Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 328, DTV Delay Act. With the deadline of February 17, 2009 for DTV transition quickly approaching, it is very important that we recognize and address the reality that consumers are still confused by this transition and in many jurisdictions are not prepared for the transition to digital television. Unfortunately, the number of people who stand to lose their access to TV programming in the DTV transition is considerable. Approximately 30 to 40 million people still rely on over-the-air television, most of who are senior citizens, poor or non-English speakers and underserved communities. Although there has been a considerable amount of outreach, it has still been haphazard. There are still issues that may make the impending deadline unrealistic.

For example, in my district--the U.S. Virgin Islands--I have heard numerous complaints about the receipt of the vouchers via U.S. Postal Service, which in my district takes much longer than most areas in the U.S. mainland. Unfortunately, S. 328 did not include the House provision to require first class mail service for the delivery of coupons via the U.S. Postal Service. This provision would have made a big a difference in expediting the mail delivery time to the U.S. territories. I hope that NTIA will work on resolving this issue, although it is not a provision in the bill.

There are other components of the bill that can potentially make it a smooth transition. Although an extension will cause delays, it is important that we protect our Nation's consumers and ensure that no one is left behind in this transition. The DTV transition is not something that is easily understood by all consumers and it has become evident that it will take more time to bring everyone on board. We must work to ensure that this important transition does not leave millions of consumers in the dark.

In the interest of time, I urge passage of this legislation but encourage the NTIA to continue work with Congress on resolving the program's deficiencies.

Madam Speaker, I am proud today to rise for the 11 million children who will have health coverage when we pass H.R. 2 for the first time and it's finally signed into law by the incoming President.

CHIPRA will make a significant down payment on President-elect Obama's and our promise to insure all of our children. And it rightfully refuses to leave out children and pregnant woman legally admitted into our country.

It includes dental and mental health care, and will help eliminate health disparities because many of those covered children will be children of color. Healthy children have a better chance to also become healthy adults.

It's the right thing to do. It should not have take this long, and I urge my colleagues to pass it for the good of our children and the good of our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today for 11 million reasons--the 7 million children whose insurance will continue and the more than 4 million other children who will be insured for the first time--many of whom are children of color--with the passage of H.R. 2.

I must commend Chairmen Pallone, Waxman and Dingell--whose steadfast efforts to expand health coverage to millions of American Children and whose unwillingness to accept mediocrity is why we are here today.

If we are all having dejavu, it is because we have done this twice before. And we are here today not just because of the charm on the third try, but because this year we will have a new president who will finally sign it into law.

H.R. 2 will not only make a significant down payment on President elect Obama's and our promise to insure all of our country's children, it rightfully refuses to leave out children and pregnant women who have been legally admitted into our country. Doing this is not only the right thing to do it is the least we can do to insure the health of all of our children.

This bill also includes important expansions to the program for screening and prevention as well as dental and mental health care, addressing child health in a more holistic way

Because more than half of all uninsured children are racial and ethnic minorities, this bill will help to eliminate health disparities in this most vulnerable group and improve the outlook for their health later in adulthood.

Today we have the opportunity to reach across the political aisle to do the right thing--to make the health and health care needs of our nation's children the priority they must be--to make sure that every child has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, so that our Nation can too.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2--to vote for America's children. It is nothing less than a vote for the future of our country.

Madam Speaker. I rise to pay tribute and to welcome a place of solace, healing and faith that will soon be built to serve the community of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, November 29, 2008 to commemorate the construction of a new 7,000-seat sanctuary in Estate Barren Spot, St. Croix, which will be called the City of Refuge.

The sanctuary is being built to serve all citizens of the entire Virgin Islands, and I would like to commend Senior Pastor Mona L. Barnes, Apostle Eleanor A. Estrada, and the congregation of Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries for their vision and enduring passion for serving our community.

The church is currently building an independent living complex to provide much-needed housing for our elderly population. Fourteen of the 48 units being built will soon be dedicated and ready for occupancy.

Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries completed in 2001 the construction of a multipurpose gymnasium, which now serves as their

interim sanctuary. The church continues to provide programs that serve at-risk youth, particularly our young men.

The years of hard work and dedication to having this sanctuary built is a true testament to the perseverance of the leadership and congregation of Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries, their faith, and their unwavering conviction and belief that with God, all things are possible.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, I extend best wishes and God's blessings to Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries as they aim to build the City of Refuge for the people of St. Croix. I am grateful for their dedication to serving God and the entire Virgin Islands community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding Second National Health Disparity Conference sponsored by the University of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Research Center and the Director, Dr. Gloria Callwood, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last week in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. We will meet in Atlanta, Georgia, next year.

The conference brought together Members of Congress, leading researchers from the Federal Government, academic institutions and the private sector, educators, advocates and health consumers. We looked at issues ranging from factors determining academic success in African American males to the impact of climate change on health, but primarily focused on the health and health care challenges of Americans of color and poor and rural Americans. The presentations, questions, comments and recommendations will inform the health care reform agenda of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 111th Congress.

Madam Speaker, I extend thanks to the capitol and local security, sponsors, speakers, attendees, staff and all who made the conference a success, but especially Shelley Thomas of my staff and MUSC Assistant Professor David Rivers for his leadership and vision.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Republic of China on the occasion of Taiwan's National Day on October 10, 2008. On behalf of my constituents, I extend best wishes and warm greetings to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and Taiwan Representative Jason Yuan.

I also extend a warm welcome to the Taiwanese to visit our Virgin Islands shores and I look forward to continued good relations between our two countries for many years to come.

Thank you, Congressman Conyers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with Chairman Conyers and my esteemed colleagues to stress the need for comprehensive health care reform that not only tackles the core issues but substantively transforms the foundation upon which this Nation's health care crisis is existing. And the story that Congressman Conyers told about Taylor could be repeated over and over again across this country.

The pursuit of and desire to have good health and access to reliable, high quality health care cuts across geography and gender; across race and ethnicity and political affiliation. These wants and needs are basic to all human beings. And because they are basic human needs, the time has come for health care to be affirmed as a basic human right.

As an American and as a physician, I am embarrassed that, today, the United States is the only industrialized Nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a right of citizenship. So I think that we have much to learn from the industrialized nations who, through either single payer universal health care systems or a multipayer universal health care system, have put the health and wellness of their residents at the top of their agendas and, as a result, are healthier than we are today.

For example, compared to the rest of the world, the United States ranks 41st in maternal mortality rates, which means that 40 other nations, most of which have fewer resources than we do, have lower mortality rates than us.

Additionally, we are ranked 42nd in infant mortality, which means that 41 nations, including Cuba, the United Kingdom, Anguilla, Japan and Singapore, have a lower infant mortality rate than we do.

The underlying reason for these shameful numbers is this country's failure to address health disparities and to put into place effective, comprehensive and culturally appropriate programs to eliminate them. Not only do people of color make up most of the 45 million uninsured and the additional 50 million underinsured, but because of this as well as because of discrimination and the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate care, they also are the majority of those who die prematurely from preventable causes in this wealthy and technologically advanced country.

It's very important to note that the millions of Americans who comprise our Nation's un- and underinsured population are not people who are lazy. They're not people who are looking for a handout. They are hardworking, honest Americans. The overwhelming majority of the uninsured are members of working families who do not have access to employer-sponsored health coverage. In fact, more than 8 out of 10 uninsured Americans make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not nearly enough to purchase health care insurance on their own.

The provision of health care to Americans living in the territories paints an even worse picture. And that's my individual story this evening, the story of 4.5 million people living in offshore areas.

Those of us who live in the offshore areas of the United States have an additional burden when it comes to accessing health care services. For Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program is capped, and it is capped far below what is needed to provide the most basic of services to those who are at or below the poverty level.

So, even in those families at 100 percent of poverty, they can't qualify. There's not enough money in our programs. Many who need long- term care cannot get it because our Medicaid program cannot afford it. Other programs that are taken for granted in the States are not available to us because the funds are just not there to cover them. And in fact, the level of funding per Medicaid patient, even at the low numbers that are enrolled, is one-tenth of that spent on Medicaid beneficiaries in the States. Many of those States are richer than we are and have lower health care costs, and yet they get 10 times more funding per Medicaid beneficiary.

Both on the mainland as well as in the offshore areas, our Nation's un- and underinsured Americans are paying the ultimate price for the absence of universal health care. They pay more out-of-pocket health costs, as we heard, and worse, they pay for it with poorer health and even with premature disability and death.

And everyone, including those who have insurance, pay for it in rising premiums, higher deductibles and co-pays, and reduced quality of health care services for everyone.

The grim statistics and analyses prove one thing: We need to expand access to health care and completely eliminate un- and underinsurance in this country. The only way to accomplish this is through universal health care.

Access, however, is but one issue that we need to address within a comprehensive health care reform package. There is another issue that must be addressed because it, too, has to be an integral component of our health care reform discussions and efforts. And that issue is health disparities.

The direct and indirect impacts of health disparities are well-known, and we know that they cut across every aspect of life. Additionally, we know that these disparities leave millions of African Americans, Native Americans and other people of color, women and rural Americans also, in a particularly precarious position as it relates to their health and health care. Not only are those most affected by health disparities disproportionately more likely to

be un- and underinsured, as I mentioned, but they also are disproportionately less likely, far less likely to receive the high quality of health care services and treatments available for everyone else.

For example, the rates of hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes, which is an indicator of the quality of care received, for Hispanics and African Americans were more than three and five times, respectively, higher than the rate for Whites.

The same scenario holds true for hospital admissions for asthma. African American children and adults have hospitalization rates for asthma that are five and four times, respectively again, higher than Whites.

African American diabetics and Native American diabetics are three times more likely than White diabetics to have lower limb amputations.

The differences in health care quality are not just evident in the hospitalization rates, but also in the disparate rates of utilization of services and treatments. African Americans are disproportionately less likely than whites to be referred to undergo cardiac catheterization or to receive more aggressive treatments for lung cancer or colorectal cancers, although they are known major causes of death in the African American community.

In fact, studies confirm that across several dozen health care quality measures, African Americans receive a poorer quality of care than whites almost half, 43 percent, of the time for African Americans; for Hispanics, they receive a lower quality of care more than half of the time, 53 percent of the time; and for American Indians and Alaska Natives, they receive a lower quality of care more than one-third of the time, 38 percent.

These differences in quality, like the differences in access, have a profound and detrimental impact on their health, wellness and ability to achieve their full lives' potentials. Additionally, these racial and ethnic differences in quality persist, even when insurance status, educational level, socioeconomic status, and disease severity are taken into consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the time for comprehensive health care is upon us, and the time to ensure that our efforts not only surmount access barriers but also achieve health equity is now.

As we as a Nation engage in increased discussions about health care reform, propose solutions to our under-and uninsurance plight and mounting health care costs, and finally move the idea of universal health care from concept to reality, we must address the health disparities and the root causes of health inequities, the social determinants of health, in order to be successful.

The Nation's public health and health policy experts agree that a health care reform effort that fails to incorporate and integrate health disparity elimination as a core benchmark and objective is an effort that is flawed.

So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and all of our friends off the Hill to work together to ensure that as we work towards a health care system where everyone is in and no one is out and to reform the system, that we do so in a manner that positively transforms the lives of the millions of Americans for whom quality health care has been denied and deferred for far too long.

I thank Chairman Conyers for holding this Special Order this evening on this very important issue.

I picked that up from the American Student Medical Association. I believe that was their slogan.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to honor the legacy of an outstanding educator, Mrs. Louise Brady. I am proud to join the entire Virgin Islands community in extending best wishes to Mrs. Brady, as she retires after 56 years of exemplary service to Virgin Islands children and families, as a teacher and principal at the All Saints Cathedral School. In that capacity, she demonstrated the highest degree of integrity and humanity. Mrs. Brady has inspired and instilled in our young people fairness, honesty, respect, tenacity, and a firm commitment to achieving one's aspirations.

Mrs. Brady migrated to St. Thomas in 1952 and started work as a teacher at All Saints Cathedral School. In 1975, the Cathedral Church of All Saints, through its rector, The Very Rev. Thomas W. Gibbs III and vestry member Mrs. Reubina Gomez, invited her to accept the post of principal of the school.

As principal, Mrs. Brady worked feverishly to shape the school into the Virgin Island's premier institution of education for students from pre-school through grade 12. Over the years, the school has produced persons who have gone on to serve the Virgin Islands, the United States, and other parts of the world in various capacities. Mrs. Brady is not just an icon of All Saints, but of the community of the Virgin Islands as a whole.

During her years at the Cathedral School, she married, and with her husband, raised four children; all of whom are accomplished in their sphere of work. Her children, Alonzo, Stephen, Beverly, and Deborah, were educated at All Saints Cathedral School.

Mrs. Brady has also been a faithful Anglican/Episcopalian, who has a strong belief in payer which she also instilled in the students. Every activity at All Saints, to this day, begins with prayer.

With her love and eagerness to see all students achieve their full potential, Mrs. Brady ensured that the students participate in both academic and extra curricula activities. The numerous trophies, plaques, and commendations that are prominently displayed on the office walls are a testimony to the numerous successful competitions in which the school participated. Activities such as the Christmas concert, Black history fair, music and art festival, science and social studies exhibition, maypole are some of the initiatives that the school has introduced to enrich the lives of the students and make them well- rounded individuals.

Mrs. Brady has always embraced, encouraged, and welcomed children of all nationalities, creeds, and races; therefore, making all Saints a true rainbow of an integrated society.

Mrs. Louise Brady has directly or indirectly impacted the lives of just about every family in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, mine included as my brother Adam and sister Rebecca were among those who benefited from her tutelage.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to pay tribute to this phenomenal woman. The Virgin Islands are truly blessed to count her among our most treasured jewels.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of these Homeland Security bipartisan measures. I would like to commend Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King for their efforts to bring these bills to the floor today. I would also like to congratulate the authors of these bills Congresswoman Harman and Congressmen Carney, Langevin, King, Bilirakis, Reichert, and Perlmutter.

Individually, the bills presented today improve operations within the Department of Homeland Security, including issues related to privacy, information sharing and enhanced security. Collectively, they improve on the provisions of H.R. 1, the Implementing 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act.

Protecting the privacy of our citizens is an important but very difficult issue to balance in our Nation's war against terrorism. Under H.R. 1570, the presence of a full-time Component Privacy Officer would ensure that privacy considerations remain at the forefront and are integrated into the decisionmaking process at all of the DHS Components.

Through our oversight work, it is clear that DHS's information systems have been penetrated and remain vulnerable to cyber attacks. H.R. 5983, the Homeland Security Network Defense and Accountability Act of 2008, represents a critical step toward improving the cybersecurity network at DHS by ensuring a robust defense of its information systems, and holding individuals at all levels accountable for mitigating vulnerabilities.

While protecting DHS information systems is critical to our Nation's security, we also need to be mindful of the importance and need for information sharing. H.R. 6193, H.R. 4806 and H.R. 3815 address the need for information sharing in a secure manner. H.R. 6193--Improving Public Access to Documents Act of 2008--dovetails with H.R. 4086's effort to remove obstacles to more and better information sharing in the unclassified category.

Our offshore territories are the first point of entry to the U.S. for many foreigners and our shores are extremely vulnerable to illegal and possibly terrorist activities. I am pleased that H.R. 5531 will put in motion a plan to deploy next-generation radiological detection technology at our ports of entry to more effectively and more efficiently scan persons and cargo as they enter the United States. I fully support the ``Biometric Identification At Sea Pilot Project'' which has allowed the Coast Guard to collect biometrics from individuals interdicted in the Caribbean to run them against terrorist and criminal databases. H.R. 5531 and H.R. 2490 address the vulnerabilities of our Caribbean shores.

Madam Speaker, the implementation of these bills would not be possible without our State, local and tribal entities. Fusion Centers provide much needed support to these entities in the implementation of Homeland Security programs. H.R. 6098 requires DHS to allow State and local governments to use Homeland Security grant funding to hire and keep analysts in fusion centers--for however long State and local officials see fit.

I urge my colleagues to support these bills and their passage.

Madam Speaker, first I want to thank Chairman Dingell, Chairman Pallone and Chairman Waxman for your leadership and for working with us on the CBC to address some of our concerns about the bill.

Colleagues, we've heard and read of all the methods and additives tobacco companies have allegedly used to target young people and communities, particularly African Americans and Hispanics, as well as to increase the likelihood of addiction. We also know that tobacco is the leading cause of death in this country, with or without menthol.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 1108 because we will finally end these practices and put in place the strongest standard for product regulation ever, as well as a mechanism for funding to support research and enforcement.

Madam Speaker, this bill does not contain everything that all of us wanted, but it is supported by the public health community because it is the important first step we must take in order to get to the point where products like menthol, that we believe may injure the health of minorities and others, will no longer be available.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``aye'' and the President to sign this bill so that we can move forward, after long years of trying, to finally protect the health of our constituents. And I will place in the Record a statement by the CBC.

We, the undersigned members of the Congressional Black

Caucus, issue the following statement:

Recognizing the difficulty in getting a bill which would

garner the sufficient votes in the House and Senate for

passage, we the members of the Congressional Black Caucus

stand firmly with the Public Health Community in support of:

The strongest standard for product regulation ever given to

the FDA (stronger than food, drugs or medical devices);

Barriers to and serious consequences for those who try to

market and sell to children;

The banning of additives used to manufacture flavored

cigarettes, which are marketed to children and which are used

to get children of ALL racial and ethnic backgrounds addicted

to cigarettes in the first place;

A faster track for the development of smoking cessation and

nicotine-replacement therapies; and

The authority for greater regulation--including of

menthol--in the future.

And the other provisions of H.R. 1108.

Taking into consideration the disproportionate rates of

cancer in the African-American community and the high use of

menthol in our community, and given the fact that an attempt

to ban menthol has already been offered and failed, we feel

that this important first step which gives the authority to

the Secretary to ban menthol and speeds up the research

recommendations and report of the Scientific Advisory

committee, is worthy of our support.

The Congressional Black Caucus has a long history in

promoting smoking cessation programs in our community and

will continue to make this a priority both as a Caucus and

through partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus

Foundation.

Our objective has been and will always be the well-being of

the African-American community, other communities of color

and all Americans. With our support for H.R. 1108 we continue

this proud tradition.

Banning menthol and regulating tobacco are priorities for

the CBC. We are pleased with the leadership role we assumed

to accomplish both because this bill, which regulates

tobacco, also represents a giant first step toward the

elimination of menthol.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in full support of the rule and the bill to adopt the Senate version of the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, which will reauthorize, expand, and strengthen the PEPFAR program.

First, I want to thank and applaud Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her steadfast leadership. We would not be here today were it not for her hard work. And also our colleague Congressman Luis Fortuno for his successful efforts to include all Caribbean countries for the first time. I am proud to have been a part of that effort. And let me also thank the Honorable John Maginley, the Health Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who played a pivotal role in our efforts here as well.

This is very important because the Caribbean is second in prevalence to sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, last year in the Caribbean, there were 230,000 adults and children infected with HIV, a prevalence rate of 1 to over 3 percent, depending on the nation, and there were 11,000 deaths. Without support from PEPFAR, the Caribbean will continue to experience noted and detrimental economic, public health, and sociopolitical repercussions that this bill will help to thwart.

I have had the opportunity to see the work of PEPFAR firsthand. With this bill we will be able to do so much more: prevent 12 million new cases, treat and support millions of newly infected individuals, and expand the health care workforce that we need. So today I rise in strong support of this rule and the bill and for this program that saves countless lives and a program that, with the strengthened focus and increased funding, let the millions of innocent human beings with HIV around the globe know that they will be able to live healthier and more productive lives. This bill represents our country at its best.

I am proud to support the rule and the bill and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution and play a key role in ensuring that we do our part to bring this world one step closer towards beating the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 364, which recognizes the significance of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. I am proud to have joined my friend, Congresswoman Barbara Lee in sponsoring this resolution once again.

Madam Speaker the term ``Heritage'' is the amalgamation of things that make us who we are and where we are, as individuals, the people we are and, in this case, the nation we are.

During ``Caribbean American Heritage Month,'' we celebrate the great contributions of Caribbean Americans to the framework of the United States of America. This celebration should mark an accolade to the common culture and liaison that create the unity between the United States and the Caribbean.

The ``Caribbean American Heritage Month'' marks our appreciation for the many ways in which Caribbean Americans have contributed to our great Nation. We may look as far back as the period of 1900 to 1920 which marked the initiation of mass labor migration from the Caribbean to the United States and the formation of the first large Caribbean communities in the United States.

Let us not forget World War I when the recruitment of labor from the Caribbean became imperative. These laborers atoned for the reduced number of the European immigrants to the United States. More than 100,000 Caribbean laborers were recruited for agricultural and tedious jobs as part of war labors. Some of them were men and women who fought for our country upon being granted citizenship. We should acknowledge the Caribbean American men and women who served our country and those who continue to serve this nation today.

When we look at the history of the Caribbean Americans, we see the enormity of their contribution to our Nation. Likewise, we see the similarity in the senses that just like America; the countries of the Caribbean faced slavery and were colonized. We now have millions of people who have emigrated from the Caribbean to the United States.

We should acknowledge the enrichment that they have contributed to the United States. The uniqueness in their culture has helped in diversifying and shaping America; thus, pulsating our States, cities and towns. The countries of the Caribbean have also played a role in the economic growth of the United States.

As a daughter of the Caribbean myself, I also honor the contributions of Virgin Islanders such as D. Hamilton Jackson, a famous laborer; Alexander Hamilton, one of our Nation's Founding Fathers and raised on the island of St. Croix; and Frank Rudolph Crosswaith, who created the Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers, the Negro Labor Committee and became a founding member of the anti-Communist Union for Democratic Action.

These and several other factors should be reflected during the Caribbean American Heritage Month. Let us honor, value and show gratitude to those who contribute in making us the nation that we are.

Madam Speaker, every day Americans are struggling to drive their kids to school or run important errands. Every day Americans are struggling to fill up their gas tanks. And every day President Bush opposes a different Democratic solution to bringing down prices at the pump.

Today is day 9 of our efforts urging the President to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move that has a history of real results. But the White House has slammed the idea, saying it has been ineffective in the past.

I guess President Bush doesn't remember when his father released oil from the Reserve in 1990 and oil prices dropped 33 percent immediately. Or when President Clinton took action in 2000. Real relief was apparent before oil even reached market. He also forgot when he himself released oil from the SPR only 2 years ago, and a barrel of oil dropped $5.

This is action Americans are demanding; relief at the pump now.

Madam Speaker, releasing oil from the reserve is a tested and proven solution to providing struggling Americans with relief today. It is time President Bush stands up for consumers and taps into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 6331--The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. I also rise to urge all of my colleagues--on both sides of the aisle--to do what this President won't: to protect the millions of seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare to preserve their health and well-being.

As a physician and as the Chair of the CBC Health Braintrust, I find it more than unfortunate that this President would veto a piece of sound health legislation that would help our Nation's most vulnerable, and that would prevent the catastrophic payment cuts to physicians. With this override, we will ensure that seniors and active-duty military personnel and retirees have access to doctors who they not only know, but who they trust.

Additionally, I feel strongly--as do more than 150 national organizations--that H.R. 6331 is a bill that needs to be enacted because it will reduce many of the health inequities that disproportionately and detrimentally affect millions of racial and ethnic minorities, as well as rural Medicare beneficiaries, by: strengthening the collection of data to better assess and identify solutions to health disparities; enhancing the scope of preventive and mental health benefits; bolstering low-income assistance programs for Medicare beneficiaries; improving access to quality health care for the millions of rural Americans--a disproportionate number of whom are racial and ethnic minorities--who currently experience insurmountable barriers to care; strengthening and reforming the Medicare Advantage plans without reducing access to the services needed by the tens of thousands of seniors who rely on them to stay healthy; and protecting access to pharmacies so that our seniors have consistent and reliable access to their medications and so that our pharmacies--particularly those in low-income communities--are reimbursed promptly and adequately by Part D programs.

Madam Speaker, this bill passed in the Senate 1 month after it passed in the House, and did so with a veto-proof margin.

We--as a Congress--have not had many successes with introducing and passing smart and sound health policies that are as socially and medically appropriate as they are fiscally responsible. This bill could be one such success and I therefore urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Conyers for yielding, and I rise in support of H.R. 6344, the Responsive Government Act of 2008.

Before I speak to that bill, I also want to register my support for the previous bill, H. Res. 1293, which honors the memory of the three brave young men, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, who gave their lives to ensure that the right to vote would be guaranteed to every American. We thank them and their families for their service and their sacrifice.

Among its provisions, the Responsive Government Act of 2008 will make a minor but important amendment to the landmark Hatch-Waxman Act patent act of 1984. This act of 1984 has done much to make medicine available and more affordable for countless people in this country. Inadvertently though, in patent term restoration, there is an inflexible deadline provision which has the potential to limit the good that the act can do.

Within H.R. 6344 is a provision which will grant discretion to the Patent and Trademark Office to excuse minor filing errors as is the case with other patents. This will ensure that needed medication that treats sometimes life-threatening illnesses, like Angiomax and others, will be more readily available, while continuing to ensure patient protections.

This is an issue I have worked on as Chair of the Health Braintrust of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I am glad that it is on the floor for passage today. I applaud my colleague from Massachusetts, Mr. Delahunt, for his work on this bill, and the Chair and ranking member of the committee for their leadership, and I urge my colleagues to pass

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 2 today, which I introduced on the first day of this Congress and which expresses the sense of Congress that children in the United States should understand and appreciate the contributions of individuals from the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to the U.S. history. I am joined in this bill by 46 cosponsors.

This bill began with young people and it is for young people, but it is also for all Americans. A few years ago, I was on the campus of the Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas, and as I was leaving some students gathered around to greet me and ask questions. It is because of one of those questions that I introduced this resolution.

A young lady expressed her concern and frustration that so many stateside children and adults as well knew so little about the Virgin Islands. Is it is a complaint I have heard often from other students coming up for Close Up and other legislative classrooms. They challenged me to do something about it.

While it has taken longer than I would have liked, I am pleased that House Concurrent Resolution 2 is being considered today, and I would like to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, and all of the committee members for their support as well as my staff and the staff of the Education and Labor Committee for their work on bringing this resolution to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, the United States presently maintains sovereignty over three unincorporated territories and two commonwealths, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands. All, including the now Freely Associated States of Palau, Micronesia, and Marshall Islands, have contributed to the defense and the richness of the United States in politics, music, arts, science, sports, education, as well as in many other areas.

And there have been many historic events in the past that unfortunately are not well known by the rest of our country. As depicted in this painting that is the cover on a book about many of the relationships between the then Danish West Indies and the early years of this country, it is reported that it was a ship in Christiansted Harbor in St. Croix that gave the first foreign recognition to the early Stars and Stripes in June of 1776. In another fact, one of the earliest flags was designed by a Markoe, again from the then Danish West Indies.

Madam Speaker, among outstanding Virgin Islanders in American history, we are also proud to count Alexander Hamilton, one of the great Founding Fathers of our Nation, the first Secretary of the Treasury and the author of the Nation's financial system. Hamilton lived in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, then the Danish West Indies during his formative years and before coming to the then Colonies. It is while on the U.S. Virgin Islands that, according to noted historian Richard Brookhiser and others, that Hamilton learned accounting and trade which spanned international borders and where he began to develop his philosophy of life and politics. One of his earliest recorded writings is a descriptive and moving account of a hurricane which was published in the local newspaper when he was around 16, in 1772.

More recently, one of New York's premier politicians of the mid 1900s was J. Raymond Jones, also known as the Silver Fox, from St. Thomas, who ran politics in New York City and is credited as a mentor by our own greater leader in this Congress, Congressman and Chairman Charles Rangel. He played an important role in laying the political foundation of that city, which continues to this day.

We were active and remain active in the U.S. labor movement. Men like Ashley Totten was one of A. Phillip Randolph's lieutenants, and instrumental in the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

In the entertainment business, people like Kelsey Grammer grew up in St. Thomas, and he is well known for his character on Cheers and its spinoff, Frasier. Benny Benjamin, the well-known songwriter of songs like ``I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire,'' John Lucien, and others were from my home.

There are also individuals like Casper Holstein who played a role in the Harlem Renaissance, and Barbara Christian, an influential feminist literary scholar and critic who was born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

And, of course, we have also made major contributions in sports, with Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns who both hail from St. Croix. And in the past we had Giants catcher Valmy Thomas whose daughter Shelley works in our office, Joe Christopher and Horace Clarke, and many others in major league baseball. Boxing legends such as Emile Griffith and Julian Jackson are from the Virgin Islands. And none of us could match the number of major league football players who come from American Samoa.

But it should not take an NBA game or a boxing match to bring about awareness of the U.S. territories. Our children should begin to learn about the U.S. territories within the context of U.S. history.

Madam Speaker, it is the diversity of the citizens of the United States that

strengthens this Nation, and individuals from the territories have contributed to that diversity and continue through today. The sad reality is that far too many of our fellow Americans do not even know where the U.S. territories are located, not to mention the important contributions that they have made not only to U.S. history but to world history.

A full history program should include curricula that give students a balanced learning of all of the historic contributions that impact people who live in the United States, including contributions made by the people of the territories, the Commonwealth of the United States, and the Freely Associated States.

This bill will be a giant step forward in ensuring that all Americans, however separated by geography, are fully a part of the told and taught history of our great country, as we are today an integral part of its unfolding future. And to the children and young people of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Freely Associated States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, this bill is for you.

I urge my colleagues to pass House Concurrent Resolution 2.