torture and other tactics that have shocked the international community. the regime also continues to blockade from reaching parts of syria, in spite of u.n. security council resolutions calling for access to humanitarian assistance. this legislation holds not only regime officials accountable, but also those who are providing the regime the support it needs to carry out its appalling crimes. . millions have been forced to escape their homes and unbliveable conditions. half a mill people have died. i believe strong action is long overdue. h.r. 5732 is a step forward and i encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of it. i want to thank representative engel for introducing this important legislation and chairman royce for all of his work. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. mr. engel: may i inquire if there are any more speakers? mr. royce: we have one more speaker. mr. engel: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, who is responsible not only for africa and also for global human rights issues. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: i thank my good friend and colleague, ed royce for his leadership on all thing related to the syrian crisis, the iranian crisis and the ladge number of hearings we have had that brought focus on the atrocities being committed by assad and i thank ranking member engel. for more than five years, mr. speaker, the assad regime has been committing crimes against

humanity and war crimes against civilians including murder, torture and rape. no one has been spared from his targeting, not even children. these atrocities fueled the largest refugee crisis since world war ii. and more than six million people are internally displaced irns of syria which has become one of the most deadly places in the world to deliver humanitarian assistance. the administration has not stopped the carnage. this has embold end the regime and the military has been bombing aleppo, syria most populous city. and the united states must impose the strongest available sanctions on perpetrators in the syrian regime who are complicit and foreigners who feed its killing machine.

this legislation is a very, very important step in that direction. and i urge support. and i thank the chairman and ranking member for their leadership. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. mr. engel: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i resevere the right to close. mr. engel: we cannot delay action on syria any further. the violence has gone on too long and at too far costs and if we don't get this legislation across the finish line in the next few weeks, we are back at square one. the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, who spoke before, talked about working in this region and the legislation that we did. well, in 2004, i believe, she and i co-sponsored syria accountability act and it passed into law and we really regarded

it at the time as a major achievement which helped calm things down in that area. but now it has been many years and things are getting worse. when i speak with people who have direct knowledge of what's going on on a daily basis in aleppo and in other places, they tell me that not only are battle bombs being dropped on the civilian population, these are people who are civilians and had battle bombs dropped on them, which is terrible. you know what the assad regime is doing? it is dropping bunker buster bombs on its civilians. the people who go underground to avoid the bombs from being dropped on top of them get murdered by bunker-busting bombs that actually go there and have no purpose except to kill innocent civilians.

it's a disgrace and cannot stand by allow this to happen. so this legislation won't tie the hands of this administration or the next administration. this bill has plenty of flexibility built in so we can adapt to changing conditions. but if we pass it and put it to work, this measure will tie the hands of the assad regime. it will help to cut off its ability to carry out violence against its own people and it will discourage other powers from sustaining the campaign of violence. i echo every word that was said today from our colleagues from both sides of the aisle. let's do the right thing for the syrian people and the right thing for humanity and pass this bill. i urge all members to votea. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to recognize our

colleague, ranking member elliott engel for authoring this bill and for raising this issue with his colleagues, with the president of the united states, with the media and the n.g.o. community in order to try to get action and i thank other members who contributed on this bill. but our committee, as elliott has shared with you, has heard first-hand accounts of the suffering. and i guess the one thing i would say is the e.u. has finally been moved to take steps. recently, we welcomed those steps to sanction those within the assad regime responsible for the brutal air campaign against innocent civilians in aleppo. we heard first-hand accounts not only to the suffering. we heard the testimony of rayid

sali of the syrian white helmets, these are the doctors, newses and the volunteers who actually when the bombs come run towards the areas that have been hit in order to try to get the injured civilians medical treatment. they try to provide relief for these victims. they have lost over 600 doctors and nurses. doctors and nurses come from all over the world to try to assist. when mr. engel told you about these bunker-buster bombs that are being dropped from the air, they are being dropped on civilians and also being dropped on the hospitals. in aleppo there are six

hospitals, four of them have been destroyed. last week, four of those last ix were utterly destroyed by bunker-buster bombs dropped by russian planes and syrian air force. but there are two that are partially left. and in these two, there is no longer morphine, there is no longer medical supplies. they bring those injured who have some chance of survival in there to try to treat them. and in the meantime, the bombs rain down every day. you know, they were nominated -- the organization, the white helmets, the volunteer group, doctors and nurses, they were nominated for a nobel peace prize. but so many of them now have

gone to their graves. we have heard of the terror. dr. muhammad tenari of the syrian medical society described the sound of those helicopters overhead, the thump of exploding bombs and the overpowering smell of bleach in the air, that bleach that has tropped as part of chemical weaponry. and then the effects of the toxic gas on the human body, foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath, dying slow, agonizing deaths as the chlorine deaths turns into hydro coloric gas. and so many are children. and the attacks come in the dead of night. these are the broad civilian areas of that country that are not presently controlled by the

assad regime. we are not talking about the attacks on the front lines but on the attacks of hospitals in the civilian sectors. mr. speaker, for nearly five years, international diplomats have dwailted to target it. we can see the ethnic cleansing on. there is a reason why you have 14 million people fleing. nd it is this aggressive campaign when we talk about ethnic cleansing, aggressive campaign by the russian air force that has joined the syrian air force in hitting aleppo and other parts of the country. even the united nations calls this crimes of historic proportions, crimes of historic proportions. so enough's enough. today, we send a message that

will not stand and the united states will work to ensure that war crimes committed by assad, that the war machine cannot rain down on the people of syria unrelentingly. it's not too late to act. we have to cut off their ability to have this capacity. and we have to put those sanctions in place on this. and i urge all members to support this legislation. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass bill h.r. 5732 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4297. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman restate the number of the bill. mr. royce: 6297, the iran sanctions act extension, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to re-authorize the iran sanctions act of 1996. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend any remarks and to include any extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: and also, unanimous

consent to place into the record exchanges of letters with other committees of jurisdiction on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. royce: well, i thank you, mr. speaker and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: i rise in support of h.r. 6297. this is to extend the iran sanctions act. and i want to thank ranking member engel for his assistance in bringing this legislation to the floor. times -- time is of the essence as this critical law expires on december 31 and unless congress acts, as we are doing today, we will not have this on the books. now, the other body should quickly take up this bill and send it to the president's desk, keeping a critical tool in place for the future. mr. speaker, 20 years ago, a bipartisan majority in congress passed the iran sanctions act.

it was then known as the iran-libya sanctions act. and the goal was to stop significant foreign investment in iran's energy sector, denying the iranian regime the ability to financially support international terrorism and nuclear proliferation and frankly missile proliferation as well. since then, this legislation has been re-authorized and expanded on several occasions. after years of bipartisan work in the congress, the iran sanctions act has served here as the statutory foundation of the iran sanctions regime. of course, president obama developed his nuclear deal with iran and in doing so, that dismantles part of that regime. i would point out last week, we heard that a major european energy firm is close to investing $6 billion in iran to

develop natural gas, which will enrich the regime. but the difficulty is in terms of enforcement, what if, and i would assert when, iran is found moving towards a bomb, how will we respond to that? the obama administration has long said that sanctions on iran would snap back if this were to happen. for that to happen, we need this legislation. because if the law expires as the iran sanctions act is set to do at the end of the month -- next month -- there is nothing to snap back to. the obama administration has struggled to answer that question. here's the bottom line. if we let the clock run out on iran sanctions act, congress will take away an important tool to keep the iranians in check and that in turn will only

further jeopardize america's national security. i urge all members to support this. and i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i want to thank the chairman, ed royce, for his leadership on the foreign affairs committee and i want to thank leadership on both sides of the aisle for working together to get this bipartisan bill to the floor. our foreign affairs legislation, in particular sanctions, we said this before and i want to say it again, it always works best when there's bipartisan support. since the iran nuclear deal was struck more than a year ago, i consistently said two things. one, i didn't agree with the deal but once it was in effect we should try to make it work rather than trying to undermine it. and, two, we should keep looking for ways to hold iran's

feet to the fire on all the other bad behavior issues. support for terrorism, ballistic missiles, human rights abuses and all those kinds of things. this legislation, i'm happy to say, fits the bill. we can provide the administration tools to crack down on iran and still be fully compliant with our obligations under the nuclear deal. after all, the exact language in this bill is already law on the books. the iran sanctions extension act is a simple, clean extension of current law. the legislation, which has been authorized with large bipartisan support since 1996, demands that iran abandon its uclear weapons program, seizes its ball program and stop terrorism. all of these remain threats to the united states and our allies. the current law is set to expire on december 31 of this year. we don't want to let the iran sanctions act lapse. we don't want iran's leaders to

think we lost focus on their other dangerous activities around the world, that we don't want them to think we don't mind when they launch ballistic missiles emblaze ened with the words in hebrew, israel must be wiped out. they must not think we will look the other way when they uggled -- smuggle weapons to others. this is a critical moment in the region. there's no end in sight for hezbollah's support for the assad regime. got instability throughout iraq, yemen and the gulf. and more and more our allies are unsure about the future of america's resolve. we must send a clear got messag that american leadership is a sure thing. i also feel very strongly, you know when we all went to school when we were kids, we learned about separation of powers. well, the legislative branch, this congress has an important say and an important role to play and we will continue to do

that. so this legislation will provide for an immediate snapback of sanctions should iran cheat on the nuclear deal. these sanctions must be in place to demonstrate to iran that there are consequences for noncompliance. in 10 years when this legislation expires, we'll have another discussion. i sincerely hope that by then iran has exceeded to every demand of the international community to stop its ballistic missile program and put an end to its destabilizing activities around the region. but in the meantime, hope won't safeguard our interests. that's why i support this legislation, that why we wrote this legislation. i urge my colleagues to do the same in supporting it. i, again, thank our chairman, ed royce, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: well, thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, who

chairs the foreign affairs committee subcommittee on the middle east and north africa. but before recognizing her, i do want to express this body's special appreciation for the work of my predecessor ros-lehtinen, our chairman emeritus, because ileana's foresight in legislative work in prior congresses, as author of those measures, was what put into place the statutory sanctions regime upon which we continue to rely. and so i yield her three minutes, and i thank her for that underlying legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, is recognized for three minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, mr. speaker. as always, i thank our esteemed chairman for those wonderful and kind words and also our terrific friend, the ranking member, mr. engel from new

york, thank you for that, chairman royce, and thank you, chairman engel, for continuing to be a great example of the bipartisan cooperation of which we need so much of in this congress. and thank you for your leadership in bringing this important bill to the floor this afternoon. this has been a priority for the united states congress, but especially to members of our foreign affairs committee and has been an issue upon which i have worked extensively, and i thank the chairman for his words, alongside so many of our colleagues for over two decades. in 2006, as the chairman pointed out, i authored a bill that expanded sanctions on iran and extended the iran sanctions act through 2011. in 2010, i worked with then foreign affairs chairman howard berman on yet another comprehensive iran sanctions bill which also extended the iran sanctions act through the end of this year. and so today i'm so pleased and honored to support chairman

royce's effort as guided by mr. engel's as well to extend the iran sanctions act for another 10 years, keeping the foundation of sanctions against iran in place for when iran violates the nuclear deal. i believe that those violations have already taken place. earlier this year we already saw the administration buy heavy water from iran. why? because iran was producing more heavy water than it was allowed to under the terms of the agreement. and just a few days ago, mr. speaker, it was announced that iran is once again over the allowable total of heavy water. we have also found out that there have been secret exemptions for iran and that without these exemptions iran would not have been in compliance with the jcpoa, which is the initials of the nuclear deal, before the deal went into implementation day.

and so that is why, mr. speaker, it is absolutely vital that we pass this bill of mr. royce's and mr. engel, that we extend these sanctions, that we keep the foundation of our sanctions against iran in place because we need to keep the regime accountable for its violations of its nuclear deal and for its continued illicit activity. there is absolutely no justification at all for allowing these sanctions to lapse, and in fact, everything we have witnessed from the regime this year, everything is a clear indication we need to be looking at ensuring that all sanctions against iran are fully and vigorously enforced and even expanded. i urge my colleagues to support this important measure. and, again, i thank our esteemed chairman for those kind words and the valued work of our ranking member. thank you, mr. speaker, and mr. chairman, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. deutch, the ranking member of the middle east subcommittee of our foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida, mr. deutch, is recognized for three minutes. mr. deutch: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, ranking member engel. thanks to you and chairman royce for moving forward with this critical piece of legislation to re-authorize the iran sanctions act which i am proud to introduce with you. by extending the iran sanctions act for another 10 years we will cement the law that has for 20 years has been the backbone of our policy. congress has crafted sanctions that has brought maximum pressure on the iranian regime. in fact, it has always been congress that has been at the forefront of sanctions policy. the nuclear deal is in place, and these sanctions provide the teeth when violations occur. preserving our sanctions law should not be viewed by anyone as undermining the nuclear deal. it is in fact exactly the opposite. when the yishe nuke agreement

was -- iran nuclear agreement was brought forward, should iran violate the deal, sanctions would immediately be snapped back into place. the very real threat of vigorous enforcement of u.s. sanctions is what holds iran to its international obligations. now, i was not a supporter of the nuclear deal, but that does not change the fact that united states is a party to a multilateral agreement that we have an obligation to enforce vigorously. strong sanctions from the european union and the united nations have come because of american leadership. we must continue to exercise that leadership, and by living up to our obligations under the deal and by continuing to vigorously enforce the deal, including the willingness to will be sanctions, we able to advance our interests. the iran sanctions act expires in a matter of weeks. the time for action is now. i urge my colleagues to move swiftly to pass this bill and for the senate to do the same and even as we enforce the

nuclear deal, mr. speaker, the united states must continue to lead the international community in confronting iran's continued sponsorship of terrorism and its dangerous ballistic missiles. we must galvanize the international community to bring home the american and other foreign citizens that iran continues to detain, including my constituent, bob levinson. iran has not lived up to its obligations to return bob to his family. and as we approach thanksgiving, i plead with my colleagues in the house, i plead with my fellow citizens from around the country to stand with the levinson family so that this is the last thanksgiving that they celebrate without their husband, their father and their grandfather sitting beside them at the thanksgiving table. we need to bring bob levinson home. i thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back the balance of

my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i'll yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lance, a member of the committee on energy and commerce. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lance, is recognized for two minutes. mr. lance: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of the bipartisan iran sanctions extension act. now is not the time to ease up on the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. the iran sanctions extension act is an important piece of legislation that needs to be extended so that we can continue our fine work in this area. i thank chairman royce for offering this legislation that will extend iranian sanctions for an additional 10 years. as has been stated, these sanctions will expire at the end of this year if congress fails to act. it is imperative that we extend the current sanction regime. this has been in place for quite sometime, and this in no

way affects the underlying agreement, even though i am vigorously opposed to the underlying agreement. let's send a message today that despite what this administration may think regarding continuation of the agreement that the congress is united in tough sanctions. we will hold tehran accountable for its human rights violations, its support of international terrorism, its testing of illegal ballistic missiles. sanctions work. time and time again, u.s. sanctions have been a powerful force on the world stage and have given the u.s. leverage against some of the world's worst state actors. let's not reward provocation that may have occurred already or provocations that may occur in the future. i urge all of my colleagues to vote yes and keep these sanctions in place, and i commend the chairman, the ranking member, the full committee and i am positive that if this legislation passes i am hopeful that the president will sign it into law. thank you, mr. speaker.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. mr. engel: mr. speaker, it gives me a great pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, our democratic whip. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend, mr. engel, and i want to thank the chairman, mr. royce, for bringing this bipartisan bill to the floor. i want to thank them for their efforts on behalf of our country, on behalf of the security of our country and on behalf of ensuring that tough sanctions stay in place. tough sanctions are what brought iran to the negotiating table, mr. speaker, in the first place, and the prospect of a snapback of sanctions is what i hope will keep iran compliant. make no mistake, iran continues to be a bad actor, sponsoring terrorism, contributing to

instability in syria and iraq, threatening israel and suppressing democracy within its own borders. we must continue to ensure that iran abides by the joint comprehensive plan of action. we had differences on its merits, but we had no differences that iran must comply. no malfeasance ought to be tolerated. iran's leaders continue to threaten israel and pursue ballistic missile technology and its regime held americans captive for years as bargaining chips over its compliance with basic international law and norms. this legislation will ensure that president obama and his successor will have the full force of sanctions available should iran violate the nuclear

agreement in any way. it's critical that our approach bipartisan.in mr. royce and i have had that discussion, mr. engel and i had that discussion. and i say again that our policy remain bipartisan. doing so sends a strong signal to our allies and even more importantly to our adverse areas that we are united in our efforts to stop iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. now that legislation is completed, we need to turn to the critical task of ballistic missile sanctions and i look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to respond appropriately to iran pursuing ballistic missile capabilities in violation of u.n. security resolutions. again, i thank mr. royce and mr. engel. i reiterate, the fact that we

work together, republicans and democrats, where we have many differences, but on this we should not have differences because the security of our nation and the security of the nations of the middle east and the global security depends upon it. and i thank both of them. and i thank my colleagues for working so hard towards this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i'll yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, chairman of the foreign affairs on africa, global health and global human rights. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. mr. smith: i thank the chair for yielding and his sponsorship of the iran sanctions extension act. this is a must-pass measure that would extend for 10 years the iran sanctions act, a critical set of sanctions targeting iran's energy sector that would expire on december 31.

the administration lifted the vast majority of the sanctions following the purported implementation of the flawed iran nuclear deal in january. these investments in the sector would form the backbone of the snap-back sanctions that the u.s. could impose in response so iranian violations of the agreement. mr. speaker, let's not kid ourselves. the iran nuclear agreement is a mess. there is no any time, anywhere inspections protocol. today, iran is massively expanding both the number and the capability of its ballistic missile arsenal. iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism and flush with billions of new funding, they are on a frenseyed weapons procurement -- weapons of many kind.

there is cheating on a number of fronts. under the iranian deal, it is matter of when, not if, but when will iran become a nuclear state. this is a minimal policy to snap back and say when you violate the terms and conditions of the agreement, which i find flawed and many others do as well, that at least there is a snap back and those sanctions snap back into place. if it doesn't exist, it's not going to happen. for 20 years, it mitigated iran's weapons program and state sponsorship program. by imposing sanctions on entities anywhere in the world that invest in the nuclear sector, they targeted a key source of revenue that the iranian government used to finance its activities. again, i think this is an important bill and i hope the senate will take it up quickly.

i thank chairman royce and ranking member engel. it is a bipartisan piece of legislation and minimum we can do in the face of such a flawed agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i yield three minutes to the the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. conyers: i thank my good -- mr. connolly: and i thank my good friend for his fine work. i rise in support the iran sanctions extension act. when congress considered the joint comprehensive plan of action last year, which i supported, we acknowledged that this deal was not a panacea. it was not designed to resolve the myriad of issues that undergirard the u.s. and our its in their regime and

support for terrorists throughout the region. no one agreement is comprehensive. it wasn't in the soviet era and isn't in this era either. the deal is to eliminate iran to developing a nuclear weapon and roll it back in exchange for the lifting of all u.s.-related sanctions. reinstating the u.s.-nuclear related sanctions would be a dangerous course of action and introducing unnecessary risks into a fraught relationship, balanced and multi lateral especially because the deal is working. iran has met the metrics set forth in the reversal of its nuclear development program. however, the scope of the iran sanctions act sfends far beyond nuke lar-related extensions. iran continues to engage in a

variety of unacceptable and destable idsing activities including domestic human rights abuses and supporting terrorist groups in the region and advancing ballistic missile programs which is of concern. we can and must continue implementation of the iran deal while at the same time extending this act as leverage to combat iran's other unconscionable behavior. i thank the majority for bringing a clean re-authorization of the iran sanctions act and which in doing so, safeguards a long standing, bipartisan consensus to counter iran, something i think we need especially after this election more than ever before. and i commend the chairman. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves.

mr. engel: i now yield three minutes to the the gentleman from rhode island, mr. cicilline, a member of the foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the chair reck nyes the gentleman from rhode island. mr. cicilline: i thank the gentleman for new york for yielding. i rise in strong port of the bipartisan iran sanctions act. h.r. 6297 will extend the act of 1996 as amended for an additional 10 years through december 31, 2026. if we fail to act, these sanctions will expire at the end of this year. iran sanctions act was the first major extra territorial sanctions on iran which imposed sanctions are against third-party firms. it denies them the means to further its weapons of mass destruction programs.

we must confront iran's dangerous behavior around the world and actions against its own people. its ballistic mifrl program threatens our regional allies including israel. its blatant disregard of human rights and its own people including americans is horrific. i want to emphasize that the iran sanctions act does not violate the joint comprehensive plan of action, which remains an important instrument to prevent iran from acquire a nuclear weapon capability. this bill has a strong architecture to engage in terrorist activities. we see the challenges. we must continue to work and condemn iran's support for terrorists including hamas and hezbollah. this bill enables us to take

these steps. and it is imperative that we impose sanctions for support of terrorism and ballistic missile programs and human rights. i urge my colleagues to pass this to maintain the current sanctions architecture and send a strong bipartisan measure that we will hold iran accountable for any terrorist activity. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i'll reserve the right to close, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the alreserves the right to close. the chair recognizes mr. engel. mr. engel: mr. speaker, in closing, let me say with the upcoming transition, we are wading into uncertain waters when it comes to foreign policy. congress must ensure stability

and consistency on core foreign policy issues. there is no better example of that stability than this legislation which has been on the books for two decades and i thank the chairman for bringing it up and i'm proud to be the leading co-sponsor with him on this bill and it shows the bipartisan nature of our committee and foreign policy and how foreign policy ought to be done. this bill will help ease the way forward with our own transition and remind iran's leaders that we still have a lot of contentious issues to deal with and signal to the world that after a hard-fought election here at home, american leadership on the global stage won't falter. i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. i urge a yes vote and quick action in the senate. i hope president obama will sign this bill and extend this important law.

again, thanks to chairman royce. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: you are recognized. mr. royce: once again, mr. speaker, i recognize mr. engel in bringing this bill to the floor during the 114th congress. the ranking member and i have been to this floor debating iran many, many times. and for most all of it, we agreed. for some of it, we didn't, but we never doubted each other's sincere views or motives and conducted the debate in the tradition that is befitting of this committee and this house. mr. speaker, since it was first passed 20 years ago, the iran sanctions act has been at the center of the u.s. response to the threat posed by the iranian regime.

despite the administration's dangerous nuclear deal, this law remains critical to u.s. efforts to counter the full range of iran's malicious activity. but this law will expire at the end of the year if congress does not pass an extension. denying future administrations a critical tool. its expiration would compound the damage done by the president's dangerous nuclear deal and send a message that the united states will no longer oppose the destructive role of iran in the middle east. and that is why we are acting today to provide clear statutory authority to re-impose or snap back many of the most powerful sanctions on iran's energy industry if the regime rushes toward a nuclear weapon. and i look forward to putting this bill on the president's

desk for his signature before the end of the 114th congress. and the returning next year to work with mr. engel, to work with the new administration, to work with all the members of the committee as the united states and our allies confront the growing aggression of the iranian regime. i yield back the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6297. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are -- mr. royce: on that, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the 15-minute vote on suspending the rules and passing h.r. 6297 will be followed by a five-minute vote on suspending the rules and adopting house resolution 780. this is a 15-minute vote. fund fund any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of presentatives.] -- [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 416.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote they can yeas are 419, the nays are one. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the

vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. royce, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 780 as amended, on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 780, resolution urging respect for the constitution of the democratic republic of the congo in the democratic transition of power in 2016. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution as amended? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 416. the nays are three. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: remove conversations from the well. he house will be in order. members, please clear the aisles and the well. thank you. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute peeches.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? the house will be in order, please. without objection, the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for one moment -- for one minute. please clear the aisles and the house well. the gentlewoman is recognized or one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to wish my good friend, camilo fernandez, a warm and happy 90th birthday. like so many cubans before and after him, camilo was forced to leave cuba because of his deep opposition to the castro regime. shortly after arriving in this wonderful country, his new homeland, america, eventually settling in new jersey, camilo

rose to become a successful businessman and a civil society leader. his legacy of extraordinary perseverance and commitment to those left behind on the island continues to be an inspiration to the thousands of cubans still in exile today. but he also remains a beacon of hope for a cuba that will one day be free of the tyranny of the communist castro regime. i congratulate my friend, camilo fernandez, on his 90th birthday and vow to continue working together for the establishment of a free and democratic cuba and respect for the human rights of all of the people of cuba. thank you, mr. speaker, for the time. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the house will please be in order. please take your conversations from the aisle. thank you. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. slang vin: i ask unanimous consent to --

mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to ranking member. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. he house will be in order. mr. langevin: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of national apresent ishship week. as co-chair of the career and technical education caucus, i'm proud to be joined by my friend and caucus co-chair, representative g.t. thompson from pennsylvania, in recognition -- in recognizing this important week. i know he will be speaking in just a minute. i want to thank him for his outstanding leadership on this issue and so many others. apresent ishships are a proven method for helping students for ondemand job. with classroom instruction, apresent ishship teach both jobs skills and how those

skills are used in the workplace. earlier this year the house passed the strengthening c.t.e. for the 21st century act. this bill expands opportunities for apresent ishships and even allows teachers to gain direct knowledge of workplace skills. g.t. and i were proud to help champion house passage of this bill which received overwhelming bipartisan support. we now urge the senate to take up this measure before the end of the year to ensure all students have access to high-quality c.t.e. it's the exact thing our economy needs right now. it will close our skills gap, making sure that our workers, our young people have the skills they need for in-demand jobs today and well into the future. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from utah is recognized for one minute. the house will please be in

order. >> mr. speaker, it is with honor but with sadness that i rise today to honor a local hero. mr. stewart: 26-year-old west valley police officer cody brothersome who was killed in the line of duty. around 3:00 a.m., police were pursuing three individuals in a stolen vehicle. while officer brothersome was placing spikes in an attempt to stop the stolen vehicle he was hit by the car. not only will he be deeply missed but by his family but by the entire community. i have gone on -- the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. the gentleman is recognized. mr. stewart: again and again, i am impressed with their hard work, their professionalism and their willingness to put themselves at risk so that they

can protect those of us who they serve. now more than ever it's important we recognize these brave men and women who are willing to serve and to protect their communities. cody was one of these brave ones who ultimately lost his life protecting us. my prayers go out to the brothersome family during this extremely difficult time. we will forever be grateful for his and for their sacrifice. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. the house will please be in order. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the parents of polytech high school and their cheer team on their future performance at the 90th annual macy's day parade. on november 23, squad members will showcase their talent to

the millions at home watching this parade in new york. and around the country. out of the many video submissions, the team was selected for their athleticism and enthusiasm but most importantly they embodied values fitting of thanksgiving, a spirit of gratitude and togetherness. while their achievement came as the result of the team's tireless effort, i also want to thank their head coach, renetta dodson, for her team. the entire fort worth community is proud of these exceptional students. i want to wish them safe travels to the big apple. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. the house will, again, be asked

to be in order. please take your conversations off the aisle. mr. rohrabacher: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak about the disastrous undoing of democracy in turkey, specifically the targeting and incarceration of those opposed to the turkish's president, especially anyone associated with the gulan movement as well as ethnic kurdish leaders. since upheaval in july, the president has used emergency powers to arrest over 37,000 people to dismiss 100,000 other people from their government jobs, lawmakers, supreme court judges, mayors, journalists, approximately 14,000 doctors and teachers have been arrested or dismissed, many without due process. ewspapers and newspapers and television channels critical to the government have been shut down the internet connect -- connections are systematically

interrupt. human rights in turkey are under attack and the enemy is the turkish people's own government. the administration is currently brutally oppressing anyone representing the kurdish people in that country, including the turkish political party h.d.p., which is involved in the democratic process. perhaps the most bizarre is the repression of the gulan movement in turkey and i would suggest that those dedicated to benevolence and respect for others should not be oppress bud looked at as friends of freedom every. where the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i 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. again, please take all conversations off the aisle. he house will be in order.

the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in recognition of the second annual national apprenticeship week which commenced yesterday, november 14. this special occasion helps to highlight the value of apprenticeships and educate businesses and individuals about the positive impact that they have on our economy. as co-chairs of they have house career and technical education caucus, my colleague, jim langevin of rhode island, and i, have advocated to a modernized approach to career and technical programs and apprenticeship programs across the united states. we worked in conjunction with member os they have house committee on education work force, to introduce h.r. 5587, strengthening the -- strengthening career and technical education oact. it aims to help americans acquire the skills necessary to come pete for high demand, high

wage jobs. it encourages partnerships, and strengthens support for academic counseling. h.r. 5587 overwhelmingly passed the house in september, demonstrating the enthusiastic support for career and technical education. i remain dedicated to moving this bill through the legislative process and providing a path forward to those looking to better their lives. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for onemen. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the life of barney king of evanston, illinois he passed away on november 4 at the age of 73 and he is survived by his wife, peggy, his sister leann, his children, tyler, caroline and jamie, and his grandchildren, john, henry, harry, wesley, and

stilla. hist to know barney through children caroline and jamie. i knew as soon as i met him this would be a lifelong friend. he was known for his love of his attire, he was a snappy dresser, he could be found playing crow kay or fishing for muskie or playing a game of chance over a few adult beverages. anyone who ever played with him new, one tie, all tie. he was the president of northern illinois hockey league, an area he encouraged me to get involved with as president and director of volunteers. our community owes barney a great debt of gratitude for hiser is vess to our community and my thoughts and prayers remain with his family at this difficult time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek

recognition? without objection the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. november 20 of this year marks 30 years since president ronald reagan signed a proclamation declaring the rose as the national floral emblem of the united states of america. mr. fleming: he rose takes its rightful place as one of our nation's symbols, along with the american flag, our national motto, in god we trust, and our national anthem. based in shreveport, louisiana, the american rose society promotes the appreciation of the rose. and proudly bears a her tg of being the oldest single plant-horticulture society in our country. the american rose cent ear -- center's gardens display over 65 separate gardens and 25,000 rose

bushes for enthusiast and gardeners to enjoy. i join the american rose society in celebrating this occasion, remembering the words of president ronald reagan from 30 years ago, and i quote, the american people have long held a special place in their hearts for roses. let us continue to cherish them, to honor the love and devotion they represent, and to bestow them on all we love, just as god has bestowed them on us. end quote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek reek in addition? without objection the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to congratulate the grass valley surge vi center, located in nevada county in northern california, as being recognized as the california

ambulatory surgery organizations as a.s.d. of the year. it serves as evidence of the hard work display by those on staff at the center. mr. lamalfa: i had the opportunity to tour the surgery center and learn more about the high quality, host cost effective services they provide, includinger is vesses in orthopedic, gynecology and other areas this serves as a model of how to make health care more efficient and reach more people in the united states. congratulationses to them on this recognition. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back this echair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. lewis of georgia for november 15 and 16.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under this the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from colorado, mr. lamb born, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. lamborn: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of this special order. >> without objection. mr. lamborn: mr. speaker, i appreciate the opportunity to come to the house floor tonight to commemorate national bible week. we are truly blessed to live in a nation where we are free to worship and read the holy scriptures without fear of persecution. there are so many places throughout the world where such freedoms do not exist. days41, 75 years ago, mere before pearl harbor, president franklin delano roosevelt decleared the week of television

to be national bible week. every u.s. president, down to today, has declared this time of year to be national bible week. the national bible association, in agreement with the u.s. conference of bishops, has designated the specific days of november 13 to 19 as national bible week this year. this is the week we can all agree is national bible week and recognize the bible as a foundational building block of republican civilization, the judeo-christian heritage and the legacy that motivated and shaped the founding of the united states. in this hour, we will hear from members of congress about why the bible is important and what it means to them. we are here to recognize national bible week. my own, appearance with the bible began in 1983, when i was an 18-year-old freshman at the university of kansas. i was approached by some people who asked me if i knew what was in the bibble? i said i believed i knew what it was all about, however i had

never read any of it for myself. the only honest thing i could do at that point was to read it for myself. when i read the gospel of john, i ended up discovering a personal relationship with jesus christ who became my lord and savior. in that gospel , he says, i am the way, the truth, and the light, and no one comes to the father, except through me. i don't know where people are in their spiritual journey who may be listening tonight but i know this, it is better to read the bible for one's self and not just take someone's word for what's in it. for me, it made all the difference in the world. mr. speaker, as we celebrate national bible week we remember the importance of faith in our private and public lives. we recognize its message of hope. and we thank god for providing this holy book that's been a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. with that, i would like to yield time to my good friend,

representative randy forbes of virginia a valuable member of the armed services and judiciary committees, representative forbes will be leaving congress at the end of this year and he will be truly and sorely missedful representative forbes, i yield to you. mr. forbes: mr. speaker, i want to thank mr. lamb born for his work in this area and for doing this special order. and mr. lamb born talked about the impact the bible had had on his life. the bible began having an impact on my lifelong before i was born this little book is over 75 years old. it's called the heart shield bible. in this side -- bible. inside of it it has my father's name and it says, from mother and daddy. it was given to him when he was 19 years old, just before he left to go fight in world war ii. he ended up at normandy, not with the initial invasion but a little while after that. and somewhere in europe, i don't know where it was, he opened

this book and he read it. the theory of this book was, it had a gold plate on the front, it was supposed to be put in your pocket to protect your heart if you were shot. i don't know that it ever did that, but it changed his heart. he made a promise in those fox holes that if he got back home he'd have his family, which he didn't have at the time, in church every single sunday. i know a will the of g.i.'s made promises that they left when they got on the ship to come back. he never did. so that little book that he read not only transformed his life, not only gave him the courage and the faith to get through that war, but it changed his children, his grandchildren, and it continues to change his great grandchildren to this day. on my office, i always kept a scripture and something that was offered by a chaplain, peter marshall, on the floor of the senate on march 18, 1948, and it

said this. our father in heaven, save us from the conceit which refuses to believe that god knows more about government than we do, and the stubbornness with that will not seek god's help. today we claim by promise if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of god who give eth to all men liberally and it shall be given to him. thousand knowest, lord, how much we need it. make us eager to ask for it and eager to have it. in jesus' name we pray, amen. that scrapeture should serve as a guide post for those in leadership today. our nation is on the cusp of great opportunities, but the future remains fraught with challenge. each of us must with humility seek wisdom and truth as we make digs in the days ahead. i can think of no single bobbing that offers that wisdom and truth more than the bible. i yield back. mr. lamborn: i thank the gentleman from virginia. i appreciate the words and

wisdom and heart felt nature of what he just spoke to. we will now hear, and i will yield time to representative walberg of the great state of michigan. mr. walberg: i thank the gentleman for your efforts tonight to call attention to this. mr. speaker, i thank you for the opportunity that we are afforded here to speak of the impact of the bible in our lives as well. more importantly, the impact the bible can have on all lives. i was a young boy when i was encouraged to memorize a simple little verse, john 3:16, that said for god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, what whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. when i put my name in, in place of the world, it meant everything in the world to me. with jesus christ as my savior, it's impacted my life.

mr. speaker, noted historian will durant once stateding and i quote the greatest question of our time is not commune imism -- communism versus individualism. not europe versus america. not the east versus the west. it is whether men can live without god. mr. speaker, that question now appears will be answered in our own time. you see, god has left us with a direct message on life and how to live life with god. and that message is the bible. a book that is sadly being pushed out of the mainstream of ur country in many ways. sadly, we are seeing the results in broken homes, upheaval that's going on. sadly, those results impact us here in government as well.

yes, we can still read the bible, but freedom to live it ut is in question, and i wonder why. dusty stated it this way. he said when god is dead, anything is permissible. joseph stalin suggested that and i quote, america is like a healthy body and its resistance is three-fold. it's patriotism, its morality, its spiritual life. if we can undermine these three areas, stalin said, america will collapse from within. mr. speaker, these are sobering statements. the bible that we honor in this special way today and throughout this week addresses the preceding statements with great clarity when it affirms proverbs 14, chapter, verse 34. righteousness exalts a nation

but sin is a reproach to any people. this is why i believe a signer of the declaration of independence, named jonathan witherspoon, declared it this way. he said a republic once equally poised must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty. witherspoon, who was also a minister, made this statement in the context of virtue being defined by god's truth as contained in the bible. i'm certain that he could have quoted psalm one that says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seats of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the lord. and in his law he meditates day and night. for he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water. his leaf shall not wither and whatever he does will prosper. the god ungodly are not so but

are like the chath which the wind drives away. therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteousness for the lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. it was words plainly honoring the bible in one's life brings success while rejection of the biblical truth brings defeat. mr. speaker, one of my favorite bible verses, a verse that means a lot to me as i think at the end of each day and pray and ask certain questions of my own life. second timothy 2:15, says be diligent to present yourself approved to god as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth in that simple, eloquent little verse it says in the end what matters, first, is god pleased with your day? has his work been done well?

and finally, has the word, the bible, been used well? if the bible has opinion used well by individuals or a -- has been used well by individuals or a nation, we will do well. john clifford wrote a poem that i'll end with today. in that poem he said this -- last eve i paused beside the black smith's door and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime. then looking i saw upon the floor old hammers worn with the beating years of time. how many anvils had you had, said i, to where and batter all these hammers sew? just one, said he, and then with twingeling eye, the anvil wears the hammers out, you know, and so i sought the anvil of god's word for skeptic blows have beat upon. yet, though the noise of

falling blows were heard. the anvil was unharmed. the hammer is gone. isiah 48 confirms that grass withers the flower fades but the word of our god, the bible, stands forever. i yield back. >> well, i thank the gentleman for his words. in a moment we're going to hear from representative virginia foxx of north carolina, but let me say how the bible was foundational to the development of our country. many of the early american settlers came to the new world with the expressed purpose of following the bible, according to the convictions of their conconsciousness. one of the first acts of congress during the tumultuous beginning of our nation was the authorization of an american published bible. mr. lamborn: the war with the british had cut off the states' supplies of bibles from england. our founding fathers understood how important it was for the american people to have bibles, so in 1782, congress reviewed, approved and authorized the

first known english language bible to be printed in america. throughout american history, many of our great leaders have turned to the bible for guide abc, hope and faith. president abraham lincoln once said of the bible in regard to this great book, i have but to say it is the best gift god has given to man. all the good the savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. but for it we could not know right from wrong. all things most desirable for man's welfare here and here after are to be found portrayed in it. and president ronald reagan in his own national bible week declaration, which we're celebrating this week, wrote when he was in office, when i took the oath of office i requested the bible be open to second chronicles 7:14, which reads, if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

this passage expresses my hopes for the future of this nation and the world. we will now hear from -- and i will yield to the gentlelady from north carolina, representative virginia foxx. thank you. i want to thank our colleague from colorado for organizing this special event tonight. mr. speaker, i am rising also to join my colleagues to commemorate the 75th annual celebration of national bible week and i want to thank all of my colleagues for giving us such wonderful history lessons and quotes about how important the bible has always been to our country and particularly to the founders of our country. and as i stand here tonight,

i'm looking straight up at the full face of moses looking down on us. when i have people in the chamber, i point out to them that around the top of the chamber are profiles of ancient lawgivers. the only full face figure is that of moses who looks straight down on the speaker's podium, and i think that's so important that people derstand that we are a judeo-christian country and both the -- and that the bible, both the old and new testament, are so important to us. as we approach this celebration, mr. speaker, which is traditionally held during the week of thanksgiving, it is important to take a moment and reflect on how this good book has changed the course of history, stood as a guiding light for the world, shaped our nation and inspired countless lives. the bible is a precious gift from god.

to his people that teaches us how we ought to relate to our creator and how to love our fellow human beings. during times of turmoil, confusion and strive, i can think of no more important source of guidance than this deep repository of fundamental and universal truth. it offers us hope when circumstances are dire, and as a source of strength when our human frailt brings us -- fraility brings us low. when we are surrounded by darkness as the psalmist wrote, the bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. i hope it will be encouraging to the american people to know there are people in the capitol who make every effort to live their lives by the percepts of the bible. we have many bible studies and prayer groups that meet every week here. in fact, the national prayer

breakfast grew out of our weekly bipartisan prayer breakfast in both the house and the senate. and i have collected some of the stories told in house prayer breakfast in a book called "god is in the house," which people are telling me is a great inspiration to them. today, i offer a prayer of gratefulness for this gift of god's word and encourage my fellow americans to dig deep into the good book and discover for themselves what riches it has in store for them. i yield back. mr. lamborn: i thank the gentlelady for her well-spoken remarks and heart-felt nature of what she shared. we will now hear -- and i will yield time to the gentleman from georgia, mr. hice.

representative highs will -- i yield to you. thank you for being here. mr. hice: well, thank you so much. i appreciate the gentleman for yielding and for leading in this special order. mr. speaker, i rise as have my colleagues to celebrate one of the most significant and remarkable books in human history, certainly to my life, and that is the bible. as a servant of christ, in fact, as a pastor for nearly 30 years, it's my honor to join all my colleagues this evening in recognizing the importance of the bible and its incredible impact on my life, on many of our lives and certainly on the life of our nation. it is, mr. speaker, this bible, it speaks to the greatness of god. it speaks that he is the object

of true worship, that he is the fountain of all blessings, that he is in fact our redeemer and our friend, our savior and our judge. i don't even know where to start when it comes to having favorite verses or -- there's just so many. i read it daily. it's a part of the beginning of every day of my life. one of those verses that i believe is so appropriate for right now comes from hebrews 4:12 that really deals with the importance of god's word in our lives. and it very simply says that the word of god is alive and active, that it's sharper than any two-edged sword, that it pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and maro and it judges the thoughts -- marrow and it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. -- has our country is

pretty much recognized the unseen power of almighty god as it relates to our fortunes as well as our destiny and i believe now more than ever our nation would do well to return again to the bible for guidance in these critical days that we're facing. but this week communities, pastors, church leaders, churches all across america are going to be celebrating national bible week. they're going to be reading it, going to be reflecting on it. they're going to be talking about in discussions and so forth just how the bible can help each of us lead beater life, frankly, because it points us to personal forgiveness and personal life transformation through faith in jesus christ. and mr. speaker, i believe it's our responsibility as leaders in this country to remind americans of the significance of the bible to our individual

lives, to our history, to our national life and certainly to the culture that we have here in america. one of our late presidents, theodore roosevelt, actually did this while he was in a conversation with the son of a very close friend of his who was entering the mission field. and this statement i believe just says so much in this regard. he said, quote, i have told you so many times that i consider the christian ministry as the highest calling in the world. most intimately related, to the most exalted life and service here and then beyond. but then he said this, as president, he said, and i consider it my greatest joy and glory that occupying a most exalted position in the nation, i am enabled simply and sincerely to preach the practical moralities of the bible to my fellow countrymen

and to hold up christ as the hope and savior of the world. what a statement by one of our presidents. so mr. speaker, i just want to again commend my good friend, doug lamborn, for holding this special order. obviously we gain tremendous insight, inspiration and guidance from the scriptures and the light of god's word shines through us most when we hold fast to these principles and apply it to our daily lives. i yield back and, again, thank you for this opportunity. mr. lamborn: well, i thank the gentleman from the great state of georgia for being here and for sharing and for his background. people come to congress with all kinds of different backgrounds, and having one or more pastors, which we do here -- a body, adds an valuable thread of experience and thought that helps us all. . one reason many people respect the bible is so