Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6116, as amended. I support this legislation for several reasons.

To begin with, this bill simply implements the recommendation of the third circuit judicial council to allow decisions of the Virgin Islands Supreme Court to be reviewed directly by the United States Supreme Court. The Virgin Islands Supreme Court is the equivalent of a U.S. State supreme court. It is authorized to review all final orders, judgments, and specified interlocutory orders of the Virgin Islands superior courts. Appeals from the Virgin Islands Supreme Court are made by petitions of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at this time.

The Revised Organic Act specifically grants the third circuit appellate jurisdiction for the first 15 years of the Virgin Islands Supreme Court's existence. In addition, the act requires the third circuit judicial council to submit reports to two congressional committees every 5 years assessing whether the Virgin Islands Supreme Court ``has developed sufficient institutional traditions to justify direct review by the Supreme Court of the United States from all of its final decisions.''

In April of this year, the third circuit judicial council submitted the first of these 5-year reports. In it, the council concluded that the Virgin Islands Supreme Court had met the standard necessary to justify direct review of its decisions by the United States Supreme Court. Accordingly, the council recommended that Congress enact legislation to allow for such direct review.

H.R. 6116 effectuates the third circuit's recommendations by deleting from the Revised Organic Act both the provisions granting appellate jurisdiction to the third circuit and the reporting requirement.

I also support changes reflected in the version of the bill we are considering today because they reflect input both from the U.S. Supreme Court and an academic expert. Specifically, the amended version of the bill requires both the bill's long title and header to section 1 so that they refer to direct review rather than direct appeals. This change more accurately reflects the discretionary nature of the U.S. Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction over most cases whereby it selects cases for consideration through granting petitions for writs of certiorari.

Additionally, the amended version of H.R. 6116 adds a provision to chapter 81 of title 28 of the United States Code to further clarify the scope of the U.S. Supreme Court's discretionary appellate jurisdiction with respect to decisions of the Virgin Islands Supreme Court.

Finally, H.R. 6116 is consistent with precedence. For example, in 2004, Congress enacted similar legislation to provide for direct review by the U.S. Supreme Court of decisions of the Guam Supreme Court.

I congratulate the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen, for her leadership in this measure. I also thank the Judiciary Committee chairman, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), for his assistance in bringing this legislation to the floor.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Does the gentleman have additional speakers?

I would like to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to thank the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen, and the leadership of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Michigan, the ranking member, Mr. Conyers, for bringing this bill to the floor.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, I ask Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5934, the Stop Tobacco Smuggling in the Territories Act of 2012.

When enacted, H.R. 5934 will amend the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act by including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam in existing legislation which makes it illegal to knowingly ship, transport, receive, possess, sell, distribute, or purchase 10,000 or more contraband cigarettes that do not have a State or territorial stamp.

Under the Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act, violators face criminal penalties and fines. Currently, there are no such sanctions in effect for violations that occur in the territories, thus prohibiting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from investigating cigarette smuggling and Trafficking Act violations. H.R. 5934 will fix this.

Mr. Speaker, each year hundreds of millions of cigarettes are diverted from legal trade channels into the underworld. Cigarette counterfeiting is growing steadily. Cigarettes are believed to be the most illegally trafficked product in the world.

Cigarette smuggling results in significant economic impact in terms of depriving governments of excise tax revenue and depriving legitimate businesses from income due to unfair competition. Smuggling of genuine cigarettes steals as much as an estimated $40- to $50 billion from governments in tax revenue, with trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes stealing even billions more.

In May 2011, a report from the Territorial Audit Office on collection of cigarette tax by the American Samoa Government found that cigarettes are likely being smuggled into American Samoa and that, as a result, their government is losing a significant amount of cigarette excise tax revenue.

A subsequent study estimated that as many as close to 6 million cigarettes had been smuggled into the territory in 2010, resulting in an estimated loss of revenue to the American Samoa Government of over $700,000.

In addition to the economic impact, there are public health and public safety concerns. Smuggling delivers cigarettes that are cheaper to buy. Because cheaper cigarettes lure youth and other new customers, they boost sales and consumption, making it harder for smokers to quit.

It's also been reported that some import imitation cigarettes have been found to contain toxins. As a result, illegal trade adds steadily to healthcare costs, worker productivity losses, and the growing death toll from tobacco use, already almost over 5 million lives per year, projected to rise to 8 million by 2030.

From a public health standpoint, it is well documented that, as with other contraband, proceeds from cigarette trafficking support organized crime and even terrorist networks.

For these reasons, I support the bill. I encourage my colleagues to support the bill as well.

If the gentleman has no other speakers, I'd like to yield to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to thank the gentleman from American Samoa, the leadership of the Judiciary Committee, and my friend from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) for bringing this measure to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the kind remarks about the gentlelady from California. She has had an excellent career in Congress, and has elected not to return. We will certainly miss her and her advocacy for those most in need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the pending legislation. H.R. 6371, the Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act, will transfer certain responsibilities for overseeing and administering the Davis-Bacon Act from the Government Accountability Office to the Department of Labor.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from Michigan that this is a sensible and technical fix since the Department of Labor is responsible for many aspects of enforcing prevailing wage law. This change will allow for greater efficiency in the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections and will help ensure that workers receive unpaid wages as quickly as possible.

The gentleman from Michigan has pointed out that we should always promote streamlined and efficient government. That's why I'm particularly disappointed that this bill does not also transfer GAO's debarment authority under the Davis-Bacon Act. Moving that additional function would place more enforcement functions under one roof.

Mr. Speaker, I support Davis-Bacon because it provides protections to contractors and subcontractors working on federally funded contracts. The most obvious protection is that it requires all contractors and subcontractors to pay the prevailing wage, denying unfair competition to those contractors who underpay their employees. Davis-Bacon protections prevent government spending from driving down living standards. Improved productivity on projects with prevailing wage application offsets higher wages. Furthermore, better-skilled workers attracted by the higher wages are likely to complete the jobs more efficiently and with higher-quality work. Studies have shown that construction workers in prevailing wage States produce 13 to 15 percent more value added from their work compared to workers in States without prevailing wage laws.

Now I recognized that everyone does not agree with the underlying principles of the Davis-Bacon Act. However, regardless of one's position on the underlying law, we can all agree that the law ought to be administered as efficiently as possible. That's why I rise in support of H.R. 6371, and thank the gentleman from Michigan for introducing the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate An Achievable Dream and the Rotary Club of the Virginia Peninsula, a longtime sponsor of the event, on the occasion of the 20th Annual Achievable Dream Tennis Ball. An Achievable Dream, with the generous help of the Rotary Club of the Virginia Peninsula and other sponsors, offers an extraordinary education program in my home district which provides tremendous promise to young at-risk students.

The motto of An Achievable Dream is ``Teaching Kids Winning Ways.'' The Achievable Dream program is structured to give young people the skills needed to succeed in life. Those skills are taught at An Achievable Dream on the tennis court, in the classroom, on field trips, and in sharing experiences with successful and caring adults in the community.

Often, young people don't think too much about the future, and don't realize that choices made today may limit those in the future. The staff, supporters and sponsors at An Achievable Dream have worked to ensure that their students have every opportunity to be successful in the future, setting and achieving a goal of graduating 100% of students on time in the past, and hope to send all graduating seniors off to college.

As a public-private partnership with Newport News Public Schools, the City of Newport News, the Newport News Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Army, the Rotary Club, Riverside Health System, and the College of William and Mary, An Achievable Dream has received national recognition as one of the most effective urban school programs in the country and has provided a model for integrating support from the business community to support quality educational opportunities for at-risk students. The Achievable Dream Tennis Ball seeks to highlight the community's dedication to these students and to An Achievable Dream.

I am pleased that I have been involved with An Achievable Dream as a supporter since its beginnings. As An Achievable Dream and our community gathers to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the An Achievable Dream Tennis Ball, the community can look forward to the continued success of An Achievable Dream and the programs that have been put in place at these schools. I would like to congratulate the staff, supporters and sponsors at An Achievable Dream on this monumental occasion, and hope to see continued success from An Achievable Dream in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a legacy of faith in Virginia's Third Congressional District. This year, First Baptist Church Denbigh in Newport News is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and I would like to take a moment to reflect on the history of this esteemed institution and its contributions to the greater Hampton Roads community.

The story of First Baptist Church Denbigh begins in July 1862 as the Civil War raged. A Recognizing Council was called to meet at the old Denbigh Baptist Church. They chose Rev. Peter Banks to lead the congregation. Rev. T. G. Wright became the second pastor, serving from 1863 to 1869. During his administration, the white community returned to claim their church building. Rev. Wright and congregation moved to the current location, building a small house of worship.

During the tenure of Rev. T. G. Nettles (1870-1881), a larger house was built to accommodate increased membership and the church was renamed to ``First Baptist Church of Warwick County.'' Other ministers were Reverends Watt Talton (1882-1883), J. B. Whiting (1883-1887), Robert H. Nazareth (1887-1912), T. C. Williams (1912-13), A. A. Hudgins (1913-26), Isaac Daniel (1926-32), J. D. Atkins (1933-40), and Joseph H. Brown (1941-48), all of whom added to the church in both physical form and spiritual leadership. During this period, the church was renamed ``First Baptist Church Denbigh.''

For the next ten years, the church received sermons from Reverends B F. Burton and I. L. Buie along with other leaders. Later ministers were Reverends Samuel Fladger (1959-63), T. T. Brown (1963-67), and Albert L. Hill (1968-73), who initiated a bond sale to build a new air conditioned facility, with an indoor baptismal pool, which held its first services in 1972.

Rev. Herbert A. Hill, Jr. began his pastorate in 1974 and gave the church the strength to endure though a tragic fire in 1986 which destroyed the church edifice. For a time, services were held in schools and other places in the community. In 1987, Rev. Hill's tenure as pastor ended and associate pastors provided guidance to the flock.

In 1987, Edward Talton, a deacon for more than 40 years, was called into the ministry. Rev. Talton preached only two sermons from the pulpit before his death, but his life was a sermon in itself. In 1988, Rev. Haywood Barnes was voted to serve as interim pastor. Since 1988, Rev. Ivan T. Harris has led services, assuming the full-time pastorate in October 1991. Through Pastor Harris' efforts, the church's 25 year mortgage was burned on October 9, 1994--after only 6\1/2\ years.

Over the years, the First Baptist community has continued to flourish. Successful fundraising has afforded the church handicap- accessible transportation, a new Church Bell, an Education Center, Child Development Center, Family Life Center, and modern technologies. In addition to Sunday prayers, the church offers Summer Bible School, The Bible Institute, and GED, Homebound and Short Term Suspension programs. It provides over 30 ministries and is home to several choirs. The Church leads charitable causes including the The Hunt Food Locker, Food Mobile, Summer Feeding Program, an Outreach Center for women's transitional housing, a Clothes Closet, and the adoption of a low- income neighborhood.

Perhaps the most notable activity of the church is their African Village Adoption Project, initiated in 2005. Members have selected a native from Benin, Africa for adoption. The Church as a whole has provided a water well, microbanking program, motorcycles, books, a Christian School, and medical and worship facilities.

As First Baptist Church Denbigh gathers to celebrate this historic milestone, the church can truly remember its past, celebrate its present, and focus on its future. I would like to congratulate Pastor Harris and all of the 2,500 members of First Baptist Church Denbigh on the occasion of their 150th Anniversary. I wish them many more years of dedicated service to the community.

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

H.R. 6368 requires the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, no later than 180 days after the enactment of this law, to jointly provide a report to Congress on those Departments' abilities to track, investigate, and quantify cross-border violence along our country's southwest border and to provide recommendations to Congress on how to accurately track, investigate, and quantify cross- border violence.

This seems like a good idea, and I note that the bill provides that we will receive budget recommendations along with the report, as some have suggested, so that we can reduce the size of government with unspecified cuts, but then we are often surprised to see what those cuts are. Tracking, investigating, and responding appropriately to cross-border violence will require personnel and equipment, which obviously will require increases, not cuts, in the budget.

I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Canseco) for his work on the bill. I look forward to the report, and I recommend the bill's passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I oppose this rule because it does not allow consideration of amendments to the FISA bill that would strengthen the underlying bill by providing for greater accountability to the public of an otherwise wholly secretive process.

Operations of the government must be held accountable to the people. The problem with holding operations under

the existing FISA law is that most of the activities under it are conducted in secrecy. The fact that I or other Members of Congress have access to classified information regarding those secret activities is not sufficient for public accountability.

Even if I were satisfied by my access to classified information, that only reasonable and constitutionally justified actions are being taken by officials in secret, I would still feel the need to give greater assurances to the public other than simply, trust me, I'm satisfied, so should you. Curiously, if I'm not satisfied, there's nothing I could say because it's classified information.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was passed in 1978 to curb abuses in collection and use of intelligence information, foreign and domestic. Under the original provisions of FISA, procedures for collection of foreign intelligence required the government to show not only that there was probable cause to believe that the target of the intelligence surveillance is an agent of a foreign power, but also that foreign intelligence-gathering is the primary purpose of the collection.

Under the USA PATRIOT Act of 2002 and beyond, the government now only needs to show the probable cause of the target is an agent of the Federal government, and that the foreign intelligence-gathering is merely a significant purpose of that collection. When foreign intelligence collection is not the primary purpose for the collection of information, we are left to wonder what the primary purpose of that action might be.

The FISA Act of 2008 went a step further, authorizing the collection of massive amounts of information about foreign persons reasonably believed to be outside of the United States without a warrant. With such massive amounts of information being collected, invariably information involving U.S. persons in the United States whose information may not be the target is also being collected.

The FAA of 2008 requires the executive branch to design targeting procedures which limit the scope of the collection before the government acts and minimization procedures which limit the use of information before the government collects it, and the FISA court reviews these procedures for legal sufficiency. However, with nearly all of this oversight being conducted in secret, the public has no choice but to take the government at its word.

We can do better. My amendment would simply require the executive branch to provide at least some documentation that it uses this authority narrowly, responsibly, and exclusively for foreign intelligence-gathering purposes, while protecting the material that would be classified. So we should reject this rule in favor of one that allows amendments to strengthen public accountability over the surveillance of Americans.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4305, the Child and Elderly Missing Alert Program. This important measure will assist law enforcement agencies to address the terrifying experience of when a child, elderly person, or other family member or friend goes missing.

The number of individuals that go missing each year is staggering. For example, a child goes missing almost every 40 seconds in the United States. That's about 800,000 children reported missing every year.

The adults suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia also become missing persons. These diseases cause many of their suffers to become disoriented and lost; and because of their condition, these individuals are often unable to assist first responders in finding their way back to their caregivers. It is currently estimated that about 5\1/2\ million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. In about 2050, that number may go up to 16 million.

Locating a missing individual must be done quickly. Research has shown that time is of the essence with missing persons. The first hours of disappearance are the most vital. According to a study by the attorney general of Washington State and the U.S. Department of Justice, 74 percent of children abducted and murdered were killed within the first 3 hours. Half of the elderly adults who wander from their homes suffer serious injury or death if not found within 24 hours. Accordingly, alerts to law enforcement in those crucial first few hours after a person goes missing is obviously very critical.

H.R. 4305 facilitates targeting telephone and cellular alerts to residents and businesses in the area where the person was last seen. The residents and businesses are able to opt out if they choose to, but most of the people obviously want this information.

H.R. 4305 will help provide meaningful aid to law enforcement in recovering missing children, elderly people, and the disabled. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch).

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6185, the Local Courthouse Safety Act. This measure will provide critical assistance to State and local governments to provide courthouse security.

To begin with, many State and local courthouses face serious security challenges. Serious violence often occurs in these facilities, but many courthouses across the Nation still lack basic security protections such as metal detectors. H.R. 6185 responds to this critical problem by giving sheriffs, as well as State and local courthouses, access to training, equipment, and other resources to help them improve security.

H.R. 6185 accomplishes these goals by making use of existing resources. This legislation requires the General Services Administration to make available to State and local courts--at no cost, except for shipping, handling, and maintenance--surplus security equipment that is used to detect weapons, such as metal detectors, wands, and baggage screening devices. To qualify to receive such security equipment, a State or local courthouse must have less security equipment than necessary to meet the security needs of that courthouse. Because these devices are surplus and not otherwise being utilized by any Federal agencies, it is a wise use of taxpayer money to allow this equipment to be put into service at the State and local level.

Another important aspect of the bill is that it expands the scope of the grants awarded by the State Justice Institute to include the improvement of the safety and security of State and local courts. As a result, H.R. 6185 strengthens the Institute's current authority to award grants to support education, training, and technical assistance projects to improve the administration of justice in the State courts. This measure addresses, in a meaningful way, the serious security challenges that State and local courthouses face.

Not surprisingly, H.R. 6185 enjoys a broad range of support, including the National Sheriffs' Association, the National Association for Court Management, the Conference of Chief Justices, the Conference of State Court Administrators, American Judges Association, the National Court Reporters Association, and the Center for Judicial and Executive Security.

I commend my colleague, the gentlelady from Florida (Mrs. Adams) for her work in developing the bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1775, the Stolen Valor Act. It has long been a tradition in the United States to recognize those in our armed services who stand out among their peers for service to our Nation by awarding them special military medals and declarations. Recipients of these special honors have often been wounded in the line of duty or have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Military medals and declarations constitute a tribute, as well as tangible manifestation of our Nation's deep and abiding recognition and appreciation to our servicemembers.

There are, however, those who falsely claim to be recipients of these special honors. Such malicious actions denigrate the integrity of those honors to those who have legitimately received them.

In response, a law was enacted with the laudable purpose of ensuring the integrity of military honors by punishing those who make such false representations.

Unfortunately, the scope of the law was recently found by the Supreme Court to be unconstitutional as an abridgement of the First Amendment's right to free speech because the First Amendment even protects despicable speech.

Justice Kennedy, however, writing for the court set out certain guidelines that Congress could follow in remedying the statute's constitutional flaw. He wrote:

Where false claims are made to effect a fraud or secure moneys or other valuable considerations, say offers of employment, it is well- established that the government may restrict speech without affronting the First Amendment.

So, as reported by the Judiciary Committee, this bill adheres to this suggested construct by amending the current law to prohibit individuals from fraudulently representing themselves as recipients of these honors in order to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefits. This will actually cover most of the incidences of false claims.

As a result, this measure will, in full compliance with the Constitution, ensure that no one will financially benefit or receive other tangible rewards from falsely representing that they have been awarded these honors and this will cover all of the despicable cases of false claims that the Constitution will allow.

H.R. 1775 will protect the honor and integrity of our Nation's military medals and decorations as well as respect the rights accorded to Americans under the First Amendment.

Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a legacy of faith and community in Virginia's Third Congressional District. This year, Wesley Grove United Church of Christ in Newport News, Virginia is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and I would like to take a moment to reflect on the history of this esteemed institution and its contributions to the greater Newport News community.

Originally organized in 1887 by a group including Reverend J.H. Edlow and Deacon G. Wesley Raney, the Wesley Grove congregation originally met in a building just 20 by 30 feet, at the time too large for the small congregation. As a poor congregation, it was difficult for them to pay for this space. Fortunately, the congregation found ways to make ends meet, and in 1895, under Reverend James M. Parson, a new house of worship was completed.

In 1897, Elder S.A. Howell became pastor of the Church. As time went by, the congregation continued to expand, eventually growing to over 1,000 and finding itself in need of a larger place of worship. Under the leadership of Reverend Howell, a new building was constructed on the 700 block of 19th Street in Newport News. Dedicated in 1900, this building was used by the congregation under the leadership of Reverend T.S. Crayton, Reverend J.B. Jones, Reverend Thomas J. Moore, and Reverend Zander P. Jenkins.

In 1964, under the leadership of Reverend Jenkins, having once again outgrown their place of worship due to mergers with other congregations, the Wesley Grove congregation completed the purchase of a building owned by another local church. Reverend Jenkins, feeling called to serve elsewhere, left the congregation in 1970.

Over the next few years, the congregation struggled without a pastor at times. Reverend Vernon Harris served the congregation for a year in 1972 before Reverend Jenkins, having fulfilled his calling to other congregations, returned in 1974. Unfortunately, Reverend Jenkins passed away suddenly, leaving Wesley Grove again without a pastor.

With Reverend Jenkins' passing, Reverend G. Wesley Raney, III, the grandson of one of Wesley Grove's founders, proved ready to lead the congregation. During his ministry, the church flourished. Feeling called to pastor a church in another state, Reverend Raney left Wesley Grove in 1985, and was succeeded by Reverend Isaac L. McDonald. Under his leadership, numerous programs were established to help Newport News youth excel in their educational pursuits.

Reverend McDonald was succeeded by Reverend Prince Raney Rivers, who was called to minister Wesley Grove as both a pastor and a teacher until 2005. A descendant of one of the founders of the church, Reverend Rivers presided over another period of tremendous growth for the church. Under his leadership, the Church established new ministries, expanded membership, and created lasting community partnerships to address issues and challenges facing the community.

Reverend McDonald was succeeded by Reverend Dr. Alexander Jamison, Sr., who served the community from 2007 until 2011.

Wesley Grove remains committed to maintaining its legacy of faith and community action to this day. With a congregation that has historically included a large number of professionals in the field of education, Wesley Grove established education programs that include after school tutoring and Project REACT, a technology focused tutoring program to help improve students' performance. It has also provided numerous scholarships to college bound students, including the G. Wesley Raney III Scholarship, the Olivia Smith Scholarship, and the Emma Gupton Scholarship. Wesley Grove also has an accomplished and talented choir program, featuring a men's choir, a senior's choir, and a children's choir. These programs, amongst others, continue to demonstrate Wesley Grove's commitment to the Newport News community.

As the Wesley Grove United Church of Christ gathers to celebrate this historic milestone, the church can truly remember its past, celebrate its present, and focus on its future. I would like to congratulate all of the members of the Wesley Grove United Church of Christ on the occasion of its 125th Anniversary, and I wish them many more years of dedicated service to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a legacy of faith in Virginia's Third Congressional District. This year, West End Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia is celebrating its 120th anniversary, and I would like to take a moment to reflect on the history of this esteemed institution and its contributions to the greater Hampton Roads community.

The story of West End Baptist Church begins on December 12, 1892, when Robert and Mary Herbert sold a piece of land forty feet by one hundred feet to Joshua Morris, Isaiah Dillard and John Seton, Trustees of West End Baptist Church, for $75.00. It was recorded that the land be used solely for the purpose of building a church.

In 1901, the West End Baptist Church was up and running under the leadership of Pastor Linas. The fellowship began in the old Bates School House that was located where the Beau Brummell building now stands. After the death of Pastor Linas, Pastor Beverly Garner became his successor. He saw a need for a new sanctuary for his followers. The congregation began to build the new church at 2916 Shell Road. Unfortunately, Pastor Garner passed away before he could see his dream completed. However, the new church sanctuary was completed in 1903 under the leadership of Pastor Bray. After Pastor Bray's tenure, Pastor Hall was selected as the next leader and Pastor Atkins succeeded him.

In 1965, Rev. Hallie Richardson, Sr. became West End Baptist Church's leader. He served faithfully until September 1990. During his ministry, the membership flourished. Due to the growth in the congregation, there again was a need for a larger sanctuary. The first service in the new sanctuary at 2413 Shell Road took place in July 1982, and West End Baptist Church has remained there to this day.

Pastor Rufus Hill succeeded Pastor Richardson in September 1990, and he served until 1999. Guest ministers rendered services until April 2001. During this time, West End also saw its first woman, Edith Green, appointed to the Diaconate. Rev. James Gray was officially installed as Pastor on November 2, 2003 and served until 2007. Pastor Paul Sims was elected to serve as the 10th Pastor of West End Baptist Church in November 2008.

Over the years, the West End Baptist community has continued to grow and flourish. Its members have offered programs in the Youth Ministry, Outreach Ministry, Culinary Ministry and more. In addition to Sunday prayer, the church offers Wednesday Noon Prayer Assembly. The Church is home to numerous bands and choirs. The church has also organized many functions including Children's Church, new converts' and new members' orientation classes, a monthly Men's Fellowship Breakfast, hot meals for the hungry and an Annual Homecoming.

As West End Baptist Church gathers to celebrate this historic milestone, the church can truly remember its past, celebrate its present, and focus on its future as ``the friendly church by the side of the road, in the heart of the community with the community at heart.'' I would like to congratulate Pastor Sims and all of the members of the West End Baptist Church on the occasion of their 120th Anniversary. I wish them many more years of dedicated service to the community.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in regard to H.R. 3796, the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2012. H.R. 3796 authorizes various grant programs originally established pursuant to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

While I support reauthorizing these programs, I am concerned about what is missing from H.R. 3796. Unfortunately, the bill fails to address the many problems that the States and Indian tribes have encountered in implementing the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, known as SORNA, which is one of the provisions of the original Adam Walsh Act. So far, only 15 States have been found by the Attorney General to be in compliance.

Years before SORNA became law, many States had developed their own sex offender registries and dedicated substantial resources and research to develop effective sex offender management systems. To ignore these efforts in favor of SORNA'S prescriptive ``one size fits all'' system is not only wasteful, but it could adversely affect public safety. I offered 10 amendments in the full committee markup of the bill seeking to provide States and tribes with more flexibility to cost effectively manage sex offenders and to more fully comply with SORNA. Despite the committee's failure to adopt all of these proposed improvements, there are several positive aspects of H.R. 3796 that make changes to the underlying bill which will assist States in this regard.

For example, the bill, as amended, ensures that provisions of the Byrne JAG grant funding, intended for distribution to local governments and entities, are not penalized by the States' noncompliance with

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 1950. Dating back to the mid-19th century, numerous laws have been enacted pertaining to the organization and management of the National Park System by the National Park Service.

The Service is also responsible for carrying out the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and other laws relating to the protection and preservation of sites that illustrate America's history.

Over the ensuing years, laws specifying the Service's responsibilities have been codified in various sections of title 16 of the United States Code. And as laws relating to the National Park Service were amended and new laws were added to the Code, classifications have become more cumbersome to use.

H.R. 1950 simply gathers all of these provisions pertaining to the National Park Service and restates them in a new positive law title of the United States Code. The new title 54 of the Code replaces and repeals these provisions of the former law.

All changes in existing law made by H.R. 1950 are purely technical, and they reflect the understood policy, intent, and purpose of Congress in the original enactments. These changes include corrections to remove ambiguities, contradictions, and other imperfections.

We should note that this measure was drafted by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel as part of that office's ongoing statutory responsibility to ``prepare a complete compilation, restatement, and revision of the general and permanent laws of the United States.''

I commend the Office of the Law Revision Counsel for its good work on H.R. 1950 and for its many valuable contributions to our legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support the measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 6029, the Foreign and Economic Espionage Penalty Enhancement Act of 2012.

This legislation will help to protect the intellectual property and competitive strengths of American businesses by increasing the maximum penalties for engaging in the Federal offense of economic espionage. This crime, which has serious repercussions for the victim companies and our economy, consists of knowingly misappropriating trade secrets with the intent or knowledge that the offense will benefit a foreign government.

As reported by the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, economic espionage is a serious threat to American businesses by foreign governments. Economic espionage inflicts a significant cost on victim companies and threatens the economic security of the United States. These companies incur extensive costs resulting from the loss of unique intellectual property, the loss of expenditures related to research and development, and the loss of future revenues and profits. Many companies do not even know when their sensitive data has been stolen, and those that do find out are often reluctant to report the losses, fearing potential damage to their reputations with investors, customers, and employees.

Unfortunately, the pace of the economic espionage collection of information and industrial espionage activities against major United States corporations is accelerating. During fiscal year 2011, the Department of Justice and the FBI saw an increase of 29 percent in economic espionage and trade secret theft investigations compared to the prior year. Foreign competitors of United States corporations with ties to companies owned by foreign governments are increasing their efforts to steal trade secret information and intellectual property by infiltrating our computer networks.

Evidence suggests that economic espionage and trade secret theft on behalf of companies located in China is an emerging trend. For example, at least 34 companies were reportedly victimized by attacks originating from China in 2010. Over the course of these attacks, computer viruses were spread via emails to corporate employees, allowing the attackers to have access to emails and sensitive documents. In response to these growing threats, the United States Intellectual Property Coordinator, in her 2011 annual report, called upon Congress to increase the penalties for economic espionage, and this bill is consistent with that recommendation.

I want to commend Members on both sides of the aisle for their work on this bill, particularly the gentleman from Texas, the Judiciary Committee chairman, Mr. Smith; the gentleman from Michigan, the ranking member of the committee, Mr. Conyers; my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte); and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt).

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.