Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend all those who participated in last week's protest of the University of Michigan's admission's policies.

Many students from institutions across this great nation traveled to the nation's capitol to have their voices heard on this issue. Thousands of students from Howard University to Harvard University, walked from the Supreme Court to the Lincoln Memorial chanting, ``Saving Affirmative Action.''

Affirmative action ensures that all people have all equal rights. Affirmative action is one of the most effective solutions to diversifying a historically unfair society.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to say ``thank you'' to the countless students, volunteers, and workers who believe in this historically significant effort. It is vital that America's higher education system continue the critical role in preparing our students to be leaders in business, law, medicine, education, and other pursuits that affect public interest.

Societal discrimination has adversely affected institutions of higher education since the founding of this country. Affirmative action programs have helped to desegregate America. Racial and societal discrimination is not just limited to higher education. It also exists in voting, housing, employment, and many other sectors of modern day society.

Equal rights in higher education must start somewhere. I agree that the University of Michigan's policy is clearly and rightfully designed to attempt to make up for discrepancies that do not afford minorities and the economically deprived access to quality education.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in extending my appreciation to all the students who participated in last week's demonstration in support of equality and justice at America's institutions of higher learning.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Green amendment. It is interesting as we sit here and listen to each other that the teaching profession is probably one of the most important professions there is. Not a single person here has gotten here without having some teachers. We do not pay them very much. It is one of the low-paying professions. And yet we do not want them to receive their spouses' Social Security. My Social Security is going to be offset with a pension. I am willing to allow that to go for making sure that the teachers after a long career of teaching can have a retirement, scraping together the pennies so they can live without going on a system that is no longer called welfare because we do not have it.

Mr. Speaker, let me express my appreciation for our Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this hour tonight.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes when I hear the comments about the troops that we all strongly support, we forget that if they survive this war they will be veterans; and it is the veterans that we owe a great deal to for our freedom, but we really have left them behind in this budget.

So I rise to express my opposition to the Bush budget, because despite President Bush's pledge to leave no one behind, the budget has proposed leaving out over half of African Americans and Hispanic families; and this really is not compassion with conservatism, conserving resources for a very, very few.

Can my colleagues just imagine in less than 2 years, 2.5 million private jobs have been lost since January 20, 2001? The unemployment rate for African Americans has climbed 28 percent from 8.2 percent indicating really how African Americans will be disproportionately impacted by this budget. The employment rates for Hispanics is up by 33 percent.

I am from Dallas, Texas, where we have lost many jobs because we are very high tech in our employment. For every job lost in the high-tech field, there are three other jobs lost in low-income jobs because they are hired for cleaning homes, doing the yards, keeping the children; and we have a record number of foreclosures, not of poor people, but working people because they have lost their jobs.

This budget does not help because it is cutting adult training programs, the dislocated workers programs and the employment service State grants by $60 million below the 2003 enacted level, while freezing funding for youth employment activities at the 2003 enacted level. That is leaving most of the American people, the workers, the real taxpayers behind.

The budget leaves Americans behind on education. Vital programs like Head Start are taking tremendous cuts. Many more children should be enrolled in Head Start because we have said over and over again that education is so important for the future. The proposed budget provides $9.7 billion less than the amount promised in Leave No Child Behind.

The Bush budget proposes to cut the maximum Pell grant from $4,050 in 2003 to $4,000 in 2004, when he promised, in my presence, to some college presidents that the Pell grants are key to helping low-income young people to get to college. In fact, more than 45 percent of the African Americans and 40 percent of Hispanic students in 4-year public colleges and universities depend on Pell grants to make college affordable.

The budget essentially freezes the funding for the historically black graduate institutions to $53 million, and for Hispanic-serving institutions to $94 million at the 2003 enacted level, at a time when we encourage minority students, with everyone else, to get a better education. They have to get a better education in order to have a job. We are still the last hired and the first fired. So education really is essential, not just for jobs, but also to understand each other and to be able to relate to our diversity now.

It leaves our seniors very vulnerable, exhausting the Social Security trust fund over the next 10 years to try to fill in for this deficit that is, I cannot believe that we went from almost over a $1 trillion surplus to over a $1 trillion deficit in less than 3 years.

African American and Hispanic seniors are even more likely than others to rely solely on Social Security as their source of income upon retirement. The proposed budget does not even address Medicare increases for seniors, and yet I hear billions and billions being talked about, going out of the country, while we leave the American people at risk.

I am not opposed to foreign aid; but I do think homeland security is very, very important, and this is a part of homeland security. The American people want to feel safe, and safety has a lot to do with employment and education, but this budget does not seem to understand that.

Our college young people are coming home because parents have lost jobs, and they have to drop out of college, and they get home and find that the house has been foreclosed as well; but the President's budget makes many cuts in public housing, even though these funds are critical to making it possible for 1.7 million low-income families to have homes, and this is not all African Americans and all Hispanic. This is low-income Americans.

More than 45 percent of these residents are African American, and nearly 20 percent are Hispanic; and it is growing. So that is according to HUD's multifamily characteristics report.

The proposed budget eliminates funding for the HOPE VI program which replaces distressed low-income housing with new strong community housing. That also provides opportunities for homeownership. All of us know that when one invests in a home it brings about pride. It brings about new wealth, and it also brings about a good deal of safety because crime goes down, children are stable in homes. When they are using rental property, some young people, some kids, change schools three times in one school year. They cannot be caught up because every time somebody offers a month of free rent, the parents move to get that one month of free rent; but they are dislocating children, inconveniencing and handicapping our teachers, and disproportionately burdening our school systems because they cannot plan when we have a moving population at all times.

So, sadly, in a democratic Nation, we have also witnessed Americans being left behind with a vote. We worked from January 2001 until November last year, 2002, trying to get some kind of election reform so we can be sure of who we elect to office. The proposed budget offers $500 million in funding for election reform, undercutting the Help America Vote Act authorized at the level of $1.5 billion. That is how we distinguish what a democracy is. It is whether someone can speak out for whom they want as their leaders and make sure it is counted. The Help America Vote Act must be fully funded to ensure that every citizen's right to vote is protected. Every citizen, every citizen.

In fact, the Civil Rights Commission found that minorities, particularly African Americans, were the Americans most impacted by the loss of voting rights. They were the ones who were not counted well in Florida. If they had been, we might have a better economy, because it sure would not be the President that is over there now. It would have been the President that got elected; and unfortunately, this Bush budget does not address any of these concerns.

So homeland security involves a lot of things; but most importantly, it also involves our first responders. Firefighters, police, emergency medical personnel, all are in jeopardy because the Bush budget includes $4 billion less than what is required for them to do their jobs adequately.

We are in dismal shape in this country and everyone should be feeling it; and if they have not felt it yet, they will. We cannot afford to leave the Americans and their agenda without adequate security through education, housing, and a means to economically sustain themselves and their families.

As lawmakers, we have the responsibility to ensure that all Americans, including minorities, are able to move ahead to achieve the American dream: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We must reject this budget. It is clear that if the President's budget office has given out negative information about this budget, we know that others see it, feel it, and will never forget it.

Mr. Speaker, just 7 days ago, many Members in this House, including myself, supported the continuation of diplomacy in the Iraqi crisis as an alternative to immediate war. This House and the Senate, however, voted to authorize the use of force last October, and we have now used that force.

We will never know what result might have come from having stayed the diplomatic course. We do know now, however, that our Nation is at war. We do know that the sons and daughters of all our many communities are engaged in the dangerous and unpredictable duties that are carried by the Armed Forces in a time of war.

Our purpose here today is not to revisit the debate over the policies that lead us to war. My position on a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crises has not diminished. My conviction that untold and unwanted consequences await us in the future has not receded. My heartache over the potential loss of innocent lives, on all sides of this conflict, has not lessened.

But, our purpose now is to unite solidly behind our troops and all those who are commanding our Armed Forces.

Let no one, least of all Saddam Hussein, doubt that whatever the nature of our democratic debate may have looked like last October, today, or even next week, we are all united in prayer for a swift conclusion to hostilities. We are also united in our support for our soldiers and their families. Congress will not deny our men and women in the field whatever they need to accomplish their mission, including moral support from Capitol Hill.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot let this moment pass without honoring one of our constituents from Dallas Metroplex. On Monday, I was informed that our community has suffered a great and tragic loss in the person of John Teal of Dallas, Texas. Staff Sergeant Teal was one of the 6 U.S. Air Force Members whose lives were lost on Sunday evening in the Ghazni area of Afghanistan.

The HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, from the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, crashed Sunday in the Afghan. The two medics and four-person crew were on their way to rescue two Afghan children with serious head injuries. Though this is not the war that is so heavily covered in the media right now, Staff Sergeant Teal and the rest of that helicopter crew were at war protecting innocence and our well- being right here at home.

Mr. Teal will always be remembered by his friends, family and loved ones and will surely be honored by the entire constituency of the Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex community for his bravery and heroism.

Our hearts go out to all of the families who have lost a loved one. I also hope and pray for the safe and quick return of our Prisoners of War and all members of U.S. Armed Forces engaged in overseas conflicts.

Mr. Speaker, I join with this House and with the people of Dallas/ Forth Worth Metroplex and Americans all across the country in declaring our unequivocal support for the brave young men and women in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Intermodal Transportation Act of 2003. This legislation enjoys bipartisan support, and I believe that its inclusion in TEA-21 Reauthorization will significantly enhance our nation's public transportation infrastructure.

We will be facing significant budget restraints in the reauthorization TEA-21 over the next 6 years, and for that reason I believe it is critical to look at ways to maximize our existing transportation assets. One important way we can do this in the realm of public transportation is by connecting the public transportation modes better so that they provide a more accessible and attractive transportation alternative. Public transportation, including intercity bus, intercity rail, local mass transit, and rural transit, serve thousands of communities nationwide, but they are rarely linked together in common facilities and with consolidated travel information. The Intermodal Transportation Act will provide for these missing intermodal connections.

This bill will create a new competitive grant program for intermodal transportation centers, which will provide incentives for states and communities to develop intermodal facilities. These intermodal centers will tie together all public transportation modes in convenient locations, giving public transportation users the ability to make seamless intercity and local trips from origin to destination. Across the country, very little has been invested in intermodal facilities linking the modes of affordable public transportation that the American people rely on everyday. ITA provides benefits to all public transportation riders through dedicated funding for these vital intermodal transportation terminals.

ITA will also create a National Public Transportation Information System so that with one call or website visit, a user can get information on schedules, fares, and locations for the intercity and local transportation services that she will need to make a trip.

ITA also increases funding so that customers using wheelchairs have better access to the intermodal system, thus allowing a mobility- impaired passenger to get on an intercity bus with a wheelchair lift and make accessible connections throughout the country.

In addition to creating a seamless intermodal transportation system, the cost-effective programs in ITA will produce new employment opportunities. These will include not only the construction and operating jobs directly related to the projects, but also new jobs created by the economic development produced by new intermodal transportation hubs in urban areas and through the connections we develop between rural communities and the national airway system.

With a total cost of around $150 million annually, the Intermodal Transportation Act will create a fully integrated public transportation network throughout the country while also linking hundreds, if not thousands, of rural communities to airports and creating economic development opportunities and new jobs across the country.

I am pleased to introduce these important intermodal proposals with significant bipartisan support. I would especially like to thank Jo Ann Emerson and Michael Burgess for their strong support of this legislation. I would also like to thank the other original co-sponsors of this legislation: Ed Case, Martin Frost, Major Owens, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Richard Baker, Betty McCollum, and Juanita Millender-McDonald. We will work with our fellow colleagues to see that this bill is included in the reauthorization of TEA-21.

Mr. Speaker, today, my hopes for peace have given way to the reality of war. Although I agree with President Bush that Saddam Hussein is a dangerous man, I am not convinced that a military attack against Iraq is in the best interest of our nation. For this reason, I voted against a resolution last year that was the equivalent of a declaration of war which authorized the President to launch a military strike to disarm and possibly overthrow Saddam Hussein.

The issue is not whether or not Saddam Hussein is a dangerous dictator who should be disarmed. Just this past Sunday, we marked the fifteenth anniversary of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on a predominantly Kurdish village in northeastern Iraq where 5,000 civilians died. The international community has an important obligation to ensure that Saddam Hussein cannot repeat his aggression of the past, and as the world's most powerful country, we must be committed to lead. Through U.N. inspections, continued monitoring and increased scrutiny of Baghdad, I think we can meet that responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, we must realize that a possible military attack against Iraq would represent a major shift in American diplomatic and strategic thinking. For nearly fifty years, we relied upon deterrence to check Soviet expansionism. Deterrence brought us victory in the Cold War without having to fight a hot, shooting war under the shadow of nuclear annihilation. That same strategy has kept Iraq at bay for more than a decade. Now that doctrine is on the verge of being discarded.

There are several other critical questions to which we've heard very few answers. We must have a clear plan on how an attack on Iraq would transpire, including identifying our military options, determining our strategy to change the regime, calculating the potential casualties, and estimating how much an operation would cost and how it will be funded.

We must also see a plan to build democratic and free-market institutions in a post-Saddam Iraq. History teaches us that how we win the peace is just as critical as how we win the war. Thus far, these crucial issues have received little attention.

For those of us who counseled a peaceful strategy to disarm Iraq in the months before this point, it is now time to unite in our support for the 300,000 brave men and women in the region. I fervently and completely join the President in the hope and prayer for the safe and quick return of our soldiers to their homes and families.

I know that members of our military serve this nation's ideals and they demonstrate those ideals in their code and in their character. I have seen their love of this country and devotion to the cause of peace and freedom. I know that their mission is dangerous, and I personally thank them for their service. May God bless our troops and their families, and may God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act. Tens of thousands of people die each year from preventable medical errors. But rather than reform the medical system to prevent needless deaths and injuries, doctors and big insurance companies are lobbying to limit the rights of injured patients to seek full recovery in the courts. This measure unfairly impacts women and low income patients.

The HEALTH Act (H.R. 5) attempts to address the problem of high insurance costs for doctors by limiting punitive damages in medical malpractice cases to $250,000 and caps attorneys' fees under the guise of addressing

the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance. H.R. 5 caps non- economic damages in the aggregate--regardless of the number of parties involved in the dispute.

Despite its claim, H.R. 5 does nothing to directly address the problem of rising medical malpractice insurance rates for doctors. Malpractice insurance companies can expect a huge windfall from this legislation because it limits how much they have to pay out in claims, but does not address how much these insurance companies charge in premiums to doctors. The insurance industry has said that there is no guarantee of any specific savings from passage of this type of legislation.

The major malpractice problem facing Texans is the unreliable quality of medical care being delivered, which is a result of frequent medical mistakes and a lack of doctor oversight by the state medical board.

Government data show that ``repeat offender'' doctors are responsible for the bulk of malpractice payments. Between September 1990 and September 2002, 6.5 percent of Texas' doctors made two or more malpractice payouts worth a total of more than $1 billion. These represented 51.3 percent of all payments, according to information obtained from the federal government's National Practitioner Data Bank. Just 2.2 percent of the doctors made three or more payments, representing about a quarter of all payouts.

For every $100 spent on health care in America, only $.66 has been spent on malpractice insurance. As patients are most often victimized by repeat offending doctors (a mere six percent of doctors in Texas are responsible for 46 percent of all malpractice), this bill does nothing to reduce negligence by doctors and hospitals, but decreases incentive to improve patient safety.

Medical errors cause 3,260 to 7,261 preventable deaths in Texas each year. These errors cost families and communities $1.3 billion to $2.2 billion annually in lost wages, lost productivity and increased health care costs. In contrast, medical malpractice insurance costs Texas's doctors less than $421.2 million annually.

One more time the patient (consumer) gets the lump for being victimized. Vote against this rule and this bill under consideration..

It is for these reasons that I will vote against the rule and the bill, H.R. 5, and I urge my Colleagues to vote against H.R. 5.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight, and I want to especially thank my good friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and applaud my CBC colleagues for their hard work in bringing us together here tonight to talk about the HIV pandemic.

The global fight against HIV/AIDS is important to U.S. security interests because the disease has proven to be a significant destabilizing force in much of the developing world. It has removed many of the most productive members from society and devastated the social, political and economic infrastructures of those countries hardest hit.

Mr. Speaker, today, the chance of a 15-year-old African girl making it to the age of 60 is 52 percent. By 2010, it will be about a 30 percent chance. This will have a sizeable impact on the future of African society. With this kind of outlook for African youth, investment in education and economic advancement practically become non-issues.

In January, President Bush proposed spending $15 billion over five years to fight global HIV-AIDS. The plan would commit $3 billion a year for five years to global AIDS reduction, including $200 million a year for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

I understand that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the legislation very soon. The House International Relations Committee will consider a comparable bill.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that this boost in spending is not a fait accompli. We must fight to ensure that Congress commits to the increase in Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria while preventing politics from intruding on decisions about health care.

The purpose of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is to attract, manage and disburse additional resources for health through a new public-private partnership. It is hoped that this will make a sustainable and significant contribution to the reduction of infections, illness and death and thereby mitigate the impact caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in countries in need, and contribute to poverty reduction as part of the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Speaker, We still have a long way to go to raise awareness about the disease and to ensure that Nations have the resources to implement proven prevention and treatment programs. We must do more to help those countries to combat these deadly diseases.

We must commit ourselves to doing more, and I hope that this Congress can make that commitment, and I strongly urge the President of the United States to do the same for the Global Fund.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to share my admiration with you for one of my district's most popular artists, Norah Jones.

During the 45th annual Grammy Awards held on February 24, 2003, Norah Jones was awarded 5 Golden Gramophone statuettes for Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Record of The Year for the single ``Don't Know Why,'' Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Female Pop Vocal Album.

Norah Jones has shown a strong aptitude for music since childhood. Ms. Jones graduated from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts of Dallas, Texas in 1997.

Norah Jones follows in the footsteps of the many successful Booker T. Washington High School alumni, such as Erykah Badu and Roy Hargrove.

Norah Jones later went on to the University of North Texas to major in jazz piano. Already career-minded, she knew that a solid foundation of jazz piano could pave the way for better things.

Mr. Speaker, Norah Jones is an inspiration to our youth, not only in Texas but across the nation, that their dreams can come true, and that they should reach for the stars.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Mr. Cummings for reserving this special order to celebrate Black History Month, a commemoration that dates back to 1926 when Black Americans celebrated Negro History Week.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the citizens of the United States, especially young African-Americans, recognize how we've grown and developed since then. And also realize and

appreciate the important contributions of their forebears and contemporaries to the development of this nation and American society.

I am proud to stand before you today to salute two outstanding citizens from my childhood home of Waco and congressional district of Dallas. James Andrew Harris was born on March 26, 1932 in Waco, Texas. As a graduate of Houston-Tillotson College in Austin with a chemistry degree, Mr. Harris worked in the Nuclear Chemistry Division of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the University of California. There he was part of the team that discovered and identified elements 104- Rutherfordium and 105-Dubnium on the Periodic Table of Elements.

Dr. Otis Boykin was born in 1920 and raised in Dallas. His mother was a homemaker and his father a carpenter. Dr. Otis attended Fisk University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Unfortunately, his parents could not afford his tuition and he dropped out of college after two years. Thereafter, Dr. Boykin built electrical devices used today in all guided missiles and IBM computers. He also developed a control unit for an artificial heart simulator (pacemaker) that helps millions of cardiovascular patients. Otis Boykin will be remembered as one of the greatest inventors of the twentieth century.

Mr. Speaker, today I am worried that given the current educational settings of our country, future Otis Boykins and James Andrew Harrises will not have the opportunity to pursue their dreams or realize their talents.

I want to focus briefly on what is going to happen in my State of Texas. It is reported that at least $2.7 billion must be cut from Texas public education over the next two years to balance the state budget without a major increase in taxes or fees. The University of Texas at Austin will hire fewer professors, forcing students to scramble for the classes they want. At Texas Women's University, fewer police officers may patrol the campus. Some intercollegiate sports may disappear from Collin County Community College. Tuition will probably rise at Dallas County Community Colleges. Universities, medical schools, community colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board collectively must slash $343.8 million in the middle of the school year.

Mr. Speaker, one University of North Texas official summarized the current situation very clearly: ``The monster came through our door, and now he's sitting on our lap.''

I am further concerned as I read news stories, such as a Washington Post article which recently indicated that Oregon is on the verge of cutting as many as 24 days from its school year. The United States ranks 18th among the industrial nations in school year length. How can we expect American schoolchildren to learn in 180 days as much as Korean children learn in 220? They cannot!

Just a couple of weeks ago we listened to President Bush's well- written, well-delivered State of the Union address. Yes, it was nice to hear words about diversity, higher education, making college more affordable, and leaving no child behind. But words are cheap! What has been done to increase the diversity of our populations in higher education? What is being done to make higher education more affordable? And how will we ensure that no child is really left behind in our elementary and secondary public school education system?

Mr. Speaker we should invest in the education of under-privileged young people here at home. It will improve not only our educational system, but our society as a whole. So many Otis Boykins and James Andrew Harrises will have the opportunity to revolutionize technology that affects people's everyday lives.

Again, thank you to Congressman Cummings for organizing tonight's special orders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about promising technology that could help protect our environment and safeguard our national security. Given time and support, research into hydrogen-powered fuel cells could yield a reliable, clean source of power and curtail our dependence on foreign oil.

By chemically combining oxygen and hydrogen, fuel cells generate electricity up to three times more efficiently than any internal combustion engine. Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any known fuel, and hydrogen-powered fuel cells run almost silently while emitting no pollutants. An automobile powered by fuel cells would produce only water as waste. Furthermore, hydrogen could be used for far more than transportation. Hydrogen fuel cells could be used to power homes and offices, and even to replace batteries for computers, cell phones, and other appliances.

Fuel cells could not only serve as a clean and efficient energy source, but also as a way to limit our reliance on foreign oil. If we don't concentrate on viable alternatives to now, the United States is expected to import 68 percent of the oil it consumes by 2025. Should hydrogen-powered fuel cells fulfill their promise, we could drastically reduce that figure and ensure our independence in a way that keeps our environment protected.

Despite the great potential of this technology, there are significant obstacles to overcome. Usable hydrogen remains expensive to produce and difficult to store effectively. At present fuel cells can cost up to ten times more than conventional engines. There is important work to do in this field, and I am proud to say that there are over a dozen organizations in my home state of Texas hard at work on solutions. Often Texas is thought of as oil country, but our state has the opportunity to play a vital role in the development of viable alternatives.

As a ranking member of the Science Committee, I am very interested in any technology that could help keep our environment cleaner and our people more secure. I appreciate the opportunity to participate and look forward to ongoing involvement in this promising avenue of research.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Mr. Cummings for reserving this special order to celebrate Black History Month, a commemoration that dates back to 1926 when Black Americans celebrated Negro History Week.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the citizens of the United States, especially young African-Americans, recognize how we've grown and developed since then. And also realize and appreciate the important contributions of their forebears and contemporaries to the development of this nation and American society.

I am proud to stand before you today to salute two outstanding citizens from my childhood home to Waco and congressional district of Dallas. James Andrew Harris was born on March 26, 1932 in Waco, Texas. As a graduate of Houston-Tillotson College in Austin with a chemistry degree, Mr. Harris worked in the Nuclear Chemistry Division of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the University of California. There he was part of the team that discovered and identified elements 104- Rutherfordium and 105-Dubnium on the Periodic Table of Elements.

Dr. Otis Boykin was born in 1920 and raised in Dallas. His mother was a homemaker and his father a carpenter. Dr. Otis attended Fisk University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Unfortunately, his parents could not afford his tuition and he dropped out of college after two years. Thereafter, Dr. Boykin built electrical devices used today in all guided missiles and IBM computers. He also developed a control unit for an artificial heart simulator (pacemaker) that helps millions of cardiovascular patients. Otis Boykin will be remembered as one of the greatest inventors of the twentieth century.

Mr. Speaker, today I am worried that given the current educational settings of our country, future Otis Boykins and James Andrew Harrises will not have the opportunity to pursue their dreams or realize their talents.

I want to focus briefly on what is going to happen in my State of Texas. It is reported that at least $2.7 billion must be cut from Texas public education over the next two years to balance the state budget without a major increase in taxes or fees. The University of Texas at Austin will hire fewer professors, forcing students to scramble for the classes they want. At Texas Women's University, fewer police officers may patrol the campus. Some intercollegiate sports may disappear from Collin County Community College. Tuition will probably rise at Dallas County Community Colleges. Universities, medical schools, community colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board collectively must slash $343.8 million in the middle of the school year.

Mr. Speaker, one University of North Texas official summarized the current situation very clearly: ``The monster came through our door, and now he's sitting on our lap.''

I am further concerned as I read new stories, such as a Washington Post article which recently indicated that Oregon is on the verge of cutting as many as 24 days from its school year. The United States ranks 18th among the industrial nations in school year length. How can we expect American schoolchildren to learn in 180 days as much as Korean children learn in 220? They cannot!

Just a couple of weeks ago we listened to President Bush's well- written, well-delivered State of the Union address. Yes, it was nice to hear words about diversity, higher education, making college more affordable, and leaving no child behind. But words are cheap! What has been done to increase the diversity of our populations in higher education? What is being done to make higher education more affordable? And how will we ensure that no child is really left behind in our elementary and secondary public school education system?

Mr. Speaker we should invest in the education of under-privileged young people here at home. It will improve not only our educational system, but our society as a whole. So many Otis Boykins and James Andrew Harrises will have the opportunity to revolutionize technology that affects people's everyday lives.

Again, thank you to Congressman Cummings for organizing tonight's special orders.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring an educational success story within the Dallas Independent School District. The Booker T. Washington High School was built in 1922 as the first African American high school in Dallas. For the past 81 years, Booker T. Washington High School has provided hundreds of central city youngsters with an academic foundation that has allowed them to reach their potential.

The school's story began in 1922 with the dream of an African- American-owned school emphasizing the basics through creative instructional programs, coupled with a strong multicultural development. The school's success story can be attributed to incredible commitment on the part of the school's parents, administrators, and teachers because of their love for kids and crafts.

The Booker T. Washington High School, after gallery space and studios were added in 1976, was designated as the arts ``magnet'' high school. Since its inception, Booker T. Washington High School has received national acclaim as a prototype for subsequent magnet schools throughout the United States and Canada.

The Booker T. Washington High School community has pulled together for the children of Dallas's central city. The school currently serves over 700 students from 66 different zip codes in grades 9 through 12. All students are selected through auditions, interviews, portfolios, or other demonstration of artistic and academic aptitudes.

Booker T. Washington High School students distinguish themselves by receiving a variety of prestigious awards and honors including thirteen Presidential Scholar Awards--the nation's highest accolade for excellence in arts and academics.

On average, 163 graduating seniors boast $5 million in college scholarship offers both in arts and academic majors. Noted graduates include Grammy winners such as R & B vocalist Erykah Badu, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargove, singer Norah Jones, dancer Jay Franke, cellist John Koen, visual artists Christian Schumann and Chris Arnold, drummer Aaron Comess, Edie Brickell of the New Bohemians, and members of the gospel group God's Property.

Booker T. Washington High School, a pride of our community, has been a success story because of its distinguished faculty. The instructional staff consists of 60 full time teachers and 24 part-time teachers and consultants. Approximately 83 percent of the faculty has advance degrees and 88 percent have more than 10 years of teaching experience.

Booker T. Washington High School is a national model for educational quality, innovation, and commitment in the face of adversity. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this fine institution.

Mr. Speaker, let me express my appreciation to the leadership for bringing this forth and to say how important it is that we take the time to give recognition to those heroic persons who did lose their lives. I am very certain, however, that they did not lose their lives in vain.

This space exploration research program has been one of the most successful research programs in the history of this country, and I know that we will investigate well to see what happened and improve upon it.

I also know that, over 40 years ago, the foresight of persons that came along before us caused us to get into this type of research. We also owe those leaders some homage for their foresight, and I am hoping that we will then have the foresight to continue this type of research.

The scientific technological advances made possible by space research include much: arteriosclerosis detection, ultrasound scanners, the automatic insulin pump, portable X-ray devices, invisible braces, dental arch wire, palate surgery technology, clean room apparel, implantable heart aid, the MRI, the bone analyzer and the cataract surgery tools and on and on, the digital imaging breast biopsy system.

So many, many lives have been saved because we have lost a few in trying.

The life-saving light that saves lives through the application of lighting technology initially developed for plant growth experiments on space shuttle missions. The doctors at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee use light-emitting diodes in a treatment called photodynamic therapy, a form of chemotherapy to treat brain tumors in children and aid significantly in wound-healing treatment.

A consumer product, the toy for tots, many, many toys have been made because of that, that has increased the economy, and I could go on, with the artificial heart device known as the miniaturized ventricular assist pump. The vehicle tracking system, and many of us drive cars that have the night-extended sight vision, came from space exploration.

Mr. Speaker, I will end by simply saying the best way to show our appreciation for these heroes is to continue this research and be a visionary for the future. Without vision, we perish.

Human space exploration is inherently risky. Distance, speed and an environment that can not support human life combine to make human space flights particularly precarious.

Unfortunately the world has new evidence of the dangers associated with space exploration. Millions watched as images of a singular, brilliant point of light in the sky became two, three, and four points of light as Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over my home State of Texas.

I join the rest of the country and the world in mourning the seven brave astronauts whom we lost in this national tragedy. The outpouring of sympathy from the citizens of the world is recognition that the crew heroically put their lives on the line in the name of science and research.

More than a decade ago, January 28th, 1986, our country's space program was dealt another tragedy as we lost the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The findings of the ``Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident'' (referred to as the Rogers' Commission Report) have changed NASA procedures to make human space flight safer. It is incumbent upon the federal government to conduct a vigorous and comprehensive investigation to uncover and alleviate the events that led to Columbia accident.

I pledge to do what I can to help our space program recover from this terrible setback so these important endeavors can flourish in the future. As a Senior member of the Science Committee, I will work closely with my House colleagues to assist NASA and Harold Gehman Jr. who will lead the special investigative commission.

I am the ranking member of the Science Subcommittee on Basic Research. In this important capacity, I have taken a major leadership role regarding America's commitment to technological development and scientific research and application. As such, I am a firm believer that the United States will continue our space program that has accomplished so much in the areas of research and science.

This important and beneficial program is essential to advancing technology.

Specific technological advances made possible by space research include the arteriosclerosis detection, ultrasound scanners, automatic insulin pump, portable x-ray device, invisible braces, dental arch wire, palate surgery technology, clean room apparel, implantable heart aid, MRI, bone analyzer, and cataract surgery tools.

The Space Shuttle Program has yielded many lifesaving medical tests, accessibility advances for the physically challenged, and products that make our lives more safe and enjoyable. Such as:

The Digital Imaging Breast Biopsy System developed from Space Telescope technology incorporates the advanced Charged Coupled Devise, a high tech silicon chip, used as part of a digital camera system that sees the breast structure with x-ray vision. The CCD images breast tissue more clearly and efficiently through a procedure known as stereotactic core then-needle biopsy.

With the help of companies like FIDE and LORAD, this procedure provides patient with non-invasive procedure which reduces pain, scarring, radiation exposure, time and cost. The Space Shuttle was the vehicle used to assist in the space telescope repair mission and development of the technology.

Lifesaving Light Saves Lives through application of a special lighting technology initially developed for plant growth experiments on Space Shuttle missions. Doctors at University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee use light emitting diodes in a treatment called photodynamic therapy, a form of chemotherapy, to treat brain tumors in children and aid significantly in would healing treatment.

A Consumer Product Toy for Tots was developed using NASA wind-tunnel and aerodynamic expertise from the Space Shuttle program. Hasbro, Inc. improved the flying distances and loop-to-loop stunts for its toy gliders designed for a child to fly.

Public Safety takes a Byte out of Crime using image processing technology initially used to analyze Space Shuttle launch video and study meteorological images. This Space Shuttle mission technology helps law enforcement agencies improve crime solving videos.

An Artificial Heart device known as the miniaturized ventricular assist pump, developed by NASA and renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, was derived from technology used in Space Shuttle fuel pumps. The tiny pump--2 inches long, 1 inch in diameter and weighing less than four ounces has been successfully implanted into more than 20 patients.

A Vehicle Tracking System tracks information originally used onboard Space Shuttle missions now helps track vehicles on Earth. This commercial spinoff allows vehicles to transmit a signal back to a home base. Municipalities today use the software to track and reassign emergency and public works vehicles. It also is used by vehicle fleet operations, such as taxis, armored cars and vehicles carrying hazardous cargo.

As witnessed, the Space Shuttle can be configured to carry many different types of equipment and scientific experiments. The Space Shuttle is essential in the assembly of the International Space Station (advancing life sciences & technology through long-duration missions) and repairing and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope (enabling many new discoveries in Space Science).

As an enabling function, the Space Shuttle is fully engaged in providing services for earth and physical science research. The Space Shuttle also engages the private sector in the development of space by providing flight opportunities for industry, academia and government to conduct applied research relevant to NASA's mission through access to the space environment. I will foresee that cooperative activities with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DoD) and other U.S. agencies will continue to advance knowledge of health, medicine, science and technology.

STS-107, which was lost on February 1, 2003, was a 16-day mission dedicated to research in physical, life, and space sciences, conducted in approximately 80 separate experiments, comprised of hundreds of samples and test points. With two Americans and a Russian still stationed at the International Space Station, it is imperative that this program not come to a halt. This most unfortunate and tragic loss of five men and two women, representing a mosaic of races and nationalities, will be mourned and these great American heroes will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, human space exploration is inherently risky. Distance, speed and an environment that can not support human life combine to make human space flights particularly precarious.

Unfortunately the world has new evidence of the dangers associated with space exploration. Millions watched as images of a singular, brilliant point of light in the sky became two, three, and four points of light as space shuttle Columbia broke apart over my home State of Texas.

I join the rest of the country and the world in mourning the seven brave astronauts whom we lost in this national tragedy. The outpouring of sympathy from the citizens of the world is recognition that the crew heroically put their lives on the line in the name of science and research.

More than a decade ago, January 28th, 1986, our country's space program was dealt another tragedy as we lost the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. The findings of the ``Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident'' (referred to as the Rogers' Commission Report) have changed NASA procedures to make human space flight safe. It is incumbent upon the federal government to conduct a vigorous and comprehensive investigation to uncover and alleviate the events that led to Columbia's accident. I pledge to do what I can to help our space program recover from this terrible setback so these important endeavors can flourish in the future. As a Senior member of the Science Committee, I will work closely with my House colleagues to assist NASA and Harold Gehman Jr. who will lead the special investigative commission.

I am the ranking member of the Science Subcommittee on Basic Research. In this important capacity, I have taken a major leadership role regarding America's commitment to technological development and scientific research and application. As such, I am a firm believer that the United States will continue our space program that has accomplished so much in the areas of research and science. This important and beneficial program is essential to advancing technology.

Specific technological advances made possible by space research include the arteriosclerosis detection, ultrasound scanners, automatic insulin pump, portable x-ray device, invisible braces, dental arch wire, palate surgery technology, clean room apparel, implantable heart aid, MRI, bone analyzer, and cataract surgery tools.

The Space Shuttle Program has yielded many lifesaving medical tests, accessibility advances for the physically challenged, and products that make our lives more safe and enjoyable. Such as:

Digital Imaging Breast Biopsy System--The LORAD Stereo Guide Breast Biopsy system incorporates advanced Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) as part of a digital camera system. The resulting device images breast tissue more clearly and efficiently. Known as stereotactic large-core needle biopsy, this nonsurgical system developed with Space Telescope Technology is less traumatic and greatly reduces the pain, scarring, radiation exposure, time, and costs associated with invasive surgical biopsies.

Breast Cancer Detection--A solar cell sensor is positioned directly beneath x-ray film, and determines exactly when film has received sufficient radiation and has been exposed to optimum density. Associated electronic equipment then sends a signal to cut off the x- ray source. Reduction of mammography x-ray exposure reduces radiation hazard and doubles the number of patient exams per machine.

Laser Angioplasty--Laser angioplasty with a ``cool'' type of laser, caller an excimer laser, does not damage blood vessel walls and offers precise non-surgical cleaning of clogged arteries with extraordinary precision and fewer complications than in balloon angioplasty.

Blood Serum Research--An astronaut's body, once free of gravity's pull, experiences a redistribution of body fluids that can lead to a decrease in the number of red blood cells and produce a form of space anemia. Monitoring and evaluating blood serum was required to understand these phenomena. However, existing blood-analysis technology required the use of a centrifugation technology that was not practical in space. NASA developed new technologies for the collection and real- time analysis of blood as well as other bodily fluids without the need for centrifugation.

Ultrasound Skin Damage Assessment--Advanced instrument using NASA ultrasound technology enables immediate assessment of burn damage depth, improving patient treatment, and may save lives in serious burn cases.

Lifesaving Light--Special lighting technology developed for plant- growth experiments on Space Shuttle missions is now used to treat brain tumors in children. Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee use light-emitting diodes in a treatment called photodynamic therapy, a form of chemotherapy, to kill cancerous tumors.

Human Tissue Stimulator--Employing NASA satellite technology, the device is implanted in the body to help patient control chronic pain and involuntary motion disorders through electrical stimulation of targeted nerve centers or particular areas of the brain.

3-D Biotechnology--Developed for Space Shuttle medical research, a rotating cell-culture device simulates the microgravity of space. This allows researchers to grow cells in three dimensions. The device may one day help researchers find cures for dangerous infectious diseases and offer alternatives to patients who need organ transplant surgery.

Cool Suit--Custom-made suit derived from space suits circulates coolant through tubes to lower patient's body temperature, producing dramatic improvement of symptoms of multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other conditions.

Programmable Pacemaker--Incorporating multiple NASA technologies, the system consists of the implant and a physician's computer console containing the programming and a data printer. Communicates through wireless telemetry signals.

Ocular Screening--NASA image processing techniques are used to detect eye problems in very young children. An electronic flash from a 35- millimeter camera sends light into the child's eyes, and a photorefractor analyzes the retinal reflexes, producing an image of each eye.

Automated Urinalysis--NASA fluid dynamics studies helped development of system that automatically extracts and transfers sediment from urine sample to an analyzer microscope, replacing the manual centrifuge method.

Medical Gas Analyzer--Astronaut-monitoring technology used to develop system to monitor operating rooms for analysis of anesthetic gasses and measurement of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen concentrations to assure proper breathing environment for surgery patients.

Voice-Controlled Wheelchair--NASA teleoperator and robot technology used to develop chair and manipulator that respond to 35 one-word voice commands utilizing a minicomputer to help patient perform daily tasks, like picking up packages, opening doors, and turning on appliances.

Land Mine Removal--The same rocket fuel that helps launch the Space Shuttle is now being used to save lives--by destroying land mines. A flare device, using leftover fuel donated by NASA, is placed next to the uncovered land mine and is ignited from a safe distance using a battery-triggered electric match. The explosive burns away, disabling the mine and rendering it harmless.

Rescue 911--Rescue squads have a new extrication tool to help remove accident victims from wrecked vehicles. The hand-held device requires no auxiliary power systems or cumbersome hoses and is 70 percent cheaper than previous rescue equipment. The cutter uses a miniature version of the explosive charges that separate devices on the Space Shuttle.

Byte Out of Crime--Image-processing technology used to analyze Space Shuttle launch videos and to study meteorological images also helps law enforcement agencies improve crime-solving videos. The technology removes defects due to image jitter, image rotation and image zoom in video sequences. The technology also may be useful for medical imaging, scientific applications and home video.

Product Labeling--NASA needs to identify, track, and keep records on each of the thousands of heat-shield tiles on the Space Shuttle. This required a labeling system that could be put on ceramic material and withstand the rigors of space travel to be readable after a flight. NASA developed high data-density, two-dimensional, machine-readable symbol technology used to mark individual tiles. This novel method of labeling products with invisible and virtually indestructible markings can be used on electronic parts, pharmaceuticals and livestock--in fact on just about anything.

Keep Cool Under Fire--Materials from the Space Shuttle thermal protection system are used on NASCAR racing cars to protect drivers from the extreme heat generated by the engines. This same material is also used to protect firefighters.

Fire Resistant Foam--A unique foam developed for Space Shuttle thermal insulation and packing is now being used as thermal and acoustical insulation in aerospace, marine and industrial products. Since it's also fire resistant, it's being used as well for fire barriers, packaging and other applications requiring either high- temperature or very low-temperature insulation in critical environments. For example, use of these foam products by airframe manufacturers such as Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Airbus provides major weight savings, while retaining good thermal and acoustical properties in the various products.

Fire Sighting--A sensitive, gas infrared camera, used by NASA observers to monitor

the blazing plumes from the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters is also capable of scanning for fires. Firefighters use this hand-held camera to pinpoint the hotspots of wildfires that rage out of control. Gem Jewelers no longer have to worry about inhaling dangerous asbestos fibers from the blocks they use as soldering bases. Space Shuttle heat- shield tiles offer jewelers a safer soldering base with temperature resistance far beyond the 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit generated by the jeweler's torch.

Jet Stripping--NASA developed a tool that uses powerful jet streams of water to strip paint and primer from the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters. A commercial version of this water jet is now used to treat turbine-engine components, airframe components, large aerospace hardware, ships and other mechanical devices, using only pure water. No hazardous chemicals are needed.

Quick Fit Fasterners--Fastening items in space is a difficult task. A Virginia company developed a fastener that can be pushed on, rather than turned. These quick-connect fasteners are flexible and strong, and have been used by NASA astronauts since 1989. The product is now in use by firefighters and nuclear power-plant repair technicians, and has other commercial applications.

Computer Joysticks--Computer games can now be played with all the precision and sensitivity needed for a safe and soft Space Shuttle touchdown. A game-controlling joystick for personal computer-based entertainment systems was modeled after controls used in shuttle simulators. Astronauts used the joystick to practice runway landings and orbit maneuvering.

Toys For Tots--Already successful with its Nerf toy products, Hasbro, Inc. wanted to design a toy glider that a child could fly. Benefitting from NASA wind-tunnel and aerodynamic expertise used in the Space Shuttle program, Hasbro improved the flying distances and loop-to-loop stunts of its toy gliders.

As witnessed, the Space Shuttle can be configured to carry many different types of equipment, spacecraft and scientific experiments. The Space Shuttle is essential in the assembly of the International Space Station (advancing life sciences & technology through long- duration missions) and repairing and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope (enabling many new discoveries in Space Science). As an enabling function, the Space Shuttle is fully engaged in providing services for earth and physical science research. The Space Shuttle also engages the private sector in the development of space by providing flight opportunities for industry, academia and government to conduct applied research relevant to NASA's mission through access to the space environment. I will foresee that cooperative activities with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DoD) and other U.S. agencies will continue to advance knowledge of health, medicine, science and technology.

STS-107, which was lost on February 1, 2003, was a 16-day mission dedicated to research in physical, life, and space sciences, conducted in approximately 80 separate experiments, comprised of hundreds of samples and test points. With two Americans and a Russian still stationed at the International Space Station, it is imperative that this program not come to a halt. This most unfortunate and tragic loss of five men and two women, representing a mosaic of races and nationalities, will be mourned and these great American heroes will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to acknowledge the accomplishments of Robert L. Johnson.

In 1980, Mr. Johnson launched Black Entertainment Television (BET) with the help of a $15,000 loan. Under Mr. Johnson's leadership, BET Holdings Inc. expanded, and in 1991 became the first African-American- owned Company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Johnson has since expanded the core BET network to include a theatrical film company, a book publishing division and restaurants. BET has flourished as the leading African American multimedia entertainment company, now reaching more than 65 million U.S. homes and more than 90% of all African-American cable households.

On December 12, 2002, the National Basketball Association awarded Robert Johnson an expansion franchise in Charlotte, NC, making him not only the first African American to own an NBA franchise, but also the first African-American to own a major professional sports team in North America.

The selection of Mr. Johnson completes a long series of achievements by African-Americans in the NBA. Earl Lloyd became the NBA's first African-American player in 1950. Bill Russell became the league's first African-American head coach in 1966. Wayne Embry became the league's first African-American general manager in 1972. Today, 85 percent of the NBA's rosters are filled with African-Americans, and 12 of the 29 coaches in the league are African-Americans.

It was his individual skills, his demonstrated ability to build organizations, and his success in business and media that earned Robert Johnson such a grand accomplishment. He will be an example for other team owners as he has committed to giving African-Americans opportunities within his team's management structure.

I would like to recognize the historical significance of Robert L. Johnson becoming the first African-American to own a majority portion of a major sports team in the United States and North America. I salute Mr. Johnson for his outstanding achievements and work as an African American businessman and leader. I commend the NBA in choosing Mr. Johnson to own the new Charlotte franchise, and I salute the league's understanding of the importance of diversity in making its selection. I would also like to encourage further efforts within the NBA and other professional sports to support minority ownership and management of team franchises.