and our ranking member for their support and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is mr. chabot: we have no other speakers. we would like the gentlelady to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is closed. ms. velazquez: i thank the gentlelady from north carolina for introducing this important piece of legislation to provided much needed oversight of small business participation and . reamline acquisition and i urge all the members to support this important piece of legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. mr. chabot: i yield myself such time to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i would like to thank ms. adams for her leadership and congratulate her for the passage. this legislation raises the profile and requires that the s.b.a. keep track of how much federal spending is made to best in class vehicles. i applaud the administration to look at how taxpayer dollars are utilized. we must be watchful to safeguard small businesses in the federal marketplace. enacting this legislation will help ensure that the correct data is collected and reported and help maintain that balance. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6382 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, bill is laid on the table. mr. chabot: i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 791, small business innovation protection act of 2017. the clerk: senate 791, an act to amend the small business act to expand intellectual property training and education for small businesses and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from ohio and the gentlewoman from new york will each control 20 minutes. mr. chabot: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of s. 791, small business innovation protection act of 2017. as small entrepreneurs continue to expand their businesses, they must have the tools they need to protect their intellectual property. however, the process for obtaining intellectual properties can be daunting even for the most experienced business owners. they need to have the tools to protect their ideas and products .s intellectual property sastes small business owners often do not have the resources to protect their ideas and products especially when they are competing in the immarketplace. they can't afford to retain attorneys to guide them through the difficult process of obtaining protections which leaves them vulnerable to the innovative ideas to products and ideas being stolen here in the united states and internationally. this legislation addresses this issue by developing a partnership twep the small business administration and the united states patent and trademark office giving ntrepreneurs the full bread of knowledge. the bill utilizes existing resources at both agencies to assist small business owners and expand their outreach efforts to have the resources they need to address intellectual issues. the role that they play, it's our responsibility to ensure they have the resources they need to better protect their intellectual property. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: i rise in support of the small business innovation protection act of 2017. innovation is an indispensible element ensuring america's competitive edge. in fact, it is so important that studies show that the industry supports 30% of all jobs and contributes over $6 trillion to u.s. g.t.p. while they understand, just as many do not know where to start or how to protect their ideas overseas. and just 15% of small businesses that conduct overseas' business understand the need to file for i.t. protection abroad. this bill addresses the program by creating a partnership between the two agencies best suited to take on this mission, usbto. a. and and they are utilizing the immense network, small firms will have all the resources to better protect their interests, oth demeckically and internationally. i thank you for recognizing the program and working to advance the interests of our small businesses. i urge members to vote yes and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. e gentleman from -- is recognized. >> i ask unanimous consent to include in the record our jurisdictional letter exchanged with the committee on the judiciary to expedite floor consideration on this important legislation. without objection. mr. chabot: s. 791 is the senate counter part to legislation by mr. evans and mr. fitzpatrick. once again, bipartisan legislation. that bill, h.r. 2655 whereas reported unanimously out of our committee. i commend them on their work. this legislation helps small businesses receive better access to education and training opportunities both here and abroad. the partnership between the small business administration would help small business owners to protect their ideas and products. this important partnership will help to reach small business owners and better prepare them for doing business here and abroad. it is vital that they have as many tools and resources to protect their innovative ideas from intellectual property theft. i urge my colleague to support this important legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: do you ish to yield or reserve? mr. chabot: we will reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: this recognizes the special place small firms play in america's economy and provides them a simple tool to protect themselves and their ideas. today's bill leverages the role of the usbt omp and s.b.a. to protect innovative entrepreneurs at home and abroad. doing so is paramount to being the global leader. i urge members to support this bill. and i would like to take this opportunity to thank the chairman, mr. chabot, and the staff of the minority and majority side. it has been a great pleasure working on these nine bills and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: don't get ahead of yourself there. it hasn't happened yet and we have had a wonderful working relationship over the years. i have been the chair and ranking member and the gentlelady has been the chair and ranking member. we would like to keep it the way it is now. we'll see in six weeks. i have given the closing statements. so we'll yield back. the speaker pro tempore: will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? mr. chabot: i move to suspend the rules and pass the success act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6758, a bill totaling direct the undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the united states patent and trademark office in consultation with the administrator to study and provide recommendations to promote the participation of women and minorities in entrepreneurship activities to extend by eight years the patent and trademark offices' authority to set the amount it sets for fees and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their marks and include extraneous materials. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i yield myself such time as i may consume. and i rise in support of of h.r. 6758, the success act. back in 2011, i was one of five members of congress who co-sponsored the america invents act that the president signed into law. a provision was included to provide the director of the united states patent and trademark office to cover the costs of patent applications. today as a senior of the house judiciary committee, i recognize the need to extend that authority another eight years. the p.t.o. plays a role in the development of new technologies that agency operates on fees it collects frrl applicants to ensure that the p.t.o. has the resources it needs to examine applications to study the issue of from women and to perform the countless other activities that t undertakes to maintain the competitiveness. congress needs to re-authorize to adjust its fees. additionally, we need to ensure that every america a can with a great new idea has access to the tools necessary for success for america to realize its full potential and secure a brighter future. the success act helps us achieve that goal by requiring that they provide recommendations to congress how to increase the participation of women, minorities and veterans and entrepreneurship activities and the patent system. while american ingenuityity is unparalleled, recent reports indicate we have not tapped into .ll that the american people to women earn almost half of all undergraduate degrees and 39% of all new phd's in those fields, 10% and 20% of innovators listed on patents are women. racial tudy showed that minorities fare even worse. i thank representatives comstock for the legislation that is included in h.r. 6758. i thank my fellow members on the judiciary and small business committees for being original co-sponsors. i ask my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: i'm proud to be the lead democratic co-sponsor of the success act. this bill takes the important step of extending for eight more years the patent and trademark office's authority to set its own fees. it's a timely bill. and -- it's a timely time that we are passing this bill because the fee-setting authority for the u.s. p.t.o. expired on september 16 of 2018. this bill will allow the u.s. p.t.o. to have the ability to set the amount it charges for each of the services it provides to patent and trademark applicants. the ability to set its fees will help the u.s. p.t.o. with its long-term planning. the fees are set to recover ggregate estimate costs of the operations. this bill would renew the u.s. p.t.o.'s fee-setting authority consistent with the framework of the america invents act, which was enacted in 2011. section 29 of the america invepts act called for the director of the united states patent and trademark office to establish methods for studying the diversity of patent applications, including those who are minorities, women or veterans. this bill directs the director in the consultation with the administrator of the small bills administration to conduct a study on the number of patents annually applied for and object taped by u.s. women, minorities and veterans. the study would provide recommendations to promote the participation of women and minorities and entrepreneurship and in the patent system. this data is necessary so congress and the public can fully understand the demographic nature of the patent applicant pool. the study will be critical in developing policies to help underrepresented groups to engage in entrepreneurial activities that are the backbone of our american economy. women, racial minorities and low-income individuals are significantly underrepresented in the innovation ecosystem. for example, the institute of women's policy research reported in 2016, less than 20% of u.s. patents listed one or more women as inventors and under 8% listed a woman as the primary inventor. . . this is beneficial not just for inventors but for the business sector as well. for these reasons i'm proud to co-sponsor this bill and i urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation and i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: we have no further speakers. if the gentleman has speakers, he's welcome to do so. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: i recognize the gentlewoman from north carolina, congresswoman alma adams for such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. adams: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman for yielding. i do rise in support of h.r. 6758, the success act. as the world's leader for innovation and entrepreneurship, the united states has historically been a breeding ground for the best ideas and creative approaches that improve our quality of life and solve some of the world's most complex problems. however, currently women, people of color and low income communities hold significantly fewer patents than other demographics. a recent study showed that children born to parents in the top 1% of income are 10 times more likely to become an innovator and hold a patent than those born into low-income familiesle innovation should not be a skillset only available to the super rich those with the most resources. the success act is an important first step to better understand whige the -- better understand whige the patent gaps exist. it will take more effort to create a more equitable system. with data collected via the success act, timely research and studies across the nation addressing underrepresentation, the federal government can better promote policies to increase opportunity for underrepresented groups to successfully quality -- qualify. i strongly believe it's our duty to ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to compete for patents and participate in the innovation economy. the future of american innovation is diverse an the success act will help us begin to close the gap in patenting and ensure that all innovators, creators and patent seek verse a seat at the table. i urge all members to support this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you. i am again asking that my colleagues support this very commonsense bill and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume to close, i will be very brief. i'd like to thank the gentleman from georgia for his hard work on this legislation. we've worked together on a number of bills in the past. i really do appreciate the bipartisan effort in this area. i would urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6 58 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion othey have chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. weather, the title is amended. -- without objection, the tite sail mend. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? r. chabot: i move to pass h.r. 5075, the ashanti alert act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to enhance and integrate alert plans throughout the united states. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio, mr. shah with the and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 5075 currently under consideration. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. we'll vote today on h.r. 5075, the ashanti alert act of 2018. this bill establishes a national alert network for missing adults at the department of justice. it will allow law enforce optometrist coordinate the use of communications systems to alert the public that an adult is missing. in order to issue an alert the missing alert -- missing adult must suffer from a proven physical or mental disability or law enforcement must certify the person's physical safety may be in danger or their disappearance was not voluntary. this ashanti national alert network will be integrated into the existing blue alert system. the blue alert system issues alerts to notify the public of nearby suspects or threats to their communities' law enforcement officials. this legislation will also allow the attorney general to designate a national coordinator to work with states to establish alert systems for missing adults and to develop voluntary guideline states may use in creating their networks. i want to thank scott taylor for introducing this legislation and i ask my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time. and we appreciate mr. taylor being here today and his leadership on this effort. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me say to the manager of this bill i'm delighted to stand with you on a very important legislative initiative. having been in this body for a period of time, i'm reminded of the amber alert, i was here when it was initiated and passed by my friend, martin frost, who was formerly in this body. then i believe a lot of work was done on the silver alert by our colleague maxine waters. and we all worked together. remember amendments in the house judiciary committee on these very issues. so i rise in support of h.r. 5075, the ashanti alert act of 2018. it's a commonsense initiative to realize that whoever is missing, we need to help find those individuals. so this bill seeks to establish a national communications network within the department of justice to help locate missing adults by providing assistance for regional and local search efforts. for our colleagues obviously the amber alert dealt with children and the silver alert dealt with senior citizens, isle in the age range of 60 and 65. the bill would initiate, facilitate and promote ashanti alert plans in coordination with states, units of local government and other concerned entities with expertise in providing services to adults. these are laudable goals and as a congress ones which we have a duty to facilitate. as of december 31, 017, the national crime information center database included records of 55,968 missing adults. in my own hometown in the last three weeks, two adults went missing who were brother and sister. first the brother went missing, absolutely no sign of that individual, the sister went to look for that individual and of course they were missing. tragically, of course, we found ultimately that a relative had disposed and killed both of them. but if we had an alert system maybe we would have been able to find them sooner. in fact, many adults go missing each year who are not found until it is too late. such was the case of a young woman after whom this bill is named, a smbing hanti billings, she was abducted from her workplace in virginia, taken across state lines and found dead in north carolina. she was too old for the issuance of an amber alert on her behalf and too young for silver alert. this fills in the gap for people like her, missing adults between the ages of 18 and 64 and does so in coordination with the blue alert network and as well -- which congress established, the blue alert established a nationwide system of blue alerts to warn about threats to police officers and help track down suspects who carry them out. while drawing on the blue alert network, the ashanti alerts act includes minimum standards and resources that help in this case. had these resources been ailable when ashanti was abducted she may still be here with us today. for these reasons i support the legislation i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i'd like to yield such time heas may consume to the gentleman from virginia, mr. taylor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. taylor: thank you, prk. i rise today in support of my bill, h.r. 5075, the ashanti alert act, named if for ashanti billie, tragically taken from the world too soon last september at the hands of a violent criminal. so now we have undertaken this action with this bill, a bipartisan one, because this is not a partisan issue. united states does not currently have an alert system for missing adults. if a child or senior citizen goes missing, law enforcement is authorize t.d. brd cast alerts on major channels and participating citizens share alerts across social media platform, bringing much-needed attention and resources to bear. still no such alert exists for missing adults ages 18 to 65. history shows that programs like the amber alert are successful and help save lives. in 2016 alone, there were 179 amber alerts issued in the united states. over 85 of those cases resulted in recovery and 43 of them were the direct result of an amber alert. these programs are proven to work and with the ashanti alert we can close the gap, better protect our family, friends and neighbors, and save lives with a egacy given to us by ashanti bille's sacrifice. like other alerts, this allows law enforcement to use tools at their disposal to issue alerts about missing adults on tv, radio and social media. it also sets a minimum standard for issuing alerts. one the person suffers a proven mental or physical disability. two, if police believe their -- they're in danger or three if they believe the disappearance have been involuntary. my commonwealth, virginia, has already taken steps to address this issue. last april the governor signed a bill into law in honor of ashanti that establishes a statewide alert system for missing adults. but in order to save lives the search for missing adults cannot end at the state line. indeed, according to the f.b.i.'s national crime information center, there's still over 55,000 missing adults in this country. this is a national challenge and it most definitely demands a national response. mr. speaker, ashanti billie was a beautiful, young, black woman with a beaming smile. she was a hard worker, she'd wake up before sunrise and head to the naval base to start her job. at night she attended culinary classes at the virginia beach art institute. she had hopes and dreams and aspirations, she was passionate about life and brought that positive energy to everyone who met her. mr. speaker, one year ago today, early in the morning, i met with local constituents kimberly wimbush, michael mohammed, and a billie family and representative of the naacp. being military veteran, they didn't understand -- the billie family didn't understand how this could happen. their young daughter was missering abducted from a nail base. i knew right then that fateful morning , in my gut and in my heart that this family would soon receive tradge exnews. i knew this family and these friends needed my help and my heart and my team's heart was with them. mr. speaker, there are no words, no wishes, no whispers that can bring back or ease the billie family burden but make no mistake about it, no amount of darkness can ever keep out a bright light. i may have met with a shaken family that day but on this day they sit before us in this chamber strong and determined and ready to solidify ashanti's legacy and today's vote will give law enforcement across eour great nation a new tool to bring resources to bear to locate missing adults who may be in danger and will no doubt save lives. i encourage my colleagues to support. thank you, mr. speaker, and i eld back. the speaker pro tempore: do you have any further speakers? mr. chabot: we have no further speakers. it was my understanding that the gentlelady would like to participate in a colloquy. ms. jackson lee: i would ask the gentleman to yield in a moment. i thank you very much, mr. chabot. i'm concerned that h.r. 5075 does not explicitly include native american tribes in the network that the bill would establish. it is my understanding that this network would be established by the same office at the department of justice that implements its plus alert system which includes outreach to tribal partners. i would like to confirm that it is the intent of congress that this same outreach to tribes be conducted with the missing adults communications network. mr. chabot: this outreach to tribes shall be conducted with the blue alert program. ms. jackson lee: i'm prepared to close. let me thank the proponent of this legislation, mr. taylor, for very thoughtful initiative, one that is needed. it is tragic when we lose our constituents but when the families lose their loved ones. i support this legislation. h.r. 5075 will facilitate the establishment of a communications network concerning missing adults and will have an impact far beyond what it will take to accomplish it. and this bill is intended -- mr. chabot's in the clarification, this bill is extended to tribal entities and american native americans. is past may, we commemorated to bring awareness how this problem affects native american communities. i'm hopeful this bill can address this very serious problem and theover all bill that addresses the need for families to find their loved ones after the ages of children and before the amings of senior sit accepts. we can do more to help missing local adults. there are families in my district that are suffering from a loss of a brother or sister. i urge my colleagues to support this. and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yield. mr. chabot: i will be brief. and i yield myself such time as i can close. on behalf of all members of the house, we would like to offer our condolences to the family of ashanti and i thank mr. taylor for his legislation. i hope other people would benefit. i urge my colleagues to support it. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the , h.r.ing order, h.r. 6368 6369 and h.r. 6369. the first electronic he vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. and the remaining votes will be five-minutes. the unfinished business is on passing h.r. 6368. the clerk: union calendar number 744, h.r. 6468 a bill to ncourage rad setasides participants to serve as metropolitanors under the small business program to promote the use of sbrr agency contracts and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the opinion of the chair -- >> i request the yapes. the speaker pro tempore: 2/3 being in the affirmative. >> i request the yeas and nays, a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yapes will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, yaped. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. snow [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 389, the nays are 6. zero recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the question on passing h.r. 6369 as amended, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: h.r. 6369 a bill toll amend the small business anth to eliminate the inclusion in the award price of sole source contracts and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: will the house suspend the ruse and pass the bill as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the pip of the chair, 2/3 -- i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yapes are requested. those favoring a vote by the yapes. 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: the yeas are 392, the nays are 5, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the question is on suspend being the rules. which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: h.r. 6735, a bill to direct the secretary of homeland security to establish a vulnerability disclosure policy for department of homeland security internet web sites and for other purposes. ism the question is will the house suspend the ruse and pass the bill as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. . in the opinion of the chair, twird being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i send to the detching a privileged report for filing under the rule. the clerk: a report to accompany house resolution 1077, resolution providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany the bill h.r. 6167 making appropriations for the department of defense for september 30, 2019, providing for crrgs, house resolution 1071 recognizing that the ng illegal avalues franchise and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. please take your conversations off the floor. he floor will come to order. please take conversations off the house floor. the house will come to order please. please take your conversations off the floor. he house will come to order. the house will come to order, please. please take your conversations off the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. collins: i ask unanimous consent to take from the speakers' table h.r. 1511 with the senate amendment thereto tond agree with the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the clerk will report the title of the bill and senate amendment. the clerk: h.r. 1551 an act to amend the internal revenue code of 1996 to modify the code from advanced nuclear power fa ill ill -- facility. mr. collins: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the reading is suspended. is dispensed with. is there objection to the request of the gentleman from georgia? without objection the senate amendment is agreed to and the motion to consider is laid on the table. >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. please take your conversations off the floor. he house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. collins: i ask demams consent to take from the speaker's table s.con.res. 1450 and ask for its immediate onsideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate con surnt -- concurrent resolution 48. mr. collins: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on the judiciary be discharged from further consideration of s. 2559 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2559 and act to amend title 17 to amend the marrakesh treaty and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the bill? without objection the bill is read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that i may hereafter be considered the first sponsor of h.r. 2327, a bill originally introduced by representative ron desantis of florida, for the purposes of add cog sponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule 12. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from alabama seek recognition? mrs. roby: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6847, the preventing child exploitation of 2018 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will port the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6847 a bill to amend title 18 united states code to expand and strengthen federal sex offenses, re-authorize certain programs established by the adam walsh child protection and safety act of 2006 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from alabama, ms. roeby, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from alabama. mrs. roby: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 6847 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. roby: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. roeby: i'm pleased we're voting today on the preventing child exploitation act which rolls together four bills the house considered and passed last year, but the senate failed to pass up and pass these bills. each of them will make important changes to federal ru lau to protect children. i'd like to thank my colleagues, mr. ratcliffe, mr. johnson, and mr. sensenbrenner for their excellent work in crafting an introducing these bills with me and their critical efforts to move them through the house earlier this congress. the first part of h.r. 6847 is the bill i introduced, the roeby bill that closes a significant loophole in pursuing offend offenders who engage in sex tourism and prey on children abroad. specifically the bill ensures that the definition of ill list sexual conduct includes all potential situations where an adult defendant may abuse a child under these circumstances. no longer will they be able to go and prey on foreign children without facing a penalty of significant punishment at home. they will also not be able toest tape -- escape enhanced snantses for doing. so the bill also fixes loopholes for those who degrade, humiliate children under 12 to avoid sentencing enhancements for sentencing. congress always intended children to have the greatest protection and we must ensure our law reflects that intent. the next part, the ratcliffe bill, closes yet another loophole regarding offenders who commit violent crimes while they're in noncompliant status as sex offendersle currently this enhancement apries only to those who commit crimes of violence under federal travel, d.c., or military law and the law of any territory or possession of the united states. as bill adds state crimes predicate quicks, ensuring that all sex offenders who have been quicked of crimes of violence face tightened punishment where they fill to register. currently, certain recidivist provisions have not covered when someone has a prior sex conviction under federal and state law as opposed to military law. for instance, under current law an offender with certain child pornography convictions would not qualify for sentencing enhancement that someone convicted under a federal statute would even if their conduct was the same. this bill fixes this and makes sure that those recidivist enhance. s are applied consistently. the third part of h.r. 6847, the johnson bill, fixes a judicially created loophole in the federal production of child pornography statutes. in the united states -- in united states vs. palomino coronado, the fourth circuit reversed a conviction for child pornography for insufficient evidence, allowing a defendant to walk fre free from production despite ornography photographs. in doing so the court suggested a defendant must initiate sexual conduct with an intent to make child pornography. this decision has extremely undesirable consequences in the production of child -- in the prosecution of production of child pornography. it created a new defense where a efendant can deny a preformed, make ic intent to pornography of a minor. that's an outrageous result. the creation of child pornography must be adequately deterred and this fix ensures it will be. finally, h.r. 6847 includes the a-- the adam walsh re-authorization act introduced by committee chairman sensenbrenner, the author of the original walsh act. it re-authorizes the sex offender management program and provides funding for the united states marshal service which is tasked with identifying and apprehending unregistered sex offenders. it also adds new provisions ta aim to improve the sex offender registration and notification act and make it easier for states to comply. thus far, 17 states, 108 tribes and 40 territories are in substantial compliance with the law. the intent of this bill is to ensure many more jurisdictions come into compliance. over the past several years, d.o.j. has worked closely with the state to achieve this goal by promulgating flexible guidelines and -- via the continued hard work of the office of sex offender sentencing monitor, register, smart.cking or the this addresses concerns many have addressed about juvenile offenders. it is important to keep in mind that only juveniles who have committed the most serious sex offenses are subject to registration under the law. nevertheless this bill lessens the amount of time a juvenile who commits certain offenses and keeps a clean record must be on the registry. it keeps these youth -- if these youths keep a clean record for 15 years they may petition to leave the registry. additionally, the bill codifies 2016 d.o.j. guidelines which permit the smart office to deem a state in substantial compliance even if it maintains a discretionary juvenile registry. further, the bill alleviates the implementation by permitting alternative means for in-person check-ins for reg sfrants and lessening the number of required check-ins. s that reasonable amendment that will help states with significant rural populations achieve compliance. i want to thank all my colleagues, i'm glad to have had the opportunity to introduce the comprehensive child protection bill which as i have already noted will strengthen federal law to protect children. i also want to again thank mr. ratcliffe, mr. johnson, and mr. sensenbrenner for their work. there can be no keener moralsion of a society's than the way in which it treats its children. i implore my colleagues to take that to heart and support this well-crafted legislation. i urge every person in this room to consider this bill not just as a member of congress but as a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle or a friend. please join me today in supporting this bill and protecting our children. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the jerusalem reserves. the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i ask to address the house for such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: i'm pleased to be on the floor with a fellow colleague in the judiciary committee and we have a similar passion for children over the years. and i am pleased to be able to acknowledge the work of -- that the walsh family has tragically had to do in honor of their son adam walsh and their re-authorization act which has been a major impact of -- had a major impact on child violent crimes. o in this set of bills is i intend to speak on as it relates to protecting our children. but also, our bills, h.r. 1761, r. 184 and h.r. 1862, which e know would spapped the sentences. the act established a sex off ender notification act as the national system for the registration of sex off enders. everyone knows the tragic story of adam walsh and the walsh family has committed themselves for years. the re-authorization act is included in h.r. 6847. and it last re-authorized the act in 2012 to improve the requirements. states have failed to bstantially and subject to a grant under the assistant grant. the re-authorization provisions that are included in this overall omnibus ball would determine whether juvenile sex offender information would be accessible. i step forward as it relates to comprehensive criminal justice reform addressing questions. and it would reduce the time that certain but not all juvenile offenders are required to register. i welcome these changes as steps in the right direction which is what happens when we work this a bipartisan manner to address the concerns which i supported as h.r. 1188 last year. now what has happened is we have 6847 that incorporates a number of owe problems with problematic provisions that would require mandatory life imprisonment. no one is condoning or supporting any of these heinous acts or individuals. under section 3559 of title code , and committed against a child and who is guilty against a child must be accepted to life imprisonment. this would amend 3559 to add more predicate offenses of a life sentence namely sex conduct with a mipor. missing the fact of not allowing judges to be involved in the septembering of these particular offenses. the bill would remove the requirement that a federal presented meant offense would be he related to prosecution. to would allow any sexual serve as a basis to a mandatory life sentence. they would be subject to increased penalties and life impripment is appropriate. taking away the discretion of the judge in the review of thinks matters. yet congress should not mandate as the only sentencing option. another provision is sparneded provision of mandatory septembering. this leads many to be concerned and to be against and in addition to the federal crimes of violence already included in the statute for failing to relation steer as a sex ofeder. this would add state crimes that would require the imposition of five-year sentence to any sentence imposed. again taking away the discretion of the court. d the bill would add prior convictions and most of which carry penalties. lastly, h.r. bill would amend section 2251 to create two new offenses that would cause the depiction of a mipor engaged in sexual conduct or causeing the transmission. engaged in this will conduct. in effect, these provisions and yetd a new class of this bill fails to provide any romeo and juliet provision. even when the conduct is for example, if a 19-year-old and 17-year-old are engaged in a sexual account, the 19-year-old will be subject to mandatory minimums. that is why i offered an amendment before our committee, my amendment would have been romeo and juliet would have qualifiesich juvenile as offenses. as harsh as we need to be, i'm concerned that we look to the reform of a juvenile system ap not criminalize acts between juveniles. an ajudication for a qualifying offense if the judge finds that the registration is necessary to protect the public safety. we all have the same common goal and that is to go protect our children. but unfortunately, there are children who are actors and we want to allow the judge to discern what harsh penalties they should get. and frankly my romeo and juliet amendment would respond to two kid what they do. unfortunately those provisions were not included. for far too long, the criminal swuss ties system has relied on mass incarceration that is driven by mapped da tower minimums. they are not to impose. the judge at sentencing has all the information he or she needs to impose a sent commensurate with the sentence. i note the issues that we have of a good bill and the imposition of mandatory minimums and with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the jo reserves. the gentleman from texas. >> my pleasure to yield four minutes to the ranking member and former member of the house judiciary committee, our friend, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: i rise in opposition to h.r. 6847, legislation exposes additional persons to pre-existing mandatory minimum sentences of 15, 20, 25 or mandatory life in prison. while i agree they should be punished harshly. for decades now, evidence has demonstrated that mandatory minimums reduce crime and waste the taxpayers' money and require a judge to impose sentence that are so bizarre. unfortunately there are too many mandatory minimums. if you expect to do anything about that pob and address this mass incarceration, the first step we have to take is start expanding mandatory minimums. they did not get there all at once. each part of a larger bill which on balance would seem like a good idea. but giving lip service that you would have preferred that the preferred mandatory minimum would not be in the bill but vote for the bill not only creates the mandatory minimum but those who support mandatory minimums would include them in the next crime bill. to stop passing them is to stop passing bills that include the broadening. this bill is appalling it would oppose and doing what many teenagers do. teenager section ing is widespread. under this bill, teenagers who send it may be prosecuted and if convicted, the judge must sentence to 15 years in prison. the bill states that some of these mandatory minimums will ply to attempts of conspiracies. if a teenage is requesting it from his he teenaged girlfriend, the judge must sentence him to 15 years. and ask another friend toe send an image and asked her and both guilty of conspiracy and the judge must sentence to them to at least 15 years in prison. the term includes simulated conduct. this means if a teenager asks for another teenager for a photo simulating sex, the law has violated, the teenager must get 15 years in prison. the judge does not consider the fact that the conduct may be consensual. these circumstances are irrelevant when the sentence is mandatory. many cases by the bill. in others, the penalties are absurd, but because they are mandatory, they would have to be imposed any way. this bill wouldn't be controversial. but unfortunately, it does. i urge my colleagues to opsose this this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from alabama is recognized. the gentlelady reserves. the speaker pro tempore: you prepared to close? ms. jackson lee: those who commit crimes against chirp as i started out, i have been engaged in the tragedy of adam walsh from almost the very beginning. and certainly support that will legislation. t we realize that we must be very vigilant as it relates to our children. there is no quarrel with that. there is a question of mandatory minimums and the importance of giving our courts that discretion. so those who commit crimes against children deserved to be punished and repeat offenders sentence. face repeat and the results of mass incarceration. i op possess mandatory minimum septembering and this legislation, judges are best suited to determine just and appropriate punishments in these matters and more appropriate to separate out. even conservative groups expanding the this is uncostly and unjust. individuals convicted would receive lengthy sentences. let me say that again, without mandatory minimum sentences, individuals would still receive appropriate lengthy september tenses. how can we under estimate the courts of our others and know he and not create a one size fits all for the information going reasons i would like to have these bills divide and move on good bills and work together for the appropriate way to punish and punish strongly, but not build on the mount of mass incarceration. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlelady from alabama is recognized. mrs. roby: i yield as much time as i may time to close. we need to make clear this bill does not expand law to go after teenagers for sexting. under present law, such changes may be possible. however we know with no instance where the department of justice has pursued such cases. when these bills were initially passed, the press said they would make it possible for d.o.j. to go after teenagers. apparently these journalists did not participate in any sort of fact checking which is consisting of opening a criminal code book and they continually fight to state cases as examples of federal prosecutors acting aggressively, which is similarly extremely misleading. if our friends across the aisle would like to draw our attention to any cases where the federal overnment prosecuted teenaging sexting. we provided a defense despite no evidence that one is necessary that we were not taking up on our offer. none of these bills create newman da tower minimum sentences. they modify the existing statutory framework to ensure that it is to close certain loopholes. some of the conduct is expanded. but that is done commensurate with the crime. for these enhancements these predatory crimes especially where the defendant has sexually abused the child in 18 u.s.c.. society needs to address the problems of the day and protects the public especially our children. x crimes against children -- their number is growing. . . additionally the crimes are get manager deprave and the victims are getting younger. the gravity and growing prevalence of these crimes merit an appropriate societal response to have a proper deterrent effect. the enhancement provides this deterrent effect. in addition, these child sex crimes are vastly underreported. in these sexual exploitation crimes, the victims are often very young and very impressionable. they are often scarred for life as a result of horrific abuse. the punishment must fit the crime, especially where it involves our children. again, my appeal to my colleagues is to consider this bill not just as a member of congress but again as a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, uncle, and friend. i urge my colleagues to adopt this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the ill h.r. 6847. as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass house concurrent resolution 72 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: concurrent resolution expressing the sense of congress that child safety is the first priority of custody and visitation adjudication and that state courts should improve adjudications of custody where family violence is alleged. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. rutherford, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. rutherford: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on house concurrent resolution 72, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rutherford: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rutherford: i'm pleased we are voting today on this resolution which expresses the sense of congress that child safety should be the top priority of custody and visitation adjews cases and the state courts should improve adjudications of custody where amily violence is alleged. custody adjudications are especially difficult cases fraught with emotion and complex relationships. states must ensure the judges presiding over these cases are trained to understand the dynamics and apply appropriate evidentiary standards to the party's evidence. most importantly, states should ensure that in these disputes, children's safety comes first. we've seen tragedies happen throughout the united states where courts failed the children involved in custody disputes. over the past decade. the center for judicial excellence has documented 653 child homicides across the united states by a parent involved in a conflict related to divorce, separation, custody, visitation or child support. last year, annaest vezz's 5-year-old son kiki was murdered by her ex-husband. despite her efforts to obtain sole cus diof him due her her ex-husband's history of abuse, her plea was rejected. her estranged husband picked up the child as part of their custody arrangement and took him to disneyland. that's the last time ms. estevez saw her son. his body was found two months later and her estranged husband eventually confessed to murder. a tragedy that should never have happened. today we take a step in expressing to states that they must pay special attention to these cases. we hope states will heed this resolution and resolve to evaluate the family court systems and implement measures to put child safety first. thank you to mr. sessions of texas for bringing this resolution before us. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. he jerusalem from texas. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. i rise in support of the house concurrent resolution and i thank my colleague on the judiciary committee for his leadership and want to indicate that first and foremost, this bipartisan resolution expresses the sense of congress that child safety should be the top priority of any custody and parenting court adjudications and that courts should resolve safety risks and claims of domestic violence first before taking any other interest into consideration. the resolution also underscores congress' strong support for the use of scientific-based evidence in family court, include regular license on expert professionals with expertise in relevant types of abuse, trauma, and behaviors of victims and perpetrators by, among other things, establishing specific standards for the preparation of professional reports. this resolution also encourages states to consider models through which such professional experts can be appointed and paid directly by the courts as needed. and expresses the sense of congress that we hold hearings, examining family court practices with regards to the fair adjudication of children's safety and civil rights. i think many of us as members of congress who deal in family issues, as the founder and co-chair of the congressional children's caucus and being a student of the family protective service --er is vices -- services, child protective services, i've seen more than one case where a child is returned to a family and gets caught up in the unfortunate practices of that family situation, that home situation and yes, they wind up losing their life. children as young as 1 and 2 and 3 years old. helpless without being able to help themselves. house concurrent resolution 72 acknowledges that the inter-american commission on human rights has found that the united states has failed in its legal obligation to protect women and children from domestic violence. it certainly seems appropriate as we debate this that i ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and it's not too late to join me in putting the violence against women act on the floor of the house with over 160 co-sponsors that specifically address the question of domestic violence, domestic abuse and so many of our collaborating groups from all over the country both conservative and otherwise are arguing and advocating for the passage of the violence against women act before its extinction -- before its expiration on september 30, 2018. it would be a complement to this sense of congress. in recognition of the fact that the problem of domestic violence is among the most serious social problems in this country, the resolution makes a number of important findings in this regard. child abuse in and of itself is a major public health issue and it costs billions of dollars annually and unfortunately to the loss of children's lives but the cost of child abuse cannot be measured in simple monetary terms because as a study by the centers for disease control tells us, children who experience adverse childhood experiences are at greater risk to develop certain chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, the consequences for children who experience abuse and neglect are long last, long reaching and cannot be measured easily. as this resolution finds child sexual abuse as horrific as it is, it's a matter that goes routinely underdocumented, but time after time allegations of child a i buse and child sexual abuse are often discounted when adjudication. tragically abusive parents are often grant custody or unprotected parenting time which places children at constant risk and the risk of abuse to the child increases when a perpetrator of domestic violence separates from a domestic partner. the dumont finds the murder of 568 children in a year by a parent involved in divorce, custly -- custody, visitation situations. in many courts the court -- in many cases the courts granted access to the child by the abusive parent. and it recognizes the need for courts to appoint well-qualified professionals to apply scientifically sound evidence-based principals in the -- principles in litigation. because such is not provided, parents often incur overwhelming debt and may even need to file for bankruptcy relief as a result. in the united states, this should be unacceptable. for these reasons i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting house concurrent resolution 72 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. he gentleman from florida. >> i grant such time as he may consume to the chairman, pete sessions, the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sessions: i want to thank the distinguished gentleman who spent his career not only as a sheriff, duly elected constitutional member in florida, but also to the distinguished gentlewoman from houston, texas who has served as an tern serving the people of houston, texas. mr. speaker, i rise tonight to make sure that as we respectfully address this issue, h.con.res. 72 which urges states to look at and improve family court proceed offings child custody cases, and ensuring that child safety is a top priority and makes clear that congress will use its oversight authority to engage in this issue also. we do not come at this issue lightly, mr. speaker. as a matter of fact, the domestic violence legal empowerment and appeals project has provided a great deal of information not only to members of congress but by visiting the members making sure that they understand that their work with the center for judicial excellence and protective parents association of california have made sure that they've -- that they saw these issues clearly and talked to members of congress about our ideas, not only as we fund federal programs but as we understand in our discussions with states that we prioritize and help them look at what is a seemingly national crisis this national crisis is about how our children are dealt with in the court system and looked at and specifically this is a concurrent resolution which urges states to develop family court procedures to resolve claims of abuse in family violence before making a o

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