Floor Statements

Let me thank the distinguished chairman.

I rise in support of the DREAM Act.

Let me thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding me this time.

There is an economic theory, and then there are facts. There were a set of Democratic tax rates in which we saw 22 million new jobs created, and we saw the balancing of the budget, and hundreds of billions of dollars of national debt paid off.

And then there's the Republican tax rates that are called the Bush tax cuts in which we saw a net loss of 600,000 jobs, and we saw trillions of dollars added to the national debt. These are facts. You compare the 8 years of Clinton to the 8 years of Bush, you compare the two rates, and you look at the jobs and the effect on the debt and the deficit, and we know what the reality is.

So our friends on the other side say, Well, we don't want to hurt the economy. The best way not to hurt this economy is to do away with the set of policies that created the situation we're in now with 15 million people without jobs, our national debt doubled.

Now, as an economic theory, I think we should get rid of the income tax and move to a consumption tax. But theory is something you can debate and you can wonder about. Facts are facts, and we can't hide from them. And the fact here is that under the Bush rates, this country is seeing unemployment spike by millions, our debt rise by trillions.

So we come today to say that maybe the Republicans were right when they put an expiration date on this because they didn't really know what would be the result. We see the economic calamity that has resulted from doing these types of uneven tax breaks weighted to the top 2 percent.

So we come today saying for 98 percent of the people of our country, people at $250,000 and under, they should continue to have and make permanent a break on their taxes. And for the wealthiest, for their first $250,000, they should get an identical break. We should return to the Clinton rates or the Democratic rates thereafter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this settlement and towards a more perfect union.

I thank the gentlelady and I thank her colleague for their support for this resolution.

GEAR UP continues, as from its inception, to have bipartisan support. On National GEAR UP Day, we had Governors like Haley Barbour from Mississippi and Governors throughout the country claim GEAR UP Days in their State. We had mayors and school superintendents and college associations all across our country celebrate the great achievements of young people who have been a part of this program and the adults who have worked with them.

The Federal Government partners with States and with higher education institutions in what I call an elongated conversation with young people over the course of 6 years. And in this Congress, we reauthorized GEAR UP and we have now added a seventh year. GEAR UP has proven to be successful over its first decade of work, given the research that has been done, and it has shown that there has been a remarkable success across the 40-plus States, and now 46 States. In communities of every stripe, GEAR UP has worked to increase the number of young people graduating from high school, taking rigorous courses, and going on to college.

We saw a multiday series in The Washington Post focusing on students in Virginia, and thankfully going to colleges in Pennsylvania, through GEAR UP. I have visited GEAR UP youngsters in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City and California, all across our land. It is an amazing and extraordinary feat to see young people who statistically others would have written off, but now, because of the work of the GEAR UP program and because of their own work and parental involvement, they have been written back in.

The President has said we need to return our country to leadership in the world by 2020 with the number of adults with a college degree. We now are ninth in the world with the number of our young people graduating from college. This is an important program. It is the largest early college program in our country and in our country's history. It began with bipartisan support, and it continues to have that support because it is locally administered. It is a partnership program involving higher education institutions in partnership with middle schools and high schools and community and civic associations. It has worked well in Native American communities and rural communities and urban cities. It has helped in terms of youngsters who have English as a second language.

My great partner in this, Congressman Hinojosa, who will be speaking, and many others in this Congress have been strong supporters of GEAR UP. I thank the gentleman and the gentlelady for yielding me an appreciable amount of time, and I thank them for their support of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize National GEAR UP Day and the outstanding work of thousands of GEAR UP participants, families and staff. National GEAR UP Day is an opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication of both former and current teachers, counselors, program staff, and students who have been committed to GEAR UP and without whom GEAR UP would not be the success it is today.

This year, I will celebrate national GEAR UP Day with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Friendship Charter Academy in Washington, DC and with students in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Texas remotely. Governors in Iowa, New Mexico, Maine, Washington, Colorado and North Carolina have issued proclamations proclaiming GEAR UP Day, as has the Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa. They are joined by the Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts and a message from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Nevada has a proclamation and 130 Wisconsin students will be travelling to Eau Claire to celebrate GEAR UP Day. In Richland, South Carolina, students will sign a College Dreams Wall with the name of the college they plan to attend and in Puerto Rico students welcomed a group of law students to serve as mentors.

Twelve years ago, after witnessing far too few students from low- income communities graduate from high school and enter college, I created Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). The program supports cohorts of students from 6th grade into their first year of college by providing essential services such as tutoring, scholarship assistance, college campus tours, counseling services, mentoring, and financial aid awareness. In addition, GEAR UP has created partnerships between postsecondary institutions, community groups, businesses, and parents aimed at increasing support for our students to ensure success not only in high school but college as well. The services and partnerships created by GEAR UP have proven to be a successful educational model that prepares students both academically and emotionally for the rigors of college.

Today, I am pleased to announce that twelve years after GEAR UP was enacted, 12 million students in 49 states have participated in the program. This year alone, GEAR UP is providing vital services to approximately 670,000 students in over 5,000 schools across 46 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GEAR UP has been remarkably successful. In fact, 80% of GEAR UP students have completed high school and approximately half have matriculated into college--a significantly larger proportion than their non-GEAR UP peers. Furthermore, GEAR UP students take more rigorous and advanced courses. For example, half of all GEAR UP students complete Algebra by 9th grade--an important indicator for high school graduation and college matriculation. These results have proven that with essential services, appropriate resources, and high expectations, students from low-income communities can and will graduate from high school ready to pursue postsecondary education.

Finally, I sincerely want to thank all GEAR UP staff and students throughout the country who have made the program an extraordinary success. I look forward to witnessing future GEAR UP accomplishments and continuing to see increasing numbers of low-income students succeeding in high school, entering college ready to succeed!

Madam Speaker, the Phillies in my hometown of Philadelphia are closing in on another baseball championship season with the aim of a third straight trip to the World Series.

But we don't need the latest baseball scores to declare the Phillies and their players as true champions in the neighborhoods and environs of Philadelphia.

It starts at the top with the Phillies themselves and Phillies Charities Inc., which has a lengthy and impressive list of community activities and charitable initiatives. The Phillies hit another home run this week, announcing a major partnership with Mayor Michael Nutter, the City of Philadelphia and Major League Baseball to expand the club's commitment to youth baseball in the inner city.

The partners announced they are launching the nearly--$3 million Philadelphia Urban Youth Academy, a year-round program that will provide baseball and softball instruction as well as academic enrichment to youth in low-income neighborhoods. The academic investment is huge--combining baseball skills with life skills and a commitment to quality education. As Mayor Nutter said during Wednesday's ceremonies at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park, less than a mile from the Phillies home Citizens Bank Park: ``Not all the children who enter this Academy will become professional athletes, but all of them will leave with a firm grasp of how a quality education can help transform their lives.''

This will be the fourth MLB Urban Youth Academy nationally--and the first to operate on multiple sites within a city. It was fitting that Phillies second baseman and Phillies linchpin Chase Utley, who has served as Chairman of the Phillies RBI (``Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities'') and Rookie League programs since

2006, was on hand with the Mayor and Phillies President Dave Montgomery for the launch.

Utley is by no means alone. Numerous members of this exciting and community-minded team have established personal foundations, visited inner city playgrounds, donated generously to charities and performed like All-Stars of public service.

Leading off in center field is Shane Victorino, the Phillies nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award that Major League Baseball bestows each year on the player who best exemplifies the charitable spirit of the late and great Pirates Hall of Famer. On June 7, he officially launched the Shane Victorino Foundation and announced that he would be donating $900,000 over the next three years to the Nicetown Boys and Girls Club to be renamed for Victorino--in one of Philadelphia's most impoverished neighborhoods. Victorino is paying homage to the Boys and Girls Club where he spent time as a youth in Hawaii.

Batting cleanup is first baseman Ryan Howard. The popular slugger has teamed up with Victorino to support Philadelphia Futures, a mentoring program for inner-city students. He has donated to the Police Athletic League and received recognition from PAL for community service. He has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting special wishes for children and teens suffering from serious illnesses. He has been Spokesman for the Boys and Girls Clubs nationally, for the Variety Club, and has visited a number of schools and recreation centers in Philadelphia.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has turned his defensive skills into a big time community offensive. He hosts an annual Celebrity BaseBOWL charity event which has raised over $200,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation and local literacy efforts. He's also worked with the American Red Cross, Easter Seals and the Volunteers of America organization, and donated 30 computers to Olney High School.

Utley hosts Chase's Champs which benefits Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Christopher's Hospital and provides young patients and family members with the opportunity to attend a Phillies game. He and his wife Jen have been prominent fundraisers and spokespeople for the Pennsylvania SPCA and their love for animals is known to just about every Phillies fan.

Pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi have created the education- minded Hamels Foundation, which has a dual mission to provide support for quality community-based education in the United States and to establish a school in Malawi, Africa. The Foundation has also been active closer to home, with Cole Hamels hosting pitching clinics for campers at FDR Park.

Pitcher Jamie Moyer and wife Karen have long been recognized for their tireless efforts for young people. Jamie Moyer, who set records for longevity and accomplishment almost every time he took the mound this year, has set more records through the Moyer Foundation, raising more than $19 million in the past decade to assist over 170 programs that directly serve the needs of children in severe distress. The Moyers established Camp Erin, in 2007, as a weekend bereavement camp for children, and the Foundation has set up three dozen such camps with hopes to establish a Camp Erin in every Major League City.

Coming out of the bullpen are J.C. Romero, with his ``Romero's Rookies'' benefitting underprivileged children, closer Brad Lidge, who with his wife Lindsay partner with the Food Trust to raise awareness about healthy eating and access to healthy, affordable food. Brad Lidge also has Lidge's Legion, benefiting Children's Hospital, its patients and their families.

I'm proud to have this All-Star lineup going to bat for the underserved youth, for those battling diseases and health concerns, all across the Philadelphia area, from the inner city to the far suburbs. Thanks to all our champions in Red, on and off the field, and go Phillies!

I want to thank our leader on this effort of focusing in on what really matters economically in our country, which is manufacturing-based jobs. You know, in Philadelphia we have some 1,300 manufacturers, and in your package of bills that I'm very happy to be a cosponsor of, you focus in on a number of issues: closing foreign tax loopholes, dealing with the question of mass transit, bus, rail, and also energy systems.

We always want to have due deference to our colleagues on the Rules Committee because they rule over all of us.

But I want to focus in on Philadelphia. We have some 1,300 manufacturers. The average wages earned by people working for manufacturers in the Philadelphia area is well over $45,000 annually. It is a major source of where our future economic growth is going to come from.

And the gentleman from California, who has dedicated a great deal of his life on economic development, really understands that at the end of the day the only way to really build wealth in our Nation is that we have to be making products, that we can't be a consumer-driven economy and expect to continue to have a high quality of life for ourselves and for our families and for our children and grandchildren.

In Philadelphia, we're making everything from Peanut Chews, which are the best candy bars in the world, to saltwater fishing reels, which are the world class among fishermen and -women throughout the world. We're making railcars. We're making railcars and we're making upholstery for railcars. We have manufacturers that are engaged in making bicycles. I mean, you run through the gamut and you will see.

Now, people, when they first think about our city, they say, well, you lost a couple hundred thousand manufacturing jobs over the last 30 years. That's true. And when you saw the old Stetson hat factories, and some of the old factories have closed down, but there's a new group of manufacturers who have stepped into the void. And some of them who have been around for a while have even improved their technology in ways that make them very competitive.

Ten percent of our manufacturing jobs are at one company in Philadelphia called CARDONE Industries. I've visited there, and it's an amazing thing. We have a strong immigrant community; 22 different languages spoken on the plant floor. They have over 3,000 employees, and they are making refurbished or reengineered car parts. And they only have one competitor, in Mexico, but they are doing a yeoman's job. They have a prayer service at the beginning of the day where they have chaplains and religious leaders in the different religions, and they have a prayer before they go to work. But they are dedicated to producing world-class products, and they do a great job.

So I want to get to the point here, which is that, as Members of Congress, we have a responsibility, a duty, to create a glide path in which our manufacturers can rise to the point where they can, again, make the best products in the world, compete fairly across the globe.

We only have 1 percent of our businesses in this country export. And of that, 58 percent of them export with only one other trading partner anywhere in the world. But we know that just as we see these containers unloading products coming in here, that we can be putting products in those container vessels, sending them to other parts of the world. But we have to have a fair trading system.

But first and foremost, charity begins at home. We have to build the things that we need to be able to purchase in our own economy. And so, whether they are household appliances, whether they're cars or mass transit vehicles, we have to build the capacity to reengineer our manufacturing sector and also give them the kind of assistance they need from a policy standpoint.

And it's amazing to me that as we have started to grapple with this issue of rebuilding this economy and turning this around, the President has done an extraordinary job, and his economic team, an extraordinary job.

Here in the House, with this focus on manufacturing, we've already, as was the case today, started to move legislative initiatives that are, both as a symbol and substance, providing real messaging to manufacturers here in our country that they're going to get the support that they need, that they're going to get the help that they need, and that, as a Democratic majority, we understand that there is no way possible for us to have the American economy that we want without manufacturing, without manufacturing at the heart and center of it.

Technology is great. Information is great. But we need to have a system in our country that respects the fact that when we make things with our hands, when we make the finest products in the world, that we'll have a market here at home, we'll have a market across the world, and we'll be in a position to have an economy that generates the jobs that we need and the incomes we need to raise our families on.

I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership, thank him for what he is doing. Even if he is from California, he obviously is a person who has been called for a time like this.

In my church they say that God always provides us people for a time like this. These are difficult days, but I believe that, rather than curse the darkness, we have a gentleman now who is lighting a candle through this legislative vehicle. I want to stand with him and we're going to get these things passed into law.

That's correct.

That is why I'm a cosponsor of your legislation, H.R. 5791, because it addressed directly this point. I was at the ribbon cutting and grand opening for this company with the Governor and with my colleague, Congressman Brady, whose district this is in. It's actually at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which has been transformed from a naval shipyard to a manufacturing and economic development base; tens of thousands of jobs there. We're making those cars and we want to sell them all over the United States of America.

Under that program, these community colleges, and we have seen it all across the country, can do customized job training to help local manufacturers develop classes where they will come out and train, at the work site or at the community college, specific skills related to the manufacturing processes that are going to be used there. So you are absolutely right.

I was here in the Clinton years. When the Clinton economic plan was passed, not one Republican voted for it, not in the House, not in the Senate. But you know, 25 million jobs later, a balanced budget, $3 trillion surplus, it doesn't matter whether they vote for it or not, what matters is that Democrats, we have to be committed to doing what we do best, which is getting this economy headed in the right direction. And at some point maybe it will catch on with the other party. But they didn't cast any votes in favor of these things.

But what's most important is what we see. We saw it in the unemployment numbers yesterday, State by State, with the improvements throughout the country now and the majority of our States with employment moving up.

So I just thank the gentleman. I thank the gentlelady from Ohio. I love ladies from Ohio. My wife was born in

Ohio. But let's keep working together. Let's make it in America. And I thank you very much.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Dr. Walter Lear. Dr. Lear was a committed physician, outspoken health advocate for gay and lesbian people, and a great Philadelphian. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was born in 1923 and went on to receive degrees from Harvard College (B.S), Long Island College of Medicine (M.D.), and Columbia University (M.S.). In the 1960s, Dr. Lear left New York to become the Philadelphia health commissioner and later became the executive director of Philadelphia General Hospital and then the regional health commissioner for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. As one of few ``out'' gay public officials, Dr. Lear was a leading advocate for the inclusion of sexual orientation in civil rights provisions barring discrimination. Additionally, he was influential in ensuring the passage of the Philadelphia Gay Rights Bill in 1982.

Throughout his career, Lear sought to improve the lives of ordinary people by broadening access to quality healthcare, especially to those who were marginalized in society because of their sexuality. In 1979, Lear and a small group of others founded Lavender Health, which would become the first health center in Philadelphia dedicated to meeting the unique needs of the city's gay and lesbian community. Lavender Health, now known as the Mazzoni Center, continues to provide a much needed resource in Philadelphia as it is the only organization to provide comprehensive health and wellness to LGBT people. Furthermore, the Mazzoni Center is the oldest AIDS organization in Pennsylvania and the fourth oldest in the nation.

Lear's determination to help others was truly unmatched and the extent of his work is far reaching. He helped found the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (now the William Way Center), the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force, and the Maternity Care Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. In addition, he also convened the first national conference on AIDS in the 1980s before the disease received any widespread attention from the media or government. In the 1970s, he was a part of a small group that helped to desegregate medical schools in Philadelphia. Moreover, Lear was visionary in his advocacy for expanded access to healthcare beyond gays and lesbians, to include communities of color facing similar barriers to care. Toward the end of his life, his research interests included documenting the 100+ year struggle to obtain universal healthcare.

Lear was not only an advocate for LGBT issues, but also vocal in his support for the wellbeing of all Pennsylvanians. As an active member in the American Public Health Association (APHA) for over 50 years, Lear championed a number of causes involving minority health, social justice, and health issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The APHA recognized Lear's vast work and activism at their 134th annual meeting where they awarded him the Helen Rodriguez-Trias Award for Social Justice. Sadly, Dr. Lear died on May 29, 2010. He is survived by his loving partner of over 50 years, James F. Payne, his former wife, Evelyn Lear; a son, Jon Stewart, and a daughter, Bonnie Stewart. I express my sincere condolences to his family and friends, and honor the great work he has done for the City of Philadelphia and the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, the American people, as always, almost always, get it right. When they wanted to pick a party that would finally rein in the abuses of Wall Street, they gave the majority in the House and the Senate to the Democrats. And you can hear from the other side that they obviously made the right choice because there's no willingness to deal with some of these challenges from my colleagues on the other side.

I want to congratulate Chairman Barney Frank. I met with him over a year ago about some of the challenges in terms of foreclosures in our country. In this bill is the result of language that I authored which replicated a very successful program in Pennsylvania that we believe will help others throughout the country.

I want to thank my great colleague from California, Congresswoman Waters, for her efforts to make sure that this was fully engaged by the committee.

But beyond my proposal that is included in terms of homeowners assistance, in terms of foreclosures, this is a very good bill in terms of its regulation of Wall Street, in terms of consumer protection. This House, I urge and encourage that we vote in favor of the Wall Street reform bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Rectifying the worst economic crisis to impact the financial markets since the Great Depression, the Wall Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 outlaws many of the egregious industry practices that marked the subprime lending boom, ensuring mortgage lenders make loans that benefit the consumer rather than incentivizing self-dealing profit maximization.

In supporting this legislation, Congress corrects the failures of the financial sector, preventing the calamity that transpired after the collapse of the financial markets from reoccurring in the future.

One of the critical components of this legislation is the adoption of a provision that will end the practice of acting on behalf of financial institutions due to the determination that they are ``too big to fail.'' Taxpayers will no longer be asked to subsidize failing institutions due to their potential negative impact on the economy. The bill creates a new structure in which the orderly dissolution of failed financial firms can occur without fear of financial panic. The bill also imposes tough new capital and leverage requirements that create a disincentive for financial institutions to get too large without adequate structural support to ensure the financial soundness of the institution. Furthermore, the bill establishes rigorous standards for financial institutions in order to better protect the economy and American consumers, as well as investors and businesses.

Another important component of this legislation is the creation of a new independent watchdog within the Federal Reserve that provides consumers with clear and accurate information needed to shop for mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products. The new regulatory structure protects consumers from hidden fees, abusive terms, and deceptive practices that were unfairly used against consumers with disturbing frequency. Furthermore, loopholes that allow financial institutions to engage in risky and abusive practices, including the unregulated exchange of over-the-counter derivatives, asset-backed securities, and hedge funds are eliminated.

Most importantly, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act includes the Emergency Homeowners' Relief Fund, which will provide desperately needed assistance to millions of homeowners who now find they are unable to meet their financial obligations due to the severe recession caused by the unbridled greed and recklessness of the financial services industry. The foreclosure rate in the United States has been rising rapidly since the middle of 2006. Losing a home to foreclosure can hurt homeowners in many ways. For example, homeowners who have been through a foreclosure may have difficulty finding a new place to live or obtaining a loan in the future. Furthermore, concentrated foreclosures can drag down nearby home prices, and large numbers of abandoned properties can negatively affect communities. Finally, the increase in foreclosures may destabilize the housing market, which could in turn negatively impact the economy as a whole.

Although the economic recovery from the worst financial recession since the Great Depression is progressing steadily under the leadership of the Obama Administration and Democratic Leadership in Congress, the tragic rise of unemployed homeowners threaten a sustained recovery. Unemployment is now the leading cause for delinquency for families facing foreclosure. A recent study by NeighborWorks that examined the reasons why people are falling behind on their mortgages found that 58 percent of delinquent homeowners were behind due to job loss. The impact of foreclosures is particularly acute in minority communities due to the disproportionately high rates of joblessness.

Repossessions from housing foreclosures rose to a record high of 92,432 in April 2010, which is up 45 percent from the previous year. Continual rates of high unemployment places additional pressures on a financial system already overburdened with requests to modify loans by mortgage servicers, with many of those requests being unfulfilled. Under the guidance of the Department of Treasury, the Obama Administration created the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) as a part of the Making Home Affordable program to provide desperate relief to unemployed and underemployed homeowners.

HAMP encourages servicers to provide mortgage modifications for troubled borrowers in order to reduce the borrowers' monthly mortgage payments to no more than 31 percent of their monthly income. In order to qualify, a borrower must have a mortgage on a single-family residence that was originated on or before January 1, 2009, must live in the home as his or her primary residence, and must have an unpaid principal balance on the mortgage that is no greater than the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac conforming loan limit in high-cost areas ($729,750 for a one-unit property). Furthermore, borrowers must currently be paying more than 31 percent of their income toward mortgage payments, and must be experiencing a financial hardship that makes it difficult to remain current on the mortgage. Borrowers need not already be delinquent on their mortgage in order to qualify.

Though the Obama Administration's efforts are commendable, the unprecedented scale of the problems facing homeowners demands that more needs to be done to prevent homeowners from losing their homes. In Pennsylvania, a major state initiative to combat family-devastating foreclosures has been operating with success for more than a quarter- century, enacted in the wake of the severe recession of 1983. The Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) has provided loans to over 43,000 homeowners since 1984 at a cost to the Keystone State of $236 million. Assisted homeowners have repaid $246 million to date which works out to a $10 million profit for the state after 25 years of helping families keep their homes.

The Pennsylvania model will work nationally. It is with great gratitude that Chairman Frank and Chairman Dodd included my proposed mortgage relief provisions in the conference report that is being considered before the House today. Modeled after the bill I introduced in the House, the Emergency Homeowners' Relief Fund that is contained in the House-Senate conference bill establishes an emergency mortgage assistance program for qualifying homeowners who are temporarily unable to meet their obligations due to financial hardship beyond their control.

Under this program, homeowners would have the opportunity to regain financial stability without the immediate pressure of foreclosure. Specifically, a homeowner who indicated that he or she was unemployed would provide verification of unemployment compensation to the servicer and automatically be approved for a loan that would pay any mortgage above 31 percent of their income (the target amount in Making Home Affordable modifications). The Treasury would make payments for the homeowner on the homeowner's behalf until the borrower is able to resume payments to the lender. The Emergency Homeowners' Relief Fund would cut through the disorder of the loan modification program and slow the numbers of foreclosed properties on the market.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee, Chairman Barney Frank, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman Paul Kanjorski. I also wish to thank my colleagues in the Senate, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, and Senator Bob Casey for their strong support of the mortgage foreclosure relief provisions contained in this bill. I also wish to thank the House Financial Services Committee staffers for their hard work in preparing this conference report, including Housing Policy Director Scott Olson and Deputy Chief Counsel Gail Laster. In addition, I would like to thank my Legislative Director, Nuku Ofori, for all of his efforts in getting this critical mortgage relief provisions included in the Wall Street Reform bill.

Madam Speaker, an incredibly talented Gospel singer from Philadelphia has been sharing his gift with a national audience through ``Sunday Best,'' the BET network's closely watched gospel singing competition.

The results were announced this Sunday, and our own Elder Goldwire McLendon was selected as runner-up to a young lady from Florida, LeAndria Johnson. Elder McLendon's many, many fans in Philadelphia and across the nation may be mildly disappointed, but they are immensely proud of the man, his powerful voice and his faith.

Annette John-Hall, a talented writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, captured the drama and the impact of this remarkable man and his quest, in her column in today's newspaper. I share her column and extend my congratulations to this Philadelphia Gospel superstar.

[From the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 2010]

At 79, Elder McLendon Shares the Gift of His Voice

(By Annette John-Hall)

All you have to do is watch the audience react to Elder

Goldwire McLendon every time he sings to understand the

profound impact he has.

People get choked up. Some weep outright. Heck, just

watching him perform on YouTube puts a lump in your throat.

See, McLendon sings gospel. And he has for, oh, 70 years,

ever since he was 9 and singing in Sunday school in

Jacksonville, Fla., his hometown.

He has sung in prisons, in concert halls, and at his own

place of worship, Mount Olive Baptist Church in Philadelphia,

where he has ministered for 40 years.

But it wasn't until McLendon decided to audition for Sunday

Best, BET's gospel singing competition, that the whole nation

understood just how remarkable his gift was.

At 79, McLendon was easily the oldest contestant by at

least 30 years. And yes, he'd sometimes forget the lyrics.

But his life experience came through whenever he hit the

stage. After a typically moving performance early in the

competition, judge Tina Campbell of Mary Mary, the gospel

sister duo, told McLendon: ``You got a standing ovation from

God. He's all over you.''

Outsinging a field of 20, McLendon made it all the way to

Sunday's finals before losing to 27-year-old powerhouse

LeAndria Johnson.

But it didn't matter. What matters is that now, in the

winter of his life, McLendon's season is finally here.

Gift from God

Call it what you want. Wisdom. Talent. Showmanship.

McLendon chooses to credit his gift and the effect it has

to a higher power.

``The Lord set me up and used me,'' he said before

performing in concert with other Sunday Best contestants at

New Covenant Church of Philadelphia Saturday.

He almost didn't allow himself to be used.

``Do you know how old I am?'' he'd ask his children when

they'd urge him to audition.

Never comfortable in a crowd, McLendon could easily have

taken one look at the hundreds of hopefuls at the Convention

Center audition on that cold March morning and said, ``I

don't want to be bothered with all of those people,'' says

his daughter-in-law, Karen McLendon, 56. But she says he

stuck it out because of ``the prodding from the Lord.''

Possessing a silky smooth tenor reminiscent of Sam Cooke,

with a smidgen of James Cleveland's thunder thrown in,

McLendon sang as a soloist in the Savettes Choral Ensemble

and the Brockington Choral Ensemble in the '60s and '70s. He

was ordained as a minister in 1978 and pastored St. James

Holy Church in Tennille, Ga., for 16 years before reuniting

with his family--five children, 15 grands and 14 great-

grands--in Philly.

They all sing, but Pops, as his family lovingly calls him,

is arguably the best.

There's just something about him.

National recognition

``Not only is he anointed, but his [life] experience has to

do with his being anointed,'' says Orlando Wright, who placed

third in the competition. ``All these years, he's been

faithful--not perfect--but faithful, and God has to honor

that.''

McLendon is enjoying a national recognition he had never

known before. He's in the midst of a 40-city tour featuring

Sunday Best contestants, where he's the headliner. He gets

fan mail every day from viewers inspired to go back to church

or pursue a passion late in life because of him.

McLendon's only regret is that Ruth, his wife of 59 years,

is in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease and cannot

enjoy his season with him. He has cared for her since 2003.

``Beautiful high soprano,'' he says of his wife's voice.

``She wrote music, and we used to harmonize all the time. . .

. I'm trying to control myself talking about her.''

Still, despite personal heartache, there's much to enjoy--

and be thankful for.

``It ain't over,'' he says, ``till God says it's over.''

Madam Speaker, one of Philadelphia's most forceful and effective advocates for homeless women and children is moving into well earned retirement at the end of this month.

Gloria Guard has been President of the People's Emergency Center since 1983--when she started by overseeing rented space in an old church that was only open weekends. On July 1 she bequeaths to her still-to-be-chosen successor a nationally respected $6 million agency that serves 400 women and children a year while developing almost 200 affordable and special needs housing units in the Powelton neighborhood of West Philadelphia in the 2nd Congressional District. Not only that, she has led PEC to establish 25 small businesses, eliminate 110 vacant lots, and repair houses and storefronts seemingly everywhere in Powelton.

It is a large footprint, and it is a visionary approach to the changing face of homelessness. It is Gloria Guard's approach. John Kromer, former director of Philadelphia's Office of Housing and Community Development, put it best in a newspaper interview about Gloria's retirement announcement: ``PEC is not just about homelessness. It's about bringing up the entire neighborhood.''

Gloria Guard has brought $80 million into the People's Emergency Center and to her causes, much of it in federal affordable housing resources. I have been an admirer and a willing target of Gloria's smiling determination to get what she and her clients need. That has made me a frequent visitor at the joyous ribbon cutting ceremonies and hopeful house tours she has arranged that have pointed the way toward a better life for thousands of Philadelphians.

One of the statistics Gloria Guard showcases is that over 90 percent of PEC's shelter and transitional housing residents remain self- sufficient after graduating from the Center's programs. While she directs the hands-on work of PEC, she has stepped up as a compelling advocate for changes in local and national policy that reflect the community of the homeless that she knows so well. She has pushed hard to change federal priorities and funding to deal with the women and children who increasingly face long-term homelessness for a complexity of reasons, not just concentrating on the predominantly male homeless population that is most visible on city streets.

Guard has stated: ``I am most proud of the hundreds of homeless families that we helped at PEC who today are independent, working, solid parents and engaged citizens--totally invisible and immersed in the mainstream. Formerly homeless children are succeeding in high school, and a number have gone on to college. I have been truly blessed to encounter so many good people who have overcome such extraordinarily difficult circumstances. They are an inspiration to all of us.''

Gloria Guard is not only a winner, she's an award winner. Her work earned her the 2004 Philadelphia Award, an honor reserved for the city's most notable philanthropists, artists, political visionaries, and social activists. She has also received the Sower's Seed Award from Trinity Washington University (2009), the Gold Coin Award from Inglis Foundation (2008), and was named one of the 75 Greatest Living Philadelphians by the Philadelphia Eagles and Dunkin Donuts (2007) and Citizen Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania (2001). Other honors include the Community Champion Award of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (2005), the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's Louis D. Apothaker Award (2000), and the Professional Women's Roundtable award for 2009.

Now she can add yet another honor: Tonight, on Tuesday June 8, 2010, Gloria Guard is being feted by the People's Emergency Center and awarded PEC's own 2010 Imprint Award for ``Nurturing Families, Strengthening Families, Driving Change.'' The venue is one of Philadelphia's most glittering, the Crystal Tea Room at the Wanamaker Building, across from City Hall. The invitation beckons Gloria's friends, supporters, admirers, staff, volunteers, PEC alumni and alumnae to salute this ``passionate voice of homeless families in Philadelphia, the power behind neighborhood revitalization, and nationally recognized public policy leader who gets results. Join us to thank Gloria for devoting her life to social justice and the public interest.''

Amen to that. Philadelphia is a better place, a more nurturing and supportive community, a place where women and children can find safety, security and vital services, because for 27 years Gloria Guard has worked relentlessly, passionately through the People's Emergency Center to end family homelessness. Gloria Guard's legacy is secure, and it is magnificent.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard the report now. Some 34 of our States have seen job increases. The American economy is on the move. We saw in last month's job numbers some 290,000 additional jobs added to our economy, in part because of the work of the majority here in the House.

Unfortunately, with not one Republican vote, we passed important programs like the Energy Efficiency Block Grants--some $3.2 billion toward an effort that has over 1,000 of our communities retrofitting public buildings and installing energy-efficient light bulbs. We're doing the work that needs to be done to cut our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and we're also doing the work that America needs done.

So this economic recovery, even as others seem to root against our economy, is moving forward. The gross domestic product has seen an almost 12-point reversal from a 6-point decline to a 6 percent increase and, in the last

quarter, a 3.9 percent increase, and purchasing is up.

We are on the move, and Americans all across our country can be grateful that there are people in this Congress who would rather light a candle than continue to curse the darkness.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a notable work of good citizenship on the part of Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Foundation. Their announcement of a five year, $2 billion initiative to improve the efficiency of the U.S. food bank system and make nutritious food more accessible to those in the greatest need will contribute towards the goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. This initiative will provide 1.1 billion pounds of food to families who desperately need it, and will deliver $250 million in grants to help support hunger relief organizations.

As Chair of the Congressional Urban Caucus, I know that too many of the nation's urban residents face the silent epidemic of food insecurity, and that they are not alone in their plight. Up to 49 million Americans and 22 percent of all children went hungry in 2008. This is a travesty in a country as rich and prosperous as the United States. This cannot be allowed to continue.

I wish to congratulate Wal-Mart in its efforts to help combat hunger in the United States, and I hope that this is not only a significant step in a broad commitment on the part of this corporation, but one that motivates their peers to join us in this cause.

I want to congratulate the chairman of the committee and the sponsor of this important piece of legislation. Bart Gordon has done our country a great service through his work, both in the original authorization and now in this reauthorization, and his staff and members of the committee.

I rise to support the America COMPETES Act. I think that the Energy Innovation Hubs, the focus on STEM education and innovation represent in important ways the very future of our economy. As we go forward, we will look back on this day as a very important day in terms of laying the foundation for protecting and enhancing the American standard of living.

I'm reminded, hearing the gentlelady from Maryland speak, of a group of young people in my district who have won the Tour de Sol three times, who are now in the final grouping competing worldwide for the X prize, developing a car that can go 100 miles an hour.

Now, these young people are the only high school team out of 100 teams that started this enterprise fighting, competing against colleges, universities, professional entities that own worldwide car companies, but they have been ranked by Popular Mechanics as one of the top 10 finalists that will probably win the X prize.

But we've seen in robotics and engineering and science that our young people have the ability to compete. We need to foster their sense of innovation and not have them be risk averse.

This bill and its work in this area of STEM education is so vitally important. I want to thank the gentlelady, Congresswoman Fudge from Ohio, for her work, and the chairman for making sure that STEM education got the kind of focus, laser-like focus, it needed in this legislation. The ranking member has done a great job.

This is a great day, a bipartisan piece of legislation that invests in creating future jobs in our economy through the one thing that we know is indispensable to make this world a better place, and that's American ingenuity, innovation. This invests in it. And Bart Gordon, this great Congressman has done our country a great service, and I want to thank him for his leadership in this effort.