Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in consideration of S. 2089, legislation naming the postal facility in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, after Hiram L. Fong. This measure, sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka and cosponsored by Senator Daniel Inouye, was unanimously passed by the Senate on March 3, 2006. An identical measure, H.R. 4509, sponsored by Mr. Abercrombie, was unanimously reported by our committee on February 1, 2006.

Hiram L. Fong, a native of Hawaii, was a noted and well-known member of Hawaii politics. Mr. Fong was a graduate of the University of Hawaii and Harvard Law School before practicing law in Honolulu. He later served as deputy attorney for the city and county of Honolulu, and during World War II, Mr. Fong served as a major and judge advocate of the 7th Fighter Command of the 7th Air Force from 1942 to 1945.

He began his political career in 1938 as a member of the Territorial legislature, serving 4 years as Vice Speaker and 6 years as Speaker and Vice President of the Territorial Constitutional Convention in 1950. In 1959, Mr. Fong was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate. Upon the admission of Hawaii as a State, he was reelected in 1964 and again in 1970.

Senator Fong did not seek reelection in 1976. Instead, he returned to private enterprise, serving as chairman of Finance Enterprises, Limited. Sadly, he passed away on August 18, 2004.

Mr. Speaker, as Senator Akaka, my good friend and colleague observed last week upon the Senate passage of S. 2089, ``Senator Hiram Fong was a man of great integrity and a compassionate advocate for civil rights and workers' rights. It is fitting that a United States Post Office near his home in Kalihi be named in his honor. During his 20 years of service in the United States Senate, Senator Fong personified a spirit of bipartisan cooperation. He was instrumental in enacting landmark civil rights legislation in the 1960s; reforming U.S. immigration laws to end discrimination against Asian immigrants; improving job training programs for workers; and fighting for equal pay for women. The people of Hawaii were truly fortunate to have been represented by Hiram Fong.''

I commend my colleagues for seeking to honor the political legacy of Senator Hiram Leong Fong and urge swift passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 677, which recognizes the creation of the recently formed partnership between NASCAR and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This partnership is aimed at increasing the number and quality of job opportunities for African American students in the NASCAR workforce, as well as other related fields, including automotive engineering and technology, automotive safety, sports marketing and other automotive industry areas.

This year, 2006, marks NASCAR's 57th year of racing. Sadly, during its 57 years, NASCAR has had just five black drivers to ever compete in a Cup Series race.

In 1963, Wendell Scott finished 10th or better in the points standings three times, and came away with the victory. However, Scott did not receive his trophy until a month after the fact.

Second place finisher Buck Baker, who was white, was awarded the trophy in fear of fan uproar. Today, nearly 45 years later, the number of black NASCAR fans have increased, but minority drivers and automotive technicians are still nearly nonexistent.

According to an ESPN poll, approximately 6.6 million NASCAR fans are black, yet no black driver has competed at the Cup Series level since Willie T. Ribbs ran three races 20 years ago.

The on-track program is not NASCAR's only effort at diversifying the predominately white sport. NASCAR offers awards, diversity scholarships to minority undergraduate and graduate students attending HBCUs.

The scholarship program is in its sixth year, and the NASCAR diversity internship program is in its seventh year. The internship program is a 10-week paid summer internship that introduces minority students to NASCAR and various career opportunities throughout the industry.

Many of the summer interns have graduated and are currently pursuing engineering and sports management careers. As the automotive industry grows and becomes more technologically demanding in the coming decades, this partnership between NASCAR and Historically Black Colleges and Universities will become increasingly vital.

Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution and urge my colleagues to do so.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure now to yield such time as he may consume to the cosponsor of this resolution and the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Mel Watt.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for yielding me time, and I want to extend serious, serious commendations to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for his introduction of this resolution, for his keen insight and the opportunity to note progress in our country.

Forty years ago, on March 19, 1966, the Texas Western basketball team, the Miners, defeated the University of Kentucky at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, to win the NCAA basketball championship.

This victory marked the first time that an all-black starting lineup appeared in a major championship athletic contest.

Often regarded as the Brown v. Board of Education of sports, the Miners' victory over the heavily favored Wildcats ushered college basketball specifically, and sports more generally, into the civil rights movement. Prior to this event, athletics remained largely insulated from the civil rights swell.

This bill recognizes the historic accomplishment of Coach Don Haskins and the 12 players from the 1966 team. These players deserve recognition today, and two of the gentlemen are close neighbors to my congressional district, Orsten Artis and Harry Flournoy, both from Gary, Indiana.

These men finished the basketball season with an impressive 28-1 record. Ultimately, Coach Haskins led the Miners to 33 winning seasons and 21 post-season appearances.

This resolution recognizes the incredible effect that the 1966 NCAA basketball championship of Texas Western, now the University of Texas at El Paso, had on promoting diversity in sports and accelerating racial integration in college sports. I am pleased to support this resolution and urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month. This tribute dates back to 1926 and is credited to a Harvard scholar named Carter G. Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson dedicated his life to ensuring that black history was accurately documented and disseminated. In an effort to bring national attention to the contributions of black Americans, Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. From Jackie Robinson to Tiger Woods, Harriet Tubman to Barack Obama, Black History Month pays tribute to inspirational African Americans from the past, as well as those who will continue to make history well into the future.

For 1 month, people of African descent in America are recognized for their contributions. The irony of recognizing and paying tribute to people of African descent in America is that we are recognizing all people of the Earth. Africa represents all people of the world. Every person born since creation, every person alive today, and every person born in the future was, is, and will be of African descent. The gift Africa has provided the world is humanity and civilization.

Be that as it may, Black History has been presented and accepted as a fragmented afterthought. It is celebrated for 1 month and/or mentioned with a couple of lines in a text or Social Studies course outline. In most instances, the references begin with slavery and end with the Civil Rights Era and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A question I ask high school students is, ``What were slaves before they became slaves?'' Their response, 90 percent of the time, is ``nothing.'' It appears many of our youth believe their ancestors fell out of the sky as slaves.

Black History is world history. Old and new research on Africa and its place in human history has proved that Africa is the birthplace of mankind and was, for many centuries, in the forefront of human progress. African or Black History must be looked at anew and seen in its relationship to world history as only the history of the first and second rise of Europe. Yet, the history of Africa was already old when Europe was born. Until quite recently, it was rather generally assumed, even among well-educated persons in the West, that the continent of Africa was a great expanse of land, mostly jungle, inhabited by savages and fierce beasts. It was not realized that great civilizations could have existed there, or that great kings could have ruled there in might and wisdom over vast empires. Today, many of us, as the descendants of queens and kings of Africa, refuse to identify with the Motherland of all people. We begin with 1619 and slavery. We identify with 370 years of physical and mental bondage as opposed to three thousands years of uninterrupted civilizations. Our story is everyone's story. Our story begins with the worshipping of one God, builders of the pyramids, and builders of the first cities and universities.

To reverse our fall from being builders of pyramids to project dwellers; to reverse our fall from being controllers of our own destiny to caretakers of someone else's destiny; and to reverse our unraveling as a whole people will necessitate knowing who we are and what we represent. Our future as a people, community, and world is related to the past. Back to the future--Black History not for a month, but for a lifetime!

Mr. Speaker, a Chicago Sun Times article today reveals that fighting among girls in schools is up. As a matter of fact, fights involving girls are up 31 percent, assaults are up 18 percent, and battery is up 15 percent. So far this school year, 529 girls in the Chicago schools have been written up for fighting in incident reports to the district's bureau of safety and security. While girls have been steadily catching up to boys in violence rates in the past 25 years, there are few programs to address this great need.

As we go into budget talks and budget negotiations, let us be mindful of this need and allocate resources to stem this tide of growing violence among girls.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my musician colleague from Nevada in support and in consideration of this resolution. I want to thank my colleagues from Michigan and Washington for their leadership in bringing this resolution that pays tribute to the renowned Shirley Horn to the floor today. Mr. Conyers and Ms. Norton introduced this resolution to honor Ms. Horn after she passed away on October 20, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, there are jazz singers who go for the bangs and booms of rhythm and speed. And then there is Shirley Horn, who took it slow. She moseyed along the piano keys, gently stepping and loving the ivories with her fingers. Her raspy voice and her way with the grand piano made her legendary.

Shirley Horn was born on May 1, 1934, in Washington, DC. She tinkled the keys of the piano ever since she was 4 years old with encouragement from her mother, who dreamed of her daughter being a black classical pianist.

Discovered by Miles Davis when she was just a teenager singing in a bar in Washington, DC, she was admired by jazz greats. She won a Grammy award in 1999, her first win after nine nominations. She also was inducted into the Lionel Hampton Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996.

Ms. Horn did not reach stardom until she was well into her fifties. She put off her performing in clubs in D.C. in order to raise her daughter. She made certain that she balanced performing and raising her family.

Later in life, she continued to share her music, even though she had many health barriers to overcome. Nevertheless, she persevered.

For example, even after having her foot amputated due to complications with diabetes, she still played her music even though it was difficult for her to use the pedals on the piano. Ms. Horn once said, and I quote, ``I have to do it. I think when I was born, it's like God said, `Music!' and that was it. All my life, that's all I knew. It's in me, it's jammed up, and it's got to come out.'' She let her great raspy voice fill our ears, and she let us sit and listen to her slow leisurely stroll along the 88 keys of the grand piano.

Generations to come will listen to her music, appreciate the ability of her voice to communicate deep intimacy, set to just the right tempo, and honor her great accomplishments as a jazz legend and as a black woman.

Mr. Speaker, music is an international language. Those who are gifted to convey it can communicate with individuals from every spectre of life, individuals from many different countries, individuals who speak different languages and understand different dialects. That is the value of the musician, and that has been the value of Shirley Horn.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend I had the fortune to attend a funeral in a small rural town in the southeast corner of Arkansas of a gentleman who was 101 years old. But the people in that town were all excited and happy because one of our Members, Congressman Mike Ross, had named the Post Office in that town after this gentleman, Mr. Willie Vaughn, who had worked and been there almost a hundred years. I commend our colleague, Representative Mike Ross, for making a lot of people in Southeast Arkansas very happy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution to recognize the goals and ideas of a Day of Hearts, and I commend the gentleman from Georgia for making use of Valentine's Day as a way of highlighting and bringing awareness to one of our major health problems and health issues.

Every year, eight out of every 1,000 children are born with some form of congenital heart defect, or CHD. CHDs are the number one killer of infants in the United States, and while treatment is available for many of these defects, a number of them are not treatable. Sadly, too, many families lack the resources necessary to obtain proper treatment for even the most common and easily treatable defects.

Because CHDs are long-term or often lifelong afflictions, the life of a child who survives a CHD is made more difficult by restricted behavior and the laborious effort needed to carry out the daily tasks of life.

A Day of Hearts is an international effort to raise awareness of this all-too-common problem. CHD lacks the visibility of some of the diseases we all know well, yet the effects are no less tragic. Much progress needs to be made in fighting the disease and in finding and funding facilities that are dedicated to cutting-edge research related to all aspects of CHDs, especially factors that contribute to their occurrence.

In addition, developing countries are far behind the developing world in treating CHDs. Defects that are easily treatable here in the United States can be killers in those countries, and our sense of humanity can no longer tolerate easily preventible deaths from CHDs.

Mr. Speaker, February 14 is a day that many people around the world associate with love and companionship, and the enduring symbol of Valentine's Day is the heart. I can think of no day more appropriately tailored towards raising the public's awareness of CHDs than Valentine's Day. Therefore, I join in support of this important resolution and call upon all of my colleagues to support this effort so that hopefully we will generate the kind of awareness and the kind of resources that are necessary to fight this tragic and debilitating illness.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 4152, legislation naming a postal facility in Clinton,

Massachusetts, after Raymond Salmon. This measure, sponsored by Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts, was unanimously reported by our committee on November 16, 2005. H.R. 4152 has the support and cosponsorship of the entire Massachusetts delegation.

Mr. Salmon, a native of Massachusetts, was a graduate of Clinton public schools, Saint Michael's College in Vermont and Suffolk University Law School. He was a congressional staffer who worked for former representative Phillip Philbin from 1950 to 1970. He was a veteran and an attorney seriously and actively involved in many aspects of community life in the neighborhood and community where he lived. He gave a great deal of himself for the benefit of others with consistency and regularity.

I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, to urge the swift passage of this bill.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of S. 1989, legislation naming a postal facility in Cranston, Rhode Island, after Holly A. Charette.

This measure, sponsored by Senator Jack Reed, was introduced on November 10, 2005, and unanimously reported by our committee on February 1, 2006.

A 2001 graduate of Cranston High School East in Cranston, Rhode Island, Holly Charette was a cheerleader, athlete and active student in high school. A year later she enlisted in the United States Marines, where she was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Second Marine Division, Second Marine Expeditionary Force.

She held an administrative position, keeping records and delivering mail to fellow soldiers. Sadly, she was killed on June 23, 2005, when her convoy was ambushed by a suicide bomber as it departed from Fallujah.

Lance Corporal Holly Charette, who was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, will be remembered as a fine marine and soldier, someone who dearly wanted a career in the U.S. Postal Service when she completed her tour of duty.

A soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom, she enjoyed delivering mail to her fellow soldiers and fighting for her country.

I commend my colleague, Senator Reed, for seeking to honor her sacrifice by naming a post office in her hometown.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is so important in reality that we take note of this very young person who had a serious sense of duty and sense of commitment, even to the extent of saying that when I leave I want to continue to serve my country in one way. And one way that I can do that is to make sure that the communication continues, that the letters and parcels and packages that people use to communicate with each other are in fact delivered?

I do not think one can give any more than giving their life in service to others and in service to humanity. I am very pleased to urge swift passage of S. 1989 and commend both gentlemen from Rhode Island for their introduction of it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have always been told that budgets are a way of reflecting priorities. And if that is the case, then the budget documents that I have seen are indeed frightening.

The proposed budget I have seen will serve to widen the gap between the rich and the poor, cut vital health services for people who need them the most, and increase the cost of higher education.

I had hoped that the budget this year was going to be something different, but I am afraid it is the same old soup warmed over, the same old lemon with a new twist, and same old trickle-down theory of economics. I hope that we will tear it apart and send it back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

On February 5, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the odds as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win ``one for the thumb'' by becoming only the third team in National Football League history to take a fifth Super Bowl championship home to its fans.

The greatest tribute to possibly the most loyal fans in professional football is a franchise and owners who have great respect for the hometown. The Rooney family has owned the Steelers from the beginning and is respected throughout professional football as being among the most honorable, ethical, and successful owners in the history of the game. It is no surprise that the Steelers are one of the most beloved sporting franchises in the country, and you would be hard pressed to find a community in this vast land that does not claim at least a few avid Steelers fans.

Despite the support of the fans and the Rooney family, the Steelers' eventual Super Bowl championship was far from a foregone conclusion. Going into their December 11 game against Chicago, the Steelers were faced with the reality that they would have to win their four remaining games to have any chance of making the playoffs. Coach Bill Cowher inspired his players to win those four games and to win three more games on the road to the Super Bowl. Of course, all Chicagoans were disheartened when the Chicago Bears gave them the impetus that they needed to be successful.

These victories were not only impressive; they were achieved as the team traveled the most difficult road any team has traveled to a Super Bowl championship in the 40-year history of the championship game. When the team arrived in Detroit, the Steelers still had to contend with the best team in the National Football Conference, the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks came into the game with the most prolific offense in the NFL. They scored the most points during the regular season and featured the NFL's Most Valuable Player as their starting running back.

Despite these challenges and many predictions to the contrary, the Steelers walked away champions and the first sixth-seeded team to win the Super Bowl. They add this Super Bowl victory to the many great moments that have made up the storied 73-year history of the Steelers franchise.

I certainly take this opportunity to congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers on their against-all-odds accomplishment and Super Bowl victory. I encourage the House to adopt H. Res. 670.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to an avid patron of the game, the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I will simply reiterate my congratulations to both Seattle and to Pittsburgh and suggest that next year I hope to see the Chicago Bears here. But if not, then we congratulate these two outstanding teams.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I suspect that we have exhausted our requests for time, but let me just say that I am pleased to join with both these gentlemen from the State of Arkansas in supporting this legislation.

As a former resident of the State of Arkansas, I thought I knew about its history, but this is one that had actually escaped me. I did not know that Hattie Wyatt Caraway was the first woman elected to the United States Senate. I did not know that Arkansas had been the recipient of that act and of that action, and I certainly want to join with my colleagues in suggesting that it is indeed fitting and proper that we name the post office at Jonesboro, Arkansas, after Senator Hattie Caraway.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 389 and join with my fellow colleagues in celebrating the more than 11,000 museums located in communities across this country.

Museums inspire us to dream, to examine the world around us and beyond, and to discover new and exciting things. Museums enable us, and especially our children, to explore everything from the smallest form to the infinite, from microscopic plants to the vast expanses of the universe.

Museums foster our most basic desire to understand what, where, when, why, and how. They also are a great educational resource that enrich our children's learning by complementing what they experience in school. Children learn best when inspired to think abstractly and creatively, and there is no better place outside of our schools for that to occur.

Museum staffs go to great lengths to consult State educational curricula and guidelines when designing exhibits, thereby further enhancing the quality and relevance of the museum experience. Each year, museums spend over $1 billion to create and stage educational exhibits and special programs.

Those of us here in Washington, D.C., are lucky enough to be close to the Smithsonian Institution, which is comprised of some of the best museums in the world. In the blocks between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, anybody with a desire to learn or explore can visit a tropical rain forest, step back to the time of the Civil War, see art from different cultures and periods, examine spacecraft that have been launched into space, touch a Moon rock, and learn about prehistoric animals.

So I rise in support of this bill because museums are an indispensable part of our education system and nurture our desire to discover what we do not yet know.

I live in a museum-rich environment. My congressional district has the Alder Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, the Chicago Center for Black Music Research Library, Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Historical Society, the Ernest Hemingway Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, the Garfield Park Conservatory, the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, the Hull House Jane Addams Museum, the Illinois Labor History Society, the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, the Peace Museum, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Spertus Museum, the Terra Museum of American Art, and the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago.

So my colleagues can see, Mr. Speaker, there is no way that I could not be supportive of museums.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Nebraska for his leadership in bringing this resolution recognizing National Mentoring Month to the floor today. Since he arrived in Congress, the coach, as he is so often called, has worked to make youth issues a priority both on and off the field, and this resolution is another example of his dedication to this effort.

As we celebrate mentoring today, I am reminded of the words of Coretta Scott King when she said: I am fulfilled in what I do. I never thought that a lot of money, nor fine clothes, the finer things in life would make you happy.

Mentoring is not a material good. It does not involve lots of heavy spending or working long hours to achieve monetary greatness, but mentoring truly is one of the finer things in life. It is a valuable activity that gives all involved a sense of happiness and connection that material things cannot.

A mentor, of course, is often an adult, who, along with parents, provides young people support, counsel, friendship, and a constructive example. The average mentor spends 8 to 10 hours a month with his or her mentee on activities such as reading a good book aloud, visiting museums or going to the playground.

When a young person is matched with a caring, responsible individual, this relationship often makes a positive difference in the quality of life for that young person.

For much too long we have focused on providing remedies to problems that only address negative behavior, rather than looking at ways to promote the positive and healthy development of our young people. This resolution directs us to focus on what children need in order to grow into healthy, safe and well-educated adults, making sure that children have access to a caring and responsible adult relationship.

Mentoring opens young people's eyes to a brighter future, and every young person deserves that opportunity. Unfortunately at this time there are simply not enough mentors to go around. Only about 1,000 of the more than 1 million school-aged children in the Chicago area are fortunate enough to have a mentor. Nationally more than 15 million young people currently are in need of a caring adult role model.

In Chicago and across the country, it is clear that the mentoring framework is in place. Now we just need more people to volunteer their time to help change the life of a child. Research shows that young people who are mentored have a stronger attachment to school, higher graduation rates, and decreased involvement with drugs, gangs and violence.

This bill recognizes these positive outcomes and acknowledges the hard work of individuals and groups who promote mentoring. Mentoring is a strong investment in our children and in the future of our country. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I am indeed pleased to join with Representative Osborne and my colleagues in celebrating the essential role that mentoring plays in the lives of our young people.

Again, I commend the gentleman from Nebraska for his outstanding leadership in bringing these kinds of issues to the forefront and to the attention of the Members of this body.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.