Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, today we are debating whether or not we should repeal civil rights provisions in Head Start reauthorization, and allow religious organizations that use federal funding to discriminate in hiring and firing based on an individual's religious beliefs. In a time when we are forcefully trying to persuade other countries to include protections against religious discrimination in their constitutions, it is astounding that we are here, in the United States Congress, trying to repeal these same protections for our own citizens.

As a practicing ordained minister, I find the Boustany amendment to be unnecessary, unwise, and unproductive. The Boustany amendment would allow religious organizations to waive civil rights protections that nonreligious organizations must abide by. The provisions that currently govern Head Start have been in place and have been working effectively for decades. Religious organizations operate over 5 percent of all Head Start programs, abiding by the civil rights provisions, and there is no need for Congress to take this unprecedented step that Mr. Boustany is proposing. Never before has Congress ever repealed existing civil rights protections by adopting an amendment on the House Floor, without the benefit of committee hearings, debate, or expert testimony.

In fact, H.R. 2123, the School Readiness Act, passed through the Education and the Workforce Committee by a bipartisan, unanimous 48-0 vote. Now, some Members of Congress are attempting to sabotage this bill by attaching this unconstitutional, divisive amendment to it. Maybe this is a way for Members who are against Head Start anyway, to try and derail the program. Mr. Boustany knows that Democrats will note vote for an amendment that allows federally funded organizations to discriminate against any Americans on any grounds.

Republicans are trying to make us choose between early childcare for our neediest students and civil rights protections for the rest of our citizens. I wonder what the real motivation is behind bringing up this amendment.

It is truly a shame that Members of this House are playing politics with a bill that affects millions of our young children, and which millions of Americans have come to trust and rely on. No, Mr. Speaker, I will not vote for a bill that repeals civil rights protections. I will not vote for federally funded discrimination. It is unconscionable that Members of Congress would try to reverse the progress that we have made on civil rights in this country. What message are we sending to the rest of the world, including the newly-established democracies struggling to find a balance between religious freedom and civil liberties in their own laws and constitutions?

Adopting the Boustany amendment will send our country in the wrong direction. This is just another example of where the Republican Leadership wants to take our country, and I hope all our citizens are watching carefully. I urge a ``no'' vote on the Boustany amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for yielding to me, and I want him to know that he and the gentleman from Louisiana

(Mr. Jefferson), and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) are an inspiration to many of us. Your courage, your commitment, and the leadership that you have displayed over these trying times, not only to those who reside in your districts but also to the American people in general have not gone unnoticed.

The Bible says, ``When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.'' Mr. Speaker, when I think of the devastating effects of the failed rapid response of the Federal Government to Hurricane Katrina, I cannot help but wonder about the value of some life, some human life in this country, particularly the lives of the poor, the powerless, and the black.

Along with the rest of the world, I have been outraged by the less- than-rapid response, of the inaction, of the lack of attention and the lack of providing aid to the thousands of individuals who were left to die and fend for themselves in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in American history. Those who did not die were subject to the most dehumanizing conditions, the demoralizing squalor in the Superdome and other relief centers in New Orleans has been compared to the conditions in the hulls of slave cargo ships.

I might add, this is not a far-fetched and extreme exaggeration.

Hurricane Katrina is an example of how the Federal Government failed. It is an example of a complete breakdown when responding to those in need of critical help. In times of national crisis, the cries of mothers, fathers and families from Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama went unheard.

I serve on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and today our committee held a hearing on price gouging at America's pumps. But my immediate concerns are on the price of human suffering being paid by the most vulnerable in our society.

New Orleans is going through a full-blown public health crisis, Mississippi is going through a full-blown public health crisis, and so is Alabama; and they are all suffering from the debilitating environmental conditions caused by Hurricane Katrina and by human malfeasance.

In addition to examining the incompetence and indifference of FEMA, the National Guard, and, I might add, the American Red Cross in their responding to this catastrophe, this Congress needs to address immediate and emergency concerns, including the purification of the drinking water and the abatement of dreaded diseases such as e-coli, hepatitis A, cholera, West Nile and other mosquito and waterborne diseases. Clearly, the public health concerns of this Nation and particularly the Gulf Coast region are of paramount importance.

I might also quickly note that we should sharply increase funding for the LIHEAP program, so that we can address the rising cost of heating oil during the upcoming winter months.

Lastly, we must examine and address the psychological scars that people have suffered from this terrible tragedy. We cannot underestimate the wounds that lie deeply in the psychology of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The week-long conditions under which many of them toiled are unimaginable.

In this regard, we must especially be sensitive to the psychological needs of the children. Children may have suffered trauma that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It is important that this Congress provide comprehensive mental health services to the children and to all of the evacuees.

It is now time for this Congress to acknowledge that there is widespread poverty in this Nation. It is now time for this Congress to also acknowledge the role that poverty played in the paucity of the Federal response during this national crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I also join with my colleagues in saying down with Michael Brown. Down with Michael Brown.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report. I do not think that this piece of legislation is perfect, and there are many provisions in this bill that I disagree with, but overall I support passage of this conference report, because it contains many provisions that are important to me and to my district, including provisions affecting ethanol and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP.

During the markup of this House version of the bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee, we passed my amendment, which will significantly increase authorized funding for LIHEAP to $5.1 billion. And I am very pleased that this increase was sustained during the conference committee and the hearings of the conference committee.

Mr. Speaker, I want you to know that this provision is so important to my constituents and to constituents similar to mine who suffer during the ravaging winter months and are often at a point where they have to make a decision between paying high energy costs and paying for medical care or paying for food.

I want to talk for a moment about this process that we have gone through this year. This year's process has been infinitely better than last year's shoddy process, whereby the majority went behind closed doors and drafted a conference report with zero input from the minority.

And, Mr. Speaker, I want to let you know and let the Members of this House know that I really appreciate the fact that Chairman Barton has displayed a willingness to be fair and to work with me and other Democrats on this energy bill. We have a long history of bipartisan cooperation in our great committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, particularly and especially when the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) was chairman. I want to commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) for continuing this tradition. It should serve as a blueprint for the rest of the Congress. We would have a lot less sniping and get a lot more work done in the full House of Representatives were we to follow the leadership of Chairman Barton, the ranking member and the Energy and Commerce Committee.

And I urge my colleagues to vote yes for this conference report.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 289 designating the week of August 7 as ``National Health Center Week''. Community Health Centers provide primary health services to low income, working poor, Medicaid and Medicare enrollees and uninsured individuals.

Community Health Care Centers provide a larger range of services including primary care, cancer screenings, pre-natal care and emergency medical services in medically underserved communities without regard to the patient's ability to pay for the services. This past year almost 35% of all Illinois health center patients were uninsured. Throughout the state of Illinois over 40 percent of those seeking services at community health centers are Medicaid eligible and health care centers are often the only medical support offered to homeless individuals.

The first district in Illinois, which I have the honor and privilege to represent, has ten facilities as part of a statewide network of 250 primary health care delivery sites that will serve 850,000 patients this year. My Illinois colleague, Representative Danny Davis, who introduced this resolution, credits the health centers for contributing to the health and well being of minority communities by keeping children healthy and providing preventive health care so that parents and adults can remain employed.

These centers have significantly increased the availability of preventive health care for minorities, migrant and homeless individuals and families. I am glad to join my colleague in support of this resolution to recognize the efforts of the community based organizations in providing these important services.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring light to the continuing neglect of Afro-Descendent people in Colombia. This past May 21, 2005, Colombia marked the 154th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Yet, African descendant minorities, who comprises 26 percent of the population, continues to be mistreated, marginalized socially and economically, and are pushed to the fringes of society.

Afro-Colombians are displaced from their ancestral lands which is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, so that extra-judicial groups such as the FARC, ELN and AUC are able to grow crops for drug trafficking. This population is, by far, the most repressed group in Colombia. They have the lowest national per capita income, the highest rates of illiteracy, high indices of infant mortality, and startling rates of preventable diseases.

Though the Colombian government is starting to make strides in breaking down the power of guerrilla and paramilitary groups, it has not done enough to protect Afro-Colombian territories. Historically, Afro-Colombian territories such as Choco are of great strategic importance to securing the United States. Choco is in essence at the crossroads between Central America and South America. It also has access to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea making Choco a very attractive launching pad for Colombia's extra-judicial actors.

These illegally armed actors should not and must not be exempt from prosecution for the human rights violations carried out under their leadership. The oppression of the Afro-Colombian population by these military groups must cease and desist. It is the responsibility of the Colombian government to secure its communities by eliminating such groups who have murdered, raped, and displaced the Afro-Colombian people.

We must do more in humanitarian assistance to provide better aid to those Afro-Colombians who have been displaced. Groups such as the Social Solidarity Network, Afro-Latino Development Alliance, the Black Mayors Federation, and AFRODES, in collaboration with local NGOs, are laying the foundation for advancements in healthcare, education, sustainable development, community kitchens, housing and other programs to address the needs of the displaced. Additionally, organizations such as USAID, Pan American Development Foundation, and the Colombian National Police are now finally planning to hire Afro-Colombians for technical and professional positions that will be beneficial to the Afro-Colombian community.

It is imperative that, more coordination by the Colombian government, our State Department and the philanthropic communities develop mechanisms to address this critical issue. President Uribe of Colombia agreed to the creation of a Cabinet level appointee to address the crisis facing Afro-Colombians and we are waiting for this to happen. This person will provide coordination amongst the Colombian government, the State Department, NGOs and other groups to address the plight of the Afro-Colombian communities. This will afford Afro-Colombians a voice in public policy that will ultimately have an impact on their communities.

The role of the United States must be, as it has in the past, multi- faceted. We must work closely with the Colombian government, our State Department and USAID to fight this crisis on all fronts. We must help to put an end to the oppression that the Afro-Colombian people have endured over the past 154 years since the abolishment of slavery.

Mr. Speaker, we must contribute more money in the area of sustainable development and rely less on military aid to solve Colombia's problems. We cannot continue to allow the egregious human rights violations within the Afro-Colombian community to continue. We must hold the Colombian government accountable on its human rights record and for its neglect of the Afro-Colombians.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the distinguished Member from New York, Carolyn Maloney, with whom I have had the pleasure of working along side ever since we were first elected at the end of the 102nd Congress. She has always been a true champion for women's rights and human rights, and I thank her for bringing this important issue to the awareness of the Congress.

You may or may not know that the World Health Organization estimates that at least two million women and girls around the world currently suffer from obstetric fistula, with an additional 50,000 to 100,000 cases happening each year. Obstetric fistula, a debilitating pregnancy related condition mainly affects girls ages 15-19. The condition occurs during childbirth when the infant's head presses against the woman's vagina and rectum, creating a formidable hole in vital tissue areas around the pelvis, resulting in loss of control of the bladder, bowels and nerve damage to the mother's legs. The prolonged labor almost always results in a high rate of infant mortality.

Beyond the significant health related risks that I have just outlined concerning this condition, there are also some societal factors that further debilitate these women. Many women with fistula are abandoned by their husbands and families because of the resultant odor and infertility. In effect, they become social outcasts because of the stigma associated with the disease, through no fault of their own.

As I stated before, approximately, two million women suffer from this condition. However, studies conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and EngenderHealth reveal that these figures are grossly underestimated. For example, in Nigeria alone, close to one million women suffer from the disease although these figures are based solely on patients who seek and report treatment in medical facilities only. This statistic clearly disregards the many cases that go unreported and untreated in the region.

A key factor concerning this issue is that fistula is a preventable and curable disease. One form of prevention is a Caesarean section, which costs a mere 60 U.S. dollars. Surgery to repair fistula has an uncharacteristically high success rate of 90 percent even after a woman has had the condition for several years. Most women are either unaware that treatment is available or simply cannot afford it. Surely this cost is worth the value as success rates have proven to be extremely high.

Funding to treat this curable condition has been rescinded by the current Administration. The $34 million in funds for the UNFPA that could save the lives of women and children around the world have been withheld causing more women and. children to suffer.

We are here today to introduce the ``Repairing Young Women's Lives Around the World Act,'' which would provide that the voluntary U.S. contribution of $34 million to UNFPA for the fiscal year of 2006 and subsequent years, will be directed to UNFPA to be used only for prevention, treatment and repair of obstetric fistula. The UNFPA serves as a vital institution for providing crucial family planning and health services to women in developing countries.

In closing, I would like to briefly remind you of some key points that summarize the severity of the issue.

Treatment to correct the condition has a 90-percent success rate.

For every child who dies from pregnancy complications, 15 to 30 women live and suffer chronic disabilities, the most acute of which is obstetric fistula.

It is estimated that there are 100,000 new fistula cases each year, but the international capacity to treat fistula remains at only 6,500 per year

I fully support this issue because it brings attention to one of the failed maternal health systems around the world. Fistula is virtually unknown in places where early pregnancy is discouraged, women are educated, family planning is accessible and skilled medical care is available. I feel that eradication of this problem in developing countries is a goal that the U.S. should work to make a reality.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``SBA Microenterprise Improvement Act''. This act would revise the eligibility for microloan intermediaries, increase the maximum microloan small loan amount from $7500 to $10,000, increase technical assistance contracting to 30 percent, adjust the term limit for loans, and create reporting requirements that will highlight the successes of public-private partnerships.

This bill will also provide several improvements to the ``Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act of 1999'', also known as the PRIME Act, a bill that I introduced in 1999 to help disadvantaged microentreprenuers obtain technical and training assistance.

The SBA Microloan and the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) are unique from other SBA programs because they combine training and technical assistance with loan capital. These programs serve small businesses without access to loans through conventional means because they lack business experience, collateral, or the credit scores needed. Loans that are very small are unprofitable for banks to service and often are not available in rural or low income communities.

The combination of technical support and small loans has made these programs the most successful in the SBA portfolio. In FY2004 the default rate was five hundredths of one percent even though the loans were made to the riskiest category of borrowers. Microloan programs create jobs that stay in the community, which is very important these days as we hear of increased off-shore movements by large corporations to remain competitive worldwide. With most small businesses participating in this program employing less than five people the cost for job creation in the microloan program averages approximately $3000 per employee which is eight times less than SBA's stated goal of creating one job for every $23,000 loaned through the 7(a) program.

The ``SBA Microenterprise Improvement Act'' also amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to extend the program to disadvantaged Native American entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs by providing 2 million dollars annually over the next three years for loans and training programs.

I believe that the SBA Microloan and the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs has proven that it can help unbankable small business owners with intensive technical assistance; training and small loans to succeed financially and become important service providers in our communities. I hope that all my colleagues will join me in supporting ``The SBA Microenterprise Improvements Act'' legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Small Business Intermediary Lending Pilot Program Act of 2005'' (SBILPP). This bill would establish a pilot program to provide low interest loans to nonprofit, community-based lending intermediaries. The program would also provide midsize loans for small businesses.

Small businesses and startups continue to face barriers when accessing midsize loans between $35,000 and $200,000, with affordable terms and conditions. With all of the banking industry consolidation, the method by which banks make small business credit decisions has changed to the disadvantage of small or startup businesses. Nonprofit intermediary lenders, including community development corporations, are in a better position to provide financial support to small businesses.

These nonprofit intermediary lenders provide riskier, up front capital to small businesses, with more flexible terms and underwriting procedures. These lenders also offer technical assistance to reduce the transaction costs and risk exposure of banks. The effectiveness of these types of programs has been demonstrated by several Federal programs, including the Microloan Program under the Small Business Act, and the Intermediary Relending Program in the Department of Agriculture. There are more than 1,000 nonprofit intermediaries around the country that are addressing the needs of small businesses by providing financial and technical assistance, leveraging additional capital for borrowers, and creating employment opportunities for low income individuals through their lending and business development activities.

This bill would establish a midsize loan pilot program, providing loans averaging $150,000 to eligible intermediaries, particularly for startup, newly established, or growing small businesses. The bill would also assess the effectiveness of nonprofit intermediaries, and determine the feasibility of implementing a midsize loan program nationwide.

I hope my colleagues will join me to support this initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of the Honorable Margaret Smith who made her heavenly transition on Monday, May 16, 2005. Senator Smith served with distinction in the Illinois General Assembly for 22 years until her retirement in December, 2002.

Prior to her 20-year tenure in the Illinois State Senate, Senator Smith served one term as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Senator Smith served as the chairwoman of the influential Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, where she had the distinction of being the first female State Senator in the United States to serve as the chairperson of the same committee chaired previously by her spouse, the late Senator Fred J. Smith.

Senator Smith has been recognized for her sponsorship and support of legislation on health care and women's issues, including requiring Illinois to cover the cost of mammograms for poor women, requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms, protecting senior citizens in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, improving the child immunization system in Illinois; and accordingly received the coveted ``Legislator of the Year Award'' from every major public health organization in Illinois, including the Illinois Nurses' Association, the Illinois Health Care Association, and the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association.

A recognized national leader, Senator Smith served as a member of the National Conference of Black State Legislators, the Midwestern Legislative Conference, and the National Conference of State Legislators, NCSL, serving as the chairperson of the NCSL's Health and Human Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage all those whose lives were touched by this gentle stateswoman, the Honorable Margaret Smith, to always remember to look to the hills from which comes all of their help. Senator Smith was an anchor within the Illinois governmental and political landscape. I am truly blessed to have known, worked with and supported her. I am honored to pay tribute to this outstanding public servant and am privileged to enter these words into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Chairman, I rise against this H.R. 1279, the Gang Deterrence and Community Prosecution Act of 2005. I strongly believe in cooperation between Federal and State law enforcement to deter gang activities. However, this bill takes the wrong approach by imposing mandatory sentences, trying juveniles as adults and expanding the death sentence to new offenses.

I, myself, can appreciate the destruction that gang violence can impose on a community. In Chicago alone, there are estimated to be 70,000 to 100,000 gang members--compared with about 13,000 Chicago police officers. Several ``super gangs'' dominate: the Gangster Disciples, the Black Disciples, the Vice Lords, the Black P Stones, the Mickey Cobras, the Latin Kings, the Spanish Cobras, the Maniac Latin Disciples, and the Satan Disciples. Each of these gangs controlled large amounts of territory and have wreaked havoc on the Chicago community. Nevertheless, prevention and intervention is the key in deterring juvenile crime and gang activities, not discriminatory mandatory sentencing or unfettered prosecutorial discretion.

Study after study have shown that trying juveniles as adults does not reduce crime but increases crime, including violent crime. In addition, a better approach, as opposed to this ill-advised approach, would be to focus our energy on more programs for at risk youth such as Head Start, Job Corps and family focused intervention programs. Again, I rise against H.R. 1279, and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Small Business Spectrum Ownership Opportunities Act.'' This bill would level the playing field in the acquisition of spectrum for telecommunications services so that small businesses and economically disadvantaged business owners could enter the communications field. As you know, since the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act there has been an unprecedented growth on the Telecommunications sector, which has often been referred to as the telecommunications revolution. However, conspicuously absent from this revolution has been economically disadvantage business owners. They have in essence been left on the fringes of this telecommunications revolution. There are many factors attributed to this lack of participation but chief among them is lack of capital. Because entry into the telecommunication field is capital intensive, many deserving, innovative, and well qualified small business owners have been denied entry into this vital sector because they lack access to the needed capital to complete with large companies. The problem of small businesses access to capital in telecommunications is greatly amplified because potential lenders to small telecommunications businesses cannot secure an interest in spectrum licenses as a condition of a loan. Given that new spectrum is auctioned and requires cash, this defect in spectrum financing means that small business are disadvantaged in their opportunities when compared with companies that have broad access to capital.

My bill would increase telecommunications ownership opportunities for small businesses, including small businesses owned or controlled by socially disadvantaged individuals, through Small Business Administration participation in a market-oriented restructuring of the credit aspects of Federal Communications Commission telecommunications spectrum auctions. The Act establishes two programs. THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECTRUM INSTALLMENT LOAN PROGRAM which permits an entrepreneur to apply for a direct loan from the Small Business Administration in order to bid on a spectrum license in an auction of the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the SBA Administrator may make loan guarantees (guarantees on private sector loans) only for telecommunications equipment and working capital necessary to carry out the terms of the license to be financed. The second program is the TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCELERATED LENDER PROGRAM. In this program the SBA guarantees loans that are provided in the private sector. Guaranteed loans are to be used by entrepreneurs to obtained spectrum in auction or in secondary spectrum markets. An approved borrower is given a letter of credit by the lender (and SBA). The Federal Communications Commissions accepts this letter of credit in lieu of any up front payment or earnest money deposit required by Commission regulation. In addition, the SBA Administrator may make loan guarantees (guarantees on private sector loans) for telecommunications equipment and working capital necessary to carry out the terms of the license to be financed. The SBA Administrator requires, as a condition of any direct loan and any loan guarantee, that (1) any disbursement of a loan amount be fully protected by a secured interest in the proceeds of sale or other assignment of the license involved; (2) the loan agreement contain specific measures by which, in the case of default by the borrower,

the lender may require the borrower to sell or otherwise assign the license.

I believe the ``Small Business Spectrum Ownership Opportunities Act embodies the essence of this statement by making economically disadvantaged small business owners not only consumers of technology but also producers of technology. I hope that all my colleagues will join me in supporting this important initiative.

Mr. Chairman, as a member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Energy and Commerce Committee, I rise in support of both the Democrat alternative and of the Congressional Black Caucus alternative to H. Con. Res. 95, the First Concurrent Resolution on the Budget. The CBC alternative offers to the American people and to this Congress a rational budget that is fiscally sound and morally responsible. The CBC alternative budget invests federal resources in the programs that benefit the constituencies of all of the Members of this House: education, health care, economic opportunity, retirement security and homeland security. And the CBC alternative budget makes these investments while reducing the federal deficit--which has spiraled out of control and out of sight over the last four years--by an additional $4.0 billion.

The Congressional Black Caucus budget alternative focuses on closing the disparities that exist in America's communities and invests in the future of this nation by fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act at Fiscal Year 2006 authorization levels, expanding the Head Start Programs, doubling the funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic serving institutions and increasing the size of the Pell Grant allotment for college students.

The CBC alternative restores much-needed federal dollars to the Minority Health Initiative and for Community Health Centers that provide critical health services to urban-based congressional districts like mine and rural-based congressional districts as well. The CBC alternative also increases funding for law enforcement initiatives such as juvenile justice programs and prisoner reentry programs that are so critical to facilitating successful reentry into society by ex- offenders.

The Congressional Black Caucus Substitute invests in education and funding for the minority health initiative. The Congressional Black Caucus Substitute invests in our nation's veterans by restoring the cuts the President's budget proposed in veterans' health care and providing enhanced survivor benefits, medical and prosthetic research, long term care and mental health care.

To meet the needs of America and its citizens, the CBC changes some of the components of the President's tax program, and directs those revenues to making our troops safe in the battlefield and our citizens safe here at home. Mr. Chairman, the CBC's budget is America's hope for tomorrow.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the CBC alternative budget.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize Dr. Melvin E. Banks of Chicago, Illinois, on his company's 35th anniversary. Dr. Banks is the owner of Urban Ministries, Incorporated, which is the largest African American owned and operated Christian publishing and media company.

At the age of 12, Dr. Banks discovered the Lord and his subsequent calling after sharing his testimony on the back roads of Birmingham, Alabama. At that time an elderly gentleman overheard his testimony and provided the young Banks with a Bible verse that would have significant impact on his future pursuits. Hosea 4:6 states, ``My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'' Upon hearing those words, Dr. Banks knew immediately that God's purpose for his life was to help spread knowledge of the gospel from an African American perspective.

After founding Urban Ministries in 1970, Dr. Banks and his small staff operated out of the basement of his home for 12 years. As Dr. Banks' faith grew, so did his media ministry. In 1982, Urban Ministries occupied the second floor of a building located at 1439 West 103rd street in Chicago, Illinois. Guided by a vision that others did not see, Dr. Banks moved Urban Ministries in 1996 to its current 46,000 square foot headquarters in the Chicagoland area.

Today, Urban Ministries serves over 40,000 Sunday school teachers throughout the United States, Haiti, the Bahamas, Nigeria and South Africa. Under Dr. Banks' leadership, souls have been touched and prayers have been answered as Urban Ministries moves closer to its goal of reaching every black Christian church with Christian education products and services.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Banks holds a Bachelor's Degree from Moody Bible Institute as well as undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois.

So on this day, I congratulate Dr. Banks on this momentous milestone in his company's history. My fellow colleagues, please join me in extending best wishes to Dr. Banks on 35 years of success and for another 35 years of success that surely will be approaching.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge and commemorate the accomplishments of Dr. Joseph M. Stowell, the outgoing president of the Moody Bible Institute. It is with great pleasure that I rise to honor Dr. Stowell for his 18 years of dedicated servitude to the Moody Bible Institute.

Mr. Speaker, the Bible says in the Book of Mathew 20 and 27: ``And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be servant.''

Mr. Speaker, by his steadfast commitment to his ministry, I believe Dr. Stowell is servanthood personified.

Dr. Stowell, devoted husband and a committed family man, is a man known for his compassionate leadership style. In fact, his love for his students and belief in their capacity to make a difference in the life of the community and for Christ have been the hallmark of his tenure as president.

Under his leadership and by the grace of God, various Moody Bible Institute ministries have been strengthened. These ministries have focused on methods that embraced the diversities in the body of Christ, including color, caste, and class distinctions; and has sharply focused attention to the ministry needs of urban centers.

In addition, the MBI graduate school has made significant strides with a Master of Divinity program and other academic majors that are designed to prepare students for ministry in a changing and diverse world. Dr. Stowell's most recent contributions at MBI led to a restructuring of its many ministries to emphasize the unique contributions of the work of Christ through education, broadcasting, and publishing. His leadership did not just stop there. In 2001 the Distance Learning Center launched Moody Online which now has students enrolled throughout 28 countries. And over the past 18 years, MBI Broadcasting Network has expanded from 11 to 33 owned and operated radio stations which broadcast the award-winning radio ministry known as ``Proclaim.''

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Stowell has authored many books, including the recent Gold Medallion-winning book entitled, ``The Trouble with Jesus.'' Dr. Stowell has earned tremendous respect from all people who know him. His unique leadership style, his love for the ministry, and his faithfulness in spreading the gospel of Christ was admired by the faculty, students, and others in ministry and in the community. Without question, Dr. Joseph Stowell was one of the most effective presidents in the history of Moody Bible Institute.

Mr. Speaker, there is an old adage that states: ``When you start to benefit more than the people you serve, you are no longer a servant,'' and I submit today that Dr. Joseph Stowell has exemplified genuine servanthood and he has impacted the lives of those around him more than he will ever know.

He has now been called to his next season of servanthood to advance the cause of Christ, and he leaves Moody Bible Institute with a tremendous legacy. So today, I rise to recognize and commend the legacy of true servanthood which will never be forgotten. I commend Dr. Joseph Stowell.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of Chicago's unsung heroes, the late Mr. Milton Davis who sadly passed away on February 11, 2005. His untimely death will truly leave a deep void in the Chicago community.

Mr. Speaker, the City of Chicago has lost a giant. My condolences and the condolences of my family are extended to Gertrude Davis and to her entire family.

Mr. Milton Davis was born in Jasper, Alabama and graduated from Morehouse College. He moved to Chicago in 1958 and worked with Ronald Gryzwinski and Mary Houghton on an experimental minority lending program at Hyde Park. In 1973, Mr. Davis was part of a group that purchased South Shore Bank in order to prevent its move to downtown Chicago.

A true pioneer, Mr. Davis dedicated the Shore Bank institution to serving low-income and middle-income African-Americans on the South Side of Chicago. Mr. Davis believed that you can empower the African- American community if you can provide them with the economic resources they needed to prosper. With that commitment in mind, Mr. Davis dedicated his life to making sure that his bank allowed the undeserved to gain a piece of the economic pie.

Mr. Davis' keen business sense or astuteness cannot be forgotten. From 1983 to 1996, he was chairman of Shorebank, which grew $40 million in assets to more than 1.5 billion today. Until, his death, Mr. Davis was on the bank's board and served as chairman emeritus.

Mr. Davis' courage to be independent, to speak his mind, and to fight for the under-represented in the South Side of Chicago will surely be missed. My fellow colleagues please join me in honoring the memory of Mr. Milton Davis, a true beacon of the Chicago community.