talking about seizing those assets and using them to build a wall. we don't just seize drugs. we seize money on a regular basis as well. that we arey seizing is through illicit activity, we can take that money and apply that to the wall. last call, donald from pennsylvania. independent line. caller: keep up the good work. 10 years ago, my sister got raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant. it is terrible. nancy pelosi anduant to clause 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. will proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass

house rule 2210. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. to clerk: h.r. 2210, a bill designate the community living center of the department of veterans affairs in butler township, butler county, pennsylvania, as the sergeant joseph george kusick v.a. community living center. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. dunn, and the gentleman from california, mr. takano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and . tend their remarks the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i yield to myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 2210, a bill to designate the department of veterans affairs community living center in butler county, pennsylvania, as the sergeant joseph george kusick v.a. community living

center. sergeant kusick served in the united states special forces during the vietnam war. november 8, 1967, sergeant kusick was ambushed by enany forces, wounded and refusing aid, he remained in the midst of battle. the helicopter that sergeant kusick finally boardered. he was just 22 years old. sergeant cuke kusick was awarded the silver star for gallantry in action at the cost of his life in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflecting great credit upon himself, his unit and the united states army. it is only fitting and appropriate that we honor sergeant kusick's service by

naming the community center after him. it is sponsored by congressman mike kelly from pennsylvania and i'm grateful for him introducing it and allowing us to honor and remember this great american hero. this legislation satisfies the naming criteria and support the by the pennsylvania congressional delegation and many veteran service organizations. i thoonching congressman kelly for sponsoring this legislation and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. takano: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in support of h.r. 2210, a bill to designate the community living center of the department of veterans affairs in butler township, butler

county, pennsylvania as the sergeant joseph george kusick v.a. living center. he was awarded the silver star for sacrificing his life to ensure that his comrades made it home from vietnam. the resulting recovery effort was to be recorded by the squad ron as one of the largest and most hazardous on record. as a radio operator, he served as the connection between the fifth special forces group who found themselves under enemy ambush and the air controller charged with coordinating their evacuation. although sergeant cukeic was seriously injured during the ambush, he refused multiple offers to evacuate and refusing two helicopters only to board a helicopter that was then shot

vietcong. at the cost of his life was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the united states army, end quote. mr. speaker, i salute sergeant kusick for his selfless bravery and i support the passage of this bill. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. duncan: i recognize mr. kelly from pennsylvania for 10 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kelly: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 2210. this bill will designate the community living center in high hometown as the sergeant joseph george kusick living center.

i want you to understand something and if we could look for a minute outside the people's house and who we are as a people, this is a young guy 22 years old. at the very beginning of his life, at a time when most of us are looking forward to so many great things happening to us, he put himself in harm's way. now when you think of what sergeant kusick did, it is incredible that this young man on a hillside in vietnam under heavy fire and being seriously wounded himself, they are saying, sergeant get you on the helicopter. he said no, because if i leave, my comrades cannot be saved. what an incredible place to put yourself. a 22-year-old, who just a couple of years earlier was in butler, pennsylvania enjoying life and

putting the welfare of others and the safety of others before himself. that is an incredible position to put yourself in. we have talked about the medal that sergeant kusick was given and what it meant to everybody. but there is so much about these veterans and all of these folks who put themselves in harm's way. the one thing that comes out, there is no place quite as unique as the united states of america. there is nothing as unique as our men and women in uniform or people who are willing to put themselves second and put the lives and safety of others first. that's not something people normally do. sergeant kusick did that on that hillside working the radios knowing if he doesn't stay, the other people don't get extracted. he stays there under heaven my

fire watching what's going on, watching the helicopters come in to extract his teammates. and in all the time, where do people like sergeant kusick come from? they come from small towns and cities across america. and they don't think of themselves as being unique or the sacrifice as being exceptional or what they have done as being out of the ordinary because it's just who we are as americans. you know what? you think about these things. i'm called to bring out something that i have read. and this is in a different war and different time. dedication stone at the korean war memorial. at the point of the triangle leading the american flag is a dedication which reads, our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.

a country they never knew and people they never met and they put their life on the line to defend those lives. that is incredible. and i would suggest to people, go around around the world and you will find them in as great a number as you find them in the united states of america. i don't know if he was republican or democrat, i don't know how he voted. i knew where he grew up. i knew who he was because he's from the same area i'm from. the only difference in all of us is the time but the rest is the same blood that went through sergeant kusick's veins. and he was so willing, so willing to sacrifice his life to save others. this didn't happen by chance. i got to tell you that what we're doing today to honor sergeant kusick was a work of

the american legion, the disabled american veterans, veterans of foreign wars and the tireless effort of the 3rd congressional district military veterans advocacy group and sergeant grayhead who did the research on this and we did all the things we have to run through, this is not an easy thing to do. this is a hard work to get this done to honor a hero. but the work was done by all these folks in a way of saying thank you to one of america's falling heroes and who has been long forgotten in some circles but not back home. we honor sergeant kusick and thank him for his sacrifice and point to a country that is forever grateful to the men and women in uniform. 22 years old. 22. at a time when life is just

starting. never again will he celebrate a birthday, christmas or thanksgiving, never again to celebrate a family reunion but he gave his life so others may survive. the way they were able to identify sergeant kusick's remains, the helicopter he went in went down on flames. there were dog tags on two of the remains that were recovered. the other body that was recovered did not have dog tags but had a radio pack. to the very end, sergeant kusick was doing what he was required to do and wanted to do and gave up his entire future. i thank the gentleman and i will continue to reserve -- i can't tell you how much i appreciate this and i can't tell you how much it means to people in butler, pennsylvania and

sergeant kusick for the sacrifice of a life. and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. takano: i associate myself with the remarks of the the gentleman from pennsylvania. they thankful that you have brought attention to the congress to sergeant kusick's deed on behalf of our nation. i was reflecting on his youth, 22 years old. and to think that so many younger his age stepped forward to defend our nation and give up their lives, i think it's well for all of us in this chamber to reflect on that sacrifice as we struggle to reach across the aisle and serve our country to note the ultimate sacrifice they put forward. i thank you very much for the efforts to honor a great

american hero. we have no further speakers and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. duncan: i want to thank the gentleman and colleagues for his kind comments and representative kelly for bringing forward this outstanding bill and i encourage all members to support this legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2210. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from florida -- mr. duncan: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass house joint resolution 92. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: house joint resolution 92, joint resolution granting the consent and approval of congress for the commonwealth of virginia, the state of maryland, and the district of columbia to amend the washington area transit egulation compact. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentleman

from maryland, mr. raskin, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous materials on h.j.res. 92, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: house joint resolution 92, introduced by my virginia colleague, representative comstock, concerns the washington area transit system. the resolution makes needed administrative amendments to the long standing washington metropolitan area transit regulation compact. these amendments are required under the section 3026 of the fixing america's surface transportation, or fast act. that section transferred from the administrator of general services to the secretary of transportation's sole authority to appoint federal directors to the washington area --

metropolitan area board of directors. it further required virginia, maryland and the district of columbia to adopt any necessary conforming amendments to the washington area regulation compact. the jurisdictions adopted the needed amendments, as required. house joint resolution 92, accordingly grants congress approval to the amendments. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i thank members on both sides of the aisle, including congresswoman comstock, for their good work on this. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. raskin: i rise in strong support of h.j.res. 92. i want to thank my colleague from virginia, mrs. comstock, and the chairman of the committee for leading on this measure and i'm very happy to lend our support. the resolution would grant congressional consent to amendments to the washington metropolitan area transit

regulation compact authority pursuant to legislation already enacted by the district of columbia, maryland and virginia respectively. established in 1967, the with a matta is an interstate -- wamat is an interstate compact for the washington metropolitan area and is part of a broader effort to promote safety and ficiency within the wamata system. -- wmata system. under the fast act, congress also directed the wmata jurisdictions to have conforming amendments. h.r. resolution 92 is a bipartisan measure. it would grant the amendments to the compact. i ask unanimous consent to insert the statement of ranking member john conyers into the record and i would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman.

without objection, the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from virginia, mrs. comstock, the chief sponsor of the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. comstock: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of my resolution, h.j.res. 92, which lends congressional approval to an amendment made to the wmata interstate compact. as was mentioned, the last iteration of the highway bill, the fast act contained a provision that directed virginia, maryland and d.c. to amend the compact to change appointment authority for the federal directors on the wmata board from the administrator of the g.s.a. to the more appropriate secretary of transportation. this was a very commonsense change that was made in light of recent ints dents and accidents -- incidents and accidents and they need to have a top priority for safety. the secretary of transportation, we believe, is in a much better position to

appoint directors to the board than the administrator of the g.s.a. the states, virginia, maryland as well as d.c. complied with this directive and amended the compact and we are all in agreement here. and the previous secretary of transportation last year appointed two very well-qualified candidates to serve as the federal directors on the wmata board. the final league step we are taking here in this equation is for congress to lend its approval to the change and that is what this resolution does. so i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: thank you, mr. speaker. i am delighted to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from the district of columbia, delegate eleanor holmes norton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. ms. norton: i thank my very good friend for yielding to me. i was ranking member of the subcommittee that had jurisdiction over the fast act

when we received the request from the region, the maryland, district of columbia and virginia region to essentially transfer the authority to appoint directors to the washington metropolitan area transit board from the g.s.a. to the department of transportation. for the life of me, i can't remember why this authority was given to the g.s.a. in the first place. but it may have been because it was -- wmata was considered simply an agency of interest of the federal government. on consideration, under the fast act we agreed that the department of transportation was by far the more appropriate agency to appoint federal directors, understand they are local directors but regional

directors but also federal directors to the wmata board. this is of great interest to the region. i recognize it's not monumental to the congress but the region needs this bill. all three jurisdictions, the district of columbia, maryland and virginia have made their administrative changes, but these changes need to be confirmed by this body. i thank mrs. comstock for her leadership with this bill and ask that the entire body approve. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from maryland reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i have no additional speakers and i am prepared to yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves? mr. goodlatte: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: thank you. we are prepared to close, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. raskin: i simply want to again commend mrs. comstock for her leadership on this legislation and i want to thank all of our fellow members in the regional delegation, in maryland, virginia, the district of columbia for their

collaborative work on this issue and house judiciary committee chairman goodlatte for facilitating the resolution's consideration by votes in committee and the house. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this fine legislation, thank everybody for their good work and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass joint resolution 92. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house joint resolution 76,

as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: house joint resolution 76, joint resolution granting the consent and approval of congress for the commonwealth of virginia, the state of maryland and the district of columbia to enter into a compact relating to the establishment of the washington metrorail safety commission. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentleman from maryland, mr. raskin, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.j.res. 76, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: house joint resolution 76 grants congress' approval to the metrorail safety commission interstate compact and interstate compact entered into recently by the

commonwealth of evaluate, the state of maryland and the district of columbia. the metrorail system and other public transit systems in our country has been a matter of increasing concern for some time. to better address public transit safety needs, including metrorails, congress included in the moving ahead for progress in the 21st century, the p act -- map-21, and fast act, provisions strengthening the federal transit administration's safety oversight authority and related safety requirements for public transit systems. pursuant to these acts and through the metrorail safety commission interstate compact, virginia, maryland and the district of columbia have committed to establish a new washington metrorail safety commission to act as the safety -- the state's safety oversight authority for the metrorail system. the transportation and infrastructure committee has

informed the judiciary committee that the new compact's provisions satisfy the requirements of the relevant federal statutes. the jurisdictions completed in march of this year, their adoption by legislation of their respective compact instruments. in the meanwhile, however, due to delays in the adoption of the instruments, the f.d.a. invoked on -- the f.t.a. invoked on february 9 to suspend distribution of transit funds to the jurisdictions until the new safety commission is established. by passage of house joint resolution 76, we can hasten the day by which metrorail safety will be improved and funds obligated for other impacted transit systems in the compact jurisdictions can be made available for release. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. >> i rise in strong support of

mr. raskin: this bill allows the district of columbia, virginia and maryland to enter into a compact under article 1, section 10 of the constitution, establishing the metro safety commission. importantly, funds have been suspended for this until congress grants permission for this. i want to thank my friend, the distinguished minority whip, steny hoyer, for taking the lead on this measure and all our colleagues in the district of columbia delegations for supporting it in such a strong bipartisan and cross-potomac river fashion. i did want to take a moment to say a word about the metro system. wmata is not just the metro that serves the washington area.

it is truly america's metro system. it's the second largest system in the nation, behind only new york city, it's 117 miles long, it has 91 stations and includes more than 12,000 employees. it's critical to the function og they have federal government because it moves more than 40% of the federal work force every day. to and from work. and also during the day for various missions that people go on during the normal work day. it is essential to national security. if we didn't have the metro system what is already one of the most traffic plagued and congested regions in the country would be absolutely paralyzed. it's also the mechanism that moves millions of americans who come from all over the united states. all of our constituent here's in congress, to visit us. and that's how people get to the white house and the capitol and to go to the pentagon and to go

see n.i.h. and to visit the museums and the battlefields and so on. so the metro is critical, not just for the people who hi and work here every day and make the federal government go, but also to all american citizens who rely on efficiency of the federal government and come to washington to petition for a redress of grievances and to partake in the processes of government. i'm thrilled that this legislation is moving forward with speed now, it's essential that we continue to invest in the metro, to upgrade its safety, to upgrade its efficiency and reliability. the federal government was instrumental in the creation of metro at the gange long with virginia, maryland and the district of columbia. we all send representatives to the board of metro. the federal government has members on the board of metro. we are equal partners in it. i want to make sure that everyone here in congress feels deeply invested in the success of metro which, after all, gets

a lot of our staffers to work every day. with passage of h.j.res. 76, congress reaffirms its fundamental commitment to america's met resystem. accordingly, uverage my colleagues to support swift passage of this resolution and ask unanimous consent to insert the statement of representative conyers into the record and i reserve. the chair: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: at this time it's my pleasure to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from virginia, ms. comstock. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. comstock: i thank my colleague, mr. goodlatte, for his work on this matter and appreciate bringing this forward. i rise in support of this resolution, h.r.res. 76, offered by the gentleman from maryland, the minority whip, mr. hoyer. we have very much a regional partnership that is essential for metro in this -- and this bill reflects this resolution

today reflects that. it lends congressional approval to the new interstate compact between virginia, maryland and the district of columbia to establish an independent state safety oversight program. in this case known as the metro safety commission. the previous iteration of metro safety oversight body was known as the tristate oversight commission and it responds to various accidents, inadequacies and outright failures the previous sec retear of transportation, anthony fox, used the authority we in congress together working with our regional delegation together gave him to temporary take over the safety oversight role of metro through the frppings administration. it was only meant to be temporary control. we still need a permanent body to provide this safety eversight for wmata, and the passage of this legislation today brings us one step closer to that goal. i would also like to mention because we had not done this in the time frame initially alud,

e f.d.a. did give -- the f.t.a. did give notice that it had to be in place on or before february 9 and when it wasn't they suspended some of our federal funds. now, today, we hope that this initial withholding which was $8.9 million and could total $15 million, that that can move forward. i have a letter i would like to enter into the record which is signed by our regional delegation in support of releasing those funds. we in the region have worked together on these issues and now with this congressional approval and with the help of my colleague, chairman goodlatte, on the judiciary committee, we will now be able to begin the process of improving metro in connection with our state and regional partners. thank you and i yield pack.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman resevens. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: at this time i would like to yield to the distinguished minority whip who has been a longtime champion of the metro system. sproy the gentleman is recognized. mr. hoyer: ift tempted to stop at that podium, one of my republican predecessors used -- use t.d. come over and speak to the democrats from this podium and then walk back and speak to his republican colleagues. this is truly something both podiums support. i was privileged to work with congressman comstock's predsessor -- predecessor, frank wolf. we worked arm in arm, hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder for a decade, with republican administrations, both the reagan administration and the bush administration, the first bush administration. and this truly is a bipartisan effort to enhance america's

subway. i say america's subway because not only do our people use it that live in the region but millions of americans who come to washington, d.c., to see their capitol, use their metro system. i'm proud to be the sponsor of this resolution, i urge my colleagues to support it. people throughout the national capitol region depend upon metro to get to work. family and -- and to visit family and friends and access shopping and entertainment. as my colleagues have said. it's the life blood of the area's economy. nobody probably knows that better than jerry connolly who was head of one of the largest subdivisions in our region and knows how critically important metro is to our region. metro, referred to it as the ties that bind the washington metropolitan area together. it is used by millions of visitors to our nation's capital who come from across the

country. it is critical to the functioning of our federal government. federal employees make up nearly 40% of its ridership. they and many military personnel rely on metro to get to their offices and duty stations on time so they can serve the american people. as anyone who spends time in this city know, metro has had its share of challenges in recent years, including of course safety issues. that have prompted an ambitious overhaul of safety procedure and infrastructure which was absolutely necessary. and too long in coming. safety must continue to be metro's number one priority. both for its passengers and for its employees. our resolution, mr. speaker, when i refer to our, the entire metropolitan delegation, would provide a congressional consent to the establishment of a metro safety commission. ms. comstock spoke of that, mr. raskin has spoken of that, i'm

sure others will as well, which will provide real enforcement teeth to our region's commitment to enhancing metro safety. safety commission is being launched jointly by congress, maryland, virginia, and the district of columbia. i want to thank ms. norton who, herself, has worked so long and so effectively on behalf of washington metro's system. thank you very much, congresswoman norton. the federal transit administration is currently withholding $8.9 million which ms. comstock referred. to this step will be a significant step in making sure that that $.9 million is released. maryland, virginia, and d.c. have all given their approval already. virginia legislature, the maryland legislature and the d.c. council. the d.c. legislature. now it's up to congress. but today's resolution is not an end. it is an important step but not

an end. it must signal an ongoing commitment across the region to metro. and yes, by the congress itself. i believe that if metro is to become safer and more reliable, it must have a dedicated funding source. that's not the issue in this resolution. but it is the issue before metro and before our region and before our country. that's why i will continue to push for more federal investment in metro and for wmata to have every resource it needs to keep its riders and employees safe, which is to say, all of the american people who use it on their visits here. as well as those of white house live here. i want to thank each of the members of our delegation, our regional delegation, which works together on behalf of the region. and i want to thank in particular senator tim kaine from virginia who sponsored this legislation on the senate side.

we have all been working hard to ensure this resolution comes to the floor and to make sure all stake holders have been at the table. i thank my delegation, regional delegation, and i thank mr. goodlatte for bringing this resolution to the floor in a timely fashion. i thank certainly one of our newest members, but one of our most able members, mr. raskin, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: at this time i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves this echair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: i yield now to the distinguished gentlelady from the district of columbia, eleanor holmes norton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. norton: i appreciate that my friend mr. raskin of the state of maryland has yielded time to me. i thank the acknowledged leader of this entire bipartisan delegation, mr. hoyer, for being the chief sponsor of this

resolution. that is bipartisan because it concerns the seamless metro system, seamless because you can't get from one part of this region to the other part of this region without metro and because this region is the only region, sorry this subway is the only subway which encompassed more than one state. it emcompasses three. therefore we are bipartisan because there's no other way to be. the transportation network requires it. and this resolution does in fact -- does in fact show it. this resolution is quintessentially important because it creates a safety commission. now, along with other members we see metro at least two different ways. we see it of course in light of

our own constituents. t makes it hard for entire neighborhoods to be created, entire parts of the region to be connected, it is promoted economic -- it has promoted economic growth. but the metro, far more important than any of our individual jurisdictions, is the importance of metro to the federal government. you may have heard the figure 40%, almost half of the federal employees get to work through metro. when there is -- when metro has a snow day, the whole region shuts down. we're in this congress by ourselves. if the metro has a snow day, nobody can get to the congress of the united states or to the federal government. metro is absolutely critical and therefore a safe metro is essential to all that happens in the congress of the united

states, quite apart from the tourist economy that the district of maryland and virginia are part of. quite apart from our own local economies. are important to us all is as safety commission embodied in this bill. metro metro is useless if it is not safe and we know what happens if it's not safe and we know in 2009 there was a tragic accident in this region. nine residents lost their lives, seven of them from the district of columbia. anybody could have been on that train. in 2015, there was a smoke accident. oman one was killed. interstate safety commission is necessary if there is to be a metro at all. lawmakers he local

for doing their part to support meeting sdiction together the three parts of the region. i urge my own colleagues to move forward. i yield -- i reserve -- i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from the district of columbia yields. the gentleman from maryland reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: mr. speaker, thank you. i yield three minutes to the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. connolly: i thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i thank my good friend from maryland. i rise in support of this legislation which i was happy to co-sponsor with mr. hoyer, our colleagues in the metropolitan region. the bill would establish an independent safety oversight commission for the washington metropolitan area transit authority that will be a power -- direct w safety

additional funding towards safety priorities. consideration of the bill in the united states house follows passage of the legislation in the virginia, maryland general assemble lease, the district of columbia, and the united states senate. the bill before us represents the culmination of more than a year of multijurisdictional, multistakeholder collaboration and is an example of the nice bipartisan cooperation we need moving forward for metro. for several years now metro has been a system in crisis. all lights blinking red. the lack of strict safety culture has resulted in derailments, falsified track inspection reports, fires, track defects and has, as ms. norton just indicated, tragically claimed lives. the previous safety oversight body, the tristate oversight committee, was admittedly an effective and failed to safeguard metro personnel

customers. it was clear the safety crisis at metro needed federal intervention. whale i am glad the u.s. department of transportation took action, i would have preferred that the department act in accordance with the ntsb recommendation that the f.r.a., not the f.t.a., to provide that day-to-day safety oversight. very simply, the f.r.a. is and was better equipped to pick up this vital mission and run with it from day one rather than to arn on the job with a modern contemporary transit system as f.t.a. has had to do. it's my hope that enactment of this bill will finally convince the f.t.a. to reverse its misguided mission to withhold $8.9 million of federal transit grants from virginia, maryland and d.c. the f.t.a. announced withholding of that money on february 10 because the jurisdictions had not yet established a fully certified

metrorail safety commission before the f.t.a.'s own arbitrary deadline. the decision to withhold the funds penalizing other transit systems not related to metro which is authorized under the urbanized area apportionment program was crude and punitive. and the process that led to the decision anything but neat. the one-year timeline imposed on the jurisdiction to stablish the safety commission -- as well as the time consuming f.t.a. manage certification process itself for state safety oversight programs. the decision to withhold money for punishment -- i ask for one more minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. connolly: the one-year time line ignored those unique

legislative schedules but the decision to withhold money as punishment for missing an arbitrary deadline was announced at a time ironically when all three jurisdictions were in fact moving simultaneously to enact just such legislation as was requested. this was no good deed going unpunished and they did not have a program standard for the oversight program certification process until february 14 of this year, four days after they withheld the money punitively from the three jurisdictions. they could meet their own deadline. as the house and snaft moves to enact this bill -- senate moves to enact this bill, i hope they will reverse entirely the f.t.a.'s bad decision to block safety and maintenance investments that are so desperately and obviously needed here in the metro system in washington. i ask my colleagues to support the bill before us today and recognize that it's a big step

forward in the region and in terms of bipartisan cooperation. i yield back and thank my friend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from maryland reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time i am prepared to close and will reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i may i inquire how much i have before -- for closing? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. raskin: this won't take that long. when i was a kid in high school they built the metro system here in washington and it was a great feat and it changed my life. it was the jewel of our renal and it opened up to at least one kid, the capitol and the white house and the museums, the national gallery, the lincoln memorial, and it was a spectacular and splendid

addition and feature to the virginia-d.c.-maryland region. in the intervening years, there's been inadequate investment in safety, efficiency and reliability in the metro system and we need to bring the metro back to its original glory and we must make sure above all it's safe for the people who ride it. the safety and the security of the passengers is essential. so passage of this resolution will ensure the establishment of a safety commission to assume effective oversight of this system and to allow for the dispersal of federal transit funds for essential transit systems. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure. again, i want to salute all of the members who've been involved in this legislation. i want to thank house judiciary committee chairman goodlatte for facilitating consideration of the consideration by both the judiciary committee and by the house and i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of the time to say this has been a good bipartisan collaborative effort. i want to thank the minority leader, mr. hoyer. i want to thank congresswoman comstock. i want to thank the other members from the region for their work to assure that safety measures do move forward with regard to the metro here in the washington, d.c., area, and this legislation is critical to accomplish that so i urge my colleagues to support it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. goodlatte: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house joint resolution 76, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having

arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m.

>> the chairman of the house information technology subcommittee, texas congressman will hurd, talks about his bill to upgrade technology at federal agencies, his opinion of u.s. cyberdefenses and his proposal for a cybernational guard. representative hurd is interviewed by "politico's" cybersecurity reporte porter tim starks. nationaldea of the cyber forward is there, you want to go to college and study cybersecurity, we're going to find you scholarships to go to college. when you graduate, you have to work at the federal government, not at n.s.a. or d.o.d., but at

the census bureau or social security. you'll do that for the same amount of time you got the scholarship for. when you finish that time in federal service and you go to work in the private sector, the private sector is going to loan you back to the government for the proverbial one weekend a month or let's say 10 days a quarter where this is going to improve the cross pollination of ideas between the public and private sector. >> watch "the communicators" tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. >> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and spoil issues that impact you. coming up tuesday morning a look at efforts to pass the 2018 federal budget, beginning with pennsylvania's democratic congressman brendan boyle a member of the house budget committee. he's followed by texas congressman jody arington.

later, author sam kunez, on his book "dreamland: the true tale of america's opiate addiction." join us live at 7:00 a.m. on tuesday morning. join the discussion. >> tomorrow the senate foreign relations committee will hold a confirmation -- confirmation hearing for calista gingrich to become the ambassador to the vatican, she's the wife of former house speaker newt gingrich. you can watch the hearing live tuesday at 10:00 a.m. eastern. and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has postponed further work on the revised health care replacement bill until arizona senator john mccain recovers from recent surgery. a score of the bill is expected this week. we'll continue to follow the issue and bring you further updates. >> the former chair of the securities and exchange commission, michael