Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to honor the courageous life of our dear friend and colleague, Chairman Tom Lantos.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of Chairman Lantos, and I would like to first offer my deepest condolences to Annette, his family, friends and staff, and of course California's 12th Congressional District.

And I have to thank Mrs. Lantos and Tom's entire family for sharing this great human being with the entire world.

Chairman Lantos was an exceptional human being, and we're hearing much of this tonight. But I've always said, To know him was to love him.

His life embodied the true meaning of courage and the power of the human spirit. As the sole member of his family to survive the Holocaust, Chairman Lantos made it his life's mission, and we all know it was his life's mission, to fight for the oppressed.

Throughout his years in Congress he fought tirelessly to ensure human rights issues always had an important and visible place within these Halls. And as the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, he continually reminded us that combating injustice anywhere and everywhere in the world was not only the right thing to do, but it was our duty as elected representatives of the people.

I had the privilege to work alongside this giant of a human being on so many issues. As a former member of the Foreign Affairs Committee for 8 years, we worked together on a number of issues that we both cared passionately about, including legislation to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, to end the genocide in Darfur, to address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, and, of course, to end the occupation of Iraq.

And I will always remember the respect, and his wisdom and his insight and his guidance, as he helped me navigate the legislative process with the late Chairman Henry Hyde on the HIV/AIDS legislation. I imagine that they are, at this moment, renewing their wonderful friendship.

I will also miss our personal conversations, especially about his grandchildren, my grandchildren, his great grandchildren. He knew all of their names, and he knew all of their birth dates.

Also, we have to remember Tom loved animals; his deceased Gigi and of course now Chippy. I mean, it was amazing that this giant of a human being was such a gentle man.

I know that we must rededicate ourselves to Tom's life. His spirit is in us, and I will miss him. I will miss his love. May he rest in peace.

What a gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 942.

As an original co-sponsor of this resolution, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing the month of February as Black History Month. I would like to thank my friend and colleague from Texas, Congressman Al Green for introducing this very important resolution.

As we recognize Black History Month, I would also like to note, that we feel the loss of our dear friends and CBC colleagues who passed away over the last year: Congresswomen Julia Carson, Juanita Millender McDonald and founding CBC member former Congressman `Gus' Hawkins. They always joined in on the celebrations. We truly miss them, but their accomplishments live on as a part of Black History and beyond.

As First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. I want to take a moment to commemorate Black History Month by advocating for a greater commitment to the domestic and global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Under funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative and with our domestic HIV/AIDS programs flat-lining, data shows communities of color are increasingly bearing the brunt of the disease. Over 188,000 African- Americans were living with AIDS at the end of 2005, representing 44 percent of all cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In order to raise awareness. I introduced H. Con. Res. 280 to recognize and support the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and encourages state and local governments, public health agencies and the media to emphasize and publicize the importance of this day among the African American community, and all communities. Celebrated each year on February 7th, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day encourages African Americans and all Americans to ``Get Educated, Get Involved, and Get Tested.''

Though we recognize Black History Month this month, it is our duty to pursue policies of social justice that are fair, sustainable, and that help the most disadvantaged in our society. As an African American woman and legislator in this era of tremendous change, I am doubly aware of the obligations that we have as a community and as a country, and Black History Month and the celebration of African American involvement.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that during this Black History Month, I will continue to work with the CBC and Congress to identify bipartisan solutions to eradicate HIV/AIDS in our nation and abroad.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to discuss an unwarranted and downright hostile attack on my constituents and the people of Berkeley, CA by Republicans on the floor of the House earlier today. I'm here tonight, Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight and to respond to their false claims and distortions.

Madam Speaker, it never ceases to amaze me how some people will go to any length to score political points. That is what happened here on the House floor earlier today when several Republican members said they wanted to strip the people of Berkeley, CA of much-needed Federal funding.

Let us be clear: punishing the people of Berkeley for political gain is unfair and simply plain wrong. This is nothing more than grandstanding and posturing on behalf of Republicans who want to make a political point for their own benefit.

I want to begin by talking about the primary target of the Republican campaign against the people of Berkeley, and in this case, the children of Berkeley. Republicans claimed that one earmark was for the creation of organic school lunches in the Berkeley School District. This characterization of a school lunch initiative developed by the Chez Panisse Foundation is dishonest.

This school lunch initiative aims to revolutionize school lunch by treating lunch as an important part of the day, as well as integrating lessons about wellness, sustainability and nutrition into the academic curriculum.

The funding will aid in the development of a program that would treat lunch as an academic subject for all public school students in the district, from kindergarten through high school. These funds will support a comprehensive approach to improved health and health education in the public schools that will empower students with a sense of responsibility for themselves and their health. it's about nutrition for our children.

Next I want to talk about their efforts to attack the University of California and the memory of a great leader in this body, former Congressman Bob Matsui. This funding will be used for UC Berkeley's Institute of Government Studies for the creation of the Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service.

The Matsui Center will develop a curriculum that will encourage students to think about politics and public service not as separate activities, but as a continuum of civic engagement. As a great public university, Berkeley has a special obligation to train the next generation of leaders, as well as to help them develop the political and policy skills that will enable them to participate constructively in public life. The program will also have educational components in Sacramento and Washington, DC--capitol cities which were touchstones for Congressman Bob Matsui's long public service career. It's about education.

Now allow me to turn my attention to an item that the Republicans did not want to tell you about--funding for the disabled and the Ed Roberts Campus. This funding will be used for the construction of the Ed Roberts Campus at the Ashby BART Station in Berkeley. The Ed Roberts Campus is the vision of eight disability organizations in California which have joined forces to create a multi-tenant facility. The facility will serve as an intermodal transit center, as well as a transportation information and travel-training center for seniors and people with disabilities.

It will provide services in a fully accessible, technologically- advanced environment located at BART's Ashby stop. The campus will serve approximately 2,000 disabled people per week, most of whom will arrive by public transportation.

The Ed Roberts Campus is an innovative approach to transit oriented development and will be the first disability service center at a major fully-accessible transit hub. As a result, people throughout the region will have access to programs that will enable them to obtain needed health care education, job training and other services in order to achieve their life and work goals. It's about providing quality services for the disabled!

Finally, I want to mention another item that the Republican supporters of this measure will not mention--that their bill would intentionally undermine the safety and security of the people of Berkeley by denying critical funding for Berkeley public safety agencies' interoperability.

This particular funding will be used to update Berkeley's public safety computer dispatch and communications system to ensure systems interoperability. It will support critical inter-jurisdictional communications and coordination needs. This funding will help to enhance Berkeley's ability to maintain a secure and interoperable computer and communications system and maximize sustainable use after a natural or human made disaster. It's about public safety!

Madam Speaker, the statements by Republicans on the floor of the House earlier today were nothing but a shameful attack on my constituents in order to score perceived political points. It is just plain wrong and it is a real shame that it is happening on the floor of this House.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I will fight to defend the constituents of my district and their right to receive Federal funds.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the brilliant life of Mr. Earl Williams. Earl was a caring friend, family member, and leader in the community. He will be greatly missed, but the positive impact he has left will remain in the hearts of all who had the honor of knowing him.

It is with a deep sense of sadness that I rise today to deliver condolences to the family and friends of a great man, a brilliant human being and a true servant of God. However, it is also with a deep sense of gratitude to Earl's family and friends for sharing this loyal, patriotic, and compassionate man with us that I rise to celebrate his life and honor his legacy.

As a person committed to those who are most vulnerable and most in need in our world, Earl was committed to creating safe havens for individuals who needed the love and kindness of their neighbors to see them through difficult times. He worked tirelessly as an administrator and part owner of Garden Plaza Convalescent Home in Los Angeles, CA. Earl was also the founder of Liberty Child Care Center in Chicago.

His wide reach--involved in communities as different as Chicago and Los Angeles--and his limitless compassion drove his intentions to service humankind, and to do the Lord's work on this earth.

Earl was a true patriot, serving his country as an outstanding and dedicated member of the United States Army. He and his family were proud of his service, and our country owes him a debt of gratitude for his commitment to his country.

As a devoted family man, Earl always demonstrated his unwavering and unconditional love, loyalty, and devotion to each and every member of his family. He was a true role model to those whose lives he touched in so many ways.

Today, I join with Earl's family and friends in bidding him farewell. I salute Earl Williams for a life well lived. Let us keep his legacy alive by recommitting our lives to his work and to his values to make this a better world. May his beautiful spirit continue to live and guide our lives, helping us to be true to our family, our friends, our community, our country, and most importantly, to our God.

Today, California's Ninth Congressional District joins with the communities of Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, and all the places where Earl William's love touched the lives of those who knew him, to salute and honor a great human being. We extend our deepest condolences to Earl's family. Thank you for sharing his great spirit with so many. May his soul rest in peace.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III (Baffour Amankwatia II). A devoted father, husband, mentor, and world-renowned humanitarian who worked tirelessly and inspired us all, Dr. Hilliard will be sorely missed by us all. Asa passed away on August 13, 2007.

An accomplished academic and devoted professor, Dr. Hilliard affected the lives of thousands of students. He was not only a mentor in his community, but a hero in the African Diaspora Movement. Dr. Hilliard began his academic career in Denver, where he earned a B.A. in Education Psychology, an M.A. in counseling, and a Ed.D in Education Psychology at the University of Denver.

Dr. Hilliard launched his professional career at the University of Denver, teaching at the College of Education and in Philosophy colloquium of the Centennial Scholars Honor Program. After moving with his family to California, Dr. Hilliard dedicated 18 years of his life to San Francisco State University. During this time, he served as Department Chair for two years, Dean of Education for eight years while also working as a consultant for the Peace Corps. Dr. Hilliard's influence and reach was truly global. As he mentored and taught students in the United States, he also made constant visits to Africa, serving as the Superintendent of Schools in Monrovia, Liberia for two years.

Dr. Hilliard was a founding member of the association for the study of Classical African Civilization, serving as its first Vice President. He was co-developer of a popular educational television series Free Your Mind, Return to the Source: African Origins and produced many videotapes and educational materials on African-American History through his production company, Weset Education Productions. Dr. Hilliard was so groundbreaking and forward- thinking in his approach to education that several of his methods have become national models in the field.

Dr. Hilliard was a purposeful man with an unquenchable passion for education and the preservation of his culture's history and traditions. Without reservation, Dr. Asa Hilliard significantly changed the world with his dedication to the preservation, study, and spiritual understanding of Africa, African Americans, and Africans in Diaspora throughout the world.

One of my long standing desires was to travel to Egypt with Dr. Hilliard on one of his study tours. Each time I saw him I mentioned this and we both were very excited about the prospect. Due to my hectic schedule, this never happened. As God will have it, I was in Ghana, West Africa, at the Cape Coast Slave Castle when I learned from Reverend Jeremiah Wright through Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. that Asa had passed the day before in Egypt. Like many, I was devastated and saddened, yet thankful to his family and to God for his amazing life. I reflected upon his death in Egypt in a prayerful manner, and took pause to commemorate this great soul.

His loving wife, Mrs. Patsy Jo Hilliard, has quoted Asa as repeatedly saying, ``It is not enough for us to be bright and competent. We must also have purpose and direction. It is not enough for us to `make it' on our own--to save ourselves. As Abena says in Armah's novel, Two Thousand Seasons, `There is no self to save without the rest of us.' '' In this way, Dr. Hilliard touched and influenced the lives of all who were privileged to come into contact with him.

On behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, we salute and honor a great human being, our beloved Asa G. Hilliard III. We extend my deepest condolences to Asa's family, and our deepest gratitude to them for sharing this great spirit with us. May his soul rest in peace, and may we continue to benefit from the positive impact he left on the world.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the effort to prevent our economy from sliding into recession. but I have strong reservations about any strategy that does not take meaningful steps to help those in need.

Just last week, the House passed my resolution (H. Con. Res. 198) to cut poverty in half. While this stimulus bill is a step in the right direction, it's also important to act on our words by ensuring ``the least among us'' don't bear the brunt of an economic downturn. For example, I'm concerned that the minimum earnings requirement of $3,000 leaves out the neediest.

And we have a lot of reasons to be concerned about the plight of those in need. Since the Bush administration took office in 2001, the median income is nearly 2 percent below its high in 2000, more than 5 million have fallen into poverty for a total 37 million Americans living in poverty, and the unemployment rate has risen to 5 percent and is almost double for African American males.

Congress must ensure that any relief it provides to stem the downward slide reaches all Americans.

We must assist those who are going to lose their homes in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. We must provide increased funding for food stamps and FMAP Medicaid payments to States. Finally we must make sure that unemployment benefits are extended.

Madam Speaker, any economic relief we provide will be a hollow victory if those most in need are excluded. We must make certain that the gap between the haves and have nots isn't widened by our action here today. This is our solemn moral obligation.

Madam Speaker, let me thank the gentlelady from the District of Columbia, not only for managing this resolution today, but for your long-standing work in addressing injustice everywhere, including economic justice which goes to the heart of this resolution.

Also let me take a moment to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) for your leadership and for your support and for your commitment to eliminate poverty; to Speaker Nancy Pelosi; our majority leader, Steny Hoyer; Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis. I want to commend them and thank them for their strong support in bringing this very important resolution forward today because I think the bipartisan support for this shows and demonstrates that we all understand very clearly this is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it is not an urban issue or rural issue, this is a moral issue that we must address together.

I would like to recognize all 83 cosponsors who have worked hard on this resolution. Your support has been critical in helping to move it forward.

Also to those who co-chair the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus with me: Congressman Conyers, Chairman Baca, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Congressman Honda, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus; and Congressman Butterfield. Their dedication and commitment is crucial to our broader goal of ending poverty.

I would also like to thank our staff, Alexis Brandt of the majority leader's office; Bill Goold of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; Leila Gomez of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who works in my office and has done a tremendous job on this; Tunde Eboda, who was a Brookings Fellow in my office; and Chris Lee of my staff. All of our staffs have really kept focused and worked together and have worked very hard to make sure that this resolution received the support that it has received.

Madam Speaker, the resolution before us today is really very straightforward. It simply states that Congress supports setting a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years. It is unfortunate that in the wealthiest country in the world that we even need this resolution, but the fact is that we do.

As both the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) reminded us, yesterday we took the time out to honor what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 79th birthday, and as we reflect upon his life and his legacy and the struggle for civil and human rights, for peace and

for justice, it is important also to reflect upon how far we have strayed from his vision to eradicate poverty.

So this resolution is just one small step in honoring his legacy in more than words. It is one small legislative action we can do today to say we, too, believe that not only on his birthday but throughout the year we have a responsibility to live his legacy and do what we can do to eliminate poverty.

Our country is the land of opportunity. But the sad reality is that income inequality continues to grow and more people are falling into poverty than getting ahead. Just consider the fact that over 37 million Americans, more than the population of my home State of California, are in poverty, and the number has grown by 5 million within the last 5 to 6 years. One in eight Americans lives in poverty now. Poverty in the United States is far higher than in many other developed nations, and inequality is at an all-time high.

The richest 1 percent of Americans in 2005 held the largest share of the Nation's income since 1925; and at the same time, the poorest 20 percent held only 3.4 percent of the Nation's income.

Madam Speaker, I will include for the Record a document titled ``From Poverty to Prosperity.'' It was put forth by the Center for American Progress' Task Force on Poverty.

The statistics in this report and other reports quantify what most of us already know, that we are heading in the wrong direction, and that we need a national commitment to address the growing poverty crisis in this Nation.

This resolution helps us get back on track by setting an achievable, and in my view a very modest goal, of cutting poverty in half over the next decade.

Madam Speaker, perhaps the greatest example of the profound need for action to address the poverty crisis in our Nation was Hurricane Katrina and the incredible suffering that it brought to so many, and which continues today.

The facts speak for themselves. One-third of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina had incomes below 1\1/2\ times the poverty line. The storm had its greatest impact on people of color, affecting African Americans who accounted for nearly half of those affected. The gulf coast hurricane should have been a wake-up call. Unfortunately, the administration chose only to hit the snooze button.

That is why I am glad we are here today in a bipartisan way helping to sound this alarm again. By setting our sights to tackling poverty head-on, we can take some very serious steps towards bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots. There is much work to be done.

Last year again, this important document on the state of poverty in America made several important proposals. The Center based its recommendations on four principles: Promote decent work, promoting opportunity for all, ensuring economic security for all, and helping people build wealth. Based on these principles, the report offers 12 key steps, including raising the minimum wage, and many of the efforts which we have been engaging in in this Congress, but much more needs to be done.

So as we consider an income stimulus plan in the next few weeks, I hope we keep these points in mind. Fighting poverty isn't a mystery, it just requires us to make a commitment to the goal and to dedicate the necessary resources to do this.

This resolution is an important step forward, and I urge my colleagues to support it and join me and my colleagues in the Out of Poverty Caucus in our efforts to eliminate poverty in America. This is a moral imperative which we must all embrace.

From Poverty to Prosperity

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, first let me thank Chairman Barney Frank and our chairwoman, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, for their hard work in bringing to the floor this very critical legislation that reauthorizes HOPE VI for the first time in 6 years.

As a former member of Congresswoman Waters' subcommittee, I saw firsthand her leadership on this and so many issues to create and expand affordable housing, to promote fair housing, to improve public housing, and to support the creation of a National Housing Trust Fund, among other initiatives. And so I know that, without her expertise and the chairman's expertise and their commitment, we wouldn't be considering today this truly important HOPE VI reauthorization bill. So I want to thank Congresswoman Waters and Chairman Frank for their leadership.

In revitalizing public housing, the HOPE VI program is able to offer precisely that, and that is hope: hope for a better community, hope for a better future. And I know that in my own district, for example, in Oakland, California, the Mandela Gateway HOPE VI initiative is doing just that.

Mr. Chairman, that is why I come to the floor today with a very simple amendment that builds on this hope. My amendment would allow Congress to stand up for the elderly and the disabled residents of public housing who are unwitting victims of the misdeeds of their relatives or guests. Specifically, this amendment would create a narrow exemption from the eviction rule for those who are elderly or disabled and who have committed no crime and have no knowledge of a crime being committed or are the actual victims of a crime. This amendment will give completely innocent tenants who are the most vulnerable a fighting chance to stay in their homes.

It is sad that we have to stipulate this, but there is a history of these unfair evictions. Let me just share one. In 2002, the Supreme Court reversed the Ninth Circuit Court and upheld the eviction order to remove a 63-year-old woman, Ms. Pearlie Rucker, from her home. The court did so despite the fact that she had committed no crime or had any knowledge that the crime was happening. The Court did so based on the criminal actions of her adult son and daughter, who committed their crime several blocks away from their home. The Court found that, because she had signed a lease that gave public housing authority the right to no-fault evictions, her inability to control the actions of other adults made her a threat to other tenants, and evicted her. This is just plain wrong.

Unfortunately, Pearlie Rucker and her Supreme Court case has become the basis for more forced evictions of people who have committed no crime.

So this amendment certainly does not want to stop our hardworking public housing authorities from providing low-income families with a safe place to live; but innocent, elderly, and disabled tenants must not have their housing rights stripped from them because of the actions of other individuals away from their homes. So as such, it is especially tragic that the elderly and the disabled are the most vulnerable but are the least able to effectively control the actions of their guests as fellow tenants should be held liable and punished for the actions of other adults.

So I urge my colleagues to support this very simple amendment, and again I want to thank Congresswoman Waters and Chairman Frank for their leadership and their assistance with this.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Let me thank the gentleman for his leadership and for yielding.

Here we go again, another payment on a war that should not have been fought and an occupation that keeps our young men and women in harm's way. By forcing Congress to tie the fate of spending for critical domestic programs to Iraq funding, this President held these programs hostage just to prop up his failed policy. This is not only shameful, it is unacceptable. The American people want our troops and our contractors home.

A recent CNN poll found that 69 percent of respondents favored withdrawing all of our troops from Iraq. Nearly half believe that our troops should be home in under 1 year.

The only funds that we should be giving this President today should be to protect our troops and our contractors and to bring them home in a safe and timely and orderly fashion, in other words, what we tried to do several weeks ago, and, that is, fully fund the redeployment of our troops and military contractors from Iraq. And we should be using this opportunity to shore up vital programs such as our poverty elimination efforts, vital HIV/AIDS programs, both domestic and international, and providing health care for all, which we tried to do in the Appropriations Committee under Chairman Obey but which the President, unfortunately, threatened to veto. Now, Congress, this body, once again is complicit in the President's games. And these are war games that he is playing.

Why in the world are we going to put another payment down on this war that should have ended? Actually, it should have never started. So let's vote ``no'' on this. His inflexibility, the President's inflexibility, this House, this body's inflexibility has already cost America too much in terms of lives, in terms of treasure, in terms of our standing in the world, and in terms of our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2271, the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act. First, let me thank Chairman Frank.

As Chair of the Financial Services Committee, I have just got to say you didn't have to do this, but you did.

This took many, many months to negotiate. Chairman Frank understands very clearly that this bill will put the United States on the right side of history in our efforts to end this genocide in Darfur.

So I just want to thank the Financial Services Committee under your leadership. I want to thank Ranking Member Spencer Bachus, Mr. Gutierrez, and all of those who really made sure that this happened in a bipartisan way. So thank you again, Congressman Frank and Ranking Member Bachus, for your leadership but also for your commitment. Your moral commitment, your intellectual resources have been put on the table to get this done. So thank you so much.

I want to also take a few minutes just to thank a few more people because this is a bill that has been a bipartisan bill, and it has been tough to negotiate; but it happened finally. First, I have to say that my colleagues in the other body, Senator Dodd, Senator Durbin, Ranking Member Shelby of the Senate Banking Committee, I have to congratulate them and thank them for working together in a bipartisan fashion on this bill. Initially it was actually, when it left this House, H.R. 180, the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act, better known as DADA. And for the most part, 90 percent of DADA remains intact thanks to our negotiators and thanks to our staff.

The staff has been phenomenal. Daniel McGlinchey, Jim Segel, Katie Lavelle, and I want to thank all of our staff for their efforts and I have to especially acknowledge Christos Tsentos on my staff who has gone way beyond the call of duty to make sure that this bill came out in the form that it came out where we all could support it.

Also, a former staffer, Aysha House-Moshi, her tireless effort, her inspiration and her pushing, pushing, pushing helped us draft the original DADA bill.

And I must acknowledge Congressman Don Payne, Chair of the Africa Subcommittee. I've got to say that his leadership on Sudan has been phenomenal. He authored the initial legislation over 3 years ago that declared the genocide taking place was a genocide in Darfur. Representative Wolf, Senator Brownback, in a bipartisan way Members in both bodies have come together to not only declare that genocide is taking place but also to do the things that we need to do to make sure that it ended. So I want to thank you also for your leadership.

Also, let me just say to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, they have been such phenomenal leaders, as leadership in this body and as great human beings. I have visited the refugee camps on three occasions, once also with Speaker Pelosi and once with Majority Leader Hoyer. They saw the devastation. They saw the tragedy. They saw the glare in the refugees' eyes. They heard the stories of men, women, and children being run out of their villages. They saw the pictures that children painted of bombs coming down into their villages and the janjaweed on horseback coming through burning their villages. So Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer saw this firsthand with so many Members of this body. So I just want to thank them for following up and for making sure that we were able to bring this bill to the floor.

The religious community, the students, the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, the NAACP, the American Jewish World Service, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Genocide Intervention Network and the Sudan Divestment Task Force, I cannot say enough about these outside organizations because they have been the wind beneath our wings here. They got it early. They got it early. So I just have to thank them, including Sam Bell, Adam Sterling, Allyson Neville, and Nina McMurry with the Sudan Divestment Task Force for their work because sometimes these negotiations got very difficult, but they hung in there and they were very realistic and yet very principled in how they moved forward.

With each decision to divest, our constituents send a very loud and clear message to Khartoum that they won't fund genocide, not on our dime, not on our watch. Already in our Nation there have been 58 universities, 22 States, and 11 cities. All of these have divested. So this bill allows these divestment movements to move on. This is an impressive track record, Mr. Speaker, and it really deserves our recognition.

Briefly, this bill, one, authorizes States and local governments and universities to divest from companies doing business in the military, the power production, the oil-related, and

mineral extraction industries in partnership with the Khartoum Government of Sudan. It also authorizes States, local governments, and universities to prohibit new contracts with such companies. It provides safe harbor to mutual funds and pension plans choosing to divest their assets in such companies and also prohibits the Federal Government from entering into new Federal contracts with these offending companies.

Let me be very clear. This bill does not require anyone to divest. Even when it comes to Federal contracts, we provide the President with waiver authority in the event of a national security emergency. Further, this bill is designed to protect and encourage our Governors, State legislators, our mayors, our provosts, and our deans to divest their assets from Sudan and express their outrage with the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

No one should have to worry that their pension or retirement funds are supporting genocide. So by passing this legislation today, we can help achieve that goal and at the same time send a message to Khartoum and to the companies that are enabling, enabling the genocidal regime. Not on our watch, not on our dime. Taken together with the over $1 billion in humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping money we passed last night and the diplomacy efforts of this administration, divestment is one part of a comprehensive bipartisan strategy that we are pursuing to end the genocide.

So we must continue also to urge all parties to lay down their arms, come to the table to negotiate a political solution. We must continue support for the rapid and unconditional deployment of a United Nations/ AU hybrid force, along with free and unfettered access for humanitarian groups to continue to provide humanitarian assistance.

Mr. Speaker, 13 years ago the world stood by as nearly 1 million people were slaughtered in the genocide of Rwanda. And the best our country could do, the best we could we do was apologize, and that was after the fact. Today the people of Darfur who are suffering and dying need this bill. They need it because another genocide is occurring. And, again, as I said, I have witnessed this three times in the camps, and I have heard these stories. I have seen the devastation from the survivors. Nearly 3 million refugees are in the camps now. So I must say there must be no apologies this time because we must sign this bill into law. The President needs to do the right thing. He needs to listen to bipartisan, bicameral support from Congress for divestment and sign this.

This really is, Mr. Speaker, the moment of truth. This is the moment of truth. Let's stop the rhetoric and do something, do something now that we have declared for 3 years genocide taking place. We need to put the United States on the right side of history. Divestment worked in South Africa when our former colleague and my mayor now, Ron Dellums, when he led the effort in the 1980s. It can work now in Sudan. So I urge the President to join us in saying to the Government of Khartoum not on our watch, not on our dime.

So let me again thank Chairman Frank for his leadership on this important legislation. Let me thank all those on the other side of the House for their commitment to make sure that this became a bipartisan bill and that we take the right step, put our country on the right side of history and say ``no'' to the Sudanese Government, ``yes'' to ending this genocide, and let us urge the President to sign this bill into law.

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to once again acknowledge the leadership of Congressman Wolf and Congressman Bachus.

I served for many years on the Financial Services Committee and had the privilege to work with Spencer Bachus on many, many bills and legislation, including debt relief. And I just wanted to thank him on this one issue because I know this comes from his values, not only as a legislator, but as a human being who wants to see humankind live, and live in peace and harmony without the devastating effects of genocide in their country. So, I want to thank you again, Congressman Bachus.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for calling this Special Order to recognize and honor the extraordinary life of our dear friend and colleague Julia May Carson.

First, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to her family and her constituents of Indiana's Seventh Congressional District, to her friends and to her staff here in Washington, DC, and in Indiana. For over 35 years, Congresswoman Carson championed the rights of the underprivileged, the underrepresented and the overlooked. We came to depend on her determined leadership and commitment throughout her tenure in Congress. So a true voice for the voiceless was taken from us on December 15.

We shared many conversations about our common interests. We frequently talked about the fact that we both shared the same astrological sign. We are both Cancers. Julia's birthday was July 8. Mine is July 16. Julia Carson was fiercely loyal and patriotic, and that supposedly is a typical characteristic of Cancers. She exemplified those values, though, in many, many ways. Her loyalty and her patriotism was what undergirded and served as the foundation for her career in public service.

In coming to the House floor to vote, I would pass by her office. Oftentimes, I would walk with Julia. We would share many conversations. But even to this day I noticed, and I would like for you to look at the plaque outside her door, she has the pictures of at least 45 of Indiana's fallen men and women who have served this country. She kept their pictures in her office. She loved the troops. She loved her district and our young men and women.

She was a woman of courage. Congresswoman Carson was an adamant opponent of the Iraq war, and we talked about this a lot, even though it could pose political risks, but she let her conscience be her guide.

I witnessed her passion for justice when I served with her on the Housing Subcommittee with Congresswoman Waters, her passion for the homelessness and seeking housing for homeless public recipients. What a woman.

Very recently, even with her debilitating illness, several months ago she came to me and asked me to help her. We were putting this together, to put together another visit to South Africa. She wanted to lead a codel. And of course her health would not allow for this exhausting trip, but I will always remember up until a couple of months ago her optimism and determination to go back to South Africa. She wouldn't take ``no'' for an answer.

We are going to miss Congresswoman Carson tremendously. I am reminded of the scriptures, Timothy 4, Chapter 7: I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

Madam Speaker, Congresswoman Julia Carson fought hard. She fought hard for peace and justice all of her life, and she completed her work on this Earth, but it is up to us to pick up that baton and to move it forward in her memory.

And she remained faithful. She remained faithful to the end to her family, her friends, her constituents, her country, and most importantly to her God. May her soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet to 3 p.m. on Monday next, and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 11, for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

As a strong supporter of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, I wanted to take a few moments to speak about this important bill, which we passed earlier today in the House, and how delighted I am and my constituents are for its passage. It is a historic step forward in our goal toward reaching energy independence.

H.R. 6 raised CAFE standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, cutting oil consumption by 1.1 million gallons per day, also, eliminating greenhouse gases equivalent to 28 million cars from our roads. That's 28 million cars.

Among many important additional initiatives, it includes new energy efficiency standards to reduce demand. It extends renewable energy tax credits for solar and other renewable sources. It includes a renewable fuels standard that contains safeguards to reduce carbon emissions and protect our environment. It also contains a renewable electricity standard, requiring utilities to get 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. It also assists and empowers small businesses to cut costs and scale up innovative energy solutions.

It will create thousands of new good-paying green jobs and build on the work that has begun in places like the Ella Baker Center in my district in Oakland, California, which is helping to lead the green jobs revolution.

Mr. Speaker, this bill takes the right steps forward to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, to save our constituents money, and to fight global warming. Most importantly, it echoes the innovative steps that have already been taken by individual cities, States and districts like my district in the East Bay of California, Alameda County, to be specific.

In many ways, the California Bay Area, and my district in particular, are in the forefront of the innovation and research on alternative energy climate change and the environment. Ongoing research into alternative and renewable energy at the University of California at Berkley, one of the premier public universities in the country, of course I am an alma mater of the University of California at Berkley and very proud of that, we hold the promise of a cleaner and brighter future for our children, our country and the world.

Businesses in my district have also taken the lead in greening their activities to reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, and save water, minimizing the impact on our environment.

Innovative programs like the Ella Baker Center, which I already mentioned, and funded in part through the City of Oakland, are also training youth in my district about the importance of environmental stewardship and providing them with new job opportunities and new career paths. Community-based organizations in my district have also taken the lead in advocating for environmental justice and equity for all of our constituents. Together, my community is at the forefront of a robust environmental movement that is quite literally changing the world for the better.

The passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act will help these grass-roots efforts expand and grow through Federal initiatives designed to put the United States on a path to energy sustainability.

Again, I am very pleased that the House passed H.R. 6, and I look forward to its final passage by the Senate.

In my district, we have the City of Albany, Berkley, Piedmont, Oakland, California, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Castro Valley, unbelievable innovations which this bill will certainly support and enhance. So I urge the President not to reject this proposal and hope that he signs the bill when it reaches his desk.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the chairman for his leadership and for his friendship. Also I want to thank our colleague from Texas, Congressman Al Green, for introducing this very important resolution and for your spirit with which you have introduced this.

Racism is alive and well in America, regardless of how we try to sweep it under the rug. It is tragic and very sad that we need a resolution like this today, but the rash of noose hangings across America reminds us that it is necessary. Clearly, there can be no better example of these tragic incidents than in the case of the Jena Six.

What does this say about our Nation and the level of racism present when we see an increase in these times of hateful acts? As a child, I remember listening to these horror stories about the Klan and their terrorist acts, and that is what this is. These are terrorist acts against African Americans. And today, I just shiver at the thought of a hanging noose and how intimidating this is for anyone, any community, any family whose race has been targeted and has been terrorized by these acts.

Every act of intimidation in the displaying of nooses must be criminally prosecuted. It is a horrible act. A noose is a racist symbol.

On behalf of the more than 4,700 people who were lynched between 1882 and 1968, let us pass this resolution, H. Res. 826, today, and vigorously prosecute those who continue to harass, intimidate and hang nooses in our country. These acts of hate have no place in America.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you Congressman Green for allowing us the privilege to say ``no'' to racism once again in America.