the bill before us today takes several important steps in several policy areas to move our Nation forward. It prevents a pending student loan interest rate hike that would make college less affordable for American students and their…

the provision in question simply accelerates a study of invasive species such as the destructive Asian carp, a study essential to protecting the Great Lakes, a resource that is vital to the health, safety, and livelihoods of millions of…

our Nation reached an important milestone over the past few years. In 2010, according to a recent report by the Violence Policy Center, motor-vehicle-related fatalities dropped to their lowest level in decades, a 72 percent decrease in…

today is the culmination of several days of activities across the Nation in recognition of the oldest known observance of the ending of slavery--``Juneteenth Independence Day''. It was in June of 1865, that the Union soldiers landed in…

if sequestration comes to pass at the end of this year, many of us believe it could derail the economic recovery and do immense damage to important programs throughout the government, making our Nation less safe and our government less…

I appreciate the efforts of Chairman Johnson in making sure that our Nation's religious leaders are able to have expanded opportunities for their retirement plans, while also ensuring that we don't create any unintended consequences. To…

I am pleased to vote for passage of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act. The bill before us makes important reforms to farm programs by helping agricultural producers manage their risk, invests funding to protect our natural…

for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar, that…

our country's economy and competitiveness in global markets depends on access to affordable energy resources, including electricity that powers our manufacturing plants and keeps businesses operating throughout the Nation. Additionally…

this week people all across our Nation are engaging in the oldest known observance of the ending of slavery-- ``Juneteenth Independence Day.'' Although passage of the 13th Amendment, in January 1863, legally abolished slavery, many African…

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 270, nays 146, not voting 15, as follows: [Roll No…

I now yield 3 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

I now have the privilege of yielding 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Critz).

This bill is mainly a smoke screen. It is an effort to cover up the failure, indeed the refusal, of Republicans to act on the key issue facing our Nation: jobs and economic growth. As ranking member, I sent a letter last Friday to Dave…

I yield myself the balance of my time. In a sense, there is much at stake in this debate. If this bill were to become law, it would unravel health care reform. What this industry seems to be asking is a reversal of their commitment to make…

I yield myself 30 seconds. We very much favor the medical device industry. They agreed to pay for health insurance coverage. In 2011, Stryker had revenue of $8.37 billion on these products with a net income of $1.3 billion. Everybody is…

It is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).

I yield myself 30 seconds. It's the Republicans who've combined these three bills. The Republicans. And the leader talks about jobs. I wish he would give instructions to the Ways and Means Committee to consider and bring up jobs bills that…

Could you please indicate how much time there is on each side? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) has 17\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) has 26\1/4\ minutes remaining.

I now yield 3 minutes to another very distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

It's now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished Member from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum). Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for the time. Mr. Speaker, I want the Affordable Care Act to be fully…

It is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to another important member of our committee, the gentleman from Seattle, Washington (Mr. McDermott). (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. McDERMOTT…

I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California, a senior member of our committee, Mr. Stark. (Mr. STARK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute. Mr. McDERMOTT. They're going to pay for it by having the IRS claw back the subsidy to middle-income families who will be in the new health plans. The Treasury will pay these subsidies directly…

today the Senate is once again attempting to move forward with the Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation would strengthen and modernize the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by providing new tools to combat gender-based wage discrimination. Among…