Providing for the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 36) establishing a select committee to investigate and report on the attack on the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Mr. Speaker, as the 113th Congress comes to a close, it is my pleasure to note all of the legislative actions that I have taken in my tenure in this Congress.

In the 113th Congress, I introduced the following legislation:

H.R. 4587--Fifth Amendment Restoration Act. This bill sought to stop the Federal Government from stealing people's property by abolishing the use of civil asset forfeiture.

H.R. 5777--Cryptocurrency Protocol Protection and Moratorium Act. This bill sought to protect cryptocurrencies by imposing a five year moratorium on new cryptocurrency regulations.

H.R. 5755--Safer American Streets Act. This bill sought to withhold certain highway funds from a State that uses an automated traffic enforcement system on a Federal-aid highway.

H.R. 5756--Heller Public Firearms Range Act of 2014. This bill sought to restore a public firearms range to the District of Columbia.

H.R. 5757--Honoring Workers' Rights Act. This bill sought to rename the headquarters of the Department of Labor in honor of right to work activist Reed Larson.

H.R. 5734--Right of Return Act. This bill sought to establish a lasting peace in the Middle East by defunding UNRWA, defunding the Palestinian Authority, and directing the Secretary of State to call for Israel to extend sovereignty of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza with the Arab population residing in those territories to be given a right of return to the countries who controlled those territories from 1949 to 1967.

H.R. 5726--Freedom From Foreign Influence Act. This bill sought to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue promptly permits allowing energy resources exploration and extraction in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

H.R. 5718--Stockman Effect Act. This bill sought to direct the National Science Foundation to commission a study on the potential impact of a polar magnetic shift on the weather.

H.R. 5717--Report the Costs Act. This bill sought to require annual reports from agencies detailing the cost of multilingual services, to end speculation about the cost of multilingual services provided by the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

H.R. 5473--James Boulet National Language Act of 2014. This bill sought to make English the official language of the United States, require that official U.S. government functions be conducted in English, and require the U.S. government to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States.

H.R. 5472--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service currently located at 16281 U.S. Highway 59 in Moscow, Texas, as the ``Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya Memorial Post Office''. This bill sought to name the post office in Moscow, Texas in honor of Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya, an American journalist who was assassinated in Moscow, Russia as a result of her coverage of the human rights abuses committed by the regime of Vladimir Putin.

H.R. 5433--Stop Funding Terrorism Act. This bill sought to prohibit any direct U.S. assistance, loan guarantee, or debt relief to the Palestinian Authority.

H.R. 5316--Safely Exacting Cautious Useful Rules for Immigration This Year (SECURITY) Act. This bill sought to secure the border between the United States and Mexico.

H.R. 5202--Personal Information Notification Act. This bill sought to require notification when personally identifying information is disclosed by a Government agency.

H. Amdt. 1033. This amendment to H.R. 4923, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, sought to prohibit funds made available by this Act from being used for the Department of Energy's Loan Program Office.

H. Res. 664--Providing for the arrest of Lois G. Lerner to answer the charge of contempt of Congress.

H. Res. 649, 648, 647, 646, and 645. This series of resolutions sought to direct various federal agencies to disclose emails transmitted by Lois Lerner.

H. Amdt. 941. This amendment to H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015, sought to prohibit the use of funds for any activity that would grant de jure or de facto support of territorial, maritime, or airspace claims made by the People's Republic of China on the international waters or territories of other sovereign nations in the South China, East China, and Yellow Seas.

H. Amdt. 940. This amendment to H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015, sought to prohibit the use of

funds for the procurement of weapons systems that contain rare earth materials, metals, magnets, parts, or components that are produced in Cuba, North Korea, the People's Republic of China, or Venezuela.

H. Amdt. 939. This amendment to H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015, sought to prohibit the use of funds to destroy Department of Defense equipment or ammunition in Afghanistan without such equipment or ammunition first being offered to independent states of the former Soviet Union and major non-NATO allies that are willing to pay for transportation of such equipment or ammunition to such states or allies.

H. Res. 635--Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must allow taxpayers the same lame excuses for missing documentation that the IRS itself is currently proffering.

H.R. 4883--National Rare-Earth Cooperative Act of 2014. This bill sought to provide for the establishment of a National Rare-Earth Refinery Cooperative.

H. Res. 612--Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Mexico should forthwith repatriate Sgt. Andrew Paul Tahmooressi from Mexican prison(s) and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President of the United States should take actions to impose sanctions on Mexico until such time as Sgt. Tahmooressi is released.

H.R. 4774--Veterans' Health Accountability Act. This bill sought to improve the quality of care offered by the Veterans Health Administration.

H. Res. 602--Recognizing the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan.

H.R. 4651--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 601 West Baker Road in Baytown, Texas as the ``Specialist Keith Erin Grace Jr. Memorial Post Office''. This bill sought to name a post office in Baytown, Texas in honor of Keith Erin Grace Jr.

H.R. 4650--European Union Religious Freedom Act. This bill sought to recognize the prohibition of homeschooling, religious methods of meat production, circumcision, or wearing of religious garb as being infringements on religious freedom.

H.R. 4602--Virtual Currency Tax Reform Act. This bill sought to change the status of virtual currencies from property to foreign currency.

H.R. 4581--Prohibiting Discrimination Against Israel Act. This bill sought to prohibit federal funds from going towards international projects that discriminate against Judea and Samaria.

H.R. 4520--Aircraft Positioning Modernization Act. This bill sought to require passenger aircraft to transmit GPS location data.

H.R. 4518--Parental Protection Act. This bill sought to protect the constitutional rights of parents and children.

H.R. 4380--Gun Confiscation and Registration Prevention Act. This bill sought to prohibit gun confiscation and registration.

H.R. 4381--Biometric Information Privacy Act. This bill sought to prohibit firms from selling personal biometric information to third parties.

H.R. 4343--Write the Laws Act. This bill sought to end the unconstitutional delegation of legislative power which was exclusively vested in the Senate and House of Representatives by article I, section 1 of the United States Constitution, and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to issue a report to Congress detailing the extent of the problem of unconstitutional delegation to the end that such delegations can be phased out, thereby restoring the constitutional principle of separation of powers set forth in the first sections of the United States Constitution.

H.R. 3199--Safe Military Bases Act. This bill sought to safeguard military and civilian personnel on military bases by repealing bans on military personnel carrying firearms, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3156--Responsible Implementation of Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2013. This bill sought to reform the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to responsibly protect homeownership.

H. Res. 333--Expressing the firm conviction of the House of Representatives that any continuing resolution or debt ceiling increase it may approve for the duration of the 113th Congress shall affirmatively include a provision specifically prohibiting the expenditure of any federal funds in support of or in implementation or effectuation or enforcement of any provision of the Affordable Care Act (``ObamaCare'').

H. Amdt. 397. This amendment to H.R. 2397, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014, sought to prohibit funds appropriated or made available in this Act from being used for United States military exercises which include any participation by the People's Republic of China.

H.R. 2764--Sanctity of Life Act of 2013. This bill sought to declare that human life shall be deemed to exist from conception.

H. Res. 306--Providing for the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 36) establishing a select committee to investigate and report on the attack on the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

H.R. 2625--Student Protection Act. This bill sought to prohibit the use of appropriated funds for any educational institution which punishes a child for brandishing food which is partially consumed in such a way that the remnant resembles a gun; possessing a toy gun two inches or less in length or made of plastic snap together building blocks; using a finger or hand to simulate a gun; vocalizing imaginary firearms or munitions; wearing a T-shirt that supports Second Amendment rights; drawing a picture of, or possessing an image of, a firearm; or using a writing utensil to simulate a firearm.

H.R. 2606--Stabilization and Reconstruction Integration Act of 2013. This bill sought to establish the United States Office for Contingency Operations.

H.R. 1815--Union Coercion Prevention Act. This bill sought to protect workers from the corrupt and coercive ``Card Check'' system of organizing labor unions.

H.R. 1144--Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement Act. This bill sought to restore an opportunity for tribal economic development on terms that are equal and fair.

H.R. 1143--Federal Correctional Workers Safety Act of 2013. This bill sought to amend the federal criminal code to require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that each prison facility provides a secure firearms storage area for use by all employees who are authorized to carry a firearm, or allow such employees to store their firearm in a Bureau-approved vehicle lockbox.

H.R. 577--Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act. This bill sought to prohibit, in any case arising out of the administration of laws and benefits by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, considering any person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness from being considered adjudicated as a mental defective for purposes of the right to receive or transport firearms without the order or finding of a judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person is a danger to himself or herself or others.

H.R. 576--Save Endangered Species Act of 2013. This bill sought to require the Secretary of the Interior to allow for the taking, export or reimport, delivery, receipt, carrying, and transport, shipment, or sale in interstate or foreign commerce, in the course of a commercial activity, of U.S. captive-bred live scimitar-horned oryx, addax, or dama gazelle, including embryos, gametes, and sport-hunted trophies, as long as certain criteria are met, including that the purpose of such activity is associated with the management or transfer of live wildlife or sport hunting in a manner that contributes to increasing or sustaining captive numbers or to potential reintroduction to range countries.

H.R. 575--Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013. This bill sought to prohibit the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations (U.N.) for a fiscal year unless the President certifies to Congress that the U.N. has not taken action to infringe on the rights of individuals in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of U.S. citizens.

H.R. 410--Restore the Constitution Act of 2013. This bill sought to provide that any executive action infringing on the Second Amendment has no force or effect, and to prohibit the use of funds for certain purposes.

H.R. 35--Safe Schools Act of 2013. This bill sought to amend the federal criminal code to repeal provisions making it unlawful to possess or discharge a firearm in a school zone.

H.R. 33--Audit The Fed Act of 2013. This bill sought to repeal the authority of the Comptroller General (GAO) to carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate federal regulatory agency has consented in writing.

Mr. Speaker, as I deliver my last speech as a Congressman for the 36th District of Texas, I want to begin by once again thanking the people of Southeast Texas for giving me the honor of representing them.

Our oil produces everything from the gas you put in your car to the PVC in an antifracking bumper sticker. We build the spacecraft that explore the stars and the freighters that serve every port in the world. The 36th District's powerful economic reach goes around the world and even into space.

But we in Southeast Texas aren't just known for giving birth to NASA and the world's oil industry. We are also known for fighting for what we believe in no matter the odds.

I first came to Congress in 1995. The man I defeated was a 42-year incumbent, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the most senior Democrat in Congress in one of the most heavily Democrat districts in America. The district had never in 100 years elected a Republican, and he remains the most senior member of Congress to have been defeated in a general election.

I overcame similar odds to return here in 2012. We defeated the President of the Texas Senate in a district he had drawn for himself and was supposed to win without a runoff. We forced a runoff, without him in it, where I defeated a millionaire who outspent me 15 to 1.

My election to this Congress had the lowest dollar-per-vote of any winning federal campaign in America, despite having to face three elections, two of which I was not favored to win.

Those two victories over improbable odds prove anything is possible, if you know how to fight for it.

I bring this up because this Congress faces a monumental fight. The very survival of our constitutional republic is in question.

Will this Congress allow Barack Obama to centralize authority in the White House under an imperial Presidency, or will we take back our Constitutional Republic?

Too many in this chamber are perfectly happy to let Obama render them irrelevant.

I am not one of them. I didn't come here to settle in. I came here to upset things.

I introduced several measures that would restore our congressional oversight and our constitutional republic.

When Barack Obama used Executive Orders to violate the Second Amendment, I fought back. Working with Senator Rand Paul, I introduced the Restore the Constitution Act, which would nullify any executive action and prohibit funding of any action that oversteps the President's constitutional authority.

I also introduced the Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013 to prohibit all UN funding as long as they continue to target peaceful gun owners, as well as the Safe Military Bases Act to allow our soldiers to carry firearms to stop terrorists.

I introduced the first-ever Sanctity of Life Act in 1995, and brought it back to this Congress, to declare that life begins at conception and to end the tragedy of abortion.

I introduced H. Res. 306, which would have forced a vote on establishing a Select Committee to investigate President Obama's bungled response to the terrorist attacks on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The public pressure created by that eventually led to a House investigation of the terrorist act.

I introduced the Virtual Currency Tax Reform Act and the Cryptocurrency Protocol Protection and Moratorium Act to protect the emerging technologies of alternative currencies, which will eventually lead to greater prosperity and economic opportunity for all.

And I introduced the Audit the Fed Act, to require transparency and accountability in the Federal Reserve System.

I helped lead the battle against amnesty for illegal aliens in every possible way. I was able to block the 2013 Senate amnesty bill--which was on a fast track to passage--with the `blue slip' procedure, resulting in the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee declaring the bill in violation of the Constitution.

This year I inspected and reported my findings about our porous border and the inhumane facilities which were used to house illegal alien children. In addition, my SECURITY Act would build the 2,000 mile border fence and eliminate many of the so-called magnet benefits, which would dramatically reduce if not halt illegal immigration.

I also filed five resolutions seeking to force the President, Attorney General, Treasury Secretary, FEC Chairman and Defense Secretary to turn over all emails in their or in the NSA's possession which were sent to or from former IRS official Lois Lerner. Since then, the supposedly lost emails have been uncovered.

The IRS' actions amount to a crime, and one that the highest official should be accountable for.

These acts and resolutions are needed now more than ever, because these next two years will be among the most perilous in American history.

As we saw in the ongoing IRS scandal, the left in America seems intent to use the government to target citizens who speak out.

They did it to Ted Stevens. They did it to Tom DeLay. They're doing it to Rick Perry. And they will do it to you.

This Congress and the next must rein in those activists who weaponize the government to target opponents.

From the IRS to the EPA to the FEC, politicians are perverting the mission of federal agencies. Instead of administering laws passed by Congress, federal agencies are now used to target those whose ideas differ from those in power.

This perversion of power extends to the targeting of law-abiding gun owners by political activists in the Justice Department, the targeting of landowners by political activists in the Interior Department and EPA, and the targeting of people of faith by virtually all federal agencies.

Liberals are building an America where government is used to settle scores and stifle opposing ideas.

Congress must fight back.

We must protect, and restore the Second Amendment by repealing anti- gun laws and reining in a rogue Justice Department.

We must protect the right to life by passing a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution and repealing Obamacare.

We must protect a free economy by passing a REINS Act to take away the power of bureaucrats to make up and enforce their own laws, and by repealing all laws and government agencies not explicitly spelled out in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

And this Congress and the next must restore a Constitutional Presidency by taking back powers usurped by the White House and repealing all Executive Orders that defy the Constitution.

Just because I won't be here in the well doesn't mean I won't continue to fight.

And we must fight more ferociously than ever if we are to save this constitutional republic.

It has been an honor to serve with you all. Thank you for this opportunity to speak, and I pray that the members of the 114th Congress will fight with fire in their bellies for the life of our Republic.