Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and honor a distinguished constituent, community leader, humanitarian, and family woman, Mrs. Mable A. Watkins-Cass, on the occasion of her 75th birthday. A native of Holly Springs, Mississippi, Mrs. Watkins-Cass and her parents moved to Chicago in her early teens. She graduated from the Chicago Public Schools and attended Wilson Junior College in Chicago.

A retired employee of the Chicago Public Schools, Mrs. Watkins-Cass remains active in the Morgan Park community of my congressional district. She is the mother of four adult children, a grandmother and great-grandmother and is a dedicated member of the Vernon Park Church of God on the southside of Chicago.

Mrs. Watkins-Cass continues a lifelong commitment towards making a difference in the lives of other people. She is a shining example of how God can use even the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. She has endeavored to share the wisdom and knowledge that God has granted her with others to enable them to prosper in knowledge and wisdom. Indeed, many who have had the privilege of knowing and associating with her have come to recognize that they are much better the person as a result.

Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to pay tribute to and congratulate my constituent and friend, Mrs. Mable A. Watkins-Cass on the occasion of her 75th birthday. I want to encourage her to continue to let her light so shine that men and women will see her good works and give glory to God in Heaven. I am privileged to enter these words into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4692) to require the President to prepare a quadrennial National Manufacturing Strategy, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4692, the National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010, introduced by my dear friend from Illinois, Congressman Dan Lipinski. I commend

him for his leadership on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the U.S. to revise our manufacturing policy. This bill under consideration has gained strong bipartisan support from Members of Congress because it speaks to the level of leadership in the manufacturing arena that our Nation seeks to assert once again on the global stage.

America's manufacturing sector is an essential foundation of our Nation's economy. Consider the fact that in 2009 the manufacturing sector employed more than 11.5 million people. Ladies and gentlemen, that number, though significant, is not as good as it could be when you consider that 10 years ago America's manufacturing sector employed 17.3 million people, meaning that our Nation actually lost 5.8 million manufacturing jobs between the years 1999 and 2009.

The National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010 will make a significant difference in helping to restore and reposition our Nation's manufacturing capacity so that American workers can compete in today's global economy.

Today, we are still fighting our way through a global financial crisis, and we are facing aggressive competition from industrialized nations as well as emerging countries. Some of our manufacturing competitors have designed and implemented 5- or 10-year strategic plans to allow their economies to not only compete globally, but also to exploit their goods to our markets here in the U.S. The sad fact of the matter is that these international markets are not reciprocating, Mr. Speaker, by welcoming our U.S. goods to their marketplace.

In recent years, the U.S. has actually lost market share to growing export countries like China, regional areas like Southeast Asia, and countries like India. If we do not act now, this steady decline will continue to exist and it will also persist. We simply cannot allow that to happen.

This bill requires the President to undertake a deep and broad analysis of the Nation's manufacturing sector, including the international economic environment, related technological development, workforce elements, the impact of governmental policies, and other relevant issues affecting domestic manufacturers.

I also added a provision requiring analysis on the trade imbalance, job creation, employment disparities, and workforce development. Based on this analysis, Mr. Speaker, the President, in collaboration with key Cabinet officials within his administration, as well as Governors, State and local elected officials and other key stakeholders in the public and private sectors, will develop a 4-year national strategy that identifies goals and makes recommendations to improve our Nation's economic growth.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to help our manufacturing sector become bigger, become bolder, and become better than it was in the distant past.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the author of the legislation, my friend and an outstanding Member of this House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege and honor to yield 1 minute to our great majority leader, Congressman Hoyer of Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the author of the legislation, Mr. Lipinski, once again.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, what we don't need is more excuses. What America doesn't need is more excuses that have been heard on this floor for many years now. We don't need any more excuses, Mr. Speaker. We need action. This bill that we are deliberating on today will go a long ways toward making America much more viable and making America's manufacturing center much more robust.

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the Members of this House that manufacturing has been the engine that drives the American economy for more than 100 years and it will continue to well into the 21st century. America's future growth, security, and leadership in the global economy will depend on the strength and viability of our manufacturing base. That's why it's so important to reverse the current ebb.

The U.S., Mr. Speaker, has lost more than 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000--almost 17 percent of all manufacturing jobs in the Nation. We can maintain our leadership position in the global economy but only if we strengthen the core of our economy, which is manufacturing.

America's economy depends on manufacturing. Manufacturing in the U.S. generates about $1.4 trillion, or 12 percent of our gross domestic product. Manufacturing is responsible for nearly two-thirds of private sector research and development in the U.S. Over the past two decades manufacturing productivity has increased at twice the rate of the rest of the private sector.

America's economy depends on manufacturing. America's economy depends on manufacturing for good jobs. Manufacturing directly employs 14 million Americans and supports 8 million more. Each manufacturing job supports as many as four other jobs, providing a boost to local economies. For example, every 100 steel or every 100 auto jobs create between 400 and 500 new jobs in the rest of the economy. This contrasts with the retail sector, where every 100 jobs generate 94 new jobs elsewhere, and in contrast with the personal and service sectors where every 100 jobs create 147 new jobs.

This multiplier effect reflects how manufacturing's linkages run deep into the overall economy and means improvements in manufacturing productivity translate broadly into the economy as a whole.

America's economy depends on manufacturing. America depends on manufacturing for good jobs. And across this Nation, our States depend on manufacturing. Manufacturing is a vital part of the economies of most States. As a share of gross State product (GSP), in 2001 manufacturing was among the three largest private-industry sectors in all but 10 States. Manufacturing is the largest sector in 10 States and in the Midwest region as a whole, the region that I love and I live in. It's the second largest in nine States and the third largest in 21 other States.

Mr. Speaker, manufacturing is important. This is not just some kind of pipe dream. This is not just a study. This is a roadmap to recovering America's position in terms of manufacturing in the world. Make manufacturing real for America. Make manufacturing robust for America. Make manufacturing jobs reachable for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the author of the legislation, my dear friend from California (Ms. Matsui).

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to yield 3 minutes to the dean of the House and the chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, my dear friend Mr. Dingell.

(Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute to the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me return our attention to the matter at hand, to the issue that is before us.

I want to, first of all, thank our chairman of the committee, Mr. Waxman, Chairman Waxman, and also the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Whitfield, for their vigorous support of H.R. 5156, the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010. I was proud to cosponsor the bill with the author, Congresswoman Matsui of California, and also with my other cosponsors, Congresswoman Eshoo and our chairman emeritus, John Dingell.

I want to thank this lady to my left, Congresswoman Matsui, for her stellar leadership and for taking the lead on this critical issue.

I am asking my colleagues today to vote on this bill, a bill which addresses the challenges that we face in today's economy. My friends on the other side want to bring up a whole lot of other issues. They want to throw a lot of things on the floor. They want to try to baffle us with a lot of their sidebar discussion.

Yet this bill, the bill that is before us today, will help to increase American manufacturers' green products through the establishment of a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to assist U.S. businesses with exporting clean energy technology, products, and services.

We all, Mr. Speaker, know that America is a prime market for foreign manufacturers. The other side doesn't want to deal with the issues that we are discussing in this bill. Though, I must remind all of us that, far too often, the U.S. market is open to everybody else--open to global manufacturers--but sadly, the converse is not always the case. This is the case, however, for green technology products as our Nation is in a unique position to once again lead on a global scale.

The U.S. manufacturing industry faces serious challenges overseas despite the fact that we are a leader in green technology. As I have said repeatedly, we must seize the energy opportunity that we have today lest we slip further behind to foreign competition. We must seize the time, Mr. Speaker, and now is the time. Now is the time. There is no other time like this time. Now is the time.

We need a strong domestic policy to allow the manufacturing industry to be confident enough to penetrate the international market. Also, it is equally important to strengthen and transform our economy and, in doing so, to further assert our global leadership. The disaster that continues to take place in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the BP oil spill is a wake-up call. We should not only be a global leader in offshore technology; we should also be a leader in green and clean technology exports. When I say ``clean,'' Mr. Speaker, I also mean responsible energy technology.

This bill is results-oriented because I have added language that helps us to evaluate the impact of this program on its ability to create jobs, including the gathering of specific information as to the nature, location, and the duration of those jobs, as well as the methodology used by the Secretary to compile such needed and necessary information.

Mr. Speaker, the jabbering and the nattering, let's bring that to a screeching halt on this bill. This is an important bill. This bill has to go forward. It has to go forward for the American people. It has to go forward for the American economy. It has to go forward so that we can once again assert our leadership across the world in the manufacturing sector, the green and clean manufacturing sector.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill and to expand their commitment to significantly increase our exports.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 447, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

I would like to begin by thanking Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, Africa and Global Health Subcommittee Chairman Donald Payne, and my good friend Congresswoman Diane Watson. I also would like to thank Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congressman Ed Royce for their constant leadership on African issues.

This year, Mr. Speaker, 17 African nations are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence.

1960 was an important year for those former French, British, and Italian colonies and protectorates. The triumphant march of a series of hard-fought victories that led to independence started on January 1 with the nation of Cameroon, and it ended on November 28, 1960, with the nation of Mauritania's securing its independence from France.

The resolution I am bringing to the floor today will honor the sacrifices of the founding fathers of these African nations. Little did they know then that a proud and supportive USA would today enter into our Nation's permanent history this well-deserved tribute to the thousands of unsung men and women who gave their lives based on the simple dream of freedom and on a desire to assert their self- determination over the lives that only God could give them.

We in the USA know something about that freedom and that determination.

Chief among these visionary African leaders are Amadou Ahidjo in Cameroon; Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana; Patrice Lumumba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Leopold Senghor in Senegal; Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso; Felix Houphouet Boigny in Cote d'Ivoire; and Julius Nyerere in Tanzania.

This resolution also commends the socioeconomic and political progress being made by these nations while acknowledging the associated challenges that many still face today. Many of these nations have become democracies and are striving to break the links to past oppressions. Men and women of good faith work tirelessly to overcome the remnants of colonialism, neocolonialism, structural adjustments, internal and regional wars, and their own bureaucratic hurdles. They also face serious challenges beyond their control, which have been exacerbated by growing threats from the global financial crisis, climate change, and terrorism.

Despite numerous challenges, many of the African nations we salute today are becoming economically, politically, and strategically important to the United States. Our Nation simply cannot afford to take Africa for granted nor can it afford to mistakenly see Africa as a desperate continent forever in need of charity from our Nation. Africa's growing economic importance is reflected in intensified efforts by China, Russia, India, Iran, and other nations which seek to gain access to Africa's vast natural resources.

Some say we may need Africa more than Africa needs us, and it is clear that many African leaders are beginning to think the same way. Both sides are mistaken. We need each other now more than ever. It is time to solidify our economic and strategic partnership.

I and others who support this resolution commend President Obama for his leadership in making our mutually beneficial partnership a reality by signing a binational commission agreement with South Africa, with Angola, and with Nigeria. We hope that the United States will soon adopt a similar strategic agreement with the entire Gulf of Guinea region.

The White House has announced that President Obama will be hosting these 17 African heads of state and a group of younger, emerging leaders within these nations at a celebration that will mark the 50th anniversary later this summer. I would like to take this opportunity to commend our President for calling this summit. It was long overdue. I hope the invitation will be extended to other African nations as well.

As Professor Paul Collier wrote in a recent article, entitled ``The Case for Investing in Africa,'' ``The continent is now growing much more rapidly than the OECD nations. It may well be on the cusp of a reversal of fortune.''

It is time to revisit our relationship with the continent of Africa and to define a more comprehensive approach.

I would encourage the administration to also establish a commission that will create a platform where human rights groups, the civil society, U.S., and African governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and the diaspora can formulate and implement a mutually beneficial and coordinated policy framework that advances democracy, economic growth, and prosperity in Africa.

It is worth noting that the U.S. has already taken several steps that underline Africa's increasing importance. Our economy and its recovery are far more dependent on Africa than we have acknowledged to date, and so, too, is our national security.

For these reasons, I urge you to vote for H.R. 1405, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of 17 African nations, recognizing that Africa is of significant strategic, political, economic, and humanitarian importance to the United States. It will renew the commitment of the United States and will help the people of the sub-Saharan Africa to foster democratic rule, to advance civic freedom, to promote market- based economic growth, and to alleviate the burden of poverty and disease that so many in the region continue to face.

This is only the first step, Mr. Speaker, to Africa's much needed transition into a global economy. However, this step is the right one as we undertake the long overdue transformation and our own approach toward Africa and our own belief in the African people and in the African continent.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a hero of the American workforce: Ron Gettelfinger. For the past eight years Mr. Gettelfinger has dedicated himself to fighting for our Nation's auto workers as president of the UAW. Many of the fights that Mr. Gettelfinger undertook helped not only his constituency but Americans as a whole.

Mr. Gettelfinger's priorities are not unique to the UAW but are shared by many members of this body, myself included. Whether fighting for single-payer healthcare, labor protections, or investment in America's industry Mr. Gettelfinger had made it his life's work to advocate for the American worker.

I am proud to rise today to honor a fine man on the occasion of his retirement and commend him for the excellent work he's done. Mr. Speaker, it is because of individuals like Ron Gettelfinger that our workforce functions as well as it does.

I want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for yielding time.

I also want to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Kline, and Majority Leader Hoyer for working with my office in order to bring this important resolution to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, today, we have the chance to vote on a very important congressional resolution, congratulating Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men-Englewood Campus, which is the Nation's first all-male charter high school, for achieving a 100 percent college acceptance rate for all 107 members of its first graduating class of 2010. There have been over $4 million in grants and scholarships awarded to this one class, which is the first of its kind in the Nation.

At a time when only 50 percent of African American males are graduating from high school in most large, urban, predominantly black school districts, the young graduates of Urban Prep are not only shattering the stereotypes that have surrounded the issue of black male dropouts, but they are also setting a standard and are establishing a model that we hope will be replicated in other school districts all around this Nation. The accomplishments that these students, teachers, administrators, and families of this esteemed high school, Urban Prep, have achieved are extremely important, not only to my district and to the African American community, but to the Nation at large.

The Englewood district, where Urban Prep is located, has been better known for its high rates of unemployment and for its lack of opportunity, which has led to an infestation of drugs, violence, and gang activity in recent years. Today, Urban Prep stands as a national symbol of academic excellence, and within the Englewood community, the school represents pride, hope, and inspiration.

There are countless hardworking and resilient Englewood families who have the same aspirations and desires for their children that you and I and the rest of the Members of this body carry, which is to obtain quality educations and to have the opportunity to build better lives for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, as a former member of the Englewood High School Transition Advisory Council, I can recall working with Tim King, the founder, president and CEO of Urban Prep Academy, back in 2005, trying to get the Urban Prep charter approved through the Chicago Public Schools. I believed so strongly in Tim King and in his vision for building a strong, successful school in the Englewood community which would serve as a model for outstanding academic achievement and which would establish a solid foundation in the community that would make us all proud.

We received a lot of pushback from the Chicago Board of Education and even from the community as they did not believe that we could be successful in teaching our young African American males on a level rivaling any rich, affluent district in the Nation. Well, Mr. Speaker, the first graduating class has shown, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Urban Prep is for real, that black males will learn, and that nothing is impossible if you are willing to dream and to work to make that dream come true.

A 2009 study by the American Council on Education reported that only 28 percent of African American males who graduate from high school go on to enroll in college, compared with 41 percent of all other students. Well, again, Urban Prep graduates have shattered both of those records. With their hard work, with their commitment, with their dedication, and with their expectation of high standards among their parents, teachers and overall community, they are proving again that nothing is impossible.

I am extremely proud of what Urban Prep has been able to accomplish over the last 5 years. That includes not only the students but also their families, teachers, staff, and of course, the leadership of Tim King, who is an outstanding young man and whose father I know quite well. For the sake of a strong national economy as well as for a more stabilized community around the world, we need more educated, strong, black male role models and black male leaders.

All of the students, all of their parents, all of their supporters, and all of their friends who are watching this debate today, I say to you: Congratulations on all of your hard work. You have been an inspiration to your country. May God continue to guide you and to bless you in all of your future endeavors.

The motto of Urban Prep is ``We Believe.''

Mr. Speaker, I attended their graduation last Saturday. I saw all of these young men in their graduation regalia, young men who were coming from different backgrounds--backgrounds of depravation and poverty--who have been able to transform and to transcend those barriers. I saw them walk

across the stage to receive their diplomas. Not only, Mr. Speaker, are they graduating with high school diplomas, but every last one of them has a scholarship to a 4-year college in America--to Georgetown, to Howard, to Morehouse, to the University of Illinois. All across this Nation, Urban Prep is sending its graduates to represent my community, this community, and this Nation. Some of them--most of them--will be successful. They are the leaders of tomorrow.

I would like to submit the commencement program book ``The First Commencement Exercises'' for the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men--Englewood Campus, for the Congressional Record to be added to my remarks on the same given previously.

Urban Prep Academies--The First Commencement Exercises

Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men Englewood Campus

(Saturday, June 12, 2010, University of Illinois at Chicago Forum)

The Urban Prep Creed

We believe.

We are the young men of Urban Prep.

We are college bound.

We are exceptional--not because we say it, but because we

work hard at it.

We will not falter in the face of any obstacle placed before

us.

We are dedicated, committed and focused.

We never succumb to mediocrity, uncertainty or fear.

We never fail because we never give-up.

We make no excuses.

We choose to live honestly, nonviolently, and honorably.

We respect ourselves and in doing so, respect all people.

We have a future for which we are accountable.

We have a responsibility to our families, community, and

world.

We are our brothers' keepers.

We believe in ourselves.

We believe in each other.

We believe in Urban Prep.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the Murphy amendment. By adopting this amendment the House, today, takes an important step in eliminating discrimination in our nation's armed forces.

Madam Chair, critics of this amendment, and the repeal effort, have often stated that allowing open service will ``disrupt unit cohesion'' and lead to a breakdown in ``good order and discipline.'' These are the same arguments that were used in the 1940s to object to the integration of America's armed forces. Since that time, tens of thousands of African-Americans, myself included, have proudly served this nation that they love. Some have even risen to positions of distinction such as Colin Powell, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Much in that same honorable tradition, Madam Chair, gay and lesbian service members have also served our country with distinction. Whether on land, sea, or in the air gay and lesbian Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have served, and continue to serve, professionally and admirably.

Madam Chair, open service is a policy that is embraced by many of our key allies. In fact, in our current conflicts, American forces have served side by side with British, Canadian and Australian forces. These nations all permit open service and have demonstrated--through their soldiers' blood, sweat and tears--that they, too, are an effective fighting force.

In fact, Madam Chair, 35 countries, thirty-five, allow for open service. That's 35 countries, on all six inhabited continents, that have moved past prejudice and bigotry. Now is the time for the United States to be the 36th country to join them.

Of our NATO allies, Turkey and the United States are the only countries that have not yet allowed for open service. By passing this amendment, Madam Chair, the United States takes the first step in rectifying that situation.

Madam Chair, I will close with a quote from one of our former colleagues that I seldom, if ever, agreed with: Republican Senator Barry Goldwater.

In 1993, Senator Goldwater penned an op-ed for the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times where he stated, ``It's no great secret that military studies have proved again and again that there's no valid reason for keeping the ban on gays.'' I ask my colleagues to remember Senator Goldwater's words and to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Madam Speaker, it is often difficult to find words to express the depth of one's feelings with the passing of a friend and constituent, nevertheless, I rise today to pay tribute to a public administrator, community leader, entrepreneur, humanitarian and family woman, the late Kay Francis Lance (Dyson) Murray, who made her heavenly transition on Tuesday, May 11, 2010.

Kay dedicated her life towards making a difference in the lives of other people. She was a shining example of how God can use even the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. Indeed, many who have had the privilege of knowing and associating with her have come to recognize that they are much better the person as a result.

The first woman Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, Kay also served as Chief of Staff in the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation and Executive Assistant in the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's Office. Kay received a Bachelor's of Science degree from Roosevelt University, Master's of Education degree from Northeastern Illinois University, a graduate certificate from Cortez Peters Business School, a Management Development Program Certificate from Harvard University and a State of Illinois Real Estate License. Kay also co-partnered two designer clothing ventures and co-owned a limousine service in Chicago's Hyde Park community.

Kay was a faithful member of the Apostolic Church of God and served with distinction as Secretary/Treasurer of the North Washington Park Community Organization; President of Jackson Park Hospital Women's Board; Member of the Jackson Park Hospital Board of Directors; Member of Jackson Park Hospital Foundation and President of the Genesis House Board of Directors. In addition to helping me in my congressional re- election efforts, Kay worked at the grass roots and community level for numerous public officials including the late Chicago Alderman Claude Holman, former Alderman and current Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans, the late Mayor Harold Washington and Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown.

Madam Speaker, I want to encourage her devoted son Gary, her siblings, the entire family and the many friends of Ms. Kay Francis Lance (Dyson) Murray to always remember to look to the hills from which comes all of their help, trusting that their help will surely come from the Lord. I am truly blessed to have known and worked with her. I am honored to pay tribute to this outstanding public servant and privileged to enter these words into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following.

Chairman Waxman, Chairman Markey, Ranking Member Barton, Ranking Member Upton and all of my distinguished colleagues that sit on the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, thank you all for allowing me to make these remarks for the record on this important hearing on the reauthorization of State Revolving Funds within the ``The Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2010.''

Chairman Markey, I would especially like to thank you and your staff for working with my office over the past year to tighten the regulations within the SRF that govern water security to ensure that the incident that happened in my congressional district of Crestwood will not be replicated and that all of our constituents will have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to briefly recount for all of my colleagues the preposterous and unbelievable events that happened in Crestwood that has brought us to the point we are today. It is a story that, unfortunately, is ripe with abuses of the public trust by crooked and corrupt public officials at a level that is hard to fathom.

And it is a story that, hopefully, with the measures that we will enact in this legislation, will never be allowed to happen again.

Mr. Chairman, the story of Crestwood began in 1986, when the Illinois EPA was notified that the well water that was being used for public consumption was contaminated and was found to be unsuitable under federal EPA standards. Officials from the Village of Crestwood told State EPA authorities that the well would no longer be used for drinking purposes, but would remain open for emergency uses only, such as fighting fires.

Unbelievably, despite the warning from the IL EPA to the Crestwood officials about using the well for public consumption, for another 20 years, from 1986-2007, untreated well water was mixed with Lake Michigan water and was piped into the homes of village residents for drinking and other uses.

Mr. Chairman, for over 20 years, the citizens of Crestwood Village were consuming water, filled with contaminants, while the IL EPA never went back in to test the water quality or ensure that Crestwood officials had followed their edict to stop using the well for public consumption.

Then, in December 2007, acting on a tip from a private citizen, Tricia Krause, the IL EPA decided to test the well water for the first time since they were first alerted to the problem in 1986.

During these tests, the IL EPA found that the well water contained unacceptable levels of perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical linked to liver damage and neurological problems, as well as other carcinogenic chemicals that were higher than federal standards permit.

Mr. Chairman, it took the brave and courageous act of an everyday, hardworking, private citizen, Ms. Tricia Krause, to finally pull the plug on the nefarious and despicable acts of Crestwood officials. For 20 years, these officials willfully and reprehensibly lied to State authorities and fed contaminated water to the very citizens they were sworn to protect.

After Ms. Krause blew the whistle on these despicable acts and the story became public, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice executed search warrants and found that Village officials had been falsifying records regarding the purchase and delivery of water to its citizens for over 20 years.

And while we must acknowledge and praise the work of courageous citizens like Ms. Krause for taking matters into her own hands to shed light and seek justice, we must also do everything in our power to make it more difficult for immoral and despicable public officials to dupe the public again and feed contaminated and poisonous water to our citizens.

Mr. Chairman, the steps that you have taken in this bill will go a long way toward restoring the public trust in the system by requiring our State agencies, which are in many cases the last line of defense in ensuring public safety, to go that extra step to protect the public.

This language would simply compel the EPA to set up requirements for notifying the public served by a water system when different types of violations occur. The EPA would be allowed to use the same categories of violations that have already been developed under subsection (c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Additionally, for each category of violation, the EPA will determine what types of follow-up inspections are needed, and how many inspections the State will need to carry out. This gets right at the issue of the Illinois EPA not being required to go out and check whether the contaminated well was being used, without being overly burdensome if the violations are not related to public safety.

Mr. Chairman, as representatives of the people we serve, for most of us the actions taken by Village of Crestwood officials would be unconscionable. In all of my time as a public servant, I have rarely encountered public officials acting so egregiously against their own citizens or abusing their power in a way that puts the public safety at risk.

In March 2010, the IL Dept. of Public Health released a report that found cancer rates were ``significantly elevated'' in Crestwood residents, with higher-than-expected cases of kidney cancer in men, lung cancer in men and women, and gastrointestinal cancer in men.

While researchers could not make a definite link between the consumption of contaminated water for 20 years for the 11,000 residents of Crestwood and the elevated rates of cancer there, they determined it was possible that toxic chemicals in the drinking water caused the extra cancer cases.

Well, I'm not a researcher, but I can analyze commonsense, and for me, the coincidence between drinking cancer-causing contaminated water for 20 years and then having higher-than-normal rates of cancer appear in those same citizens shows that there must be some connection between the two.

With our actions here today and in moving this bill forward, it is my sincere hope that no other community in America will have to suffer from the reprehensible acts of a few despicable public servants who would seek to abuse the public trust.

Thank you again Mr. Chairman, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, for allowing me to participate today.

Madam Chair, I also want to thank Chairman Waxman and Chairman Markey and their very capable staffs for working with my office to ensure that we include tangible benefits in the Home Star Program for all constituents, including those in the lower income communities such as the one I represent on the south side of Chicago.

I also must thank my friend and colleague Barbara Lee and her great staff, as well as the Home Star Coalition, who collaborated with my office and the Energy and Commerce Committee to strengthen this outstanding, remarkable Home Star Program legislation.

Madam Chair, I am pleased to point to several provisions within the bill that would directly benefit my constituents, including the quality assurance framework, which targets training and employment opportunities for lower income families and workers, and aggressive outreach and financial assistance for our most vulnerable communities to help them take advantage of the energy-and money-saving retrofit opportunities within this bill.

Madam Chair, I fully support this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I rise this evening with a heavy heart. Yesterday morning, our Nation learned that yet another transcendent leader of our Nation's civil and human rights movement, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, has gone home to be with God.

I honestly don't know what it will be like to work in our Nation's capital without the esteemed `godmother' of the Civil Rights Movement in our midst.

Time does not permit me to give a soaring tribute to this 98-year-old woman whose place in our Nation's history was launched when she was denied entry to the college of her choice, in 1929. You see, at that time, despite her academic acceptance, Barnard had set an artificial quota of allowing only two African Americans admittance each year.

Well, well, well, look what ``Number 3'' did with her life!

Whenever I reflect upon the impact Dr. Dorothy Height had upon our Nation, I will always think of a woman of steely determination and grit. But I will also remember someone who reveled in the grace of being a pioneering woman, as her many colorful hats will attest!

This Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree leaves our Nation with a literal monument to her accomplishments in the form of the National Council of Negro Women Headquarters Building, at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., a building that they own. And you know what? It's a building that's in the same neighborhood of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.--a home that, right now, is occupied by a President and a First Lady who, like Dr. Height, dared to dream big dreams.

May God bless and keep Dr. Dorothy Height and the men and women of this Nation who loved her.

Madam Speaker, mere words do not begin to do justice to the life, legacy and transcendent accomplishments of the Rev. Dr. Claude S. Wyatt, Jr., co-founder of The Vernon Park Church of God in Chicago, Illinois. Rev. Wyatt's life in this world came to an end at the age of 86. Rev. Wyatt, founder emeritus of the Vernon Park Church of God, 9011 S. Stony Island, died Sunday morning, April 11, 2010, at his South Side home.

He left in his wake thousands of people from all walks of life who will forever remember his love for the Lord, his large and loving family, including his beloved wife of 70 years, the Rev. Dr. Addie Lorraine Wyatt, as well as men, women and young people from all walks of life, including me. In ways big and small, I learned from Rev. Wyatt important lessons in life. I am proud to count myself among those scattered throughout this country who, right now, are grieving the loss of his life but who, at the same time, are rejoicing in the Lord in whose arms he now has eternal peace and comfort.

While today's young people are reveling in the fruits of what many call the ``Joshua Generation,'' there would be no `Joshuas' without the wisdom, guidance and front line courage of those Moses figures, like Dr. Wyatt, who stood side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., campaigned for the release of Nelson Mandela and a free South Africa, or who worked alongside some of this nation's greatest labor leaders, like Cesar Chavez. Together, men and women of unheralded stature successfully created a culture, in this nation, that values the labor of low-income and working class families by, at the very least, recognizing the merit of paying them a decent, minimum living wage for a hard day's work. I could go on and on about the things that Rev. Wyatt and his amazing wife Addie have done to create the nation we live in today, but I offer these thoughts for future generations to read, revel in and, hopefully, rejoice!

Rev. Wyatt was born November 14, 1921 in Terrell, Texas. He was the second of five children. A young Claude Wyatt first came to Chicago at the age of six. Rev. Wyatt fought honorably as part of a still, segregated Navy, during WWII, from which he was honorably discharged. And, prior to becoming a pastor, Rev. Wyatt worked as a clerk at the Hyde Park Post office, at 46th and Cottage Grove, part of my congressional district, for more than 20 years.

Rev. Wyatt was married to his wife, Addie, since 1940. Shortly after they joined their lives together, the couple became involved with the ministry and civil rights campaign of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. Wyatt marched with Dr. King in the famous Selma to Montgomery march to secure voting rights on March 7, 1965. In the midst of that infamous day in Alabama, now forever known as Bloody Sunday when 600 civil rights marchers were beaten and brutalized by the police, Dr. Wyatt was there. In fact, it was his job to coordinate ministers and recruit workers to join Dr. King on that day--a day that, in so many ways, helped make our nation a better place.

Over the years, with the loving support of his wife Addie, who also served side-by-side with him in his ministry, the church they founded together grew to become a powerful, leading voice for labor and for human rights.

In her husband's loving embrace, his support encouraged her to assume the mantle of national leadership in her own right. The Rev. Dr. Addie Wyatt became a labor adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The Wyatts also worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson in helping to launch Operation Breadbasket when, in 1962, it distributed food to underprivileged people in 12 American cities.

His son, Claude Wyatt III, said the Lord called his father into the ministry in 1952 and, in 1955, he founded the Vernon Park Church of God where he, initially, began holding services in a garage at 93rd Street between Indiana and Prairie. God called Claude and Addie Wyatt to carry a message of salvation and hope to a small but spirit-filled group of people. Together, they worshipped under the name of the Mount Zion Baptist Church. Under their leadership, the church was converted to the Church of God Reformation and, because of its location, was eventually named the Vernon Park Church of God.

Over the years, through much effort, mutual support and abiding faith, the Wyatts continued to build their church and, as the size of their congregation grew so, too, did the location of the church. Finally, after much prayer and perseverance, the present worship facility was erected. Today, this multi-million dollar complex, with a membership of more than 1,000, stands as a monument to the faith, hope and vision of a people who not only had a mind to build but an unshakable determination to do great things to honor God and to serve His people here on Earth.

Rev. Wyatt's accomplishments are legendary and could fill an entire Congressional Record. But of all the things I could say, on behalf of my beloved wife, Carolyn, my family and, indeed, a grateful nation, I salute the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Claude S. Wyatt, Jr. His was a life well lived, indeed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and recognize The Red Pump Project on the occasion of their one year anniversary. The Red Pump Project is an initiative of The Red Project Collaborative (RPC), a Chicago non-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on minority communities. Through its initiatives, The Red Pump Project and The Red Tie Project, RPC is doing work online, with over 135 bloggers and on the ground to motivate action and encourage dialogue about the effects of the disease.

Through their work, co-founders and noted bloggers Karyn Brianne Watkins and Lovette Ajayi have spent countless hours and endless energy to raise awareness of this life-altering disease. Their work has been so fruitful, Madam Speaker, that The Red Pump Project is now a national initiative, raising and donating funds to the Chicago Women's AIDS Project, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Project VIDA. Currently The Red Pump Project features 40 ambassadors in 20 states around the country ``Rocking the Red Pump'' to raise awareness about this epidemic and is continuously moving toward its goal of having representation in all 50 states.

As the Red Pump Project celebrates their 1 year anniversary in fashion and style on March 25, 2010, they will also be honoring Emmy Award-winning HIV/AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton with the ``Ultimate Red Pump Rocker'' Award for being a living legacy. Ms. Lewis-Thornton has faced the disease with dignity, class and undeniable courage for over 20 years, and has been on an endless crusade to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS around the world.

Madam Speaker, as the Centers for Disease Control reports African- Americans account for 13% of the United States population but a staggering 49% of HIV/AIDS infections, it is through initiatives like The Red Pump Project that transmission can be reduced and ultimately this disease eventually eliminated. I am honored to recognize The Red Project Collective (RPC) and privileged to enter these words into the Congressional Record of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I rise in solidarity with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in support of the people of Haiti.

Last weekend, in my district, I held a citywide interfaith prayer service where we sought God's grace and mercy for the lives of those who were lost in last week's earthquake as well as for the survivors, the rescue workers and those who, miraculously, continue to be pulled alive from the rubble.

I strongly support the swift action, last week, by the Obama Administration to grant temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants already living in this country. I urge the Administration to continue to bring the full weight and resources of the federal government in support of a nation whose history intersects with that of the founding of the United States.

Haiti is a nation to whom our nation owes an enormous debt of gratitude. It was the brave people of Haiti who tirelessly fought French aggressors, in the early 1800s, thereby preventing that nation from advancing to the shores of America in the early years after the founding of our republic.

My commitment to Haiti is to do all I can do, in our nation's capitol and at home in Chicago, to help restore, rebuild and strengthen Haiti. My hope and prayer is that it will emerge stronger than it was before last week's tragic turn of events.