Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, 5 years ago today, on July 11, I introduced legislation to create a Cabinet-level Department of Peace and Nonviolence, which would employ the principles taught by Christ, Gandhi, Dr. King, Mother Teresa and others to create a new hope for violence-free homes, schools and communities through peace and character education, a new hope that through peace education we can even challenge the notion of the inevitability of war.

Today, thanks to hundreds of community groups, led by The Peace Alliance, momentum is building. Fifteen

cities have passed resolutions endorsing a Department of Peace, and 74 Members of the House have signed on to the bill. More and more, Americans want a compassionate, focused, organized approach to dealing with the violence in our communities, to dealing with domestic violence, spousal abuse, child abuse and other types of violence. The Department of Peace represents the end of fear and the beginning of hope for a new Nation and a new world.

Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that Congress act now to raise the minimum wage. In 2004, 37 million Americans lived below the poverty line, a 1.1 million increase from the year before. In 2004, 13 million children in America lived below the poverty line and more than one in six children was poor.

Yet in the richest country on earth, there is no guarantee that a full time job will lift a family out of a situation of dire poverty and need. That's because full-time year round minimum wage earnings of $5.15 an hour equal leaves a family of three 31 percent below the poverty line. A minimum wage worker, working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year earns $10,700 a year, $5,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.

The current minimum wage fails to provide enough income to enable minimum wage workers to afford adequate housing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, an employed full time worker would need to earn an hourly wage of at least $15.78 to afford a two- bedroom rental nationally. At the current minimum wage, a family with two full time year round minimum wage earners would fall short of this standard by $5.48 collectively. It's no wonder that so many families struggle to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. A 2005 study found that 40 percent of adults seeking emergency food aid were employed.

We can directly help these families and children by increasing the federal minimum wage. It is estimated that over 7 million workers would receive an increase in their hourly wage if the minimum wage were raised to just $7.25 an hour, as proposed in Congressman Miller's legislation, the Fair Minimum Wage Act. An additional 8.2 million workers earning up to a dollar above the new minimum wage would also benefit.

What kind of Nation have we become when work ceases to be a bridge out of poverty? A nation in which a basic full time job doesn't protect against hunger, homelessness, or poverty. It is a travesty that in the face of these realities, the realities that working Americans confront daily, Congress has not raised the minimum wage since 1997. We can and must change this by increasing the minimum wage now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Michael Owen O'Malley, devoted family man, dear friend, United States Veteran and decorated Lieutenant with the Cleveland Police Department, Mr. O'Malley's courageous and compassionate heart framed his 45-year tenure with the Cleveland Police Department as Patrolman, Sergeant and Lieutenant.

Mr. O'Malley was born on June 30, 1930, to Michael and Mary O'Malley of County Mayo, Ireland. He was raised on the West side of Cleveland, where he was taught by his parents the significant lessons of family, faith and giving back to others. He graduated from Wes High School, enlisted in the U.S. Army and honorably served in the Korean War. In 1954, he married Mary Ginley O'Malley. Then, as today, family is the center and foundation of their lives. Together, Michael and Mary raised their six children: Patricia, Margaret, Michael, Patrick, James and Mary K., and remain a foundation of love and support for their children and nine grandchildren.

He was awarded several citations for bravery, one of which reflected his courage and selflessness as he placed his own life in danger when he entered a burning building and carried a resident out to safety.

Beyond time spent with family, Mr. O'Malley is an active member of the community. He is a longtime member of St. Angela's Parish, and has volunteered his time and talents with the West Side Irish American Club, American Legion, and the Mayo Society. Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley love and appreciate the simple treasures in life, including visiting relatives and

friends in Ireland, spending time at their condo in Catawba, and Mr. O'Malley's natural knack for making wonderful pancakes for his nine grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor, gratitude and recognition of Michael Owen O'Malley, whose joyous life is an ongoing source of love, devotion, and inspiration to his family and friends as they gather to celebrate his 76th birthday and to recognize his continuous commitment to his family, friends and community. His work in securing the welfare and safety of the residents of the City of Cleveland is framed by exceptional courage, heart, dignity and integrity, and has forever raised the spirits and lives of countless individuals and families throughout our community. I wish Mr. O'Malley and his family an abundance of peace, health and happiness, today and for all days to come.

The New York Times annual subscription, $309.40. The Treasury Department secretly looking at your financial records, very expensive. The Constitution of the United States, priceless.

Some want freedom of the press to be contingent on writing nice things about the Bush administration. For all others, there is the Constitution and the first amendment. The Constitution of the United States: Don't leave the House without it.

Mr. Speaker, this administration is angry that the media leaked the story about its snooping into the bank records of millions of Americans. Its supporters in Congress want to formally condemn the New York Times. What a bunch of baloney.

It is about time the media did its job of protecting the public interest. If the media and this Congress had shown some independence from the party line of this administration, the claims of WMDs would have been dismissed, and the fact there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11 would have been well-established, and we would not have gone to war against Iraq.

A few years ago, a movie, ``Wag the Dog,'' told of how a fictional U.S. administration misused its communications power to create phony stories to put this Nation into an international conflict. This administration has not only wagged the dog in Iraq, but with the help of its fabricators at the Rendon and Lincoln groups, it has wagged a whole kennel.

In a free society, the media cannot be a lap dog of any administration. The first amendment says, Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of the press, except of course under this administration.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I stand to support the Hinchey/Rohrabacher Amendment, an amendment to end federal raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in states where medical marijuana is legal.

Despite marijuana's recognized therapeutic value, including a National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine report recommending its use in certain circumstances, federal law refuses to recognize its medicinal importance and safety.

This amendment does not change the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. It does not legalize marijuana, or stop law enforcement officials from prosecuting individuals for recreational use of marijuana. It does not require that states adopt laws protecting the medicinal use of marijuana. It simply extends the protections already provided at the state level in ten states to the federal level. It ensures that critically ill patients can find relief from nausea and pain without worrying that the federal government will prosecute them.

The federal government should use its power to help terminally ill citizens, not arrest them. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I want to thank the gentleman from West Virginia.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the chairman, Mr. Wolf, for his leadership in helping to keep our NASA centers healthy in the long term, a concern that I share and that requires extremely difficult decisions under tight funding caps.

At the same time, I am concerned with the bedrock of NASA's success, its world class workforce. The 2005 NASA Authorization Bill enacted a moratorium on involuntary reductions in force until March of 2007.

In addition, the act required 11.5 months between the submission of a complete workforce plan and the end of a ban on RIFs. However, NASA has thus far been unable to determine their existing skills mix and future skills mix demand. Any hasty action would cause NASA to lose irreplaceable intellectual capacity and institutional

memory and would harm its recruiting capabilities.

Any workforce reshaping should therefore only be implemented after clearly establishing the agency's current and future workforce needs and after exhausting all cost-effective voluntary means to maintain critical skills and to fill any gaps. This is especially true given that so much Constellation work on the horizon relies heavily on Apollo era and shuttle era design elements.

I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

I want to thank the gentleman for his commitment and thank him for the outstanding work that he has done in the past in helping us on these matters.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and, thank you Mr. Mollohan.

Amendment Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Chuck and Evelyn Sebes, as they celebrate 50 years of love and commitment that continues to lift the lives of family, friends, and extends outward into our community.

Chuck and Evelyn met in 1953 and wed 3 years later on June 16, 1956. In 1959, they bought their home in Parma, where they still live. Evelyn was employed by Ohio Bell for several years and decided to leave the workforce to devote her time to her children. Together, Evelyn and Chuck lovingly raised their four children: Joe, Jim, Janet, and Joyce. Later, Evelyn returned to work part-time for Higbees and Dillards, and worked at both stores for a total of nearly 30 years.

Chuck worked for National Tool Company for 22 years until the company closed. While there, he served as President of the United Steel Workers of America, Local 4827, a tenure which reflected his unwavering focus on the rights and welfare of workers and their families. Chuck was later appointed to the Ohio Regional Board of Review for Worker's Compensation by then Governor Richard Celeste. In 1991, he was appointed by Martin E. Vittardi, Clerk of Parma Municipal Court, to serve as his Chief Deputy, where he continues his service today. Chuck has served as a Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Precinct committee person and as an Executive Committee member and is the longest serving City Leader for the Parma Democratic Party. He is an active member of Parma Southwest COPE, AFL-CIO and together with Evelyn they belong to Parma Elks Lodge 1938. Chuck and Evelyn's passionate sense of volunteerism, especially on behalf of improving wages and working conditions for workers, continues to positively impact countless families throughout our community.

The bond they share with their children comes from life lessons that Chuck and Evelyn taught them while growing up. To be selfless, to lead a life of volunteerism, to live by the golden rule--``do unto others as you would have them do unto you''--and to remember that there is nothing as important as God's gift of family. The memory of their mother's soft skin while holding them reminds them of a safe and loving childhood. It was the sound of their father's voice telling them colorful stories and jokes that brought laughter into their home. Their grandchildren Danielle, Shelley, Jackie, Christopher, Lauren, Samantha, and Jamie fill Chuck and Evelyn's lives with pride and love. At gatherings, it is Evelyn's potato salad and Chuck's ethnic dishes that everyone looks forward to. Time spent with friends playing pinochle and poker or bowling has formed lifelong friendships. Their legacy will be one of dedication to one another, to their family, and to their community.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of my dear friends, Chuck and Evelyn Sebes, as we join them in celebration of this momentous occasion--their 50th wedding anniversary. Their devotion to each other, to their children, grandchildren and friends, and their commitment to giving back to others continues to touch the lives of everyone they I know, including my own, and serves to strengthen and uplift our entire community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the parish community of St. Hyacinth Catholic Church, as members and leaders celebrate 100 years of faith and hope throughout Cleveland's southeast side.

Throughout the past century, St. Hyacinth Parish has opened wide its doors to all who seek spiritual renewal and fellowship. Its ministry reaches beyond the parish itself through the numerous members who have joined the clergy as a result of the guidance and fulfillment they found at St. Hyacinth.

St. Hyacinth began its ministry as a response to the influx of Polish immigrants in the ``Jackowo'' neighborhood. Feeling crowded in the existing parish, the residents bought land from the Board of Education and have remained at that location since opening in 1906. The newly instated Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon will lead the Jubilee Mass at the parish in commemoration of the past one hundred years of service and in celebration of the next 100 years.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of every past and current member and spiritual leader of St. Hyacinth Catholic Church. Despite a growing and changing community, St. Hyacinth Catholic Church has consistently provided compassionate spiritual direction, in the heart of Cleveland and far beyond.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Louis Brownlowe, upon his retirement that follows an exemplary, thirty- six year career as a Teacher-Counselor, Dean of Special Studies and Dean of University Studies at Cleveland State University.

Mr. Brownlowe earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Miles College and a Masters Degree in Education from Cleveland State University. Throughout his tenure at CSU, he concentrated his efforts on programs and projects that provide access to higher education for non-traditional students, who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to enroll in college.

In 1971, Mr. Brownlowe became actively involved in the Ohio Association of TRIO Program Directors. He served on the task force of the National Council of Educational Opportunity Associates, which eventually became a significant aspect of the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1980. Mr. Brownlowe was a leading force in establishing CSU's Upward Bound Program, which began in 1999. Mr. Brownlowe continues his dedication to civic action and empowering others, especially our youth. As the Superintendent of the Sunday School and President of the Youth Ministry at Union Grove Baptist Church, Mr. Brownlowe serves as a gentle guide and inspiration and a shining role model that reflects the significance of personal strength, conviction, determination, accomplishment, and the importance of education.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor, recognition and gratitude of Mr. Louis Brownlowe, upon his retirement from Cleveland State University--a vocation of the heart, framed by thirty-six years of outstanding service, integrity and accomplishment. His dedication, expertise, leadership, and energy, focused on educational opportunity for all, extends outward into the community where he volunteers his time and talents on behalf of lifting countless lives onto a foundation of hope, spiritual strength and opportunity. I wish Mr. Brownlowe and his family an abundance of health, peace and happiness as his journey begins from here.

Madam Speaker, a reading from the book of James, Madison that is.

The fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated.

That amendment was passed in 1791. In 2006, the administration is getting the banking records of millions of Americans without a warrant. The government wants to know who you write checks to, who writes checks to you. They want to flag those transactions and investigate without a warrant legal, private conduct. Under the PATRIOT Act, they can monitor wire transfers, ATM and credit card transactions.

This year, as we celebrate the 230th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, we find 150,000 troops in Iraq so the people there can have the very rights we are losing at home.

It is time to reawaken in our people the courage of the Founders, the spirit that founded a free Nation so that we can remain a free Nation. That struggle is not in Iraq. It is here in America.

Mr. Speaker, the last 24 hours will tell you everything you need to know about what is wrong with this Congress: hold up voting rights, knock down the minimum wage increase, relieve the superrich of responsibility for paying estate taxes, keep sending our children to fight and die in a war based on lies. That, by the way, is the real death tax, and it is paid by the poor and the middle class. Our new motto should be: United We Stand, Sure, But Divided We Profit.

H.R. 5638, the estate tax legislation, should be more accurately described as the American Idle Act, I-D-L-E, because it relieves the children of billionaires and multi-multi-millionaires of over one- quarter of a trillion dollars in estate taxes in just 5 years starting in 2013. The $2,600 per taxpayer loss of revenue will take money from our schools and from our health care and from senior citizens programs.

The Bible says it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. Here in Washington, the superrich ride elephants, and some donkeys, to get to their alabaster heaven where they pay no taxes.

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying to my friend from Indiana, I think it would be helpful for this Congress to have the information about all of the family farms that have gone out of business in Indiana because of this estate tax. I think it would be helpful if we wrote to the appropriate officials in Indiana to get that list so we could share it with everyone here and see how it impacts this legislation.

I want to say, the last 24 hours will tell you everything you need to know about what is wrong with Congress: holding up the Voting Rights Act; knocking down the minimum wage increase; relieving the superrich from responsibility for paying estate taxes; and keep sending our children to fight and die in a war based on lies. That, by the way, is the real death tax, and it is paid by the poor and the middle class.

Our new motto should be: ``United We Stand, Sure. But Divided We Profit.''

H.R. 5638, the estate tax legislation, should be more accurately described as the American Idle Act, I-D-L-E, because it relieves the children of billionaires and multimillionaires of over one-quarter of a trillion dollars of estate taxes in just the 5 years starting in 2013. The $2,600 per taxpayer loss of revenue will take money from our schools, our health care, our senior citizens, and our veterans.

The Bible says it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. Here in Washington, the superrich ride elephants, and hopefully no donkeys, to get to their alabaster heaven where they pay no taxes.

Money, most of which has never been taxed once, will continue to gush upwards. The estate tax is cleverly tied to the capital gains rate, currently at 15 percent. Estates up to $25 million or $50 million for a couple will pay the capital gains rate of 15 percent, and those over that will pay double the rate; but what will happen when Congress eliminates the capital gains tax? There will be no estate tax because one or even two times zero is still zero. At that time the destruction of the middle class will be complete. The ascendency of a new plutocracy will be complete.

Allan Sloan of Newsweek put it this way 2 years ago: ``In the name of preserving family farms and keeping small businesses in the family, President Bush would create a new class of landed aristocrats who would inherit billions tax-free, invest the money, watch it compound tax-free and hand it down tax-free to their heirs.''

President Lincoln didn't pray for a government of the wealthy, by the wealthy and for the wealthy at Gettysburg. He prayed for a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Whose prayers are we answering here?

Mr. Speaker, if you had a friend who anytime he took the car out for a drive got in a wreck, if you really cared about your friend and others, you would take away the car

keys. Nearly every time this administration takes the U.S. for a drive out in the world, it crashes the car. Look at Iraq: no diplomacy, confrontation, attack, occupation. Iran: no diplomacy, confrontation. North Korea: no diplomacy, threats, confrontation, even when they are preparing a missile test.

Instead of a national missile defense system which doesn't work protecting us against a North Korea missile of dubious accuracy, we should look at talking with them. North Korea wants direct talks. Well, talk to them. Don't crash the car.

America must be able to negotiate in a complex world without confrontation and creating enemies. You are either with us or against us or bring it on? That is not a path towards successful diplomacy.

There is a basic flaw in America's world view and this administration's world view. This, then, is a call for a new diplomacy, policies where we look at potential adversaries as potential allies, and then acting upon that vision.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas who serves ably on the Committee. And it is a good demonstration here of bipartisan support, and I certainly want to add to it by supporting the legislation.

I also think that I can speak for many Members in saying how much we appreciate Representative Kennedy's role in all of this. He has shown himself to be a very valuable Member of this Congress, and his voice is an important voice in this Congress, and we certainly want to do all we can to not only further his leadership, but encourage his participation.

I want to say, though, to Mr. Tiberi, who has done a very good job on this, there is a gaping hole in this legislation, and we need to address it in conference. I intended to offer an amendment that would help provide for administrations on aging and thousands of volunteers nationwide from being squeezed by the rising cost of gasoline. My amendment would have provided a nonbinding formula for calculating annual increases in fuel cost for the three Older American Act programs that are most heavily dependent on transportation. These programs include the in-home nutrition services, the congregate nutrition services, and the supportive services that provide rides to doctors' appointments, trips to the grocery store and to senior centers, among other services.

These programs help seniors maintain their independence, dignity and health. In 2003, the supportive services gave almost 36 million rides and provided 20 million hours of personal care, homemaker and chore services. In that same year, 248 million meals were served. Each meal required transportation.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the price of gas the week ending on Christmas of the year 2000 was $1.60. The price of gas for the week of May 15, 2006, was $3.15. In other words, since the Older Americans Act was last authorized, gas prices have doubled.

High gas prices heavily impact programs like meal and transportation services. First, programs have to cut back services for all nonessential trips such as family visits, general shopping, trips to the workplace, and other social activities. Second, volunteer drivers, many of whom are retired and on fixed incomes, are quitting because their mileage reimbursement rates can't be updated by the underfunded Administration on Aging. Finally, as gas prices squeeze seniors living at the financial margin, forcing them to lose their independence, they rely more heavily on services like those provided by the Administration on Aging through the Older Americans Act.

At the same time that prices have gone up, funding has gone down. My amendment would have held harmless from rising gasoline prices the congregate and in-home nutrition services as well as the supportive services by authorizing a yearly adjustment to the fuel component of their budget. If the price of crude oil rises year after year, then the agency's fuel budgets would rise a proportionate amount. If oil prices fall, fuel budgets would fall as well.

Although I strongly support the underlying bill, I want to say that it is important that the House address this in conference. We have to do more to make sure our mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents are not losing the services they need to help them lead an independent, dignified, healthy life because of high gas prices. Keep it in mind, so many services are dependent on transportation. If the price of transportation goes up, we don't want senior citizens hurt from this. I ask Mr. Tiberi to do everything he can in conference to help our senior citizens meet this. I thank my fellow colleagues.