jersey to new york city. it probably cost less but the average is 47 cents so if someone from south dakota can mail the letter to new york city and we have this communications across the whole country, than that is great. we accept that. it is the way should be. with mr. izzo is saying, if he did the same thing for electricity, and you may get the same price to transmit electricity can from the middle of america to new jersey, as it would be to bring in off the coast line of new jersey, than that it's going to undermine the economics of all the projects along the east coast, because it hasn't factored in how much it costs to transmit that electricity 1500 miles of the way into the east coast market. and so the question then becomes how many new jobs have we created along the east coast of the united states if there is no incentive in the clunker for mr. izzo because he is almost bound by his obligation to the shareholders to take all of this very inexpensive but subsidize electricity coming in from the midwes

five minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: i thank my good friend for yielding. i rise in opposition to the rule. let me just say at the outset, mr. speaker, in the 1990's i served as chairman of the international operations and human rights subcommittee. at first having served as rankg member under tom lantos. then when the house went republican we switched and i became the chairman of that committee. one of the responsibilities of that committee was to write the foreign relations act, the state department re-authorization act for the country. and we worked very hard, mr. lantos and i, very diligently in crafting a bill that was, a, truly bipartisan and, b, open to virtually every amendment that members wanted to offer. i remember bringing a bill to the floor, mr. speaker, that allowed every day members just had to file their amendments in the congressional record a preprinting requirement so in the morning we'd wake up and find

holt of new jersey. the chair: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. holt: i want to thank the gentleman, mr. skelton, for his support of theament. it's ident to call to the amendment passed by the house in the 2009 defense authorization last year with the exception of some changes in findings which i think strengthen the case for this amendment. a similar intelligence focused, c.i.a. focused video recording provision was included in the fiscal year 2010 intelligence authorization act voted out of the house permanent select committee on intelligence last week. the amendment's purpose is simple. it is to improve the intelligence operations of our armed forces by ensuring the video recording of each strategic interrogation of any person who is in the control or detention of the department of defense. let me be clear. this amendment does not impede combat operations. the bill explicitly states that troops in the field in contact with the enemy

garrett of new jersey. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 578, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. . mr. garrett: more than 19 years ago when i first ran for public office in the very densely populated state of new jersey i believe that we were not doing enough to preserve our precious farmlands and our vital open space and upon being sworn in as a member of the house of representatives six years ago, i continued to advocate for reserving open space, expanding our recreational lands and protecting our natural resources. one of the highlights of my time here in congress was the unanimous bipartisan support for the highlands conservation act which became law back in 2004 and i especially want to commend my colleague from new jersey, mr. frelinghuysen, for working diligently over the years to accomplish its passage. our commitment to preserving en space runs deep for us, however more of our pri

it's critical that states like new jersey have authority over the citing of new transmission lines giving far greater authority to cite high-voltage transmission lines will generate widespread local opposition. it must give states adequate authority over siding to ensure they can protect the environment and cultural and historical sites. another thing that would affect my state is -- how do we craft legislation to move renewable energy such as wind to population centers? i think we should think regionally. new jersey has tremendous potential to meet the renewable energy goals through solar and off-shore wind. it does not make sense for new jersey rate payers to subsidize from moving wind from the east to the west coast a cost at $10 million per mile. this could slow development of alternatives closer to home. i believe the transmission provisions that were passed in the security act provide a balanced approach that respects regional differences and local concerns. before we pass legislation, we must consider how it will affect the economies of local, renewable energy projects and again, t

holt of new jersey. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 522, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. holt: thank you, mr. chairman. i thank chairman berman for bringing this bill to the floor. simply stated, my amendment would remember the secretary of state to report to congress within 60 days on potential changes in treaty language and related u.s. laws that would improve other countries' compliance with the hague convention on international child abduction. let me briefly explain why this amendment is necessary. since 1980 the hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction was created to ensure in a child is wrongfully removed from his or her country of habitual residence from one parent by another parent, they would have an internationally recognized means by recovering the abducted child. unfortunately, one of my constituents has come face to face with the very real limitations of the current hague convention. in his efforts he's been trying

how well it has done that in new jersey? well, i saw firsthand how the funding created 250 construction and engineering jobs, improving route 46. it's a project that's going to reduce traffic congestion, cut time the time it takes to commute, make it easier to do business, protect the roadway against flooding so parents can feel just a little safer as they drive their kids in heavy rain. i saw firsthand the recovery act finally let us break ground on the mass transit tunnel under the hudson river that will ultimately create 6,000 jobs for several years and at the end of the day, when that project is finished, over 50,000 permanent jobs. i met children who will be the future riders that have train and whose parents and neighbors are involved in its planning and construction as we speefnlgt you can see these infrastructure results statewide. the recovery act required our state's department of transportation to get enough projects ready for bidding so that 50% of that funding could be set aside within 120 days, to get people to

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank chairman waxman for his tireless work on this tobacco legislation. today is long overdue and he should be so proud of his -- the fact that this is finally passing today and going to the president's desk. as we pursue serious and historical health care reform, this legislation comes at the right time. smoking kills. smoking also is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and a host of other illnesses. almost half a million americans die from their own cigarette smoking a year, and even more alarming, studies have estimated that more than six million children alive today will ultimately die from smoking. when president obama's call for health care reform, he cited the need to use our resources wisely and efficiently. tobacco is a health care issue

in 2007 the survey was conducted in new jersey by the state police. the respondents in four new jersey municipalities out of every 10, that's 43%, reported the presence of street gangs in their jurisdiction during the previous 12 months. not only in cities but in suburban communities. as a former mayor, i know how tough it is for our cities and communities to deal with gang problems all across the united states of america. gang members are involved in violent and drug-related crimes and recruit young folks in our public schools. catching and punishing the perpetrators of these crimes is oftentimes difficult if not impossible. gangs are so pervasive in many communities that the threat of violent reprisal against members of the community or gang members who want to leave severely hinders law enforcement investigations. h.r. 1741 would provide a crucial missing link that prevents many of these crimes from being solved in the first place. this legislation will allow the justice department to begin offering grants to local communities to implement local wi

the chair: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. mr. garrett: i thank the ranking member. i thank the chair. thank you for the inclusion of this amendment with regard to israel and the underlying bill. i'd like to speak for that minute then with regard to one of our strongest allies in the middle east and that is the state of israel. i'm thankful for the strong relationship that we have, that our two countries share a lot in common, that we fought for peace and freedom. we both continue to pursue liberty despite ongoing opposition. we both face many common enemies. now, throughout my time in congress i've been a strong supporter of israel's right to exist. and when you think about it, it's even disturbing that we have to come here and talk about it in terms of such as that. but the truth of the matter is there are few peoples on earth where more of the crosshairs than israel. not even the united nations can be called to talk about israel. israel has remained a shining beacon of democracy in a dark part of the world. standing with the un

the gentleman from new jersey. >> i yield one minute to our friend and colleague the outstanding new member from florida, mr. grayson, one minute. the chair: the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. grayson: thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank the chairman of the committee that's allowing these amendments to go forward. this is a great bill and in particular i'm happy to say we have a good amendment here that will finally get a hold of the subject of cost everruns. i worked in defense procurement for 20 years and worked fighting war profiteers in iraq before i came here. one of the dirty, dark secrets of testifies contracting is that contractors buy. in that's a term used by contractors to explain the situation where they compete for a time and materials contract or a cost reimbursement contract, they propose a certain cost or price, knowing they can't meet that cost or price, they get the contract and overcharge the government. we need to get a fix on this so we can end it. the first amendment i offered to this bill is an amendment to have the g.a

the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california will be postponed. it is now in order to consider agent number two printed in part c of house report 111-143. for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. ros-lehtinen: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment number two offered by ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. the chair: the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen and a nebraska a posed each will control five minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the image of a regime brandishing weapons is one we must stop if we were to avoid being threatened with destruction. but the problem is not confined to iran. following in its footsteps are countries like syria, whose clandestine nuclear program is only now coming to light. we must prevent these and other rogue regimes from realizi

this is the most hated person in new jersey. everywhere in the newsroom i went, i said, you know, there's something wrong with this story. how dare you? it's the "how dare you?" i knew there was something sacrosanct about questioning these charges. this should raise questions. but how did i know? i didn't know. i thought, well, maybe the prosecutor knows what he's doing. so i asked to meet the prosecutor. glen goldberg (ph) was his name. and he was happy to meet with me. why? because i was no liberal person. i was a grown-up woman with a fairly conservative writing credentials. and he told me how much evidence he had against her. it was nonsense. he followed me down the stairs after i raised the questions and he said, by the way, now i'm going to tell you the real evidence i have against her. what was that, sir? he said, she didn't wear underpants under her jeans. imagine. i said, and what did that mean? he said, don't you know? that was the kind of evidence. c-span: how did he know? >> guest: they arrested her, and i guess they

speaker, thank you to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt. we strongly support the amendment that would require the secretary of state to make recommendations to congress on the kinds of change needed to the hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction and where applicable to united states law. mr. speaker, the purpose of the hague convention is to ensure that in situations where a child was wrongfully removed from his or her country or habitual residence by one parent against the will of another parent, the agreed -- the aggrieved parent has an internationally recognized means of recovering his or her abducted child. unfortunately, many american families have come face to face with the very real limitations of the current hague conventions and their efforts to recover parentally kidnapped children taken to other countries. such as we case of the high profile case involving mr. david goldman of new jersey whose son sean was kidnapped by his wife in 2004. this case is largely -- has largely languished in brazil's cour

for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. payne: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. mr. payne: mr. speaker, the time has come to take decisive action on health care reform. we simply cannot afford to wait any longer. american families and small businesses have seen the cost of health care coverage steadily rise to the point where many can no longer afford to pay their premiums. we know that our system is broken when we have 46 million americans, many of them in my home state of new jersey, who are only one illness or one accident away from being wiped out financially. as president obama and the majority in congress work to take our nation into a -- in a new direction, we are firmly committed to making improvements in our health care system in a way which will reduce cost, preserve a patient's choice of doctors and plans, and ensure quality, affordable health care for all. it is important that we promote wellnes

he's from medford, new jersey. so one fatetive of -- one native of new jersey closing it out after mazzaro, from new jersey, started the game. he's 24 years old. and luke scott down to begin the 9th inning. to give you an update on the voting for the at&t player of the game. and brian bass leading with 63%. mazzaro 26%, and jones, 11%. still time to next in your vote, a, b or c to 51682 and we'll have the results, tom and rick, on the o's post game. and strike one to melvin mora. still seeing izturis there after having the breaking ball hit him off the adam's apple. >> buck: and throwing that small breaking ball can get you out in front. >> jim: and checked the swing in time. bailey pitched in college at wagner, which is on stat on island. he was drafted and developed by the athletics. 6th round pick in 2006 and already in the big leagues. good eye by melvin. 2-2 the count. >> buck: one thing when you have a power arm like bailey, if he throws strike he can have success and he's shown the ability to throw strikes.

that night in new york, new jersey, and connecticut, almost everyone was in their own bed. that is the difference between what happened there and what happened in katrina, where 2 million people were somewhere other than their own bedroom. i do not think the country understand what will happen if this happens in new jersey or connecticut or pennsylvania or virginia, or anyplace. and i think the people think they are not going to be impacted by category 5 hurricanes. i think they think it built on long enough to withstand it. so i will continue to make my voice heard it to the president and leadership and hope we get through this storm season without getting through this season in a major area. and northeast metropolitan area have a lot more than we do across the coast. the numbers are staggering. i do not know. >> first of all, thank you for your sense of urgency, and i want to give you an update regarding this issue. new york city has x 1 blogs -- excellent resources, but they have had to cut their funding. you know this vividly. while there is a chart that shows significa

if you want to do it poorly, you do like the state of new jersey which has almost no reforms and has now boosted the average cost of care to $6,000 per person. if you want to do it in a much better way, do it like california where insurance pools are larger. there, you have reduced the cost by almost $5,000 per patient. what we would be doing in our tuesday group reform bill is backing the kind of reforms that have lowered the cost in california over what is happening in new jersey. i am also worried about how to pay for the system. having just come back from china, we're worried about overall deficit spending by the united states. we're worried about one part of the federal government by one -- and buying another part of the federal government. when you're looking at an overall weakening of the dollar, i think there is great fear in additional spending by the congress. the question that i would ask is, with the federal government -- with the federal government already $1.80 trillion in debt, which you want to put an institution that is in charge of your family's healthcare out of mo

for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. payne: i claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. payne: the foreign relations authorization act, which the royce amendment would designate eritrea the state sponsor of terrorism and call on the united nations security council to impose sanctions against eritrea i strongly oppose. while i certainly respect my esteemed colleague from california, ed royce, who served as an excellent chairman of the subcommittee on africa for several years and we worked closely together on many issues and i have a great deal of

price: i thank the gentleman from new jersey for highlighting this issue. i agree that the flood map program is an instrumental tool in reducing the loss of life and property from floods. this subcommittee will work with the gentleman to review the recent contract solicitation. i'm committed to ensuring the d.h.s. puts dollars in projects that are well planned and competitively awarded and well managed and closely overseen. mr. garrett: i appreciate the chairman's comments on that. this is not just about the fifth district or even the state of new jersey who has had a number of flooding problems in the past but this is an important issue for fairness all across the country and addresses the issue of flooding a-- flooding across the country as well. i thank the chairman and the ranking member. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina. mr. price: i'd like to recognize our colleague, mr. cuellar, for two minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cuellar: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in strong support of this bill and

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, just a short while ago i returned from afghanistan. the fifth largest contingency in nato is from italy. we have many reminders through history and specifically now of what our relationship is between the united states and italy. so we rise to support this resolution. resolution 430, expressing our deepest sympathies to the citizens of italy. this earthquake was devastating, mr. speaker, in ruined a large part of the abruzzo part of italy. the magnitude of this earthquake is understood by many americans. the university town of laquila along with 26 other surrounding cities, towns, and villages suffered massive destruction. you already have heard of how many people were killed. 15,000 buildings destroyed. they were historic, cultural landmarks. 70,000 people were displaced. so we extend our deepest sympathies. homes and churches can be rebuilt but we can never replace loved ones. despite the aftershocks that continue to devastate the regio

it is fort lee, new jersey. i have a ford festiva, 1988, that a friend gave to me because he could not get anything on the trade in. so he gave it to me. and i have been driving it now for four or five years, and i get 49 miles to the gallon. that is a 1988 ford. i don't understand why there is such a difficult seem to have new cars get good mileage like i get with an 1988. i would also like to ask very quickly, if there is a tie-in between the oil industry and automobile manufacturers, because i am very suspicious that mileage is tied into the oil companies. i appreciate your reply. thank you. guest: let me answer that second one first. absolutely night. no connection between the oil industry and the manufacturers. kind of one of the urban myths that has been out there for a long time. fuel and the technology of the vehicles are a system, so fuel is a component, but there is no concept -- control, and vice versa. as far as technology, fiesta was a small car, very fuel- efficient. ford is actually introducing a

lewis from new jersey to win both sprints in the olympics. we have had many outstanding people that started politics in new york. jack way back, fellow from st. lucia, he was born in 1905, moved up to new york, high school dropout, went to work for a company and worked his way up from a janitor to become a vice president of the firm. became active in politics and he became new york city democratic political leader, loyal to the tamm manny hall -- tamany hall feeaso. jack won seven straight elections to the new york state asimmably representing his harlem district. in 1953 he was elected president of manhattan becoming the first african-american to hold the post. elected more than a decade before the rise of big city black mayors in the 1960's, he was the highest ranking african-american municipal officer in the nation with an annual salary at that time of 25d,000. he was the highest paid black office holder in the country. he served as manhattan burrough president for several terms. and because of his emerging strength, the powers that be int

new york, new jersey, is that pennsylvania? >> that is correct. >> pennsylvania. and then is that kentucky or -- kentucky, west virginia? >> delaware. >> no, no -- >> oh, further out? kentucky, south dakota, arizona, wyoming. >> okay, the western states but on the eastern sea board, and the reason i raised this issue at this hearing in the beginning of the season is that the predictions that i've seen or the feeling about this season because the storms have been so intense in the gulf coast -- >> that's correct. >> -- there's some sense that this is the east coast's time. and i just need to reinforce that i know that people in the northeast have not had a storm in a long time, but there are some significant studies that show what will happen if there is. and it is not a pretty picture. and in 1938 there was a major storm that hit long island, and you can just understand and think about what the population was then but what it is today. you know, 80 years plus later. and i'm asking you or you're testifying that actually in that part of that highly-urbanized area th

new jersey were the three we most likely expected. the other republicans we had on the fence and a couple moved over. david reiker from washington state was one. he is in a tough district. he has had close re-elections. that was a tough vote for him. the other two interesting republican votes for the bill, mike castle from delaware and mick kirk from illinois both are weighing senate bids in 2010. those are both states that trend blue, so a vote for the environment for these two could help them down the line. the other yeses were leonard lance, and also from new jersey, and i might have left one or two off. those were surprising on the republican side. on the democratic side, there were probably a larger number that wanted to vote no an nancy pelosi was able to hold on to some of them. some of them were in tight districts like kathy dellhamper from pennsylvania, she was struggling throughout the week and turned down invitations to talk to obama officials. john salazar from western colorado was a no vote, despite lobbying from senator

new jersey and u.s.s. new jersey. in 1988 when the u.s.s. samuel b. roberts struck a mine in the persian gulf, the navy sent brian to provide analysis options. though he only asked to spend a week in the gulf, he remained with the stricken vessel for 45 days until it was again sea worth yism describing the experience he said i quote -- "i'm still amazed at authority i was given to execute this project. i was lucky to have an opportunity at such an early stage in my career." i want our nation's graduates to know that careers in public service are full of opportunities like the one given to brian. federal employees at all levels get to work on exciting and relevant projects every day. after his superb performance in due buy, brian was given

chairman, the gentleman from new jersey seeks recognition for a colloquy. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman for participating in a colloquy with me about the importance of the joint military base located in new jersey. it incorporated mcgwire air force base, fort dix. i am proud to have this in new jersey's third and fourth congressional districts. i've worked with many to make the transition to the country's first triservice joint facility as smooth as possible. one of the issues people always talk with me is a discrepancy in locality pay. all three individual installations are logistically close to each other. however, they fall within burlington county and ocean county, and, therefore, two different county pay jurisdictions. currently, civilian employees doing exactly the same job are being paid different wages. i am working closely with the office of personnel management and the department of defense to have the entire joint base considered within ocean county's pay area because people doing identical jobs on different a

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: i'll reserve my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. mr. issa: i would continue to yield. i'm sorry. i continue to reserve unless the gentleman is ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california controls the time. the gentleman from california. mr. issa: thank you. if i would inquire if the gentleman's prepared to close. mr. nadler: i am prepared to close after your side closes. mr. issa: i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: parliamentary inquiry. the speaker pro tempore: state your inquiry. mr. nadler: does that mean that the gentleman has declined his right to a closing? the speaker pro tempore: yes. he's yielded back his time. mr. issa: i'm declining on this bill. i'll pick up on the next one. thank you. mr. nadler

to compare california and new jersey, if you want to do it poorly, you do it like the state of new jersey which has almost no reforms and has boosted the average cost of care to $6,000 per person. if you want to do it in a much better way, if that is california. lawsuit reform is present you have reduced the cost almost $5,000 per patient. what we would be doing in our tuesday group reform bill is backing the kind of reforms that have lowered the cost in california over what is happening in new jersey. number two, i am very worried about how to pay for the system. having just come back from china, we're worried about overall deficit spending by the united states and the practice of the fed. one part the federal government will but one part the federal government's debt. when you look at the overall weakening of the dollar in international markets, there is great fear about additional spending by the congress read the -- by the congress. we are already 1.8 -- we are already $1.80 trillion in debt. a sustainable plan is what is absolutely required. finally, the most respected medical journa

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for five minutes. mr. holt: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman from florida, and i am pleased this morning to speak about technology assessment as a tool for our legislative work. this bill funds the tools that allows us to do our best on behalf of the 300 million americans. every issue that comes before us, virtually every issue has some aspects of science and technology. yet this congress has not brought great credit to ourselves for our ability to deal with science and technology issues or to recognize emerging trends or the implications of technology. fortunately we do not have to reinvent a tool to help us. we created the office of technology assessment, a congressional support agency with a professional taff staff. it provides -- professional staff. it was balanced and had an impartial presentation, for their framing and their forward-looking perspective. the o.t.a., as it was known, functioned well for 25 years. it produced reports on such topics as retiring old cars, programs to save gasoline and r

holt of new jersey. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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.] are 224 the chair: on this vote the yeas are 224, the nays are 193, the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 20 printed in part b of house report 111-182 by the gentleman from virginia, mr. connelly, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed in voice vote. the clerk will depace in -- redesignate the amendment. the clerk: offered by mr. connelly of virginia. the chair: a record

york, new jersey. is it pennsylvania? >> that is correct. >> and is that kentucky, west virginia? >> kentucky, south dakota, wyoming, the western states but on the eastern seaboard and the reason i raise this issue at this hearing in the beginning of the season is the production site seen or the feeling about the season because the storms have been so intense in the gulf coast there is some sense that this is the east coast time and i just need to reinforce i know people in the northeast haven't had a storm for a long time but there are some significant studies that show what will happen if there is, and it is not a pretty picture. and in 1938 there was a major storm that hit all my mind, and you can just understand and think about the population was and what it is today. 80 deer sophos -- 80 years plus later. and in that highly urbanized area they're virtually is no communication of people outside of your 911 if you want to report an emergency. but in terms where you can get shelter and where you coul

payne of new jersey, mr. pomeroy of north dakota, mr. farr of california, mr. ellison of minnesota, ms. hirono of hawaii, and ms. roibled of -- and ms. roybal-allard of california. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to section 4-b of house resolution 5, 111th congress, i am pleased to appoint the following members to the house democracy assistance commission. the honorable david dreier of california. the honorable john boozman of arkansas. the honorable jeff fortenberry of nebraska. the honorable judy biggert of illinois. the honorable bill shuster of pennsylvania. the honorable kay granger of texas. the honorable charles w. boustany jr. of louisiana. the honorable k. michael conaway of texas. the honorable vern cannon of nebraska. i am pleased to fulfill their requests. signed sincerely, john a. boehner, republican leader. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? mr. obey:

centrists are not there in new jersey. in california a number of the successful reforms that we put forward are there and the average cost of our premium is just $1,885. meaning that if you back the kind of reforms that will be in the outlined bill that we put forward next tuesday, you can drop the cost of health care by thousands of dollars per patient. i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. murphy: i thank the gentleman. an important part of this is that the lawsuits themselves do not guarantee quality. but it is quality that's very important. i believe you have a chart up there about some tests and procedures and i was wondering if you could explain on that. mr. kirk: we also have, when we're looking at preventative care, which is so essential, in many countries with government-controlled systems, because these systems are generally out of money as governments generally are, they've restricted access to preventative care. particularly in a pap smear and a mammogram, two essential procedures in finding cancer in

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. rothman, is recognized for eight minutes. mr. rothman: thauk, mr. speaker. i thank -- thank you, mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman for the time. mr. speaker, today we consider legislation that is an important step in protecting our young people as they come to explore this amazing world that we live in. first, i want to take time to thank my friend, the education and labor chairman, george miller, earlier this year chairman miller took the time from his schedule to meet with phylicia moore's parents, lola and douglas moore, and if i lessia's brother, christopher. chairman miller heard their heartbreaking story. the legislation we have before us today is a testament to his leadership and his christmas -- compassion. i also want to acknowledge the role played by secretary of education, arne duncan, he also personally met with the moores and he and his staff suggested several important improvements to the bill. i'm deeply grateful tortoise -- for his personal involvement. i would also l

new jersey has just slipped further and further away. there's a chance to come back this year. basically rejecting democrats. . . i had a bill for $107,000. when the insurance paid it, my insurance paid it and got it down to $27,000. is that not a double standard? and the same thing is going on between the health care providers, my insurance premium , it cost me about half of what it cost me as an individual. guest: the strong insurance companies have a strong bargaining position. they just say if you want to get our business, you will have to lower your rates. so that is what they do. that is what the market can help in competition can help to bring these costs down. in the medical marketplace today, there is not much of the marketplace. it is a third-party payer system. the third -- a people going in are not paying. i would hope this can be addressed. >> caller: a little background. i live in stepney queers district. -- steny hoyer district. i have a very progressive social values and i see tom smiling there as most republicans would. let me inform you that i spent seven year

host: fort wayne, new jersey. go ahead on democratic line. caller: it's fort lee, new jersey. i have a ford fiesta, 1988, my friend gave to me because he couldn't get anything on the trade-in. and he gave it to me and i have been driving it for four to five years, and i get 49 miles to the gallon. that's a 1988 ford. i don't understand why there is difficulty to have new cars get good mileage like i get from a 1988. also i would like to ask quickly, if there is a tie-in between the oil industry and the automobile manufacturers. i am very suspicious that mileage is tied into the oil companies. i would appreciate your reply, thank you. guest: well, two questions and let me answer the first. absolutely not, there is no connection between the oil and the manufacturers. that's an urban myth that's been out. and fuel is a component but no control of oil companies. as far as the technology, fiesta was a small car and fuel-efficient. ford is introducing another european version that i think will be popular in the u.s. again fuel economy is important and that's why we supported the inc

england for example in new york for that matter in new jersey and maryland are committed to resolving in cooperating in the production of new renewable energy resources. just opening up this whole question of the remote areas of maine for example, most people don't know 95% of maine is forest. it is rural so there is a lot of opportunity there as well and it is a huge state as well so i just raise that issue because we have to strike a balance here because we do want each region's indigenous resources to be developed as well. let me just stop there and recognize the gentleman from california, mr. mcnerney for his questions. >> thank you mr. chairman. i was expecting you to recognize mr. inslee. >> he has started in recognized for his first round so i think is appropriate for you to be recognized. >> first of all i want to thank chairman wellinghoff for his hospitality this week and i think your testimony was rational. i noticed one thing though, you are seeming to advocate that the fed has a significant large role in the state regulators were all saying well, the state should have a l

new york and new jersey? is that pennsylvania? and is that kentucky -- is this west virginia? >> this is delaware. >> further out -- >> this is the western states. the reason i raise this issue is because the predictions is that the feeling about this season, because the storms have been so intense, there is a feeling that this is the time of the eastern coast, and i want to reinforce that i know that people in the northeast have not had a storm in a long time but there are significant studies, showing what will happen if there is. this is not a pretty picture. in 1938 there was a major storm on long island, think about what the population was back then, and what this is today. 80 years later. i am asking you, you testified that in this area, that there is virtually no communication of people outside of 911, if you want to report an emergency. in terms of where to go for a shelter or a meal for your child, this is the service that you provide. >> this speaks to the urgency of this act that you are supporting, and we know that this was never more vividly described were illustra

and there was a struggle, particularly in states like new jersey and pennsylvania, and even more so in the south. we think of the south being caught up in a civil war in the middle of the 19th century, but the south versus civil war took place in the revolutionary war. and especially when the british change their strategy beginning in 1778 to what became known as simply as southern strategy. after the battles at saratoga and a surrender of burgoyne's army to the americans in october of 1778, the british road off the northern colonies, or as they would call them, the northern states. thinking that they simply could not be conquered. but they thought they might be able to conquer at least for southern colonies. georgia, south carolina, north carolina and virginia. those were the most important colonies, economically, to great britain because that's where the cash crops like tobacco, and rice and indigo were grown. and the british thought that if they could subdue those colonies, they could come out of the war with a large american empire. they could perhaps hold canada. they could perhap

but knowing that all of new england, for example and new york for that matter, and new jersey and maryland are all committed to resolving and cooperating in the production of new renewable energy resources. so hoping up the whole question of the remote areas of maine, for example most people don't know that 95% of main is forest. it's woods, it's rural. so there's a lot of opportunity there as well. although in the, it's a huge state as well. i just raise that issue of the because we have to strike a balance here. we two want each region's indigenous resources to be developed as well. let me recognize the gentleman from california, mr. mcinerney, with his questions. >> i was expecting you to recognize mr. enserle first. >> i think it's appropriate to recognize you first. >> thank you. first of all i want to thank chairman wellinghof for his testimony this week. you're seemg to advocate that the fed have a significantly large role and that the state regulators were all saying the state should have a larger role, and the fed should have a littler role. so i guess that's not too surprising. i

and we still need to make more of our communication system work for the residents in new jersey. new rs

eddie johnson of texas and chris smith of new jersey. the house is coming in for morning our speeches in 20 minutes. legislative work gets under way at noon. members will consider $106 billion in additional spending for the iraq and afghanistan war. also bills dealing with homeless veterans and disbanded next budget year on the commerce and justice departments. live house coverage here on c- span. at 2:30, seized -- c-span3 brings to a hearing. the senators will also chairman -- they will also question the sec chairman who was originally nominated by president bush in 2006. -- they will question the fcc chairman. >> how is c-span funded? >> may be some government grants. >> advertising for products. >> public money. >> my taxes? >> how is c-span funded? 30 years ago america's cable companies created c-span as a public service, a private business initiative. no government mandate, no government money. >> the house is set to vote today on $106 billion spending bill to pay for the worse in iraq and afghanistan. democrats are not counting on

york and new jersey and connecticut. almost everyone who is in their own debt to. that is the difference between a happened there and what happened in katrina were that nine of the storm 2 million people were summer other than their own bedroom and i don't think the country understands what is going to happen if this happens in new york or new jersey or connecticut or pennsylvania, virginia, any place and i think that people think they are not going to be impacted by category five hurricane. i think they think they built building strong enough to withstand them but i beg to differ so who will continue to make my voice heard to the president and the leadership and hope that we get through this storm season without facing a category three, four, or five and a major metropolitan area, not that orleans on dallas and houston, but in northeast metropolitan area has a lot more than city than even we do long the gulf coast because the numbers are staggering and i know janet. >> i do want a, first of all, thank you for your sense

it is what america is all about as my friend new jersey said earlier. i think some of the comments i've heard from my republican colleagues this morning have distorted judge sotomayor's record. let's take a minute and consider what the real story and how judge sotomayor's record reflects the highest ideals of judging. her record reveals her to be modest and moderate, dedicated to the rule of law and not outcome-oriented. for example, senator sessions spent some of his time this morning criticizing one particular case, hayden v. pataki because judge sotomayor's dissent would have resulted with an outcome which he did not agree. he failed to mention that her opinion was based on the plain text of the statute for the court and left out some of the key revealing comments she made in her dissent. no one disputes it. second, the duty of a judge is to follow the law, not question his plain terms. and number three, i trust that congress would prefer to make any needed changes itself rather than have to court's do so for them. these are the kind of statements in

next to union, new jersey on the democrats' line. caller: good morning. and in calling to say that i see jobs out there. those jobs are coming, not a lot of jobs, but seemed to be going to the wrong people. there are lots of cheap labor jobs up there with construction. but it seems it is going to the wrong people. most of those are independent companies. they hire those they want. most of the companies now hire people for cheap labor. i am out there every day because i work for the post office and i know in the see the people up there. construction, the roads, everything. the stimulus package just needs time to get its feet. the president just got in. it is not even six months for him. we should give him some time. he has a lot on his plan. host: how long have you been at the post office? caller: 59 years. host: polls show increasing public opposition to government spending and with no significant constituency, the prospects for further stimulus legislation seem slim. he writes that president obama tersely it acknowledged in an interview with bloomberg te

host: next up is thomas, from wayne, new jersey. caller: my big thing is i like to see all the people in congress who have taken money from insurance companies that was put into their campaign funds to disqualify themselves from voting on this. if that would happen i would guarantee we would get our single-payer system. i like to ask mr. john lott -- has he ever taken money for backing his research from people like insurance? he quoted the kaiser foundation in canada and i believe that kaiser runs a big insurance company. taking their word for canada -- would you take michael moore's word for canada, or should we look at the thing objectively? guest: i have never taken money from insurance companies, but kaiser foundation has been a big advocate of the single-payer plan in connection with "usa today" and abc. they argued that while most people were probably satisfied that 44% were only satisfied with the system as a whole and evidence for the type of change michael and others had been advocating. you know, i think it is so easy to c