the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 185 and the nays are 228. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the bill -- >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 245, the nays are 169. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to house resolution 748 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 1865. will the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, kindly ake the chair. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further consideration of h.r. 1865, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to amend the communications act of 1934, to clarify that section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of interactive computer services of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking or for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, amendment number 3 offered by the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, had been disposed of. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, the unfinished business is the question for a recorded vote on amendment number 2 printed in house report 115-583 by the gentlewoman from california, mrs. walters, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 115-583 offered by mrs. walters of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the chair: on this vote the yeas are 308. the nays are 107. he amendment is adopted. the question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the amendment is adopted. accordingly under the rule the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. hairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on the state of the union has had under consideration h.r. 1865 and pursuant to house resolution 748 i report the bill back to the house with an amendment adopted in the committee of the whole. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration the bill h.r. 1865 and pursuant to house resolution 748 reports the bill back to the house with an amendment adopted in the committee of the whole. under the rule the previous question is ordered. is a separate vote demanded on any amendment to the amendment reported from the committee of the whole? if not the question is on adoption of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to to amend the communications act of 1934 to clarify that section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of interactive computer services of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to sexual children or sex trafficking and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. he ayes have it. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 388, the nays are 25. the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. he house will be in order. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. he house will be in order. the gentleman may proceed. >> mr. speaker, sex trafficking is a modern day slavery that violates the human rights of nearly 21 million victims every year. it's a rapid crime committed around the world. what many don't realize is human trafficing is a big problem right here in the united states. mr. paulsen: it's booming because there are no serious legal consequences for the thattes that profit for -- exploit young children. websites like backpage.com are able to avoid responsibility and continue to exploit ads for children for sex. that's why i'm a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation that will get federal, state, and local prosecutors the tools they need to hold websites accountable for supporting this horrendous industry and help put an end to the online sale of trafficking victims. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maine seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. speaker. sandy hook, las vegas, and now parkland. the common denominator between these awful tragedies is the use of assault weapons. built to kill, these customizeable weapons have aloud gunmen to kill dozens of people without any special training. since the ban on assault weapons lapsed in 2004, far too many of these weapons have ended up in the wrong hands. there's no one solution to reducing the mass shootings and other forms of gun violence in our nation. but reinstating the ban on assault weapons would be a critical first step. i urge all of my house colleagues to put public safety before the gun lobby and pass the assault weapons ban of 2018 to keep weapons of war off the streets and out of our schools. i have heard from students across maine who want to feel safe in their schools. they do not want their classrooms to look and feel like prisons. they do not want to live in fear that someone could enter their school with a firearm that's capable of committing mass murder. we owe it to the generation of students who are growing up against a backdrop of lockdown drills and mass shootings. we need to act like adults and protect them by banning assault weapons. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, jane was 9 years old, 9, when she was first trafficked in brownsville, texas. for three years, maria trafficed the child. that's her right there. she trafficked jane from town to town in south texas. maria filled her own pockets by filling her pockets at the marketplace of modern say slavery. filthy people steal children like jane's youth, innocence and try to steal their souls. jane cease -- jane's story came to light when she alerted authorities at her school. now she's trying to cope with the guilt and shame of her past. it's not jane who should be ashamed, it's dastardly human traffickers like maria who should be ashamed. that's why my legislation gives federal judges the ability to publish names and photographs of convicted buyers and sellers of our children. buyers and sellers will no longer be able to hide in plain sight under the cloak of being anonymous. those who sell and buy the innocence of children should be shamed for all to see. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. >> mr. speaker, today i'm filing a bipartisan bill to ensure israel has defenses. threats to israel come from hamas and gaza in iran, each has an arsal that can target israel. the u.s. and israel signed an agreement that the u.s. would provide israel with $500 million a year in missile defense funding and that israel can seek additional support when the two nations agree exceptional circumstances exist. my bill would codify this law and affirm congress' desire that the $500 million is a floor, not a ceiling. my bill reflects the view that the term exceptional circumstances should be interpreted in a reasonable and not overly restrictive manner. providing israel with additional missile defense funding to deter israel from launching an attack and help prevent conflict. the goal of my bill is to preserve the peace and ensure that israel prevails if its enemies choose the path of war. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina eek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, roxanne and i will be forever grateful for the positive impact reverend billy graham has had for american families and the world. mr. wilson: he had the amazing ability to take the stories in the bible and relay it in ways that were understandable, relateable and powerle. he was followed and adord by millions across the world but remained humble with his home in montreat. psalm 72 proclaims the mountains shall bring peace. other two million people worldwide attended his crusades. our family was grate to feel participate in the retreat by harry dent. in 1983, he was awarded the presidential medal of freedom award by president ronald reagan and in 1986, he and his wife ruth were awarded the congressional gold medal, the highest civilian honor. that was followed by the outpouring of love for reverend billy graham which will serve as a reminder for his family and staff how much -- he was admired and respected. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii seek recognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the department of homeland security has confirmed that 21 state electoral systems were targeted in the 2016 elections, revealing vulnerabilities and jeopardizing the integrity of our elections and our democracy as people lose confidence that their vote matters. ms. gabbard: and that it will actually and accurately be counted. in 2016, the world's largest hacking conference revealed startling vulnerabilities in our elections infrastructure. we must take action to safeguard our electoral infrastructure to ensure that each and every american vote is counted accurately. i'm introducing the securing american elections act which will provide the people with a voter -- with a verifiable paper record of their votes but will also address the effectiveness and security of our electronic voting software. we must act now to secure our elections and renew our citizens' faith in the integrity of those elections. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, as black history month draws to a close i wanted to recognize one of my constituents who left her own mark on history. just two days ago, on february 25, 2018, beaver county lost one of its treasured. mr. rothfus: a mississippi native, maria green fondly known as dee received a registered nursing license if the st. francis school of nursing in 1954. in 1955, she moved to beaver fall, pennsylvania, where she was hired on at providence hospital as the first african-american registered nurse in beaver county. eventually she was promoted to head nurse. dee face maryland obstacles as an african-american nurse in the 1950's such as the reality of segregated dormitory housing. however she did not let those barriers discourage her, believing people would accept her for who she was. she loved her job and continued her career as a nurse for 36 years until she retired in 1990. she was a blessing to those who came in contact with and made the caregiver until her health declined at the end of 2017. we are grateful for her decades of exemplary service and the outstanding model she was. may god grant her eternal rest and may her family be consoled with many blessed memories. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, the question is when. in 2017 there were 11,600 deaths linked to gun violence in 2017, nearly four 9/11 attacks. there were four 15,000 killed by gun violence in 2016. there were 383 mass shootings. united states ranks number one in the world in terms of firearms per capita. the problem is so epidemic that gun violence is now the third leading cause of our children, which includes those dear souls that died in florida just a couple of weeks ago. we heard those children's voices. we've heard many voices. so let me explain to the american people, no one is grabbing the second amendment. i honor the amendments of this nation. for your information, in order to change an amendment you need 2/3 votes of both the house and senate and three quarters of the states. the last time we changed an amendment was 1933, when we repealed the prohibition amendment. this is a cause of the heart and mind. it is not a second amendment debafmente it's a debate on sensible gun legislation to save lives. ban bump stocks. extend the waiting period. ensure that multiple munitions are banned and automatic weapons are banned. when is there going to be, mr. speaker, the coming together of a bipartisan effort to save the lives of our children? enough is enough. we need to answer the call. our children are dying. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life and ministry of billy graham. billy graham shared a central message of the good news of salvation through jesus he never tired nor waivered from the story of how as humans we all have a relationship problem with god because of sin in our lives. but god loves us so much that he doesn't give up on us. in fact, god has offered us an escape from the punishment due for our sin through the free gift of salvation. a fwift that we can receive but we cannot earn because jesus paid the price for our sins when he gave his life on the cross. jesus overcame death and through faith in christ we can too. billy graham shared this message out of a deep love for god and his fellow man, not for fame, not for fortune. i thank god for the ministry of billy graham and the example he lived. may god comfort his family and the grateful nation as we mourn his loss and we -- may we never tire of sharing the good news of christ. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i want to talk about something that gives me hope in the wake of the senseless tragedies and attacks on our community. the power of students to change the course of history. 50 years ago this week, 15,000 students in east los angeles rose up in solidarity to demand culturally relevant education, better facilities and diverse teachers. i rise in honor of those students from wilson, lincoln, roosevelt, and belmont high schools who started a movement that would be known as the east los angeles walkouts. i also rise in honor of current student activists everywhere. student activism has always been a powerful response to social injustice, and when those in power fail to listen or act in the interests of all people, it is time for a new generation of americans to speak up, walk out, and organize. whether you're in east l.a. in 1968 or in parkland, florida , in 2018, you will be heard, you will be remembered and you'll become the change we all seek. i thank you and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: to address the house for one minute. without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: i rise today to recognize mr. michael kenny being named the grand marshal of the savannah's st. patrick's day parade. it is important in savannah and most important for the irish. savannah has a large irish community and the st. patrick's parade is ag direct result of this impact. the first observance began in 1824 and it has 280 bands, all marching through the streets. a family affair. think own a roofing company. his father was the grand marshal in 1978. in past years the committee has chosen many candidates, but mr. kenny was the only person nominated in support of the support he maintains. he will do a great job. i look forward to the celebration. thank you, mr. speaker and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> congress has funded the bipartisan supplemental nutrition assistance program. for 32 million americans, snap provides the freedom to choose what you want to eat from fresh fruits and vegetables and ice cream sandwiches. the trump administration released a budget proposal that will gut this by a third and change what food they get. instead of going to the store nd select fresh store. half the benefits will come in a periodic delivery of a cardboard cardboard box and something safe-stable work. 6 ,000 people rely on 127 million with the snap benefits to meet their needs. those benefits provide benefits with $227 billion. the administration's proposal won't work for the families and store owners and won't work for the americans you represent. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: i yield back the balance of my time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> in the united states of america, cash in a political party shall not be convertible to a warrant to spy on american citizens. mr. gaetz: we should be looking for bipartisan solutions to revise the fisa process so what happened to president trump never happens in the future. the gentleman from california, the ranking member of the intelligence committee, wanted to give the president of the united states the power to appoint fisa judges. he argued that then judges would be diverse and come from different areas in the united states and would be subject to senate confirmation. today, i filed that legislation and i would encourage the gentleman from california to join me as a co-sponsor to advance bipartisan legislation to improve the fisa process. if it was good enough to give president obama these powers, it is good enough to give president trump these powers. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> we don't want to go to school in a prison. that was the message i heard today from five incredible udents from marjory stoneham douglas high school. what kind of school are we sending our children back to. teachers should be there to teach. what they need. military-style weapons are designed for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible. and no matter what gun you are buying, nobody should get a purchase without ar background check. the n.r.a. and gun manufacturers value profits over safety. that is not right. the students told me today they want to end gun violence a priority for their generation and that means acting today. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. tenney: permission to address the house and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. tenney: i rise today to recognize alan williamson from green, new york. is a true craftsman who has business ventures in green. he is inspired by trades. alan runs an antique saw mill, a shoe lace business, a rope-making business and broom making business. he created one of a kind broom for president trump and it is alternating red and white. the presidential broom is fitted in a glass case that he crafted. i wish him the best of luck and hope that his broom makes it to the white house. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom texas seek recknigs? without objection. the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise today to the honor the life of regina known as big momma. isross was born in fort worth, texas, the fort worth neighborhood. and graduated from the high school in fort worth and dish washer for several restaurants and the pig stand drive in, the farmer's daughter a where she spent 39 years and retired at the age of 80. she was active and volunteered and taught her young children to read. she had a huge property on prospect avenue in the north side near the stock yards for everybody to celebrate. through her membership through community, she traveled across the east coast advocating for lower utility rates. she passed away at the age of 10 . sonsas three sons and five and great grandchildren. we will miss seeing big momma. and her favorite chair. mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for one minute. >> i rise to of today to pay tribute to the life of reverend billy graham. he was a humble man and he devoted his life to hill pping people of all background to discover the true peace in the life and the service of jesus christ. we have a lot of problems to solve, much of which are too deep. we need prayer more than we need policy solutions. we need repentance. we need god more than government. billy graham understood that. billy graham talked about that simple story that god so loved the world that he gave his only son to die for us and if we believe that, we would have eternal life with him. thank god for billy graham, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition? >> pirges to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> today i rise to remember the life of brian frazier who festival. e route 51 he enjoyed hunting, snowboarding and the sporting events of his four kids. when he wasn't working as the vice president, he was out flying a plane with his newly earned pilots license. he helped everyone. he loved giving back to the community and acted as a mentor for so many. he will be remembered for his passion of love to children and family. please note that the city of las vegas, the state of nevada and the entire country grieve with you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of request requested for february 26 and 27 the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january , 2017, mr. hultdepren is reck need niesed as the designee. mr. hultgren: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have legislative days to include extraneous materials on the topic of my special order. we are honoring a man known worldwide and who embodies the the reverend billy graham. tomorrow, he will be the fourth person in the history of this great country to be laid in honor in the united states capitol. but we want to try to describe the life of this man, his ministry and impact on the nation and the world and the impact he has had on all of our lives. i'm grateful to from or our colleagues who wanted to join tonight to celebrate the life of billy graham. i want to get to my colleagues. i want to recognize robert aderholt from alabama to share with us. mr. aderholt: thank you. i thank my colleague, mr. hultgren, for this opportunity to remember the life and legacy of billy graham. it's not an easy task to find words to sum up his life. not because he is not worthy but because words and a few sentences and he had a large impact on literally the entire world. i had the opportunity to meet dr. graham a few feet from here several years ago at one of the ell presidential inaugurations. and while i had that chance to meet him that one time, you felt like you knew him. his honesty and preaching the gospel made it soim like a close personal friend. i have fond memories growing up in alabama, being at my grandparents' home and if a lly graham was being teleadvised. and that was regardless of what was on the other networks. he was very clear in how he resented the gospel. and he will be greatly missed by a world that desperately needs more people like billy graham. but we are knowing that he has ow made a home with his maker. author francis wrote this, all the armies that ever marched, all the neafs that ever sailt and all the parallel mepts that ever set, put together have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that one solitary life. that one life is of jesus christ who brought salvation to the life through faith. and while no one could have an impact on the world, the late billy graham was one of those great meages and probably the best we have ever seen in history and he will be long be remembered for the message that he gave about a personal salvation in jesus christ. yield back. >> next i recognize jody hice. mr. hice: i remember the first live crusade i went to, billy graham was there, in the 1980's. as a young pastor, a pastor for 20 years, i had the opportunity to meet him. as a young pastor , he signed a bible for me, which today remains a treasure. what we don't need to forget is the message he gave us, the message of scripture, the message of god, the message that talks about our condition, that we are sinful and separated from god that we have committed things that separate us eternally unless they are dealt with, and that gospel message from the scripture that billy graham so eloquently shared was that god loves us and gave his son to die in our stead. i notice the other day we were told that archaeologists may have found the signature of the old testament prophet isaiah and when i thought of that, i actually thought of billy gra ham and how he would have take than isaiah passage in chapter 53 and made a gospel message from the old testament prophet where he said in chapter 53 that all of us, like sheep have gone astray, that every one has gone his own way. nd yet god has laid on him the inex-- the iniquity of us all. it's like, here we are, here is our sin. here comes christ without sin and god laid on him the iniquity of us all. as much as we remember billy graham these days, let us never forget the importance of his message and never forget the message. i urge my colleagues, i urge america, to hear the gospel message and to respond in faith to the love and the grace of god through jesus christ that billy graham so powerfully presented to all of us. hank you and i yield back. >> thank you so much, jody. next i'm honored to recognize a good friend from north carolina, robert pittenger. mr. pittenger: thank you, mr. hultgren, for getting this great group together. we treasure this opportunity to honor dr. billy graham. each of us has a special memory of billy graham. i can recall having graduated from college, my first job was with campus crusade for christ. i lived in dallas, texas; to prepare for a big meeting, a convocation that brought 84,000 young people. i was asked if i would like to caddy for billy graham. he was playing in the byron nelson golf classic. be arnold palmer, bob hope and billy graham. it was a great occasion. what i saw as a young believer in christ, i had come to christ my senior year of christ, i saw a man who looked you in the eye , he didn't look at his watch. he didn't walk over people to reach the world he understood the importance of every person before god. i think that's why his ministry and his mission was so outstanding with presidents and kings, cab drivers, or whoever it might be. the millions of people who came to christ because of him. this meeting we planned in dallas, 250,000 people came to downtown dallas and heard billy graham and johnny cash, it was a great assembly. the next decade working with dr. bright for campus crusade, i had occasion to be around dr. graham on many occasions. at one such occasion, i picked him up at the airport in 1975, here in washington, and was taking him back to the hotel, and he said to dr. bright and i, he said the next challenge we have in the world today is terrorism he said, this group who doesn't honor god they don't honor christ, they're going to be the force to be dealt. with how remarkable that defense billy graham who helped heal our nation after 9/11 as she he spoke to the national cathedral to bring the message of hope in god. yes, i went with billy to crusades in cleveland and dallas and charlotte. the first time he ever brought together young people, he had a friday night big crusade for young people, and they came out by the tens of thousands. michael w. smith played, d.c. talk. billy could reach anybody because he was real. he was personable. they understood him. and his message was clear, so simple, god bloves us. he has a plan for our life. jesus christ is the means to that plan. and he died on the cross for our sin. we could receive christ and know him and know eternal life he gave that message all over the world. i met people in romania, czech republic, now the soviet union, former soviet union, now russia. all over the world, who met christ because billy graham came and he took the gospel to them. probably my funniest moment to have a conversation with him was with franklin, his son. franklin, he'll charge hell with a water gun. he'll go anywhere. he was headed to moscow, i was with him on his little plane a twin engine mitsubishi. we stopped in burlington, vermont and stopped over in nova scotia to stay overnight. and a little $6 motel. the phone rang while we were checking in and the man said, yes, he's here. he gave the phone across the counter to franklin. franklin said, hello? yes, daddy. yes, sir, i'm headed to moscow. yes, sir, i've got another pilot. yes, sir, robert pittenger, he's going with me. at that point, his father said, robert pittenger, i thought he had more sense than that. that was billy he knew his son , he loved his son, but franklin will take the gospel, just like his father, just like every single person in that family. probably the greatest legacy to billy graham is the testimony in all our lives that his children followed him into the ministry. i commend our nation fnhor noring them in the way that we are. asll be part of this capitol a statue. thank you for bringing us together. thank the lord for sending his messenger, billy graham. mr. hultgren: thank you, robert. up next i'm pleased to introduce jackie walorski of indiana. ms. what horseky: i rise to -- ms. walls or kentucky: i rise to -- ms. walolski: throughout his life he was always a humble and faithful servant. decades ago i had the opportunity to attend a billy graham crusade at notre dame with my family. i'll never forget seing so many people having the opportunity to hear the message that god loves you. a very simple message. no matter who you are, no matter your background, billy would declare, god bloves you. billy graham brought this message of compassion, hope, and the power of god's grace to millions of people from all walks of life. he also brought it to the lead orse they have free world as a friend and counselor to the presidents of both parties. tomorrow, he'll lie in honor in the capitol rotunda, a fitting honor for him as we honor our nation's leaders, not just because they changed history but because he changed our hearts. his greatest legacy is the people he helped to be closer to the lord. mr. speaker, billy graham is at home now. we give thanks to god he raised up such a humble man with a servant's heart and we pray that his powerful message will live on. thank you. mr. hultgren: thank you. next, representative tom garrett from virginia. mr. garrett: thank you, mr. speaker. it's an incredible honor to stand here today and honor the legacyf the reverend billy graham. the population of the united states when he was born was 103 million. over the course of his life, reverend graham spoke to more than twice as many people who existed in the country the day he was born in person, about the greatest gift one can ever be given, the gift of eternal life and salvation by a creator so benevolent as to look the other way on the undeniable sins of each or of us. as i look to try to leave an impact on the world, i understand that people far greater than me can leave a far greater impact than i could ever leave. i want to use reverend graham's words in closing, to honor him not for who he was but for his commitment to his savior he said when wealth is lost, nothing is lost. when health is lost, something is lost. when character is lost, all is lost. reverend graham said the greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children or grandchildren is not money or material things accumulated in one's life but a legacy of character and faith. i think most appropriately in closing he said, i look forward to death with great anticipation. to meeting god face to face. and finally said, i haven't written my own epitaph, i'm not sure i should. whatever it is, i hope it will be simple and it will point people not to me but to the god i serve. thank you, billy graham. dear god, send us more. thank you. mr. hultgren: thank you, tom. next i'm honored to introduce representative coleman rad wee began of the american samoa. >> thank you, mr. speaker. ny years ago, a missionary named john williams made a long journey in the 1800's to bring christianity to the people in the islands, including american samoa -- samoa. they probably surpassed their fondest hopes. today faith and church provide a strong foundation to a large percentage of our population. i think he and billy graham would have understood each other very well, though their ministries are separated by more than a century. billy graham's influence went around the world rapidly and powerfully and seemed divinely timed to coincide with the rise of communications and travel of the 20th century. as he lies in honor this week at the u.s. capitol, it is a new opportunity for a younger generation to learn more of his exceptional life and hear his message once more. that god loves each of us and when times seem troubled around us, there's someone greater to depend on. as scripture says, how shall they hear without a preach her billy graham answered that call. he described himself simply -- a preacher of the gospel of swree us is christ. that life's purpose to find him and what i a life it was. thank you, billy graham. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. hultgren: thank you. i'm honored to recognize my good friend from illinois, mike bost. mr. bost: let me tell you, as many of the people who have spoke here tonight have talked about how billy graham spread the gospel of jesus christ. at a young age, billy graham if you read his history, took a walk through the woods. and devoted his life to christ he understood as what was ritten in matthew 22, where it says, when christ was asked what's this it's -- what's the greatest commandment , he said the greatest commandment is to love the lord your god with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. and the second is like unto it, to love your neighbor as yourself he understood those commandments, but most of all , he understood the commission that was given at the end of matthew. therefore go and make desipeles of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. billy graham understood this and he understood it and he was also very, very humble. i want to take if i can just a moment to go over something that was written by the author, max lucado, about a meeting that then michael w. smith and his pastor had because when -- i'll just read it. a few hours before the event where michael w. smith and max lucado were going on stage together, ewe met to go over the schedule. michael was so moved by what he'd just experienced, he could hardly discuss the retreat. he had just met with billy graham for the purpose of planning reverend graham's funeral. the famous evangelist at this time was 94 years old. he was confined to a wheelchair, on oxygen, his mind was sharp and his spirits were high but his body was seeing its final days so he called michael and he called his pastor. he wanted to discuss his funeral. he told them that he had one request. and they both said of course, anything, what is it? he said, it is to do with my funeral. and they said yes. he said, would you not mention my name. what? could you not mention my name? just mention the name of jesus. you see billy graham has preached to other a billion people. he has filled stadiums on every continent. he has advised every president of the last half century. he has consistently been the top of every most admired list. yet he wants to be anonymous at his funeral. nd only called on jesus name. god resists the proud but gives grace to the humble when the world knew him. .ou know, john 15 . says this that you bear fute and am.rove to be my disssipe and on february 21, i don't doubt that he heard these words. ll done my good and faithful servant. we pray that more send him like him. mr. hultgren: i would like to congressman ted dud from north carolina. mr. budd: it's not every day i speak on behalf who has changed the lives of millions of people across the globe. billy graham was known as america's pastor and rightly so. and i was spending this time in a district and someone came up to me and they were a baseball fan and said you know who has the most saves in yankee stadium. i had to half and think god did the saving. but let's speak for billy graham. darle orn in 1918 in a dairy farm ap crusades attracted thousands of people and shaped the beliefs of a generation by introducing many of the evangelical faith. luther vited martin king junior to speak on the issue of racial injustice. graham was a white pastor from north carolina and both of them knew that the lord doesn't see lord.olor and the we could learn a thing of two. he met with 12 presidents. president igsen hour called him one of the best ambassadors and john contendy called him in. aside from his role in the vocal call opposition he lifted up the souls by introducing them, he gave hope to the hopeless. mr. speaker, while our economy growing, americans can more isolated, more lonely and more depressed. this can't be solved by a bill we pass in congress. we have gotten to a point that too many people have put their hope in elected officials and they will be let down because like everyone else are fallen and perfect. graham knew this and knew that the only person who would not let us down is christ himself and trust him in the forgiveness of our life and this is the life that billy graham enjoys forever. mr. hultgren: i recognize represent tiffer gohmert. mr. gohmert: i thank my friends for putting this together. the loss of billy graham to this country to world is more profound than any lips can ever express. s ted mentioned, born in 1918, married in 194 to ruth, what a dynamic couple they were and how devoted they were to each other. they had five children. i have come to know and dearly ve and met -- come to know flank lynn to a lesser extent. ut he knew, he believed he preached. you don't go to heaven by being a grandchild of someone. you have to have that personal relationship with the lord as an individual child of god. it's not something you can inhert. he has been called home. he spent his life trying to persuade people that he loved to accept jesus with the words that jesus uttered, i'm the way, the truth, the light. no one gets to the father but by me. and he pleeved with all his heart that unless someone professed as jesus christ their savior, they have no chance getting to heaven. and we have paid tribute to people who have laid down their life in one great moment of seask others. we heard of those heroic actions at the school of parkland, and this man for 99 years or after he accepted christ, he laid his life day after day after day for others, trying to help them come to a personal relationship with jesus so he could share eternity for them. that's my belief. yet, several years ago, we passed what's called the hate crimes bill. i said at some point this will preacher prosecute a nor reading scripture from a bible. we live in a time when things have gotten so perverse, there are people that say, these christians, these evangelical christians are so hateful, they believe if you don't believe like they do, they go to hell. that is a per version of the one ligion that is 100% based on love. his son so loved the world that he laid down his life for others. billy graham has laid down his life and he's put a marker down given his marker, we would no greater memorial that we perpetrate that love and bring others in eternal love. i yield back. mr. hultgren: david rouser from north carolina. rouse rouse it is an honor to pay tribute, a christian leader. born on a dairy farm in north carolina, he grew up learning up the hard work, personal commitment and developed an unwavering commitment. after depra graduating, he married the love of his life, ruth. shortly after he began preaching through the united states emerging as a young evangelist. he was launched into international prominence. originally scheduled for three eks, the crusade had to be extended for eight weeks. during his lifetime, he preached all over the world frrl africa to the middle east and the bloc. communist the d their hatred for spread of the gospel. without question, he was preaching in hostile territory and without question, god protected him. he reached 215 million people in more than 185 countries and probably more than that. after hearing the teams teachings, they accepted christ as their lord and savior. billy graham was called by god to share his word and did so with humility. heeded that call if not better than anybody. his legacy will be felt for generations to come. and if there has been a good and faithful servant it has been billy graham. mr. hultgren: i recognize gary palmer from alabama. mr. palmer: i honor billy graham. we will witness something that we have never seen before. he lying in honor who wasn't a war of social movement. they will honor a man. his life and vocation sentenced on one thing only, i hope we pay close attention to this. we will most likely never see it again. and preach the gospel. and than the reverend billy graham and he has been called america's preacher. but the fact of the matter is, he was the most recognized evangelical in the world. 200 eached the gospel in people in more than 185 countries. it reached through tv, radio and the net. he did this giving up opportunities for much more funts that most people would have jumped at. he was gone for 0%. despite big a mom, his wife understood the sacrifice. she said i would like a little of bill. en christians are ridiculed, billy graham was regarded as a steady and well-respected voice. was on most american men in america. and he counseled and from truman to trump. former president clinton said when he praise with you, you feel he is praying for you, not the. that's the magnitude. no matter how big or small, not your position, and social stats didn't matter. the only position of a person that mattered to him and race did not malt earl either. he was courageous. when either church leaders were outspoken and saying christ belong to all people. he cailed for the convention to accept black students. n 195 crusade in tennessee he took down segregating the audience. e invited martin luther king junior to open with prayer. 1964, just months after the bombing after in the bombing, he brought his crusade. he insisted that the audience being be spregget. it was the largest in birmingham. he talked to the university of university of alabama. mr. speaker, i don't believe there is or will be anyone else in our lifetime that called people out of spiritual darkness into the light. untold millions were called to his ministry. i mourn his death that has been left in this world but rejoicing that he is at home. as it is written about david, so it can be said of billy graham. he served god's purpose. and i yield back. . . mr. hultgren: thank you and i yield to mr. smith. mr. smith: i thank you for this opportunity to reflect on billy graham what a tremendous legacy he leaves in so many forms. i think of how his humility has had such an impact to so many. i was one of the thousands in the stadium at a crusade in california back, i believe, in 1985. and to personally witness that -- the impact that that meeting had was a great opportunity, but to also realize how one person an impact the world. his work led to humanitarian efforts, whether it's his family members or others really stepping out and ministering to others all around the world. so i'm very grate to feel honor re-rend billy graham for certainly his stewardship of religious freedom and i hope that we can all reflect on our country and religious freedom and how important it is and to hopefully follow in the footsteps of someone who i think as the list of most admired americans would reflect with reverend graham being on that list for 60 years. that someone like that can have such a great impact. so i appreciate thispportunity and i yield back. mr. hultgren: thank you. m honored to recognize barly loudermilk of georgia. mr. loudermilk: thank you, i thank my friend mr. hultgren for taking time to do something so worthy. we live in a city where we have vast monuments for people who have left an impact on this nation or on the world. you walk the halls of this grand and beautiful capitol, there are statues of those who have made significant marks and changes to this nation. as i stand here today i think the gentleman who is going to lay in honor in the rotunda tomorrow left such an impact on the world, he's probably the greatest impact on this nation and this world of modern times. an the monument to him is in the hearts of literally billions of people who he touched with one simple message. god loves you. that was as simple as billy graham would speak to the hearts of millions of americans that god loves you and he cares about you individually. as a person. that resonates so -- resonated so strong that it's estimated that, and this was in 2008, that through his ministries and radio and television and his crusades he reached over 2.2 billion people with a simple message that god loves you. and it's a message of truth. he has had such an impact as has been spoken of earlier, the number of world leaders he impacted with that simple message. and the words he shared and he left us many quotes, and many of us are inspired by those quotes but the words he used that were most impactful for the words of jesus he just repeated the words that christ had given us. he was also a man of great, great courage. a lot of people don't realize the close relationship he had with martin luther king jr. and in the 1950's, when billy graham came to the south and he was going to preach at one of the crusades he noticed there was a rope running through the middle of the conditioning gation, a rope that separated whites from blacks. he was so offended he went and asked that that rope be removed. when the ushers refused to do it, billy graham went and moved the rope himself. that sparked a -- a friendship with him and martin luther king jr. when martin luther king jr. penned his famous letter from the birmingham jail, he condemned a lot of churches for not being engaged in what we believe that god created everyone in his image and they should all be equal. billy graham was not one of these he stood strong. fact when -- in 1960 when martin luther king jr. was in prison, billy graham paid his bail. billy graham has left a mark. we still fight some of the us of and warned fought back then. a couple of quotes that meant so much to me that billy graham god's us of and with, is, one, will won't take us where god's love will not sustain us. he also stated that the founders who penned our constitution believed in freedom of religion, not a freedom from religion. and finally, even though we're in a time of crisis in this nation, things are happening we don't understand. the last quote that i'll leave you with that billy graham said is, i've read the last page of the bible and it's going to be all right. thank you for the time. mr. hultgren: thank you, barry. next, honored to recognize doug lamalfa from california. mr. lamalfa: thank you. i appreciate mr. hultgren for his leading this effort here tonight but also his great spiritual counsel and partnership in this building here. it's very much appreciated. indeed, you are one of god's great servants. as i , hen back on my years of, when we saw billy graham on tv, the inspirational character he was that -- and all my colleagues here tonight have alluded to it as well. he lived a very, very full life. a selfless life. and when i think about the leaders that have come through washington, indeed what is this town named for? george washington. who is probably the single most selfless politician i can ever think of in terms of giving of service, putting himself left and the country first he didn't want to be king. he didn't really want to preside so much. but he wanted to help. god was always on his side. i see in billy graham that same ind of greatness of founding policies, founding values. of george washington and our founders manifested in a man who reached and saved millions. in this country over those years with his crusades. a couple of my colleagues already mentioned his interaction, his -- with dr. king and with this being black history month the last couple of days of it here, i thought it to touch on that as well. billy graham helped be a force in the civil rights movement, showing the way for others who may have been hesitant or breaking down the barrier for those who still wanted to sustain segregation my colleague