Jeff Denham

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. First, let me thank the chairman for not only allowing all of these bills to come up, but doing it in a very transparent fashion, allowing debate from both sides of the aisle and amendments from both sides of the aisle. This truly has been a transparent debate, giving the American public a chance to see exactly what we are doing here. But let me talk about this unimaginable place that some of the extremists like to talk about. The unimaginable place I'm talking about is California's Central Valley, where you have twice the national average of unemployment, where some areas of the district are 30 to 40 percent unemployment. That's truly un-American, when you have a solution for Republicans and Democrats to come together, and yet you have some extremists who are willing to ignore putting people back to work. It is an unimaginable place, but one that both parties should take note of it, one that the President should not only take note of, but the President should actually come out and visit. Now the President likes to come to L.A. and San Francisco quite frequently. He's been there over a dozen times, but yet not once when Republicans and Democrats have invited him to come to the Central Valley and see the devastation, see the unimaginable place that this high unemployment leaves our community in. That's why you've got both Republicans and Democrats coming together and supporting this bill in a bipartisan fashion. When the Merced Wild and Scenic River was designated, it encroached nearly half a mile into an Federal Energy Regulatory Commission operational boundary for New Exchequer Dam. Aligning the Merced Wild and Scenic River boundary with the standing FERC project boundary will allow FERC to considered MID's proposal to raise their spillway gates by just 10 feet. We're talking about 70,000 acre feet of water that'll create 840 jobs. Now, this is not the 5 to 6 million acre feet that we need, but it's a small step. But if the extremists cannot even support this small step where you've got Valley Republicans and Democrats coming together, the question is, what really is this unimaginable, un- American place that they talk about? We need thousands of jobs in the Central Valley. We need many more projects like this. We need Los Vaqueros, Exchequer. We need Temperance Flat. We need to raise Shasta in a fashion that Republicans and Democrats continue to agree on. While some say that this will set a precedent for undoing Wild and Scenic designations, this area being discussed naturally--naturally-- floods already, and it will impact less than 1 mile of the 122.5 miles of the Merced River. Again this is one small project. One desperately needed project, but one very small project in this unimaginable place. Title I of H.R. 2578 is commonsense legislation that will allow for desperately needed storage; again, up to 70,000 acre feet, which has the potential for generation of an additional 10,000 megawatt hours of clean, renewable electricity. Why wouldn't we want clean, renewable electricity? Hydro is not necessarily the clean energy they like to talk about.

Mr. DENHAM. This will also create increased recreational activity in the area and agricultural benefits. Furthermore, if a Wild and Scenic River designation is made by congressional or administrative action, we should be able to adjust those boundaries, especially if it serves the greater good. Again, this is not the greater good that some like to talk about because they're not focused on American jobs. They're focused on a small set of criteria that they don't understand in our agricultural areas. To not adjust the boundary because it has never been done before is an inadequate justification. Again, this is a bipartisan bill that has support on both sides of the aisle from Members of the Central Valley, and one that was open for public debate, was open for amendments. And again, I'd like to thank the chairman for having such a transparent process. I encourage Member support of H.R. 2578.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 318, I was unable to cast a vote on this amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013 due to obligations in my district. The underlying bill was a well struck balance of funding priorities, and I feel that the funding for our National Nuclear Security Administration should be maintained at appropriate levels to protect our national security. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker on rollcall No. 317, I was unable to cast a vote on this amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013 due to obligations in my district. The underlying bill was a well struck balance of funding priorities. California, my district included, is very dependent on gasoline for its transportation needs. Without the necessary research funds, the state will not be able to develop new and better ways to fuel our cars and trucks. With nearly fifty percent of California's oil coming from the Middle East, it is crucial that we continue to research and develop our fuel resources here at home to ease our dependence on an unstable source that can drive up costs on consumers. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 316, I was unable to cast a vote on this amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013 due to obligations in my district. The underlying bill was a well struck balance of funding priorities. California, my district included, is very dependent on gasoline for its transportation needs. Without the necessary research funds, the state will not be able to develop new and better ways to fuel our cars and trucks. With nearly fifty percent of California's oil coming from the Middle East, it is crucial that we continue to research and develop our fuel resources here at home to ease our dependence on an unstable source that can drive up costs on consumers. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 345, I was unavoidably detained and was not present to cast my vote due to other obligations. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 371, I was unable to cast a vote on the Gosar amendment to the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013 (H.R. 5882) because I was unavoidably detained at a memorial for a fallen peace officer. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 371, to reduce funding for the U.S. Botanical Gardens by $1.235 million.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor the life and legacy of San Joaquin Valley resident Mr. Frank Edward Ray. Mr. Ray will be remembered as a hero for the brave actions he took to rescue twenty-six young school children who fell victim to a school bus kidnapping plot while in his care. Frank Edward Ray, or Ed as he was known, was born in Le Grand, California on February 26, 1921. As a boy, his family relocated to Chowchilla, California. After graduating from Chowchilla Union High School in 1940, Mr. Ray married his wife, Odessa, in 1942. The couple purchased a ranch in Dairyland, California on which they farmed alfalfa, corn, and raised dairy cows. In the early 1950's, Mr. Ray went to work for Dairyland Union School District as a bus driver. While driving a busload of summer school students home in the summer of 1976, Mr. Ray's daily route quickly became anything but normal. As he drove the bus along a tree-lined avenue, he encountered a white van blocking the road. After Mr. Ray brought the bus to a stop to avoid a collision with the van, three armed men hijacked the school bus. The assailants forced Mr. Ray and the 26 school children off the bus into cramped vans and drove 100 miles to a rock quarry in Livermore, California. As part of an elaborate plot to obtain $5 million dollars in ransom, the kidnappers forced Mr. Ray and the children into a makeshift bunker made from a moving van buried in the ground. Before leaving the scene, the kidnappers covered the roof of the van with steel plates, 100 pound vehicle batteries, and dirt. Despite risk of further danger, Mr. Ray and several of the older children in the group used materials found in the van to dig their way out. After 16 hours of clearing debris, Mr. Ray was able to help all of the children escape from the underground van. Because of Mr. Ray's bravery, selflessness, and loving sense of responsibility for the children in his care, all 26 students escaped the kidnapping ordeal safely. He assisted in the apprehension of the kidnappers--all three of which are serving life sentences. His heroic actions and leadership in the face of uncertain danger established him as a hero in the Chowchilla community. In addition to local appreciation, his heroic efforts in the nationally renowned kidnapping became an example of excellence across America. Just two months after the crime, Mr. Ray resumed his route on the same bus. He retired from Alview-Dairyland Union School District in 1988, after 40 years of service. Mr. Ray passed away in May 2012 at the age of 91. In the days preceding his death, he was visited by many of the students he saved 35 years ago. Mr. Ray is survived by his wife, Odessa, with whom he would have celebrated 70 years of marriage in June 2012. He is also survived by his two sons, Glen and Danny; his sister, Esther Danelli; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He will be missed by the close-knit community of Chowchilla. Mr. Speaker, please join me in posthumously honoring Mr. Frank Edward Ray for his invaluable service to his community. His legacy will not soon be forgotten.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Members, the recent Memorial Day weekend and now the ever-escalating high unemployment numbers remind us of how many veterans are out of work and of how many who will be returning home to no jobs. For the last year, I've worked on the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act. When I left the active duty military, I realized that it would take me several years to get the credentialing on the civilian side that I already had on the military side. We have the best, most sophisticated, trained workforce in the military. As they return home, we need to make sure that not only do they have jobs but that they have high-paying skilled jobs. By credentialing them through the Department of Defense before they get discharged, we give them the opportunity to capture those jobs immediately. When I introduced this bill, several weeks later, the Senate introduced a companion bill, and now, today, the President has declared his support for the bill. It is time to show leadership in both Houses, to show leadership in the Presidency, and to pass this bill. Our brave men and women who have served so bravely and sacrificed so much deserve jobs when they get home, high-paying jobs that will allow them to get back into our society.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize retired Stanislaus County administrator, Dr. Frank Burke, who turns 100 years old on June 19, 2012. Frank was born June 19, 1912, in Denver, Colorado. He was the first child of Frank and Emma Burke, children of Irish immigrants who had fled Ireland's potato famine of 1846 and settled in Iowa. Frank spent his formative years in Oregon with his brother, Larry, and mother, Emma, who worked as an elementary school teacher in several small schools in the eastern region of Oregon. Dr. Burke graduated from Gonzaga University in 1932, and after a variety of sales and merchandising jobs, moved to San Francisco. Under the urging of his aunt, a former school teacher, he enrolled in San Francisco State University to seek a teaching credential. In 1940, he married Dorothy Grennan and returned back to school at UC Berkeley, where he graduated with a Doctorate in Education in 1958. Since 1939, Frank has had an exciting career that took him all over California as an elementary school teacher for Alturas Elementary in Modoc County and Mann Elementary School in Alameda County, to principal to assistant superintendent in Siskiyou, Contra Costa, and Stanislaus Counties. Frank's final position was in Stanislaus County as the Director of Elementary Education, where he was later promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Stanislaus County Office of Education. Frank retired in 1975, but spent 16 more years supervising student teachers, working for Stanislaus State University as a college instructor, and working for the county office. Frank was the recipient of Association of California School Administrators Region VII's Retired Administrator of the Year Award and continues to be very active in the Association of California School Administrators, ACSA, the ACSA Retirees' group, and the Exchange Club. Frank currently resides in Modesto and is quick to jump into a discourse on improving education--providing stimulating opportunities to discuss new ways in which to help students learn and grow. Frank is committed to improving our community and is a frequent writer of letters to the editor of the Modesto Bee. Frank was married for 63 years to Dorothy, who passed away in 2004. He has six children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Dr. Frank Burke for his unwavering leadership, and recognizing his accomplishments and contributions. Frank serves as an example of excellence to those in our community.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor Les and Cheri Casey, owners of Mid Valley Foods, Incorporated, for being selected as the 2012 Central California Small Business Person of the Year from the United States Small Business Administration's Fresno District Office. Annually, SBA honors Central California entrepreneurs for their contributions to the economy. Small businesses have proven, year after year, to be the greatest sources of innovation, jobs and growth for California's economy. The Small Business Person of the Year Award recognizes a business owner who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit and honors his or her individual contributions to the community. Mid Valley Foods was selected after a competition held among businesses located within the 15 Central California counties served by the Fresno SBA. The Alliance Small Business Development Center of Modesto nominated Mid Valley Foods for the award. Mid Valley Foods (formerly E&E Meats) was started in 1979 by Earl Casey. The company wholesales various processed and packaged meat products to grocery stores, restaurants and delis. In 2000, Les and Cheri Casey purchased the business from Les's father. They incorporated, modernized, and began to expand sales and distribution at a Riverbank facility. By 2005, it became apparent to the Caseys that the business had grown to the limits of the old and antiquated facility. The Caseys knew that not only would they need additional operational space in order for the company to be successful, but they would also need to develop new innovative techniques to improve their overall operational efficiency. In 2010, with the assistance of an SBA 7a guaranteed loan and the City of Oakdale, the company was able to construct a 24,000 square foot building. The new building includes warehouse space, cold storage and offices. The new location for the wholesale foods distributor will allow for triple the distribution and has already grown to expand their company from 10 employees to a current work force of 27. Today, Mid Valley Foods serves over 300 customers from multi-million dollar accounts to local small businesses; and with less than a year in their new facility, the Caseys have already discussed the growing need for an expansion of refrigeration and freezer storage space. Small Business Person of the Year nominations are judged on seven basic criteria: staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, current and past financial reports, innovativeness of product or service, response to adversity and evidence of contributions to community-oriented projects. Mr. Speaker, please join me in commending Les and Cheri Casey, owners of Mid Valley Foods, Inc. for this prestigious recognition and in wishing them great success in their future endeavors.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Cardoza, and I rise today to acknowledge and honor Vince Harris, Executive Director of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, StanCOG, to thank him for his leadership and direction of transportation improvements in the Central Valley. StanCOG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization, MPO, and the Regional Transportation Planning Agency, RTPA, for the Stanislaus Region with responsibility for developing and delivering the Regional Transportation Plan, RTP. This plan includes a diverse mix of transit, non-motorized, highway and local street and road projects to be completed in Stanislaus County over the next 25 years. During Mr. Harris' tenure as Executive Director, he was responsible for all agency functions including regional transportation planning, program administration, financial management and budget control. Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's in Public Administration from California State University in Hayward. His career spans 35 years, with transportation assignments in both the public and private sector in California, Texas, Utah, and Washington, DC. Prior to joining StanCOG, Mr. Harris was the Deputy General Manager of San Francisco Municipal Railway's Construction Division. In this capacity, he headed a division of approximately 140 engineers, technicians, and administrative staff responsible for the delivery of the agency's $2.67 billion Capital Improvement Program. The program included new Light Rail Transit extensions, facility upgrades, and enhancements. He is also the former Executive Director of the Alameda County Transportation Authority. In this role, he managed the agency's $1 billion Half-Cent Transportation Sales Tax Program. The program included a variety of projects which addressed mobility for seniors and disabled persons, major transit, bikeway and highway corridors, and improvements to local streets and roads. During his time as Executive Director, Mr. Harris worked collaboratively with the Stanislaus region's nine cities and the county to support significant transportation improvements to the region. Under Harris' leadership, millions of transportation dollars financed projects such as the Whitmore Interchange Reconstruction Project, the State route 219 (Kiernan Avenue) Widening Project, and hundreds of locally developed and delivered transportation projects. Mr. Harris' last day with StanCOG is May 31, 2012. He has accepted a new position as Director of Capital Programs and Construction for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Mr. Speaker, please join us in honoring and commending Vince Harris, Executive Director of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, StanCOG, for his numerous years of selfless service to the betterment of our community.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, as chair on the Committee on Economic Development, Emergency Management and Public Buildings, we recently passed a bill to sell off 200 acres in Tracy at fair market value. This is one property amongst many. Recently, the President signed that into law. If we can do this once a day, it will take us 40 years to liquidate the 14,000 properties that the Federal Government has already declared surplus and excess. It's not about Republican politics or Democrat politics. This is about American jobs, a chance for us to come together and sell the things that we just don't need. Let's get rid of the waste in government. This is one small step. We have 14,000 more steps to go.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Cardoza, and I rise today to acknowledge and honor Dr. Hamid Shirvani, President of the California State University, Stanislaus, to thank him for his leadership and dedication to the academic advancement of the Central Valley. Dr. Hamid Shirvani faithfully served California State University, Stanislaus, as its President for seven years since his appointment on July 1, 2005. Under his leadership, the academic reputation of the university grew in stature and the university received national recognition for its excellence, including its first appearance in the Princeton Review's Best Colleges list in 2007, and then every year since. Dr. Shirvani carefully managed the resources of the university: eliminating a budget deficit that existed upon his arrival, building a reserve, and guiding the university through severe budget reductions that were not fully replaced by tuition increases. While these cuts were made more catastrophic by rising enrollment, Dr. Shirvani maintained and even improved the academic quality of the university by providing a high level of service to the students. Demonstrating his deep commitment to support and strengthen the region, he proactively and tirelessly reached out to the region's business community to learn about their workforce needs, build partnerships, and create new academic programs to address those needs. He did all this while also providing high-quality, educational opportunities for students that would prepare them for well-paying jobs in the region after graduation. President Shirvani tenaciously advocated on the university's behalf and established relationships with diverse educational partners and businesses and secured more than $118 million of external resources-- the fruit of which included eight newly endowed professorships and many large donations used to provide scholarships to students with financial need, fund the development of new academic programs, and build and upgrade campus facilities. His dedication to serving the students and putting their needs first was recognized when he was twice selected as President of the Year by the system-wide student body government, representing 430,000 students across 23 campuses, in 2007 and 2009. He is a visionary leader who made substantial contributions to higher education in the Central Valley and worked hard to raise the profile and stature of the university. In June 2012, President Shirvani will be leaving CSU Stanislaus to become the Chancellor of the North Dakota University System. Mr. Speaker, please join us in honoring and commending Dr. Hamid Shirvani, President of the California State University, Stanislaus, for his numerous years of selfless service to the education of our community.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DENHAM. It is the new amendment that is at the desk that corrects the printed amendment.

Mr. DENHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I was saying, the GAO identified three different reasons: GSA continues to build courthouses bigger than what Congress authorizes. Congress authorizes one thing, but then GSA goes out and builds not only something completely different, but much bigger and at much greater expense. Number two, we don't have the judges that were once proposed. Third, judges don't share courtrooms. These courtrooms get used about 2 hours a day, and we don't have any courtroom sharing across the Nation. We could be utilizing these courthouses quite a bit more than what they are today. As a result, we demanded that the judiciary conduct a real courtroom-sharing study so that a third party can figure out how many judges are needed. And over the last 11 years, the judiciary projected there would be somewhere between 72 and 81 judges in L.A. by 2011. The judiciary declared L.A. the number one judicial space emergency in the United States and proposed a massive, huge new courthouse. However, today we know the primary justification for an L.A. courthouse was wrong. There are fewer judges in L.A. today than there were in 1997. Today we have two buildings with 61 courtrooms and 59 judges. We have 61 courtrooms and only 59 judges, no courtroom sharing, being utilized less than 2 hours a day. In that light, I have asked GSA to stop its plans to spend $400 million on a courthouse in Los Angeles. GSA has told me explicitly that they will continue with the project at whatever cost. After building a $400 million courthouse, we will have 85 courthouses and 59 judges, 85 courtrooms and 59 judges. All of these judges--not only do we need less courtrooms, we don't need to build the one that we currently are proposing to build. You could put all of these judges in one courthouse, sell off the other courthouse, and never build the one that's being proposed at $400 million. We've seen this before at least seven times in other cities where new courthouses were built and the old ones sit vacant today, a burden to the taxpayer and eyesores to the community. There's a big courthouse in Miami, sitting vacant. One being redone in New York, vacant. And yet we want to spend $400 million on something we don't need in Los Angeles. I personally toured the L.A. courthouse facilities and found there's vacant space currently not being used in both the Roybal building as well as the Spring Street building. GAO ran a centralized sharing model for L.A. and found that all the judges could fit in the Roybal building alone. This country has a $15 trillion debt, and GSA continues to waste millions of dollars on projects that no one needs. What we do need is to move everybody into the Roybal building, get rid of the vacant space, and sell off the other courthouse. At a time like this, we should be utilizing the best use of taxpayer dollars. This is why I introduced the Civilian Property Realignment Act, to get this out of the hands of the legislature, to make sure that we are actually selling off properties we don't need. We've sold 82 properties over the last decade, and we have 14,000 that are sitting on the vacant list. We can do a much better job, but it starts right here with the L.A. courthouse. Before we can sell off the things that we don't need, we ought to stop building the things that we don't need. Sell off the property. We can create jobs by letting the private sector go there and build something to get out of a lot of the lease space that we have in the L.A. area. I ask my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Chairman, this is a very simple amendment. This simply just prevents the funds from being used to divert vital resources to an unneeded Federal courthouse in Los Angeles. I have the distinct privilege of chairing the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings & Emergency Management. In that capacity, I have oversight over the Federal courts. The last Congress, at the request of this subcommittee, the GAO completed a review of the 33 courthouses constructed between 2000 and 2010. What the GAO found was incredible. GSA has built over 3.5 million square feet of courthouse space that we don't need--at a cost of $800 million. As a result, the Judiciary abandoned existing courthouses across the country and severely underutilizes every single new courthouse. The GAO identified three reasons: First of all, when GSA is not busy taking vacations in Las Vegas, they continue to build bigger courthouses than Congress authorizes.

Mr. DENHAM. Thank you for yielding. As my friend from California completely understands, we can't reintroduce salmon in an area that isn't inhabitable by salmon. It's just not only a waste of money, but it's going to kill the endangered species. Why move them from one tributary where they are surviving to one where they can't survive? Don't take my word for it. Take the word of the National Marine Fisheries Service or the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce. Take the opinion of the Exchange Contractors Water Authority, the San Luis & Delta Mendota. These are the locals that live there. Why waste the money? He knows the issue. So either he wants to kill the salmon at a huge expense or he just wants to waste the money. This does nothing to overturn the settlement. All it merely says is let's follow what was originally intended, wait until 2014 when the projects are complete, give the salmon a fighting chance to survive, and let's not waste a lot of money in the meantime. Let's not confuse the issue. He understands this has passed the House by a voice vote. It has passed the House in a bill. And now, once again, after being debated several times in committee, in the light of day, with many amendments, with many opportunities, with the American public watching, we're going to pass it one more time.

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Chair, the amendment that I'm offering is intended to fortify the underlying appropriations bill. Under the bill, the National Marine Fisheries Service and this amendment seek to ensure that funding doesn't have a detrimental impact on my district. This amendment was adopted on the floor by a voice vote last year and added to the Energy and Water appropriations bill. Further, it was also supported in H.R. 1837 earlier this year, and you would have supported what this amendment will achieve. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program continues to push forward on an ill-advised path of wasting water out of the ocean under the guise of saving salmon. Every year, the San Joaquin River Restoration Program would require the reintroduction of salmon into the San Joaquin River if this ill-advised attempt to introduce the species fails. The problem is that the river is not yet in a condition where the salmon can survive. There's still a number of different problems and projects along the river that need to be completed, from a bypass to several fish screens, and even in one section of the river the administration hasn't even designated a channel from where the river will flow--and will not for another 2 years. Premature introduction of salmon in the river will only lead to their death at a high cost to taxpayers and the local community. This amendment simply prohibits the premature reintroduction of an endangered salmon species into an uninhabitable river. Central Valley salmon runs are struggling to regain healthy numbers. This amendment ensures that bureaucrats don't purposely reduce the numbers of available salmon in other streams just to plant them into the San Joaquin system and further threaten and endanger current runs. Agencies already possess the necessary authority to make the right decision and delay the reintroduction of salmon into a river that cannot sustain the life cycle of the salmon, but they continue to bend to an environmental agenda. More time is needed to build the infrastructure required for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program before the river can sustain the salmon run. Finally, even the National Marine Fisheries Service has doubts about the success of reintroduction. Contained within the final draft of their reintroduction strategies, the Service stated the river would not support full-scale reintroduction of the salmon. And, further, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce jointly stated that the completion of phase 1 of the restoration project was needed before reintroduction of salmon can be successful. This is a very commonsense amendment. The river needs several different projects to be completed for the salmon to even survive. So why would we, year after year, take salmon off of other tributaries, move them to somewhere they can't survive at a huge expense to taxpayers? Mr. Chairman, it's a commonsense amendment to prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on killing an endangered species. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk, amendment No. 27.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, these important events help us to honor and remember the sacrifice of the members of law enforcement around our Nation that have made this ultimate sacrifice. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DENHAM

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 118.

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 118) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.