[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H1357-H1360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE OF NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
                      ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION

  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 642) to reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 642

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE.

       (a) Reauthorization of Office.--Section 307 of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 
     1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 307. CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE.

       ``(a) Establishment.--(1) The Secretary of Commerce shall 
     establish, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration, an office to be known as the Chesapeake Bay 
     Office (in this section referred to as the `Office').
       ``(2) The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be 
     appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
     the Chesapeake Executive Council. Any individual appointed as 
     Director shall have knowledge and experience in research or 
     resource management efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
       ``(3) The Director may appoint such additional personnel 
     for the Office as the Director determines necessary to carry 
     out this section.
       ``(b) Functions.--The Office, in consultation with the 
     Chesapeake Executive Council, shall--
       ``(1) provide technical assistance to the Administrator, to 
     other Federal departments and agencies, and to State and 
     local government agencies in--
       ``(A) assessing the processes that shape the Chesapeake Bay 
     system and affect its living resources;
       ``(B) identifying technical and management alternatives for 
     the restoration and protection of living resources and the 
     habitats they depend upon; and
       ``(C) monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of 
     management plans;
       ``(2) develop and implement a strategy for the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that integrates the 
     science, research, monitoring, data collection, regulatory, 
     and management responsibilities of the Secretary of Commerce 
     in such a manner as to assist the cooperative, 
     intergovernmental Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the 
     commitments of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement;
       ``(3) coordinate the programs and activities of the various 
     organizations within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration, the Chesapeake Bay Regional Sea Grant 
     Programs, and the Chesapeake Bay units of the National 
     Estuarine Research Reserve System, including--
       ``(A) programs and activities in--
       ``(i) coastal and estuarine research, monitoring, and 
     assessment;
       ``(ii) fisheries research and stock assessments;
       ``(iii) data management;
       ``(iv) remote sensing;
       ``(v) coastal management;
       ``(vi) habitat conservation and restoration; and
       ``(vii) atmospheric deposition; and
       ``(B) programs and activities of the Cooperative Oxford 
     Laboratory of the National Ocean Service with respect to--
       ``(i) nonindigenous species;
       ``(ii) estuarine and marine species pathology;
       ``(iii) human pathogens in estuarine and marine 
     environments; and
       ``(iv) ecosystem health;
       ``(4) coordinate the activities of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration with the activities of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal, State, and 
     local agencies;
       ``(5) establish an effective mechanism which shall ensure 
     that projects have undergone appropriate peer review and 
     provide other appropriate means to determine that projects 
     have acceptable scientific and technical merit for the 
     purpose of achieving maximum utilization of available funds 
     and resources to benefit the Chesapeake Bay area;
       ``(6) remain cognizant of ongoing research, monitoring, and 
     management projects and assist in the dissemination of the 
     results and findings of those projects; and
       ``(7) submit a biennial report to the Congress and the 
     Secretary of Commerce with respect to the activities of the 
     Office and on the progress made in protecting and restoring 
     the living resources and habitat of the Chesapeake Bay, which 
     report shall include an action plan consisting of--
       ``(A) a list of recommended research, monitoring, and data 
     collection activities necessary to continue implementation of 
     the strategy described in paragraph (2); and
       ``(B) proposals for--
       ``(i) continuing any new National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration activities in the Chesapeake Bay; and
       ``(ii) the integration of those activities with the 
     activities of the partners in the Chesapeake Bay Program to 
     meet the commitments of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement and 
     subsequent agreements.
       ``(c) Chesapeake Bay Fishery and Habitat Restoration Small 
     Watershed Grants Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Chesapeake Bay 
     Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
     (in this section referred to as the `Director'), in 
     cooperation with the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall 
     carry out a community-based fishery and habitat restoration 
     small grants and technical assistance program in the 
     Chesapeake Bay watershed.
       ``(2) Projects.--
       ``(A) Support.--The Director shall make grants under this 
     subsection to pay the Federal share of the cost of projects 
     that are carried out by entities eligible under paragraph (3) 
     for the restoration of fisheries and habitats in the 
     Chesapeake Bay.
       ``(B) Federal share.--The Federal share under subparagraph 
     (A) shall not exceed 75 percent.
       ``(C) Types of projects.--Projects for which grants may be 
     made under this subsection include--
       ``(i) the improvement of fish passageways;
       ``(ii) the creation of natural or artificial reefs or 
     substrata for habitats;
       ``(iii) the restoration of wetland or sea grass;
       ``(iv) the production of oysters for restoration projects; 
     and
       ``(v) the prevention, identification, and control of 
     nonindigenous species.
       ``(3) Eligible entities.--The following entities are 
     eligible to receive grants under this subsection:
       ``(A) The government of a political subdivision of a State 
     in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the government of the 
     District of Columbia.
       ``(B) An organization in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (such 
     as an educational institution or a community organization)--
       ``(i) that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt

[[Page H1358]]

     from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code; and
       ``(ii) that will administer such grants in coordination 
     with a government referred to in subparagraph (A).
       ``(4) Additional requirements.--The Director may prescribe 
     any additional requirements, including procedures, that the 
     Director considers necessary to carry out the program under 
     this subsection.
       ``(d) Budget Line Item.--The Secretary of Commerce shall 
     identify, in the President's annual budget to the Congress, 
     the funding request for the Office.
       ``(e) Chesapeake Executive Council.--For purposes of this 
     section, `Chesapeake Executive Council' means the 
     representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State 
     of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, the District of Columbia, 
     and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, who are signatories to the 
     Chesapeake Bay Agreement, and any future signatories to that 
     Agreement.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce for the 
     Chesapeake Bay Office $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
     2002 through 2006.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 2 of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries 
     Program Authorization Act (Public Law 98-210; 97 Stat. 1409) 
     is amended by striking subsection (e).
       (c) Multiple Species Management Strategy.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Chesapeake Bay 
     Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
     shall begin a 5-year study, in cooperation with the 
     scientific community of the Chesapeake Bay, appropriate State 
     and interstate resource management entities, and appropriate 
     Federal agencies--
       (A) to determine and expand the understanding of the role 
     and response of living resources in the Chesapeake Bay 
     ecosystem; and
       (B) to develop a multiple species management strategy for 
     the Chesapeake Bay.
       (2) Required elements of study.--In order to improve the 
     understanding necessary for the development of the strategy 
     under paragraph (1)(B), the study shall--
       (A) determine the current status and trends of fish and 
     shellfish that live in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries 
     and are selected for study;
       (B) evaluate and assess interactions among the fish and 
     shellfish referred to in subparagraph (A) and other living 
     resources, with particular attention to the impact of changes 
     within and among trophic levels; and
       (C) recommend management actions to optimize the return of 
     a healthy and balanced ecosystem for the Chesapeake Bay.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I want to say up front that the staff on both sides of 
the aisle, the Democrat and Republican staff, both in our personal 
offices and the committee, have done excellent work on this bill to 
make it a bipartisan bill supported by everybody. It is also an 
excellent piece of legislation.
  I also want to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. 
Underwood), for his support of the legislation and for working with us 
to make sure that this bill passed the committee and will now pass the 
House and eventually become law.
  I know the bill does not deal with Guam exclusively, it deals with 
the Chesapeake Bay region and the China watershed, but his tireless 
efforts to support this legislation bodes well for his professionalism.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 642 reauthorizes the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's Chesapeake Bay Office and clarifies its 
role in coordinating NOAA's bay activities. This legislation is similar 
to a measure we introduced last year. It is also similar to separate 
legislation introduced last year by my colleague, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cardin). Those bills were the subject of a committee 
hearing last fall. H.R. 642 is a result of that hearing and is 
supported by the entire Maryland delegation.
  In addition to reauthorizing the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, H.R. 642 
would create two new very interesting requirements. The first would be 
a 5-year study leading to the development of a multiple-species living 
marine resources management strategy for the Chesapeake Bay.
  I do not want to go over that too fast. It is a multiple-species 
living marine resources management strategy. What exactly does that 
mean? Let me give just a small example.
  In the Chesapeake Bay, we have sunlight and we have nutrients. The 
sunlight is the engine behind what gives the Chesapeake Bay life. So to 
a certain extent, the sunlight and nutrients generate a microorganism, 
something called phytoplankton, a little tiny microorganism, which is 
then eaten by another tiny microorganism called zooplankton. The 
zooplankton is then eaten by a little fish called menhaden. The 
menhaden is eaten by a bigger fish called rockfish, or striped bass.
  Now, to a small extent, that is an example of a food web, or 
something we refer to today as an ecosystem. In the bill, it talks 
about a multiple-species management strategy.
  What has happened in the Chesapeake Bay, and the reason there is a 
need for this legislation, is that we have sunlight and nutrients now, 
but now we have too many nutrients. That means we have too much of the 
first microorganism, or phytoplankton. When we have too much of that 
phytoplankton, the zooplankton cannot eat enough of it, so a lot of the 
phytoplankton, that microorganism, falls to the bottom after it dies. 
It uses a lot of oxygen as it decays.
  As a result of that loss of oxygen, we do not have a good-quality 
environment for the phytoplankton anymore, and we come up with another 
microorganism called the dynoflagellate. Because the dynoflagellate can 
prosper in low oxygen, it is not nearly as good a quality food for the 
zooplankton. Then the zooplankton are not as nutritious. Then the 
menhaden that eat the zooplankton, they begin to fail, not only because 
the quality of their environment is reduced, but because they are 
overharvested by way too many times.
  So what does that do to the rockfish at the top of the food web? The 
rockfish do not have enough menhaden to eat. So what do the rockfish 
do? They go after the crabs.
  What I am trying to explain here is as soon as human activity, which 
causes too many nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay, interrupts or disrupts 
the ecosystem or the food web, we need to employ some quality 
legislation to understand the mechanics of the natural processes. That 
is what this bill does.
  The second requirement of this bill would be to establish a 
community-based fishery and habitat restoration small grant program for 
the Chesapeake Bay watershed, a small grant program for activities to 
understand the nature of the food web that we have disrupted.
  How do we get back in to bring that food web back into originally 
what it was designed for? It was designed; it has a design to it. 
Sometimes we refer to it in the Chesapeake Bay region as the mechanics 
of creation. If we can understand that, we can fix these problems.

                              {time}  1415

  So the small watershed grants will plant grass to improve the quality 
of the water; build oyster reefs to filter out some of those nutrients; 
stabilize shore lines, I think the way they are supposed to be 
stabilized so they can be habitat for other wildlife; and spawning 
areas for fish.
  As a representative of the district that surrounds the Chesapeake 
Bay, I am well aware of and appreciate the quality of the work done by 
the Chesapeake Bay office. I commend Judith Freeman, director of the 
Chesapeake Bay Office, for her efforts to improve the environmental 
quality and public stewardship of the bay.
  The Chesapeake Bay is vitally important to our district and the mid-
Atlantic States. Every corner of Maryland's first district is dependent 
in one way or other on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. From the State 
capital in Annapolis, home of constituents as diverse as the United 
States Naval Academy, recreational boaters, to the Eastern Shore, where 
thousands of watermen rely on the health of the bay to sustain their 
families, the Chesapeake Bay is a focal point of life for my 
constituents; therefore, the success of the Chesapeake Bay Office is of 
critical concern to them and myself.
  Madam Speaker, I want to quote one more person in this dialogue we 
are having here, and that is Rachael Carson, the author of the book 
that exploded the idea that the environment is important in her book 
``Silent Spring.'' Rachael Carson always found it a

[[Page H1359]]

strange phenomenon that individual people when you talk to them about 
science consider the only people concerned with the details and the 
mechanics of natural processes or science were scientists locked away 
in some obscure laboratory, and they very rarely ever left that 
scientific perspective.
  Madam Speaker, science is a wonderful form of dialogue and 
conversation not only for us, but certainly for young children in 
school. To understand what keeps life on this planet alive is an 
extraordinary thing that all of us should talk about a little bit more.
  Madam Speaker, I urge an aye vote on this important legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I also want to thank my colleagues from Maryland and 
the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) for their support.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 642, a noncontroversial bill, which 
would reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, and as indicated by the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries 
Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, who has aptly demonstrated not only 
his commitment to this particular piece of legislation, but certainly 
his knowledge about the mechanics of it and the necessity for it.
  Since 1992, the Chesapeake Bay Office has functioned effectively to 
incorporate NOAA's impressive scientific research and marine resource 
management programs into the comprehensive Federal and multi-state 
effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosytem. It is one of the best 
examples I know of that demonstrates how NOAA brings science and 
service together.
  H.R. 642 would provide a much-deserved increase in funding for this 
office. The bill would also authorize some new activities, many of 
which have been outlined already by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest), most notably a local fishery and habitat restoration grant 
program, which will promote new opportunities for NOAA to contribute 
throughout the bay.
  The legislation has received strong bipartisan support from the 
entire Maryland Congressional delegation. The administration also 
supports H.R. 642, and I urge an aye vote on this common sense good 
piece of legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I, first of all, want to thank the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), the sponsor of this 
legislation for yielding the time to me and obviously for sponsoring 
the legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 642, the NOAA 
Chesapeake Bay Office Reauthorization. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest), my good friend, should be commended for this fine 
legislation. In addition, I offer my congratulations to the gentleman 
as he embarks as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries 
Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
  It is only appropriate that the first legislation considered by his 
subcommittee is this bill, which will benefit and improve the 
Chesapeake Bay.
  I want to also thank my colleagues from Maryland, I see the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) over there and I see the gentleman from Guam 
(Mr. Underwood), and I want to thank the others who have supported this 
legislation.
  The Chesapeake Bay, our Nation's largest estuary, is an incredibly 
complex ecosytem. The bay is one of our Nation's most valuable natural 
resources. Its rich ecosytem, with rivers, wetlands, trees, and the 
bay, itself, supports and provides a natural habitat for over 3,600 
species of plants, fish, and animals.
  We know that about 15 million people now live in the bay watershed, 
which include parts of six States and the entire District of Columbia. 
These persons are at all times just a few steps from one or more of the 
100,000 stream and river tributaries ultimately draining into the bay.
  Every person, plant and animal within this watershed depends on each 
other to help the Chesapeake Bay system thrive and function properly. 
These complex relationships are countless.
  NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office was first created in 1992 to coordinate 
NOAA's efforts under the Chesapeake Bay Program, which was a unique 
regional partnership of State and Federal Government agencies that has 
been encouraging and directing the restoration of the bay since 1983.
  I am pleased that important progress has been made in renewing the 
bay since the Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed in 1983. Restoration 
efforts, led in part by the dedicated sciences at NOAA, have had a 
profound impact on the health and vitality of the bay. Scientific 
research has led to a better understanding of the bay, including how it 
works, and what must be done to continue its restoration.
  The NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office brings incredible scientific 
knowledge and expertise. They are involved in protecting and preserving 
the Chesapeake Bay in many ways, from rebuilding oyster reefs to 
restoring critically important subaquatic vegetation.
  However, we still have a long way to go before we reach our goals for 
a completely restored Chesapeake Bay. Many questions about the future 
of the bay remain unanswered. For example, blue crabs, perhaps the 
best-known and most important resource of the bay, have been below the 
long-term average level for several years.
  The oyster harvest has declined dramatically. Further efforts to 
reduce nutrient and sediment pollution are needed.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased that this legislation today will help us 
address these concerns. It will allow us to move towards the goal of a 
restored Chesapeake Bay. H.R. 642 will provide the NOAA's Chesapeake 
Bay Office with the necessary resources and authorization to continue 
to lead the way towards long-lasting environmental restoration of the 
bay.
  Madam Speaker, we must preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay, and I 
do support H.R. 642. I urge its swift passage.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, to prove this is not simply a Maryland 
State concern, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Guam (Mr. 
Underwood) for yielding the time.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank also the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest), because he and I cochair the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task 
Force, and I want to thank him and the gentleman from Guam (Mr. 
Underwood) for their dedication to protecting the Chesapeake Bay.
  The bill before us today reauthorizes the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration Chesapeake Bay Office through 2006. The 
Chesapeake Bay Office was established in 1992 to provide a focal point 
for NOAA's efforts and those efforts undertaken by partners of the 
Chesapeake Bay Program.
  For nearly 10 years now, the Chesapeake Bay Office has played a vital 
role in coordinating efforts between NOAA and Federal and State 
governments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It has acted as a positive 
force in managing and preserving this unique natural treasure.
  This legislation before us not only authorizes the appropriations for 
the Chesapeake Bay Office, but it also begins a new small grant 
program. Local governments and organizations, such as educational 
institutions or community organizations within the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed would be eligible for grants which may make improvements to 
fish passageways, create natural or artificial reefs for habitats, 
restore wetlands or sea grass or produce oysters for restoration 
projects.
  These projects could advance the essential knowledge and information 
that is necessary in order for us to restore our Nation's most 
cherished waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, which not only has significant 
environmental impact on Virginia and many other States, but also 
contributes enormously to our recreational activities and to our 
economy. I, therefore,

[[Page H1360]]

Madam Speaker, urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cardin).
  Mr. CARDIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Guam (Mr. 
Underwood), my friend, for yielding this time to me and for his 
leadership in moving this legislation, and also the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), my colleague, in working together to bring 
forward this very important reauthorization legislation that will help 
continue the Federal partnership in restoring the Chesapeake Bay, the 
largest estuary in our Nation.
  In 1991, original authorizations for NOAA's participation was passed 
by this Congress, and since that time, NOAA has been an instrumental 
partner in our efforts that involve not only the State of Maryland, but 
our surrounding States; not just State government, but local 
governments; not just government, but the private sector. We have 
worked together in partnership and have made tremendous progress in 
restoring the Chesapeake Bay.
  This legislation not only reauthorizes NOAA's participation, but 
establishes small grant programs to local governments, community 
organizations, educational institutions to restore fisheries and 
habitats.
  Madam Speaker, I say personally I know the groups that qualify for 
these funds. They are out there every day helping us restoring the 
waters and stirring the banks, cleaning up the waters, helping us in a 
major way. This legislation will mean that there will be additional 
resources available to these local groups to help them.
  The legislation also provides for a 5-year study, which I think is 
extremely important on the multispecies management plan. For too long, 
we have been looking at individual species. This legislation will allow 
us to look at all the species within the bay as to how they interact 
with each other.
  We increase the authorization to $6 million through fiscal year 2006; 
and in combination, this legislation will increase NOAA's participation 
in partnership to restore the bay.
  Madam Speaker, I congratulate all for moving this legislation so 
early. It will help us in our efforts not only in Maryland, not only in 
the communities that surround the Chesapeake Bay, but as a model for 
our Nation as to the right way to clean up a major body, a 
multijurisdictional body of water.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to urge everyone to vote aye on this, and also to congratulate 
the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) for this very fine piece of 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) once 
again, and certainly the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) for 
helping us with this legislation.
  One last very brief comment on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 
Chesapeake Bay itself, about 100 years ago, at the turn of the century, 
we took out of the bay on an annual basis up to 15 million bushels of 
oysters, 15 million. It was the engine that drove the economy of the 
State of Maryland and Virginia and, to some extent, Pennsylvania, for 
the commercial harvest, for the recreational activities, for all the 
spin-off economic resources that depended on the Chesapeake Bay, 15 
million bushels the oysters. We are, in a good year now, in a very good 
year, down to 300,000 bushels of oysters.
  With this legislation, we can understand the nature of the mechanics 
of the ecosytem, how the food web works. Human activity degraded the 
bay; human ingenuity will restore it.
  I urge an aye vote on H.R. 642.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 642, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________