[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H657-H660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DIGITAL GLOBAL ACCESS POLICY ACT OF 2017
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 600) to promote Internet access in developing
countries and update foreign policy toward the Internet, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 600
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Digital Global Access Policy
Act of 2017'' or the ``Digital GAP Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to--
(1) encourage the efforts of developing countries to
improve mobile and fixed access to the Internet in order to
catalyze innovation, spur economic growth and job creation,
improve health, education, and financial services, reduce
poverty and gender inequality, mitigate disasters, promote
democracy and good governance, and strengthen cybersecurity;
(2) promote build once policies and approaches and the
multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance; and
(3) ensure the effective use of United States foreign
assistance resources toward this end.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The number of Internet users worldwide has more than
tripled from 1 billion to 3.2 billion since 2005, yet the
growth rate of Internet access is slowing: An estimated 4.2
billion people, or 60 percent of the world's population,
remain offline, an estimated 75 percent of the offline
population lives in just 20 countries, and rural, female,
elderly, illiterate, and low-income populations are being
left behind.
(2) Studies suggest that women across the developing world
are disproportionately affected by a digital gap, and that
bringing an additional 600 million women online would
contribute $13 billion to $18 billion to annual GDP across
144 developing countries.
(3) Internet access in developing countries is most often
hampered by a lack of infrastructure and a poor regulatory
environment for investment.
(4) Build once policies and approaches, which seek to
coordinate public and private sector investments in roads and
other critical infrastructure, can minimize the number and
scale of excavation and construction activities when
installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-
way, thereby reducing installation costs for high-speed
Internet networks and serving as a development best practice.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
Congress declares that it is the policy of the United
States to consult, partner, and coordinate with the
governments of foreign countries, international
organizations, regional economic communities, businesses,
civil society, and other stakeholders in a concerted effort
to close the digital gap by promoting--
(1) first-time Internet access to mobile or broadband
Internet for at least 1.5 billion people in developing
countries by 2020 in both urban and rural areas;
(2) Internet deployment and related coordination, capacity
building, and build once policies and approaches in
developing countries, including actions to encourage--
(A) standardization of build once policies and approaches
for the inclusion of broadband conduit in rights-of-way
projects that are funded, co-funded, or partially financed by
the United States or any international organization that
includes the United States as a member, in consultation with
telecommunications providers, unless a cost-benefit analysis
determines that the cost of such approach outweighs the
benefits;
(B) adoption and integration of build once policies and
approaches into the development and investment strategies of
national and local government agencies of developing
countries and donor governments and organizations that will
enhance coordination with the private sector for road
building, pipe laying, and other major infrastructure
projects; and
(C) provision of increased financial support by
international organizations, including through grants, loans,
and technical assistance, to expand information and
communications access and Internet connectivity;
(3) policy changes that encourage first-time affordable
access to the Internet in developing countries, including
actions to encourage--
(A) integration of universal and gender-equitable Internet
access goals, to be informed by the collection of related
gender disaggregated data, and Internet tools into national
development plans and United States Government country-level
development strategies;
(B) reforms of competition laws and spectrum allocation
processes that may impede the ability of companies to provide
Internet services; and
(C) efforts to improve procurement processes to help
attract and incentivize investment in Internet
infrastructure;
(4) the removal of tax and regulatory barriers to Internet
access;
(5) the use of the Internet to increase economic growth and
trade, including--
(A) policies and strategies to remove restrictions to e-
commerce, cross-border information flows, and competitive
marketplaces; and
(B) entrepreneurship and distance learning enabled by
access to technology;
(6) use of the Internet to bolster democracy, government
accountability, transparency, and human rights, including
through the establishments of policies, initiatives, and
investments that--
(A) support the development of national Internet plans that
are consistent with United States human rights goals,
including freedom of expression, religion, assembly, and
association;
(B) expand online access to government information and
services to enhance government accountability and service
delivery, including for areas in which government may have
limited presence;
(C) advance the principles of responsible Internet
governance, including commitments to maintain open and
equitable access; and
(D) support programs, research, and technologies that
safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms online, and
enable political organizing and activism, free speech, and
religious expression that are in compliance with
international human rights standards;
(7) Internet access and inclusion into Internet
policymaking for women, people with disabilities, minorities,
low-income and marginalized groups, and underserved
populations;
(8) cybersecurity and data protection, including
international use of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Framework for Improving Critical
Infrastructure Cybersecurity, that are industry-led and
globally recognized cybersecurity standards and best
practices; and
(9) inter-agency coordination and cooperation across all
executive branch agencies regarding the construction and
promotion of Internet initiatives as a greater part of United
States foreign policy.
SEC. 5. LEVERAGING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT.
In pursuing the policy described in section 4, the
President should direct United States representatives to
appropriate international bodies to use the influence of the
United States, consistent with the broad development goals of
the United States, to advocate that each such body--
(1) commit to increase efforts and coordination to promote
affordable and gender-equitable Internet access, in
partnership with stakeholders and consistent with host
countries' absorptive capacity;
(2) integrate affordable and gender-equitable Internet
access data into existing economic and business assessments,
evaluations, and indexes such as the Millennium Challenge
Corporation constraints analysis, the Doing Business Report,
International Monetary Fund Article IV assessments and
country reports, the Open Data Barometer, and the
Affordability Drivers Index;
(3) standardize inclusion of broadband conduit as part of
highway or comparable construction projects in developing
countries, in consultation with telecommunications providers,
unless such inclusion would create an undue burden, is not
necessary based on the availability of existing broadband
infrastructure, or a cost-benefit analysis determines that
the cost outweighs the benefits;
(4) provide technical assistance to the regulatory
authorities in developing countries to remove unnecessary
barriers to investment in otherwise commercially viable
projects and strengthen weak regulations or develop new
regulations to support market growth and development;
(5) utilize clear, accountable, and metric-based targets,
including targets with gender-disaggregated data, to measure
the effectiveness of efforts to promote Internet access; and
(6) promote and protect human rights online, such as the
freedoms of expression, religion, assembly, and association,
through resolutions, public statements, projects, and
initiatives, and advocate that other member states of such
bodies are held accountable when major violations are
uncovered.
SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ORGANIZATION.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretary of State should seek to enhance the efficiency
and effectiveness of United States foreign assistance efforts
to carry out the policies and objectives established by this
Act, including by redesignating an existing Assistant
Secretary position in the Department of State to be the
Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace to lead the Department's
diplomatic cyberspace policy generally, including for
cybersecurity, Internet access, Internet freedom, and to
promote an open, secure, and reliable information and
communications technology infrastructure.
(b) Activities.--In recognition of the added value of
technical knowledge and expertise in the policymaking and
diplomatic channels, the Secretary of State shall--
(1) update existing training programs relevant to policy
discussions;
(2) promote the recruitment of candidates with technical
expertise into the Civil Service and the Foreign Service; and
(3) work to improve inter-agency coordination and
cooperation on cybersecurity and Internet initiatives.
(c) Offset.--To offset any costs incurred by the Department
of State to carry out the designation of an Assistant
Secretary for Cyberspace in accordance with subsection (a),
the Secretary of State shall eliminate
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such positions within the Department of State, unless
otherwise authorized or required by law, as the Secretary
determines to be necessary to fully offset such costs.
(d) Rule of Construction.--The redesignation of the
Assistant Secretary position in the Department of State
described in subsection (a) may not be construed as
increasing the number of Assistant Secretary positions at the
Department above the current level of 24 as authorized in
section 1(c)(1) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act
of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)).
SEC. 7. USAID.
It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development should--
(1) integrate efforts to expand Internet access, develop
appropriate technologies, and enhance digital literacy into
the education, development, and economic growth programs of
the agency, where appropriate;
(2) expand the utilization of information and
communications technologies in humanitarian aid and disaster
relief responses and United States operations involving
stabilization and security to improve donor coordination,
reduce duplication and waste, capture and share lessons
learned, and augment disaster preparedness and risk
mitigation strategies; and
(3) establish and promote guidelines for the protection of
personal information of individuals served by humanitarian,
disaster, and development programs implemented directly
through the United States Government, through contracts
funded by the United States Government, and by international
organizations.
SEC. 8. PEACE CORPS.
Section 3 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502) is
amended by--
(1) redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (e); and
(2) adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(f) It is the sense of Congress that access to technology
can transform agriculture, community economic development,
education, environment, health, and youth development which
are the sectors in which Peace Corps currently develops
positions for Volunteers.
``(g) In giving attention to the programs, projects,
training, and other activities referred to in subsection (f),
the Peace Corps should develop positions for Volunteers that
are focused on leveraging technology for development,
education, and social and economic mobility.''.
SEC. 9. PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the President shall transmit to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate plans to promote
partnerships by United States development agencies, including
the United States Agency for International Development and
the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and international
agencies funded by the United States Government with the
private sector and other stakeholders to expand affordable
and gender equitable access to the Internet in developing
countries, including the following elements:
(1) Methods for stakeholders to partner with such agencies
in order to provide Internet access or Internet
infrastructure in developing countries.
(2) Methods of outreach to stakeholders to explore
partnership opportunities for expanding Internet access or
Internet infrastructure, including coordination with the
private sector, when financing roads and telecommunications
infrastructure.
(3) Methods for early consultation with stakeholders
concerning projects in telecommunications and road
construction to provide Internet access or Internet
infrastructure.
SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the President shall transmit to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on
efforts to implement the policies specified in this Act and a
discussion of the plans and existing efforts by the United
States Government in developing countries to accomplish the
following:
(1) Developing a technical and regulatory road map for
promoting Internet access in developing countries and a path
to implementing such road map.
(2) Identifying the regulatory barriers that may unduly
impede Internet access, including regulation of wireline
broadband deployment or the infrastructure to augment
wireless broadband deployment.
(3) Strengthening and supporting development of regulations
that incentivize market growth and sector development.
(4) Encouraging further public and private investment in
Internet infrastructure, including broadband networks and
services.
(5) Increasing gender-equitable Internet access and
otherwise encourage or support Internet deployment,
competition, and adoption.
(6) Improving the affordability of Internet access.
(7) Promoting technology and cybersecurity capacity
building efforts and consult technical experts for advice
regarding options to accelerate the advancement of Internet
deployment, adoption, and usage.
(8) Promoting Internet freedom globally and include civil
society and the private sector in the formulation of
policies, projects, and advocacy efforts to protect human
rights online.
(9) Promoting and strengthening the multi-stakeholder model
of Internet governance and actively participate in multi-
stakeholder international fora, such as the Internet
Governance Forum.
(10) Advancing a strategy to promote--
(A) global cybersecurity policy consistent with the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure
Cybersecurity;
(B) global Internet freedom principles, such as the
freedoms of expression, religion, assembly, and association,
while combating efforts to impose restrictions on such
freedoms; and
(C) improved inter-agency coordination and cooperation on
cybersecurity and Internet initiatives.
SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Broadband.--The term ``broadband'' means an Internet
Protocol-based transmission service that enables users to
send and receive voice, video, data, graphics, or a
combination thereof.
(2) Broadband conduit.--The term ``broadband conduit''
means a conduit for fiber optic cables that support broadband
or wireless facilities for broadband service.
(3) Build once policies and approaches.--The term ``build
once policies and approaches'' means policies or practices
that minimize the number and scale of excavation and
construction activities when installing telecommunications
infrastructure in rights-of-way.
(4) Cyberspace.--The term ``cyberspace'' means the
interdependent network of information technology
infrastructures, and includes the Internet,
telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded
processors and controllers in critical industries, and
includes the virtual environment of information and
interactions between people.
(5) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means the
private sector, the public sector, cooperatives, civil
society, the technical community that develops Internet
technologies, standards, implementation, operations, and
applications, and other groups that are working to increase
Internet access or are impacted by the lack of Internet
access in their communities.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and include any extraneous materials in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Today, more than 60 percent of the world's population lacks access to
broadband, lacks access to the Internet. That means 3 billion people
have been left out of the biggest technological revolution of our time.
Three billion people are being denied the benefits of the free flow of
information and game-changing innovations in health, education, and
commerce; and 3 billion consumers remain out of the reach of American
goods and services.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by this digital gap,
despite serving as the principal consumers, caregivers, educators,
peacemakers, and income earners across the developing world. Bringing
women online is going to deepen the benefit of existing investments in
governance and global health, and it is going to accelerate economic
growth.
So this bill closes that digital gap. It promotes efforts by
developing countries to accelerate Internet deployment through the
standardization of cost-effective, build-once policies. It partners
with the private sector, and it creates a favorable investment climate.
At the same time, it reduces duplication of effort among U.S.
Government agencies by demanding improved interagency coordination and
collaboration with the private sector. And it calls on the State
Department to consolidate the responsibilities held by three separate
coordinators for cyber policy, technology, and information under a
single Assistant Secretary for Cyberspace.
So let me explain something here, Mr. Speaker, if the U.S. Agency for
International Development is helping
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to finance the construction of a rural road in Ghana, the private
sector should be invited to lay down broadband conduit before the
concrete is poured, obviously. Why dig the same road twice? The bottom
line is that, as this infrastructure expansion is going on right now,
we have the ability to get the private sector in to lay that broadband,
and that is what this bill does. It is smart economics, smart
development. It advances key U.S. values. And, frankly, it is good for
American industry as well.
So I thank my cosponsors--Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers,
Eliot Engel, and Grace Meng--for their efforts on this bill, which, by
the way, the predecessor bill passed unanimously last September here.
I strongly urge Members to support the Digital GAP Act here again
this year so we can get it to the President's desk without delay.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
rise in support of this bill.
I want to thank Chairman Ed Royce, and I am pleased to cosponsor this
bill that he has introduced to make it easier for people around the
world to harness the power of the Internet. This bill passed in the
last Congress but didn't make it through the Senate, so I am glad we
are taking it up again.
Mr. Speaker, we know the way this incredible tool has shaped the
world in the last generation. The Internet can instantaneously connect
people across the world from each other who a few years ago would never
cross paths in a lifetime. It allows citizens and journalists living
under oppressive regimes or in war zones to get information out to the
world. It allows entrepreneurs in emerging markets to sell their
products in global markets.
To be sure, the power of the Internet can cut both way. ISIS has
proved all too adept at using social media to recruit fighters and
spread its hateful message. But put to its highest purpose, the
Internet can help drive economic growth and spread stability and
prosperity.
Unfortunately, too few people around the world have access to this
tool. Roughly 60 percent of the world's population is not online, and
the growth rate of Internet access is slowing. If you live in a poor
community or a rural area, sometimes just because you are a woman, it
is harder to take advantage of the Internet.
We know where that lack of access is holding populations back. Three-
quarters of those who are offline live in just 20 countries. If we
could close that gap, think of what it might mean for all of those
people struggling to make ends meet, and that is exactly what this bill
aims to do.
Chairman Royce's legislation calls on the administration to ramp up
efforts around the world to expand access to the Internet. It
encourages the State Department, USAID, and the Peace Corps to focus on
Internet access as a diplomatic and development priority. And it states
clearly that expanding Internet access, especially in the developing
world, is an American foreign policy priority.
So I am glad to support this measure. I thank the chairman for all
his hard work.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Bass).
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5537, the Digital
Global Access Policy Act or the Digital GAP Act. I commend Chairman
Royce's timely piece of legislation, which aims to facilitate greater
coordination between the U.S. and foreign governments, international
organizations, regional economic communities, businesses, and civil
society regarding the promotion of information technology and
cybersecurity in developing economies.
The focus of the critical IT sector, particularly in developing
countries, is the goal of not only Chairman Royce's Digital GAP bill
but also of a possible companion bill in the Senate sponsored last year
by Senator Markey.
I understand that Senator Markey plans to reintroduce his bill in the
Senate, and it is my hope that we can work with the Senate in support
of this legislation. Both bills address the critical issue of the U.S.
working with developing economies on the core issue of information
technology and cybersecurity.
In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the information technology
sector has literally taken off and enabled young, innovative, and
talented entrepreneurs to develop IT-related solutions to everyday
problems.
Last summer, I traveled with Senator Markey and Representative
Maloney to Nigeria and Senegal where we met with a number of local IT
experts. What was clear from our in-depth discussions is that Internet
access has quickly become a critical component of economies and
economic growth throughout the developing world.
Many developing economies, which have traditionally had to navigate
institutional or infrastructural impediments, are able to utilize
information technology to resolve everyday problems. Case in point,
telephone land lines in some developing economies are often in need of
constant repair and maintenance. As a result, over the years, land
lines became the preserve of the middle class and affluent sectors of
capital cities.
This is no longer the case because astute entrepreneurs have found a
way to circumvent this impediment by buying and/or renting out cell
phones for public use. Today, in just about any country you visit in
Sub-Saharan Africa, you will see countless men, women, and children
using cell phones.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. BASS. On our codel, our visit to Senegal included a meeting with
the CEO of Wari, an 8-year-old company providing an innovative platform
offering convenient service and an aggregation of products and services
of various partners. Wari has over 220 million users of the platform
throughout 40 countries.
We also met with the director of Millennium Connect Africa. Formerly
with Hughes Satellite Systems, Mr. Diop was educated at Wharton and
UCLA and worked in the U.S. for 20 years. His company is a subsidiary
of Wari.
In Kenya, IT entrepreneurs have excelled in the development of a host
of innovative apps. For example, a young Kenyan innovator developed an
app called iCow to better enable dairy farmers to keep current with
market prices.
Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, there are many examples of IT
expertise. The importance of an IT-literate population complements the
ongoing push for capability training.
To the degree the U.S. Government can actively participate in this
important process is to the mutual benefit of this country and a
spectrum of developing countries worldwide.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to
reclaim the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California has 17 minutes
remaining.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, when we talk about the world becoming more
interconnected, one of the main drivers of that trend is the Internet.
Our enemies have taken advantage of this tool for destructive purposes.
As we push back against that threat, our foreign policy should also
help as many people as possible to use this tool in a positive way.
So this bill, again, helps move us in the right direction. I want to,
again, say I am grateful to Chairman Royce for bringing it forward.
I am glad to support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the
same.
I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1615
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say, as the author of this bill, it does take
a lot of work, a lot of research, to put together legislation like
this. And I did want to thank Joan Condon of the staff, and I wanted to
thank Jessica Kelch, certainly Margot Sullivan, and Taylor Clausen for
their efforts here.
[[Page H660]]
I think that as you get involved in this legislation and you see some
of the lost opportunities in the past--I would just give one example.
NetHope, an NGO, made a compelling case for this build-once policy that
this puts in place.
It was several years ago, as they explained, and Eliot Engel and I
have been out to Liberia. There was a $100 million project for a road
where there is no Internet use, and there is very little across
Liberia. Had the donors had the foresight to just invite the private
sector to lay the fiber-optic cable under that road while it was being
constructed--and, as you know, you do that at a fraction of the cost.
That is when they want to lay the cable--the cost would have been 1
percent of the total investment. It would have been $1 million.
But what is the consequence of that lack of foresight?
You fast forward to 2014. I will tell you the consequences. Ebola
ravaged Liberia, 10,000 people over the course of a single year; it
crossed international borders, finally included the United States.
There was a reason why the information did not get out, and that reason
was because there was not Internet access in this region across
Liberia, which was the same region where they would have put the
Internet access. That is what physicians tell us.
It is not a surprise that experts agree that the lack of Internet
infrastructure hampered Ebola response efforts, according to the
physicians, as donors and community health centers struggled to track
the disease. They could not even coordinate their efforts, for those of
you who remember that struggle.
Now, all of a sudden there is renewed interest in improving the
Internet architecture in Liberia, and now we find that the cost is so
many, many, many multiples of what it had been had this bill been law,
and that we had simply let those know in industry that that opportunity
was there to lay that cable back when the road was originally being
built.
So we need this build-once strategy. We have got to have smart
development. We can do better. We will. And I urge the Members to
support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, as the House considers this legislation,
I stand in support of expanding Internet access around the globe. In
this fast growing and ever changing world, the gap between those who
have and have not will be made even more dramatic for those without
internet access. Internet access is a valuable commodity that helps
millions of lives, and everyone should have access to it.
In the 21st century, one thing is crystal clear: Access to the
internet is critical. 4.2 billion people worldwide don't have access to
the internet. This includes children starting school, young women
starting businesses, and communities looking for ways to compete in the
global market.
Women are particularly impacted and left behind, something that
shouldn't go unnoticed by this body. UNICEF reports that nearly 90% of
the income women bring in is reinvested into their family, more than
double what men reinvest. Women build up their communities, and we must
do whatever we can to ensure they have the resources necessary to
succeed.
Not only will this bill reach those women who live in the dark
without web services, it will promote the rights and values that make
America exceptional. The freedoms of expression and assembly are
fundamental rights, and the Internet can be a critical medium for
promoting democracy. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute put it
best when it said ``The Internet has fundamentally empowered the
consumer [. . .] It saves the consumer time and gives customers access
to products.'' In this great body, I hope we continue to stand for
democracy, its values, and support those who wish to stand up for their
rights.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 600.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________