I visited right after the bombing stopped in the southern part of Lebanon. I visited there, with some other Members of Congress, and I can tell you this: The Siniora government and all government officials decried very much what was…

it's not without irony that just this past week Congressman Joe Crowley and I, representing the House, and Senators Feinstein and McConnell, representing the Senate, the other body, were at the White House for the signing of the bill that…

I rise to offer my deepest sympathies to the victims and their families who suffered the horrific shooting tragedy at Northern Illinois University. The tragedy has shaken all of us. Schools are supposed to be a sanctuary of safety, which…

it is with a great honor and a sense of humility as the senior Republican from the Land of Lincoln that I offer this resolution to celebrate the birthday of our Nation's 16th President. I want to first offer my deep thanks and gratitude to…

I rise in this hour to speak for the millions of innocent voices that have been silenced due to the passage of Roe v. Wade on this day, 35 years ago. Since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the National Right to Life estimates that nearly 50…

I rise today to express my anger and sadness regarding the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The horrific murder of Prime Minister Bhutto is a chilling reminder that extremist forces are continually trying to undermine…

It's obvious that the gentleman agrees with me on the absolute necessity of making sure that this is a loan program and not a grant program. This amendment simply gives more teeth to the assurance that the gentleman gave us as to the…

H.R. 3355 requires the Treasury Department to offer low-cost subsidized Federal loans to State reinsurance funds. This bill employs the lesser used loan approach for States, rather than block grants or emergency funding, the usual methods…

I think the gentleman and I agree on the fact that the loan should be repaid and not be a grant, but I think we disagree fundamentally on how it would be administered. That's why this amendment is a backup amendment to make sure that the…

But it is set up under the State. What reassurance can you give that these loans will be paid and paid on time? That's what I am trying to get at.

I come from northern Illinois, an area that has over 2,500 factories. I've spent about three-fourths of my time in Congress dealing with manufacturing issues and traveled the world working on different projects that have different…

the horrendous massacre that is taking place in Burma is despicable and unconscionable. Now is the time for Members of this House to condemn the military junta and support human rights by supporting my good friend, Representative Peter…

if we had to patent the way Congress is considering this bill, no one would claim to be its inventor. This is a disgrace. One of the most important bills to come before this Nation in 60 years concerning manufacturing and patentability of…

we are hearing this argument, let's just fix it in conference. Well, the last patent reform bill that passed, H.R. 1561, passed the House on March 3 of 2004. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed their bill, but it never saw action before…

I appreciate that. We were with a company called QUALCOMM today, 11,000 employees. They are opposed to the bill. It's just an interesting mix. And it appears that a lot of the people in favor of the bill have been some of the biggest…

The purpose was to diminish the value of the patent holder whose patent had been infringed upon. That's the problem.

But I would like to just bring up one thing. The proponents of the bill are saying this is tort reform. And how could this be tort reform when the National Association of Manufacturers are on the other side, oppose it? It is not really…

Which means that you manufacture, then you worry about the legals. You manufacture and sell; then you worry about the legals, whether or not you have infringed upon somebody's patent. And what this bill will do is this will encourage…

Mr. Speaker I reluctantly rise today in opposition to the America COMPETES Act of 2007, H.R. 2272. I am a firm supporter of education and innovation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Unfortunately, I cannot…

The problem is that the EQIP program is already being doubled in the amount from $1 to $2 billion, where the caps are being lowered to $60,000. This is not a conservation. The purpose of this is so that cow manure and pig manure and…

the payment limitations of the farm bill go from $2 million to $1 million. Under the EQIP programs it goes from $450,000 down to $60,000. This is not for wealthy farmers. This is not for factory farms. These are for the little guys that I…

In answer to the question of the gentleman from Minnesota, conservation is different from trying to meet an EPA mandate. You can do a tremendous amount of conservation programs for $60,000, but EQIP programs, by their very nature, cost in…

it's a privilege and honor for me to be closely associated again with the effort to reauthorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Along with now Senator Bob Menendez, former OPIC President George Munoz, and me--the 3Ms--we were…

I take personal offense to that. That's the name of the museum. Burpee was the name of an inventor of seeds.

the Institute of Museum and Library Services does not offer grants for conservation efforts such as what is going on at the museum. It's simply not available, and the issue is, do unelected bureaucrats who answer to no one in this city…