Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Colonel Thomas ``Tucker'' Fagan on his recognition in the Air Force Public Affairs Agency's ``Veterans in Blue'' Volume VIII.

Throughout his impressive career in the Air Force, Col. Fagan proved himself indispensable, being chosen as one of eight military personnel chosen to build the U.S. nuclear war plan, and serving as the wing commander at F.E. Warren AFB, and the 20th Air Force vice commander. After his retirement, Col. Fagan stayed active in the Wyoming and Air Force communities, including serving former Wyoming U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis as her Chief of Staff.

The Air Force Public Affairs Agency launched the ``Veterans in Blue'' portrait collection to highlight the men and women that have contributed to the Air Force's great legacy. Col. Fagan's dedication and contributions to the Air Force, nation, and state warrants his inclusion in this prestigious collection.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to Col. Fagan on being recognized in the ``Veterans in Blue'' Volume VIII portrait collection, and I thank him for his continued service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Frank Hancock on his retirement.

This is a momentous occasion and I hope that he will take the time to reflect upon all his hard work over the past 22 years working for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). I thank him for his contributions to WYDOT and to our community.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to Frank Hancock on his retirement. I wish him the best in future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Danny and Becky Delorey on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

This significant benchmark is a symbol of their commitment to each other and to their family. I am happy to join their friends and family in extending my best to them on this special occasion.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to Danny and Becky on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. I wish them the best today and for many more blessed years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to John Keck on his retirement from the National Park Service.

For the past 14 years, John has served as the Wyoming/Montana state coordinator and Eastern MT-WY Group Superintendent for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. In this role, he has worked closely with various non-profit and local groups, communities, and state and federal agencies and offices, including mine. Having lived in Wyoming throughout his life and worked for the state for 22 years before joining the National Park Service, John has been able to apply his knowledge and experiences to excel in his role and for the people and state of Wyoming. I want to extend my appreciation to him for his many contributions to our great state.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to John Keck on his retirement. He has been integral to the National Park Service and our state, and will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Laura McKinney on her retirement.

This is a momentous occasion and I hope that she will take the time to reflect upon all her hard work over the past 34 years working for Magic City Enterprises. I thank her for her contributions to Magic City Enterprises and to our community.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to Laura McKinney on her retirement. I wish her the best in future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Sally ``Powder'' Nichols on her induction into the Clara Klindt

Rocky Mountain College Athletic Hall of Fame. Her continued dedication to athletic excellence warrants this recognition.

Throughout her time at Lusk High School, University of Idaho, and Rocky Mountain College, she was integral to her teams' successes, setting various school records and being selected All-Conference and All-Region in 2000. As an athlete, and now as a coach, she has set an excellent example for students and athletes across the state. I commend her commitment to her teammates, to her students, and to athletics.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to Sally for being inducted into the Rocky Mountain College Athletic Hall of Fame. She and her family deserve to be extremely proud of this accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, on this historic day in this Chamber where President Roosevelt appeared the day after the Pearl Harbor attack, I rise to honor a World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, Mr. Clarence Varos, who will turn 100 this weekend.

Born on December 10, 1917, Mr. Varos has served our country and State in many ways. As a member of the U.S. Navy, Mr. Varos fought through and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. He risked his life in the defense of freedom as a gunner on the USS Hyde, transporting marines in the Pacific theater. After bravely serving our Nation in uniform, Mr. Varos went on to dedicate 30 years of his life to the Union Pacific Railroad.

I want to thank Mr. Varos for all he has contributed to our great Nation and State. His sacrifice, bravery, and grit are an example to us all. I look forward to congratulating Mr. Varos in person at celebrations in his honor this weekend in Cheyenne. I would like to say happy birthday to Mr. Varos and thank him for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule for consideration of H.R. 38 and the underlying bill, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, Mr. Speaker, protects the individual rights of American citizens to keep and bear arms. This is a fundamental right to our great Republic.

In Wyoming, Mr. Speaker, we know that this is a God-given right enshrined in our Constitution, which is why Wyoming is a constitutional carry State. Wyoming is not alone in this Constitution-based conviction.

Across the country, Mr. Speaker, 42 States broadly recognize the right of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns. Further, all 50 States allow some form of concealed carry. Many States, but not all, Mr. Speaker, already recognize the gun laws of other States.

However, Mr. Speaker, those traveling through or living on the border of a State that does not recognize their home State's laws could have their gun rights stripped when they cross State lines. That is wrong, Mr. Speaker.

This puts otherwise law-abiding citizens in a situation where they may be criminally liable for simply carrying out their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

The constitutional rights of United States citizens should not change or end at State lines, Mr. Speaker. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act ensures the rights of law-abiding citizens to travel across State lines without worrying about the conflicting patchwork of State concealed carry laws or regulations.

This bill is crucial to protecting our constitutional rights. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the House Republican Conference, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 631 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 631, which provides a closed rule for consideration of H.R. 3017, Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment, and Reauthorization Act of 2017; and a structured rule for H.R. 3905, Minnesota's Economic Rights in the Superior National Forest Act.

Mr. Speaker, brownfield refers normally to abandoned or closed commercial or industrial properties that may be contaminated because of their prior use. These sites often represent a tremendous amount of untapped economic potential. However, developing that potential is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances or contaminants.

The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that there are more than 50,000 brownfields in the United States. The brownfields program has enjoyed broad bipartisan support and has been critical in converting these vacant sites into tax-generating properties and, eventually, well-paying jobs for American citizens.

As of May 1, 2017, the program has assessed 26,722 sites, and they have leveraged over 124,760 jobs. On average, Mr. Speaker, over $16 is leveraged for every EPA brownfields dollar spent, and 8.5 jobs are leveraged per $100,000 of EPA brownfields funds.

States all over the country have benefited from this grant program. In my home State of Wyoming, we put brownfield grants to use in cities like Casper, Cheyenne, Sheridan, Evanston, Kemmerer, Laramie, and Dubois.

Brownfield sites have been revitalized using these funds in places like the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas; development in the neighborhoods around Danville, Illinois; and the Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek in Orange, California.

The brownfields program has been expired, Mr. Speaker, since 2006, and it is high time we reauthorize this critically important grant program.

The brownfields program has enabled local communities to clean up and repurpose vacated sites, utilizing them for meaningful economic development, while responsibly cleaning up hazardous sites. This is an important step in maintaining and improving what has been a demonstrably effective program.

Mr. Speaker, the rule we consider today also provides for consideration of a very important bill, H.R. 3905, Minnesota's Economic Rights in the Superior National Forest Act, which was introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer).

H.R. 3905 requires congressional approval of any mineral withdrawal or monument designation involving the National Forest System lands in the State of Minnesota and provides for the renewal of certain mineral leases in those lands.

This is necessary, Mr. Speaker, because in the final hours of the Obama administration, the administration withdrew hundreds of thousands of acres in Minnesota from mineral development and improperly terminated two Federal mineral leases.

The effect of this decision halted potential mining projects in Minnesota, robbing the region of 650 direct and 1,300 indirect jobs, as well as the tax revenue the mining operation would bring.

Mining jobs, Mr. Speaker, are good, high-paying jobs. The average mining wage in Minnesota is roughly $25,000 a year higher than the average wage in the State.

Coming from a State where we mine more coal than any State in the Nation, I understand and appreciate the economic development mining projects can bring to a region. We also understand the burden that can be imposed by working with the Federal Government on these projects in Wyoming.

Roughly half my State, Mr. Speaker, is comprised of Federal lands. Receiving the appropriate authorizations to drill or mine on these lands can be a lengthy and cumbersome process that delays projects for many years.

Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, we must improve our Federal regulatory process so we can better harness the vast natural resources we have in our country, while still protecting and conserving our environment.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I encourage support for the rule for these important bills, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to be clear about exactly what H.R. 3905 does.

H.R. 3905 does not eliminate environmental requirements. In fact, it will only allow mining as long as those strict environmental requirements are met. What it does do is allow Minnesota itself to advance its State and local economies.

I applaud my colleague from Massachusetts' commitment and dedication to working together to try and come up with solutions about things like, for example, funding the government. I will just point out that if Democrats were, in fact, so dedicated to working with Republicans to fund the government and to begin to come to a solution, to come to an agreement, perhaps

their leadership would have shown up yesterday at the White House to have meetings and discussions about funding the government. It is awfully hard to claim that you are very dedicated and committed to that concept if you don't have leaders who show up to the key meetings.

I would also point out, Mr. Speaker, my colleague has called our bills and our process here ridiculous and extreme.

I can't help but note that what is truly ridiculous and extreme, Mr. Speaker, are the massive increases in ObamaCare premiums that my constituents all across Wyoming are now facing.

My constituents are now facing a situation, because of ObamaCare, because of this health plan that was supposed to provide coverage for everybody, low-cost coverage for everybody, that was supposed to guarantee access, guarantee if you liked your doctor, you could keep him or her, guarantee that you would be able to afford healthcare, my constituents are now facing premiums that will bankrupt them.

They are now receiving bills that demonstrate that their premiums next year, for example, for a retired married couple of two, the lowest amount that they can pay under the ObamaCare Bronze Plan is $2,700 a month. Now, that is absolutely unsustainable, and that is what is ridiculous and extreme.

What we are doing today is making sure that we pass legislation that reauthorizes the important brownfields program that restores rights to the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley), the sponsor of H.R. 3017.

Mr. Speaker, I would just note, in response to my friend and colleague from Massachusetts, that if the gentleman's leaders are so fragile that they are scared off by a tweet, then probably they need some new leaders. And I don't suspect that his argument really is they couldn't go to the meeting because they were scared because of a tweet.

We do need to work together to get things done. We are hard at work doing that.

In that regard, Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee, who oversaw this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have a very tough job. They have to argue for policies that have failed and argue for policies that we have actually had to live through the failure of those policies over the last 8 years.

My colleague on the Rules Committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), asked us to imagine if Hillary Clinton were President, and imagine if Barack Obama were President. Mr. Speaker, we don't have to imagine. We lived through Barack Obama's Presidency. We know that we would be, today, living through completely stagnant growth, a strangled military unable to meet its commitments around the world, out-of- control Federal agencies, a Federal Government that believed it had an obligation to run every aspect of people's lives across this country, and, at the same time, the Federal Government telling people that they were forced to purchase insurance they didn't want and they didn't need.

We know that has failed. We know that the whole system that the Democrats believed would work, in terms of bringing healthcare costs down, fundamentally failed. You cannot force people into the insurance pools. The concept was, if you forced the young, healthy people in, you would drop costs down for everybody. That is not what happened.

I have sympathy for them because it is a tough job that they are undertaking, but it is very important that we argue based on the facts on this floor, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the tax bill that I hope will come back from the Senate--the tax bill that we passed out of the House, and one that we will take to conference--reduces taxes for the middle class, reduces taxes for families all across this country, doubles the standard deduction, and takes steps towards making real what we know to be true, which is taxpayer dollars don't belong to the government, Mr. Speaker, taxpayer dollars belong to the American people.

If we allow people to keep more of their own money, they will invest that money, they will grow our economy, and they will create jobs. That is how we are going to get this economy growing and continue the expansion and economic growth that we have seen just since this President came into office.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Lewis).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), the sponsor of H.R. 3905.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

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

Mr. Speaker, I would just, once again, point out that we have important work that we are trying to get done here, we have important work we have got to do on behalf of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, elections have consequences, and we have an obligation to do what our constituents sent us here to do, and that includes a whole range of things that we have been very effective at doing, historically effective in this body since January in terms of deregulation, in terms of passing the repeal of ObamaCare, in terms of moving forward on tax cuts in terms of actually passing the legislation to cut taxes, and importantly also, Mr. Speaker, moving forward to provide the resources that our military needs.

We all watched just over the course of the last 24 hours as the North Koreans launched yet again another ICBM. We live in a dangerous world. It is increasingly dangerous, historically dangerous.

Those are the issues that we are focused on as Republicans and as Members of this House. Those are the issues that we need to focus our attention on.

Again, I think we have grown to expect, no matter what the rule is, no matter what the underlying bill is, we are going to hear the same thing from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, not addressing the substance of these issues, not addressing the substance of the things the American people sent us here to do. I am very proud to stand here today doing exactly that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close.

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

I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. McKinley and Mr. Emmer, for their work on these important bills. I want to thank my colleague, Mr. McGovern. I am glad to hear him say that they want to put people first.

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing; whether we are talking about our tax bill, which is going to put money back in people's pockets; whether we are talking about repealing and replacing ObamaCare, which we have passed through this House; whether we are talking about defense spending that is going to protect the people of this Nation.

All across Wyoming, Mr. Speaker, I know my constituents are very grateful that we are now suddenly putting people first after years of putting the government first. We are not doing that anymore, Mr. Speaker.

It is true, this is the people's House. And in this House, Mr. Speaker, we ought to always live by and remember the rules of Alexander Hamilton: ``Here, sir, the people govern.''

In this House, Mr. Speaker, we are charged with carrying out the obligations of the people who elected us. The bills and the rule that we are debating today do just that. Both of these bills are absolutely critical for spurring economic development across our country.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of both the rule and of these underlying bills.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. Byrne, for his hard work, both on the Armed Services Committee and on the Rules Committee, on this important rule.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule that will allow for consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.

Mr. Speaker, as elected Members of this body, we have no higher obligation or responsibility than to provide for the support and the defense of our Nation. No matter what else we do in this body--and we debate very big, important issues. We debate tax cuts, we debate healthcare, and these are crucial issues, but none of those issues matters if we fail to get the resources necessary to defend this Nation from our adversaries.

For far too long, Mr. Speaker, we have failed to do that. Over the last 8 years, we have seen policies that have failed to provide the kind of resources our Defense Department needs. We have also seen, Mr. Speaker, legislation from this body--in particular, the Budget Control Act--that has caused significant damage to the military.

We have heard on the Armed Services Committee, week after week, briefings from every layer of the military--from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, from the Secretary of Defense, and from the combatant commanders--briefings about the extent to which there is a gap that is growing between our abilities and the abilities of our adversaries. Now, this is a gap that people seem to want to ignore, Mr. Speaker, but we do so at our own peril.

I think that we need, as Members of this body, to think very carefully about what we are going to say to our children and our grandchildren one day if they say to us: Why didn't you do all you could to ensure for the defense of this Nation? Why didn't you do all you could when you were in a position to provide the resources?

Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons we don't do all we can is because we enable the Senate rules. We have gotten ourselves in a situation, through the Budget Control Act and through the way that we do budgeting in this House, where we enable the dysfunction of the United States Senate, and we let the United States Senate be in a position where, in fact, they prevent us from doing what we know is right from a policy perspective.

I am very proud of this piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, because what this does, in a bipartisan fashion, is begin to fix that. It begins to remedy the situation. It begins to allow our military to get out from under the burden, the hole that they have been in for the last 8 years.

Funds authorized in this NDAA will ensure that we are able, for example, to modernize our strategic forces. It will also ensure, Mr. Speaker, that we are able to begin to provide funding for the kind of missile defense that we know we need in a situation in which our adversaries have gained tremendous ground.

Mr. Speaker, when we have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs come before the committee and tell us in public session that, if we continue on the path we are on, within 5 years we will not be able to project our power, every Member of this body needs to stop everything else they are doing and listen to that warning. If we can't project our power, then we cannot defend this Nation.

There are many Members of this body, Mr. Speaker, on both sides, who like to quote a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs that the debt is the biggest national security threat we face. That is only half of his quote. The second half of his quote was that the debt is the most significant threat we face because it prevents us from being able to resource our military.

So, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here today to stand in support of this rule and to stand in support of the National Defense Authorization Act and the important progress that it allows us to begin to make to rebuild our military and undo the damage of the last 8 years.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained in a meeting with the Secretary of the Navy. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 616.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to Lois Herbst, Patrick and Paul Hladky, and Maury Brown on being inducted into the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame.

The Wyoming Business Hall of Fame was founded in 2013 by the University of Wyoming's College of Business, the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation, and the Wyoming Business Council. It recognizes those who go above and beyond for their businesses and their communities. Lois, Patrick, Paul, and Maury each have made an excellent example for their families, friends, and residents across the state through their hard work, leadership, and tenacity.

This year's inductees have been successful in their businesses and have become integral parts of their communities:

Throughout her impressive career, Lois Herbst has helped run her family's ranch, the Herbst Lazy TY Ranch LLP, and has served on many state agriculture boards. She was inducted into the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1999, and has served as the president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the first and only woman to hold that post, as well as on the Wyoming State Grazing Board.

Since taking over operation of their father's business, Cyclone Drilling, Patrick and Paul Hladky have expanded it into a business that employs more than 700 people, operating throughout the Rockies. They are active in their community and believe that economic development depends on an educated workforce. This belief has driven their commitment to supporting educational opportunities throughout Gillette and the state.

Maury Brown is the owner of two businesses in Wyoming: Town and Country Supermarket Liquors, and Maurice Brown Exploration. He is dedicated to philanthropy, receiving multiple local awards, including the 2013 Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce's Person of the Year award. I would like to thank Lois, Patrick, Paul, and Maury for their continued dedication and significant contributions to Wyoming's economy and community.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my congratulations to the 2017 inductees to the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame. Lois, Patrick, Paul, and Maury deserve to be extremely proud of this accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Mr. Newhouse, from the Rules Committee, as well as Mr. Westerman, for their work on this bill.

I rise in support, Mr. Speaker, of the rule for consideration of H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act, a bill that will help address the wildfire crisis that is plaguing our Nation as well as begin the very important process of restoring the health of our forests.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, this has been one of the largest wildfire years in our Nation's history. We have seen livelihoods across the West threatened and seen the lives of our brave firefighters put in harm's way. These fires are deadly, and, tragically, more than 40 people lost their lives when fast-moving wildfires swept through northern California just a few weeks ago.

Mr. Speaker, we have particularly felt the effects in my State of Wyoming, where we find ourselves in an absolutely indefensible situation. Fires are being caused and worsened by Federal mismanagement. Eight years of Federal policy opposing proven methods of forest management and, instead, focusing on efforts to prevent all human use of our forests have done significant damage.

This damage is not just to the forests that we have had to watch burn, Mr. Speaker, but we have also seen tremendous damage to our water in postfire situations where the water is contaminated with ash; significant damage to wildlife habitat, the health of our forests, to property, and, most importantly, Mr. Speaker, to human life.

Under the bad policies and the mismanagement from the Federal Government, we have seen our forests become overgrown, accumulating unsafe levels of hazardous biofuels that have become an absolute tinderbox for these fires. We must take action now.

This bill, as my colleagues have pointed out, is a bipartisan effort to begin to take the steps we know will help reduce hazardous fuels and improve the management of our forests. We must also act, Mr. Speaker, as a Congress, to fix the fire-borrowing issue. The Resilient Federal Forests Act takes a significant step toward ending the practice of fire borrowing, and simplifies the process for implementing proper, effective forest management strategies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge, therefore, the adoption of the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 548 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 548, which provides a closed rule for consideration of H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

This important bill protects and extends compassion to the most vulnerable among us, the unborn, by prohibiting abortions, with limited exceptions, after the point at which scientific evidence shows that an unborn child can feel pain.

Mr. Speaker, this really should be called Micah's bill in honor of a little boy named Micah Pickering, who was here on the Hill last week with his mom. He was born at 20 weeks old. And we saw, and we see from babies like Micah, that with the right medical care, babies born at 20 weeks can survive and grow into healthy adults.

Micah's mother spoke last week about her experiences: ``When Micah was born, his eyes were still fused shut. His bones were not hardened yet. He couldn't breathe on his own. He was medicated to stay comfortable from pain. We were told not to touch his skin, as his skin was so sensitive it could hurt him and tear the skin. I was there to see his first set of hiccups, his first sneezes, and his first drop of milk placed on his lips. His first smile, his first laugh. He was alive. He was fighting. He wanted to live.''

Today, Mr. Speaker, Micah is a healthy 5-year-old boy.

Babies like Micah at 20 weeks have well developed brains and central nervous systems, developed enough so that medical evidence has increasingly confirmed these babies feel pain, and not only pain, but intense and possibly excruciating pain.

Research also indicates that, after 20 weeks, an unborn baby's responses to painful stimuli are similar to adult responses, to the extent that when surgeons, Mr. Speaker, are performing in-utero surgery, corrective procedures on these unborn children, surgeons have seen babies flinch, jerk, and recoil from those sharp objects and incisions.

In response to this, Mr. Speaker, surgeons routinely now administer anesthesia to unborn children in the womb before performing surgery. This anesthesia has been associated with a significant increase in babies' stress hormone levels during medical procedures.

Mr. Speaker, late-term abortions, usually performed by inducing labor after the fetus has been injected with a lethal pharmacological agent or by the horrific practice of dismemberment, causing babies intense pain, should be illegal, and that is what this bill ensures.

I believe, Mr. Speaker, that this bill also takes important steps to protect women, providing exceptions for those cases of rape, and incest, and the life of the mother.

H.R. 36 also provides women with a cause of action, allowing them to sue abortionists who don't provide protection for aborted babies who are born alive.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act protects the sanctity of life by ensuring protection from pain for the most vulnerable among us.

Mr. Speaker, this is a moral obligation of this House and of our government. Therefore, I urge support for the rule to allow for consideration of H.R. 36.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Mitchell).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Utah (Mrs. Love).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger).

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

I think that it is important to acknowledge the pain of the cases that those on the other side of the aisle are mentioning. But I would note, Mr. Speaker, that there has been no mention, no discussion on the other side of the aisle about the pain that these babies feel, and that when you are in a situation like the ones that have been described, what is happening is those babies are being subjected to really, oftentimes, a horrific procedure. The question is, because a baby is found to have some chromosomal anomaly, to have some very severe handicap, whether or not they deserve to be subjected to the pain we now know they feel.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have seen work done by Northwestern University that demonstrates that the pain that these young preemies feel may, in fact, be even worse than the pain that older babies feel, because the pain inhibitors develop later in life than the pain receptors do.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle not to ignore the challenges and the issues involved here with respect to the pain that these babies feel. I would also note, Mr. Speaker, that the CBO, in a very unusual step, has assessed that this bill itself would save 2,750 lives annually. That is something that the CBO doesn't often do, but it is very important for us to recognize.

I don't think we can have a discussion about this bill, about these issues, without acknowledging the pain that these babies feel, and I would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to focus on that as well.

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

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

Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, that the scientific evidence is extensive in terms of the pain that these unborn babies feel. In particular, the standard of care, Mr. Speaker, for babies who are born prematurely, as well as for babies who are patients in vitro, is to provide anesthesia. And that standard of care is based upon evidence that these babies have pain receptors, that these babies react to pain, and that they feel pain.

Mr. Speaker, I think the notion that there is no scientific evidence for this is flat wrong. I don't think we can ignore the example of babies like Micah, babies who are born, babies who grow up to lead very full and healthy lives and who deserve a chance.

Mr. Speaker, I think that as individuals and as Representatives, elected Representatives, it is our obligation, in fact, to do everything we can to protect these babies, and that is what this bill is about.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona for his work on this issue and for introducing this important bill. It is undeniable that we have a much better understanding today of life inside the womb than we did at the time of the passage of Roe v. Wade.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle express a commitment to science in all cases except where it matters most, in those cases that involve the preservation of human life. They don't want to talk about babies. They don't want to talk about the horrific procedures that we are dealing with today, and we have to. It is our obligation to.

Mr. Speaker, our country has banned partial-birth abortion in a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court, and I would just urge my colleagues to look at the decision in that opinion, Gonzales v. Carhart, the decision written by Justice Kennedy: talking in specific, quoting a nurse, talking about the reaction of a 26-week-old baby who was a victim of partial-birth abortion, what their physical reaction is, the mother of little babies reading that, and the description of what happens to a baby when they are killed--watching their hands expand and then contract, as any mother of a newborn infant has watched many times.

It is truly horrific, and I think, as a society, Mr. Speaker, we have to be willing to face the exact nature of what it is we are talking about. We have an obligation as elected Representatives, Mr. Speaker, to protect the lives of these unborn babies. This legislation would do that.

We have a moral obligation, and it is our job. It is in the interest of the States to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that we do everything possible to protect life.

In this case, Mr. Speaker, we are talking about a bill that would protect babies at moments when we know they can feel pain in the womb. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of both the rule and of H.R. 36 so that we can continue to protect and save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.