Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of this very commonsense amendment. And I want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who has been such a strong leader on sensible and serious deficit reduction efforts.

This amendment is very similar to an amendment that I submitted to Rules. And I want to thank Congresswoman Schakowsky for continuing to move this forward, because it is just extremely important that the financial statements of the Defense Department be audited.

Where are our defense dollars going? We have no idea. Sadly, the Department of Defense Inspector General and the GAO have documented time and time again the Department's inability to answer this very basic question. Some of my colleagues may make the argument the Department of Defense is making so much progress on this issue in response to congressional engagement requiring the records to be audited by September 2017, but this is too late. Billions of dollars are going out of the door each month.

The American people deserve to know where our defense dollars are going. There can be no more blank checks and certainly no blank checkbook to be handed over to any President.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for this very commonsense amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment, which strikes the dangerous, far-reaching section 1034 of this Defense bill.

I thank my colleague Mr. Amash for his leadership and for working with all of us in a bipartisan fashion on this effort.

On September 14, 2011, which was 3 days after the horrific events of 9/11, the Authorization of Use of Force was brought to the floor. I voted against this because it was overly broad, and it amounted to a blank check to wage war at any time, anywhere and at any place.

It was the most difficult vote that I had cast because I was the only one to vote against this resolution, and I will always remember that sad evening when we returned from the National Cathedral memorial services for the victims and the families of 9/11. The entire country was angry and in mourning for the senseless loss of life and injuries resulting from such a brutal terrorist attack. There was very little debate on this resolution then, which took us to what has become the longest war in American history.

So let's be clear. Section 1034 goes even beyond that original authorization. It amounts to a declaration of war--without end, anywhere in the world, regardless of whether there is a danger to the United States. If the original authorization were a blank check, section 1034 would amount to an entire checkbook of blank checks.

This sweeping provision is dangerous. It should not be included in such a massive bill with, once again, little or no debate. It should be removed. I urge every Member of the House to consider carefully the ramifications of destroying the balance of powers that exist to protect this democracy and our Nation. So I urge an aye vote on this amendment.

I want to thank Mr. Amash, once again, for trying to strike this so that we can move in the right direction to really begin to end the longest war in American history.

Madam Chairman, let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. This is such an important amendment, such an important debate. No one in this House would ever defend the deplorable actions of Colonel Qadhafi and the decades he has spent repressing the Libyan people. But no one should fail to recognize that the actions we have taken in Libya since March 19 amount to a war. Missile strikes, naval attacks, bombing of strategic military targets, all of these actions would be a declaration of war if a foreign country launched such attacks on our soil.

Congress should have debated this prior to any military actions in Libya. While some of us can disagree as to whether or not we should be involved in a military action in Libya, we can all agree that we should prevent mission creep or any military expansion to include combat troops on the ground in Libya.

This simple amendment does exactly that by codifying the President's commitment, as Mr. Conyers just said, to not put troops on the ground in Libya. So I urge a strong ``yes'' vote on this amendment. I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the underlying, very reckless bill, H.R. 1216.

Republicans, and we've heard this over and over again, want to destroy and to deny seniors long-term affordable health care by eliminating programs that are training the future health workforce of our country.

This legislation is really part of an ongoing Republican attack on Medicare under the guise of deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility. It really is about privatizing Medicare, and of course that means that there will be some winners and there will be some losers. The Republican plan to end Medicare threatens the healthy and secure retirement that we promised American seniors. In fact, an end to Medicare is an end to a lifeline that millions of seniors rely on. Medicare gives peace of mind to millions of Americans who pay into it all their lives.

The Republicans want to give aging Americans a voucher, mind you, that will not come close to covering the cost of health care instead of maintaining and improving Medicare. Sure, waste, fraud and abuse must be addressed wherever we find it, including the Pentagon, but we disagree with the Republican agenda that the program must be killed. The Republicans want to end this program when millions of Medicare beneficiaries are struggling to make ends meet, and when we know that Medicare-eligible beneficiaries will double over the next 20 years.

Republicans have the wrong priorities--focused on letting the rich get richer on the backs of the middle class and the most vulnerable in our Nation. Under the guise of reform, Republicans would increase costs for seniors and cut benefits while giving tax cuts to millionaires, subsidies to oil companies, and sending desperately needed jobs overseas.

If the Republicans get their way, millions of seniors would immediately begin paying higher costs for prescription drugs. The impact of killing Medicare will be the most severe on vulnerable and underserved populations, including our seniors of color, while negatively impacting all seniors who rely on Medicare to protect their health and economic security. An end to Medicare is really an end to a lifeline that millions of seniors rely on.

If Republicans have their way, millionaires will continue to get big bonuses while millions of Americans fall deeper into poverty. Madam Chair, approximately 43.5 million Americans were living in poverty in 2009, but did you know that nearly 4 million of

those are seniors? Given our challenged economy, we can't expect these numbers to have improved since 2009.

Medicare is part of a promise made to hardworking Americans to ensure that they would not lack the security of having health care. And so rather than stand silently while Republicans destroy a program that protects vulnerable populations, we are here to speak up and stand up for our mothers and our fathers, our grandmothers and our grandfathers, our aunts and our uncles, and yes, our young people and our children, to be their voice in the House of Representatives. We are here to declare that Medicare should be protected and improved to protect our Nation's seniors and most vulnerable populations, and we are here to say that we want to secure it for future generations.

Ending Medicare really does end this promise and the security for millions of Americans today and in the future. So we are here today to defend Medicare and the support that it gives to our seniors. We must ensure that those who have worked hard their entire lives strengthening our Nation have the health security that they need and deserve in their later years.

First, let me thank the gentlelady from Florida for yielding and for her leadership on so many issues, especially as it relates to her community, her district, Haitians, Haiti, and the Haitian diaspora.

I rise in support of H.R. 1016, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, legislation which I authored to direct the United States Government to report on the status of humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010.

Let me thank Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen for her leadership and for her assistance in helping bring this bill to the floor. I also thank Ranking Member Berman, Chairman Mack, Ranking Member Engel, the staffs of the Foreign Affairs Committee, my staff, as well as the Republican and Democratic leaders' offices for bringing this bill to the floor.

I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues. You just heard from Congresswoman Maxine Waters in terms of her leadership and her commitment to the people of Haiti and of so many others who have worked tirelessly in support of the Haitian people in ongoing United States humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

Today, we are provided with an opportunity to not only remember those who have lost their lives but to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to support Haitians as they struggle to combat the ongoing cholera epidemic and to rebuild their neighborhoods, their country, and their lives following the devastation of January 12.

Following the earthquake, many of us came together to pass a bill that I authored, H. Res. 1021. This was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 411-1. This resolution expressed solidarity with the Haitian people and our support for the long-term reconstruction needs of the country. Through the bill on the floor today, we are provided with the next step--with an opportunity to assess the progress that we have made, the extraordinary challenges that remain, and the areas in which improvement is greatly needed.

As many of us have been many, many times over the years, I traveled to Haiti immediately following the earthquake and again in November during Haiti's recent elections. Once again, let me just say that I saw real progress being made. Of course, the cholera outbreak, an ongoing devastating setback, though, revealed the ramped-up capacity of Haiti's national laboratory. The lab was able to identify the cholera strain very rapidly, improving our ability to respond to the outbreak--a feat that would really have been impossible just a year earlier. However, significant improvements remain desperately needed.

The unprecedented relief effort has given way to a sluggish, at best, reconstruction effort. Part of this pace can be attributed to the sheer magnitude of the problems Haiti faces as well as Haiti's legal and bureaucratic hurdles, including the lack of an adequate land tenure policy. Without a doubt, though, part of the blame rests in the lack of urgency--mind you, the lack of urgency--on the part of the international community.

At the International Donors' Conference in March 2010, 58 donors

pledged over $5.5 billion to support Haiti's Action Plan for Recovery and Development. According to the United Nations, as of March of this year, only 37 percent of these funds have been disbursed. This is unacceptable. If we are to break the cycle of disaster-emergency relief-disaster, in which Haiti has been trapped for many years, we must act with the same sense of urgency in reconstruction as we did immediately following the quake.

In addition to delivering on our promises, we must ensure that those promises are in line with the will of the Haitian people. The international community recognized early on that, if our efforts were to be sustainable, they had to reflect the priorities of the people of Haiti. The establishment of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission was a very good idea in this regard; and moving forward, we must ensure that it is inclusive, transparent, and adequately resourced.

Additionally, we must substantially improve our communication with and the participation of Haitian civil society. The United States and the United Nations are sponsoring outreach for civil society organizations; however, many Haitians still hold the perception that recovery efforts are dominated by exclusive foreign actors. Unless civil society, which are the people of Haiti, is involved in every major stage of the post-earthquake response, this perception will remain, and it will prove detrimental to the sustainability of our efforts.

In this vein, we must give special priority to programs that protect vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons--women, children, persons with disabilities, and others. We must ensure that these populations are significantly involved in recovery efforts, which reinforces their protection. The United Nations Secretary General, for example, has specifically stated that women should be involved in security decisions that affect their daily lives as a means of combating the alarming level of gender-based violence since the earthquake.

On the topic of vulnerable populations, we must take a critical look at the resumption of deportations to Haiti. Given the fragile state in which Haiti remains, I call on the Department of Homeland Security to halt deportations until it proves that its policy does not violate international human rights laws and until it demonstrates that Haiti is able to support the influx of deportees. If we are truly committed to helping our neighbors, we must ensure that we are not assisting Haiti with one hand while undermining its stability with the other.

Finally, we must continue to support the Haitian Public Health Ministry to prevent the spread of cholera, treat those affected with the disease, and build up health systems. The international community must plan for the long-term presence of this disease, unfortunately, which is now endemic, and provide the necessary resources to ensure that this planning is thorough and complete.

Throughout this unceasing series of tragedies and crises, Haitians have continued to demonstrate unwavering resilience, dignity, and courage.

So I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I want to thank our ranking member for his leadership and for leading for so many years on so many important issues.

Madam Speaker, here we go again. Instead of working on creating jobs and jump-starting the economy, we're debating another cynical and divisive attempt to strip away the rights of women. Republicans continue to perpetrate their war on women while millions of people around the country are desperate for jobs to help provide for their families. Let me be clear. Current law already bans Federal funds from being used for abortions. That is a fact--even though I personally think we should get rid of that ban.

What's next? Are we going to block transportation funding because it might be used to build a road to a hospital that provides a road to abortion? Come on. By the logic of this bill, any type of Federal funding, whether it's health related or not, would become abortion money. That is such a cynical ploy on the majority side.

This bill specifically attacks low-income women in the District of Columbia by permanently prohibiting the District from spending its purely local funds on abortions for low-income women.

These women in the District have already begun to feel the terrible effects of the rider passed already in the CR. This is outrageous. It's ideologically driven and it's dangerous.

So let's reject this bill and this attack and this dangerous war on women, especially low-income women. Vote ``no'' on H.R. 3.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the African American Education Task Force, co-chaired by Mr. Oscar Wright and Mrs. Wandra Boyd, for its record of success in encouraging and acknowledging academic achievement by African American youth in California's Oakland Unified School District.

Today, the African American Education Task Force and the Oakland Unified School District will celebrate a successful decade of recognizing our local African American students' Honor Roll status. The African American Education Task Force Academic Achievement Celebration takes place at the ACTS Full Gospel Church, pastored by Bishop Bob Jackson in Oakland, California.

During this year's event, 1,150 African American students from the 8th through 12th grades will be honored for attaining grade point averages of 3.00 or above for the 2010-2011 school year. This outstanding group of young people has accomplished a great deal, and we are pleased to commend them for

their academic dedication and success. Especially in light of the great budgetary challenges faced by the State of California and the City of Oakland, these students have proven themselves to be bright, capable and resourceful.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every student for earning this distinction. Thank you for understanding and promoting the importance of staying in school. By continuing to be the best students possible and by making the most of your education, you will enjoy a full range of opportunities to achieve your personal goals, as well as give back to your communities.

Your accomplishments represent the strength of your initiative and a commitment to excellence. The skills and discipline you have developed will be of great use as you continue to follow your dreams toward success. I am so very proud of you for taking personal pride in your studies. Oakland's future leaders are certainly present at this celebration of academic achievement, and I welcome your many civic contributions in the years to come.

On behalf of the residents of California's 9th Congressional District, I again salute you for your exemplary academic performance. I am confident that you will continue this fine record of scholarship, service and success. Keep up the good work, and I wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of California State Senator Loni Hancock as we celebrate 40 years of her dedicated public service. Having served on local, state and federal levels of government throughout her career, she made history as the first woman elected to be Mayor of the City of Berkeley. Senator Hancock continues to be a celebrated, invaluable member of the California State Legislature, and we join together in praise of her remarkable contributions to the Bay Area, California, and beyond.

Raised on the East Coast, Loni Hancock received her B.A. from Ithaca College in 1963. After moving to Berkeley with her family upon graduation, she earned an M.A. in Social Psychology from the Wright Institute in 1978. Her four decades of advocacy for social justice, environmental protection, economic development and access to high- quality, affordable education and health care began with her involvement in the historical political movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

Like many involved in Berkeley's hotbed of political activism, Ms. Hancock's opposition to the war in Vietnam and her work championing racial justice and women's equality led her to community organizing. She was active in the Community for New Politics (which later became the Berkeley Coalition), Women for Peace, and Bay Area Women Against Rape.

In 1971, Loni Hancock began eight years of service as an elected member of Berkeley City Council. In that role, she had the opportunity to shape programs and policies that reflected the nation's burgeoning civic reforms, including affirmative action hiring of women and people of color, job and benefits restructuring for city workers, and the administration of parental leave, rent control, recycling programs and campaign finance reform. As a council member, she also successfully pushed to preserve the Berkeley marina and its surrounding wildlife from development.

From 1986 to 1994, she served two terms as the first elected woman Mayor of Berkeley, resulting in the city's urban renaissance and the revitalization of its downtown. During a tough economic climate, she balanced seven consecutive city budgets, forged innovative city partnerships with the school district and led efforts to secure additional open space (including Ohlone Park and the East Shore State Park).

From there, she served President Clinton's administration as head of the Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education, where she helped direct millions in federal funding to launch after-school, early reading preparation, college preparedness and career-to-school programs in California schools. She also oversaw a host of domestic volunteer programs as President Jimmy Carter's Regional Director for ACTION (the precursor of the Corporation for National Service).

In 2002, Loni Hancock began three terms representing the 14th District in the California State Assembly. She was elected to the California State Senate in 2008, and currently represents the 9th State Senate District. As a State Legislator, Loni Hancock has authored landmark legislation and provided leadership on important issues. Her work has led to policies that improve and preserve our public schools, invest in programs to prevent crime and reduce recidivism, provide multi-faceted protection of our environment and encourage increased efficiency and fair elections in state government

On behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, State Senator Loni Hancock, I salute you. Your 40 years of public service have made an indelible mark in our community. Thank you for your continued work, and best wishes to you and your loved ones in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career and long-time spiritual guidance of Rabbi Steven Chester as he retires from over 22 years at the helm of East Bay's oldest Synagogue, Temple Sinai, located in the City of Oakland. Under Rabbi Chester's excellent leadership, Temple Sinai has become even more effective in the promotion of worship, education, service and volunteerism within its large congregation, and throughout our community.

Additionally, with the completion of the new Rabbi Steven and Leona Chester Campus, the Rabbi's work and his family's many contributions have formed a tangible legacy within Temple Sinai. Consistent with his many years of service, Rabbi Chester's namesake is a place of gathering and good works that will serve both the modern and traditional needs of his beloved congregation.

Rabbi Steven Chester's multi-faceted career began long before his tenure at Temple Sinai. After receiving his bachelor's degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles, he earned a B.H.L from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and an M.H.L from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent a seventh year of rabbinical studies in Israel, and was ordained in 1971. By the time of his ordination, Rabbi Chester was already a vocal advocate for many social issues, including supporting civil rights and ending the war in Vietnam. This early penchant for activism and the promotion of peace and human dignity would play a role in Rabbi Chester's spiritual teachings and community service throughout the span of his career.

Spending five years of his rabbinate at Temple Beth Israel in Jackson, Michigan, Rabbi Chester utilized proximity to the state's main prison to provide weekly counseling and spiritual services to its prisoners as the facility's Jewish chaplain. From 1976 to 1989, Rabbi Chester served Temple Israel, located in Stockton, California, where he was also an adjunct professor in the Religious Studies department at the University of the Pacific.

Over two decades ago, he left Stockton to become Rabbi at Temple Sinai. Founded in 1875, the Synagogue is a historic landmark that continues to serve the largest Jewish community in the East Bay and has deep roots in the Oakland community. During Rabbi Chester's tenure, he added a pre-school, introduced adult education programs and supported the congregation's return to more traditional practices, including the re-introduction of Hebrew into the service. He also continued the congregation's history of advocating for social justice by championing local affordable housing and health care for the underserved, supporting women's reproductive rights and protesting the genocide in Darfur.

Whether participating in the Hurricane Katrina prayer service at the Oakland Arena, taking a bold public stance on global conflicts, or sponsoring a school for the poor and orphaned in Siem Reap, Cambodia-- Rabbi Chester has inspired many through his insight and actions. In fact, among his many accolades, Rabbi Chester was voted the 2006 Reader's Choice for ``Minister/Rabbi/Imam with the Biggest Heart'' in the East Bay Express.

On behalf of the residents of California's 9th Congressional District, Rabbi Steven Chester, I salute you. I thank you and your wife, Leona, for your countless contributions to the well-being of our East Bay community. Your work promoting the values and traditions of Judaism has served our many Jewish community members and enriched the amazing diversity we enjoy in Oakland. I congratulate you on your many achievements, and I wish you and your loved ones all the best in this next chapter of life.

Mr. Speaker, the American people want to know, Where are the jobs?

After 17 weeks of controlling the House, Republicans have no plan to create jobs and no plan to spur economic growth. Instead, they proposed a budget that puts our country on a road to ruin. They want to end Medicare, gut Medicaid, strip funding for Pell Grants and elementary and secondary education for our students, while hobbling our Nation's transportation infrastructure.

Yet again this week, Republicans are offering slogans instead of solutions: ``Drill Baby Drill,'' ``Kill the Bill.'' These slogans don't amount to a plan to create jobs or guarantee access to health care in America.

Instead of another very cynical attempt to repeal health reform and perpetrate their war on women, and instead of offering oil companies free reign off our coasts, we should be working together to help the unemployed and to create jobs. We must not forget the 99ers and we must help them, people who have moved out of their unemployment benefits. They've actually maxed out. And we must invest in our country to stimulate job creation.

Democrats have a plan while Republicans can only offer rhetoric.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Mr. Stark to honor the extraordinary life of Mr. Richard E. Winnie, a brilliant legal mind whose combination of integrity, acumen and good humor made him an outstanding public servant and invaluable in his role as County Counsel for the County of Alameda. With Richard E. Winnie's passing on March 28, 2011 at the age of 63, we look to the remarkable legacy of his life's work and the joy he inspired in his many friends and loved ones.

Richard E. Winnie was born April 14, 1947 to Emily and H. Edward Winnie in Oakland, California. The family eventually settled in Eureka, California, where Richard attended high school. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Humboldt State University, HSU, received his master's degree in Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree from the University of San Francisco. Mr. Winnie's early interest in civic service and local municipalities began while still a student at HSU in his work for the Eureka City Manager's office and the Associated Students Council.

His next destination was Washington, DC, where from 1971 to 1977, he served the Urban Institute's State and Local Government Research Program as a policy analyst. During his time there, Mr. Winnie authored several publications on municipal government, one of which became the Institute's largest-selling published text.

In 1975, Mr. Winnie was admitted to the California Bar. He returned to his roots to serve as Oakland City Attorney from 1981 to 1987, and also worked for the cities of Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Santa Rosa. For the next 6 years, he specialized in property, business and municipal law as a partner with Jacobs, Spotswood, Ryken, and Winnie, and in 1993 began a 4-year stint as an advisor to the Government of Armenia in its transition to independence and a market economy. In fact, Mr. Winnie's penchant for international legal guidance had a global reach. Over the course of his career in the Bay Area, he also helped to develop local property laws for emerging governments throughout the South Caucases, Central Asia, Southeastern Europe, and small parts of South America and the Middle East.

After specializing in public law as a partner of Oakland's Wendel, Rosen, Black, and Dean from 1994 to 1997, Mr. Winnie began his 13-year tenure as Alameda County's top legal advisor to the Board of Supervisors, County Administration and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority. In his role as County Counsel, Mr. Winnie's many accomplishments included successful litigation to restrict gun shows at the Alameda County Fair, to allow public access to Oakland's waterfronts and to confront legal clashes with local professional sports teams. Among his many accolades and associations, Mr. Winnie served numerous local boards, was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, worked to promote micro-enterprise with the New America Foundation, and received HSU's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009.

Richard E. Winnie was known for fostering mutual relationships of respect and pride among his talented staff and colleagues. In his legal dealings, he was skilled at eliciting an agreement through logic, diplomacy, and steady professionalism. And in his free time, he enjoyed being a youth mentor, an avid baseball fan, an accomplished mountain climber and a prolific party host. Mr. Winnie will be remembered as much for his ability to inspire people, as his ability to make them laugh.

Today, the residents of California's 9th and 13th Congressional Districts salute and honor a stalwart member of our community and a dear friend, Mr. Richard E. Winnie. The countless contributions he made to others throughout his life are lasting and significant. We express our sincere condolences to his extended group of loved ones, friends and colleagues. He will be deeply missed.

I want to thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding and also for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution.

Budgets are moral documents that reflect who we are as a Nation. They're not just about dollars and cents.

These cuts won't create jobs, foster economic opportunity, or provide pathways out of poverty. Instead, this bill eliminates billions in investments in our workforce, our transportation infrastructure, our small businesses and, most importantly, in our people. It's a bold assault on millions of people who rely on our safety net.

These budget cuts and warped priorities should be a moral outrage to every Member of this body. That's why 36,000 people and approximately 30 Members of Congress have joined the faith community in a 24-hour fast to highlight the enormous impact, the devastating impact of these budget cuts.

This bill is nothing more than a tea party checklist targeting programs that help the most vulnerable: $504 million from the WIC Program, $300 million from COPS, $125 million from Dislocated Worker Assistance programs, $49 million for mentoring children of inmates, $17 million for Title X family planning programs, and $25 million for Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.

Instead of targeting low-income and middle-income individuals and the residents of the District of Columbia particularly, and especially low- income women and women of color, we should be serious about getting our bloated military budget together and reduced and end these three wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. We could save billions, mind you, billions of dollars by ending these wars.

Madam Speaker, we should reject these cuts which hurt our most vulnerable populations and the residents of the District of Columbia. It's shameful. It's a moral disgrace. And I urge a ``no'' vote on it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican war on women, and that is what this is.

Republicans have already moved to ban the District of Columbia from using its own money for abortions. Shameful. Now they want to go after America's most trusted provider of health care services for women. Shameful.

In many underserved communities, Planned Parenthood is the principal source of basic primary health services for poor and low-income women. Last year, millions of women received breast and cervical cancer screenings, testing, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS, and family planning, and contraception, mind you, through Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood saves lives.

This is not about abortions. Only 3 percent of the services they provide involve abortions, and the law already prohibits Federal funding for abortions, though this law really should be repealed. This does not reduce the deficit nor create jobs. Family planning programs actually save taxpayers $4 for every $1 we invest in them.

This is really about pandering to the extreme right wing that wants to take us back to the days of back-alley abortions. They want to deny family planning and basic health care services for women.

This is a war on women.

Mr. Speaker, I missed rollcall vote No. 225 on H.R. 1246. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on this vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of one of the nation's first and greatest African- American construction project developers, Mr. Raymon P. Dones. A loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great great- grandfather and friend, Mr. Dones was also a talented entrepreneur, businessman, inventor and civil rights trailblazer. With Mr. Dones' passing at the age of 92, we are reminded of his life's journey and the joyful legacy he inspired.

Born in 1918, Mr. Dones learned the electrical and plumbing trades while working as a Pullman car porter in Denver, Colorado. After earning his electrical contracting license, he founded Dones Electric, which later became incorporated as Aladdin Electric in Oakland, California. Mr. Dones' broad interests also included inventing. He received a U.S. patent for the design of a loud speaker enclosure in 1964.

In the mid-1960s, Mr. Dones became a leading force in advocating for minority contractors and their employees. Working with Joe Debro and Frank Poole, he helped found a group to fight for increased opportunities for minority contractors, which later became the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC). In 1969, Mr. Dones was elected NAMC president and Mr. Debro became executive director.

Today the nonprofit trade association boasts chapters in 49 states, as well as England, South Africa and the Virgin Islands. Mr. Dones was also instrumental in establishing Project Upgrade, one of the first construction trades apprenticeship training programs in the United States. In the Bay Area, Mr. Dones participated in building or subcontracting a considerable part of Oakland's landscape, including the MORH and Acorn housing developments in West Oakland, the West Oakland Health Center and the early construction of Oakland City Center.

Even into his late 80s, Mr. Dones continued to volunteer in the community and work with his son, my good friend Alan, who followed his footsteps as a leader in minority contracting and development. A recipient of many accolades throughout his career, Mr. Dones was named one of the most influential people in the construction industry by Engineering New-Record Magazine in 1999.

Ray was a Renaissance Man. As a Capitol Hill staffer for former Congressman and Mayor Ron Dellums during the 70s and 80s, I remember how Ray came to Washington, D.C. to educate staff regarding the importance of minority business participation. He was a tireless advocate and knew how to influence public policy on behalf of minority contractors. We became close friends and Ray and his beloved late wife, Inez, also became some of my longstanding supporters as an elected official. His smile and kind words of support always gave me encouragement and inspiration to continue the fight. I will miss this great warrior tremendously.

In addition to his notable career and influence, Mr. Dones was a proud husband to the late Inez Dones, and father to their extensive family. The couple both came to their union with three children from prior relationships, and had two more children together. Mr. Dones will be deeply missed by his surviving children, and a host of grandchildren, loved ones and friends.

Today, California's 9th Congressional District salutes and honors a great human being, Mr. Raymon P. Dones. The contributions he made to others throughout his life are countless and precious. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones. May his soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of basketball Hall of Famer and America's 2010 Medal of Freedom Award Recipient, Mr. William ``Bill'' Russell. A trailblazer in both athletics and civil rights, Mr. Russell is a five- time winner of the NBA MVP Award, a 12-time All Star, and winner of 11 NBA Championships in his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. Today, we pay tribute to a living legend, on and off the court. Called ``The Greatest Winner of the 20th Century,'' by HBO Sports and ``The Greatest Team Player on the Greatest Team of All Time,'' by Sports Illustrated, Bill Russell's colleagues, friends and family also know him simply as a great human being.

Born February 12, 1934 in West Monroe, Louisiana to Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Katie Russell, Bill moved with his family to Oakland, California at the age of eight. A promising athlete at a young age, he subsequently led the University of San Francisco to NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956, and was drafted soon after. In 1956, he also led the United States Olympic basketball team to a gold medal as team captain.

Over the years, Mr. Russell captivated fans across the nation with 14,522 career points, 21,620 career rebounds and 4,100 career assists with the Boston Celtics. Noted as the best defensive player in NBA history, Mr. Russell continued his career by becoming the first African-American head coach in American major league sports with the 1967 Boston Celtics. He also coached the Seattle Supersonics from 1973 to 1977 and the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988.

Following his coaching career, Mr. Russell served his community as an active philanthropist, author and public speaker. Having been the first NBA player to visit Africa in 1959, Mr. Russell later partnered with the NBA and State Department to introduce basketball to Africa as a global ambassador. He has since hosted clinics in over 50 countries on six continents. He has also served as an active member of the National Mentoring Partnership's Board of Directors. Moreover, he has joined with one of his three children, Karen, in raising national awareness and research for Sarcoidosis, a fibrotic lung disorder that affects them both.

Among Mr. Russell's numerous accolades are an honorary doctorate from Suffolk University, an honorary degree from Harvard University and the NBA's first Civil Rights Award. Also, in 2009, the NBA Finals MVP trophy was renamed: the Bill Russell NBA MVP Award.

On behalf of the residents of California's 9th congressional district, Mr. William ``Bill'' Russell, I salute you. I congratulate you on your many achievements, and I thank you for the invaluable contributions you have made to the sport of basketball, to communities of color, and to residents throughout the Bay Area. I wish you and your loved ones continued success, happiness and well-being in the coming years.