Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5517) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7231 FM 1960 in Humble, Texas, as the ``Texas Military Veterans Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

I join Representative Poe and his fellow colleagues from the Lone Star State of Texas in considering H.R. 5517, which renames the postal facility at 7231 FM 1960 in Humble, Texas as the Texas Military Veterans Post Office.

As stated, the measure at hand was first introduced by Congressman Ted Poe on February 28, 2008 and is cosponsored by all members of the Texas congressional delegation. The measure was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where it was considered and passed by voice vote on March 13, 2008.

H.R. 5517 is intended to remember the lives, service and legacy of hundreds of military men and women from the State of Texas who have served or loss their lives in service to our great country. By renaming this particular Humble, Texas post office, H.R. 5517 will set into motion the creation of a living tribute to the sacrifices made by so many of Texas' sons and daughters, who gave their lives in service and honor abroad in order to ensure our protection here at home, an honor befitting the thousands of military men and women past and present, from every State of the Union that have unselfishly given of themselves in service and in battle for America.

H.R. 5517 will help memorialize the memory of generations of Texas' servicemen and women for years to come by designating the 7231 FM 1960 Humble, Texas postal facility as the Texas Military Veterans Post Office.

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

Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, it is said that we should judge a society by how it cares for its young, its old, and those who have difficulty caring for themselves. We have done much in the United States to care for our young citizens, but justice calls on us to do much more.

We know that, from 2000 to 2006, poverty increased by 10.7 percent, leaving 12.8 million children living in poverty. We know that one in three black children and one in four Latino children lives in poverty. We know that almost 12 million children under the age of five participate in some type of regular child care weekly. And we know that research demonstrates that high quality, comprehensive educational care for infants and toddlers can eliminate the achievement gap that exists between middle class and lower-income children.

Together these facts highlight that Federal support for quality care in the earliest years via Head Start and CCDBG is critical to help young children from low-income families arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and obtain a strong foundation for success in life. Despite the importance of early childhood care and education, Federal funding for these programs continues to lose ground. With nearly flat funding over the last several years, Head Start is

serving fewer children than it did in 2002. Despite an increase in the percentage of children under six with only working parents, Federal funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant has been effectively frozen since 2001.

These cuts affect Chicago and Illinois in very real, negative ways. In Chicago, just under 41,000 families with children under 5 live under the poverty line, yet only 17,000 of these children are served by Chicago Head Start. In Illinois, CCDBG served an average of 82,200 children in 2006, which is 20,000 fewer than it did just five years ago.

As policymakers, we should invest in families and children by bringing funding for Head Start, Early Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) at least up to the inflation- adjusted levels at which they were funded in 2002. History will judge us harshly if we withhold key resources that we know can provide essential supports for our youngest citizens. During this Week of the Child, I urge my colleagues to reverse this trend and invest in children.

Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the week of April 7-13 as National Public Health Week. In 1995, former President William Jefferson Clinton proclaimed the first full week of April as National Public Health Week. Since then, the American Public Health Association has organized National Public Health Week and developed campaigns to educate the public, policy-makers and public health professionals about issues important to improving the public's health.

Public health efforts strive to prevent disease and promote good health in a variety of ways, including vaccination programs, regulation of prescription drugs, worker health and safety standards, access to clean water and air, and other educational campaigns. Public health includes professionals from many fields with the common purpose of protecting the health of a population.

My colleagues and I have no doubt seen the positive effects that public health awareness can bring to a community. A healthy public gets sick less frequently and spends less money on health care; this means better economic productivity and an improved quality of life for everyone. Healthy children are more likely to attend school and, as a result, improve their overall performance in education. Healthy parents can inform their children about positive wellness choices that will hopefully stay with them well into adulthood. Public health prevention not only educates people about the effects of lifestyle choices on their health, it also reduces the impact of disasters by preparing people for the effects of catastrophes such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and terrorist attacks.

The American Public Health Association has selected climate change as the theme of National Public Health Week 2008. Though the scientific realities and environmental impacts of climate change have been highly publicized in recent years, little has been said about the effects of climate change on public health. Extreme weather events such as hotter summers, colder winters, higher rainfall, and increased rates of natural disasters all aid in posing a greater risk to public health. Disease and injury, in addition to the negative effects of pollution and other modern environmental challenges, are all hazards to public health which must be explored and addressed as this issue continues to influence communities.

I commend the organizations and individuals in Chicago as well as nationwide for their work on the critical issue of public health. National Public Health Week is the ideal time to highlight the immediate and ongoing need for the promotion of and investment in public health activities that will safeguard our Nation's current and future well-being.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize April as National Autism Awareness Month. Autism Awareness Month brings attention to the wide spectrum of autistic-related disorders affecting as many as 1 in 150 children born in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified autism as a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders. It is now more common in diagnosis than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs one's ability to communicate and relate to others; depending on the severity of the diagnosis, autism may dramatically affect one's quality of life and ability to obtain employment.

I am proud of the many organizations and programs that exist in the Chicagoland area to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of autism. I especially want to recognize Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago for its extraordinary work on this important issue. Easter Seals provides comprehensive autism services to its clients, including autism therapeutic schools, adult vocational programs, after school programs, information, and professional training. Illinois has seen a 353-percent increase in autism since 1993. Easter Seals is responding proactively to this increase by building the Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research, which has already begun its construction and is expected to be completed in 2012. This landmark facility will offer students with autism an array of services that includes medical assessments, nursing, behavior, speech, physical, and occupational therapy, social work services, art and music therapy, vocational training, and community training. Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago has provided excellent care to its clients for over 70 years, and I commend them for their commitment to serving those affected by autism spectrum disorders in our community.

In Chicago and across the country, it is clear that autism is having an enormous effect on children and families. Autism Awareness Month and its associated events help shine light on this critical issue. Therefore, Madam Speaker, I am indeed pleased to join with my colleagues in celebrating the goals of awareness, prevention, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders during this April's National Autism Awareness Month.

Madam Speaker, the ``Government Accountability Office Act of 2008'' (the Act), is intended to improve the oversight, administration, and pay adjustment functions at the Government Accountability Office, GAO.

The former Comptroller General has asserted that Federal agencies should have ``modern, effective, credible, and, as appropriate, validated performance management systems in place with adequate safeguards, including reasonable transparency and appropriate accountability mechanisms, to ensure fairness and prevent politicization and abuse.'' Some of the safeguards recommended by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, include a performance management system that makes meaningful distinctions in individual employee performance; involves employees and stakeholders in designing the system; and achieves consistency, equity and nondiscrimination.

Over the last 24 months, the subcommittee has conducted oversight, and more recently investigated, the implementation of GAO's new personnel system to determine if it meets the aforementioned criteria. The subcommittee found that it did not. In addition, based on its investigation the subcommittee concluded that, contrary to legislative intent, GAO employees who met and exceeded expectations in 2006 and 2007 did not receive the annual across-the-board increase that other GAO employees received.

The Act would restore the 2006 and 2007 annual across-the-board increase to GAO employees who met expectations but did not receive the adjustment. It would also set a ``floor guarantee'' that would preserve GAO's performance-based compensation system, while ensuring that GAO employees receive an annual increase in their permanent pay, provided they ``meet expectations,'' that is at least equal to the Congressionally approved across-the-board increase.

The floor guarantee will be comprised of the annual adjustment to the GAO pay schedule plus the permanent merit pay increase received by an employee under GAO's merit pay system. At a hearing the subcommittee held on March 23, 2008, on this legislation and GAO's personnel reforms, the subcommittee learned from the Ivy Planning Group, a consulting firm hired by GAO to conduct an African American Performance Assessment Study at GAO, that there are significant differences between the ratings for African American analysts and Caucasian analysts. Therefore, the personnel reforms at GAO had a significant negative impact on African American staffers. Furthermore, a survey that was administered to GAO employees at my request, found that 81 percent of respondents thought morale in general at GAO is worse or much worse than before the reforms and a majority of the respondents felt that not having an across-the-board increase for all staff is very or somewhat unreasonable. While the subcommittee recognizes that more work needs to be done at GAO, the Act will help improve the morale at GAO and remedy the inequities that resulted from the denial of the 2006 and 2007 across-the-board adjustments.

Other provisions in the Act include creating a statutory Inspector General for GAO; permitting the Comptroller General, CG, greater flexibility to administer oaths to witnesses when auditing and settling accounts; enabling the CG to accept gifts and to make expenditures for meals and other expenses in connection with recruitment; and eliminates the statutorily imposed GS-15 pay cap to allow the CG the authority to pay employees up to the rate for Executive Level III. The Act has the support of GAO and its union, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to cast votes on the following legislative measures on March 31, 2008. If I were present for rollcall votes, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of the following bills:

Roll No. 147, March 31, 2008: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended: H.R. 3352, To reauthorize and amend the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act, and for other purposes.

Roll No. 148, March 31, 2008: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended: H.R. 2675, To provide for the conveyance of approximately 140 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.

Roll No. 149, March 31, 2008: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Con. Res. 302, Supporting the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, the week of May 5 through May 11, 2008, marks the 24th anniversary of Public Service Recognition Week, PSRW. PSRW is a week set aside to commemorate the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice made by our Nation's Federal, State and local government employees. I am proud to once again introduce this resolution honoring public service and public servants.

Public Service Recognition Week offers an opportunity for all Americans to both recognize and learn about the significant contributions public sector employees make on a daily basis to our local communities, States, and country. Whether fighting crime, educating future generations, or serving on the front line to protect our Nation, public servants touch every aspect of our lives.

While Public Service Week lasts only 7 days, I believe that the contributions and sacrifices of public servants ought to be recognized and appreciated throughout the entire year. By honoring public servants we show younger generations the importance of public service and inspire them to consider entering the field, whether on the Federal, State, or local level of government.

We, as a nation, have a responsibility to honor the commitment of government employees and to recognize that our country runs on their diligence and hard work. The commemoration of Public Service Recognition Week stands as a reminder to every citizen that the sacrifices and contributions made by American public employees is what makes our country a more perfect union and our Government one that is truly of the people, for the people and by the people.

Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to thank Representative Scott from Georgia for yielding time, and I also want to commend the sponsor of this legislation

and recognize his tremendous leadership in the struggle for human rights since his teen years when he was a mere lad. We heard him mention the age of 15, and that's about the time that he became actively engaged and involved in the struggle for human rights.

This legislation highlights the Voting Rights Act of 1964, which even though all people in our country supposedly had the right to vote prior to that time, it provided the kind of protections that were necessary to make sure that those rights were not taken away, that those rights were not denied.

I also want to commend Representative Lewis for his creative way of helping to raise money for the United Negro College Fund. I've been getting phone calls from my brother all week, and I know why he's calling me, because every year he and a friend of his, Jackis Casson, put on an event to raise money for the United Negro College Fund. And so he's been calling to solicit me to buy my tickets, and so the more money that we can generate through this legislation, the less money I might have to give.

So I commend you so much and thank you so much.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 310) expressing support for a national day of remembrance for Harriet Ross Tubman.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Con. Res. 310, which seeks to honor the life of Harriet Tubman and acknowledge the many sacrifices she made on behalf of freedom and the inalienable rights of all men and women.

She was a steadfast warrior for the values which we cherish today: freedom, justice, and equality for all. Without her, these values would not have been enjoyed by the dozens of African Americans that she rescued from slavery, in addition to many more that she helped by her unwavering commitment to emancipation.

H. Con. Res. 310 was introduced by Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland on March 5, 2008, and was considered by and reported from the Oversight Committee on March 13, 2008, by voice vote.

The measure has the support of over 60 Members of Congress and provides our body a collective opportunity to recognize and pay tribute to a woman who dedicated her life to ensuring equality and freedom, which stand at the foundation of our country, were afforded to all of its citizens, including those enslaved in the South.

Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in 1820 to Harriet ``Rit'' Green and Ben Ross, a slave couple from Dorchester County, Maryland. From an early age, it was evident that Harriet Tubman was willing to put her life on the line to assist African Americans in escaping that peculiar institution we know as slavery. At 12 years old, she suffered a traumatic blow to the head from her overseer when she refused to help restrain a slave who was escaping. Due to the head injury she sustained, Harriet was plagued for the rest of her life with violent seizures and spells of unconsciousness.

Yet despite these ailments, Harriet Tubman continued to press on. In 1849 Harriet Tubman managed to escape from the plantation she worked on, located in the eastern part of Maryland. On her first trip up north, Tubman made great use out of the Underground Railroad and crossed over 90 miles to reach her final destination of Pennsylvania. Because of the dangers that lined every step of her journey, she had to travel at night, using the North Star for guidance. When she reached Philadelphia, she recalled that it felt like she was in heaven. Yet the memory of her family still in bondage caused Harriet to leave ``heaven'' and voluntarily return to the land of her enslavement. After the decision to save her family, she spent the majority of her life bringing individuals out of slavery by way of the Underground Railroad. In fact, Tubman became known as Moses because of her relentless efforts to aid more and more African American slaves out of captivity.

For 11 years Harriet Tubman risked her life to free over 70 slaves and their families. She also served as a Union spy during the Civil War and assisted abolitionist John Brown in recruiting men for the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. In the post-war era, Tubman devoted her efforts towards the women's suffrage movement up until her death in 1913. In a letter to honor her memory, Frederick Douglass wrote: ``Excepting John Brown, of sacred memory, I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than she has.''

Madam Speaker, let us honor this true patriot for the courage and tenacity that she has shown in the face of great danger and great adversity. Harriet Tubman deserves our utmost respect and gratitude for her unconquerable valor, her harrowing dedication, and her unshakable faith all in the name of freedom. Therefore, I urge swift passage of H. Con. Res. 310.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1005) supporting the goals and ideals of Borderline Personality Awareness Month, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Res. 1005, as amended, which expresses support for greater recognition of the goals and ideals of Borderline Personality Awareness Month.

H. Res. 1005 was introduced by Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, a longstanding member and leader on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on February 27, 2008, and has the support and cosponsorship of over 50 Members of Congress. The measure was considered by the Oversight panel on March 13, 2008, and was passed by voice vote at that time after being amended for technical purposes.

Madam Speaker, while many people may not be aware of borderline personality disorder, it is a mental illness that is more common than bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and has been found to affect a little over 2 percent of adults, particularly young women.

BPD, as it is commonly referred to as, is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. The instability caused by this illness often leads to disruptions in one's family and work life, long- term planning, and ultimately a person's sense of self-identity.

Each and every one of us has a personality; however, for those individuals who suffer from personality traits that are inflexible, maladaptive, or psychologically disruptive, more research and awareness on borderline personality disorder is an absolute must. And that is why I rise in support of H. Res. 1005. Passage of this measure will help to raise the profile and the general public's understanding of borderline personality disorder and the corresponding BPD month of awareness.

I commend Representative Davis from Virginia for introducing this legislation and urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1021) supporting the goals, ideals, and history of National Women's History Month, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the author of this legislation, Representative Lynn Woolsey of California.

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

Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank and commend Representative Woolsey for her introduction of this legislation. I also want to thank the 200 women who attended a town hall meeting which I held in my district on Sunday in recognition of Women's History Month. I want to thank Reverend Helen Cooper, Pastor of the Westside Center of Truth Church for being the host.

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Res. 1021, as amended, which is designed to provide recognition and support for National Women's History Month, which just ended yesterday with the conclusion of the month of March.

H. Res. 1021 was first introduced by Representative Lynn Woolsey of California on March 3, 2008, and has the support and cosponsorship of 80-plus Members of Congress, both men and women from both sides of the aisle. The measure was considered by the Oversight panel on March 13, 2008, and was passed by voice vote after being amended for technical purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I guess it's only accurate to say that history, whether American or International, would not have been written as it is without the role of women. But all too often the vast significance of women throughout history goes unnoticed and under appreciated, which is why organizers in Sonoma County, California, established back in 1978 a public celebration of women's history, calling it Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

Since the 1970s, we in America have seen notable growth in the study and expansion of women's history. In fact, today almost every college offers women's history courses and most major graduate programs offer doctoral degrees in this important field.

Even today, we continue to witness history makers. From our very own Speaker of the House, to top Presidential contenders, business women, scientists and athletes, women are clearly making key contributions to our communities, our country, and our world. As we celebrate female artists and their contributions to our cultural heritage as this year's theme of National Women's History Month, let us as a body once again elevate and support the goals, ideas and history of Women's History Month and pass the measure at hand.

Mr. Speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield such time as she might consume to Representative Tsongas of Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I had some other speakers who had intended to be here. Unfortunately, they have not arrived, and I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5168) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19101 Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, Florida, as the ``Cody Grater Post Office Building''.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues, particularly the gentlewoman from the Sunshine State of Florida, in consideration of H.R. 5168, which names the postal facility in Brooksville, Florida, after a fallen hero, Army Specialist Cody Grater.

Introduced on January 29, 2008, H.R. 5168 is offered by Congresswoman

Ginny Brown-Waite, Representative of Florida's Fifth Congressional District, and is cosponsored by the State's entire congressional delegation. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite's measure, H.R. 5168, was reported from the Oversight Committee on February 26, 2008, by voice vote.

This morning's postal naming bill honoring Specialist Grater brings to life the tragic yet heroic story of another American soldier who gave his life in service to this great country of ours.

A native of Spring Hill, Florida, Specialist Cody Grater was tragically killed on July 29, 2007, when his guard position was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade near Baghdad in Iraq. Specialist Grater was only 20 years old when he lost his life in the line of duty as a member of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The son of Anita Lewis and Larry Decker, Cody Grater joined the Army in April of 2006, and for his service, although short-lived, he has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. It is reported that during his burial service at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, the streets were lined for miles with well-wishers and people waving flags, saluting and crying in tribute to a true American hero.

Mr. Speaker, let us also join that host of well-wishers, loved ones and friends of Specialist Cody Grater and pass H.R. 5168, designating the Cortez Boulevard Post Office Building in Brooksville, Florida, in his honor.

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

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5551) to amend title 11, District of Columbia Official Code, to implement the increase provided under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2008, in the amount of funds made available for the compensation of attorneys representing indigent defendants in the District of Columbia courts, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in

which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the author of this legislation, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

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

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I stand with my colleague, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton from our Nation's Capital, the District of Columbia, in consideration of H.R. 5551, which will provide for a much-needed increase in the compensation paid to attorneys assigned to represent indigent clients in the D.C. court system.

Congresswoman Norton and I introduced this measure on March 6, 2008. On March 11, 2008, the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia held a hearing to examine aspects of the legislation, and on March 13, 2008, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform considered and passed the bill out of committee by voice vote.

H.R. 5551 calls for an increase in the hourly pay rate from $65 to $80 for Criminal Adjusters Act, CJA attorneys, representing indigent defendants in the D.C. courts. The measure would also increase the caps on the total compensation paid to these attorneys per case type to be equal to the total compensation paid to attorneys representing similar clients in Federal Court.

The increased compensation rate for CJA attorneys practicing in D.C. courts would only apply to cases that proceeded or initiated on or after the date of enactment of the Act.

Mr. Speaker, a core element of our unique democracy is the right and requirement that every citizen, regardless of income or socioeconomic class, be afforded adequate counsel or representation when confronting judicial proceedings. In fact, one of the most important decisions in this area of law was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1942, when it held that the Sixth Amendment required the government afford indigent defendants with competent counsel. The measure we have before us further reiterates this fundamental concept by helping to ensure that the D.C. court system is in a competitive position to attract the best and brightest lawyers to represent the indigent. And so, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 5551.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 550) to preserve existing judgeships on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the distinguished gentlelady from the District of Columbia, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of S. 550, which reserves existing judgeships on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by increasing the cap on the number of judges that can serve on the court. Senate Bill 550 would increase the number of associate judges permitted to serve on the D.C. Superior Court from 58 to 61.

In accordance with the terms of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Act of 1997, Congress now wields legislative and funding authority over the District of Columbia court system. Under the terms of this arrangement, section 11-903 of the District of Columbia Official Code established an overall limit of 58 on the number of judges that may be seated on the Superior Court. The current limit of 58 is in addition to a chief judge.

However, in 2001, Congress passed the D.C. Family Court Act, and included in the Act a new provision that allowed the previously established limit on the number of judges to be exceeded only to appoint additional family court judges. As a result of this provision, the current number of associate superior court judges, combined with the 15 judges now seated on the D.C. Family Court, the cap of 58 has now been exceeded. This means that judgeship vacancies in the superior court cannot be filled unless additional retirements occur, which has led to delays in judicial proceedings, increased costs from prolonged litigation, and case backlogs. S. 550 would address these issues by increasing the number of associate judges from 58 to 61.

S. 550, which was first introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka, passed the Senate under unanimous consent on February 4, 2008, and on March 11, 2008 the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce Postal Service in the District of Columbia held a hearing to examine aspects of the legislation. The bill was then considered by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where it passed by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful that we, too, can approve Senate Bill 550 with overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the CBC FY09 alternative budget. I'm particularly excited today, because last night the Second Chance Act of 2007, a bipartisan piece of legislation, unanimously passed the Senate. I look forward to President Bush signing the legislation and the appropriation of money in DOJ to fund vital programs which the bill promotes.

Indeed, currently, the Administration FY09 budget proposes to: Merge 30 grant programs under State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance for a reduction in funding of $1.008 billion; collapse 14 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for a reduction in funding of $587.2 million; consolidate Weed and Seed programs for a reduction in funding of $32.1 million; collapse 7 juvenile justice grants into 1 grant program for a reduction in funding of $198.5 million; and lastly, merge current formula and discretionary grant programs into 1 program for a reduction in funding of $120 million, for an overall collapse of 70 DOJ programs into 5 programs and a reduction in funding totaling $1.5 billion.

These cuts come as America's prisons reach an alltime high and State incarceration costs are bursting at the seams. According to the latest study, between 1987 and 2007, States spent more than double on corrections (+127 percent) while higher education spending has been moderate (+21 percent).

It's with this in mind that I categorically support CBC's proposed budget, which includes $4 billion dollars to these vital DOJ programs. The CBC has made tough choices, established right priorities while exercising fiscal and moral responsibility to reduce recidivism and State incarceration costs.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, CPC, PC fiscal year 2009 alternative budget. In an attempt to meet head on the administration's proposed fiscal year 2009 upside-down budget priorities, the CPC budget calls for a more humanitarian approach addressing the current deficit and economic downturns.

Indeed, CPC's alternative budget:

Funds a second economic stimulus package designed to pump $118.9 billion into our declining economy and help the hardest hit low- and middle-income Americans;

Repeals the President's tax cuts for the top 1 percent of taxpayers;

Leaves no child behind by fully funding NCLB and IDEA while improving Teacher Corps and job training;

Provides Medicare for all with affordable, accessible quality health care for all Americans;

Renews the Social Contract and 21st Century Safety Net by substantially increasing funding for decent affordable housing, anti-

hunger programs, and more quality childcare; and foremost

Rebuilds America's communities that are being plagued by the aftermath of Katrina by substantially increasing funding for Community Development Block Grants, community policing, and priority cleanup of leaking underground storage tanks that threaten the drinking water of nearly half of all Americans.

Collectively, these provisions reflect a commitment to addressing socioeconomic woes affecting middle- to-lower class Americans across the country. I commend CPC for their pledge to cut the poverty rate in America in half during the next decade and for a progressive budget that appropriates funding to much needed programs.