{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgH8944-4", "2010-12-22", 111, 2, null, null, "IKE SKELTON NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H8944", "H8945", "[{\"name\": \"Ike Skelton\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Madeleine Z. Bordallo\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Gene Green\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Joe Wilson\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"111\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"44\"}, {\"congress\": \"111\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"6523\"}, {\"congress\": \"111\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"6523\"}]", "156 Cong. Rec. H8944", "Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]\n[House]\n[Pages H8944-H8945]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n  IKE SKELTON NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011\n\n  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the\nSpeaker's table the bill (H.R. 6523) to authorize appropriations for\nfiscal year 2011 for military activities of the Department of Defense,\nfor military construction, and for defense activities of the Department\nof Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal\nyear, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments thereto, and\nconcur in the Senate amendments.\n  The Clerk read the title of the bill.\n  The text of the Senate amendments is as follows:\n\n       Senate amendments:\n       Strike title XVII and corresponding table of contents on\n     page 18.\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentleman from Missouri?\n  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, reserving the right to object, I take\nthis moment to express great disappointment at the situation the House\nnow finds itself. It is very unfortunate that before us is an amended\nversion of the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for\nFiscal Year 2011.\n  Last night, the other body struck title XVII of the version of the\nbill that this House passed last Friday, December 17. Title XVII, Madam\nSpeaker, was the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, which the\nHouse has passed on multiple occasions with strong bipartisan support.\nSeveral Senators objected to its inclusion in the bill. They expressed\nconcerns over its budgetary impact, and indicated a willingness to work\ntoward identifying an acceptable way to authorize and pay the claims.\n  I regret the inability to resolve this matter at this time, and I am\nvery appreciative of the strong support from Chairman Skelton and\nincoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mr. McKeon of\nCalifornia for their strong support of this provision. The unresolved\nnature of Guam war claims has serious implications for the military\nbuild-up on Guam. I appreciate the administration's strong support for\nthis provision. The administration recognizes the connection between\nresolving this issue and successfully implementing the military build-\nup on Guam.\n  We will continue our work to bring closure to this matter of justice\nfor the people of Guam, and to act on the legislative recommendations\nof the Federal Guam War Claims Review Commission that reported to\nCongress pursuant to Public Law 107-333. It was not for a lack of\neffort from this body, and we will continue to build on the progress\nwe've made. The underlying bill is important for our national defense\nand for our men and women in uniform and their families, and therefore\nthis body is left no other choice but than to concur with the Senate\namendments at this time.\n  Again, I want to thank everyone who has assisted me, both the leaders\nand to the multiple staff members who have helped us through this\nprocess.\n  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I'll keep my remarks brief as this is the\nthird time that the House will debate and vote on the National Defense\nAuthorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. They say that the third time is\nthe charm. Let it be so this morning.\n  I return to the floor with this bill because the Senate found it\nnecessary to delete a portion of the House-passed bill in order to\nachieve the consensus needed to move the bill to final passage. The\nSenate amendment removes from the House bill Title 17, which dealt with\nGuam War Claims. I am deeply disappointed in the Senate's decision to\nremove this important legislation, which I strongly support and which\nhas been so ably advocated by the delegate from Guam. However, here we\nare and we are out of time to engage with a back and forth with the\nSenate. We must move this bill to the President's desk or watch it die.\nThat is why I ask for unanimous consent for the House to concur to the\nSenate amendment to H.R. 6523.\n  Let me briefly repeat what I said the other day. This bill is must\npass legislation with many provisions that cannot become law any other\nway. This bill stops an increase in health care fees from hitting the\nfamilies of military personnel; authorizes military families to extend\nTRICARE coverage to their dependent children under age 26; and adopts\ncomprehensive legislation fighting sexual assault in the military. It\ncreates a counter-IED database and enhances the effort to develop new,\nlightweight body armor. It gives DOD new\n\n[[Page H8945]]\n\ntools and authorities to reduce its energy demand while improving\nmilitary readiness. It bolsters our defense against cyber attacks. It\nrequires independent assessments of the National Nuclear Security\nAdministration modernization plan and of the annual budget request for\nsustaining a strong deterrent. It aligns the Navy's long term\nshipbuilding plan with the QDR. And, it includes significant\nacquisition reform, the Improve Acquisition Act of 2010, which could\nsave as much as $135 billion over the next 5 years. That is just a\nsampling of the good work done in this bill.\n  I ask the House to support the men and women of the armed forces by\npassing this bill by unanimous consent, and ensure that the National\nDefense Authorization Act finally becomes law.\n  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6523 is a strong bill\nthat is intended to provide essential funding for our nation's troops,\nincluding providing our brave men and women in uniform the tools they\nneed to succeed in our nation's missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.\n  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise to express my\nconcerns about the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6523, the Ike Skelton\nNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. The Senate\namendment struck Title XVII of the underlying bill, once again, denying\nthe people of Guam the promise of closure and justice on the matter of\nGuam War Claims.\n  The text of Title XVII was a compromise that eliminated payments to\ndescendents of survivors of the brutal occupation that were subjected\nto personal injury. I support that compromise; in fact, I am an\noriginal co-sponsor of H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty\nRecognition Act. It is important that we bring closure to this long\nstanding injustice for the people of Guam. It is even more important\ngiven that the realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam will begin\nin earnest over the coming year.\n  I have travelled to Guam on a number of occasions and have been so\nimpressed by the patriotism of the people led by Governor Felix Camacho\nand First Lady Joann Camacho, and I recognize the importance of this\nlegislation to the Chamorro people. I look forward to working with\nCongresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and Incoming Chairman Congressman Buck\nMcKeon, incoming Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, to\naddress this matter in next year's defense authorization bill. It is\ntime to finally bring closure to this long standing matter for the\npeople of Guam which is so strategic for our nation's defense and where\nAmerica's day begins. I appreciate the tireless efforts of\nCongresswoman Madeleine Bordallo's service for the people of Guam.\n  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I withdraw my reservation.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentleman from Missouri?\n  There was no objection.\n  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgH8944-4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.3645701799541712, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}