guest: as the aca goes forward, we will be looking for an appeal and a ruling at higher levels of judicial system on that case. another notable thing about 2019, democrats have taken back more seat than they have since watergate. in the house, you will see a more robust debate on how to make this more affordable. that is an important step toward future health care reform. one of the reasons aca repeal failed, republicans did not have hearings on repeal and replace. they had one markup during the year of repeal efforts. democrats want open dialogue and to hear from the experts and talk to each other about how to improve the system. >> we will leave here. the houses gaveling in momentarily. speech is up first.

they will be desperately -- back briefly at 2:00. taking up continuing resolution. we may see action on that in the house by tomorrow. ive coverage to the h the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., december 19, 2018. i hereby appoint the honorable roger w. marshall to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul d. ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. e speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 8, 2018, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties . all time shall be equally allocated between the parties and in no event shall debate ontinue beyond 1:50 p.m.

each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, for five minutes. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the football team for winning their fourth division ii national championship on december 15, the blazers. they got a two-point conversion to defeat fair state university. with a record of 14-0 this year, they had the nation's top scoring offense. the offense was led by their quarterback, rogan wells, who was finalist for best player in the country. he passed for 349 yards, ran for 39, and caught a touchdown pass in the national championship victory. valdosta, though, is no

strangers to victories. located in south georgia, they have been recognized by espn as title town u.s.a. er the years, valdosta teams combined 252 titles across different sports. go, blazers. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize dr. george e. francisco on four decades of teaching pharmacists at the college level, nearly all of which have been spent with the university of georgia. known across campus as an outstanding teacher for his personable approach with his students, dr. francis could he say has won numerous awards using his own teaching skills. he was awarded outstanding teacher at the university of georgia, named outstanding young men of america, was featured in the georgia pharmacist magazine, among many accolades. his students say that dr.

francisco exemplifies what it means to be a teacher in the truist sense and that he represents the kind of professional someday they hope to become. i am so proud that the state of georgia has dr. francisco training our next generation of pharmacists. teachers like him are some of the greatest assets of our society, and i hope that he continues to make such an important impact for years to come. thank you for your work and dedication, dr. francisco. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize mr. parker green of valdosta, georgia, who passed away on december 18, 2018. mr. green was a stalwart at moody air force base. in 2007 he was honored with the exceptional public service award for work on the base. his colleagues said they don't know if anyone else could compare with his dedication and contribution to moody. mr. green had been working with the base since the early 1970's

when he served as first chairman of military affairs for the valdosta chamber of commerce. among a number of other contributions, he's also worked with the department of transportation on roads leading in and out of the base and even has a building named after him. mr. green has truly been involved in every aspect with both moody air force base and the surrounding area, touching the lives of countless people who have been stationed there. his family, friends, and everyone at moody will be in my thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, for five minutes. mr. speaker, i rise today in appreciation of the people of guam for their

trust, support, and respect for allowing me to honor, to represent guam and their interests here in the congress of the united states for eight terms. i also rise this final time in appreciation to my colleagues in this wonderful institution, the u.s. house of representatives. for their support over the years, as we have worked on many impactful issues for the betterment of our constituents and our nation, it has been my honor to serve in congress for the last 16 years, and i leave here proud of what we have accomplished, not just for guam, but for our nation and our allies in the asia pacific region. as the nonvoting delegate for the 168,000 americans who live on the westernmost territory of the united states of america, i worked with my congressional colleagues to support policies, programs, and legislation that have benefited the people of

guam. i have also secured billions of dollars in federal investment in guam and our people. and with the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we saw the passage of landmark legislation for guam, including passing war reparations to recognize the survivors of the occupation of guam during world war ii. enshrining the independence of guam's judiciary as a co-equal branch of government. enhancing regional security with the relocation of marines to guam. holding the military accountable to its responsibilities to guam's civilian population. promoting guam's chamorro culture. protecting our environment, and improving health care for veterans and for all guam residents. in just this last year, i have worked with entrepreneurs to jump-start the process for guam to eventually become a commercial space port. i have also engaged leaders in

the renewable energy industry and sponsored legislation passed unanimously by the house to develop off-shore wind energy that will benefit guam's electricity needs for decades to come. we have strengthened relations with our neighbors in the asia pacific and enhanced tourism which is guam's largest nonmilitary industry and employer. and finally, through engagement and cooperation with our regional allies, we have enhanced the security of the independento asia pacific region and our -- indo asia pacific region and our interests, countering growing threats and safeguarding against rogue countries. these are just some of our successes. my colleagues would often tease me by saying, here she come, ms. guam, what does she want now? while this was often said jokingly, and i have always accepted this as good nature humor, i hope that it speaks to the dedication that i brought

to effectively representing my constituents as the first woman to serve as guam's elected delegate to the united states congress. mr. speaker, guam residents have no other voice or voting representation in their federal government to champion their interests and their causes. despite the successes we have had during my tenure. i cannot leave without commenting on the disparity between the representatives from the 50 states and the delegates who represent four million fellow americans residing in the u.s. territories. it is unfortunate, mr. speaker, that our country continues to disenfranchise americans in the territories, merely because of where we live. my constituents lack full voting representation in the house. we have no representation in the senate, and are denied the right to vote for the president

of the united states, and yet, we serve and sacrifice at the highest rates in our military. when i was first elected to congress in 2002, one of my predecessors, the late congressman ben blass, commented to me that as guam's delegate, i would be a member of congress but not one of its true members. so i hoped we will continue to see our nation strive for that goal and that includes giving full representation and voting rights to our fellow americans living in the territories and the district of columbia. mr. speaker, while i'm saddened for my congressional tenure to come to a close, i leave proud of my work to advance guam's interests and thankful for the support and the friendship of the colleagues with whom i've served for these past 16 years. i'm also internally grateful to the nearly 200 staffers and

interns who have aided me throughout the years in the congressional office. i'm especially appreciative for the staff who were with me during this last year in congress. my d.c. office, adam, rosanne, howard, edgar, brandon, ian, and kathryn. and in my district, guam strict office, john, kalela, amanda, robert, audreya, and dodo. i would not have been successful without their dedication and tireless support. and i ask that the full list of all my congressional staff be included in the record. and i ask that my full remarks be included for this record. and with that i thank you, mr. speaker, and for the final time i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: thank you, mr. speaker. egan are on deany was -- rondini was a student at the university of alabama. she was originally from austin, texas. chose alabama as her school of choice. she goes to school there, while she's a student she comes in contact with a former student. his nickname was sweet tea, and he takes her to his residence, literally a plantation home, he sexually assaults her. megan jumps out of the second story of his residence and goes to the hospital and that's where her nightmare continued. while she's at the hospital, the people in charge there didn't know how to deal with a sexual assault victim. and the sexual assault exam was

botched. she leaves the hospital, she goes to the sheriff's department, they start interviewing her and find out the perpetrator was from an important family in the area and all of a sudden they backed off, according to her, and they didn't prosecute sweet tea. in fact, they told megan that she needed to her warnings given to her. she goes to university of alabama, seeks a counselor. the counselor finds out who the perpetrator was and the counselor said, i can't help you. this is conflict of interest. i know this person. the university of alabama didn't provide her another counselor. she goes into depression. she leaves the university of alabama. she transfers to s.m.u. in dallas, texas. and shortly after she transferred to s.m.u., megan rondini took her own life. you see, mr. speaker, she got the death penalty for being a

victim of crime. perpetrator, in her mind, alleged perpetrator, nothing ever happened to him. so there are a lot of problems and issues that came up during the way she was not treated at the hospital, the sheriff's department, and by the university. there was at the hospital, not a sexual assault forensic examiner or a sexual assault forensic nurse there to take care of her. who are these people? these are wonderful people who are trained to deal with sexual assault victims. the hospital didn't have one of those for her. and it turns out, there are many hospitals in the country that don't have these individuals. to of help sexual assault victims -- to help sexual assault victims that are trained to deal with them and deal with them exclusively.

so i have talked and met with megan's parents, cindy and mike , who still live in austin, and we've talked and met with a lot of members of congress on what can we do about this. and we have filed house esolution 7292, it's a bipartisan resolution, issues egarding victims of crime, are bipartisan. leah an rondini and griffin sexual assault victims protection act and provides a task force and a multitude of other things so we can get this problem solve and have hospitals get it together so we treat sexual assault victims the way we should and it has a task force. i won't go into details. it's bipartisan legislation. co-sponsored by my friend on the other side, congresswoman

jayapal, and we have many members on both sides to bring it to the house floor, bring it under suspension or unanimous consent to get this legislation passed. and it's my understanding as of high noon today, this legislation is not going to come to the floor this congress. my hope and desire it comes next year when i'm not here but other people take up the mantle to protect people like megan and leah. mr. speaker, there are a lot of lobbyists in washington, d.c. i understand there are 5,000 lobbying groups. that's 10 for every member of congress advocating. victims of crime don't have high dollar lobbyists. we are their only voice, mr. speaker, and we ought to start acting like it and bring legislation to the floor on a bipartisan basis and not find excuses not to do it because we're it. people like megan rondini are protected by the same constitution that protects

defendants of crime, and it's important that we help those people and their families make sure they don't continue to be victims of crime after the crime is committed and the system should not continue to make them victims of crime, whether it's the hospital, whether it's the sheriff's department or whether it's the university. i do want to say, mr. speaker, the university of alabama has made some changes, texas a&m has made some changes due to the 12th woman group that's lobbying on the same thing, and i hope that congress will see this legislation and pass it because it's the right thing to do, even if we have to wait until next year. and that's just the way it is, mr. speaker. . the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from mass marks mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: as i reminded my colleagues many times, there is not a congressional district in america that's hunger free. and hunger in america defies

stereotypes. many families that grapples with food insecurity are working but don't make enough money to buy sufficient food after a all a the bills are paid. that's why on the monday and tuesday before thanksgiving i participated in the ninth annual monty's march, a 43-mile walk to raise awareness about hunger in our community and to raise money for the food bank of western massachusetts. the leader of our march was monty, a well-known radio personality, and a committed activist on behalf of those who are vulnerable. i was so proud to join them again this year to walk the 43 miles and i'm even more proud that he raised nearly $300,000. this translates into nearly three million meals for people struggling with food insecurity. mr. speaker, i was so impressed by the incredible again rossity of our community. it was inspiring. -- again rossity of -- generosity of our community. it was inspiring. we need a strong commitment by our government to do its part. i would argue that we have

fallen short of doing what is needed. those who i had the pleasure of marching alongside during monty's march understand that. and they understand what it means to be part of a community. so today i would like to thank them for their work. first and foremost, to monty and all the people at wrsi, the river. mark, joan, kay la -- kayla, kelly, matt, and steve. thank you so very much. you are all wonderful. i would like to thank andrew moorehouse the executive director of the food barning of western massachusetts and everyone at the food bank for the work they do. i'd like to thank sean berry from four seasons licker in hadley who was monty's right-hand man for two days. i'd like to thank all the elected official who is joined part of the march, including congressman joe kennedy, state representative aaron vega, state senator elect joe, and state representatives elect natalie,

mindy, dan, and lindsay. and of course i'd like to thank the northwestern district attorney david sullivan. i'd like to thank eastampton mayor nicole. orth hampton mayor nakowitz. who have always been key partners. i want to thank tim of the united way of central massachusetts, ron johnson, c.e.o. of the martin luther king jr. family services in springfield. rubin, operations manage irat lorraine's soup kitchen. and jasmine, kate's kitchen in holyoke. each of them has done so much to help those struggling with hunger. i want to thank you to -- special thank you to the sheriff's departments in ham and -- hamdan, hampshire the police who provided escorts for us. we're so grateful for all they do to keep us safe every day. thank to you expandable brass

band, the drum corps from frank liven county tech school and performers from double edge theater for keeping us jazzed up during the entire march. i want to thank you to everyone who gave us space to rest and good food along the way, the bistro, sierra grill, bridgeside bill, ben clark of clark dale fruit farms. the stone soup cafe. thank you to the school children who greeted us and raised funds to support our cause, including nurse meg and her team of marchers from conway grammar school. mr. brooks in the smith vow tech for their help with the carts we used to march. i want to of course thank my son who marched with me the entire second day. finally to our v.i.p. marchers, hia, steve the hippie, rick,

andrea, marina, lee ray, hristian and her baby, elizabeth, maryanne, michelle, amy, margo, terry. we simply could not have done this without you. thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. mr. speaker, i was glad to be part of this, but i close by expressing my deep concern about the future. with so many people in need of assistance, any cuts to snap would be devastating for families across this country. this next congress needs to stand firm against any more cuts to snap. we ought to stand firm against any structural changes to the program and any more burdensome requirements. we must protect this program and other programs that provide people nutrition. food ought to be a fundamental right for everybody in this country. we live in the richest country in the history of the world. nobody should be hungry. and the spirit of all those who took part in monty's march, we in this congress can and will do better. we must end hunger now. i yield back my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. marshall, for five minutes. mr. marshall: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the house's work that aims to improve outcomes for children with complex medical conditions. as a physician i have delivered more than 10,000 babies and seen firsthand many of these complex and complicated conditions often when babies are born prematurely. today there are 33 million children dependent upon medicaid in our country. two million are considered medically complex. it's imperative we take a compassionate look at the way in which this care is being provided to some of our most vulnerable patients. and i am proud the legislation the house recently passed to address the way that care is provided for these children. last week we passed the improve act with overwhelming bipartisan support. this legislation included the advancing care for exceptional kids act that aims to put our nation's sickest kids and their

families first by improving their care. these children and their families already face many challenges. thus our health care system has to work with them by making access to care more manageable and easier to navigate. too often these children are forced to see multiple doctors, sometimes requiring them to go across datelines for treatment. this can be both costly, time consuming, and confusing. this bill refuses -- reduces the burden on families by no longer making them jump through hoops. it also ensures that each child gets the coverage they need by helping hospitals coordinate across state lines and provides additional resources to families to help them navigate the health care system this. coordination will likely reduce emergency visits and in-patient hospitalizations. and ultimately lower the overall cost of care for these children while at the same time provide for better outcomes. in can a. 41% of children with special health care needs are covered by medicaid. i appreciate the opportunity to

make medicaid a more caring, comprehensive, and efficient system for each and every child with the serious long-term ills -- illness. mr. speaker, as i traveled across kansas i heard how a strong internet connection can impact communities, boost local economies, and create jobs. access to the internet allows small businesses to sell their products across the country and the world. it enables students to access additional learning tools and gives doctors the ability to treat patients in the most remote parts of the district. far too often i'm reminded the complications my district has to get connected. i rise today to highlight the recent steps taken to advance broadband deployment in rural mirk. last week the federal communications commission unanimously voted to provide additional funding to carriers utilizing the universal service funds high cost program. the high cost program helps providers to place broadband

infrastructure in extremely rural and hard to reach places where the cost to connect is too high. i'm also excited that the united states department of agriculture is working to expand broadband access to our ag producers. i was grateful to join secretary perdue as he announced details after new program last week at the department of agriculture. the program called reconnect targets funding in the forms of grants and loans to areas currently lacking a reliable internet connection. farmers and ranchers need a broadband connection to monitor their operations and increase efficiencies on their farm which ultimately drives the cost of doing business. connectivity is such a vital part of everyday life and its importance continues to grow people's access should not be affected by where they choose to life. i thank secretary perdue, chairman pie, and president trump for making broadband a priority.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr. cuian -- for five minutes. >> mr. speaker, today i stand before the house to thank the people of nevada's fourth congressional district. . mr. kihuen: it has been the honor of my life to serve as a member of congress and represent my constituents in the 115th congress. i have worked tirelessly on their behalf every single day to make nevada a great place to live and raise a family. as many of my colleagues know, waste not born in this country. i don't come interest a wealthy -- from a wealthy or politically connected family. my family immigrated from mexico when i was 8. my parents, a housekeeper and former farm worker, came to america because they knew that if they worked hard and sacrificed that in america they could achieve the american dream. less than 30 years later thanks to the wonderful opportunities

that only in this country has to offer, their son is standing before you as a representative of the united states of america. that is the american dream. there are still so many people who have hopes and aspirations of achieving that american dream. unfortunately under this administration immigrants have been denigrated. before even being given a chance, they are labeled as criminals and murderers. but america is a nation of immigrants and the land of opportunity. as the first dreamer and one of the first two former undocumented immigrants to serve in congress in our nation's history, i have used my personal experience to fight for other dreamers so that daca recipients are able to remain in america and thrive. i have fought to ensure our asylum process is upheld and the young, innocent children are not separate interested their families at the border. and i have advocated for comprehensive immigration

reform. my democratic colleagues and i have also fought relentlessly to protect people's health care and the affordable health care act. especially as republicans have tried time and time again to get rid of pre-existing conditions. i was proud to announce my support for the can medicare for all act because health care is a human right, and all americans deserve quality and affordable health care. i join my brothers and sisters in championing workers' rights, fighting for a $15 minimum wage, a right to join a union, and equal pay for women. i fought against the unconstitutional travel ban. fiercely defended funding for planned parenthood. and stood side by side with our lgbtq community in the fight for full equality. as a members of the financial services committee, i fought to keep people in their homes, advocated for affordable housing, and the immediate need to address homelessness in america. i was proud to join the nevada

delegation in standing strong to fight against efforts to bring nuclear waste to ym. yucca mountain is not safe and should remain closed forever. i induced the step fact for veterans which would provide grants to community colleges to train veterans with the job skills employers need in their communities. although we can never do enough to thank our veterans for their sacrifices, i'm proud of the work that i did to help them get the resources they need and desoifment -- deserve. one worst days of my life and many of my constituents' lives was last year, october 1, 2017, when las vegas became the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern american history. in total 58 innocent lives were lost. while they are gone i wanted to make sure that their memories were not lost. that is why i told each of their 58 stories here on the house floor so that their precious and vibrant lives would be remembered and never forgotten.

i am optimistic that the house will finally pass meaningful legislation next year to prevent more tragedies from happening. lastly, mr. speaker, i would like to thank my team who worked tirelessly day in and day out to deliver services to hundreds of nevadans. i relied on them every day to do my job. and i couldn't have done it without them. i am profoundly grateful and forever grateful to each and every one of them. thank you to my colleagues for making my time as a member of congress unforgettable. i have made so many friends here, friendships that will last a lifetime. thank you to all the staff and the house of representatives, including the floor staff, the cleaning crew, the kitchen staff, all of you who i enjoyed many great conversations with. and thank you to my family and friends for all of your unconditional support and thank you, once again, to my constituents, for putting your faith and trust in me.

i am blessed and honored to serve you and grateful for the opportunity to give back to the state and country that has given e and my family so much. peaking a foreign language] thank you, mr. speaker, may god bless nevada, and may god bless he united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will provide a translation of his speech, please. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the house -- the chair declares the house in recess bills on the calendar today with votes happening after 6:30 eastern tonight. off the floor, it looks like they'll have a continuing resolution. the senate is introducing it.

mitch mcconnell introducing to in the minute. likely the senate will pick up a continuing resolution, funding the federal government through february 8. one of "roll call" writing that the bill will be carried on the back of a leftover spending bill previously passed by the house during this congress. now things could move at warp speed with senators eager to get out of washington, d.c. follow the house here on c-span when they return and the senate live now over on c-span2. house speaker paul ryan delivers a farewell address today at the library of congress. our live coverage in about half an hour at 1:00 p.m. eastern and you can follow that on c-span3, c-span.org and on the free c-span radio app. later, veterans affairs secretary robert wilke testifies both the house and senate veterans' affairs committees on the agency's mission and that's live beginning at 2:00 eastern on c-span3. and the house rules committee meeting later this afternoon. they'll continue a year-end package of tax cuts, including the extension of two expired

tax breaks. we'll have that meeting of the rules committee at 5:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> when the new congress takes office in january, it will have the youngest, most diverse freshmen class in recent history. new congress, new leaders, watch it live on c-span starting january 3. >> government under which we live was created in the spirit of compromise and mutual concession. >> thomas jefferson questioned the need for a senate. >> founders envisioned -- >> let's follow the constitution. >> the framers established the senate to protect people from their rulers and as a check on the house. >> the fate of this country and maybe even the world lies in the hands of congress and the united states senate.

>> the senate: conflict and compromise, a c-span original production, exploring the history, traditions, and role of this uniquely american institution. >> please raise your right hand. >> wednesday, january 2, at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span. >> now a discussion about the impact of multilateralism on peace around the globe and the role and influence of international organizations like the united nations and nato. the french embassy hosted the panel which included the french ambassador to the u.s., discussing shifting political and diplomatic attitudes in the u.s. and europe and how those changes have affected the chances for peace in areas of ongoing armed conflict, war, and humanitarian crisis. this is 90 minutes.