Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this communication is forwarded on behalf of the constituents of Congressional District Three and myself as we pay tribute to the life of George S. ``Buck'' Blessing. We are all saddened by the loss of his presence in this life but joyful that he has gone to be with his Heavenly Father.

On this occasion, we join with the immediate family and loved ones in saying farewell and praising God for his life. George S. ``Buck'' Blessing was dearly cherished and well respected by his loved ones, his colleagues, and the community. His service in the Army in World War II illustrates his dedication to America and its ideals. Please rest assured that your extended family from Congressional District Three joins your immediate family and community in recognizing George S. ``Buck'' Blessing's outstanding service to this nation. As you experience the stage of grief, please find comfort in God's words and wisdom. He is a constant power of strength in these times and will continue to lift you and your family.

Remember, we join Reverend Charles Belz and your friends and family in celebrating George S. ``Buck'' Blessing's tremendous life. We are all with you in this time of transition. There is an emptiness that only those who have lost a close relative can understand. May the sympathy of those who care make the sorrow of your heart less difficult to bear. If my staff or I may assist you or your family in any way, please do not hesitate to call on us.

In closing, I know that George S. ``Buck'' Blessing would be extremely proud of the tremendous work his grandson, Nick Martinelli, is doing in my office on behalf of the armed services and veterans. Nick Martinelli is carrying on his family's strong tradition of service to this nation, and I am very thankful for the contributions he makes every day.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 313) supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 313.

I rise in support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, each year during the month of May, we celebrate National Public Works Week. The public works professionals that we recognize today provide the country with essential services and keep our roads safe, our drinking water clean, and our Nation moving. House Resolution 313 honors American public works professionals and celebrates their work from May 17 through 23, 2009.

The public works professionals that we recognize today keep our country running in the most basic and fundamental ways possible. These professionals design, construct and rehabilitate our transportation system, water infrastructure, levees, public buildings and other structures and facilities that are an intimate part of everyday life in the United States.

It is appropriate to set aside 1 week each year to recognize the role that public works play in our daily life. Far too often we take for granted clean water or the method of transportation that we use to get to work. In fact, we

do not begin to fully appreciate these everyday conveniences until they fail us. What happened in New Orleans made the importance of public works crystal clear to everyone. Their lack of clean water, safe infrastructure and basic human needs was a stark reminder that we need to be vigilant to ensure that the citizens of our country get the critical services they need in their lives.

I visited New Orleans numerous times following the hurricane, and I want to encourage everyone not to forget New Orleans, because they still have a ton of rebuilding that needs to be done there and in the other gulf States.

As our Nation's infrastructure ages, it is increasingly likely that more and more elements of it will cease to be productive without renewed investment. It is for this reason that we must recognize the need to revitalize our infrastructure and find ways to make it more efficient.

House Resolution 313 honors the tens of thousands of public works professionals that serve the public quietly. These are the professionals that keep our country operating safely.

Madam Speaker, I support this resolution and hope that all my colleagues will support it as well.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield as much time as she may consume to Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 269) supporting the goals of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

Madam Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 269.

I rise in support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 269, which seeks to support the goals of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Giffords) for introducing this resolution and bringing much-needed attention to motorcycle safety in our Nation's roadways.

With May once again bringing warm weather, highways nationwide will witness the seasonal rise of motorcycle riders. The popularity of motorcycles climbs every year, with motorcycle registrations increasing by over 60 percent from 1998 to 2005.

In anticipation of this rise in ridership, it is important to educate the public about motorcycle safety. Public awareness of motorcycle safety benefits everyone sharing the roads, not just the motorcyclists, by reducing the number of car-motorcycle crashes.

In 2007, motorcycle fatalities increased for the 10th straight year in a row. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, there were 5,154 motorcycle fatalities and 130,000 injuries in 2007. This tragic statistic is much higher than the 2,116 fatalities and 53 million injuries recorded in 1997.

One of the most effective ways to reduce motorcycle crash fatalities is to encourage riders to always wear a helmet. NHTSA estimates that helmet usage saved the lives of 1,784 motorcyclists in 2007 and could have saved another 800 lives if the motorcyclists killed in non- helmeted crashes had been wearing their helmet.

Throughout the month of May, safety groups across the Nation will host educational events and media campaigns highlighting these safety tools and promoting safe driving practices. Through these efforts, we can work to reduce the number of preventable tragedies that far too often devastate our communities.

While I was a State legislator, I fought hard to keep helmet laws in place. But, sadly, my home State of Florida now allows people to ride without helmets. With greater freedom comes greater responsibility. Motorcycle accidents without helmets increase the insurance rates, burden the health care system and cause great pain for families.

I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for introducing this resolution and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 367) supporting the goals and ideals of National Train Day.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 367.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

National Train Day celebrates the 140th anniversary of the golden spike, which was driven into the final tie in Utah, and marked the completion of our Nation's first transcontinental railroad in 1869.

Last year, I celebrated National Train Day by holding events throughout my district, including press conferences and events in Jacksonville, Winter Park, and the Sanford Auto Train station. We had a great turnout at all of the events, and I heard firsthand from people who use Amtrak every day to go to work and visit friends and families all over the country.

This year, I will be holding an event on Friday at my hometown station in Jacksonville, and I am planning a trip to New York in the very near future and hope other Members will join me. But we should celebrate Train Day every day, and I encourage Members to do events at their train stations throughout the year.

As Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, I have had the privilege to see firsthand passenger rail systems in other countries. I took the high-speed train from Brussels to Paris--200 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes; from Barcelona to Madrid--350 miles in 2.5 hours. The advantage for travelers and the business community and others is tremendous.

We need to catch up with the world; and with gas prices continuing to increase steadily, now is the perfect time for us to make serious our investment in passenger rail.

Amtrak ridership and revenue have never been stronger. In 2008, Amtrak set a record for ridership, exceeding 28.7 million passengers. In the same year, ticket revenues increased by 14.2 percent, for more than $1.7 billion. For my State of Florida, Amtrak expenditures for goods and services were over $40 million last year, and we currently have over 700 Floridians as employees.

More than just a convenient way to travel, Amtrak is the most energy efficient. Rail travel is more efficient than cars or airplanes. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Amtrak is 17 percent more efficient than domestic airline travel and 21 percent more efficient than auto travel.

Passenger rail also reduces global warming. The average passenger train produces 60 percent lower carbon emissions than cars, and 50 percent less than airplanes.

I travel all over the country and have conducted many transportation roundtable events that feature rail and its importance. Let me tell you that people love Amtrak and they love the train. It is a great way to commute to work, take cars off congested highways, and improve the environment. In many areas of the country, it is the only mode of public transportation. Let me repeat that: in many areas of the country, Amtrak is the only mode of public transportation available.

We still have a lot of work ahead of us with Amtrak, but we took a major step forward last year when we passed legislation reauthorizing Amtrak at a level that would allow it to grow and prosper, and earlier this year when we provided $1.7 billion in stimulus funding for Amtrak, and $8 billion for development of a high-speed rail corridor.

Major infrastructure improvements are still necessary to improve the safety and security of the system and its passengers and workers. Amtrak has and will continue to play a critical role in evacuating and transporting citizens during national emergencies. Unfortunately, it also is a prime target for those who wish to harm us, and we must provide resources to make the system less vulnerable.

Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower created the National Highway System that changed the way we travel in this country. Today, we need to do the same with our rail system; and with the Amtrak reauthorization and real funding for high-speed rail, we are doing that.

The United States used to have a first-class passenger rail system. However, after years of neglect, we are now the caboose--and they don't use cabooses anymore. The American people deserve better, and I believe our government's new commitment to Amtrak will go a long way to restore passenger rail service.

I encourage my colleagues to show their support for our Nation's rail system and its employees by holding events at their local commuter train stations anytime during the year.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 211, a bill to support the goals and ideals of National Women's History Month.

I would like to send a tribute out to all of the women trailblazers who have contributed so much to our country. And I think St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to remember them! I would like to begin by sending a very special thank you to former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Colorado; Congresswoman Carrie Meek of Florida; and Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly of Connecticut; and to some of the women Members who I had the honor to serve with in this body and recently passed: The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio; The Honorable Julia Carson of Indiana; and the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald of California.

I would also like to discuss a few of the women who served as mentors to me over the years. I remember growing up in Jacksonville, back in the civil rights era in the United States. And I knew I wanted to do something--get involved in something big--to make a difference. And I was inspired by a strong willed woman, Ms. Gwendelyn Sawyer Cherry, who would stop at nothing to change the terrible ills that our society, and in particular, African Americans, were facing in that time period.

Ms. Sawyer Cherry was the first African-American woman to practice law in Dade County, Florida, and became one of the first nine attorneys who initially served at Legal Services in Greater Miami in 1966. She was elected as a state representative in 1970, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as a legislator for the State of Florida. She was elected to four terms and served until 1979.

During her term, she introduced the Equal Rights Amendment in Florida, chaired the State of Florida's committee for International

Woman's Year in 1978, and co-authored Portraits in Color. I thank you, Ms. Sawyer Cherry, for all you have done for our nation and for the state of Florida.

And the last woman I would like to mention is a very near and dear friend of mine; an African American woman who served with me both in the Florida state legislature and came up to Washington with me in 1993. I am referring to, of course, Ms. Carrie Meek of Miami.

The granddaughter of a slave and the daughter of former sharecroppers, she spent her childhood in segregated Tallahassee. She then went on to graduate from Florida A&M University in 1946, at a time when African Americans could not attend graduate school in Florida, so she was forced to travel North to continue her studies and ended up graduating from the University of Michigan.

Ms. Meek went on to become a Florida state representative in 1979, and was the first African American female elected to the Florida State Senate in 1982. As a state senator, Meek served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and her efforts in the Legislature also led to the construction of thousands of affordable rental housing units.

In 1992, Congresswoman Carrie Meek was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th Congressional District. This made Ms. Meek, along with myself and Congressman Alcee Hastings, to serve as the first black lawmakers elected to represent Florida in Congress since Reconstruction. Upon taking office, Ms. Meek was faced the extreme task of helping her district recover from Hurricane Andrew's devastation, and her efforts helped to provide $100 million in federal assistance to rebuild Dade County.

As a powerful and hard working Member of the appropriations committee, Congresswoman Meek became a leader on issues from economic development, to health care funding, to education and housing. She also passed legislation to improve Dade County's transit system, their airport and seaport; construct a new family and childcare center in North Dade County; and fund advanced aviation training programs at Miami-Dade Community College. In recent times, the Honorable Carrie Meek has worked to become a civil rights advocate for senior citizens in the Miami area, as well for the Haitian community in South Florida.

In closing, I want to thank these pioneers, those who have led the way for our daughters today and in the future.

I rise to celebrate the life of former Secretary of Commerce Ron H. Brown, who was the first African American to hold that position, and the first African American to serve as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. I want to thank Chairman Rangel for bringing this resolution to the floor, designating the Federal building located at the United Nations Plaza in New York City as the ``Ron H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building.''

At the time of his death in 1996, Mr. Brown was a figure of global importance and an advocate for American businesses at home and abroad. Through his example, Ron was a pioneer for many African Americans, and a role model, and was respected for his leadership, intelligence, and public service.

Born in Washington, DC, on August 1, 1941, and raised in Harlem, New York, he spent most of his life working for the people of New York and the citizens of the United States. As Secretary, he circled the globe spreading goodwill with his enthusiasm.

I remember traveling with Ron once to Africa as he was cultivating opportunities and markets for American products. It was on one of these trade missions that he died in a plane crash in war-torn Eastern Europe on April 3, 1996.

Ron left behind a wife, Alma, two devoted children, Michael and Tracey, and a record of commitment to the job he loved. Since his death, Ron has been recognized with many awards and scholarships, including the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership and Responsibility, established by President William J. Clinton; the annual Ron H. Brown American Innovator Award, established by the U.S. Department of Commerce; and the largest ship in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fleet named in honor of his public service, the Ronald H. Brown.

Please join me today in celebrating the life and service of one great American statesperson and pioneer, Mr. Ron H. Brown.

Madam Speaker, I rise during this Black History Month to congratulate Hons. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) for joining me in convening the highly successful 20th Anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 38th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) held in Washington, DC. The 20th anniversary celebration covered three days of activities over September 24-26, 2008, with the collaboration of the African American Civil War Museum, the Vets Group and the National Association for Black Veterans. This was an important social, psychological and political achievement for the sustained work and growth of the Veterans Braintrust over more than twenty years. During that period the Veterans Braintrust has become the institutional memory for the Congressional Black Caucus on American veterans of African descent, much like the U.S. Naval Historical Center is for the Navy, and U.S. Army Center of Military History is for the Army. Thus, can justifiably be called the preeminent forum for debate, or discussion for public policy issues between veterans of African descent and government officials in the country. Second, the Braintrust deserves our special admiration for being the champion of diversity and inclusion for a much broader array of WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and War on Terrorism constituencies; including our African veteran allies from abroad heretofore unrecognized and unrepresented. For example, the Ethiopian delegation that attended reminded us that Ethiopia fought by our side during the Korean Conflict; was the only African country never colonized, and led the way for the liberation of the rest of Africa. Equally important, the Veterans Braintrust long ago adopted the expanded definition of veteranhood to include: families and friends, in order to recognize the central importance of family and friends, particularly when any veteran goes into the hospital, and second, as an authentic voice for black veterans, their families, and communities nationwide.

Yet, no less important, the 20th Anniversary took place during two of the most challenging moments in American history--America's worse economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 20s and 30s, and the sixth year of the war on terrorism, now the second longest war in American history, in which 4,000 soldiers have been killed, 30,000 wounded, and 14,000 seriously disabled.

Hon. Charles Rangel (D-NY) opened the morning tribute session of the forum, which was dedicated to recognizing the contributions of our nation's African American veterans, by briefly explaining the economic crisis and its impact on us all. He also honored our invited guest speakers Hons. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Bob Filner (D-CA), and John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI).

Next he shared a small piece of his own story of returning from the Korean War (1952) as an Army Sergeant with a Bronze Star, four Battle Stars and a Purple Heart. But somehow forgot he was a high school drop- out and ended up pushing a clothing cart in New York City's garment district, before finally going to the VA to request assistance.

More importantly, he pledged his undying support for the GI Bill, because, as he put it, ``the only difference between being a drop-out on Lenox Avenue and a chairman in Congress was the GI Bill!'' before turning over the reins to Ron Armstead, Executive Director of the Veterans Braintrust, who has been with us since the beginning in 1988. Ron promptly began by saying ``forums that begin with an invocation and end with a benediction are a blessed occasion,'' and invited Leon Bryant, Sr., Pastor of Capitol City SDA Church to give the invocation.

Throughout the morning session more than 250 people were on hand as we paid special tribute to the courageous African American men and increasingly women of the military who dedicate their lives to preserving our precious freedom and continuing way of life. Our special guest, Emmy award nominee Actor John Amos, called the honor roll of black military units from the segregated World War II and Korean War eras to the integrated Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Remembering their selfless service and sacrifice to national defense throughout the entire 20th century, and returning home to join the fight for equal rights.

Most importantly, we focused on the long legacy of service of those who undertake the armed defense of the scared principles of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights that all men (and now women) are created equal, have thus earned the right of every African American full citizenship through honorable military service, and as Dr. W.E.B. DuBois said in 1906, for ``all true Americans.'' Thus Congress, the Executive Branch, states, commonwealths, territories, counties, municipalities and communities across the land ought to be deeply indebted to these all too often forgotten warriors who fought the most bitter of ironies in America's history: for democratic ideals abroad while the practice of racial discrimination persisted at home. But as the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama proves, their hope, faith and loyalty have been vindicated.

Seated on the dais were Anthony Brown, Lt. Governor from the state of Maryland, highest ranking black elected state official to serve in Iraq; Hon. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and I, Senior Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 38th Annual Legislative Conference and Veterans Braintrust Co-Convener; keynote speaker Secretary James Peake, MD, Department of Veterans Affairs; Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., President & Founder of the Healing of the Nations Foundation of New York; special guest of honor Actor John Amos, Honorary Master Chief of the USCG and Navy, and New Jersey National Guardsman (best known for his role as Kunta Kinte on the hit CBS miniseries Roots, and NBC's Emmy award winning hit series, The West Wing, as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff); Hon. Louis Stokes (D-OH) Retired Congressman and Past Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies, Past Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and WWII veteran, and Dr. Roscoe Brown, an original Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient.

The afternoon session consisted of a unique Stakeholders Roundtable Discussion on Veterans' Issues supported by the Hon. Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and his senior committee staff. The roundtable was moderated by Dr. William King, and featured the following subject matter experts and discussants: Dr. William Lawson, MD, Ph.D., Dr. Shirley Marks, MD, MPH, Dr. Lorraine Blackman, Ph.D., LCSW, Dr. Cedric Bright, MD, Dr. Reginald Wilson, Ph.D., Dr. Beverly Coleman Miller, MD, Dr. Donna Holland Barnes, Ph.D., Dr. Cheryl Royster Branker, Ed.D., Judge Robert Russell, Jr., Haywood Fennel, Sr., Sidney Lee, Maceo May, Amy Fairweather, Col. Ann Wright, USA, Ret., Sgt Natasha McKinnon & Jason Lindsay, disabled Iraqi veterans & students at North Carolina State University; SFC Vontella Fludd, USA, Ret., Two Tour Iraqi veteran and mother of two accompanied by First Sgt. Ronnie Robinson, USA, Ret. and Local Union Vice President, American Federation of Government Employees, along with committee staff members to address a lengthy list of black veterans issues and concerns.

Additionally, special invitations were extended to the major veterans' service organizations to enhance ways of building closer relationships between them and minority veterans. Further, the VA provided us with case workers who were present to respond to questions from individuals in the audience.

The roundtable discussion opened with brief presentations on PTSD and other health related issues such as VA health disparities, disability benefits difficulties, employment concerns and/or discrimination, post secondary education challenges and other issues of particular interest to black veterans. The outcome

product was a video recording of the session, which in turn will be transcribed in order to produce a document, or written report for presentation back to Reps. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), and Rangel (D-NY) of the Veterans Braintrust, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Democratic leaders in the House, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others recommending ways to address the unique needs of both Iraqi & Afghanistan returning soldiers, and their families, as well as African American, or black veterans and provide thoughtful proposals for legislation.

Later that evening I hosted the 20th anniversary gala reception and awards ceremony at the Washington Grand Hyatt Hotel. Among those publicly recognized and acknowledged on this special occasion were Judge Robert Russell, Jr. who was presented the Citizens Beneficiary Award by the Mike Handy Foundation and Fund, for his unique Buffalo Veterans Court Treatment Program in the state of New York along with the U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute recognizing Frederick Gray, President of the Black Iwo Jima Veterans Group; Brig. Gen. Robert Cocroft, President and CEO of the Center for Veterans Issues; and Joseph Stevenson, a World War II veteran.

Other 2008 Braintrust awardees included: Actor John Amos, Sgt. Nathaniel Bass, USA, Ret., Asa Gordon, Dr. Richard Danford, Jr., Ph.D., Dr. Edward Brown, Dr. Vincent Patton III, Maj. Gen. Rosetta Burke, NYANG, Ret., Thomas Jones, Sr., Christopher Moore, Dr. Charles Simmons, Howard Wright, Thomas Yarosz, Halley's Comet Foundation, Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Tubman African American Museum, Smithsonian's National Museum for African American History and Culture, Parting Ways Historical Site, Sankofa Restoration Project, Myrl Billings Memorial Veterans Center, and Doubleback Productions.

Finally singled out for special praise was the Association of the 2221 Negro Volunteers of World War II, who served in white Army infantry units during and after the Battle of Bulge. Afterward the private reception and awards ceremony was opened to the general public for a party with entertainment provided by Tori Robinson of Paris and Recording Artist Betty Wright.

My special thanks go to Roslyn Burrough, Anthony Hawkins, Mae Campbell, Forest Farley, Jr., Dr. Frank Smith, Jr., Brigadier General Robert Cocroft, Joe Wynn, Jack Evans, Dr. Vince Patton III, Belinda Foster, Dr. Martel Teasley, Dr. Michael Kane, Dr. Cheryl Royster Branker, Karen Freeman Wilson, Carmen Wilson II, Lucretia McClenney, Thomas Harris, Pastor Leon Bryant, Sr., Maceo May, Jason Young, Clarence Slaughter, Jean Davis, David Thompson, Maj. Myles Caggins, USA, Tonya Collins, Medgar Evers College and Congressional staff members Emile Milne, Kenya Handy, Holly Biglow, Kiwanis Harvey Styles, Roshan Hodge, Lee Footer, Alexandra Ward, Sonya Passi, Jonathan Halpern, Edwin Larkins, Tony Buckles and Malcolm Shorter.

May God continue to Bless America, and thank all veterans for their service.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on this rule.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill but with some reservations because I know that it's not a perfect bill, but it's a perfect beginning. I also have held numerous meetings in my district concerning foreclosure, and, you know, we need to assist people to avoid the foreclosure process.

We have over 1,000 foreclosures a month in my district of Florida, and we need to include legal aid and other community organizations like Wealth Watchers and those that are helping families to avoid losing their homes in foreclosure.

Mr. Hastings, I have a question that I want to ask.

As we move forward, is there a possibility that we can work to include additional assistance for families so that

they can avoid foreclosure? Some of the Members are telling people the problem is they're not getting good legal representation, and I think this is something that's missing in the bill. And what can we do to make sure when this bill leaves the House and the Senate and it goes to conference, that we can include additional assistance for families so they can avoid bankruptcy because there is a stigma attached to bankruptcy, and the banks don't have this stigma. And I am just concerned that people will have this stigma.

What can we do to assist these families?

I met with the credit unions who have been working very hard and doing a real good job, but they are not included. They can't get any of the TARP money, so they are limited with their amount of participation. We are having a hard time getting banks to get them to do what we intended them to do.

What is the possibility that we can also discuss how we can include credit unions in getting additional resources to help our constituents?

Thank you very much for the time, and I hope we can work to perfect this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Montford Point Marines, the first black Marines.

As Marines, they fought the enemy, integrated the Armed Services and changed their country. On the land and on the sea, the Marines have led the way. At home, the fight was within the Corps, however, the Barriers soon fell because of a few good men.

Today's generation of Marines serve in a fully integrated Corps where one-fifth of the strength of the Corps are African Americans. African- American officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates are spread throughout the Corps and their service often escapes special notice.

The fact that there was a time when there were no Blacks allowed in the Marines should not be overlooked.

At the urging of his wife, Eleanor, and threats by civil rights activist, A. Philip Randolph with a march on Washington, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 establishing the Fair Employment Practice Commission. The commission prohibited racial discrimination by any government agency.

With the stroke of his pen on June 25, 1941, President Roosevelt's Executive Order allowed Blacks to serve as Marines and marked the beginning of the end of officially sanctioned segregation in America.

On August 26, 1942 Howard P. Perry of Charlotte, North Carolina was the first African-American recruit to arrive at Montford Point. From August 1942 throughout the end of World War II, 20,000 black men were trained at Montford Point and inducted into the Marine Corps.

Although black troops were trained to be Marines they were kept separate from the white troops. Even after they were shipped off to battle zones, they still served in exclusively all black units. African-Americans continued to serve in segregated units until the Fall of 1949 when an executive order from President Harry S. Truman established a policy of full integration.

That same year, the first African American women, Annie E. Graham of Detroit, Michigan, Ann E. Lamb of New York City, and Annie L. Grimes of Chicago, Illinois, enlisted into the Marines, respectively.

Madam Speaker, today I rise today to pay tribute to some of America's unsung heroes. To all of the Annie Grahams, Ann Lambs, Annie Grimes, Edgar Huffs, Frederick Branchs, Gilbert ``Hashmark'' Johnsons, James Ferrens, Frank Petersens, and Thomas McPhatters of this world, I say Thank you.

Thank you for your service to our country and we will never forget your sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, House Republicans refused, to a person, to support the economic course that President Obama's recovery plan offered.

The Republican proposal is made up almost entirely of tax cuts for the wealthy and strips virtually all of the job-creation investments that was necessary to transform our economy for the future. Their alternative plan had no funds for American infrastructure needs, no investment in energy efficiency, and no protection for health care, no money for police officers and teachers and no food assistance for struggling families, and offered no chance for America to come out of this recession stronger and more able to compete economically.

Mr. Speaker, when are House Republicans going to realize that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time?

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

I just finished a 5-hour hearing where we had both passenger rail and freight rail in a hearing. And we have the second largest committee in infrastructure in the entire Congress because there is such an interest in passenger rail.

My colleague, I got some breaking news for you. There is no form of transportation that pays for itself, none whatsoever, whether we are talking about rail, airlines or cars, none of it. We subsidize all of it. The chairman of the committee had recommended $5 billion for rail. This is a very bad idea. I'm encouraging all of my colleagues to vote ``no.'' Kill this bad idea before it multiplies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my University of Florida football team for winning its second NCAA BCS championship bowl game in the last three seasons. Go Gators.

I want to congratulate the University of Florida not only for being the best academic school, but also athletic school in the country.

Their 24-14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners showed off teamwork, sportsmanship, and one of the defense plays that I have seen. They held the team with the highest scoring offense to just 14 points. The Gators once again came back to prove that the University of Florida season was no fluke, and that the Florida Gators are again a championship team that made history. Congratulations to their great players and outstanding coach, Urban Meyer, for coaching a remarkable group of guys.

Let's do a quick fact check.

The Gators won their second national championship in the past 3 years and the third in the school's history. Florida is the fourth school in the modern era to win two outright national titles in 3 years. Florida finished the 2008 season with a 13-1 record, matching the single-season school record for wins.

Tim Tebow became the fifth player since 1950 to win a Heisman Trophy and two national championships.

The win makes Urban Meyer the fifth active coach with multiple national titles and the fifth coach since the AP poll began in 1936 to win two national championships in his first four seasons at a school.

Tim Tebow, Florida's leader and quarterback, not only ran for 109 yards, but threw 18-for-30 and was flawless in the fourth quarter alone when it mattered the most and the pressure was on.

Percy Harvin, whose gutsy play won him the game ball, came back from an ankle injury and dashed for 122 yards on only nine carries. And it was his 52-yard run down the stretch that set up Jonathan Phillips' 27- yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 17-14 lead, which the Gators never lost and never looked back.

There has been some discussion in this body about having a national championship playoff. Let me be clear, we've had a playoff. And I hate to say it, that everything is just not all equal. We want to encourage all of our kids to participate in sports and activities because we know that it builds character, but it is clear that the Gators are superb to any other schools with the conferences that we play in.

So, in closing, I want to leave you again with the Gators' chant that I just love: ``One, two, three, four, five, them there Gators don't take no jive.''

Mr. Chair, I want to thank Chairman Frank for his leadership in developing this bill. I appreciate the time you and your staff have spent on the issues important to the American people. You were instrumental in getting an amendment regarding tax credits in the manager's amendment.

I want to speak on the situation today. I voted for TARP when it was brought up last year. I am extremely disappointed as to how the banking industry used the taxpayer funds.

The way the administration disbursed the first half of the TARP funds was not in the interest of the American people. It was in the interest of those who caused this crisis in the first place. The investment bankers, and elite financiers in New York were the first in line to claim some money and then left nothing for the people holding the bag, the homeowners and the small businesspeople like those from my district in Florida.

The administration moved from helping those who held mortgages that were in foreclosure to bailing out the large banks. These banks took that money and put it in their pockets. They paid their shareholders and continued to pay bonuses to their executives. The banks called in their loans and eliminated lines of credit. They bought other banks. They closed businesses and used every legal means to get as much money as they could. What the banking industry did was not our intent.

The Europeans used the government money to help stimulate the economy. Every pound or euro given to banks was required to be loaned out. As opposed to the banks here who called in loans and did away with lines of credit.

I would like to ask Chairman Frank a couple of questions at this time:

``Chairman Frank, I am very concerned the money we are authorizing for the TARP program will not make it to the American people and will not be used for what we are intending it to be used for. We need to get money to people for (1) to end the foreclosures, of which thousands a day are happening all over the country, (2) auto loans--people can't get credit to buy a car and (3) school loans--the banks are calling in the notes, prohibiting our young people from getting an education.

The American people need this money.

What protections have you included in the bill to ensure this happens?''

Second, I have a question regarding the re-appraisal of real estate collateral that is affecting the home builders in our country. I have an amendment in front of the rules committee which would permit lenders to extend or modify loan terms for home builders, so they could continue to pay interest without forcing them to pay large sums to the principal while in this economic crisis.

I understand this issue is not covered by this bill. What assurances do I have that you will consider this issue in the future in your committee?

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for your explanations. In my district, along with most of the country, people cannot get the loans to consume, which is the basis for our economy. I am pleased you included these provisions in the bill, to help small businesses all over our country.

Thank you for your hard work on this bill, to bring relief to those who are suffering from foreclosures and for your firm leadership on this issue for the many years you have served the people of Massachusetts and America.

It is important the TARP funds being spent by the Administration be used for the benefit of the American people. From what I have seen, it does not.

First of all, let me thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership on this area.

I voted for the TARP bill, and I've got to tell you I've been very disappointed in many areas; whether we're talking about student loans, the fact that thousands of people are losing their homes through foreclosure, or whether the automobile industry, they can't get money to buy a car. And so I want to know what safeguards do we have in this bill to make sure that the banks will do what we intended them to do.

The Europeans did the same thing. They used their money to stimulate the economy, but yet, for every dollar they got, they had to lend it out.

Will that include credit unions?

My second question regarding the re- appraisal of real estate collateral that has affected the home builders in our country. I have an amendment in front of the Rules Committee which will permit lenders to extend or modify loan terms for home builders, so that they could continue to pay interest, without forcing them to pay large sums of principal during this economic crisis. I understand this issue is not covered by the bill. What assurances do we have that we will address this issue in the future?

Once again, thank you so much for your leadership in this area.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and honor the life achievements of Mr. Alton Yates, a man of many talents and passions who, by his own convictions and beliefs in the dignity of human kind, paved the way for so many to achieve their goals, and influence the course of history.

Alton Yates was born of modest yet proud means, the second of seven children, raised in the powerful and nurturing shadow of his father, a man of principles, character and determination. His father instilled in him the need to achieve beyond your born station in life, and by so doing help to sew in the fabric of humanity threads of decency, respect, and quest for the betterment of mankind. Alton Yates accomplished his earlier goals, and those of his father by making sure all that was available to him through education and interaction, he would absorb and be nurtured by this new found knowledge. Here is a man of unparalleled dedication and commitment. He is not only a pioneer in the early days of the space program and the civil rights movement, Alton Yates went on to a successful career in city government and business. He was a pioneer in the early days of the space program as a volunteer for a program that would test the effects of space flight on the human body. This was America's first efforts to put a man in space and to ensure that man could survive in space. Likewise, as we celebrate the historic inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America, this journey for him and all of us, including Alton Yates began before he was born. Alton Yates was there at the beginning. He sat down at lunch counters, time and time again, often suffering human indignity and physical abuse at the hands of those who would seek to deny him, and us, our piece of the American dream, simply, and only because of the color of one's skin. Alton Yates and others like him paved the way that has led to the election of an African-American President-Elect. Alton Yates never recoiled from the responsibility of family, community, and service to mankind.

From the early days of segregation, to the chance to help establish this nation's space program, as an African-American, to his ability to serve and protect the ideals of equality and personal responsibility, we are indebted to Alton Yates for his courage and his belief in the sanctity and strength of the human spirit.

We acknowledge his wife of 48 years, former Jacksonville City Councilwoman, Gwendolyn Yates for her individual achievements and the support she and family has given to Alton that has allowed him to soar to great heights, as a man, a husband, a father, a pioneer, and a civil rights leader and gentleman.