Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Reverend Mary Edith Moody, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who passed away on October 28, 2017 at the age of 91.

Rev. Moody was born on July 29, 1926, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was one of nine siblings in a family of modest means. Her father, Mr. James Nathaniel Moody Sr., was a supervisor of Negro Schools in West Baton Rouge and her mother was a teacher. After graduating from high school at Southern University Lab School in 1943, she earned two degrees from Southern University: one in business education and the other in secondary education. She later earned a master's degree in education from Louisiana State University and a certificate of theology from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rev. Moody taught English and business education to visually impaired children for more than 30 years at the Louisiana State School for the Blind at Southern University--and was one of five teachers named Outstanding Secondary Educator of America from a field of 5,000 candidates--before retiring from her teaching career to become one of the first female ministers for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Rev. Moody was ordained in 1976 and assigned to Black Creek AME Church in Darlington that same day. During her pastoral career, she served as pastor at Mount Everett AME Church in St. Helena Parish and Heard AME Church in Baton Rouge and eventually became an associate pastor at Bethel AME Church on South Street.

Rev. Moody received numerous awards for service, commitment and leadership, including the Powell-Reznikoff Award from the Baton Rouge Council on Human Relations in 2001 along with the first Mid City Community Lifetime Achievement Medal in 2004 at the age of 77. Also, she was a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., for more than 70 years.

Rev. Moody devoted herself to numerous Baton Rouge community organizations, advocating for children, African Americans, women, the poor, and anyone facing hardship. We cannot match the sacrifices made by Rev. Moody, but surely we can try to match her sense of service. We cannot match her courage, but we can strive to match her devotion.

Rev. Mary Edith Moody survivors include her sister, Ms. Martha E. Moody Boone; Brother, Mr. Charles David Moody, Sr.; and Sister-in-Law, Ms. Dorothy Johnson Moody; twenty-four Nieces and Nephew; a host of Grand-, Great-Grand-, and Great-Great-Great-Nieces and Nephew; and a host of surrogate sons and daughters.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Mary Edith Moody a beloved daughter, sister, and grandmother as well as a true example of Baton Rouge culture personified

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Waters, the ranking member. Oftentimes in this body, we talk about leadership. Leadership is what Congresswoman Waters did after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; but, more importantly, 4 years ago, when the threat of new flood policies were going to make people pay the cost of their home every 5 years, we were talking about paying 20 percent of the value of your home in flood insurance every year, she came down to Louisiana and met with Louisiana citizens. She didn't come to the urban areas, although she passed through, but she went to the rural areas, talked to middle-income families to figure out how flood insurance reform would hurt them.

What she found out is that it was going to cause more families to just turn in the keys to their house and give their homes back to the mortgage company or declare bankruptcy so that they can just get by.

This bill is a lot better than the bill that was in committee, and I want to thank the chairman and my colleagues from Louisiana, Mr. Scalise and Mr. Graves, for making it a better bill. But when we are talking about homeowners, the most responsible people in society who have now purchased their piece of the American Dream, when you have people who played by the rules, bought the home of their dreams, you don't change the rules halfway to say: Hey, we know this was the rule when you bought the House, but now it has changed, and all of a sudden that $500 in insurance you pay a month is now $1,500.

That is not responsible, it is not fair, and we are picking on homeowners.

I would just say to my friends on the other side of the aisle that the bill is better, but it is not worthy of the American taxpayer or the American homeowner.

We keep talking about the private market. They are going to pick and choose where they want to insure, and then, all of a sudden, you are left with a high-risk pool, where homeowners who work every day are stuck with costs that they just can't afford.

I would simply say that this is something we really could do, in this atmosphere, in a bipartisan way, because it is the right thing to do.

With all the good things in the bill, the problems--the bad outweighs the good.

I would just remind my friends on the other side of the aisle, the community that you save may be your own.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for leading this Special Order and for the outstanding work that she has done as her island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, recovers from two devastating hurricanes.

Being from New Orleans, I understand what two twin hurricanes can do. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged our city, our State, along with Mississippi, Texas, and the Gulf Coast. To be very candid, the people of the Virgin Islands, unfortunately, are doing this too much on their own.

Part of what makes America exceptional, part of what makes us the greatest country in the world is that when we find our citizens in a vulnerable position, through no fault of their own, we come in as a government and we help. When you look at the Virgin Islands and the fact that the damage they have received is more than their capacity to rebuild, and it is through no fault of their own, it is Mother Nature. It is an act of God.

Some would say it is global warming and climate change, but it doesn't matter what caused it. What matters is the United States' response to how we fix it. So when we start talking about our response to the Virgin Islands, it is a great segue into Haiti and temporary protective status.

It was that 2010 earthquake that rendered Haiti in a position where they could no longer safely and adequately care for their citizens, and we allowed them to have temporary protective status in the United States. On May 24 of this year, the Department of Homeland Security redesignated Haiti for 6 months of temporary protective status rather than 18 months that the Government of Haiti, Haiti experts from the United States, the Congressional Black Caucus, and others requested.

The fact is, the DHS designation didn't reflect any of the reality on the ground. In fact, it ignored that there is great food scarcity, and it ignored the ongoing challenges posed by the unprecedented earthquake.

We sent a letter November 3 asking once again to fully extend Haiti's TPS designation for another 18 months. However, time and time again, unfortunately, it appears that this administration, through all of the rhetoric, has an inability to do right when right is needed, especially when we talk about vulnerable populations, especially when we talk about immigrants. It is too easy for this administration to turn a blind eye and ignore real-life needs.

Now, there are some out there who could argue: Is this America's issue?

I would argue that it is absolutely America's issue.

First of all, not extending the TPS will have drastic consequences for the United States' economy. That is why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, national security experts, and the Catholic bishops have all come out in support of extending this vital program, because they know that these nations are in no condition to receive the 300,000 people that will be returned to them.

They understand the public health crisis and the destabilization of the new government. In El Salvador and Honduras, the return of 250,000 people would strain government services and lead to job displacement in countries besieged by violence, drug trafficking, and weak institutions.

So let me just clear it up for a lot of Americans sitting at home and asking: Well, why does this affect us?

Thirty percent of TPS recipients are homeowners in the United States. So just think about the consequences of simultaneously dumping 60,000 mortgages on the U.S. housing market. Think about 13,000 mortgages in Texas, 5,000 mortgages in Florida, 4,100 in Virginia. The mass deportation alone will cost the taxpayers of this country more than $3 billion.

Oftentimes, we find ourselves in this place, in this body arguing about the fiscal argument of things and talking about how it would affect our economy--which I just did--talking about how it would hurt the U.S. market in foreclosures and mortgages, and we give all of these examples of how this could bankrupt the United States.

The bigger concern we have, and that this administration should have, is that this country is on the fast track to moral bankruptcy because we do not stand up when we are supposed to; we don't call out wrong when we see it; and, too often, we turn our backs to injustice. That is not what this country is about. That is not what made this country great. So with that, I would just say that it is time for this country, this Congress, this administration, to do what is right simply because it is the right thing to do.

It just so happens that the right thing to do this time has extreme economic benefits that go along with it. Tonight, you are going to hear from a number of our remarkable Congressional Black Caucus members who don't just advocate for Black people. We advocate for people all across this country who are oftentimes voiceless, who can't afford lobbyists, who don't influence government, but people who just wake up every day, go to work, put food on their table, provide for their kids, and hope for a better future for their families. They hope that their parents can live out their lives with dignity and respect. They hope that their immediate family--that they can provide for their kids, and their kids can reach their wildest dreams.

That is the American Dream. That is what we fight for. It is such a great privilege to be the chair of that Caucus. You will see in the next couple of seconds the talent and the passion of which this Caucus fights for, which is why I am so proud and humbled to lead this Caucus during this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr Antoine ``Fats'' Dominique Domino Jr., a lifelong New Orleanian musician known as a founding father of rock `n' roll, who passed away on October 24, 2017 at the age of 89

Mr. Domino was born on February 26, 1928, in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana, the youngest of eight in a family of modest means. He earned his nickname thanks to his short, squatty stature. As a boy, he became obsessed with the piano, teaching himself to play along with songs on the radio. He practiced so much that his parents put the piano in the garage.

Mr. Domino took cues from rhythm and blues stars Louis Jordan and Charles Brown and blues singer Amos Milburn, even as he developed his own highly rhythmic style. He started out performing on the side while doing a variety of odd jobs, delivering ice to homes that didn't have refrigerators, fitting springs into bed frames, working in an auto- repair shop that a cousin owned and tending the cousin's bar next door.

Conversation of his high-spirited approach to the piano spread, and he started attracting crowds to the Hideaway Club on Desire Street, in the Upper 9th Ward. His signature piano triplets--three notes for every beat--became the basis of rock and pop songs for the next three decades. His lone gimmick involved using his immense girth to push the piano to the front of the stage-and this he did only during his encore. Visionary New Orleans bandleader, producer, songwriter, trumpeter and Imperial Records talent scout Dave Bartholomew discovered Domino at the club.

Their first collaboration, ``The Fat Man,'' recorded in December 1949 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M studio on North Rampart Street, is arguably one of the first true rock `n' roll records. It launched one of the most successful collaborations in rock history, as Domino and Bartholomew created a body of work for Imperial Records that moved New Orleans to the vanguard of popular music.

The dozens of Fats Domino singles included ``Shake Rattle and Roll,'' ``When the Saints Go Marching In,'' ``Ain't That a Shame,'' ``Blueberry Hill,'' and so much more.

Mr. Domino sold in excess of 60 million records in the 1950s, more than anyone except Elvis Presley, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's official biography. He dominated Billboard's pop and rhythm- and-blues charts from 1955 to 1963. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 1986, its first year. The next year, he won a Grammy for lifetime achievement. President Bill Clinton honored him with a National Medal of Arts in 1998.

The city of New Orleans and the international community lost one of our favorite sons. Fats Domino's many musical contributions will live on through generations of musicians to come. A pioneer celebrated on the international stage, Fats Domino never outgrew his beloved New Orleans. We loved him as much as he loved us.

Mr. Domino's wife, Mrs. Rosemary Domino, died in 2008. Survivors, all of whom live in the New Orleans area, include four sons, Anatole, Andre, Antonio and Antoine III Domino; four daughters, Antoinette Smith, Anola Hartzog, Adonica Domino and Andrea Brimmer, numerous grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Antoine ``Fats'' Domino, a beloved father, grandfather, and a true example of New Orleans culture personified.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter from the National Education Association.

National Education Association,

Washington, DC, October 4, 2017.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the more than three

million members of the National Education Association (NEA),

and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to Vote

No on the FY 2018 budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 71) being

brought to the House floor this week, and offer our views on

the alternative budgets that have been proposed. The budget

should reflect the priorities of our nation and should

especially meet the needs of children and those most in need.

Actions on this issue may be included in the NEA Legislative

Report Card for the 115th Congress.

In addition to urging a NO vote on H. Con. Res. 71, we urge

you to:

Vote YES on the Democratic substitute budget. This budget

stresses the need to invest in our economic future. It lifts

the budget caps, broadens access to education, defends and

strengthens the Affordable Care Act, invests in

infrastructure, raises the minimum wage, and supports tax

reform that supports American families and workers.

Vote YES on the budget presented by the Congressional

Progressive Caucus offered by Reps. Pocan (D-WI) and Grijalva

(D-AZ). This budget provides a practical, progressive vision

for our country by investing in 21st century infrastructure

and jobs, tackling inequality, making corporations pay their

fair share, and strengthening essential public programs.

Vote YES on the budget presented by the Congressional Black

Caucus offered by Rep. Scott (D-VA). This budget would

establish funding levels to allow for investments in key

programs like education, infrastructure and job training,

makes the tax code more progressive and fair, repeals the

Budget Control Act and ends the threat of sequestration, and

create jobs while also reducing the deficit.

Vote NO on the budget presented by the Republican Study

Committee authored by Reps. Walker (R-NC) and McClintock (R-

CA). This budget goes beyond the Budget Committee proposal in

terms of balancing the budget on the backs of those least

able to afford it by cutting spending $5.7 trillion over the

next 10 years. The budget also would repeal the Affordable

Care Act, increase the Medicare eligibility age, and block

grant Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

We strongly oppose H. Con. Res. 71 because it takes us in

the wrong direction as a nation by making dramatic cuts to

essential programs and services in order to finance tax cuts

for the wealthy. Specifically, we oppose:

Doubling down on deep cuts to education and other domestic

programs. This proposal would cut Non-Defense-Discretionary

programs (i.e. education, health care, job training, etc.),

which are already at historically low levels (as a percentage

of GDP), by lowering the already inadequate spending caps by

$5 billion in 2018 and cutting spending for NDD programs by

$1.3 trillion over the next decade. This would force even

deeper cuts to crucial investments like education depriving

students of the opportunity they all deserve for a quality

education.

Making dramatic cuts for essential programs to finance a

massive tax cut for the wealthy and add $2.4 trillion to our

country's debt. According to the Tax Policy Center, the top

one percent of households would get 80 percent of the

framework's next tax cuts, or more than $200,000 annually on

average.

Slashing Medicaid and other health programs, which provides

healthcare for more than one-third of our nation's children.

Overall funding for Medicaid and other programs would be cut

by $1.5 trillion over the decade, while Medicare would be cut

by $487 billion over the decade.

Voucherizing Medicare and shifting costs to seniors. Under

the proposed plan, seniors would receive ``premium

support''--fixed payments to help buy coverage, which would

likely fail to keep pace with rising healthcare costs. The

plan also could also lead to the gradual demise of

traditional Medicare by making the pool of beneficiaries

smaller, older, and sicker--and increasingly costly to cover.

Student aid cuts, which appear to include deep cuts to the

Pell Grant program and student loans. We should be working to

make college more affordable for more students.

For too long Congress has tied its own hands with senseless

and untenable budget caps, resulting in wholly inadequate

funding levels for critical programs like education. This

budget would make that problem much worse and sets the stage

to enact massive tax cuts for the wealthy. We urge you to

Vote NO on the FY18 budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 71).

Sincerely,

Marc Egan,

Director, Government Relations,

National Education Association.

Mr. Chairman, let me thank the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Bobby Scott, for his hard work, and the rest of the CBC in putting this budget together.

Mr. Chairman, I think that what I am having a hard time doing is wrapping my mind around the same failed arguments that we hear over and over again that we are going to cut trillions of dollars in taxes so that we can help the upper middle class and the top 1 percent really, and that is somehow going to benefit the poorest people in the country; we are going to exacerbate the deficit saying that we are going to create jobs.

We know it never happens, and then all of a sudden we find ourselves with an increasing debt and deficit, and then we go to the poorest people in this country and we ask them to pay for it. We cut the programs that are vital to lifting them out of poverty.

I agree with my colleague on the other side of the aisle. My mother is a perfect example that a great education will lift you out of poverty and that having a Historically Black College and University that you can go to will prepare you for your future. But the problem is we don't talk about the fact that the Republican budget cuts education.

So how can we say with a straight face that we propose to lift people out of poverty, help people achieve the American Dream, help our children dream the impossible dream, and then give them the power so that they can go achieve it while we are cutting their education and we are cutting all the programs that help them to achieve it?

Look, we always hide behind protecting our country and the national defense. The biggest threat to our national defense resides on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a shame when most people in this country and my colleagues wake up in the morning and say: Are we going to war with North Korea? That is not good for the economy, and that is not good for the mental health of the country. But I think that the Secretary of State has a great disposition and strategy when it comes to the national defense and diplomacy.

I think the key with what we have to do with budgets is understand that they are moral documents and they express our values, and cutting the disabled and others is not a true statement of American values.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman Evans, for leading this Special Order and for yielding to me, especially on a matter this important.

As I reflect on the last 200 or so days in this country, I am saddened.

The truth of the matter is I always thought this country was better than this. I thought that we had so many people, not just African Americans, but we had people of like mind, like Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner, who gave their lives and who sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears so that this country could be a more perfect Union, so that I could go to some of the best schools in the country, so that I could dream the impossible dream, so that I could stand on the floor of this House and speak my mind, introduce legislation, but, more importantly, fight for the ideals that make this country an exceptional country.

It is so easy for our President and our colleagues to say America's exceptional. Well, it is, but you have to understand how it got to be exceptional, because it didn't start off that way. In fact, we came here on boats. We survived middle passage. We built this Capitol as free labor. We have given as much blood, sweat, and tears as any people in this country.

To see the President of the United States call people who would walk with neo-Nazis and the KKK and white supremacists, some of them are fine people--but young African-American males are taking a knee not to disrespect our country, but they are taking a knee because they want a better future for their sons. They want better community police interaction. What they want is that people who are with the color of law with misconduct against African-American men and women, sons and daughters, parents, grandparents, what they want is a better country for them.

They didn't choose violence. They chose peaceful protests just like Martin Luther King. When Dr. King chose peaceful protests, what the President doesn't realize is that the country wasn't accepting of his ways either.

``Letter from Birmingham Jail'' was all about Dr. King responding to people of like mind who shared the cause of freedom and equality and justice. They just didn't like his tactics. And the question was: We should wait. His letter was addressing people of like mind.

The problem here is I just can't address someone of like mind because I don't think that this administration has the maturity, the sensitivity, or the understanding, whether it is willful or unwillful, to understand what is going on in this country. Instead of doing the Presidential thing, instead of doing the right thing and bringing this country together, I am afraid that this country is being torn apart at its very core, and for that I know that we are a better country.

Let me just say in closing that, in order for us to move forward in a more responsible and more perfect fashion, it is going to take ordinary citizens like you out there watching us at home, it is going to take you all standing up and speaking out. It doesn't matter if you are African American or if you are Hispanic or if you are Black, injustice is injustice. The words ``no justice, no peace'' are not a threat. It is that it is hard to accomplish peace when there is no justice in the land.

I would just ask that we all come together and that we not only look at words, but we look at policies, so when we now look at the opioid addiction through a loving mental health medical crisis standpoint, we don't forget the young people who were addicted to crack and who got involved in drugs back then that we have now decided that, with opioids, we are going to take a nurturing approach and with crack we locked everyone up. We should come in, take the approach that we are doing with opioids, which is the exact correct approach, and we should apply it to crack, and we should apply it to all of those millions of people who are incarcerated for drug crimes.

When you start talking about root out racism, it has to be in policy, it has to be in our rhetoric, but it has to be in our daily lives.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman Evans, for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today, as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, embarrassed. At the same time that I am embarrassed, I am also dumbfounded.

I know that there are people at home that are thinking: Why would a Member of Congress, the most prestigious body in the world, be embarrassed, dumbfounded?

Well, I was always taught that if you show me your budget or if you show me your legislation, then you are showing me your values.

Representative Scott, my good friend from Virginia, had an amendment that would strike the prohibition that Federal funds could be used to desegregate our public schools in this country.

If you look at the GAO study, there are more schools now that are desegregated than in 1968. We can talk eloquently about the history of the House and what the Democrats did when they were in control and how many amendments were made in order. I am not talking about how many amendments. I am talking about a specifi amendment, a specific issue.

We are perpetuating segregation in the United States of America in our

public schools. We are not allowing the States to use funds to promote integration and diversity among our schools.

My State--and I will own this--is still the only State under a Federal desegregation order, because we have not completely desegregated our schools. We still have that ugly history.

With everything going on in this country and school kids probably huddled around a TV right now watching this institution work and they are saying: These are our leaders? We elected them to run this country? Why wouldn't they want me to go to school with other kids of other races?

That is why I am embarrassed. It is wrong. I don't think we should just hide behind procedure, but address the issue and the moral failure and the message that we are sending to our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of New Orleans Fire Department Operator Gregory ``G'' Joseph Howard, Sr., a New Orleans, Louisiana native, who passed away on August 26, 2017 at the age of 36.

Mr. Howard was born on October 20, 1980 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was raised in the 7th Ward and graduated from Sarah T. Reed High School in 1999. He was a nine year veteran of the New Orleans Fire Department. He spent most of his career with the fire department at the Engine 6 station on Old Gentilly Road, in the Desire neighborhood.

Mr. Howard went to Memphis, Tennessee, with his colleagues, to compete in the Memphis Finest Hoops Fest basketball tournament for first responders and law enforcement. While out with some of his colleagues after the first set of games, Mr. Howard was struck by a stray bullet and died instantly.

Mr. Howard loved the city and the people of New Orleans. His legacy will forever be a part of the city and his dedication to community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. We cannot match the sacrifices made by Mr. Howard, but surely we can try to match his sense of service. We cannot match his courage, but we can strive to match his devotion.

Operator Gregory ``G'' Joseph Howard, Sr. survivors include his wife Dominique Howard, two sons: Gregory J. Howard, Jr. and Dillion J. Howard; his parents: June Howard and Gregory Newman, Sr., his sister Brittney Howard, a host of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Operator Gregory ``G'' Joseph Howard, Sr. a beloved husband, father, and son.

Mr. Chair, I rise to support the gentlewoman from Utah's amendment. I think that it is very appropriate, and, unfortunately, we find ourselves in a time where this is needed. But we have the awesome responsibility, and we have to remind ourselves sometimes that we are the only 435 people in the country that will vote on this country going to war and making decisions that impact this country. Because of that, I think that we need to make sure that we safeguard ourselves in this rising time of new threats and dangers.

Look, we all signed up for public service and to serve our country and to make it a more perfect Union; however, a lot of our families and our neighbors and our constituents that show up at our functions didn't necessarily sign up for that. So for those reasons, I would just ask that my colleagues support it. I think it is a very prudent piece of legislation, amendment, at a very important time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ms. Dyan Hamilton French Cole, a New Orleans native and well known community and civil rights activist. Ms. Cole, affectionately known as ``Mama D,'' passed away on May 20, 2017, at the age of 72.

Ms. Cole was a lifelong New Orleanian, and graduated from Joseph S. Clark High School. She was a relentless community activist, who would frequently attend city council meetings or other places where elected leaders were gathered to advocate for quality housing, recreation, and justice. Nearly every day, she headed to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to advocate for young black men who were appearing in court that day.

Ms. Cole is best known for her support of the Stalling Gentilly Playground and serving as the first female President of the New Orleans Chapter of the NAACP in January 1975.

After Hurricane Katrina, when Ms. Cole refused to evacuate, she organized crews she called the ``Soul Patrol,'' to go through her native 7th Ward and other neighborhoods, saving people, feeding them and finding them clothes, assistance and other relief. Ms. Cole housed numerous people at her home on North Dorgenois Street that some people referred to it as Recovery Camp Dorgenois.

On December 6, 2005, Ms. Cole was one of the representatives from New Orleans invited to testify before the House Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Cole spoke passionately of the disgraceful lack of assistance in the aftermath of the storm and the racial discrimination that flowed in the city.

Ms. Cole loved the city and the people of New Orleans. Her legacy will forever be a part of the city and her dedication to community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. Ms. Cole's survivors include a son, Byron Cole; a sister, Audrey Jackson; six grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Dyan Hamilton French Cole, a beloved mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and example to aspiring community activists everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of United States Army Specialist Caleb Michael Collins, a New Orleans, Louisiana native, who passed away on July 25, 2015, at the tender age of 22.

Specialist Collins was a graduate of St. Augustine High School class of 2011, and a former member of the Marching 100 at the historic all- male Catholic high school in the 7th Ward of New Orleans.

In July 2015, stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, Specialist Collins distinguished himself by disregarding his personal safety by jumping off of a 25 foot ledge into the ocean to save a fellow soldier who had been swept off the Halona Blowhole ledge by a wave. Through his courageous actions, Specialist Collins made the ultimate sacrifice. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, 25th Composite Truck Company, 524th Sustainment Support Battalion, 25th Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division and the United States Army.

Specialist Collins has been awarded the Soldier's Medal. The Soldier's Medal is awarded to an individual whom while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, is recognized by heroism not concerning direct encounter with an enemy. The Soldier's Medal is the highest military peacetime award for bravery.

Specialist Collins' legacy will forever be a part of the city and his dedication to service embodies the spirit of New Orleans. Specialist Collins' survivors include his parents, Ernest L. and Dawn Moore Collins and sisters Chelsi Marie and Briana Monique Collins.

Mr. Speaker, Specialist Caleb Michael Collins was a tremendously positive young man,

always with a word of encouragement for his family and friends. I celebrate the life and legacy of Specialist Collins, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ms. Deborah Cotton, a New Orleans writer and cultural advocate. Ms. Cotton, affectionately known as ``Big Red Cotton,'' passed away on May 2, 2017, at the age of 52.

Ms. Cotton was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. She attended San Francisco State University, majoring in the field of African-American studies, before moving to Los Angeles, where she worked as a union organizer.

In June 2005, not long before Hurricane Katrina struck, Ms. Cotton moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. She instantly immersed herself in the city's culture and communities. Ms. Cotton became known for her writing about second-lines, brass bands, Mardi Gras Indian practices and many other events in New Orleans. She blogged, tweeted, and filmed nearly every Sunday second-line parade. Though Ms. Cotton was not from New Orleans, her writing helped her to forge better relationships among the city, police, and the parading clubs.

On May 12, 2013, when shooting broke out in the 7th Ward during the annual parade of the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Ms. Cotton was filming. Of the 19 people shot that day, Ms. Cotton was among those wounded, suffering grave internal injuries that would ultimately take her life.

Ms. Cotton loved the city and the people of New Orleans enough that, even when the worst happened to her, she responded with compassion and inspired others to do the same. She dedicated herself to continuing to live life with joy and compassion. She forgave the individual who shot her and spent time getting to know him as a person. She also dedicated herself to providing a clear-eyed look at the problem of violence in our communities.

Ms. Cotton's legacy will forever be a part of the city and her dedication to community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. Ms. Cotton's survivors include her mother, Carolee Reed, and two sisters.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Deborah Cotton, a beloved daughter, sister, and example to aspiring writers everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African-American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin. The fraternity has over 150,000 members with 721 undergraduate and alumni chapters in every state of the United States, and International chapters in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, United States Virgin Islands, Nigeria, and South Africa. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated celebrated its 100th anniversary on January 5, 2011, and is one of only four predominantly African American collegiate fraternities to do so.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated was founded by ten African- American college students, the Elder Watson Diggs, Dr. Ezra Dee Alexander, Dr. Byron K. Armstrong, Attorney Henry T. Asher, Dr. Marcus P. Blakemore, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmond, Dr. Guy L. Grant, Edward G. Irvin, John M. Lee.

The fraternity sponsors programs providing community service, social welfare and academic scholarship through the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation and is a supporter of the United Negro College Fund and Habitat for Humanity, the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Guide Right Service Program, along with the Kappa Leadership and Development League.

In addition to the community service contributions made by Kappa men, these gentlemen also make contributions and achieve in every field of human endeavor. Kappa men are leaders in the fields of law, business, education, healthcare, athletics and entertainment. Also, eight members of the Congressional Black Caucus are proud members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated: Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.; William Lacy Clay, Jr.; John Conyers, Jr.; Alcee L. Hastings; Hakeem Jeffries; Al Lawson; Donald McEachin; and Bennie G. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the philanthropic and achieving spirit of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. As a hard-working and generous group of men, you are admired by many for the vigor that you possess and for the service that you render to others.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Lolis Edward Elie, a prominent New Orleans, Louisiana civil rights lawyer, who passed away on April 4, 2017 at the age of 89.

Mr. Elie was born on February 9, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Gilbert Academy, a Methodist high school. After high school he did a six-month stint as a merchant seaman and wound up in New York City, where he was impressed by the music clubs and the Apollo Theater. To support himself, Mr. Elie did menial work such as shining shoes and delivering stationery.

When the Korean conflict broke out, Mr. Elie was drafted into the Army and sent to California, where he was trained as a clerk. Afterward, he attended Howard University, and then transferred home to Dillard University, where he helped to organize a sizable student

chapter of the NAACP. It was suspended in 1956 after the Legislature required civil rights groups to publicly reveal their membership lists, putting members at risk.

In 1959, Mr. Elie received his law degree from Loyola University Law School, got an office on Dryades Street and opened what became the legendary firm of Collins, Douglas & Elie with Loyola Nils Douglas and Robert Collin.

In 1960, Mr. Elie and his colleagues represented the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) following a sit-in campaign. The case, centered on CORE chapter President Mr. Rudy Lombard and three others who were arrested for staging a sit-in protest, paved the way for a watershed decision that redefined racial justice in America. They appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court which, in its decision, declared the city's ban on sit- ins unconstitutional.

Later in his career, Mr. Elie was one of seven supporters of the Freedom Riders who met with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, when Kennedy encouraged them to register black Southerners to vote to increase their political power. He also represented the `Deacons for Defense and Justice' in their negotiations with the Governor's office and Bogalusa City Council defending their right to self-defense.

Mr. Elie remained active in New Orleans and continued to mentor the next generation of leaders through his training program for new black lawyers. Though he is no longer with us, his influence and example will live on through the many young black men and women who continue to be inspired by his legacy, myself included.

Mr. Elie's survivors include his son Mr. Lolis Eric Elie, his daughter D. Migel Elizabeth Elie; three grandchildren; and three great- grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Lolis Edward Elie, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.