isis. in the past week, the pentagon announced that the united states will send 250 more troops to syria, 200 more to iraq. in iraq alone, the official number of u.s. troops is now over 4,000, but this house still can't seem to find time to debate and vote on an aumf. i have great reservations about the president's policy with regard to these wars. and i think we ought to debate those wars, and i think we ought to go on record as voting to authorize those wars. and instead, we don't want to talk about it. we're putting the lives of

young men and women in harm's way. we're sending them halfway across the world to be engaged in an effort, in my opinion, where there's not a clearly defined mission, and we're not living up to our constitutional responsibility which is we ought to debate and deliberate and vote on these wars. that's our constitutional responsibility, and we're not doing it. don't have the time or maybe we're just too cowardly to be able to tackle some of these important issues. the american people are tired of endless wars and it is our responsibility to debate these escalations and -- that continue to invest more american tax dollars, add more firepower and put more u.s. troops close to the front lines but we are not focused on this very serious situations that call for immediate actions. we're not paying for these wars.

when my friends would talk about debt, i would point out most of these wars are unpaid for. this just go on the credit card. we don't even have the guts to have a vote on whether to pay for these wars. and instead we're doing this today. mr. speaker, two weeks ago house republicans missed the legally mandated deadline for congress to enact a budget, and it appears as though we are not going to see a budget resolution on the floor this week or anytime soon. on the most pressing issues facing our country today, my friends in the republican majority have failed and they have failed miserably to do their job, plain and simple. so what is the house debating today? what is so urgent that we are debating today that all these other things could be put to the side? well, we're debating legislation, the so-called halos act, that will undo an important investor protection that democrats fought to include in the 2012 jobs act. now, i supported the jobs act, which expanded opportunities for small business capital

formation. since the jobs act became law in 2012, companies raised roughly $71 billion of capital using the new general solicitation and advertising exemption. but it is important to balance our desire for capital formation with our need to protect investors, particularly unsophisticated retail investors. the jobs act removed the ban on solicitation in advertising to the general public for private offerings, provided that companies verify the purchases of their offerings are accredited investors. . it repeals that requirement when companies solicit offers. the private securities marketplace is already under limited s.e.c. oversight and we share the concern that this legislation could unnecessarily expose investors to risk that they are unprepared to absorb. friend, maxine waters, will

offer an amendment to restore the protections that would be eliminated. and i urge my colleagues to support that amendment. mr. speaker, the house is set to adjourn on friday for another week-long break. and we have yet to consider any of the priority legislation that i have just spoken about earlier. we need to focus on important issues. we need to focus on urgent issues, rather than taking away important investor protections. i urge my colleagues to defeat this rule and the underlying legislation and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i do appreciate the gentleman bringing up these issues. we try and talk about these issues up in the rules committee. there is always a wide rank inglis of issues and ideas, but i certainly know that as we talk

about these, we are all after action on the floor. i don't know the exact answer, but i believe as it relates to the problem with the zika virus, that we are dealing with some $600 million and i note mrs. lowey, the ranking member of the appropriations committee, has come on the floor and i'm subject to being corrected by her. but it's my understanding that right now in an account that would be allowed to be exchanged, some $600 million is left over in that fund that's unspent from the ebola crisis and that negotiations between our appropriators and c.d.c. and other federal agencies have said we do recognize this from a

house perspective that this is a very, very serious issue. we acknowledge that. i have acknowledged that up in the rules committee. the gentleman from florida, judge hastings, has several times in the spirit that i appreciated and it was very complimentary to a proper answer, brought this issue up that this is what he is looking at, that it is an issue in our country. and the responses that i continue to receive back is that our appropriators, on a very professional basis, have allowed use of the funds to be used for that issue. so i would like to say to the gentleman, i do understand his concerns. and really, mr. mcgovern, i appreciate it. i appreciate you and mrs. slaughter, mr. polis, judge hastings bringing these issues up, but we try and go and

clarify what i think are proper or sustainable answers to your ideas. the ideas about other pieces of legislation, we will get to those. where there are emergencies, i do agree with the gentleman, mr. mcgovern. i do not think an aumf which is discussion about use of military force is necessarily in line right now, but i know that republicans are preparing that. i know that the gentleman, mr. mcgovern, could bring his effort forward and will at the appropriate time for his ideas. they will all fit. today, however, what we are here for is something that has been in line for some period of time that is a major issue. the gentleman very appropriately said, the last time we brought

forth legislation, it created $71 billion worth of entrepreneurial funding, funding that helps our country research and development, new ideas in medicine, new ideas in communication, new ideas that employ people, money to the marketplace. and that's why we are here today. we think this is just as powerful after we passed the jobs act, the s.e.c. got most of it right, not all of it right. and this is the way we do things in a democracy. we try and work with government agencies to say, you got some of it right, but congressional intent needs to be done a little bit further. will it bring $71 billion to the marketplace? i don't know. will it mean that a brighter

future exists for innovation, job creation, investment that keeps america leading edge as opposed to ideas going somewhere else around the world? yes. and i would argue that speaker paul ryan is aware of all the issues that need to be debated and today, we feel like jobs and job creation and perhaps an opportunity to stimulate whether t's $71 million or $71 billion worth of new stimulating activity for new ideas is important. that's why we're here today. that's why people took a number and got in line, developed their activities. steve chabot, measured twice, brought his legislation here, understands what it's about and i would also say as mr. mcgovern, i believe politely

alluded to, this is a good idea because it does not say we will only form these opportunities in republican districts but form them in districts all over the country. it is a good bipartisan piece of legislation that helps smaller, less sophisticated people. it helps the marketplace. i think it's important. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. mcgovern: i appreciate the fact that he appreciates the concerns that i have raised but i would appreciate it more if we could bring the legislation to the floor that would actually solve some of the problems and deal with some of the challenges that i outlined. you know, i had brought up earlier, the issue of the zika virus and which has infected 891

individuals in the u.s. states and territories, including at least 81 pregnant women. this is a big, big deal and some of us are not interested in robbing peter to pay paul to deal with this. we don't want to dip into the ebola fund to zeal with the zika crisis. we have multiple challenges that we have to deal with. but we're happy -- i'm happy to yield to the gentleman. mr. sessions: polite dialogue, do you believe in any way because we have not moved a bill, that the federal government is stopping, waiting and doing nothing on this issue? mr. mcgovern: reclaiming my time. we are doing something. but i think what people who are dealing with this crisis would feel better about is if there was a certainty that the resources were going to be there and those who are fighting the owe bowla crisis that if you are going to take it away that maybe

you aren't going to replenish the money. we have serious health issues. and i'm going to urge that we defeat the previous question and if i do i would offer an amendment to the rule to bring up a bill that would provide funding to combat the zika virus. the administration requested this funding more than two months ago, more than two months ago and it is reckless to delay our response to this public health crisis any longer. yes, we are doing things to respond to it. we can be doing a lot more. and i think the american people want us to do all that we possible apply can to protect the public health of the citizens of this country. i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: i yield two minutes to the distinguished the gentlewoman from new york, the ranking member of the appropriations committee, mrs.

lowey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. lowey: with great respect for our distinguished chair with whom we work together, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the previous question in order to provide the funding needed to mount a robust response to a pressing public health emergency. more than two months ago, the administration requested funding critical to respond to the zika virus, a public health emergency tied to neurological disorders in infants. it is unconscionable with nearly 1,000 people in the u.s. and territories have contracted zika, the majority continues to drag their feet on meeting our most basic responsibility. the majority's inaction has forced the administration to redirect funding to meet other

responsibilities, shortchanging investments to protect against ebola and help states and cities improve domestic public health. the majority's claim that the administration has provided insufficient detail on the request doesn't make any sense. every cent has been accounted for but we continue to sit on our hands. further, the majority holds this emergency to a new standard, requiring offsetting cuts before providing needed resources. this literally holds emergency funding hostage to unrelated political fight. this simply cannot go on. are we waiting for the height of summer when mosquito control will be more difficult? are we waiting for this emergency to spiral out of control? i urge my colleagues to stand with me, defeat the previous question, so we can meet our

responsibility to protect against zika. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i'm delighted that the the gentlewoman from new york who is a regular visitor to the rules committee and who really i believe adequately and fairly not only represents the needs of this nation, but really argues many times on behalf of things that are common sense and i want to thank her for being here today. mr. speaker, this is -- this is not an argument at all about the zika virus, about ebola. the ebola circumstance to the united states in the united states actually occurred first in dallas, texas, within the congressional district that i'm so lucky to represent.

and it did constitute not only an immediate threat and danger to not only that hospital in dallas, texas, but really across our country and it evoked a scare. it did. well, we have that same type of circumstance today and that's why in retouching base with our appropriations committee, i have -- i now can speak from what i believe is from them directly as to what i thought i heard, and that is that the appropriators have said immediate funding for funds uld be come from that -- unobligated funds that are already available which would be back filled in 17 appropriations bills. that means there is still money that the approval, the authorization has been given and

instead of us delaying through our process here, we've said we concur this is of immediate nature. here's a bucket of money, a bucket of money and an example, here is 400 million that is -- $400 million that is available that was part of the ebola funding that is unobligated and is intended to be spent in future years. there is money available to meet the immediate need and the chairman of the appropriations committee, in working with speaker ryan has made sure that the money is available, can be used for this need and republicans agree it's the right

thing to do. so, i do appreciate mrs. lowey coming down and i do appreciate judge hastings and mr. mcgovern seeking these questions. we are trying to make sure, mr. speaker, that this body , derstands money is available it is there to be used properly as with any other taxpayer money , but that it may be used for this purpose. and quite honestly, i'm very proud of what we're doing to match up the needs of this nation and its great people. i would yield to the gentlewoman. . mrs. lowey: i appreciate your eloquent remarks, mr. chairman. however i want to emphasize again that this is an emergency. , severely severely

being impacted because of the zika virus. this is an emergency. we should be doing it immediately. i understand that it may be tempting to transfer money from another account. however, to have to find offsets here when people are suffering, ying, perhaps having to -- deformed infants doesn't make any sense now. i would just say in closing thank you for your concern and i do hope that we can pass this emergency supplemental as soon as possible because so much of where the money is going to go is long-range

prevent additional cases of zika. and developing a vaccine can't be done in a month, two months, it takes time. if the administration has requested 1.9 billion and we have responded and the administration has responded to the very sincere questions provided to us by the chair, chairman rogers of the committee , we think it's been documented very carefully. so i would ask again my colleagues to consider that this is an emergency. $1.9 billion is what has been documented in detail. it's all in writing. and i thank you for listening. mr. session: yes, ma'am. mr. speaker, as you're witnessing here a colloquy on the floor between groups of people who can work together. rs. lowey, mr. mcgovern, judge hastings, ms. slaughter, mr. polis represent not just the democrat party but millions of people across the country.

i want to forthrightly try again to answer, if i can, i do hear them. chairman rogers hears them. here is at least $500 million, granted only 1/3 of what has been requested, that we believe is available for it to be transferred right now. i talked to the gentleman, mr. mcgovern, i said, mr. mcgovern, do you believe in any way that something is being held up? no, sir. he said, we're working. this government is working feverishly. as a parent i understand this. while i have an advantage of having a disabled child as a son, that does not mean that i would want anyone else to have a disabled child. i get this. but i satisfied myself and i

believe my party has through our reat young speaker, paul ryan, satisfied ourself that pending the time when we can get at a supplemental, perhaps later in the year there will be wildfires, perhaps later in the year there would be a hurricane. we have the money available. no one disputes that the money right now is usable. is fungible, the question is when will it be back filled? and i have properly said here today that chairman hal rogers as the ear and we have his ear of every member of this body that does understand when we need to give more money and when a new cycle begins. we'll be starting this just in the next few weeks that that would be available as an option for chairman rogers to take mrs.

lowey's request, to take her detailed analysis of if it's a billion some would be able to forant that into a priority this conference, for this congress, for these bodies to understand and that we would hope to work with the united states senate, with the president of the united states, and work it well together. mr. speaker, what you have seen here is a prime example of people talking, people getting closer to an answer, and i'm trying to respond back that i believe our speaker, paul ryan, i believe hal rogers, i believe myself as an instrument of a messaging back and forth properly, is responding, the money is available. please go get your work done. and as we get further down the line, we'll begin this other process. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves.

gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, what we are trying to do here is sound the alarm bells that we need to do something. much more robust than is currently being done. the letter that we referred to from the administration, signed by sean donovan, director of the office of management and budget, susan rice, the national security advisor, sets out, letter to speaker paul ryan, i'm going to ask unanimous consent to insert the entire letter in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: basically says that the existing appropriations is not enough. and this is what the letter says. without significant additional appropriations is umer, the nation's efforts to comprehensively respond to the disease will be severely undermined. in particular, the administration may need to suspend crucial activities such as mosquito troll in the absence of emergency supplemental funding. state and local governments that manage mosquito control and response operations will not be

able to hire needed responders to engage in mosquito mitigation efforts. the ability to move to the next phase of vaccine development which requires multiyear commitments from the government to encourage the private sector to prioritize zika research and development could be jeopardize. i go right down the list on all the warnings here. this is a big deal. this is a big deal. if my friends on the other side are trying to rationalize putting this off, i would suggest we read this letter. -- i would suggest reread this letter, reread this letter. talk to the scientists, talk to the experts. we need to have the necessary resources to be able to combat what might come our way in templets zika virus. i want to -- in terms of the zika virus. i want to do this so we don't have a loss of life here in this country. so we are prepared. i'd like to yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from connecticut, ms. delauro.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the previous question. i ask members to defeat it so the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, can offer an amendment for this house to immediately consider legislation to confront the zika scrice. there are already 891 confirmed cases of the zika virus in the united states. and its territory. and 81 of them are pregnant women. this is an emergency. you know, we do have a disaster relief fund in this congress. it's about $8 billion. so that when there is a flood, when there is a fire, when there is a hurricane, we can

immediately move to take that money and address the costs of life and other costs from that disaster. unfortunately, we don't have a public health emergency fund, which is why the president is asking for $1.9 billion. this is an emergency. we cannot afford to wait another day to approve the president's request. every day we delay we redirect crucial resources away from city and state emergency preparedness funding. we are robbing peter to pay paul. cities and states across the country are being robbed of emergency preparedness grants. $44 million in total. and not only will these states have fewer resources to address public health crises, they will have fewer resources to address

the zika virus itself. already in addition to that $44 million, the administration has reprogrammed $510 million from the ebola crisis funding. that crisis is not over in western after cafment mr. mcgovern: i yield aba -- in africa. mr. mcgovern: i yield an additional minute. ms. delauro: i have a list of all the states and the amount of money they have already loss in emergency grants for preparedness for health emergency. california, almost 10% loss. florida, almost 10% loss. north carolina, 8%. texas, almost 10% in money taken away from preparedness grants. it is unconscionable that in the midst of a global health crisis we cannot appropriate emergency funds to save lives.

instead resort to gutting our state's emergency preparedness. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to think of he american woman, the women across our country and the predicament they face today of choosing whether or not they should get pregnant or if they are already pregnant wondering whether or not their baby is ok. we must fund the president's request. it is responsible and moral thing to do. yes, today physicians are divided as to whether or not they should tell women in the united states not to get pregnant. is that the message we want to send to american women? i don't think so. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. nice try. we rife our time. the speaker pro tempore: -- we reserve our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. mcgone: we have no further speakers here. none?

ok. let me close, mr. speaker, by again urging my colleagues to vote against the previous question so we can bring forward a bill that we believe can help adequately prepare this country to deal with the zika virus. something that i think the majority of americans, whether they are democrats or republicans, support. this should not be a controversial issue. if it is, then people can vote against it if it comes to the floor. but what we do know is that we have done -- what we have done up to this point in terms of our responsibility here in congress in providing the funds has not been adequate. as i read yerl from the letter from the swhouse -- earlier from the letter from the white house, all the things that could be on hold or not move forward if we don't adequately fund the necessary infrastructure to deal with this crisis. i would also say, mr. speaker, dealing eems to me effectively with the zika crisis

is a heck of a lot more important than what we are being asked to vote on and debate today. and i -- i have been saying this every time i come to the floor and handle the rule, but it seems that legislation that has minimum impact or in some cases might even be trivial takes precedent over legislation that actually might do something to help lift up the lives of people in this country or even in this case protect the lives of people in this contry. we ought to come together in a bipartisan way to make sure that at least priority items come to the floor of the house. this is supposed to be the people's house and that's where the people's business is supposed to be done. we are not doing t by not addressing the zika crisis more forthrightly, we are not doing the people's business. vote no on the previous question and vote no on the rule. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. what a great day to be on the

floor for us to really bring forth our ideas. the obligations that we have here as members of congress to work with each other, to listen to each other is apparent to me, but i don't think apparent to every single person. we have allowed, meaning in man rogers has allowed consultation with the speaker for money to be reprogrammed which is aplenty right now. we have agreeed this is the immediate crisis. we have made sure the administration is not wanting for a penny, and we recognize that in the processes that will take place, we will go through in a regular order procedure getting these funds reprogrammed

and allocated to fill back up the bucket. i satisfied myself that we are trying do the right thing. i have great concern that the american people do understand we do care about the children anti-families. i get this. we do care. nd until we and until we go through this process, the administration has the money necessary to do as they see fit to protect the american people to combat this virus, this disease and to make sure we get a handle on it. mr. speaker, the value of startups, which is why we are here today, cannot be understated. founded in 2013 back home in dallas, texas, of which i have the pleasure of representing, the dallas entrepreneurial center is a nonprofit created to help entrepreneurs start, build

and grow companies. and according to the d.e.c., over 1,000 jobs were created in the past two years and another 500 are expected to be hired by dallas startups in 2016. that's the power of what we are talking about. and the s.e.c. has noten in the way of this, not only with red tape, but directly back at the process that the free enterprise system has to make these jobs happen. investment in startups has been done in dallas, companies like e had ison collective -- ediso collective, rise, pickup and vintage payroll in dallas, texas, are prime examples of the success that could take place all across this country, not just in dallas, texas, but other

places where entrepreneurs should be king also and they are king because they are providing jobs, good-paying jobs for people. mr. speaker, the helping angels lead our startups act is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that provides small companies and startups access to the capital just as we have talked about that exists in dallas, texas. we are helping them succeed. we are helping them innovate and to grow jobs and to turn them into opportunities for our nation to have better products and services. as and us king, a senator from maine said, one of the senate's co-sponsors, he said by fixing flawed federal rules, the halos act will remove unnecessary roadblocks and help startups grow and thrive. he needs it in maine. we need it in dallas, texas.

we do not have all the jobs we need. there are still too many people unemployed in our country. that's why we're here doing this. in particular, two dallas startups, i cite partners and bottle rocket are revolutionizing the mobile strategy development. imagine for just a moment what it took them despite these problems in the marketplace to get started and get done. i think it's time that we allow others the opportunity to make life a little bit easier. for that reason, i urge my colleagues to support this rule. the awesome legislation and what t represents is bipartisan, is bicameral and has no boundaries of who may participate. i yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields. the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, on that i ask for 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, 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: pursuant to clause 80 of rule 20, the chair will postponefurther proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the rule incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. brady: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4923 the american manufacturing and competitivetiveness act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4923, a bill to establish a process for the submission and consideration of petitions for temporary duty suspensions and reductions and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. brady, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin each will control 20

minutes sm the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4923 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: i'm honored to speak about the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 2016. this bipartisan bill will help our manufacturers of all types reduce costs, create jobs and compete in the global market by creating a transparent process that is entirely consistent with house rules. this legislation is formerly called the mtb for short but makes more sense to think of this of m.t.b. of another kind, providing manufacturing tax breaks. before i begin to speak more specifically about what this bill does, i could tell you why

it is so essential for the success of our economy. american manufacturers have had to pay border taxes on certain products that aren't made in the united states increasing their costs. these tariffs or border taxes have cost them $748 million a year and no opportunity for them to get relief. these border taxes made it harder for them to sell their product, grow their businesses, create jobs and and invest in their economy. a coalition of american businesses of all sizes explained it best in their recent letter. they wrote, as a result manufacturers and industries arranging from agriculture and electronics to textiles, chemicals and beyond, have seen their costs go up for products not produced in the united states, undermining the

competitiveness and to create and maintain manufacturing jobs here in the united states. the good news is that help is on the way. after working together for months, trade subcommittee chairman dave reichert, ranking members rangel and i led a group who recently introduced the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 20616. the bill is designed to solve this problem and delivered much needed relief to manufacturers across our country. and here's how the new three-step process will work. first, local businesses of all sizes throughout our districts will petition the independent nonpartisan international trade commission and will make their case why they need manufacturing tax breaks. after they receive the petitions, it will solicit comments from the american public and the administration. they will conduct a thorough and transparent analysis. secondly, the i.t.c. will issue

a public report to congress with its analysis and recommendations regarding products that meet the m.t.b. standards. in these reports, the i.t.c. will confirm that no company in america makes these products and explain why it's important to offer these tax breaks to our local manufacturers. the third and final step in the process is for congress to consider the i.t.c.'s recommendations. they will examine the recommendations in a prepared package of legislation providing tax breaks for american manufacturers. consistent with our rules, we cannot add provisions that haven't received a favorable recommendation from the i.t.c. and congress will consider the entire package. at the end of the process, american manufacturers of all sizes will be able to enjoy tax breaks and make it easier for them to compete in the global market and create more jobs in our community. while this bill is a victory for

manufacturers and consumers, it is also a victory for openness and transparency. after all, our new m.t.b. process upholds our strong earmark rules and gives the american people the opportunity to offer their opinion throughout the entire process. bypassing this bill today, we will ensure we have a system in place that helps our manufacturers here in america compete in the global market and win. i would like to recognize my colleagues who have worked so hard on this legislation. specifically, i would like to sthanching ranking member levin and dave reichert and charlie rangel for their help and leadership. i'm grateful to committee mbers, tiberi, blumenauer, pascrell and davis who have been involved in supporting this legislation. i would like to thank

representatives mark walker, tom mcclintock, todd rokita, nick mulvaney and representative blume for their leadership throughout this process. join us in supporting this critical legislation by tax breaks for our local manufacturers. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: i yield myself such time as i shall consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: mr. speaker, i welcome the opportunity to join with the chairman today and we've welcomed the opportunity indeed, the absolute necessity to try to work together. and so i want to place what we are doing today in some perspective. it's been nearly six years since congress last passed a miss tariff bill. we are just now establishing a

process to consider a future m.t.b. bill which would not happen until the end of 2017. this year's long delay has hurt u.s. manufacturers and our manufacturing competitiveness. it's long past time for this house to finally take action and to move forward. m.t.b. legislation boils down to one thing basically, supporting and growing manufacturing jobs right here in america. and very importantly, these jobs do not come at the expense of others. in 2010, the bipartisan thorough and transparent process we established to consider m.t.b. bills worked effectively. it included direct input from the public, from the administration and from the

international trade commission. the committee then posted all of these comments from the public and the administration on a publicly available website and perhaps most importantly, that input was crucial in making sure that domestic production was not competing with imported products in the bill. at that time, the -- republican leaders in congress publicly objected to the m.t.b. bill, conflating it with earmarks. but when democrats brought the bill to the floor in 2010, republicans fought their leadership and almost enmasse supported the bill because of its importance to u.s. manufacturers and american jobs. it ultimately passed the house 3 78-43.

unfortunately as the republicans became the majority action on m.t.b. was frozen. for years, the result was injury to domestic manufacturing and the jobs it supports throughout our country. this bill shares the responsibility to formally propose to i.t.c. i support the bill today before us because it retains all of the uniquely strong provisions on transparency developed in 2010, ensuring that all potential m.t.b.'s are thoroughly vented and provides a chance for valuable input from a variety of stakeholders. this input is the key to ensuring that m.t.b. bills do not undermine domestic product or jobs.

the process makes sure that the benefits provided by the bill support and create american jobs without hurting our domestic manufacturers. additionally, this bill allows a member of congress to object to and essentially remove an individual m.t.b. from the final legislative package. so it's been a frustrating six years and i say this with some emotion, because we've worked hard over these years to try to move and often hitting obstacles. so it's been a frustrating six years since this congress passed an m.t.b. and it's been even more frustrating for manufacturing across the country, but i believe we've reached a sufficient path forward now that will ultimately be beneficial for american manufacturers and for american

workers. it's more than overdue. it's about time. a solution has been found, not one that i initially favored, but it's important to move ahead. so therefore, i strongly support this bill. and i reserve the balance of our time. mr. brady: i yield two minutes to the trade committee, the gentleman from washington who has played a key role.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. reichert: thank you for your leadership and ranking member levin for your leadership and this is a bipartisan effort, working its way through congress today finally a pleasure to see this come to fruition. we talk about m.t.b.'s and sometimes it's hard to keep track of what it means. but it is a tax, a tax on businesses here in america, tax on imports from other countries on products used billings other products here in the united states and the products that are imported that our companies are being taxed on are not made here in the united states. so it's an additional costs on our manufacturers who then have to raise their prices and that's

passed on to our consumers and they pay a higher costs for those goods and even sometimes, mr. speaker, this -- these tariffs can result in jobs being moved overseas. . the process is simple. businesses present their request to an independent board, nonpartisan, called the i.t.c. international trade commission. step two is it's an open and transparent process. they ask for input from all across the country, from the public, from businesses, from congress, from the administration, open, transparent process. step three, is congress takes action. and step four is america wins. they become more competitive. what are the benefits of m.t.b.? it's clear and simple. the benefits are cut costs for manufacturing importing products made in the u.s. reduces prices for consumers,

strengthens transparency, and it grows the economy. creating the opportunity to make more products, make more products, hire more people, obviously more people back to work creating jobs. so today i rise in strong support of this solution to the problem that we have been facing here for the last few years, as mr. levin described. it fully complies with our house rules. has strong bipartisan support in both the house and the senate, and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman yields. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas. >> i'm pleased to yield one minute to one of our key most effective leaders on trade in the ways and means committee in

the house, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. paulsen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the american competitiveness act to help our domestic manufacturers. today there are american companies that must unfairly pay miscellaneous tariffs, or taxes, on the materials they need to make their products here in the united states simply because these materials are not available in the united states. instead they have to import these materials. the bill before us creates a new transparent process for miscellaneous tariff bills, or m.t.b.'s, to be enacted. just how important are these m.t.b.'s? since the last m.t.b. package expired in 2012, we have seen $748 million in additional taxes at the border for american manufacturers every year. that's a lot of money, mr. speaker. it's money manufacturers could use to hire more employees, grow their business, or lower prices for their customers.

this isn't speculation. the last m.t.b. initiative supported 90,000 manufacturing jobs here in the united states. in minnesota it's manufacturers like 3m, and honeywell that will seat benefits. i encourage my colleagues to join me today in supporting our manufacturers by voting in support of this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i'm honored to yield two minutes to one of our key members of the ways and means committee, with a business background, the gentleman from new york, mr. reed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. -- excuse me, new york is recognized for one minute. mr. reed: thank you, mr. speaker. it is new york and i appreciate that correction for the record. mr. speaker, i rise today to offer congratulations not only to our chairman on the ways and means committee, kevin braidy, as well as the chairman of the trade subcommittee, david reichert, but also the ranking member, mr. levin. we have come together in a bipartisan basis, mr. speaker,

to stand for this legislation that is going to help our u.s. manufacturers. this is a reduction of costs that potentially could go in the millions if not billions of dollars in the future that are going to allow our u.s. manufacturers to compete on the world stage in a much better position than they find themselves today. i applaud the efforts of colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together to find a solution that allows us to honor an open and transparent process to stand with our u.s. manufacturers, to reduce the tax burden, to reduce the costs on these manufacturers that are the heart and soul of our job creators across the country. as i know companies in our district in western new york, the benefits that these companies will see impact not only large corporations but also mom and pop domestic manufacturers. companies like vera sandals, a small mom and pop shop that has

to rely on an import it can only get outside of america. they are now in position after this legislation is passed to be able to build and manufacture those sandals in a competitive way. that means that operation will be able to employ not only their present employees but potentially invest in expansion. why is that important, mr. speaker? because those are the lobs that are being created today and tomorrow. i want to give a congratulatory tip of the hat to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as well as to the chairman on a job well-done. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: mr. speaker, one of our key new leaders in trade manufacturing, agriculture is a new member of congress from the state of iowa, i'm proud to -- and played a key role again in this legislation, proud to yield two minutes to the gentleman from iowa, mr. bloom. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from iowa is recognized for two minutes. mr. blum: first i want to thank

chairman braidy, ranking member levin, the rest of the house committee on ways and means, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who join in co-sponsoring this important legislation, h.r. 4923, the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 2016. i also want to thank my colleague from north carolina, mr. walker, for his leadership in educating our freshman class about this issue. mr. speaker, this legislation creates an open and transparent process to consider reducing burdensome manufacturing tariffs through miscellaneous tariff bills while at the same time maintain a common sense house ban on earmarks. without this legislation american manufacturers will continue to pay high tariffs on essential raw materials that have no domestic source. this undermines these manufacturers' competitiveness with foreign manufacturers. and damages their ability to create manufacturing jobs here in america.

mr. speaker, our economy has been limping along for quite some time now. this is the worst economic recovery following a recession since world war ii. g.d.p. growth is just 60% of our 70-year average. i'll say that again, 60% of average. and because of this, wages for working families are stagnant. american businesses are being stifled by red tape, high taxes, and a federal government that crowds out private investment threw its addiction to deficit spending. i'm not willing to accept this economy is the new normal. we can do far better, mr. speaker. we need to make america the best place in the world to do business. i believe that by instituting pro-growth policies, we can get wages for americans moving up again and encourage businesses to invest in growing here instead of going overseas. this bipartisan legislation is a concrete direct example of something congress can do immediately to make american

manufacturing more competitive. helping our manufacturers create good-paying jobs for american workers instead of moving them overseas should not be a partisan issue. i look forward to seeing this bill move through congress and continue to be a voice for workers and manufacturers in iowa and across the country so we can reignite our economy, raise wages for working families, and once again make america the best place in the world to do business. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: thank you, mr. speaker. are we ready to close, mr. chairman? we are ready to close? mr. brady: yes, sir. mr. levin: i yield myself the balance of our time and i'll be very brief. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: we welcomed the chance to work together and i want to thank the staff on both sides for doing that. there were obstacles, i think, unfortunate one in terms of the

interpretation of the rules of this house. ots of jobs were lost. tariffs were placed on goods when we could have avoided that. i'm proud that in 2010 when we ere in the majority and we worked together up to a point, we developed the most transparent procedures. they were given the gold seal. everything had to be out in the open. everything had to be there for the public to see. if any one of us on either side of the aisle, democratic or republican, senator or house, objected to a provision saying, for example, that it would impact jobs in the united states , that provision was gone.

and as a result of that effort, in 2010 when it came up for a vote, only one democrat of all of us voted against it. so time has been lost. jobs have been lost. we have lost some ground on manufacturing that never should have happened. but the important thing today is that we are moving ahead and we are going to pass a bill that sets in motion a procedure that will go into effect the end of next year. so i hope we learn from this ex speerns that we should not be tie -- experience that we should not be tied up by procedures in this congress. instead we should look at what is the real impact of what we do on jobs in this country. these are basically very middle income jobs and we lost too

many. we are now trying to recapture some that loss -- lost ground with this procedure, and i think it's something that we now need to adopt. so i urge all of my colleagues on this side of the aisle and i hope with the vast majority of you on your side of the aisle, mr. chairman, that we will join together at long last to pass what we have come to know as m.t.b. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: think about the benefits of this bipartisan bill. tax cuts to american manufacturers, more jobs in our community both retained in some cases grown, lower costs for consumers and our businesses as well. congress retains its strong constitutional powers over

tariffs. and this bill complies fully with the current house earmark ban. that is a win-win for american consumers and our economy. it was achieved through bipartisan work. i thank ranking member levin and those who came together across the aisle and across the rotunda to make this process and this solution a reality. this is good for america, this is good for our manufacturers, it's good for our local jobs, and i encourage support, urge support for this bill. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4923 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 in the affirmative -- the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: on think, i request the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4240, the no fly for foreign fighters act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4240, a bill to require an independent review of the operation and administration of the terrorists screening data base maintained by the federal bureau of investigation and subsets of the tsdb and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i ask unanimous

consent that all members five five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 4240 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: across the globe, nations are on alert as the threat of isis spreads. france, turkey, belgium and the united states have each been tragicallyffected by isis or isis-inspired terror plots. it is imperative that america's first line of defense against isis and other terror groups are working effectively. h.r. 4240 the no fly for foreign fighters act is a commonsense bill that requires the u.s. government accountability office to conduct an independent review of the operation and

administration of the terrorist tsdb ing data base or which is referred to as the terrorist watch list. the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, has worked diligently on this important issue and i'm pleased to support this bill. the terrorist watch list is a critical tool in our fight against terrorism. the watch list and the screening process support the u.s. government's efforts to combat terrorism by consolidating the terror watch list and providing screening and law enforcement agencies with information to help them respond appropriately during encounters with known or suspected terrorists among other things. at the same time, we must ensure that the watch list and the accompanying processes and procedures comport with the constitution and the values of the american people. the g.a.o. previously conducted a study of both terror watch lists following the december 25, 2009 attempted bombing of

northwest flight 253, which exposed weaknesses in how the federal government nominated individuals to the terrorist watch list and gaps in how agencies used the list to screen individuals to determine if they pose a security threat. several improvements were made to the watch listing processes and procedures following the december 25, 2009 attempted bombing. however, concerns have been raised over the effect the watch listing processes and procedures may have on law-abiding persons, including u.s. citizens based on inaccurate or incomplete information in the data base or similar or identical names to watch listed individuals. the g.a.o. study report said that routine assessments of the outcomes and impacts of agencies watch list screening or vetted programs could help ensure that these programs are achieving

their intended results or identify if revisions are needed. such assessments to also help identify broader issues that require attention determine if impacts on agency resources and the traveling public are acceptable and communicate to key stakeholders how the investment in the screening or vetting processes is enhancing security of the nation's borders, commercial aviation and other security-related activity. this bill provides for an independent review of the operation and administration of the watch list. it reaffirms our commitment to our nation's security while upholding the constitutional values that make america unique in the world. i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from texas. ms. jackson lee: i ask to use such time as i may require. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me start by saying that this is evidence of the important commitment that the judiciary committee has to the issues of criminal justice, but as well, recognizes the title of this committee, that covers crime, terrorism and homeland security and investigation. so i want to thank the chairman, mr. goodlatte, for working with me and his staff, along with mr. conyers, the ranking member and his staff and of course, mr. radcliffe for his support of my legislation h.r. 4240, no fly for foreign fighters act. i want to thank the staff because as they well know, my late staff, worked hard with staff members as well on this legislation. so here we are today with an important initiative coming out of the judiciary committee working collaboratively and i

believe that is extremely important. as a senior member of the committee on homeland security and ranking member on, the topic of threats to homeland security has always been a particular concern to me, but over the last couple of months or last couple of years as we have seen isil raise its ugly head, we have heard of americans going for the fight, joining or being part of the caliphate. we heard of isis members moving around particularly in europe, moving from country to country. some may saw they are in different modes of transportation and using aviation modes of transportation. therefore, they pose a serious threat. i initially introduced the no fly for fighters act after the investigation of an attempt to detonate explosives on a northwest airlines on christmas day, 2009, yes, mr. speaker, that was a long time ago.

investigation into the incident revealed that counterterrorism agencies had information that raised flags about this individual referred to as the underwear bomber, but the dots were not connected and he was not placed in the terrorist screening data base or the tsdb. this shown a light on our potential gaps in our watching and screening process and that resulted in significant improvements. questions about the system remain. it is not uncommon to see news of an emergency landing because a passenger happened to be on the no-fly list but there was a delay in getting that information. we are here today to ensure that we get it right because one wrong time again jeopardizes maybe hundreds or thousands of lives. it is even more common to read articles about the frequency of false positives in individuals being mistakenly identified as being on the list causing them and their fellow passengers

significant delay and frustration. i remember being on the homeland security committee since the terrorist acts of 9/11, in those early days, members of congress, united states senators and others were on the no fly list. while it may after the fact be humorous, it is not. we must get it right. the issue of false positives, are interested in as well as the aclu. in light of the events of the last 12 months, the issue of homeland security and in particular, the accuracy of our screening and watch listing process has become even more significant to me. more than 30,000 foreign fighters from at least 100 different countries have traveled to syria and iraq to fight isil. i want to say that number again, 30,000 foreign fighters have traveled. and that means they may return and move throughout europe or attempt to come to the united

states. in the last 18 months, the number of foreign fighters traveling to syria and iraq has more than doubled. if those individuals try to go throughout places in europe or elsewhere or the united states, the mode of transportation would be aviation. in the first six months of 2015, more than 7,000 foreign fighters arrived. of those traveling to syria and iraq to fight for the terrorist group, it estimated 250 hold u.s. citizenship. we only need one. the accuracy of our terrorist screening tools is more critical now than ever before. i worked with the chairman and mr. conyers to introduce 4240 which mandates an independent review of the operation and administration. although the inspector general for the department of justice conducts annual audits, there has not been an independent review after the 2009 incident. h.r. 4240 directs the g.a.o. to conduct an independent review of

the separation and subsets of existing m, the vulnerabilities may be resolved. this legislation is drafted broadly to allow the g.a.o. to conduct a comprehensive review, not just of the accuracy but the entire administration in the name of securing the american people. following the study, the g.a.o. will submit a report to the house and senate judiciary committees with its recommendations for improvements. i'm glad my colleagues join me in shortening that time frame so we can quickly move to urge any changes that needs to be made in the list to be accurate and to secure the nation. let me close by thanking the members of this committee who are co-sponsors of 4240 and urge my colleagues to send this

bipartisan legislation to the house floor, which we are now and i thank you and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas -- virginia, excuse me. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from texas. ms. jackson lee: it is my privilege to yield to the distinguished ranking member who now is the dean of this house, mr. conyers, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the ought or of this bill, the gentlelady rom texas, who first saw the importance of it and i want to tell you that this measure before us today strengthens the terrorist screening base maintained by the federal bureau

of investigation and in doing so, aids in our efforts to combat terrorism and keep our nation safe. the screening center helps to identify known and suspected terrorists by integrating information collected by law enforcement and the intelligence community. since its inception in 2003, this sophisticated watch list and screening system has undoubtedly saved lives. but despite the work the dedicated individuals who make the screening data base possible, the system is not flawless. past incidents such as the 2009 christmas day attempted attack on a northwest airlines flight bound from my hometown of detroit already mentioned by the gentlelady from texas, has put a

spotlight on potential gaps in the system. over the years since, the f.b.i. s made significant improvements to the data base, office of the inspector general revealed movement in the right direction. but to date, no independent review has been conducted to evaluate the sufficiency of these changes. . it directs the government accountability office to conduct their review of the operation and administration of the terrorist screening database. this review will assess whether past weaknesses have been eliminated and the extent to which existing