Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express strong opposition to H.R. 3102, what I call the Attack on Poor, Disadvantaged, and Hungry People Act. This bill will cut food stamps by $40 billion; and, as a result of that, at least 4 million low-income individuals will no longer be eligible to receive nutrition assistance.

I say shame on whoever concocted this draconian idea, whoever put this proposal together, and certainly shame on us if we vote for it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2775, the No Subsidies without Verification Act sponsored by my good friend from Tennessee, Representative Black. I oppose because the goal of this bill is already being accomplished under provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Passage of this bill would simply bog down what is already being done and could cost hard-working middle class Americans millions. The security of knowing that they have the affordable health insurance coverage they deserve and need. For all practical purpose, one could say that this is the forty-first time that the House has sought to repeal (to no avail) the Affordable Care Act. It is not going to happen! Let's move on so that millions of low and middle income Americans will be eligible to receive tax credits to help them purchase insurance to the tens of millions of Americans who have previously been denied coverage due to preexisting medical conditions will knowing that they can have coverage, peace of mind and the healthcare they need.

Mr. Speaker, the Pilgrim Baptist Church was founded in September of 1916, as a part of the dreams and work of the Union Grove Prayer Meeting Club who met in the home of Deacon John A. Finnie at 242 East 42nd Street. Because of its steady growth the club was constantly seeking larger space and after three months the founder and first Chairman of the Deacon Board, Mr. John A. Finnie, his wife, Juanita, Georgia Hansberry, L. Whitley and S.S. Harkness joined together to organize a Church. The group asked for and received help from several ministers. Mrs. Finnie suggested the name, Pilgrim Baptist Church and organized the Pilgrim Senior Choir.

The Church immediately took off and in January 1917, Reverend Jessie D. Luck of New York became its first Pastor. Pilgrim experienced great growth and in 1922 Pilgrim Baptist Church purchased Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue located at 3301 S. Indiana Avenue. This edifice had been constructed in 1891, and designed by the famed architect Louis Sullivan and engineer Dankmar Adler. The initial drawings were prepared by draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright. Upon the passing of Reverend Watson, Reverend R.T. Schell and Assistant Pastor, Reverend C.L. Franklin carried on until the Pulpit Committee found what they considered to be the right man who could handle the continued growth and expansion of the Church. That man was masterful, the Reverend Junius Caesar Austin, a nationally known pulpiteer pastor, financier, organizer and Convention President. He liquidated the debt, renovated the structure and bought a house for the church's founder, built a community center, gymnasium and housing project and established missions in Africa.

In 1931, Thomas A. Dorsey known as the ``father of Gospel Music'' joined Pilgrim and organized the Pilgrim Baptist Church Gospel Chorus at the request of Pastor Austin. Some of the members of that chorus were legendary singers such as Mahalia Jackson, Sally Martin, Roberta Martin and Clara Ward.

During Pilgrim's ninety-six year history nine Pastors have served:

Jessie D. Luck--January 1917-July 1917

J.E. Jones--July 1917-October 1919

Samuel E.J. Watson--May 1920-July 1925

Junius C. Austin, Sr.--January 1926-August 1968

Junius C. Austin, Jr.--February 1969-December 1991

Floyd W. Davis--February 1992-April 1999

Hycel B. Taylor--November 2001-May 2005

Keith E. Gordon--January 2007-March 2010

Tyrone E. Jordan--October 2010 to Present

The Historic Pilgrim Baptist Church has been home to many renowned and distinguished people, among them are:

Ministers: Reverend Clarence Cobbs, Reverend J.B. Felker, Reverend Elmer L. Fowler, Reverend Stroy Freeman, Reverend Louis Rawls, Reverend Richard Keller (Pastor of Pilgrim Jr. Church).

Entrepreneurs: Oscar Brown, Attorney/Real Estate, Delois Barrett- Campbell, Barrett Sisters, Bessie Coleman, First Black Woman Aviator, S.B. Fuller, Fuller Products Company, Mahalia Jackson, Gospel Singer, Sally Martin, Gospel Singer, Lee Randolph, Professor, Jack Johnson, First Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Claude Holman, President Pro-Tem of the Chicago City Council.

Outstanding Artists who have performed at Pilgrim: James Cleveland, Aretha Franklin, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Staple Singers, Albertina Walker, Inez Andrews.

Pilgrim was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement and on many occasions the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King delivered sermons at the church.

In 1973, Pilgrim Baptist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by Chicago's City Council and was later designated a Chicago Landmark on December 18, 1981. In December 2001, the Church was placed on the National Ten Sacred Places to save list by Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia based religious preservationist group.

In January 2006, the Historic Pilgrim Church was ravaged by fire. The fire virtually destroyed the interior; but the exterior walls are still standing.

In 2010, designs were unveiled to raise Pilgrim Baptist Church, a historic architectural landmark from ashes. Pilgrim has been rolling for 97 years and will keep on rolling. I salute you.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and personally congratulate Stan Fields, District 100 Superintendent, Jim Swicionis, School Board President, as well as the administrators, teachers and students of Berwyn South School District 100 for their amazing commitment to and success in implementing healthy school environments for their students through the promotion of nutrition and physical activity.

I applaud Berwyn South School District 100 for taking bold and robust steps to change the way students approach exercise and nutrition. A clear testament to its extraordinary work is the fact that each of its eight schools in District 100--six elementary schools and two middle schools--received awards from the Healthier U.S. School Challenge operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Healthier U.S. School Challenge is a voluntary certification initiative by the federal government that recognizes schools that provide

innovative healthy nutrition options and physical activity opportunities for their students. In 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama incorporated the Healthier U.S. School Challenge awards into her Let's Move campaign, awarding monetary prizes for four levels of performance: Bronze; Silver; Gold; and Gold Award of Distinction, the highest level. Berwyn South School District 100 won six Gold Awards of Distinction and two Silver Awards. Impressively, only 12 Gold Awards of Distinction were awarded in the state of Illinois, and Berwyn South School District 100 won half of them. These well-deserved honors reflect the tremendous dedication of the administrators, teachers, and staff of these schools and of the District and its School Board to improving and sustaining the health and nutrition of the students and the community.

To receive awards from the Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge, schools must demonstrate improvements to the nutrition and physical activity of their students across multiple domains, including breakfast foods, lunch foods, nutrition education, physical education, and physical activity. I wish to highlight some of the changes that schools in Berwyn South 100 adopted to improve the health of their students. Perhaps the greatest achievements are the dramatic improvements to the nutritional quality of the school breakfast and lunch menus. Beginning in November 2010, the District 100 Superintendent, School Board, administrators, principals, and food vendor--Aramark--partnered to ensure that each meal served exceeds the nutrition guidelines for sugar and fat content set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To complete this task, school stakeholders met with contracted meal providers to eliminate high sugar options and replace them with whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables. In addition, the District instituted a ``Breakfast in the Classroom'' program as a part of a district-wide policy in elementary classrooms during school hours, reducing school tardiness while increasing student focus. Schools further improved the nutrition of foods during holiday celebrations. For example, classes are encouraged to forgo candy during Halloween celebrations and focus on physical activities that celebrate the holiday and fellowship among classmates. Some schools also created various Parent Universities during the evenings that provide family-based experiences, such as Zumba and yoga, designed to educate and motivate the community to engage in physical activity. Beyond simply implementing these changes, the District 100 Initiative partners monitored the changes to evaluate the success and implementation of the initiative.

I am deeply impressed by the committed partnership among an array of school stakeholders in the Berwyn South District 100 that resulted in such positive systemic change in the nutrition and physical activity of the schools. I commend the following schools and their principals for receiving the Healthier U.S. School Challenge Gold Award of Distinction: Freedom Middle School, Principal James Calabrese; Heritage Middle School, Principal Laura LaSalle; Hiawatha Elementary School, Principal Marilyn McManus; Komensky Elementary School, Principal Jeremy Majeski; Pershing Elementary School, Principal Marilyn McManus; and Piper Elementary School, Principal John Fontanetta. I also praise the following schools for receiving the Healthier U.S. School Challenge Silver Award: Emerson Elementary School, Principal Beatriz Lopez; and Irving Elementary School, Principal Mary Havis. I laud Superintendent Fields and School Board President Swicionis for encouraging and supporting these schools in their efforts to improve the physical well- being of their students.

In closing, I recognize Berwyn South School District 100 for its excellence in promoting nutrition and physical activity, and I praise its Superintendent, School Board President, School Board, administrators, teachers, staff, and parents for their commitment to improving the health of our students and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize that the Supreme Court's recent decision in Fisher v University of Texas at Austin represents an important milestone for our nation as we build a more inclusive, diverse America. The Court's decision reaffirms that universities may consider racial and ethnic diversity as one factor among many in a carefully-crafted admissions policy. This ruling represents a victory for equal opportunity in education and helps prepare our citizens to compete in the diverse, global economy of the 21st century.

The historical structure of the House of Representatives exists to represent our nation's vast geographic diversity as well as to value the diverse opinions of each constituency to set the national agenda of progress. Serving in the House for nine terms, I am happy to say that I continue to learn from the diverse pool of people and ideas that comprise the House of Representatives. For the first time in our nation's history, women and minorities constitute the majority of the House Democratic Caucus. This diverse environment plays a critical role in the health and responsiveness of our Caucus. Indeed, diversity is considered by many as one of the most valuable assets to assuring success in business, the arts, science, and sports.

Similarly, a diverse environment on college and university campuses strengthens our nation by providing equal educational opportunity and promoting the creative thinking needed for innovation. I am a strong supporter of the holistic admission process. By promoting inclusivity and diversity on the campuses of our nation's higher education institutions via the admissions process, we recognize that students' successes are characterized by much more than their grade point averages alone. A carefully-crafted admissions policy that considers a wide-array of characteristics--such as leadership experiences, socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic background, athletic skills, and artistic abilities helps our educational institutions provide a diverse

learning environment that reflects the diversity of our nation, enhances the ability of students to engage with persons from different backgrounds and cultures to better prepare them for our global economy, and improves access to higher education. As the global marketplace grows more interconnected, it is crucial that the United States remains an active leader in the new global economy by training a workforce prepared to engage with those from different cultures.

I am pleased that the Supreme Court recognized the ability of our nation's colleges and universities to consider racial and ethnic diversity as one factor among many in a carefully-crafted admissions policy. This decision will help promote access to higher education and enrich our country.

I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation, the Stop Government Abuse Act. I would feel much better about it if it were labeled the Promotion of Government Abuse Act, because it encourages government to roll back the clock and take away rights that workers have earned from working hard.

Can you imagine being fired after you've worked up to the ranks of the SES, which is very difficult to get to, and being told that you've been let go on the basis of an IG report? Where is the equal protection under the law there? There is none. I think that it's unfortunate that we would treat our Federal workforce this way. They work hard, deserve better; and I oppose this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, family Reunions are very important events and activities in the lives of all people, especially for African Americans in this country who have gone through the experiences of being snatched from their homelands, taken from their tribes, brought to another country, survived hostile environments, experienced discrimination and still stand tall, achieves greatly and is an integral part of American life.

Your family, the decedents of Mr. David Lloyd Mitchell have much for which to be proud. Since his arrival in this country you all have continued to move forward and I commend you for the great research and record-keeping that someone has done. To trace one's family back to the Reconstruction Period in this country is a feat in and of itself. There has obviously been a great emphasis placed on education as evidenced by the presence of more than thirty attorneys, medical doctors and Ph.D.'s, more than 200 Master Degrees, 500 plus Bachelors and I are sure that there is a great assortment of other achievements and accomplishments made by members of your family.

I congratulate the family of Mr. David Lloyd Mitchell, commend you for your outstanding accomplishments and wish you well as you continue to reach new heights each and every day.

Welcome to Chicago and enjoy your family reunion on July 26-28th.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have the name of Mr. Bishop of Utah removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 2359.

Mr. Speaker, the struggle for equality, for justice, for freedom, for democracy is an awesome force. No force, no historical circumstance has done more to shape our Nation, but that struggle has always been confronted by an endless series of attempts to block, minimize, sidetrack, undo, and weaken our democracy. Through all these struggles, those most oppressed have repeatedly taken the lead to reinforce our democracy and solidify our Nation.

We fought a bloody, wrenching Civil War to end a Nation that was suffocating ``half slave and half free.'' Three million men fought in that war, and 620,000 died. Although African Americans made up 1 percent of the population of the North, they made up 10 percent of the Union Army.

In the aftermath, Congress sought to enshrine in the Constitution, forever, basic democratic rights: in the 14th Amendment, the power to enforce the Bill of Rights, due process, and equal rights; and in the 15th Amendment, voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. But a violent, terrorist backlash led by the Ku Klux Klan prevented the implementation of our Constitution for a hundred years until a new civil rights struggle, based on nonviolence, but no less powerful, forced our Nation, the courts, and this Congress to recognize those promised constitutional rights.

Among the forms of recognition were the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965. They transformed the political landscape of America.

But the truth is that, beginning as far back as the Nixon administration, efforts sought to chip away at those rights. Yesterday's Supreme Court decision undermining the enforcement of voting rights is the latest attempt to roll back history.

Shall we go forward or shall we go backwards?

The rapidly changing demographics of our Nation is calling new forces into the struggle for civil and voting rights every day, and our response to yesterday's Supreme Court decision presents a challenge for every Member of this Congress. And we have to ask ourselves: Which side are you on?

For me, the path is clear. We need a Federal right to vote enshrined in our Constitution, one clearly, unambiguously, boldly, proudly asserting that we will not tolerate any infringement on our rights as citizens to express the will of the people.

Those who seek to dilute voting rights, to place barriers on every citizen's right to participate in this government, will find themselves on the wrong side of history and, in the end, will be no more able to stop the movement for equality, for justice, for freedom, for democracy than they're able to stop the sun from rising in the morning or setting in the evening or to stop people who've decided that they love each other from expressing it.

Madam Chairman, let's be clear: unequivocally, and without a doubt, we know that the sugar subsidy raises the price of sugar on the domestic market in this country.

I know that I have lost out of my congressional district major candy makers and food processors who left town--not because of labor costs, not because of any rifts, but because they were paying so much for the price of sugar that they knew that if they went to Mexico, if they went to Canada that they could get sugar at a much lower price.

I don't know why we help 4,000 sugar growers at the expense of 600,000 workers in America. I say vote ``yes'' for the Pitts-Davis- Blumenauer-Goodlatte amendment. When you do that, you are helping the guy who gets a cup of coffee and needs to use sugar for the sweetener.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I now yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Madam Chairman, I keep hearing ``if it is not broken, don't fix it.'' Well, I can tell you for the 600,000 people whose jobs are at risk when their companies move out of the country, that seems like broken to me.

I would now like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Madam Chairman, I yield the balance of my time, 1\1/2\ minutes, to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express support for the Pitts-Davis-Goodlatte-Blumenauer amendment to the agriculture bill. Our amendment to H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, will not repeal the sugar program; it only seeks to reform it. We have farm programs for wheat, corn, cotton, and many other crops. These programs give direct assistance to farmers and allow market prices to

be set by supply and demand. Farmers receive help, but not at the expense of workers and consumers.

The sugar program is different. It helps sugar producers by hurting other people, and that's just not right. There are other ways sugar farmers who may need help could receive assistance without embracing an outdated system of strict government controls that cost consumers $3.5 billion per year in higher prices and over 112,000 lost jobs in the sugar-using industries in the last decade.

During fiscal year 2011, the wholesale price for U.S.-refined beet sugar averaged 55.8 cents per pound. This is considerably higher than the average recorded cost during the 5-year period covered by the 2002 farm bill provisions for FY 2003 through FY 2007, which was 27.6 cents per pound. Last month, the average price for U.S.-refined beet sugar was 26.3 cents per pound, whereas the average world-refined sugar price was 21.9 cents per pound. Historically, our sugar program keeps our markets higher regardless of demand and/or supply compared to world prices for sugar.

The U.S. manufacturers who use sugar as an ingredient to produce processed foods and drinks are having to always pay more domestically than manufacturers overseas. This is the exact reason why candy companies are moving to countries like Canada, Mexico, and other offshore places.

We need an industry that is subject to capital market forces without government intrusion, that places quotas on the amount of sugar that can be grown in the United States, and restricts access to foreign- grown sugar.

The current sugar program benefits 4,714 sugar farmers in the United States, while threatening the jobs of 600,000 workers in sugar-using industries and, thus, imposing a hidden tax on every American consumer. The Pitts-Davis-Goodlatte-Blumenauer amendment would lower the price- support loan rate in accordance to historic levels and reduce taxpayers' liability for keeping prices high, save taxpayers money, allow more sugar imports, and provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture more flexibility to modify domestic marketing allotments.

Making changes to the sugar program will help level the playing field and provide sugar-based manufacturers much-needed resources to keep people employed and modernize their production facilities.

Let's not help the few at the expense of the many. Vote ``yes'' for the Pitts-Davis-Goodlatte-Blumenauer amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a man and a friend of mine who spent most of his adult life being actively engaged in the processes of social advocacy and public policy decisionmaking, and who ultimately became the mayor of Gary, Indiana, and a national progressive political leader.

Rudy Clay was born in Alabama, and after the death of his mother was brought to Gary, Indiana, where he was raised by his two aunts, Ms. Lucy Hunter and Ms. Daisy Washington, who started him attending church, which he did for the rest of his life. He graduated from the Gary Roosevelt High School

and attended the University of Indiana at Bloomington, married his wife, Ms. Christine Swan, was drafted into the Army, served his time, was honorably discharged, went into the insurance business, worked for Prudential and State Farm insurance companies, and ultimately opened his own company, the Rudolph Clay Insurance Agency, of which he was greatly proud.

Rudy, like many people of his era, became actively involved in the civil rights movement of the sixties and seventies, which led him to electoral politics. He was elected to practically everything that one could be elected to in Lake County, Indiana, from precinct committeeman to mayor of Gary. In 1971, Rudy was elected to become the first African American State senator in the State of Indiana. In the Senate, he was the deciding vote that made it possible for an African American to be elected a Lake County commissioner. He was the first African American to be elected county recorder in the State of Indiana. He was county chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party. He served as a Lake County commissioner. He was the chairman of the Gary precinct committeemen's organization, and mayor of his beloved city. And he played a key role in the Obama victory in Indiana in 2008.

Rudy was a great family man, loved by his neighbors and friends, loved by the members of his church and all of those with whom he came into contact. He was loved by his associates in his lodge. The average person in Gary, Indiana, and any place around it knew Rudy Clay, and loved him for his great work.

I convey condolences to his wife, Mrs. Christine Clay; his son, Rudy, Jr.; his brothers and sisters and other members of his family. When one sums up his presence on Earth, they can simply say of Rudy: a job well done, a life well lived.

We salute you, Mayor Rudolph ``Rudy'' Clay. I thank you for being my friend. May your soul rest in peace.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of America's most prominent African American businessmen and financiers. Mr. Jacoby Dickens was born and grew up in Panama City, Florida, one of six children in a low-income family.

The family moved to the south side of Chicago when Mr. Dickens was a teenager. He attended Wendell Phillips High School. After school he worked as a building engineer, saved his money, and began investing in real estate. He eventually purchased and managed a large number of apartment buildings before selling them in 1971.

After investing in several bowling alleys in the Chicago area, he was asked to join the board of Seaway Bank in 1979. In 1983, he became chairman of the board and remained until his death earlier this year. Under his guidance and leadership, Seaway Bank and Trust Company became the largest Black-owned bank in Chicago with assets of $547 million.

Mr. Dickens was a great civic activist and contributor to public causes. He served on the boards of Chicago State University, the School of Business at Florida A&M University, and the Chicago Urban League. He donated more than $1 million to Chicago State University's athletic center, which bears his name. He was a trustee at the Museum of Science and Industry and DePaul University, where a scholarship and loan program are named for him. In the 1980s, he was a key supporter and fundraiser for Harold Washington, who was elected the first African American mayor of Chicago.

Jacoby Dickens was a man of vision, courage, and determination. He used his wisdom, business acumen, and money wisely, not only for himself and his family, but also for the uplifting of humanity. My condolences and well wishes go out to his wife, Ms. Veranda Dickens, their family, and all of the trustees and employees of Seaway Bank and Trust Company.

Mr. Dickens was, indeed, a man for the times and the seasons in which he lived. His bank gave loans in depressed communities and neighborhoods where people were hard-pressed to find resources. He will be sorely missed and always remembered.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

As some of my colleagues on the other side prepare to vote in favor of this legislation, I want to make sure that the American people know that they are taking 13 million Americans' rebates that they got from insurance companies last summer, totaling at least $1.1 million.

They will be voting to repudiate the fact that beginning last summer, millions of women began receiving free coverage for preventive services.

They will be voting to take away the fact that 17 million children with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers.

And they will be voting to take away the coverage of 6.6 million young adults, who, up to age 26, are able to be on their parents' insurance coverage, half of whom without it would have no coverage at all.

They will actually be voting, Madam Speaker, to take America's health care backwards. We can't afford to go there.

I urge that we vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the fourth anniversary of the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka on May 18, 4 years ago. Although the war has ended and all of those who care about the well-being of this country are indeed glad and delighted, there remain high levels of suspicion among many Tamils who still feel that they are being denied equal rights, equal protection under the law, and are being treated as second-class citizens.

A large number of Tamils fled the country, left their homeland, during the war; and many have not returned to their homes. Peace is present, but there still exists many hard feelings. Therefore, I urge that the government and the Tamil community find as many ways as possible to promote peace and live in harmony with equality, equal justice, and equal protection under the law. Mr. Speaker, I wish the country well on its peaceful coexistence.