Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as required by clause 2(a) of House rule XI, I respectfully submit for the Record the rules of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which were adopted earlier today at a public meeting of the Committee.

1. General Provisions

(a) The Rules of the House of Representatives, and in

particular, the committee rules enumerated in clause 2 of

rule XI, are the rules of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(hereafter referred to as the ``Committee''), to the extent

applicable.

(b) A motion to recess and a motion to dispense with the

first reading (in full) of a bill or resolution, if printed

copies are available, are privileged non-debatable motions in

Committee.

(c) The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs shall

consult the Ranking Minority Member to the extent possible

with respect to the business of the Committee. Each

subcommittee of the Committee is a part of the Committee and

is subject to the authority and direction of the Committee

and to its rules, to the extent applicable.

2. Date of Meeting

The regular meeting date of the Committee shall be the

first Tuesday of every month when the House of

Representatives is in session pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule

XI of the House of Representatives. Additional meetings may

be called by the Chairman as the Chairman may deem necessary

or at the request of a majority of the Members of the

Committee in accordance with clause 2(c) of rule XI of the

House of Representatives. The determination of the business

to be considered at each meeting shall be made by the

Chairman subject to clause 2(c) of rule XI of the House of

Representatives. A regularly scheduled meeting need not be

held if, in the judgment of the Chairman, there is no

business to be considered.

3. Quorum

For purposes of taking testimony and receiving evidence,

two Members shall constitute a quorum, and the Chairman of

the full Committee or a subcommittee shall make every effort

to ensure that the relevant Ranking Minority Member or

another Minority Member is present at the time a hearing is

convened. One-third of the Members of the Committee or

subcommittee shall constitute a quorum for taking any action,

except: (1) reporting a measure or recommendation; (2)

closing Committee meetings and hearings to the public; (3)

authorizing the issuance of subpoenas; and (4) any other

action for which an actual majority quorum is required by any

rule of the House of Representatives or by law. No measure or

recommendation shall be reported to the House of

Representatives unless a majority of the Committee is

actually present. No measure or recommendation shall be

reported to the full Committee by a subcommittee unless half

of the subcommittee is actually present. A record vote may be

demanded by one-fifth of the Members present or, in the

apparent absence of a quorum, by any one Member.

4. Meetings and Hearings Open to the Public

(a) Meetings

(1) Each meeting for the transaction of business, including

the markup of legislation, of the Committee or a subcommittee

shall be open to the public except when the Committee or

subcommittee, in open session and with a majority present,

determines by record vote that all or part of the remainder

of the meeting on that day shall be closed to the public,

because disclosure of matters to be considered would endanger

national security, would compromise sensitive law enforcement

information, or would tend to defame, degrade or incriminate

any person or otherwise violate any labor rule of the House

of Representatives. No person other than Members of the

Committee and such congressional staff and departmental

representatives as the Committee or subcommittee may

authorize shall be present at any business or markup session

which has been closed to the public. This subsection does not

apply to open Committee hearings which are provided for by

subsection (b) of this rule.

(2) The Chairman of the full Committee or a subcommittee

may postpone further proceedings when a record vote is

ordered on the question of approving any measure or matter,

or adopting an amendment. The relevant Chairman may resume

proceedings on a postponed request at any time. When

exercising postponement authority, the relevant Chairman

shall take all reasonable steps necessary to notify Members

on the resumption of proceedings on any postponed record

vote. When proceedings resume on a postponed question,

notwithstanding any intervening order for the previous

question, an underlying proposition shall remain subject to

further debate or amendment to the same extent as when the

question was postponed.

(b) Hearings

(1) Each hearing conducted by the Committee or a

subcommittee shall be open to the public except when the

Committee or subcommittee, in open session and with a

majority present, determines by record vote that all or part

of the remainder of that hearing on that day should be closed

to the public because disclosure of testimony, evidence or

other matters to be considered would endanger the national

security, would compromise sensitive law enforcement

information, or otherwise would violate any law or rule of

the House of Representatives. Notwithstanding the preceding

sentence, a majority of those present, there being in

attendance the requisite number required under the rules of

the Committee to be present for the purpose of taking

testimony--

(A) may vote to close the hearing for the sole purpose of

discussing whether testimony or evidence to be received would

endanger the national security, would compromise sensitive

law enforcement information, or violate paragraph (2) of this

subsection; or

(B) may vote to close the hearing, as provided in paragraph

(2) of this subsection.

(2) Whenever it is asserted by a Member of the Committee

that the evidence or testimony at a hearing may tend to

defame, degrade, or incriminate any person, or it is asserted

by a witness that the evidence or testimony that the witness

would give at a hearing may tend to defame, degrade, or

incriminate the witness--

(A) such testimony or evidence shall be presented in

executive session, notwithstanding the provisions of

paragraph (1) of this subsection, if by a majority of those

present, there being in attendance the requisite number

required under the rules of the Committee to be present for

the purpose of taking testimony, the Committee or

subcommittee determines that such evidence or

testimony may tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any

person; and

(B) the Committee or subcommittee shall proceed to receive

such testimony in open session only if the Committee, a

majority being present, determines that such evidence or

testimony will not tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate

any person.

(3) No Member of the House of Representatives may be

excluded from non-participatory attendance at any hearing of

the Committee or a subcommittee unless the House of

Representatives has by majority vote authorized the Committee

or subcommittee, for purposes of a particular series of

hearings, on a particular article of legislation or on a

particular subject of investigation, to close its hearings to

Members by the same procedures designated in this subsection

for closing hearings to the public.

(4) A Member of the House of Representatives who is not a

Member of the Committee may not be recognized to participate

in a Committee or Subcommittee hearing except by the

unanimous consent of Committee Members present at such

hearing. Participatory recognition of a non-Committee Member

shall occur only after all Committee Members seeking

recognition, both majority and minority, have had their

opportunity to participate and question any witnesses.

(5) The Committee or a subcommittee may by the procedure

designated in this subsection vote to close one (1)

subsequent day of hearing.

(6) No congressional staff shall be present at any meeting

or hearing of the Committee or a subcommittee that has been

closed to the public, and at which classified information

will be involved, unless such person is authorized access to

such classified information in accordance with rule XX of the

House of Representatives.

5. Convening Hearings and Markups

(a) Hearings. Public announcement shall be made of the

date, place, and subject matter of any hearing to be

conducted by the Committee or a subcommittee at the earliest

possible date, and in any event at least one (1) week before

the commencement of that hearing. If the Chairman of the full

Committee or a subcommittee, with the concurrence of the

relevant Ranking Minority Member, determines that there is

good cause to begin a hearing sooner, or if the Committee or

subcommittee so determines by majority vote in the presence

of the number of members required under the rules of the

Committee for the taking of action, the Chairman of the full

Committee, if concurring, shall make the announcement at the

earliest possible date.

(b) Markups and Other Meetings to Transact Business

(1) Convening. The Chairman of the full Committee or a

subcommittee may call or convene, as the relevant Chairman

considers necessary, meetings of the Committee or

subcommittee for the consideration of a bill or resolution

pending before the Committee or subcommittee, as the case may

be, or for the conduct of other Committee or subcommittee

business.

(2) Notice. Public announcement shall be made by the

Chairman of the full Committee of the date, place, and

subject matter of any markup or other meeting to conduct

business at the earliest possible date, and in any event at

least one (1) week before the commencement of such markup or

meeting, unless the relevant Chairman determines, in

consultation with the relevant Ranking Minority Member, that

there is good cause to begin such a markup or meeting on an

earlier date. If such determination is made, the Chairman of

the full Committee, if concurring in that determination,

shall make the announcement at the earliest possible date.

(3) Agenda and Texts. The relevant Chairman shall provide

to all Committee or subcommittee Members an agenda for each

Committee and subcommittee markup or other meeting to

transact business, setting out all items of business to be

considered, including whenever possible a copy of any measure

scheduled for markup, at least 48 hours (excluding Saturdays,

Sundays, and legal holidays) before the meeting.

Bills on subjects not listed on such agenda shall be

subject to a point of order unless their consideration is

agreed to by a two-thirds vote of the Committee or

subcommittee, or by the Chairman of the full Committee with

the concurrence of the Ranking Minority Member. The text of

any measure to be marked up shall be made publicly available

in electronic form at least 24 hours prior to the

commencement of the markup meeting, or at the time of an

announcement under subparagraph (b)(2) made within 24 hours

before such meeting.

(c) Publication. Public announcement of all hearings and

markups shall be published in the Daily Digest portion of the

Congressional Record and made publicly available in

electronic form. Members shall be notified by the Staff

Director of all meetings (including markups and hearings) and

briefings of subcommittees and of the full Committee.

(d) Member Seating. During Committee and subcommittee

hearings and markups, chairs on the dais are for Members. No

staff member other than a Committee or subcommittee staff

director, counsel, or professional staff member may occupy a

chair on the dais, unless authorized by the Chairman of the

full Committee, after consultation with the Ranking Member of

the Full Committee. Only one staff member each from the

majority and the minority may occupy chairs on the dais at

any time during a hearing or markup.

6. Witnesses

(a) Interrogation of Witnesses

(1) In so far as practicable, witnesses shall be permitted

to present their oral statements without interruption subject

to reasonable time constraints imposed by the Chairman of the

full Committee or a subcommittee, with questioning by the

Committee Members taking place afterward. Members should

refrain from questions until such statements are completed.

(2) In recognizing Members, the relevant Chairman shall, to

the extent practicable, give preference to the Members on the

basis of their arrival at the hearing, taking into

consideration the majority and minority ratio of the Members

actually present. A Member desiring to speak or ask a

question shall address the relevant Chairman and not the

witness.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), each Member may interrogate

the witness for 5 minutes, the reply of the witness being

included in the 5-minute period. After all Members have had

an opportunity to ask questions, the round shall begin again

under the 5-minute rule.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), the relevant Chairman,

with the concurrence of the Ranking Minority Member, may

permit one (1) or more majority Members of the Committee

designated by the relevant Chairman to question a witness for

a specified period of not longer than 30 minutes. On such

occasions, an equal number of minority Members of the

Committee designated by the Ranking Minority Member shall be

permitted to question the same witness for the same period of

time. Committee staff may be permitted to question a witness

for equal specified periods either with the concurrence of

the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the full

Committee or by motion. However, in no case may questioning

by Committee staff proceed before each Member of the

Committee who wishes to speak under the 5-minute rule has had

one opportunity to do so.

(b) Testimony of Witnesses

(1) Advance Filing Requirement. Each witness who is to

appear before the Committee or a subcommittee is required to

file testimony with the Committee or subcommittee at least

two (2) business days in advance of that appearance. For

purposes of this subsection, testimony includes the written

statement of a witness, as well as any video, photographs,

audio-visual matter, posters, or other supporting materials

that the witness intends to present or display before the

Committee. Such testimony should be provided in electronic

form to the extent practicable. The Committee or subcommittee

shall notify Members at least two business days in advance of

a hearing of the availability of testimony submitted by

witnesses. In addition, each witness shall provide sufficient

copies, as determined by the Chairman of the full Committee

or a subcommittee, of his or her proposed written statement

to be provided to Members and staff of the Committee or

subcommittee, the news media, and the general public. The

text of the written statement provided pursuant to this

paragraph shall be considered final, and may not be revised

by the witness after the Committee meeting at which the

witness appears.

(2) Witness Preclusion and Waiver. The requirements of

paragraph (1) or any part thereof may be waived by the

Chairman of the full Committee or a subcommittee, or the

presiding Member, or the Ranking Member of the Committee or

subcommittee as it relates to witnesses who are called by the

minority to testify, provided that the witness or the

relevant Chairman or Ranking Minority Member has submitted,

prior to the witness's appearance, a written explanation to

the reasons testimony has not been made available to the

Committee or subcommittee. If a witness who is not an

official of the U.S. Government has not submitted testimony

as required by paragraph (1) and no such written explanation

has been submitted, the witness shall be released from

testifying unless a majority of the Committee or subcommittee

votes to accept his or her testimony.

(3) Remote Witness Participation. The Chairman of the full

Committee or a subcommittee shall promptly, and not later

than 48 hours beforehand if possible, notify the relevant

Ranking Member of any witness who is likely to present

testimony other than in person, such as by videoconference. A

witness may not testify via telephone or other audio-only

medium without the concurrence of the Chairman and Ranking

Member of the Committee or subcommittee. The relevant

Chairman shall make reasonable efforts to verify the identity

of any witness participating remotely.

(4) `Truth In Testimony' Disclosure. In the case of a

witness appearing in a nongovernmental capacity, a written

statement of proposed testimony shall, to the extent

practicable, include: a curriculum vitae; a disclosure of the

amount and source of any Federal grant (or subgrant thereof)

or contract (or subcontract thereof), or of any contract or

payment originating with a foreign government, received

during the current fiscal year or either of the two previous

fiscal years by the witness or by an entity represented by

the witness, to the extent that such information is relevant

to the subject matter of, and the witness' representational

capacity at, the hearing; and a disclosure of whether the

witness is an active registrant under the Foreign Agents

Registration Act (FARA).

Such statements, with appropriate redactions to protect the

privacy, safety, or security of the witness, shall be made

publicly available in electronic form not later than one

day after the witness appears.

(5) Witness Presentation. A witness shall limit his or her

oral presentation to a brief summary of his or her written

statement.

(6) Translation. A witness requiring an interpreter or

translator should include in the testimony provided pursuant

to paragraph (1) the identity of the interpreter or

translator that the witness intends to use. Unless properly

noticed as a separate witness, an interpreter or translator

appearing before the Committee should not present views or

statements other than those expressed by the witness.

(c) Oaths. The Chairman of the full Committee or a

subcommittee, or any Member of the Committee designated by

the relevant Chairman, may administer oaths to any witness

appearing before the Committee.

7. Preparation and Maintenance of Committee Records

An accurate stenographic record shall be made of all

hearings and markup sessions. Members of the Committee and

any witness may examine the transcript of his or her own

remarks and may make any grammatical or technical changes

that do not substantively alter the record. Any such Member

or witness shall return the transcript to the Committee

offices within seven (7) calendar days (not including

Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) after receipt of the

transcript, or as soon thereafter as is practicable.

Any information supplied for the record at the request of a

Member of the Committee shall be provided to the Member when

received by the Committee.

Transcripts of hearings and markup sessions (except for the

record of a meeting or hearing which is closed to the public)

shall be printed as soon as is practicable after receipt of

the corrected versions, except that the Chairman may order

the transcript of a hearing to be printed without the

corrections of a Member or witness if the Chairman determines

that such Member or witness has been afforded a reasonable

time to correct such transcript and such transcript has not

been returned within such time.

The records of the Committee at the National Archives and

Records Administration shall be made available for public use

in accordance with rule VII of the House of Representatives.

The Chairman shall notify the Ranking Minority Member of any

decision, pursuant to clause 3(b)(3) or clause 4(b) of the

rule, to withhold a record otherwise available, and the

matter shall be presented to the Committee for a

determination on the written request of any Member of the

Committee.

The Committee shall, to the maximum extent feasible, make

its publications available in electronic form.

8. Extraneous Materials in Committee Hearings Prints

No extraneous material shall be printed in either the body

or appendices of any Committee or subcommittee hearing,

except matter which has been accepted for inclusion in the

record during the hearing or by agreement of the Chairman of

the full Committee or a subcommittee and Ranking Minority

Member of the Committee or subcommittee within five (5)

calendar days of the hearing. Copies of bills and other

legislation under consideration and responses to written

questions submitted by Members shall not be considered

extraneous material.

Extraneous material in either the body or appendices of any

hearing to be printed which would be in excess of eight (8)

printed pages (for any one submission) shall be accompanied

by a written request to the relevant Chairman. Such written

request shall contain an estimate in writing from the Public

Printer of the probable cost of publishing such material.

9. Information on Committee Action

(a) Record Votes. The result of each record vote in any

meeting of the Committee outside of executive session shall

be made publicly available in electronic form within 48 hours

of such record vote. Such result shall include a description

of the amendment, motion, order, or other proposition, the

name of each Member voting for and against, and the Members

present but not voting.

(b) Adopted Amendments. Not later than 24 hours after the

adoption of any amendment to a measure or matter considered

by the Committee, the text of each such amendment shall be

made publicly available in electronic form.

(c) Hearing and Markup Attendance. Member attendance at

each Committee hearing and markup shall be recorded and

included in the Committee print of the transcript of that

hearing or markup.

10. Proxies

Proxy voting is not permitted in the Committee or in

subcommittees.

11. Reports

(a) Reports on Bills and Resolutions. To the extent

practicable, not later than 24 hours before a report is to be

filed with the Clerk of the House on a measure that has been

ordered reported by the Committee, the Chairman shall make

available for inspection by all Members of the Committee a

copy of the draft Committee report in order to afford Members

adequate information and the opportunity to draft and file

any supplemental, minority or additional views which they may

deem appropriate.

With respect to each record vote on a motion to report any

measure or matter of a public character, and on any amendment

offered to the measure or matter, the total number of votes

cast for and against, and the names of those Members voting

for and against, shall be included in any Committee report on

the measure or matter.

(b) Prior Approval of Certain Reports. No Committee,

subcommittee, or staff report, study, or other document which

purports to express publicly the views, findings,

conclusions, or recommendations of the Committee or a

subcommittee may be released to the public or filed with the

Clerk of the House unless approved by a majority of the

Committee or subcommittee, as appropriate. A proposed

investigative or oversight report shall be considered as read

if it has been available to Members of the Committee for at

least 24 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal

holidays except when the House is in session on such a day).

In any case in which clause 2(l) of rule XI and clause

3(a)(1) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives does not

apply, each Member of the Committee or subcommittee shall be

given an opportunity to have views or a disclaimer included

as part of the material filed or released, as the case may

be.

(c) Foreign Travel Reports. At the same time that the

report required by clause 8(b)(3) of rule X of the House of

Representatives, regarding foreign travel reports, is

submitted to the Chairman, Members and employees of the

Committee shall provide a report to the Chairman listing all

official meetings, interviews, inspection tours and other

official functions in which the individual participated, by

country and date. Under extraordinary circumstances, the

Chairman may waive the listing in such report of an official

meeting, interview, inspection tour, or other official

function. The report shall be maintained in the Committee

offices and shall be available for public inspection during

normal business hours. Except in extraordinary circumstances,

no Member or employee of the Committee will be authorized for

additional Committee travel until the reports described in

this subsection have been submitted to the Chairman for that

person's prior Committee travel.

12. Reporting Bills and Resolutions

Except in extraordinary circumstances, bills and

resolutions will not be considered by the Committee unless

and until the appropriate subcommittee has recommended the

bill or resolution for Committee action, and will not be

taken to the House of Representatives for action unless and

until the Committee or a relevant subcommittee has ordered

reported such bill or resolution, a quorum being present.

Except in extraordinary circumstances, a bill or resolution

originating in the House of Representatives that contains

exclusively findings and policy declarations or expressions

of the sense of the House of Representatives or the sense of

the Congress shall not be considered by the Committee or a

subcommittee unless such bill or resolution has at least

25 House co-sponsors, at least 10 of whom are Members of

the Committee.

For purposes of this rule, extraordinary circumstances will

be determined by the Chairman, after consultation with the

Ranking Minority Member and such other Members of the

Committee as the Chairman deems appropriate.

The Committee or a subcommittee shall not consider a bill

or resolution originating in the House of Representatives

that expresses appreciation, commends, congratulates,

celebrates, recognizes the accomplishments of, or celebrates

the anniversary of, an entity, event, group, individual,

institution, team, or government program, or that

acknowledges or recognizes a period of time for such

purposes, except in circumstances determined by the Chairman

with the concurrence of the Ranking Minority Member.

The Chairman is directed to offer a motion under clause 1

of rule XXII of the Rules of the House whenever the Chairman

considers it appropriate.

13. Staff Services

The Committee staff shall be selected and organized so that

it can provide a comprehensive range of professional services

in the field of foreign affairs to the Committee, the

subcommittees, and all its Members. The staff shall include

persons with training and experience in foreign affairs,

making available to the Committee individuals with knowledge

of major countries, areas, and U.S. overseas programs and

operations.

Subject to clause 9 of rule X of the House of

Representatives, the staff of the Committee, except as

provided in paragraph (c), shall be appointed, and may be

removed, by the Chairman with the approval of the majority of

the Members in the majority party of the Committee. Their

remuneration shall be fixed by the Chairman, and they shall

work under the general supervision and direction of the

Chairman. Staff assignments are to be authorized by the

Chairman or by the Staff Director under the direction of the

Chairman.

Subject to clause 9 of rule X of the House of

Representatives, the staff of the Committee assigned to the

minority shall be appointed, their remuneration determined,

and may be removed, by the Ranking Minority Member with the

approval of the majority of the minority party Members of the

Committee. Such staff shall work under the general

supervision and direction of the Ranking Minority Member with

the approval or

consultation of the minority Members of the Committee.

The Chairman shall ensure that sufficient staff is made

available to each subcommittee to carry out its

responsibilities under the rules of the Committee. The

Chairman shall ensure that the minority party is fairly

treated in the appointment of such staff.

14. Number and Jurisdiction of Subcommittees

(a) Full Committee. The full Committee will be responsible

for oversight and legislation relating to: foreign assistance

(including development assistance, Millennium Challenge

Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Account, HIV/AIDS in

foreign countries, security assistance, and Public Law 480

programs abroad); national security developments affecting

foreign policy; strategic planning and agreements; war

powers, treaties, executive agreements, and the deployment

and use of United States Armed Forces; peacekeeping, peace

enforcement, and enforcement of United Nations or other

international sanctions; arms control and disarmament issues;

the United States Agency for International Development;

activities and policies of the State, Commerce, and Defense

Departments and other agencies related to the Arms Export

Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, including export

and licensing policy for munitions items and technology and

dual-use equipment and technology; international law;

promotion of democracy; international law enforcement issues,

including narcotics control programs and activities;

Broadcasting Board of Governors; embassy security;

international broadcasting; public diplomacy, including

international communication and information policy, and

international education and exchange programs; and all other

matters not specifically assigned to a subcommittee. The full

Committee will have jurisdiction over legislation with

respect to the administration of the Export Administration

Act, including the export and licensing of dual-use equipment

and technology and other matters related to international

economic policy and trade not otherwise assigned to a

subcommittee, and with respect to the United Nations, its

affiliated agencies, and other international organizations,

including assessed and voluntary contributions to such

organizations. The full Committee may conduct oversight and

investigations with respect to any matter within the

jurisdiction of the Committee as defined in the Rules of the

House of Representatives.

(b) Subcommittees. There shall be six (6) standing

subcommittees. The names and jurisdiction of those

subcommittees shall be as follows:

(1) Functional Subcommittee. There shall be one

subcommittee with functional jurisdiction:

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade:

Oversight and legislative responsibilities over the United

States' efforts to manage and coordinate international

programs to combat terrorism as coordinated by the Department

of State and other agencies, and efforts to bring

international terrorists to justice. With the concurrence of

the Chairman of the full Committee, oversight of, and

legislation pertaining to, nonproliferation matters involving

nuclear, chemical, biological and other weapons of mass

destruction, except for legislation involving the Foreign

Assistance Act, the Arms Export Control Act, the Export

Administration Act, and sanctions laws pertaining to

individual countries and the provision of foreign assistance

(which is reserved to the full Committee). Oversight of

matters relating to international economic and trade policy;

commerce with foreign countries; international investment

policy; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the

Trade and Development Agency; commodity agreements; and

special oversight of international financial and monetary

institutions; the Export-Import Bank, and customs. With the

concurrence of the Chairman of the full Committee,

legislative jurisdiction over measures related to export

promotion and measures related to the Overseas Private

Investment Corporation and the Trade and Development Agency.

(2) Regional Subcommittees. There shall be five

subcommittees with regional jurisdiction: the Subcommittee on

Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International

Organizations; the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; the

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats; the

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa; and the

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. As detailed below,

two of the regional subcommittees also shall have functional

jurisdiction.

The regional subcommittees shall have jurisdiction over the

following within their respective regions:

(1) Matters affecting the political relations between the

United States and other countries and regions, including

resolutions or other legislative measures directed to such

relations.

(2) Legislation with respect to disaster assistance outside

the Foreign Assistance Act, boundary issues, and

international claims.

(3) Legislation with respect to region- or country-specific

loans or other financial relations outside the Foreign

Assistance Act.

(4) Legislation and oversight regarding human rights

practices in particular countries.

(5) Oversight of regional lending institutions.

(6) Oversight of matters related to the regional activities

of the United Nations, of its affiliated agencies, and of

other multilateral institutions.

(7) Identification and development of options for meeting

future problems and issues relating to U.S. interests in the

region.

(8) Oversight of base rights and other facilities access

agreements and regional security pacts.

(9) Concurrent oversight jurisdiction with respect to

matters assigned to the functional subcommittees insofar as

they may affect the region.

(10) Oversight of foreign assistance activities affecting

the region, with the concurrence of the Chairman of the full

Committee.

(11) Such other matters as the Chairman of the full

Committee may determine.

The Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human

Rights, and International Organizations: In addition to its

regional jurisdiction, oversight of: international health

issues, including transboundary infectious diseases, maternal

health and child survival, and programs related to the global

ability to address health issues; population issues; the

United Nations and its affiliated agencies (excluding

peacekeeping and enforcement of United Nations or other

international sanctions); the American Red Cross; and the

Peace Corps. In addition, legislation and oversight

pertaining to: implementation of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights; other matters relating to internationally-

recognized human rights, including legislation aimed at the

promotion of human rights and democracy generally; and the

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child

Abduction, and related issues.

The Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats:

In addition to its regional jurisdiction, with the

concurrence of the Chairman of the full Committee, oversight

related to emerging foreign threats to the national security

and interests of the United States.

15. Powers and Duties of Subcommittees

(a) In General. Each subcommittee is authorized to meet,

hold hearings, receive evidence, and report to the full

Committee on all matters referred to it.

(b) Scheduling. Subcommittee chairmen shall set meeting

dates after consultation with the Chairman, other

subcommittee chairmen, the relevant Ranking Minority Member

and other appropriate Members, with a view toward minimizing

scheduling conflicts. Subcommittee meetings shall not be

scheduled to occur simultaneously with meetings of the full

Committee. Hearings shall not be scheduled to occur prior to

the first vote or subsequent to the last vote of a

legislative week, or outside of Washington, D.C., without

prior consultation with the relevant Ranking Minority Member.

In order to ensure orderly administration and fair assignment

of hearing and meeting rooms, the subject, time, and location

of hearings and meetings shall be arranged in advance with

the Chairman through the Staff Director of the Committee.

(c) Vice Chairmen. The Chairman of the Full Committee shall

designate a Member of the majority party on each subcommittee

as its vice chairman.

(d) Participation. The Chairman of the full Committee and

the Ranking Minority Member may attend the meetings and

participate in the activities of all subcommittees of which

they are not Members, except that they may not vote or be

counted for a quorum in such subcommittees.

(e) Required Oversight Hearings. During each 180-day period

following organization of the Committee, each subcommittee

shall hold at least one hearing on oversight of U.S.

Government activities.

16. Referral of Bills by Chairman

In accordance with rule 14 of the Committee and to the

extent practicable, all legislation and other matters

referred to the Committee shall be referred by the Chairman

to a subcommittee of primary jurisdiction within two (2)

weeks. In accordance with rule 14 of the Committee,

legislation may also be referred to additional subcommittees

for consideration. Unless otherwise directed by the Chairman,

such subcommittees shall act on or be discharged from

consideration of legislation that has been approved by the

subcommittee of primary jurisdiction within two (2) weeks of

such action. In referring any legislation to a subcommittee,

the Chairman may specify a date by which the subcommittee

shall report thereon to the full Committee.

Subcommittees with regional jurisdiction shall have joint

jurisdiction with the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,

Global Human Rights, and International Organizations over

legislation regarding human rights practices in particular

countries within their regions.

The Chairman may designate a subcommittee Chairman or other

Member to take responsibility as manager of a bill or

resolution during its consideration in the House of

Representatives.

17. Party Ratios on Subcommittees and Conference Committees

The majority party caucus of the Committee shall determine

an appropriate ratio of majority to minority party Members

for each subcommittee. Party representation on each

subcommittee or conference committee shall be no less

favorable to the majority party than the ratio for the full

Committee. The Chairman and the Ranking Minority Member are

authorized to negotiate matters

affecting such ratios including the size of subcommittees and

conference committees.

18. Subcommittee Funding and Records

Each subcommittee shall have adequate funds to discharge

its responsibility for legislation and oversight.

In order to facilitate Committee compliance with clause

2(e)(1) of rule XI of the House of Representatives, each

subcommittee shall keep a complete record of all subcommittee

actions which shall include a record of the votes on any

question on which a record vote is demanded. The result of

each record vote shall be promptly made available to the full

Committee for inspection by the public in accordance with

rule 9 of the Committee.

All subcommittee hearings, records, data, charts, and files

shall be kept distinct from the congressional office records

of the Member serving as Chairman of the subcommittee.

Subcommittee records shall be coordinated with the records of

the full Committee, shall be the property of the House, and

all Members of the House shall have access thereto.

19. Meetings of Subcommittee Chairmen

The Chairman shall call a meeting of the subcommittee

chairmen on a regular basis not less frequently than once a

month. Such a meeting need not be held if there is no

business to conduct. It shall be the practice at such

meetings to review the current agenda and activities of each

of the subcommittees.

20. Access to Classified Information

(a) Authorized Persons. In accordance with the stipulations

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, all Members of

the House who have executed the oath required by clause 13 of

rule XXIII of the House of Representatives shall be

authorized to have access to classified information within

the possession of the Committee.

Members of the Committee staff shall be considered

authorized to have access to classified information within

the possession of the Committee when they have the proper

security clearances, when they have executed the oath

required by clause 13 of rule XXIII of the House of

Representatives, and when they have a demonstrable need to

know. The decision on whether a given staff member has a need

to know will be made on the following basis:

(1) In the case of the full Committee majority staff, by

the Chairman, acting through the Staff Director;

(2) In the case of the full Committee minority staff, by

the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee, acting through

the Minority Staff Director;

(3) In the case of subcommittee majority staff, by the

chairman of the subcommittee;

(4) In the case of the subcommittee minority staff, by the

Ranking Minority Member of the subcommittee.

No other individuals shall be considered authorized

persons, unless so designated by the Chairman of the full

Committee.

(b) Designated Persons. Each Committee Member is permitted

to designate one member of his or her staff as having the

right of access to information classified Confidential. Such

designated persons must have the proper security clearance,

have executed the oath required by clause 13 of rule XXIII of

the House of Representatives, and have a need to know as

determined by his or her principal. Upon request of a

Committee Member in specific instances, a designated

person also shall be permitted access to information

classified Secret which has been furnished to the

Committee pursuant to section 36 of the Arms Export

Control Act, as amended. Upon the written request of a

Committee Member and with the approval of the Chairman in

specific instances, a designated person may be permitted

access to other classified materials. Designation of a

staff person shall be by letter from the Committee Member

to the Chairman.

(c) Location. Classified information will be stored in

secure safes in the Office of the Security Officer and in the

Office of the Minority Staff Director. All materials

classified Top Secret or higher must be stored in a Secure

Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF).

(d) Handling. Materials classified Confidential or Secret

may be taken from Committee offices to other Committee

offices and hearing rooms by Members of the Committee and

authorized Committee staff in connection with hearings and

briefings of the Committee or its subcommittees for which

such information is deemed to be essential. Removal of such

information from the Committee offices shall be only with the

permission of the Chairman under procedures designed to

ensure the safe handling and storage of such information at

all times. Except as provided in this paragraph, Top Secret

materials may not be taken from approved storage areas for

any purpose, except that such materials may be taken to

hearings and other meetings that are being conducted at the

Top Secret level when necessary. Materials classified Top

Secret may otherwise be used under conditions approved by the

Chairman after consultation with the Ranking Minority Member.

(e) Notice. Appropriate notice of the receipt of classified

documents received by the Committee from the Executive Branch

will be sent promptly to Committee Members through the Survey

of Activities or by other means.

(f) Access. Except as provided for above, access to

materials classified Top Secret or otherwise restricted held

by the Committee will be in approved Committee spaces. The

following procedures will be observed:

(1) Authorized persons will be permitted access to

classified documents after inquiring of the Staff Director or

an assigned staff member. Access to the SCIF will be afforded

during regular Committee hours.

(2) Authorized persons will be required to identify

themselves, to identify the documents or information they

wish to view, and to sign the Classified Materials Log, which

is kept with the classified information.

(3) The assigned staff member will be responsible for

maintaining a log which identifies:

(1) authorized persons seeking access, (2) the classified

information requested, and (3) the time of arrival and

departure of such persons. The assigned staff member will

also assure that the classified materials are returned to the

proper location.

(g) Divulgence. Classified information provided to the

Committee by the Executive Branch shall be handled in

accordance with the procedures that apply within the

Executive Branch for the protection of such information. Any

classified information to which access has been gained

through the Committee may not be divulged to any unauthorized

person. Classified material shall not be photocopied or

otherwise reproduced. In no event shall classified

information be discussed in a non-secure environment.

Apparent violations of this rule should be reported as

promptly as possible to the Chairman for appropriate action.

(h) Other Regulations. The Chairman, after consultation

with the Ranking Minority Member, may establish such

additional regulations and procedures as in his judgment may

be necessary to safeguard classified information under the

control of the Committee. Members of the Committee will be

given notice of any such regulations and procedures promptly.

They may be modified or waived in any or all particulars by a

majority vote of the full Committee.

21. Broadcasting of Committee Hearings and Meetings

All Committee and subcommittee meetings or hearings which

are open to the public may be covered, in whole or in part,

by television broadcast, radio broadcast, and still

photography, or by any such methods of coverage in accordance

with the provisions of clause 3 of House rule XI.

The Chairman of the full Committee or a subcommittee shall

determine, in his or her discretion, the number of television

and still cameras permitted in a hearing or meeting room, but

shall not limit the number of television or still cameras to

fewer than two (2) representatives from each medium.

Such coverage shall be in accordance with the following

requirements contained in section 116(b) of the Legislative

Reorganization Act of 1970, and clause 4 of XI of the Rules

of the House of Representatives:

(a) If the television, Internet or radio coverage of the

hearing or meeting is to be presented to the public as live

coverage, that coverage shall be conducted and presented

without commercial sponsorship.

(b) No witness served with a subpoena by the Committee

shall be required against his will to be photographed at any

hearing or to give evidence or testimony while the

broadcasting of that hearing, by radio or television is being

conducted. At the request of any such witness who does not

wish to be subjected to radio, television, Internet or still

photography coverage, all lenses shall be covered and all

microphones used for coverage turned off. This subparagraph

is supplementary to clause 2(k)(5) of rule XI of the Rules of

the House of Representatives relating to the protection of

the rights of witnesses.

(c) The allocation among cameras permitted by the Chairman

of the full Committee or a subcommittee in a hearing room

shall be in accordance with fair and equitable procedures

devised by the Executive Committee of the Radio and

Television Correspondents' Galleries.

(d) Television cameras shall be placed so as not to

obstruct in any way the space between any witness giving

evidence or testimony and Member of the Committee or its

subcommittees or the visibility of that witness and that

Member to each other.

(e) Television cameras shall operate from fixed positions

but shall not be placed in positions which obstruct

unnecessarily the coverage of the hearing by the other media.

(f) Equipment necessary for coverage by the television and

radio media shall not be installed in, or removed from, the

hearing or meeting room while the Committee or subcommittee

is in session.

(g) Floodlights, spotlights, strobe lights, and flashguns

shall not be used in providing any method of coverage of the

hearing or meeting, except that the television media may

install additional lighting in the hearing room, without cost

to the Government, in order to raise the ambient lighting

level in the hearing room to the lowest level necessary to

provide adequate television coverage of the hearing or

meeting at the current state-of-the-art level of television

coverage.

(h) In the allocation of the number of still photographers

permitted by the Chairman of the full Committee or a

subcommittee in a hearing or meeting room, preference shall

be given to photographers from Associated Press Photos,

United Press International News pictures, and Reuters. If

requests are made by more of the media than will be permitted

by the Chairman of the full Committee or a subcommittee for

coverage of the

hearing or meeting by still photography, that coverage shall

be made on the basis of a fair and equitable pool arrangement

devised by the Standing Committee of Press Photographers.

(i) Photographers shall not position themselves, at any

time during the course of the hearing or meeting, between the

witness table and the Members of the Committee or its

subcommittees.

(j) Photographers shall not place themselves in positions

which obstruct unnecessarily the coverage of the hearing by

the other media.

(k) Personnel providing coverage by the television and

radio media shall be currently accredited to the Radio and

Television Correspondents' Galleries.

(l) Personnel providing coverage by still photography shall

be currently accredited to the Press Photographers' Gallery

Committee of Press Photographers.

(m) Personnel providing coverage by the television and

radio media and by still photography shall conduct themselves

and their coverage activities in an orderly and unobtrusive

manner.

22. Subpoena Powers

A subpoena may be authorized and issued by the Chairman, in

accordance with clause 2(m) of rule XI of the House of

Representatives, in the conduct of any investigation or

activity or series of investigations or activities within the

jurisdiction of the Committee, following consultation with

the Ranking Minority Member.

In addition, a subpoena may be authorized and issued by the

Committee or its subcommittees in accordance with clause 2(m)

of rule XI of the House of the Representatives, in the

conduct of any investigation or activity or series of

investigations or activities, when authorized by a majority

of the Members voting, a majority of the Committee or

subcommittee being present.

Authorized subpoenas shall be signed by the Chairman or by

any Member designated by the Committee.

23. Recommendation for Appointment of Conferees

Whenever the Speaker is to appoint a conference committee,

the Chairman shall recommend to the Speaker as conferees

those Members of the Committee who are primarily responsible

for the legislation (including to the full extent practicable

the principal proponents of the major provisions of the bill

as it passed the House), who have actively participated in

the Committee or subcommittee consideration of the

legislation, and who agree to attend the meetings of the

conference. With regard to the appointment of minority

Members, the Chairman shall consult with the Ranking Minority

Member.

24. General Oversight

Not later than February 15th of the first session of a

Congress, the Committee shall meet in open session, with a

quorum present, to adopt its oversight plans for that

Congress for submission to the Committee on House

Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Government

Reform, in accordance with the provisions of clause 2(d) of

rule X of the House of Representatives.

In accordance with the provisions of clause 2(n) of rule XI

of the House of Representatives, the Committee or a

subcommittee thereof shall hold at least one hearing during

each 120-day period following its establishment on the topic

of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement in programs within

its jurisdiction, as documented in reports received from a

Federal Office of the Inspector General or the Comptroller

General of the United States that have been provided to the

Ranking Minority Member prior to the notice of the hearing

pursuant to Committee rule 5.

25. Other Procedures and Regulations

The Chairman, in consultation with the Ranking Minority

Member, may establish such other procedures and take such

actions as may be necessary to carry out the foregoing rules

or to facilitate the effective operation of the Committee.

Any additional procedures or regulations may be modified or

rescinded in any or all particulars by a majority vote of the

full Committee. -

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 37) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning the recent terrorist attacks in Paris that resulted in the deaths of seventeen innocent persons and offering condolences to those personally affected by this cowardly act.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add any extraneous material to the Record in this debate.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution. The resolution condemns the terrorist attack in France carried out by Islamist extremists earlier this month.

On January 7, two armed gunmen entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine in Paris, and, in a brutal, premeditated attack, killed 12 people and injured 11 others.

The following day, as we watched this play out on international media, their associate, Amedy Coulibaly, shot and killed a female police officer, and in the following days with the Kouachi brothers on the run, Coulibaly targeted a kosher supermarket where he shot and killed four Jewish shoppers and took multiple hostages. Later that day, courageous French police officers stormed the supermarket, killed the attacker, and freed the hostages.

There are no words that we can speak today, I think, that will comfort the families and the friends of the 17 people murdered in those terrorist attacks.

The victims included cartoonists and maintenance workers, police officers, grocery shoppers, Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

There are no words strong enough to condemn these terrorists and their radical jihadist ideology.

The Charlie Hebdo offices were attacked because their cartoons offended. The magazine's editor was specifically marked as a target for death by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's online newspaper magazine called Inspire under the not-so-subtle headline, ``A Bullet a Day Keeps the Infidel Away.''

Indeed, the Kouachi brothers called out the editor's name before they shot and killed him.

Mr. Speaker, the attack on Charlie Hebdo was an attack on free speech. The right to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unpopular or offensive, is a foundation for a free society--France's and ours. Frankly, the struggle of the Enlightenment has largely been a struggle against blasphemy laws going all of the way back to the foundation of this Republic and our First Amendment and Jefferson's concept of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

It was not the first time that this magazine was attacked by terrorists. And, unfortunately, it probably won't be the last time a media outlet like this is targeted. That is why this resolution resolves to uphold and defend the basic principle--free speech.

The grocery store victims were murdered because they were Jewish. In the days following, France stationed thousands of police officers to guard France's Jewish schools and synagogues in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Alarmingly, anti-Semitic forces are on the rise in France and in much of Europe.

This resolution puts the House on record as condemning in the strongest terms possible the Paris attacks and extends the sympathy of every American to those affected by the tragedy. It reiterates our support for France, America's sister republic, our oldest ally, and it calls upon all nations to join the global effort of fighting violent extremism.

This is a time to not just express sorrow for those killed but also a time to show resolve in the face of terror. Our intelligence-sharing with allies, already strong, will need to get much sharper; border checks improved; and coalition efforts to destroy ISIS will need to be stepped up. I urge all Members to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, and the author of this measure.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Poe from Texas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, for authoring this important resolution; but I also want to thank our ranking member, Eliot Engel of New York, for his support in bringing this resolution to the floor to ensure that we speak with one voice on issues of violent extremism and to ensure that we stand with our ally France at this difficult time.

Last week, many Members visited the Foreign Affairs Committee to sign a condolence book and greet the French Ambassador in person. Mr. Engel and I thanked them for their show of solidarity in this.

Mr. Speaker, the ultimate reality is that these attacks in Paris are indicative of a resurgent terrorist threat from radical Islamist extremists. The brothers were connected to al Qaeda in Yemen, a particularly active and deadly al Qaeda franchise. The kosher market gunman pledged his allegiance to ISIS, which now controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has specifically targeted Americans.

Up to 5,000 Europeans are believed now to have traveled to Syria to fight or get training. Whether from organized groups or returning foreign fighters or lone wolves, the terrorist threat is real, and it is growing.

These are not criminals united by happenstance but by a militant jihadi impulse united by ideology, by doctrine, and by practice, its adherents drawn all the way from Africa to Southeast Asia, from the Middle East to the Caucasus.

Unlike some of the rhetoric we have heard by some here in Washington, in every corner of the globe, terrorist groups are growing in number, and they are growing in strength. In Europe, France is at the front lines of a dangerous and growing ideology that has, again, demonstrated that it knows no bounds.

As we face an expanding and evolving threat, it is imperative that we unequivocally condemn attacks on freedom of speech, condemn attacks on religious pluralism, and reaffirm our resolve to fight extremism.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5816) to extend the authorization for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 107) denouncing the use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in violation of international humanitarian law, with Senate amendments thereto, and concur in the Senate amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1683) to provide for the transfer of naval vessels to certain foreign recipients, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I will include in the Record a letter signed by myself and Mr. Engel to the Secretary of State.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, December 10, 2014.

Hon. John F. Kerry,

Secretary of State, Department of State, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Secretary: Today the House of Representatives will

pass and send to the President S. 1683, a bill that bolsters

allies Taiwan and Mexico with the transfer of U.S. Navy

frigates and makes other changes to the law to enhance our

security assistance to foreign partners.

As you may know, section 201 of this legislation would

amend section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act to require

the President to notify Congress 30 days before shipments of

certain defense articles if jointly requested to do so by the

Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign

Affairs or the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. It is

our understanding that the Department may be concerned that

this new congressional notification requirement could pose an

undue burden on the administration of United States arms

transfers.

However, given the comprehensive exchange of information

between the Department and the Committee during the

congressional review process on U.S. arms sales, we would

expect to invoke section 201 only in rare circumstances. For

example, a similar authority in section 36(b)(1), providing

for a request by the same committees of additional and highly

detailed information from the President on a pending Foreign

Military Sale, has been used only once in the last seven

years.

Likewise, we expect that the current protocols governing

the notification of arms sales, a process by which sensitive

national security and foreign policy questions are addressed

informally before a notification is formally submitted for

congressional review, will remain the preeminent means by

which the Committee conducts oversight over United States

arms transfer policy.

We look forward to continuing to work with you on these

important matters in the 114th Congress.

Sincerely,

Edward R. Royce,

Chairman.

Eliot L. Engel,

Ranking Member.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, S. 1683. It would allow the United States to transfer certain decommissioned naval vessels to Taiwan and Mexico. It also makes some technical amendments to U.S. export control laws.

Let me say that I appreciate the broad bipartisan support that the contents of this measure already received because this April, the House passed the underlying bill, H.R. 3470, of which I am the author, the companion legislation to this bill. Mr. Eliot Engel and I were the cosponsors.

I am pleased that this important legislation supporting the defense of our Taiwanese allies has now been passed by the other body. With passage by the House, it will make its way to the President's desk.

On April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act was established to govern America's relationship with the Republic of China-Taiwan. For 35 years, the act has helped maintain peace and security across the Taiwan Strait and across the Asia-Pacific region.

During this time, Taiwan has undergone a monumental transformation. It has gone from grinding poverty and political repression to the vibrant multiparty democracy that it is today. Taiwan's economy has evolved. It is now our 10th top trading partner.

As chairman, I led two bipartisan delegations to Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Tainan to examine Taiwan's economy and defense capabilities. Today's legislation is the product of the committee's bipartisan effort to prioritize the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

This legislation authorizes the President to send four Perry class guided missile frigates to Taiwan. These are ships that are greatly needed to augment Taiwan's defense capability. I

have seen firsthand the World War II-era submarines--I was on one of them--and the 50-year-old fighter jets that form the core of Taiwan's military.

Congress has made it clear to the administration that it wants more defense sales and more transfers like this to Taiwan, including transfers to support the modernization of its combat aircraft and its submarine fleet. These four guided missile cruisers would bolster Taiwan's defense to ensure that peace in the Taiwan Strait continues to benefit not just Taiwan, but the entire region.

In addition to supporting Taiwan, this legislation also authorizes the transfer of excess decommissioned naval vessels to Mexico. Mr. Vargas and I recently returned from Mexico City, and transfers such as these help to support the priorities of the U.S. Navy while strengthening the capability of allies and our close partners to meet our shared maritime security objectives.

Finally, the bill includes a provision requested by the Department of Commerce to ensure that our export control regime will continue to protect sensitive information related to export licensing. In particular, it clarifies that the business confidentiality protections of the lapsed Export Administration Act remain in effect under another provision of the law and will continue to protect information related to export licensing.

This provision will both protect U.S. national security and the competitiveness of American exporters while providing time for Congress and the executive branch to modernize the statutory basis for our export control regime.

While I am disappointed that this measure does not include a provision from the House bill that would have expedited U.S. arms sales to close allies, the committee will continue to promote improvements to the foreign military sales process in the next Congress.

Finally, the bill will also clarify that certain business confidentiality protections of the Export Administration Act will continue to protect the information related to export licensing.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing examining the promises that were made under the Taiwan Relations Act. That was signed 35 years ago, and there are few pieces of legislation related to foreign policy that have been as consequential as Congress stepping in with this act 35 years ago.

It is the steadfast support of the United States Congress that has helped Taiwan become what it is today: a thriving, modern society that strongly respects human rights, the rule of law, and free markets. Passage of this act is a step towards keeping the promises that we made to Taiwan 35 years ago in that Taiwan Relations Act, and I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would say likewise to Mr. Vargas for his service on the committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Cyber Supply Chain Management and Transparency Act of 2014, which is designed to address part of the matrix of ongoing vulnerabilities in our nation's government and cyber-infrastructure. This elegant approach emulates proven industry supply chain

methods to stimulate the greatest cyber security impact with the least cost or disruption.

Mr. Speaker, with around ninety percent of a modern software application made up of open source components, the problem of deployed software containing open source components with known vulnerabilities is one of great concern.

One report showed seventy-one percent of all software applications built today contain an open source component with at least one known, critical vulnerability--and some in the government contain hundreds. Exploits against vulnerable applications bypass firewalls in place. Worse, in most cases, exploiting them is as easy as pointing and clicking on a free, downloadable attack tool that does all the work for even unskilled adversaries.

Mr. Speaker, the nation's economy needs open source software development and applications built with it. We could not survive in our modern economy without it.

It is precisely because of the importance of open source components to modern software development, that we need to insure integrity in the open source supply chain, so vulnerabilities are not populated throughout the hundreds of thousands of software applications that use open source components.

If a building contained a similar critical flaw, it could collapse, or if a car contained a known defective part, it could be lead to fatalities and need to be recalled.

Given both widely known and less public (but quite damaging) open source supply chain attacks that have been in the news over the last year, it is essential that the U.S. government begin to protect its cyber infrastructure, the data, and safety of its citizens from defective open source code containing known vulnerabilities.

Here is a short list of some of the recent cyber attacks based on open source vulnerabilities:

In July of 2013, vulnerable open source Struts 2 components allowed most major U.S. banks to be breached.

In addition to the highly publicized Heartbleed, 30 additional vulnerabilities in OpenSSL have been reported in 2014 alone. Several of these flawed components found their way into even critical infrastructure industrial controls (e.g. SIEMENS).

The ``ShellShock''/``BashBug'' attacks against bash leveraged mistakes in ``bash'' not noticed for over two decades, but is now affecting applications and embedded devices--some incapable of being updated.

In December 2013, 6,916 different organizations downloaded a version of httpclient with a broken ssl validation (CVE-2012-5783)--66,824 times, more than one year after the NIST NVD alert.

Bouncy Castle is an open source cryptography library used for applications requiring encryption. In 2013, 4,000 organizations downloaded a version of Bouncy Castle with a CVSS level 10 vulnerability 20,000 times--despite a fix being available for the last seven years.

Over the last year, the most often downloaded open source components with severity 10 (CVSS) NIST security defects, were downloaded by an average of 28 thousand organizations worldwide including all of the top ten Federal service providers (integrators). This means, these 28,000 downloaded components by the top ten U.S. government software contractors are now in software being run by the Federal government (and this does not even include commercial software also leveraging known vulnerable third party and open source components). Some of these defective components are as old as 7 years, but they are still being leveraged.

The CVE's in question are: CVE-2007-4575, CVE-2007-6721, CVE-2008- 5518, CVE-2010-2272, CVE-2010-2276, CVE-2012-0391, CVE-2012-0392, CVE- 2012-0838, CVE-2012-2379, CVE-2013-1777, CVE-2013-1965, CVE-2013-1966,

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the efforts of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Its leadership should be commended for this bipartisan effort to strengthen the Coast Guard in a time of heightened security threats to the United States.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has been working in a bipartisan way to reform international food assistance, so I particularly appreciate the fact that this legislation does not include a provision that would have raised the cargo preference requirements for these programs from 50 percent to 75 percent. A provision like this would cost U.S. taxpayers millions more and slow lifesaving assistance by months.

Lives are at stake, and I appreciate that the committee heard our view, and I also appreciate the assurances provided by the Transportation Committee that nothing in section 321 will drastically alter the existing consultation requirements for enforcement of cargo preference. I also understand that nothing in the bill will have the effect of raising cargo preference above an annual global threshold of 50 percent, particularly for the Food for Peace program.

Again, congratulations to Chairman Hunter and his colleagues for crafting this important legislation and also Mr. Coble and Mr. Rahall for their work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2673, the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. I'd like to note that the groundwork for this legislation was laid when the House-passed H.R. 938 by a vote of 410-1 in March. I would like to recognize the Gentlewoman from Florida, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and the Gentleman from Florida, Mr. Deutch, for their leadership in authoring that important measure. With passage of this legislation today, this bill now goes to the President's desk for his signature.

I also want to thank the Ranking Member of the Committee, the Gentleman from New York, Mr. Engel, for his assistance in bringing this legislation to the floor and for his longstanding support for the State of Israel. Over the past two years, Mr. Engel and I have had the chance to travel twice to Israel together as Chair and Ranking Member, showing bipartisan support for the relationship.

We witnessed together the many factors that drive our relationship. Israel is a pluralistic democracy which includes the freedoms we cherish: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of the press, and government by the consent of the governed.

Our militaries hold combined exercises where they constantly learn from each other. A key collaboration here has been in missile defense. Jointly developed and produced by the U.S. and Israeli militaries, the Arrow defense system, Iron Dome, and David's Sling system--which is currently under development--will soon be combined to create the world's most sophisticated missile shields. And given the threats Israel faces, this is needed now more than ever. This summer, once again we saw how the Iron Dome helped save innocent Israeli lives, giving its leaders breathing room and preventing more bloodshed. Congress can be proud of its role in backing the Iron Dome.

But we must always be working to ensure that our support for Israel keeps apace with the threats proliferating against the country--from Iran to Hamas.

That is why today's legislation is important. Once signed into law, it will expedite the provision of critical security assistance to Israel by ushering in an expedited licensing regime and

increasing the U.S. war reserves stockpile, for Israel to access, if needed. It will also require more frequent and detailed reporting on Israel's Qualitative Military edge--a provision which is the direct result of Mr. Collins' good efforts--so I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his contribution. Finally, the legislation will expand our cooperation with Israel on energy research and development.

I urge all Members to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5681) to provide for the approval of the Amendment to the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes.

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 the bill.

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

I will share with the Members here that I rise in strong support of this legislation to extend for another 10 years the United States- United Kingdom Mutual Defense Agreement. This agreement has governed our nuclear cooperation with the United Kingdom for 50 years.

As always, I appreciate the cooperation of our ranking member, Mr. Engel of New York, for bringing this legislation to the floor. By acting today, we will ensure that this vital cooperation with Great Britain continues uninterrupted.

Mr. Speaker, the United States has no closer ally than the United Kingdom. We all know that. Our societies are founded on a shared belief in freedom and universal human rights. As a result, our close consultation on major foreign policy issues has long been routine; and coordinated action, frankly, is the norm between us and the U.K. We share an unprecedented defense relationship. The advantage of that is it has helped us secure our shared interests and values since the World Wars of the last century. We have fought side by side in conflicts from World War I to Afghanistan. Today, we have joined forces, along with other partners, to battle ISIL. Our intelligence cooperation is unique.

We are both founding members of NATO. We have shouldered a disproportionate share of the burden in NATO. We do that because we understand that the world remains a very dangerous place, but also because we know if we do not do so and we do not lead, no one else will.

Our cooperation on defense includes a unique partnership on nuclear security. This Mutual Defense Agreement is the framework through which this partnership takes place. It enables the exchange of nuclear materials, technology, and information that has been renewed many times. Actually, this goes back to 1958. The bill that we will renew here will take it for another decade to ensure that our full cooperation on defense can continue uninterrupted.

So I urge my colleagues to support the bill to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the United Kingdom: a friend, a partner and enduring ally.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Engel.

I think, by moving quickly here, we can send this bill to the President's desk.

I am proud to note, I will add, that we recognize this special relationship in the House with the British American Parliamentary Group, which was formed shortly after World War II, and each year Members of Congress and Members of Parliament convene to discuss our partnership.

Last year, Congress dedicated a bust of Winston Churchill that is prominently displayed in this Capitol. We just had an unveiling today of the bust for Vaclav Havel, and it will stand next to that of Winston Churchill.

Mr. Speaker, the United Kingdom remains our closest ally and most important security partner, and the Mutual Defense Agreement is a key element of our unmatched special relationship, as Churchill used to call it.

By renewing this agreement, Congress will ensure the uninterrupted continuation of our close nuclear cooperation with the U.K. and reinforce our joint ability to provide strategic security. So I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3398) to authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to provide assistance to support the rights of women and girls in developing countries, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and also to include any extraneous material for the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this measure. It is called the Girls Count Act, and I do want to thank Mr. Chabot of Ohio for his work on this important piece of legislation.

Now, what this does is it aims to increase birth registration rates in developing countries. And usually the births which are not being registered are infant females.

Nearly one-third of all children around the world have never had their births registered by their country's civil registries. Almost hard for us to recognize here--one-third.

A child whose birth is not recorded has no birth certificate to prove her age or his age or parentage or citizenship, making these children especially vulnerable to violations of their basic rights.

The lack of a birth certificate usually prevents individuals from acquiring essential pieces of identification that you are going to need in life--like a driver's license, like a passport--and can also impede any financial transaction you are going to make--taking out a loan, taking out a mortgage. Basically, these girls, tragically, don't count.

For girls in particular, this lack of documentation can undercut existing legal protections against girls being trafficked or made child brides. And as they grow up, girls without an official identity face high barriers to work, high barriers to education or political participation, and all of this in places where we need women and girls to be actively shaping their country's future, to improve prospects for development, to oppose extremism in their communities.

That is why I am pleased that the House is acting on H.R. 3398, because this bill supports efforts to increase birth registration by encouraging the State Department and USAID to work with countries on improving their civil registries.

The bill promotes the development of laws and policies to prevent discrimination against girls and improve property and inheritance rights for women. And lastly, the legislation requires the State Department and USAID to provide more relevant breakdowns of foreign assistance whenever possible so that we can be sure women and girls are from benefiting from our efforts.

So this bill complements other work that the House has done this Congress, particularly our efforts to combat child trafficking and to promote safe international adoptions. Ensuring that every boy and girl is counted can prevent children from being trafficked or prevent them from being exploited or denied a loving home.

I am proud of the House's work thus far to address this critical issue. I believe that this bill in particular is another step in advancing this agenda, and that is why I would just like to recognize Mr. Chabot for all of the work he put into it and, as well, of course, to recognize Mr. Engel's contribution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and the author of this particular bill.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to also mention the contributions of Congresswoman Betty McCollum and Congressman Chris Smith.

Chris Smith is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. He is also an original cosponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

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

The point I would make in closing is that, in the wake of the horrors we have seen perpetrated by ISIS against women and Boko Haram against schoolgirls--kidnapping and enslaving them and robbing them of their freedom--we had one of these girls testify before our committee. She had narrowly escaped Boko Haram but lost her mother and her father.

I know so many of us are deeply concerned about the plight of women and girls around the world, and this bill recognizes the suffering and aims to empower those who have been cast into the shadows of their society. Birth registration is one of the first steps in the fight to preserve an individual's basic rights under the law. It is also a critical means to ensuring the full participation of women and of girls in communities and schools. Let's help girls count. That is what this does.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Chabot and Betty McCollum and Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey, as well, for their leadership on this measure, which I encourage all Members to support.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 754) condemning the Government of Iran for its gross human rights violations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on this resolution.

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

I rise today in support of this resolution, which condemns the Government of Iran for its gross human rights violations.

This bipartisan resolution, which I have introduced together with my good friend from New York--the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel--comes at a very important moment. The administration, together with the world's powers, is seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program. We all want this outcome, though, at this point, it is unclear how an agreement that is in the long-term national security interests of the United States can be reached.

One thing is clear: we can have no illusions about the true nature of the Iranian regime. The history of rogue regimes teaches us that the manner in which these governments treat their own people is a pretty good indicator of how they will treat their neighbors and of whether they will abide by international agreements. This is a regime that has systematically violated the fundamental human rights of large segments of Iranian society since embarking upon the Revolution that brought it to power in 1979. It is a regime that rules by force, preventing the people of Iran from choosing their own government.

The world saw the undemocratic nature of this regime back in 2009 when millions of Iranians took to the streets to peacefully protest a stolen election. Not many are going to forget the images of the young girl bleeding to death in the capital city there, and today, the leaders of the Green Revolution opposition movement are confined to

their homes, they are under house arrest, and, of course, at the time, thousands were imprisoned, many disappeared, and hundreds were tortured. It is a regime that has brutally suppressed the voice of human rights activists and journalists and religious minorities. But what I want to focus on today is the plight of women, who, in particular, face heinous treatment.

Recently, the parliament in Iran enacted a law. What they were responding to were acid attacks that had occurred because young men in this Basij militia had taken it on their own responsibility to go up to women who were uncovered and throw acid in their faces. The reason for the enactment of the law--which followed the harassment and arrest of a human rights activist, a woman who protested the fact that young men were themselves taking on this responsibility of enacting shari'a law, and doing it sometimes by motorcycle, driving by and throwing the acid, sometimes by walking up to the women--was that they were doing this with impunity. The state, the government, was not coming in. The argument that these young men were making was, it is shari'a law that they do this, so this is our enforcement mechanism.

What strikes me is the brutality of the law passed by parliament that would enact a law providing legal protection to citizens to enforce a strict Islamic dress code and other behavior prescribed under shari'a law. In other words, it is cover for these young men. It says if you are going to go out there and if you are going to enforce the Islamic revolution, and you are going to do it by throwing acid, you now have protection under the courts to do it.

This law will embolden these Basij. It will embolden them and other vigilante groups, who in recent months have prowled the streets of Iran's cities, conducting these cruel acid attacks on innocent women. I was going to hold up one of these pictures today, but I thought better of it. I think what we should do is appeal to reason here and make an appeal to the parliament in Iran and say, Reverse this law. Reverse this act. You are only going to encourage more acid attacks.

Let me underscore this point: today, Iranian women face the terror of knowing that state-sanctioned vigilantes may attack them by dousing them with corrosive acid, disfiguring them and blinding them. This is an unspeakable reality there. In 2014, the women of Iran, frankly, are under siege, not by an external force but by their own theocratic government. This is not the history of Cyrus the Great. Iran was the home of the first human rights document thousands of years ago. That was Persian culture. What is this?

We who live in freedom have a moral responsibility to condemn this brutal regime and insist that it treat its people with the dignity and respect that they deserve. This resolution stands for the principle that U.S. foreign policy can and must pursue strategic objectives like the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program while promoting the importance of democracy and human rights. Ultimately, the best chance for a peaceful Iran is a democratic Iran. These two go hand in hand.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), a member of the Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Transportation Committees.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Clawson), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes to respond.

One of the reasons the timing on this is important is because this is the timing that the Iranian regime has chosen to pass legislation that would protect those young men in the Basij who carry out these acid attacks against women. One of the reasons I am bringing this bill to the floor is because I am concerned about what it tells us about a regime that, rather than come to the defense of these women who admittedly were in violation of the dress code in terms of their facial, in terms of their mode of dress, to allow individuals in a theocratic country to make the decisions that they are the arbitrator of what is shari'a law and then to exonerate them by saying it is the right of the individual to step in against another and enforce shari'a law rather than have the state do it, this is a theocratic state that is taking a principle against the individual, against individual freedom, and especially against rights of women to an extra step that is so injurious to human liberty, but also the fact that they would do this now and that they would be so unconcerned that we might not even respond to this or that the international community would have a reaction to this, I think it demands a reaction. Because if we do not, in the court of international opinion, hold them to account for these kinds of acts in their Parliament, what is the message that is given to those who are encouraged to further violate women's rights and minority rights in Iran? That is why I am pushing this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I had a conversation a little over a week ago with a group of Iranian American women about their experiences in Iran and their reaction to this parliamentary act and their reaction to the acid attacks which are increasing in number to a truly alarming percentage. There have been over a dozen of these now. So that is why the timing of the legislation. It is in response to this. In the process, it catalogs the other abuses that the regime recently has undertaken under President Rouhani at a time when we thought they might put a different foot forward to the international community.

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

Mr. Speaker, there were observers that were tempted to believe that Iran's President Rouhani would usher in a more tolerant attitude at home. I think many of us suspected that might be the case because he did occasionally offer less antagonistic rhetoric than his predecessor, even if he had had the history he did have in the security services. But it turns out that was wrong. That assumption was wrong.

In a new report, the U.N. Special Rapporteur has documented an alarming increase in the number of executions, including political prisoners, juveniles, and religious minorities, such as the peaceful Baha'i, since President Rouhani took office in August of 2013. The motif of this regime is becoming a religious dissident swinging by the neck from a crane, if you watch the news coming out of Iran.

I won't again articulate my concerns about these acid attacks that are going on, but this comes, I think, at a time when millions of Iranians yearn for basic freedoms--basic freedoms--that we in the West take for granted.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is incumbent upon all of us, as the House is doing today, to stand with the people of Iran who suffer under this theocracy and to speak out.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3583) to expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women under the Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act. I really want to thank the chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. She authored this bill along with the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) and our colleague from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

Earlier this year, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on women's education which underscored the point at the heart of the bill: a modest investment in educating women and girls in the developing world, particularly in areas beset by poverty and radicalism, can pay long-term dividends that help stabilize societies, promote market-based economic growth, and advance U.S. national security objectives.

I have for years expressed concern about the appalling state of education in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan and the subsequent rise of madrasas, those that prey upon the disenfranchised and breed radicalism. And what I am speaking of now are the Deobandi schools, not the other madrasa, but the Deobandi ones in particular.

The situation for women in areas where access to education is actively suppressed is particularly grim. In Pakistan's northwest frontier province and in Balochistan, for example, literacy among women is between 3 and 8 percent--under 8 percent. I visited all-girl schools in Pakistan up in the northwest frontier only to learn later, when I came back for another visit, that they had been destroyed and it was no longer possible to visit that site.

It is therefore fitting that this bill was named after Malala Yousafzai, who at the age of 15 dared to defy the Taliban and survived a brutal assassination attempt, and ultimately inspired a generation of women and girls to demand their fundamental right to be educated. She is known today for

leading that effort. Just last month, Malala became the corecipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle, in her words, for the right of all children to education.

This legislation requires that USAID award at least half of the scholarships made available through its existing Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship Program in Pakistan to women. It adds no new money to the program, but it provides support and policy guidance to make sure that these scholarships are now going half to women.

The bill also emphasizes the importance of working with the Pakistani diaspora, those communities in the United States who already are doing so much back in Pakistan relating to education and to the medical colleges and universities. Tapping into this vast pool of expertise and resources will prove invaluable to our long-term commitment to promote educational opportunity for girls in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my colleague from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her leadership on this issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, the author of this measure, but also, herself, a former educator who understands only too well the importance of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Eliot Engel did something especially impactful. He quoted from the speech before the United Nations last year of Malala, in her own words. I thought I would just close by making her closing argument, which was:

The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. That is why they are blasting schools every day. Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society.

I ask for an ``aye'' vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege and honor to recognize Roderick M. Hills who passed away on October 29 of this year. Rod served our country through his efforts to strengthen relations between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Thirty years ago, in partnership with Caltex (now Chevron) and IBM, Rod founded what is today the US-ASEAN Business Council, aided by a grant from the U.S. Department of State that was matched two to one by the private sector to establish an organization that would promote and support ASEAN. In 1985, as Chairman of the Council, Rod established its first office. He has played a critical role in supporting the Council ever since, whether providing guidance to subsequent chairmen or advising government officials of the United States and the ASEAN countries or leaders in the private sector.

Today, the Council's members include more than 140 of the leading U.S. companies doing business in Southeast Asia, together representing over $6 trillion in annual revenue and more than 13 million employees.

ASEAN has become America's fourth largest export market, supporting some 560,000 U.S. jobs through nearly $100 billion in goods and services exports to ASEAN. U.S. investment in ASEAN is greater than U.S. investment in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. Investment by ASEAN in the United States has grown over 1,440 percent since 2001, creating new jobs across the country and on track to create even more.

The past 30 years have seen a significant strengthening of ties between the United States and ASEAN. And Rod was there for every one of those years.

Rod served the United States in many capacities throughout his life, including as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Ford Administration, and he had an exemplary career in the legal profession. But his dedication and passion for Southeast Asia and his appreciation for the potential that ASEAN creates is a testament to the difference one person can make.

Significantly, he founded and became chairman of the Hills Program on Governance that established Centers for the Study of Governance in academic institutions around the globe, including at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines and the University of Indonesia. This initiative aims to identify serious governance problems in both the public and private spheres, and it works to develop a better understanding of the corrupting influences that create such problems and organize efforts to reduce those influences.

Ideas like this help change societies. They build the foundation on which security and opportunity can prosper. They pave the way for growth and resiliency. And Rod Hills created a lasting impact on the way in which the countries all over the world, and in Southeast Asia in particular, are embracing the realities of the 21st century and looking to the future.

Again, I want to recognize Rod Hills for his service to the United States and in particular for his vision for and steadfast support to the US-ASEAN Business Council and the important work they have done for the last 30 years to advance business relations between ASEAN and America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 707) condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration over political events in the Middle East or elsewhere, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

I have an amendment at the desk.

I have an amendment to the preamble at the desk.