Offering heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families regarding the horrific violence at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and to the students, faculty, administration and staff and their families who have been deeply affected by the tragic events that occurred there.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 306) offering heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families regarding the horrific violence at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and to the students, faculty, administration and staff and their families who have been deeply affected by the tragic events that occurred there.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H. Res. 306 into the Record.

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

(Mr. SCOTT of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to offer my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families who suffered the horrific shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech on Monday morning. My thoughts and prayers go out to them, the students, faculty and staff of the university.

Virginia Tech is one of the largest schools in Virginia, providing higher education to more than 28,000 students. The effects of this tragedy can be felt all across the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the Halls of Congress and in every corner of this Nation. I represent hundreds of Virginia Tech families, perhaps thousands of alumni, and members of my staff have friends and family who currently attend Virginia Tech.

Schools are meant to be sanctuaries of learning and, most importantly, sanctuaries of safety. Parents who send their children off to college with all the potential that a college education represents should be content that their children will be safe.

As we mourn with the Virginia Tech community, this Congress must explore every possible avenue towards determining what can be done to prevent this kind of tragedy in the future, whether in high schools or college campuses or on business premises or other places where people may congregate. Yet we must be realistic. From what we are hearing regarding this tragic incident, it is not clear that any law would have been effective in deterring the kind of senseless acts that occurred. Anyone willing to indiscriminately shoot down innocent people and then kill themselves afterwards would not likely be deterred by any law. Nonetheless, we must work with our colleges and universities in developing ways to anticipate, identify and prevent any such threats that we can. Some evidence is emerging that indicates that there may have been signs of mental disturbances in the alleged shooter, and this may suggest information which could lead to things to look at to avoid these tragedies in the future.

But, Mr. Speaker, today we stand together to wish a speedy recovery for the injured and to mourn with the families of the victims who died in this horrific tragedy. Virginia Tech is and will remain one of the Commonwealth of Virginia's finest institutions of higher learning, and its proud traditions will carry on beyond this darkest hour. This event will be with the students, faculty and staff of Virginia Tech for the rest of their lives, but we must not let tragedies like this stop people from living their dreams. I hope that some day all members of the Virginia Tech community will be able to celebrate life and learning on the campus again.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce into the Record the powerful statement presented at the service yesterday at Virginia Tech by Nikki Giovanni. That service was attended by nine of the eleven members of the Virginia delegation to Congress and both of our U.S. Senators. So I will insert that statement into the Record.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We

are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave

enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we

must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing

to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of

AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night

away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does

the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for

ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh

water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the

middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built

with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the

land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open

heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We

are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are

better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are

alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will

continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and

through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Boucher), the representative of the Ninth Congressional District, the home of Virginia Tech.

(Mr. BOUCHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader, 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

(Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.

I would just like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey who points out that this is a national incident with students from all over the country. And I would like to thank him for recognizing me as one of the sponsors of the resolution. The Virginia delegation came together to present this resolution under the leadership of Mr. Boucher, so we appreciate his leadership today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to my colleague from the Eighth Congressional District of Virginia (Mr. Moran) 4 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, we would urge passage of the resolution. I want to thank my delegates from Virginia. The Virginia delegation came together on this. We were together yesterday, and we appreciate the support from across the country. We urge passage of the resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the resolution. But I do so with a heart still full of sorrow over a loss so overwhelming. Two days ago, on Monday, April 15, 2007, at Virginia Tech University, one of the nation's great land grant colleges, we witnessed senseless acts of violence on a scale unprecedented in our history. Neither the mind nor the heart can contemplate a cause that could lead a human being to inflict such injury and destruction on fellow human beings. The loss of life and innocence at Virginia Tech is a tragedy over which all Americans mourn and the thoughts and prayers of people of goodwill everywhere go out to the victims and their families. In the face of such overwhelming grief, I hope they can take comfort in the certain knowledge that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Mr. Speaker, Virginia Tech is a special place to those who claim membership in

``Hokie Nation.'' Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and located in Blacksburg, 38 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, or ``Virginia Tech,'' is now a comprehensive, innovative research university with the largest number of degree offerings in Virginia, more than 100 campus buildings, a 2,600-acre main campus, off-campus educational facilities in six regions, a study-abroad site in Switzerland, and a 1,700-acre agriculture research farm near the main campus. Through a combination of its three missions of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement, Virginia Tech continually strives to accomplish the charge of its motto: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Virginia Tech is home to 28,469 students and 1,304 full-time faculty members, who together created an environment conducive to learning, discovery, and achievement. Little wonder the typical freshman admitted to the Class of 2010 had a high school grade point average of 3.80, and an average cumulative SAT reasoning test score was 1231. ``Hokie Nation,'' is comprised of more than 190,000 living alumni from every state and more than 100 countries.

Virginia Tech offers bachelor's degree programs through its seven undergraduate academic colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Urban Studies, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Natural Resources, Pamplin College of Business, and Science.

The university offers masters and doctoral degree programs through the Graduate School and a professional degree from the Virginia- Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. It is also a research powerhouse. In fiscal year 2006, the university generated $321.7 million for research program. Each year, Virginia Tech receives significant external support for research, instruction, Extension, and public service projects. Support for these projects originates from an ever-expanding base of sponsors. Today, nearly 775 sponsors fund more than 3,500 active projects. Researchers pursue new discoveries in agriculture, biotechnology, information and communication technology, transportation, energy management (including leadership in fuel-cell technology and power electronics), and a wide range of other engineering, scientific, social science, and creative fields. This research led to 87 disclosures, 17 patents, and 20 licenses in calendar year 2005.

But that seemed to matter little on Monday, which was the last day on earth for more than 30 members of the Virginia Tech family. Among them were future scientists, engineers, teachers, doctors, soldiers, fathers, mothers, friends, and leaders. All of them cut down in a hail of bullets before they reached the prime of their lives. So many promising lives interrupted; so many promising lives wasted.

The New York Times noted in its editorial that as the investigation of the Virginia Tech shootings unfolds in coming days, it will be important to ascertain whether there were any hints of the tragedy to come and what might be done to head off such horrors in the future. Campuses are inherently open communities and it is not easy to guarantee a safe haven.

But the carnage at Virginia Tech also commands that we here in this body take a stand against senseless acts of violence whether here in our own country or elsewhere around the world. It is long past time for our national community to declare that injuries inflicted on any member of the community by another simply based on hate or hatred of differences poses a threat to the peace and security of the entire community. For that reason alone, such conduct must be condemned and punished severely, if not prevented altogether.

As the poet Nikki Giovanni stated so eloquently yesterday in her stirring address at the convocation held by the university yesterday in Blacksburg:

We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We

are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave

enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we

must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing

to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of

AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night

away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does

the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for

ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh

water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the

middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built

with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the

land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open

heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We

are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are

better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are

alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will

continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and

through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech.

Mr. Speaker, we will prevail against senseless acts of violence. We will prevail against uncontrolled rage and anger. We will prevail against hatred and intolerance.

Today we are all members of the Hokie Nation. We are Virginia Tech.

Madam Speaker, I missed rollcall votes during the week of April 16, 2007. On rollcall vote No. 214, the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1677, the Tax Payer Protection Act, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 215, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 196, supporting the goals and ideals of World Water Day, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 216, the motion to suspend the rules and agree, as amended, to H. Con. Res. 100, condemning the recent violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 217, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 273, supporting the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 218, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 76, honoring the 50th Anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall vote No. 219, ordering the previous question, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 220, agreeing to H. Res. 301, the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1257, Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 221, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 306, offering heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families regarding the horrific violence at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, I would have voted ``yea''; on rollcall vote No. 222, agreeing to the Chabot of Ohio Amendment No. 1, I would have voted ``nay''; on rollcall vote No. 223, agreeing to the Chabot of Ohio Amendment No. 2, I would have voted ``no''; on rollcall vote No. 224, the motion to recommit, with instructions, H.R. 1361, the Relief for Entrepreneurs: Coordination of Objectives and Values for Effective Recovery Act, I would have voted ``nay.''

On rollcall vote No. 225, passage of H.R. 1361, the Relief for Entrepreneurs: Coordination of Objectives and Values for Effective Recovery Act, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 226, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 300, commending the achievements of the Rutgers University women's basketball team and applauding the character and integrity of their student-athletes, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 227, the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 293, supporting the goals and ideals highlighted through National Volunteer Week, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 228, ordering the previous question on H. Res. 317, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 229, agreeing to H. Res. 317, providing for consideration of H.R. 1905 and H.R. 1906, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 230, the motion to recommit with instructions H.R. 1905, I

would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 231, passage of H.R. 1905, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Bill, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 232, passage of H.R. 1906, Adjustment of Estimated Tax Payment Safe Harbor for Individual Taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Income Greater than $5 Million, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall vote No. 233, the motion to recommit with instructions H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 234, passage of H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 235, the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1591, I would have voted ``yea''; On rollcall vote No. 236, agreeing to the Sessions Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 237, agreeing to the Garrett Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 238, agreeing to the Campbell Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 239, agreeing to the McHenry Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 240, agreeing to the Price Amendment, I would have voted ``No.''

On rollcall vote No. 241, agreeing to the Putnam Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 242, agreeing to the Price Amendment, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 243, the motion to recommit H.R. 1257, I would have voted ``no''; On rollcall vote No. 244, passage of H.R. 1257, the Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

I thank the gentleman. I thank the majority leader and the Speaker and the other Members of our delegation for their comments.

The tranquil campus of Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg has been shattered by the actions of a lone gunman. The horror that the Virginia Tech community has experienced this week is something that every parent, every American hopes they never have to learn has affected their families and friends.

I have a great appreciation for Virginia Tech, one of America's preeminent research institutions, having advanced from one of the original land grant universities. Thousands of people in my district which neighbors Blacksburg have gone to school there, have sent their children there, and are members of Hokie Nation. During my time in this body, I have had graduates and students of Virginia Tech work and intern for me. For years I have known what a special place it is, with its affiliated campuses and offices spread throughout the Sixth District and across the great Commonwealth of Virginia. Yet it is with great sadness that the rest of the world has come to know the compassion of Virginia Tech only through this tragedy. Although this horrendous and unspeakable violence showed the worst of mankind, it also showed what those of us who have been a part of the Tech community for years have always known--the students, the instructors, the administrators, and the citizens of Blacksburg care deeply for one another and take great pride in their community. Even in the worst circumstances, the Virginia Tech community showed great compassion for their fellow man and did what they could to help each other. Liviu

Librescu, a survivor of the Holocaust, blocked the doorway of his classroom so that his students could climb out the windows to safety. Ryan Clark, a resident adviser in the West Ambler Johnston Hall, rushed into the hallway to help his fellow students when the first attack came and became the second victim. And I was deeply saddened to learn that one of my constituents, Henry Lee, a graduate of William Fleming High School in Roanoke, was among those who died in the attack on Norris Hall. Two other of my constituents from Harrisonburg, Virginia, Heidi Miller, an undergraduate, and Guillermo Colman, a graduate student, were wounded and thankfully are okay. Now, following this brutal action, throughout the campus and community, students are relying on each other to cope with what has happened, but they will not let the sorrow and pain that has overtaken them this week be the lasting legacy to those whose lives were lost. Under the leadership of President Charles Steger, the Virginia Tech community will become stronger as a result of this. Their compassion will reach far beyond the town of Blacksburg, deep into what is affectionately known as Hokie Nation. Their vocal pride in their community will not be silenced by the actions of one misguided soul.

I was very moved as I witnessed the process begun yesterday at the convocation at Cassell Coliseum. Speaker after speaker, including the President, the Governor, and so many great leaders at Tech spoke of not only the grief, but of overcoming the grief and moving forward to a brighter and better future.

For the families who have lost sons and daughters, fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters, I grieve for you and your loved ones. You will forever remain in the prayers of this Nation, and I hope that in time you can come to find peace.

For the Virginia Tech community, although we grieve today, and what has happened will never leave our minds, I know that you will take this tragedy and use it to build a stronger campus and a more compassionate community for all.

Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the headline atop the front page of yesterday's edition of the Virginia Tech student newspaper captured what all of us are feeling right now: ``Heartache.'' On behalf of my colleagues on the Education and Labor Committee, my staff, my family, and my constituents, I extend my deepest sympathy and offer my prayers to Virginia Tech students, staff, administration and families.

Our institutions of higher education are places where students begin to embrace adulthood, where they begin to relish a new found freedom and indeed where they begin to realize their dreams. For that to be cut short for these young men and women by such a senseless act is beyond anyone's comprehension. So all we can do is mourn, comfort one another and pray that the Virginia Tech community and our Nation may begin to heal in the aftermath of this unspeakable tragedy.

The collective feeling inside of this building over the last few days is much like the feeling we experienced on September 11 and the days that followed when we cast aside our differences and united to stand with the victims, their families and their communities. Today, just as back then, it is a time not for politics or a time to take advantage of such a horrific turn of events to push a partisan agenda. And similarly today, just as back then, it is not a time to misdirect any blame toward anyone other than the perpetrator of this massacre. In this case, as we currently understand it, this blame belongs squarely to a single gunman who acted selfishly, brutally and without regard for human life.

Mr. Speaker, I also believe that we owe sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Virginia Tech's administration, law enforcement officers, faculty and students for the way they have handled these last 3 days. Simply put, no one

could have imagined this series of crimes that has risen to the level of the deadliest in U.S. history. These men and women have done their very best to respond to it. And as we witnessed at the convocation a day ago in Blacksburg, they are doing so with a deep respect and love for the campus they call home.

May that spirit carry them through the difficult weeks, months and years ahead. And may we learn from their example as we tackle the challenges that we face as a Nation in the aftermath of this great tragedy.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the amount of time left.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I am happy to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. Speaker, at this time I recognize the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge our colleagues to support this resolution.

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