Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating Askia Muhammad on his 40th anniversary as the volunteer host of the Tuesday Jazz program known as ``Yardbird Sweets'' on WPFW-89.3 FM.

Askia Muhammad has been a journalist in the Nation's Capital since 1977, covering the White House, Capitol Hill and District of Columbia affairs, including the Statehood movement.

Askia Muhammad began as a volunteer Jazz producer at Pacifica Radio's ``Jazz and Justice'' WPFW-89.3 FM in September 1977 as co-host of ``Noontime Notes.'' On Tuesday March 27, 1979 Askia Muhammad hosted his first edition of ``Yardbird Sweets,'' taking the name of the program from the theme song he chose--Yardbird Suite--by Charlie ``Yardbird'' Parker.

Over the years that Mr. Muhammad has spent broadcasting Jazz and poetry to Washington listeners on WPFW-89.3 FM, several milestone world events have been broadcast on his program, including: the tragic explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986; the release of Nelson Mandela (broadcast live) from prison in South Africa in 1990; the Million Man March, 1995 (live); the 2009 Inauguration of President Barack Obama (live); and countless interviews with poets, performers, professors and protestors.

In 1994 Askia Muhammad received the D.C. Mayor's Award for ``Excellence in Service to

the Arts''--D.C.'s ``Oscar for the Arts;'' and in 1993 he received the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ) ``President's Award.'' He served twice as a judge of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards and twice as a judge of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Merit Awards. His commentaries on The Tavis Smiley Show on NPR won First Place in 2003 and 2004 in the Salute to Excellence Award competition of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and his commentaries for Pacifica Radio won First Place in 2002 in the NABJ Salute to Excellence competition. He is an award-winner for best editorial column in the 2017 National Newspaper Publishers Association.

During his tenure as host of ``Yardbird Sweets'' on WPFW-89.3 FM, Askia Muhammad has produced nine nationally broadcast documentaries for the ``Soundprint'' public radio series; his articles have appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Nation, The Washington Informer, The Richmond Free Press, Jet, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, and The Los Angeles Times. He has been a commentator on W*USA-TV9's ``Capital Edition,'' a host and panelist on WHUT-TV32's ``Evening Exchange,'' and on the WOL-Radio One News Talk Network. He was an original panelist on the syndicated television program, ``America's Black Forum;'' for more than 20 years, from 1981 through 2003 and a regular commentator on National Public Radio's (NPR's) ``All Things Considered,'' and ``The Tavis Smiley Show,'' and a regular commentator for several years on Christian Science Monitor Radio, and Public Radio International's ``Marketplace.''

Askia Muhammad is a husband, father and grandfather. March 26, 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of Askia Muhammad's Tuesday morning radio program on Pacifica Radio's WPFW-89.3 FM.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Askia Muhammad for his work on WPFW over the past 40 years.

Mr. Chair, I thank my friend for yielding.

I have left the chair, where I had been presiding, to speak on my bill, which is included in H.R. 7. My bill is Pay Equity for All, to bar an employer from asking about a person's prior pay.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank all of you who have led this bill to where we are today. I also am very much for the bill in which my bill is included, H.R. 7, which includes class actions, for example, the clarification for which has been most needed.

Expanding this bill is personal for me. I was the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and enforce the Equal Pay Act, expanding it during my term at the commission.

I, therefore, am very grateful to my good friend Rosa DeLauro, a great champion of equal pay, for including my Pay Equity for All Act in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, many employers may not recognize that they are discriminating against women because they may not intentionally do so. But setting wages based on salary history is routinely done in the workplace, perhaps even by some in the Congress, and it reinforces the wage gap and may be the most important reason for the persistence of the wage gap that we have been unable to unlock.

What it means is that historically disadvantaged groups--women and minorities in particular--often start their careers with unfair and artificially low wages compared to their White male counterparts. This then gets imbedded--this discrimination--and compounded throughout their careers, so they never catch up with their male counterparts.

Job offers ought to be based on an applicant's skill and merit, not past salary or salary history.

My bill keeps an employer from asking applicants for their salary history or their salary in the last job during the interview process or as a condition of employment.

One study has shown, if you don't ask this question, wages are set at 9 percent higher. Therefore, this bill is a very important component of bridging the wage gap.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce a bill, the RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Conveyance Act, to direct the federal government to sell for fair market value the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK) to the District of Columbia.

RFK, once an active sports stadium, for years has been a rusted stadium surrounded by deterioration and several parking lots. The District leases the RFK site from the Department of the Interior and, under the terms of the lease, may only use the land for recreation, stadium purposes and open space. The lease expires in 2038. The stadium and its many parking lots comprise 88 percent of the 190-acre campus, which currently has only 22.3 acres of green space and is largely hardscape.

The District recognizes the vast potential of this sprawling campus in the heart of the city to provide significant value to residents while also strengthening the local economy and neighborhood. The current lease and its accompanying restrictions have limited the District's ability to make full use of this land, including collecting tax revenue. The limited number of years remaining on the current lease have also complicated the District's ability to plan for the long-term development of this site and attract private investment.

The District has worked hard to identify creative utilization options for the property despite the uncertainty surrounding long-term control of the land. In August of last year, the District began work on its efforts to redevelop one of the site's many parking lots into multipurpose playing fields as part of a larger recreation complex. The conveyance of the site will give the District the ability to consider more uses for this site including additional green space for public use, housing, commercial development and other enhancements that would benefit the surrounding neighborhood and the District as a whole.

This bill, at no cost to the federal government, would provide the District with the certainty that it needs to secure financing and proceed with long-term planning for this site. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Pay Equity for All Act of 2019, a bill that will help eliminate the gender and racial pay gap by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants for their salary history before making a job or salary offer. Even though many employers may not intentionally discriminate against applicants or employees based on gender, race or ethnicity, setting wages based on salary history can reinforce the wage gap. Members of historically disadvantaged groups often start their careers with unfair and artificially low wages compared to their white male counterparts, and the disparities are compounded from job to job throughout their careers. I am grateful that the text of the Pay Equity for All Act was included in the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7). Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jerry Nadler and Jackie Speier are cosponsors of the Pay Equity for All Act.

The Pay Equity for All Act will ensure that applicants' salaries are based on their skills and merit, not on salary history, by assessing penalties against employers who ask applicants for their salary history during the interview process or as a condition of employment. It would also provide job applicants and employees with a private right of action against employers who violate these provisions.

There is much work to be done to address the wage gap. Our bill is an important step toward addressing these disparities.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Courts Vacancy Reduction Act. This bill would allow local District of Columbia court nominees to be seated after a 30-day congressional review period unless a resolution of disapproval is enacted into law during that period. Currently, nominees cannot be seated without affirmative Senate approval. The congressional review process for nominees would be the same one used for legislation passed by the D.C. Council. It is therefore a reliable process, long- recognized by Congress. My bill is prompted by the unique requirement that judges for the local D.C. courts be confirmed by the Senate, where nominees for the federal courts, understandably, get the primary focus and priority. There is currently a vacancy crisis facing the District's criminal and civil courts, and the D.C. courts have raised serious concerns due to longstanding vacancies.

Whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate, the local D.C. courts regularly face vacancy crises, which harm the operations of the judicial system in the District. Congress created the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission (JNC) to recommend candidates, and Congress should generally defer to its judgment. This bill is a compromise, useful to all concerned, that retains a congressional role while saving the Senate time by removing the need for committee and floor action and increasing the odds that D.C. will have a full complement of local judges.

Currently, there are seven vacancies out of 62 authorized judges on the D.C. Superior Court and two vacancies out of nine authorized judges on the D.C. Court of Appeals.

Both pre- and post-home rule, the District has never had control over the nomination and approval of local D.C. judges. My bill would not alter the role of the JNC or the President in the nomination process. Under the Home Rule Act, the JNC recommends to the President a list of three persons for each vacancy on the Superior Court and Court of Appeals. The President must nominate a candidate recommended by the JNC within 60 days to the Senate for advice and consent. If the President fails to nominate such a person within 60 days, the JNC must nominate a recommended person directly to the Senate for advice and consent. The Senate has no obligation to provide its advice and consent. Under this bill, once a name has been transmitted to Congress, the nomination would be deemed approved unless a resolution of disapproval is enacted into law during a 30-legislative-day review period.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Greater Baptist Deacons Association (GBDA) for its outstanding spiritual work in the District of Columbia.

The GBDA has been an instrumental part of the faith community in the District for 100 years. The GBDA has supported spiritual development through meaningful Bible study, leadership training workshops, youth education opportunities and other community enrichment initiatives over the years. The GBDA has promoted social, economic and civic justice for all citizens and religious institutions.

In 1919, the GBDA was formed to unite the faith community across the Washington metro area, to more effectively spread Christian teachings and to provide quality community programs. In 1939, the members of the GBDA were instrumental in starting the National Baptist Deacons Convention, bringing together members of the spiritual community to better serve and strengthen the fellowship of churches.

The GBDA was instrumental in expanding spiritual leadership training across two dozen states and territories, providing a mechanism for spiritual leaders to share common experiences and offer support to various communities. Together with regional elected leaders, the GBDA helped raise awareness for national and social issues over the years, which led to changes in the nation's conscience.

The GBDA members and leaders have worked with various corporations and business entities to address issues such as homelessness, affordable housing and workers' rights. They have worked collaboratively with community partners on programs supporting civic, social and community development.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating the General Baptist Deacon Association on its 100th year of service to the District of Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Anne B. Wicks on her retirement from the District of Columbia Courts.

The Joint Committee on Judicial Administration appointed Ms. Wicks to serve as Executive Officer of the D.C. Courts in February 2000. She is the first woman and longest, serving Executive Officer in the Courts' history.

Prior to her appointment as Executive Officer, Ms. Wicks worked for the Courts in a number of capacities, including Acting Chief Financial Officer, 1999 to 2000; Deputy Executive Officer for Court Operations, 1997 to 1999; Deputy Director for Research and Development, 1988 to 1997; and Chief of Research, 1986 to 1988. Ms. Wicks previously held positions with the Legal Services Corporation and the Georgetown University Law School.

Ms. Wicks' led the D.C. Courts through many changes over the past 19 years. She oversaw the integration of 19 stand-alone computer systems into trial court case management system. She managed the adoption of long-term planning for capital programs in IT and facilities, and the development of a comprehensive education and training program. She participated in the extensive growth of and renovation to the Courts' buildings and Judiciary Square campus, and the adoption of strategic management as a governance structure. She also assisted with the creation of a strong management team, leadership principles and employee engagement initiatives that focus on collaborative and integrated judicial and administrative leadership.

I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Anne B. Wicks for 33 years of outstanding service to the District of Columbia Courts. Her steadfast leadership is one of the reasons the D.C. Courts are highly regarded around the world.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the National Capital Planning Commission District of Columbia Home Rule Act. This bill would remove the authority of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to review or approve the development of District of Columbia-owned land. This bill would also remove the requirement that the Mayor of the District get NCPC's approval before selling D.C.-owned real estate, and would allow D.C. agencies to transfer jurisdiction over District-owned land among themselves without NCPC's approval.

Under federal law, the development of District-owned public buildings, including the location, height, bulk, number of stories and size of such buildings, in the ``central area'' is subject to NCPC approval. The District is required to consult with NCPC on its buildings outside the central area, but NCPC has only advisory authority in those areas. The central area is defined by the concurrent action of NCPC and the D.C. Council, and currently consists of the Downtown and Shaw Urban Renewal Areas.

This authority is unnecessary, as shown by the virtual absence of its use to disapprove sales or development. This latent authority of the federal government should not be able to slow or block the development of District-owned land, or add to the cost of development. The District is not a federal agency, and should not be treated any differently by federal law than other local jurisdictions, where local development proceeds without federal interference.

NCPC consists of 12 members, three appointed by the President, two appointed by the Mayor, the Mayor, the Chair of the D.C. Council, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services, and the Chairs of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

This bill is one more important step to increase home rule for the District, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Ensuring Full Participation in the Census Act of 2019, which would prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau from including questions on the decennial census about citizenship, nationality or immigration status.

This bill is essential because the Department of Justice has written to the Bureau that it ``reinstate on the 2020 Census questionnaire a question regarding citizenship.'' From 1970 to 2000, this question was sent to only approximately 16 percent of the population during any decennial census through the so-called ``long-form.'' However, the long-form system was dropped from the census and replaced with the current American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is sent to approximately 3 million people annually on a rotational basis, instead of just with the decennial census, and allows the Bureau to get the necessary information on citizenship, without asking every respondent during the decennial census. Asking questions about citizenship status to every American through the decennial census has not been done in almost 70 years because it would discourage people, largely in minority communities, which are already undercounted in the census, from participating in the census. The ACS was created to make the decennial census simpler for American citizens to complete, thus encouraging a higher and more accurate participant rate, and to preserve privacy. Adding a question back into the decennial census about citizenship would defeat this purpose of the ACS. The representative sampling provided by the

ACS is more than sufficient to determine citizenship statistics within the U.S. We must ensure that all individuals are counted in the decennial census, thereby providing accurate allocation of federal funds and representation in Congress, not reduce participation by already undercounted minorities because they fear answering questions that are already addressed elsewhere.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Vernon Davis, a District of Columbia native, for his outstanding achievements as a core member of the Washington NFL team and for his Vernon Davis Foundation.

Vernon Davis was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in the Petworth neighborhood with seven siblings, including his brother Vontae Davis, who is currently a member of the NFL's Buffalo Bills. Vernon Davis attended Truesdell Elementary, Paul Public Charter School and Dunbar High School. He was a letterman in football, basketball and track and field, and went on to attend the University of Maryland, where he was a Consensus All-American in football in 2005.

Vernon Davis, tight end of the Washington NFL team, started his NFL career in 2006 with the San Francisco 49ers. He went on to become a Super Bowl champion, Second-team All Pro and NFL receiving touchdowns leader. As a core member of the Washington NFL team, Davis' love for football and influence on the team's culture are displayed with pride on a daily basis.

Off the field, Vernon is known for his dedication and commitment to children and families in the Washington, D.C. area through his Vernon Davis Foundation. These efforts are highlighted through his work to promote reading among our youth through his READ 85 campaign, support mentoring programs with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and strengthen families in collaboration with the National Center for Children and Families. Davis is also a loving father and one of the best-dressed players in football.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Vernon Davis for his outstanding contributions through his work as a sports hero and as a role model for Washington, D.C. residents.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1582) to amend title 44, United States Code, to require preservation of certain electronic records by Federal agencies, to require a certification and reports relating to Presidential records, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Electronic Message Preservation Act. This bill would update the Federal Records Act and the Presidential Records Act to ensure that agencies save records created through electronic messages, including emails. This bill would require the Archivist of the United States to issue regulations

mandating that all Federal agencies manage and preserve their email records electronically.

Agencies are already supposed to be saving emails electronically. In 2012, the Archivist and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget issued a directive that required agencies to do so. This bill would help ensure that email records from Federal agencies and the White House are all preserved.

According to a September 2018 report from the National Archives and Records Administration, approximately 35 percent of agencies continue to print and file hard copies of email messages. This means that these records are more likely to get lost, and they are harder for the agency to retrieve during records searches under the Freedom of Information Act.

This bill would put into statute what agencies are already required to do under a directive issued by the Archivist and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2012. Agencies are required, under the directive, to save all permanent electronic records electronically by the end of 2019. Putting this requirement to save email records electronically into statute would show agencies to take this issue seriously.

This bill would also require the Archivist to establish standards for the preservation and management of Presidential email records and to certify, annually, that the White House has records management controls in place that meet those standards. The Archivist would be required, under this legislation, to report 1 year after the President leaves office on whether the controls used by the President met the required standards.

This bill has been introduced and passed by the House under multiple administrations. This is not a partisan bill for sure. It is a good government bill.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

If anything, I am surprised, perhaps shocked, that we have had to put the matter of electronic recordkeeping into statutory form to make sure it has happened.

We are deep into the electronic era, and perhaps, when you put a matter into statutory form, it finally is a matter of law and it gets people's attention. I certainly hope so.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to yield back unless the gentleman has something more to say.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1608) to amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act to increase the transparency of Federal advisory committees, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments.

Representative Lacy Clay, my good friend from Missouri, has introduced this bill each Congress for a decade now. The bill passed in each of the previous two Congresses, and it passed the House last year without opposition.

The Federal Advisory Committee Act was originally enacted in 1972. It is intended to ensure that committees that provide advice to Federal agencies and the President operate with transparency.

The bill we are considering today would strengthen FACA to make Federal advisory committees more transparent and to make agencies more accountable in how they select members for these committees.

Agencies often avoid the requirements of FACA by conducting advisory committee business through subcommittees. This bill makes it clear that FACA applies to subcommittees as well as parent committees. The bill also clarifies that a committee set up by a contractor is subject to FACA if it is formed under direction of the President or an agency.

Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments, agencies would be required to disclose how advisory members are chosen and whether they have financial conflicts of interest. They would also be required to disclose if they are appointed to provide their own expertise and who they work for if they are representing a specific interest.

Last Congress, this legislation was approved without opposition by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in the Senate. Chairman Ron Johnson and his staff were very helpful in pushing this bill through the Senate.

The bill we are considering today includes changes made following negotiations we engaged in during the process. These are changes to address concerns raised last Congress by the Department of Health and Human Services and technical corrections from the General Services Administration.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Committee on Ways and Means,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, March 11, 2019.

Hon. Elijah Cummings,

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Reform,

Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Cummings: In recognition of the desire to

expedite consideration of H.R. 1608, ``Federal Advisory

Committee Act Amendments of 2019,'' the Committee on Ways and

Means agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to

provisions that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the

Committee on Ways and Means.

The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the

mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction

over the subject matter contained in this or similar

legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately

consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation

moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues

within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the

right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of

conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or

similar legislation.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter

confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of

our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 1608.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Neal,

Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).

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

I must say that my friend from Missouri has been indefatigable in trying to get this bill passed. It looks like it received some notice, at least the last time, in the Senate.

I have joked with my friend that maybe if he got somebody else to introduce it, we could get the bill passed. But he keeps trying. If at first you don't succeed--

I believe that because he has understood that these advisory committees are very important and sometimes amount to enacting legislation, so important are some of them to our process, that he has to keep plugging away until we get it done. I thank him for doing so.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1654) to amend title 44, United States Code, to modernize the Federal Register, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

H.R. 1654, the Federal Register Modernization Act, is a good- government bill that will reduce waste and save taxpayer money. I thank my good friend from North Carolina, Representative Meadows, for his work on this important measure.

The bill would modernize the Federal Register to take advantage of modern technology and increase efficiency. The bill would give the Office of the Federal Register the flexibility to publish the Federal Register electronically.

It also allows agencies to stop sending unnecessary paper copies of documents when they send materials to be published in the Federal Register. That one step alone could save significant sums of money that could be used more efficiently to address the needs of the American public.

H.R. 1654 also makes certain technical changes, of course, to a statute that was originally written in 1935 and does need some updating.

This is exactly the kind of legislation Congress should be passing. It is bipartisan; it is noncontroversial; and it would make modest improvements to bring the Federal Government into the digital age so that information is more accessible to the public.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I think it should be noted that all the bill does is give flexibility, flexibility to publish the Federal Register electronically, so I suspect that there will still be paper copies.

But apparently, the Office of the Federal Register doesn't think it can go online with the Federal Register, so that is very disturbing this late into the digital age.

I regard this bill, the bill of my good friend, I regard it as not prescient, because it should have happened a long time ago, but absolutely necessary, and I commend him for this bill.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to yield back. Unless my good friend has something further today, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank my friend for yielding.

There is a reason that this bill is H.R. 1. It shows that we are not there yet in building a more perfect democracy. Nothing illustrates that better than H.R. 1's findings on D.C. statehood. These findings document the District's long adherence to all the qualifications for statehood.

Since the founding of the Republic, serving in all the Nation's wars, paying Federal income taxes--in fact, leading the country, per capita, in Federal income taxes paid today--if anything, H.R. 1's findings show that the District is overqualified for statehood--witness the $2.8 billion surplus and its population larger than that of two States.

Yesterday marked 200 cosponsors for our D.C. statehood bill. Today, passage of H.R. 1 would set a historic milestone, marking the first vote for the necessity for D.C. statehood in the 218 years the District has been the capital of the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Bayard Rustin Stamp Act. This bill would direct the United States Postmaster General to issue a forever stamp to commemorate the life and work of Bayard Rustin.

Born March 17, 1912, Bayard Rustin became one of the most important leaders in the 20th century civil rights movement. At a young age, Rustin learned the values of nonviolence and peacekeeping from his grandparents' Quaker faith, and he would continue to build these values into his life as a civil rights movement leader.

Rustin attended City College of New York, where he joined a progressive club that aimed to remedy racial issues during turbulent times. His time with the club was short lived, but it inspired him to join the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an organization that became a champion for labor rights, equity and world peace.

His time with the Fellowship of Reconciliation led Rustin to become a leader in the 1947 ``Journey to Reconciliation,'' where white and black people across the South rode buses together to challenge segregation laws, a precursor to the Freedom Rides.

Rustin was an advisor in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s inner circle as he advocated pacifism and nonviolence for achieving equal treatment for African Americans. He applied his brilliant strategic mind to the use of aggressive, peaceful action in the civil rights movement and throughout his life as an activist.

His most important role was as the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, D.C., the largest demonstration ever organized at the time, in which a quarter of a million people turned out to demand civil rights for African Americans.

In the years after the civil rights movement, Rustin used his background as a gay man to inspire others to advocate for and to achieve LGBT rights. He remained a strategist and public speaker for workers' rights movements, including co-founding the A. Philip Randolph Institute for black trade union members. Rustin committed to promoting social good, and advocating for the disenfranchised, until his death, in 1987.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.