[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9773-H9777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROTECTING RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED INSTITUTIONS ACT OF 2017
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1730) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for
the protection of community centers with religious affiliation, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1730
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H9774]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Religiously
Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF COMMUNITY CENTERS WITH RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION.
Section 247 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting after ``threat of
force,'' the following: ``including by threat of force
against religious real property,'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) if damage to or destruction of property results from
the acts committed in violation of this section, which damage
to or destruction of such property is in an amount that
exceeds $5,000, a fine in accordance with this title and
imprisonment for not more than 3 years, or both; and''; and
(3) in subsection (f), by inserting before the period at
the end the following: ``, or real property owned or leased
by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated organization''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1730, currently
under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act
of 2017 is a bill designed to address recent attacks on religious
institutions. It amends the Church Arson Prevention Act to clarify that
the act covers religious real property, such as religious community
centers. It also increases the penalty for destruction of property
offenses on religious property where the conduct results in more than
$5,000 in damages to the property.
This legislation is a direct response to the recent onslaught of bomb
threats to various synagogues, mosques, churches, and religious
community centers. In 2017, there have been more than 100 reported bomb
threats against Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools, and other
Jewish organizations and institutions in more than 38 States. Islamic
centers and mosques have been burned in the States of Texas,
Washington, and Florida. We must send the message that any attempt to
instill fear in a religious community will not be tolerated.
From its inception, our country has recognized that freedom of
religion is a fundamental right. It is just as important to protect
this right today, if not more so. We must continue to ensure that the
American people can continue to practice their faith without
obstruction.
I commend Representative David Kustoff and Representative Derek
Kilmer for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support
this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in favor of the legislation. I want to thank the honorable
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for his leadership on this and
also salute Representatives Kustoff and Kilmer for their introduction
of this legislation.
It is important legislation, Mr. Speaker, because it extends
protections under current Federal law for religious real property. We
know there is no religious free exercise for our people if they are too
afraid to go to church or to synagogue or to the mosque.
Currently, section 247 of the Federal criminal code prohibits both
the damaging of religious property because of the property's religious
character and the intentional obstruction--by force or threats of
force--of anyone's exercise of their religious beliefs.
H.R. 1730 clarifies that not just force but threats of force against
religious property are included in this prohibition.
{time} 1730
In addition, the bill provides that the damaging or obstructing of
such property that results in damages exceeding $5,000 constitutes a
felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison.
Finally, H.R. 1730 clarifies that real property covered by the
statute includes property leased by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated
organization.
The importance of the bill, of course, is underscored by the recent
upsurge, as Mr. Goodlatte said, in bomb threats, hate crimes, and
vandalism committed against churches, synagogues, mosques, and other
communities of faith, a wave of hate that is now etched in the public's
mind by the shocking events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August,
which began at a local synagogue.
The Hate Crimes Statistics for 2016 released by the FBI indicate that
anti-Semitic hate crimes increased 20 percent from the prior year.
There has been an alarming surge committed not just against synagogues,
but against churches and mosques in 2017.
We know that violent attacks against religious facilities have always
accompanied waves of racial terror in our history. In the 1960s,
African-American churches in many parts of the country were vandalized,
fire bombed, and burned during the struggle for civil rights in the
South. In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of arsons committed against
African-American churches. In response, Congress passed the Church
Arson Prevention Act in 1996 to make it clear that such behavior was
also on the wrong side of the law.
Yet, in 2017, here we are again, facing another rise in hate crimes.
We must do more to prevent and fight these threats to our most basic
First Amendment freedoms that our people have, including the right of
our citizens to practice their religion of choice.
While some may disagree with the religious practice of others, what
they may not do is use physical obstruction, force, or threats of force
to deny other people the right to worship as they choose. No American
should ever have to choose between their faith and their personal
security and the safety of their family. Therefore, I strongly support
H.R. 1730, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff), the chief sponsor of this
legislation.
Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of
2017. I introduced this bipartisan bill with the support of my friend,
Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington State. Our legislation is
essential in safeguarding religious institutions of all kinds from
atrocious threats and acts of violence.
Earlier this year, we saw a disturbing rise in bomb threats at Jewish
community centers, churches, and other religious institutions across
the country. Our communities were in distress as cemeteries were
vandalized because of their religious affiliation.
This kind of hate crime is simply unacceptable. After all, religious
tolerance is the bedrock on which this great Nation was founded.
According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of
anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased dramatically, by
86 percent, in the first 3 months of 2017. We can attribute this year's
increase to 155 vandalism incidents, including three cemetery
desecrations and 161 hoax bomb threats against religious community
centers. This is a dramatic increase of 127 percent over the same
quarter in 2016.
On November 13, 2017, the FBI released its 2016 annual Hate Crime
Statistics Act data documents. The study found that more than 100 hate
crimes occurred at churches in the United States in 2016 alone.
Unfortunately, hate crimes motivated by religious affiliations
accounted for 1,538 total offenses and 1,273 incidents that were
reported by law enforcement.
Hate crimes do not just hurt one person. They cause great distress to
our families, communities, and society as a
[[Page H9775]]
whole. In my own home State of Tennessee, we, sadly, experienced
multiple bomb threats at a local Jewish community center. These events
shook the entire community.
In addition to the fear inflicted upon these institutions after a
threat, there are tangible ramifications for the centers. Many
community centers and places of worship are forced to temporarily close
their doors as a result of these threats.
Families who rely on the center's services, such as Bible study and
early childhood education programs, have been forced to choose between
their faith community and their safety. Here, in the United States of
America, people should not have to make that choice. Our Nation was
founded on the idea of religious freedom, and our commitment to
religious freedom must remain unshakable. It is time we say enough is
enough. Religious intolerance has no place in this country.
The Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017 would
ensure that individuals who make credible threats of violence against
religious community centers and places of worship can be prosecuted for
committing a hate crime under Federal law.
This bipartisan bill strengthens Federal criminal statutes to prevent
threats while preserving our First Amendment rights. It is our moral
imperative to protect the right of all Americans to worship freely and
without fear, a right that is sewn into our Nation's very fabric. We
must strongly condemn any acts of hate against people and all
institutions of faith.
I thank Representative Kilmer for his hard work on this legislation.
I am proud of this bipartisan effort that we have led. I also thank all
of the cosponsors of this bill and Chairman Goodlatte for his
leadership on the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very
important legislation.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the
American Jewish Committee and a letter from the Anti-Defamation League.
AJC, Global Jewish Advocacy,
Washington, DC, November 1, 2017.
Hon. Robert Goodlatte,
Chairman.
Hon. John Conyers,
Ranking Member, House Committee on the Judiciary, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers: I write
on behalf of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global
Jewish advocacy organization, in strong support of H.R. 1730,
the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 (which we understand
will be renamed the Protecting Religiously Affiliated
Institutions Act of 2017).
This critically needed bipartisan legislation, introduced
by Rep. David Kustoff with Rep. Derek Kilmer as chief
cosponsor, addresses long-standing gaps in Federal hate
crimes law. H.R. 1730 amends the Church Arson Prevention Act
of 1996 (18 U.S.C. Sec. 241) (CAPA), which covers attacks on
religious real property, to bring all religiously affiliated
institutions--such as community centers--under the scope of
its protections. The bill also amends CAPA so as to encompass
threats against, as well as acts that result in damage or
destruction to, religious real property. Further, H.R. 1730
enhances the penalty for intentional damage to religious real
property, which is at the moment only at a misdemeanor level
unless there is bodily injury to a person.
In addition to closing these gaps in the law, enactment of
H.R. 1730 will send a signal of zero tolerance for hate
crimes against people of faith. Hate crimes against religious
institutions are on the rise in our country. Since January
2017, at least five mosques have suffered arson attacks,
while dozens of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other
religious institutions have been vandalized. These attacks
are intolerable. They infringe on the Constitution's
protection of the free exercise of religion. Moreover, crimes
against religious institutions are intended to create an
atmosphere of fear that deters community members from
attending worship services and social involvement. They pose
a danger to the religious freedom and security of all
Americans. In light of the violent anti-Semitic and racist
white nationalist rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia,
this legislation is more important than ever. We as a nation
must take action in response.
For these reasons, AJC strongly urges your support for, and
speedy action on, the Combating Anti-Semitism Act.
Respectfully,
Richard Foltin.
____
ADL, Anti-Defamation League,
New York, NY, April 6, 2017.
Hon. David Kustoff,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Kustoff: On behalf of the Anti-
Defamation League, I am writing to commend you for your
leadership in introducing the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of
2017 to help ensure that our government is taking every
possible step to protect members of America's religious
communities.
Rising anti-Semitic incidents and the recent spate of bomb
threats and vandalism against Jewish community institutions
and cemeteries have sent a chilling message to the Jewish
community.
When Members of Congress stand up to take action,
communities targeted by hate motivated incidents and threats
feel less vulnerable and isolated. This expression of
solidarity and act of reassurance, in turn, shines a
spotlight on anti-Semitism and bigotry and helps to promote a
more effective response.
We look forward to the swift passage of this bill to
reassure faith communities that the government is using all
possible tools to deter future threats and to prosecute the
perpetrators.
Anti-Semitism and bigotry are affecting countries all over
the world, and the U.S. is no exception. But the rigor of
America's response, the solidarity we demonstrate for each
other across diverse communities, and the leadership of
lawmakers like you is a model for the world.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Greenblatt,
CEO.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Kilmer), the distinguished coauthor of this
legislation.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, on February 27 of this year, about 250 men,
women, and children gathered at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on
Mercer Island in my home State of Washington.
It was a regular evening. The center was alive. People were swimming
laps in the pool. They were lifting weights in the gym. Seniors were
taking classes like the popular one on Bollywood dancing the center
offers on Monday nights. They were assembling peacefully, united by
their common faith. Then, they were targeted because of it.
On that night, a man, cowardly hiding behind the anonymity of a
telephone, called in a bomb threat on the center. Children and their
parents and seniors dropped everything and were evacuated as the police
swept it with dogs.
How did we get to the point where places people come to take an
aerobics class or drop off a child for Hebrew school become flash
points of hate?
The threat to this center is, sadly, not unique. In the first 3
months of this year alone, there were 126 bomb threats called in to 85
Jewish community centers across the country. Imagine the disruption and
the fear created by that.
Let's talk about the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, an
organization that advocates for peace and provides classes and
community activities and funds scholarships to Seattle-area students.
In 2006, a man walked into the federation's offices with two
handguns. He fired shots through the office after gaining access by
holding a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint as she called her aunt who
worked in the building to buzz her in. He killed one woman and wounded
a group of others. He then took them hostage, and a 911 operator talked
him into surrendering.
Places of worship and faith-based nonprofits must take any threat
seriously. Across the country, because of threats of violence,
churches, mosques, synagogues, and nonprofit religious community
centers associated with them must spend money that could have gone to
classes, gym equipment, or food for the poor, instead, on locks,
cameras, and security guards.
Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. Today is a victory for
everyday people who come to a Representative with a problem and who are
hurt.
Earlier this year, a friend from Washington State, who is here with
us today, came to me and said: These threats are hate crimes. We are
being targeted because of our faith. But unless someone acts on the
threat, it doesn't count as a hate crime under the law.
That is how this bill came to be. This bill is about people coming to
their elected Representatives and being heard.
H.R. 1730 will amend the Church Arson Prevention Act to punish the
cowards who make threats against our places of worship and religiously
affiliated nonprofits. It will classify the act of making credible
threats as hate crimes.
What happened in my State wasn't a fluke. The FBI has reported a rise
in hate crimes. This affects every faith.
[[Page H9776]]
There were an average of 16 hate crimes per day last year. American
Jews were targeted with bomb threats. Islamic centers have faced arson.
Christians have faced threats in the pews as they pray. This doesn't
count the credible threats that I mentioned earlier that create chaos
and make people feel as though they are targets for no other reason
than the God to whom they worship.
So, Mr. Speaker, today is about coming together as Americans and
saying enough is enough. It is about communities crying out, ``Never
again,'' and being heard by this body. It is about saying, as leaders,
that we must never endorse hate.
Silence in the face of intolerance and violent threats isn't enough.
We must condemn hate wherever and however it exists. Mr. Speaker, this
is about the people of the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the
faithful everywhere who should never have to fear.
Around this country, around this world, too many families have been
impacted by religious intolerance and violence. Even my own family's
family tree has felt that scourge.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dunn). The time of the gentleman has
expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Washington an
additional 30 seconds.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, this bill acknowledges that, when someone
tries to terrorize Americans based on their faith, we need to stand up
and do something about it. We must embrace our common humanity and
ensure that Americans, wherever they pray, however they come together,
are respected.
I thank everyone who has worked on this: my colleague, the chairman,
and his committee staff; and Rachel Appleton from my team.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), a member of the Judiciary
Committee.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of rights listed in
our Bill of Rights. In the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, there
are five rights that are mentioned. The first right in the First
Amendment is mentioned first, in my opinion, because it is the most
important right, and that is the right of religious freedom.
If you notice the wording in that right, it protects the right to
freely exercise one's religion. It is more than believe whatever you
want to believe religiously. You have the right to practice your
religion and freely exercise it. Wise words from the Founders and the
writers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Now we have a situation in our country where that right is being
threatened. Even this morning, the attempted terror attack should
remind us that we need to be vigilant of the war on terror because
people, in the name of terror, commit crimes against other Americans
because they hate them. They hate their religion and what they stand
for.
This year, more than 100 bomb threats and other threats of violence
have been made against 81 Jewish community centers. A Jewish community
center is not the synagogue, but sometimes it is close to it. It is
where the Jewish kids and adults go for community.
There have been over 100 bomb threats just this year against 81
Jewish community centers in 33 States. Many of these centers were
forced to close because of the threat that was made against them.
{time} 1745
These attacks are clearly directed at these facilities due to the
religious nature of the buildings and the religious activities that go
on there.
Despite this fact, terroristic threats against community religious
centers are currently not punished as hate crimes under Federal law.
This bipartisan legislation would amend the Church Arson Prevention
Act to ensure that other individuals, who make bomb threats and other
credible threats of violence against community religious centers based
on the religious nature of that center, can be prosecuted under our law
as a hate crime.
The bill also adds new language that would create a penalty of up to
5 years imprisonment if any violation of the statute results in damage
or destruction to the property.
We must make it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate acts of
violence and hate against any group in America, especially religious
groups. It is incumbent upon us, as Congress, to make sure that the
First Amendment is protected, and that is our job: to protect religious
freedom.
I urge support of this legislation, and I thank the chairman for
bringing it to the floor.
And that is just the way it is.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Schneider), my colleague on the House Judiciary
Committee.
Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, protecting the right of every American to
practice their religion is a fundamental tenet of our Constitution.
That includes defending the security of churches, synagogues, mosques,
temples, and other religiously affiliated institutions where Americans
gather together to follow their faith.
This year, we have seen the troubling rise in anti-Semitic incidents
in the United States, including bomb threats, vandalism, and cemetery
desecrations. One of the most frequent targets have been Jewish
community centers, or JCCs, including in my home State of Illinois,
including the one in my very own community where my kids attended and
played basketball and other sports to connect with their community.
These despicable threats aim to sow fear in families and communities.
And they target our most vulnerable children in preschool, Hebrew
school, or teens simply coming together to make friends.
Mr. Speaker, no parent in America should have to worry about the
safety of their family because of their faith, yet current Federal law
does not consider threats against community religious centers as hate
crimes. It is unacceptable to limit the consequences faced by the
perpetrators of this terror to misdemeanor charges. We need to fix
this.
I am proud to have cosponsored this bipartisan legislation, to allow
individuals, who make bomb threats and other credible threats of
violence against community religious centers, to be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law for committing a hate crime.
I thank my colleague from Washington for conceiving this important
idea and inspiring this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to follow the example
of the Judiciary Committee and pass H.R. 1730, the Protecting
Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act, with overwhelming bipartisan
support.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), my distinguished colleague.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
I rise in strong support of H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously
Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017. I thank Congressman Kilmer for his
vision and leadership on this critical issue.
This legislation would strengthen current Federal law to prohibit
threats against religious property, increase the penalty for damaging
religious property, and expand protected religious property to include
not just houses of worship, but also religiously affiliated nonprofits,
like Jewish community centers.
Over the past few years, there has been a frightening rise in
incidents of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia in the
U.S. and around the world. All too often, the perpetrators of hate
target houses of worship and other religious centers.
From the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012, to Charleston's
Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015, to the mosque attack in London
this summer, and the firebombing of a synagogue in Sweden just this
past weekend, these violent, cowardly bigots go after what is most
sacred to the communities they so odiously abhor.
While the hateful incidents that result in loss of life are
undoubtedly the most tragic, any threat or attack against religious
property can shake communities to their core.
The Jewish community of south Florida, sadly, knows this firsthand.
[[Page H9777]]
Last year, a man planned to bomb a synagogue in Aventura in my
congressional district during Passover. He was caught, thankfully, but
incidents like this proliferating around the country are instilling
fear, causing unease, and requiring additional security measures to be
deployed. Sadly, in south Florida, this was not an isolated incident.
Mr. Speaker, I will say that, although not specifically an attack
against a Jewish institution, I remember my children, then in
preschool, attended preschool at our local JCC and, after the 9/11
attack, my husband racing to their school to take them out of school
that day because of the panic that was instilled that automatically
occurs in every Jewish family's life with children in a Jewish
institution when there is a terrorist attack. We are constantly on edge
as to whether or not our community is next.
It is deeply disturbing that the people in my community who attend
synagogues and visit our Jewish community centers do so knowing these
domestic terrorists intentionally want us to feel uneasy about it.
Their mission is to instill fear in the hearts of Jews, Muslims, and
other religious minorities so that we will not feel at home in America.
And they are not relenting. The most recent annual report on hate
crimes by the FBI showed that there was nearly a 5 percent increase in
incidents last year. It is the first time in 10 years that America has
experienced consecutive annual increases in reported hate crimes.
More than half of the religiously based hate crimes were anti-Jewish,
and a quarter of them were anti-Muslim. We cannot let bigoted threats
and vandalism become the new normal.
We must pass this legislation to make it 100 percent clear that, in
the view of Congress, when it comes to religious bigotry, there are not
good people on both sides.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The time of the
gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 20 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Florida.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. We must pass this legislation to make anti-
Semitic and Islamophobic cowards think twice before they spread fear,
while hiding behind a computer or a phone.
We must pass this legislation to ensure that America is always a
refuge from religious persecution. I deeply wish this legislation were
not needed, Mr. Speaker, but, sadly, it is. I urge my colleagues to
support this important legislation.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself
such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment protects every citizen's right to
free exercise of religion, and we, in Congress, must be zealous and
vigilant partners with the Constitution in that enterprise.
From Charleston, South Carolina, to Charlottesville, Virginia; from
suburban Maryland, where racial bias incidents are up 80 percent in my
congressional district in 2017, to California, Oregon, and all over the
country, America has seen a surge in threats and violence against
individuals and religious real property in our country, all in an
effort to deter our citizens from practicing their faith, or simply to
assault or kill them for doing so.
There has also been a rise in threats made by telephone, in person,
by email, or by phone all over the country, including to churches,
synagogues, and mosques. In the first 7 months of this year, there were
63 reported incidents against mosques across 26 States, spanning from
Florida to Hawaii. Clearly, Congress must act. We have excellent
legislation in H.R. 1730 to expand our law to include threats of force,
as well as to toughen up the penalties for this kind of conduct.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is good, bipartisan legislation to protect the
religious freedom of people of all faiths. It is particularly important
that we stand up at a time when some religious faiths are under
particular pressure from those who would attempt to smother their
ability to freely exercise their religious beliefs by intimidation.
This legislation speaks strongly to that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Members on both sides of the aisle. I thank Mr.
Kustoff, Mr. Kilmer, and others for their good work.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1730, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. 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, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________