Supporting the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week.

Mr. Speaker, the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition has designated June 13-19 as ``High-Performance Building Week.'' During this week, we are recognizing the importance of energy efficient building design, with the goal of driving our country toward a more sustainable future.

Buildings throughout our nation are responsible for over 39 percent of our annual carbon emissions, and for 12 percent of the potable water consumption as well as over 70 percent of the electricity use in the United States. The dramatic energy consumption of our buildings is damaging in the long run, and it is imperative that we make energy efficiency part and parcel of the building and operations of our places of work and shelter.

As a Californian, I recognize the importance of sound energy policy and environmental protection. California stands as a leader in these fields, having a range of accomplishments related to our environment and energy independence. The city of San Jose has already begun the process of retrofitting and meeting green building standards with its Green Vision program. Universities throughout the state have installed solar systems to power their electricity needs. Students from high schools and universities in my district have formed recycling initiatives, built solar cars and houses for competitions, and held eco-friendly fundraising fashion shows; each of these steps may seem small but is a critical part of a bigger national stride.

The efforts of Californians are echoed by many in the House of Representatives. I was privileged to be a part of establishing the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition in order to deal with problems including that of the built environment. We feel it is essential that the House gives priority to consideration of energy and environmental issues, and applaud resolutions like H. Res. 1407, supporting the ideals of ``High-Performance Building Week,'' which focuses attention on all aspects of high-performance buildings, including the role they play in reducing impact of humans on our climate.

In addition to creating more energy-efficient buildings, we also need to address the efficiency of the electronics inside our homes. Our household electronics consume a massive amount of energy--the power to run them cost Americans $80 billion last year, but that is a small number compared to the projected $200 billion in electricity they will consume by 2030 unless something changes. We need to consider the potential for integrated smart electronics that will both heal the energy wounds we have created as well as provide a cost-effective solution for consumers. In April, I introduced the Smart Electronics Act, H.R. 5070, to help green the electronics industry by providing the private sector with reliable standards and incentives and by educating and empowering consumers to make smarter and more efficient choices-- all of which help cool the planet and keep Silicon Valley innovative.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I commemorate the progress we are making toward a sustainably responsible future. Focusing on creating energy-efficient building envelopes as well as smarter electronics inside homes inspires our communities to work toward the next generation of energy independence and environmental justice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1330, a resolution that supports the goals and ideals of National Hurricane Preparedness Week. I also want to thank my colleague, the honorable Mario Diaz-Balart, for introducing this important resolution.

My district is in the wake of many hurricanes that make their way into the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane season has a profound impact on our way of life in the Gulf. For example, our latest hurricane, Hurricane Ike, wreaked havoc on Texas, particularly in Galveston and Houston. As we moved forward with recovery efforts, it was clear that the impact of this storm has been widespread and many people are still in need of assistance. Lost in the discussion of Sunday's World Refugee Day was the group of internally displaced individuals from Ike, Rita, and especially Katrina.

Unfortunately, Texans are still in need of help, especially the neglected residents of North Galveston. Let us use this time to examine how FEMA and HUD are responding to citizens so that we can continue to provide the aid people desperately need to fully recover from this storm.

I continue working to ensure that Hurricane Ike victims still have access to recovery resources and call for expeditious action, urging a better response and expedited assistance from FEMA, HUD, and local officials. I also call on housing associations to re-open access to housing for Hurricane Ike victims.

Just as we saw in the 9th ward of New Orleans, Louisiana Post- Hurricane Katrina, people in North Galveston have not received the

proper access to government aid to rebuild and recover. In fact, there is still much more rebuilding and desperate need of housing that needs to be done to restore North Galveston and assist the residents who remain there.

We cannot allow the hurricane victims to be forgotten. Throughout the Post-Hurricane Ike recovery efforts, many individuals have had difficulties and challenges getting the government aid that they need to rebuild after the storm. Many have lost their jobs or are at risk of losing their employment due to damages incurred by the hurricane, including the more than 2,400 employees of the University of Texas Medical Branch, UTMB, who were recently terminated. We must protect our citizens and their means of living as we continue to recover from this storm.

There are men, women, and children who have lost so much due to flood waters and storm winds. I have been proud to stand up repeatedly in Congress to fight on their behalf by securing the necessary Federal funds. We must work together to ensure that our Nation does its part to help Hurricane Ike victims fully recover by ensuring the delivery of these funds that we worked so hard to appropriate. As a senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, which has oversight over the Federal Emergency Management Administration, FEMA, I am working to ensure that our communities respond expeditiously to natural disasters. The protection of our homeland and the security of our neighborhoods are at the forefront of my agenda.

For the foregoing reasons I stand in support of making this legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1407) supporting the goals and ideals of High- Performance Building Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 1407, the resolution now under consideration.

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

I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1407, supporting the

goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week.

In 2008, my colleague Representative Judy Biggert and I came together to form the bipartisan High-Performance Buildings Caucus. We both recognized that any conversation about our energy future and the creation of clean-energy jobs must involve our built environment. Investing in building energy-efficiency measures is the most immediate and effective way to reduce carbon pollution, lower energy demand, create good clean-energy jobs, and save American families and businesses money.

The built environment has a larger impact on the overall environment than many think. Each year, our homes, offices, schools, and other buildings account for about 40 percent of our total energy consumption. They consume 70 percent of all electricity from the grid, 60 percent of all raw materials, and 12 percent of all potable water in the United States alone. Through more efficient building practices and new technologies, we are beginning to address these problems in our built environment, but there is still much more to do.

I am a strong advocate of increasing the number of high-performance building technologies and construction throughout the U.S. A high- performance building is one that incorporates an entire-systems approach to building which includes energy and water efficiencies, lifecycle cost analysis, and other environmental attributes into designs that are accessible, secure, resilient, and in many cases, historically preserved.

High-performance buildings are more important in these difficult economic times because of their reduced energy cost, higher building values, and lower overall operating and maintenance costs.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with many companies and manufacturers that work in this field. The majority of all building products are American-made and manufactured. This is key because here in the U.S., building construction is responsible for 15 percent of GDP per year. And according to the U.S. Green Building Council, greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

The retrofitting of existing buildings or the design and construction of new high-performance buildings will have enormous impacts on the growth of our economy and securing our energy independence.

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.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and I rise today in support of the resolution, but I really wanted to support the previous resolution, but I was in a conference.

As the co-chair of the High-Performance Buildings Caucus, I am delighted to join my colleague and caucus co-chair, Congressman Russ Carnahan, to recognize June 13 through June 19 as High-Performance Building Week, House Resolution 1407.

Last week's celebration was marked by numerous events, including Hill briefings and offsite green infrastructure tours, and I would like to thank the National Institute for Building Sciences, the American Society for Landscape Architects, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology for organizing these tours throughout last week.

Congressman Carnahan and I first formed the High-Performance Buildings Caucus in 2008 to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on our health, safety, and environment. Through monthly briefings, we explore the opportunities to design, construct, and operate high-performance buildings that reflect our concern for these impacts. In fact, since we first started this caucus, we've had almost 25 briefings on everything from lighting technology and building modeling to smart-grid facilities management and green job creation.

Understanding how every element of a building affects us--and our energy bill--is important. Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy used in the U.S. while emitting 39 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. Perhaps a more surprising statistic is that Americans spend, on average, 90 percent of their time indoors. With this in mind, new building construction and sustainability of our current building inventory is more important now than ever.

Consider two statistics from the U.S. Green Building Council: Students with optimum daylight in the classroom performed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent faster on reading tests in 1 year than those with less daylight. Improvements with indoor environments are estimated to save $17 billion to $48 billion in total health gains and $20 billion to $160 billion in worker performance.

Most importantly, a 2009 McKinsey study on energy efficiency demonstrates the potential for the residential building sector to reduce its energy consumption by 35 percent over the next 10 years, and 40 percent in the industrial sector. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, it is important that we maintain our commitment to and awareness of high- performance buildings and the benefits they offer society.

We could not honor the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week without thanking those groups that have helped us over the last 2 years. Dozens of building and standard organizations make up the High- Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus Coalition. I know I speak for myself and my fellow caucus co-chair when I say thank you for your help educating, researching, and advancing the goal of high-performance buildings.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1388) supporting the goals and ideals of National Hurricane Preparedness Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 1388, the resolution now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, on June 1, hurricane season began in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane forecasters have predicted an above-average year for tropical storms and hurricanes for 2010. As we enter hurricane season, it is therefore very timely to consider this resolution recognizing the importance of hurricane preparedness.

Hurricanes are among the most powerful forces of nature we experience. As the tragedies from past storms have taught us, it is vitally important that Federal, State, and local governments work together to better prepare the coastal communities for these powerful storms to minimize the loss of life and costly physical damage. Part of this effort is educating the public about hurricanes and hurricane preparedness. The National Hurricane Center at NOAA is a critical resource in this effort. In addition to providing us with the hurricane forecasting information that coastal communities all rely on, the National Hurricane Center also focuses considerable effort in educating coastal communities about hurricane preparedness. This includes recommendations from what supplies to have handy if you live in a hurricane-prone region to encouraging people to craft personal evacuation plans in the event of a storm. These seemingly small steps can make an enormous difference in saving lives.

We don't have any hurricanes in my home State of Missouri, but these same lessons of preparedness for deadly weather can be seen in the Midwest. Living in ``Tornado Alley,'' we know all too well the consequences of not being prepared for action when the tornado warnings go off. Unfortunately, all too often the results from being unprepared is a loss of life.

It really is hard to understate the importance of adequate preparation and preparedness in these regions of our country that are susceptible to dangerous weather. I want to thank my friend from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart) for introducing this important resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just want to add again my thanks to the gentlelady from Illinois for her leadership on the High-Performance Buildings Caucus and for being here to speak on behalf of the prior resolution.

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

Mr. 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.