Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of S. 2318, the Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012. This bipartisan bill is Senator Kerry's Senate companion to H.R. 4077, the House bill introduced 2 months prior by my good friend from California (Mr. Royce). Since the 1980s, the State Department has had authority to offer rewards leading to the arrests and convictions for international narcotics trafficking, acts of terrorism, and war crimes. These reward programs have proven to be effective tools for disrupting and dismantling terrorist cells and drug cartels around the world, enjoying both high-profile and quiet successes in locating many dangerous individuals, including Ramzi Yousef, one of the perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center attack, Saddam Hussein's sons, and narcotrafficking commanders of the FARC in Colombia. This bill is a critical tool in our ongoing efforts to locate Joseph Kony, the murderous head of the predatory Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, in Central Africa. This bill is a responsible, bipartisan bill that will significantly enhance our ability to fight transnational organized crime and grave human rights abuses. I urge unanimous support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, and the author of the original House-side version of this bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I also have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 44) granting the consent of Congress to the State and Province Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record on this joint resolution.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of S.J. Res. 44, ``Granting the Consent of Congress to the State and Province Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding'', a bill introduced by Senator Kohl of Wisconsin. This bill is non-controversial and passed the Senate in September under unanimous consent with the full support of the National Emergency Management Association. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. S.J. Res. 44 gives our northern states the ability to enter into an agreement with Canadian provinces to facilitate cross border emergency management assistance through mutual aid. The purpose of this legislation is to provide mutual assistance among entities that have entered into these agreements for the management of any emergency or disaster when requested. This bill will allow states to coordinate relief efforts with their Canadian counterparts in order to better respond to any disaster that may impact both jurisdictions. Mr. Speaker, my Congressional district is very familiar with the financial and emotional impact that a natural disaster can cause to our communities. We must ensure that we leverage all of our resources to better prepare, coordinate, and respond to any such disasters when they arise. I strongly support the passage of this legislation and look forward to the President signing it into law. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3331) to provide for universal intercountry adoption accreditation standards, and for other purposes.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record on this bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 3331, the Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012. This bipartisan bill, which recently received unanimous consideration in the Senate, is the Senate-side companion to H.R. 6027, which is the bipartisan House bill introduced by my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Sires). This bill requires that all intercountry adoption providers in the U.S. meet the same accreditation standards regardless of whether the adoption is from a Hague Convention signatory country. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to direct attention to yet another outrage perpetrated by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, one that he has knowingly directed at innocent Russian children awaiting adoption. His action was a shameful response to legislation overwhelmingly adopted by the Congress that targets Russian officials engaged in human rights abuses, specifically those regarding Sergei Magnitsky. Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer killed in prison after having uncovered massive government corruption, including senior officials in Putin's regime. Instead of prosecuting those criminals, Putin has instead cruelly chosen to target Russian orphans by banning adoptions by Americans. Tens of thousands of Russian children have been adopted by families in this country, who have given these innocents the love and protection they otherwise likely would have never known. Now, countless numbers may be condemned to tragic lives, knowingly sacrificed by Vladimir Putin in a sickening effort to show the world just how tough he is. Is there any additional proof needed of the despicable nature of this man and his regime? I call upon President Obama to tell Putin that the U.S. cannot and will not engage in a business-as-usual relationship with a regime so utterly devoid of humanity, a regime that deliberately tears apart the lives of its own children by depriving them the love of those Americans who wish only to give these innocents a family and a better future. Let those in the administration who turn their eyes from this outrage explain to these orphans why they must be sacrificed for the sake of good relations with the Putin regime. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and we are ready to yield back once the gentleman from California yields back.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3159) to direct the President, in consultation with the Department of State, United States Agency for International Development, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Department of Defense, to establish guidelines for United States foreign assistance programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3159 introduced by my good friend from Texas, Judge Poe. This bill stands for the simple proposition that consistent evaluation and transparency will improve the effectiveness of U.S. development assistance around the world. H.R. 3159 will require the President to establish guidelines for measurable goals, monitoring, and evaluation plans that can be applied with reasonable consistency to all overseas development assistance. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3159, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Poe, an esteemed member of our Foreign Affairs Committee and the author of this bill.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet tomorrow at 9 a.m. for morning-hour debate and 10 a.m. for legislative business.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to the plight of the United States Marine veteran, Jon Hammar, who has been unjustly jailed in a Mexican prison since August. Jon is an American hero and a patriot. After tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, including time in Fallujah, Jon began to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. In order to help cope with PTSD, Jon and a friend embarked upon a surfing trip to Costa Rica. However, when they got to Mexico, Jon was arrested after receiving inaccurate information from our own Customs and Border Patrol agents. Since then, Jon has been languishing in his own personal hell. He was beaten by other inmates, his parents were being extorted, and he has been chained to his bed. I'm asking my fellow Members of Congress to join me and over 50 of our colleagues to urge our State Department and the Mexican authorities to resolve this matter immediately and bring Jon Hammar home for Christmas. Please call our congressional office to sign these important letters.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3783) to provide for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's growing hostile presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes.