[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H647-H650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLARIFYING ACCEPTANCE OF DONATED MORTGAGE APPRAISALS BY NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2255), to clarify that nonprofit organizations may accept
donated mortgage appraisals, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2255
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES MADE EASIER
SEC. 101. EXEMPTION FROM TRUTH IN LENDING ACT.
Section 129E(i) of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C.
1639e(i)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Rule of construction related to appraisal
donations.--For purposes of paragraph (1), if a fee appraiser
voluntarily donates appraisal services to an organization
described in section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, such voluntary donation shall be deemed customary
and reasonable.''.
TITLE II--EXPANDING ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR RURAL JOB CREATORS
SEC. 201. ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR RURAL-AREA SMALL BUSINESSES.
Section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C.
78d) is amended--
(1) in subsection (j)(4)(C), by striking ``and women-owned
small businesses'' and inserting ``, women-owned, and rural-
area small businesses''; and
(2) in subsection (j)(6)(B)(iii), by striking ``and women-
owned small businesses'' and inserting ``, women-owned, and
rural-area small businesses''.
TITLE III--SENIOR SAFE
SEC. 301. IMMUNITY.
(a) Definitions.--In this title--
(1) the term ``Bank Secrecy Act officer'' means an
individual responsible for ensuring compliance with the
requirements mandated by subchapter II of chapter 53 of title
31, United States Code (commonly known as the ``Bank Secrecy
Act'');
(2) the term ``broker-dealer'' means a broker and a dealer,
as those terms are defined in section 3(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a));
(3) the term ``covered agency'' means--
(A) a State financial regulatory agency, including a State
securities or law enforcement authority and a State insurance
regulator;
(B) each of the entities represented in the membership of
the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
established under section 1004 of the Federal Financial
Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C.
3303);
(C) the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(D) a securities association registered under section 15A
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-3);
(E) a law enforcement agency; and
(F) a State or local agency responsible for administering
adult protective service laws;
(4) the term ``covered financial institution'' means--
(A) a credit union;
(B) a depository institution;
(C) an investment adviser;
(D) a broker-dealer;
(E) an insurance company;
(F) an insurance agency; and
(G) a transfer agent;
(5) the term ``credit union'' has the meaning given the
term in section 2 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 5301);
(6) the term ``depository institution'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3(c) of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(c));
(7) the term ``exploitation'' means the fraudulent or
otherwise illegal, unauthorized, or improper act or process
of an individual, including a caregiver or a fiduciary,
that--
(A) uses the resources of a senior citizen for monetary or
personal benefit, profit, or gain; or
(B) results in depriving a senior citizen of rightful
access to or use of benefits, resources, belongings, or
assets;
(8) the term ``insurance agency'' means any business entity
that sells, solicits, or negotiates insurance coverage;
(9) the term ``insurance company'' has the meaning given
the term in section 2(a) of the Investment Company Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-2(a));
(10) the term ``insurance producer'' means an individual
who is required under State law to be licensed in order to
sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance coverage;
(11) the term ``investment adviser'' has the meaning given
the term in section 202(a) of the Investment Advisers Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a));
(12) the term ``investment adviser representative'' means
an individual who--
(A) is employed by or associated with an investment
adviser; and
(B) does not perform solely clerical or ministerial acts;
(13) the term ``registered representative'' means an
individual who represents a broker-dealer in effecting or
attempting to effect a purchase or sale of securities;
(14) the term ``senior citizen'' means an individual who is
not younger than 65 years of age;
(15) the term ``State'' means each of the several States,
the District of Columbia, and any territory or possession of
the United States;
(16) the term ``State insurance regulator'' has the meaning
given the term in section 315 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
(15 U.S.C. 6735);
[[Page H648]]
(17) the term ``State securities or law enforcement
authority'' has the meaning given the term in section
24(f)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C.
78x(f)(4)); and
(18) the term ``transfer agent'' has the meaning given the
term in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(15 U.S.C. 78c(a)).
(b) Immunity From Suit.--
(1) Immunity for individuals.--An individual who has
received the training described in section 302 shall not be
liable, including in any civil or administrative proceeding,
for disclosing the suspected exploitation of a senior citizen
to a covered agency if the individual, at the time of the
disclosure--
(A) served as a supervisor or compliance officer (including
as a Bank Secrecy Act officer) for, or, in the case of a
registered representative, investment adviser representative,
or insurance producer, was affiliated or associated with, a
covered financial institution; and
(B) made the disclosure--
(i) in good faith; and
(ii) with reasonable care.
(2) Immunity for covered financial institutions.--A covered
financial institution shall not be liable, including in any
civil or administrative proceeding, for a disclosure made by
an individual described in paragraph (1) if--
(A) the individual was employed by, or, in the case of a
registered representative, insurance producer, or investment
adviser representative, affiliated or associated with, the
covered financial institution at the time of the disclosure;
and
(B) before the time of the disclosure, each individual
described in section 302(a) received the training described
in section 302.
(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (1) or (2)
shall be construed to limit the liability of an individual or
a covered financial institution in a civil action for any
act, omission, or fraud that is not a disclosure described in
paragraph (1).
SEC. 302. TRAINING.
(a) In General.--A covered financial institution or a third
party selected by a covered financial institution may provide
the training described in subsection (b)(1) to each officer
or employee of, or registered representative, insurance
producer, or investment adviser representative affiliated or
associated with, the covered financial institution who--
(1) is described in section 301(b)(1)(A);
(2) may come into contact with a senior citizen as a
regular part of the professional duties of the individual; or
(3) may review or approve the financial documents, records,
or transactions of a senior citizen in connection with
providing financial services to a senior citizen.
(b) Content.--
(1) In general.--The content of the training that a covered
financial institution or a third party selected by the
covered financial institution may provide under subsection
(a) shall--
(A) be maintained by the covered financial institution and
made available to a covered agency with examination authority
over the covered financial institution, upon request, except
that a covered financial institution shall not be required to
maintain or make available such content with respect to any
individual who is no longer employed by or affiliated or
associated with the covered financial institution;
(B) instruct any individual attending the training on how
to identify and report the suspected exploitation of a senior
citizen internally and, as appropriate, to government
officials or law enforcement authorities, including common
signs that indicate the financial exploitation of a senior
citizen;
(C) discuss the need to protect the privacy and respect the
integrity of each individual customer of the covered
financial institution; and
(D) be appropriate to the job responsibilities of the
individual attending the training.
(2) Timing.--The training under subsection (a) shall be
provided--
(A) as soon as reasonably practicable; and
(B) with respect to an individual who begins employment
with or becomes affiliated or associated with a covered
financial institution after the date of enactment of this
Act, not later than 1 year after the individual becomes
employed by or affiliated or associated with the covered
financial institution in a position described in paragraph
(1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a).
(3) Records.--A covered financial institution shall--
(A) maintain a record of each individual who--
(i) is employed by or affiliated or associated with the
covered financial institution in a position described in
paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a); and
(ii) has completed the training under subsection (a),
regardless of whether the training was--
(I) provided by the covered financial institution or a
third party selected by the covered financial institution;
(II) completed before the individual was employed by or
affiliated or associated with the covered financial
institution; and
(III) completed before, on, or after the date of enactment
of this Act; and
(B) upon request, provide a record described in
subparagraph (A) to a covered agency with examination
authority over the covered financial institution.
SEC. 303. RELATIONSHIP TO STATE LAW.
Nothing in this title shall be construed to preempt or
limit any provision of State law, except only to the extent
that section 301 provides a greater level of protection
against liability to an individual described in section
301(b)(1) or to a covered financial institution described in
section 301(b)(2) than is provided under State law.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Tipton) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.
General Leave
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be able to speak on
behalf of these important bills today.
While low-income applicants and homebuilders seek to provide
affordable, decent housing opportunities to qualifying individuals and
families, these nonprofits rely on the generosity of others in their
communities to accomplish their mission. These groups also heavily rely
on meticulous budgets, and a change in the input costs can have serious
implications for a project's success as well as the number of families
a group can serve.
The Dodd-Frank Act increased requirements for real estate appraisers
and transferred rulemaking authority for residential mortgage
appraisals to the CFPB. Under Dodd-Frank, professionals who furnish
appraisal services for a fee are able to receive a payment that is
``customary and reasonable'' for the market area where the appraisal
services were performed. However, the CFPB has not defined find the
terms ``customary'' and ``reasonable,'' which has left nonprofit
housing organizations with the serious concern that they violate the
law when the work of appraisers is donated.
If nonprofit housing organizations are required to start paying for
appraisal services, which could cost over $1,000 per appraisal, the
Dodd-Frank statute could unintentionally limit the number of families
in need that these nonprofit organizations can serve.
Mr. Trott's legislation, the Housing Opportunities Made Easier Act,
would remedy this uncertainty by amending the Truth in Lending Act to
allow mortgage appraisal services to be donated by fee appraisers to an
organization that is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable
contributions.
This simple fix will ensure that housing nonprofit organizations can
continue to provide their incredibly important services for as many in-
need families in our communities as possible, and I commend Mr. Trott
for this legislation.
I would also like to voice my support for H.R. 4281, the Expanding
Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act.
As a former small-business owner in a rural part of Colorado, I know
firsthand how important access to capital is for the success of a small
business. The majority of capital for small businesses is concentrated
in urban areas, and access to capital for rural small businesses can be
difficult to come by.
H.R. 4281 would require the SEC's Advocate for Small Business Capital
Formation to identify any unique challenges that rural-area small
businesses have in securing access to capital and require the Small
Business Advocate to provide updates on its findings in its annual
report.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities across our country,
providing jobs and services to those they serve, and this legislation
will help hardworking small businesses in rural communities to continue
to create jobs and grow their businesses.
I would also like to give my support to Representative Sinema's and
Representative Poliquin's bill, the Senior Safe Act, here today. H.R.
3758 takes important steps to safeguard our senior citizens from fraud
and abuse by encouraging covered financial institutions to train
supervisors, compliance officers, or legal advisers on how to spot and
report predatory activity against senior citizens.
This legislation also protects banks, credit unions, investment
advisers and
[[Page H649]]
broker-dealers and their employees from civil or administrative
liability when reporting fraudulent activity related to senior citizens
if an employee is properly trained and reports such activity ``in good
faith'' and ``with reasonable care.''
This group of bills will make important and impactful changes for our
communities, and I am pleased to see them considered here on the floor
today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Arizona (Ms. Sinema).
Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2255, a package of
three commonsense solutions, each passed unanimously by the House
Financial Services Committee. I thank Congressman Trott of Michigan for
his leadership in moving this package forward.
One of these solutions is H.R. 3758, the Senior Safe Act, legislation
we introduced to protect seniors from financial fraud and abuse.
Mr. Speaker, one in five American seniors will be a target of
financial abuse, and seniors lose an estimated $2.9 billion to
exploitation. The financial institutions that serve America's seniors
are in a unique position to detect and identify the suspicious patterns
of activity that often accompany financial abuse.
Unfortunately, these institutions do not have the legal flexibility
to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement. Because of this,
financial abuse of our seniors may go unreported and unpunished. That
is why we introduced the Senior Safe Act.
Our bill helps individuals and financial institutions safely
communicate instances of financial fraud involving seniors to the
appropriate law enforcement authority. It creates incentives for firms
to train their employees to identify and stop financial fraud of
seniors. It shields advisers and firms that responsibly disclose
instances of fraud from legal liability. Importantly, it accomplishes
all of this while providing reasonable legal safeguards to ensure
consumers and their data are protected.
Mr. Speaker, it may seem like years, but it was just 4 months ago
that the then-CEO of Equifax came before Congress to testify about the
data breach that exposed the personal information of over 145 million
Americans.
{time} 1815
Those who mishandle our private data and breach the public trust must
be held accountable. We must also ensure that we do all we can to
minimize the damage caused by cyber attacks and financial fraud.
As a result of the Equifax data breach, millions of American seniors
are now more vulnerable to financial abuse. It is all but certain that
we will see increased attempts of financial fraud and identity theft.
The Senior Safe Act is an important and responsible step to protecting
those at risk by ensuring that financial institutions can identify
fraud, report it, and stop abuse of the elderly.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Hensarling, Ranking Member Waters, and
Congressman Poliquin from Maine for working with me on this bipartisan
solution to protect seniors from financial fraud and abuse. We are
proud to work across the aisle to get things done, and we will continue
working to protect seniors and get results for Arizona.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Trott), a member of the Financial Services
Committee and the sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. TROTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Colorado for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2255, the Housing
Opportunities Made Easier, or the HOME Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer),
for being the lead Democrat on this bill. I appreciate his bipartisan
leadership and his efforts to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.
I also thank my colleague in the Senate, Senator Portman, for his
leadership on this issue. It has been a pleasure working with him to
ensure Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofits are able to continue
their important mission.
Finally, I thank Chairman Hensarling for his support in the Financial
Services Committee.
During my first term in Congress, I, along with my entire district
office, had the opportunity to join Habitat for Humanity on one of
their builds in Oakland County, Michigan. It was great fun helping them
build a Michigan family's home, but I think we often forget that
Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofit housing organizations do so
much more than just build a home.
These nonprofits actually offer families who live in their homes, no-
or low-interest homes, making the dream of homeownership affordable for
so many. The home, of course, needs to be appraised before a loan may
be approved. Many times, professional appraisers volunteer their
services so that the nonprofit does not have to incur additional
expense.
Early last year, I met with Habitat for Humanity leaders from
Michigan and I heard about their struggle to ensure that homes remain
affordable under the regulations promulgated by Dodd-Frank. Under the
new law, all fee appraisers must be paid a customary and reasonable fee
for their work.
So where does this leave Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofits?
This means they may no longer accept donated appraisals, forcing them
to divert money from their core homebuilding activities.
In fact, Habitat for Humanity told me that these complex rules have
tripled the cost of originating loans. This is particularly a problem
in rural areas where, under Dodd-Frank, appraisers are also required to
be compensated for mileage expenses. Some chapters have informed us
they may need to stop or limit their work altogether, denying a
valuable service to many communities.
My bill, the HOME Act, which passed out of committee with a unanimous
bipartisan vote of 55-0, would exempt Habitat for Humanity and other
nonprofits from this burdensome rule, allowing them to accept donated
appraisals, which, in turn, will lower the cost for homes for Michigan
families.
We in Congress should stand by their side, not in their way. This
bill gets Washington out of the way by providing that a donated
appraisal may be considered ``customary and reasonable'' when
benefiting charities. All other consumer protections in the Truth in
Lending Act remain in place. It is a simple, targeted fix that does
nothing to harm the underlying law or Dodd-Frank.
When I came to Congress, I knew that I would be fighting for small
businesses who are often ignored or hurt by Washington, but I never
thought we would need to defend charitable organizations. I am glad
that Congress is using some common sense to solve this obvious
unintended consequence.
There is no need for debate or dissent on this bill. We cannot let
Dodd-Frank undermine these fine organizations from their mission of
providing homes to our neighbors in need.
Again, I thank all of the members of the Financial Services Committee
for their unanimous bipartisan support. I urge all of my colleagues to
support the work of worthy housing charities by voting ``yes'' on H.R.
2255.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nevada (Mr. Kihuen).
Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the Expanding Access to Capital
for Rural Job Creators Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member for their
leadership in including this important and bipartisan piece of
legislation in the package the House is considering today.
Nevadans and all Americans deserve the opportunity to have a good job
that will help them provide for their families. Unfortunately, rural
communities across the country have been hit particularly hard by
shifts in population as people move to bigger cities in search of
employment opportunities.
The changing demographics have made it harder for small businesses in
these areas to get started and to survive. Far too many Nevadans,
especially in our rural areas, have been left out and left behind from
the economic growth we have seen in other areas of the country.
I am proud to sponsor the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job
Creators Act, which will help expand economic opportunities for
entrepreneurs
[[Page H650]]
and small businesses in Nevada's rural areas. This bill will help
identify and examine the unique challenges that these businesses face
when trying to secure access to capital.
By supporting job creators in our rural communities, we can create a
path to good-paying jobs for all Nevadans and help make sure that they
have the tools to work towards a better life for themselves and their
families.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this
piece of legislation.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), a member of the Financial Services
Committee.
Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Tipton for managing the floor
today on this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Financial Services
Committee, Mr. Hensarling, for moving this very important bill, H.R.
2255, through the committee and on to the House floor.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate and thank Mr. Trott, a terrific
representative from the State of Michigan, for all of his work on this
bill to help families and charitable organizations throughout our
country.
Mr. Speaker, the great State of Maine that I represent, the rural
part of our State, has the oldest average age in the country. We love
our seniors. I know not only in Maine, but across the country, they are
very special parts of our society. My parents are 89 and 87. I am very
involved in their lives, especially in their healthcare.
I worry, Mr. Speaker, about our seniors. I worry about their
healthcare. I worry about their safety. And one more thing I worry
about, Mr. Speaker, is about them becoming victims of financial scams.
Now, this happens throughout our country, and has increasingly so,
such that, today, almost $3 billion is the result of scamming our
seniors every single year. I will tell you, these con men, Mr. Speaker,
become very creative.
In particular, one type of scam that I have learned about just
absolutely hits me home. A grandmother receives an email from,
supposedly, a granddaughter, and this granddaughter is stuck overseas
in a country where she has been traveling. She is emailing her
grandmother, saying: ``Gram, I need money. I am in trouble. Can you
please wire $10,000 to this bank account in this country so I can get
home? And, by the way, please don't tell mom and dad.''
Mr. Speaker, can you imagine the confusion and the heartache that
grandparents would have receiving this sort of email?
Well, the good news, Mr. Speaker, is that the Senior Safe Act, which
I authored here in the House, along with Ms. Sinema, is embedded in Mr.
Trott's bill, H.R. 2255. This bill, the Senior Safe Act--now part of
Mr. Trott's bill--will help stop financial scams of seniors before they
happen.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from Maine.
Mr. POLIQUIN. It is a commonsense bill, Mr. Speaker, such that if a
bank teller speaks to one of his or her customers they have known for
maybe decades, and the senior says, ``I would like to close my account
and wire the proceeds overseas,'' this bank teller can stop, pause,
call the authorities, and say, ``We might have a problem here, Mr.
Smith, so let's get back to you on that,'' and the teller can do this
without retribution from our privacy laws.
Mr. Speaker, I ask everybody, Republicans and Democrats, men and
women, to please support H.R. 2255, which the Senior Safe Act is
embedded in.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2255, the HOME Act introduced by Mr.
Trott and Mr. Himes amends the Truth in Lending Act to allow fee
appraisers to voluntarily donate their appraisals to non-profit groups
without violating the requirement that lenders and their agents
compensate fee appraisers at a rate that is customary and reasonable.
Historically, appraisal services relating to no- or low-interest
mortgage loans that were provided by non-profit organizations or to
families often had to be donated by professional appraisers in the
community and considered permissible charitable donations for tax
purposes.
However, such non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity,
have raised concerns this provision reduced the number of families it
could serve because the voluntary donation of appraisal services could
now be interpreted as a violation of the TILA's ``customary and
reasonable'' fee requirement.
While the CFPB--under the direction of former-Director Richard
Cordray--has already provided non-profit organizations like Habitat
with informal guidance suggesting that the ``customary and reasonable''
provision does not apply to donated appraisals because the appraiser is
no longer a ``fee appraiser'' in this circumstance, these organizations
have continued to raise concerns and are seeking further clarity.
Specifically, non-profit organizations continue to raise concerns
that they remain vulnerable to enforcement actions because this
guidance appears to be inconsistent with the common industry usage of
the term ``fee appraiser''; they also contend that it remains unclear
whether or not other agencies would align with the CFPB's
interpretation.
Thus, this bill provides the non-profits with the certainty they are
seeking, and builds upon the great work already done by former Director
Cordray by clarifying appraisers can voluntarily donate their appraisal
services without violating TILA's ``customary and reasonable'' fee
provision.
The HOME Act passed our Committee earlier this month with broad
bipartisan support, and I was proud to support it.
Also included in H.R. 2255, are two other pieces of legislation that
passed our Committee with strong bipartisan support.
First, the Senior Safe Act, introduced by Ms. Sinema, which provides
employees at financial institutions with immunity when voluntarily
disclosing the possible financial abuse of elders to state and federal
regulators, law enforcement, and adult protective services agencies.
And second is H.R. 4281, introduced by Mr. Kihuen which would enhance
capital opportunities for our nation's rural small businesses by
requiring the SEC's Office of the Small Businesses Advocate to develop
policies and recommend steps Congress can take to drive private
investment to our nation's rural small businesses.
As Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, I have a
strong understanding of the capital challenges our nation's rural small
businesses face and I am proud to cosponsor Mr. Kihuen's legislation.
Mr. Speaker, the inclusion of both Ms. Sinema's and Mr. Kihuen's
legislation only enhances what was already a strong bipartisan measure.
Therefore, I recommend a ``Yes'' vote.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2255, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________