Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a sense of indignation, sadness, and deep and abiding pride in the memory of four little girls from Alabama who were callously murdered by the bomb of a homegrown terrorist.

Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair did not get a chance to celebrate any more birthdays, run through the fields of Alabama, go to the prom, dance at a wedding, or simply grow up and enjoy life as Americans.

As was reflected in the prayer given last week in this Chamber by world-renowned soul and gospel singer Yolanda Adams we have been taught to embrace God's grace and mercy, and for those who will listen, to stand in the sunlight of joy as one looks toward the hopefulness of the future, while standing tall as a Black woman in the memory of my four little girls, your girls--these little girls were America's children, and bore the brunt of a very ugly side during a very nasty, ugly, vicious, cruel, and inexorably painful era in the history of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 1963, at the March on Washington, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the speech that both challenged and inspired a nation. ``I have a dream,'' he said, that ``one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.''

Nineteen days later, on September 15, 1963, the nation learned that there was still a long path to travel before it realized Dr. King's dream. For on that day 50 years ago, the nation was shocked--and the City of Birmingham was rocked--by an explosion at the 16th Street Baptist Church that severely damaged the church, injured 22 people, and claimed the lives of four beautiful and innocent little girls: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair.

But the horror and heartbreak of that tragedy galvanized a nation to act. Less than two years later, the nation responded to one of the worst and cowardly acts of hatred with two great acts of justice that have changed America for the better and still stand today as monuments to what can be achieved when challenged to live up to the true meaning of its creed.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are a part of the legacy of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair.

Today we celebrate their lives--lives cut down as they should have been learning to bake cakes, play hopscotch, and learn the violin, instead they were murdered in a place which should have been a safe haven, a sanctuary. The death of the four girls drew national attention to the fight for civil rights and is credited with creating a surge of momentum for the civil rights movement.

It is also important that we pass on the lessons learned through this deep tragedy so that we do not repeat it. Little girls and little boys around this great nation should hold hands and walk together regardless of race, color, religion, or creed.

This bill simply directs the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate the lives of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robinson and Cynthia Wesley in recognition of the historical significance of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. But this bill is more than that. It is a reckoning.

This legislation, which I am proud to co-sponsor and strongly support, is intended to complete some of the nation's most important unfinished business. And that is to address one of the most depraved acts of violence against school-aged girls belonging to a racial group which was vulnerable, politically powerless, and innocent, and against those persons who risked life and limb to help them secure the rights promised in the Declaration of Independence and made real in the Constitution.

The Congressional Gold Medal recognizing the 50th Anniversary of 16th Street Baptist Church bombing is long overdue. I thank my CBC colleague who hails from Alabama, Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Birmingham, who sponsored this legislation, and Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, who leads the Senate effort for this special recognition as America comes to terms with its rich and often painful history.

Mr. Speaker, in 1989 the Civil Rights Memorial was dedicated in Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the modern Civil Rights Movement. The Memorial honors the lives and memories of 40 civil rights martyrs who gave their lives in the struggle for justice and equality. But we know that many more people lost their lives to racial violence during that era. In honoring the four little girls of Birmingham today, let us resolve to remain steadfast in the quest to obtain justice for these other heroes.

Mr. Speaker, fifty years later we have made much progress from the dark days of Birmingham. In those days there simply was no justice for African Americans because the criminal justice system--from the police, to the prosecutors, to the juries, and to the judges--was perverted by racial bigotry.

Inspired by the sacrifice of four little girls in Birmingham, Americans of good will and of all races and creeds, worked to hasten the day when all would be treated equally before the law and every person would be judged by the content of their character.

It is, of course, fitting and proper that H.R. 360 bears the names of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair. Although forever linked together in history, we must not forget that each of them was an individual. Each had her own hopes and dreams for the future. Sadly, they were robbed of that future by the cowardly act of persons motivated by racial hatred. But in sacrificing their futures, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair helped to transform America into a place where little girls and little boys today can know that their dreams can come true and their futures will be bright and that racial hatred is no longer an insuperable barrier to realizing the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 50 years ago, on June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the state of race relations and civil rights in America. In his historic speech to the nation President Kennedy said:

We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as

old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American

Constitution. . . .

[T]his Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will

not be fully free until all its citizens are free.

H.R. 360 is intended to help bring justice to those whom justice has been delayed for more than two generations. In doing so, this legislation will help this Nation fulfill its hopes and justify its boast that in America all persons live in freedom.

And Mr. Speaker, let us also remember young Virgil Lamar Ware, a thirteen-year-old black boy who was killed by segregationists while riding on the handlebars of his brother's bicycle. His killers had just attended a segregationist rally held in the aftermath of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.

It is a sad but unfortunately not uncommon occurrence that it is innocent children who suffer when adults give in to hate. But as the scriptures teach us, unearned suffering is redemptive. And the blood of the innocents--Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robinson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair--helped to redeem our country and make it better.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this fitting tribute to their heroism and sacrifice by voting to pass H.R. 360.

Mr. Speaker, later on today, the President will join my fellow Texans in West, Texas, to mourn the loss of so many who died in a tragic plant explosion last week. Many of them were first responders. And many who will come to mourn and celebrate life and the life of West, Texas, are those who have been harmed and injured. I will join them in spirit, as I know my colleagues here today will.

That's why as I rise today to commemorate and salute two gospel music titans, it becomes even more appropriate to salute my friend, James ``Jazzy'' Jordan and Mr. Don Jackson, for they understand the value and message of gospel music.

Gospel music holds a special place in the American experience. Gospel music was a release from suffering and hardship, but it was also a form of praise and protest. I would like to thank Jazzy Jordan for understanding that as we introduced in 2008 the Gospel Music Heritage legislation that establishes September in the United States of America as Gospel Music Heritage Month.

We hope as we have faced these tragedies over the last couple of weeks that Americans, no matter what their religious background or nonreligious background, will find relief in this joyful and comforting music. Spirituals once sung by slaves transformed into gospel songs sung by free people who had their own space and place to express their emotions and tell their stories in music--those spirituals have been translated into gospel music.

Gospel music could express the joys and sorrows of so many people. All of us remember and have often sung the song ``Amazing Grace,'' created by one who saw this wonderful resilience of their life when they thought they had been lost. That is truly American and American gospel music.

We know the early founders: Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, James Vaughan, James Cleveland, and now today Kirk Franklin, and Yolanda Adams, among so many. And then those who were influenced by gospel music: Sam Cooke, Al Green, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, among many.

Jazzy Jordan understands that and is now head of The Jordan Webster Group, a film and music production house in Washington, D.C. A brilliant businessman, he has a great love of gospel music. We are grateful for his service to Verity Gospel Music Group, now known as RCA Inspiration. Mr. Jordan was a founding board member of the Gospel Music Heritage Foundation and cochair, with gospel music advocate Mr. Carl Davis of my district, of the Evolution of Gospel Celebration which kicks off Gospel Music Heritage Celebration in the Nation's capital. Mr. Jordan was executive producer for Gold, Platinum, Grammy, Stellar, and Dove award-winning projects. Throughout his career, he served as a creative producer and has marketed and promoted many awarding-winning CDs and gospel artists that have included Kirk Franklin, and as well worked with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith--``Fresh Prince.''

Oh, he knows music. And to tell you that he does, he has engaged and worked with the likes of Kirk Franklin, as I said, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Heather Kyle Walker, Donald Lawrence, Richard Smallwood, Byron Cage, John P. Kee, Jay Moss, Crystal Aikin, Deitrick Haddon, and DeWayne Woods. Mr. Jordan is truly one who lives his life in commemorating and cultivating and nurturing the gospel tradition, the gospel tradition which has now spread beyond the borders of this Nation.

He is joined by Mr. Don Jackson, the founder, chairman, and CEO of the 41-year-old Central City Productions, now the founder and organizer of the Stella Awards.

I am grateful that Mr. Jackson thought it was important to recognize those who excelled in gospel music. He graduated from Northwestern University and entered a career in media and broadcasting with a number of stations, WBEE and WVON, a top radio station in Chicago. As he founded Central City Marketing in 1970, his company over 41 years involved itself in encouraging and helping others promote their issues. He had involvement in promotion and sales and production of media and television.

But his first gospel music awards show in the United States, the Stellar Awards, was produced by his company. The Stellar Awards honors gospel music artists, writers, and industry professionals.

He is one who has featured so many artists, such as the Clark Sisters, Kirk Franklin, Da' T.R.U.T.H., Mary Mary, and many others.

Mr. Speaker, as I close, let me simply say, these two men are more than deserving of being American icons, and we congratulate them for loving, cherishing, and promoting gospel music.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize two of America's pioneers in gospel music: Mr. James ``Jazzy'' Jordan and Mr. Don Jackson.

Jazzy Jordan and Don Jackson are titans in the field of Gospel Music. Over the last 30 years their combined efforts have elevated this unique American art form to national and international prominence.

Gospel music holds a special place in the American experience. Just as Jazz is well known far from our nation's shores, the spread of gospel music has also become popular around the world. Gospel music holds a unique place in the African experience--its roots are deep in the black church. For generations, gospel music could only be heard on Sunday mornings where African American people gathered to worship.

Church was a place where black people felt truly free and safe to express themselves. Gospel music was a release for suffering and hardship--it was a form of praise and protest. Spirituals once sung by slaves transformed into gospel songs sung by free people who had their own space--and place to express their emotions and tell their stories in music.

Gospel music could express the joys and sorrows of black people in ways that touched those who were not African American. There were lessons to be learned for the artists and the listeners. Famous jazz and rock-and-roll artists perfected their singing styles by visiting black churches to listen to gospel music.

Gospel music traditions produced many memorable voices and musical pioneers in the history of our country; singers like Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, James Vaughan, Roberta Martin, Virgil Stamps, Diana Washington, James Cleveland, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, and The Winans among many others.

Gospel music has inspired and influenced other music art forms and artists that include Sam Cooke, Al Green, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, and Randy Travis.

I stand in the well of the House to honor two men who are my friends who also are great contributors to the American experience by preserving and cultivating new converts to the gospel music. Through their efforts gospel music has in a very short time period expanded beyond the black church to a broader global audience.

Mr. James ``Jazzy'' Jordan is head of The Jordan Webster Group, a film and music production house in Washington DC. Mr. Jordan is a brilliant businessman with a love of gospel music, which he fully expressed in his leadership of the Verity Gospel Music Group now known as RCA Inspiration. Mr. Jordan is a founding board member of the Gospel Music Heritage Foundation and is Co-Chair along with Gospel Music Advocate Carl Davis of the ``Evolution of Gospel Celebration'' that Kicks off Gospel Music Heritage Celebration in the Nation's Capital.

Over his 30 year career, Mr. Jordan was executive producer for Gold, Platinum, GRAMMY', Stellar and Dove award-winning projects. Throughout his career, Jordan has served as executive producer or has marketed or promoted many award-winning CDs for gospel artists that included Kirk Franklin and R. Kelly. He also, worked with DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) on their album Parents Just Don't Understand, which sold over four millions copies; Salt N' Pepa on their Very Necessary album, which sold over five million copies; Joe on his tops selling CDs All That I Am, which was a platinum selling album, and My Name Is Joe, which sold over three million copies; and three of R. Kelly's CDs--R. Kelly, R. and TP-2.Com, which all sold more than three million copies.

The other person I want to recognize is Mr. Don Jackson, the founder, chairman and CEO of the 41-year-old CENTRAL CITY PRODUCTIONS a national television production, sales, and syndication Company based in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Jackson after graduating from Northwestern University entered a career in media and broadcasting with WBEE & WVON radio. He was someone to watch--and for good reason--he became youngest and first African American sales manager at WVON, the top radio station in the Chicago media market at the time. He had to work hard and be extremely smart to reach such notable success at such a young age.

In 1970, Mr. Jackson founded CENTRAL CITY MARKETING. His company for over 40 years has specialized in marketing, promotion, sales, and the production of media and television programs for African Americans. The first Gospel Music Awards show in the United States, the Stellar Awards, was produced by CENTRAL CITY MARKETING. The Stellar Awards honor Gospel Music Artists, writers, and industry professionals for their contributions to the Gospel Music Industry. The Stellar Awards program is syndicated in over 140 markets nationwide.

The Stellar Awards has featured well known gospel artists that include the Clark Sisters, Kirk Franklin, Da' T.R.U.T.H, Tye Tribbett, Mary Mary, Heather Headley, CeCe Winans, Marvin Sapp, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, and Tamela Mann. Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York have been the location of the Stellar Awards programs. Through his efforts, the spread of gospel appreciation is traveling far beyond our nation's shore and finding new converts every day.

Because of the efforts to these two men scholars now know--if you want to truly understand the black American experience--you must understand the music of that experience and a way to do this is through gospel music.

I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the life achievements of Mr. Don Jackson and Mr. James ``Jazzy'' Jordan.

40 Years of Media Marketing Experience

Don Jackson is the founder, chairman, and CEO of 41-year-

old CENTRAL CITY PRODUCTIONS, Inc., a national television

production, sales, and syndication company based in Chicago,

The simple question is asked, why are we in such a dilemma of complexity and absolutely abandoning the American people? That's what sequestration is all about.

And I know it's hard to tell a story again, but sequestration came about because a whole sizeable population of Members, Republican Members, did not want to pay America's bills.

But we can, as a bipartisan, collective body that responds to America, avoid the loss of 2 million jobs and a .6 percent drag on the economy and $67.8 million lost for primary and secondary education in Texas, $51 million lost for education of children with disabilities, and 4,800 Head Start seats lost. We can come together.

We can pass H.R. 900, which gets rid of the sequestration, or we can call for the budget conferees to, once and for all, address the question of America.

The reason why we have a slowdown of FAA, it's because the people are furloughed. You can have 50,000 FAA air traffic controllers; but if they're furloughed, they can't work.

Let's work on behalf of the American people--have the budget conferees now pass H.R. 900, get rid of the sequestration.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 527, the ``Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act,'' which will renew the Department of the Interior's (DOI) authority to continue operating the Federal Helium Reserve beyond this fiscal year.

I want to thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey for their hard work in shepherding this legislation, which enjoys strong bipartisan support, to the floor.

Mr. Chair, I support H.R. 527 because it is an important first step in updating our nation's helium policy by increasing transparency and

fostering competitive helium markets, while providing a better return for American taxpayers.

Currently, the United States is the largest helium producer in the world. The most recent data from the United States Geological Survey indicates that at over 20 billion cubic meters, the total helium reserves and resources of the United States represents roughly 40 percent of the world's helium supply.

Helium is primarily used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices in hospitals, but is also used as a coolant for superconductors, as well as in cryogenics, welding, chromatography, and various other uses.

The Federal Helium Reserve is a strategic reserve located at the Cliffside Storage Facility in Potter County, Texas, near the city of Amarillo. Created in 1925, its original function was to ensure supplies of helium to the federal government for defense, research, and medical purposes.

Through the Helium Privatization Act of 1996, the Federal Helium Reserve evolved to serve four purposes: (1) operating and maintaining a helium storage reservoir and pipeline system view map; (2) providing crude helium gas by contract with private companies; (3) evaluating the Nation's helium-bearing gas fields; and (4) providing responsible access to federal land for managed recovery and disposal of helium.

While the Interior Department currently has the authority to continue funding and operating the Federal Helium Reserve, this authority is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. Upon expiration, and absent Congressional action, our national supply of helium faces severe turmoil in the form of substantial price increases and market disruptions for American consumers and businesses.

Moreover, the Federal Helium Reserve, which constitutes a large portion of the global supply, is instrumental in controlling price. The large quantity of helium in the reserves means that the Interior Department effectively determines prices paid for helium around the world.

Numerous reports indicate that the Interior Department may be selling helium at below market value, which may have the effect of stifling private investment in new helium supplies. As a result, we risk facing a shortage in coming years as helium supplies diminish.

H.R. 527 addresses this problem by transitioning helium sales to a competitive auction system, thus ensuring a steady supply of helium and allowing users to bid on crude helium from the reserve. Consequently, the law of supply and demand would dictate price rather than having the price controlled by a central authority.

Ideally, I would have liked to see more discretion afforded to the Secretary of the Interior in this bill, particularly with respect to the minimum price charged for crude helium.

The bill requires the Secretary to make a determination as to the minimum sale price at auctions in accordance with various factors, including a confidential survey of domestic helium transactions with the reserve, as well as recent market prices as reflected by auction sales.

Currently under the bill, the Secretary would have the discretion to adjust the minimum price by up to 10 percent if the survey is not reflective of the current market value of helium or if a higher minimum price may result in greater conservation of helium.

However, market fluctuations in recent years have often been in excess of 10 percent. Providing the Secretary with greater discretion to adjust the minimum price in accordance recent trends is desirable to ensure that prices track market value as closely as possible.

In my view, the bill would be improved if the Secretary's discretion were enlarged to authorize adjustments to the minimum price by an amount not to exceed 20 percent.

But taken as a whole, H.R. 527 is a positive step in the right direction. And I want to express my appreciation again to Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey for their good work.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues in joining me in voting for H.R. 527, ``Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act.''

I thank the gentlelady from California, and I particularly thank you for your astuteness on bringing us together. If I might reflect on memory lane that was very painful, we traveled a lot together, and I think of the moments in history on the Iraq war. The rising up of the American people was powerful, from San Francisco to places in between, to the quarter of a million people that walked down 53rd and 57th Street in New York on a cold morning in January.

People all over America recognized that it was not these brave men and women that you see here. And I brought pictures of wonderful families and men and women who were called to serve who we continue to honor and appreciate. I thought it was important to acknowledge that our soldiers have families. We see it all the time. My district is near Ellington Field, and it is increasingly becoming a base utilizing the talents of young Americans who are willing to volunteer. So I take this 10th anniversary, as well, to pay tribute to them and those who still serve in foreign fields around the world. We know that they still serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So we come here today on the 10th anniversary simply to ask the question: Why? And when we ask the question why, it is not a selfish question on behalf of Members of Congress. It is a question on behalf of those brave men and women who, no matter who calls them as Commander in Chief and for what cause, they accept the cause. For that reason, it is imperative that we understand the battle into which we send them.

In the Iraq war, it was alleged there were weapons of mass destruction. We have come to a fairly complete conclusion that there were no such weapons. We all knew Saddam Hussein, and none of us adhered to his despotic and horrible governance. But I will tell you, my colleagues thought the same thing, that our approach should have been different. The bloodshed not only of the young men and women that you see here, some of their comrades were lost, but the millions, the numbers of Iraqi people who themselves, their lives were lost and of course still continue to be in danger.

The Iraq war saw more than 4,400 brave men and women who wore the United States uniform make the ultimate sacrifice, and tens upon tens of thousands who in actuality were wounded. Over 32,000 of the men and women who came home suffered wounds. But as we know, those numbers have risen. Some 3,000 of the wounded call Texas their home, 500 lost their lives. We know the scars that were left on families--mother, fathers, children, and wives. We realized that we needed to make a better judgment.

As the tragedy unfolded in Boston, one of the emergency physicians, one of the medical professionals, said they knew exactly what it was because they had been to Iraq, and they understood the sound of the IEDs. How many of our brave men and women encountered these makeshift IEDs that tore through their body and either killed them or completely amputated or caused the amputation of their arms or legs and the disfigurement of their face. We see them now. We call them wounded warriors. We call them heroes, and certainly those who followed in Afghanistan.

But this 10th year reminds us to ask: Have we made the progress that we should have? The gentlelady spoke of the moneys, $800 billion that has directly contributed to the Nation's deficit, and the amount of money that was supposed to be used for restoration; and because there was no infrastructure in Iraq, we made our Army personnel be the little government.

We made soldiers be the ones that had to interact with the village leaders and the chiefs, and carry monies to them. No, nothing accounted for; just good intentions, following orders. But we cannot account for those dollars. We don't know if they made a difference. We don't know if they helped bring Iraqis home. We don't know if they helped build schools or hospitals.

So I think it is important to note that when we make decisions regarding war, we need to think about soldiers holding their families and loving their families. We need to think about the better way to go, and we need to ask those whose war we fight--Saddam Hussein is gone-- the people whose war we fight, the conflict between the Shiites and Sunnis.

We need to understand our history as to whether or not a war that would see the loss of all these brilliant young people, divide families, whether or not we can bring some measure of peace, some comfort, some stability.

And I'd venture to say today that we have not. And I say this to the head of Iraq, the leader, Mr. Maliki, for his participation in the ongoing conflict in Iraq, because that is the case.

There is no coming together of the Shiites and Sunnis. There is a cluster of a government that hides in the walls, that does not go out and try to bring peace to the people. And I give you one example, Mr. Speaker, that troubles me over and over again--it is the Iranians who left Iran.

We know the conflicted issues and alliances were all, if you will, misunderstood; old alliances, friends and enemies. We understand that. But this is supposed to be a peaceful nation now, and there are Iranians who fled the despotic Iran, and have become, in essence, enemies of Iran.

They started out in Camp Ashraf. They were called rebels and terrorists. They have now been vindicated, and they're not called that anymore.

But let me tell you what the present government of Iraq allows. They allow, in the camp that was Camp Ashraf that is now Camp Liberty, bombs to go in from the Iraqi soldiers. They allow no medical care to come into that particular camp.

Just yesterday, the Friends of Iran, American Iranians were here, and they had 10 people or more, their faces, who had died in that camp because the government of Iraq, the government that we shed blood for, that we asked to be a peaceful nation, is, in essence, attacking people on their soil who are unarmed, who are not interested in war, who fled because they'd been persecuted.

And they don't allow them to get access to cars, access to hospitals, and so people die from sicknesses because they could not get care.

When we go into battle and send our troops into battle, shouldn't we ask the question of what is the ultimate result?

We understand that democracy in its structure that is here in the United States cannot only be the structure that fits every community, every nation, every faith. But what I would say to you is that we bring one of those C-130s, big C-130s that many of us have rode on to go into Iraq. And I spent many hours there, nothing in comparison, of course, to those who served, but I'm grateful I had the opportunity to go and serve and see those individuals who served, and to sit down with those from Texas and to break bread with them.

When we land one of those C-130s, why don't we know, and shouldn't we know our purpose, our goal, what is our ultimate direction that we would like to see?

Not the dominance of the United States over this nation that we help but to be able to know that they, too, stand for democracy and peace.

I want to thank the gentlelady from California for allowing me to share this time with her, and to say, it's important to remind us of the 10th anniversary, one, to say thank you, for when we land these C- 130s and these men and women come out ready for battle, they are wearing our uniform and our flag but, at the same time, we must ask the question, for what? For what results? For what long-range results? For what peace? For we owe that to them.

I ask that we consider those in Camp Liberty and we find relief for them. I thank the gentlelady very much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in solidarity with my fellow members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to speak in recognition of the 10th Anniversary of the Iraq war. I want to thank my colleagues, Representatives Lee and Waters for anchoring this Special Order.

On March 19, 2003 President Bush launched invasion of Iraq ten years ago under a cloud of questions about the motivations for the invasion. Today we see the toll of this war on our young military men and women, their families and communities across our nation.

First and foremost, I would like to thank our troops who served in the Iraq war, but more broadly I would like to thank all members of the armed forces for their courage and heroism under circumstances that few of us could imagine. As members of Congress we have, regardless of our view of the wisdom of entering into armed conflict with Iraq, have always stood in strong and unwavering solidarity with our troops.

Part of our role as representatives in Congress is to give voice to the plight of our constituents that include men and women in the armed forces--many of them served tour after tour after tour without break; and in the beginning of the war had insufficient equipment to protect them from IEDs which cost the nation countless lives and left many with traumatic life changing injuries.

We cannot forget their sacrifice and heroism in the face of what was asked of them. In April of last year the great city of Houston, which I am proud to represent, hosted a Bayou City-style parade honoring the homecoming of the American troops. This gesture of thanks defines the support that Houston has for our troops in any situation.

During the course of the Iraq War more than 4,400 brave men and women in uniform made the ultimate sacrifice and over 32,000 were wounded. Of these brave men and women more than 500 of the fallen and 3,000 of the wounded call Texas their home.

In 2003 I fought with many of my colleagues in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to ensure that the order to proceed with the Iraq War did not pass the House, but our efforts were not successful.

Although we have withdrawn from Iraq it is imperative to understand that the withdrawal is not synonymous with the end of the war on terror. It has been my stance since the beginning of the war that there are different steps that must be taken to combat terror--which include diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

The war also had an economic cost to our nation, which we are still paying and will continue to pay until our colleagues on the other side of the isle resolve to battle the economic threat at home with the vigor of the fight against a less than creditable threat many thought they saw in Iraq 10 years ago.

The monetary cost of the war exceeded $800 billion, which directly contributed to the nation's deficit that is now trying to be mended by the Sequester. More worrisome, the long terms costs from the results of the war are expected to exceed $3 trillion.

Since our withdrawal, insurgencies have erupted across the country of Iraq. Iraq has been seen to gravitate towards Iran, a nation that has openly been hostile towards U.S. mission, and one that has proven to be a source of destabilization in the area.

The remedies to these issues once again come from intelligence and diplomatic channels that do not include invasions like the one the United States so hastily entered into with Iraq.

The tactical withdrawal from Iraq can be seen with some high regard as a template for how to end the war in Afghanistan, and exit the region safely and decisively. As a nation we must turn away from this past decade of occupying countries in the name of fighting terror. These endless occupations delay the creation of opportunity within our own nation, which must be one of the priorities as we attempt to overcome the economic hardships facing the nation.

In closing, I would once again like to extend my deepest gratitude to our troops fighting across the nation on the 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War, and would like to thank my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues again for hosting this event.

In this post-Iraq time we must turn our attention to helping' our men and women who have fought bravely overseas to ensure our freedom and the promotion of democracy.

Earlier this week a new Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic was opened in the Houston area, which will shorten the distance between Houston veterans and the care they need. The nearly 30,000 square foot establishment provides primary health care, mental healthcare, women's specialty care, x-rays, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, ENT (ear, nose and throat) and audiology. The new center will have a fully operational laboratory by July, as well as a visiting cardiologist and surgical physician's assistant for minor procedures.

The new clinic is expected to service 7,000 to 8,000 veterans within its first year of operation and create more than 50 paying jobs.

The Houston area clinic is one of many Community-Based clinics that have been established in response to the growing number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning from war. It is vital that we keep these veterans, and current soldiers, in mind as we develop policies to ensure their care and wellbeing.

Mr. Speaker, often we are taught in the Christian Baptist and African American tradition, which is paraphrasing the words of the Bible, give honor unto those upon whom honor is due. For that reason, I can give tribute to the two Members of Congress without reservation for recognizing the importance, both Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Bachus, for giving honor to those families who languished for over 50 years and wondered did anybody care. We thank Congresswoman Sewell for her great leadership and Congressman Bachus for joining and exuding the kind of partnership, the spirit of his family tradition against all adversity, saying I want to join and to speak of nonviolence.

I rise today with great enthusiasm for H.R. 360 and say to the family members, the sisters, the friends of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair, it has been too long.

And so we rise today to be able to make amends for justice that had not been served because of the callousness and indifference, sometimes of criminal collusion, and many times the lack of enforcement of devastation against coloreds, Blacks, Negroes, and African Americans. There was an era that we look sadly upon; but now today, in the spirit of Dr. King's message of nonviolence, we are able to say yes, profoundly yes.

I thank the gentlelady for her kindness.

We are able to now say profoundly to these girls' relatives that we honor the children who lost their future. We honor them by saying to their families, We care for you. And in the words of John F. Kennedy:

We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as

old as the Scriptures, and it is as clear as the American

Constitution--justice delayed is sometimes justice denied.

But as Martin Luther King said in the Birmingham jail: ``Go wherever injustice is.''

Today on the floor of the House, we will remedy injustice. I'm delighted to be a supporter and cosponsor of this great resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the House will begin discussing in the next day the legislation called Helping Sick Americans Now Act, and I would only offer a counter to that that it seems a sick way to try and help those who are in need.

This bill will deplete the healthy preventive care funding that impacts the Centers for Disease Control, that impacts the federally qualified health clinics that are all throughout our community, and it only provides funding for the sickest of Americans up until December 2013. Why don't we encourage the Governors, like Governor Perry of Texas, to accept expanded Medicaid to help heal 6 million and provide health care for 6 million uninsured in Texas, the highest number of uninsured in any State.

This is a temporary fix that is not necessary. We have the Affordable Care Act that is being implemented; and, as we speak, millions of Americans are being covered. This is the wrong way, misdirected, and I might say it is a sick way of trying to help the sickest of Americans.

I oppose the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of Gabriel ``Gabe'' Zimmerman, a young man devoted to community service, and the great democratic principles upon which our government stands.

Gabriel Zimmerman was murdered on January 8, 2011, struck down in the prime of life at the young age of 31. He was one of several persons killed or wounded during the mass shooting in Arizona that so seriously injured our colleague, former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Gabe Zimmerman is the first congressional staffer to be killed in the line of duty.

As the Community Outreach Director for Congresswoman Giffords, Gabe organized the ``Congress at Your Corner,'' at a supermarket in Tuscon, Arizona, where the mass shooting took place.

Colleagues remember him as someone who would go out of his way to help people in trouble, who attentively listened to the concerns of constituents, and who had a real gift for working with people.

I rise today not only to commemorate Gabe Zimmerman but to speak out against the scourge of gun violence our nation faces.

We have all been shaken by tragic events in recent days and years involving gun violence.

Whether these events occurred in Newtown, Connecticut; Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; or on the streets of Chicago, gun violence is a critical issue that we need to effectively address immediately. Urban, suburban, or rural--no region or community is immune to danger of gun violence.

While the nation's attention has often been drawn toward some of the more high-profile events, the broader statistics are disturbing, demonstrating a real need to address how we protect our nation's children from gun violence. Consider these facts:

Every 30 minutes, a child or teenager in America dies or is injured by a gun.

Every 3 hours and 15 minutes, a child or teenager loses their life to a firearm.

In 2010, 82 children under 5 years of age lost their lives due to guns.

To put that in perspective, 58 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty that year.

In light of recent tragedies, the American people are demanding action. One thing we can do immediately to reduce the incidence of gun violence is to pass H.R. 65, the Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2013, legislation I introduced to protect our nation's children from gun violence and accidents.

H.R. 65 will prohibit persons under the age of 21 from possessing semiautomatic assault weapons or large capacity magazines.

Moreover, H.R. 65 increases penalties on individuals who knowingly transfer a handgun, ammunition, semiautomatic assault weapon, or large capacity ammunition feeding device to a person under age 21.

In addition, H.R. 65 will also prohibit importers, manufacturers, and dealers from transferring firearms without providing the purchaser with a gun storage or safety device.

Finally, H.R. 65 authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to provide grants to enable local law enforcement agencies to develop and sponsor gun safety classes for parents and children.

These provisions, and others, can go a long way toward making our homes, schools, and streets safer for children across this country.

Mr. Speaker, we may not be able to prevent every gun-related tragedy from occurring in the future, but we have a responsibility to implement reasonable standards that will prevent the loss of innocent lives.

Reflecting on the events of last week, I want to speak about some very important homeland security issues.

I want to publicly thank the outstanding law enforcement, FBI, and others who worked on the tragedy of 9/11, as we proceed as Members of Congress to further investigate how not to allow an incident like that to happen again.

But the one point I want to make very clearly and that has been said over and over by Members and certainly by leaders of the administration: this does not and should not stop comprehensive immigration reform. We should proceed with regular order because you need to know who's in this country.

Also, I offer my deepest sympathy to those in West, Texas, but make the point that we have to have a nexus between chemical plants and those who hold those kinds of hazardous materials. As well, we need a mechanism of reporting to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security a security plan and a process to avoid events such as the horrific tragedy that occurred. I will soon be introducing such legislation, and I certainly believe that it is our role to intervene and to secure the homeland.

Madam Chair, I rise to speak on H.R. 624, The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

I thank and appreciate the hard work done by Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger for their leadership of the House Committee on Intelligence that crafted the legislation we are considering. They have demonstrated their strength of bipartisanship in their work to make great improvements in the bill that was considered during the last Congress.

The bill is intended to improve our nation's ability to investigate and prosecute cybersecurity crimes; secure the protection of individuals from danger of death or serious bodily harm and investigate and prosecute crimes against the most vulnerable in society--our children. The bill's objective regarding minors is to provide physical safety for them from sexual abuse, kidnapping and trafficking.

The debate on H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act afforded members of the House of Representatives and the American public a view into some of the more complex issues related to the protection of digital information.

The bill's drafters and those who have contributed to the process through the amendments offered worked to improve the work already done by the Intelligence Committee. The goal of the bill is not to lay bare the personal digital records of every individual living in the United States. The text of the legislation explicitly states that the government could not obtain library records, library patron lists, book sales records, book customer lists, tax return records, education records or medical records.

The Internet challenges us as policymakers because it introduces into our deliberative process a class of technology that can change far faster than other forms of technology. This fact is acknowledged by the bill's sponsors by highlighting the nature of threats that exists on the Internet--rapid and automated. Cyber attacks can be as short as a few minutes or last for only 2 hours. Thieves work together and have learned to use our own personal computers to help them hurt us. The tools that have proven to be the most threatening are called botnets. A botnet uses a computer virus or worm program to infiltrate computers and take control of them. One botnet can be made of millions of private personal computers. A botnet of this size would have the computing power to overwhelm a major institution's network with a brute force attack that searches for the password to one account on a computer network. Once the botnet controller has gotten access to a private or government network they can use that access to seek greater control.

The question for us today is should the Congress view the threats posed by the Digital Information Age with the same urgency as when our nation has faced events such as September 11 or catastrophic hurricanes.

Many of my colleagues have joined me in expressing great concern about privacy and civil liberties as the Federal presence on the Internet has grown. Federal government agencies are now using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to communicate with and engage millions of Americans.

There appears to be no scarcity in the capacity of the Internet to accommodate new business websites, technological innovations or the millions of new Internet users who purchase digital devices, create blogs or e-mail accounts.

The Internet is more than ones and zeros--it is how the world is working, living, and communicating. Its borderless nature and ubiquitous presence means that billions of computing devices can interact and connect using the global telecommunication infrastructure.

Computing technology was once tethered by technical limitations to physical spaces--now computing devices are mobile. For example, a few years ago, portable phones that were as powerful as computers were difficult for most consumers to imagine--now they are common place. Unfortunately, with every advance in computing innovation we see that there are those within society who would search for vulnerabilities in these innovations to disrupt their operation.

The Internet is a critical path forward for our nation's recovering economy. However, to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities the Internet makes possible, we must understand the threats and risks as well as take full advantage of innovation.

One of the central challenges for us as legislators is to preserve the Constitution of the United States for future generations. Each generation of Americans has had the task of defining the role of government in their lives. Today, the Internet is making the role of government in American life in some ways more transparent and accessible through government agency websites.

We as members of Congress are using the Internet to bring more transparency to the work we do on behalf of our constituents. The content found on House web pages provides access to information regarding the work we do on behalf of the public.

The Internet could also make the government's presence in our lives much more opaque. For example, the same social networking services that families and friends create to share details about their lives is not held solely under their control.

What once would have been words shared among family members are now digital data stored with social networking service providers. Computer stored data can live on far longer than may be prudent for the peace and tranquility of family life or economic opportunities as our child transition from youth into responsible adults.

If the government gained access to the digital equivalent of your papers and effects--it would leave no signs of having done so. Digital information unlike paper does not fade way nor do the words in digital files degrade when they are copied over and over again.

What is more problematic for the purpose of our debate on this bill is what would happen if the government had open access to decades of communications: the books read; videos watched; thoughts expressed; or the joys and sorrows of millions of our nation's citizens. How would this impact the America experience?

We know that the founders of this nation were determined to protect the privacy of people from the power of the government. The Fourth Amendment states:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons,

houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches

and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall

issue but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or

affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be

searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The constantly shifting Internet environment creates challenges for policy makers. Today, the ``papers and effects'' of persons have changed in the new Information Age into digital data. This information is not limited to the home, but is mobile as well as remote from the owners of the information.

How do we make sure that the Constitution is preserved and that we as its stewards pass it to the next generation in better condition than when we took an oath to protect it--not just the parts of the document that we like, but all of it.

Although the challenges are great, the rewards of an environment that supports innovation while protecting privacy, civil liberties, and freedom should be the focus our nation's policies and laws that govern our decisions regarding the Internet.

As members of Congress we must keep a watchful eye on preserving, defending and protection the Constitution. It is our duty--our passion and our calling to serve this nation--unwavering in our commitment to act first in the interests of the entire country as we see to the needs of the people we serve.

Mr. Speaker, we have faced enormous tragedies this week with the horrific tragedy of Boston, and now today the tragedy of explosions in West, Texas. I rise today to salute Minister Yolanda Adams, who has taken her music to a step where she is ministering and giving comfort to those who need comfort.

As reflected in her prayer and through her music, Yolanda Adams has taught us to embrace God's grace and mercy, and for those who will listen, to stand in the sunlight of joy as one looks toward the hopefulness of their future or of their lives.

Yolanda Adams is a native-born American, native-born Houstonian, and in fact someone who grew up in the public schools of Houston and began her life in music after she began her life as a teacher. She graduated from Sterling High School in 1979 and is the oldest of six siblings.

After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, she began a career as a schoolteacher, and then she began her career as a professional singer. But she wanted to do more and combined her singing with ministering.

She is an American Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, but she also has a heart for giving, and she provides every year in our community a health forum for women to make them healthier, to make them take care of themselves, to provide them with information. She has a wonderful album, ``Songs from the Heart,'' with the wonderful song ``Fragile Heart.'' In 1999, she was able to move her career beyond this local community. Her songs included ``Yeah'' and ``Open My Heart.'' Many of you have heard her sing ``Believe,'' ``Never Give Up,'' and ``Battle is the Lord's.'' Yolanda Adams comes to us as a person who believes that her ministry can comfort, but she can also

comfort in song. She never leaves anyone behind.

She had the privilege and honor of giving to President Barack Obama and adding to the song, ``Yes We Can: Voices of a Grass Roots Movement.'' She has sung the national anthem at the BCS national championship football game, as well as making a lot of other contributions to American music. She is a supporter of music education for our children, the mother of a daughter, and, yes, a prominent American.

But I think what says the most about Yolanda Adams is that she never stops evangelizing and seeking to help those who are hopeless and in despair. She brings joy to those who seek it and believes that everyone is a child of God.

I'm grateful to know Yolanda Adams and to claim her as a constituent of the great city of Houston and the great State of Texas. But most of all, she is an American and a believer and understands the value of America's freedom to be able to worship. She continues to soldier on to save souls, and we're delighted to have been able to have her bless us this morning.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a great American artist. I wish to first thank Ms. Adams for her thoughtful, and inspirational prayer. As the representative of the 18th District of Texas I am proud to say that she is a constituent and represents what is best about the State of Texas.

As was reflected in her prayer, Yolanda Adams through her music, has taught us to embrace God's grace and mercy, and for those who will listen, to stand in the sunlight of joy as one looks toward the hopefulness of the future.

Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy and Dove-award winning Gospel music singer and radio show host. The oldest of six siblings, Yolanda Adams was raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Sterling High School in Houston in 1979.

After graduating from University of California Berkeley, she began a career as a schoolteacher and part-time model in Houston, Texas. Eventually she gave up teaching to become a professional singer.

Her enormous talent attracted the attention of Thomas Whitfield and Sound of Gospel Records which signed her recording contract and released her first album, Just As I Am in 1987. In 1990, she released her second album, Through The Storm, released by Tribune Records.

Songs from the Heart, her album released through Verity Records, featured the inspirational ``Only Believe,'' ``Still I Rise,'' a song dedicated to Rosa Parks and inspired by Maya Angelou's poem of the same name.

``Fragile Heart,'' was dedicated to the memory of Yolanda's long time road manager who died in 1998. Her album ``Mountain High . . . Valley Low'' in 1999 extended her popularity and appeal outside the urban contemporary gospel arena. The album went Platinum in 2000 and won her a Grammy Award. Notable singles from the album include ``Yeah,'' ``Fragile Heart,'' and ``Open My Heart.''

In 2001, Yolanda Adams released a live album, The Experience, which won her a second Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Believe, which included the hit ``Never Give Up'' was released in 2001. She would later go on to perform this song at ``The Salute to Gospel Music'' at the White House during President George W. Bush's administration. Believe was certified Gold in 2002. The Divas Of Gospel, with Albertina Walker, (Queen of Gospel), was also released in 2001.

Yolanda Adams recorded the song for the 2003 hit film, Honey titled ``I Believe'' and was also a judge for the 2nd Annual Independent Music Awards.

Yolanda Adams' song ``Hold On'' is included in a compilation in support of Barack Obama's campaign entitled `Yes We Can: Voices of a Grass Roots Movement'.

Yolanda Adams performed the National Anthem at the 2009 BCS National Championship football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida.

I want to thank Yolanda Adams for her bountiful contribution to American music, songs which have enriched our lives for a decade and cascade like the blessings from the heaven above.

Mr. Speaker, Yolanda Adams has sold 4.5 million albums since 1991 according to Soundscan. Although she is proud of that achievement, she has said that her greatest treasure is being a child of God.

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

Let me thank the chairman and the ranking member for the work that they have done in getting us here today and in crafting the legislation, and I thank the Rules Committee for making what I think is a very important amendment in order. I thank this process for allowing clarifying amendments because we are here representing the American people.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is straightforward. It improves the bill by indicating that:

Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act

shall be construed to provide authority to a department or

agency of the Federal Government to require a cybersecurity

provider that has contracted with the Federal Government to

provide information services to provide information about

cybersecurity incidents that do not pose a threat to the

Federal Government.

We want to be concerned about that.

It makes it clear that the only instance in which a cloud service provider can share information about a cyber incident with a government agency is when the objective of an attempted intrusion of the service provider's network was to gain unauthorized access to the government's information.

I am pleased to state that this commonsense amendment is supported by a number of groups, including Constitutional Alliance, The Constitution Project, Liberty Coalition, and the ACLU.

In other words, if a cyber incident does not threaten the government's information, then the incident is none of the government's need to intrude, and this is especially true when disclosure to the government would compromise an individual's privacy and proprietary information of businesses.

Mr. Chairman, today, something commonly called the ``cloud'' plays an unseen but critical part in the lives of millions of Americans and thousands of businesses. Persons and businesses that use iPhones, Gmail, Yahoo!, and MSN email services are connected to the cloud. This, of course, does not in any way hinder our homeland security or national security. Cloud services include popular online services like Facebook and YouTube. The cloud is saving consumers and businesses from the loss of valuable data through storage services, and when you speak to our industries, they are protected.

This is the cloud--all private sector. They are not intruded upon, but add the government--if the government comes in and decides just without any clarification that we'll give your information to others without it being necessary, without it being government information, without it being related to government operations, my amendment protects you in the private sector from that kind of intrusion.

So I believe that this amendment will protect commerce. These are well-known names. This is who this amendment will protect--all of those who are generating commerce in the midst of cloud computing.

Mr. Chairman, cloud computing is such an important innovation that it is changing how people, businesses, and government agencies manage information. The Jackson Lee amendment recognizes the importance of cloud computing to our economy, and it is consistent with the objectives of the bill while ensuring that the privacy and civil liberties rights of citizens are protected.

Again, they are doing business with each other. Once we put in the government, the question has to be whether or not the government transmits information that is not necessary. My amendment protects consumers and businesses that are in the midst of providing and helping in their lives to make sure that users have their privacy. The cloud allows users seamless access to information from any location in the United States where the Internet is accessible and available. My amendment protects them and is ready to help clarify this bill, and I ask my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the ranking member of the committee, the distinguished gentleman from Maryland.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Again, I say that the cloud is saving consumers and businesses from the loss of valuable data. The Jackson Lee amendment adds to the firewall of protecting Americans' privacy and, in the flow and the discourse of business, of protecting the privacy of our businesses that do not have data that is necessary for the government's information. That should be said over and over again.

I thank both the ranking member and the chairman for their kind remarks, and I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment that provides, again, the firewall of privacy.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I ask support of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger for the work in crafting this legislation and the Rules Committee for making my amendment in order.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It improves the bill by providing that:

Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act

shall be construed to provide authority to a department or

agency of the Federal Government to require a cybersecurity

provider that has contracted with the Federal Government to

provide information services to provide information about

cybersecurity incidents that do not pose a threat to the

Federal Government's information.

Mr. Chairman, the Jackson Lee amendment makes clear that the only instance in which a cloud service provider can share information about a cyber incident with a government agency is when the objective of an attempted intrusion of the service provider's network was to gain unauthorized access to the government's information.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to state that this commonsense amendment is supported by interested groups across the spectrum, from the ACLU on the left to the Constitutional Alliance on the right.

In other words, if a cyber incident does not threaten the government's information, then the incident is none of the government's business.

And this is especially true where disclosure to the government would compromise individuals' privacy and proprietary information of businesses.

Mr. Chairman, today something commonly called ``the Cloud'' plays an unseen but critical part in the lives of millions of Americans and thousands of businesses. Persons and businesses who use iPhones or use Gmail, Yahoo and MSN e-mail services are connected to the Cloud.

Cloud services include popular online services like Facebook, YouTube, ``LinkedIn'' (a professional networking service) and ``Flickr'' (a place where millions of personal and family photos are stored).

The Cloud is saving consumers and businesses from the loss of valuable data through storage services like the popular Apple iCloud. The Cloud protects digital information from loss should their computer or smart phone be damaged, lost or stolen. The Cloud also allows users seamless access to information from any location in the United States where internet access is available.

Mr. Chairman, ``cloud computing'' is such an important innovation that it is changing how people, businesses, and government agencies manage information.

The Jackson Lee amendment recognizes the importance of ``cloud computing'' to our economy and is consistent with the objectives of the bill while assuring that privacy and civil liberty rights of citizens are protected.

This is an important amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Organizations Endorsing Jackson Lee Amendment

Mr. Chair, I am in support of the amendment offered by Intelligence Committee Chairman Rogers, Congressman McCaul and Homeland Security Ranking Member Thompson to H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2013. This is very similar to the amendment I offered before the Rules Committee, but was not made in order. I am pleased that the focus of my amendment is addressed by this amendment that was made in order.

This amendment just as I outlined in my amendment offered to the Rules Committee would establish a lead role for the Department of Homeland Security--a civilian agency in matters related to cyber security threats. DHS would be the agency to receive all cyber threat information. This amendment designates the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the civilian entity to receive cyber threat information related to cybersecurity crimes.

These changes make clear that DHS and the DOJ will serve as points of entry for those seeking to share cybersecurity threat information with the federal government.

The amendment also requires the Secretary of DHS, the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Secretary of Defense to establish procedures to eliminate any personal information from cyber threat information shared with the federal government. Cyber threat information shared with the government from any source will be scrubbed of any personally identifiable information and deleted--this is also known as ``minimization.''

Every agency receiving cyber threat information must notify these four agencies, and Congress of significant violations of the procedures required by the bill. These agencies must also establish a program to oversee compliance with the minimization procedures.

The importance of a civil agency in a central role regarding the establishment and functions of domestic cyber protection programs is critical to building in the transparency, accountability and oversight the American public expects. I am in strong support of this amendment and thank my colleagues for their efforts to address the concerns of many of our constituents as we work to assure the Internet is as safe as it can be and that we maintain the level of oversight that is needed.

This is an important amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Today, Mr. Speaker, the other body has an opportunity to do what 90 percent of the American people would like us to do--to be prayerful and to come together to respond to the horrific siege of gun violence in America.

It is important to note that, on average, 13 young people from ages 10 to 24 are victims of homicide every day, and 82.8 percent of these youth are killed by a gun. Every 30 minutes a child or teenager in America is injured by a gun. Every 3 hours and 15 minutes a child or a teenager loses their life from a firearm. In 2010, 82 children under the ages of 5 lost their lives due to guns. To put that number in perspective, 58 law enforcement lost their lives.

And so today, we don't have to violate the Second Amendment. As I said, we can be prayerful. We can pass universal background checks--the same thing we do with registering our cars, getting licenses. This is a time for America to rise to our higher angels and do what our children need them to do. I ask the Senate to challenge its conscience and to vote for universal background checks to stop the violence.

I thank the distinguished ranking member and the chairman, as well, for working to answer an enormous concern on the question of national and domestic security.

Since Robert Tappan Morris in 1988 released one of the first commuter worms, we realized, as the computer and the Internet now have grown, the proliferation of computer malware, or computer programs designed specifically to damage computers or their networks or to co-opt systems or steal data, has attracted public and media attention and that we needed to do something. Now more than ever, cybersecurity impacts every aspect of our lives.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I can assure you that my concern about the electric grid utilities, the energy and financial industries, recognize that it is important to act, and to act with speed and understanding. Likewise, I am concerned about the rage in epidemic of hackers and the impact that it has on 85 to 87 percent of the infrastructure in this Nation.

For that reason, however, I believe that along with this effort, we should have a lead civilian agency to collect the data. I'm looking forward to the manager's amendment, which I hope will clarify that Homeland Security will be that.

In addition, I have offered an amendment. My amendment ensures that if a cloud service provider identifies or detects an attempt by someone to access, to gain unauthorized access to nongovernmental information stored on the system, it would not be required or permitted to report that attempt to the government and it cannot share that information with the government. I thank the Rules Committee for allowing that amendment to be in.

I do, however, want to raise the question on privacy. I believe that we could

fix this legislation with a small addition dealing with the privacy question as we hopefully address the question dealing with the lead civilian agency. I thank the chairman and the ranking member, and I look forward to further discussion on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained with meetings in my office. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on the Rogers amendment, ``aye'' on the Connolly amendment, and ``aye'' on the Langevin amendment to the underlying legislation, H.R. 624.