Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding me this time, and I rise to recognize the contributions of Catholic schools to Chicago and to the Nation.

Children all across America have benefited from Catholic education. I applaud these schools for their long commitment to education, to a value system and character development, and to developing the kind of lifestyles that students as well as adults need to seek.

There are almost 8,000 Catholic schools nationwide. Illinois is one of the 10 States with the highest enrollment of Catholic students, with over 181,000 students in 538 schools in the State. In Chicago, as in other urban areas, Catholic schools play an important role in providing quality academic training for children and youth.

Indeed, the archdiocese of Chicago is the second largest Catholic school system in the Nation. There are 34 outstanding Catholic schools in my congressional district, and I recognize all of them as being outstanding, as a matter of fact, some of the very best schools in the Nation, such as Saint Ignatius Prep, known nationally as an outstanding school. But all of them are outstanding schools. They do an exceptional job.

Catholic schools, however, like all other components of education, Mr. Speaker, are facing difficult times. And almost every time I meet with residents and students and staff, we are all trying to figure out how do we keep the resources available to keep these educational institutions intact. So I would hope that as the year goes on and as we discuss and debate education, that we will find ways to put as much resources into education as we possibly can, knowing that the investment will pay off in the end.

Again, I salute the Catholic schools for their outstanding contributions, and I would like to recite for the Record those in my district, which are as follows:

Chicago Jesuit Academy, Divine Infant Jesus School, Divine Providence School, St. Bernardine School, St. Edmund School, St. Jerome School, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. Elizabeth School, St. Helen School, Children of Peace School, Santa Lucia School, St. Pius V School, St. Therese School, Visitation School, St. Domitilla School, Ascension School, St. Giles School, St. Luke School.

St. Vincent Ferrer School, Old St. Mary's, St. Angela School, St. Malachy School, St. Nicholas Cathedral, San Miguel-Comer Campus, Frances Xavier Warde, Our Lady of the Westside, St. Catherine/St. Lucy, Immaculate Conception School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory, Fenwick High School, Holy Trinity High School, St. Ignatius College Prep., St. Joseph High School, Trinity High School.

Mr. Speaker, last month, America witnessed the tragedy of the Sago and Aracoma Alma mine deaths. We saw terrible things happen to good people, and the Nation was saddened by the events that unfolded.

I join with my colleagues in honoring these hard-working Americans who died or were injured while laboring to support their families. We also recognize the individuals who worked so hard to save them.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends, family, and neighbors of each of the, miners affected.

Mr. Speaker, during the 32nd annual Catholic Schools Week, I want to recognize the contributions of Catholic schools to this Nation. Mr. Speaker, children all across America have benefited from Catholic education. I applaud these schools for their long commitment to education, to a value system and character development, and to developing the kind of lifestyles that students as well as adults need to seek. There are almost 8,000 Catholic schools nationwide. Illinois is one of the ten States with the highest enrollments of Catholic students, with over 181,000 students in 538 schools in the State. In Chicago, as in other urban areas, Catholic schools play an important role in providing quality academic training to children and youth. Indeed, the Archdiocese of Chicago was the second largest Catholic school system in the country. There are many outstanding Catholic schools in my Congressional district. Among them is Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Resurrection Elementary School in Chicago, and, of course, St. Ignatius Preparatory, which is recognized as one of the top preparatory schools in the Nation.

Catholic schools emphasize discipline, values, and parental involvement--three elements that are critical to raising responsible citizens. Self-discipline, or the ability to restrain our impulses and to apply ourselves in the face of competing interests, is a quality that is important for young people and old. It allows us to use prudence and wisdom in making choices rather than to act out of impulse. Value-added education instills in youth a commitment to others and one's community. In an age where many individuals place primacy on their personal needs, such a focus prepares students to contribute to society by considering the needs of others. The close involvement of parents, a hallmark of Catholic education, makes clear that education is not something that occurs only within the school house, but is a life-long process.

One of the truly great aspects of the American education system is its diversity. The goal of our system should be both public and private, and it is to provide anyone and everyone in any city, any State, with the opportunity they need to succeed. The educational recipe for success in our country certainly includes Catholic schools. These schools contribute to the rich diversity that truly makes American education powerful. Catholic schools help make American education successful in its mission and provide a strong and positive force in America's educational system.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding. I could not let the moment go by without at least a comment.

During the mid-1960s, the King family moved into the neighborhood where I lived and worked. That is in the North Lawndale community on the west side of the City of Chicago in the 1500 block of South Hamlin. They brought with them an aura of excitement.

I was a young schoolteacher who taught not very far from the location, and my friend and I would leave school in the afternoon and come by the King house. It was really an apartment. Sometimes Dr. King would come out and just kind of talk with us for a moment or two. They often ate at a restaurant, Edna's Restaurant, and Mr. Conyers may know it. They would bring to the restaurant a whole horde of people. Everybody would come and watch.

And so on behalf of all of the people who lived in that community, I simply express condolences to the King family, but also express the great feeling of joy and inspiration that they brought to our community when they lived on the west side of Chicago during the mid-1960s as they came north with the northern crusade.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. She was the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and an important figure in the civil rights movement in her own right. She passed away Monday night in California.

Coretta Scott King was born in Marion, AL, on April 27, 1927. She attended Antioch College in Ohio and earned a B.A. in music and

education. During her postgraduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston she met her future husband, Martin Luther King, Jr., who was studying systematic theology at the nearby Boston University. They were married on June 18, 1953 in her hometown of Marion.

While she devoted most of her time to raising their 4 children, her husband's prominent involvement in the civil rights movement meant that she, too, was deeply involved. She took part in sit-ins at segregated restaurants, organized marches, and performed in many ``freedom concerts.'' She even marched with Dr. Martin Luther King from Selma, AL, to Montgomery in 1965. Just days after her husband was slain she and three of her children traveled to Memphis to lead a march honoring his life.

She not only honored his life but also ensured that his legacy would live on. In 1969 she founded the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Non-Violent Social Change in Atlanta, GA, as well as the Coalitions of Conscience to advocate for human rights issues.

King has carried the message of nonviolence and her husband's dream to nearly every corner of the globe. In 1962 she served as a delegate to the 17-nation disarmament conference in Geneva, Switzerland. She was the first woman to deliver the class address to Harvard University students and the first woman to preach at a service in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. She stood beside Nelson Mandela when he became the first democratically elected president of South Africa and she was an eye-witness to the signing of the Middle East peace accords.

Coretta Scott King was a woman of great influence, wisdom, compassion, and determination. She was a woman who devoted her life to making our world a better place. I leave you with a quote from Coretta Scott King, ``Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.''

Mr. Speaker, last night, the President charged us to encourage economic progress, fight disease, and spread hope in hopeless lands. Unfortunately, this budget bill ignores the economic wellbeing, health, and hopes of the poor within our own nation. Just the idea of some of these draconian measures is enough to send chills up and down one's spine because we are talking about programs that provide basic assistance to vulnerable, low-income families and individuals. The proposed cuts come almost entirely from healthcare and education. We are talking about cutting programs that provide help to people with disabilities, to people who make use of the earned income tax credit, to people who use Supplemental Security Income programs, to people relying on the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and to the elderly. Although I do not think it is the majority's intention, these cuts effectively target low-income and minority Americans.

I am disappointed and discouraged that education bears one-third--31 percent--of the budget cuts. Education is central to developing economic progress and a successful citizenry. These education cuts impede access to education for hundreds of thousands of low-income and middle-income students. Financial barriers are the key to determining whether most low income, first generation, and minority students will successfully complete college. Indeed, only 54 percent of lowincome students obtain degrees, compared to 77 percent of high-income students. I will soon introduce legislation to help meet the needs of these students, but I fear that it will not cover the ground lost here.

The societal costs of these cuts are great, and my state and district will dramatically feel their effects. In Illinois, residents with a bachelor's degree enjoy almost double the salary of those with only a high school diploma, a 2.5 percent lower unemployment rate, and a dramatically lower likelihood of receiving public assistance. Undermining the ability of individuals to access education affects their long-term ability to be productive citizens. Moreover, 26 percent of Illinois residents have a bachelor's degree, most of whom required student loans to help them attain their degrees. In my district, I have over 40 institutions of higher education, each of which will suffer from this legislation. At the University of Illinois at Chicago alone, almost 10,000 students depend on the Direct Student Loan program to enable them to attend college. The increased fees and interest rates in this bill will burden a dependent undergraduate student at this respected university with an additional $2,500 in debt. It will burden a dental student with an additional $19,000 in debt over the life of their loan.

This bill continues its war on the poor by undermining the adequate health care, with 50 percent of the proposed cuts coming from Medicaid and Medicare. Although health care coverage continues to be an issue of great concern to many Americans, the House leadership and the Bush administration have brought before us a bill that makes drastic cuts in our nation's health care commitments. Over the next 10 years, nearly $50 billion will be squeezed out of Medicare and Medicaid--the very programs that ensure health coverage for our most vulnerable citizens, low-income seniors, and children. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 65,000 Americans, 60 percent of whom are children, will lose access to Medicaid coverage by 2015. Furthermore, health care costs will increase for an estimated 20 million Americans and 1.6 million will lose vital dental, vision, and mental health services. I can just imagine what this will do to the more than 20 hospitals, health centers, and private physician practices in my district. Imagine the large number of children and poor people who will not be able to access adequate health care. These provisions ignore the needs of our most vulnerable and will have a very real impact in human terms.

Further, these cuts jeopardize the well-being of our most needy-- children and families needing temporary assistance. This legislation fails to provide the funding necessary to support low-income families, especially foster care children living with grandparents and other relative providers. One of the most egregious aspects of the bill is that it rewards states for cutting caseloads rather than for successfully moving individuals from welfare to work. This reward system defines success as low-numbers without attention to whether our most vulnerable families are making it. This legislation fails to provide the financial support necessary for families to meet the new requirements, and it sets parents up for failure.

This bill also attacks relative caregivers on multiple fronts. As of 2003, 23 percent of foster children lived with relatives, and, unfortunately, these providers are much more likely than non-kin providers to live in poverty. Rather than support these families, this bill reduces financial support to children living with relatives, encourages non-relative placements, and jeopardizes the ability of states to provide safe and stable placements for children. Given that African-American grandparents serve as kinship care providers at higher rates than other racial/ethnic groups, the elimination of federally funded foster care assistance for thousands of children who live in low-income homes with relatives unfairly discriminate against relative caregivers who are most often African American. These cuts are particularly

upsetting to me because I represent a congressional district with the second highest percentage of grandparents caring for their grandchildren.

The estimated ``savings'' from cuts in the welfare provisions are clearly at the expense of the states and families, and the cuts will negatively affect a state's ability to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children in the foster care system, in addition to creating a disincentive to care for these children in need. While noteworthy, this is unfortunately not the only place in this bill in which our most vulnerable citizens who hold little sway in Washington are squeezed to reward the connected and the wealthy.

This legislation comes up short in terms of the needs of businesses as well. Small businesses account for 99.7 percent of America's employers, they are the economic engine that drives America because they create three-fourths of all new jobs, employ half our workers, account for half of our gross domestic product and contribute more than 55 percent of innovations. Yet, the Deficit Reduction Act provides no money for the Small Business Administration's flagship 7(a) Loan Program. It is the agency's largest and most important program in terms of number of loans and program level supported. The 7(a) Program provides loan guarantees to eligible small businesses that have been unsuccessful in obtaining private financing on reasonable terms.

One of the worst offenses of this budget bill is that it legitimizes cutting the basic rights of education, safety, and health to support $70 billion in tax cuts for the extremely wealthy. In essence and in reality, we are talking about Robin Hood in reverse; that is, take from the poor and give to the rich. We are allowing a tremendous burden to be put on working class families to cover budget irresponsibility. Ford Motor Company and General Motors announced plans to lay-off 60,000 workers; workers who have families that are already trying to make ends meet in our in our sluggish economy. I am strongly in favor of our government operating on sound fiscal policies. I am in favor of reducing the deficit to the extent prudent and possible. I am in favor of budget reconciliation, but not on the backs of the poor, needy, and most vulnerable sectors of our society.

This bill is bad for Chicago, for Illinois, and for the nation. I can do nothing less than oppose this bill. As a matter of fact, it would be a dereliction of my duty and responsibility if I were to vote for the Deficit Reduction Act that is before us. I will vote prudently and sensibly.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding time. I also want to commend the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder) for introducing this legislation. I never miss an opportunity to comment on anything that was taking place in Arkansas at that time because at that time I was a young contemporary of the Little Rock Nine. As they went into high school, and some were seniors, I was a freshman in college a few miles away down at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Of course at that time it was Arkansas AM&N College. And I remember vividly Daisy Bates, the outstanding head of the NAACP, who actually grew up down in the little part of Arkansas, in rural Arkansas where I came from.

Wiley Branton was the outstanding attorney. They were our heroes. Of course, as the gentlewoman from New York has indicated, all of the Little Rock Nine have gone on to become outstanding citizens. I have had the good fortune to know some of them or members of their family. I did student teaching at the school where Mrs. Patillo taught, who was Melba Patillo's mother, and so I knew her at that time. Minnie Jean Brown and I spent a weekend together last year down at Southern Illinois University, where she was a speaker at the university where she graduated. And all of us have seen Ernie Green throughout the country, as he has become a distinguished civic and business leader. Of course Ernie was the Undersecretary of Labor during the Carter Administration.

So I simply come to urge support. Again, I commend Mr. Snyder, an outstanding Representative who represents all of the people in that great city and in that great area. And I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my displeasure with the last minute political maneuvering that occurred early this morning marring the Defense Appropriations Bill. The majority has included in this year's Defense Appropriations bill a provision that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) to drilling. As bad as that

idea is, it pales in comparison to the means by which it was brought to the floor for consideration.

By tying the delivery of appropriations to our troops to a misguided oil drilling scheme that failed to pass in the energy bill, the majority is holding our troops hostage. Eitllet we must vote to harm our environment or to short our troops. We should say `no' to this bill and work together to produce a better bill that does not permanently damage our environment for ill-conceived short term goals.

Mr. Speaker, I want to first of all simply commend and congratulate Chairman Hyde and Mr. Lantos on their leadership of the International Relations Committee. I also commend the gentleman from New Jersey for his introduction of this outstanding piece of legislation.

I speak because I have a constituent in my community, a woman named Oprah Winfrey, who almost every week sends me a letter talking about this issue and urging that Congress must do as much as it can to bring some help to those individuals throughout the world who are victimized; and so I am strongly in favor of the passage of this bill. I want to thank my constituent for keeping me abreast of the issue by at least writing me once every week or two about this issue.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to yield 10 minutes of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman) and that he be permitted to control that time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, H. Res. 579 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected for those who celebrate Christmas. While this resolution focuses on the symbols and traditions of Christmas, it gives this body an opportunity to consider the lessons of Christmas.

The story of Christmas is about a child whose conception was, to say the least, unusual and whose birth was under the most lowly of circumstances. This was a child who lived among and

served the needy and the poor. This is the lesson of Christmas. Though we have modern-day symbols of Christmas, Christmas is not only about beautifully decorated pine trees and gift-wrapped boxes that lie beneath them. Christmas is about goodwill and peace on Earth. It is about tolerance; it is about providing for the less fortunate among us.

We cannot debate H. Res. 579 without considering how our policies address homelessness, the uninsured, the poor, the sick, and the suffering. Yes, we have Christmas symbols and traditions, but what do they really represent if we do not first embrace the spirit and true meaning of Christmas: love, peace, tolerance, compassion, goodwill, and hope for the future. Those are the true expressions of Christmas.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the Dean of the House.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

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

We have had a tremendous discussion. The United States of America is a seriously diverse country. I did a bit of research about Christmas and found 32 pages about how we sort of evolved to the point of Christmas in this country.

I think the season is a season to spread goodwill. I would hope that there would not be a political debate necessarily around the yuletide, a political debate, because I was taught, and maybe some of what I was taught is different, that Christ was born, and out of that evolved Christmastime, and we spread good cheer, and we give hope, and we say, happy holidays, we say merry Christmas, happy Ramadan, happy, productive Kwanzaa.

I just could not imagine, though, what it would be like if I could not hear Mahalia Jackson sing ``Silent night, holy night; all is calm, all is bright; round young virgin, mother and child; holy infant, so tender and mild,'' from which I got the impression that the origin of this period came.

So, I would hope that all of us would have a happy Kwanzaa, a happy Chanukah, a happy Ramadan, a merry Christmas and happy holidays to everybody.

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

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Ms. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the sponsor of this legislation, be permitted to control the 20 minutes on our side.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, as a Member of the House Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H. Con. Res. 315, a resolution sponsored by Representative Wasserman Schultz.

H. Con. Res. 315, introduced today, urges the President to issue a proclamation for the observance of an American Jewish History Month. The first Jewish History Month was passed by Congress and was celebrated in September 2004.

Observing American Jewish History Month allows us to commemorate the many contributions made by Jewish Americans in our society at large and in our local neighborhoods and communities. It also allows us the opportunity to better appreciate the journey many Jewish Americans have faced since they first landed at New Amsterdam, now Manhattan Island.

Like many events in Jewish history, the arrival of 23 refugees from Brazil to the United States in 1654 was the result of a fortuitous occurrence. They were blown off course rather than a preplanned migration. Since that time, there has been an organized Jewish community in our country.

Also, Madam Speaker, one could talk about the attributes and the achievements of Jewish people for the rest of the evening on an individualized basis, but I represent a community that has a large Jewish population. I am very proud of the relationships and the work that we have been able to do over the years with groups like the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, which is headed up by a woman, Jane Ramsey, who is one of the most dedicated and committed people that I have ever met, and the Jewish Federation of Chicago, which provides resources for hospitals, for social service programs, opportunities to help those who are less fortunate.

So I commend the gentlewoman from Florida for her introduction of this legislation and urge its passage.

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

I rise in support of H. Res. 587, congratulating Tony Stewart on winning the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship.

Mr. Speaker, born in Columbus, Indiana, in 1971, Tony Stewart has been winning races since the age of 16. He grew up racing go-carts and won the world carting championship in 1987. He raced three-quarter midgets for a handful of years and then moved up to the USAC series. Stewart was the USAC rookie of the year in 1991 and the National Midget Series Champion in 1994.

In 1995, Stewart became the first driver to win USAC's version of the triple crown by earning championships in all three USAC major divisions, National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown. Stewart burst onto the Nextel Cup scene in 1999 with more experience in the big leagues of motor sports than most other rookies. Posting three wins in his rookie season, he laughed off the often-experienced sophomore slump jinx with six more wins in 2000.

Throughout his stellar career, Stewart has never finished a season outside of the top ten in points, including his brilliant 2002 champion-winning season. His 2005 season was magical. In addition to taking his second Nextel Cup title, the 34-year-old realized a lifelong goal by winning the Brickyard 400 as part of an amazing summer that saw Stewart win five races in seven weeks.

Stewart wrapped up his second NASCAR Nextel Cup championship in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the 57th season of NASCAR's premier series. Winning two NASCAR Nextel Cup Championships in only 7 years on the NASCAR circuit is quite an accomplishment. Tony Stewart is deserving of this resolution which recognizes and congratulates him for his accomplishments, and I would urge its passage and support.

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

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

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

I do not believe that I am going to have any other requests for time, and so I am prepared to simply close and yield back.

I want to commend the gentleman from Indiana. I come from Chicago where we have the Chicago White Sox and I represent them, and so I know what it feels like to have a champion. I commend him for introducing this resolution.

I also want to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to simply say to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), the chairman of our subcommittee and his staff, that it has indeed been a pleasure working with you and your staff this entire year, and we look forward to coming back at the end of January.

As we go and take all of this time off and be that much away from each other, I certainly want to wish for you and your staff and your family a merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. It has been a pleasure working with you.

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

Later on this week, we are going to be considering the conference report on the PATRIOT Act. While I recognize that there has been some movement relative to some of the provisions that I found to be too onerous, I am afraid that it has not been changed enough to my liking, and so I simply serve notice that I think it is still too restrictive, it is still too oppressive, it does not speak to the kind of patriotism that I believe in; therefore, I shall be voting against it.

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

Mr. Speaker, Korea and the United States entered into their first treaty, the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, in 1882. The signing of the treaty ushered in a sustained period of cooperation between the two Nations. Not long after the treaty was signed, Korean citizens began immigrating to the United States and, since that time, have made rich contributions to the ethnic and cultural fabric of America.

Korean emigration to the United States can be divided into three major waves. The first, from 1903 to 1905, consisted of about 7,500 Koreans, mostly men, who left their homes to work on Hawaii's sugar plantations as contract laborers. The second, beginning in 1950, consisted of women who married American soldiers and children adopted into American families. The third wave began in 1967 with the occupational and family reunification preferences of the 1965 Immigration Act. These waves of immigration followed growing U.S. involvement in Korea during the 20th century.

Immigrants from Korea thrived in the United States despite social, economic and language barriers. Korean-Americans have made contributions in the fields of finance, technology, law, medicine, the military, as well as in other areas. Four thousand Korean-Americans serve proudly in the United States Armed Forces, many of them in Iraq.

The United States has remained firmly committed to its allies in Korea, as shown not only by military support during the Korean conflict, but through the support of the Korean community in the United States. In June 2002, the United States Senate passed a historic resolution that recognized the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in the commemoration of Korean-American Day. This resolution celebrates the success of the Korean-American community, the contributions Korean immigrants have made and the contributions they continue to make to America.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that I have any additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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, as a member of the House Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 4295, legislation naming a postal facility in Riverton, Utah, after Mont and Mark Stevenson. This measure, which was introduced by Representative Chris Cannon of Utah on November 10, 2005, and unanimously reported by our committee on November 16, 2005, enjoys the support and close sponsorship of the entire Utah delegation.

Mont Stevenson, a native of Riverton, Utah, joined the United States Army Air Corps, where he served as a flight commander in the 559th Bombardment Squadron. Sadly, while on a bombing mission over Germany, Captain Stevenson's plane was shot down, and he was reported as being killed in action. Later, his remains were found and brought to the United States, where he was buried in Riverton with full military honors.

Mont's brother, Mark Stevenson, also served in the military. He joined the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam. While on his 94th combat mission, Lieutenant Colonel Stevenson was shot down, captured as a prisoner of war and reported MIA/KIA, or missing in action, killed in action. On April 29, 1967, he was declared dead; and in 1988, 21 years later, his remains were found, and he too was buried in Riverton with full military honors.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a great honor to recognize the enormous sacrifice of the Stevenson family. Two brothers, one who served in World War II, the other in the Vietnam war, both died while defending our Nation. These soldiers are more than deserving of a memorial in their hometown of Riverton, Utah.

I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the service of Captain Mont F. Stevenson and Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lane Stevenson, two heroic men who gave their lives for this country; and I urge swift passage of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the sponsor of this legislation.

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

I am indeed delighted that Delegate Lee was willing to accept our esteemed colleague, even though he was not a woman. And I think that she has been vindicated.

As a member of the House Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 4107, legislation naming a postal facility in Baltimore, Maryland, after Lena K. Lee.

This measure, which was introduced by my good friend and colleague Representative Elijah Cummings on October 20, 2005, and unanimously reported by our committee on November 16, 2005, enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire Maryland delegation.

Prior to entering State politics, Lena Lee was a teacher and elementary school principal in the Baltimore City public school system. In 1967, she began a 16-year term as the first African-American female lawyer to serve in the House of delegates. During her term in the House of Delegates, Delegate Lee worked hard on eradicating social inequities and stood strong in support of women's rights. Delegate Lee also assisted Morgan State College achieve university status and saved the Orchard Street Church, an underground railroad site, from destruction. She advocated for the health of Maryland prisoners and aided in the reconstruction of the New Provident Hospital.

Delegate Lee's incredible leadership in improving the lives of Baltimore citizens and preserving cultural and educational landmarks made her the recipient of numerous awards, honors and citations, including the Presidential citation from the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and the membership in the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Cummings for seeking to honor this very accomplished citizen. Naming the Druid Station in Baltimore is a fine way to recognize the legacy of the Honorable Lena K. Lee, and I urge swift passage of this bill.

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