Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014 No. 64 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER about 50 million people, 13 million who called to order by the Speaker. The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- are children, living below poverty in f tain up to five requests for 1-minute the greatest country in the world. We speeches on each side of the aisle. know we must expand economic oppor- PRAYER tunity to have a strong middle class, The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick f who are the backbone of this great J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: GENTRY FIRE DEPARTMENT 100TH country. We know that getting every Eternal God, through Whom we see ANNIVERSARY American working will add to not only who we are and what we can become, our tax base, but also reduce the deficit thank You for giving us another day. (Mr. WOMACK asked and was given and debt and eliminate poverty. Send Your spirit upon the Members permission to address the House for 1 So the question is, Madam Speaker, of this people’s House to encourage minute.) why aren’t we doing it? Where are the them in their official tasks. Be with Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in visionaries? Where is the President’s them and with all who labor here to celebration of the Gentry Arkansas American Jobs Act of 2013 or the 21st serve this great Nation and its people. Fire Department’s 100th birthday. Century Full Employment and Train- Assure them that, whatever their re- Gentry, Arkansas, is home to over ing Act? Where are they? sponsibilities, You provide the grace to 3,000 of my constituents; and for the Madam Speaker, let’s bring them to enable them to be faithful in their du- past 100 years, the Gentry Fire Depart- the floor. ment has been steadfastly committed ties and the wisdom to be conscious of f their obligations and fulfill them with to their safety and well-being, as well CUBAN JOURNALIST JULIET integrity. as the safety of thousands more who MICHELENA DIAZ Remind us all of the dignity of work reside in the surrounding areas of Ben- and teach us to use our talents and ton County. (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was ability in ways that are honorable and From its humble beginnings in 1914 given permission to address the House just and are of benefit to those we to the purchase of its first firetruck in for 1 minute and to revise and extend serve. the 1940s, the Gentry Fire Department her remarks.) May all that is done this day be for and firefighters have worked tirelessly Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I Your greater honor and glory. for its citizens, placing themselves in rise today to bring attention to the Amen. great danger to protect the lives and case of Juliet Michelena Diaz, an inde- property of others. pendent Afro-Cuban journalist who last f We rest easy knowing the depart- month was unjustly detained by Cas- THE JOURNAL ment will continue to do so for the tro’s thugs simply for photographing The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- next century, and I join the residents the brutality of the state security ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- of Gentry to express my profound grat- forces of Fidel Castro in Havana. ceedings and announces to the House itude. The detention of this young jour- his approval thereof. Thank you to the Gentry firefighters, nalist is not just an example of the re- Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- past and present, for 100 years of self- gime’s efforts to silence those who are nal stands approved. less service to the Pioneer community. critical of its actions, but it also shows I wish you a very happy 100th birthday. how ruthless the Castro brothers con- f f tinue to be in their policy of repressing PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE independent voices and violating FULL EMPLOYMENT The SPEAKER. Will the gentle- human rights. woman from the District of Columbia (Ms. HANABUSA asked and was There is no independent press in (Ms. NORTON) come forward and lead given permission to address the House Cuba and many journalists are afraid the House in the Pledge of Allegiance. for 1 minute.) to speak out against the dictatorship Ms. NORTON led the Pledge of Alle- Ms. HANABUSA. Madam Speaker, for fear of incarceration. That is why it giance as follows: the bottom line is we need bold visions is so important to support the free flow I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the to achieve full employment. of information on the island so that United States of America, and to the Repub- We know only too well that we have the Cuban people can exchange ideas to lic for which it stands, one nation under God, had unprecedented periods of high un- promote democratic principles and the indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. employment. We know that we have rule of law. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H3367 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 01:31 May 02, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A01MY7.000 H01MYPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H3368 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 1, 2014 DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA and thank him for his service to the LEGISLATIVE BRANCH LAWS 11th Congressional District. This last APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015 (Ms. NORTON asked and was given Saturday marked 50 years of continued GENERAL LEAVE permission to address the House for 1 service to this great district. It was the Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- minute and to revise and extend her re- first district meeting that he had mous consent that all Members may marks.) missed. have 5 legislative days in which to re- Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, 18 States Mr. Corbin is a lifelong resident of vise and extend their remarks and in- and the District of Columbia have rap- Franklin, North Carolina, which is a clude extraneous material on consider- idly decriminalized marijuana laws, testament to his commitment to our ation of H.R. 4487, and that I may in- making them subject only to fines. community; and from 1980 to 1989, Mr. clude tabular material on the same. They did so for various reasons. None Corbin served as the Republican chair- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. of those reasons were more solid or im- man of the 11th Congressional District. MEADOWS). Is there objection to the re- portant than the Council’s decision to As chairman, Mr. Corbin made impor- quest of the gentleman from Okla- decriminalize D.C.’s marijuana laws. tant contributions that have had a homa? African Americans in the District of lasting impact on western North Caro- There was no objection. Columbia and Whites use marijuana at lina. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- the same rate, but Blacks have an ar- In 1981, his activism led to the elec- ant to House Resolution 557 and rule rest record for possession eight times tion of the former Representative Bill XVIII, the Chair declares the House in that of Whites. That’s discrimination. Hendon, who was the first Republican the Committee of the Whole House on It is the same thing when Chairman Congressman to represent the 11th Dis- the state of the Union for the consider- JOHN MICA of the Government Oper- trict in over 100 years. ation of the bill, H.R. 4487. ations Subcommittee of the Oversight From 1982 to 2002, Mr. Corbin served The Chair appoints the gentlewoman and Government Reform Committee as the chairman of the Macon County from Florida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) to decides to hold a hearing on D.C.’s Board of Commissioners. His leadership preside over the Committee of the marijuana decriminalization law but and inspiration to his son led his son to Whole. on no others. Two prior hearings have get involved in politics. He now holds b 0912 that same position. It is both of them looked at marijuana decriminalization. IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE None has called local public officials. that have set a tremendous example for Accordingly, the House resolved Be on notice. The District of Colum- our Nation. itself into the Committee of the Whole bia insists that it not be treated any I will close with this. All of us in House on the state of the Union for the differently from the 18 States that Washington can learn a lesson from consideration of the bill (H.R. 4487) have decriminalized marijuana and the Mr. Corbin, who has long said that, making appropriations for the Legisla- States who have legalized it. once elected, Representatives serving tive Branch for the fiscal year ending f constituents ought to leave their poli- September 30, 2015, and for other pur- tics at the door and truly serve the poses, with Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN in the VETERANS FAIR ECONOMIC TOWN citizens. HALL chair. The Clerk read the title of the bill. (Mr. WALBERG asked and was given f The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the permission to address the House for 1 bill is considered read the first time.