Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in supporting H. Res. 1751, a resolution mourning the loss of life and extending condolences to the families affected by the fire in northern Israel. Thank you to my colleague, Representative Ron Klein, for offering this resolution.

I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones who have lost their lives in the fires in northern Israel. We stand by Israel during this difficult time and pledge our assistance in the wake of this tragedy.

On December 2, 2010, a massive wildfire broke out in the northern region of Israel, near the city of Haifa. The four day fire ravaged the

Carmel mountain forests, forcing the evacuation of over 17,000 residents. One of the worst forest fires in Israel's history, this inferno claimed as many as 40 lives.

The fire damaged about 5 million trees and 12,000 acres. In a country where only 7 percent of the land is forested, the loss of precious woodland was felt as a national loss. In total, the fire caused about $74 million in damages, including 250 homes.

In response to this tragedy, the United States and the international community stepped in to help Israel battle the flames. The U.S. answered Israel's request for assistance by providing much needed supplies, technical expertise, and equipment.

I applaud the individuals, businesses and philanthropic organizations across the United Sates and throughout the international community who have responded to the devastation in Israel with an outpouring of generosity and support.

With help from the United States and our friends worldwide, Israel will overcome this challenge. We pledge our continued support as Israel works to restore damaged communities, replenish wildlife, and plant new forests.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hall, the ranking member on the Science Committee, for allowing me this 1 minute. I also would like to thank the chairperson, Mr. Gordon, for his outstanding years of service and commitment.

This bill is about science, it is about technology, it is about education, but it is also about jobs, and it is about jobs at a time of high unemployment. It is about jobs and families that will benefit from having stability within the family unit.

I concede that there is more that I would like to see in the bill, but I am in a position where I must now stand for what is obtainable, and we need to go after the jobs in this bill.

I am begging my colleagues to please understand that in this time of high unemployment, let's keep Americans working. Let's make sure that every family has an opportunity to have a breadwinner. Let's vote for this bill, and let's improve upon it with other legislation that may follow.

I would like to start by thanking the gentlelady and the ranking member. I would also like to thank my friend, the sponsor of this resolution from Texas, Mr. Ted Poe, a former State district court judge in the State of Texas, former prosecutor in Harris County, and someone that I have known for more than 20 years. He and I have worked on this effort. It is a collaborative effort and this is his year to sponsor and I cosponsor with him. And I will be honored to sponsor next year and he will, of course, work with me as a cosponsor of this resolution.

But I want to say this about Mr. Poe: This is something that he does, not because it happens to be legislation. I know him from his days as a prosecutor, and these cases concerning domestic violence were cases that he took seriously. And I know him from his many years as a State district court judge, and I can honestly say, as I look toward him, that these were cases that he took seriously.

So this is more than just another resolution for Mr. Poe, and for me as well. This is something that we take seriously because we, as judges, we have seen what the results of domestic violence can do to a family, what it can do not only to the person who is actually the victim, but the entire family becomes a victim of domestic violence. And I am just honored to have this opportunity to cosponsor the resolution with Mr. Poe this year.

The resolution has 41 Democratic and Republican cosponsors. Clearly, it is bipartisan. It is a resolution that receives wide support annually, and it is a resolution that transcends more than party lines. It also transcends lines of ethnicity. It transcends the lines of religion. It transcends the lines of business, the lines that tend to put us in various categories. This resolution transcends all of these lines because the violence that is perpetrated transcends all of these lines. It goes into all walks of life.

It doesn't matter what your economic status is, your social status is. Domestic violence can impact people at all levels of life. And this resolution hopefully will put enough focus on it, such that we will continue to admonish persons who engage in this kind of invidious, abhorrent behavior, admonish them to seek counseling, to try to get yourself in a position such that you can treat your fellow human being as a child of God meriting the same kind of consideration that you would want your daughter or your mother, if you happen to be a male.

I would also add that there have been Federal efforts that should not go unnoticed. This started about 20 years ago and has continued, and we have had more than just this month. We also had the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which created a new culture as it relates to domestic violence. It helped the police and the judges and the prosecutors to understand that this was more than a personal event that took place. It was something that impacted society as a whole. And I am looking forward to supporting the reauthorization of the Violence Again Women Act in 2010.

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, this provides emergency shelters, crisis intervention programs, and community education.

I am also proud to mention the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act because this act provided $225 million for violence against women in the sense that it helped to fund programs that will help women who find themselves being victimized.

The awareness of domestic violence is growing. I have indicated that judges and prosecutors and police officers----

The constabulary, if you will, now understands the importance of treating this as a serious issue, and much progress has been made. However, there is still much to be done. We still have about 9,000 requests for help that go unnoticed and unanswered on a daily basis. We still have victims who continue to suffer in silence: 29 women lost their lives in Harris County; 136 Texas women were killed; 11 Texas children were killed; 92 percent of homeless women suffer physical and sexual abuse.

So I will just simply close with this: I am honored to be a cosponsor, and I am honored that the resolution is being presented. And I beg that all of my colleagues would please support this resolution because you are supporting families across the length and breadth of the country. You are keeping them together, and you are helping to prevent someone from being abused.

Mr. Speaker, June 30, 2010 will mark a significant date in the history of our country. On that date, in Mobile, Alabama, the Honorable W. Edward Lockett became the 57th Bishop of the CME Church.

Bishop Lockett has been a longtime stalwart in the Houston area. He has demonstrated what being one's keeper is all about. He has been his brother's keeper. And I am honored to say that I have had a flag flown over the Capitol of the United States of America to celebrate this great historic occasion for the CME Church for many of my constituents.

I will close with this: Bishop Lockett, we thank you for what you have done not only for the Houston community, but for what you have done in the United States of America. I hope and pray that you will continue to do God's work.

It is my honor to recognize and pay tribute to Bishop Wallace Edward Lockett of Houston, Texas on his election as the 57th Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church at their 36th Quadrennial Session and the 37th General Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church on June 30, 2010 in Mobile, Alabama.

The CME is a 139-year old historically African American Christian denomination with more than 1.2 million members across the United States. CME also has missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan/Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The quintessential public servant, Bishop Lockett has been a strong advocate for those without a voice, strengthening the family and working to better the condition of those in need, both here at home and abroad.

A pioneer in Houston's economic development community-based corporation, Bishop Lockett previously presided over the Board of Directors of a successful community-based development corporation, Sunnyside-Up, Incorporated, specializing in substantial rehabilitation of both single and multi-family housing.

Under his leadership the organization managed an inventory of more than one hundred homes in the organization's signature ``lease-purchase program.'' Additionally, over 600 units of multi-family housing were purchased, rehabilitated and joint managed.

For the past four years, Bishop Lockett and his business partner, Dr. Gideon Adjei (a native Ghanaian), have been involved in developing Crystal Horizon Investment (Ghana) Ltd. This project supports the development and security of 35,000 acres of land for farming, affordable housing, health care facilities, and schools in the Volta River area known as Ocosenbou of West Africa.

Prior to his recent election, Bishop Lockett served as the pastor of the 1,500-member CME Metropolitan Church in Houston for over 25 years.

During his tenure, more than 45 ministries have been developed, including a charter school middle for males. Bishop Lockett was also instrumental in leading Metropolitan CME Church in directing the construction of a new 49,000 square foot building which houses many of its ministries.

While actively involved in church, community, and for profit enterprises, Bishop Lockett also finds time for civic and political involvement. He serves on the Texas College Board of Trustees, (Tyler, Texas). He has served as a member of the Ministers Advisory Council to each mayor of Houston since 1985. Past positions held include President of the Texas State Legal Services Support Center (Austin, Texas), Board Member of the Deep East Texas Council of Government (DETCOG), and President of the Lufkin Branch of the NAACP, Lufkin, Texas.

Bishop Lockett also served his country honorably as a member of the United States Air Force working as a team member with the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System.

Bishop Lockett attended Florida A&M University, Ohio University State University, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Management and International Marketing from the University of Phoenix. He is a candidate for Master of Theological Studies at Trinity Theological Seminary.

Lockett is married to Lillie B. and is the father of three children, Dwayne Demetrius, Vernon Dale and Nicole Tonita. He is the proud grandfather of five grandchildren.

A faithful shepherd and servant, Houston and Texas will miss Bishop Lockett. It is truly an honor to pay tribute to Rev. Lockett's distinguished life and a privilege to enter these words into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.

I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Bishop Wallace Edward Lockett as the 57th C.M.E Bishop and Presiding Prelate for the Fifth Episcopal District overseeing Alabama and Florida in the 140-year history of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and I thank Ranking Member Capito for her assistance as well.

Quickly, I would add two things. One, this bill helps us to stabilize the housing market. There are many persons who seek to buy homes who have not been able to buy homes because the flood insurance was not available, yet required, to make the purchase. We also have persons who are concerned about the hurricane season. We have extended the flood insurance program, but this helps us to stabilize it and stabilize the housing market

My final point is this: auto insurance is not something that I necessarily want to have. I don't use it regularly. There are many who purchase it and never use it, but it sure is good to know that you have it in the event of an accident. Flood insurance is something that we need, not because we know it will happen to us but because of the possibility.

I thank the chair. I thank the ranking member. I beg that we pass this legislation.

Madam Speaker, we must extend the emergency unemployment benefits. Why? Because the program is structured to assist those who are looking for work.

If you are not looking for work, you don't get the extension of benefits. Why? Because 1.7 million people will lose their emergency benefits in 4 days if we do not act now.

Over 100,000 will lose their benefits in the State of Texas in 4 days if we do not act now. Why? Because, for every dollar that we spend on unemployment benefits--emergency benefits, I might add--we turn over $1.63 in economic activity.

Finally, we must do it because, but for the grace of God, there go I and because Dr. King was right. Life is an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny. What impacts one directly impacts all indirectly. It has an impact on all of us. We benefit when we spend the money.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

I yield myself 3 minutes at this time.

Madam Chair, this is an important amendment. This amendment will not be a perfect amendment with references to what it seeks to do, but it is a perfecting amendment. This amendment seeks to provide disclosure and enhance accountability, and I'd like to make it known that this amendment received a lot of help and input from the Office of Congressman Hensarling, and I thank him for what he has done.

This amendment would provide that an institution engaged in the lending process with the funds from the program, that this institution will on applicable loan documents indicate that the funds being loaned are funds that are coming from the fund. This is important because the public desires to know where the money is going, how it is being utilized.

This amendment would also require, if the institution has a Web site, it will require that that Web site contain the written reports of the Treasury Secretary. These reports would indicate, to the extent that loans have been made, how the money has been utilized, and this, again, would provide additional transparency which will lead to accountability.

Finally, the amendment will require lending institutions to make known to the capable, competent, and qualified borrowers that they will have the opportunity to participate in the program by way of receiving loans and that these loans must be based upon the law as it is written and not allow any type of discrimination, invidious discrimination to infiltrate the program.

I think this is an amendment that goes a long way toward helping us improve our transparency and accountability. It is not a perfect amendment, but it is a perfecting amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

If the gentleman would yield to me?

It will indicate what transactions took place, and it will indicate who the banks, the lending institutions, that engaged in the transaction. The borrower's name would not be a part of the information.

Let me simply say in response that the bill anticipates that loans will be repaid. It's not a circumstance where persons are going to receive or businesses will receive loans that are not going to be paid. And the bill causes banks or lending institutions to make the loans because they will receive a better interest rate upon making loans such that they are incentivized to make these loans.

So, while the bill will not cure all of the ails of society, all of the ills that we have, it certainly will go a long way towards stimulating small business lending, which is important to the economic recovery.

I believe in this bill. I believe that this amendment will help with transparency and accountability. And I also believe that it is time for us to do all that we can to help the small businesses in this country. I believe that this is something we can do, and I believe that it is the something that will make a difference.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

While I appreciate the gentleman from Texas' desire to make sure that budgets are balanced and to make sure that we have accountability and transparency, I do have to remind the gentleman that the desire and the need to balance the budget did not start this year, nor did it start last year. We should have had a balanced budget for the 8 years of the prior administration.

I think that you find this administration burdened with the problems that were created by the past administration. I believe that in an effort to correct these problems, we will have to take some necessary steps toward helping small business.

I hear my colleagues on the other side quite regularly contending that small businesses need help. This is help, and my trust and my hope and my belief is that the small business help will be supported by not only this side of the aisle, but by both sides of the aisle.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from California, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, this amendment is one that will add additional language to the requirement that there be minority outreach in this program. It's important for me to state that I have a district that I represent that is currently about 36 percent African American, 31 percent Latino, 21 percent Anglo, and 12 percent Asian. It's important to note that in my district the ballot is printed in three languages. It's printed in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

This amendment furthers the notion that persons who speak languages other than English will have an opportunity to have materials that are linguistically and culturally sensitive. This amendment would require that appropriate materials, when published, be in languages that are culturally and linguistically sensitive. It also requires that advertising receive the same sort of consideration, given that we are trying to reach markets wherein we do have persons who can better understand what is being conveyed if they have the opportunity to do so in a language that they are comfortable with.

By the way, I would add that many people who speak English have difficulty with financial documents, as was indicated by a previous amendment. Imagine, if you will, speaking English, but it is not a language that you are as comfortable with as perhaps another language. This would assist persons with the understanding that they should have, so as to participate in the program.

The amendment also would have data disaggregated. We find that the information that we collect too often does not disaggregate as it relates to the Asian American community, and we would have this information disaggregated so that we might ascertain whether or not we have persons who are not only of wealth in the community but also find out about persons who may not be as wealthy as many others.

With this said, I will reserve the balance of my time.

If the gentleman yields, I would add that your assumption is correct.

Madam Chair, at this time I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I especially want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for working with us on this resolution. I especially want to thank the ranking member, Mr. Smith, for his working with us on the resolution, and I also want to give an extra special thanks to Mr. Sensenbrenner because the first time we introduced this resolution he was the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and he was very helpful not only up front in helping me with the resolution, but also behind the scenes making sure that we got the resolution through the House. Mr. Sensenbrenner, I will be forever grateful to you.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to present this resolution because the NAACP stands for what America stands for, and that is liberty and justice for all.

The NAACP was founded in 1909, as was indicated, by a diverse group of Americans. It is important to note that the NAACP has always been an integrated organization. From its inception, it has been an integrated organization.

While I applaud all that has been done by the African Americans who have been a part of the NAACP, I have to also make mention of the many other persons who are not African Americans, because we simply did not get here by ourselves. There were persons of good will of all ethnicities who have been of benefit to us to help us have these opportunities that we have today. So today we want to thank persons who were members of the NAACP at its inception, but also persons who helped to bring the NAACP along the way.

James Weldon Johnson was the first African American executive secretary of the NAACP. But it's important to note that prior to his becoming the first, there were five other executive secretaries, none of whom were African American.

It's important to note that the NAACP accords an award annually. It is known as the Spingarn Medal. This is given to a person who has made great achievements in the area of helping the human rights and civil rights struggle. It is important to note that the Spingarn Medal is named after Joel Spingarn. The Spingarn family was a great contributor to the NAACP. In fact, Thurgood Marshall was a great litigator in part because of other persons who made contributions to the NAACP. They were great contributors, and as a result we had this litigation to go forward. The NAACP is an organization that welcomes anyone who desires to be a part of the fight for human dignity and human freedom.

I believe that the NAACP merits this special expression from the Congress of the United States of America, and I also believe that we should thank Senator Dodd, because he has the Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3 that has 15 Senators who have signed onto it, and that will hopefully pass the Senate.

I am asking all of my colleagues to please support this legislation because the NAACP made it possible for us to sleep where we sleep, because of Shelley v. Kraemer and Barrows v. Jackson. It allows us to eat where we eat because of Brown v. Board of Education and other cases associated with it. So, literally, we live where we live, we sleep where we sleep, and we eat where we eat because of the NAACP. It has earned the right to be recognized by the Congress of the United States of America, and I beg that my colleagues would support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I stand to honor those who have died and have given their lives so that we might have a better life. But it's not enough to simply thank them with words. This is why the 111th Congress has passed Homes for Heroes, to help with the homelessness among our veterans. This is why we provided college benefits for the children of our veterans. This is why we produced a $2,400 tax credit for employers who hire our veterans. This is why we provided a $250 economic recovery benefit to our veterans. This is why we produced $23 billion in health care and other services for our veterans.

They have been there for us. I thank God for them. It's time for us to continue to be there for them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise because I love America. No one loves the Constitution more than I. No one recites the Pledge of Allegiance with greater spirit than I. No one loves the Declaration of Independence more than I.

I must tell you, Mr. Speaker, that I was shocked last night beyond belief

when I heard the comments of a person who has been nominated for the Senate of the United States of America. I heard the comments of one Mr. Rand Paul, and his comments were shocking because his comments caused me to reflect on a bygone era that I would hate to see us return to.

You see, Mr. Speaker, I have sat in the back of the bus even when there were seats available up near the front. I have had to go to the backdoor to get my food even when there was a facility with no one inside. I have had to drink my water from colored water fountains even when there were other water fountains available, and we had to have a line to go to the colored water fountain. I have had to suffer the indignation and humiliation that segregation imposes upon a person.

I was shocked because I could not believe that a person nominated for the Senate of the United States of America could not say that he would support continuing what we have already fought for and won, and that is, to have persons of color go in the front door at a private facility.

I was shocked. I am still shocked. And I come before this House today not to condemn the person. I don't condemn people, but I do condemn what they do. I condemn what they say.

I come before this House today not to condemn him but, rather, to give him the opportunity to explain himself. And I admonish him that if he does not explain himself, others will explain his position. Either he will explain his position or others will do it for him. I believe that he should explain it, and he should do it with words that are as conspicuously clear as possible, because what he has said is painful to those of us who had to endure these indignations and these humiliations.

I was one of those persons who grew up in the 1960s. I know what it is like to have to do the things that we would have to revisit should he have his way, based upon what I have heard. But maybe he was not given a fair opportunity, and there is time now for him to do for himself what others will do for him if he does not.

I do not know the person who hosts the show ``Morning Joe,'' but I think that he made a significant point. He said that he has 24 hours to explain himself.

I accept the 24-hour pronouncement, and I beg that, within the next 24 hours, that he will explain himself so that we will not misunderstand that on one hand he says he would march with Dr. King but, on the other hand, he does not say that he would allow me, a Member of the House of Representatives in the greatest country in the world, to continue to enter the front door of a private business.

It is a painful revelation. It is a past that we don't like talking about, but it is a past that I had to suffer and live through. And I beg that my colleagues understand that this is no attempt to defeat him in his election. That is for the people of Kentucky.

But there is an attempt to give a person the opportunity to speak up, to stand up and stand for what this country has made possible by virtue of the great and noble ideals presented in the Declaration of Independence: All persons are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I beg that the gentleman will honor my request.

Madam Speaker, I thank the managing Member for yielding me this time, and I also thank the Member who is managing for the other side for allowing this important piece of legislation to come to the floor. I want to thank Representative Hensarling who is not here today. He is in Financial Services, and we have a hearing there that is exceedingly important; but for that, I am confident he would be here. He and I serve on the committee together.

Representative Hensarling and I have been working on this resolution for some time. For us it has become a means by which we not only developed what I believe to be a good piece of legislation for the House, but also we have developed a good relationship as a result of working together. This is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation. We have 107 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle.

I also would like to thank Representative John Dingell for helping us with this piece of legislation. He, at a crucial time, stepped forward to help us move the legislation such that we are now on the floor with it. I would also mention the staff members from Congressman Hensarling's office and from my office, my staff, I thank you for what you have done, Representative Dingell's staff, and all of the persons who have been associated with this piece of legislation, especially Representative Capps because I thank you for helping us get it to the floor as well.

This resolution, H. Res. 713, does two things: it recognizes the significant contributions of the auto dealerships; and it expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that dealerships which were successful, and I highlight and underline successful, dealerships that were successful and are being closed, some have been closed because of the economic crisis, that these dealerships be given consideration when the market rebounds and we start to bring on new auto dealerships. It is an opportunity for consideration.

With these two things in mind, I would share these thoughts: one, that the auto dealerships are the face of the auto industry within our various communities. As the face of the industry, they do more than simply sell cars, which is a good thing to do. Selling cars promotes growth and jobs, and helps us have people who are employed, but they do more than this. They also engage in being good corporate citizens, which means that they allow their largess to be shared by various not- for-profit organizations in the community, various community organizations that are involved at the grass-roots level in communities. For example, the Little League baseball teams will often be sponsored by auto dealerships. Other small, but significant, organizations in our communities benefit from these auto dealerships.

They are across the length and breadth of the community in large cities and small towns. They make it possible for us to experience the opportunity of having largess that we would not ordinarily have, and I will tell you that that largess is being sorely missed at this time of economic crisis. So we want to get them back. We want to get them back online because they are good corporate citizens.

My next point, 20,000 independently owned dealerships exist across the country--maybe a little more, maybe a little less, depending on who is counting and how you count--employing about 900,000 people, new car dealerships alone. These 900,000 jobs are jobs that our country benefits from greatly, and we have missed many of the jobs because of the dealerships going offline. We want to see these dealerships give the community the job base it has enjoyed by virtue of these many persons who were trained to do various and sundry things, giving these jobs back to the community.

Bringing them back will be an important part of these dealerships coming back online as a result of the rebound in the economy. In 2008, there was about $650 billion that we can call revenue generated from the dealerships. They are truly small businesses at their best, and some of them large businesses because of just the sheer amount of revenue that they generate. But they are small businesses that benefit greatly from what we are trying to do in Financial Services today, but they are also small businesses that cause a community to benefit greatly because of what they do in the various communities wherein they are located.

I would simply remind us that as we vote on this, please, dear friends, give thought to your community; give thought to the fact that this is a small business that brings jobs back to the community; give thought to the fact that these corporations are good corporate citizens, for the most part; that they are part of the fiber and the fabric of the communities; that they help the Little League baseball teams, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, all of these organizations that benefit from their largess; and give some thought to the fact that but for them, many of our communities would not be as vibrant as they are. In fact, many of our communities are not as vibrant as they were because we have lost some of these various small businesses, these auto dealerships.

I beg all of my colleagues, please support this resolution. It encourages us to do the right thing, and that is give these dealerships that were successful that went offline the opportunity, not because of some fault of their own but because of some economic crisis that they had little control over. In fact, no control over for the most part.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of this year's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I would like to recognize the history and contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made to the development and progress of this country.

Today, 16.6 million Asian Pacific Americans--approximately 5 percent of the population--call the United States their home. More than 70,000 call the 9th Congressional District of Texas home. And they represent 30 countries and ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages.

The first Asian Pacific Americans--Filipinos--established a community in present-day Louisiana in 1763 after fleeing mistreatment aboard Spanish ships. Since this beginning, the Asian Pacific American community came to encompass Native Hawaiians who served in the American Civil War, Chinese laborers who built the western end of the Transcontinental Railroad, Japanese Americans interned by the U.S. government during World War II, and extraordinary individuals who continue to shape our nation's history and aspirations.

Today, Asian Pacific Americans have achieved success in many areas. Figures such as Minoru Yamasaki, I. M. Pei, Maya Lin, and Gyo Obata designed magnificent structures including the World Trade Center and the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC.

Authors like Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Jumpha Lahiri, and Ha Jin communicate the Asian Pacific American experience through their writing.

The 40 Asian Pacific Americans who have served in Congress since 1903 have been ardent advocates for their community. They include Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana`ole, the first Asian Pacific American in Congress, and Representative Patsy Mink, the first Asian Pacific American woman elected to Congress.

Academics Ji-Yeon Yuh, Gary Okihiro, Madeline Hsu, Ronald Takaki, Frank Wu, Kenji Yoshino, and Karen Umemoto, continue to challenge our world view through their scholarship.

Entertainers such as Lucy Liu, George Takei, Bruce Lee, Yo-Yo. Ma, Sarah Chang, Ne-Yo, Norah Jones, Leehom Wang, Margaret Cho, and Wah Chung to break stereotypes and showcase the diversity in the Asian Pacific American community.

Despite many successful individuals and the significant progress Asian Pacific Americans have made in this country, they continue to face challenges that hinder their ability to achieve the American Dream.

12.6 percent of Asian Pacific Americans live below the poverty line compared to 12.4 percent for the United States population as a whole. Poverty rates among Southeast Asian Americans are much higher than the national average. 37.8 percent of Hmong, 29.3 percent of Cambodian, 18.5 percent of Laotian, and 16.6 percent of Vietnamese live in poverty.

In the housing market, one in five Asian Pacific Americans faces housing discrimination when buying a home. In 2008, Asian Pacific Americans suffered the largest percentage decline in homeownership of any racial group.

One in four APA students is Limited English Proficient or lives in a linguistically isolated household where parents have Limited English Proficiency. Compounding these challenging educational factors is the high school drop-out rate among Southeast Asian American. 40 percent of Hmong, 38 percent of Laotians, and 35 percent of Cambodians do not complete high school. Moreover, only 14 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders over 25 years old have at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 27 percent for the overall population.

30 percent of Asian Pacific Americans face employment discrimination--the largest of any group--compared with African Americans at 26 percent.

And 17 percent of Asian Americans and 24 percent of Pacific Islanders do not have health coverage.

So as we continue to strive for an America that is more equitable, compassionate, and mindful of our place in the world, we should not forget the contributions and needs of the Asian Pacific American community. For the history and future of Asian Pacific Americans is firmly intertwined with the past and destiny of America. Here in Congress, let us renew our pledge to work for Asian Pacific Americans as we do for all Americans. I wish all Americans a meaningful celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for the time, and I want to thank the Honorable Alcee Hastings, a most respected Member of this House. I am honored that he would present this resolution honoring a most respected organization in this country, the National Urban League.

The Honorable Alcee Hastings has been a part of the avant-garde when it comes to human rights and civil rights and protecting those who are among the least, the last and the lost in society, which is what the Urban League seeks to do. One hundred years of service to the United States of America, and indirectly to the planet Earth because indirectly what you do for one, you do for all.

I am honored to mention that the honorable Marc Morial has continued the great tradition of leadership established in the Urban League. He is the current president and CEO. In Houston, we have the honorable Judson Robinson, who is the president and CEO of the Houston Area Urban League, and he has done a stellar job as well.

The Urban League is now and has always been an integrated organization, founded by two persons of different hues, and continues that legacy, that heritage, if you will, of representing all persons, but making sure that those who have been left behind have the opportunity to catch up.

I am honored to tell you that the Urban League has this goal of self- reliance, and it perfects the goal of self-reliance by way of political parity, by way of making real the great and noble American ideal expressed in Baker v. Carr: one person, one vote. The Urban League seeks to cause those who were locked out of the process to have the opportunity to not only participate, but to have their votes mean something.

The Urban League seeks to have self-reliance through economic empowerment, the notion that equality of opportunity ought to exist for all within this great country. Equality of opportunity. Not give me something for nothing but give the opportunity to succeed on merits or fail on demerits, the opportunity to participate in the process.

One hundred years of service. One hundred years of combating poverty, inequality, and social injustice.

I close with this reminder, a cliche, a phrase, if you will, that is worn out, and it is worn because of a good reason, because it means something. That phrase is this: if we did not have the National Urban League, we would surely have to create it.

Mr. Speaker, I was there when the President signed the health care bill into law. I saw him sign it in ink, but my heart was heavy because I knew that while he was signing in ink, it was written in prayers, the prayers of some 46 million people who did not have insurance. Signed in ink, written in prayers, but also written in tears, the tears of parents who have children with preexisting conditions who could not get insurance for their children. Signed in ink, written in prayers, tears, as well as blood, because in this country 45,000 people die annually because they do not have insurance. That's one person every 12 minutes.

So I do not stand for and will not stand for reinstating tears, for reinstating those prayers, and I will not have the blood of the 45,000 on my hands. I stand with the bill.

Madam Speaker, Tuesday, April 20, 2010 marked the observance of National Equal Pay Day--a time to celebrate the women who have blazed trails for gender equality, reflect on the progress that has been made since the Equal Pay Act and recommit ourselves to closing the wage gap between women and men.

When the Equal Pay Act became law in 1963, women who worked full- time, year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. That figure only went up to 77 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2008. It is unconscionable that more than 40 years later, women continue to be paid less for performing the same job as their male colleagues. Equal Pay Day reminds us of the need to recommit to ending the injustice of wage discrimination.

Last year, one of the first major bills signed into law by President Obama in January 2009, was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which restores the right of women and other minorities to challenge unfair pay in court. Specifically, the bill overturned a 2007 Supreme Court decision that made it much harder for women and other minority groups to pursue pay discrimination claims. As long as workers file their charges within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck, their claims for a remedy will be considered timely.

In January 2009, the House of Representatives also passed the Paycheck Fairness Act which closes the loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and imposes penalties on employers who discriminate based on gender. We look forward to working with the Senate to complete this bill and send it to the President's desk.

Pay inequity is not just an issue that impacts women; families, communities, and our entire economy suffer because of this injustice. Our Nation is still recovering from an economic recession and thousands of Americans continue to struggle to make ends meet. We should not allow pay inequity to exacerbate our economic challenges.

Let us reaffirm our commitment to eliminating this inequality so that we can truly achieve equal pay for equal work.