Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, July 17, 2006, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 375, 376, and 377. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 3085, ``nay'' on H.R. 3496, and ``aye'' on H.R. 3279.

Madam Speaker, let me first thank Mr. Lantos for yielding; also just to say to him that I appreciate the respect and the space that you provide for all of us who may have a different point of view, but who all support peace and security and Israel's right to defend itself. I also have tremendous respect for Mr. Lantos just in terms of your work and your long history as a champion of human rights not only on behalf of the State of Israel, but throughout the world, and so I thank Mr. Lantos for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I join with those who condemn the recent kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and the rocket attacks into Israel, and also, I rise in support of Israel's right to protect and defend itself from attacks in accordance with international law, including Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

However, this resolution goes much further than that, and it also omits any mention, and I think this is so critical at this stage, it omits any mention of how and why the United States should exert its leadership in stopping the violence. Too many people, Israelis Lebanese and Palestinians, have been killed, and there is no end in sight. Very seldom do I cast a ``present'' vote, but in this instance I will, and let me explain why.

This resolution reaffirms our support for Israel, demands that the Government of Lebanon do everything in its power to find and free the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and to gain control of its borders in order to prevent future attacks. It also condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for killing Israeli soldiers and for indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians, and it recognizes the plight of the families of the innocent victims. These provisions warrant our strong support and certainly sends a strong message in support of Israel, in behalf of Israel and on behalf of Israel.

But on the other hand, there are provisions in this resolution that are totally unfinished or missing and leave this resolution very much incomplete.

Such a course of action, I believe, ought to make it clear that in no uncertain terms will the United States support a strategy of the use of force against Iran or Syria. This resolution leaves the door open for this.

This resolution ought to make it clear that the only way to remove the threat to Israel and to the larger region is to resolve these issues through an immediate cease-fire and commit the United States, through the cease-fire, to high-level and sustained diplomacy. We need to be doing that right now in support of many of the initiatives such as the road map. This resolution does not really address how to end the escalating violence that really, quite frankly, does more violence and harm to Israel's long-term interests and living in peace and security with her neighbors.

This resolution should offer concrete steps on how to achieve peace and security for Israel and the region, and the resolution says nothing about the peace process.

The bottom line is there is absolutely no military resolution to the issues confronting the Middle East, notwithstanding the acts of self- defense to which Israel is entitled in accordance with international law.

If we do not put a stop to all of the hostilities today, what is to stop future violence with more technologically advanced weapons systems, rockets with even longer ranges? Where does it end? Is war the only answer?

Israel's security and a sustained peace that includes a two-state solution cannot be achieved militarily. The only option, and the only hope, is a political solution to this crisis and for a sustained peace.

That is why, Madam Speaker, it is imperative that all parties return to

internationally recognized borders and for all parties to resume urgent, multilateral diplomatic efforts, including a return to the road map and a full engagement by the quartet.

What we should be doing today is imploring all sides to agree to a cease-fire, insist on the return of the hostages, and agree to an international security force.

If we can reach the end of that road that we are walking down right now, then our ally, I believe, Israel will find the peace and security that she and her people rightfully deserve.

So, Madam Speaker, I intend to vote ``present'' on this resolution because, while I believe there are some provisions that warrant our support, I do not believe it goes far enough in addressing the immediate security needs and the violence that is taking place right now in the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Of course, I stand in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 88.

This amendment seeks to enshrine, and it does seek to enshrine, discrimination into our Constitution. As an African American woman, and as a person of faith, there is no way that I can support discriminating against anybody. The history of our Nation has been a long process of bringing people of different backgrounds together.

This amendment would take everything that this Nation stands for as a beacon of hope, a land of opportunity, and a tolerant, democratic society and turn it all on its head. Government should not be in the business of discriminating against its people, pure and simple. Government should not get into the personal lives of individuals.

We must reject this, and it is a hateful and discriminatory amendment. It takes an extraordinary step that previous amendments have not taken. It bars States from granting pretty much any legal partnership such as civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Congress is supposed to work to promote a better life for all Americans. That means improving our Nation's education system, working to provide health care for the 47 million uninsured, ensuring that people have a roof over their heads.

We must see this amendment for what it is. It is clearly election- year pandering. It is an attempt to create a diversion from the real issues that this Congress should be dealing with.

This is clear election year pandering. This is simply an attempt to create a diversion from the real issues this Congress should be dealing with.

It's also an amendment once again enshrouded in an attempt to cloud the public's image of same-gender couples. They want to fill everyone's head with images of gay couples marching into churches and demanding marriage equality. This has nothing, nothing at all to do with churches and marriage.

The Republican Leadership wants to rile up the religious right with the idea that this has to do with an attempt to force religious institutions to sanctify same-sex couples.

Same-sex couples merely want the same rights that many take for granted; hospital visitation rights, health care benefits, inheritance rights, and joint tax-filing. These all come with civil ceremonies, through a license granted by a local county or city, not through an order signed by a church or any religious institution. We must make clear, this is about equal rights.

I urge my colleagues, and the public, to see this amendment for what it is really for. A mere political diversion tactic and an attempt to write hate into the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and work of Ruth Villia Jones of Oakland, California. Known to most simply as Mother Ruth, she has been a leader, an activist, and an icon in the Oakland community for decades, providing care and guidance to countless others throughout her life, and on July 16, 2006, the friends and family of Mother Ruth will gather to celebrate this remarkable woman's 100th birthday.

Mother Ruth was born July 12, 1906 in Louisiana, soon after the great quake of San Francisco. She grew up during a time of extreme social and racial segregation, and learned about racial and gender discrimination from her family's experiences. These experiences shaped her resolve to challenge the status quo and begin her quest for social and human rights in the 1930s and as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II in the 1940s.

Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Mother Ruth combined her deep spiritual commitment with her desire for social justice, becoming active in the civil rights movement and fighting to end racial discrimination in our country. She marched and worked with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, and the Reverend Cecil Williams. In the 1960s and 1970s Mother Ruth supported the work of a young group of African American activists, known as the Black Panthers, by joining them on picket lines, in the Free Breakfast Programs and Schools, eventually earning her the esteemed honor of ``Mother'' to these young men.

As ``Mother Ruth,'' through her vision and activism, she has mentored and enriched the lives of many local leaders, such as Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson, Congressman Ron Dellums, and myself when I was becoming politically active in the 1970s. Working with her helped to instill in me not only a deep sense of community, but also a fundamental commitment to fighting for social equity and social justice throughout my life. She has been a mentor and a friend to me throughout most of my life, and I am deeply thankful to her for sharing with me her wisdom, her compassion, and her support.

Throughout the Bay Area, Mother Ruth is also known for helping to start the meals program at Glide Memorial Church, which continues to this day. In the 1980s and 1990s Ruth Villia Jones turned her energy and expertise to professional organizations, such as the Glide Foundation, the California Legislative Council for Older Americans, the Alameda County Advisory Commission on Aging, the Black Women Organized for Political Action, the Black Women Organized for Educational Development, the National Black Women's Resource Center, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs to name a few. Through her various

roles in these organizations, Mother Ruth has continued the fight for social justice and equality on numerous fronts, and inspired countless new leaders along the way.

Mother Ruth Villia Jones has been awarded recognition and praise for her activism on many occasions, including being named one of the 2003 Eternal Voices of the Oakland African Museum, the 1984 Ella Hill Hutch Award, the 1980 Glide Community Award, and many others.

Mother Ruth Villia Jones has been a loving sister, mother, wife, a proud grandmother and great grandmother, a friend to many and a ``Mother'' to us all. On this very special occasion, Oakland and the entire Bay Area community comes together to celebrate Mother Ruth Villia Jones' 100th birthday and honor her for a lifetime of pursuing peace and fighting for social justice. I am honored to add my voice, on behalf of California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, all those gathered here today to thank and salute Mother Ruth for her immeasurable contributions to her community, our country, and our world.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank Mr. Conyers for his leadership and for yielding and also to Chairman Sensenbrenner and to Congressman Watt, our chair of the Black Caucus, for your leadership in ensuring that the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act did not become a Democratic or a Republican issue but an American issue.

The right to vote is the heart and soul of our democracy, and I vividly remember the days of Jim Crow and segregation, the poll tax, the humiliation and degradation of African Americans not so long ago.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed just 1 year after I graduated from high school, and while much progress has been made, voter suppression and voter intimidation continues.

There is no way I would be standing here on this floor as a Member of Congress had it not been for the bloodshed and the sacrifices and the deaths of so many, including our own great warrior, Congressman John Lewis, in fighting for the right of all Americans to vote.

So, in the spirit and memory of Fannie Lou Hamer and Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, let us pass this bipartisan legislation without any amendments so that America can be true to its ideal of liberty and justice for all.

Today, let us let the world know that we do practice what we preach and that we stand for democracy here at home. And I want to thank Congressmen Conyers, Watt and Sensenbrenner again for making this an American issue.

Mr. Speaker, it is really with a deep sense of gratitude to Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King and our great warrior, Congressman John Lewis, that I rise in support of the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.

There is no way that I would be standing on this floor today as a Member of Congress had it not been for the bloodshed and the sacrifices and oftentimes the deaths of so many fighting for all Americans for their right to vote.

And I vividly remember the days of Jim Crow and segregation and the insidious poll tax growing up in Texas. The humiliation and the discrimination and the degradation of African Americans will always be a scar on America's history.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed just 1 year after I graduated from high school. And unfortunately, we still need to renew these expiring provisions, and we shouldn't weaken any of the protections in this legislation.

We still witness voter intimidation and voter suppression in our country. But I am reminded of the tremendous progress and the march to freedom and equality, but also of the unfinished business of America during the very powerful civil rights pilgrimages that some of us go on to Selma and to Birmingham and to Montgomery, Alabama. In memory of all of those who paid the supreme price for our democracy, let us pass this bill today and let's pass it on a bipartisan basis.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, July 10, 2006, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 358 and 359. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 2563 and H.R. 5061.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jeffrey D. Thomas of Oakland, California for his extraordinary service to California's 9th U.S. Congressional District. Following his work in the areas of politics, finance, and community development, Jeffrey served as the District Director in my Oakland District Office from January 2004 until June 2006. During that time, Jeffrey played an integral role as a leading member of my staff, and his enthusiasm for public service has brought a heightened sense of purpose to my office.

Jeffrey was born in Mississippi in 1963, in the midst of the social and political upheaval that marked life in the American South during the Civil Rights Movement. The son of a minister and a teacher, at an early age Jeffrey developed a keen awareness of the social conditions affecting his family and his community, and of the struggles faced by African Americans in the fight for civil rights. He recounts as a formative moment in his childhood the occasion when he saw one of my personal and professional mentors, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, on television for the first time, a moment that was so significant for him not only because of how inspired he was by her speech, but because of his amazement at the sight of another African American on television, which was a rare occurrence at the time.

Another part of his background that would shape his life in the years ahead was his involvement in the Head Start Program, a comprehensive childcare and development initiative for children in low-income families, funded by federal grants and matching money from local entities in communities across the country. Not only was Jeffrey a Head Start child himself, but his parents both worked with the program for a number of years while he was growing up. Furthermore, this program has remained a part of his life until the present, as he has gone on to represent my office on the local Head Start advisory board in Oakland.

After growing up in Mississippi, Nebraska, and Alabama, Jeffrey moved to Massachusetts, where he attended Brandeis University. Following his graduation, he began working in real estate, but was soon drawn to government and public service, accepting a job in the office of Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, a position in which he worked on international finance, economic development and constituent services. Following his time there, he continued his work in the financial sector, serving as part of the Mortgage Bankers' Association, William Morris, and as a bank Vice President. After relocating to California to work with a startup software company, Jeffrey became increasingly involved in community development initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving on entities such as the Alameda Point Collaborative and the boards of local non-profit organizations.

Jeffrey became the District Director in my Oakland District Office in January 2004, and did an excellent job of bringing his experience in Senator Kennedy's office as well as in the areas of finance, media, project management and staff management to bear on his service to the 9th Congressional District. Under his leadership an exceptional staff has been developed, and numerous initiatives in the areas of crime prevention, economic development, affordable housing, environmental protection, and poverty eradication have been introduced and successfully executed by my office. Of particular note has been his leadership on the Criminal Records Remedies program in my district, through which more than 2,000 non-violent criminal records have been dismissed in only 12 months, allowing thousands of formerly incarcerated individuals the opportunity to obtain employment, housing, and the chance to successfully complete their reentry into society.

Jeffrey's service has been distinguished not only by his exceptional work ethic, but also his commitment to the people of California's 9th U.S. Congressional District. Today, Jeffrey's colleagues, friends, and wife Rachel will come together to celebrate his innumerable contributions to our community. On this very special day, I join all of them in thanking and saluting Jeffrey Thomas for his invaluable service to California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, and to wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter of his ``spirit filled'' life.

Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for your clarity about what it really means to be energy independent. Talk about beating a dead horse. Instead of getting tough with the administration's oil and gas cronies, Republicans once again want to reward them with even more public giveaways.

First it was ANWR, now the Outer Continental Shelf. Republicans would put an oil well on the White House lawn if they could get away with it. Instead of trotting out the same tired arguments about how the government is oppressing the oil and the gas industry by restricting their right to drill, we need a real energy plan that is good for the public, good for business and good for the environment.

Democrats know we can't drill our way to energy independence. We know that providing energy efficiency incentives will help United States businesses compete long term in the global marketplace. We know that raising CAFE standards will save more energy over the next 20 years than new drilling will produce, and we know that making a profit is not really a license to gouge customers. We have a real plan. Unfortunately, Republicans only promise more of the same.

I oppose the rule; I oppose the bill.

Mr. Speaker, in one week House Republicans have shown where their priorities lie, who they are willing to help, and who really gets left behind.

I am sure the American people are not shocked to hear that Republicans once again sided with the wealthiest in our Nation when they repealed the estate tax last week. Meantime, Republicans refused to join Democrats in providing nearly 7 million Americans a pay raise.

It is truly mind-boggling that House Republicans continue to believe that minimum-wage workers can still get by on $5.15 an hour. Don't they know if you take inflation into account the minimum wage is at its lowest level in 50 years? Don't Republicans know this is the second- longest amount of time minimum-wage workers have gone without a pay raise? Don't they know that nearly three-fourths of minimum-wage workers are not just taking care of themselves but also a family?

Mr. Speaker, this is totally immoral. In this great Nation it is unbelievable that nearly 7 million people must struggle to this extent to make ends meet. It is only fair we give these workers a raise.

Democrats are not giving up, and we will continue to fight to give these workers their first pay raise in 9 years. It is only fair.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today to engage in a colloquy with the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Wolf. I understand and know quite frankly that the chairman has been a long-time advocate of public diplomacy and democracy through educational and cultural exchanges, and I would like to express my very strong support of his work. I truly appreciate his willingness to highlight these issues today of mutual concern.

So, Mr. Chairman, I come to the floor today to raise an issue that is important for our hemispheric foreign policy. For quite a few years, many in this body have stressed the importance of improving relations with Latin America and the Caribbean by strengthening educational exchange initiatives.

Many American students who spend time studying abroad are among our Nation's greatest assets, and this is especially true with regards to our hemispheric neighbors.

Many elected leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean spent some time studying here in the United States. They applied the skills and the values that they learned in the United States upon returning to their home countries.

For instance, in the wake of recent natural disasters, many Caribbean leaders who studied here were able to draw on their experience and networks of contacts when facing challenges.

The need for strengthening the human capital and democratic values is ever pressing as natural disasters, perhaps among the most severe destabilizing force, constantly wreak havoc on the region.

Hurricanes, floods, landslides, earthquakes are becoming more frequent. It takes years and sometimes decades to recover, and I know that we can all personally attest to how a natural disaster shakes a nation's foundation to its very core.

Educational exchange opportunities are an investment with the greatest return. By developing human capital, we are securing our hemisphere by planting the seeds of democracy and success.

Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will further yield, I want to thank the gentleman for his attention to this issue and so many issues that are important to our country. I look forward to working together in standing up for democracy and improving relations with our hemispheric neighbors.

I want to thank you again, and I want to thank you for yielding me the time.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for, once again, his leadership on this important issue.

Taxpayers dollars quite frankly should not be spent on sending seriously or terminally ill patients to jail. Their doctors, not Congress, should decide which drugs will work best. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment and ensure patients' rights because that is what this is about, that patients' rights are upheld.

This amendment does not encourage nor does it make legal the recreational use of marijuana. For example, Angel Raich, my constituent from Oakland, has been diagnosed with more than ten serious medical conditions, including inoperable brain tumors. She, and others who use medical marijuana, are simply trying to relieve their crushing pain while following the guidelines and the laws that their doctors and that their States have already established.

So please pass this amendment. Patients deserve this. We should not send terminally ill patients or seriously ill patients to jail.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the gentleman for yielding.

I also want to acknowledge the leadership of the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) and the work of his staff, Zahava Goldman, and Jamila Thompson on my staff for their tireless advocacy for access to affordable medicines for all people.

I am delighted this amendment has been accepted tonight because it is a very important policy that we must have. It is not really an extraordinary request.

Basically, we just are asking that what has been required in the past, public health officials, that they actually be appointed to these committees. Unfortunately, 7 months later, neither the USTR nor the Department of Commerce has provided a name or a plan or even a timeline to begin these appointments.

Now, with these very aggressive bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations continuing, we cannot afford to wait.

So this is a very important step in the right direction, and I thank both sides for accepting this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, June 19, 2006 I missed rollcall votes Nos. 289, 290, and 291. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 5540, H.R. 5504, and H. Res. 826.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I introduced the African Development Foundation Act of 2006.

This legislation re-authorizes the African Development Foundation (ADF) and reaffirms the great work it does in Africa for entrepreneurs, small businesses and micro/credit community programs.

For more than 20 years, the African Development Foundation has been a powerful example of both the compassion and the innovation of the American people as it has helped the poor across Africa.

The Foundation is a unique and highly effective program. It is the only United States Government agency working directly at the grassroots, supporting African-designed and African-driven solutions to economic and social problems.

The ADF enables individuals and groups to get out of poverty by putting their own ideas to work, not someone else's.

In 2005, ADF's investments across Africa created more than 110,000 jobs for poor Africans, generated $70 million in gross revenues for enterprises, and almost 65 percent of micro and small entrepreneurs assisted by ADF were women.

ADF is demonstrating that African entrepreneurs and farmers can compete in the global marketplace. It is helping them improve quality to meet international standards and to increase quantity to meet demand.

ADF-assisted groups had $35 million in export sales in 2005. For example thousands of poor, small farmers in Uganda have been taught how to grow vanilla. Moreover, they are getting significant value-added by curing and grading it for the international market, where it competes favorably with Madagascar and other producers.

In Tanzania, ADF is helping several thousand small sugar cane producers improve their income. Mtibwa Sugar has increased its gross export revenues by 423 percent over the past 3 years, from US$1.188 million during FY 2002 to US$5.034 million in FY 2005. In the Ruembe Outgrowers Association, sugar cane yields per hectare are up 30 percent and cumulative export sales stand at US$4.7 million.

The number of participating cane farmers has increased by 50 percent since project inception and the income of the 1,440 growers has almost doubled as a consequence of ADF's investment.

The Foundation's community enterprise investments are supporting grassroots solutions to local problems and empowering communities to take control of their own development.

For example, over the past several years, ADF has empowered rural communities in Guinea to plan and undertake the construction of scores of health clinics, primary schools and wells.

In Jigawa State, in northern Nigeria, ADF supported community construction of 400 low cost homes for families who had lost their traditional structures in floods.

Mr. Speaker, I am personally impressed and inspired by the African Development Foundation's work with those living with HIV/AIDS.

For example:

In Swaziland, where almost 40 percent of adults are infected with the AIDS virus, ADF is improving nutrition and providing income-generating opportunities for widows and orphans affected by helping them produce and market vegetables.

In Ghana, ADF funded the training of almost 1,500 youth who conducted peer counseling on HIV/AIDS to more than 200,000 young people.

In Plateau State, Nigeria, ADF funded a pilot program to adapt and extend a faith-based life skills training program in the public secondary schools. About 500 teachers were trained in the new curriculum and more than 25,000 students received year-long training.

In Tanzania, ADF has experimented with supporting schemes that extend micro-credit to people living with HIV/AIDS and enabling them to start informal businesses and undertake income-generating activities.

Mr. Speaker, there is a very high demand for the African Development Foundation to expand their work. A dozen African governments and two private corporations are actually matching the U.S. Government's funding, dollar-for-dollar, for ADF to undertake projects in their countries. Demand for its services greatly exceeds resources. Currently, ADF has a total of $22.0 million in annual cash commitments and specific requests.

Newly elected President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has requested USADF to help in rebuilding Liberia and restoring hope through creating small businesses and community enterprises that can provide meaningful jobs to ex-combatants, women and youth.

Additionally, the Governments of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also requested USADF to assist in their post-crisis transition and development. Also, the Government of Burkina Faso has requested ADF assistance in community and enterprise development and is committed to matching USG funding with funds from the Islamic Development Bank.

Mr. Speaker, the work of the African Development Foundation is a powerful example of the goodwill of the American people, and it is one of the most effective foreign assistance programs we have.

I ask that my colleagues join me in supporting their efforts and co- sponsor the African Development Foundation Act of 2006.