A bill to extend by 3 years the authorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, the E-Verify Program, the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program, and the Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3245) to extend by 3 years the authorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, the E-Verify Program, the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program, and the Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on S. 3245, currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I'd like to thank the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and ranking member for introducing this legislation and for working with me to help ensure that four key immigration- related programs do not expire at the end of this month.

This Congress must ensure there is a national business climate that fosters the ability of private enterprise to create jobs for Americans and legal workers.

S. 3245, which extends for 3 years the E-Verify, EB-5 Regional Center Pilot, the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver, and the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker programs, helps achieve this goal in several ways.

First, the E-Verify program allows employers to electronically verify that newly hired employees are authorized to work in the United States. The program is free, quick, and easy to use. Nearly 400,000 American employers use E-Verify, and over 1,000 new businesses sign up for it every week.

The American public overwhelmingly supports E-Verify. Last year, a Rasmussen poll found that 82 percent of likely voters ``think businesses should be required to use the Federal Government's E-Verify system to determine if a potential employee is in the country legally.''

E-Verify has also received bipartisan congressional support in the past. In 2008, the House passed a 5-year extension of E-Verify by a vote of 407-2. And in 2009, the Senate passed a permanent E-Verify extension by voice vote.

Ensuring that businesses have access to E-Verify will help preserve jobs for the 23 million Americans who are currently unemployed or looking for full-time work.

The investor visa program also helps create jobs for Americans. Under this program, 10,000 immigrants can receive permanent residence each year if they engage in a new commercial enterprise, invest between $500,000 and $1 million in the business, and see that it creates 10 full-time jobs for American workers.

The Regional Center Pilot Project, which is almost two decades old, has reinvigorated the investor visa program. Investment through a regional center is especially attractive to potential investors because they are relieved of the responsibility of running a new business. They can also count indirect job creation towards the job creation requirement. Most investor visa petitions now involve regional centers.

It appears that investors may feel more confident about a regional center that is operated through a State or city government. In these hard economic times, many State and local governments have turned to regional centers as a method of generating economic growth.

The Association to Invest in the United States of America has estimated the regional center program has created or saved over 65,000 jobs in the U.S. and has led to the investment of over $3 billion in the U.S. economy.

S. 3245 also extends for 3 years a program that has successfully brought needed doctors to medically underserved areas in the U.S. This program was designed by Senator Kent Conrad. It allows foreign doctors who have been in the U.S. on exchange programs to stay at the conclusion of their residencies if they agree to practice medicine for at least 3 years in health professional shortage areas. This is a valuable provision, and I support its reauthorization.

Finally, S. 3245 extends the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program. Under this program, 5,000 immigrant visas can be issued to nonminister individuals who have been members of the denomination and who have worked in the capacity for which they are applying for at least the 2 years immediately following the visa applications. Historically, the program has been plagued by fraud, but the Bush administration took steps to help prevent much of the fraud, and now many churches and religious organizations in the United States rely on these immigrant nonministers. I look forward to making statutory changes aimed at even more fraud prevention, and I support the program's extension.

Again, I want to thank Senator Leahy and Senator Grassley for their leadership on this bill. All four of these programs are important, and I urge my colleagues to support S. 3245.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for her continued interest and leadership in the subject of immigration, and I especially appreciate her support of this bill today.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of

Representatives,

Washington, DC, September 10, 2012.

Hon. Lamar Smith,

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to confirm our mutual

understanding with respect to the consideration of S. 3245, a

bill that reauthorizes certain immigration provisions. Thank

you for consulting with the Committee on Education and the

Workforce with regard to S. 3245 on those matters within the

committee's jurisdiction.

In the interest of expediting the House's consideration of

S. 3245, the Committee on Education and the Workforce will

forgo further consideration on this bill. However, I do so

only with the understanding that this procedural route will

not be construed to prejudice the committee's jurisdictional

interest and prerogatives on this bill or any other similar

legislation and will not be considered as precedent for

consideration of matters of jurisdictional interest to my

committee in the future.

I respectfully request your support for the appointment of

outside conferees from the Committee on Education and the

Workforce should this bill or a similar bill be considered in

a conference with the Senate. I also request that you include

our exchange of letters on this matter in the Committee

Report on S. 3245 and in the Congressional Record during

consideration of this bill on the House floor. Thank you for

your attention to these matters.

Sincerely,

John Kline,

Chairman.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation, with Senators Blumenthal, Brown, Cantwell, Merkley, Vitter, and Wyden, that will codify an agreement reached by the nation's largest egg producer organization, the United Egg Producers, and the largest animal welfare organization, the Humane Society of the United States.

In its most simple terms, the legislation sets a national standard for the treatment of egg-laying hens and the labeling of eggs.

As of today, 6 States, including California, have set their own standards about how egg-laying hens should be raised, and 18 other States allow citizen ballot initiatives could initiate similar laws in the future.

These State standards will make it difficult for egg producers to freely ship across State lines.

Starting in 2015, eggs produced in Iowa, Indiana and other egg- exporting states can no longer be shipped to California because the hens will have been raised in cages that do not meet California's standards.

Different standards in Michigan and Ohio will take effect later, further adding to the patchwork of regulations.

As States with disparate standards continue to protect their own egg producers by banning the sale of eggs from States with lower or no standards, a complicated web of State laws will impair interstate commerce.

I have met with a number of egg producers and their concerns vary.

For some producers, different regulations increase costs because new cages must be designed for each State in which they operate.

Other producers fear that egg prices in states without regulations will plummet as imports flood their market.

Some egg producers selling to national grocery stores will have to produce eggs that meet different standards in different States.

Concerns don't end with producers.

Consumers can expect to see higher prices at grocery stores and restaurants will have to pay more for every egg they prepare.

Millions of individuals, including myself, are concerned about the living conditions of these animals.

That is why I am pleased to introduce this legislation today. The United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States worked for over a year to reach this compromise, and I believe it is one that strikes a very fair balance.

Producers must enlarge cages for egg-laying hens and allow space for the birds to engage in natural behaviors such as nesting and perching.

Producers will have up to 18 years to meet this standard and make the required investments.

The legislation will officially outlaw the practice of starving chickens to increase egg-production, a cruel practice that is rarely used today, and one with consensus to end.

The bill will also lead to improved air quality in hen-houses by prohibiting excessive ammonia levels and it requires humane euthanasia of spent hens. This is also already common practice in the industry.

At its heart, this legislation is about protecting the future of the egg industry.

The egg industry brought this legislation to Congress and has asked us to help them implement the uniform regulations needed to survive and grow.

With this legislation, egg producers will have the market certainty they need and a reasonable timetables to make the required changes.

Producers need these uniform national standards so they can invest in new cages without facing the risk of more stringent state laws rendering their investments moot.

The egg industry is prepared to make these investments, many of which can be accomplished during the normal course of replacing aged equipment.

In addition to promoting industry stability, this bill will save jobs and strengthen the economy.

Furthermore, consumers are already embracing these reforms. Polls indicate broad support for the provisions in this bill and for humane treatment of egg-laying hens in general.

A recent survey found that 64 percent of Americans say that these newer facilities should be required through Federal legislation.

A majority, 58 percent, of American consumers also support a national standard.

The survey found 92 percent of consumers support the industry transitioning to these new enriched cages.

Candidly, it is not often that we see this sort of compromise in Washington.

Two groups that have been in fundamental conflict for years sat down and reached a deal.

The egg industry and the Humane Society are lock-step in their support for this bill. They are joined in endorsing the bill by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Consumer Federation of America.

Even though the egg industry supports this bill, some still target this legislation as anti-agriculture they suggest the legislation will somehow be applied to, or set a precedent for Federal regulation of other industries.

That is simply not the case.

I want to be clear: requirements in the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 only apply to the production of eggs. The bill will not affect any other agricultural product including beef, pork, poultry and milk.

This legislation is a responsible compromise between those who advocate for more humane treatment for egg-laying hens and those who put breakfast on our tables.

I hope that even in this partisan climate we can enact this commonsense and widely endorsed legislation.

This legislation protects restaurants, bakers, food processors and American consumers from unnecessarily high egg prices. It protects egg producers from having eggs they can't sell.

This legislation is a reasonable, widely-supported solution to a real, costly and growing problem. The bill has the support of the United Egg Producers, which represents nearly 90 percent of the Nation's egg industry, as well as nine state and regional egg producer groups, more than 100 individual egg farms and more than 880 other family farms.

I urge you to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its current form.

Madam Speaker, I am offering this amendment to improve this legislation and truly show this Chamber's support for our veterans and men and women in uniform by preventing their pay and services from being impacted by a potential government shutdown next year. The underlying bill we are voting on today lacks key provisions that are needed to protect our veterans in Active Duty military. My amendment will add these provisions.

My amendment will ensure that our patriotic military men and women are not victims of partisan gridlock. My amendment ensures that basic military pay will not be interrupted in a potential shutdown. My amendment guarantees that our Armed Forces will be paid for the entire year, not just for the 6-month duration authorized by this continuing resolution.

Unfortunately, Congress has failed to do its job, and we cannot allow a government shutdown to impact the basic pay of our men and women in uniform. This is a guarantee and an assurance that they have a right to expect we will uphold no matter what.

My amendment also addresses the fact that three critical Veterans Administration authorizations are set to expire at the end of the year.

The first is for Contract Medical Disability Authority. Without this extension which my amendment provides, the VA would not be able to pay for contract medical exams from discretionary funds. This could significantly delay veterans' receipt of benefits.

The second authorization which my amendment extends would give the VA the authority to establish sites to treat homeless veterans and those with mental illness. Without this extension, the VA would not be able to provide these essential services at these sites.

The third VA authorization set to expire helps the VA provide housing and treatment to homeless veterans with a serious mental illness. Again, without this extension, the VA would no longer be able to provide for therapeutic transitional housing assistance for veterans who are homeless or who have a serious mental illness.

Our veterans stepped forward when we asked them to serve this great Nation. In return, it is our undeniable responsibility to help them find employment when they are able to work and to care for them when they are not. Tonight, there are about 70,000 homeless veterans who will sleep on the streets of our country. This is a situation that is absolutely deplorable, and we must act to provide them with the assistance they deserve.

None of what I've proposed here should be a partisan issue. This is about keeping our sacred promise to those who have defended our freedoms. There are nearly 100,000 veterans in my southern Arizona district and two military installations--Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, where I grew up and where my father was deployed, and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista and the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard just across the district line.

I am offering this amendment in thinking of the men and women who are stationed there and across this Nation and across the world. During our recent work period, I went to the airport in Tucson to honor the men and women of our Army National Guard as they left for deployment in Afghanistan. I told them and their families, on behalf of all of us, how grateful we are for their service. Today, I ask you to join with me in putting action behind those words. This is not a partisan issue. We can and must find common ground in this Chamber on this very issue.

This morning, my colleague Congressman Platts and I introduced a bipartisan bill, the Veterans Health Care Access Act. Our bill will make it easier for veterans to get access to the health care they need. What other issue we face is more important than this to both sides of the aisle than supporting our Armed Forces and our veterans?

At a time when we need to get services to our veterans who are newly returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, we cannot be creating uncertainty and allowing a lapse of service or pay. This is about the Army sergeant I met on the flight going home who is now diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury and who will soon be medically discharged. He deserves to know that we will stand up for him and others like him.

Let me say again that the passage of this amendment will not prevent the passage of the underlying bill. I urge my Republican and Democratic colleagues alike to vote ``yes'' on this final amendment and to support our military and to support our veterans.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. President, today, the Senate worked together to advance bipartisan legislation that Senator Grassley and I introduced, and I thank all Senators for their support. I am very pleased that the Senate has agreed to pass this important legislation as it has been amended. I especially commend Senator Grassley, Senator Hatch, Senator Conrad, and Senator Schumer for their collaboration. And I thank Senator Menendez for working with us to get this done in the Senate.

This legislation contains extensions for four long-standing immigration programs for another 3 years. These programs, last authorized in the fiscal year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations law, are set to expire on September 30, 2012. Today's actions are a step toward avoiding that result, and maintaining the progress and benefits that these programs provide to many American communities and constituencies.

A program that I have long supported with Senators on both sides of aisle, the EB-5 Regional Center Program, has brought tens of thousands of jobs and billions in capital investment to communities across the United States at no cost to the taxpayer. This program represents one small corner of our overall immigration system, yet it results in enormous benefits for so many communities, including Vermont, where our Governors across administrations and business leaders have put it to use to make Vermont a better place for its citizens. The economic transformation we have seen in some Vermont communities as the direct result of this program is profound. Over the last several years, Vermonters who might have been out of work in a struggling economy found themselves working to build up Vermont companies, building Vermont products, and supporting economic activity in their communities. And so today, business leaders and entrepreneurs in Vermont, along with Vermont's Governor Peter Shumlin and his economic development team will continue to have this tool to help raise the capital Vermont needs to continue its innovation and economic growth.

Job creation and capital investment in America is something I know we can all support, and today I am proud to say we have done just that. I want to give my thanks to the Association to Invest in the U.S.A., the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and all of the entrepreneurs and businesses large and small across the United States that have realized the economic benefits of this program and that have so strongly supported my efforts.

The bill we pass today also continues programs important to Senator Hatch and Senator Conrad. Today we take a step toward carrying on Senator Conrad's program to encourage foreign doctors trained in the United States to practice medicine in medically underserved rural areas. And today we move to continue Senator Hatch's program to give United States religious institutions the ability to invite foreign citizens of shared faith to their communities to carry out good works and to help others.

And this legislation reauthorizes the E-Verify work authorization program, which I know is very important to the Judiciary Committee's ranking member and other Senators. This program gives American employers a tool to ensure that those they hire are legally authorized to work in the United States. Yet it maintains its status as a voluntary program for employers, and maintains that choice for our businesses large and small to participate if they choose.

I regret that it has been such a long road for us to get to this point today. These measures should be the easy ones. The politics of immigration continue to make our progress difficult not only on the broader measures that America needs, but on the smaller ones that Congress has supported for many years. So I am pleased the Senate has

acted in support of all of these programs today. I would have liked to see these programs made permanent after the many years they have been in existence they should be. But I also understand that with permanence, the Senate should look at ways to improve them where possible so that they are more secure and more effective. I am prepared to do that.

Though we take a small step forward today with these reauthorizations, I remain as committed today to tackle comprehensive immigration reform as I was when I supported President Bush in 2006 and 2007 in his efforts to make real change in our laws. I expect we will be there again soon and I look forward to the day we will once again begin the effort to strengthen and protect our entire immigration system.

Mr. President, today, the House of Representatives passed S. 3245, legislation to reauthorize the job-creating EB-5 Regional Center Program for an additional 3 years. In addition to this important program, the legislation also prevents the expiration of three other immigration programs important to Senator Conrad, Senator Hatch, and Senator Grassley.

I am very pleased the House acted with such strong bipartisan support, and I commend House Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith for his quick action on the bill. Once again I thank the Judiciary Committee's ranking member, Senator Grassley, for his partnership on this legislation.

Passage of this legislation in the House today will ensure that the job-creating EB-5 Regional Center Program will continue. Today's action will allow the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to continue to improve and grow the program administratively and will give me and other interested lawmakers, agency officials, and private citizens the time needed to consider and find consensus on lasting statutory improvements to the program so that it may continue as a permanent and vital part of our immigration system. Most importantly, it will allow American entrepreneurs to continue building job-creating development projects around the country.

This program is and will remain a productive part of America's immigration system. Like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the United States is right to provide the world's citizens the opportunity to immigrate to its shores based upon investment. This program welcomes people from around the world who devote substantial investment capital to American businesses to invigorate American communities. And it does so at no cost to the American taxpayer. Moreover, those who immigrate through this program will purchase

real estate and other goods, enroll their children in our schools, colleges, and universities, pay taxes, and enrich the communities in which they will live and work.

As the availability of credit in the United States has become restricted, particularly for new and small businesses, many have turned to this program for capital. The program's growth over the last several years has been significant. And with increased growth comes the need for the law to keep pace and for the administering agency to adapt to this growth and devote the necessary resources. As we move forward, I look forward to continuing my work on comprehensive legislation to make this program an efficient, more productive, and permanent part of our immigration law. We have already seen many instances of the way in which this program can harness together many individual investments to do big things in many communities. But the law can and will benefit from some improvement in the coming months, and I stand ready to work with any Senators who recognize the value and potential of this program.

Our immigration law provides 10,000 visas each year for this program. When this program reaches the point at which it is fully subscribed, based on the minimum required investment amount and the statutory job creation requirement, it has the potential to direct $5 billion in foreign capital investment into American communities each year, with the potential for the creation of 100,000 American jobs. And that calculation does not take into account the domestic capital that can be attracted when projects are capitalized and carried out through this program or the ancillary benefits that communities experience when local economies are strengthened, nor does it account for the immeasurable contributions that new Americans make to our communities across the country every day.

We all recognize the need to take steps to do whatever we can to spur our economy and create jobs for American citizens. I have no doubt that the action taken unanimously by the Senate on August 3 and the decisive action taken by the House of Representatives today to complete the legislative process on this bill will help us meet this shared goal.