Recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 4, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to consider the following nominations: Honorable John J. Young, Jr. to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics; Douglas A. Brook to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller; and Robert L. Smolen to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 4, 2007, at 10 a.m., in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Examining the Regulation and Supervision of Industrial Loan Companies.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

The hearing will review the Department of Homeland Security's implementation and administration of several port and cargo security programs authorized in the SAFE Port Act, the Maritime and Transportation Security Act of 2002, and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

At this hearing, the Committee will explore the state of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, examine reforms that are necessary to make the agency more effective to protect children and other consumers from dangerous and defective products, and seek comments on S. 2045, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 2 p.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to consider favorably reporting an original bill entitled, ``The Heartland, Habitat, Harvest, and Horticulture Act of 2007'' and legislation implementing the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on the Law of the Sea Convention.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Backlogs at the Department of the Interior: Land into Trust Applications; Environmental Impact Statements; Probate; and Appraisals and Lease Approvals.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate in order to conduct an Executive Business Meeting on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 10 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room 226.

Agenda

I. Bills: S. 2035, Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 (Specter, Schumer, Lugar, Dodd, Leahy, Graham) and S. 1640, Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2007 (Leahy, Cornyn, Kohl, Whitehouse).

II. Resolutions: S. Res. 326, Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims (Cornyn, Feinstein, Kyl) and H. Con. Res. 193, Recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

III. Nominations: Thomas P. O'Brien to be United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate to conduct a hearing entitled ``Justice Denied? Implementation of

the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act'' on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room 226.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee he authorized to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Mass Incarceration in the United States: At What Cost?'', in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, Thursday, October 4, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Managment, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. in order to conduct a hearing entit1ed, ``Forestalling the Coming Pandemic: Infectious Disease Surveillance Overseas.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 193) recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Con. Res. 193, a bill recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

H. Con. Res. 193, which has 91 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Christopher Carney on July 26, 2007. H. Con. Res. 193 was reported from the Oversight Committee on September 20, 2007 by a voice vote.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to Representative Carney as much time as he would consume as the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, in 2006 there were over 16 million hunters in the United States, of which only .0013 percent incurred an injury during the past hunting season. To ensure and raise awareness for hunter safety, there are 70,000 hunter education instructors teaching hunter safety, ethics and conservation to approximately 750,000 students successfully each year.

Hunter safety can be contributed to hunter education training and the role of responsible hunters in the field. This helps to lower the incidence of hunting accidents, improve hunter behavior and restore many species of wildlife abundance.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Christopher Carney, for introducing this legislation, and urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bipartisan resolution that honors our hunters for their commitment to safety. I want to particularly acknowledge the significant bipartisan support from the members of the Pennsylvania delegation, a great number of whom have signed on this bill.

This resolution honors our hunters for their commitment to safety and stewardship of the environment. Hunting is a beloved tradition. It is something I enjoyed both with my father, when I was growing up, and now with my own children.

But as any avid sportsman knows, hunters must have a commitment to safety. We recognize that this sport requires maturity and responsibility. In 2006, there were over 16 million hunters in the United States, of which only .0013 percent incurred an injury. This low injury rate demonstrates a clear commitment to safety. In fact, in 2006, hunters in Pennsylvania set a safety record, and for this I commend them.

State fish and game agencies have been offering hunter safety programs started in 1949, and since then more than 35 million people have been certified. That is why I introduced this resolution.

I want to thank hunters for their commitment to safety, and honor those who teach hunting safety. Hunters have shown that they can proudly represent the sport and put safety first, and that is something that I am proud to support.

Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, on September 24, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote Nos. 891, 892, 893 and 894.

Rollcall vote No. 891 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 193. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 892 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Res. 668. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 893 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H.R. 1199. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 894 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Res. 340. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

In addition, on September 25, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote Nos. 895, 896, 897, and 898.

Rollcall vote No. 895 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H.R. 1400. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 896 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Res. 584. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 897 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 210. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote No. 898 was to suspend the Rules and agree to H. Res. 663. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

I would ask that my statement appear in the appropriate location in the Congressional Record.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately last night, September 24, 2007, I was unable to cast my votes on H. Con. Res. 193, H. Res. 668, H.R. 1199, and H. Res. 340 and wish the record to reflect my intentions had I been able to vote.

Had I been present for rollcall No. 891 on suspending the rules and passing H. Con. Res. 193, recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety, I would have voted ``aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 892 on suspending the rules and passing H. Res. 668, recognizing the 50th anniversary of the September 25, 1957, desegregation of Little Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine, I would have voted ``aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 893 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 1199, the Drug Endangered Children Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 894 on suspending the rules and passing H. Res. 340, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives of the importance of providing a voice for the many victims, and families of victims, involved in missing persons cases and unidentified human remains cases, I would have voted ``aye.''