Jerry Weller

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to identify an earmark that I obtained in H.R. 2638--Homeland Security Division D for the Coast Guard account for the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway Company Bridge, Morris, IL in the amount of $2,000,000. In February 1995, the Coast Guard declared the EJ&E Bridge across the Illinois Waterway to be an unreasonable obstruction to navigation and issued an Order to Alter. The EJ&E Bridge is the most hit bridge on the entire inland river system. Funding will allow design and construction for widening the width between the bridge piers. Currently, the width of the EJ&E Bridge is only 113 feet. Typically, barge tows that operate within the inland river system are 105 feet wide, leaving only a total of 8 feet of room for the barge to fit between the piers. According to the Coast Guard, modifications made to this bridge will save $1.1 million in damage each year. Funding this project will make the Illinois River safer for maritime traffic and will substantially reduce the number of accidents at this site. The entity to receive funding for this project is the United States Coast Guard located at Office of Bridge Administration, CG3-PWB Room 3500, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593. It is my understanding that the funding would be used to the design and construction for widening the width between the bridge piers. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any direct financial interest in this project. Consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to an entity or program named or will be named after a sitting Member of Congress (exception must be justified here); (2) is not intended for a ``front'' or ``pass through'' entity; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Just a couple of weeks ago my friend Jim McDermott, the chairman of our subcommittee, and I were on the floor with our bipartisan child welfare legislation, legislation that is going to become law. At that time, I thought that would probably and likely be the last time I would be working with the chairman to manage important legislation before this House. But I want to thank Chairman McDermott for recognizing the urgency and the importance of bringing this important legislation to the floor. The bottom line is there are Americans who are hurting today. Unemployment is up. The numbers that we saw this morning show that there are more Americans who are unemployed than there were last month. The State I represent, the State of Illinois, has a current unemployment rate of 7.3 percent. Half a million Illinoisans are out of work. This legislation will particularly help those Illinois constituents of mine who have been unemployed for a long time, they have exhausted their benefits, they have had a hard time finding a new job. But they still have to put food on the table, they still have to make ends meet, they still need to provide for their families. And this legislation will help ensure they have the help they need. Again, I want to thank my chairman for not only his partnership, but his friendship, and say that it has been an enjoyable experience to work as his ranking member on this subcommittee. And again, Mr. Chairman, I believe this will be the last time I speak before the House of Representatives unless we have a lame duck session. There are issues we do need to address in that lame duck session, and we need to find ways to continue to grow this economy. To me, that is cause enough to have a lame duck session after the elections. But if not, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for your partnership on this legislation which is so important to millions of Americans, almost 10 million Americans who today are unemployed looking for work. We want to help those who are looking for work. This legislation deserves bipartisan support. I hope it passes unanimously. Madam Speaker, again, I urge bipartisan support. I urge an ``aye'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. We have no additional speakers. There may be other Members coming, but we're not aware of any additional speakers.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, at this time it is a privilege to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished Member from Pennsylvania, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, and one who has advocated that the House act quickly in providing extended unemployment benefits and a cosponsor of this legislation, Mr. English.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, at this time I want to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), who I note is not only a valuable member of this subcommittee, but has been a leader in calling for action by the House on extending unemployment benefits.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this important legislation in order to provide additional needed assistance to the long-term unemployed. As my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will note today, this is an issue that truly matters to millions of Americans, and it's important that we pass this legislation today as our last act before we leave for the election campaign. As data released just this morning shows, that need is rising. While the unemployment rate remains steady at 6.1 percent, the number of unemployed grew once again to a total of 9.5 million Americans. In the past year, 2.2 million Americans have been added to the ranks of the unemployed. Even more importantly, for purposes of this legislation before us today, the number of long-term unemployed, those who have been out of work for more than 6 months and who are in need of extended benefits, increased by 167,000, to over 2 million. In my home State of Illinois, the numbers are, if anything, even worse. The current unemployment rate is 7.3 percent, and nearly half a million of my fellow Illinois citizens are out of work. The people who would benefit most by this legislation are long-term unemployed people who want to work and are searching for a job, but not able to find one. Today's rising level of unemployment goes a long way to explaining why it is so hard for them to find a new job and why this additional assistance is needed today. This legislation focuses the most additional benefits on workers and States where the unemployment rate is highest and where jobs are hardest to find. That sort of targeting is something Republicans have been calling for all this year. Madam Speaker, I expect that passage today of this current extended benefits program will be bipartisan, just as we acted in a bipartisan way in June to create this temporary extended benefits program. Like the similar program we created after the 2001 recession and the 9/11 attacks, this program helps those who are out of work the longest, at a time when jobs are increasingly hard to find. My colleagues should know this program continues the requirement that those benefiting from extended unemployment benefits had to have worked at least 20 weeks. This requirement has been in Federal law since 1981. That is why Americans were rightly concerned about proposals to eliminate that work requirement and allow 39 weeks or, under the legislation before us today, as many as 59 weeks of total unemployment benefits to be paid to those who have previously only worked for a few weeks. The program we are expanding today and passing today maintains this commonsense ``20 weeks of work'' rule, which ensures balance between work and taxes paid in and benefits paid out. Madam Speaker, I wish this legislation were not necessary, but today it is. The economic concerns affecting the stock and credit markets that we all see have real effects on real people with real jobs. This legislation says we will provide additional assistance to those who have been hurt the most and have been out of work the longest. I particularly want to thank my colleagues Jon Porter of Nevada and Phil English of Pennsylvania, who have been leaders on this issue, urging the House to act. I know they cosponsored this legislation before us today. Today's action is a useful step, but we need to do more to promote a stronger economy so that those who today need these benefits can return to their former work or find new, good-paying jobs to support their families. That task remains before this Congress and is something this Congress needs to refocus on in the months ahead. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. The gentleman has no additional speakers?

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from Texas for sharing his time in giving me the opportunity to say thank you, not only thank you to my constituents but thank you to my colleagues, particularly those from the Illinois delegation who are here tonight, my friend Don Manzullo and John Shimkus and Peter Roskam for taking time to say a few nice things about Ray LaHood and myself, and for that I appreciate that so much. But also I want to say thank you for the partnership I've had with you as a member of the Illinois delegation over the 14 years that I've had the privilege of serving in this House. You know, Ray LaHood's a good friend to all of us, and of course, I want to take a moment and just salute Ray LaHood who, as my colleagues in the delegation and all the Members of the House, both Republican and Democrat know, is a man who's a man of this institution, someone who's worked tirelessly to bring civility to the House, a man who led efforts to convene bipartisan retreats. Four House bipartisan retreats were cochaired by Ray LaHood in his effort to bring civility and bipartisanship to the House. And I think if you can think of just one thing about Ray LaHood, it is his commitment and desire that the institution of this Congress should work together to solve the challenges that we have before us. You know, I look back over the 14 years that I've had the privilege of serving in the House as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the opportunity I had to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee and serve, of course, as a deputy whip, I think of those opportunities to get to know my colleagues and have an opportunity to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I can't say a few words tonight without saying thank you to all the men and women that I've had the privilege of serving with, for the courtesies, for the opportunity to work together, and frankly, we had some good times as well in that process. I want to say thank you to everyone, and I also want to thank my colleagues for serving in this Congress. You know, there's a lot of work that goes sight unseen. You don't often get thanked enough for the work that's done behind the scenes, but I want to thank my colleagues for their work and for their commitment to public service. I also want to thank my colleagues for the support that you have given me in the projects and the legislation that I've had the opportunity to work on. My friends mentioned the marriage tax penalty, which was an issue of fairness, and that issue came to me in my first campaign. I remember a young woman who came up, she was working in the office in my campaign, and she said, you know, Jerry, if you do get elected to Congress, there's an issue I want you to look into and I hope you will fix it. It's a penalty. If you're married, you're going to pay higher taxes. She said, you know, my boyfriend and I, we want to get married. We both have pretty good jobs, and my friends said you better do your taxes jointly just to experiment and find out what your obligation would be. And they did that. They discovered they paid about $1,400 more in higher taxes just if they got married. And because it was clear to me that it was unfair and, frankly, wrong that you should pay higher taxes just because you're married, that doesn't seem right, it's wrong, that our Tax Code was punishing marriage; where if two people worked, and because when you marry you file jointly, your incomes were combined. And the way our complicated Tax Code was structured, 42 million married working couples across America were paying higher taxes, on average about $1,400. And I want to thank President Bush for signing into law my legislation eliminating the marriage tax penalty, which, on average, saves married couples today $1,900 that they otherwise would pay had we not successfully worked to bring greater simplicity to the tax code, and ensuring that our tax code essentially today is marriage neutral. Two married people who both are in the workforce, who file jointly because they're married, will not pay higher taxes than two people that aren't married, but with similar incomes and with similar status. And so, today, we've eliminated the marriage tax penalty. Unfortunately, in 2011 that reform expires. And I would encourage my colleagues to make elimination of the marriage tax penalty permanent so that we can protect the most basic institution in our society from a financial penalty we all know as the marriage tax penalty. I also want to thank my colleagues for the work that we did on working to protect children from Internet predators. With their support, we were able to pass the Internet Predator Protection Act. I want to thank my colleagues for the support you gave me in our effort to ensure that veterans would have a better opportunity to obtain health care locally. You know, traditionally, the Veterans Administration always provided health care through VA hospitals. But many of our veterans live in rural areas and ex-urban areas where they would have to drive great distances. And so we worked--in fact, my colleague, Dave Weldon, and I, he is a classmate--and he's retiring this year as well--we cosponsored legislation that for the first time gave the VA the authority to enter into a cooperative sharing agreement with local health care providers, like a local hospital, to open, essentially, an outpatient clinic in the local area where veterans can go and receive their outpatient care. And one thing I noted, because today the La Salle Veterans Outpatient Clinic in La Salle, Illinois, is a perfect example of that; we have 45,000 veterans living within a 45-minute driving radius of La Salle. Many of the veterans that obtained health care there, it was the first time they were able to obtain health care because otherwise it was too inconvenient. They weren't able to travel all the way to Chicago to Hines Hospital. So those efforts made a difference. And whether it was helping veterans or protecting kids from Internet predators, eliminating the marriage tax penalty, it took the support of my colleagues. And I want to thank all my colleagues for the support that you gave me in those efforts. Some of my friends in the Illinois delegation referred to the Joliet Arsenal. And when I was elected to Congress, the Joliet Arsenal was a 24,000-acre surplus military facility during the Vietnam conflict, during World War II, and before. The vast majority of the TNT production for America's military was produced at the former Joliet Arsenal. In the late seventies it was shut down. In the 1980s it was a rusting, essentially abandoned place. And the community came together and we worked with conservationists and business and labor, political leaders in both parties, a lot of volunteers, veterans, the environmental community, and we worked to put together a plan, a plan that was a win-win-win for the community. We took what was the largest single piece of property in Northern Illinois, created the Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie, a 19,000-acre conservation area, the first-ever tall grass prairie--now administered by the Forest Service-- and the first of its kind, but also the largest today. Essentially, we created what became as affectionately known by many as Will County Central Park. We doubled the amount of open space set aside for posterity in Will County with our legislation to redevelop the Joliet Arsenal. We also created the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, which today, geographically, is the second largest national veterans cemetery named after Abraham Lincoln. Not only is Illinois the land of Lincoln, but we have to remember that the Gettysburg Address, made so famous by Abraham Lincoln, actually was the dedication of our Nation's first veterans cemetery. And so we thought it was appropriate to name the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery after the President who started the national cemetery system in order to honor, with dignity, those who risk and sacrifice their lives for our Nation. We also set aside about 3,000 acres for the creation of jobs. And we were fortunate to recruit Center Point Properties, a Chicago-area firm. They partnered with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. And as a result of that partnership, private development attracted over $1 billion in investment--creating jobs, creating what is one of the largest intermodal truck, rail, freight handling facilities. We've now had manufacturing, warehousing and distribution come there. Our farmers benefit because their grain goes to Asia through the terminal there at the former Joliet Arsenal. And almost 8,000 workers today are directly and indirectly employed as a result of that effort. And it was a team effort, I'm so proud to say. And we can continue building on that effort to redevelop the Joliet Arsenal, creating the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, the Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie, and of course the two industrial sites that now have attracted over $1 billion in investment. You know, one of the areas that I've also enjoyed having the privilege of being involved in as a Member of this House was my belief that our economy grows, and manufacturing and farmers and workers, that all Americans benefit when we expand trade, when we increase the commerce between our Nation and others. You know, we're a Nation of 300 million people. We represent 4 percent of the globe's population. Ninety-six percent of the people who live on this Earth live outside of the United States. And I believe that our economy grows when we find a way to market services and produce products and manufactured goods and agricultural products that come from States like Illinois that I represent, having an opportunity to sell them overseas to foreign markets. It grows our economy and creates opportunities for our young people. And trade today, if you look at economic figures, you look at the discussion we're having about the economy, this past quarter we had 3.3 percent economic growth. And if you analyze where that growth occurred, 90 percent of that growth came as a result of exports--whether it's yellow construction equipment made in Joliet or corn and soybeans grown in Illinois, our export markets growing this economy. And a key part of that are the trade agreements that we passed in the last few years, particularly the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as DR-CAFTA, the Chilean Agreement, the Peruvian-Chilean Trade Agreement, all good agreements that the opponents would say were going to cost us jobs, and actually today have generated tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of new jobs. The DR-CAFTA agreement actually took a trade deficit with our six trading partners in Central America and the Dominican Republic, where we had a trade deficit prior to that agreement, and because it eliminated all sorts of barriers--particularly tariffs--on U.S. products and Illinois products, today we have a significant trade surplus with our DR-CAFTA partners. Clearly, trade wins for States like Illinois as well as America. And that's why it's so important that we ratify the U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement, which, Colombia is a nation of 42 million people; it's the longest standing democracy in all of South America. It's recognized as America's best friend and best partner in all Latin America. But the population of Colombia is essentially equal to the population of all the DR-CAFTA nations combined. Tremendous opportunity. My hope is that we will ratify this agreement before I leave Congress before the end of this year. And my hope is, as we look to the future on the issue of trade, that we can bring trade back to the middle again and continue moving forward to grow our economy and expand opportunities to sell U.S. products and grow our economy in agriculture and manufacturing, and of course give workers the opportunity for better jobs as a result of expanded exports. Let me close by saying thank you to my family. You know, I remember when I was sworn into Congress 14 years ago, my mom and dad, Lavern and Marilyn Weller, came out, as did my Aunt Mary and Aunt Eileen, and many friends and family came. I particularly want to say thank you to Mom and Dad, Lavern and Marilyn Weller, who worked so hard raising pure bred and Durock and Hampshire hogs, having many champions at various fairs, selling pure bred hogs all over the world. And frankly, Mom and Dad taught me the value of trade. I remember when President Nixon opened up relations with China, the first shipment of hogs that were purchased by the Chinese included pigs from the Weller family farm. And of course after that, the result of the hard work of my mom and dad, they sold hogs to about 30 nations around the world. I'm very proud of that. In fact, they gave me the opportunity to be involved in 4-H and FFA. And I had the grand champion barrel at the Illinois State Fair my last year in 4-H. But it was all because of Mom and Dad and the opportunities they gave me, to go to the University of Illinois, to pursue a career off the farm, and of course to become involved in public service. I look back at my campaigns. My mother was always my best campaigner. If you went to a Jerry Weller campaign event, you would always see Marilyn Weller, my mom, right there, shaking everyone's hand, thanking them for coming. And she would always wear a big button that said, ``I'm Jerry's mom.'' She was my best campaigner. I want to thank my sister Pat and my brother Doug. We lost our brother Rod this past year, and he is now buried at the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery. And Rod and Doug and Pat were all part of the campaign as well, the support they gave me. And I can't go without saying thank you to my siblings. And of course, as I close, I want to say thank you to my wife and my daughter. You know, when I came to Congress, I was a single guy. And who would have thought that as a result of coming to Congress I would meet my wife and fall in love and have a family today. And my wife and I, we have a very unique relationship. We're the only parliamentarians from two different countries who are married. My wife is a Member of Congress in the nation of Guatemala. She served in her Congress as long as I have, 14 years. And she's much younger. And frankly, she is a very skilled and dedicated legislator on her own, someone who I am so proud of the work that she does. But Zury Rios de Weller--as she is officially known as now--is a great partner, and she is a wonderful wife, and most important of all, she's a wonderful mother. Who would have thought that as a result of my opportunity to serve in Congress I would meet my wife and I would become a dad? And we have a 2-year-old girl, Marizu Catherine Weller Rios. Marizu is a very bright, happy, healthy little girl. And I am so very proud and so very fortunate to have Zury and Marizu in my life. And as I look at what I'm going to be doing in the future, when I leave this Congress, my first priority is to be a good husband and a good father. And I look forward to my years ahead with Zury and with Marizu and the opportunities that we'll have to do things together. So many of my colleagues have said, you know, when I got elected to Congress, my kids were in diapers. And all of a sudden they're now in high school or they're now in college, and I haven't seen much of them. But what really caught my attention was, I was looking through the family photo albums, and I'm not in the photos--because I wasn't there, because I was attending meetings and functions everywhere else. Well, for me, I want to be with my daughter. I want her to see me at all our family functions. I want her to see her dad every day. And people often ask, why do you want to leave Congress at age 51? It's because I was blessed at age 49 becoming a father for the first time. And my daughter, Marizu, is my one and only child. And I look forward to being her father in the years ahead, to being there, attending all her activities, hopefully being a good dad, but most of all, enjoying life with my wife and daughter. Again, I want to say thank you to my colleagues in this Congress for the courtesies, the opportunities to work together. I want to thank especially my colleagues in the Illinois delegation for the partnership we've had, both Democrat and Republican, and for those who took time tonight to say some nice things about Ray LaHood and myself, since we're departing this Congress. I particularly want to say thank you to John Shimkus and Don Manzullo and Peter Roskam for taking time to come to the floor to say some nice things. And for that, I want to say thank you, you're my friends. Ladies and gentlemen, this is probably the last speech I will make on the floor of this House as a sitting Member of Congress. My hope is we will have a lame-duck session, but if we don't, this is my final address. Again, I want to say thank you very much.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, had I been present for Rollcall votes 616 through 618. I was absent on Monday, September 24th due to personal reasons. If I were present I would have voted, ``Aye'' on Rollcall vote 616, ``Aye'' on Rollcall vote 617, and ``Aye'' on Rollcall vote 618.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 622, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6681, legislation I introduced in honor of Jacob M. Lowell to name the New Lenox Post Office in his honor. I also want to thank Chairman Waxman, Ranking Member Tom Davis, my very good friend, Chairman Danny Davis, a member of our Illinois delegation, as well as Ranking Member Kenny Marchant for their support and assistance today. Army Specialist Jacob Michael Lowell is a national hero who gave his life for his country on June 2, 2007, near Gowardesh, Afghanistan, while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. Today the House will be voting on legislation I introduced with the cosponsorship of the entire Illinois delegation which will designate the New Lenox Post Office the ``Jacob M. Lowell New Lenox Post Office Building.'' I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Army Specialist Jacob Lowell of New Lenox, Illinois, graduated from Lincoln-Way Central High School in 2003. He attended St. Xavier University before heeding the call to serve his country and enlist in the Army in 2005. Specialist Lowell was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Air Assault), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy. He is remembered by his fellow soldiers for being an avid football fan and expressing his support by shouting ``Go Bears'' at nearly any time. On June 2, 2007, Jacob Lowell heroically defended his convoy. And as his company commander said, he did his duty all the way up until the end. After already having been hit by small arms fire and facing enemies using rocket-propelled grenades, Specialist Lowell manned a 50- caliber machine gun in defense of many members of his platoon. The wounds he suffered proved to be fatal to Specialist Lowell, but they were not enough to keep him from doing his heroic duty. Those present that day credit Jacob with saving lives. Hearing such actions reminds us just how brave our men and women in uniform are. Lowell was awarded the Bronze Star with ``V'' for valor and the Combat Infantryman's Badge for his actions during the firefight, and on May 12, 2008, his fellow soldiers renamed a combat outpost in Nuristan Province after their beloved, fallen comrade. Local veterans have always reminded me that it's important to honor our soldiers and veterans each and every day. By naming the New Lenox Post Office after Jacob, we effectively honor all of them. It should be in the hearts and minds of all those who visit this post office that heroes like Jacob both founded our Nation and stand ready to protect it each and every day. Our sincerest thanks to Specialist Lowell and to his family, and the honor of renaming this post office could never match the gift which Jacob has given our Nation. This honor merely represents that we should never forget the sacrifice which he and all who have sacrificed their lives serving our Nation have made for each and every one of us. I know that we will all keep the family of Specialist Lowell and those of his fallen comrades in our prayers. I ask again that you will join me in honoring and remembering this extraordinary man whose heroism exemplifies everything that America stands for, and I ask you to support H.R. 6681, the Jacob Lowell New Lenox Post Office Designation Act. In closing, I would like to thank Joseph Eannello for his hard work on this legislation and for his work in my office over the past 2 years. He has been an asset in my office and done excellent work for the people of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I urge bipartisan support of this important legislation to honor someone who has sacrificed for our freedoms.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam 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.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, so I will take this opportunity to close. Madam Speaker, I rise today in favor of this resolution authored by my friend, Jon Porter, who is a strong advocate for adoption and foster children while serving on the House Ways and Means Committee. Of course this resolution promotes awareness of adoption and of the children in foster care awaiting loving, adoptive families. I want to recognize all of those parents who have opened their hearts and homes to provide a loving foster home or adopted home for children. In my home State of Illinois, 1,740 children were adopted from foster care in 2006. Nationwide, 51,000 children moved from foster care to adoption this past year. However, with nearly 500,000 children in the foster care system and approximately 130,000 of these children waiting for a family to adopt them, we have much more work to do. That's why I'm so pleased that this House is ready to pass this resolution marking National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month, but it's also paired with the important bipartisan legislation this House just considered and just voted unanimously to approve which provides greater incentives to provide loving homes to children in need of adoption as well as foster children in need of a loving home. Again, I want to commend my colleagues for that bipartisan effort. I urge all Members to support this resolution, to work with the many dedicated faith-based and other groups in their districts who promote adoption, not only in November but every month of the year. There can be no greater gift to a child who has been removed from his or her own parents than to find new, loving, adoptive parents who want to care for him or her as their own. Madam Speaker, I urge bipartisan support for this important resolution offered by my friend and colleague, Jon Porter of Nevada. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I believe I have 5 remaining minutes; is that correct?

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, at this time, it's my privilege to yield 12 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, how much time remains on each side?