Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), another member of the Committee on Rules.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Ryun).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 257 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 247 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Frost, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. Yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and granted a structured rule for H.R. 1588, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. This rule provides for further consideration of the bill and makes in order only those amendments printed in the Committee on Rules report accompanying the resolution and amendments en bloc described in section 2 of the resolution. The amendments printed in the report shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, except as specified in section 3 of the resolution, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. Each amendment shall be debatable for 10 minutes, unless otherwise specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent and shall not be subject to amendment, except that the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services may each offer one pro forma amendment for the purpose of further debate on any pending amendment. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. This is a fair rule. It is a traditional, structured rule for defense authorization, and it provides for debate on 30 additional amendments that deal with pertinent issues, including personnel issues, maritime security, quality-of-life issues for our servicemen and women, and a number of noncontroversial concerns. The most controversial of these measures is certain to be the modernization of the personnel system. Modernizing the management system is imperative to national security and the retention and recruitment of civilian personnel. The Committee on Armed Services believes that the important lessons learned from various demonstration projects within DOD should be applied across the Department. These projects have shown to improve the expeditious hiring of qualified personnel, have been valuable in providing flexible personnel compensation and assignment systems, and have improved organizational efficiency. These demonstration projects have also been highly successful in attracting and maintaining high- quality work forces. The reforms included in this legislation would be similar to the flexibility provided to the Department of Homeland Security. Finally, I believe that the Secretary of Defense should have more flexible management authority. H.R. 1588 is more than just a signal to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines that this Nation recognizes their sacrifices. It is the means by which we meet our commitment to providing them a decent quality of life by providing an across-the-board 4.1 percent pay increase for military personnel, so as to sustain the commitment and professionalism of America's all-voluntary Armed Forces and the families that support them. While our men and women in uniform have swiftly dispatched our enemies abroad, they face increasingly complex personal and professional challenges at home. We must do more to take care of those who are putting their lives on the line to defend our freedom, and for the families that support them. Currently, the Survivor Benefit Program for the survivor of an injured or ill service member who lives long enough to be disability retired is better than the benefit for the survivor of a service member who dies instantaneously. I am deeply concerned about this inequity and am pleased that this legislation recommends that the Secretary of Defense review SPB procedures and propose legislation to ensure equitable treatment for the survivors of all members of our military, regardless of their circumstances. With Memorial Day on Monday, it is only fitting to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country. Let us take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to those who are currently defending our homeland and abroad by passing this rule and the underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), another member of the Committee on Rules.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, did the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) yield back his time?

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, regular order.

Mrs. MYRICK. Regular order.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to make the comment that we do have a committee system in this House because not everybody can be on every committee. They make recommendations to the full House, and usually we value their opinions and accept their recommendations. That is part of what is going on today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman's time has been expired for about 2 minutes.