Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Public School Week. This weeklong series of events is designed to inform and transform the civic conversation around public education. In order for America to lead in the 21st century, our foremost social and economic imperative should be to provide a quality education to all of our students.

In my city of Dallas, four magnet schools were identified as Blue Ribbon schools. These four Dallas Independent School District (ISD) schools are the Environmental Science Academy, the Townview School of Science and Engineering Magnet High School, the Rosie M. Collins Sorrells School of Education and the Social Services Magnet High School and Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School. Being identified as a Blue Ribbon school means they are among the finest schools in the country, and I am proud of these four stellar institutions and others like them.

Townview Magnet is one of the most diverse schools in Texas, with minorities representing over half of the student population. Townview is a gem in my Congressional district and home to some of the Nation's best and brightest students. Newsweek Magazine has consistently rated Townview's Science and Engineering Magnet as one of the top high schools in the Nation. Townview serves as a model for other institutions of learning across the country.

Mr. Speaker, many of our best and our brightest students attend public schools and with encouragement and support from their principals and teachers they are capable of achieving remarkable success. We cannot allow our schools to lose the critical funding they need to operate simply because we as a Congress cannot work together to solve sequestration. Texas is poised to lose approximately $67.8 million for primary and secondary education, putting around 930 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 172,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 280 fewer schools would receive funding.

Mr. Speaker, supporting our Nation's public schools will help us out- educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world. We must identify ways to help improve schools like these that provide educational excellence to our communities. We must not waver in our commitment to our children and the future of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose H.R. 933, which appropriates money for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and funds the rest of the government until the end of the Fiscal Year 2013. This bill maintains the across the board sequestration cuts that took effect last Friday. Democratic Members of Congress have repeatedly called for a common sense, bipartisan solution to avoid the sequester, and have been met by nothing but inaction by our colleagues in the majority.

These indiscriminate cuts will seriously jeopardize the economic stability of this country. While our economy is still recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, sequestration will have the effect of slowing the recovery and costing 750,000 jobs.

While the worst consequences of the sequester have not yet been realized, the wheels have now been set in motion. We are on a course that will have real impacts for millions of Americans. Furlough notices are going out to thousands of federal employees and contractors, and many services will begin to slow.

Programs and services that millions of Americans rely on like Head Start, nutrition programs like WIC, and even the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be crippled by these cuts in funding. The critical support that our communities depend upon--the law enforcement officers who protect us, the air traffic controllers who keep our skies safe, FDA food inspectors, and the CDC's funding for disease prevention--all of it is being slashed.

Mr. Speaker, in short the Republicans are putting the ability of our government to function at risk, and they are jeopardizing the safety and security of millions of families across this country.

Mr. Speaker, each year we celebrate March as Women's History Month, and I wanted to take this opportunity to honor the women of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for their decades of service and commitment to empowering their communities.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. AKA is the oldest Greek organization established by African American college-educated women. From its humble beginnings, AKA has grown to 260,000 members with chapters in the U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, Korea, and on the continent of Africa.

AKA membership is comprised of distinguished women who have excelled academically, and utilized the organization to promote our mission of ``Service to All Mankind.'' Through AKA's human rights outreach, the organization works to raise awareness of human trafficking and domestic violence. The sorority also works to promote social justice through voter empowerment, civic engagement, and expanding access to education in minority communities. Through the organization's global poverty initiatives, AKA has focused its efforts to end hunger throughout the world, and to promote sustainability and independence through women- owned businesses and sustainable agriculture practices.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and I am proud to highlight the many accomplishments of the organization. Throughout the years, AKA's outreach has expanded as it strives to promote high academic standards, mentorship, global health services, and the advancement of human and civil rights.

Mr. Speaker, March is Women's History Month, and I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge the advocacy and public service of the members of The Links, Incorporated.

As an organization, The Links has made service to others the founding principle of the organization. Through friendship, we build relationships based on the premise that by our numbers, we are strong. With that strength, we can uplift others.

The Links, Incorporated had as its humble beginning the friendship of two women, Ms. Margaret Hawkins and Ms. Sarah Scott. Formed in 1946, these women worked to engage the African American community in Philadelphia in civic, educational, and cultural opportunities. Each friend invited a friend, and today The Links, Incorporated, is represented by 274 chapters and more than 12,000 professional women of color.

Through its various initiatives, The Links, Incorporated is breaking new ground in providing humanitarian support and closing the achievement gap in our schools. In my role as Chair of the National STEM Career Readiness Initiative, I have used my platform as a Member of Congress to raise awareness about the need for students' science and math literacy, and to increase the ranks of women and minority STEM students, engineers, scientists, and those in academia.

Throughout the history of The Links, we have focused our efforts on children, as they will be the future generations of leaders. Recent initiatives include tackling childhood obesity in our communities, increasing the retention and graduation rates of minority students, and facilitating international involvement and global awareness to serve the educational, health, and cultural needs of people of African descent throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the month of March we will be acknowledging women in history who have taken courageous steps and made significant impacts in their communities. The Links, Incorporated, have taken up the call for more than six decades, and through their efforts have transformed the lives of individuals and communities throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013, as amended by the Senate. This legislation will reauthorize programs first established in the 2002 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, the 2004 Project Bioshield Act, and the 2006 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. These programs are crucial to ensuring that our Nation is prepared to respond to public health emergencies, including those caused by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and bioterrorism.

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 will reauthorize programs such as the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement, which provides grants to state and local health departments, the National Disaster Medical System, which helps manage the government's medical response in emergencies, and bio- surveillance programs, which help states coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track and detect disease outbreaks. The legislation also allows the Food and Drug Administration to collect and analyze data about the safety and efficacy of products used in emergencies.

Mr. Speaker, in our changing world, public health emergencies can be created by sources as various as disasters due to climate change, global epidemics from an increasingly interconnected planet, and terrorists who target us. As we face these threats, it is our responsibility to remain vigilant and prepared for the sake of our children and our communities. The programs covered under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 serve as essential tools in our endeavor to protect the health of all Americans.

Madam Speaker, when the Congress adjourned last week, it did so without addressing the drastic spending cuts known as sequester. Now the March 1st deadline has passed, still with no action. Without the attention of Congress, these cuts will wreak havoc on our fragile economy and jeopardize the safety and security of families in this country. House and Senate Democrats have both offered reasonable, balanced plans to avert these damaging cuts, but the GOP has refused to work towards a bipartisan plan to reduce the deficit. We have had more than a year to reach a bipartisan agreement, and without an agreement these cuts will be balanced on the backs on our most vulnerable citizens.

I am specifically concerned about the effects of sequestration on the 30th District, and the state of Texas as a whole. Texas will lose approximately $67.8 million for primary and secondary education, putting educators at risk and compromising our children's education. In Texas alone, approximately 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million in total. These are not just numbers. Madam Speaker. These are mothers and fathers trying to provide for their families.

Under sequestration, 9,730 fewer children in Texas will receive vaccines, and our state will lose approximately $3,557,000 to help provide meals for seniors. Texas will also lose approximately $2,402,000 to help respond to public health threats including infectious diseases and natural disasters.

Madam Speaker, we must confront our federal debt and deficit, but we must do so in a balanced approach that does not further harm our weakened economy. Deficit reduction must be comprised by both decreased spending and enhanced revenue measures. I implore the House leadership and the Republican Members of Congress to come back to the table and get back to work.

Madam Speaker, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has historically provided a vast network of support for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking since its initial passage in 1994. As the House considers the reauthorization of these critical protections, Members of Congress will have to choose between two vastly disparate futures for the women of our Nation.

In one future, the House extends these important protections for all Americans by approving the Senate-passed reauthorization of VAWA, S. 47. This bipartisan bill not only extends the protections afforded to women under previous reauthorizations, but also expands those protections to LGBT individuals, Native Americans, and immigrants. In this future, abusive partners and perpetrators of violence are swiftly brought to justice as Congress builds upon the successes of VAWA, and incorporates new and innovative approaches to combating violence against women.

However, in a harshly dissimilar future that could be realized through the passage of the House substitute bill, only select groups of battered and abused women are protected

from violence or sexual assault. In this dismal scenario, college students, Native Americans, LGBT individuals, and others are left to fend for themselves against their attackers. In this future, perpetrators may remain confident that the strain on limited law enforcement resources will prevent them from being prosecuted for these gross violations of the law. This is not the future that I would want to envision for these victims of violence.

Madam Speaker, the Senate-passed version of the VAWA reauthorization is the result of extensive deliberation and consultation with real victims of violence, law enforcement personnel, and outside organizations that specialize in combating domestic violence and abuse. This Congress must vote to pass S. 47 immediately if we are to stand behind the women of this Nation, and send a strong message that these acts will not be tolerated. Every victim of domestic violence in America deserves equal protection under the law, and the House substitute to VAWA does not acknowledge the pervasiveness and severity of the violence that women must face each and every day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about H.R. 667, a bill to rename the Dryden Flight Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center. I, along with millions around the world were terribly saddened to hear the news this past August of the passing of Neil Armstrong, a genuine American hero and an inspiration to countless people around the world. This bill was introduced as one way of paying tribute to a man who exemplified the true meaning of public service through a life of inspiring others through his bravery and self-sacrifice. It would rename the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, while still naming the Western Aeronautical Test Range within the center as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. For those who may be unfamiliar with him, Dr. Dryden was a true aeronautics visionary, and an individual worthy of our recognition and esteem.

Last year, in my capacity as ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I had the opportunity to participate in the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring Mr. Neil Armstrong, along with John Glenn, who is also a former senator, Michael Collins and Edwin ``Buzz'' Aldrin, Jr. Each of these individuals is a genuine national hero and worthy of our gratitude. They and the astronauts that preceded and followed them were willing to put their lives at risk and sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice in order to push back the frontiers of knowledge and help our country achieve preeminence in space exploration.

Yet, it is clear from the way he carried himself and his public statements, that Mr. Armstrong did not seek public tributes such as the House is voting on today. Instead, he cared deeply about the future of our Nation's space program, and in his testimony to our Committee he stressed the importance of sustaining our commitment to a strong NASA. So it's worse than ironic that in the same week that we are voting to rename a NASA Center for him, we are going to allow a sequestration to proceed that will make devastating cuts to NASA's budget and set back the very human space exploration and aeronautics activities that Mr. Armstrong championed when he was alive. These cuts will also hurt the Flight Research Center we are proposing to rename, likely leading to layoffs and furloughs of dedicated individuals who work at the Center-- individuals who in many cases were probably inspired by both Dr. Dryden and Mr. Armstrong's examples to work for NASA in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, we can and should do better than this. I would urge the Majority to bring a bill to avoid this sequester to the House floor this week so we can vote on it. We should not be cutting our critical investments in R&D and in NASA. That is no way to honor the legacy of either Neil Armstrong or Hugh Dryden.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 77, the Academic Competition Resolution of 2013. For years, the annual art competition sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives recognizes imaginative high school students from every congressional district in the United States. Like the congressional art competition, H. Res. 77 establishes an academic competition in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to be held each year among students in each congressional district across the country.

It is just and appropriate for the United States House of Representatives to incentivize STEM education by highlighting outstanding youth across our country who are excelling in these disciplines. The highest growth sectors, such as information technology, require a workforce proficient in STEM. Producing students with the STEM skills needed to fill the jobs of the future is necessary to maintaining

our nation's innovation capacity and creating new high-skill, high- paying jobs at home. As Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, I know that to strengthen our nation's technological workforce and infrastructure we must encourage and incentivize STEM education.

Mr. Speaker, as we rise in support of H. Res. 77 to encourage STEM education and American innovation, with the fiscal cliff looming I would be remiss if I did not warn against cutting our critical federal R&D investments. As we struggle with our own deficits, we too can make the strategic choice to continue to invest in our future--both in our human capital and physical infrastructure--or we can make the strategic choice to permanently cede our leadership, to fail our current generation of young people, and to put our economy in a state of stagnation for years to come. It is when our economy is hurting the most that we should be redoubling our efforts to innovate our way into a brighter future of new jobs, new technologies, and untold societal benefits.

Mr. Speaker, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in Shelby County v. Holder this week, it is critical that we recognize the importance of upholding the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in order to preserve the rights of all Americans. To strip the VRA of its most effective provision now would be to turn our backs on millions of Americans who continue to be targeted by discriminatory voting practices.

The 2012 Presidential Election exemplified the persistent threats that work to disenfranchise voters. Long lines at polling places, the purging of voter registration rolls, and blatant efforts to intimidate select groups of voters have mired the electoral process in many localities. In Texas, two harsh voter mandates were passed in 2012 which were designed to create hurdles to voting with restrictive voter ID laws, and to dilute the voting power of the burgeoning minority population. In a testament to the necessity of the VRA, both measures were blocked under Section 5, preventing inequality of voting rights in Texas.

Historically, Congress has always reauthorized Section 5 of the VRA on a bipartisan basis, and as recently as 2006. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed more than 1,000 objections under Section 5 since 1982, protecting millions of voters from discrimination. The Supreme Court has upheld Section 5 of the VRA four times.

Mr. Speaker, voter disenfranchisement still poses a great threat to the electoral process. The Voting Rights Act is an essential tool in our fight to preserve equal voting rights for all Americans. Through the VRA, Congress has exercised its constitutional authority under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to ensure voters have free and fair access to the polls. Until there is sufficient evidence to suggest that efforts to suppress minority voters have been mitigated, the Voting Rights Act must be upheld in its entirety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of Dr. Marvin E. Robinson in business leadership and community service.

Dr. Robinson received his undergraduate degree at Southern University, where he served as president of the student body and found great success in his athletic pursuits as the co-captain of the Jaguar Tracksters. He began his career with the Congress of Racial Equality, first working as Field Secretary and then serving as Southern Regional Director during the early 1960s. Dr. Robinson earned his juris doctor from Howard University School of Law in 1968.

Continuing his work for racial equality, Dr. Robinson assisted in the development of a high school specializing in business and management during the height of desegregation of the school system. As the first director of this school, he oversaw a student body of 1,500 youth.

Dr. Robinson's entrepreneurial spirit soon drew him to the Xerox Corporation, where he was responsible for the operations, telecommunications, and planning for Xerox's Office Products Division facilities across the nation. Based on his success in this position, Dr. Robinson became Assistant to the President of Community Affairs at Xerox, responsible for the creation and implementation of a community involvement program. This program established Xerox as an excellent corporate citizen in Dallas.

Dr. Robinson moved on from Xerox in 1985 to purchase a Burger King Franchise. With his business acumen, he was able to increase the restaurant's gross income by over $150,000 in just one year.

In 1988, Dr. Robinson was named the President and CEO of Accommodations, Inc., a concession management company. He purchased the company and became its sole owner in 1995.

Dr. Robinson is a pillar of the Dallas community not only because of his leadership in business, but also because of his community service. Dr. Robinson has been involved in the Dallas County Salvation Army, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Council for Technical Vocational Education, and Dallas Dash with the Disabled, among many other local organizations. As a patron of the arts, Dr. Robinson served as the Board President of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre for twenty years. In 2007, Dr. Robinson received the Dallas Historical Society's Award for Excellence in Community Service.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the significant contributions that Dr. Robinson has made to the Dallas community. As a business and community leader for decades, he has worked hard to change Dallas for the better.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Beverly Mitchell-Brooks, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas. Dr. Mitchell-Brooks, a native born Texan from South Dallas, is the first woman to lead the Dallas Urban League since its founding in 1967.

Dr. Mitchell-Brooks has proudly served as Dallas Urban League President and CEO since 1990, and has helped the Dallas Urban League to achieve its prominence. Under Dr. Mitchell-Brooks' leadership, the Dallas Urban League has grown to serve more than 60,000 clients by providing comprehensive employment training, housing and education services, and specialized ex-offender re-entry programs to low and middle income families throughout Dallas County. The Dallas Urban League has been praised for its remarkable success in implementing these programs, and has been the recipient of numerous federal grants in recognition of their successes.

Dr. Mitchell-Brooks is also widely recognized for her diverse achievements outside of her work with the Dallas Urban League. Dr. Mitchell-Brooks, in her capacity as an environmental specialist for the EPA and the City of Dallas, was charged with analyzing lead contamination in West Dallas, and consequently contributed to the closing of hazardous smelters in that area. She also served as Director of Public Affairs for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, DART, system, where she expanded access to public transportation for working families by establishing the first crosstown bus route to Oak Cliff.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Mitchell-Brooks deserves great recognition for her endless efforts to empower members of the Dallas community. Dr. Mitchell-Brooks has demonstrated leadership in bringing community- oriented services to Dallas, and in making those services accessible to individuals of all backgrounds. She has devoted her life working to improve the quality of life for countless individuals, and I join with my constituents in expressing my incredible gratitude and appreciation for all that Dr. Mitchell-Brooks has done for Dallas, and the great State of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 273, a bill that would extend the pay freeze on federal employees' salaries for the third consecutive year. By bringing H.R. 273 to the floor for a vote, House Republicans have once again singled out federal employees and their families as they look to place the burden of reducing the deficit squarely on the backs of middle class families.

Like their private-sector counterparts, federal employees are subject to the same economic trends as any other worker in America. Federal employees have families just as their counterparts in the private sector, and have the same responsibilities to provide for them. With federal employees currently under a pay freeze for the past two years, it would be unfair to ask for continued sacrifice from only this select group of middle-income workers.

Federal employees have already contributed $103 billion toward reducing our deficit through a series of pay freezes and reductions in benefits. The critical role of federal employees is often overlooked, and demanding further cuts to pay and benefits will diminish our ability to deliver on this government's promise to protect the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I am not opposed to reining in wasteful government spending. However, I am opposed to continually placing an undue burden on federal workers to make up for wasteful spending in other areas of the federal budget. If we are serious about addressing our budget deficits, this Congress should focus more on passing a comprehensive budget that reflects shared sacrifices by all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, this month the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Shelby v. Holder, a case that challenges the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It is imperative that the Voting Rights Act be upheld in its entirety, for without it, a fundamental piece of our democracy will be out of reach for millions in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here after two decades, and I'm supposed to be standing here representing a district that has been altered twice. But, Mr. Speaker, I stand here representing a district that has been altered three times--that many times--in this last two decades. As we saw in the recent election, discrimination on the basis of race is a persistent reality throughout many localities in States protected by section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Without these protections, voters are at risk of losing their fundamental right to vote and to have that vote counted.

The Voting Rights Act provides a remedy to protect voters, either by addressing actual instances of discrimination or by preventing discrimination from happening in the first place.

Section 5 provides localities the opportunity to prove that they are fully committed to ensuring everyone has the right to vote, and sets out clear criteria for doing so. In this way, section 5 of the Voting Rights Act encourages localities to establish fair voting practices, but demands real proof of the progress.

I cannot tell you how many cases that come to the attention of the Justice Department, almost on a monthly basis, of discrimination in this area. The Constitution is unequivocally clear that the Congress has the authority to protect voters. That is why Congress spent so much time in 2006 reviewing all the data and hearing from all sides.

The 2006 reauthorization was recognition that discrimination still exists but that Congress has a responsibility to ensure that every voter must continue to exercise their right.

If every State would prove to the voters that they are willing not to discriminate, there would not be the need; but that has not happened. Even States not covered have had difficulty of allowing minorities to express themselves.

Now, I have been a victim of discrimination through redistricting and cracking and packing and every other technique that can happen in redistricting. Mr. Speaker, until we, in this country, can guarantee that voters will be handled fairly, there is no way that we should be talking about doing away with section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of a tragic event in the history of the country of Azerbaijan.

On the night of January 19, 1990, Azerbaijan was invaded by thousands of Soviet troops. These troops entered Azerbaijan under the pretext of restoring public order, but with the true aim of ending peaceful demonstrations for independence.

Despite resistance to the Soviet troops by Azerbaijanis, more than 130 Azerbaijani people were killed and hundreds more were wounded or detained indefinitely. This episode came to be known as ``Black January,'' a terrible event that only sharpened the desire for independence among the people of Azerbaijan.

By 1991, popular pressure had restored the independence of Azerbaijan. On August 30, 1991, Azerbaijan's Parliament adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and on October 18, 1991, the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was approved. The United States established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan in 1992. Since then, Azerbaijan has been a steadfast ally to the United States and an important strategic partner in the region.

Each year, the people of Azerbaijan remember those who lost their lives on Black January in 1990 and honor their sacrifice through their commitment to the ideals of democracy.

I urge my colleagues to commit to fostering a strong partnership between the United States and Azerbaijan so that together, we can promote freedom and democracy around the world.