operate in that particular part of syria militarily. but certainly through our diplomatic channels, through our ambassador in the u.n., russia has been frankly one of the authors of this recent ceasefire. their inability to enforce it, to enforce standards on this, really means either one of two things. one, they lack the ability to do that. or they are choosing not to do that. and so i think one of the things that we do have to do shold them accountable for the -- shold them accountable for the actions they are -- is hold them accountable for the actions they are taking here and for the humanitarian disaster that are they are perpetuating through their support to the jet stream and their own activities. mr. blumenthal: what would you recommend to hold them accountable? mr. votel: certainly the best way of doing this is through the political and diplomatic channels -- [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] >> about 30 minutes left in this hearing as we leave for live coverage of the house. you can watch the entire hearing tonight at 8:00 eesh on c-span2

-- eastern on c-span2 or any time at cspan.org. type centcom in the search box. house is coming back for debate on seven bills, including one to allow terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs. votes this evening after 6:30. and coming up tomorrow, the chamber will consider its first gun measure. live coverage of the house now on c-span. yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 324. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 324, an act to improve the provisions of adult day care services for veterans. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. roe, and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker.

i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarkse and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. roe: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. before i begin today, i would like to take a moment to express my deepest sympathies to those affected by last week's tragedy in youngsville, california. i closely followed the situation and truly saddened by what has occurred. all three employees who lost their lives, christine, jennifer, from the pathway house and jennifer gonzalez from the department of veterans affairs were committed to helping veterans struggling with difficulties like posttraumatic stress disorder and other mental problems. as secretary shulkin said, quote, caring for veterans and our employees serving them is always important. it is even more critical that we reach out to one another and provide support during painful times like these, end quote. i think i can speak more myself

and the rest of the members on the house committee on veterans' affairs when i offer prayers and support during this incredibly difficulty and challenging time for these families. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of senate bill 324, the state veterans home adult day health care improvement act of 2017. it's imperative we ensure v.a.'s equipped with a variety of geriatric and long-term care programs to best meet the individual needs and goals of the increasing number of veterans who are reaching retirement age. . current law requires v.a. to cover the cost of nursing home care for any veteran in need of such care due to a service-connected disability or with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or more. however, veterans are increasingly seeking opportunities to get additional care they need as they age while remaining at home, rather than in a nursing care facility or other institutional setting.

s. 324 would help those veterans by requiring v.a. to enter into an agreement or a contract with state veteran homes to pay for adult day health care for veterans who rel simply but not receiving nurse -- who are eligible but not receiving nursing home care. adult day health care programs provide companionship, peer support, recreation, certain health care services, case management, assistance with activities of daily living, and more to veterans with relieve to care givers. adult day health care programs are much less costly alternative to nursing home care. meaning that with the enactment of this bill, we could grant veterans the opportunity to age at home without sackifying the care and support services they play need and save taxpayer dollars. s. 324, which is sponsored by senator hatch of utah, is companion legislation to h.r. 1005, which is sponsored by representative zenled of new york.

and passed the house with unanimous support earlier this year. i'm grateful to both of them for their leadership on this issue and i urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting senate bill 324. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walz: i'd like to thank the gentleman from tennessee for his compassionate words on the tragic loss of three dedicated selfless servants in care of our veterans. i very much appreciate that. and it is a challenging time. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of s. 324, the state veterans home adult day health care improvement act. i want to thank senator hatch for introducing this innovative and bipartisan bill. s. 324 directs the v.a. don'ter into an agreement with each state home to pay for medical supervision model adult health care for a veteran for whom the home is not receiving v.a. nursing home payments. ensuring that veterans have access to appropriate,

affordable geriatric and long-term care is becoming increasingly more important. in 2017 approximately 9.8 million veterans or 46% were 65 years or orlando. in addition, v.a.'s own enrollie health care projection model indicates a further demand on long-term care and support services is coming as vietnam era could he hort ages, with -- could he hort ages, with most beyond the age of 75 by 2026. v.a. is required to cover the cost of nursing home care in the state veterans home for any veteran in need of such care to due to a service-connected disability. however, there's increasing demand for v.a. to offer geriatric and long term programs for veterans in noninstitutional settings that would allow them to receive the services and support they need to remain in their homes. their preferred venue. adult health care, adult day health care provides veterans in need of supportive services with companionship, peer support, recreation and certain health care services while allowing them to stay and maintain their

independence. in testimony before the subcommittee on health last years, the national association of state veterans homes claimed that there are a number of state homes across the country interested in providing medical model adhc services, however the current basic adhc per diem paid to the state veteran home by the v.a. is not sufficient for most homes to cover the cost of this program. as a result, only three state veterans homes out of 153 nationwide provide these programs. this legislation would correct that imbalance, allowing veterans who would otherwise qualify for more costly v.a. nursing home care the ability to stay in their home longer at a reduced cost. thank you, mr. speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to mr. bergman, a congressman from the u.p., upper peninsula of michigan, and also is chairman of the subcommittee on oversight and investigation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. bergman: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of s.

324. the state veterans home adult day health care improvement act of 2017. this is very personal to me. my cousin, a fellow vietnam vet, who served on the d.m.z. with the army, is currently in need of and receiving some of that care for some serious health issues he has right now as a result of exposure to agent orpg. the bill we're talking about here -- orange. the bill we're talking about here strikes a responsible balance by promoting access to necessary medical services for veterans, while also improving quality of life by allowing them to return home to their families each night. adult day health care does more than just provide veterans with the medical care that they need. it also offers much-needed relief to their caregivers. oftentimes friends and family come together to help with the

daily care that their family, their veterans in their family require. by giving veterans the opportunity to access medical care for up to eight hours a day through a state veterans home, care givers will have the opportunity to fulfill their personal responsibilities for themselves and their families. they can get on and get all of their life in order while still serving their veteran family member. these folks work day in and day out to provide unparalleled care , loving care, to our most vulnerable veterans. s. 324 recognizes their selfless commitment and works to enchance their work-life balance so they can continue to serve veterans. in my district folks deal with the circumstances of rural living every day. this often means limited access to resources and fewer options for receiving the sources they need. the veterans home in mar the

question is a perfect example of what can be achieved when federal resources are narrowly focused and responsibly applied. the home's ability to create a family environment where veterans can receive the care they need while maintaining quality in their daily lives is a testament to what is possible when the federal government helps local institutions provide services for the people they know best. mr. speaker, i urge support of s. 324 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: mr. speaker, i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. roe: at this point i'd like to yield three minutes to lee zeldin, congressman from first congressional district of new york, and author of the bill on the house side and also an iraq war veteran. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. mr. zeldin: mr. speaker, i am very excited to be here because i know just how many disabled veterans in our country are on

wait lists for adult day health care and now will be getting a service that is just so important and overdue. i certainly want to thank chairman roe and his great staff at the house veterans' affairs committee, the ranking member and his team as well. everybody coming together, working hard on behalf of our disabled veterans who need it most. i rise in support of senate bill 324. it's the senate companion to my bill, h.r. 105 by is -- 10 to 05, which is a bill to provide adult day health care for veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disabled. this bill is an extension to the veterans' benefits, health care and information technology act of 2006, which currently provides no cost to nursing home care at any state veterans' home to veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disables. medical model adult day health care provides comprehensive medical, nursing and personal care services, combined with engaging social activities for a physically or cognitively

impaired adult. medical model adult day health care offers a complete array of rehabilitative therapies, including physical, occupational and speech they are miss. hospice and other care. spiritual, nutritional counselinging and therapeutic recreation. the program is designed to promote socialization, simulation, and maximize the participants' independence, while enhancing their quality of life. the program is staffed by a great team of multidisciplinary health care professionals who evaluate each participant and custom an individual -- and individualize plan of care specific to their health and social needs. adult day health care is an alternative care setting that can allow some veterans who require long-term care services to remain in their homes as opposed to being institutionalized in nursing homes. such veterans typically require support from some, but not all activities of assisted daily

living. a.d.l., such as bathing, dressing and feeding. in many cases a spouse or their family member may provide the veteran with much of their care, but they require additional support from some of the veterans' a.d.l.'s. by filling these gaps, adult day health care can allow these veterans to remain in their homes or communities for additional months or even years and lower the financial costs of caring for these heroes. adult day health care also provides family care givers support and relief to meet their other professional and family obligations or provide a well deserved respite. while their loved ones are participating in the program. in addition to thanking chairman roe for his leadership and support on this important issue i also want to thank senator hatch for carrying this effort in the senate, as well as fred and the long island state veterans' home located in the first congressional district of new york. one of three places currently offering adult day health care. mr. speaker, this is a piece of

legislation that -- mr. roe: i yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional minute. mr. zeldin: thank you, chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. this is a piece of legislation that would provide a valuable and necessary service to our nation's veterans and i'm urging my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation, and what goes on too often unnoticed in this house is the great staff that we have to help make these efforts possible. so from the leadership team, i want to thank staffer jonathan, kelly, in my office, my legislative director, kevin, and matthew, and thank you, again, to the great house veterans' affairs committee, and we will all greatly miss chairman roe as he departs us. hopefully maybe we'll get him to change his mind. but in the meantime, we're just remiss to, well, just say we enjoy serving with you and hope you don't go anywhere for a very long time. you're a great leader for our veterans as well as our ranking member. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: mr. speaker, if the chairmans into further speakers, i'm prepared to close. mr. roe: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank the gentleman from long island. he clearly understands this issue for his passionate work on it and we're grateful for. it and i too would like to add my voice to this. that -- to the chairman for once again proving to america that this congress can work, that there are bipartisan solutions to sthoose we compare. to serving our constituents and our veterans and others. it's something that we're very proud of here. it doesn't always come easy but your leadership somehow find as way to bring us to the table. we get it done and i'm grateful for. that with that i urge my colleagues to join us in passing s. 324 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. unless mr. zeldin has talked to my doctor and knows something i don't know, i hope to be here next year. that's my plan. i appreciate the opportunity to work on this bill with him. he's been a great advocate, as the ranking member has been. this is a bill that's long overdue.

much needed. and i give my strong support, along with -- i think i can speak for the entire veterans' affairs committee, as we voice this out, i encourage members to support this legislation, and, mr. speaker, 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 senate 324. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 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.

for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4465. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 428, h.r. 4465, a bill to maintain annual base funding for the upper colorado and san juan fish recovery programs through fiscal year 2023, to require a report on the implementation of those programs, and for other urposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis, and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to

evise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. curtis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. curtis: today we are considering my bill, h.r. 4465, the endangered species fish recovery program extension act of 2017. this bipartisan bill extends efforts to promote the duo goals of recovering certain fish species protected under the endangered species act while ensuring the continued reliability of water and power in operations in the west. i'd like to thank members of congress, both republican and democrat, that have co-sponsored my bill. i also appreciate the work of rob bishop as chairman of the house natural resources committee and his help over the last several months to move my bill through the legislative process. i think it's also worth mentioning we've received over 20 letters of support for this bill from a wide range of stakeholders including water conservation districts, indian

tribes, conservation organizations, state governments, and more. with a total water storage capacity of more than 30 million acre-feet and the capacity to generate over five , the colorado water project have been part of the upper colorado and san juan river for multiple states. for fish species listed under the endangered species act, also call the businessin -- basin home and this prompted the affected states to enter into agreement with federal and non-federal partners to ensure the continued reliability of the water and power operations in the west. these agreements resulted in the upper colorado and san juan river implementation programs. in 2000, congress enacted legislation to establish federal participation and cost sharing agreements, including

the authority to use crisp power revenues to support these two programs. congress re-authorized the programs in 2012 but also added necessary oversight and accountability reforms to ensure that funds are going towards recovery. h.r. 4465 extends the use of crisp power revenues through 2023 which aligns with the deadline for these programs an does not require any new federal spending of americans' hard-earned tax dollars. in addition, the bill extends the existing transparency improvements and adds a report program. ht the more than 2,300 water and power projects in the five-state regions can continue to operate in compliance with endangered species act. i am hopeful that at the conclusion of this re-authorization through 2023 these programs will have accomplished what they are seeking to achieve -- the

recovery and delisting of four endangered fish species. i believe this bill is a great example of how members of congress can work across party lines to solve an issue facing the respective states. i look forward to working with my colleagues in solving other problems with similar, commonsense and bipartisan approach. i urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. speaker. i join my colleagues in supporting this bipartisan legislation and urge its adoption by the house. h.r. 4465 extends the authorization through 2023 of the upper colorado river endangered fish recovery program and the san juan river basin recovery implementation program. these two multiagency partnerships bring together

local, state, and federal agencies, water users, utilities, and environmental organizations to help restore four endangered fish species while also maintaining water delivery, hydropower generation, and protecting economic development along the colorado and san juan rivers. this legislation will allow for the continued funding of projects that improve habitat, support crucial research and monitoring and remove nonnative species which will both benefit endangered fish species and protect the many other uses of the rivers. healthy rivers are vital to a region's overall environmental and economic well-being. when our rivers are healthy our communities are healthy. we all share a responsibility to sustain and preserve the integrity of these resources

for future generations. so i applaud the bipartisan co-sponsors of this legislation for this leadership. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: i'd advise the speaker i have no additional speakers, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california prepared to close? the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i reserve. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. curtis: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4465. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection -- mr. curtis: mr. speaker, on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking the 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. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1800, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 327, h.r. 1800, a bill to direct the secretary of agriculture to transfer certain federal land to facilitate scientific research supporting federal space and defense rograms. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis, and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i

yield one minute to the gentleman from utah, mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized for one minute. mr. bishop: thank you. this involves 80 acres of land controlled by the forest service but not in the actual national forest. over the past 50 years, they've nasa, ed there by the -- the navy research lab and they have a great deal of infrastructure on this land. unfortunately the forest service decided to list this as disposable land without contacting anybody and now they don't have the ability to go back and delist it so they can use the lands for what they have been doing for the last 50 years. this bill is the cleanest and simplest way of simply transferring control of this land back to the entity which is using it now so they can continue their research, much of which is done in support of our military. it's simple and easy and correct way to solve an administrative lapse. i urge your adoption. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr.

speaker. i support this legislation and its adoption by the house. h.r. 1800 authorizes the transfer of 80 acres of forest service land to the utah state university research foundation. the land will support ongoing research efforts that support national defense and space programs. the idea there should be national public lands that belong to and are managed on behalf of the american people is a value that dates back to the founding of our country and is embedded in our constitution. generation after generation of americans have endorsed the idea that our public lands should be managed for the benefit of all americans to support a wide range of activities. as stewards of this land, we must work to find a balance between compelling, yet sometimes competing interests

and make sure that the federal government is a good neighbor to local communities. whenever we decide that it is appropriate to sell or convey these shared resources, we must make sure there is adequate compensation to federal taxpayers or to the safeguards to make sure that we place them to guarantee that the land is used for public purposes. thank you, chairman bishop, for working across the aisle to ensure that we met these goals in this legislation. i support h.r. 1800 and its adoption and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: i advise the speaker i have no additional speakers and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the ill h.r. 1800, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 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. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3469. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: house calendar number 103, h.r. 3469, a bill to designate the bridge located in blount county, tennessee, on the foothills parkway, commonly known as bridge 2, as the dean stone bridge. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis, and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i

yield five minutes to the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for five minutes. mr. duncan: thank you very much, mr. chairman. and i thank the gentleman from utah for yielding me this time. mr. chairman, two years ago in february, 2016, i spoke on this floor in tribute to dean stone shortly after he retired from his full-time position as editor of "the daily times" newspaper in tennessee. dean stone worked for "the daily times" for an astounding 67 years, serving as sports editor, managing editor, and then starting in 1988 -- from 1988 to 2016 as top editor. he was always very proud that he gave our great senator lamar alexander one of his first jobs when senator alexander was in high school. dean stone was the standard of journalistic fairness and integrity in my district and a towering figure in east tennessee.

unfortunately, he was unable to enjoy a long retirement as he passed away several months later at the age of 92. today i rise in support of a bill that i have introduced to name a very unique 800-foot-long bridge on the foothills parkway in his honor. this bill is a fitting tribute to dean stone because historian that of the foothills parkway will forever be linked in history. first authorized by congress in 1944, the foothills parkway was intended to be the tennessee companion to the blue ridge parkway which was built to link hills national park to the foothills national park. in the early decades a few detached sections of the highway were completed. despite this progress in the early years, construction of the 16-mile stretch between whileand and became plagued with problems.

a 1.5-mile section which eventually became known as the missing link featured rugged terrain that was extremely difficult to build upon. construction was further complicated by the discovery of minerals in the soil that could cause damage to the environment. despite these complications, my staff and i worked hard to keep the project alive and my early years in congress, we obtained a $3 million appropriation to resurface and maintain existing sections of this parkway. . p-21 uded $8.6 million in which was signed into law in 1998 and 2005 highway bill contained another $7.5 million to continue this project. they awarded 10 million towards the completion of the parkway and the state provided a match to fund the final project.

this was a key ally in this process. it was then that the histories of the parkway and dean stone being linked. as chairman of the great smoke mountains park commission and as president of the foothills parkway association being working hard. the missing link will be no more and that section of the parkway will be finally open to the public. dean stone was the indens expense i believe man. the daily times has stated one main task remains. what is still needed is proper acknowledgement of the blount county persistence and encouraging and insisting and cajolling the powers that be that the missing link could be, should be and would be

connected. my bill would name the longest bridge in the missing link section of the foothills parkway as the dean stone bridge. this particular bridge is 8 00-foot marvel. new technological advances have allowed the construction of a bridge that floats around the edge of the mountain road and into it. there is no doubt that the elegant curves of this bridge will be the iconic feature of the foothills parkway. naming it after dean stone is a fitting tribute for all he did for the great smoke mountains national park and for this region. it is fair to say that no one individual did more for the great rocky mountains national park and promoting the national park in many different ways. i have a beautiful photograph that he took, that dean stone

took of an area here in my office in washington even today. dean stone did not live long enough to see the completion of the missing link but millions of people will be able to benefit from the fruits of his labor as they see the glories of the great smoke mountains. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: as we have heard from my colleague, dean stone was a fierce champion of the great smoke mountains national park. mr. stone spent much of his life promoting the long time preservation of the park and encouraging others to visit this place that he loved so dearly. today, great smoke mountains is one of our nation's most visited national parks. in fact, the park set a new record of 11.4 million visitors

in 2017 and became a destination for tourists from around the world who wanted to witness last summer's total solar eclipse. i'm sure that many of these visitors directly benefited from the decades of work by dean stone on behalf of the park and the entire smoke mountains region. mr. stone passed away in 2016 at the age of 92. it is a fitting tribute to rename a bridge section of the foothills parkway in his honor. i support this legislation and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: i have no additional speakers and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3469.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4266 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 4266 a bill to clarify the boundary of acade yeah national park and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. mr. curtis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. i yield four minutes to the gentleman from maine, mr. poliquin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maine is

recognized for four minutes. mr. poliquin: thank you, mr. chairman, very much for helping me bring this very important bill to the floor and i thank chairman rob bishop who was instrumental in bringing this bill to the floor and in addition to that, i want to thank all of the staff members of the natural resources committee here in the house for all their great work, this is so important to our state. now, maine, mr. chairman, the great state of maine, is called vacationland. we have a population of just 1.3 million hearty souls. but every year our population swells to four million vacationers from all over the world. we have such a stunning natural beauty and pristine natural environment and all these welcoming small towns and no wonder people flock to maine. right smack in the middle of mid-coast maine is our crown

jewel called acade yeah national park. and we just love that national park. if you happen to vacation in maine and if you haven't, mr. chairman, you deserve a vacation to maine. but if you drive up cadillac mountain, you see this view of the bay. and coming out of those sparkling water are these green -topped island and might rent a bike and go to these terrific groomed carriage trails that wind through the woods of acade yeah and take your kids down to sand beach. and when their toes hit that ice cold water, they sleek with joy. this is maine. we are very proud of acade yeah national park. a couple of years ago, unfortunately, acade yeah national park expanded beyond its boundaries and there was a

conflict. now i'm very happy that my bill with great help from my fellow member of congress, congresswoman ping agree worked , but my bill clarifies this closes a few loopholes but still allows the boundaries to be adjusted in very minor ways with abutting pieces of property. i made it clear, mr. chairman that i would not sign on to this boundary clarification issue until one more thing is done. and that's protect the livelihoods of hundreds and hundreds of hardworking mainers winlesrvest clams and peri around the mud flats. or those who visit from utah

and kansas and expect to see the great ocean in front of you, but because the moon revolves around the earth and the gravitational pull of the earth causes a unique thing, we have big tides. if you find out that the water is gone, don't worry about it, six hours later, it will come back. now the ebb and flow of the tides in maine creates what we call the intertidal zone between the high-water mark and the low-water mark. in the state of maine, we are very clear that this land is owned by the people of maine, not by the federal government. so i was alarmed a couple of years ago when some of the wormers called me up and said,

mr. poliquin, we work an entire tide and someone from acadia national park didn't understand the rules and asked us to turn over our bucket. we have hundreds and hundreds of families that rely on harvesting in the intertidal zone and we had to make sure we had to correct this problem. thank you very much, mr. chairman. now this is a clear example of what we call the public trust document. this common-law document which we adopted from the british ancestors gives public access to this land between high and low-water lines for the purpose of fishing and navigation. unlike some states, some property owners in maine own to the low-water mark to the tidal range so this document is incredibly important for the public to have access to these

flats. this bill that we are passing today, codifies, the unique ownership in public access rights of maine fishermen on the intertidal that have worked on this for hundreds of years. traditional harvesting is the harvesting of clams and worms with river rake at low tide and winkles ection of teri and access by boat for the purpose of harvesting these species. the intent of this bill is for traditionally harvesting, quote, unquote. by doing so, this will ensure that our wormers and clammers will continue to be able to do what they have been doing for many, many years. want to congratulate my colleague from the 1st district, our staffs, the staff of the

natural resources committee and we extended ourselves in a bipartisan way to all the stakeholders in the area, including the maine marine wormers association, the national park service, the friends of acadia and those who want to make this right for ever to be cemented in law and at the same time we protect the livelihood of some of the hardest-working people you will ever find in this country, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, these individuals will rake and dig for these worms in the summertime, in hot weather, in winter time when the snow is blowing side ways. i yield back and i encourage everybody to vote for this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i yield five minutes to one of the sponsors

of h.r. 4266, the representative from maine, ms. pingree the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. pingree: thank you to mr. lowenthal for yielding me the time. i rise in support of h.r. 4266, the acadia boundary clarification act. i'm an original co-sponsor of this bill that was introduced by mr. poliquin. and while you have heard from mr. poliquin a lot about the importance of the intertidal and clam diggers and wormers and the park because our state is so important and we love our park. maine is very proud to be home to acadia national park. this is a place where the mountains meet the sea. and when you climb those mountains you see miles of clear

blew ocean dotted with literally some of the hundreds and thousands of islands off the coast of maine, one of which i'm lucky to live on, not the one where acadia is. millions visit the park to experience the natural attractions and they come to be in downeast maine. it is full of full of tight-knit communities and they are full of hardworking men and women who make their life on the water. they are hauling lobster traps every day so we can enjoy the wonderful lobster that is only delicious if you get it from the state of maine. but many are bent over digging in the mud for clams, species and it is really hard work. h.r. 4266 would clarify a number of points to strengthen the

park's relationship with the surrounding communities that we have been talking about. most importantly. this bill will ensure that clammers and wormers can continue to work in the places where frankly they have worked for generations, many of them working along side their sons or daughters. in the spring of 2016, the harvest terse were shocked when the park staff prohibited them from working with within the coastline. there was no warning that changed the practice that had gone on for decades. park officials quickly ended their enforcement but the action sent shock waves. washington county is one -- it is the poorest county in maine and families can't afford to lose any source of income. h.r. 4266 would give the communities a sense of community by stating that harvest terse have a right to work within the park. it's a critical step to ensure that the national park remains

an attraction not only for its natural beauty but its unique way of life. i thank my colleague, mr. poliquin, for working with his harvest terse and moving this forward. i'm proud to be an original co-sponsor. i urge its passage and i urge my colleagues to support it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah. . mr. curtis: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lowenthal: i want to say i thank both mr. poliquin and ms. pingree to protecting a new england treasure, acadia national park. i urge an aye vote on this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i have no further speakers and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. loin lone i yield back.

-- mr. lowenthal: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4266 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 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. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1350. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 349. h.r. 1350, a bill to modify the boundary of voyageurs national park in the state of minnesota, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis, and the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. curtis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. curtis: voyageurs national park, established in 1975, is a 218,200 acre national park located on the northern border of minnesota. the name voyageurs commemorates the canadian fur traders to frequent the area. the park has remarkable water resources and islands and is popular with canoists, kayakers, other boaters and fishermen. the bureau of land management currently manages land within the boundaries of the park that were not transferred to the national park service at the park's establishment. r. 1350 formally transfers this land to the national park service. enactment of the legislation is expected to save taxpayer money and agency time by eliminating

tuesday plick tiff land management. this resolves an outstanding land management issue faced by the state of minnesota by authorizing a land exchange between the state and national park service. traded reas will be for national park service frack outside the boundary. i urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the bill's sponor, representative nolan, for his excellent work on this issue and i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from minnesota, representative nolan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. nolan: mr. speaker, i want to thank my dear friend and colleague, mr. lowenthal from california, for your distinguished service. thank you, mr. curtis, for your distinguished service as well. and to mr. bishop and all the

members of the committee and of course the staff for the wonderful work they have done on this. i rise here to join in supporting h.r. 1350. basically as was explained by mr. curtis here, the bill authorizes a land transfer between the bureau of land management and the national park service, a move that will greatly improve the overall land management and efficiency within the voyageurs national park in my district in northern minnesota, i might add, we're proud of that accomplishment. specifically, the bill permits the transfer of 49 acres of land within the park from the jurisdiction of the bureau of land management to the national park service. as was originally intended by the original legislation for the park when it was signed into law. but for a variety of reasons, these 49 acres, including 61 separate tracks of land were not included in the original

federal legislation that established the park in 1975. it may interest some of my colleagues to know that i was here in 1975 and was able to, of course, register my support for the establishment of that park. now, to be clear, the national park service administration already manages the 49 acres, but without a change in the law, which permanently transfers the lands, cumbersome and duplicative renewal process is required every 20 years. the procedure involves a notice, a publication in the federal register, review of comments, all of which is essentially a waste of taxpayers' money and everyone's time within the government that has to deal with it. so make no mistake about it, as mr. curtis pointed out, this bill saves the taxpayers money and the bureaucracy time. in addition, the bill would also authorize the national park service to acquire and

integrate new lands into the voyageurs national park through land exchanges between the state and local governments that own land near the park's boundaries. in short, mr. speaker, this bill would eliminate any future concerns related to the department of interior's ownership and jurisdiction, would facilitate the ease of management for the national park service, the state, the county. it would do so at no cost in addition to of course saving money to the federal government as determined by the congressional budget office. i urge my colleagues to adopt the measure. thank you, mr. speaker. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: i advise the speaker i have no additional speakers and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you. h.r. 1350 is a commonsense, good governance measure, and i want to congratulate mr. nolan for his hard work to get this bill through the legislative process. i urge my colleagues to support

this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. curtis: mr. speaker, i have no additional speakers, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. lowenthal: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from utah. mr. curtis: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1350. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 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.

for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition? mr. walden: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5247. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5247, a bill to authorize the use of eligible investigational drugs by eligible patients who have been diagnosed with a stage of a disease or condition in which there is no reasonable likelihood that death will occur within a matter of months, or with another eligible illness, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that

all members may have five legislative days to revise and and insert remarks extraneous materials in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. walden: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i rise today on behalf of the patients who face terminal diagnosis but have exhausted all available treatment options. patients like jordan mclinn who is with us today. ordan satireless fighter who self-advocates with others living with due shains muscular -- with duchenne's muscular dystrophy. like matt bellina. he testified last year. because of folks like jordan and matt, we have an opportunity to increase patient access to experimental opportunities. 38 states across our great land have right to try laws, including my home state of

oregon. wisconsin, with a bill on its way to governor scott walker's desk, will soon make it 39. and while the state policies vary, they have a common goal -- helping vulnerable patients. president trump praised the movement during the state of the union saying, and i quote, people who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. i want them -- i want to give them a chance here at home. now today, there is an existing process for patients to access unapproved drugs. the f.d.a. oversees expanded access, commonly known as compassionate use. this has been critical in helping patients access drugs. the f.d.a. should be commended for their continued work to improve the expanded access program for patients. but to improve this successful program, the bill before us

today also provides liability protections for manufacturers, sponsors, physicians, clinical investigators, and hospitals that participate in the existing expanded access program and the new alternative pathway that is created under this legislation. this provision removes one of the biggest hurdles patients have faced in getting access to these medicines. as identified by the government accountability office, in gaining access to experimental therapies, manufacturers has tate to participate. that's the big hurdle and we seek to overcome it with this legislation. the bill also creates a new alternative pathway for patients who do not qualify for a clinical trial. this legislation strengthens patient protections with clear and informed consent and adverse reporting. it ensures the f.d.a., the food and drug administration, is notified when a patient receives an unapproved drug through the new alternative pathway to ensure there's

proper oversight. i want to thank our house sponsors of this legislation who have worked tirelessly to bring this to a good place today. brian fitzpatrick, our colleague from pennsylvania. andy biggs from arizona. morgan griffith from virginia. and our vice president with whom i met today and jordan met today. i am grateful for their work on behalf of these courageous patients, and i urge all my colleagues in the house to support this legislation. and with that i reserve the balance of our time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in strong opposition to h.r. 5247, or the right to try act of 2018. supporters of this legislation, mr. speaker, have claimed it will provide seriously ill patients who have exhausted all of their available treatment -- or their treatment options

access to experimental therapies free from the barriers of f.d.a. dover sight. while it's understandable someone suffering from a disease that has no more options would want to try anything that can help them fight their disease, this legislation delivers the false hope to patients and their families that they will receive a cure to their underlying disease or condition. in fact, this legislation provides patients and their families nothing more than the right to ask a manufacturer for access to early stage unproven treatments. based on the 5427 is false premise that parets are not receiving access to the investigational treatments. and this is simply not the case. though the f.d.a.'s expanded access program through that, seriously ill patients are able to access products and the f.d.a. approves all requests for

investigational drugs or biologics that it receives. last year, f.d.a. received 1,500 requests and only nine were not approved. right to try law opponents have said it is too slow, but i have not seen this as the case. f.d.a. grants emergency requests for expanded access immediately over the phone and nonemergency requests are processed in four days. f.d.a. has streamlined the process. f.d.a. has revised the application for physicians to ensure that it takes less than an hour to complete. f.d.a. has released additional guidance to industry outlining the expanding access requirement and how outcomes will be considered as part of the review process. last fall, f.d.a. commissioner testified on right to try efforts and told our committee

said there are is a perception that some drugs aren't being offered will be offered under right to try and i don't see that, the commissioner said. the review process is working well, but this legislation would completely take f.d.a. out of the review process and this is dangerous and could put patients at dangerous risk. this protects patients from potentially bad actors or experimental treatments. while f.d.a. approves 99% of the treatments it reviews, it revises applications for 11% of patients to improve patient safety protection. in order to protect patients, this review should continue. we must protect patients from bad actors. i'm extremely concerned that the legislation we are considering today is advancing a solution to address barriers and could

expose patients to greater harm instead of the greater access they are looking for. the true barrier is the determination by the manufacturer as to whether or not they will provide access to their products that is under development. but nothing in the legislation before us today would compel a manufacturer to grant access upon request. further, h.r. 5247 would allow patients' access to investigational treatments that have completed a phase one clinical trial. that is small. it doesn't determine the potential side effects of a drug. access at this stage in the development could expose patients to untested products and further harm and result in delaying access to a treatment that may be more beneficial. h.r. 5247 erodes important patient safeguards and limits f.d.a. clinical outcomes to use when reviewing a product for

approval. it prevents any entity from being held liable for use of a treatment. and while i appreciate the intent of this bill, i can't support it. the last thing i want to do is give patients false hope and put them at risk by removing f.d.a. from review and approval process. it is outrageous that a bill of this magnitude is being considered under a suspension of the rule. as my republican colleagues well know bills under suspension are bipartisan bills that have worked their way through bipartisan committees. this bill was never considered by the energy and commerce committee and only introduced today. a bill with such critical patient safety implications shouldn't be considered in this fashion. i urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and stand with organizations that expressed their concerns for patients and

the unnecessary rick this legislation could expose our nation most vulnerable to. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: i recognize the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. fitzpatrick, who has been, even before he got to the congress, an extraordinary advocate for this cause. and with that, i yield to the gentleman for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. fitzpatrick: mr. speaker, i want to thank chairman walden, mr. burgess, mr. griffith and andy biggs to see right to try to a vote today. each year, thousands of americans receive a devastating notice of a terminal illness. with amazing research, too many families, access to these treatments will come too late or not at all. as their representatives, we

should support these individuals in their time of need as well as support new pathways to life saving treatment. as the chairman indicated, 38 states have passed this bill with unanimous bipartisan support. and a version of this bill unanimously passed the united states senate. congress cannot legislate miracles. when talking about right to try, we are trying not to represent it is a right to cure. the families and advocates we have worked with knows that right to try isn't a guarantee but about protecting hope and opportunities. hope and opportunity for those like my constituent, lieutenant retired naval add sri ator, following the onset of symptoms and now grounded from flying and moved home to bucks county with his three children

to be surrounded with family and friends. this disease stopped his service he involved himself in the a.l.s. community and becoming a strong advocate. with jim worthing ton, the right to try across the nation. whale the f.d.a. has a program to allow patients to apply for early access, right to try is f.d.a.'s ause the compassionate youth process is not compassion nature. and expensive application process. comparatively, mr. speaker, in 2014, more than 12,000 people in france were using treatments. f a country with one-fifth the population of the united states can help 900% more people. this bill does not gut the

f.d.a. or chailing the relationship between doctor and patient. what it does is give patients a new pathway for treatment undergoing clinical trials. i want to read something in mating that i received from bell evena. i have had a.l.s. too long to meet the criteria. no company will offer me treatments. two companies have indicated that they would try to treat me under the rules of this bill. a vote against this is a vote to kill me and make my wife a widow and leave my boys fatherless. please ask them to look my family in the eye when they cast the vote. the federal government should not stand the way of potentially lifesaving treatment. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i yield as much time as he may consume, mr. green, who is the ranking member of our health subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker, members. and i thank our ranking member to speak up. i rise in opposition to the right to try act, legislation that would bypass the food and drug administration's long standing review of drug treatments and endanger patients. my heart goes out to the families of loved ones who are ill and desperate for a breakthrough treatment. i have lost loved ones and wished there was experimental therapy to samb them. f.d.a. has dealt with experimental therapies that have not received final approval. the f.d.a. had compassionate use

nd gives patients to access. f.d.a. approves all requests. for the last five years, the approval rate for this expanded access is over 99%. f.d.a. physicians are available 24 hours a day to approve emergency requests. my daughter is a physician at the university of nebraska medical center. they use the compassionate use pathway to provide experimental pathway for a u.s. citizen who contracted ebola in africa. f.d.a. approved that request for that experimental treatment over the telephone in 24 hours. there is a solution other than this bill. the new path created in this legislation is not necessary and may endanger the health and safety of terminally ill patients. mr. speaker, i want to speak on the importance of following regular order.

the house energy and commerce committee has been working with stakeholders and federal agencies for years on creating incentives and pathways for the new generation of break-through therapy. they came up with the 21st century cures act. it went through regular order, including hearings, member discussions and compromises between all. it is not easy or quick but regular order works because it gives the committees of jurisdiction the opportunity to debate and refine the legislation. the legislation we are currently considering did not go through regular order. it was introduced earlier today, purposely avoiding consideration. i hope we can agree on the importance of following regular order and observe our chamber's rules and traditions. the american people deserve nothing less. i ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up

for americans that are facing these diseases by opposing this dangerous legislation. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield my time back to our ranking member. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, former chairman of the full committee, mr. barton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barton: i ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barton: i have listened to my friends on the minority talk about the reasons they are opposing this bill and in a normal piece of legislation, it would have some merit, didn't go through regular order, things of this sort. but when the house is burning down, you need the fire department and don't ask if they

followed proper procedure to get somebody out there to put out the fire. my brother had liver cancer at the age of 44. he had tried every conventional therapy known to modern medicine. it wasn't working. now he had a brother, myself, who was a subcommittee of the jurisdiction over the f.d.a. and i contacted the f.d.a. and got him in a special protocol for an investigational drug that was under approval. it wasn't approved, and the doctors and the people at the f.d.a. told my brother and his family, if it works, it's really going to help you, but if it doesn't, you are going to die sooner. well, he was going to die any way. he signed the informed consent and took the drug and didn't

work. but he had that last shot. now i don't know what this debate about false hope is when you have no hope, perhaps false hope is better than none at all. and all this bill does is let people who have no other hope for conventional therapy, if a drug is at least past stage one in the approval process and if they are giving informed consent, they can try it. now my friends on the democratic side that most of the times under the existing protocol, the f.d.a. approves it without a problem. why should the f.d.a. approve it if you are about to die any way. it passed the senate with unanimous consent. now that's area miracle in itself. let's pass it here in the house and give hope a chance for these

patients that are terminally ill and have no hope today. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from california, ms. matsui. . . ms. matsui: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to this proposed right to try legislation. this bill offers patients false hope. it proposes a pathway to experimental drugs that offers absolutely no guarantee of access, while stripping patients of any legal or financial recourse and places clinical trials at risk. last week, i'm sure like everyone else, i heard from many constituents on behalf of their families and communities with devastating diseases.

like multiple sclerosis. when a family member is faced with a devastating diagnosis, you would do anything and try anything to improve their quality of life. i know. i've been there with family members. in such heartbreaking situations. but this bill would not necessarily make it easier to get experimental treatments and it would definitely make it harder for patients in the future to get treatments. we need clinical trials to ensure drugs are safe and effective and to find real cures and treatments for these patients. because this bill would be dangerous for patients both today and in the future, many disease groups oppose the bill. including the national organization for rare disorders, the american cancer society, the

foundation and more. rushing this bill without proper bipartisan oversight places the american people in the way of real harm. we're sending f.d.a. oversight on unproven therapies -- rescinding f.d.a. oversight on unproven therapies is a perilous proposition and i urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself, before i yield to mr. biggs, who five seconds, just to say, last -- to say, the last two speakers, california and texas, two of our biggest states. a grand total of two legislators voted no. otherwise it was unanimous in both those states to do what we're doing here today. i'd now yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. biggs, an incredible advocate of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize. mr. biggs: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, chairman walden. i'm grateful for the work you've done on this and i'm also grateful for -- to my friends, representatives fitzpatrick and griffith, as well well as senator johnson, for their

advocacy here. i don't want to get this crucial point lost. it's not us, it is the courageous patients and their friends, their families who deserve the most recognition about how far we've come to get this bill passed. today is for them, not for us. 38 states, soon to be 39 states, have passed this bill. that's enough to amend the u.s. constitution. but here we stand, because some have come and said, we shouldn't give people false hope. there is no such thing as false hope. you either have hope our have no hope -- or you have no hope. in this instance this bill gives tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands or millions even the hope that they can avail themselves of medication, that might prolong their life or maybe even be a cure. these people who have advocated are fighters. i hear about patients' groups who oppose this. and yet the states, our

employers, they approve this. every day laura mccollin, the mother of jordan mccollin, receives countless emails from people similarly situated saying, we need to pass right to try. i need that right to try. and i'm told that, oh, well, we take care of 1,500 a year. 1,500 a year. when there are literally tens of thousands of people who need that opportunity. and we're not mandating even. we're providing an opportunity. we're providing an option. both for the patient and even the farm suit cap company -- farm suit cap -- pharmaceutical company. i heard that we're not compelling them to do it. would you feel more comfort football we compelled pharmaceutical companies to provide, that those potential life-saving medications? we need to recognize that this bill is not for us in this chamber, it's for matt bellina, jordan mccollin and lauren saw.

it's for those who are similarly situated. we've waited long enough. let's get this done. thank you. mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. does the gentleman from oregon reserve? the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. schakowsky: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to h.r. 4257. because it actually creates a dangerous back door around the food and drug administration approval process and ignores that there is a safe pathway for terminally ill patients to get the treatment that they need. but this bill denies patients what they really need, which is safe and effective treatments. this bill strips away important safeguards in the name of helping patients. but it is not patient friendly and that is why 78 patients and doctor groups, like the american cancer society, the national

brain tumor society, the leukemia and lymphoma society, the vietnam veterans of america are all opposed to this legislation -- america, are all opposed to this legislation. i ask unanimous consent to put this five-page list of the opposing groups into the record, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. schakowsky: it opens the door for bad actors to take advantage of terminally ill patients. it is the f.d.a.'s jobs to ensure that drugs are safe and effective. we can't trust manufacturers to act as a gate keeper. and the important thing to know is there is already a safe process for terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments. under the expand access program 99% of applications are approved and they're done in a speedy way. and this process is not merely a rubber stamp. the f.d.a. plays a vital role in

ensuring these experimental treatments are safe. even more important, in 19 states that have passed right to try laws, patients using an investigational drug can lose their hospice care, and in six states they can be denied home health care. these are the very people who depend on hospice and home care and they could lose those services. this is not a humane patient-centered bill for people who are facing death. it is just a dangerous pathway for bad actors to exist. let's go with the positive ability right now that we have, 99% of those desperate people looking for hope will get it from the food and drug administration. and so i urge my colleagues to oppose h.r. 4257. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: mr. speaker, when illinois took this up they approved it 169-1 in their assemmably. and now i yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. griffith. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. griffith: thank you so much. mr. speaker, mr. chairman, i have heard people say that this bill gives folks a false hope. there is no false hope. they know it's a hail mary pass, they know it's unlikely to succeed. but they are willing and make the decision and the choice to take that chance. i've heard that patients will be at risk. that they lose their safeguards. they've received a terminal diagnosis. they know they are at risk. they don't care about safeguards. they want to fight for life. they know they have that terminal disease or diagnosis and they may lose a few weeks, as we heard from my colleague. but they may gain years. and they're willing to take that risk. and i, mr. speaker, i have to

tell you. if i -- if i had a terminal diagnosis, i would even consider injecting monkey urine if i thought it would give me a few more months, a few more years with my children who are currently 18, 12 and 10. others may choose not to try something. they may not want the right to try. they may not want to try the hail mary pass. but they should have the choice. they should have the right to try. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: as i have said, mr. speaker, i have great concerns that h.r. 5247 would expose our most vulnerable and desperate patients to unnecessary risk. supporters of this legislation have argued that those patients who are suffering from a terminal illness deserve the

right to take their health and treatment into their own hands as they are faced without any other treatment options. some have even asked, what risk could be worse than the risk of death? but as someone has pointed out, and quote, there are things worse than death. being made to die faster. being made to die more miserably. these are all very real scenarios that patients could be exposed to under the misleading and ill-con received right to try -- ill-conceived right to try pathway. while f.d.a. approved 99% of the requests it received of those, they revised 11% in order to protect patients. if this bill becomes law, f.d.a. no longer will have the opportunity to make those revisions and to protect vulnerable patients. and we must protect patients from bad actors. or from dangerous treatments that might make their lives worse. and that's why more than 100 organizations, including 83 patient organizations like the

national organization for rare disorders, the friends of cancer research, the american capser society, cancer action network, have written in opposition to this legislation. in a letter to the speaker, and the democratic leader, the patient organizations noted, and i quote, the alternative pathway is the latest version of the legislation. it's still less safe for our patients than the current expanded access process that the f.d.a. uses. dr. ellen siegel, the chair and founder of friends of cancel research, said, and i quote, in its current form, the proposed legislation does nothing for patients other than provide false hope by allowing them to request a drug with no evidence of efficacy that they may never receive, and should they receive it may do more harm than good. so i think we should all be concerned about protecting patients, rather than rushing this bill through today i would urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and come back to the table to find a solution that will streamline expanded access programs while protecting

patients from unnecessary harm. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. it's my honor to recognize the gentleman from the state, thank voted unanimously for -- state that voted unanimously for the right to trirkse dr. burgess who chairs our health sub committee, i yield him two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: i thank the chairman for the recognition. mr. speaker, just a little over a month ago, president trump stood here at this podium behind me and told us, asked us, people who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to ountry to seek a cure. along with president trump i want to give patients a chance right here at home. a little over a year ago this house passed the 21st century cures bill. made unprecedented acceleration of discoveries and thanks to our researchers and our academic institutions, those working in the pharmaceutical and medical

device companies, americans have access to more and more inowevative treatments. however, i continue to hear from patients with serious life-threatening conditions, including my constituents in north texas, who are frustrated with what they see as regulatory barriers from trying and experimenting with new therapies when everything else has failed. so when potentially life saving treatments exist, but remain unavailable to patients, we have an opportunity to move past what has long been a dilemma toward delivering a helpful message. since 2014, 38 states, including texas, have passed a version of right to try laws. i'm pleased that the house of representatives is considering right to try legislation that gives patients a chance at life by improving access to experimental treatments. a lot of people deserve thanks for getting this bill to us today. but in particular, i want to thank the president of the united states, president trump, vice president pence, for their

leadership in this effort. i urge fellow members to support this bill. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, there are a lot of reasons to oppose this bill today and i've given a number of them. but the primary reason being the need to continue protecting patients by ensue -- by ensuring that the f.d.a. remains a part of the process. but while we're speaking about process, i have to also oppose this legislation based on the inappropriate way the republican majority's bringing this bill to the floor. bills considered under suspension have traditionally gone through the committee process with overwhelming bipartisan support. and neither of those things is the case with this bill. it was introduced today. does the majority really believe they're giving members the appropriate time to view this bill when it was introduced at 2:00 p.m.? patient access and patient safety should be shared goals

among democrats and republicans. goals that could be achieved if this legislation was not being rushed to the floor under an arbitrary deadline. legislation such as this that carries such great risk of patient harm should be considered carefully, with attention paid to the unintended consequences that could follow. so i would urge my colleagues to oppose this unnecessary and risky legislation and return to the regular order of the committee to consider legislation that would protect both patients from harm and the f.d.a. from the weakening of the agency's role in our drug approval process. we should not be voting on a bill this consequence that was introduced this afternoon. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i now would yield to a distinguished member of our committee, a pharmacist by training and trade, mr. carter of georgia, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carter: i rise in support of

the right to try access because it will provide access to potentially life-saving drugs. currently patients can only receive drugs but clinical trial, compassionate use or expanding access. they access these unapproved treatments through the f.d.a. but not through the drug sponsor this critical legislation would establish informed con sent for patients to access unapproved drugs -- drugs that could save their lives. it still guards patients from manufacturers misbranding or mislabeling drugs and specifies any drug used must have an active application and is not the subject of a clinical hold. i want to thank my good friend, chairman burgess, and the rest of my colleagues on the committee for moving this legislation forward and working with the administration and take holders on all sides of these issues sms this is a great step

forward toward ensuring our patients get to take advantage of the incredible pharmaceutical therapies that our manufacturers are known for. i applaud the energy and commerce committee for their work in moving this legislation forward and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oregon. mr. walden: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: can i ask how many speakers you have left? mr. walden: we have two i believe. mr. pallone: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i want to talk about two other aspects of this bill i haven't so far one is the fact that states have actually implemented right to try laws that have done little to expand access to investigational treatment. although 17 states and the district of columbia have enacted right to try laws, there's no evidence that anyone has obtained an investigation treatment via these laws that

couldn't have been obtain bud f.d.a.'s expanded access program. right to try laws don't compel companies to provide access to investigational treatments, therefore you should these state laws, patients still do not have a right too try,le on the right to request the treatment from the company. states -- state right to try laws don't address the fundamental barriers of cost and company restrictions. neither the f.d.a. nor states require insurers or pharmaceutical companies to reduce the costs of expensive treatments. instead they put patients at higher risk by weakening oversight of investigational treatment. with regard to clinical trial the legislation could also expose patients to unnecessary risk by allowing access to investigational drugs that have only completed a phase one clinical trial. phase one trials are extremely small trials, 20 to 0 patient, used primarily to determine toxicity and don't determine

effectiveness or potential side effects. have harmful side effects, or put off signing up for other studies with proven efficacy. it provides broad liability protections for manufacturers leaving patients with no recourse in the case of an adverse effect. i wanted to mention those and i again reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves this egentleman from arkansas is recognized. mr. walden: i recognize the gentleman from georgia, mr. allen, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. allen: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the right to try act. when those we hold dearest are diagnosed as terminal illness, the last thing we want to hear is there are no options.

this has why i have an a supporter of the right to try act. currently states have passed right to try legislation to assist vulnerable patients including my state of georgia. by allowing terminally ill patients act stose unapproved drugs and therapies we're giving them a fighting chance for their god-given right to life. although these drugs cannot guarantee a road to recovery, they can provide better alternative in many hopeless situations and pave the way for more scientific breakthroughs. congress should keep breaking down regulatory barriers like the bill name says. patients have a right to try. all americans should have the right to choose. thank you@energy and commerce committee for passing this important legislation out of committee and i urge my cloogs to join me in supporting this bill on the house floor. how in the world could anyone oppose the right to choose life? with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oregon reserves. >> could i inquire how much time

remains for each side? >> the gentleman has three minutes. the gentleman from new jersey has one minute. mr. walden: i don't believe we have any more speakers, i'll close after the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to conclude, if i could, in opposition to this bill by quoting some of the former f.d.a. commissioners. this is from dr. margaret hamburg who said, and i quote, i'm deeply concerned by the draft legislation being considered to remove the f.d.a. from the proposals around right to try. excluding the f.d.a. will not benefit those patients and one a mistake. there's no need to create a new potentially dangerous paradigm by passing this legislation which does not address the real issues at hand and could have unintended negative consequences leading to a possible impediment of the development and approval of safe and effective therapies. finally, the former f.d.a.

principal deputy commissioner said f.d.a. review allows doctors and patients to tell the difference between a medication that works and one that does not. evidence also orients the pharmaceutical market toward developing products that produce meaningful benefits for patients instead of just hope. undermining f.d.a. review by giving a right to patients to try anything at any time will leave more patients in desperate situations with fewer options and less understanding of what could really make a difference. so again, mr. speaker, i would urge opposition to this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. walden: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walden: when the energy and commerce committee took up this issue in its broadest form, we heard from the f.d.a. commissioner, we heard from patients. we heard from family members. and what we heard was that there are barriers in states that preclude these state laws from working. that's what the government

accountability office told us. they identified two issues, liable and use of outcomes, as the two barriers to why these raws passed in 3938, soon to be to be 39 states, and in most cases the laws have passed unanimously, republicans and democrats back home supporting them, including my own state, i think it was unanimous in both the house and senate. all controlled by democrats in oregon. we have listened to our constituents. we have observed what's happened our states, great lab ro -- laboratories and we are acting to allow those given this wretched, wretched prescription that their life is about to end to have a chance and a choice. that's what we're doing. we're overcoming barriers that economist at the state level, doing it in a reasonable and thoughtful way to protect patient safety and create this is new alteshtive pathway for

them. this is important legislation. it's not often in this body we get this opportunity to make this kind of change and provide chance and hope for those who see their loved ones dying before their eyes. when i met with jordan quinn earlier today and his mother, laura, they've been incredible advocates for this cause. they had just come from a meeting with vice president pence. who with the president have been extraordinary supporters of this effort. from his bible, jordan shed me the paraable of the last sheep, one of his favorites. it's a paraable he shared with the vice president. that paraable of the lost sheep tells us that not a single sheep should be lost if the shepherd cares about them all. that same sentiment is what brings us here to right-to-try today. every opportunity to save a life

matters. and every patient deserves that right. to try. that's the legislation before us today, mr. speaker. it is well conceived. it is well thought out. and it will make a difference in saving lives. with that, i encourage my colleagues to vote yes and pass this legislation and give people the right to try. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5247. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. walden: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. -- mr. pallone: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman requests the yeas and -- the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the

vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until down counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered of pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i send to the desk a privilege red port from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 773, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 4545 to amend the federal financial institutions

examination council act of 1978 to improve the examination of depository institutions and for other purposes. providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 1116, to require the federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to take risk profiles and business models of institutions into account when taking regulatory actions and for other purposes and providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 4263 to amend the securities act of 1933 with respect to small company capital formation and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar anded ored printed. -- and ordered printed. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, this is to notify you formally that pure student rule 8 of the rules of the house of representatives i have been served with a subpoena

for documents and a separate subpoena for testimony issued by the superior court of california county of san bernardino. after consulting with the office of general counsel i will make the determinations required by rule 8. signed, sincerely, theresa valdez. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on march 13, 2018, at 9:53 a.m., that the secretary of the senate requests the house to return the official papers to the senate, h.r. 1207. with best wishes, i am, signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the request is granted.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 5247 by the yeas and nays. h.r. 4465 by the yeas and nays. 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 the motion of the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5247. -- on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5247, a bill to authorize the use of eligible investigational drugs by eligible patient who was been diagnosed with a stage of a ts or condition in which there is reasonable likelihood that death will occur in a matter of months or with another eligible illness and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the

question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is 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 -- the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 259, the nays are 140. 2/3 not being in the affirmative, the rules are not

suspended, the bill is not assed. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from utah to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4465 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar 428 arbling bill to maintain annual funding for the upper colorado and san juan fishery, fish recovery programs through fiscal year 2023 to require a report on the inch. ation of those programs, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, 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 392, the nays are six. 2/3 of those voting 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.

he house will be in order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations off the floor.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i rise to ask to speak for one minute, asking for a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. embers, i rise today with -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the gentleman's correct. the house is not in order. the gentleman may continue. >> thank you. i rise today with a very sad and heavy heart to ask that we stand for a moment of silence for three of my constituents who were murdered in another senseless act of gun violence. three women at the california veterans home in napa, california. napa valley, california. a veterans home, the largest in the country, serving the most veterans in the country.

mr. thompson: this was a particular program designed to help iraq and afghanistan veterans who were coming home with serious problems. these three women got up every morning, they kissed their families good-bye. they put on their clothes. they walked out the door. to do one thing and one thing only. and that was to help troubled veterans. and on friday they were murdered . they were held hostage and gunned down in cold-blooded murder. one more senseless act of gun violence. so, mr. speaker, i'd like to -- this body to recognize a moment of silence for christine lober, the executive director of the pathway home program for the california veterans' home. dr. jennifer golick, the clinical director and staff psychologist. and jenniffer gonzalez, a

clinical psychologist with a san francisco department of veterans affairs, who was on assignment at the pathway home and was also regnant. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman ?rom arizona seek recognition >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous con don't remove my name from sponsorship on h.j.res. 60 and

h.r. 60. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house is not in order. the house will be in order. members will remove their conversations from the floor. the house will be in order. please remove your conversations

rom the floor. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, i rise today as the author of the savannah hope sill born child tax credit act which would allow a one-time refundable tax credit after the still birth in a family. the same amount that is given for the existing child tax credit. the bill is named after savannah schumacher, a baby that steve and jill schumacher from eden prayery, minnesota, lost at 33 weeks. mr. speaker, families of still born children not only face medical expenses that aren't always covered by insurance, but they face burial, cremation and grief counseling costs that ed add up to be very significant expenses. minnesota is among the states that have already enacted these credits at the state level. while a tax credit can't make up for the loss of a child, it does acknowledge that child's existence, even though he or she passed away before birth.

and it will hopefully help support grieving families that have gone through the unthinkable. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. mr. payne: mr. speaker, i rise to honor the country's only african-american-owned christian television network, the impact christian tv network. over the weekend at metropolitan baptist church in newark, new jersey, i joined impact for the celebration of their launch. the launch is a big step for people across the nation. the partnership between impact

and altise means that the country's only african-american-owned and operated christian television network will now reach more than 85 million homes around the world. as we have seen with others, the oscars so black movement and spotlight on inequality in film and television, people across the country are demanding increased diversity in programming. impact's launch is another step in the right direction. it is a historic pairing that will bring diversity and ministry to millions of homes and i just would like to point out that in my district, in the 10th congressional district of the state of new jersey, i want to commend two local heroes for helping move this effort forward. i want to commend reverend dr. david jefferson of metropolitan baptist church. and the impact team. and marlin davis and the altise team for what they went in to

making this launch happen. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. mr. olson: mr. speaker, in 1898, a school district opened and those 120 years, no team had ever played in the texas men's basketball championship. the falcons have only been around for five years. yet four days ago, those falcons led katy to its first texas 6-a finals.

they came up 1.1 seconds short, lost by two points in overtime. there's an old saying in texas. you see the true character, the rue heart of a team in defeat, not victory. that means the falcons have biggest hearts in texas. falcons xamples, the star. quote, we still have life after basketball. we still have to wake up, we still have to breathe and live for each other. end quote. i'll close with words from the falcons head coach, bobby sanders. another quote, it was gratifying , we got this far. i'm proud of them. on behalf of 850,000 texans in texas 22, i want to say, darn straight, coach. darn straight.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, as the senior member on judiciary, i remember dealing with church bombings some few years ago, so i rise today to acknowledge my colleagues in austin and express my sympathy for the bombing death that occurred with a nondecember cript package being left at the homes of african-americans and a hispanic. i thank law enforcement for engaging the a.t.f. and f.b.i. and i think it is important that notice should have been made about packages at the homes of

individuals. we know the facts are not all in. the investigation is ongoing. however, the federal government can be of help to local law enforcement that i know is working hard. we wan to be there for them. i want my constituents to be aware, packages, until this individual is found, please call the police in whatever jurisdiction you are in in the state of texas and let's hope we can find this person as quickly as possible. my sympathy and prayers for those who have already lost their life. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise tonight and welcome president trump to california where some of the things he is looking at the technology with

which to control our borders an obligation we have as a state but more so as a country. mr. lamalfa: we welcome legal immigration to our state and our ountry and not illegal immigration. indeed, if we don't have borders, we don't have a nation. let's get cracking on controlling our borders and having a legal immigration process that is better for the security of our nation and better for its people. that's all it is about. it's really that simple. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? without objection. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to speak against the right to try act. mrs. maloney: it sounds compassion nature but offers

fake hope and f.d.a. process ists to allow terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs at no charge. it strips consumer protections and charges patients. the f.d.a. program receives about 1,000 requests each year and responds in a few days realming changes to enhance safety for the patients. removing f.d.a. from the approval process does not add value and could be detrimental and open up drugs after phase ne trials and some more than not are unsuccessful. themaceutical drugs to ruin quality of life. this bill creates the wrong

incentives and pushes care for the terminally ill in the wrong direction and i join consumer nd advocates in their strong opposition that regrettably just passed this house. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. tenney: i ask unanimous consent to address the house and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. tenney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize an outstanding member of my community marry view. mary made history by becoming the first firefighter in the village of i willian. her father is currently the deputy chief and her grandfather served in the fire department and is now retired. as a young depirl, she would

spend a lot of time at the fire station and remembers being in the car with her father when he would receive emergency calls. serving in the fire department is a bit of a legacy for the view family. mary thought she would grow up to be a firefighter and thought she would take up a career in criminal justice. mary is not only making history. she hopes to be an inspiration to women who want to pursue the same career. in me in making mary view as the first women firefighter and she will do an amazing job, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> permission to address the house.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the combom is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it is with a heavy heart that i report to you an incident that occurred the evening of march 9. officers of the pa mona police department were involved in a short pursuit that resulted in a 15-hour-long standoff. at the onset of that standoff, stillas.ca he was at the beginning of his law enforcement career. he was a dedicated public servant and young, energetic and honest and never lost hope of his dreams. he join the police department on december of 2014, working his way up as a record specialist, jailer, recruit to his graduation in 2017 from the san

bernardino county class of 2007. he died doing what he loved. serving our community. e is survived by his wife, a five-month-old and our--year-old son. ficer castillas, your memory and spirit will live on. may you rest in peace. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker, i rise to remember the life of angie gomez. she visited las vegas for the

route 51 festival. she was a natural born caregiver and want to give care. outside of caring for others, she loved choir participating in middle and high school. angey loved nothing more than to spend with her two nieces. she was a team player who wasn't afraid of being herself. she was fun-loving, sweet and a great caregiver. the city of las vegas, the state of nevada and the whole country grieve with you. i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: -- for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition?

without objection. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, tomorrow, as a very important day. mr. ellison: students in my district are walking out of school because they expect their leaders to do something about this problem of gun violence. and for years, this body sadly has failed to act and because we failed to act, our young people are acting tomorrow. 2,808 people have died in 2018 already because of this scurge of gun violence. it's only march and already, we have almost 3,000 people dead. i guess that's not a surprise because at least 15,000 549 people died from gun violence last year. isn't that enough? we know why this is going on. powerful interests, powerful

commercial interests in washington, gun manufacturers led by their lawyer, i guess, the n.r.a., are preventing basic commonsense approaches to safety. you can't even study it. the centers for disease control is prohibited. we can't make a true data base so you can find the people who are legally prohibited from buying guns. and there are other problems. we have to act with those young people who are walking out tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. danny davis from march 13-16. mr. defazio of oregon for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the gentleman from florida, mr. yoho, is recognized as the designee of the majority leader. mr. yoho: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, in my previous life before congress, i'm a vet and in practice for 30 years and i had the pleasure of taking care of all god's creatures and been a privilege and a privilege and an honor, but tonight is going to be a special order. so much is going on in washington and in the world and we hear a lot of bad things going on, we will honor k-9's veterans' day, march 13. and this evening, my colleagues and i would like to pay tribute to the thousands of working dogs

that serve our nation, they serve in the military, the fire and police department and the department of drug enforcement and serve in your neighbor's house next door to alester people, maybe finding a lost child. there are people that do search and rescue only. our canines. nationontribution to our cannot be overstated. the biggest of thank u.s. go out to those serving our military keeping our homeland safe as well as our local enforcement contain ines. i have had the honor to serve the florida's 3rd congressional district. after great visits, discussions

and i had the experience yesterday with our team in our district, experience the subdued tactics of these dogs wearing protective gears. and these amazing animals need support and recognition of the incredible work they do. and not just in north central florida or northeast florida, you can find these selfless heroes in all districts all across our great country. whether checking the stadiums top to bottom. which yesterday, when we got talking to the different sheriff's organizations that every gator game, the dogs check the entire stadium. those who have been to the gator nation and seen our stadium there, it is a huge stadium and they check it before every game, every basketball game, every big venue and these dogs are working

to keep americans safe, whether it is checking the stadiums from top to bombs for explosives or narcotics or help find a missing person or being there at the right moment, these dogs have to have their stories. e celebrate national k-9's veteran day. and we puerto rico celebrate their services and encourage all members to support these k-9's d the departments they represent. ins began, the k-9 day began world war i when sergeant stubby shined the working dogs and the spotlight they bring to our national service. and scott perry is going to talk about scott perry. in vietnam, nearly 4,000 dogs

actively served. and in iraq they sniffed out deadly i.e.d.'s and they have served in our military and law enforcement working hard to keep americans safe. we owe it to these k-9's. i would like to recognize the teams that serve in my home district and i will share many of these stories tonight. . in 2017, in the far northern reaches of the rural county, a previous victim of domestic violence and battery was walking out to meet detectives when she heard the voice of her assailant calming to her from the darkness -- calling to her from the darkness. terrified she ran back inside, called 911 and the deputies responded in an effort to catch the suspect with active warrants that included kidnapping and sexual assault. deputy sheriff chris drake and

k-9 arrived knowing full well that the suspect had not only stolen the victim's car with a gun inside earlier, but dug a hole and buried himself to allude a helicopter search light the night before. and with that information, chris and his dog, russ, began to track the suspect. lifting k-9 russ over some fences and cutting their way through others, -- other, deputy drake and others continued following the suspect until, as drake reported, russ, still smelling human odor, staring intently identified something laying in the water. the man stood up from the water, turned north in the woods and disappeared. continuing their track, k-9 russ and deputy drake again found the suspect hiding in a separate swamp with only his back exposed. not a good thing with a catch dog. when challenged, the felon fled again and k-9 russ was released to catch him.

he ran into the waters, swam briefly and apprehended the suspect on the arm, the suspect endured many puncture wounds. but while russ was doing this, he endured many punches to the head. but he held on until deputies could arrive and assist placing the suspect in handcuffs for a trip to the hospital and then to jail. these deputies and their k-9 partners are on the road every day working 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, supporting every local law enforcement patrol task and providing mutual aid to our neighborhood jurisdictions when called upon. and with that, i'd like to yield the floor to my distinguished colleague, another veterinarian, from louisiana, representative abraham. mr. abraham: thank you. mr. speaker, today is national k-9 veterans day and as a mevet veterinarian caucus, i rise -- member of the veterinarian caucus, i rise to celebrate our four-legged friends who assist our police force in keeping our

nation and our communities safe. though the war drugs program or k-9 cores as it is commonly known, -- corpses as it was commonly known, was established in world war ii, they've been helping our soldiers since pitbulls were used. the k-9 corps was officially born and became immediately effective. dogs were used in the pacific theater where it's been said that the japanese never ambushed or made a surprise attack on a patrol led by one of these dogs. it is estimated that the army employed 1,500 dogs during the korean war, and 4,000 dogs during the vietnam war. with noses 100,000 times as sensitive as humans', our soldiers continue to use them today to sniff for bombs in places like iraq and afghanistan, one named die rye was even used to -- cairo was

even used to sniff for bombs around saddam hussein's -- osama bin laden's compound during the raid before taking hem down. their courage, loyalty and ac men have saved countless lives. we appreciate their service and the service of their trainers and the soldiers who use them on the battlefield. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. mr. yoho: thank you, representative abraham. next i'd like to welcome and yield the floor to my good friend, brigadier general, mr. scott perry. mr. perry: thank you, the gentleman from florida, and thank you, mr. speaker. i also want to join my friends in honoring the national k-9 veterans day. every march 13 we commemorate the united states army's first k-9 corps training program. while this program began in 1942, the history of our best friend engaging in training in combat with us extends well beyond that date. today we commemorate the iconic sergeant stubby.

if you don't know about stubby, sergeant stubby was a terrier mutt from new haven, connecticut. he was adopted by u.s. army private robert con roy who stowed him away on a ship bound for france in the first world war. where his service was integral to saving american lives. stubby was allowed to join our soldiers on the front lines after he was discovered by private conroy's commanding officer, because stubby rendered a salute to the commander, he was allowed to stay. now while on the front he was injured. he was once injured during a gas strike and he developed a unique sense of smell or sensitivity to the smell of chemical weapons used at that time. and his sensitivity was used to alert sleeping troops to another gas attack and he rescued them on numerous occasions from the ill and very painful fate. sergeant stubby also thwarted a german spy attempting to map out the battlefield of the allied trenches. and sergeant stubby did that by

grabbing onto the german soldier, biting him and sub duing him until the -- subduing him until the american soldiers could arrive. sergeant stubby served in 17 battles during world war i. 17 separate battles. private conroy's grandson recalled stories about stubby. my grandfather was always clear. stubby was a service dog. he gave to the troops, he gave them comfort and he gave them support. he used to run through the trenches and warn about the gas attacks. he used to go outside of the trenches, not man's land between the two sets of trenches, the two competing armies, and he would stand by the soldiers that were injured until u.s. personnel could arrive and come get them. sergeant stubby became a lifetime member of the american legion and was recognized as the mascot of georgetown university in the 1920's, where private conroy then studied law. in 1921, stubby was awarded the humane education society's hero

dog gold medal and he earned the honor of meeting general john "black jack" persianing. the highest ranking service member since general george washington at that time. sergeant stubby died in private conroy's arms on march 16, 1926. today sergeant stubby is set to be immortalized in an animated film premiering next month. so that will be great for us all to see. his loyalty, bravery and selflessness is the legacy for thousands of service dogs being trained at any given time in all branches of our military, as well as our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. while we aren't able yet to measure the exact number of lives saved by service dogs, one thing is certain. a dog is really man's best friend. and women's best friend as well. we're forever grateful and indet to these animals and a-- indebted to these animals and applaud them, their handlers and caretakers for their tireless service and devotion to duty and showing us the true meaning of

battle buddy. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. mr. yoho: i'd like it thank my good friend from pennsylvania, general, brigadier general scott perry. sharing that story, it's amazing. the attitude of the dog, the k-9, the loyalty of the dog, the single -- singularity of purpose in their drive and the ambition, and like i said yesterday, we got to experience k-9 dogs, the police k-9 dogs and we got to experience them going after a victim and i was the victim. i had a glove on my arm. but the intent of those dogs, and the way they focus and then they showed us a demonstration of sniffing out gunpowder and they hid it in a big room. and explosives. the intent of those dogs and the direction of them. and they just goes g to task. don't complain. and i think there's a lesson that we all can learn from. that so i thank you for your participation and that great story. i look forward that movie. it's funny how dogs, people say they can't talk and all.

that but we know they do through their body language and that's why movies like that, that highlight the actions of an animal or especially dogs, they do so well. so i know that will be a blockbuster. mr. speaker, that the time i'd like to yield the floor, as much time as he needs, to a great friend of mine, from north carolina, mr. walter jones. mr. jones: thank you so much for having this evening tonight. and letting us talk about the importance of these dogs that are more than dogs. they are buddies to our men and women in uniform who have been fighting for america. mr. speaker and mr. yoho, in the year 2000, i had the honor and the pleasure of meeting john burnham, retired united states army combat infantryman, and dog handler during the vietnam war. he approached me with the idea of a war dog memorial to honor our brave k-9 veterans.

john shared with me the impact that these animals had on him and his fellow handlers in the 1960's. they're forever emotionally grateful for their k-9 buddies. through this relationship, as we began to work on a war dog memorial, that took several years, in 2007, a marine named dustin lee was killed in the iraq war and john had written a story. wanted me to read this story and then speak out and reach out to the united states marine corps and ask them to, please let's retire this wonderful animal named lex, a german shepherd, who had also been wound with his master. and asked the general to reach out to the air force who owned these dogs, to retire lex. i want to read briefly the story that john had written and given to me.

i'm going to read five paragraphs. it's a five-page article. my partner, dustin, i'm a u.s. marine and the primary element of a two-member team trained to hunt and locate explosives. my partner and i trained as a team for many months, honing our expertise to save american lives and the war on terrorism in iraq. march 21, 2007. i'm on the job in fallujah. when enemy fired rocket-propelled grenade splosesplodes in our midst and i'm blasted to the ground and stund. my head is ringing and my body feels numb. my eyes can't quite focus on anything. my partner is lying next to me severely wounded and bleeding. i moved to him and touched him. but he's not responding. i feel sharp pains in my side and back. i'm bleeding but deal with it. and concentrate on my partner and protecting him from further

harm. everything is happening so fast that i'm disoriented and confused. my senses pick up the lingering smell of burnt powder and smoke from the explosion. i hear lots of american voices and have a boot steps hurrying all around us. they reach our location and immediately attend to my partner. then carry him away. i'm separated from my partner for the first time. i'm not clear of thought and then i too am carried away to a different hospital. i'm in a building lying on the table with lights above and people talking. still dazed and confused i hear a strange voice saying my name. lex. i adjusted to a slight reflex of acknowledgment. lex, you're going to be ok, buddy. just lay still. we're going to take care of your wounds. so stay calm, ok. then my eyes dart around the

room searching for my partner. but he's not there. and no one can interpret my thoughts -- interrupt my thoughts. the partner died. i was called by john burnham to read this story. general. s story to a i said, we need to retire this dog for the family. mr. speaker, the family lived in mississippi. i didn't know them. but this touched my heart. this story. i'm going to submit it for the record, the entire story, with your permission, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. jones: i call mike and i said, mike, this family has lost everything. their son. they want lex to live the rest of his life with shrapnel in the baug dog's back. so the air force agreed with the general and retired the dog. that dog spent eight years with the family of the marine who was killed.

the other story, and i'm going to close in about two minutes. i went over to walter reed on a regular basis during the iraq war. and i never will forget a young army guy who had lost his leg. told me the story. e was a dog handler. waiting for the dog to go out and sniff an i.e.d. the dog goes out, finds the i.e.d., and the dog turns around and looks at the platoon. then the i.e.d. exploded. there are so many of these stories, that it's hard to even -- to get a record on it. in closing, i want to thank former president george w. bush. he signed the bill to erect a war dog memorial at lackland air force base. john burnham deserves so much credit. he got the private sector to pay

for the memorial at lack lunde air force base. so the dogs that mr. yoho and others have spoken about tonight will never be forgotten. there is a memorial for them and the work they've done for this country. i want to say that to me, of all the things i've been in congress 20 years, but when you touch a dog, you touch a child. and these dogs have done so much to save the children who are now soldiers and marines and airmen and navy, to save those people from being killed by i.e.d.'s and the enemy. thank you for putting this together and i thank god that we can always remember that an animal is a gift from god. mr. yoho: i love that story.

that's a great story. and what you touched about is the loyalty, the trust, the integrity of these working dogs, not only in the work they do but when they come back home. it is unconditional love and loyalty. we should take a lesson from that. mr. jones: amen. mr. yoho: i would like to tell a story from my district and this deals with seizing the drugs and profits from armed criminals. can you f the assigned tell us of a drug task force, they were responding to a traffic stop on i-75. activity, the k-9 couldn't be fooled. over a kilo gram of narcotics,

it is amazing how these dogs know what to do and so well at it. they smell things that we can't even think about with their sense other perception. another one is rescuing those who need our help. in february, 2018, the florida patrol found an abandoned vehicle. it appeared as though the driver diagnosed with a mental illness and having fled his home in south florida may have wandered into the park and over 7,000 acres of forests, rattle snakes, ponds and alligators and trails, puty sheriff and his k-9 tracked the subject. he deputy sheriff and his k-9,

and nd sergeant mitchell k-9 havoc relieved one another with tracking throughout the park. after tracking the wooded area and with the blood rounds sent to assist, the driver was safely located and provided the treatment he needed at an area hospital to the relief of his family and friends. mr. speaker, at this time, i would like to yield the floor to a good friend of mine that served in our military, in the army, mr. tom garrett, from virginia. mr. garrett: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you to my colleague, mr. yoho, on this day when we honor dogs that serve

honorably, just like the women and men who serve our country for putting on this special order. anyone who has had a dog understands the departments of the bonds that can develop between human beings and four-legged friends. i can remember every single dog. i can remember how each one died and remember when two dogs but never have the disciplinary to serve with the working dogs that defend our country abroad but also here at home. my time in the military, i'm not a hero but have gotten to meet some. in researching for this opportunity to honor those four-legged heroes and with those whom they work, i have read some books, always faithful, a document by william put any, "war dogs" and sergeant

rex" as well as one unconditional honor primarily by kathy scott which recognizes the fact that those watching at home and that is the role that dogs play not just on the battlefield and finding missing people and fighting crime but helping our servicemen and women recover rom wounds visible and invisible. indeed thousands of service members welcomed by a climate that is shifting as it relates to service dogs, take the definition of working dog beyond the battlefield and outside the field of crime and punishment into bedrooms and living rooms

and help our brothers and sisters heal from most of us that praise god will never be able to imagine. at any given time there are well over 2,000 working military dogs with 00 serving overseas. ese these dogs can cost from $5,000 to $30,000 to procure and trained and some are killed in the line of duty. when i was in the military, we looked with admiration upon the pins that very few people. one was halo wings. that is a jump out of the plane and might someone might be serving. well, indeed, we have military dogs and strapped to their handlers and every imaginable

circumstance. as i look at history, the oldest documented accounts of dogs either being used to defend their people or accompanying their masters are almost 3,000 years old and this is about as long as we can go back. but tonight, mr. speaker, i want to speak briefly about a personal friend and hero. in early 2006, patrick sheridan f the louisiana county sheriff's office procured a blood hound and began working hard with the second dog with whom what would become what he would train and lieutenant sheridan and his k-9 team have been so successful in working operations and tracking that they have trained individuals or

multiple continents and over the maggie's magpie a.k.a. six-year career, she worked 350 calls for service. and in 2010 her duties raised from trailing breaking and entering suspects to helping to locate a missing five year child . on december 12, 2011, maggie and lieutenant sheridan were not engaged in chasing down a drug aler or facing some horrific individual preventing domestic violence, but instead searching for an individual who was reported missing and suicidal. i note these dogs defend the

people that they serve and the people of our communities. on this occasion, maggie while trailing on her 350th working call encountered a pit bull and was attacked and died from her injuries. her loss of life on december 12, 2011, represents one of hundreds working dog deaths. i commend former president bush for the establishment and the e of private citizen dollars to have a war dog memorial and working dogs that defend us in the military and not only here at home but also by finding missing children and those who might harm themselves. mr. speaker, i would commend to those viewing and to the members of this body when they find a

doug handler or someone who worked as a dog handler in the past, please say thank you to the dedication, time and loyalty and s resip row call unconditional because there have been so many limbs saved. thank you. mr. yoho: i thank the good gentleman from virginia. you brought up some great things there. the dedication of the handlers. here we've got clay county sheriff's department with a blood hound that these guys are dedicated with the dogs they work with and so unbelievable. the search and the rescue and you brought up on maggie, how e had the 350th working call that maggie had performed for the people of our country. and this is something people don't realize the amount of

calls they go on and the amount of work they do. the average life span is from seven to nine years. and people wonder about the cost of the dog. it is expensive to keep these dogs. but what we have found so many people are good-hearted and realize the benefit of the working k-9 and donate the cost of the dog. the cost can you run from $5,000 tore $9,000 to get them trained and there is a lot of community health to make sure this gets done. i would like to talk about another dog. justice is a german shepherd who worked in september of 2006. his fer during his career, he was responsible for locating hundreds, hundreds of offenders and assisted several other agencies throughout his career to include the florida high what

patrol, the putnam county sheriff's office, the city of a latch youa and city of high springs police department. justice was credited with saving lives. the incident involved a suicidal person who had taken a deadly amount of prescription pills and left a suicide note and walked off into the woods. after two hours of officers trying to locate the person. they were called to the scene. justice was able to track and locate the person who was passed out and clinging to life. e.m.s. was called and person was taken to the hospital. if the person was not located, the medications taken would have no doubt ended in another suicide. justice received a life-saving award. justice was called to locate a

suspect that fled from an officer who recognized him as a felony that bital drug dealer. the officer tried to conduct a traffic stop. when the officer activated his overheadlights and the suspect fleed through a neighborhood. another officer located the vehicle abandoned minutes later. a search was established. officer owens and justice responded to the scene. and the track led through several back yards and for several blocks. justice's track led into a wooded area where the suspect was located by justice trying to conceal himself. if not for justice, the suspect would have alluded captainors and he was sent to retire at the

end of the shift. he captured his last suspect at 3:00 a.m. officer owens took possession of justice after his retirement and they have been with each other since. and justice turns 15 on march 15 of this year. and still is active as he can be in his seasoned age. and that's a model for all of us to follow. another story, mr. speaker, k-9 deputy takes down an armed suicidal subject. marion county sheriff's deputies responded to the county road 25 reference to a domestic altercation. the suspect fled the area just prior to the deputies' arrival. -9 drago tracked and located

the suspect in a wooded area in which the suspect advised he was armed with a firearm and knife and threatened suicide. the deputy was able to surrender him peacefully. the suspect was arrested and charged with domestic battery by strangulation and being held in jail on $10,000. . during this, they accidently epped on a yell lo jackets nest and were stung many times. drago was taken to a vet to be checked out and then finished his shift. they located stolen property on the morning of february 1, 2018. at the marion county office deputies, they responded to ernie's auction center located at 5305 south pine in reference

to a burglary that just occurred. as employees were opening the business it was observed that the front door has been hb forcibly entered and the suspects were observed running through the inside of the business. k-9 deputy donohue and his k-9 partner tracked the suspect and located him within 30 minutes. during the track two different locations were found where the suspect -- suspects were stashing stolen items from the business. the stolen property, valued at $3,500 was recovered and returned to the business owner. people don't realize the acute sense these dogs have and why they're so valuable. nother story, k-9 deputy brian lilipz. ian litz and at deputy responded to the pine subdwigs

in reference to a well being check on a 74-year-old individual whefpble the deputies arrived at the house they can individual met them at the door with a handgun. k-9 deputy litz was attempting to pass under the front window of the home to get a better visual. unknown to the deputy this person was watching from the window and he then shot and killed litz. today, a statue in honor of deputy litz and his k-9 stands proudly in florida's capital. in a tragic twist, deputy litz's call sign was batman. today visit yoffers this statue at the florida capitol can find the batman emblem on the bottom of his k-9's foot. just an amazing story. again a great example of the ability of these dogs and their success in helping out with people, whether it's the person in need, a lost individual,

search and rescue, the drug dealer, and just people that want to do other people harm and domestic violence. just briefly want to talk about dogs and handlers. the putnam county sheriff's office has five dog, aries, judo named halo, and putnam, after the county, handled by emmitt merit. bradford county sheriff's offices, deputy brandon chute and k-9 grimm. ocala, canine zorba. officer arnold and canine senior and the marion county sheriff's office, again yesterday where we had the privilege of going down, we presented all the working dogs and handlers with our congressional challenge coin that dog looks rather well the way he's wearing that.

at the marecounty sheriff's office where we were yesterday and got to demonstrate, have the demonstration on the catch dog, attack dogs, we got a great demonstration. sergeant daniel trammel, k-9 nitro, k-9 deputy al b lee who handles k-9 zeus. deputy fretz with his dog rmbing obo, deputy sullivan with his dog adelmo, deputy bowers with oto, named after a retirement village that donated the money for their dog. deputy jeremy nics with his dog drag;, deputy bran condition donohue with his dog tipster, we just heard the story. deputy matt hooper with ram bowe. the gainesville plit department, corporal jeff kariko with his

dog, rue, corporal morrison with his k-9 aries, officer rob rogers and k-9 nero. officer ratliff and his job ace. officer mura and his dog ranger. in the alachua county sheriff's office, enis, we just heard a story. deputy sheriff eso bright and k-9 deacon. a lot of people don't realize these dogs are trained in multiple disciplines and just work their hearts out. deputy sheriff mctell mccoy and his dog kay quoss. malinwa working in in patrol narcotics and trafficking. deputy sheriff chris and his dog mack, working in patrol, bombing

and tracking. then there's deputy sheriff bill arnold and his dog wick working in patrol, control and trafficking. i think we get the point of how valuable the dogs are if you want to see the value and why we want to spend money and allow dogs to be in our law ens forment, military, watch demonstrations of these dogs and the acuteness of them. sheriff kris drake and his dog roust, working in patrol bomb and tracking. heard therlacrher, we story of, and his k-9 havoc, working in bomb and tracking. deputy sheriff adam diaz and his dog shiloh, a labrador retriever working with the drug task force. sergeant brian jones and k-9 jerry, working with the drug task force. then there's sergeant nigel

lowey and k-9, a mixed breed working narcotics detection in our schools. k-9 malzey, just joining the sheriff's office as a gun detection dog in our school. it's interesting as we -- after the parklanding, on february 14, we had a round table of law enforcement, county sheriffs, city police chiefs, superintendents, school resource officers, and one of the things that came out of there is, you know, how the resource officers in our schools, they act as a deterrent for a lot of the kids. they're there, they see a person of authority. one of the sheriffs brought up, i thought it was a great suggestion that a lot of people thought was a great suggestion, and that's a dog that can detect gunpowder in our schools. let them tour the school, let

them show what the police can do beneficially to all of us. it's a shame we're at a time in society where we have to worry about guns going off in school. until we rectify the underlying cause of that, we need to do what we can to keep our schools safe. i want to end with this picture, clay county sheriff's office with their dog diesel who proudly took our congressional challenge coin. i want to give a shout out to all the officers that participated and shared stories with us. we're proud of you, proud of your canines. i don't want to say we're more prud of the canines than we are of you but we're proud of all of you for the work you do to keep us safer as citizens of the third congressional district but also around the country and around the world. so mr. speaker, with that, i ield back and i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, for 30 minutes. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it's my privilege to be recognized to address you here on the floor of the united states house of representatives. i would say in defense of the canine corps and i appreciate the presentation glivered dr. yoho my great friend from florida who gets common sense right in this congress, i'm a fan of the canine core and i'm a fn of the b-9 corps. it's not bin go, it's bin go for the cancer patient. when you get the diagnosis of b-9 over canine, i take b-9 over canine because that's what we celebrate, the lease on life, you're cancer free. benign, cancer free for five

years. thanks for standing up for the canine corps. i'm going to stand up for the unborn corps. thank you, dr. yoho;. i came here to the floor to speak this evening about this nation. and about a nation that has granted to its supreme court, sometimes just because we weren't paying attention or didn't have they the confidence of our convictions, i suppose there was a time when americans were no better informed on constitutional principals than we are today. 216 or so e years, years, we've had this experience of accepting the idea of marbury vs. madison. a supreme court decision that over time we've accumulated decision by decision, rooted back in marbury, that the supreme court of the united states was the final word on what the constitution says.

the constitution doesn't say to the supreme court that, you have the final word. but instead it's court precedence, case precedence, that laid the foundation in about 1802 that's been built upon ever since. and the longer we accept the tradition of a supreme court decision being the final decision on what the constitution says, the more deeply ingrained is the commitment to that decision and the less our constitution itself means and the more the traditions of the acceptance of a decision of the supreme court means. and so here we are today. people aren't quite understanding what that means. i would describe it a bit of another way. there's a practice in this country called birth right citizenship. there's nothing in the constitution that requires that a baby born in the united states is an automatic citizen. in fact, the 14th amendment to

the constitution ratified in 1868 says that all persons born in the united states and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are american citizens. well, post-civil war they knew what they were doing. they tnt think we would confuse it over the years the way we have. but they wanted to make sure that the babies born to the newly freed slaves as a result of the emancipation proclamation and the civil war would be american citizens. and they expected that those babies born to the former slaves would be full fledged citizens with all the rights of citizenship bestowed upon them as those created in the image of god just like everyone else. but what happened was, even though the amendment was there that said all persons born in the united states and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are american citizens, over time in the latter part of the 19th

century, it began to be so -- to bestow citizenship on any baby born in the united states. it wasn't successfully challenged, neither is any case on point, in all the full history of the litigation that's taken place that's found its way to the supreme court, there's no on point precedent case that determines that the constitution requires that a baby born in america be automatically an american citizen but the practice has prevailed. the practice has prevailed along the way that a baby born on u.s. territory with certain exceptions is an american citizen, even though the constitution doesn't require it because the subject of the jurisdiction thereof clause that's in there meant a number of things. first, that meant loyalty. where is your allegiance? and there were native american tribes, called indian tribes at the time and still today, indian tribes that if the children bosh

on that reservation were american citizens automatically they were automatically removed from membership of the tribe. so the folks that drafted the 14th amendment wanted to exempt them and that's one of the reasons, one of the reasons they inserted the clause subject to the jurisdiction thereof. because the allegiance of those born on reservations wasn't viewed to be equivalent to those born in the other territorial areas of the united states of america. and then of course they wanted to exempt the children fworn ambassadors, the children born to diplomat the children born to their staff. could you imagine that if there was an invading army and babies were born to the folks that followed along on that army that they would be american citizens? no. they weren't subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

they didn't owe allegiance to the united states. it was clear they owed their allegiance to other foreign princes and po ten 25eu9s, to borrow a phrase from the naturalization oath. and so the clause, subject to the jurisdiction thereof, exempted those who were not obligated to owe allegiance to the united states. but the practice persisted. it persisted to this day. in fact some years ago, a decade ago, we had hearings, and in those hearings, the research, at least the testimony said and here between 340,000 750,000 babies that were born in the united states were both parents, the mother and the father were illegal. and yet, they have been bestowed an automatic citizenship and created this birth tourism and

the price has gone up. if there is a pregnant mother in china, she could buy a $30,000 tigget to be smuggled into the united states and live in an apartment next to the hospital and deliver that baby and have that little baby's feet stamped on the birth sertive ate and made that an american sit accept and flew that momma and baby back to china and 18 years later that baby could petition. that is how the practice gets started and that would go to the supreme court with a decision made based upon justice and so this situation persists. three-quarters of a million babies or more, i mean the

entire population of the dreamers every single year born very year, granted automatic citizenship and they can bring in the family into america and start them on a path to citizenship. what kind of nation would do that. that is a bad habit that persists in delivering a policy that is not constitutional, but rooted in a mirky understanding of what the constitution says. i wouldn't say it is a misunderstanding of what the constitution says. that sets the foundation for the decisions on roe versus wade and dough versus bolton and planned parenthood versus casey and

precedents that built us up to this situation we are taking today. i'm talking about abortion on demand in america, babies who have a chance to live outside the womb being killed because they are invinet and not wanted by the mother. and there is data that shows a significant percentage of mothers who are coerced into that by the biological father who doesn't want to carry that responsibility. what is that based upon? supreme court precedents. how did they build into the position we are. there was a case called griswold versus connecticut, a husband d wife in connecticut wanted to buy contraceptives and because of the catholic

influence, they outlawed it. they went to the supreme court and said we have a right, a constitutional right to purchase contraaccepttives and can't tell us we can't pay for them we want to manage our contraception. and the supreme court stuck their nose into what would have been a state's rice decision and created out of not even whole clothe and the right to privacy that the supreme court concluded the right to privacy would guarantee the right to privacy or the griswolds to purchase contraceptions even though they said it was against the rights of the people of connecticut.

if people wanted to vote with their feet they could have voted but instead the united states supreme court decided they had the power and authority to manufacture a whole new right that doesn't exist in the constitution the right to privacy and guaranteed the right for them to purchase contraaccepttives. that was in the mid-1960's. and another case came up and it as this, an unmarried couple said why are we excluded. we have the same right. if they have the right to privacy, unmarried people have also the right to privacy. and so the supreme court decided, ok, we have started down the slippery slope and granted this right to

controversy and keep the people out of the reproductive lives of eople, how can we deny the unmarried couple that we have griswolds. to the the deprisswoled case became the case and the nonmarried case had the same rights. along came 1973, two cases came before the supreme court, roe versus wade took that concept of the right to privacy that was manufactured, not out of the constitution, manufactured out of thin air, out of the emnations which means in the shadows of where the text of constitution is and they decided that a woman had a right to inherent nd it was an

right rooted in a right to privacy. you have a right to a contraceptive and right to put an end to the life of an innocent unborn baby under the same rights of privacy. who gets to take the life of a baby or a child or young adult or mature adult or senior adult, who gets to do that saying it's only my business. i control that. it is my right to privacy. but the supreme concluded exactly that. what they didn't say that it uld only happen in the first trimester and the same case that came down was dough versus bolton. they gave exceptions, mr. speaker, that said that are,

well, ok, we are going to restrain this right to abortion that we created in roe versus wade but we can't say if the woman has danger to her life, that she shouldn't be able to get an abortion. if it risks her arrive. at about if it damages her health or her psychological health or her relationships will be upset. what if a young lady doesn't have a husband and it would be disturbing to her family for her to have the baby, we want to give her the right to abort the baby because it would upset her familial health, her family health. and it would affect her psychology and her familial life as well. if it affects her physical

health, risks her health, then abort the baby. when taken together, the two cases, it was abortion on demand, manufactured by the united states supreme court. not written in the constitution but pulled out of the shadows, the little shadow around the cloud out there and maybe we can't see it with normal people. we height have the best eyesight and might have 20-20 vision to see what's going on. but the court put on their black robes and looked up at the sky and said we know what is written and the we know it's there and we know and can't read it into the language of the constitution, but we want it and

see it and shape society around it. and they did. and they came down with the roe versus wade decision and same day. january 22, 1973, abortion on demand. and how many of us at that time would know what that would mean. how many of us understood the devastating debacle that was served up to the american people. i remember those times. i was married in 1972. and as we looked around to our friends that were young couples and starting families, we through a decision came down but we had no idea how bad it would be. and no one in 1973 would have predicted that 45 years later, we would have experienced 60 million abortions in the united

states of america. 60 million babies whose precious lives, little babies created in god's image, no one would have expected there would be 60 million on the conscience of america. no one would have expected that we would hear the business community clamoring say we don't have enough people in america and have to go to foreign countries to bring this work. what happens when 60 miltion babies are gone ripped out, what dose that do to the society, our economy, our morality, the conscience, the sibs on the soul of the united states of america, what does it do to all that? what does it do to the next generation? what about the guilt that's carried by the people who took

the advice of planged parent hood and decided it isn't a life. i can be free of the burden of raising a child and walk away and life will be fine again? what's happened to the people who bought into that story? what's happened to the -- let's just say the work force of america, 60 million babies ripped out of america, ripped out of the womb, ripped out of the womb. 60 million babies. 45 years. and mr. speaker, if you do a back of the envelope calculation and you think of those little girls that were aborted, many of them would be mothers again today, they would be mothers by now. and i did a back of the end envelope calculation and i screws figured that each little

girl that had been aborted since 1973, in those years they would be of reproductive age and some of them would you please be of that age yet but those who would have had three babies, that is another 60 million babies. 60 million. the hole in our society is 60 million babies plus another 60 million babies. 120 million americans you could say they aren't going to average three, that is true. maybe 2 1/2. but if you take 120 million and dial that down aways, i could tell you what the population of america was 100 years ago. 106 millionhe 1920,

americans was the total amount which comes up in a couple of years. 106 million americans. that's how many we are missing today. all of that many babies, all of that million developed adults, young people that would have lived, loved, learn, laughed, played, raised, started businesses, created jobs, improved the quality of life and enriched our lives a love that would flow from 100 million americans that were denied the right to live and taken from this world before they were taken a chance before they screamed for their own mercy. that's the burden that america is carrying today. and when that day comes, mr.

speaker, when that day comes that abortion is over in america and we respect and we revere ife again as it once was and shall be, it doesn't america that america is and solved against this sin on our nation. what it means we can put our pieces back together and build a history and a legacy of a love and respect and reference for life, all life, life from the moment of ferlt lization until natural death. and by the way, that moment of fertilization until natural death is the mission statement of the natural right to life. i'm not it says they're dedicated to protecting life from the

beginning of life until natural death. i embrace that mission statement, i embrace that ideology and that philosophy that shaped that mission statement for the national right to life, the country's oldest and largest pro-life organization. but i did ask the question, how do they define the beginning of life? and i looked down through their website and it's defined from, it's defined from fertilization, life beginnings at fertilization. that's the mission of natural right to life. we agree and i applaud that position. i applaud the work they've done over the last more than 45 years, because they formed themselveses before roe v. wade, i believe 1968, so they should be applauded for the work they've done over the years. but national right to life is married to a concept of incrementalism and when you read through their statements, the testimony they've supported

before various state legislateture -- legislature the positions they have taken, mr. speaker, it becomes -- and as i have done, sat down and talked with their leadership and tried to convince their leadership to be stronger, more bold, the same answer came back from each one of them that i talked to at national right to life and it's this. they are committed to doing what can be done around the edges. the supreme court has built a fence around the right -- what they call a right to abortion. there is no right to abortion. there's no constitutional right to abortion. it is manufactured, as i said earlier. the national right to life, the nation's oldest and largest pro-life organization, has built a fence around supreme court decisions. and they're working incrementalism to try to get as close to that fence around the supreme court decisions as they can without being reversed by a decision of the court. and that is their strategic

approach. and they have been granted a de facto veto power to any legislation that would come to the floor of the house of representatives that doesn't have their support. i said de facto, that's the net result of it, in fact that is the result of it. and so we have 170 co-sponsors on the heart beat protection act. a piece of legislation that says, before a doctor can perform an abortion, commit an abortion, he must first check for a heart beat and if a heart beat can be detected, the baby is protected. we know if there's a beating heart, there's life. and if there's a beating heart and you go in and stop the beating of that heart, you've ended that life. the most innocent lives that there are, are those unborn little babies. and if there's a heart beat that can be detected, the baby must

be protected. that's the bill. that's the heart beat protection act. but national right to life doesn't support, they say it this way, mr. speaker. national right to life, they say, excuse me they say national right to life does not oppose the heart beat bill. does not oppose. which is, you know, it's a little bit of semantics, mr. speaker. i struck through the does not oppose, i'll put it there in exactly the same mean they do not support. if you're national right to life and committed to protecting life from the moment of fertilization until natural death, how do you not step up to support the heart beat bill that protects babies from the moment a heart beat can be detected, the bay be is protected? and the rationale is, our

strategy is not here on heart beat, their strategy is, try not to ever challenge the supreme court of the united states. how can we have the nation's oldest and largest pro-life organization that has entrenched in a philosophy, a legislative strategy that says that they're never going to challenge the supreme court of the united states? if you're -- if you're not going to challenge the supreme court of the united states, then it's on your head and on your conscience of anybody, not just national right to life, but anybody who says, i'm not willing to challenge the supreme court of the united states, i'm not willing to challenge roe v. wade, dole vs. bolden or planned parenthood vs. casey, when you are de facto accepting the idea that there will be -- no, accepting the actual reality of a million abortions a year as far as the eye can see.

that's what this language here that says, the national right to life does not oppose the heart beat bill. i say they do not support the heart beat bill. both statements are true. but opposing challenging the supreme court decisions of roe v. wade and doe vs. bolton guarantees a million abortions a year as far as the eye can see over the horizon of 4istry -- history and out of sight, a million a year. we've seen 60 million abortions in the united states of america in the last 45 years. at this ratio that we're on today if the population doesn't grow, and if the ratio stays the same and it sure looks to unless we do something, we're looking at a million a year, and 45 years from now another 45 million abortions. another 15 years later, we're back another 60 million. then it's 120 million babies and we know how that work works. then those babies not born to the mothers who would have been

giving birth to them, you can double the number again. but already, we're missing the entire population of the united states of america, of 100 years ago as a result of the abortion sense 1973. and this nation must step up to the moral principle that every human life is sacred, they're sacred in all their forms. in fact, governor bob casey, democratic governor of pennsylvania, since passed away, god rest his soul, said human life cannot be measured, it's the measure itself against which all other things are weighed. i'm prepared to, and at least 170 house members are prepared to, go to the supreme court again if challenged, pass the heart beat bill out of the house, pass it out of the senate, send it to the president's desk, the president will sign it. the other side, the pro-abortion

people will litigate it and it'll end up in the supreme court and the supreme court needs to decide, are they going to reflect and honor life? the 14th amendment requires we protect life. life over liberty. and in fact, the prioritized rights of life, liberty, and property in the 14th amendment, in the declaration, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and life is always number one. this country must step up and defend human life. i want to, from the floor of this congress tonight, put a shout "out of practice" and congratulations to the iowa senate who moved a very similar heart beat bill by a vote of 30-20, passed it off the floor of the iowa senate with a 24-minute debate. took 24 minutes and a 30-20 bipartisan vote came off the floor and went, got messaged over thth iowa hourpt.

and there, they're in serious deliberations today, i don't know the results of of -- of those discussion, i left there last night with optimism that the heart beat bill in iowa would come to the floor there soon, perhaps as early as next week and should it pass, then it's likely to go to the governor's desk and i do not have a public statement but i will say i have confidence that governor reynolds will sign a heart beat bill if it gets to her desk. she's a solid, principled, clear-thinking leader who is also pro-life, mr. speaker. and so we're doing the things that we can do to protect the lives that we can protect but it is not good enough to play a perpetual strategy of incrementalism. incrementalism of a little bit here a little bit there, try this, try that. what has it done for us? it's saved a few lives. it really has. and every life is precious and worth saving. but, it's not good enough, it's

not good enough to accept the idea that we're going to see a million babies aborted in america every year as far as the eye can see. so that's why the house of representatives and -- needs to get the heart beat bill to the floor where i believe the votes are there for it to pass, national right to life needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way. right now. number one entity in the entire united states of america that's holding the heart beat bill off this floor of the house of representatives is right here, the nation's number one pro-life organization, the national right to life. reconsider justice kennedy has announced that it's -- announced at least, not by justice kennedy yet, that he's likely to retire mid summer. we'll have a pro-life court by september and it's time to move now. that's my message, mr. speaker. and i ask all of us to stand up and protect innocent, unborn

human life and let's start to cleanse again the soul of america. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. does the gentleman from iowa have a motion? mr. king: mr. speaker, i move the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it this emotion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debat

very bipartisan and is largely uncontroversial. it is not wade into the gun gunte -- weighed into the debate.

it would create a grant program to educate students and teachers and create a system where they could anonymously report. the bill is called the stop school violence act and is monitored by the --sponsored by the jacksonville sheriff, form er. you write about the debate saying he is printing house appropriators to include funding asking houseram -- appropriators to include funding for this program. >> appropriators have to dole out the funding in a separate funding bill and that would be in the omnibus spending bill

week.ill come next , but he not enough time is certainly scrambling to do that. >> there is a commanding measure --companion measure in the senate sponsored by senator radio -- -- rubio. nix bill, which is strengthening background checks, has struggled to get across the finish line on the senate side. more slow-moving over on the senate side. bill, thefix nix majority whip of texas, it is his bill. he said he has 16 senate sponsors on that bill.

tell us more about what that bill would do. >> it would not expand background checks but would encourage more reporting by the states. it would not go as far as universal background checks -- that is what you have been hearing in the past few weeks that democrats are supportive of. has enough supporters and to overcome the filibuster and is backed by the nra. if this bill cannot get over the finish on, some say nothing can in congress. do they see proposals from the white house as a starting point for negotiations? >> it is a starting point but a armingthese ideas like

teachers, it is still a really controversial idea and unless the president with a time of political capital behind this idea and uses his voice to push that, it will be an uphill battle in congress. >> we have been speaking with anona reed. >> thanks for having me. announcer: earlier today the senate natural resources committee held a hearing to examine the president's 2019 budget request for the interior department. you can watch the entire hearing tonight on c-span. announcer: the senate foreign relations committee chair bob corker announced plans to hold a confirmation