Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5719. It is fitting that we are debating a bill that provides much needed assistance for low and moderate income taxpayers. The Taxpayer Assistance and Simplfication Act recognizes the need for enhanced financial literacy for those individuals by authorizing an annual $10 million grant for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs and increases the authorization levels for grants targeted to qualified low-income taxpayer clinics to $10 million.

These free taxpayer assistance programs walk these individuals through what can be a daunting tax preparation process and alert them to assistance they may be eligible for.

A provision of particular importance to me and the taxpayers in the 7th Congressional District is a requirement for IRS to notify taxpayers of potential eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit for all open tax years and directs the IRS to notify individuals who have not filed a return, but who may be eligible for the credit based on previous return information.

In Indianapolis, there are tens of thousands of individuals who qualify for the credit who do not claim it. This credit assistance is critically needed by many families in my district.

As an advocate for financial literacy I am pleased to lend my support to this legislation that enables organizations to better reach out to those low income individuals who have been hit so hard during this turbulent time in our economy. I thank Chairman Rangel and my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee for their hard and thoughtful work on this bill.

Thank you, Congressman Clay.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my dear friend, Senator Bayh, my colleague, Congressman Visclosky, and the entire Indiana delegation for supporting this important piece of legislation. I also would like to extend my sincere thanks to Subcommittee Chairman Danny Davis and his staff for all

of their work in quickly bringing this bill to the floor for a vote.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today with a heavy heart, but also with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and humility. I am sad that my grandmother, former Congresswoman Julia Carson, is not able to be here on this wonderful occasion, but I am also deeply grateful that my colleagues have chosen to honor my grandmother by authorizing a postal facility in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana to be renamed the ``Julia Carson Post Office Building.''

Congresswoman Carson was many good things to many people in the Indianapolis area. Many will remember her as a staunch advocate for the poor from her years in the Indiana State legislature. Others will perhaps remember her for her efforts in helping needy children receive health care services. But I think, most importantly, many people will just remember her for being who she was, and that was a good person with a kind and caring heart.

So I would like to thank again all of my colleagues who were instrumental in bringing this bill to the floor today, and I know that if my grandmother were here, she would thank you all.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment made in order under the rule.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 and to offer my amendment which I believe will enhance the base bill. I want to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros- Lehtinen for their hard work in bringing this legislation to the floor.

I find it of coincidence the timing of our consideration of this legislation for it is juxtaposed between two pivotal historical moments in time: The deaths of the renowned African American medical doctor, Dr. Charles Drew on April 1, 1950, and the celebrated human rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968.

Both Dr. Drew and Dr. King were products of the American educational system and particularly of historically black colleges and universities. Madam Chairman, I cannot think of any better way to explain the importance of this amendment and its use. The effort to address HIV/AIDS requires the best of human rights and of medical science.

My amendment is a simple amendment that would make changes to section 204 of H.R. 5501. The amendment directs the coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally and the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to expand their plan for strengthening health systems of host countries by allowing for African post secondary educational institutions to collaborate with United States post secondary educational institutions and specifically historically black colleges and universities to develop such human and institutional capacity.

The goal of my amendment is to allow our Nation's finest post secondary educational institutions to be directly involved in the training of health care workers that will enhance the effectiveness and efficacy of the efforts put forth in H.R. 5501.

Madam Chairman, I can think of no better way for the citizens of Indiana, the great Hoosier State, to contribute

in the fight against this pandemic than to train the best and brightest, and to commit to countries whose health care systems suffer woefully from the lack of trained health professionals. After all, who are we to block the opportunity to these children to be successful.

Madam Chairman, before I close, I want to acknowledge and salute the two men this piece of legislation is named after, Congressmen Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde. I didn't get a chance to work with them in this body, but I cannot think of a better way to honor their service in this great institution.

Finally, I want to thank the wonderful staff of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Rules Committee for helping me craft this amendment. Madam Chairman, I ask for support of my amendment.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn).

I want to thank the Members for listening and considering this amendment. I think it is a great opportunity for us.

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

Madam Speaker, on Sunday I held a children's health care rally at the Martin Luther King Community Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, and met with parents like Brandy Briscoe. Brandy goes to school full time and is raising her 2-year-old son, Elijah. When he was born, he had no health insurance. Today, thanks to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, Elijah and 130,000 other children in Indiana have the health care they need and deserve.

We know that Elijah and Brandy are two of the lucky ones. In Indiana, tens of thousands of children don't have health care. Their parents wonder what they will do if their child gets sick and needs a doctor. These parents and their children are counting on us to act.

So, on Sunday, I pledged to my constituents that I would be a voice for children and families and will continue to fight to cover more children through the Children's Health Insurance Program. I make this pledge with the knowledge that this House has worked long and hard on children's health care in the past. But we cannot let these difficulties dissuade us from doing right by our children.

I am proud today to cosponsor the Children's Health First Act, and I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to craft the kind of compromise that moves us forward into the future.

Madam Speaker, my fellow colleagues, thank you for your warm welcome.

Today, I want to thank the people of Indiana's 7th Congressional District. I am truly and extremely humbled by the trust they have placed in me, grateful for their support, and committed to serving them each and every day.

I want to thank my wife, Mariama, who has stood with me every step of the way, and our 1-year-old daughter, Salimah, who inspires me to serve.

I also want to thank and honor and salute a great leader who I wish were here, my grandmother, Congresswoman Julia Carson.

Thank you.

For 11 years, she came to this floor as the people's champion. I am committed to building on her accomplishments and service to the people of the 7th Congressional District and the City of Indianapolis. I can think of no better way to honor her memory than by rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on day one.

Our working families, our seniors, our children and our troops are counting on us to stand up and take responsibility for the changes we need in our country. In Indianapolis and across America, working families are struggling in our failing economy. As we are all painfully aware, in February alone, 63,000 Americans lost their jobs, many of them in the great Hoosier State of Indiana.

Overseas, we must honor and care for our brave troops. And the best way to honor them is to change our direction in Iraq, end this war, and bring our troops home.

Solving these problems won't be easy, but together we can make real changes and offer real solutions. We can start by giving middle-class families property tax relief. That is why I am proud that today, as my first official legislative action, I am signing on to my colleague Congressman Baron Hill's bill to provide property tax relief. This will help families in Indianapolis and those who have been hit hard with high taxes.

As we move forward, I look forward to meeting with working with all of you, Republicans and Democrats, to strengthen our economy, create good jobs, and invest in our children.

Thank you, Indiana; thank you, 7th Congressional District; and thank you all. God bless.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, May 3, I was unable to vote on Roll # 300 because the Capitol Hill police would not let my vehicle enter the grounds due to a security ``event'' regarding the escort of a foreign dignitary. Had I been available to enter I would have voted ``No.''