Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. Speaker, growing up in a small rural town in extreme southeastern Arkansas presented for me and many of my peers many challenges, memorable moments, and interesting personalities. On April 20 of this year, one of those personalities, Mr. Willie Vaughn, reached a milestone in his life.

Mr. Vaughn became 100 years old. He is still alive, still active, still sharp-minded, goes to church, participates in activities. So I take this opportunity to congratulate him for not only living this long, but for the many things he was able to provide leadership to and that he accomplished during his lifetime.

Mr. Willie Vaughn was actually my uncle. We always called him Uncle Dude. He is technically my mother's stepbrother. However, they never acted as though they were anything except brothers and sisters who were integral parts of a large family group. In addition, he and my father had always been close friends and church associates. Therefore, our families were always very close and exhibited great feelings of kinship, friendship, and fellowship.

Uncle Dude was always a leader, at work, at church, in community activities, in family matters, in life. Like practically all of the other blacks in our town, he had very little formal education, but has always been one of the smartest men that I have ever known. He was a farmer, a sharecropper, but he was also a tailor and could make you a suit of clothes. He could cut your hair, make molasses and syrup, buy and rent real estate, and drove the school bus once we got one.

Uncle Dude was probably best known as a church leader, negotiator, and mentor. He kept the Penny's Chapel CMA church on the map, and was a constant visitor to other churches throughout the region. He was the epitome of excellence and no job was too small or too large. He had a motto that if a task was once begun, never leave until it was done. Be the job great or small, do it well or not at all.

He did everything at church there was to do. He could sing. He was chairman of the trustee board, Sunday school superintendent and teacher, fund-raiser, program planner, and would clean up, cut the grass, and do everything else that was required.

Uncle Dude was, and still is, a tremendous family man, a patriarch. My Aunt L.C. and all of my cousins always knew that Uncle Dude was a man who they could depend upon and count on and be proud of his leadership, personal support, and well-being for his family.

He was a strong proponent of formal education and created many opportunities for me and others like me to learn. Uncle Dude, Brother Willie, Mr. Vaughn, he was called many things by many different people, but always with respect. He has been a giant, a legend, a mentor, a man among men. He learned to walk with kings and queens but never lost the common touch. All people matter with him; but none too much. I am proud to be in this man's family and proud to wish him a happy birthday as he reached the ripe age of 100.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I was unable to cast votes due to being out of town on important business. And if I had been present for roll call votes for the following bills, 134, on motion to suspend the rules and pass to designate the United States courthouse located at 400 North Miami Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr., United States Courthouse; 135, on motion to suspend the rules and pass Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part II, I would have voted ``yes'' to all of these bills.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. I also want to take this opportunity to commend the gentleman for his outstanding leadership as chairman of the caucus. And especially was I pleased to be at the National Press Club as he laid out in sharp relief for the national press what it really takes to get people involved in our country where African Americans stand, what we believe in, and what it is going to take to convince us that we need to be supporting different individuals who run for office.

And I was very pleased with the eloquence with which he displayed that information and conveyed it, and I want to thank him.

I am also pleased to join with him tonight and my colleagues to discuss the state of our economy and look at the job loss in America. I will not focus on the nearly 3 million jobs that have been lost since the President took office; but I will take a look in a micro-fashion just at my city, the City of the Big Shoulders, the city of Chicago, the city that sits by the lake.

In February, the Chicago Tribune reported that Chicago finished first as the job-loss Capital of America. The nine-county region lost nearly 58,000 jobs last year, outpacing every other major metropolitan area in this country. New York, the runner-up, lost 45,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The job loss in Chicago and throughout the State are troubling because Illinois represents mainstream, middle-of-the-road America. Major employers in Illinois have cut jobs. The hardest hit industry has been the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing jobs statewide are at their lowest levels since World War II, falling from 936,000 in 2000 to 870,000 today.

A number of job losses in Illinois and throughout the country can be attributed directly to this administration's policy of outsourcing. I could not believe it when a senior administration official suggested that that was a good and appropriate thing to do, NAFTA and cheaper wages overseas. Obviously, Chicago can never compete with the lower wages paid in China. However, our workers are the very best when it comes to productivity.

It is a shame that we do not manufacture dress shirts for men in America. Think of all the people who used to work in the garment industry, people who could go to work, knowing that they were helping to dress America. Now every time you look in the label, the back of whatever garment that you wear, you will find that it is produced somewhere other than in our country.

Therefore, we must utilize every effort to persuade companies to keep their manufacturing operations in America.

Even more troubling is the devastating job loss and high unemployment rate among African American males. We have a way of saying that if other parts of the community sneeze, then the African American community catches pneumonia.

When it comes to work opportunities, black men are seriously disproportionately unemployed. The Department of Labor statistics suggest that nationwide unemployment for African American males is 32 percent. In the city of Chicago more than 50 percent of young African American males between the ages of 16 and 22 are out of work and do not go to school, do not have a job.

The New York Times recently cited a study by the Community Service Society, a non-profit group that serves the poor. The study showed that in 2003 one of every two African American men between 16 and 64 was not working. Mark Levitan, the report's author, found that just 51.8 percent of black men, and I am not talking about Chicago, I am talking about the Nation, 51.8 percent of black men ages 16 to 64 held jobs in New York City in 2003. The rate for white men was 75.7 percent, for Hispanic men 65.7 percent, and for black women 57.1 percent.

The employment population ratio for black men was the lowest for the period Mr. Levitan has studied, which goes back to 1979. The tragedy is it is not just New York. It is Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and other major cities in America.

I grew up in rural America where folks were hard-working, Bible- reading Christians. And my mother used to tell us that the Bible said that idle hands and an idle mind were the devil's workshop. And so we have to ask the question, if young African American men are not working, how are they surviving? Are they being driven to participation in the negative underground economy selling drugs and joining gangs?

It is for this reason that I, along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the 100 Black Men of America, the NAACP, The Urban League, National Association of Black Psychologists, and others have begun to focus attention on the state of African American males. We have selected barriers to employment as an area of focus. And we hope over the next year to examine these issues in detail and provide some recommendations for needed changes.

Clearly, every segment of our society must be able to enjoy the American dream. I appreciate my colleagues for taking the time out to shed light on this subject this evening. And as I listen to different people talk about jobs that you cannot find, it reminds me of the song that we used to listen to some years ago that talked about a man who would get up in the morning and the writer wrote that every morning about this time she brings my breakfast to the bed crying, get a job. He says, ``When I read the paper, I read it through and through, trying to see if there is any work for me to do.''

The reality is that in too many instances the answer is absolutely, no. And if you cannot find a job, then you lose hope. You feel like a failure. You feel like you do not have a place.

Well, I believe that this administration is failing. This administration is failing because it has produced a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness among too many people. And when you fail, you ought to get a failing grade. And when you get a failing grade, sometimes you get put out.

Well, I believe the remedy, Madam Speaker, is to put this administration out and let us get in another group who can bring hope, who can bring to the American people a feeling that yesterday is dead and gone but tomorrow is something that we can look forward to. And what we want to look forward to is the ability to get up in the morning, go to work, have a job, produce for our families and children, and move America on to becoming even greater than what we have known it to be.

So I thank my colleague for taking out this Special Order and have welcomed the opportunity to participate in it.

Madam Speaker, I certainly agree with my colleague. I thank him for that observation. I think in many instances what has happened, many of the jobs that traditionally were held by African American males no longer exist in this country.

For example, African American males worked in production. First it was in farm production. Then with the industrial revolution, they went into the factories and worked in production again. Now that we are becoming more and more of a high-tech service economy, we have not provided a thinking process where young African American boys have recognized in many instances that the jobs their grandfathers had and fathers had that they could expect to get no longer exist, so they have fallen behind in many instances in school because their father did not have to get an education, they did not get an education.

My father did not have much education, my uncle who I celebrate right now, he just became 100 years old, neither one of them had any education; but they were two of the smartest men I have ever known in my life. And they had these coping skills. They developed these coping skills to deal with the environment of which they were a part.

So we have to find ways to help bring all of our society into the 21st century so that everybody can have an opportunity to play on an even playing field. And that is what the gentleman has been doing as he has led this caucus. That is what the Congressional Black Caucus is trying to do is bring hope to all of America.

I thank the gentleman for your leadership and I welcome the opportunity to participate this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy), who is also the sponsor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 3942, legislation naming the postal facility in Middletown, Rhode Island, after Rhode Island veterans.

This measure which was introduced by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) on March 11, 2004, and unanimously reported by our committee on April 1, 2004, enjoys the support and co-sponsorship of the entire Rhode Island delegation.

Beginning with World War I through the Persian Gulf War, veteran Rhode Islanders from the First Congressional District in Rhode Island have bravely defended this great Nation from the great World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Persian War. There are over 45,000 veterans living in the First District. Statewide over 93,000 men and women have returned home to Rhode Island after serving in the military.

Designating the post office in Middletown, Rhode Island is an excellent way to honor Rhode Island veterans for their service to our country and to remember the enormous sacrifice the soldiers and their families have made and continue to make.

To the veterans of America, for your unselfish service and devotion to our country and your unwavering defense of our freedom, we thank you. I also want to commend the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) for introducing this legislation. I urge its swift passage.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, today we honor the life of an American hero, Mr. Melvin Jones, and the institution he helped created, the Lions Clubs International. A driven and thoughtful man, Melvin Jones made his home in Chicago, Illinois and formed his own insurance agency in 1913.

Mr. Jones, like many other businessmen, worked extremely hard for his success. Unlike some, however, Melvin Jones did not find satisfaction in his personal success alone. He wanted to improve his community. He believed that he and other successful businessmen should work together for the betterment of the community.

Mr. Jones is quoted as asking at a businessmen's luncheon, ``What if these men who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition were to put their talents to work improving their communities?''

Thus, on June 7, 1917, the Lions Clubs International was born. The first meeting was held in Chicago and two principles were set forth. One, meetings were not to be of a social nature, and members could not promote their own business interests.

The group was to focus on volunteerism and community service. Melvin Jones became so engulfed in the Lions Club that he left the insurance agency he had created to work for the club full time. He was a living example of the Lions Club motto, ``We serve.''

Although Mr. Jones passed away in 1961 at the age of 82, his legacy in the Lions Club lives on. Today with more than 46,000 clubs in 193 countries, Lions Club has expanded its focus to help meet the ever- increasing needs of our global community. One of the Lions Club's biggest programs is to improve the quality of eye care for the less fortunate. The Lions Club provides thousands of people around the world with free eye care. In addition, the Lions Club collects more than 5 million pairs of eyeglasses each year to be distributed in developing countries.

Melvin Jones, the man, whose personal code was, and I quote, ``You cannot get very far until you start doing something for somebody else,'' became a source of inspiration for people working all over the world for the good of mankind. I am delighted to know this history and origin of the Lions Club and proud to say that at one time I, too, was a member of a Lions Club and one of its creators in my own community and my own neighborhood, and I can remember distributing eyeglasses to people who needed them.

So we thank Mr. Jones for his vision, for his creativity, and his sense of giving back to his community. I am privileged to support this legislation. I view Mr. Jones as one of our real visionaries.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, providing America's youth with a good education has been a national priority but also a national failure. Not only are many children of our great Nation being deprived of a good academic education, but many young people today lack the life skills necessary to function without the financial assistance of their parents.

According to the JumpStart Coalition for Financial Literacy, high school seniors today know less about the principles of basic personal finance than seniors did 5 years ago. Even more startling is the fact that the average student who graduates from high school lacks the basic skills for managing their own personal finances. Many are unable to do simple tasks like balancing a checkbook.

Over the last 50 years, a dangerous trend has developed. Saving money has declined at the same time that borrowing has increased. In 1950, savings averaged 12.3 percent of national output. By the 1960s, it was down to 8.5 percent. By the 1980s, it was down to 4.7 percent, and in the early 1990s, it was only 2.4 percent.

Americans need to work to achieve financial independence, and proper financial planning is crucial to that process.

While not a final solution, educating our youth about the principles of personal finance would do a great deal to help them achieve financial independence and prosperity. Educating new generations to understand personal finance would help future Americans build wealth and obtain financial independence.

In order for our youth to lead successful lives these life lessons must be taught. Creating a Financial Literacy Month is a great first step towards protecting our youth from poverty.

I rise today to ask that we support the goals and ideas of Financial Literacy Month and that this President issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, as well as State and local governments, to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities that promote financial accountability.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and my good friend the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) for the lead roles that they have played in introducing and bringing this legislation to the floor.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), a Member who has distinguished himself as an educator, an outstanding businessperson and an outstanding legislator, and who has been at the heart of the development of this legislation.

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

My mother used to tell us that if we learned to take care of our pennies, that our nickels and quarters would take care of themselves. I think some of those same principles are embedded in this legislation. I am proud to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Pro-choice Caucus Co-Chairs--Congresswoman Slaughter, Congressman Greenwood, Congresswoman DeGette, and Congresswoman Johnson for disregarding partisan lines and working together for the safety of women and to secure women's reproductive rights. I am proud to be an original cosponsor to such a comprehensive piece of legislation that does not focus on controversy but on preventive care and education.

Those who consider themselves pro-choice do not agree on many issues with those who

consider themselves pro-life. But the one thing that we both agree on is preventing women and teens from having unintended pregnancies and having an abortion. To succeed, we must provide education to young women about their bodies and about preventing pregnancies and STDs. I always say education is the key. We know that education works--rates of unintended pregnancies among teens have greatly declined as well as the number of abortions being performed. Yet, we have not done enough. In 2000, there were approximately 18.9 million new cases of STDs in the United States including an increase in HIV-AIDS.

The reproductive health of women should be a public health priority for our Nation. Although, I believe abstinence should be taught and stressed--it is not a reality for many of our young people. Family planning programs must be available to all women--young, older, poor, middle class, those with private insurance or on Medicaid. Again, I commend the pro-choice caucus for offering legislation that focuses on keeping abortion legal, safe, and rare with proper education and preventive health care services.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me the time, and I also commend him for his introduction of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in 1994, when Senator Paul Simon announced that he would not seek a third term in 1996, he said, ``I have an obligation to the people of Illinois, to the Senate and to myself to leave the Senate while I am still eager to serve, not after I tire of serving.''

Paul Simon never tired of serving. He was an asset to America. In 1948, when Paul Simon was just 19, he dropped out of college, borrowed $3,600 and bought a failing weekly newspaper in Troy, a town of 1,500 people across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. He became the Nation's youngest editor/publisher. Paul Simon would eventually own 14 newspapers, which he sold in 1966.

Paul Simon's political career began with his election to the Illinois State Legislature in 1954 and culminated with his election to the U.S. Senate in 1984. During his 14 years in the State legislature, he won the Independent Voters of Illinois Best Legislator Award every session.

Paul Simon began earning a reputation for political courage and integrity during his years in the Illinois Legislature. He was chief sponsor of the State's open meetings law and of legislation creating the Illinois Arts Council, and he played a leading role in chartering the State's community college system.

Prior to leaving the U.S. Senate, Paul Simon ranked as Illinois's senior Senator. In the 104th Congress, he served on the Budget, Labor and Human Resources, Judiciary, and Indian Affairs Committees. He also served on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Education and job training laws that he introduced and were enacted include the National Literacy Act, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, the Job Training Partnership Act amendments, several provisions of the Goals 2000 Act, and the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. He was the leading Senate champion of the new Direct College Loan Program, enacted in 1991 as a pilot program and expanded in 1993 as a replacement for the Guaranteed Student Loan Program.

Just weeks after retiring from the Senate in 1997, Paul Simon joined the faculty of Southern Illinois University. He taught classes in political science, history and journalism. He was founder and director of the Public Policy Institute at the Carbondale campus. When the Institute opened its doors in 1997, Paul Simon said the Institute promises to find new ways of solving old problems.

Mr. Speaker, the last communication that I had with Senator Simon came about 2 weeks before he passed, and in that letter he said he had seen an article in the Chicago Tribune where some of us had been working on the issue of prisoner re-entry, and he wrote to say, I commend you and those with you for that kind of work because we really need to make sure that those at the bottom of the barrel in our society are dealt appropriately with.

So, Senator Simon, I thank you for all that you meant to all of America.

I hold lots of town hall meetings, and there are people in Illinois who think that I copy those after Senator Simon. I can remember going to them when there were 5, 10 people sometimes

present, long before I decided to run for public office, and I did try and model them after Senator Simon.

I support strongly this legislation, urge its passage. There could not be a more fitting tribute to a greater American and certainly a great hero of mine.

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 100th birthday of my uncle who lives in St. Louis, Missouri; and I guess on May 1 hundreds of my relatives are going to converge on that city to pay tribute to him. So I simply rise to wish a happy birthday to ``Uncle Dude,'' as we finally called him. His name is Willie Vaughn. But he has lived a long and productive life. His mind is great. He is still active. Happy birthday to Uncle Dude.

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 my colleague in consideration of H.R. 4037, legislation naming a postal facility in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, after Richard G. Wilson. This measure was introduced by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson) on March 25, 2004, and unanimously reported by our committee on April 1, 2004. It enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire Missouri delegation.

Mr. Speaker, Richard G. Wilson, Private First Class, United States Army, was attached to Medical Company 1 of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment and served in the Korean War. According to military accounts, Pfc. Wilson distinguished himself by ``conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action.''

As a medic, he accompanied his unit in Opari, Korea, administering medical attention to his wounded comrades in the midst of fierce enemy fighting. After his unit was forced to withdraw from the area, Pfc. Wilson moved his wounded colleagues to safety and searched to make sure that no man was left behind.

After realizing that one soldier was missing, Pfc. Wilson returned to the area in search of his colleague. Pfc. Wilson was found 2 days later lying beside the man he had been searching for. For his bravery, courage and self-sacrifice for his comrades, he was posthumously awarded the Nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleagues for seeking to honor the legacy of Richard Wilson by naming a postal facility in his name in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage.

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 House Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 3855, legislation naming a postal facility in Laclede, Missouri, after General John J. ``Blackjack'' Pershing. This measure, which was introduced by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) on February 26, 2004, and unanimously reported by our committee on March 4, 2004, enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire Missouri delegation.

John Pershing was born in a small town in Missouri in 1860. He graduated from West Point and served in the Spanish-American War, the Philippines Insurrection, the Mexican Expedition, and was the overall American commander in Europe during World War I.

Long on experience and recognized as a celebrated hero and soldier, the United States Congress honored John Pershing by creating a new title, General of the Armies. And following the war, he served as Army chief of staff.

General Pershing died in Washington D.C. at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His funeral, held at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery, was attended by thousands of Americans as well as leaders of government and the military. He was buried according to his wishes, under a simple white grave stone in section 34 near the grave sites of his Doughboys from World War I.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a fitting honor to name the postal facility in Missouri after General Pershing, especially one who was so celebrated for his great courage, exceptional ability, and the ability to command troops from different races and backgrounds at a time unheard of.

I support this resolution and urge its swift passage.

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 House Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 1822, legislation naming the postal facility in Los Angeles, California, after the honorable Dosan Ahn Chang Ho. This measure, which was introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) on April 11, 2003, was unanimously reported by our committee on April 1, 2004. It enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire California delegation.

Mr. Ahn was emigrated from Korea in 1902. He moved to San Francisco with his new wife. While en route to America, Mr. Ahn resolved to stand tall above the sea of turmoil existing at that time in Korea and to call himself Dosan, which means Island Mountain.

While living in San Francisco, Dosan organized and guided the Koreans living in the area to form the first Korean American community. Two years later, he moved with his family to Riverside, California, and again worked tirelessly to unite and organize Korean Americans. He established the first English school for Koreans and formed a cooperative association which later became the basis for the Korean National Association. Years later, Mr. Ahn served as president of that association.

Nine years later in 1913, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho moved to Los Angeles and again played a significant role in the growth of the Korean American community in that city. In Los Angeles, he founded the Hung Sa Dahn, the Young Korean Academy. Mr. Ahn is credited with helping to relieve the blighted living conditions of his fellow Korean Americans and became the spiritual leader of the Korean Independence Movement.

Except for a brief 2-year return to the United States, Mr. Ahn then went to Shanghai to establish the Korean provisional government. He was a devoted independence fighter in China until his death in 1938.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson), for seeking to honor the spiritual and humanitarian legacy of Dosan. His efforts to assist, organize, and lift up the Korean community in California were noble indeed. Naming a postal facility in Los Angeles after this great man is recognition of all his work on behalf of Korean Americans, and all Koreans.

I urge the swift adoption of this measure.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, as the cold of winter warms to spring, and as trees bud and flowers bloom, we pause to appreciate the beauty of nature. And so it is appropriate on this perfect spring day in our Nation's Capital that we recognize the Garden Club of America for its outstanding work throughout the United States.

Founded in 1913, the Garden Club of America has worked to share with others a respect for nature and an appreciation for its beauty. Today there are 195 member clubs in 40 States that work towards this collective goal for the benefit of us all.

By spreading its message of conservation and civic improvement, the Garden Club of America has helped to develop our scenic landscape and thereby had a profound impact on our country. We need to look no further than our Nation's Capital to understand that positive impact. While Washington, D.C., is known for its political debate, it is cherished by residents and visitors alike for the lush gardens and parks that provide us with a respite from brick and concrete of the city. The Garden Club of America has been instrumental in the beautification of our Nation's Capital by helping to create the National Arboretum, the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian, as well as the annual cherry blossom display which brings joy to the many people it draws from around the world.

When George Washington chose this land to be our Nation's Capital, it was little more than swampland. It is now a beautiful city in which all Americans can take pride.

I know that there are those who will probably even admonish the Congress for taking time out to acknowledge the work done by those who have actually worked to help make and keep America beautiful. And I guess the realization has to be that America would not be as beautiful as it is unless there were some helping to make it so.

For this and for all the hard work the Garden Club of America does, we say thank you to the Garden Club. I urge passage of this resolution.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I rise in strong support of this legislation.

First of all, I want to commend the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

This bill will obviously provide opportunities for the creation of jobs in all of the districts across the country and especially in mine. However, the bill comes up a bit short because I do not think that we paid enough attention to rail transportation. Amtrak runs 50 trains out of my district in Chicago each and every day. Yet there is no money for Amtrak, and there is no money for rail safety.

I do want to highlight the fact, though, that this bill does in fact increase funding for the Access to Jobs program, a program that will take individuals from the inner cities and rural communities to where 75 percent of the new jobs are being created in what we call suburban outlying districts.

Overall, it is a good bill. I wish there were more money. I wish we could have looked at Amtrak in a different way and rail safety. I strongly support it.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. I commend Chairman Young, Chairman Petri, Ranking Member Oberstar, and especially the senior Democrat from Illinois Republican Lipinski for all of your hard work on this bill.

Our transportation system is vital to democracy. It is through our transportation network that we are able to move commerce and people with reliability and consistency. Every day millions of people travel our highways, and transit systems. This bill helps to ensure that we modernize our ailing transportation system and protect workers.

The bill contains a number of projects that will directly improve the roads and infrastructure in my Congressional District. This bill comes at a time when our economy is in need of a significant boost. We have lost over 3 million jobs in the last 3 years. My Congressional District has lost over 140,000 jobs in the last 30 years. While this bill is a modest investment in our Nation's highways and transit systems, I am disappointed that we did not report out the original bill, which contained a $375 billion funding level. That kind of funding level would have given us an historic opportunity to put Americans back to work.

Also, I am disappointed that more was not done to stabilize Amtrak. In fact, the House Bill contains no funding for Amtrak. Amtrak is a vital part of the economy in Chicago, and the Nation. Amtrak operates more than 50 trains into and out of the City of Chicago each day. These include an extensive network of long-distance trains that provide service to the East and West coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada. Last year, Amtrak transported more than 2 million passengers. The failure to include funding for Amtrak sends a negative signal. In addition, this bill provides no funding for rail security to adequately address concerns regarding terrorism. We must learn from the tragedy in Spain and other attacks on rail systems throughout the country.

I am pleased with the increase in funding for the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program. This program assists low-income individuals and welfare recipients get to where the jobs are being created. In other words, data suggests that three-fourths of new jobs are being created in the suburbs. Therefore, we must find ways to get people from the inner cities and rural areas to where the jobs are. The Job Access and Reverse Commute program will provide over $1 billion in funding over the next six years.

Therefore, I am pleased that this important bill is finally moving forward. While I wish that the Committee had done more in funding important priorities--failure to act could lead to terrible consequences as it relates to our transportation infrastructure. Thus, I am pleased to support this bill.