Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Congressman Jerry Kleczka, an esteemed Member of this body who represented Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District for over 20 years. More specifically, today I want to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments for which he is being honored in Milwaukee this coming weekend.

My colleagues listening here on the floor today know Congressman Kleczka, my predecessor, as a champion of the causes of working men and women. A spirited and tenacious advocate, he fought for so many reforms, from legislation to protect senior citizens in public housing, to affordable and accessible healthcare and a strong Medicare program, to the rights of workers, and the rights of citizens to privacy in a digital age, just to name a few.

When he decided to leave Federal elective office in 2004, Congressman Kleczka left behind an additional legacy that will endure for many years to come. In 1984, he independently offered to host an individual intern in his Congressional office. From that single internship grew an entire program which, over the last twenty years, has developed into a remarkable center for public service education, Marquette University's Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington, D.C. As a result, over 700 students with an interest in public service have interned in nearly 100 congressional offices and in multiple federal agencies.

Jerry was there for the Center's internship program from the very start as its stalwart champion, advocate, and host of so many of its interns. Of the countless students to which he offered the opportunity for congressional experience, many have gone on to fine careers in public service and two have even won elective office, Wisconsin State Assemblyman Pedro Colon and Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic. He was awarded the Center's Founders Award in 1999 and has served on its Board of Visitors since 1996.

In addition to all his prior work on its behalf, last year Congressman Kleczka made a remarkably generous donation to Marquette's Les Aspin Center which has made possible the establishment of an entirely new program through which students will study state and local government in Milwaukee starting this summer. With this selfless act he has permanently endowed the cause of public service learning throughout Milwaukee and at Marquette and created a legacy that will last for years to come.

This weekend, Congressman Kleczka's efforts will be properly recognized. On Sunday, May 22, Marquette University will award him an honorary doctorate of laws to acknowledge him as a champion of the D.C. intern center and the benefactor of a new Milwaukee institution that will foster the desire for public service among our best and brightest closer to home. I ask my colleagues to join in congratulating Jerry on receiving this well-deserved honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life of my constituent Ms. Paulette Copeland, an outstanding educator, a committed labor leader, and an exemplary community activist who lost her battle with cancer May 16, at the age of 61. Ms. Copeland made numerous and profound contributions to the lives of Milwaukee residents. Her death is a loss for the entire community.

A native of Milwaukee and graduate of the Milwaukee Public Schools, Ms. Copeland was devoted to public education. The impact of her commitment is apparent in every comer of this city. As an educator in the Milwaukee Public Schools for 30 years, Ms. Copeland taught hundreds of children. She was widely recognized as an advocate for children, and was especially devoted to serving children with special needs. She believed deeply that every child could learn, and strove, every day, to find teaching methods that would speak to the needs of each child she encountered.

Not only a gifted and brilliant teacher, Ms. Copeland was also a noted community leader and civil rights activist. As the first African- American President of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), she led with a gentle but insistent style. Under her guidance, MTEA's agenda came to reflect more deeply the concerns and needs of the African-American community. As a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Ms. Copeland led an effort to reduce suspensions within MPS by offering cultural sensitivity training to teachers and other staff.

Working with others from around the country, Ms. Copeland participated in the successful struggle to designate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a national holiday. In Milwaukee, she helped found a writing contest for elementary, middle and high school students, which has become a cornerstone of local King Day celebrations. More recently, she served as chairperson of the Women in the NAACP Committee, reactivating this group even while she battled cancer.

Ms. Copeland was also a devoted wife, mother and sister, and my thoughts and prayers go out to her loving family. We will all miss her wit and wisdom, and her commitment to the Milwaukee's children. Her life and work honor our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true visionary, whose lifetime of caring has brought comfort to hundreds of older adults in my district. Nita Corre, longtime President of the Milwaukee Jewish Home and Care Center, currently presides over the Jewish Home and Care Foundation. For 35 years, Nita Corre has endeavored to envision and institute new models of care for older adults.

Nita Corre's interest in the needs of older adults was awakened when she lived in Philadelphia, and served her husband's synagogue congregation by visiting elderly residents of nursing homes. Dismayed by the dispiriting conditions in many of these facilities, Nita Corre reflected on the alternative models of care she had witnessed growing up in Spain. Thus began her lifetime commitment to improving the quality of care for senior citizens.

Older adults in the Fourth Congressional District have been the main beneficiaries of her commitment and passion. Beginning as a social work intern at the Milwaukee Jewish Home, she joined the professional staff in 1969 and was appointed the Home's director in 1978. Thanks to her efforts, the Milwaukee Jewish Home has become the model for elder care. Care facilities across the country have adopted many of the innovative programs she pioneered at the Milwaukee Jewish Home, which created new paradigms for supporting elders with dementia and providing companionship for elders facing the end of life.

Not only did she design these programs, Nita Corre has been a tireless champion for their replication. She is nationally recognized as a gifted trainer, an energetic leader and a compassionate manager.

It has been said that the moral test of a society is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life--the children, those who are in the twilight of life--the elderly, and those who are in the shadows of life--the sick, the needy and the handicapped. Nita Corre's life's work has been to attend to those in the twilight and the shadows, to shed light on their needs and find new ways to address their challenges. I am grateful to Nita Corre for her commitment to our elders and honored to recognize her for this Lifetime of Caring.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and offer congratulations to Dominic H. Frinzi upon his installment this Saturday as president of the National Italian American Bar Association, an organization created in 1983 with the intent of advancing the interests of the Italian American legal community and improving the administration of justice.

A first generation American born of Sicilian parents, Mr. Frinzi has led a highly successful career as a Wisconsin attorney for over 50 years, while also making substantial contributions to Milwaukee's Italian American community. He has served as president of Milwaukee's Italian Community Center for a record five terms, and has also served as president of UNICO National, an Italian American civic organization, as well as the UNICO Foundation, Inc. and UNICO's Milwaukee Chapter. Additionally, Mr. Frinzi currently serves as Corrispondente Consular, or Correspondent Consul, to the Consul General of Italy in Chicago, the Honorable Eugenio Sgro, providing assistance to Italian Americans on legal matters involving the Italian government.

The son of a butcher, and among the first in his father's family to forego this family business in 400 years, Mr. Frinzi nearly became a

Catholic priest instead of a lawyer. However, just months before completing seminary, he left to pursue law school. Since then, he has tried cases in every county in the state of Wisconsin, and has served as a Milwaukee County Court Commissioner for over 50 years.

Mr. Frinzi has received many high honors during his career, including the Justinian Society's Justinian Man of the Year Award, the Italian Community Center's Theodore Mazza Community Service Award, the Milwaukee Ethnic Council's Vision for Milwaukee Award, the Fraternal Order of Eagles' Italian Person of the Year Award, and UNICO National's Dr. Anthony P. Vastola Gold Medal Award for service.

In 2002, because of his tremendous accomplishments as an Italian American, Mr. Frinzi was knighted by the Italian government, receiving the title Cavaliere all'Ordine del Merto della Repubblica Italiana, or Knight of the Order of Merit.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in congratulating an outstanding Italian American jurist, community leader, and prominent Milwaukee citizen, Mr. Dominic Frinzi, on his achievements as he takes on the role of president of the National Italian American Bar Association. We in Milwaukee are truly blessed to have him as our neighbor and look forward to his many additional civic and professional contributions in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, it is with such great pride and pleasure that I stand here in support of H.R. 1760, to name a post office after Fighting Bob La Follette.

You have heard from my other colleagues from Wisconsin about the institutions that this man has built and the impact that this one man has made on not only the institutions in Wisconsin, developing a civil service system, that has had an impact throughout our country, establishing the Congressional Research Service, which really put us on par with the K Street lobbyists in terms of having information and knowledge about the initiatives that take place here.

But Fighting Bob La Follette has put us on the map internationally, as Wisconsin has been a leader in the world, training people in democratic institutions. Fighting Bob La Follette is a hero to me. He was a powerful voice, a Lincoln Republican. He was a powerful voice with the underrepresented, outspoken for their issues no matter how unpopular or controversial.

He denounced any discrimination based on race, creed, class, during the era, for example, of the Ku Klux Klan resurgence. He called for investigations of World War I profiteers and defended antiwar activists that were sent to jail.

One of the favorite quotes of Bob La Follette that I think is apropos for where we are today was a quote that he made arguing on the United States Senate floor, and I would like to end my remarks with that quote: ``We should not seek to inflame the mind of our people by half truths into the frenzy of war. The poor, who are always the ones called upon to rot in the trenches, at some time will be heard. There will come an awakening. They will have their day, and they will be heard.''

Mr. Speaker, for many low-income families, getting to a job can be even harder than getting hired in the first place. Research shows that lack of affordable and reliable transportation is a significant barrier to employment. If we want more people to work, we need to help make sure that they can get to work. Unfortunately, travel to and from a specific workplace on our cities' public transportation systems can be time-consuming and even practically impossible--especially for those struggling to leave welfare.

Public transit is designed to accommodate 9-to-5 commuters who need to get from one city destination to another during the normal workweek. But the entry level jobs of low-income workers are increasingly found in the faraway plants, warehouses, strip malls, and office parks of suburbia. The work schedules of these new hires may include ``off- hour'' shifts when public transit is unavailable or too unreliable. Low-income parents also need to go to job training classes, the supermarket, the doctor's office, or to day care to drop off their children. These destinations may not be located along public bus or train lines.

Studies show that people are more likely to find steady employment and earn a decent wage when they have access to a car. But all too often, buying and maintaining a reliable automobile is too expensive for families struggling to make ends meet. A recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that one-fourth of families earning $25,000 or less have no cars.

In recent years, a number of states and non-profit organizations have developed programs to assist the working poor with the purchase of a car. Most of these programs receive vehicles donated by the public or purchase them wholesale from dealerships. The used cars are repaired to good working order and then leased or sold to low-income workers and job seekers, usually at a subsidized purchase price. In many cases, program operators work with local lending institutions to obtain loans for the car purchase while also providing financial education to the new owner. In addition to improving access to jobs in far reaching suburbs or rural areas, some low-income car ownership initiatives can bolster the family's credit for future purchases, such as a home, as well as connect these families to a savings institution.

In order to help develop and expand these low-income car ownership efforts, I am introducing the Creating Access to Rides (CAR)

Act. This legislation would establish a 5-year, $50 million grant program through which states, localities, and nonprofits could apply for funding to strengthen existing low-income car ownership programs or create new ones.

The bill would also facilitate car ownership through the use of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). IDAs are special savings accounts for very low-income individuals through which, as an incentive to save, a person's contributions to the account are matched by public and private funding. States can use funds authorized by a little- known law called the Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) to match participant contributions to IDAs. However, when IDA contributions are matched using AFIA funds, withdrawals may be used for only three qualified expenses: homeownership, post-secondary education, and starting a business. This bill would expand permissible IDA uses under AFIA matching rules to include the purchase of a car.

In addition to AFIA dollars, states can use their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to match IDA contributions. While the purchase of a car is not included in the underlying TANF statute as a qualifying IDA expense, the Department of Health and Human Services has clarified that states can elect to permit withdrawals for car purchases when the participant's IDA is matched with federal TANF dollars. However, some states have found that, as a result of choosing this option, the IDA can be considered an asset when determining the participant's eligibility for other programs such as food stamps.

This legislation would remove this barrier and allow states to use TANF dollars to match IDA savings for a car without the account's assets being counted against the participant's eligibility for other important programs.

Mr. Speaker, vehicle ownership is critical to matching the available workforce with available jobs. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and enact it in a timely manner so that low-income Americans can get behind the wheel, improve their job prospects, and gain greater opportunities to provide for their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of America pulling out of the Vietnam war.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in horror at the continued atrocities against the Hmong folk who now reside in the jungles of Laos. Like a cheap date, a one-night stand, we abandoned our brethren who fought along with the CIA, and they were forced to flee into the jungle. Reports of rapes, mass killings, use of biological weapons have gone uninvestigated.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon the State Department to press Laos to immediately pull back its troops, grant international human rights monitors and workers access to the Hmong community and allow them to peacefully settle.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot stand by and abandon our fellow soldiers in the Vietnam war.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to congratulate a distinguished

constituent of the Fourth Congressional District, Dr. Ian Harris, who was recently honored for 30 years of service to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Harris serves on the faculty of the School of Education at UW- Milwaukee. He is currently chairperson of the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies, and was the founder of the Peace Studies Certificate Program. He is widely known in national and international circles for his work in the field of peace research.

The hallmark of Dr. Harris' work is his dedication to non-violence and peaceful methods of conflict resolution. He has published numerous articles and books, including one that offers peacebuilding strategies for educators and community leaders who work with young people.

Dr. Harris' approach is certainly relevant to the needs of young people in my district. I thank him on behalf of the students he teaches at UW-M, as well as the broader Milwaukee community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Ramon Wagner, a Milwaukee resident and an advocate for low-income people whose legacy will live on despite his untimely death on April 15, 2005.

Mr. Wagner, who founded Community Advocates in 1976 and served as its Executive Director, dedicated his life to serving the Milwaukee community. For almost 30 years, Community Advocates endeavored to be a place where people in need could come for help. In service of Mr. Wagner's vision, Community Advocates developed and implemented a range of services that help low-income families cope with the everyday challenges of living in poverty.

Low-income people throughout Wisconsin can thank Mr. Wagner for helping to organize the moratorium on natural gas shut-offs during the winter months. He negotiated an agreement with the gas company after an elderly woman died in her unheated apartment in 1984, because her landlord had not paid the heating bill.

Mr. Wagner will be remembered as a champion of services for low- income people, but he also leaves a strong legacy in his efforts to strengthen the network of service organizations. He understood that connecting to others' efforts would magnify the impact of scarce resources.

Ramon's was a well-lived life. I salute him for his dedication to serving others.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of an outstanding community center in my district. This week the United Community Center celebrates its 35th Anniversary.

Since 1970, the UCC has endeavored to provide services and cultural opportunities to members of the Hispanic community in Milwaukee. Founded as a youth center, the UCC has grown into one of the premier social service agencies in our city, with an impressive array of programs designed to serve the needs of Hispanic families and communities.

The UCC attempts to create new opportunities for Hispanic families to move out of poverty and join the ranks of the middle class. Confronting the challenges of poverty requires a multi-faceted approach, a fact that is not lost on the leaders and members of this organization.

The UCC attends to the educational needs of the community, serving hundreds of students in its pre-kindergarten, grade school and middle school programs. Recognizing the importance of physical health, the Center offers prevention and health awareness services designed to reduce smoking, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy. The UCC understands that communities are sustained, in part, by culture, and as a result, regularly exhibits the works of prominent Hispanic artists and stages musical and dance performances. Young people in the community benefit from classes and workshops in theater arts, ceramics, dance and music. The UCC helps us care for our elders, providing assistance with transportation and affordable housing, while also maintaining adult day care for senior citizens.

The UCC understands that caring for families and individuals requires caring for the environment and stabilizing the neighborhood. Through its neighborhood development initiative, the UCC helps build the wealth and desirability of the community by helping families repair their homes, plant trees, and landscape open areas.

Through all of these activities, the UCC also serves as an ambassador for Hispanic people, reaching out to other communities in Milwaukee to develop understanding and acceptance of Hispanic culture.

By offering a unique array of services and programs, the UCC has established itself as a vital center of Hispanic culture in my district. On the occasion of this 35th Anniversary, I salute the leaders of the UCC, its current and former volunteers, and it members, for these impressive achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude to the American Cancer Society for its outstanding efforts to combat breast cancer.

On May 1, the American Cancer Society will host its annual event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. This year, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer will invite local residents to participate in a non- competitive walk along Milwaukee's lakefront to raise money to fight breast cancer and to educate our citizens about prevention, detection and treatment.

I am particularly thankful for their work because I know the devastating effects of breast cancer on individuals and families in my district. Those who lack awareness of the disease are less likely to follow basic prevention and detection protocols. Too many women die of this disease when early detection and treatment might have saved their lives.

Throughout the year the American Cancer Society works hard to make a difference in the lives of Wisconsin residents, promoting cancer awareness and prevention. It is a pleasure to take this opportunity to recognize their contributions to the communities in the Fourth Congressional District, and to say thank you. I wish them good weather for a successful event and another year of commendable work.

Mr. Speaker, I will not repeat the many cogent remarks that my colleagues have made, but I would like to address some of the things that the gentleman from Florida has said.

First of all, minority- and women-owned businesses are very, very proud to have contributed to this economy. The 3 million businesses with close to 5 million workers have generated close to $600 billion in revenue. My concern is that there will be a serious attrition because, in fact, the programs that have helped to create these businesses are being gutted and have not been improved in 17 years. As a result of our not modernizing these programs, there has been a loss of $10 billion in Federal contracting opportunities.

I would also like to address the gentleman's remarks about no one having a complaint about things in this bill. I suppose, Mr. Speaker, that the welcome for me, a new Member of Congress, is that I was not even allowed to debate my amendment, something that I regret, because I feel that I am a great contributor.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to share a few of the staggering economic statistics in my district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the past 5 years, the city of Milwaukee has lost 33,000 manufacturing jobs. We have had an 80 percent unemployment increase among residents in the city of Milwaukee. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 59 percent, 59 percent of African American males are unemployed, and 92 percent of them live in the city of Milwaukee.

The late great Ronald Reagan once said anecdotally, the best way to address minority business unemployment is to create minority businesses. I could not have said it better.

Mr. Speaker, small businesses create nearly 75 percent of all new jobs, account for 99 percent of all employers, and make up half of our nation's Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Many people of color have embraced the idea of the American dream through business ownership, as minorities own more than 3 million businesses with close to 5 million workers and generate close to $600 billion in revenue.

However, despite the fact that minorities make up one-third of the population, minority-owned businesses account for only 15 percent of all U.S. companies. It seems that an ownership divide exists in this country and more of an effort should be made to encourage minority entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, H. Res. 22 does not adequately reflect the challenges facing many of today's minority entrepreneurs.

Let me briefly run down a few staggering statistics in terms of my district:

Since 1999, the number of unemployed residents in Milwaukee has increased by close to 80 percent.

According to the 2000 census, 59 percent of African American working age males in Milwaukee are either unemployed or out of the workforce.

In the past 5 years, the city of Milwaukee has lost 33,000 manufacturing jobs.

Ninety-two percent of the Metropolitan Milwaukee area's African American labor force lives in the city of Milwaukee.

I know the creation of a handful of new small businesses in my district would be a step in the right direction towards addressing some of the eye-opening figures I mentioned a moment ago. But the resources have to be made available in order to make this happen. Sadly, the actions of the federal government indicate the opposite.

It concerns me that programs established by Congress to promote minority business development, such as the SBA's 8(a) program, have been ignored and allowed to fall behind the times--with no action taken during the past 17 years to ensure that these vital services are able to meet the demands of today's small business marketplace. This is unacceptable.

In the meantime, numerous reforms occurred in the federal procurement process that made it quicker and easier to participate in contract practices. Regrettably, minority-owned firms were unable to capitalize on these improvements due to the outdated procurement initiatives offered through minority business development programs. As a result, these companies lost out on nearly $10 billion in Federal contracting opportunities.

In addition, there are significant racial disparities in Small Business Administration's lending practices. The average loan size for 7(a) loans is $170,000. However, the average 7(a) loan for African American-owned companies is $86,000, and the average 7(a) loan for Hispanic-owned businesses is $128,000.

The Federal Government has also added to the barriers to success already facing minority small business owners though the shutdown of the Small Business Investment Company's, SBIC, Participating Securities program. In 2003, 14 percent of all SBIC's program financings in 2003 went to minority-owned businesses. Entrepreneurs now have one less avenue for capital.

Furthermore, the administration also recommended eliminating the SBA's MicroLoan and PRIME programs, which provide financing and technical assistance to budding minority entrepreneurs. Given the importance of small businesses to the American economy and the serious problems facing urban communities, Congress should take proper action to accommodate the needs of small business owners.

Mr. Speaker, along with my colleague from Georgia, Representative Barrow, I made a good faith effort to introduce an amendment during the Small Business Committee Markup of H. Res. 22 which would have added the concerns of minority small business owners. Unfortunately, we were never granted the opportunity to offer our amendment.

To paraphrase former President Reagan, ``the best way to increase employment in minority communities is to increase the number of minority-owned businesses.'' I couldn't have said it better myself.

This Small Business Bill of Rights does not accurately reflect the concerns of all small businesses in my district. Therefore, I cannot support the resolution. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H. Res. 22.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Mr. Earl Sternke. Mr. Sternke is a model of service to his community, having provided leadership and mentoring to youth for over 40 years.

Mr. Sternke is a distinguished exemplar of the American spirit of generosity. A veteran, husband and father, Mr. Sternke has made a commitment to the Boy Scouts from the earliest days of parenting his own children. As a troop leader, he raised his two sons in Scouting, helping both achieve the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. But his work did not stop there. He continued to lead troops long after his children were grown, training boys to follow the same Scout Oath that he lived every day of his life.

Mr. Sternke also contributed to the strength and development of the Boy Scout institution in innumerable other ways. As a trainer and training chairman, Mr. Sternke was responsible for helping many young Scouters become leaders. He helped design emblems, certificates and badges, some of which are still used by troops today. His award-winning design for the Boy's Life Display for the 1981 National Jamboree brought national attention to the Milwaukee Boy Scouts Council.

Throughout the period of his involvement, Mr. Sternke received numerous awards from the Boy Scouts. I am especially impressed that Mr. and Mrs. Sternke were awarded the Silver Beaver Award in 1975 as a tribute to their work together in training young Scouters. Clearly, these two provided a model of leadership that could inspire youth to dedicate themselves to family, community and country.

It is a distinct pleasure to offer my thanks to Mr. Sternke for a lifetime of service. He has been unselfish in volunteering his time, his experiences, his resources and his money to improve the community in which he lives. Our community and Nation are better places because of his work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Carol Seaver. Ms. Seaver, a Milwaukee-area activist and advocate for victims of domestic abuse, enjoyed a life of service and compassion. She died February 10, 2005.

Born Carol Zagar, Ms. Seaver was raised on the south side of Milwaukee and went on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she met her husband, Ted Seaver. She was active in the civil rights struggle in other parts of the country, but moved back to Milwaukee in 1968, where she continued her education and focused her work on service to the elderly. She worked as the director for the Interfaith Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, serving senior citizens throughout Milwaukee, before working for the Milwaukee Women's Center.

At the Milwaukee Women's Center, Ms. Seaver was the founder and director of the Older Abused Women's Program, the first of its kind in the nation. The program, which offered counseling and support services to elderly women suffering from abuse by partners or caregivers, celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2002. That same year, Ms. Seaver was honored with the National Sunshine Peace Award, presented in recognition of extraordinary efforts in the field of domestic violence.

In 2004, the Carol Seaver Suites at the Milwaukee Women's Center were dedicated in her honor, providing emergency housing for older or disabled women fleeing domestic abuse.

Friends and colleagues of Ms. Seaver credit her with enormous compassion and dedication to the cause of elder abuse. It saddens me to note the passing of such a committed and caring individual. I am honored to have known Carol Seaver, and to have this opportunity to celebrate the many contributions she made to the lives of residents of the Fourth Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Stephen Marcus, a Milwaukee business leader and philanthropist, who was recognized this month by the Harvard Business Club of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as the Wisconsin 2004 Business Leader of the Year.

Mr. Marcus joined the family business in 1962, after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School. By 1980, Steve Marcus was President of the theater, restaurant and hotel business. He became chairman in 1991, succeeding his father Ben.

Marcus Theatres is the ninth largest theatre circuit in the United States. The family's investments, under Stephen Marcus' leadership, extend from southern Wisconsin to southern California.

To be a truly successful business leader, you must be a leader in your community. You accept chairmanships to raise funds that help your community thrive. You sit on boards that fund and approve grants to organizations that reach people in need and lift them up. You give of your time, your energy, your resources and your leadership skills. Steve Marcus is that kind of leader and he is the kind of person that makes a difference. For these and many other reasons, I am pleased to congratulate Steve Marcus for being named the Wisconsin Business Leader of 2004.