Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Filner for his leadership in bringing this bill forward and that of the staff on both sides. The legislation before us, H.R. 23, as amended, would provide $1,000 monthly payment to World War II mariners.

The merchant mariners braved great danger and suffered great loss in their service for the allies. This service has been recognized. Since 1988, these wartime merchant mariners have full VA benefits, including health care. This bill goes further than that. It recognizes that these veterans did not have access to the GI Bill when they were young. In providing a monthly payment, H.R. 23 attempts to compensate for the loss of the potential offered by the GI Bill's educational benefits which were used by about half of the 16 million veterans of the Second World War.

Thirty other groups also provided military service to the U.S. in World War II and have received veteran status in the same manner as the merchant mariners.

We are a little bit concerned that we were not able in this bill to also help these deserving veterans. These groups include the Women's Air Force Service Pilots, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the famed Flying Tigers. They served loyally, selflessly and courageously. Their service also contributed directly to victory in 1945, and yet we haven't been able to accommodate them in this bill. In fairness, their duty must be taken into account. I hope that we can act in the near future and take care of them.

I am also concerned that apparently because of the rules of the House, and I voted for PAYGO, that we couldn't find the offsets to fund this benefit. So the issue of funding is being passed to the appropriators. It is unclear where we are going to be able to find the approximately $485 million over the next 5 years to fund the bill.

As a believer in the GI Bill, I certainly cannot dispute the fact that the lack of advantage conferred by GI Bill education benefits disadvantaged merchant mariners and their families in the years following their service.

Mr. Speaker, our merchant mariners provided intrepid and faithful service. Sixty years ago, they paid the heavy price for the freedoms we enjoy today. For that, they certainly deserve our appreciation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow Members of the House to support this bill. Certainly I will.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1315, as amended, contains several important provisions to improve the lives of servicemembers and veterans.

First, severely injured servicemembers would be able to benefit from VA's specially adapted housing program prior to discharge. I appreciate Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin's vigilance and leadership in this area in bringing this forward.

Second, DOD, the Department of Labor, the Attorney General, the Office of Special Counsel and VA would be required to adapt common reporting criteria regarding servicemembers' employment rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, USERRA. Again, I appreciate Mr. Reichert for his hard work in bringing this forward. I think this is an excellent provision.

Third, VA would be authorized to establish scholarship programs for pursuing degrees in rehabilitation for the visually impaired. Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee also did a good job in bringing this forward. This is something that I am very, very familiar with in the sense that I am an optometrist and have had the opportunity to visit, not to visit, to deal with these types of patients many times in the past. This is something we definitely need to do.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin for her bipartisan leadership on this excellent bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1315, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), one of the authors of a portion of the bill, such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has no further speakers, in closing, I can't tell you how privileged I am in serving on the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. We are charged with putting veterans to work and providing educational benefits. As the son of an old master sergeant in the Air Force who did 20 years and retired, I understand the importance of this.

This bill is an excellent bill. I want to thank the chairman for his hard work and also thank the ranking member, Mr. Buyer, for his hard work. I thank Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin, and again our staffs who do so much work.

This bill is an excellent product of bipartisan work on behalf of veterans, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation.

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

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize and commend the outstanding contributions of the Leadership Training Institute of America toward the development of the young leaders of America.

The Leadership Institute of America is an educational organization providing training and opportunity in leadership development and cultural dynamics. This organization's mission is to identify, inspire, and instruct students for leadership in society by equipping them with skills to allow them to defend their beliefs, including and understanding of why traditional values are vital to a free and secure society. It is these values that have, and continue, to make America great.

LTIA students receive exposure to the major world views, issues, and philosophies of today. They are encouraged to pursue careers in influential sectors of our society by applying the leadership, critical thinking, scientific, and historic training they receive at LTIA, which is grounded in the Biblical traditions of America's forefathers.

LTIA students represent future leaders in government, education, media, and business. They will be the backbone of our Nation and vital in sustaining its position as a world leader.

With great pride, I salute the Leadership Training Institute of America for its unrelenting dedication and commitment in training and equipping young leaders for the challenges they will face tomorrow in our dynamic and ever changing world.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My amendment would encourage the Office of National Drug Control Policy to give careful consideration to States that do not currently benefit from the HIDTA program when considering the request of law enforcement agencies for a new HIDTA designation.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 was enacted on December 27, 2006. This law requires the Director of ONDCP to establish regulations under which a coalition of interested law enforcement agencies from an area may petition for designation as a high intensity drug trafficking area.

My amendment would require that of the $226 million in HIDTA funding in the underlying bill, $6 million will not be made available until the Director of the ONDCP certifies in writing that specific regulations have been established for the consideration of HIDTA application. Specifically, the Director must take into consideration whether an area that may be designated as a HIDTA lies within a State that already receives assistance from the HIDTA program.

I do not believe we should mandate a preference for States like Arkansas that have been overlooked in the designation process, but I do believe we should encourage ONDCP to take this fact into consideration when reviewing HIDTA applications.

I have seen the tragic effects of increased drug manufacturing and trafficking in Arkansas, especially the trafficking of meth. Arkansas is one of several States, including Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and several others, that have been excluded from the HIDTA program, despite many characteristics that make it both an ideal setting for illegal drug manufacturing and perfectly situated for trafficking.

In recent years Arkansas has made great progress and has much to be proud of, but we still face serious challenges when it comes to drug trafficking. Our State has one of the most serious meth problems per capita of any State in the country. Our State has become home to branches of some of the Nation's major gangs and has a transportation network that makes it ideal for drug traffickers targeting metropolitan areas, including St. Louis, Little Rock, Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City and so on. My congressional district has one of the top 10 fastest- growing metropolitan statistical areas in the Nation, and recently our State's largest city found itself high on a list of cities in the Nation suffering from violent crime.

Again, I am really discouraged in the sense that despite all of these facts, Arkansas and several States in similar situations have been overlooked in the HIDTA designation process. I don't ask for special preference for my State, but I do request that ONDCP give fair consideration to States in my situation.

I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their hard work on the underlying bill. But again, this is just an effort to try and help the States that are in the same situation as Arkansas.

Point of Order

Offered By: Mr. Boozman

Amendment No. 39: Page 27, line 6, insert before the period

the following: ``: Provided further, that $6,000,000 shall

not be made available until the Director of the Office of

National Drug Control Policy certifies in writing that

regulations established for the designation of high intensity

drug trafficking areas include a requirement that the

Director, in considering whether to designate an area as a

high intensity drug trafficking area, shall consider whether

the area lies within a State that already receives assistance

under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program''.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 418 that welcomes the delegations of presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers from the Caribbean to Washington to meet with the U.S. Congress. This delegation brings the President of Suriname, the prime ministers of Barbados, Belize, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, foreign ministers from the CARICOM countries, and the Assistant Secretary General of the Caribbean Community.

These unprecedented meetings are part of the CARICOM Conference on the Caribbean that will take place from June 19-21.

The Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, was established in 1973 to unify member countries on foreign policies and trade relations with outside states, and to improve the economic conditions of the region.

Fourteen member states will be represented at the meeting, which will focus on trade relations with the United States, energy cooperation, and security concerns, including small arms trafficking and counternarcotics efforts, immigration and the reintegration of the Portuguese in the region, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

There is always room to improve U.S. relations with our southern neighbors. Other such areas to be addressed during the discussions include encouraging tourism, protecting the environment, addressing energy security and renewable resources, combating the spread of infectious disease, and promoting democracy and good governance. This bill

recognizes the deep and historic ties between the people of the United States and the Caribbean, and it commends the Caribbean Community for the establishment of the first-ever conference of this kind.

I applaud this important step, and look forward to working with CARICOM to improve the overall relations between the U.S. Congress and our Caribbean allies.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the subcommittee chairman for his hard work. Also, I want to thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Lantos, and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for bringing this forward along with our staff.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution, which recognizes the enduring ties of an alliance first forged over half a century ago in the crucible of the Korean War. It was heartening to see the photographs from Seoul of the thousands of South Korean citizens who gathered in a downtown plaza on June 6, Korea's memorial day, to express their support of the alliance. They waved South Korean flags and the Stars and Stripes together to show enthusiasm for the strong bonds that link our two countries.

Later this month, June 25, marks the 57th anniversary of the North Korean invasion across the Demilitarized Zone. This surprise attack in the early hours of a Sunday morning sought to snuff the life out of an embryonic South Korean democracy. President Harry Truman's immediate unflinching decision to come to the aid of an embattled South Korea proved that the United States would not retreat from its rendezvous with destiny.

Together with our South Korean and other allies, we turned the tide of war at Inchon and preserved the South Korean state, which we honor as an ally today.

South Korea's commitment to the alliance is seen in many ways, as in the 1,200 South Korean military personnel deployed to Iraq, which makes South Korea's contribution the third largest in the coalition contingent. There is also the $460 million which the Republic of Korea has pledged toward postwar Iraq reconstruction, and there are the close consultations we hold together in the six-party process to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. These are the actions of a true and loyal friend, for which we express our gratitude in this resolution.

Let me also take this opportunity to second the words of the United States forces Korea commander, General Bell, that South Korea Sergeant Yoon Jang-ho, who was South Korea's first uniformed casualty in the war on terror, was a hero. Sergeant Yoon was killed February 27 by a suicide bomber in Bagram, Afghanistan.

This young soldier, although born in Korea, had spent his high school and college years in Indiana, graduating from Indiana University. He returned to South Korea to complete his military service and volunteered for service in Afghanistan. His loss was deeply felt, both in his home nation of Korea and his adopted hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.

The shared mourning of the peoples of two nations for this valiant soldier is one more concrete indication of the ties that bind our two nations. Another, of course, is the talent and dynamism of the 2- million-strong ethnic Korean community in the United States. Los Angeles represents the largest concentrated urban center of Korean culture outside of the Korean Peninsula. For this enriching contribution to America's melting pot, we are extremely grateful.

I therefore urge immediate passage of this resolution which recognizes this strong and enduring alliance.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 226 recognizes American government officials who played a critical role in the creation of the War Refugee Board in an effort to help rescue Jews and other persecuted minorities during the Holocaust.

In the early stage of World War II, there was an extensive flow of information about the extent of Jews and other minorities being systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.

A heroic group of U.S. Government officials from the Treasury Department, including Secretary of the Treasurer, Henry Morganthau, as well as Joseph DuBois and John Pehle, urged President Franklin Roosevelt to take more direct and forceful action to help the victims of the Nazi atrocities.

President Roosevelt later signed an executive order creating the War Refugee Board. Mr. John Pehle became the executive director of the board which helped to rescue Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution and prevented thousands of people from dying in extermination camps.

Furthermore, the board assisted the International Red Cross to provide food and shelter to over 3 million prisoners of war. Efforts by those who worked to establish the War Refugee Board, particularly of Secretary of Treasury Henry Morganthau, Joseph DuBois, and John Pehle, were instrumental in saving thousands of lives during the Nazi extermination policy.

H. Res. 226 recognizes and honors these government officials for their efforts, and I urge support for this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim 30 seconds of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am remiss in not complimenting the gentlewoman from California for bringing this forward. It is very, very important that we do remember what people have done and when good people have stepped forward.

We are sitting here and you always want to do your best on the pronunciation of names, and it is sad we don't know these names better than we do. I think you bringing forward this resolution, again it just highlights the importance that we do remember what has happened in the past and we keep it from happening in the future.

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

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

I would like to thank Representative Giffords for her leadership on this issue, as well as Chairman Lantos for sponsoring the committee amendment clarifying the intent and impact of this legislation.

Earlier this year as a result of the Federal sting operation, Congress learned that Iran had illegally purchased parts for F-14 fighter planes from a U.S. military surplus store. According to investigators, the incident was just one piece of a larger ring of illegally sold military surplus parts that found their way to China and Iran.

The report prompted the Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency to suspend sales of the F-14 components.

Military surplus offices are supposed to demilitarize parts, which would render them useless for military purposes.

They are also allowed to auction the parts but only to buyers who promise to obey U.S. arms embargoes, export controls, and other laws. That was not the case, however, with these particular F-14 parts.

As Members are aware, Tehran is in search of several key components for its aging fleet of F-14 Tomcat jets, which the United States sold to Iran prior to its 1979 Islamic revolution. This bill will add another layer of protection to the extensive array of export sanctions already imposed on Iran under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act and related executive orders.

The committee amendment recognizes these facts and adjusts the title of the bill to more accurately reflect the purpose of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, given the clear and present danger Iran poses to the national security interests of the United States and to the broader peace and stability of the Middle East, this is an appropriate and timely measure for our consideration today.

I want to thank again Ms. Giffords and Mr. Pearce, and I support the adoption of the resolution.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Wally Bailey, a resident of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and his group's recent visit to Capitol Hill during this year's annual recognition of Building Safety Week. On May 9, Mr. Bailey led a delegation of members of the International Code Council to meet with Congress to discuss nationally focused concerns in building safety and fire prevention. This year ICC's delegation focused specifically on a proposal to create a Community Building Code Administration Grant Program, and Mr. Bailey spoke to me persuasively of how this program would expand and support the quality and effectiveness of building code and fire code administration in underserved areas of our country.

Mr. Bailey serves as President of the Board of Directors of the International Code Council, a volunteer role to which he was elected in national leadership of a membership association of over 42,000 building safety and fire prevention professionals. It is this group that develops the building and fire codes that are in use all across our country for the construction and maintenance of our residential and commercial buildings, including the homes and the business, schools, and places of worship we visit regularly. These codes, created and maintained through a voluntary consensus development process, are in use by over 22,000 U.S. jurisdictions, including those who govern the quality, safety and energy efficiency of building construction at the local, State and Federal levels.

For the past three decades, Mr. Bailey has been a tireless advocate for building safety through superior building codes and effective building code administration. As the Director of Development and Construction for the City of Fort Smith, he supervises activities of a multi-disciplined department that governs codes administration, inspections, plan review, property maintenance, historic preservation and land development. As a matter of note, two years ago he celebrated a quarter century of service to the City.

Since 1999, in addition to his work with the City of Fort Smith, Mr. Bailey has served in leadership positions with the ICC, culminating in his present role as President of the Board. Besides his being a distinguished citizen of my District, in my opinion, ICC's membership elected a leader who is an outstanding public safety professional and a truly dedicated public servant.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the rest of the ICC delegation who visited Capitol Hill during Building Safety Week 2007, and thank them for their efforts to promote and defend a safe and sound built-environment. Those individuals include: Board Vice President Steven Shapiro, Board Secretary/Treasurer Adolph Zubia, Immediate Past President of the Board Henry Green; Board members Gregori Anderson, Edwin Berkel, James Brothers, John Darnall, William Dupler, Gerald George, Greg Johnson, Barbara Koffron, John LaTorra, Ronald Lynn,

Doug Murdock, Ronald Piester, and James Ryan; ICC Government Relations Advisory Committee members Rebecca Baker, James Martin, Betts Nixon, Emory Rodgers, and George Wiggins; ICC Chapter Leaders Paul Aston, Roger Axel, Kurt Kasson, Sheila Lee, and Tina Rakes. Members of ICC's professional staff included its CEO Rick Weiland as well as Dominic Sims, David deCourcy, Sara Yerkes, James Tidwell, Mark Dinneen, Richard Kuchnicki, Laura Scott, Peter Feldman, and International Accreditation Services President Charles Ramani.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Wally Bailey, a resident of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and his group's recent visit to Capitol Hill during this year's annual recognition of Building Safety Week. On May 9, Mr. Bailey led a delegation of members of the International Code Council to meet with Congress to discuss nationally focused concerns in building safety and fire prevention. This year ICC's delegation focused specifically on a proposal to create a Community Building Code Administration Grant Program, and Mr. Bailey spoke to me persuasively of how this program would expand and support the quality and effectiveness of building code and fire code administration in underserved areas of our country.

Mr. Bailey serves as President of the Board of Directors of the International Code Council, a volunteer role to which he was elected in national leadership of a membership association of over 42,000 building safety and fire prevention professionals. It is this group that develops the building and fire codes that are in use all across our country for the construction and maintenance of our residential and commercial buildings, including the homes and the businesses, schools, and places of worship we visit regularly. These codes, created and maintained through a voluntary consensus development process, are in use by over 22,000 U.S. jurisdictions, including those who govern the quality, safety and energy efficiency of building construction at the local, State and Federal levels.

For the past three decades, Mr. Bailey has been a tireless advocate for building safety through superior building codes and effective building code administration. As the Director of Development and Construction for the City of Fort Smith, he supervises activities of a multi-disciplined department that governs codes administration, inspections, plan review, property maintenance, historic preservation and land development. As a matter of note, 2 years ago he celebrated a quarter century of service to the City. Since 1999, in addition to his work with the City of Fort Smith, Mr. Bailey has served in leadership positions with the ICC, culminating in his present role as President of the Board. Besides his being a distinguished citizen of my District, in my opinion, ICC's membership elected a leader who is an outstanding public safety professional and a truly dedicated public servant.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the rest of the ICC delegation who visited Capitol Hill during Building Safety Week 2007, and thank them for their efforts to promote and defend a safe and sound built-environment. Those individuals include: Board Vice President Steven Shapiro, Board Secretary/Treasurer Adolph Zubia, Immediate Past President of the Board Henry Green; Board members Gregori Anderson, Edwin Berkel, James Brothers, John Darnall, William Dupler, Gerald George, Greg Johnson, Barbara Koffron, John LaTorra, Ronald Lynn, Doug Murdock, Ronald Piester, and James Ryan; ICC Government Relations Advisory Committee members Rebecca Baker, James Martin, Betts Nixon, Emory Rodgers, and George Wiggins; ICC Chapter Leaders Paul Aston, Roger Axel, Kurt Kasson, Sheila Lee, and Tina Rakes. Members of ICC's professional staff included its CEO Rick Weiland as well as Dominic Sims, David deCourcy, Sara Yerkes, James Tidwell, Mark Dinneen, Richard Kuchnicki, Laura Scott, Peter Feldman, and International Accreditation Services President Charles Ramani.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of one of the Third District's greatest leaders and greatest servants, John Lewis of Fayetteville.

He was known as ``Mr. Fayetteville'' by those who knew him. The list of what he didn't do would be easier to read. John Lewis was a Marine, a banker and a member of numerous boards, including the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. He was a visionary who helped develop Interstate 540 and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, both of which serve literally thousands of people on a daily basis.

Many feel the downtown of Fayetteville, the home of his alma mater, the University of Arkansas, exists in its present form today because of the tireless work of John Lewis.

The condolences of many in northwest Arkansas, including myself and my family, are with the Lewis family.

Thank you, John, for our service to our community, our State, and to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this bill that expresses our appreciation to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for visiting the United States over the last month.

Over the course of her lifetime and during her 55 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth has played a vital role in the United Kingdom's successes through her strong leadership in diplomacy. She has been a great source of stability for her nation.

During times of peace and times of unrest, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have displayed amazing courage and have inspired the world community. The relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is a special one. The Americans and British have been working together for generations, furthering the deep-rooted commitment each country has for peace and security.

I would like to thank Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for reaffirming the trans-Atlantic friendship between our two countries with their visit last month to the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

The only thing I would say is that, again, I am very much in support of the bill and I appreciate the leadership that was shown, as Mr. Buyer just said, in getting the bill forward. I think it is a great example of everybody working together which, again, our committee very often does demonstrate. So I am very much in support, and urge a ``yes'' vote.

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

H.R. 2239, the Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act, implements a commonsense involvement in the speed with which we provide vocational rehabilitation to injured servicemembers. This bill makes it clear that active duty servicemembers are entitled to begin using vocational rehabilitation benefits prior to discharge.

The bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with the military services to determine the likelihood that a servicemember undergoing hospitalization or outpatient treatment will be discharged or returned to active duty. If the member is likely to be discharged and will likely have a disability rating of at least 10 percent, VA is authorized to evaluate and award the full range of vocational rehabilitation benefits prior to the servicemember's discharge. Such a decision would be made using the current statutory and regulatory processes to determine eligibility.

Mr. Speaker, it makes no sense to delay access to benefits that will speed an injured servicemember's return to productive civilian life. For severely injured servicemembers, these benefits often make the difference between whether or not they are able to live independently. Many of those wounded in the global war on terror spend 2 or 3 years recovering from their injuries and often find themselves with significant free time outside of their therapy sessions. That free time offers an ideal opportunity to make use of their vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits to prepare them for the civilian job market. I am happy to let my colleagues know that CBO has said that this bill ``would have no direct impact on direct spending.'' The bill simply affects the timing of when our servicemembers receive the benefits.

All of us have gone over to Bethesda and Walter Reed to visit injured troops. And, again, this is an effort to give them the best of both worlds, the best that we can offer them being on active duty, but to go ahead and start those vocational rehab services so that we can get vocational counselors in there and then, again, as they pursue their getting stronger and heal physically, to go ahead and direct them in such a way that we can provide a new occupation for them in the future.

So I appreciate Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin, and especially the chairwoman in the sense that she was instrumental in helping us amend the bill to improve it.

So, again, I would urge that my colleagues support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to urge the passage of H.R. 2239. I appreciate the work of my chairman and ranking member and especially the work of the staff on this bill.

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

General Leave