Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it is with great honor and enthusiasm that I rise to congratulate my good friend Florence Rice as she joins her family, long time friends, and the Harlem community together in celebration of her 90th Birthday. This momentous and joyous occasion is being celebrated with an extraordinary affair today at Noon in the Church of the Intercession in my beloved village of Harlem.

Florence M. Rice was born on March 22, 1919 in Buffalo, New York. She is the founder of the Harlem Consumer Education Council. During her childhood, Rice spent several years in the Colored Orphan Asylum and in several foster homes in New York. Upon completion of the eighth grade, Rice left school for work as a domestic seamstress where she became a member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Rice spoke out against the discriminatory practices against African American and Latino workers. She participated in Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.'s 1962 congressional hearing, which probed dressmaker union's policies and after testifying, she was blacklisted.

In the 1960s, Rice founded the Harlem Consumer Education Council, waging a war

against corporations who discriminated against African Americans and other minorities. The Council organized many successful New York City boycotts and picket lines against grocery stores, furniture stores, and individuals found to be overcharging minorities. Rice's biggest victory was against the New York State Public Service Commission, forcing New York Telephone to stop charging low income residents pre-installation fees. The Harlem Consumer Education Council investigated over 100,000 complaints.

Appointed Special Consultant to the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board in the 1970s, Rice also taught consumer education at Malcolm-King College and has lectured to thousands at her workshops and seminars. In the 1990s, Rice was responsible for the Bell Atlantic Technology Center in Harlem. The center is dedicated to educating business people, students, senior citizens and other customers about the latest advances in telecommunication technologies. She has lectured in several countries, including South Africa where she was named a delegate in the first World Consumer Congress.

Florence continues to work as the first lady of consumer education in my beloved Village of Harlem. She is famed for her extraordinary commitment, energy, wisdom, discipline, principle, and clear purpose which have won the admiration of all who are privileged to come to know and work with her. I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to observe and experience her example as a personal inspiration.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in honoring and congratulating Florence Rice on her historic 90th Birthday. Her constant dedication and commitment to our community is worthy of the highest esteem.

Madam Speaker, I stand before you today to acknowledge Paule Marshall, a renowned American author and poet who published her first novel, ``Brown Girl, Brownstones'', 50 years ago, and served as an influential trailblazer for emerging black female writers in the 60s and 70s.

I introduce into the Record an article from the New York Times of March 12, 2009 highlighting the career of Paule Marshall and her new publication titled ``Triangular Road'', a memoir that follows her early years as a writer.

Born in Brooklyn, NY to Caribbean parents and raised in a Bedford- Stuyvesant brownstone, Ms. Marshall brought a unique voice to the literary genre. She captured, in a fine balance, the stories of West Indian life emerged in American culture. It is no surprise that Langton Hughes selected her to accompany him on a tour of Europe in 1965.

Over the last 50 years, she has consistently remained relevant, publishing 2 collections of short stories and five novels, while simultaneously teaching at various universities, including Yale and New York University.

Ms. Marshall has received many awards and honors throughout her career, including an American Book Award and a John Dos Passos Award of Literature. She was a MacArthur Fellow and designated as a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library in 1994. In 2001, Marshall was inducted into the Celebrity Path at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

At this time, I would like to honor this distinguished New York City literary figure and offer recognition of the work she has contributed to American literature.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Veterans Administration as a Cabinet level Department. For some time members of many communities from across the nation have given their loved ones to defend our freedoms as Americans, yet when they returned there was nothing in place to aid them in their transition to civilian life. All of this changed twenty years ago when the Veterans Administration was officially elevated as a cabinet level agency and renamed as the Department of Veterans Affairs. The intrinsic value of having a department such as this has benefitted our nation in innumerable ways and now more than ever we see its particular value.

Changes in battle and warfare tactics have caused evolving consequences. It is essential to have a Department that is especially equipped to handle the consequences of engagement in combat, especially the impact of grievous physical wounds. I am especially supportive of our Department of Veterans affairs and even more pleased to have a person of character and sense of duty such as Eric Shinseki as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The challenge of military personnel transitioning into civilian life becomes even more daunting especially during this period of economic downturn facing our nation. The Department of Veterans Affairs will have to be prepared now more than ever for the growth in the number of veterans needing our assistance to establish their lives once again.

I believe it is our duty as a nation to ensure the well-being of those who have so valiantly given of themselves to protect our nation and I commend the values that have been upheld by the*Department of Veterans Affairs.

I introduce into the Congressional Record the remarks made by President Obama at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Cabinet Agency on March 16, 2009.

The White House,

Office of the Press Secretary,

Washington, DC, March 16, 2009.

Remarks by the President at the 20th Anniversary of the Department of

Veterans Affairs as a Cabinet Agency

Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.

The President: Thank you very much. To Jim Benson for

helping to organize this; for Mahdee for your service to our

country--a Pledge of Allegiance that you've shown in your own

commitment to protecting this country; and obviously, to

Secretary Shinseki. It is an honor to join you and the

hardworking public servants here at the Department of

Veterans Affairs as we mark a milestone in the distinguished

history of this department.

You know, 20 years ago, on the day the Veterans

Administration was officially elevated to a Cabinet-level

agency and renamed the Department of Veterans Affairs, a

ceremony was held to swear in the administrator of the old

entity as Secretary of the new one. And in his remarks that

day, President George H.W. Bush declared that the mission of

this agency is ``so vital that there's only one place for the

veterans of America: in the Cabinet Room, at the table with

the President of the United States of America.'' I could not

agree more.

I could not be more pleased that Eric Shinseki has taken a

seat at that table. Throughout his long and distinguished

career in the Army, Secretary Shinseki won the respect and

admiration of our men and women in uniform because they've

always been his highest priority--and he has clearly brought

that same sense of duty and commitment to the work of serving

our veterans.

As he knows, it's no small task. This department has more

than a quarter of a million employees across America, and its

services range from providing education and training

benefits, health care and home loans, to tending those quiet

places that remind us of the great debt we owe--and remind me

of the heavy responsibility that I bear. It's a commitment

that lasts from the

day our veterans retire that uniform to the day that they are

put to rest--and that continues on for their families.

Without this commitment, I might not be here today. After

all, my grandfather enlisted after Pearl Harbor and went on

to march in Patton's Army. My grandmother worked on a bomber

assembly line while he was gone. My mother was born at Fort

Leavenworth while he was away. When my grandfather returned,

he went to college on the GI Bill; bought his first home with

a loan from the FHA; moved his family west, all the way to

Hawaii, where he and my grandmother helped to raise me.

And I think about my grandfather whenever I have the

privilege of meeting the young men and women who serve in our

military today. They are our best and brightest, and they're

our bravest--enlisting in a time of war; enduring tour after

tour of duty; serving with honor under the most difficult

circumstances; and making sacrifices that many of us cannot

begin to imagine. The same can be said of their families. As

my wife, Michelle, has seen firsthand during visits to

military bases across this country, we don't just deploy our

troops in a time of war--we deploy their families, too.

So while the mission of this department is always vital, it

is even more so during long and difficult conflicts like

those that we're engaged in today. Because when the guns

finally fall silent and the cameras are turned off and our

troops return home, they deserve the same commitment from

their government as my grandparents received.

Last month, I announced my strategy for ending the war in

Iraq. And I made it very clear that this strategy would not

end with military plans and diplomatic agendas, but would

endure through my commitment to upholding our sacred trust

with every man and woman who has served this country. And the

same holds true for our troops serving in Afghanistan.

The homecoming we face over the next year and a half will

be the true test of this commitment: whether we will stand

with our veterans as they face new challenges--physical,

psychological and economic--here at home.

I intend to start that work by making good on my pledge to

transform the Department of Veterans Affairs for the 21st

century. That's an effort that, under Secretary Shinseki's

leadership, all of you have already begun--conducting a

thorough review of your operations all across this agency.

And I intend to support this effort not just with words of

encouragement, but with resources. That's why the budget I

sent to Congress increases funding for this department by $25

billion over the next five years.

With this budget, we don't just fully fund our VA health

care program--we expand it to serve an additional 500,000

veterans by 2013; to provide better health care in more

places; and to dramatically improve services related to

mental health and injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. We also invest in the

technology to cut red tape and ease the transition from

active duty. And we provide new help for homeless veterans,

because those heroes have a home--it's the country they

served, the United States of America. And until we reach a

day when not a single veteran sleeps on our nation's streets,

our work remains unfinished. (Applause.)

Finally, in this new century, it's time to heed the lesson

of history, that our returning veterans can form the backbone

of our middle class--by implementing a GI Bill for the 21st

century. I know you're working hard under a tough deadline,

but I am confident that we will be ready for August 1st. And

that's how we'll show our servicemen and women that when you

come home to America, America will be here for you. That's

how we will ensure that those who have ``borne the battle''--

and their families--will have every chance to live out their

dreams.

I've had the privilege of meeting so many of these heroes.

Some of the most inspiring are those that I've met in places

like Walter Reed--young men and women who've lost a limb or

even their ability to take care of themselves, but who never

lose the pride they feel for their country. And that is,

after all, what led them to wear the uniform in the first

place--their unwavering belief in the idea of America; that

no matter where you come from, what you look like, who your

parents are, this is a place where anything is possible,

where anyone can make it, where we take care of each other

and look out for each other--especially for those who've

sacrificed so much for this country.

These are the ideals that generations of Americans have

fought for and bled for and died for. These are the ideals at

the core of your mission--a mission that dates back before

our founding--one taken up by our first President years

before he took office, back when he served as Commander-in-

Chief of the Continental Army. Then-General Washington fought

tirelessly to support the veterans of America's Revolutionary

War. Such support, he argued, should ``never be considered as

a pension or gratuity . . .'' Rather, ``. . . it was the

price of their blood,'' and of our independence; ``. . . it

is, therefore,'' he said, ``more than a common debt, it is a

debt of honor . . .'' A debt of honor.

Washington understood that caring for our veterans was more

than just a way of thanking them for their service. He

recognized the obligation is deeper than that--that when our

fellow citizens commit themselves to shed blood for us, that

binds our fates with theirs in a way that nothing else can.

And in the end, caring for those who have given their fullest

measure of devotion to us--and for their families--is a

matter of honor--as a nation and as a people.

That's a responsibility you hold, that's the work that you

do--repaying that debt of honor, a debt we can never fully

discharge. And I know it's not always easy. I know there's

much work ahead to transform this agency for the 21st

century. But I have the fullest confidence that with

Secretary Shinseki's leadership, and with the hard work of

the men and women of this department, we will fulfill our

sacred trust and serve our returning heroes as well as

they've served us.

Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United

States of America. Thank you, everybody.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch of the Metropolitan Council of NAACP Branches as they pay tribute to the everlasting accomplishments and contributions of the NAACP Women of Excellence in celebration of Women's History Month and the Centennial Anniversary of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch honors the Honorable Hazel N. Dukes, President of the New York State Conference of NAACP Branches; the Honorable Mildred Roxborough of the NAACP National Development Department; the Honorable Laura D. Blackburne, Counsel for the New York State Conference of NAACP Branches & NAACP Special Contribution Fund; the Honorable Paula Brown Edme of the NAACP National Development Department; the Honorable Gloria Benfield, Membership Chair for New York State Conference of NAACP Branches; and the Honorable Shirley Stewart Farmer, Co-Founder of the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch. As a Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, I am proud to join Mid-Manhattan Branch in saluting these NAACP Women of Excellence.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premiere advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. The Mid-Manhattan Branch recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary since its founding in 1966.

In the mid 1960s a group of citizens, concerned that there was no NAACP Branch in the Mid-Manhattan area, met for several months to plan a branch. Over 500 letters co-signed by Roy Wilkins and Ralph Bunche, invited hopefully interested residents to a meeting at Freedom House (120 Wall Street, New York, NY).

For forty years, the Mid-Manhattan Branch has been an advocate for all its citizens in the struggle for civil rights and equality. Today, the Branch plays an active role in confronting the gaps and disparities in healthcare, economics, education funding, Criminal Justice, diversity in the Courts and in the Judiciary.

Their efforts continue in voter education, registration and mobilization, as well as youth development and enrichment programs. Today, the Mid-Manhattan Branch has over 600 members, with eight working Committees (Education, Health, Fundraising, Legal Redress, Membership, Civic Engagement, Veteran Affairs, and Youth Council).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support of H.R. 1429, Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2009, which has been reintroduced by Congresswoman Maxine Waters. It is important that proper HIV/AIDS testing, prevention, treatment, and education are provided to all inmates. HIV/AIDS is quickly rising in America. According to the Department of Justice the rate of confirmed AIDS cases in prisons was three times higher than in the general population.

This piece of legislation will help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by making inmates get tested for HIV/AIDS upon entering jail and when they leave. Testing inmates when they enter and when they leave will help track the number of people infected and it will also help reduce the spread to others in their communities. Educating inmates about HIV/AIDS and providing them treatment will make them more responsible about their health and the health of others.

This is only one part of helping to solve this epidemic that has spread vastly in large and small cities and towns across America as well as in countries around the world. That is why I am in strong support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1586) to impose an additional tax on bonuses received from certain TARP recipients.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Peters, Congressman Israel and Congresswoman Maloney for coming together and working with the committee to see how, the best we could, right a wrong.

Most all Americans believe that a bonus is something that is paid as a reward for a job well done. And certainly we don't believe in the House that when a handful of people receiving taxpayers' money for threatening the community in which we live, and indeed our country and the financial structure of the world, the whole idea that they should be rewarded millions of dollars is repugnant to everything that decent people believe in. But notwithstanding that, it is not our job to tell the private sector what to do; it is our job to say you don't do it at taxpayers' expense.

All this bill does is just pull out that part that they called bonus. And if you received, or the company received, $5 billion of taxpayers' money, we say the tax that you will pay on this is 90 percent. The rest of your income would be at the regular rate of 35 percent. If, indeed, this combination of the so-called bonus reward is combined with the regular salary and reaches a cap of $250,000, only the regular 35 percent would count.

Maybe somewhere along the line someone might say, ``I don't deserve this, we've caused enough damage, people have lost their jobs, their savings, they've lost their homes, their health insurance, they've lost their dignity, they've lost their pride, and we don't deserve to take this money from the taxpayers.'' Then give it back, don't receive it, and the law certainly would not apply. But if you're proud of what you've done, we are saying the buck is going to stop here, the red light is flashing. And anyone thinking about doing this, we say you just pay your dues to the IRS because we're going to be watching this.

Mr. Speaker, we're not trying to punish anybody, we just say do what you have to do. Rewards are subjective, but you don't do it with taxpayers' money.

At the end of the day, I do hope that this will be a message that will be sent in a bipartisan way. We may have differences in how we resolve this problem in the future, but this problem is there, and we are saying to the IRS and to the commissioner that we really want to make certain that, at the end of the day, they're not the ones that caused the problem and then get rewarded for it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let me try to answer a couple of questions.

Whatever point the minority leader was making as to what happened in the Senate bill, he should have an inquiry and do whatever he has to do. I can say, as a conferee, that issue never was in conference.

Having said that, it doesn't mean whatever he comes up with with his inquiry that these people deserve to have these bonuses at taxpayer expense. And that's the issue before the floor. It has nothing to do with what was in conference. It has everything to do with, do these people deserve, at taxpayers' expense, to receive these types of bonuses?

The second thing is that, while it's only 90 percent Federal, there is local and State liability, and they're entitled in their 10 percent to take a look at that and make the decisions that they have to.

Mr. Speaker, I want to now yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague from New York, Congressman Israel.

Let me thank my leader, the ranking Republican on the committee, for pointing out that this is, and I agree, an extraordinary procedure. And I've given a lot of thought to it. And it just seemed that this is an extraordinary situation when President Bush and Secretary Paulson would come to the Congress and ask for $700 billion of taxpayers' money, and if we didn't do it in a week or two, the sky would fall not only in the United States but around the world. If, indeed, people among that group of people, who without regard to the people that we were trying to protect, take this money, then it calls for an extraordinary response to it.

So I feel very, very comfortable in saying we tried to look at the arsenal that we had, whether it's the Justice Department, the Finance; the American people demand protection, and that's what we're doing today with your help.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call on a senior member of the committee, my friend from Michigan, Congressman Levin, for 1 minute.

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

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, I've taken a deep breath and am now relaxed. I have reviewed this thing, and I am going home saying we have got the taxpayers' money back. And our colleagues and friends and those who love America as much as I do are saying, hey, slow down, we've got to make an inquiry.

You make your inquiry; we're going to do what we have to do.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a young man that is a freshman who hasn't been here that long but he came here with a feeling about what is moral, what is just, and the committee appreciates his advice on this bill, Representative Peters from Michigan, for 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, it seems like my friends on the other side got the wrong bill. If you want support for an inquiry, let's talk about it.

We want the taxpayers' money back, no matter who is wrong. So talking about the inquiry, we are talking about recouping the taxpayers' money.

I yield to my friend, Mr. Blumenauer, from Oregon.

Well, there is no constitutional challenge here, I can assure you. But one thing may be clear, I may be supporting an inquiry as to who did the stimulus, schpimulus.

The people want to know, are these guys going to get away with what they have done to our communities, what they have done to our homes, what they have done to our pride, what they have done to our country, and what they have done for the world?

So when the score is taken, it is going to be those who voted for the bill and those who voted against it. And that's it. You can go on with your inquiry, but this bill is abundantly clear, and the question is which side are you on?

I yield 1 minute to the distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee from Florida, Representative Meek.

(Mr. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Let me say to my friend that you have to look at me and read my lips.

This issue was not before the conference committee. Now, it may have been on the other side.

And after I say that, I am telling you that this has nothing to do with this being the right time to correct anything that you allege is wrong. These people are getting away with murder. They are getting paid for the destruction that they have caused our communities.

And before we leave here, we have to decide not what they did on the other side, because no one back home was asking about the conference report, they are asking, ``Are these people going to take away bonuses that taxpayers have paid for?''

And I think that Danny Davis, the gentleman from Illinois, might be in a better position to explain our position in the majority, for 1 minute.

May I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides?

Mr. Speaker I would like to yield to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Etheridge, 1 minute.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).

I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

I certainly wish I'd heard the Republican freshmen proposal before, because we really wanted to get a bipartisan solution to this problem.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hare).

At this time I'd like to yield 1 minute to a person that was one of the prime movers in this concept, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the leader of our Democratic caucus, indeed, a leader in the Congress, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson).

Let the church say ``amen.''

I would like to yield 30 seconds to Congressman Kratovil from Maryland on this subject.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the remarks of the other side, and I appreciate and have a great deal of respect for those Members that want to inquire about how these contracts came about, who knew what, and when did they know it.

The Ways and Means Committee has no jurisdiction over these questions, whether they are valid or not. The real question is, do you really believe that people who did this damage to our families, to our community, to our country and, indeed, the world, deserve a bonus? If you want to know whether it is 90 percent or 100 percent or whether the State or local governments get the 10 percent, that is another question.

We are not always right, but what we are saying is that the American people do not want their taxpayers' money paying for bonuses for people who have caused such destruction, and to that we have unanimity.

So at the end of the day, when we put this on the suspension calendar, it is because we didn't think it was controversial. We didn't think it was a Democratic idea or a Republican idea. We thought you felt the frustration of your constituents in saying stop the thievery at taxpayers' expense.

Now, this has been going on. No one can deny this will not happen. I urge you to vote for this bill for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members may

have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1586.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Women's History Month and The Network Journal's Eleventh Annual 2009 Twenty- Five Influential Black Women In Business Honorees. Since 1998, The Network Journal has recognized the outstanding performance of 25 African-American women in the public, private, entrepreneurial and nonprofit sectors throughout this nation and their impact to the world economy.

The Network Journal is a monthly business magazine with more than 88,000 readers. The publication is distributed nationwide with a focus on the Tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT) and features business articles of interest such as finance, technology, industry focus and ideas for Black professionals and small business owners. Aziz Gueye Adetimirin, Publisher of The Network Journal Magazine stated. ``The women we are honoring this year are in the forefront of American leadership and symbolize the diversity and advancement that has occurred across industry lines.'' Founded in 1993, The Network Journal (TNJ) knows that Black professionals, more than most, recognize the importance of owning their own enterprises, but more importantly, TNJ knows that there is a difference between direct ownership and someone else defining your future. TNJ is also aware that Black professionals and entrepreneurs can chart their own course and own their success.

I am pleased to recognized TNJ's 2009 Twenty-Five Influential Black Women In Business Honorees:

Marcella Maxwell Ed.D., former Director of Development and

Government Affairs Concord Family Services, Brooklyn, NY;

Verna Myers Esq. Principal, Verna Myers Consulting Group

L.L.C., Newton, Mass.; Irma Norris, Production Executive,

Harpo Productions, Inc. Chicago, Illinois; Valerie Oliver-

Durrah, President/CEO, Neighborhood Technical Assistance

Clinic, Brooklyn, NY; N. Joyce Payne Ph.D., Founder, Thurgood

Marshall College Fund, New York, NY; Cheryl Pegus M.D., Chief

Medical Officer, SymCare Personalized Health Solutions, West

Chester, Pa.; Karen Rafferty, Product Marketing Director,

Chevrolet Midsize and Sports Cars, General Motors Corp.,

Detroit.

The Network Journal has been recognized by government agencies, premier media outlets and business and professional organizations. TNJ has received the ``Outstanding Commitment and Positive Contribution to the MBE Community'' from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, and has been featured on CNN and FOX Television networks.

Madam Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to pause and remember the life of a good friend, Ralph Mercado, the legendary Latin music executive who recently passed away on March 10, 2009. As much an icon as the musicians that he worked with and promoted, Mercado was a visionary innovator who helped popularize tropical music worldwide, including New York's mixture of popular Latin rhythms know as ``salsa.''

Mercado etched his name in the history books by building a record label whose various components (from a publishing company to a video and film production arm) helped make and take salsa to some of the largest stages around the world. A catalog of award-winning international hits across three decades transformed the Latino music industry, bringing respect not only to talented artists but also providing young Latinos with a way to connect with their parents, their roots and their communities.

It all started in Brooklyn on Sept. 29, 1941. The son of a Dominican dockworker and a Puerto Rican factory worker, Mercado often commented that he learned merengue, the typical dance from the Dominican Republic, in the hallway of the family's fifth-floor walkup as soon as he could walk. He first fell in love with the rhythms while at the Palladium Nightclub when he was only 16, watching the big bands of Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez. As a teenager, he was famed for producing ``waistline parties'' in apartment building basements where a couple's admission was a penny per inch of their dates' waistline.

Using the same concept, he then opened the 3 & 1 Club where he began booking local Latin bands such as Eddie Palmieri and Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, among many others. This led to Mercado's first management, booking, and promotions company called Showstoppers. He promoted legendary R&B acts that included James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Stylistics, the Chi-lites, starting a salsa-soul music trend.

Mercado also continued to open many doors to up and coming artists. He helped to expand the Fania All-Stars, promoted dances at the Cheetah Nightclub, and presented Latin jazz at the Red Garter and, later, at the Village Gate and other downtown venues. His partnership with Jack Hooke, the late Tito Puente's longtime manager, helped create the Salsa Meets Jazz Series at the Village Gate and the Latin Jazz Jam as part of the JVC Jazz Festival.

A great judge of talent, Mercado opened RMM Management in 1972 representing Eddie

Palmieri and Ray Barretto. He went on to manage virtually every name in the industry, including its two biggest stars: Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. His concerts grew more popular and by 1987 the wildly successful ``Latin Tinge'' nights at the Palladium on New York's 14th Street were bringing 3,000 ``salseros'' to dance every Thursday night. Mercado managed these events until 1992, when he refocused his energies on the creation of a record label, RMM.

Mercado expanded his venture into numerous companies including RMM Records, RMM Filmworks, and two publishing houses. With over 140 artists signed to RMM Records, the label sold millions of recordings a year. The recipient of countless awards and proclamations, Ralph Mercado was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Tribute by Billboard Magazine in 1999.

Always an innovator, Ralph Mercado pioneered the presentation of salsa music in Africa, South America, Asia, and Israel. He was one of the first to bring Latin music concerts to such prestigious venues as Radio City Music Hall with Julio Iglesias' New York performance; Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall; the Beacon Theater; and Madison Square Garden.

The truth of course is that Mercado's death this week leaves a tremendous void in the hearts of not just his family and friends but also countless Latin music fans around the world. However, his body of personal and professional work leaves a distinguished legacy whose impact can be seen not just in the industry he helped create, but also in the countless lives that his music touched. Little boys and girls can dream of singing the songs that their parents know and love thanks to Ralph's extraordinary commitment, energy and discipline .

So Madam Speaker, rather than mourn his passing, I hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating the life of Ralph Mercado, Jr. His is an inspirational story for all Americans, one that exemplified greatness in every single way.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Women's History Month and The Network Journal's Eleventh Annual 2009 Twenty- Five Influential Black Women In Business Honorees. Since 1998, The Network Journal has recognized the outstanding performance of 25 African-American women in the public, private, entrepreneurial and nonprofit sectors throughout this nation and their impact to the world economy.

The Network Journal is a monthly business magazine with more than 88,000 readers. The publication is distributed nationwide with a focus on the Tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT) and features business articles of interest such as finance, technology, industry focus and ideas for Black professionals and small business owners. Aziz Gueye Adetimirin, Publisher of The Network Journal Magazine stated. ``The women we are honoring this year are in the forefront of American leadership and symbolize the diversity and advancement that has occurred across industry lines.'' Founded in 1993, The Network Journal (TNJ) knows that Black professionals, more than most, recognize the importance of owning their own enterprises, but more importantly, TNJ knows that there is a difference between direct ownership and someone else defining your future. TNJ is also aware that Black professionals and entrepreneurs can chart their own course and own their success.

I am pleased to recognize TNJ's 2009 Twenty-Five Influential Black Women In Business Honorees: Abenaa Abboa-Offei, Senior Vice President, Customer and Community Connections Affinity Health Plan, New York City; Kelly Chapman, Director, Diversity Recruiting, Microsoft Corp., Cleveland; Amina Dickerson, Senior Director, Global Community Involvement Kraft Foods, Chicago; Joi Gordon Esq. Chief Executive Officer Dress for Success Worldwide, New York City; Brenda P. Grant, Infection Preventionist, Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Connecticut; Cecelia ``Ci Ci'' Holloway, Managing Director, Diversity and Inclusion for the Americas UBS Investment Bank, Stamford, Connecticut; Michele Hoskins, Michele Foods Inc. South Holland, Illinois; Gayle S. Lanier, Vice President and General Manager, Nortel Knowledge Services Nortel Networks, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Ellin LaVar, Owner, LaVar Hair Designs, New York City; Sibongile Magubane, Head of Finance Sports Cars, General Motors Corp., Detroit; Lillian Roberts, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, New York City; Teresa Wynn Roseborough Esq., Senior Chief Litigation Counsel, MetLife Inc., New York City; Sandra Scott Esq., Vice President of Legal Affairs, Home Box Office Inc., New York City; Gerri Warren-Merrick, President Warren, Merrick Communications, New York City; Elizabeth Williams, President and CEO, Roxbury Technology Corp., Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Karen Williams, Associate Publisher, Marketing, Essence Magazine, New York City; Rebecca Williams, Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Officer, Uniworld Group Inc., New York City; and Brenda Williams-Butts, Director of Community Engagement & Audience Development, WNYC Radio, New York City.

The Network Journal has been recognized by government agencies, premier media outlets and business and professional organizations. TNJ has received the ``Outstanding Commitment and Positive Contribution to the MBE Community'' from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, and has been featured on CNN and FOX Television networks.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of the building, 799 United Nations Plaza, being named after my late friend, Ronald Brown. I want to thank his family and his community, the central Harlem community, for the support that they have given to this bill, as well as the community who loved and respected him all of his life. I want to thank Chairmen Oberstar and Holmes Norton for allowing this to become a part of our American history.

Ron Brown was an extraordinary human being. He was born in 1941. My relationship to him was really outstanding since, while I was in school, I was the desk clerk at a rather famous hotel in Harlem called the Theresa Hotel. Ron Brown's father was the manager of that hotel. So I got to know Ron at a very, very early age, and was able to see the remarkable career that he staked out for himself. Bright, articulate. He was one of those type of Americans that could do most anything that he wanted to do.

He worked for Senator Kennedy; he went to St. John's Law School; he worked for the Urban League. He became an outstanding member of the Democratic Party. But the most remarkable thing about Ron Brown is that as Secretary of Commerce under the Clinton administration, he became one of the greatest ambassadors that the American government ever had abroad.

It wasn't that he was just extending trade and getting people to buy our goods and services. It's that he was extending love, attention, sensitivity and, especially in the developing countries, where we had not spent the time that we should have, he not only sold our wares, but he was able to sell our reputation as a country that wanted to help other countries.

And so it is with a great deal of pleasure for those of us from Harlem, those of us from New York, those of us who understood and knew Ron Brown, and even the Clinton administration, who gave him this great opportunity to have a building named right across from the United Nations, which would have the responsibility for all of the member nations, as well as the employees there, to be able to establish American policies and embassies throughout the world, that there will be a little bit of Ron Brown's reputation as being a great American in everything that we are able to do in that building.

So, I thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to join with the millions of Americans who believe that Ron Brown made us taller, made us more proud, and certainly more respected. God has taken his life far too early, but we praise God for allowing him to share his wonderful life with us.

Madam Speaker, once in a while someone leaves this Earth and their life's story needs to be told, not just because it's interesting, but because it illustrates lessons that should be passed along. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recall the life Wilbert ``Bill'' Tatum, longtime publisher of the Amsterd News and my personal friend, who, to the sadness and shock of my community, died suddenly last week. Bill lived the life that people dream of and few attain, and while doing so became a friend, mentor, and ``brother'' to countless people.

In the early 1970s, Mr. Tatum, along with former State Comptroller H. Carl McCall and former Manhattan borough president Percy Sutton, bought the Amsterdam News. This venture into the news industry reflected their longtime involvement in civic activism and passion for their community. Bill maximized his passion as the paper's publisher, a role for which his life prepared him.

Bill's voice goes back to his high school oratory competition days in North Carolina. He was a journalist, writing for three small newspapers that provided information to Black farmers. He served his country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, and received his master's degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles. In New York, he was a community activist who served as deputy Manhattan Borough President under Percy Sutton's borough presidency and held various city-level posts.

Under Bill's ownership, the Amsterdam News was a brash and controversial voice for the Black community, regularly scorching politicians like 1970's Mayor Ed Koch. He was one of the angriest--and most eloquent--of voices on issues of politics, civil rights, and community action. What some perceived as sensational journalism, we in the community knew reflected the honest views of the publisher and his readers. At the same time, he filled the pages with colorful articles on social and community happenings.

Bill was a gentleman who loved people and derived no bigger joy than helping his community. He gave opportunities to scores of budding journalists and was a friend and professional mentor to many. A kind and decent person with a keen sense of humor, Bill was a man for all seasons and fierce defender of the causes he believed in. Despite an illness that confined him to a wheelchair, he and his beloved wife Susan continued their travels around the world. He entrusted his daughter Eli to succeed him as publisher and editor, and she has done an admirable and successful job in filling his shoes.

Wilbert Bill Tatum will be remembered as an honorable man of tough love, who used his brilliant mind and the First Amendment to denounce injustices he saw in his community. His life reminds us that the greatest love we can share with others is the power to speak up and be honest about where we are and where we need to go. I will miss him dearly.

Madam Speaker, it is with great honor and enthusiasm that I rise to congratulate my good friend Reverend Robert Royal as he joins his family, long time friends, and the Harlem community together in celebration of his 80th Birthday. This momentous and joyous occasion will be celebrated with an extraordinary affair on March 1, 2009 in the headquarters of ``Our Children's Foundation'' in my beloved village of Harlem.

Reverend Royal has a very rich history that has given him life and longevity. It all began in the winter day of January 27, 1929. At the tender age of fifteen, Mary, his dear mother, gave birth and quickly abandon her newborn on the streets of Harlem. Among the many reasons that could compel a mother to make such a heart wrenching decision, one can only assume that uncertainty in her tender age and the economic downturn that was to become the Great Depression later on that year, were strong reasons for such a decisive conclusion.

Robert Royal was placed in the old New York Hospital Founding Children's Home, under the administrations of the Catholic Archdioceses of New York. As a youngster, he was loved, cared for, and reared by nine surrogate mothers. Before this eighth birthday, he was transferred to the Riverdale Orphanage for Colored Children. In 1937, he was finally adopted by a distant uncle who lived in Stanford, Connecticut.

Robert returned to Harlem and attended Cooper Junior High School. He excelled in his studies and was given the honor to represent his school at the New York Daily Mirror International Youth Forum. Among the 500 attendees, he was selected to be one of the five panelist chairs. He went on to complete his High School education at Seward Park High School.

During the Korean War, there was a call to national service. He answered the call of conscription and become a warrior in the fight for freedom. Young Robert was among the many that had a near fatal experience, becoming a disabled Korean War Veteran. His heroic actions earned him two Bronze Stars and the President's coveted Distinguished Service Medal.

Battered, wounded, with medals on his chest, and limited choices in his life, Royal returned to the Village of Harlem. He sought out to write his own ticket for a better future by entering the City College of New York. Like so many G.I.'s coming home from the war, he was able to take full advantage of the G.I. Bill. Higher learning resulted in an undergraduate degree in accounting with a minor in Law of Labor Standards.

Robert's public service career began shortly thereafter at the NYC Department of Hospitals as an auditor. Later, he worked for the NYC Department of Public Works, the United States Internal Revenue Service, and as a publication typesetter for the United Nations.

Robert's call to the ministry in 1974 led to entering New York Theological Seminary, where he received a Masters of Divinity. Reverend Royal is presently serving as Executive Director of the New Brighton Local Community Development Corporation and Minister of Social Justice at Saint Paul Baptist Church under the leadership of Reverend Dr. V. DuWayne Battle.

Reverend Royal continues to be known for his extraordinary commitment, energy, wisdom, discipline, principle, and clear purpose which have won the admiration of all who are privileged to come to know and work with him. I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to observe and experience his example as a personal inspiration.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in honoring and congratulating Reverend Robert Royal on his historic 80th Birthday. His constant dedication, commitment, and spiritual guidance is worthy of the highest esteem.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the life and achievements of Preston Wilcox and his commitment to community empowerment, education, and public service. In 2006, the passing of Preston Wilcox removed from the world a scholar whose academic stature was as profound as its practical application. Though he is no longer with us we will not forget the contributions he has made to Harlem and to society at large.

Preston Wilcox was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1923. He moved to New York after World War II. He went on to graduate from the City College of New York in 1949 and in 1957 he earned his Master's degree in social work at Columbia University. Mr. Wilcox utilized his skills to benefit the Harlem community from 1958-1964 where he served as a program consultant to the East Harlem Summer Festival, a United Neighborhood Houses initiative which was designed to prevent juvenile delinquency. He continued in this vein for the Massive Economic Neighborhood Development, and anti-poverty program.

As a teacher, Mr. Wilcox taught courses in social work theory and community organization at Columbia University's School of Social Work, Clark Atlanta University, Medger Evers College, along with other institutions of higher education. As a practitioner, Mr. Wilcox was a strong advocate for parent participation in curriculum development and in the hiring of school supervisors and teachers. He also participated as a social researcher in the Princeton University six week summer studies program for junior high school students for what has now become the Upward Bound Program.

After twenty years of involvement in the black educational movement he developed AFRAM Associates, a public service agency to provide technical assistance to community groups in the areas of education, economic development, and consumer rights. AFRAM operated a parent- implemented program in education funded by the Follow Through Program Division of Compensatory Education of the

U.S. Office of Education. AFRAM also operated a farm experiment, AFRAM Farm, in upstate New York, as a campsite and recreational center for urban-bound families and groups.

After his death, the acquisition of his personal and professional papers, writings, office files, and printed matter documenting his dual career as an educator and community organizer, by the Schomburg Center comprising twenty-one linear feet, add an important name to the roster of black intellectuals who made Harlem their home.

Today, I am proud to pay tribute to the life of Mr. Preston Wilcox.

Madam Speaker, I stand before you today to acknowledge the importance of the United States' presence in the Caribbean during these difficult economic times and to enter into the record an editorial from the Carib News by Basil Wilson entitled ``Jamaica and the World Economy.''

As the world deals with the difficult economic challenges, there needs to be a renewed economic commitment to the Caribbean nations, who are also suffering from the spiraling effect of the weakened world economy.

For many years, the United States has cultivated a relationship with the Caribbean that involved a strong history of generous remittances and a prospering reciprocal trade relationship. As a result, both the U.S. and the Caribbean have benefited.

The United States must continue to uphold strong trading ties with the Caribbean islands to make certain their Gross Domestic Product is not greatly compromised. This is also not the time to decrease our level of relief efforts in the Caribbean community. We must understand that an economic decline in the First World results in an economic catastrophe in these Caribbean areas.

As the world tries to gain control of the wavering economic calamity, let us not forget that our neighbors and friends in the Western Hemisphere are also dealing with the adverse effects of the global economy. It is especially during these times when there is a greater reliance on the Caribbean Diaspora's kindness and compassion to sustain the economic viability of their families. The U.S. government needs to be aware of the needs of the governments in the region for assistance in providing a necessary social safety net.