Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 114 CONGRESS, FIRST 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 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015 No. 183 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was to wear the cloth of this country’s In our encounters with each other, called to order by the Speaker. Navy. guide us with Your steadfast love that, We would ask that You would grant in these days of tumultuous seas of f Your blessing on these whom You have conflict and raging waters of uncer- called to ensure that the voices of faith tainty, Your way be known and Your PRAYER are never silenced, to provide the sanc- path revealed. It is in the strength of Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben, tuary of Your presence, to serve along- Your name we pray. Chief of Chaplains for the United side the sons and daughters who faith- Amen. States Navy, Washington, D.C., offered fully serve in every clime and place to f the following prayer: preserve the ideals You have offered. Almighty God, whose way is in the THE JOURNAL sea and whose paths are in the great In our efforts to preserve liberty, re- The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- waters, we offer our gratitude to You, mind us that the freedoms we enjoy are ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- for the pastors, rabbis, priests, and gifts of Your grace. ceedings and announces to the House imams who, over the course of 240 In our deliberations to uphold jus- his approval thereof. years, have left the safety of their tice, keep us bound to Your law of Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- homes and the comfort of their pulpits mercy. nal stands approved. NOTICE If the 114th Congress, 1st Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 24, 2015, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 114th Congress, 1st Session, will be published on Thursday, December 31, 2015, to permit Members to insert statements. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT–59 or S–123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Wednesday, December 30. The final issue will be dated Thursday, December 31, 2015, and will be delivered on Monday, January 4, 2016. None of the material printed in the final issue of the Congressional Record may contain subject matter, or relate to any event, that occurred after the sine die date. Senators’ statements should also be formatted according to the instructions at http://webster.senate.gov/secretary/ Departments/ReporterslDebates/resources/conglrecord.pdf, and submitted electronically, either on a disk to accompany the signed statement, or by e-mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ‘‘[email protected]’’. Members of the House of Representatives’ statements may also be submitted electronically by e-mail, to accompany the signed statement, and formatted according to the instructions for the Extensions of Remarks template at https://housenet.house.gov/legislative/research-and-reference/transcripts-and-records/electronic-congressional-record-inserts. The Official Reporters will transmit to GPO the template formatted electronic file only after receipt of, and authentication with, the hard copy, and signed manuscript. Deliver statements to the Official Reporters in Room HT–59. Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Office of Congressional Publishing Services, at the Government Publishing Office, on 512– 0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. GREGG HARPER, Chairman. 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. H9331 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Dec 17, 2015 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 8633 E:\CR\FM\A16DE7.000 H16DEPT1 smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H9332 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 16, 2015 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER the House floor, and the Senate accept- The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- ed to add an additional $4 million to from Georgia (Mr. ALLEN) come for- tain up to five requests for 1-minute test rape kits. ward and lead the House in the Pledge speeches on each side of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, there is a horrific back- log of rape kits in this country, and the of Allegiance. f Mr. ALLEN led the Pledge of Alle- Federal Government has stepped for- giance as follows: HALT ON K–1 VISA PROGRAM ward. Now we will step forward with $45 million—last year it was $41 mil- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked United States of America, and to the Repub- and was given permission to address lion—to give to local governments to lic for which it stands, one nation under God, the House for 1 minute and to revise reduce the backlog. That means we will indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. and extend his remarks.) be able to catch the guilty and stop them before they violate the law again f Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the terrorist attack in San and violate another woman, because REMOVAL AND APPOINTMENT OF Bernardino, the deadliest attack on rapists are often serial offenders. I look forward to supporting the om- CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER U.S. soil since September 11, made it nibus bill, protecting women in Amer- clear that our homeland is vulnerable The SPEAKER laid before the House ica, and finding justice for criminals. to terrorists. the following communication from the f Chief Administrative Officer of the The terrorist couple’s attack also House of Representatives: made it clear that there are serious TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNT- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, screening problems associated with the ABILITY OF FAILED EXCHANGES Washington, DC, December 2, 2015. K–1 fiance(e) visa program. That is ex- ACT Hon. PAUL D. RYAN, actly how the wife involved in these at- (Mr. ALLEN asked and was given Speaker, House of Representatives, tacks came to the United States to permission to address the House for 1 Washington, DC. begin with. DEAR SPEAKER RYAN: I am writing to ad- minute and to revise and extend his re- Mr. Speaker, protecting our home- marks.) vise you of my intention to retire from fed- land is my most sacred duty, which is eral service in early 2016. Accordingly, I Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, the only hereby resign as Chief Administrative Offi- why I want the American people to thing 5 years of ObamaCare has shown cer of the House effective upon the election know that right now, I will be intro- us has been its multiple and contin- of my successor, or as you otherwise direct. ducing legislation to put a halt on the uous flaws. When this legislation was It has been a high honor and distinct privi- K–1 visa program until the Congress signed into law, the President freely lege to serve you and your colleagues, past votes to resume it. gave money away to establish State ex- and present, since the 1970’s; and especially In the meantime, my legislation so, to serve alongside the extraordinarily changes. However, they forgot one would require the GAO to review the piece of the puzzle: They provided no dedicated men and women in the Office of national security risks associated with the CAO during the 113th and 114th Con- provisions for recouping funds when gresses. this program and to submit findings to the State exchanges failed. In order to ensure a seamless transition, I the Congress. Mr. Speaker, these accounts spent am pleased that Clerk of the House Karen This is the right and commonsense billions of taxpayer dollars and pro- Haas has graciously detailed to my office Mr. thing to do. We must protect our home- vided zero solutions to protect tax- Will Plaster, a senior member of her staff, to land. payers when States decided to stop op- serve on an interim basis as Deputy Chief f Administrative Officer. erating the exchanges. Where is the ac- Mr. Speaker, I appreciate more than words PANTHER PRIDE countability? This burden cannot be can adequately convey the priceless opportu- placed on the taxpayer. nities afforded me throughout my career to (Mr. OLSON asked and was given per- Today I introduced the Transparency serve this magnificent—and uniquely Amer- mission to address the House for 1 and Accountability of Failed Ex- ican—institution we call the people’s House. minute and to revise and extend his re- changes Act to ensure Americans are I congratulate you on your election as marks.) not on the hook for the billions that Speaker, and wish you all the best in the Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, the color were recklessly doled out to the States challenging days ahead. purple and Panther Pride are alive and to establish these State exchanges. By Sincerely, well in Texas. ED CASSIDY. promoting accountability and trans- Ridge Point High School has been parency, my legislation fixes the prob- The SPEAKER. Pursuant to clause 1 open for 5 years—5 short years—yet lems by providing clear steps to re- of rule II, Mr.