Ted Deutch

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the outstanding youth who represent Junior Achievement of South Florida, and their effort to foster an understanding of the United States Constitution in our community. Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that provides thousands of students across the world with a series of business, economics, free-enterprise, and life-skills programs. In South Florida, the young people of Junior Achievement are truly shining through their work to bring the Spirit of Freedom Experience to the Junior Achievement World Huizenga Center at Broward College. Envisioned by President Ronald Reagan, the Spirit of Freedom Experience aims to boost reverence for the founding principles of our nation by presenting bronze plaque replicas of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights to communities across America. The efforts of these Floridians will culminate during this year's Constitution Week as five plaques, representing our nation's founding documents, will be unveiled to the South Florida community. Among those present to recognize the work of Junior Achievement and to commemorate the unveiling of these historical documents is Captain Scott F. O'Grady, an American whose career in the military epitomizes the spirit of public service. In a story of great perseverance, Captain O'Grady survived in hostile territory for six days after his aircraft was struck down by a Soviet missile during a NATO mission in Bosnia. All those present for the Spirit of Freedom experience will undoubtedly be inspired by Captain O'Grady's courage and commitment to country. Junior Achievement's efforts to prepare young people to succeed as individuals and as citizens are truly commendable. It is an honor to recognize a group of young Americans who have already accomplished so much on behalf of our community by bringing the Spirit of Freedom Experience to South Florida.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, America earned the name the Land of Opportunity because anyone willing to work hard and play by the rules can make it here. Well, our families still work hard, they still play by the rules, and yet so many are barely scraping by. So they send us to Washington to fight for them. They can't afford lobbyists. They only have us. Today we will consider Republican legislation that is a textbook example of why too often, the special interests win out over the public interests. H.R. 2587 gives corporations a green light to send jobs overseas if their employees simply ask for a decent salary or better hours. This bill is based on the premise that executives can negotiate multimillion dollar bonuses for themselves, but if American workers exercise their rights, their jobs will be on the next plane to China. That's the majority's answer to outsourcing of American jobs. If the rights of American workers get in the way of corporate profits, then it's time to do away with those rights. Let's stand up and fight to keep jobs here. Let's fight for American families. Let's defeat H.R. 2587.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was overcome with disbelief to hear my Republican colleagues, the same colleagues who are leading America head first into its first default of its obligations, call on President Obama to start picking and choosing who wins when we run out of money. Now, pay our seniors first, Mr. President. When we force a default, pay our bondholders first, Mr. President. Pay our soldiers first, Mr. President. The GOP is shockingly silent, however, remarkably quiet when it comes to naming who the Treasury should stop paying when they force us into a default. Now, in case you weren't aware, let me clue you in on the definition of a ``default.'' It means the inability, the failure, to meet our financial obligations. And we have many financial obligations we cannot afford thanks to the possibility of this default that our friends on the other side of the aisle are leading us toward. This is a crisis that they manufactured: two wars unpaid for; tax cuts for millionaires that were unpaid for; policies that ignited a fiscal crisis and sunk us into a sea of red ink. Now their refusal to accept responsibility for this debt that they created means that someone who the Treasury owes money to will not get paid. Someone will not get paid, and the full faith and credit of the United States of America will be broken. Now, they're playing a game with our economy to try to force through an extremist agenda. That's what we have been battling against. That's what you've been watching. That's what people around the country are so incredibly frustrated with. It is a game that I have right beside me. It is, in fact, the GOP Wheel of Misfortune, except in this game there are no winners; there are only losers. But, why don't we give it a spin. As we approach the defaults and we spin the wheel, the first one that comes up, I see, is 2 million Federal workers. Come August 2, the GOP default forces the Treasury to send every Federal employee home without a paycheck. From the personal care attendant who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs to the park rangers who lead families through our national parks, a GOP default will send 2 million workers home without pay. During this time of high unemployment, our economy will suffer even more with the ripple effects of suspending pay for 2 million American workers and their families. So pay the Federal workers, we might be told. Let's figure out who else we might choose not to pay. What other obligations of the Federal Government will be broken? What will we choose to avoid if there is a default? Well, if we go back to the wheel, we spin the wheel again, and we see foreign creditors. Come August 2, the GOP will force the Treasury to stop paying interest to our foreign creditors who currently buy U.S. credit with total confidence. When you default on a credit card-- everyone knows this. When you default on a credit card, you don't save money. Your interest rates go up. The bank lowers your credit rating. And if the U.S. stops paying its creditors, then the U.S. credit will be downgraded, interest rates will skyrocket, and our economy will freeze. The damage amounting to a tax increase on every American family will be thanks to the Republican majority that will force this default. But perhaps we should pay the credit holders. Maybe that's who we should pay. Clearly, there is someone else that we will not then, so let's go back to the wheel. When we spin the wheel this time, we get to bondholders. Well, come August 2, again, someone won't get paid. The GOP default will force the Treasury to deny U.S. bondholders the money that they entrusted to our Nation. The college student cashing in a bond their parents bought on their first birthday; the retirees who steer their 401(k)s to the most secure, safest investments in the world, at least until the Republican majority forced a default. But perhaps we will pay the bondholders. We've been told we can pick and choose who we're going to pay when there's a default. Then we should find out perhaps who we might see next. If you spin the wheel again, it might turn out that we come up on Medicare. Now, on August 2, again, the GOP default will force the Treasury to stop paying for the trusted Medicare benefits that 54 million seniors rely upon. Perhaps my friends on the other side of the aisle may finally have their opportunity to dismantle the system that keeps so many retirees from bankruptcy due to private insurance bills. The doctors who treat our Medicare patients, from the primary care physician who takes seniors' blood pressure during yearly checkups to the oncologist who treats our grandmothers and grandfathers when they struggle with cancer, won't get paid as a result of this default. But again, we've been told that we can simply pick and choose, that perhaps it is important for us to make sure that Medicare benefits are paid. What to do? We can go back to the wheel. We can spin the wheel again. It may turn up on veterans. Perhaps we have made a decision to make these others payments, but it comes up on veterans. So, again, on August 2, if we do not come to an agreement, which is completely doable, and if we do not avoid this GOP-caused default, then the Treasury may stop caring for our veterans. In representing Florida's 19th District, I am privileged to serve thousands of veterans, many of them veterans of World War II--members of our Greatest Generation, the very people who built this Nation into what it is today. Now, Americans believe that we have to honor the sacrifices of those who serve, but by forcing America into default, the GOP will deny care to the men and women who embody patriotism and deserve every benefit that they earned while serving this country. This game, this unfortunate game that they wish to play, could go on and on and on. Maybe we choose to pay our veterans, but we stop paying our troops. Maybe we will, as the President pointed out, have no choice but to stop paying Social Security in the event of default. Come August 2, the potential of a GOP default would force the Treasury to deny seniors the Social Security benefits that they earned over a lifetime. In my district and around the country, going without Social Security for any period of time will mean destitution and extreme financial hardship. The Republicans have long fed the American people the lie that the bonds held by Social Security are junk. Well, they've never been junk, at least so long as America has never defaulted on its obligations. This is the wheel of misfortune that we have to avoid getting to. It's not a game anyone wants to play. This hardship thrust upon the American people in the event of a default is completely avoidable. The GOP could make history--make history--by working with President Obama to reduce the deficit in a meaningful, in a responsible and in a fair way. Instead, Republicans seem hell-bent on making history by tarnishing the full faith and credit of the United States of America for the very first time. The reason they won't come to the table, the reason we may be forced to spin the wheel of misfortune: preserving tax cuts for millionaires, preserving tax breaks for corporate jets, preserving tax loopholes and payments to oil companies. They seem more intent on subjecting the American people to the wheel of misfortune than standing up to the special interests that Americans want us to stand up to in the name of fiscal responsibility and fairness. In this game of partisan politics, a game that people all around the country are tiring of, no one wins--and the American people, unfortunately, always lose out. Mr. Speaker, I would be delighted to yield to the gentlelady from Texas.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Speaker, Americans are losing faith in our ability to get things done on their behalf. Today, that means addressing two problems at once: our long-term deficit and our unemployment crisis. The truth is these are two challenges, and these two challenges are two sides of the very same coin. So when Republicans say raising government revenue is off the table, I suppose that is why for months they refused to embrace one of the very best revenue raisers there is: job creation. Our deficit exploded when 8 million Americans lost their jobs in 2008. With 14 million jobless today, no debt deal of any size will work without a focus on jobs. Investing now in infrastructure, in energy, in education will not only create jobs; it will pay back dividends in the future. That's because putting Americans back to work, supporting their families, boosting productivity, and, yes, paying taxes is the government revenue raiser Republicans should join Democrats to get behind without delay.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Corporal Burt Richards for being awarded the American Red Cross Community Courage Award for his work in educating the youth of today about the service of veterans. Corporal Richards and the local chapter of the Jewish War Veterans spearheaded the campaign to close Palm Beach County schools in remembrance of Veteran's Day. While they were not successful in their efforts to close schools, they were successful in creating a new lecture series called ``The Veteran Speaks,'' which has ensured that students in Palm Beach County are educated about our American war veterans. I would like to congratulate Corporal Richards and the American Red Cross for the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast region for their great work on behalf of veterans and for the award. It is an honor having Corporal Richards as a constituent, and I look forward to a continued partnership in educating south Florida's youth about our veterans.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Jeffrey Gralnick, who passed away this past May at the age of 72. A legendary news executive and producer, Jeff's 52-year career began with the black-and-white news segments of the 1950s and grew into leadership positions at nearly all the major broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. One of the first producers of ``60 Minutes,'' Jeff worked with Walter Cronkite, Don Hewitt, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Tom Brokaw. As an executive producer and network executive, Jeff oversaw the broadcasts of space launches, presidential elections, and was in charge of the CBS news desk on the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Jeff's enduring legacy is memorialized in the people he mentored over the years who are employed throughout the news industry. A tough and demanding teacher, Jeff was always eager to share his knowledge and experiences with younger coworkers. His intense character, professionalism, and integrity have left a lasting impression throughout the news industry. A fierce competitor with a tireless work ethic, Jeff was always welcome to new challenges. After beating his first bout with cancer in his early sixties, Jeff found inspiration in the saying ``as soon as you feel too old to do something do it,'' and decided to climb to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, nearly making it to the top. I offer my condolences to Jeff's wife of 41 years, Beth, their son Robert, their daughter Kate and her husband Tim, their grandson Adam, and Jeff's brother Bill. Even though Jeff passed away this past May, his work will live on through the broadcasts he has produced, the networks he helped shape, and the anchors and producers he mentored throughout his career.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. I thank the ranking member from California, and I thank the chair of the committee. Madam Speaker, I rise to support House Resolution 268, reaffirming our Nation's unyielding support for our great ally Israel. Madam Speaker, the lack of progress in the peace process thus far stems from the Palestinians' refusal to negotiate despite historic Israeli concessions. They could choose dialogue, they could choose peace-- instead they have chosen violence and hatred by partnering with Hamas. Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with an organization that refuses to accept the internationally recognized Quartet principles, continues to murder innocent Israelis, and refuses to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. This resolution comes to us as the PA pursues plans to avoid direct negotiations altogether and unilaterally declare statehood at the United Nations. Madam Speaker, just weeks ago here in this Chamber, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reminded us what we clearly already know--that peace cannot be imposed; peace must be negotiated. By passing this resolution, Congress will uphold this principle, will reaffirm our commitment to Israel's security, and will express our unyielding support for the Israeli people in their quest for a true and lasting peace. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this resolution.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the abduction of Israeli soldier Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit from inside Israel's borders by the terrorist organization Hamas. For 5 years, Hamas has violated international human rights conventions by denying Shalit contact with his family and visits by the International Red Cross. Now Hamas wants to be partners with the Palestinian Authority. If the Palestinian Authority is determined to pursue unity with Hamas, then President Abbas must demand that his new partner free Sergeant Shalit. Israel can never be expected to negotiate with an organization that remains bent on its destruction. But if Hamas ever expects to have a seat at the table, it must show good faith now and immediately release Gilad Shalit. We stand here today with our great ally, Israel. We stand here with allies from Europe and throughout the world. We stand with all who believe in and fight for basic human rights. Anyone who can hear my voice knows that Gilad Shalit must be released.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Speaker, today we will vote on a bill to deprive impoverished mothers and their children of nutritional assistance at a time when record numbers of Americans are unfortunately relying on these programs. There is no better indication of the majority's misplaced priorities than when you examine their cuts to meals for low-income seniors and the cuts to our Nation's emergency food banks. My Republican colleagues love to say that these painful cuts are necessary to reduce the deficit. Don't believe it for a second. If we repeal the Bush tax cuts for millionaires for 1 day, just for 1 day, we could preserve every penny of the $100 million in cuts to senior food, aid senior hungry and soup kitchens. We're recovering from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. Poverty is on the rise across America. During these tough times, we could ask millionaires to go without their special tax cuts for 1 day. Instead, Republicans are asking some of America's poorest, most vulnerable seniors to go hungry for 1 day and more. Madam Speaker, our Nation deserves better than that.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ofer Bavly, the Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico for his many years of service to the South Florida Jewish Community, which is being honored this evening by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. The son of Israeli diplomats, Mr. Bavly has dedicated his life to public service since his graduation from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with duel degrees in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. Like many Israelis, Mr. Bavly courageously served his country in the Israel Defense Forces, rising to the rank of Captain. In 1991, Mr. Bavly joined Israel's Foreign Ministry, and has since served his country in Israel's Embassies around the world, including Madrid and Rome. Mr. Bavly's success as a diplomat and foreign policy expertise led to his appointment as a Policy Advisor to the Foreign Minister of Israel in 2005. Subsequently, Mr. Bavly was appointed Counselor in the Foreign Ministry's North America Division in 2006. Mr. Bavly's diplomatic career has culminated with his 2007 appointment to his current position of Counsul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico. It has been an honor working side by side with Mr. Bavly to further America's unshakeable relationship with Israel. I congratulate Mr. Bavly, his wife Ayala, and their three children for their great honor tonight, and I look forward to many more years of strong partnership with Mr. Bavly as we work towards our shared goals of advancing the safety and security of Israel and creating a lasting peace.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Paul Hirschon, the Deputy Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico for his many years of service to the South Florida Jewish Community, which is being honored this evening by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. Born in London, Mr. Hirschon spent his early life in South Africa and pursued degrees in accounting, law, and business before immigrating to Israel. Upon his move to Israel, Mr. Hischon served in the Israel Defense Forces and worked in the Civil Service. After a brief time back in England, Mr. Hirschon returned to Israel and spent ten years as a respected businessman in the hi-tech sector, where he focused on developing lasting relationships with businesses throughout the Middle East. However, in 2004, Mr. Hirschon returned to public service and joined the Foreign Service. Mr. Hirschon was quickly promoted up the ranks of Israel's Foreign Ministry, working for the Consul General's Office in the Persian Gulf countries before being named the Deputy Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico in 2008. It has been an honor working side by side with Mr. Hirschon as Israel and the United States continue advancing our shared core values of freedom, equality, and democracy. I congratulate Mr. Hirschon for this great honor tonight, and I look forward to many more years of strong partnership with Mr. Hirschon.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, the partisan debt resolution was dead on arrival yesterday. But what really should have been DOA is the Republican plan to end Medicare and turn seniors over to private insurance companies. Today, despite the outright rejection of this plan from south Florida to western New York and all across America, Republicans will try to deem and pass the reckless Ryan budget. That's right: those who decried ``deem and pass'' during the health care reform debate now seek to use it to end Medicare. In fact, it was the distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee who, in an effort to stoke fear over the Affordable Care Act, derisively labeled deem and pass the Slaughter Solution. Apparently using deem and pass to help insure 150 million Americans is an abomination but using it to end Medicare, that's courageous. What would truly be courageous is if my Republican colleagues abandoned their plan to gut Medicare and Medicaid and instead supported deficit reduction that ends giveaways to Big Oil and more $100,000 tax cuts for millionaires.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. I thank the gentleman from Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. From the retirees that I serve in south Florida to the middle class families of western New York, the American people have overwhelmingly rejected the reckless Republican budget. The Republican budget ends Medicare and replaces it with a coupon, a coupon that fails to even approach the cost of private health insurance. It guts Medicaid, depended on by millions of impoverished children, nursing home patients, seniors who need home health services, and disabled Americans. Its hatchet job on our budget will destroy 2.1 million jobs when we cannot afford higher unemployment. This plan is opposed by the Senate, the President, and, most importantly, the American people. Yet today Republicans will vote to deem and pass the Ryan budget. The distinguished Rules Committee chairman, who decried deem and pass during the health care reform debate and claimed ``process is substance,'' has apparently had a stunning change of heart. We were told that using deem and pass to extend health care coverage to the uninsured is an abomination. Apparently, we learned today it should be reserved for slashing benefits to seniors. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule. The American people want a bipartisan budget that responsibly reduces the deficit, creates new jobs, and protects Medicare and Medicaid for disabled and elderly Americans. Not this Republican budget.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the twenty-six students from Florida schools that have been named winners in the America's Young Heroes contest to promote respect and prevent bullying. These students have admirably put forth concrete, practical, and creative solutions to prevent bullying in America's schools. However, even more important than the proposals is the contest's climate of acceptance and respect that is being spread to schools across Florida through the America's Young Heroes Program. Founded by Vera Hirschhorn, the America's Young Heroes contest was created in 1999 to improve students' self-esteem through the submission of original stories, poems, music, short films, and artwork about their experiences with bullying. The America's Young Heroes contest has dedicated itself to remedying the bullying epidemic facing our schools by placing an emphasis on positive thoughts and actions to solve bullying situations. I congratulate Vera Hirschhorn, the America's Young Heroes contest, and the twenty-six Florida students for their great work to end bullying in our schools. Their great work and advocacy on behalf of respect and acceptance is truly making Florida schools a safer place for our children.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the eleven Broward residents--Joel Fass, Bea Hedigan, John Gargotta, Maria Thereza Mayo, Kenneth S. Rubin, Mayor Emma Shoaff, Esmie Straw, Lora Thomson, Belle Trebuck, Dr. Steven Weisberg, and Commissioner Lois Wexler--that were recently elected to the Aging and Disability Center of Broward County's Dr. Nan S. Hutchison Broward Seniors Hall of Fame. These eleven volunteer and community leaders have dedicated much of their retirement to improving Broward County, and it is my privilege to congratulate them today for this great achievement. This group of elected officials, business leaders, lawyers, and community activists has tirelessly worked to improve the quality of life for Broward's seniors. Their continuous service to the South Florida community, especially their humanitarian efforts and their advocacy for the less fortunate, makes me proud to call these 11 individuals my neighbors and friends. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to stand before you today and recognize the achievements of this year's Dr. Nan S. Hutchinson Broward Seniors Hall of Fame inductees. Their dedication and hard work has truly made Broward County a better place.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 318, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DEUTCH. So just to confirm, the gentleman's position is that in fact the courts in Florida and Alabama are just as well equipped to hear these cases as are the courts in Texas and the other Gulf States.

Mr. DEUTCH. If the gentleman would yield for one final question, I would also note that while the Natural Resources Committee has acted on this bill, this provision very clearly should have been debated in the Judiciary Committee where all of these issues could have been worked out. It is for that reason, given what we have to work with, that I would again ask for adoption of my amendment, which helps to bring justice and some clarity to what is otherwise a murky provision in this piece of legislation.

Mr. DEUTCH. I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. DEUTCH. May I ask how much time is remaining.

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Chair, the gentleman's opposition to this amendment is premised on a very interesting, and I would respectfully suggest dangerous, interpretation of what is our responsibility as Members of this House. The gentleman spoke of the need to have uniformity of decisionmaking. Uniformity of decisionmaking. As I understand the role of the Federal judiciary, the role of our court system is to provide justice. The role is not to ensure that we have the same decision in every court. My amendment simply says that if you are a judge in the State of Florida or a judge in the State of Alabama, that you are in a position just as well as a judge in Texas or these other Gulf States to make a determination about how the law should be interpreted--the idea that judges have to have a sufficient background, and that if courts throughout the country were able to hear these, we would not be able to reach a logical conclusion. The fact is we're not asking courts throughout the country to hear these cases, Madam Chairman. We're asking the judges within the States whose coastlines would be dramatically affected and have been affected in the case of spills like the Deepwater Horizon. Madam Chairman, I would respectfully suggest that if our goal here is to seek justice, then we must seek justice in those courts in the States that have seen the damage. I ask for the adoption of this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DEUTCH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Chairman, a little more than a year ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil drilling vessel exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Over several months, millions of gallons of oil were dumped into the gulf. The oil spill caused irreparable damage to delicate ecosystems, damaged natural barriers that protect States along the Gulf of Mexico from deadly storm surge, and was devastating to local jobs and livelihoods along the gulf coast. Indeed, the oil spill caused significant harm to my State of Florida's environment and economy from which we are still recovering. My amendment will have no impact on the overall bill. While I do oppose weakening the Federal review process of lease applications for energy development, production and exploration of the Gulf of Mexico, the purpose of my amendment is simply to correct an injustice to the residents of Florida and Alabama in the bill as it is written. My amendment would strike section 202, which imposes an exclusive venue in the Fifth Circuit for civil actions relating to the leasing of Federal lands in the Gulf of Mexico for energy development, production and exploration. Under this provision, litigation relating to leases on energy development can only be filed in a district court in the Fifth Circuit. And while the Fifth Circuit includes the Gulf States of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, two States that comprise substantial gulf coastlines, Florida and Alabama, are in the 11th Circuit, and it makes no sense that the residents of these States will have to travel to the Fifth Circuit to have their cases heard. The effect of this section would be to prevent the district courts in Florida and Alabama from considering civil cases related to the issuance of leases for energy development, production and exploration off the coastlines of these States. Congress has no business telling courts within a State that they are prohibited from considering issues involving a lease for energy development, production and exploration that have the potential to cause irreparable environmental and economic damage to the gulf coast area of that State. In addition, requiring these cases to be moved from Florida and Alabama to a State within the Fifth Circuit will cause substantial hardship for the parties involved in the litigation, substantial hardship for the witnesses who would need to testify, and would result in substantial costs. Striking this exclusive venue provision would ensure that Florida and Alabama courts could hear these cases and reach a just result that reflects the needs of that State. Section 202 does provide an exception only in cases in which there is no proper venue in a court within the Fifth District. However, this exception fails to address these very serious concerns. The parties involved in litigation on leasing would first have to determine that there is no court within the Fifth Circuit that would be able to consider the case. Only after determining that there was no court in the Fifth Circuit, then the parties will be permitted to file in Florida or Alabama. In short, section 202 will prohibit the courts in Florida and Alabama from considering and rendering a decision in lawsuits on leases for energy development, production and exploration off their coasts. My amendment would strike the section. It makes no changes to the overall bill. It provides a simple solution to address this bill's unwarranted restrictions on which courts will be able to review these leases should they pose a threat to the gulf coast area. I urge its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DEUTCH

Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and to celebrate the State of Israel on her 63rd birthday. Sixty-three years ago, Israel was founded against all odds, through enormous courage and after a difficult struggle. Now she is the beacon of freedom and hope throughout the region. As the only true democratic society in the Middle East, Israel has built a technologically advanced and thriving economy. Israel's a world leader in biotechnology research and is home to some of the world's great entrepreneurial success stories. Her people enjoy freedom of expression in all forms, and she boasts one of the strongest records on human rights. The United States, as the first country to recognize Israel's independence, forged an unbreakable bond with Israel through our shared values and goals, and the partnership and cooperation between our two countries has never been stronger. The United States is committed to ensuring Israel's ability to defend herself and will continue to provide the most advanced assistance in security and the most robust economic aid. In 63 years, Israel has persevered against all odds, against foreign armies, terrorism, and those who deny her right to exist. Today we reaffirm the bond between the United States and Israel, that it will not be broken. And today the United States stands firmly with our great ally Israel in true friendship and celebration.