Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I had the opportunity to experience a great event in the community where I live and work.

People had a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, who happened to have lived in that community of Chicago for a period of time. We went to all of the places that he used to eat and where all the meetings were held. It was quite an emotional experience, especially for those who were there and who got a chance to know him, to meet him, to shake his hand.

So I simply commend those residents, friends, neighbors of mine for making sure that the King dream lives on.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for not only anchoring this hour, but also providing an opportunity for the rest of us.

I had decided to develop a statement, but then I had 16 young students visit me this afternoon from Oak Park, Illinois, and they presented to me their statement. Their statement was so similar to my statement that I told them that their statement was better than mine and I would use it. So I'm going to read it as they presented it to me. They said:

Hello, my name is Joey Cofsky, and my name is Sebastian

Torero, and we are here on behalf of the Religious Action

Center of Reform Judaism to talk about gun violence

prevention. We hope that you will offer support for the Fix

Gun Checks Act when it is introduced.

Unfortunately, it took an inconceivable amount of gun-

related tragedies, and a recent catastrophic elementary

school massacre, to once again raise awareness of the need

for stricter gun laws. Nearly every day, I hear on the news

that a common child has been shot to death in my very own

city. Statistics furthermore illuminate this occurrence as

eight young Americans die each day under the age of 19 from

gun violence. By June of 2012, 228 people were killed in the

city of Chicago. In that same period of time, 144 United

States soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan. Instead of

continuously cringing at these statistics in disbelief every

time we read them, it is time to curb the pattern of violence

that has made the inner-city streets more violent than our

very own battlefields.

Today marks the month anniversary of one of the most

horrific mass shootings in our Nation's history. On this day,

I personally think about the innocent 20 children whose

lives were prematurely taken at a peaceful elementary school.

I wonder about the difference in the world those 20 children

could have made. That day, we all seemed to realize we had

seen this too many times before. Mass shootings grab our

Nation by surprise, and after every one, we feel a sense of

deja vu. At first, people's passion for change is re-ignited,

and the driving force of action is full throttle; but as the

weeks go by, the clamor dies down. The memory of the victims

fades from our consciousness, that is, until another shooting

occurs. I, and the people of this country, have grieved over

too many caskets. It is time to match our words with actions.

In the Talmud, a collection of Jewish laws and lessons, we

are taught that he who takes one life, it is as though he has

destroyed a universe. And he who saves a life, it is as

though he has saved a universe. As a Jew, and as a person,

this quotation resonates strongly with me. It tells me that

it is not only important to save lives in immediate danger,

but to prevent the loss of life in general. It has become

clear to many of us, and for some it has been clear for quite

some time, that an effective way to prevent death in our

country and in essence save a universe is to enact a policy

that would stem the flow of gun violence. Gun violence in our

country takes 12 times the amount of lives that it does in

the other 25 wealthiest nations combined. It is clear that in

our Nation, guns are a major problem.

We are told to save lives, and we can do that. So I would urge every American to know that lives saved is like saving a universe.

Hello, my name is Joey Cofsky, and my name is Sebastian

Torero and we are here on the behalf of the Religious Action

Center of Reform Judaism to talk about Gun Violence

Prevention. We hope that you will offer support for the Fix

Gun Checks Act when it is introduced.

Unfortunately, it took an inconceivable amount of gun

related tragedies, and a recent catastrophic elementary

school massacre, to once again raise awareness of the need

for stricter gun control laws. Nearly every day, I hear on

the news that a common child has been shot to death in my

very own city. Statistics furthermore illuminate this

occurrence as 8 young Americans die each day under the age of

19 from gun violence. By June of 2012, 228 people were killed

in the city of Chicago. In that same period of time, 144 U.S.

soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan. Instead of

continuously cringing at these statistics in disbelief, every

time we read them, it is time to curb the pattern of the

violence that has made the inner city streets more violent

than our very own battlefields.

Today marks the month anniversary of one of the most

horrific mass shootings in our nation's history. On this day,

I personally think about the innocent 20 children whose lives

were prematurely taken at a peaceful elementary school. I

wonder about the difference in the world those 20 children

could have made. That day, we all seemed to realize we had

seen this too many times before. Mass shootings grab our

nation by surprise, and after every one, we feel a sense of

deja vu. At first, people's passion for change is reignited,

and the driving force of action is full throttle. But as

weeks go by, the clamor dies down. The memory of the victims

fades from our consciousness. That is, until another shooting

occurs. I, and the people of this country, have grieved over

too many caskets. It is time to match our words with actions.

In the Talmud, a collection of Jewish laws and lessons, we

are taught that he who takes one life, it is as though he has

destroyed a universe, and he who saves a life, it is as

though he has saved a universe. As a Jew, and as a person,

this quotation resonates strongly with me. It tells me that

it is not only important to save lives in immediate danger,

but to prevent the loss of life in general. It has become

clear to many of us, and for some, it has been clear for

quite some time, that an effective way to prevent death in

our country, and in essence, save a universe, is to enact

policy that would stem the flow of gun violence. Gun violence

in our country takes 12 times the amount of lives that it

does in the other 25 wealthiest nations combined. It is clear

that, in our nation, guns are a major problem. Jews are told

to save lives, and laws that will prevent gun violence serve

that purpose.

In America, an average of 30,000 lives are lost to gun

violence each year. This, and all we have said before it,

explicitly demonstrates how dangerous guns can be, yet it can

be easier to obtain a gun than it is to vote. 4 out of 10

guns are sold by unlicensed sellers with no background check

conducted. Because of the Gun Show Loophole, anyone can walk

up to a private set at a gun show, purchase a gun, and carry

it out of the event. Domestic violence abusers, convicted

felons, people with mental illnesses, and terrorists can

purchase guns because of this loophole. 30% of illegally

trafficked guns are connected to gun shows. Actions must be

taken to prevent guns from falling into the hands of people

who would not pass a background check, but can obtain a

firearm because of this loophole. The Fix Gun Checks Act

(H.R. 137) would eliminate this loophole by requiring

background checks for any gun sales event that provides a

venue for the sale or transaction of firearms. We thank you

for cosponsoring this bill, and hope you will continue to

support it in the future.

Mr Speaker, although our economy is gradually improving after one of the worst economic crises in our Nation's history, the economic crisis remains a daily reality for 12 million unemployed workers and for the millions of Americans experiencing record levels of food insecurity, poverty, and foreclosure.

Unemployment benefits are a critical lifeline for our citizens and our economy, keeping 2.3 million Americans (including over 600,000 children) from falling into poverty in 2011, reducing the poverty rate for families by 40 percent in 2011, and generating $1.52 in economic activity for every $1 in economic compensation. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office

estimates that extending these benefits another year will create 300,000 much-needed jobs.

Now is not the time to cut unemployment; millions of Americans rely on unemployment assistance to survive. In my home state of Illinois during 2012, approximately 320,000 people relied on regular unemployment benefits and almost 140,000 additional Illinoisans depended on emergency unemployment. As Illinois and our nation continue to struggle out of this recession, failure to extend this critical lifeline will impose incredible hardship on approximately two million Americans. Failure to extend this critical lifeline means that--in addition to 90,000 Illinoisans who will abruptly lose benefits on December 29th--an additional 2,800 Illinoisans will lose benefits each week in 2013 if Republicans insist on slashing federal emergency assistance.

Our nation continues to experience historic levels of long-term unemployment. Most unemployed Americans no longer receive unemployment insurance benefits, reflecting the crisis that exists for the millions of Americans who have exhausted their benefits and still cannot find work. Indeed, over 40.8 percent of all unemployed workers, more than 5 million people, have been out of work for more than 6 months. These Americans lost their jobs through no fault of their own, they tirelessly try to find work when the jobs are few and far between, and they struggle to cover basic food, housing, and transportation costs for their families on an average of $290 a week, a pittance which typically replaces only half of the average family's expenses.

Now is not the time to cut unemployment; our economy needs federal unemployment benefits to support its growth. In addition to cruelly stripping millions of Americans of vital assistance just days after Christmas, a Republican failure to continue unemployment benefits would devastate our fragile recovery. Moody's economist, Mark Zandi, estimates that slashing emergency benefits this year will reduce economic growth in 2013 by $58 billion. Cutting unemployment benefits for two million people will take a tremendous toll on businesses as well as families. Even with the creation of millions of new private- sector jobs and improvements in the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings, jobs remain hard to get. There are 4 million fewer jobs in the economy now than at the beginning of the recession. Further, there are still 3.4 unemployed workers for each available job, worse than at any point during the 2001 recession and dramatically higher than the 1.8 people per job at the outset of the recession in December 2007.

Government leaders have a responsibility to protect Americans and our country, especially during times of national crisis. Failure to continue unemployment benefits will harm our economic recovery and disproportionately harm groups of Americans who already are hardest hit by the economic crisis--including older Americans, low-income Americans, Americans from racial and ethnic minority groups, and Americans without a high school diploma. Congress must quickly act to support our citizens and our economic recovery by continuing emergency unemployment benefits.

Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, I rise first of all to commend a matriarch in my community who passed away a few days ago, Ms. Mavis Donahue, who came to the United States of America from Jamaica. Of course, much of her family came with her, and they kind of stay together as a group.

It was her daughter, Claudette, that I first met, and we worked together for about 40 years. But then her son-in-law, Billy, Claudette's husband, took the first photograph that I ever used in a campaign brochure. Their daughter Erica, who is my goddaughter, was the first person who ever appeared on a campaign brochure when I decided to run for public office. So I simply want to commend them as they prepare to take their mother, their grandmother, their aunt, their friend, their neighbor, back to her home in Jamaica to be buried alongside her mother.

I also join my colleagues in coming to pay tribute to our leader, the Reverend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. We've all talked about his leadership, and I've been told two things about leadership that I always try to remember. One is that leadership is the ability to get other people to do what you want them to do but because they want to do it, meaning that somehow or another you can convince them that what you're talking about is the thing to do. The other thing that I've learned about leadership is that you can't lead successfully where you don't go, and you can't teach what you don't know.

I've been able to follow the life of Emanuel Cleaver long before he became a Member of the House of Representatives. See, he grew up in the Midwest, kind of, but really the Southwest, in a real sense, as I did. Our schools played football in the Southwest Athletic Conference. The first time we decided to televise our game, we went out and washed cars and did all the things you did to raise the money that we needed. We played Prairie View, and lo and behold, they beat us 28-0, which was a real letdown after we had paid to have the football game televised.

But I remember that Emanuel came out of school, went to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, became a leader in his community as a young person, pastor of a tremendous church that I've had the opportunity to visit, and they even let me have something to say.

Reverend Cleaver, Congressman Cleaver, America has benefited from your leadership for many years. We know that what you've done for the caucus and for this Congress will stand, but we know that you will keep doing it for many more years to come.

God bless you and God keep you.

I want to thank my friend from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for yielding to me.

When I think of Jerry Costello, I think of the fact that those of us in Illinois sort of had two go-to members of the Transportation Committee for many years, Bill Lipinski, who is the Congressman's father, and Jerry Costello. We used to call them the ``Gold Dust Twins.'' One of the reasons is because they had such a great relationship and worked cooperatively to make sure that our State, the State of Illinois, the home of Abraham Lincoln, was well taken care of in terms of infrastructure, but they also worked for the entire country.

I had an opportunity to travel with Jerry and his wonderful wife a number of times. Of course she is a delightful lady who is a higher education administrator, the president of a community college. And other members of their family are engaged in public service as well as what they do privately. I've never known a more congenial Member of this body or any other legislative body that I've served in than Jerry Costello.

I think he's actually too young to retire, and so I've got a feeling that he's got some other things on his mind, some other things that he's going to do. I think he'll still be fishing down in the East St. Louis area, making sure that the catfish and the other creatures out there give up their habitat and become members of the land gentry.

So Jerry, take care of yourself. Have all the fun that you can, but I'm certain that there is something else that you're going to be doing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring First Book on the occasion of their twentieth anniversary and celebrating their work on behalf of children in need, in Illinois and across the country.

First Book is a nonprofit that provides brand-new books and educational resources to schools and community programs serving children from low-income families. Since 1992 they have distributed over 90 million new books to kids in need.

First Book was founded twenty years ago by Peter Gold, Elizabeth Arky and Kyle Zimmer. After working with children in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the Nation's capital and seeing how their futures were limited by their lack of access to books and resources, they created First Book.

Ms. Zimmer continues to lead the organization today, and her vision and passion have helped First Book grow from a local nonprofit to a global social enterprise with an unsurpassed record of success.

First Book is set apart by more than their deep commitment to the children, teachers and community leaders they serve. By working with the publishing industry to create new and innovative ways to get books and resources to children in need, they are creating a ground-breaking and self-sustaining model that benefits both the donors and the recipients.

First Book is also committed to empowering teachers and program leaders, ensuring that the educators closest to the children choose the books that have the greatest chance of turning those young people into lifelong readers.

I ask the House to join me in honoring First Book and further ask the members to introduce First Book to teachers and community leaders in their home districts. The more schools and local programs join First Book's network, the closer we will come to achieving equity in education for all our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam for implementation of a tremendous economic development project in the Auburn-Gresham community of Chicago, Illinois.

After being closed for twelve years, on Sunday July 1, 2012, at 706 W. 79th Street, 17 Ward, where the Honorable Latasha Thomas is Alderman. The Nation of Islam re-opened the beautiful five (5) million dollar renovated Salaam Restaurant. In the Webster Dictionary, Salaam is defined as meaning peace. And peaceful it is.

The Nation is reported to have spent in excess of $5 million dollars to renovate the facility and make it a top of the line, first class community venue.

The Salaam has already attracted family gatherings, dinner parties, ministers meetings, business group meetings and visitors from across the nation.

At one meeting with ministers, Minister Farrakhan is reported to have said to the group ``We built the Salaam restaurant with steel and concrete, that's why we could close it for twelve years and come and find it still here! Because brothers and sisters; for you, there is nothing too good.''

For you, we call this, ``The Palace of the People.'' ``From our bakery, we intend to give out your daily bread, freshly baked bread made of the finest ingredients. The Salaam restaurant also has wonderful vegetarian cuisine. But for those who just must have a tenderloin steak, or lamb, come on here to the Salaam.''

``Up stairs on the second floor is a private banquet hall, along with the Ministers' private dining room and adjacent is a piano room.''

Currently the restaurant employs forty people and is eager to expand. Many people have called this magnificent creation the ``jewel of 79th street'' and is a wonderful place for tourist and visitors when they come to Chicago.''

Once again, my hat is off to Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam for putting their money where their mouth is and adding another level of pride for Alderman Latasha Thomas and the people of the 17th Ward in the City of Chicago.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the 40th anniversary of Title IX. This historic piece of legislation has had a profound and lasting impact on gender equity in this country. While many people associate Title IX with primarily promoting funding equality in collegiate athletics, its impact is much greater--affecting the role of women as leaders and role models in our society. Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972 prohibited sex discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. It is the cornerstone of federal statutes that require equal access to all areas of education for women. Title IX sent a message to young women across this country that their achievements were just as great as those of their male counterparts.

The opportunity to succeed is an essential tenet of our American spirit; Title IX provides women with an opportunity to succeed in collegiate athletics and beyond. An entire generation of young women has seized this opportunity, as evidenced by their many achievements. In the past 40 years, women have excelled in all aspects of society. In law and government, we have seen the first female Speaker of the House, the first female Supreme Court Justice and the first female Secretary of State. In science and technology, we have seen the first female astronaut enter space and six female scientists receive Nobel Prizes. Title IX has helped lay the foundation for equal educational access for these achievements.

In addition, Title IX has helped create a generation of young female athletes: in 1972, only 1 in 27 women participated in high school sports; now 1 in 3 participate. Sports can play a key role in a young person's successful growth and development. Young people who participate in sports are more likely to be goal-oriented, healthy, confident and ambitious. These athletes have lower teenage pregnancy rates, are less likely to commit crimes and are less likely to use drugs or alcohol. The dramatic increase in female sports participation is undoubtedly an important factor in women's success and advancement in the past 40 years.

Women have come a long way since the 1970s, but considerable work remains. On average, a woman still earns only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man across all occupations and levels of educational attainment. Further, women's rights to healthcare and prevention services are being challenged by courts and legislatures across this country. As policymakers, we must remember how long it has taken women to get to this point and must not allow gender equity to recede. We must continue to legislate with the spirit of equality and opportunity, as the Members of the 88th Congress did 40 years ago. I commend the many achievements that women have made since the passage of Title IX and look forward to seeing many more in the future.

Mr. Speaker, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, ``We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.'' College access and success are fundamental stepping stones toward economic security and global competitiveness. As policymakers, it is imperative that we support students in making college affordable so that our citizens and nation can prosper.

I strongly supported the passage by the House of the bipartisan Senate agreement to prevent a doubling of the student loan interest rates. Without this action before July 1, more than seven million students would have seen their interest rates double, resulting in an approximate $1000 additional debt burden per student for this year. Indeed, failure to act would have added $6.3 billion to students' debt burden in 2012, with 1.5 million African-American students and 1 million Latino students experiencing an additional $1.5 billion and $1 billion in loan repayment costs, respectively.

Unfortunately, the agreement prevents the interest rate hike by cutting student financial aid, continuing a disturbing trend in which the Republican Leadership insists that low-income and middle-class students pay for federal student aid programs and deficit reduction. In the last two years, the Republican Leadership has insisted on multiple cuts to student aid, including: elimination of the interest subsidy for graduate student loans; elimination of the interest subsidy for the six-month grace period after finishing school; elimination of summer Pell grants; reduction in the number of semesters a student can receive Pell grants; erection of barriers to qualifying for the maximum Pell grant; and reduced eligibility for the minimum Pell grant award. These cuts require low-income and middle-class students to incur roughly $20 billion in the cost of their federal loans and resulted in 145,000 students losing their Pell grants. Rather than viewing federal support for higher education as an investment in our nation, Republicans in the House prefer to subsidize oil companies that make tens of billions of dollars in profits rather than help low-income and middle-class students afford college. I firmly believe that we must help all citizens access the American dream, not just the most privileged. We must strengthen the system of student aid, not weaken it.

In addition to interest rates, there are multiple other education policies that lawmakers must support in order to prepare our youth for the future. For example, we must increase Pell Grants, which constitute a critical avenue by which low-income students access higher education. If Pell Grants are reduced in any way, attending and completing college will be beyond the financial reach of the vast majority of low-income students. Reductions in Pell also will have a disparate negative impact on racial and ethnic minority groups given that 46% of African Americans, 39% of Hispanics, 36% of American Indians, and 22% of Asian American and Pacific Islander undergraduate students rely on Pell, with African Americans representing about one-quarter and Latino Americans representing approximately one-fifth of Pell recipients. For the 2012- 2013 academic year, the maximum Pell Grant will be at a historic low, covering less than one-third of the cost of a four-year degree. This is unacceptable.

Further, policymakers must also maintain consumer protections on student loans, such as income-based repayment as well as re-institute bankruptcy protections for private student loans. Income-based repayment is a critical improvement to financial aid that makes higher education affordable by limiting repayment based on the income and family size of borrowers. For most borrowers, loan payments end up being less than 10 percent of their income--or nothing if the borrower experiences financial difficulty. After 25 years of qualifying payments, the remaining loan amount is eligible for forgiveness. These Democratically-championed policies promise to help borrowers handle their student loan debt in a responsible manner as they enter the workforce, have families, and purchase homes.

Consumer protections related to bankruptcy for private student loan debt are equally important, but will require Congressional action. Unfortunately, without any hearings, in 2005 Congress made private student loans by for-

profit lenders extremely difficult to discharge in bankruptcy even after meeting the restrictive criteria for bankruptcy, treating private student debt in the same manner as debts for criminal penalties and back taxes. This 2005 change gave special federal protections to for- profit lenders, penalized borrowers for pursuing higher education, and provided no incentive to private lenders to lend responsibly. Private education debt is no different than other consumer debt; it involves private profit and deserves no privileged treatment. Congress must restore fairness in student lending by treating privately issued student loans in bankruptcy the same as other types of private debt This is why I introduced the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Act, which I will continue to champion until it is law.

A strong economy requires an educated workforce, and an educated workforce comes from ensuring students and their families have what they need to prepare for, enroll in, and complete college. Given that student debt has surpassed credit card debt for the first time in history, our economy remains fragile, and the labor market demands increased skills, now is not the time to make deep and permanent cuts to critical college programs serving needy students. I urge the Republican Leadership to invest in education and support students. I will steadfastly protect federal financial assistance for higher education so that we can build our youth for the future.

Mr. Speaker, as we mark the 40th anniversary of Title IX--the historic law establishing equal access to education for women, I would like to take a moment to recognize the importance of equal pay for equal work, another federal policy that is essential to providing equal opportunity for women in our country. The contemporary push for women's rights began with the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Although this statute was a great advancement for women in society, much work remains to strengthen the reality of equal pay for women. For example, in 1963, women earned sixty cents for every dollar a man made. Today, according to the latest Census statistics, women only earn seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man makes--progress but still an egregiously-unfair and unequal disparity. Equal pay is the foundation for economic well-being and security. Policymakers must take action to ensure that equity in pay is a national priority.

In 2009, the 111th Congress took strides to further close the gender discrimination gap in the professional work environment by passing The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. This law initiated great improvements for women in the workforce, such as allowing a time frame extension to file lawsuits against employers for wage discrepancies. However, additional protections are needed, which is why Democratic lawmakers are advancing the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act strengthens the equality provisions within the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and eliminates the loopholes not seen in the past. For example, it increases penalties on employers who violate federal law and allows women to pursue legal matters if they are treated unjustly. The legislation also ensures equality in the tax code so that everyone--male and female, high-income earners and those living in poverty--pays their respective tax rate. Fairness should be applicable to all, in wages and in taxes. The Paycheck Fairness Act provides effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal wages for equal work, and Congress should pass the bill as soon as possible.

Equality in pay is an issue of civil rights. Women represent more than half of the workforce, and they deserve the full-amount of earnings for their work. Loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime due to unequal pay undermines the economic security of women and our nation. I will continue to steadfastly support and advance legislation that promotes gender equality and civil fairness.

Madam Speaker, when it comes to health care in the United States low-income and minority people are underserved and uninsured, with this in mind the health care reform legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 23 of 2010. This law ensures that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that this law will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 95 percent of Americans, while at the same time lowering health care costs over the long term and reducing the deficit by $138 billion through 2019, with $1.2 trillion additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.

When considering this law I cannot help but think of the 52,000 children and families from the 7th district of Illinois that do not have coverage or have low-quality health care coverage. The Affordable Care Act provides the following benefits to these individuals:

Improves coverage for 334,000 residents with health insurance.

Gives tax credits and other assistance to up to 158,000 families and 14,100 small businesses to help them afford coverage.

Improves Medicare for 76,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole. Extends coverage to 52,000 uninsured residents.

Guarantees that 11,500 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.

Protects 1500 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.

Allows 60,000 young adults up to the age of 26 to obtain coverage on their parents' insurance plans.

Provides millions of dollars in new funding for 92 community health centers.

Reduces the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $222 million annually.

The Affordable Care Act will help begin to fill the Medicare Part D drug doughnut hole to reduce the cost burden for 76,000 beneficiaries in my district. It's going to extend coverage to 52,500 uninsured individuals who currently go to the county hospital. This legislation, in my mind, is the most impactful health legislation that we have seen since Medicare and Medicaid. The positive impact of this law extends beyond my district, to every district in our country.

The Affordable Care Act provides new ways to bring down costs and improve the quality of care for every individual, including those individuals who historically have had little to no health coverage. This is evident because each year more than 83,000 racial and ethnic minorities die as a result of lacking access to high quality and culturally competent health care. In turn, this cost us more than $300 billion every year. I am so thankful that there is finally equal access to health care coverage. We should be proud that now children, the elderly, low-income, and minorities can equally access preventative services, primary physicians, and urgent care. I believe the expansion of coverage to these individuals has a major impact on the health of the current generation, as well as future generations.

This law ensures that more than 17.6 million children with pre- existing conditions can no longer be denied quality coverage. It also allows children to stay on their parents' health insurance up to age 26. Now, 410,000 African-American and 736,000 Latino, young adults between the ages of 19-25, who would have been uninsured are now covered under their parents' health insurance. To date about 6.6 million young adults up to age 26 have already taken advantage of this section of the law, and have to obtained health coverage through their parents' plan. Considering 3.1 million of those young adults would be uninsured without this coverage, this law has made a major impact in young peoples' lives. I believe it is imperative to the future well- being of our country that we provide the upcoming generations with this form of adequate and equal healthcare coverage.

In addition, the law now includes a section regarding funding to states for home visitation programs. The funding provides a critical opportunity for federal, state, and local communities to improve the health and well-being of children and families. Quality, early childhood visitation is a proven and cost-effective method to improve schools readiness, well-being, and health for children and families. I truly believe in the importance of this provision that is

why we have worked bipartisantly for over five years to establish these evidenced based prevention grants to prepare our youngest citizens for success in school and life.

Older adults spend more money on health related costs than any other age group and they have the most health related needs, for this reason I am grateful that this law extends coverage to older adults. I am proud that we can now rest assured because, 4.5 million African American and 3.9 million Latino elderly and disabled who receive Medicare will have expanded access to preventative services with no cost-sharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, diabetes and colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurements and mammograms. In fact, during 2011, 2.3 million seniors had a free Annual Wellness Visit under Medicare. We have seen this law continue to help older adults during 2012, with already 1.1 million seniors receiving a free visit within the past six months. We should also note that in 2011, 32.5 million seniors received one or more free preventive services. I believe this is outstanding, and with 14 million seniors having already received these services this year, we can anticipate even more seniors being served by the end 2012.

I am proud that the Affordable Care Act also includes the Community First Choice Option, it is a provision I have worked very hard on. This law is a major step forward to ending Medicaid's institutional bias by allowing states to give individuals with disabilities who are Medicaid eligible and who require an institutional level of care to choose between receiving care at home or in a nursing facility. Receiving community-based services and supports is critical to allowing people to lead independent lives, play an active role in day-to-day family life, have jobs, and participate in their communities. These are services our older adult population and citizens with disabilities need. It will keep them stronger and healthier longer.

I am extremely happy that in 2014 Medicaid coverage will expand to include families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Our public health care system is overloaded and stretched past the breaking point and the extension of Medicaid is critical to sustaining that system. This expansion will now include adults without dependent children living at home; this is a population that has previously not been eligible in most states. This ensures that all individuals have equal access to health care coverage. I will be watching closely to ensure that this provision of the law is implemented in a manner consistent with the best interests of the American people.

The Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage to minority and low- income individuals, who have historically had the lowest heath care coverage. In fact, it is estimated that by 2016, 3.8 million African Americans and 5.4 million Latinos, who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage. This means that by 2016, 6.2 million Americans who would otherwise have to go to the emergency room for a minor ear ache now has the opportunity to go to a primary physician at a medical home. Also, starting in August, millions of women will begin receiving free coverage for a package of comprehensive women's preventive services. This allows us to anticipate lower rates of prenatal medical issues and that future generations will be born healthy.

The law also provides funding to improve quality of care and management of chronic diseases that are more prevalent amongst African Americans and Latinos. This will ensure that individuals with chronic diseases can receive the medication and care needed for their wellbeing. It is reassuring to know that 105 million Americans will no longer have a lifetime limit on their coverage.

I feel that one of the greatest benefits of the Affordable Care Act are the laws that assists medical institutions in eliminating disparities that both African Americans and Latinos face in their heath care services. More funding is now going towards data collection and research about health disparities. The second part of this funding extends to increase racial and ethnic diversity of health care professionals and strengthen cultural competency training among providers. This will improve diversity and equality in the health care industry. In fact it is estimated that by 2014 the percentage of African Americans in the National Service Corps will increase from 6 percent to 18 percent, and the percentage of Latinos will increase from 5 percent to 21 percent. This is an amazing improvement that I am proud to witness during my service. I hope that this increase in diversity inspires and empowers the next generation of doctors, nurses and surgeons to advocate for even further health care equality for all people.

Mr. Speaker, U2 has a song, ``Some Days Are Better Than Others.'' The lyrics go something like this:

Some days are dry. Some days are leaky. Some days come

clean. Other days are sneaky. Some days take less, but most

days take more. Some slip through your fingers and onto the

floor.

Well, Mr. Speaker, today it is certainly threatening to slip through onto the floor. The House is apparently preparing for an unprecedented floor vote to hold a sitting Attorney General, the Nation's chief law enforcement officer, in contempt. The path that has led us to this sorry day is so long, so bizarre, so tortuous, so fantastical, so unbelievable that it stretches the imagination of individuals to try to make some sense out of our actions.

The Oversight Committee started out investigating the so-called ``gun walking'' which was initiated under the Bush administration. The Department of Justice produced thousands of pages of documents. The Attorney General testified nine times, and the committee found no wrongdoing by the Attorney General.

So the committee majority turned its attention to a February 4, 2011, letter sent by the Department of Justice to Senator Grassley, initially denying allegations of gun walking. The DOJ acknowledged the errors in the letter

to Senator Grassley and provided more than 1,300 pages of internal documents showing how the letter came to be drafted. The documents demonstrated that the staff did not intentionally mislead Congress but relied on assurances from ATF leaders and officials in Arizona who ran the operation.

Did the committee call the head of the ATF, Ken Melson, to testify as to how this happened, as Democratic members of the committee requested? The answer is no. Did the committee call former Attorney General Mukasey, who was briefed on the botched effort to coordinate arms interdiction with Mexico in 2007? The answer is no.

Instead, the majority members demanded more internal deliberative documents from the Department of Justice after the Grassley letter had been sent. Instead, the committee leadership made an ever-escalating series of allegations regarding the involvement of the White House, documented in YouTube videos and news clips viewed on the Internet, which were subsequently withdrawn. The committee leadership has refused the Attorney General's offer to resolve the conflict.

The President has now claimed executive privilege over a very narrow group of documents from the Department of Justice in response to Chairman Issa's threat to hold the Attorney General in contempt of Congress. This is the first time the President has claimed executive privilege, in sharp contrast to recent previous Presidents who used the claim on numerous occasions in similar circumstances.

Should the House continue to pursue this irresponsible action, it is likely that it would lead to many years of judicial action and would, of course, further poison the highly charged partisan atmosphere leading up to the elections and critical decisions regarding the Federal budget and all of the other things that we really seriously need to deal with.

So I join with others who are asking the Speaker, who are imploring this House not to take such an irresponsible vote, not to take an irresponsible action, but to sit with the Attorney General, and let's resolve the conflict between the House and the executive branch. That's what reasonable people would do.

I want to thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding.

I rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying bill, H.R. 5854, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Act, as related to project labor agreements. This bill would prohibit the use of project labor agreements. It takes away the ability of the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the Arlington National Cemetery to use a project labor agreement business model to determine what would be the most optimal and effective way to build construction projects.

Currently, all of these agencies have two choices: either ``yes'' to use a project labor agreement or ``no'' to not use a project labor agreement. The bill before us eliminates the choice for these agencies in seeking the most effective and efficient use of taxpayers' money to perform construction projects in the best interest of our brave men and women.

By banning project labor agreements it would contribute to delays in new construction and add more cost to the projects. If we want smart government, then I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``no.'' And without passage of the Grimm amendment, I would oppose both the rule and the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

The longer I listen to this debate, the more confusing it becomes.

I remember a wise man telling me once, You can't get blood out of a turnip, but you can slice it, you can dice it, whip it, and do everything, but it still ends up being turnip juice.

I rise in strong support of Mr. Grimm's amendment, and I do so because there seems to be a tremendous lack of clarity. It's amazing how we can all read the same words but arrive at a different meaning. And we can read them over and over and over again. So it would seem to me that the best way to have clarity is to make absolutely certain that these agencies understand that yes, they do in fact have the authority to say yea or nay, yes or no, to entering into project labor agreements.

I'm a strong supporter of organized labor. It doesn't mean that I think labor unions are perfect. Oftentimes, many of the people in the community where I live feel that they cannot access labor unions; that they can't get in, that they can't get membership. Yet and still, I think that project labor agreements are the best way to get the quality and the assurance that we're getting the best bang for the buck.

So, again, I reiterate my support for the Grimm amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it was indeed an honor to have Pastor Joel Osteen serve as a guest Chaplin to open the house on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 with prayer for members of the House and for our nation. I also take this opportunity to wish Pastor Osteen, his wife Victoria, their family and entire organization well as they prepare and implement a major outpouring of religious favor this week in Washington DC area.

The ability to fill the DC Stadium with people for religious praise and worship is indeed leadership and I commend Rev. Joel Osteen for being able to provide a great deal of that.