This month, as we celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, we reflect upon unique backgrounds and honor our collective history, but the reality is that our current immigration system is badly broken. Immigration reform is not only the right…

I would like to thank my good friend and colleague from Maryland, Congressman Sarbanes, as well as the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), for their roles in bringing this bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud…

I am in its current form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Ms. Esty moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4745 to the Committee on _____ with instructions to report the same back…

This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, we owe Americans a safe transportation system…

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 5- minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute vote on passage of the bill. The vote was taken…

Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member, and thank you for your leadership on this issue. I appreciate the kind words of my colleagues and their support for this amendment.

My amendment strikes section 539 of the bill. Section 539 is an unnecessary and harmful gun rider that would bar the ATF from using any funds to investigate straw purchases or trafficking of certain highly dangerous weapons. This ``long…

I have an amendment at the desk. I would like to offer and withdraw my amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Page 100, strike lines 7 through 11. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to the…

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Thompson-King-Esty-Heck amendment to increase funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Checks Systems (NICS). The NICS database provides critical information on…

Last week Connecticut broke ground on a new memorial to honor the 65 men and women who died serving our country in the war on terror. Like all memorials, this beautiful place will serve both as a source of comfort for loved ones, as well…

I am really glad we are having this hearing today.

I would also recommend to you and ask you how you are reaching out to local stakeholders.

We cannot be competitive in the 21st century, globally competitive if we are leaving 60 percent of our workforce out of the STEM fields.

I thank my good friend, Mr. Larson, for being such a champion for our volunteer firefighters and first responders. Mr, Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. I'm proud…

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 5- minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute vote on passage of the bill, if ordered. The vote…

This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, let's be reasonable here. This bill before us is…

I am in its present form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Ms. Esty moves to recommit the bill H.R. 2804 to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report the…

I want to know from both of you, if I have your commitments to work directly with the State of Connecticut and with Metro-North.

Passenger rail has to be safe and reliable, because if a railroad isn't reliable, it will be safe, only because nobody is riding on it anymore.

We are very eager to move forward and get this resolved as quickly as possible.

I believe it is absolutely critical for the U.S. to continue to set the gold standard for aviation safety, so we must do a better job.

I would also say bring an astronaut to your schools, which I did in December, and I took them into a pilot program in one of my underserved communities.

I rise here today in strong support of H.R. 3628, the Transportation Reports Elimination Act of 2013. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously reported this bill by voice vote last month. The Government Performance…

Again, this is one of those ultrarare instances where we have bipartisan support, where we can save money, improve efficiency, and have greater transparency and accessibility to taxpayers. I wanted to flag just a couple of other items that…

I think we can agree on that. And again, we appreciate your work on leaning these processes, so more of these funds, which are more limited than we wish they were, really are getting on the ground, making a difference in communities.