Floor Statements

I go back to the day that we were sworn in and our Speaker saying that this was going to be a Congress that was dedicated to our children, and certainly, as everybody has pointed out, this budget that the President has sent out is just going in the opposite direction.

I would say, too, that in the Virgin Islands we do not get full SCHIP, we do not get full Medicare, and therefore, a lot of the services that even, meanwhile limited in the States, you take for granted, we are not even able to provide to our residents. Our veterans as well have to travel to Puerto Rico for their veterans care, and the cuts will cut deeply into their ability to travel to Puerto Rico to get the care that they need.

So, having just laid to rest two soldiers in the Virgin Islands, we are very sensitive to this issue, and we really have to sit down and work on this budget and ensure that our children, our veterans, our seniors receive the kind of health care that they need and deserve, and that we put that investment also to close the gaps in health care for people in our rural communities and people of color in this country.

Mr. Speaker, reports have been coming out since the HIV/AIDS epidemic first surfaced in the United States more than 25 years ago and every year, they have--and continue to--report the same findings: Since the beginning, this epidemic has had--and continues to have--a disproportionate and detrimental impact on the African American community. In fact, over time, the impact of the epidemic on the Black community has gotten worse, leaving African Americans--more so than any other population group--hardest hit by HIV/AIDS at every stage of life.

Today, African Americans--who are represented in about 13 percent of the U.S. population--account for more than 40 percent of all individuals currently living with AIDS and nearly 50 percent of all new HIV infections. More than 7 in 10 children born to women infected with HIV are African American and the AIDS case rate among African Americans is nearly ten times higher than that among whites. Additionally, African Americans account for 40 percent of all AIDS deaths. In fact, African Americans are 7 times more likely than whites to die from an AIDS-related causes.

Particularly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic are African American women, who are represented in roughly 7 in 10 new AIDS cases among women and who are an estimated 25 times more likely than white women to be infected with HIV. In fact, in 2002, AIDS was the leading cause of death for African-American women, aged 25 to 34 years of age.

Mr. Speaker, this epidemic has and continues to kill African Americans during their most productive life years, robbing them of their opportunity to follow their dreams, pursue their destinies and contribute not only to their communities, but to our society. As a physician who has seen--first hand--what the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not only to the people it afflicts, but to their families, friends, and communities, and given the incidence and prevalence numbers, the unnecessary, often-premature deaths, and the unbelievable toll that this epidemic has in the African American community, I feel strongly that the time has come for us to do more. We can do more, and we must.

I, therefore, rise today in strong and unwavering support of H. Con. Res. 35, which supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Recognized on February 7, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day--which reaches its 7th anniversary of being observed this year--is a critically important day because it raises awareness about the disastrous impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the African American community.

We all should support H. Con. Res. 35 and on February 7, 2007, we should observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in a manner that is consistent with its intent. We should publicize the importance of being informed about HIV/AIDS and about ones HIV status, and we should encourage our friends in the media to deliver messages stressing the importance of getting educated, involved and tested. Additionally, I urge all of my colleagues, on February 7 and beyond, to: encourage de- stigmatization of the disease among African Americans; expand voluntary testing because knowledge is power; work to reduce the social determinants of health--such as poverty and lack of education--that put people at greater risk for HIV infection; ensure that incarcerated and ex-offender populations have access to adequate and realistic HIV prevention methods, receive voluntary and confidential HIV testing and, if necessary, are rolled into adequate HIV/AIDS-related care, treatment and services; expand access to culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention programs, as well as to drug treatment and recovery services; and create the necessary political to fully fund the Minority AIDS Initiative in the amount of at least $610 million in order to target needed funds to build capacity in minority communities to give those who are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS a fighting chance.

Mr. Speaker, our new political climate has brought us a new day. As the Chair of the CBC Health Braintrust, I am asking all of my colleagues to seize that new day and to support H. Con. Res. 35, to observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7 and to use it as a day to commit to act with cognizance of the impact that this epidemic has on the African American community.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise this morning to grieve, along with the residents of my entire district, over the loss of two members of the Virgin Islands National Guard who were lost when the Black Hawk helicopter they were on was shot down in Iraq on Saturday.

We thank God for them, their professionalism, dedication and their service, Lieutenant Colonel David Canegata III and Sergeant Floyd James Lake. And we thank God for the over 400 soldiers, men and women, who have served in this war, including five others who also made the ultimate sacrifice. We pray for their families and for the day that we will bring all of our soldiers home.

And so, Mr. Speaker, especially now, I am forced to ask on their behalf and on behalf of all of the people of the Virgin Islands who have sent our loved ones to every war from the Revolutionary to this in higher per capita numbers than most States, why it is that some would seek to deny us an even limited vote in the Committee of the Whole.

These brave men died in support of extending democracy in the Middle East. Every Member of this body should vote to extend democracy here at home, to support your colleagues and fellow Americans who happen to live in the District and territories, and we should have a unanimous vote on H. Res. 78.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of what is a very fair rule, H. Res. 86, to provide for the consideration of H. Res. 78, to amend the rules of the House of Representatives to permit Delegates and the Resident Commissioner to cast votes in the Committee of the Whole.

But I see no reason for any amendment to this very straightforward provision that is simply the right thing to

do. It is a rule that we have asked for in every Congress since I have been here, since the 105th, when the Republicans were in the majority, but have never had a chance to become a part of the rule.

I want to commend and thank my friend and colleague, our majority leader, Steny Hoyer, as well as the original cosponsors of the resolution, Majority Whip Clyburn, Caucus Chair Emanuel, Vice Chair Larson, Representative Becerra and Rules Committee Chairwoman Slaughter. My fellow Delegates and I greatly appreciate their steadfast support for inclusion and full participation of all Americans in our national assembly.

A few minutes ago I took to the floor to express my condolences and that of my constituents and to recognize the service to the family of two members of the Virgin Islands National Guard who were killed along with 10 other soldiers in the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter northeast of Baghdad on Saturday.

I mention this because you will hear a litany of objections from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to the limited extension of democracy for me and the other Delegates because of constitutional concerns.

This attempt to prevent us from the practice of democracy in this limited way is shameful because my Republican colleagues know well that the proposal the House will be voting on today is constitutional, and that the Federal courts have held that it is.

Why then are they insisting that my fellow Delegates and I not be given the opportunity to participate more fully in the deliberations on legislation on the floor on behalf of our constituents, which is in keeping with our country's spirit of inclusion and democratic ideals?

When my Republican colleagues bring up the question of payment of taxes, they know well that the residents of the territories pay Federal taxes, we pay full Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes like every other American. We also pay the same Federal income taxes as prescribed by the tax laws that are passed here which I cannot vote on.

It is just under the principle of no taxes without representation, which goes back to the founding of our country, Congress allows those taxes to remain in the territory to fulfill Federal responsibilities there.

Moreover, because we get to keep those Federal taxes that we pay, we do not get the full benefit of all Federal programs. In the Medicaid program, for example, we receive less than a quarter of the Federal share of the program that we would receive if we were fully participating in the program.

Mr. Speaker, as a resident of a U.S. territory, my constituents proudly fulfill the ultimate responsibility of citizenship, being called upon to fight and die for our country, but without having a say in choosing who the Commander in Chief will be or having a representative in Congress with the right to vote on legislation on the floor.

I know this cannot completely correct this under the Constitution, but we can make this small step toward inclusion of all Americans in the democratic process. So I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and a ``yes'' vote on H. Res. 78.

Thank you for yielding, Mr. Hastings.

Madam Speaker, I rise as a representative of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, proud Americans who willingly and gladly serve this country in every way, including the ultimate sacrifice, as I have said on two occasions on this floor this morning, and who only seek the fullest representation possible under the Constitution of the United States, and that is purely and simply what H.R. 78 does. I thank the Democratic leadership, Mr. Hastings, and my colleagues for their support.

Just as it did in 1992, the rule granting Delegates the right to vote in the Committee of the Whole includes a mechanism which provided for an automatic revote in the full House of any of the amendments which passed or failed by a margin that included the votes of the Delegates. That rule and procedure was tested in Federal court and was upheld as constitutional.

While this is less than perfect, as is often said, we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, or, I add, the enemy of what is the right thing to do.

Listening to the strong objections from the other side on the basis of unconstitutionality, taxation, and others which are not relevant to the discussion, I have to wonder if these same objections would be raised by my Republican colleagues, an issue that is clearly one of participation and inclusion, if there were four Republican Delegates and one Democratic Delegate.

The one Resident Commissioner and four Delegates in the House of Representatives are the sole congressional representatives of over 4.5 million Americans. It is apparently lost to my friends on the other side of the aisle that these Americans have no representation whatsoever in the U.S. Senate in addition to their Delegates being unable to vote in the House of Representatives on legislation that has great and enduring impact on the lives of those we represent.

During the historic debate in 2002 on the resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq, for example, although I spoke on the record, I was not able to vote ``yea'' or ``nay'' on behalf of my constituents, many of whom I knew would soon be called upon to serve and die for their country.

Madam Speaker, my fellow Delegates and Resident Commissioner have worked closely with all of you at the committee level, some of us have chaired subcommittees or will be doing so in the near future. It is therefore fitting and proper that we be given the right to vote in the Committee of the Whole once again. It worked well in the 103rd Congress; it does not violate the Constitution.

We should be given this greater degree of participation in the forumlation of the laws that affect the lives of the people who send us here to represent them. And then once we have passed this, we must go on from here to give the residents of the District of Columbia full voting rights in this body as they deserve.

I ask my colleagues to respect your fellow Americans in the District and the territories. Do justice to your colleagues; let's get a unanimous vote for democracy. Vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 78.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, once again the bill to add the quarters representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is before this body for passage.

And I want to thank Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Castle, and my colleagues who have supported this in the past and our colleague Eleanor Holmes Norton for her persistence, which I believe is going to pay off in this Congress. The holdup in the past has been in the other body, but I believe we have a commitment to get it passed this time.

As often happens in the territories, not usually Washington, D.C., we were overlooked and left out when the bill authorizing the coins first passed and was signed into law. With the passage today of H.R. 392, we will fix that oversight, but I hope we can move to ensure that the territories are remembered and considered when any legislation is being written.

We will continue to work to that end, but today my constituents are looking forward to displaying an image on our coin that will convey a part of our rich history to our fellow Americans and people around the world, whether it would be General Budhoe, the slave who led the effort that resulted in our emancipation; the three women who are best known for having led the labor revolt of 1878; D. Hamilton Jackson, a judge, labor leader, champion of the free press, and actually the first delegate to Washington on behalf of the Virgin Islands; or any number of people or monuments that represent who and what we are when that is yet to be decided.

But, Madam Speaker, with the passage of this bill today, we will have begun the process, and the Virgin Islands will be ready to proudly join the States in this program.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 392.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 57) to repeal certain sections of the Act of May 26, 1936, pertaining to the Virgin Islands.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 57, legislation to repeal an outdated Federal law which limits the authority of the Virgin Islands to assess and collect property taxes. Both the U.S. Senate and the House passed identical legislation in the waning hours of the last Congress but ran out of time before completing the process.

Mr. Speaker, it remains critical that we pass this bill and have it enacted into law as soon as possible in order to prevent some of my constituents from facing the very real risk of losing their homes because the Virgin Islands Government could not provide them protections from sky-high property tax bills because of that 1936 statute. It was enacted to address the tax policies of the Danish era in the Virgin Islands. It was generally thought to have been repealed by the enactment of the Revised Organic Act of 1954, which created a comprehensive system of local government with sufficient legislative powers to resolve local property tax issues without the need for Federal intervention.

The bill before us became necessary because 3 years ago the Third Circuit Court of Appeals revived the 1936 statute and struck down a local statute capping the amount of any increase in the assessment of residential real property and, therefore, any increase in the property tax owed in any assessment period.

If the 1936 law is not now repealed by the Congress, the government of the Virgin Islands will not have the authority to limit such increases by capping assessments or similar methods commonly used by other jurisdictions. Indeed, the revived 1936 statute may have the anomalous result of pricing land and homeownership beyond the reach of many Virgin Islanders. That statute has long outlived its usefulness and now interferes with the Virgin Islands' ability to perform an essential governmental function.

The assessment and collection of real property taxes is fundamentally a local government issue with no Federal impact. No other State, territorial, or local government is subject to such Federal restrictions. The Revised Organic Act of 1954, as amended, confers upon the people of the Virgin Islands full powers of self-government; the 1936 statute is an anachronism that needs to be repealed.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno), for his support, and to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young for helping us to bring this bill to the floor so quickly.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just want to respond that I look forward to working with Mr. Fortuno once we organize the committee as well.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4 on behalf of the Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S. Virgin Islands and all of the 43 million who need this bill.

We have heard that H.R. 4 would only have a negligible effect on Federal Medicare spending. I doubt that. A recent report by Families USA showed that in several commonly used drugs, the lowest part D cost was still anywhere from 58 to 1,000 percent higher than the negotiated VA cost. That is why 90 percent of AARP members support H.R. 4.

As a physician who took care of many elderly and disabled patients and as chair of the Health Braintrust of the Congressional Black Caucus, I know why we need H.R. 4. By lowering the price of prescription drugs as H.R. 4 will do, we will not only reduce Federal spending but also improve access to medication for millions of Americans with acute and chronic diseases, a disproportionate number of whom are racial and ethnic minorities.

But we must also make sure that all medications including those like Bidil that is proven effective in African Americans are covered.

This is yet another promise made by Democrats and must be another promise kept. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as a physician, a mother and a representative of many who would benefit from H.R. 3, in strong support of H.R. 3 which would expand Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, increase stem cell lines and impose strict ethical guidelines. These stem cells would otherwise be destroyed. So this is not a faith issue, a theological conundrum or a partisan issue. It is a public health issue and one of maintaining this country's leadership in the world.

This bill is important to minorities and the Congressional Black Caucus because embryonic stem cell research will help reduce and even eliminate the health care disparities that now leave African Americans and other people of color more likely to be disabled or die from the diseases it can cure.

As a physician I have treated individuals with some of these diseases--Parkinson's, sickle cell, ALS and others--and despite using all we had available too often stood helplessly with their families as the conditions took their toll. Today we can change that and we must.

As a mother and a grandmother of three, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 3 and create a healthier and better country for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support my colleague and friend, Eleanor Holmes Norton, in her hard and long-fought efforts to secure full voting rights in this body for herself and her constituents, and I applaud her strong and persistent advocacy and leadership on this issue that is so important to the people of the District of Columbia.

Democrats have long been committed to providing full voting rights to the residents of the District, and I am proud to stand here as a Democrat speaking out for this right as well. But there has also been, as you have heard, support across the aisle.

When he was the chairman of the Government Reform Committee, Representative Tom Davis worked with Congresswoman Norton to get bipartisan agreement on legislation to give one voting representative to the mainly Democratic District of Columbia, and another to the largely Republican State of Utah.

This effort led to the introduction of the District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act, 2006, last year, and this week, ranking member Davis kept his promise and joined Congresswoman Norton in reintroducing this bill into the 110th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, as a Delegate in the House also without a vote, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge also the fact that my constituents, and indeed the constituents of our colleagues from Guam, America Samoa and Puerto Rico, also would want their representative to have a full vote in the House as well. We recognize, however, that our time for this has not yet come. But certainly the time of our brothers and sisters in the District of Columbia has come and is very long overdue.

The residents of the District have been laboring under this undemocratic status for more than 200 years. That is

200 years of justice delayed and justice denied.

Presidents as far back as Andrew Jackson have advocated for full representation in Congress for the District, and much later, President Richard Nixon in a special message to the Congress on the District of Columbia in 1969 said, ``It should offend the democratic sense of the Nation that the 850,000 residents of its capital, comprising a population larger than 11 of its States, have no voice in Congress.''

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the day when all citizens under the American flag will enjoy the democratic right of full representation in their national assembly as well as vote for our President and Commander-in-Chief. Until that day comes, I look forward to witnessing soon the day when residents of the District of Columbia, residents of the capital of our Nation, finally receive fair and equal voting rights in the House, the day that they will finally have justice.

I urge my colleagues to support the District of Columbia Equal House Voting Rights Act and end taxation without representation for our fellow citizens in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2-- increasing the minimum wage. This is an important piece of legislation and one that has been over due for many years. The Federal minimum wage has not been increased in 10 years and the buying power of the Federal minimum wage is at its lowest level in 51 years.

I am proud to say that my district, the US Virgin Islands, has been ahead of the game by increasing the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour last year--the second increase in 2 years--affecting more than 14,000 workers in the territory. This increase was supported by private sector leaders, who indicated that they were prepared to take on the wage increase, acknowledging that while the increase does impact business, it was manageable--purporting the true American spirit of prosperity for all.

Minimum wage increase is important to all Americans but impacts women by greater proportions. Two-thirds of workers over age 16 who work at or below the minimum wage are women. Studies of low-wage workers show that the main beneficiaries of this increase would be working women, almost 1 million of who are single mothers. The minimum wage increase would help to reduce the overall pay gap between women and men.

Mr. Speaker, raising the minimum wage will help to raise the income of many low-income families, especially those headed by single mothers. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2 and pass this long overdue increase in our national wages.

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

(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

The majority has already explained the bill, Mr. Speaker, and I would add that it presents an exciting opportunity to solve critical water problems for rural communities with unreliable or contaminated drinking water supplies.

Mr. Speaker, we support adoption of S. 895.

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

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

(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1829, companion legislation to one I introduced to repeal an outdated 1936 Federal statute which limits the authority of the Virgin Islands government to assess and collect real property taxes in the territory. I will note that the Senate approved this measure as a stand-alone piece of legislation, but certain extraneous matters such as titles 1, 2, and 4 have been added to this bill by the Republican leadership which will require it to be reconsidered by the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, it is crucial that we pass S. 1829, now title III, and have it enacted into law before we adjourn for the year to prevent some of my constituents from facing the very real risk of losing their homes because the Virgin Islands government would not be able to provide them protections from the sky-high property tax bills because of the 1936 statute.

That statute was enacted to address the tax policies of the Danish era in the Virgin Islands. It was generally thought to have been repealed by the enactment of the Revised Organic Act of 1954, which created a comprehensive system within the local government with sufficient legislative powers to resolve local property tax issues without the need of Federal intervention.

S. 1829 and H.R. 59, which I introduced in the House, became necessary because 2 years ago the Third Circuit Federal Court of Appeals revived the 1936 statute, which requires that all real property be taxed at the same rate without regard to classification or use.

This decision, among other things, struck down a local statute capping the amount of any increase in the assessment of residential real property and, therefore, any increase in the property tax owed in any assessment period. It also prevents any exemptions for veterans and other groups who ought to have such a benefit.

If the 1936 law is not now repealed by Congress, it will hinder the exercise of the Virgin Islands government as conferred by the Revised Organic Act to assess, administer, and collect real property taxes in the Virgin Islands. Indeed, the 1936 statute puts at risk longstanding government policies designed to develop the economy, promote social welfare, and protect home ownership in the Virgin Islands. Without the authority to limit such increases by capping such assessments or similar methods commonly used by other jurisdictions, the now revived 1936 statute may have the anomalous result of pricing land and home ownership beyond the reach of many Virgin Islanders. It has long outlived its usefulness and now interferes with the Virgin Islands' ability to perform an essential government function.

The assessment and collection of real property taxes is fundamentally a local government issue with no Federal impact. No other State, territorial or local government is subject to such Federal restrictions.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't point out my deep disappointment of the fact that we are not voting on S. 1829 as a stand-alone bill. By including additional items in the bill, it becomes possible that the repeal of the 1936 statute could not become law before Congress adjourns because of procedural complications in the other body. I hope that is not the case, because it would be extremely lamentable if, because of that result, many of my constituents would receive very high tax bills this coming January and there would be no way that they could afford to pay, and that could in fact mean the loss of their homes. So I am calling on my colleagues, whose bills were added to this otherwise simple but very significant measure, and the leadership to work with me in the remaining day or days of this Congress to save the American dream for their fellow Americans living in the Virgin Islands who have, alongside citizens from all of the other districts, served this country at every level, even to the ultimate sacrifice in every war this country has fought.

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

General Leave

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

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained this bill. I would simply note that we share more than a long border with our neighbors in Mexico. We also share very scarce surface water and groundwater supplies. Rapidly growing cities along the border need to understand these water supplies so that they can make decisions about how best to use them now and to preserve them for the future. We strongly support the adoption of S. 214.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, our colleagues from the Wolverine State, including our Resources Committee colleague, Mr. Kildee, and the dean of the House, Representative John Dingell, have worked diligently to get this measure to the House floor today, and we applaud their efforts.

We have no objection to S. 1346 and look forward to the results of the study authorizing this bill.

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