I have had meetings in the last month with the back-country horsemen, with the folks who can no longer use the trails into the wilderness area and into the forest area, because they haven't been maintained.

I can't give you that figure today, and I apologize for that, I should have come prepared for that. But I am not.

Thank you, Representative Hoyer. As our whip, you have provided a strong and articulate voice on these and other issues, and we look forward to continuing to work with you as we move our country forward and protect the most fundamental of…

Thank you, Representative Cummings. I know under your leadership, as the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the issue of voting rights will continue to be a top priority in this Congress.

As the Congressional Black Caucus has discussed this evening, voting rights are an issue that all Americans are entitled to, and we should be helping more voters to participate in our democracy, not creating laws that prevent or discourage…

Now, the Outdoor Industry Association estimates that 148,000 jobs in Nevada are directly tied to our outdoor recreation, generating $10 billion in State and local revenue.

So could you explain, then, the requirements of the rule and the principles that you are explicitly directed to balance?

Thank you, Representative Jeffries. As you just indicated, Wednesday's hearing before the Supreme Court is to hear arguments as they pertain to whether to preserve section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That is why the Congressional Black…

I believe this is really a bipartisan issue that we could work together on.

Thank you, Representative Jeffries. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 13 minutes remaining.

Thank you, Representative Payne, Jr. We appreciate your remarks. I now yield to the distinguished Member from Maryland, Representative Cummings, who is the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the…

Thank you, Mr. Butterfield. We, again, appreciate your leadership as the vice chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and look forward to working under your leadership, as well as Chairwoman Fudge. At this time I now yield to my…

Thank you, Chairwoman Fudge. We look forward to your leadership on this issue and other issues under your steady hand of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress. I now yield to the distinguished Member from North Carolina…

The Congressional Black Caucus is proud to anchor this hour, and I'm pleased to be here with our chair, the Honorable Marcia Fudge, from the 11th Congressional District of Ohio, and to yield her such time as she may consume.

On rollcall No. 44 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Just to close on the Passenger Rail Investment Improvement Act of 2008, again, this is a critical opportunity for our need to connect Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

My focus is on how we can create jobs and get our economy moving while at the same time investing in critical infrastructure needs.

I would say I would love to--hope that we can talk about the chronically unemployed and the fact that there are actually laws on the books in some States that are disincentives to employers hiring the chronically unemployed, and we need to…

They do not want to be on food stamps. They don't want to be on long-term unemployment.

My unemployed constituents are not lazy. They are not immature. They have a desire to work.

I am of the view that we need all of our energy resources to be considered on the table in a fair and equitable manner.

on behalf of a State that is controlled by more than 80 percent by the BLM, we need to have this discussion in ways that really produce some solutions for local governments and States that want to have more control over the development of…

And I am of the view that we need all of our energy resources to be considered on the table in a fair and equitable manner.

They want a job. But for those individuals who cannot find a job, they also need to depend on unemployment.

I want to commend you and your team for what is a very good blueprint for the critical challenges.