capabilities are among the best in the nation but some disasters are even beyond what we can handle and what we can handle in an effective and timely manner. we are battling wildfires across the state and on the eve of a hurricane season which happens year after year. these disaster relief programs are necessary and critical. and they are one of the most important responsibilities of the federal government to help states and citizenry recover. but there is an issue going on. many counties in south florida are still fighting to this day with fema to defend the legitimacy of disaster relief aid that they received following one of the worst hurricane seasons in our state's history where hurricane after hurricane after hurricane crossed the shores of florida. mr. speaker, victims of the disaster and national emergency who may not have shelter over their heads or food or water,

they should not be victimized again by their own government just because they lack the paper trail from decades ago when they were undergoing that devastation. and reinstating a three-year statute of limitations when there is no evidence of fraud, waste or abuse, this moves this own us and combatting relief away from the recipients back to where it be longs and back to fema and during that time when it is most essential immediately during the recovery process. it is common sense. and i support this bipartisan bill. and i commend chairman shuster and chairman barletta for their assistance in getting this important bill to the floor. and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 1678, which i rise in

support of, is a bill that will clarify the existing statute of limitations for public assistance provided by the federal emergency management agency, or fema, to state, tribal, and local grantees. pursuant to the robert t. stafford disaster relief and emergency assistance act, or the stafford act, fema provides public assistance grants to state, tribal, and local governments to assist in their recovery efforts after a disaster strikes. generally, fema approves the use for public assistance funds immediately after the disaster or while the project is being completed. this is the appropriate time to decide how a grantee should spend disaster funds. once the project is completed, the grantee smits documentation of completion to fema. however, in some instances fema or the inspector general has

reviewed projects many years or even a decade after the grantee has submitted project completion documents. at times, fema has changed its policy determination on the appropriate use of the funds, or the inspector general has secretary guessed fema's decision on the appropriate use of the funds. fema then tries to recover project funds years later. under this bill introduced by congresswoman frankel, fema may still attempt to recover funds but must do so within three years after the project is completed. i commend representative frankel for her commitment to address this issue. she has worked tirelessly to bring this matter to the forefront and i urge my colleagues to support the measure. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. barletta. mr. barletta: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. johnson: at this time, mr. speaker, i will yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. mr. barletta. mr. barletta: i again urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 1678 as amended. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1678, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is maffed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is thravenlt -- passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. mr. barletta: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on

questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. ordering the previous question on house resolution 299. adopting house resolution 299. if ordered. and suspend the rules and passing h.r. 1679. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on house resolution 299 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 44, house resolution 299. resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 1180, to amend the fair labor standards act of 1938 to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector, providing for proceedings during the period from may 5, 2017, through may 15, 2017, and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 233. the nays are 190. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. polis: mr. chairman, on that i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered.

members will record their votes y electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 231. the nays are 193. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. barletta, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1679, on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 63. h.r. 1679. a bill to ensure that the

federal emergency management agency current efforts to modernize its grant system includes applicants accessibility and transparent, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 419. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. he house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and .ass h.r. 1644 as amended the clerk: a bill to enhance sanctions with respect to transactions relating to north korea and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i'm going to ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include extraneous material to this measure in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: i also ask unanimous consent to place in the record exchanges of letters with the other committees of referral on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this h.r. 1644. this is the korean interdiction and modernization of sanctions act. and i want to begin by thanking the co-author of this bill, ranking member eliot engel, for

his work on this legislation and for his steadfast leadership that he's shown on addressing this threat to national security. e's been in north korea once or twice. i've been there once, and he's been focused on this for a long time. mr. speaker, north korea does in fact pose an immediate threat to the national security of the united states and to our allies. experts believe that in less than four years, north korea will have the ability, probably, to target the united states with a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile one topped by a nuclear warhead, and the quick speed with which north korea's program is advancing is a game changer for our national security. it is no wonder that former president obama warned president trump that north

korea would be a top threat to the united states, and this is after the program of strategic patience, which president obama deployed, that policy of strategic patience unfortunately has not worked out. we must move forward with something based on a plan that's worked in the past. and north korea, now that they've conducted two nuclear weapons tests this last year and launched a total of 26 ballistic missiles, including one from a submarine, has reached the point where it is a threat to the united states. in the last two years alone, we've seen 49 of these tests of one kind or another as they built out this program, and alarmingly with every test, north korea gains valuable technical knowledge that has enabled it to make significant developing to its

arsenal. so as they march towards the day that it will have that capability of striking all 50 states with an icbm, we have been reminded by our chairman of the joint chiefs that the i in that acronym stands for intercontinental, as he says, from that continent to this continent. more immediately, these missiles gravely threaten our allies in south korea and japan, and it's a threat to the tens of thousands of u.s. servicemen serving in those countries. north korea has been a major proliferator, cooperating on its nuclear and missile programs with the likes of iran, of syria, of pakistan. i'll remind the members they built a carbon copy of their nuclear program in syria on the banks of the euphrates river, and had it not been -- had it not been for the israeli

defense forces taking that facility out some years ago, we'd be wrestling right now with the question of whether that facility was in the hands alniece are a and in the -- al-nusr or in the hands of hezbollah. they are undermining the security along with the global counterproliferation system. so we can only guess the extent of the damage that's being done through illicit, undetected networks. mr. speaker, congress has a chance to put north korea policy on firmer ground, and this bill, this korean interdiction and modernization of sanctions act, is a response to the immediate threat and it builds upon the north korean sanctions and policy act, which was a bill authored by myself and mr. engel that was signed into law last congress. with this law the united states designated north korea as a primary money laundering concern, cutting off their access to cash and found kim

jong un and his top lieutenants responsible for grave human rights abuses. indeed, the magazine "the economist" accurately described north korea as a gulag now mass crating as a -- masquerading as a country. at the same time north korea has worked in the past year to evade international sanctions with the help of a vast network of front companies which we've now identified and those front companies work with governments spanning the globe. those who do business with to korea providing money fund the nuclear program and fund its grotesque human rights abuses and they must be stopped. so this bill does that by expanding sanctions to deter north korea's nuclear programs and to enforce united nations security council resolutions. and let's be clear. these are international commitments that all nations

are obliged to honor, including china. it targets those who employ north korean slave labor overseas. countries from senegal to qatar to angola import these north korean workers who promptly send their salary back to the regime in north korea, earning the regime billions of dollars in hard currency each year. this is money that kim jong un uses to advances his nuclear missile program and also pay his generals, buying their loyalty to his brutal regime, and that is what the high level defectors that i met with say so let's squeeze his purse. it cracks down on north korean shipping and the use of international ports, restricting the regime's ability to ship weapons and other banned goods. and when we discover that foreign banks have helped kim jong un skirt these sanctions, as some in china have repeatedly done, then we must give those banks and businesses a stark choice -- to do

business with that regime in north korea or the u.s. -- as we've heard from the new administration, this is a key focus of theirs. so mr. speaker, this legislation gives the administration powerful new tools to protect the u.s. and our allies from the threat of north korean nuclear missiles by going after those who enable the regime's aggression, and this shows the world that congress stands ready to help the administration work with our allies and others to counter north korea's belligerent behavior and maintain peace and stability in northeast asia. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 1644 and reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of this legislation and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. let me start by thanking ed

royce of california. his personal commitment to this important issue is reflected by his long track record and leadership in crafting the legislation before us today. we have had innumerable talks about north korea and the threat through the years. and ed royce has always been there at the forefront on this very important issue. i'm proud to be the lead democratic co-sponsor of the bill. we stand on the floor today speaking in a unified, bipartisan voice about the threat that north korea and the kim regime pose to the united states, to our friends and allies, and to peace and stability across the globe. already, mr. speaker, north korea poses a potentially catastrophic danger to our closest allies in northeast asia. japan, and south korea. with each passing day, the recluesive regime in pyongyang continues to make progress on nuclear and ballistic missile technology that could reach american soil.

so this isn't a laughing matter. this is isn't a matter about -- this isn't a matter about something that might happen. this is a matter about something that will happen unless we take steps to prevent it from happening. american administrations of both parties have tried and failed to curb the dangerous behavior of the kim regime. because before kim, you had his father, and then his grandfather before him. there's plenty of blame to go around for how we got here. but rehashing past mistakes won't get us anywhere. instead the united states and other global powers need to focus on this challenge before it is too late. however, i fear that the administration's inconsistency in recent weeks has thrown fuel to the fire. we've seen the white house blow hot and cold on the potential for talks with pyongyang. we've seen careless rhetoric alienate south korea. a critical ally whose partnership is essential in trying to contain north korea. one week we see saber-rattling toward north korea, including the false claim that an aircraft

carrier was headed toward the korean peninsula, and the next the president's saying he'd be honored to meet with smart cookie, kim jong un. the latest in a long list of totalitarian strongmen who seem to have won the president's admiration. so we're sending mixed signals, mr. speaker, and the world is taking notice. inconsistency on national security matters is not a foreign policy strategy that will succeed. when america appears confused or unmoored, it emboldened our adversaries and gives our friends and allies pause. when we're talking about nuclear weapons, there's simply no margin for error. fortunately in this congress our priorities are clear. work with china and our close partners in the region and dial up pressure on the kim regime to return to the negotiating table. last year under chairman royce's leadership, we passed the sappingses bill that president obama sign -- sanctions bill that president obama signed into law. kim jong un is exceedingly crafty. his regime has become

increasingly effective at evading international sanctions. when we make sanctions tougher, they come up with new ways to get around them. phony bank accounts, fake companies overseas, shipments under foreign flags. so we need to go back to the well, to close the loopholes at the re-- that the regime exploits. that's what this measure does. it dials up sanctions on those who do business with the kim regime. hopefully making them think twice before providing cover to one of the most brutal human rights abusers in the world, and the nuclear ambitions of the leader of that country. if you buy certain materials, like metals or minerals, from north korea, if you sell fuel that the north korean military can use, if you have a role in maintaining overseas bank accounts, or ensuring the ships jong pang -- pyongyang uses to evade the law, then you go and get caught up in these new sanctions. if you ignore the u.n.'s limits on importing north korean coal

or iron, or try to buy cheap textiles or fishing rights from the government, or help the kim regime conduct business online, you'll be subject to additional scrutiny with this legislation. this bill will target those who use north korean forced labor, a gross human rights abuse, and a cash cow for the regime. we'll consider limiting certain types of assistance to countries buying or selling military equipment to pyongyang. and in light of the recent public assassination of kim jong un's half-brother, and other nefarious activity, we require the state department to take a hard look at whether north korea should be put back on the state sponsor of terror list. the kim regime must be made to understand that we will not back down in our effort to cut off support for its dangerous activities. every time they cut another corner, we'll put up another roadblock. we will come after them again and again and again until they

realize there's no option but to sit down and negotiate. as we've seen, it won't be an easy process. making real progress on complex global issues really is -- rarely. is reckless threats and talk usually make matters worse. especially when you're dealing with an unpredictable and impulsive leader. so the stakes are very high. no one wants to see war on the korean peninsula. least of all the 25 million people in seoul and the nearly 30,000 united states troops who are in pyongyang's sights every single day. so we need to remain focused with clarity of purpose, in order to get the results we all want. this bipartisan bill builds -- builds on our record in the house of grappling with this challenge. i'm glad to join with chairman royce in this effort. i fully support this bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized.

mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, a senior member of the committee on foreign affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. mr. chabot: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1644, the korean interdiction and modernization of sanctions act. kim jong un murdered his uncle, he murdered his brother, and he and his father and grandfather were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, probably millions, of their own people. now this ruthless tyrant is trying to develop long-range nuclear weapons that very soon could reach the united states. let me be clear. north korea is a threat to the security of the united states of america. it's a threat to our allies. it's a threat to the world. as long as north korea has nuclear weapons, the world is not safe. for far too long, we've done very little to deter the kim regime's persistent march into the development of its nuclear

weapons program, that changes today. the kim's regime nuclear program lives and dies by its access to hard currency. north korea acquires that hard currency from various sources. we know that china is the worst offender. but china is not the only bad actor. terrorist networks around the world purchase weapons and technology and training from north korea and north korea in exchange gets that money. the hard currency that it needs. autocrats like the congo's leader have long reasoned that no one would actually enforce the arms embargo currently against north korea. they continue to support the kim regime and its nuclear program with no consequences. this bill would put a stop to that. it requires that the president cut off bad actors from our financial system. no more transactions in dollars. no more using banks that serve u.s. customers. the kim regime will know that we are finally serious.

i want to thank chairman royce for his leadership on this, ranking member engel, and also subcommittee chairman, mr. yoho. this is critical legislation. north korea has been getting away with murder literally for far too long in their own country. we need to make sure that hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of americans are not -- their lives wiped out by north korea sometime in the very near few youture, if we do not -- future, if we do not push back and stop their nuclear weapons program. particularly the ballistic missile system that they're trying to develop. i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, it's my pleasure now to yield three minutes to the ranking member of the asia subcommittee, foreign affairs committee, mr. sherman of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. sherman: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 1644, the korean interdiction and

modernization of sanctions act. this bill was introduced by the chair and ranking member of the full committee, mr. royce and mr. engel. and by the chair and ranking member of the asia subcommittee, mr. yoho and myself. it is a clear example of bipartisanship, the way it should be here in the house of representatives. north korea's -- north korea continues to act as a state sponsor of terrorism, test ballistic missiles, conduct cyberwarfare, building bl nuclear weapons and threaten -- build nuclear weapons, and threaten the united states and our allies. we need a strategy to confront north korea. an essential part of that strategy is to confront north korea with economic and political pressure. a key to that would be to get china fully onboard and to be willing to threaten china with tariffs if china continued to serve as the life line for the north korean criminal regime. but in addition to working with

china, we need to start modernizing our own sanctions regime to impose a greater cost on kim jong un. this bill expands north korea's sanctions -- the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement act passed by this congress in 2016. to provide expanded and mandatory and discretionary sanctions on the north korean government, particularly involving gold and other precious minerals. jet fuel, coal, iron or and tech tiles. the bill require -- iron ore and texttiles. the bill requires no accounts are being used by foreign financial institutions to provide financial services to north korea. and it does a host of other necessary things. including requiring the state department to submit to congress a report detailing their decision on whether to put north

korea back on the state sponsor of terrorism list. and that we get that report within 90 days. it seems clear to me that north korea should be listed as the state sponsor of terror. we took them off the list not because they stopped engaging international terror, but as a quid pro quo for suspending their own nuclear program, which they didn't suspend. so why are they still off the list? there's no doubt that north korea has engaged in multiple acts of international terrorism, including the murder of the half-brother of kim jong un, the cyberattack against sony pictures, and, although the initial action was taken decades ago, they seized japanese civilians in order to learn japanese manners, in order to instruct their spies. they continue to hold those japanese civilians today, a continuing act of terrorism. finally, the bill requires a report from the president of cooperation between north korea and iran. we would suspect the -- that north korea, after it builds a certain cache of nuclear

weapons, would be willing to sell to iran, not for millions, but for billions of dollars, fully assembled nuclear weapons or the fizzle material to create those. and this is an important thing congress needs to address. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson. he's a senior member of the committee on foreign affairs, and he chairs the armed services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for two minutes. mr. wilson: thank you, chairman ed royce, for yielding. i appreciate your determined leadership on this important issue of national security, protecting american families. i am in strong support of h.r. 1644, the korean interdiction and modernization act -- modernization of sanctions act. in 2003 i traveled to pyongyang, north korea, with the ranking member, congressman eliot engel, a bipartisan delegation. along with congressman wheldon,

chairman jeff miller, mr. reyes and ortiz. where we saw firsthand the tyranny and oppression of the communist regime. last month the house of representatives overwhelmingly passed h.res. 92, a bipartisan resolution i introduced condemning the regime in north korea. and it passed 398-3. their recent ballistic missiles -- for their recent ballistic missiles and call for the availability of all sanctions. since then north korea has continued testing missiles and released yet another propaganda video. this one simulating the destruction of american troops, aircraft and warships, and even the u.s. capitol building. after eight years of strategic patience, i appreciate the strong leadership of president trump and his administration, with the ambassador to the u.n., and also secretary of state, rex tillerson. it is clear the regime in north korea will only respond to

strength. and these sanctions that are proposed in this package would effectively target the regime understand understand -- and any other individuals who would do business with north korea. especially in the shipping and financial industries. i appreciate the extraordinary leadership of chairman ed royce and ranking member eliot engel on the legislation. and i urge my colleagues to vote in support. mr. engel: i wanted to talk to the gentleman from south carolina, mr.wilson who went on that trip to north korea. i'm sure he'll remember that he took a clandestine picture of a big billboard in pyongyang showing a north korean soldier going through the american soldier's head. the rhetoric is ingrained and

taught and it is disconcerting and i remember the gentleman taking that picture. and it was a good thing to do. i thank the gentleman. mr. wilson: thank you. mr. engel: it's my pleasure to yield two members of the ranking , mr. keating, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for two minutes. mr. keating: i rise in strong support of h.r. 1644, the korean interdiction and modernization sanctions act. i thank the chairman of the committee, mr. royce, and ranking member, mr. engel for their leadership in this important legislation. this legislation furthers north korea's severe isolation by argeting banks and money money

lenderers. this bipartisan bill builds on the pressure and sanctions imposed under the bush and obama administrations to strengthen our response to north korea's continued be lidgerans by expanding sanctions on their government, on precious metals, jet fuel and coal, and u.s. foreign assistance to any country that buys or sells military equipment from north korea. and provides increasing scrutiny of north korean shipping vessels to target against trafficking, counter fitting and aspects of their illicit activities to tighten sanctions in accordance with the united nations security council. this vote comes at a critical juncture despite sanctions to squeeze north korea. recent reports from the peninsula suggest that the country continues to gain

sufficient traction to move forward. north korea poses a real and immediate threat to the stability in the region, to our allies and to ourselves. by broadening activities and steppeding the extending of sanctions to prevent arms trade, this bill will leverage the north korean government to reduce its nuclear threat. this bill will strengthen our ability to hippeder trade with businesses and banks within russia and china that are exposed to the international financial market. in the face of growing uncertainty and seeming lack of clarity surrounding the administration's plan, this act demonstrates the strong bipartisan and resolute stance of this congress in the face of increased aggressive actions by

north korea as an original sponsor of the original legislation signed into law last year against north korea for its agriegeyouse human rights legislation, i support this legislation and i urge my colleagues to do the same. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield 2 1/2 minutes to judge poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. poe: i thank the chairman and ranking member for sponsoring this legislation. north korea ordered its missile units to strike the united states. lil kim as i call him and his generals convened a press conference and displayed a chart of what they call u.s. mainland strike plan. the plan targeted several population centers including

austin, texas. i'm personally off ended by that. it was ridiculed by national media. after all the administration was pursuing a strategy, strategic patience plan. but now experts say in less than four years they will have missiles raining down nuclear weapons on the entire united states. north korea is making steady progress on its nuclear program. it conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 alone sm the time has come to tighten the noose on lil kim. we need to choke off his sources and these sanctions will help do that. this expands sanctions to target some of the regime's most lucrative sources of revenue and requires the state department to reassess if north korea should be put back on the state sponsor of terrorism list. i think that is overdue.

lil kim has been a worldwide terrorist. lil kim means it when he says he wants to destroy the united states and put icbm's on submarines and send them off the coast of california. he cannot be allowed to do this mischief. the united states means what it says when we will protect the american people. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i now yield two minutes to my friend, mr. connolly, the co-chair of the korea caucus and respected member of the foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connolly: i thank the gentleman. i rise today in support of h.r. 1644, the korean interdiction. i'm pleased to co-sponsor with an act that updates sanctions policy that was enacted last

year. it is undeniable that north korea's ballistic and missile programs have accelerated in recent years. in 2016 alone, the regime conducted two nuclear tests and more than 20 missile tests nfment response to this threat, the u.s. helped negotiate the passage of united nations security council resolutions to strengthen u.n. sanctions against the regime. h.r. 1644 builds on those security council resolutions by expanding sanctions and authorizing new sanctions provisions related to evasion and the use of north korean exported labor, banking and trade and textiles, food and agricultural products. if someone transfers significant amounts of jet fuel to north korea, then the president could freeze that person's assets and come within the jurisdiction of the united states. vessels that use north korea ports will be banned from

entering u.s. waters or u.s. ports. the bill establishes resticks on the use of foreign assistance to any country that violates these provisions. i want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their leadership and for including my amendment which will ensure that u.s. sanctions against north korea do not impede the assistance to developing countries on child health, disease prevention and response. u.n. sanctions are necessary but are not the complete tool. the u.s. must undertake the effort to urge the global community and china in particular to use their goodwill, their leverage to enforce international sanctions and to get north korea back to the negotiating table. the korean peninsula remains one of the most dangerous flash points in the world. president trump has sent mixed signals about the u.s. of

military actions and his views about how best the united states ought to respond that disabuse ourselves of previous policy which seems to be the only policy. i don't think that makes anything better on the korean peninsula. i think the leaders for this effort. i think it's the right way to go. i support it fully and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of gentleman has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield three minutes to the the gentleman from florida, mr. yoho and co-author of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for three minutes. mr. yoho: i rise today in strong support of the korea interdiscs and modernization sanctions act, h.r. 1644. i would like to thank chairman

royce and the original co-sponsors of this bill. ranking member engel and congressman sherman who serve along side me. i would like to thank the chairman and ranking member for accepting my amendments that targets the ability of leaders like those of the democratic republic of congo that have been buying arms from north korea to fund their nuclear program in the regime of terror and provocation. mr. speaker, north korea's nuclear program has never been a bigger threat and we need to respond with all the tools at our disposal. the world community is against nuclear proliferation from any country so the world's community should applaud us. pyongyang has accelerated its behavior conducting two nuclear tests and two dozen missile

launches last year. speaking before the u.n. council, secretary tillerson was right said the threat of an attack on seoul or tokyo is very real. it is important that congress, as we are doing here today continue to apply pressure providing the administration with the tools it needs to deprive the kim regime of the hard currency it depends on to feed its illicit weapons program. importantly, this measure will advance the national security interests of not just the united states and the korean peninsula but of the whole asia-pacific region and contribute to regional security, and slave labor which is estimated of bringing in $230 million each year. there are precious few machine military tools left. financial sanctions are the most important and effective of these

tools. by advancing this legislation, the house will continue its critical work to ensure our country has the necessary authorities and mandates in place to ensure our financial measures are effective. a peaceful income on the peninsula depends on inflicting enough pressure on kim to force him to make the hard but smart choices. this bill will affect him where it hurts, in his bank accounts. i commend chairman royce and ranking member engel for their contributions and leadership on this important legislation. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and i yield back. and i thank the speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: it's my pleasure to yield two minutes to the co-chair of the japan caucus, respected member of our foreign affairs committee and member of the intelligence committee, mr. castro of texas.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. castro: i rise in h.r. 1644, legislation that would more effectively cut off the kim regime's access. this legislation updates and expands the range of sanctions available for the united states to use against persons or entities that violate existing u.s. sanctions laws and united nations security council resolutions regarding north korea. the bill requires the president to report to congress on foreign countries' compliance with those security council resolutions. the united states is determined to preserve the stability in the asia pacific region. our nation will uphold its treaty commitments and defend their security in the face of the north korean threat. i urge my colleagues to join me

to vote in favor of this legislation which makes clear the united states will target individuals, companies and banks that continue to do business with north korea. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from particulars as yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: it's now my pleasure to yield two minutes to distinguished member from texas, mr. lloyd doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. doggett: thank you. i commend the leaders of the foreign affairs committee for their leadership on this important matter. we need stronger international action like this to send a message to the north korean regime. our sanctions approach should be at least as strong against north korea as it has been against iran and to be effective, sanctions must include all

countries. chinese trade during the last year with north korea has actually increased. it's clear it is shirking its responsibility. if it were to limit energy and access to hard currency reserves to north korea, the regime would likely collapse. intensified sambings contemplated are important because of all the recent sabers rattling from donald trump. we have no acceptable military solution. any military attack on north korea would result in the death of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of the 25 million koreans in the greater seoul area and over 100,000 americans that are in that region. only this week, general mcmaster, president trump's national security adviser conceded that a preventive military strike would result in a human catastrophe.

we cannot eliminate the risk of north korea, but we can better manage it and this measure is a step in the right direction. the arsenal of our democracy is more than just our military might. let's apply every bit of international pressure possible and hope that the great self-described deal maker, donald j. trump can begin direct negotiations to secure an agreement with north korea that achieves as much as president obama did with iran. and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, may i ask how much time is available to both of us? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york has 3 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. engel: it's my pleasure to -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 4 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. engel: it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from florida, a very

respected and hardworking member of the foreign affairs committee, ms. frankel. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. frankel: i thank my colleague from new york. i just returned from a trip to south korea and japan. bipartisan trip. where we focused on the dangers of north korea. first i wanted to say what became very clear to us is how important our relationship is with south korea and japan, both economically and for our national security. we sat in round table discussionses with scholars -- discussions with scholars from the united states, japan, south korea and china. and i will tell you, one things was unanimous in the thinking. a preemptive military strike right now on our part would be catastrophic. catastrophic not only to our friends in south korea, the millions that live there, our friends in japan, but the hundreds of thousands of american citizens and our

military personnel. so i urge my colleagues to support this good bill and thank our chair and our ranking member for your good work. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i'll close now. i want to close by -- the way i opened. i want to again thank chairman royce for authoring this measure and for his hard work. one of the things i've been most proud about, as the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee, is the collaboratetific work that the chairman and i -- collaborative work that the chairman and i have done together, passing so many bills with both of our names. it's what the american people want us to do. i think the foreign affairs committee is a great example of what the american people, how the american people want congress to work together, and this bill is exactly a product of that. of working together. if we want to pressure the kim

regime, if we want to prevent a potentially devastating conflict in northeast asia, we cannot be impulsive. the risks are too high. we need a strong, focused and consistent policy. we need strong measures that cut off support for the kim regime and care for -- careful diplomacy to bring the relevant players together. this bill represents an important part of such a policy. so again, as i said, i'm glad we're advancing this measure with strong bipartisan support. and i hope the other body will take up this legislation soon. so thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back the time of the minority. the gentleman from california is recognized for close -- to close debate on this bill. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague, mr. engel. and i will return to this theme about the urgent threat that the united states and our allies face here. we have listened to experts who

have looked at this problem. in less than four years pyongyang may have the ability to make a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, topped by a nuclear warhead, capable of targeting the continental united states. when we watch these tests and we see from a north korean submarine how they're launching missiles, and we watch the atomic weapons test that they're doing, you can see how north korea has advanced in their capabilities as they try to shrink these warheads and figure out how to put them on to an icbm. the problem is that in the next few years, the current rate of production of their nuclear material, they're going to be able to build out 100 weapons. 100 atomic weapons for these missiles, these intercontinental ballistic missileles. so the threat from north korea

-- missiles. so the threat from north korea is real. and the real threats demand real responses. we have tried various approaches in the past. we tried strategic patience during the last administration. i will tell you that i think secretary tillerson has helped device a strategy of maximum pressure -- devise a strategy of maximum pressure that makes a tremendous amount of success to me. i'll share with you why i think it is very credible. we have seen in the past, in banco delta ring asia, back when north korea was caught counterfeiting $100 u.s. bank notes, we saw at that time a strategy deployed that froze the capability of that regime. to move forward which it's nuclear weapons program. we know from talking to defectors about the impact that that had internally on north korea. because frankly these weapons

programs are very expensive to run. it requires billions and billions of dollars every year. north korea doesn't really manufacture much other than some of the clandestine missile parts and so forth that they transfer overseas. and some meth. and counterfeit cigarettes. can be halted. so that hard currency doesn't come into the hands of the regime and therefore the regime will no longer have this capability. because it happened in 2005, because we know the consequences at the time, but also because of what we've seen with other nations, we should move with bipartisan legislation here. i'm going to speak to -- for a moment about what this house of representatives and our counterparts in the senate did

in the 1990's when it came to the issue of a regime in south africa that had obtained a weapon, a nuclear weapon. and also was doubling down on their practices of apartheid. in terms of the way that regime treated its own people. and if you'll recall, despite the assurances or warnings about sanctions, that this was the wrong road this house stood up and over 80% of the members here and over 80% of the members in the senate or 75%, huge bipartisan majorities, republicans and democrats came together with a policy that said, enough. enough of the conduct of that apartheid state. enough of them developing a nuclear weapon. it was time for the united tates to lead on this and work with the international community and enforce sanctions in a way that did what?

that within a short period of time brought the apartheid regime to offer up to the international community that atomic weapon and to say, we're done with it. and for the south african apartheid regime to say, in terms of elections, next year we are going to hold elections, free and fair elections in south africa. in terms of the release of nelson mandela and in terms of his election to president of south africa. now when people argue with us that sanctions may not be a way forward, i would remind them that when we unite the international community and when we speak with one voice, yes we could see a change of conduct in this regime in north korea. and so i say, this gives a powerful tool, to cut off the funding by going after those who do business with the regime in

violation of u.n. security council resolutions. thank you, mr. engel, for your assistance in this. and i yield back the balance of my time. thank you to my colleagues, all of you who have helped on this mission. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has yielded back the balance of his time. all time having now expired, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 1644, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- mr. royce: mr. speaker, on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the gentleman from california is ecognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, again on that i had requested the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. pursuant to house resolution 299, i call mr. upton: h.r. 1180 as -- i call up h.r. 1180 as amen and i report it to the house. the clerk: h.r. 1180, a bill to amend the fair labor standards act of 1938, to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 299 in lew of the amendment in the nature of a substitute -- 299,

in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 115-15 is adopted. and the bill as amended is considered read. the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1180. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, today i rise in strong support of h.r. 1180, the working families flexibility act of 2017, and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for such time. ms. foxx: thank you, mr.

speaker. this bill is about freedom, flexibility and fairness. the freedom for workers to choose what's best for themselves and their families, more flexibility for men and women to balance work, life and family, and greater fairness in how federal policies treat workers and families. under the legislation, private sector workers who are eligible for overtime pay would be able to choose between cash wages or paid time off. this simple choice will help improve the lives of many hardworking americans. this option has long been available to government workers. more than 30 years ago republicans and democrats came together to amend an outdateded federal law and provide public sector -- outdated federal law and provide public sector employees more workplace flexibility. that's why comp time is a popular benefit enjoyed today by police officers, firefighters and other state and local

government employees. but the federal government still denies many private sector workers the same opportunity. this double standard simply isn't fair. it's time to level the playing field for those in the private sector. despite what we will hear from the other side of the aisle today, all we are doing is empowering workers with a choice . for some workers, more money in the bank may be the best choice for them. nothing, i repeat, nothing in this bill will take away that right. but other workers, if given the choice, would seize the opportunity to turn their overtime hours into paid time off. there are single parents who need more flexibility to spend time with their children, students who are struggling to juggle college and a full-time job, and a growing number of individuals need more time to care for an aging relative. time is precious.

but democrats think they know what's best for workers and their families. in the name of protecting workers, our colleagues and progressive allies have denied workers this choice for years. they continue to ignore the bill's strong protection, including several that are morrow bus than what's available in the public sector. the bill preserves the 40-hour work week and comp. time would accrue as the same time and a half rate as cash wages and requires a written agreement between each individual worker and his or her employer or between a worker's union or employer. workers can cash out their come am time at any time or for any reason. employers who force them would face costly penalties and the department of labor would have full authority to crack down on bad actors.

by providing more freedom and flexibility, we can improve the quality of life of many americans. we have an opportunity to make a positive difference in people's lives simply by getting the federal government out of the way and allowing individuals to choose what's best for themselves and their families. i want to thank representative roby for championing this effort. and i urge all members to vote in favor of freedom, flexibility and fairness for the american people by supporting h.r. 1180. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. scott: mr. speaker, under current law, if an employee wants to work overtime, put the money in the bank where it can earn interest and use it to cover the costs of taking time

off later with the permission of the employer, he can do that today without this bill. but under h.r. 1180, instead of getting paid for overtime work, the employee may not get paid as much as a year later when his employer decides to let him take that comp. time. this legislation simply weakens the protections under the fair labor standards act, the original law the very moment that we ought to be strengthening the law. under h.r. 1180, it would be legal to withhold workers' overtime pay for a long time. this would be otherwise a violation of the fair labor standards act. the will would allow you to undermine the 40-hour work week to allow employees to earn time off to be with their families only if they spend extra time at

work beyond a 40-hour work week and undermines the worker's ability to earn overtime pay which workers rely to send their kids to college, save for retirement or downpayment on a house. it makes it cheaper for employees who agree to accept comp. time instead of cash wages, this legislation makes it extremely likely that the only employees who will be asked to work overtime are those who agree to get comp. time instead of paid cash. it creates significant uncertainty for workers and an employer could decide that an employee cannot take comp. time on the dates requested because the employer said it would be an undue business description. we are working on working families' agenda with real

solutions and help them balance work and family life and an employee should earn time off without sacrificing overtime a. it would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days. finally, mr. speaker, 92 groups that actually represent working people sent a letter urging the committee to oppose the legislation. i ask unanimous consent to submit this letter into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. so ordered. mr. scott: the letters led by the national partnership of women and families. it points out that we should be taking up real solutions, such as legislation to raise the minimum wage, schedules to work act, family and medical leave and other responsible solutions. these sluges would truly help working families, yet the majority has refused to support any of these initiatives. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no on this

legislation and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: i now yield to the author of the legislation, congresswoman roby from alabama, six minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from alabama is recognized for six minutes. mrs. roby: i thank the gentlewoman and mr. speaker let me say how grateful i am for the leadership of chairman foxx. she and her staff have been instrumental in advancing this bill. i also want to thank my friend, colleague from alabama, representative byrne who is the work force protections chair on the committee. he has been a champion for policies in the workplace and i appreciate his hard work. mr. speaker, today's work force is more diverse than ever, especially as it concerns working parents. more than 70% of mothers today

work outside of the home and that's different from 50 years ago when that number was less than 30%. while the work force has changed quite a bit, our policies and laws that govern the workplace have not. as a working mom myself, i understand all too well how challenging it can be to balance career and family. ask any working parent and they'll tell you just how precious their time is. they'll tell you that they just need one more hour in the day to be able to take care of their family and all of those responsibilities that come with it. i always say, congress can't legislate another hour in the day, but we can update our laws to allow more choice in fairness and how employees use their time. i'm proud to bring to the floor h.r. 1180, the working families

flexibility. this bill does three important things, it removes outdated and federal restrictions on the use of comp. time in the private sector and provides flexibility for working moms and dads who need more time to spend taking care of their family responsibilities and it demonstrates how common sense conservative principles can help americans in their every day lives. here's how it works, an hourly age employee would voluntarily enter an agreement to go to paid time off. an employee could use the time and a half overtime that they earned to take a paid hour and a half off of work instead of the extra money if that's what they wanted. ask yourselves, should a working dad be used to use up his vacation time to get involved with his child. should a military mom dip into

her sick leave to make sure the kids have the support they need. should someone with aging parents have no option allowing them to devote more time and attention to their loved ones when they need it most? under the working families flexibility act those moms and dads could have the option of using their overtime toward paid time off allowing them to take care of these responsibilities without losing the paycheck they count on. for anyone who works in the public sector, that comp. time system sounds familiar. since 1985, government employees have had access to comp. time benefits. why should the rules be different? if it's good enough for the government employees, why isn't it good enough for the private sector. give choices on how workers use their time.

i'm well aware of the criticism from the labor united states and their allies. they try to say this bill is anti-union or anti-worker. this is simply untrue. of course the truth is, many big labor will reflectively attack any proposal that will change a single word of the fair labor standards act. labor unions themselves can and often do negotiate similar agreements for their members already. so i want to go over a few of these criticisms quickly. critics of this bill and as has been stated will tell you it will result in employees working longer hours for less pay. that's not true. the decision to receive comp. time is completely voluntary. an employee who prefers to get cash for overtime is always free. workers can withdraw from comp.

time geements whenever they choose. an employee who changes their mind or can't work it out when to use the time, he can say i would rather use the cash payment and this employer must provide that within 30 days. all existing protections in the fair labor standards act are maintained, including the 40-hour work week and how overtime compensation is accrued. critics of this bill also say that to the employee -- excuse me, it will allow employers to control when workers take their comp. time. that's also not true. it's up to the employee to decide when to use his or her comp. time. feas their time. my time is running out. there are other myths and i hope during this debate we will be able to go through what is myth and what is fact and i'm happy to address that at any time.

i thank the chairwoman for her support and willingness to move this bill through committee. we have big issues in this country to deal with right now, health care, funding the government, tax reform and as we continue to work on those issues, and we will, nothing should stop us from doing what we ca right now to help make life easier for moms and dads, the working families flexibility act does do that to better balance the demands of family and work. after all, this is their time. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i yield two minutes to the vice ranking member of the committee on education and work force, the gentlelady from mitchy.ms.mon ms. bonamici: too many workers in oregon are facing a great deal of economic uncertainty.

they worry about rent payments, health care costs, saving for retirement, balancing family responsibilities and work. congress should be considering policy changes that support workers, not a bill that threatens their economic security. this bill takes away overtime pay and instead a worker gets a future .u. for in the and if the comp. time doesn't disrupt the operations of the employer. i would like to share a story. a wait tress works in a restaurant. i have three children and never had a single paid sick day. a few years ago in construction, i sprained my ankle badly and i didn't have any paid sick days and i lost a whole week's pay and i wasn't able to pay for bills and gas. she is a single mother of three sons who struggles to care for

them when they got sick. when the youngest had the flu, her older son had to stay home. in may and june, we celebrate mother's day and father's day. we need to have parents present in their child's lives. instead this legislation would take overtime pay. the so-called working families flexibilities act is not a solution. i urge my colleagues to reject it. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: i now yield two minutes to the distinguished the gentleman from tennessee and chair of the veterans affairs committee as well as a member of the education and work force committee, dr. rowe for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. roe: i rise today in support of h.r. 1180 working families flexibility act and encourage