Celebrating the symbol of the United States flag and supporting the goals and ideals of Flag Day.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on that. I rise in support of this resolution and think that it is appropriate and timely for it to come forward and agree with the representation that I have heard from my colleagues.

As a long-time public radio listener and Chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, I was proud to sponsor the resolution recognizing Public Radio Recognition Month.

Too often we take for granted the rich and diverse contributions of public radio to America's communities, and this was an opportunity on the floor of the House to reflect on its contributions and show our appreciation for public radio as a genuine national treasure.

The future of radio depends on programming and content, first and foremost, and in the area of high-quality radio content, public radio has no peer. Public radio offers an unmatched commitment to using the airwaves to create a more informed public, a public that craves and is challenged by an examination of ideas, events and culture.

Each week, over 33 million Americans listen to NPR, an audience that exceeds the top 35 U.S. daily newspapers combined. When we consider this figure, along with the 100 million people who watch public television each week, we can see the profound reach of Public Broadcasting. It connects people with their local community, their Nation and their world in a way that no other outlet can or does.

Distinctive, award-winning programs such as This American Life, A Prairie Home Companion, and Speaking of Faith tell the story of our shared American experience, and the vibrant, enduring programs of Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace draw on reporting from correspondents based in bureaus around the world and from producers and reporters in 19 locations in the United States.

But the strength of the NPR and the member station news network goes far beyond this corps of international and national NPR reporters; it reaches into communities across America. Through community-based journalism, such as the Diane Rehm Show right here in Washington, DC on WAMU and Think Out Loud on OPB back home in Oregon, we see a dedication to bringing people together at the local level for thoughtful conversations about complex and sometimes contentious issues.

These strong, news-oriented programs exist today in most of the top markets across the country, and when the strength of these stations is combined with NPR's strength in national and international reporting, the result is one of the largest, most capable and most trusted news network organizations anywhere in the world.

Public radio reliably provides a careful, balanced and thoughtful approach to news and culture. This feature is unique to public broadcasting, and it is a breath of fresh air in our often shrill and argumentative mass media environment.

We hear a lot about commercial broadcasting's becoming little more than 30-second, sound-bite news. That's one of the reasons I believe NPR's audience has grown so significantly in recent years, doubling in the last 15 years and increasing by 70 percent in the last decade.

Americans are thirsty for thoughtful and intelligent programming, and at a time when our media is controlled by fewer and fewer entities, we can have confidence that public radio which is owned by the public is committed to public interests, not to special interests.

In every congressional district across the country, through over 800 locally controlled and managed stations, Americans can turn to a public radio station as their single source for local, national and international news as well as for informative, cultural and musical programming.

There is nowhere else you can find such unique and valued service for all of our communities, and I hope that resolution was a reminder that we in Congress, as individuals and policymakers, must continue to provide critical support for local, publicly owned radio stations, the heart of public radio.

I invite my colleagues to recognize this achievement as they reflect on public broadcasting. It's part of the framework that makes the country so great and part of why we revere our flag and our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I too rise in strong support of Flag Day. Since 1777, America has in fact invested a great deal of who we are, what we do, what is right and what we stand for in our Nation's flag. Whether it was the first Flag Day, which emerged in 1885 when a 19-year-old schoolteacher in Wisconsin declared the flag's birthday, or in 1889, when a kindergarten teacher in New York City held a patriotic ceremony to help educate his children, or throughout the years, year after year after year, in which America invested its patriotism in the flag, or, as the gentleman in the majority said, in fact on September 11, when here in Washington and around the world we invested in a patriotic showing after the terrible events in New York, here in Washington and Pennsylvania, we did so because in fact we are what America stands for. Our flag represents that.

But, today, Madam Speaker, America stands for a country that imports half a trillion dollars worth of oil and vast amounts of natural gas. America is a country with crushing debt owed to other countries around the world. America today is a country proud of itself and proud of its flag, but mortgaging our children's future by investing in foreign oil and foreign natural gas and foreign minerals at a time in which the vast majority of our resources are not being used.

Madam Speaker, I join with the majority in saying that in fact America has to make sure that our natural resources are used, whether it is the 68 million acres being called into question by the majority as to whether or not oil leases are being pursued, or the 41 million acres that do have oil under production, or in fact the 2 billion-plus acres, including the area over 50 miles off the California coast that has been permanently taken off limits to oil and clean natural gas so needed in our country.

So, as we celebrate this Flag Day and our reinvestment in our flag and in who we are as a nation, let's remember who we are is a country of self-sufficiency, and self-sufficiency starts with the ability to produce our own products and certainly to heat our own homes.

Madam Speaker, I have no more to say about our flag than what our flag says for itself, but I have a great deal to say about who we as Americans will be. We will be a country, God willing, that in fact is self-sufficient.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the author of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would yield back.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1219) celebrating the symbol of the United States flag and supporting the goals and ideals of Flag Day.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I present for consideration H. Res. 1219, which celebrates our Nation's flag and the goals of Flag Day, a day honoring the America's most enduring symbol.

H. Res. 1219's lead sponsor, Representative Robert Latta of Ohio, introduced the bill on May 21, 2008, and it was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 12, 2008, by voice vote. This measure has the support and sponsorship of 62 Members of Congress and expresses our appreciation for and belief in the power of the red, white and blue.

The importance of the American flag as a symbol to our Nation is enormous. Our flag represents the service men and women who proudly wear it, the judges and legislators who serve in honor of it, and the millions of Americans who stand daily and pledge their allegiance to it. It is indeed representative of every American as a symbol of hope and freedom that resonates around the world.

Flag Day is celebrated every June 14, because it was on that day in 1777 that the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act, giving our Nation an enduring and identifying emblem. The flag has changed since then, but the ideas it embodies have endured. From the images of the Americans planting the flag in the sands of Iwo Jima, to the flag that was pulled from the rubble of the New York World Trade Center after the attacks of 9/11, Old Glory has become an integral part of our national fabric.

So, Madam Speaker, I urge swift passage of H. Res. 1219, for it will provide due recognition of the importance of the American flag and demonstrate our support of the day which honors it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

I would continue to reserve, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, we have no additional speakers, and I would urge passage of this resolution.

I yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 1219, supporting and honoring the ideals of Flag Day. The American flag represents the freedom and democratic ideals of this nation and the brave Americans who have defended these ideals throughout our history.

Established in 1885, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of our flag on June 14, 1777. Bernard Cigrand, the Father of Flag Day, was the President of the American Flag Day Association and the National Flag Day Society. In 1894, he orchestrated a celebration of Flag Day in Chicago that brought together over 300,000 public school students. The celebration was such a success that it was continued the following year. The trend of observing Flag Day caught on and quickly spread to New York and Philadelphia. However, it was not until August 3rd, 1949 that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th as National Flag Day.

Today, we continue to honor Flag Day with a proclamation from the President urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag from their homes for the duration of the June 14th week. Also, it is encouraged that all government buildings fly the American flag. On the second Sunday of June, the National Flag Day Foundation holds an annual observance for Flag Day. The program includes a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem, a ceremonial rising of the flag, and a large parade. These types of celebrations play an important role in observing one of our nation's most important symbols, the American flag.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution to support the ideals of Flag Day. May we continue to recognize the symbol of our freedom and display our patriotism proudly.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce House Resolution 1219, celebrating the symbol of the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Flag Day.

Flag Day is celebrated on June 14, which is the anniversary of the official adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress in 1777. This was done by the first Flag Act, which stated, ``Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternating in red and white, that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.''

Since 1777, our flag's design has been altered three times under executive order, rearranging the design of the stars and stripes each time a State was added.

The first celebration of the American flag was believed to have been introduced by a Wisconsin schoolteacher, who arranged for his students at Stony Hill School to celebrate June 14 as Flag Day in 1885. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first nationwide Flag Day in 1916, and in 1947, President Harry Truman signed legislation requesting National Flag Day be observed annually.

Flag Day is an important holiday, as our flag is the official symbol of our great Nation and its ideals. Our flag serves as a beacon of hope, courage and freedom during times of crisis and triumph alike. It honors the men and women of the Armed Forces who have

paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending the United States, and serves as a symbol for those families who have lost loved ones while defending our Nation.

So, Madam Speaker, it is with great honor I ask for unanimous approval of House Resolution 1219 as we celebrate our Nation's flag.