Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1973, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

I want to congratulate my colleague, Mr. Blumenauer for bringing this bill to the floor today, and I want to thank Chairman Hyde and the Ranking Member for their support of this important legislation

Mr. Speaker, it is a sad fact that here in the United States many of us take clean, plentiful water for granted. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, we use on average about 90 gallons of water per person per day. We expect it to be immediately available for us to drink, to cook with, to shower, to wash our cars, to water our lawns, to fill our swimming pools, and to flush our toilets. Most of this water is needlessly wasted, and we must do more to reduce our usage. But for most people in the developing world, clean water is a precious commodity not to be wasted.

In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, the average person uses 3-5 gallons of water per day. That's why this bill is so important.

As a co-sponsor of H.R. 1973, I am a strong believer in providing clean water and sanitation systems for developing countries to protect public health and reduce the spread of water borne diseases.

According to a recent report by the United Nation's Children's Fund and the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people worldwide still lack safe water and 2.6 billion have no sanitation. In Africa, only 58 percent of Africans live within 30 minutes walk of an improved water source and only 36 percent have access to a basic toilet.

In rural Africa, 19 percent of women spend more than one hour on each trip to fetch water, a back breaking and exhausting chore that often puts them at risk of abduction or rape, and robs them of other opportunities to work and learn.

Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits play a major role in Africa's high child mortality rate. Each year, diarrhea kills over 700,000 children throughout the continent, and contributes to the problem of chronic malnutrition. Access to clean water is literally a life or death issue for many Africans.

By passing this bill today, we can take a significant step forward to improve access to clean water throughout Africa and the developing world. I want to again thank Mr. Blumenauer for his work on this bill, and for working with me to ensure that we receive appropriate reporting on the balance of funding going to urban, rural, and peri-urban communities.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and send it to the other body for its swift approval.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time and Chairman Kolbe for his leadership. I want to thank both my colleagues for working each and every year to create a bipartisan bill that I think is worthy of our support.

I also would like to thank our staffs for working diligently and for their commitment to the issues which are in this bill, and especially I would like to thank Aysha and Christos on my staff who have worked tirelessly on these amendments.

I am very pleased that the Lee amendment to ban the sale and transfer of excess weapons for use by the Haitian National Police and the State Department accountability report of the police involvement in criminal activity were included in this bill. Specifically, my amendment prohibits all arms transfers and sales by the State Department for use by the Haitian National Police and requires an investigation into implications of senior and rank-and-file members in corruption, kidnappings, and narcotics trafficking, as documented by the State Department's International Narcotics Control Strategy reports.

Additionally, not later than 60 days after the enactment, the State Department will report to Congress their findings on the investigations into police abuse, including whether any United States-supplied or - provided weapons or ammunition were used during massacres perpetrated by the Haitian National Police. Now, I expect these restrictions would apply to any money designated for Haiti, including the funding in the Foreign Military Financing Program, the International Military Education and Training, and the International Narcotic Control and Law Enforcement programs.

This amendment is very necessary in the effort to restore democracy in Haiti. Haiti desperately needs humanitarian assistance; however, nonhumanitarian assistance, like weapons and arms, only exacerbates Haiti's

struggle with violence and criminal activity within the Haitian National Police Force and throughout the population.

Mr. Speaker, disarmament is impossible if we are complicit in sending arms to the country. With crime uncontrollable, human rights a distant goal, and elections on the horizon, it is unconscionable that the United States would support the sale and free transfer of arms. That is why I am pleased that the Foreign Ops conferees agreed to limiting the transfer and sale of U.S.-based arms to Haiti. It is necessary to help the curbing of growing violence and to support an environment for peaceful and free elections.

I also appreciate the efforts by Chairman Kolbe and Ranking Member Lowey to get $2.82 billion in this bill for our global HIV and AIDS programs, including $450 million for the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. While I believe, like many, that this number could be and should have been at least $150 million higher to match the Senate funding level, $2.8 billion is a step in the right direction.

Finally, I would like to say that I think our overall foreign aid budget should be significantly increased to alleviate poverty throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, the priorities set forth in a budget directly speak to what we value as a Nation. It is a statement about our sense of morality and about our priorities.

What values are represented in giving away our public lands and coastal areas to oil companies that are making record profits at consumers' expense?

What does $10 billion in Medicaid cuts to health services for poor children and long-term care patients, and increasing the cost of prescription drugs, what does that say about our values?

What about $844 million in food stamp cuts that eliminate nutrition and school lunch programs and breakfast benefits for hundreds of thousands of families and children?

How about $14 billion in cuts to student aid programs, including raising the cost of college for students and their families through increased interest rates and fees?

What about eliminating $470 million of Federal housing rehab grants to make rental units available to low-income families, which could include families displaced by Hurricane Katrina?

Let me tell my colleagues, these cuts are really going to pay for the $106 billion additional tax cuts for the wealthy this year and will still leave an enormous deficit. What does this say about our values? You cannot tell me that we cannot do better than this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Democratic motion to instruct conferees to accept the Senate's funding level for our global HIV/AIDS appropriations.

I want to thank my colleague, the ranking member, Ms. Lowey for offering this motion, and I want to thank the chairman, Mr. Kolbe for accepting it. Both of them have worked in a bipartisan spirit to increase funding for our global AIDS programs above what the President requested, and they should be commended for their leadership.

Earlier this month I sent a letter to Mr. Kolbe and Ms. Lowey, along with 55 other Members of Congress, asking that they take this very action today and approve the Senate's funding level of $2.97 billion for global HIV/AIDS in the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill--$500 million of which would go towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

By adopting the Senate's higher level of funding, we are again asserting United States leadership in fighting this devastating disease.

But let us be clear, much more still needs to be done.

The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, estimates that approximately 39.4 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV/AIDS, including about 2.2 million children under the age of 15. Since the first cases were identified in 1981, over 20 million people worldwide have died from AIDS.

While the United States is poised to provide about $3.6 billion to combat the disease this year, UNAIDS estimates that more than $15 billion is necessary to fight the disease this year alone. Next year that number is closer to $20 billion.

We know that the United States cannot fight this disease on its own. But we have a moral duty to at least contribute our fair share of funding to prevent the rapid spread of this disease and save the lives of millions of people around the world.

Although we may argue about money, we must not forget about those who are most vulnerable to this disease, the women and children throughout the developing world whose basic rights are frequently trampled upon.

I'm proud to say that over the last 2 weeks, Congress has taken an important step forward in trying to protect the rights of children who are affected by HIV/AIDS by passing my bill, H.R. 1409, the Assistance for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005.

I hope that the President will sign this legislation quickly and ensure a robust U.S. Government response to the needs of these children.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I voted in favor of H. Res. 523, a resolution condemning the hateful statements of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadineja on October 26, 2005 against Israel.

Mr. Speaker, these statements are not only outrageous, but must be denounced in the strongest possible terms.

Such inflammatory vitriol only contributes to destabilizing the Middle East. That's why, Mr. Speaker, we must redouble our efforts for the cause of peace in the region and work with all our international partners, including multilateral institutions, to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

In supporting the Resolution and voting to condemn these statements today, I do so knowing that the Resolution is not intended to provide legal justification, nor may it be cited in support, for pre-emptive military action against Iran.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Dorothy Marion Pete of Oakland, California. Dorothy was a beloved mother, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, and leader in our community. She passed away on October 10, 2005 at her home in Oakland at the age of 91.

A longtime East Bay Area resident, Dorothy was known throughout her life for her devotion to her family, her church, and her community. She was born in Berkeley, California on February 28, 1914 as the ninth of thirteen children to Virginia (Jennie) Parker and Thomas Reid, Sr. After graduating from Berkeley High School, she worked as the office secretary at the then segregated West Oakland Linden Street Branch of the YWCA. She later integrated the downtown Oakland YWCA, serving first as a stenographer before becoming the administrative assistant to Executive Director Helen Grant.

In addition to the changes she affected at the local YWCA, Dorothy had an immense impact on the local faith community by integrating the staff of the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland. An active member, Dorothy also taught Sunday school and served as president of the American Baptist Women's Group.

Dorothy's bright and giving spirit shaped her actions not only in the context of these institutions, but in every aspect of her life. She was known by all for her boundless generosity toward those who were close to her and also toward those she was meeting for the first time. Dorothy was especially committed to providing aid and comfort to those in need, initiating many food drives at her church and giving away blankets, quilts and dolls that she created by hand or with her sewing machine.

A bright light to many, Dorothy's role was especially profound in the lives of her loved ones. She was happily married for many years to her husband Herman Rideau Pete, who hailed originally from Crowley, Louisiana but spent most of his life in the Bay Area. Though sadly Herman preceded her in death, he and Dorothy spent many happy years together and raised three sons, Gregory, Dennis, and Geoffrey, who is a business owner and community activist in Oakland. Her guidance and unconditional support has given them the strength they have needed to confront and conquer life's challenges, and will continue to sustain them as they, along with their families, continue to celebrate her life in the years to come.

Dorothy's family and friends have come together during this time to honor, remember and cherish not only her life, but the way that she touched the lives of so many others. On behalf of the California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, I am proud to add my voice to the countless others who have united in thanks, appreciation, and joy to remember this very special woman and wonderful friend, Mrs. Dorothy Marion Pete.

Madam Speaker, sadly, 2,000 American troops have now died in Iraq due to a war based on fabrications of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Two years have passed since the Bush White House breached national security by leaking a covert CIA agent's name to reporters to smear a former ambassador who questioned their misleading case for war. Why has President Bush not acted on this reprehensible act?

Anyone who follows the news now knows that the White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is implicated in leaking Valerie Plame's identity to Time reporter Matthew Cooper. We also know that it was the Vice President's Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, at the heart of charges leaking Plame's identity to New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

Two years ago the White House press secretary told reporters, ``If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration.'' But that was before it was clear that Karl Rove was indeed involved. President Bush now says staffers will only be fired if they committed a crime.

Talk about lowering the bar. The Bush administration was right at first when it said that anyone involved in this serious breach of our national security would be handed their walking papers.

The stonewalling and the coverup of the White House must finally come to an end. Our country must do better. The world is watching.

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

I want to thank Chairman Oxley and Ranking Member Frank for their leadership and their really tireless efforts on this bipartisan bill that we reported out of committee. It is really tragic that it has unraveled and that the spirit of bipartisanship has been totally eroded.

Sadly, Mr. Chairman, the bill that I supported, like all of us supported,

coming out of the committee, a product that struck a fair balance, a fair balance between regulatory oversight and the GSEs' housing mission and goals, would be turned on its head and gutted by the undemocratic provisions of the manager's amendment that would be offered today.

It is rare that this House considers housing bills, given our enormous housing crisis in our country. It is shameful, especially given those left homeless by Katrina, that our bipartisan efforts to support increased home ownership and wealth building through the creation of an affordable housing trust fund have fallen victim to the rights wing's ongoing assault on democracy and programs designed to help the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the communities of color, and our underserved community.

Mr. Chairman, once again we have found ourselves in a situation where some of the Republicans giveth, and then they taketh away. They give us a vote on a housing bill, but then they ensure that it will be undercut by an extremist provision inserted into the manager's amendment at the bidding of right-wing ideologues. Then, just to ensure that these provisions prevail, the Republicans deny a fair vote on the Frank amendment to strike it.

The nonprofit gag provision is not only extreme and undemocratic, it is possibly unconstitutional. It would gag nonpartisan speech and civic engagement and participation in our most fundamental of democratic activities.

Let us be clear about the exact consequences of this outrageous gag provision. It prohibits nonprofits that build affordable housing from engaging in nonpartisan voter registration. It prohibits nonprofits from engaging in nonpartisan get-out-to-vote efforts. It prohibits nonprofits from engaging in nonpartisan election activities period.

What does that mean? For example, it means a preacher whose church received affordable housing funds would be prohibited from calling on his parishioners to vote or even identify voting locations. It means that residents of a building constructed with affordable housing funds will not be able to host a debate or an election watch party if their housing units are affiliated with the supportive housing program.

These measures are unconscionable. They hurt the very people we are trying to help, the poor, the low-income communities, the elderly, the disabled and our underserved communities.

Mr. Chairman, it is a testament to just how far right this House has tilted that the gentleman from Massachusetts and Democrats have been denied a fair vote. That is all we ask for is a fair vote on this critical issue that goes to the core of our democracy and has such dire consequences for our communities. This is un-American. It is shameful. And I am left with no choice but to reject the extreme provisions of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for his leadership in organizing this tribute to a great leader, Mrs. Rosa Parks. My heart goes out to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) in his personal loss. He is truly a remarkable human being, and I know that his memories and the love Mrs. Parks had for the gentleman will sustain him during this very difficult time.

My deepest condolences and prayers are with Mrs. Parks's family and her friends tonight as we lift her up, lift up her great spirit on this House floor on this very somber occasion.

Mrs. Parks passing away on Monday evening jolted the world. A giant has gone home. This has been a very difficult year full of losses. Rosa Parks joins other great African American heroes who recently passed away: Shirley Chisholm, Judge Constance Baker Motley, and C. Dolores Tucker, to name a few, all who faced opposition, stood their ground and sacrificed so much for freedom and for justice.

Mrs. Parks's simple nonviolent act 50 years ago to refuse to give up her seat on a bus changed the course of America. The mother of the modern civil rights movement, Mrs. Parks shattered the walls of legal segregation and opened the doors of opportunities for many, including myself. And, yes, I remember those days of the colored only faucets and not being able to go to the theaters and on the train only being able to ride in one car and not being able to attend public schools. I remember those days very vividly.

Let me say this act of defiance and dissent by Mrs. Parks, it toppled Jim Crow. Her life was recognized just this past September when the House, led by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), and I must remind us, we unanimously passed a resolution in recognition of her legacy, H. Con. Res. 208.

A recipient of this Nation's highest honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, Rosa Parks stood tall by sitting down. She quietly and peacefully challenged the status quo. She took on, though, the entire government, and she took down its shameful system of segregation.

Personally I was so inspired by Mrs. Parks in some of the most difficult moments in my career. In fact, just 2 years ago Mrs. Parks wrote me a personal reminder, and I read that letter again last night. And in her letter to me she said, Never think that you are alone when you stand for right, because God is with you. I cannot even explain what that meant and means to me.

Rosa Parks's quiet strength, as her 1994 book is titled, shattered the walls of legal segregation. And I had the privilege to be with her on many occasions in Los Angeles and in Oakland and in Sacramento, California, and I was in awe of this great woman, and I could not help but notice her love for children and her commitment to education.

She was a humble woman, yet a giant of a human being who loved her country and insisted that it live up to its creed of liberty and justice for all. Three thousand miles away and 50 years later, my constituents in the East Bay of California still honor Mrs. Parks's legacy. Students enrolled at the Rosa Parks Environmental Science Magnet School in Berkeley are reminded every day of her example by the painting of Mrs. Parks in the front seat of a bus that hangs above the door to the campus's main office. Their school anthem thanks Mrs. Parks for her role in bringing segregation to its knees.

She also inspired my constituents to create the Martin Luther King, Jr., Freedom Center, on which I serve as a founding board member. The MLK Freedom Center teaches social justice, equality and nonviolence in our community, especially with its outreach efforts to our youth. In fact, the young people from the center participated in the 40th anniversary of the historic civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, where they visited the bus stop where Rosa Parks protested and dared not to get up, and also the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Dr. King preached.

It is an important historical reminder of where we have been, just what Rosa Parks really did for us and for the country. It is a reminder of how far we have come, but also it reminds us of how far we have to go, as we have been recently reminded by Hurricane Katrina.

Daphne Muse, the director of the Women's Leadership Institute at my alma mater, Mills College in Oakland, wrote an essay entitled ``Our Week With Rosa Parks--Her Presence is a Gift that Remains Part of our Hearts and Home.'' And in this essay she wrote about Mrs. Parks's visit to Oakland, California, and she said, In the course of preparing for Mrs. Parks's visit, she noted to members of the committee that hotels just did not suit her spirit, and she preferred the tradition extended through southern hospitality of putting people up in your home. She then asked if I would mind if she could be our guest during her week- long stay in Oakland. She made only one request of me, and that is that we keep her presence a secret. She and her longtime friend Elaine Steele were eager to be in a place where they could relax, listen to music, and eat great food without being disturbed.

Daphne Muse goes on to say, Although we had never even met, when Rosa Parks walked through our front door, she instantly became family.

Mr. Speaker, tonight as we remember this dignified, courageous and remarkable woman, let us honor her life and her legacy by standing up for what is right, for embracing peace and nonviolence as an effective tool in our work as public servants. And let us keep her family and her friends in our prayers and in our hearts and in our souls.

Thank you, Rosa Parks. May you finally now rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, the full text of that essay is as follows:

Our Week With Rosa Parks: Her Presence Is a Gift That Remains Part of

Our Heart and Home

(By Daphne Muse)

Everyday, history is made by people whose names remain

unknown as well as those who become eternal icons. In May of

1980, a woman who forever changed our country spent a week in

our home. The East Bay Area Friends of Highlander Research

and Education Center joined with founder Myles Horton to

honor two of the Civil Rights Movements most courageous

pioneers: Rosa Parks and Septima Clark. Clark broke ground as

a pioneering force in citizenship training and voter

education. The two women met at Highlander in 1955, a place

where my own mother-in-law Margaret Landes was trained during

the 1930s.

Founded in 1932, Highlander is a civil rights training

school located on a 104-acre farm atop Bays Mountain, near

New Market, Tennessee. Over the course of its history,

Highlander has played important roles in many major political

movements, including the Southern labor movements of the

1930s, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1940s-60s, and the

Appalachian people's movements of the 1970s-80s. Through

books in our home library, her teachers and my own work as a

writer, Anyania knew about the role Ms. Parks played in

changing the course of history.

Like millions of other African Americans, Mrs. Parks was

tired of the racism, segregation and Jim Crow laws of the

times. Through her commitment to freedom and training at

Highlander Research and Education Center, her refusal to move

to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1,

1955, spawned a movement. Parks took a seat in the section of

a Montgomery city bus designated for whites. She was

arrested, tried and fined for violating a city ordinance.

Mrs. Parks, a seamstress, often had run-ins with bus drivers

and had been evicted from buses. Getting on the front of the

bus to pay her fare and then getting off going to the back

door was so humiliating. There were times the driver simply

would shut the door and drive off. Her very conscious

decision turned into an economically crippling, politically

dynamic boycott and ended legal segregation in America. A

three hundred and eighty two day bus boycott followed her

morally correct and courageous act.

In the course of preparing for Ms. Parks' visit, she noted

to members of the committee that hotels just didn't suit her

spirit and she preferred the tradition extended through

southern hospitality of putting people up in your home. She

then asked if I would mind if she could be our guest during

her week long stay in Oakland. She made only one request of

us: that we keep her presence a secret. She and her long time

friend Elaine Steele were eager to be in a place where

they could relax, listen to music and eat great food

without being disturbed. The disturbed part was my

greatest concern for between the bullet blasting drug wars

and the press, I was concerned about how to maintain that

part of the agreement.

Our modest home in the Fruitvale community of Oakland,

California had served as a cultural center and refuge to many

writers, filmmakers, artists and activists including S1weet

Honey in the Rock, novelist Alice Walker and poet Gwendolyn

Brooks. Although we'd never even met, when Rosa Parks walked

through our front door, she instantly became family. She and

Anyania melted into one another's arms like a grandmother

seeing her grandchild for the first time. One morning as

Anyania was about to take off for school, the button on her

dress popped off. It was a jumper filled with multicultural

images of ,I children my mother had made Anya. Ms. Parks

asked if I had a sewing box, II threaded the needle and sewed

the button back on. My spirit spilled over and I just burst

into tears.

Anyania was so good at keeping the secret. I, on the other

hand, wanted to blurt out to my family, friends and students

at Mills College ``Guess who's sleeping in my bed? A few

months ago, a former neighbor came by to pay a visit and

started set searching the scores of photographs hanging on

the walls in our living room. She stopped, turned around and

blurted out, ''No that isn't.'' I instantly knew the

photograph to which she was referring. Along with pictures of

Fannie Lou Hamer, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Jim Forman hangs

a very precious photograph of Rosa Parks surrounded by my

then seven-year-old daughter and her playmate Kai Beard.

Dottie was simply undone that in all the years she'd come

into our home, she like so many others simply thought the

woman sitting next to Anyania was her grandmother. A few

weeks after she returned to Detroit, Ms. Parks sent Anyania

an exquisite portrait of her painted by Paul Collins. That

portrait now hangs in Anya's home in Brentwood, California

where my grandchildren Maelia and Elijah live, read and play

everyday.

Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development.

January 15, 2003.

Hon. Barbara Lee,

U.S. Congress,

Washington, DC.

Dear Congresswoman Lee: Never think you are alone when you

stand for right because GOD is with you. We are very proud of

you. It makes us feel good that you are a Congressional

Member.

Love, Peace and Prosperity,

Rosa Parks.

Mr. Speaker, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a lead organization in providing pediatric care and treatment to children with HIV. In mid-September, the Foundation held a briefing on this important issue, and brought to the halls of Congress a brave HIV- positive 12-year-old girl from Uganda named Josephine Nabukenya, who presented testimony and a poem on HIV that was extremely moving and brought the audience to a stand-still.

This young girl has lost siblings to HIV and almost lost her mother as well. Thanks to appropriate care and lifesaving medications, she and her family are healthy and remain together. Josephine not only represents a story of hope that comes with the availability of care and treatment, but as the president of a group called the Young Positive Generation, she is spreading hope and knowledge to her peers and their families. I would like to insert into the Record her testimony.

Josephine Nabukenya, Kampala, Uganda Congressional Briefing on

Pediatric Treatment, Monday, September 12, 2005

My name is Josephine Nabukenya, I am 12 years old and I go

to school at Kasubi Church of Uganda. I was born HIV positive

and got the disease from my mother, who also suffers from

HIV/AIDS. Luckily, my HIV does not limit what I do very much,

and I still go to school. I am not on any medicines right

now, but I do go for regular examinations where my HIV is

monitored.

I found out that I was HIV positive when my mother was

getting sick regularly. My mother told me to go and arrange

her bedroom, and when I did I saw her diary under the

pillowcase. I read it and it said that she was HIV positive,

along with my father, me and my little sister. I kept quiet

and she also kept quiet, but later she disclosed this to me

and I told her that I had known when I read her diary. She

disclosed to my teacher and headmaster and I felt bad when I

decided to write my poem. My mother is now on medicines that

help her HIV and she is better able to take care of us

children.

I am part of a child support group called, the Young

Positive Generation, and I am the Chairperson. The Young

Positive Generation group brings children with HIV/AIDS

together. We talk about HIV/AIDS, we sing, dance, play and we

give testimonies. This has helped me to be firm and not to be

shy in public because I knew that I am not the only one in

the school with HIV. Now I am strong, I can play and I can do

whatever thing comes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For over 20 years, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has educated women about early breast cancer detection.

The statistics are staggering and demonstrate the dramatic impact this disease takes on our country. Most of us know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer--your mother, your sister, your wife, or a beloved friend.

In the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. It is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55.

In 2005, an estimated 270,000 women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer and approximately 40,000 women are expected to die from this disease, 4,100 in my home State of California alone.

While women account for the majority of breast cancer cases, we must not forget the estimated 1,690 men who will be diagnosed this year and the 460 expected to die. Due to the rarity of breast cancer in men, much less is known. This leads to the fact that men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with advanced disease and thus have poorer chances of survival.

In 2002, there were approximately 2.3 million women with a history of breast cancer. The most recent data suggests that 13.2 percent of women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives. That means 1 in 8 women will be affected by this disease.

Rates for women differ significantly for certain racial and ethnic groups. Although breast cancer deaths declined by 2.4 percent for white women from 1990 to 2002, the rate only dropped by 1.8 percent for Hispanics and 1 percent for African-Americans and Asian-Americans- Pacific Islanders. Strikingly, breast cancer mortality rates disproportionately affect African-American women in relation to White women. In 2002, death rates were 37 percent higher for African- Americans.

These disparities can be seen in my home State of California and in my district of Alameda County. The breast cancer rate for Asian women in California is going up, while the rates for other California ethnic groups are dropping. In the Greater Bay Area, as in the U.S., African- American women continue to have poorer breast cancer survival rates compared to White women.

Specifically, in Oakland, the breast cancer incidence rate was 144.1 per 100,000, significantly lower than the Alameda County rate of 159.7. This suggests that women in Oakland do not have enough access to testing and are less likely to be diagnosed than women countywide.

Breast cancer does not have to take the lives of so many women. When detected early, the 5-year survival rate is over 95 percent. Mammograms and breast self-exams are proven methods of combating this disease. Seventy percent of all breast cancers are found through breast self- exams and mammography can detect breast cancer an average of 1-3 years before it is large enough to be felt.

Despite these proven detection methods, 13 million U.S. women, 40 years of age or older, have never had a mammogram. For women between the ages of 40 and 49, a mammogram every 1-2 years may reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by 17 percent and for women aged 50-74 it may reduce the risk by 30 percent. Women cannot afford to go without these life saving measures. Every day and especially on October 21, 2005, National Mammography Day, women are encouraged to make an appointment.

Although mammograms are available, many women with poor or no health insurance, can't afford these routine tests. It's estimated that current funding allows only 1 in 5 needy women who qualify for the free CDC National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program to get these tests. As these simple screenings save the lives of thousands of women, we must commit to providing more money and resources for those women who can't afford to get tested.

Despite these facts, I am happy to report that more California women are getting regular mammograms. In the year 2000, 79 percent of women age 40 and older had had a mammogram within the past 2 years compared to 38 percent of women in 1987.

This month, I applaud the efforts of groups such as the American Cancer Society, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, the CDC, the National Cancer Institute and all the other groups working to end this disease for their commitment to research, fundraising, screening, and support for individuals affected by breast cancer.

In Congress we must support initiatives that advance the message of these groups. As Representatives, we must pass H.R. 2231, legislation that would establish multidisciplinary, multi-institutional breast cancer research centers to study the potential links between breast cancer and the environment.

We must also support the $150 million appropriation for the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program. This program is the gold standard for breast cancer research in the country and has a decade of support from a majority of Congress.

Strong research translates into more effective ways to treat breast cancer patients. Moreover, as we develop improved methods for treating this disease we must ensure that all Americans have access to the highest quality health care.

Each one of us has the duty to continue to support these meaningful measures and work within our communities to decrease the prevalence and death rate of breast cancer. In October and in every other month of the year we must continue the fight to educate both men and women about breast cancer and to eradicate this disease.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month which just ended. I want to once again acknowledge and appreciate this ever growing community.

In Congress, I have always held the concerns of the Latino community as my own. I am a Member of the Hispanic Working Group organized by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and am a member of the Tri-Caucus, which is the collection of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and the Asian Pacific American Caucus. Through these Congressional organizations, and through the legislation I introduce and support, I look for ways to improve the lives for Latinos, particularly in Healthcare, Education, Housing, and other areas.

In my district, the 9th Congressional District of California, the contributions of Latino members of the community are stronger than ever. The Latino community is active and engaged throughout the District, State, and beyond. For example, Gabriela Franco, Vice President/Bank manager for Bank of the West was born in a small town in Mexico. Her parents brought her family to live in the United States when she was just 5 years old. She is the first person in her entire family to earn a college degree. Like so many other Latinas, Gabriela has a passion for giving back to the community in any way she can. Gabriela sits on the advisory board for three non profit organizations, Operation Hope, Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WISE) and the Ora Lee Brown Foundation. She volunteers with different organizations in my community, including Wardrobe for Opportunity and the ALAS program for WISE.

WISE is a private, non-profit agency providing comprehensive business training, on-going technical assistance and financing for Bay Area low- income women. Their programs are designed to assist an entrepreneur in gaining the necessary skills to start, grow and/or expand her business. Among the many successful graduates of WISE is Eva Saavedra. Eva and her husband Juan began their business from their home offering food to her neighbors. She met with instant success and after three years, with the assistance of WISE and the Unity Council, she was able to purchase the necessary equipment to open her own restaurant, El Huarache Azteca. El Huarache Azteca has been recognized by the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the finest Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area.

Another example is Terry Alderete; Terry has been a leader and mentor for many years. Terry has served on the board of the Chicano-Latino Youth Leadership Project, (CLYLP) which was established in 1982 to prepare Latino high school students to actively participate in California's economic, social, and political development in the 21st century and beyond. Terry has been instrumental in securing funding for CLYLP which has served countless Latino students including members of my staff. Terry serves as the Northern Region Director of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as the Vice President of the Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Terry is the coordinator of the largest Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the United States. Terry has managed to make these events as the premier family-oriented, alcohol-free, large- scale free festival in the East Bay, celebrating cultural traditions, diversity, and the arts in a fun and safe environment. Because of the popularity, diversity, and historical importance of the Dia de los Muertos festival, I inducted the festival into the Library of Congress as a local legacy in the State of California.

Individuals in my district are the motivating force behind the remarkable organizations that promote civic engagement among Latinos in the 9th Congressional District. Leaders like Jesus Rodriguez, an Oakland Community Organization field representative, who organizes informational town hall meetings on health care, education, and immigration for the Latino community. Belen Pulido, an Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action field representative, helps BOCA fulfill its mission of creating a coalition of interfaith congregations throughout the city of Berkeley to come together to dialog the need of faith support in the wider Berkeley area. Belen's leadership has been instrumental in having BOCA meeting the needs of the Latino community by persuading Berkeley High School in the English Language Learners program to translate forms and documents into Spanish for parents. In addition, Belen has organized immigration town halls and fundraiser for the School of the Americas organization.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few examples, but I hope that this Congress will acknowledge the contributions of the Latino community to our nation. Our differences should not divide us; rather, they should be bringing us together in celebration of what this nation is about. The work of people like Belen Pulido, Terry Alderete, Eva Saavedra, and Gabriela Franco, set a shining example for the next generation of leaders of not just the Latino community, but of this nation as a whole.

Madam Speaker, according to its own mandate, the Armed Forces Network is supposed to provide political programming that is characterized by fairness and balance, and should provide ``reasonable opportunities for the presentation of conflicting views on important controversial public issues.''

Now, the Bush administration's Pentagon has ignored that mandate, choosing to air Rush Limbaugh as its only daily political programming. This is the same man who spent weeks condoning and trivializing the abuse, torture, and rape of Iraqi prisoners. Should this be the only political voice that our soldiers hear daily around the world?

On Monday, our soldiers were finally supposed to hear a differing voice, liberal radio talk show host Ed Schultz. However, the Pentagon called to inform Schultz minutes before his debut that they were pulling his show. Why? They did not give him an answer. Schultz tried to explain this decision to his listeners, saying on Monday that the Pentagon does not want dissenting voices or any other kind of speech unless it is going to be promotional for them.

Madam Speaker, perhaps more than anyone else our troops abroad deserve to hear all political opinions from home. Remember, this is a democracy.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from Illinois, our chairman, for his strong and consistent support and his consistent commitment to orphans and vulnerable children throughout the world. Also I want to thank the gentleman from California for helping us make sure that we stayed on track to ensure that this was truly a bipartisan bill, and I want to thank him for his leadership.

This bill is, as the gentleman from Illinois mentioned, a bipartisan- bicameral compromise and has attracted the sponsorship of 130 Members of Congress. We have been working on this bill with the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and their staffs for nearly 1\1/2\ years now. So I want to specifically

thank Matt McLean on the chairman's staff and also Pearl Alice Marsh on the gentleman from California's staff for their help in putting this bill together. Not to mention my staff, Christos Tsentas, who has worked day and night. Without them this bill would not be possible.

Let me also mention our advocates and NGOs, including the Global AIDS Alliance, the Elizabeth Glaser Foundation, Save the Children, RESULTS, the Global Action for Children campaign, and many others who helped make this bill a reality.

As we move to pass this bill today, I also want to very briefly acknowledge the work of former President Bill Clinton in focusing on AIDS orphans. He was really one of the first to highlight the importance of addressing the needs of children orphaned by AIDS in a speech on World AIDS Day in 1998. The following year President Clinton invited the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), and myself to join Sandy Thurman, then Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House. We went on a Presidential Mission to sub-Saharan Africa in late March of 1999 to focus specifically on children orphaned by AIDS. We visited Zambia, Uganda, and South Africa and met with a number of dynamic leaders and individuals and saw just how devastating the AIDS crisis had become and how deeply children were being affected.

So out of that visit, in 1999, the White House produced an action report and began to take the first steps towards a broader U.S. role in the global fight against AIDS. And, Mr. Speaker, I will include that report in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to make special note of the work of Bono and his organization Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa for their work in really driving the agenda of HIV and AIDS and for bringing the attention to the needs of African people. He will be here, incidentally, today in the Capitol, and I know he will appreciate the importance of passing this bill.

And also, finally, I must thank my predecessor, Ron Dellums, who for many years was a lone voice in the wilderness who also developed the concept of the AIDS Marshall Plan and the Global Fund for AIDS.

Quite simply, this bill, H.R. 1409, will better coordinate and address the growing problem of orphans and vulnerable children in the developing world. As we heard earlier, an estimated 143 million children were living as orphans throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This is extremely hard to even comprehend.

The rapid growth of HIV and AIDS especially in Africa has dramatically impacted the number of children who are newly becoming orphans. According to UNAIDS, today there are over 15 million children living as orphans due to HIV and AIDS, again, the vast majority in sub- Saharan Africa. By 2010 there will be 25 million children. Today every 14 seconds another child is orphaned by AIDS. With parents dying at an alarming rate, children are left without food, shelter, education, or protection. We actually saw children raising children, 10-year olds raising their siblings.

The global orphan crisis is a profound humanitarian disaster that will be felt for decades to come. This bill seeks to address the growing global problem of orphans and vulnerable children by providing assistance to support basic care through community, school food

programs, increased primary school enrollment, employment training, protection of inheritance rights, psychosocial support, and treatment for children living with HIV and AIDS.

Together these activities will be overseen by a Special Adviser for Orphans and Vulnerable Children within USAID, which is a new position that my bill establishes. The Special Adviser will be responsible for coordinating, advising, and monitoring the provision of assistance for orphans and ensuring proper accountability for this program.

The amendments that we put into this bill have been made after careful negotiation with the other body and the gentleman from Illinois and the gentleman from California, our House leadership, and I thank them for helping us with these negotiations. These amendments would clarify the role of the Special Adviser in focussing specifically on orphans and vulnerable children. The amendments would also give USAID some flexibility to aggregate data in its report to Congress rather than providing detailed information on each individual grant and program.

Many of us, as I said earlier, have seen firsthand the desperation that orphans and vulnerable children are facing. There are many, in Africa especially, who have risen to the occasion. Father D'Agostino, for example, of Nyumbani orphanage. Many of us know Father D'Agostino, and he is doing unbelievable work in primarily Kenya. He has got the care and devotion of a staff and all of its volunteers who are really basically saving lives of children and helping develop their futures. He needs resources.

Also Mama Jean. I have got to mention her. Mother of Peace Orphanage Community in Zimbabwe. It is an orphanage I have become quite familiar with because it benefits adjacent rural communities, and I am proud to say that my own church in Oakland, California, the Allen Temple Baptist Church, is one of the sponsors of this orphanage.

Mr. Speaker, let me just say that these two programs are incredible programs and it is really a testament to how much good can be done on a shoestring budget by a committed group of people.

Bwafwano Home-Based Care Organization, run by Beatrice Chola, I met her when I traveled to Zambia last year with the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). She is working as a nurse in the Chipata health center of Lusaka. Beatrice started this clinic, this orphanage, back in 1996 when she saw that the health center was overrun by HIV and AIDS and TB- infected patients.

So today, Mr. Speaker, to our chairman, to the gentleman from California, and to all of those who have made this bill possible, I want to thank them on behalf of the millions of children who are going to be helped, whose lives will be saved, and who will lead the quality of life that they so deserve. They need our help. We are stepping up to the plate.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to recognize an unsung hero and political legend in the East Bay area, Ms. Maudelle Shirek.

The legislation we are considering here today, H.R. 438, would name the post office building at 2000 Allston Way in Berkeley after Maudelle Shirek.

It would have been impossible for the House to consider this bill without the timely help of my colleagues, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Committee, Congressmen Tom Davis and Henry Waxman. I thank the gentlemen for their assistance.

I would also like to thank Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer for their help in bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, this special tribute is long overdue. In fact, in June 2003, the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution recommending the post office naming. I am pleased that we will finally honor Maudelle Shirek today.

Maudelle Shirek was Berkeley's 94-year-old former vice mayor. Until last fall, Maudelle was one of California's longest-serving elected officials.

As one of my political heroes, she continues to fight for equality and social justice for all. She not only helped me get involved in politics but also inspired my predecessor, Congressman Ronald V. Dellums, to run for Congress. Her understanding of the importance in investing in people has won the solid support of voters in her district and admirers around the world as an international leader for peace and justice.

A granddaughter of slaves, Maudelle left her rural Arkansas home and came to California in the middle of World War II. Before long she was campaigning for fair housing and other civil rights for African Americans. She helped found two Berkeley senior centers, and until her health started to slow her down, she helped deliver meals to shut-in seniors; or if it was a Tuesday, did all the shopping for lunches at the New Light Senior Center, which she founded nearly 30 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, Maudelle Shirek entered elected politics in 1983 after being forced to retire from a senior center simply for having reached the age of 72. Soon after her election to Berkeley City Council, she helped end the discriminatory policy of mandatory retirement in Berkeley city agencies.

Maudelle refuses to accept arbitrary limitations. It is one of the things we all respect about her. Maudelle remains one of the best examples of how one person can make a difference.

Ms. Maudelle Shirek is a fearless and inspirational woman who for over 60 years has tirelessly fought to make this world a fair and just place. She has spoken for the voiceless and has been a staunch defender of our basic civil rights.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in supporting this resolution, H.R. 438.

The world would be a better place if we had more Maudelles.