Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 44, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, a snowstorm in Milwaukee cancelled all flights to Washington, DC yesterday, and I was unable to vote on rollcall votes 29, 30, and 31. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes'' on all three.

Madam Speaker, as of Monday, January 21, 2008, 3,929 members of the United States military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press account. Today, I want to take this opportunity to talk about just two of these soldiers, residents of the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin.

After these gentlemen have given so much for their country and their communities, our community, I just must pause, we must pause. We can't just allow business to go on as usual until we pay tribute here on the floor of the House to these young men and to offer my sincerest condolences to their families.

On January 5, Army Private First Class Jason Lemke, age 30, was killed in Iraq as a result of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. PFC Lemke was not just a soldier, Madam Speaker, but also a father of three young daughters, Amber, Liz and Casey.

When he was interred just a few weeks ago on January 16, a family lost a loving father, a beloved son, his mom and dad, Colleen and Greg, and brother to Jerrie and Jill Lemke.

A 1996 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Jason wanted to enlist in the Army right after graduation from high school, but his parents talked him out of it. Instead, he worked and raised his baby girls. In December of 2004, PFC Lemke answered the call of his heart and enlisted in the Army in Milwaukee and reported to Fort Benning, Georgia, in January of 2005 for initial entry training.

In May of 2005, he reported to Fort Lewis in Washington where he was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, and his brigade was then deployed to Iraq in April of 2007.

One talent that sticks out in my mind was his exceptional linguistic skill. He possessed this extraordinary skill, and he spoke both Spanish and Arabic, and I'm sure that that was an incredible asset to his fellow soldiers in Iraq. His language training came about because the military saw something special in this young man and selected him for intensive training in Arabic. His proficiency in it speaks well of Private First Class Lemke's own capacity and ability to pick up a difficult language in such a short time. I wish I had

had the opportunity to meet this outstanding young man. I can so relate to him, and I'm sure the rest of us can, in that he had his fair challenges in life.

Here are some of the words that have been used to describe this young man, just briefly, from his mom, Colleen.

``He's my son, my little boy, and my friend. He always made me proud and never disappointed me. His wit he shared with everyone. He always looked out for the underdog and did what he had to do. When he was with his kids and his sister's kids, the room was full of love. I'll miss his head in my lap when talking and watching TV. He was not afraid to show his love. But he's home in my heart and soul today.''

From his father, Greg: ``His grandpa was in the Marines. His uncle was a Marine. His father was in the Army, and my older brother was in the Army,'' Greg said. ``So there's a family service thing here. He wanted to make a mark.''

In a last but fitting honor, Private First Class Lemke was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal. So today, Madam Speaker, as Corporal Lemke's family, friends, and his fellow soldiers come together at Fort Lewis to remember him in a memorial ceremony, I rise to honor this valiant soldier, loving son, and father, and to express my gratitude, condolences and that of the House to those who knew him and loved him best.

Thank you so much, Representative.

I rise, Madam Speaker, to memorialize another of my constituents, Private First Class Keith Lloyd, who died of wounds suffered when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Iraq at the tender age of 26 on January 12.

He was born in Milwaukee. He went to elementary school in Milwaukee prior to his family moving to Oak Creek and then to South Milwaukee. Lloyd graduated from South Milwaukee High School in my district in 2000 and worked in a number of retail stores. He also took courses at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Oak Creek and ITT Technical Institute in Milwaukee.

According to media reports, as a teen, Private First Class Lloyd was not crazy about high school, but he never shirked the responsibility that came with it. After graduation he wasn't quite sure what career path to take, like many high school graduates, including myself.

Finally, as a young man, he decided to follow the path of his younger brother, who had just completed a tour of duty in Iraq with the United States Army. According to his sister Christine, he was looking for direction. He wanted to make something of himself and thought the Army was a good place to do that. He enlisted in March 2007, and, indeed, he made much of his life and paid the ultimate price for us, his fellow Americans.

This was a young man who did not want to sit on the bench and let life pass him by.

His sister also noted that he had a big heart and would do anything for anybody.

Private First Class Lloyd deployed to Iraq in November as a member of the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Hood, Texas.

Yesterday Private First Class Lloyd was laid to rest at Good Hope Cemetery in Milwaukee.

Madam Speaker, I wish to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of Private First Class Lloyd today: his sister, Christine; brother Thomas; his mom, Cynthia Allam; his dad and stepmother, Gary and Joanne Lloyd; sister Cora Lloyd; and brothers Kraig, Gary, and Joshua Lloyd.

These men certainly made the lives of those around them better day by day and exemplified the character and qualities that enrich our communities and our Nation. This is indeed a sad day for the Nation. While as the Bible says, ``each heart knows its own grief'' and I cannot possibly understand the grief their families are going through today, I offer this timely tribute today to express the gratitude of a Nation and my condolences on their loss.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. HOPE VI is not just a tremendously successful housing program; it's a program that revitalizes entire communities.

When you have an area with thousands of people in dense public housing communities, it's essential that we disperse poverty and create communities within mixed-income groups. HOPE VI has had enormous success at doing just that.

I would like to remind my colleagues that HOPE VI is not some liberal Democrat program; it was created under a Republican administration, the previous President Bush. However, for the past 5 years, this President Bush has proposed ending this vital program, claiming that it has already accomplished its goal. Clearly, he's mistaken.

Secondly, I just want to remind the body that we're experiencing a mortgage crisis of gargantuan, indeed, global proportions. The bad actors in the mortgage market have found fertile ground among families who have yearned for decent housing. They have preyed upon these families with these awful mortgage products because of the dearth of affordable rental units. HOPE VI is an answer to prayer for these families who may not be able to achieve homeownership, but deserve decent and affordable housing.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Booker Townsell. Mr. Townsell was falsely accused along with 42 other African-American soldiers for rioting and lynching an Italian POW at Fort Lawton, an Army base in Seattle in 1944. It was the largest and longest Army courts-martial of World War II. Mr. Townsell was ultimately court-martialed and convicted with 27 others and served two years in prison. After 63 years, Booker Townsell has been fully exonerated. Mr. Townsell was not able to see this travesty reversed having died in 1984 at the age of 69. However, his family persevered until he was fully exonerated for a crime he did not commit.

Members of Mr. Townsell's family learned of Jack Hamann's, 2005 book, ``On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II'', which chronicled the Fort Lawton court martial. The Townsell family contacted Hamann and was the first to petition the Army to reverse the conviction. The Army Review Board required each family to apply individually for a review. Bipartisan requests were made in Congress to review the case. In October, 2007, an Army review board, acting on evidence uncovered by Hamann's book, overturned Townsell's conviction. The analysis used to reverse Townsell's conviction would apply to all of the soldiers convicted, an Army lawyer who reviewed the case for the review board told The New York Times.

Hamann's investigation uncovered racial bias against the soldiers, including charges being brought immediately without the benefit of full counsel which led to their unfair convictions. This incredible story also involves Leon Jaworski, a young lieutenant who prosecuted the case for the Army and later served as special prosecutor in the Watergate case. Hamann discovered that Jaworski failed to share evidence with defense lawyers that could have exonerated the black soldiers. Hamann said it seemed suspicious that black soldiers in 1944 would participate in a lynching, given the racial attitudes in America at the time. According to his research, no black person had ever been put on trial for a lynching until then.

A lawyer who specializes in military affairs helped the Townsell family with their petition to the Army review board. The decision that overturned Townsell's conviction was a sweet victory for justice in our country.

On January 19th 2008, the family will celebrate their legal victory with a ceremony attended by Army officials to recognize the overturning of this conviction after 63 years. I am honored to have this opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Townsell and to his family. Mr. Townsell's good name has now been restored.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a compassionate educator, a civil rights activist, an ordained Baptist minister and veteran from the Fourth Congressional District, Dr. Salomon Hernandez Flores. Dr. Flores passed away on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, in Milwaukee at age 79.

Dr. Flores was dedicated to his students, and his illustrious career as an educator began over 50 years ago, as a high school teacher of English and Spanish in Kansas and Missouri. Dr. Flores retired at age 72 as Professor Emeritus from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after 24 years of service in the School of Education. He had also taught and trained teachers at universities including Avila College, Northeastern State University, Ohio State University, University of Maryland and Chicago State University. At the national level, he was an early practitioner, advocate and scholar on bilingual education and served over the years as a consultant on bilingual education and multi- cultural education to numerous agencies and educational institutions.

During the 60s and 70s, Dr. Flores was active in the civil rights and Chicano rights movements as an educational activist and proposal writer. He worked directly with the Teacher Training Corp. of Texas, and the Midwest Desegregation Center. In recognition for his contributions as a Chicano activist, he was granted an audience with President Echeverria of Mexico. As an ordained American Baptist minister, he served as pastor at two churches, one each in Kansas and Missouri, with bilingual ministries. He participated in two missionary tours, one to Cuba and the other to Mexico, while attending Ottawa University.

Dr. Flores was born on October 14, 1928, in Kansas City, Kansas to immigrant Mexican parents. He attended Rosedale High School in Kansas City, where he held championship titles in the mile run. He continued his track career in college. Dr. Flores received his B.A. in English at Ottawa University in 1953, his M.A. in Spanish at the University of Kansas in 1963, and his Ph.D. in foreign language instruction at the Ohio State University in 1969. He honorably served his country during the Korean conflict.

Dr. Flores leaves behind a wonderful legacy of not only three children, Maria, David and Jose and beloved sister and brother, Damaris F. Mendez (nee Flores) and Faron; but also, the many colleagues, students and friends with whom he shared his knowledge, kindness and generosity over the years. The ``Salomon Flores Scholarship Fund'' has been established in his name to assist students in the completion of their educations.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Dr. Salomon Hernandez Flores and his many positive contributions to the Fourth Congressional District.

Mr. Chairman, I'll be brief.

I hope that with Mr. Frank's bill, we can see that these exotic products have created a crisis in the mortgage industry. But as Attorney General Cuomo from New York said, any real estate scam, at the very base and root of it, is a faulty and a bad appraisal.

This is a very commonsense regulation, and I congratulate Mr. Kanjorski and my other co-authors for bringing this forward.

This amendment is about putting the interests of homebuyers first.

Buying a home is daunting enough without having to worry that the people that supposedly work for you aren't on your side.

The safeguards in this amendment--the independence standards for appraisers and provisions that strengthen Federal oversight of the appraisal process will assure homebuyers that the home they are purchasing hasn't been inflated in ``perceived'' value by an unscrupulous appraiser.

A bad appraisal can also make it impossible for a subprime borrower to refinance--what happens when they try to get into a prime loan and a responsible bank wants a responsible appraisal done? That's when the other shoe drops and the homeowner finds out they've been duped.

These safeguards would protect consumers, but would also benefit the secondary market and our economy.

When a mortgage is sold on the secondary market, investors need to know that the securities they hold are backed up by a home that has been appraised accurately.

Further, the amendment's requirements that subprime and other at-risk borrowers receive an escrow account will protect those borrowers from huge end-of-the-year tax bills and will reduce foreclosures.

I urge my colleagues to support the Kanjorski-Biggert-Capito-Hodes- Moore amendment.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Second Chance Act.

According to the 2001 census, Wisconsin had the highest incarceration rate for African American males in the country, and I can tell you that this legislation represents a second chance for these convicted felons. You know, becoming a felon is akin to the civic death penalty. Ex- offenders are often lacking a high school diploma, lacking vocational skills. They are drug and alcohol dependent. They are estranged from families. They are homeless. But this legislation not only is a second chance for those felons, but it is a second chance for our communities. Those communities, our States that are tethered to these billion dollar budgets for incarcerating particularly African American men and can't use those billions of dollars for more constructive and productive purposes like job creation and job training, educational and vocational training, and strengthening our families and communities.

Please support this Second Chance Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today In strong support of the Second Chance Act. I would like to thank Congressman Danny Davis for his hard work on this vitally important legislation. In my community, according to 2001, census data, Wisconsin had the highest incarceration rate of African Americans in the nation.

In 2005, there were over 2 million people incarcerated in Federal or State prisons. Nearly 650,000 people are released from prison to our communities each year.

Nearly two-thirds of released prisoners are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years of release.

It is no secret that high recidivism rates translate into thousands of new crimes each year, many of which can be averted through improved prisoner reentry efforts.

In my district alone, there were approximately 10,308 Milwaukee County Residents incarcerated as of June 2006.

Since 1993 Milwaukee County has experienced nearly a four-fold increase in its recently released incarcerated population.

In 1993 2,191 prisoners were released, compared to 8,147 in 2005.

32 percent of offenders released to Milwaukee County are under the age of 25 at the time of release from prison.

31 percent of the offenders released to Milwaukee County have less than a High School education.

We are seeing an increased use of imprisonment to address the ``War on drugs'' :

We are now incarcerating people at an alarming rate who have never been convicted of violent crimes and who have had no prior convictions.

24 percent of the offenders released to Milwaukee County are in prison for Property crimes; 18 percent Drug crimes; 14 percent violent crimes; 4 percent Sex crimes and 3 percent Other Non-Violent crimes.

Ex-offenders face an automatic uphill battle when released from prison. As a result of being incarcerated, they are denied:

The right to vote:

The U.S has the most restrictive felony voting rights in the World.

In Wisconsin, those in prison, probation or parole are restricted from voting.

Access to public assistance:

Those with felony drug convictions are ineligible for food stamps and TANF services.

Some are not eligible at all for subsidized housing, while all face significant barriers when applying for public housing and subsidies.

Some can't apply for financial aid to get an education:

Felons with drug-related convictions are denied financial aid to attend vocational education classes, college, and other postsecondary education programs.

It is beneficial for an entire community when we provide proper resources and services to ex-offenders.

The Second Chance Act will do just that by:

Directing the Bureau of Prisons to create a Federal Re-Entry program to assist prisoners in successfully returning to their communities.

Authorizing new grant programs to assist states and local governments with drug abuse treatment for those convicted of or facing criminal charges.

Authorizing a new educational program that will improve vocational education programs in prisons, jails and juvenile detention facilities.

Mr. Speaker, it is high time that we change our focus from catching ex-offenders violating

parole or probation to providing the adequate resources and programs to help them successfully integrate back into society.

I urge my colleagues to vote for the Second Chance Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jim Ryan, who passed away on November 6, 2007. Mr. Ryan was a compassionate leader and public servant who worked for many years in the Fourth Congressional District. Mr. Ryan's involvement in the nonprofit and political arena in the metropolitan Milwaukee area was truly impressive.

Mr. Ryan served as a Milwaukee County Board Supervisor. He served the Village of Hales Corners for over 30 years; nearly 20 of those years were spent as Village President. He was to retire from public service and not seek another term as Village President next year.

Mr. Ryan was known as the consummate professional with strong consensus building and problem-solving skills and a strong knowledge of how government worked at all levels. Mr. Ryan served as President and CEO of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center where he started the Flight for Life program; worked for the State of Wisconsin as a child welfare supervisor; and for Racine County's Human Service Department. While serving as a County Board Supervisor, he was chair of the Ryan Commission which played a significant role in changing how the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District was administered.

Mr. Ryan faced a considerable challenge in his private life and was to retire from his successful public life. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer a year ago. Mr. Ryan's wife, Lisa, four children, Jimmy, John, Kristen, Cathryn; and three grandchildren all live in the Milwaukee area and were an integral part of his support network during this health crisis.

Mr. Ryan remained the Director of Penfield Children's Center where he served for more than a decade. Penfield Children's Center located in Milwaukee's central city serves all of Milwaukee County. Penfield Children's Center works with the child's family to ensure that each child has everything he/she needs to succeed and achieve his/her full potential. One of my granddaughters was born with a weight of less than 2 pounds. She received care at Penfield and benefited from their superb services.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Mr. Ryan and his contributions to the Fourth Congressional District. Mr. Ryan's work throughout the years will continue to make a ``positive impact'' on the people of the entire metropolitan Milwaukee area.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I narrowly missed the vote on rollcall No. 1060. Had my vote been recorded, I would have voted ``nay.''

Madam Chairman, the opponents of H.R. 3685 have asked the question: What does perceived sexual orientation mean? It's when folks proclaim to have some sort of psychic ability to know who's gay. They have so-called ``gay-dar,'' so that a man who perhaps is slightly built or a woman like myself who has a deep voice is perceived to be homosexual and they could be discriminated against in the workplace.

I can tell you that hundreds of thousands of school children will pass through these Chambers in the years to come, and as the guides in the visitors bureau talk about the history of this Chamber, this will be a signature moment, and I want to be identified as one of the people who stood up to the last vestige of discrimination in our country.

Madam Speaker, I was compelled to come to the well of the House here because I have listened very carefully to how we are sacrificing our troops for political stunts. We have been told that this bill, somehow, is unclean. I would submit that our troops have fought for an American quality of life that is reflected in this bill.

As has been indicated, the National Institutes of Health is funded, Centers for Disease Control, substance abuse and mental health, Ryan White AIDS Programs, low-income heating energy programs, Healthy Start, Head Start, the Community Services Block Grant program, the Social Services Block Grant program, Child Care and Development Block Grant, all of these unclean programs like foster care and adoption assistance, the TRIO program, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, reading programs, school reform programs, programs that help our disabled and physically handicapped students, English language acquisition programs, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans, Pell Grants.

I would submit to you that those Marines and the Army, our soldiers are out there fighting for precisely these kinds of programs. This is a brilliant, brilliant joining of priorities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sr. Ann Halloran, a community leader, co-founder and executive director of the Dominican Center for Women located in the Fourth Congressional District. The Milwaukee Archdiocese has recently presented Sr. Ann Halloran with the 2007 Vatican II ``Service to Society'' Award.

Sr. Ann Halloran and Sr. Anne-Marie Doyle founded the Dominican Center for Women in 1990 in a near north-side Milwaukee neighborhood with no formal clubs or community-based organizations. The mission of this human service agency is to help create a beautiful and safe central city neighborhood by providing services in three programmatic areas: Education, employment and housing. Sr. Ann Halloran believes this three-pronged approach is essential to dismantling poverty.

The programs at the Dominican Center for Women are offered free of charge to approximately 120 area residents. Initially, the center began by offering educational programs and employment counseling. As a result of participant surveys and with the urging of residents, a housing program utilizing a 12-block area surrounding the center was initiated in 1999. The housing program, designed to lead to home ownership, has become a primary focus of the center. The center leverages strategic partnerships and collaborations including Federal, State and local governmental agencies, faith-based organizations, sweat equity, volunteerism and the financial resources of a Habitat for Humanity loan, barter grants, IDA accounts and other resources found in the community, into affordable home ownership. Sixty-seven center program participants are now homeowners; they are primarily African-American women, single heads of households, who would not have been considered by mainstream conventional lending institutions.

The center continues to work with new homeowners after acquisition of the home by convening monthly meetings to encourage them to voice neighborhood concerns, take group action toward resolution, and ultimately ensure retention of their homes. The Dominican Center for Women and the participants in its program have been so successful that beginning in 2004 they hosted their first annual ``Parade of Homes'' in this previously blighted area.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Sr. Ann Halloran's contributions to the Fourth Congressional District. She has helped to transform a neighborhood into a community.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3867, the Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act.

I would specifically like to focus on Title V of the bill which would make changes to the 8(a) program. The 8(a) program is the last remaining federal initiative focusing on the development of minority- owned businesses through the award of federal contracts. Despite the fact that minorities make up one-third of the U.S. population, minority-owned businesses account for only 18 percent of all U.S. companies. This bill provides a strong step forward in increasing minority entrepreneurship.

It is of great concern to me that 8(a) hasn't been updated since 1988, nearly 20 years ago. This bill would finally modernize the 8(a) program to reflect the changing economy. I am pleased at the similarities between the bill before us and legislation that I introduced this spring, H.R. 2532, the Minority Owned Venture Empowerment Act or MOVE Act. Like my legislation, businesses would have the opportunity to participate in the program for 10 years. This 1-year program extension would provide businesses more time to successfully grow and graduate out of the program. Additionally, similar to my proposal, this bill would raise the net worth restriction of the small business owner so that successful minority businesses are not shut out of the program prematurely.

We must make more of an effort to encourage minority, women and veteran entrepreneurship. This bill would ensure that these businesses can compete fairly in the federal marketplace, grow their enterprises and create new jobs. I urge all members to support the legislation before us.