E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2013 No. 172 House of Representatives The House met at noon and was PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER called to order by the Speaker pro tem- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the PRO TEMPORE pore (Mr. DOLD). gentleman from Illinois (Mr. SHIMKUS) The SPEAKER pro tempore. The f come forward and lead the House in the Chair will entertain up to 15 requests DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO Pledge of Allegiance. for 1-minute speeches on each side of TEMPORE Mr. SHIMKUS led the Pledge of Alle- the aisle. giance as follows: The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- f fore the House the following commu- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Repub- THE UKRAINE’S BACKSLIDE IN nication from the Speaker: lic for which it stands, one nation under God, DEMOCRACY WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2013. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I hereby appoint the Honorable ROBERT J. (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given DOLD to act as Speaker pro tempore on this f permission to address the House for 1 day. MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE minute and to revise and extend his re- JOHN A. BOEHNER, marks.) Speaker of the House of Representatives. A message from the Senate by Ms. Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, the f Curtis, one of its clerks, announced Ukraine, once a model for democratic that the Senate has passed without PRAYER transition in the Eurasia region and amendment a bill of the House of the the world after the Orange Revolution, The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick following title: has been experiencing significant back- J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: H.R. 6060. An act to amend Public Law 106– sliding in democracy. The Organization Eternal God, we give You thanks for 392 to maintain annual base funding for the for Security and Cooperation in Europe giving us another day, a new year. Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery found that the October elections did The political struggles of the past programs through fiscal year 2019. not meet international standards, and year have revealed the divisions that The message also announced that the the arrest and continued harassment exist in our Nation. There are many Senate has passed with amendments in and mistreatment of opposition lead- American citizens who are angry, frus- which the concurrence of the House is ers, including the former prime min- trated, and anxious for the future. requested, a bill of the House of the fol- ister, Yulia Tymoshenko, also causes This day is a day of history. Send lowing title: concern. The trial against Ms. Your spirit upon the Members of the H.R. 8. An act to extend certain tax relief Tymoshenko in the gas case was de- people’s House. May an imperfect com- provisions enacted in 2001 and 2003, and to scribed as selective persecution in promise, when viewed from the per- provide for expedited consideration of a bill statements by the U.S., Russia, United spective of our differences, not be un- providing for comprehensive tax reform, and Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and dermined by a desire for political vic- for other purposes. other European countries. tory. This is difficult for all. Give each The message also announced that the On July 16, 2012, our colleague, CHRIS Member the grace of courage to forge a Senate has passed with an amendment SMITH, introduced a measure calling constructive solution for the good of in which the concurrence of the House for Ukrainian authorities to release po- the Nation and all Americans. is requested, a bill of the House of the litical opposition leaders and hold free Help us to trust that no matter what, following title: and fair elections. At the beginning of You will not abandon us. H.R. 6586. An act to extend the application a new year, I call on Ukrainian offi- May all that is done this day be for of certain space launch liability provisions cials to immediately free Ms. Your greater honor and glory. through 2014. Amen. Tymoshenko and other political pris- The message also announced that the oners. f Senate has passed a bill of the fol- f THE JOURNAL lowing title in which the concurrence of the House is requested: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The LET’S REGAIN CONTROL OF Chair has examined the Journal of the S. 302. An act to authorize the Secretary of AMERICA’S DESTINY the Interior to issue right-of-way permits for last day’s proceedings and announces a natural gas transmission pipeline in non- (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given to the House his approval thereof. wilderness areas within the boundary of permission to address the House for 1 Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- Denali National Park, and for other pur- minute and to revise and extend his re- nal stands approved. poses. marks.) 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. H7517 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:29 Jan 02, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A01JA7.000 H01JAPT1 pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with H7518 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 1, 2013 Mr. KUCINICH. A New Year’s deal for Mr. Speaker, Congress should join b 1210 New Year’s Day—or is it Groundhog Spending Anonymous. A LOST OPPORTUNITY FOR Day? Because like the movie ‘‘Ground- And that’s just the way it is. REFORM hog Day,’’ this government in 2 months f will arrive at another crisis of debt, of (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE spending, and taxes. given permission to address the House EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Our debt-based economic system, for 1 minute.) with its exponential growth of debt due (Mr. BUTTERFIELD asked and was Mr. BLUMENAUER. The agreement to compounded interest, consigns us to given permission to address the House we are expected to vote on, perhaps as massive unemployment, threatens the for 1 minute.) early as this afternoon, has many com- social safety net, a deteriorated infra- Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I mendable and important items. Unfor- structure, a psychology of poverty rise today to commemorate the 150th tunately, too many are short term; amidst plenty, austerity. Congress anniversary of the signing of the much is left out; and most important, must regain its full power accorded Emancipation Proclamation. In the we are losing an opportunity for re- under the Constitution, article I, sec- early 19th century, 4 million slaves re- form. tion 8, to coin, to create money, to in- sided in the South, public opinion in We cannot continue to have, by far, vest in our Nation interest-free, to put the North began to oppose it, States re- the world’s largest and most expensive America back to work. Why go into sisted by ceding from the Union, and a military, the world’s lowest taxes, the debt borrowing money from China, brutal civil war ensued. most expensive and inefficient health Japan, South Korea, when we have the In order to end slavery and the war, care system, and continue to allow our constitutional authority to protect our President Lincoln on September 22, country’s infrastructure to fall apart economic sovereignty and to ensure 1862, issued a preliminary emanci- all while America grows and ages. America’s long-term fiscal health? pation proclamation directing all re- This agreement represents absolutely The endless cycle of increasing taxes belling States to free their slaves and the least we could have done under and cutting spending will not work be- return to the Union in 100 days. these circumstances and tragically in- cause the debt keeps ballooning with Lincoln made it clear: should they stitutionalizes for the next Congress compounding interest. It is time for a fail to do so, he would use his author- the madness of short-term frenzy new American monetary policy to ity as Commander in Chief to end slav- around artificial deadlines that drives climb out of poverty and debt. Reforms ery. States failed to act, and Lincoln the American public crazy. are outlined in the National Emer- signed the proclamation January 1, Not only can we do better; we must gency Employment Defense Act, H.R. 1863. do better. This flawed, partial plan is 2990. It’s the NEED Act. More than 200,000 lives were lost in not just a lost opportunity; it rep- Let’s regain control of America’s des- the war. Lincoln lost his own life with resents a real setback. tiny. an assassin’s bullet following reelec- f tion. This is American history that THANK YOU FOR THE every individual must understand and f OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE appreciate. Today, Mr. Speaker, we commemo- (Mr. MANZULLO asked and was SPENDING ANONYMOUS rate 150 years of freedom for African given permission to address the House (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was American citizens. for 1 minute.) given permission to address the House f Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, this is for 1 minute.) the last time I’ll have the opportunity Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it’s GET IT RIGHT AND DON’T ACT IN to address my colleagues as I wind up New Year’s Day 2013.