cohen: thank you. first i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. cone con thank you, mr. speaker. it -- foreign defamation judges or fundamental due process. this legislation addresses what has come to be referred to as liable tourism. during an end run around the first amendment by suing american authors and publishers for defamation to the courts of foreign countries with more friendly defamation laws, particularly britain. britain has become a favorite destination for liable tourists for a number of reasons. first, british law lacks our constitutional free speech protections and instead specifically disfavors speech critical of public officials and public figures. second, british liable law places the burden of proving th

cohen: thank you, mr. speaker, i appreciate the gentleman from texas and i understand him clearly and well. some people don't understand us as well as we understand each other. and i would like to also comment that the previous remarks that i made be incorporated by reference onto this bill and with such i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. will the house suspend the rules. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. cohen: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2247 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2247, a bill t amend title 5, united states code to make technical amendments to certain provisions of titl

cohen, averages mean nothing to me. when i walk on that airplane and stick my head in the cockpit and say i feel so good in that the average salary here is what ever you told me it was. i would never say that. i want to know that they are trained and ready and can handle thunderstorms and i sing and keep me out of trouble. so your average is just all land anywhere with me, they miss the mark completely. what would be the minimum salary per year that a pilot would be hired to come on board? >> mr. chairman, i don't have a -- senator, i don't have a the the minimum again. the average which is -- i believe we provided some information to the committee. i can get to that of our member airlines. we can provide that. >> i want you to get that. and your averages mean nothing. the. >> that new pilot would be making between 16 and $18,000 a year for a full-time job unless he or she is on reserve. >> and doing that kind of commuting practice. >> yes search. >> okay, i have travelled extensively when i was in the cabinet. i must a

cohen, prove to me i am wrong. the burden is on the airlines to prove the safety of our travel. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. mr. maurer, thank you very much for your testimony. i have experienced tragedy in my family in a plane crash with my father, but even to more extreme that the plane was never recovered. it took a tragedy back then to change the rules of requiring locator beacons in planes because of that incident. it was the largest air recovery attempt in this country's history. it seems always when we deal with air traffic safety, it is always a tragedy that moves us to the next page. i appreciate you being here. i am very, very sympathetic for personal reasons, but as i was listening to the testimony, mr. cohen, i feel like you are on the hot seat, and i appreciate you being here. as i was listening, i asked my staff, because all associations of conferences and meetings and so forth, so while you were testifying, i said go and get me a copy of your last conference which was held in mid-may. it was

cohen. >> mr. chairman, in defense of the training programs are regional airlines is that the committee was provided with a very detailed information about the training programs which are every bit as robust. one of the things we talked about at monday's call to action was to look at all of these type of training issues that have been laid on the table. certainly today and over the last several weeks and to look at whether it is environmental, additional training and environmental, additional training on whenever, and that in all my years in the airline industry and i have been in it since 1971, i have never seen ever seen a decision by any airline regarding safety that would jeopardize safety because of cost. i just want to lay that out. >> mr. cohen, the senator was making the point and a perfect -- prickly reasonable point if we are flying through difficult economic conditions and regional carriers are smaller companies have substantial difficulty, isn't it likely that you have substantially les

cohen. mr. cohen, you may proceed. >> chairman dorgan and members of the subcommittee, i am roger cohen, president of the regional airline association. i want to express our deepest sympathies to the lives of the passengers and crew of flight 3407 that were lost, and for the families affected by the crash. we deeply share in their grief. i also want to express today not only for our member airlines but for our 60,000 highly trained professionals, our total, unwavering commitment to safety. as we work towards ensuring this, let's make sure this post accident process does not have to be repeated. we will take whatever steps are necessary so that our flight crews and our aircraft are as safe as humanly possible. the safety of our nation's skies is a shared responsibility. at monday's faa summit, 5 of our regional airline ceos joined with federal agencies, major airlines, and union representatives to candidly explore all of the issues making headlines over these past few months. regional airlines ha

cohen, and mr. mayne as i indicated when i started this hearing, i want to invite the folks that run the carriers themselves to come to the table. we have made some invitations, and apparently, if not have not had except as. they will be accepted and have another hearing. expect mr. chairman, you have our commitment. whoever you want, whenever you what we will provide an. >> thank you very much. senator demint. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think we need to get a little more specific, and mr. may, i appreciate you mentioning specifics about maybe what we can do with training. but what i am not hearing here today are specific ideas about what do we need to change to prevent something like this from happening again. i mean, there's got to be things that come to mind that we need to change. i mean, obviously we had some situation of violating current rules, no sterile cockpit in this particular crash that the pilots themselves violated rules. we need to make sure that that doesn't happen again. but wha

our next witness is david cohen. he is the first vice president of the national association of regulatory utility commissioners. mr. cohen has also served as a member of the vermont public service board since 1995 and has continued. he has served in a variety of regional and national leadership positions including the chair of the consumer affairs committee of the new england conference of public utility commissioners. we welcome you, sir. whenever you're ready, please begin. >> good morning, mr. upton, and ranking subcommittee. i also served as the first vice president of the regulatory commissioners also known as neru. i offer a state view on transmission. i'd like to thank representative wells for his kind introduction and his service to our state. he is certainly my favorite congressman from vermont. at the state level, we deal with transmission planning and siding requests regularly and the issues and concerns are not policy or procedural, and do not lend themselves to a one size fits all solution. state commiss

cohen, the mccaul on you. let me say to all four of you that you're entire statements we've made a part of a permanent record and we would ask that you summarize your remarks. and as you pull that very close internal zaun, thank you. >> thank you mr. chairman and good morning. let me share my condolences with mr. mauer and the other representatives of the families that lost loved ones aboard a the air flight. it is a terrible tragedy. in the airline industry's safety is our highest priority. we try very hard to assure that we never compromise safety because of economic conditions. we were closely with all members of the aviation community including regional airlines to achieve extraordinary records. no fatalities from airline carriers in the past number of years and there really is in that that i appear before you today. with an understanding that no accident is acceptable, we have responsibility to understand through rigorous as searching inquiry the causes of the buffalo accidents and then to take whatever s

cohen: thank you, madam speaker. this amendment would include language increasing funding to the urban area initiative for nonprofit security grant program. it's an important program that helps fund support for the not for profits that could be subject to attack. nonprofit organizations like hospitals, which are vital to our community's ongoing health and safety and if you have research facilities attacked there other concerns of the community. the nonprofit entities could include other historic landmarks. there's st. jude and other great hospitals. new york has many too. that's why, i think, mr. weiner was introinterest -- interested in this, the terror caused by the attack of a museum or library could be disastrous to the people and the nation. hopefully this will help secure their funds and their facilities. i'd like to thank the chairman for including the funding and support the $3 million and i thank the speaker. the chair: the gentleman yields back who seeks time. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. price: i

. >> the "new york times" art section looks at conservative magazines and cohen says. their vision is not the, gop. she writes there's one arena that seems decidedly enthusiasm visions. the quote is to air our views. says the editor or executive editor. a lot of people want us to write about the future of the republican party. we're not interested in that. we're not that interested in the future of republicans or conservatives but we're interested in obama. cohen says since the financial melt down so many americans have sought government action to refocus on first principals and refight bolts they assume have already been won. we're seeing free market capitalism am program trampleed. buckly says there's a need to re-reinstate the traditional social institutions and a tough minded foreign policy. good morning to independent line. >> yeah. i'd like to talk about education a little bit. um... you know two by two. learn the date columbus discovered america. the most important thing a teacher can do and they have to learn it first is to in still an individual with thirst fo

cohen, averages mean nothing to me. when i walk on the airplane and stick my head in the cockpit and say i feel so good that the average salary here is whatever you told me it was, i would never say that. i want to know that they are trained and ready and handles thunderstorms and ice and keep me out of trouble. your averages just don't land anywhere with me. they miss the mark completely. what would be the minimum salary per year that a pilot would be hired to come on board? >> mr. chairman, i don't have -- mr. chairman, senator johanns, i don't have the minimum average. we provided some information to the committee, i can get you that of our member airlines, i can provide that. >> i want you to get that. your averages mean nothing. >> is a new pilot making $16,000 a year for a full time job unless he or she is on reserve and doing that kind of commuting? >> yes, sir. >> i travelled extensively when i was in the cabinet. i must admit i got tired of it. one of the things that really hammered me was the constant time cha

cohen. let me say to all four of you, your entire segments will be made part of the permanent record and we ask that you summarize your remarks. and would you pull that very close and turn it on. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and good morning. let me also sure my condolences with the representatives of the families who lost families on the colgan air flight. airline industry safety is our highest priority. we try very hard to ensure we never compromise safety because of economic conditions. we work closely with all members of the aviation community, including regional airlines, to achieve extraordinary records, no fatalities for mainline characters in the past number of years, and it really is in that spirit that i appear before you today with an understanding that no accident is acceptable. we have irresponsibility to understand through verse and a searching inquiry the causes of accidents and take whatever single or multiple corrective measures are needed. we are very fortunate th

"washington post" columnist richard cohen was similarly offended by the way the matter was handled. last month before the president made his nomination, mr. cohen concluded his piece on the subject as follows: "richie is not just a legal case but a man who has been deprived of pursuit of happiness on account of his race. obama's supreme court nominee ought to be able to look the new haven fireman in the eye and tell him whether he has been treated fairly or not. this is a litmus test for you. legal journalist stuart taylor with the national journal has been highly critical of how the case was handled, calling it peculiar. even the obama justice department has weighed in. it filed a brief in the supreme court arguing that judge sotomayor's panel was wrong to simply dismiss the case. so, madam president, it's an add pheurp *f michelle quality to be a zell -- it's an admirable quality to be a zealot advocate. but judges are supposed to be passionate advocates for the even handed reading and fair application of the law, not their policies and preferences. in reviewing the richie case, i

cohen or mr. hibbard have any comments on that same question. >> i would concur with commissioner azar's comments as well. >> as would i. >> okay. great, i thank the gentlelady. the chair will recognize himself for another round of questions. let me move to you, mr. hibbard. so that we can put this out on the table. a lot of people, when they think of the solar revolution, they think, well, we're going to bring it in from the deserts of the united states and bring it into the cities of our country. and that is true. and they also think that when we consider wind, that we're going to go out to the prairies of the united states and we're going to bring it into the cities. in order to provide the electricity. but people don't really think about the oceans as much as a source in the future of renewable electricity. and you made a reference to all of the eastern states governors from maine down to virginia, who are very concerned that their plans for bringing in wind off of the coastline or other renew

cohen, is how much of the outsourced maintenance, i believe the ig said 50% of the regional airlines maintenance is being outsourced. what percentage of the outsourced maintenance work is going to faa certified repair stations? >> i'm glad you asked that question, senator, because it's a good opportunity to clarify some things in the ig report that i think the hearing in the other body didn't quite get straight. first of all, 100% of all the maintenance is being done in faa certified maintenance operation. otherwise it wouldn't be allowed to fly. number two, i think that, if i can clarify, what the ig study is, actually the regional airlines outsource less of it overseas than even the mainline carriers to do. virtually all of the maintenance by the regional airline members is done here in this country, either by themselves, on their own to an faa certified maintenance operation here in the united states, including our manufacturers which have locations in the united states in miami, in tennessee and west virginia. so i hope that maybe a long way to answer your question,. >> no, but i

another book i want to read is by william cohen, house of cards. this is a book that basically tells the story of how the collapse on wall street occurred, what was going on. i've had him on my show, he's really smart, and i think this is -- and i've read parts of this book already, but i want to really get through it as a result of what i've heard directly from william cohen. there's a book coming out this summer entitled myths, illusions and peace: finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross who's now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david m makovsky. i go way back with david, he used to work with me, so i'm really interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab/israeli conflict since both of them have either worked or covered it so, so long. another book is by david sanger of the new york times entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times," i know what a terrific reporter he is,

cohen: address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: this is black music month and we had a resolution to introduce and pass celebrating the 30th anniversary of black music month. because of the schedule, it didn't come up and i wanted to address that today. black music month is important as it reminds people of the history of music in this country and the contributions of black americans. much of that happened in my city of memphis, tennessee, home of issac hayes, al green, willie mitchell and others. detroit and motown and father domino and many great musicians, back to kansas city, gillespie, not all from kansas city but from that jazz others. michael jackson of course passed. many great musicians whose music needs to be remembered and young people need to learn this is a great way to pass on our culture and enjoy their own life. i'm pleased this is the 30th anniversary of black music month and we need to enjoy music and soothe the soul. the speaker pro tempore: any further requests for one minutes? the speaker pro tempore: fo

cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. jackson expressed much of what i've thought about the events of the last -- of yesterday. elie wiesel expressed that people who hate and this assailant hated jews and blacks in particular, but that people who hate hate all people and minorities. with that in mind i think it's important that people reflect and do something positive with their children and themselves in the future as an antidote to the hate we saw and that's to bring your children to the holocaust museum and let them learn about the horrors of the nazis and the camps and come to memphis and the civil rights museum and learn about civil rights and go to atlanta where dr. king is buried and learn about dr. king and nonviolence and take steps to learn about ways to make the world better. it's unfortunate what happened yesterday, it's so awful at that site. but that it's awful that it happened anywhere and that mr. johns did lose his life and we must appreciate all the guards that protect american order and liberty. thank y

cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. there's much media speculation as to where mr. steve jobs had a liver transplant. it came out yesterday that he had his liver transplant in memphis, tennessee, my hometown at the methodist hospital. a hospital known for its liver transplant center which has the lowest morbidity rate of any transplant center in the united states. memphis has been a medical certainty for years with st. jude children's research hospital, the finest research hospital for children illnesses, catastrophic illness, and cancer. for southern college of optometry. the from the bonner children's hospital. for cam be blesclinic and orthopedics and other -- for campbells clinic and orthopedics and others. we are sorry mr. jobs had a liver transplant but we are happy he came to memphis and chose the best. it shouldn't be only the wealthy can come to memphis with the best medical care. we need to let every american have the opportunity to get the best medical attention available and come to memphis to receive it. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore:

cohen: thank you, madam speaker. like representative lee before me i was shocked at hearing of the shooting at the holocaust museum yesterday. it's a place of special reverence and a place you wouldn't think violence would occur. deranged minds do deranged things and the man who did the shooting has a history of hate toward african-americans and toward jews and toward our government it appears even though he served in our armed forces. it reminds me of the need for passing hate crimes legislation because hate today still exists in people's hearts. when people hate any group, they generally hate all different minorities. they don't understand the america of tolerence and inclusion that we celebrate which -- on which we were founded. it also reminds me of the need to have a cops bill passed torques have more protection in the cops that were approved in the arra to protect our society from these type of attacks. yesterday there was to be a play debuted at the holocaust museum, wife the former secretary of defense, billo

my question is that would you join our moose herder's and designate bill cohen as the spokesperson and keep him in mind for president for 2012. my question about palestinians -- why can't they join the surrounding countries? you know, jordan, syria, egypt, instead of being their own country? guest: well, i am not sure any of the countries want the palestinians. they like them as an arguing point, but i am not really sure that jordanians really want the palestinians. i am not sure exactly what would be the position that they take when you ask that very simple question because the palestinians

cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. and i want to thank the chairman and the chairman of the task force and the ranking member of the committee and mr. sensenbrenner. this unquestionably has the facts that are obvious for this house to vote on to vote for impeachment. this judge has abused his office and justice by pleading guilty to obstruction of justice, committing obstruction of justice and lying to an official panel. and has taken an action upon his employees in his position, women that is an affront to all women in this country, and these are actions that are worthy of the vote of impeachment. that's unquestioned. but what is particularly impressive to me is the procedure that this house has acted in and the speed to make sure that the public treasury and the public trust are protected. this man does not deserve his pay. he does not deserve his position. he does not deserve his pension for he has shamed the country, the judiciary and been offensive toward people and good conduct, and for those reasons it's importa

cullen -- cohen, i believe 50% is being outsourced. how much of that is going to faa certified repair stations? >> is good to clarify some things in the report that i think the hearing in the other body did not quite get straight. 100% of all the maintenance is being done in faa certified maintenance operations. otherwise, it would not be allowed to fly. i think that there is -- if i can't clarify what the study is, the regional airlines outsource less of it overseas than even the mainline carriers do. virtually all the maintenance by the regional airline members is done here in this country, either by himself -- by themselves, on their own, by a certified maintenance operation here in the united states, including our manufacturers which applications in the united states. in miami, tennessee, west virginia. i hope that -- it may be a long way of answering your question. >> i am sure you are aware that it is perfectly acceptable to the faa for the repair work to be done in on certified stations. you are aware of that, right? your mainta

i am proud that we have here today as one of our witnesses, david cohen. david is a member of the public service board in vermont serving on his third term, and he's been appointed by republican and democratic governors alike. he's done a tremendous job. he's vice president of the national association of regulatory utility commissioners. david is acutely sensitive to the particular needs of rural utilities where a small state, but this issue of transmission is incredibly important to us as it is all around. so i want to welcome him and thank you, mr. chairman, for inviting david to be here and add to the testimony. thank you. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from louisiana, mr. scolese. >> thank you, mr. chairman. renewable energies will play an important role in the energy policy and the support the development of renewable sources of energy. as a matter of fact, republicans have drafted legislation, the american energy act which will be in energy. as we expand energy sources like wind, solar and hydro and as the congress and this administration disc

as "the washington post" richard cohen wrote in april of 2009, quote, read the hamas charter, it is not some uplifting cry of a downtrodden people seeking its freedom but a repellent anti-semitic scree, end of quote. care's mission statement focuses on protecting the civil rights of muslims in america and on improving islam's image. but care's action under the umbrella of civil rights raises troubling questions. in november, 2006, the u.s. airways received -- removed six imans from a flight following passenger reports of unual behavior. investors business daily piece described the action this way, i quote, at the gate, before boarding the angrily cursed the u.s. and boughed to mecca and prayed very loud chanting allah, allah, allah according to the gate agent and another witness. on the plane they didn't take their assigned seats and instead fanned out to the front, the middle, and the rear of the plan. some back and forth speaking to each other in arabic. addeding to suspicions most asked for a seat belt extension even though they didn't need them or even use them. following the incide

cohen: thank you, madam speaker. tonight the house passed five bills, four of which dealt with important veterans issues, veterans' compensation, cost of living adjustment act, the health care budget reform and transparency act and another that directs the secretary of veterans affairs to include on website certain information, one on education. i was a sponsor of the fifth bill that was on the calendar, womens veterans health care improvement act, with the proud sponsor being representative sandlin. i was inadvertently out of the room at the time that have vote. i would have voted yes on that bill. i'm a proud sponsor and regret the act this if a i missed that vote but think what we did tonight for veterans is important. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. the upstate of

cohen. let me say to all 4 of you that your entire statement is part of the permanent record and we ask that you summarize your remarks. please pull that very close and turn it on. >> thank you, mr. chairman, good morning. let me share my condolences with mr. mauer and other representatives of the families that lost loved ones aboard the kogan air flight. is this terrible tragedy. the airline industry safety is our highest priority. we try very hard to assure that we never compromise safety because of economic conditions, we work closely with all members of the aviation community including regional airlines, achieve extraordinary records, no fatalities for mainline carriers in the past number of years and it is in that spirit that i appeared before you today with the understanding that no accident is acceptable. we have a responsibility to understand, through rigorous and searching inquiry, the causes of the buffalo accident and to take what ever single or multiple corrective measures are ne

mint, got tired of cohen's with the roman theme. they have the sculptor named james earl frazier, who was born the year of little bighorn, they hired him to make something distinctly american. so he went to the new york's central park menagerie and sculpted this animal and put him on the buffalo mcclendon came the most mass-produced image of a buffalo ever. when the coin started being cranked out, whoever owned this animal, the caretaker in central park decided it was getting too expensive to take care of black diamond, so put them up for auction. then he put it up for private sale and got an offer of $300 on fourteenth street. he wanted to get $500 so he got 304. he ticket to a meatpacking place, processed the animal and sold 1,100,000 pounds of meat off of it. 25 presses are cranking up the image every day. he hung it in his office until 1918. no one knows what happened to it after that. people who are into collins really want this head. when i was trying to find out what happened, i went to the bronx zoo and i met with a historia

the book already but i want to get through it as a result of what i have heard directly from william cohen. there's a become coming out entitles myths illusions and peace, finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, the mideast envoy who is working on iran, and david mccove ski. so i'm interested not what they have to say about the arab israeli conflict. so that's another book i will be going through. another book is by david sanger of "the new york times" entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years, he is a traffic reporter and now -- a terrific reporter and has put together on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book. finally, the one fiction that i want to read this summer, i hope to read others but want to read the new book, a mad desire to dance. because he is such a terrific writer and what he writes is so important. i was really moved by what he said a few weeks ago when he spo

>> i'm carla cohen. i'm the co-owner of politics and prose bookstore in washington, d.c., and i got into the business because i love to read more than anything. you can see i don't do too much exercise. instead, i lie on a sofa and read instead. so i want to tell you about the books. i think this is just such an incredible year for reading and for books, and i'm happy to have the chance to talk about this on c-span because i think c-span doesn't bring enough fiction to you, and i think fiction can often be more true than books about policy or history. the -- my two themes this year are immigration and south asia. i'm not going to talk about three paperbacks that are so popular on their own they really don't need me to support them, but i'll tell you what they are. one is netherland which has received all kinds of awards by joseph o'neill who's part dutch and part irish, and he has -- it's a book that takes place in new york post-9/11. the second book is the guernsey literary, and i always have to stumble

is the constitution and invitation to struggle as edward cohen suggested? was the constitutional separation of powers in power and humble presidents and congress? going back further in the ratification debate over the constitution, we've not antifederalist opponents of the constitution fearful of presidential office that, quote, squints towards markey, end quote. with federal lists responding, quote, energy and executive is the leading character in government, end of quote. yet federalist alexander hamilton and james madison's madison found themselves in odds over the revocation debate in the constitution. in drafting the constitution madison hamilton is such an effective job joining in the interests of the man with constitutional rights of the place to barham addison's days in federalist 51 they found themselves at odds over executive power against constitutional defied defined by the bank of pennsylvania avenue while criticizing and defending george washington's metro the proclamation under the pseudonyms of phidias and pacific this in the 1990's. so who

the book already but i want to get through it as a result of what i've heard directly from william cohen. there is a book coming out this summer entitled myths, listens and peace, fighting in a direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, a longtime special middle east envoy who is now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david wyss is a fellow at the washington institute. david and i go way back and used to work with me so i'm interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab-israeli conflict since both of them either worker covered so long so that is another book i will be going through. another book is by david shanker of "the new york times" untitled, the inheritance: to the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times" i know what a terrific reporter he is. he has now put together was really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book i wil

cohen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's statement will be covered under general leave. pursuant to house resolution 572 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of the bill h.r. 2647. will the gentleman from new york, mr. serrano, kindly resume the chair. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further consideration of the bill h.r. 2647, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bl to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for military activities of the department of defense, to prescribe military personnel strains for fiscal year 2010 and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose on wednesday, june 24, 2009, all time for general debate had expired. pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in the bill is considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and is considered as read. no amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute is in

my question is that would you join our moose herder's and designate bill cohen as the spokesperson and keep him in mind for president for 2012. my question about palestinians -- why can't they join the surrounding countries? you know, jordan, syria, egypt, instead of being their own country? guest: well, i am not sure any of the countries want the palestinians. they like them as an arguing point, but i am not really sure that jordanians really want the palestinians. i am not sure exactly what would be the position that they take when you ask that very simple question because the palestinians are problematic, i think, for a number of the countries over there. i am not an expert on the details of that, but i do know the palestinians, while all the muslim nations say look how bad the palestinians are, they are not so quick to jump in and help them either. host: defense secretary gates has raised some concerns about the history of testing and the reliability of the system. do you feel like testing has been adequate and that the system has proven itself? guest: well, they have run quite a n

i also want to publicly thank congressman steve cohen on the house side, who is the leader of this resolution that they will be passing soon over there. john quincy adams once remarked our country began existence by the universal emancipation of man from the thralldom of man. america's purpose can be summed up in that one powerful sentence. we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal endowed with inalienable rights that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. as we all know, for too long many in this country were not free. many lived in bondage. many americans were denied their basic human rights and liberty. from 1619 to 1865, over 4 million africans and their descendents were enslaved in the united states. millions were kidnapped from their homeland, suffered unimaginable hardships including death during the voyage to america. a crime against humanity. in almina castle on the coast of ghana, a place i recently visited, there is a chillingly named "door of no return." an infamous open portal which as one looks over the horizon across the atlantic

cohen, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2247 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2247, a bill to amend title 5 united states code to make technical amendments to certain provisions of title 5 united states code. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

cohen, and mr. hubbard, could you tell me the last, when the last new transmission line was built in each of your states? >> we are actually in vermont, in the process of upgrading most of our transmission systems. so we actually have ongoing projects as we speak. the most major transmission line that has ever been cited in vermont, the docket ended two years ago and the line is currently almost complete today. >> and how many miles is that line? >> this is vermont. the line was 60 miles. >> 60 miles. and what about you, ms. sayzar. >> just yesterday, we approved a 32-mile, 345-kv line, that costs about $220 million through the city of madison. so in other words the three commissioners essentially cited the transmission line through their back yards. over the the last eight years we've spent $2.5 billion upgrading or creating about 1700 new miles of transmission in the state of wisconsin. we have construction going on all over the state. a line was just energized i believe last week, which was over