Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, one of the great pleasures that I have had serving in this august body is the people with whom I have interacted over the years, and one such person is Representative Bill Young.

Now, I know that we have a lot of issues to be discussing, and I will be discussing them, but I wanted to take time out today to say how much I appreciate serving with a gentleman whom I have gotten to know, love, and respect. He has been in this body for over 42 years, and I have spent my better than 20 years mostly serving on the Appropriations Committee. It was a great pleasure serving with Bill Young.

Bill has said to reporters that he is a bit disappointed in the current state of affairs. He says this is a different Congress. He is right. It is going to be even more so without his great service.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acquaint you and my colleagues with Mr. Butch Matthews, a 61-year-old former small businessman from Little Rock, Arkansas, who used to wake up every morning at 4 a.m. to deliver canned beverages to retailers before retiring in 2010.

A lifelong Republican, he was heavily skeptical of the Affordable Care Act when it first passed. ``I did not think ObamaCare was going to be a good plan; I did not think it would help me at all'' is what he said. But after a little research, he has now found out that he can get a better plan than he already had and at the same time save $13,000 a year.

When he was asked what would he say to people who are skeptical about the plan, Mr. Matthews says this: ``I would tell them to learn more about it before they start talking bad about it.''

Mr. Speaker, he is still a real strong Republican, but he says: I'm very happy this came along.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased my friend would yield me 30 seconds.

I want to take a little time to say I have been hearing from the veterans in my congressional district. I represent counties that have two VA centers. We have two of the most, I believe, effective veterans service organizations in the country; and they tell me they do not wish to be pitted against their siblings and their spouses. They do not wish to be pitted against their children and their grandchildren.

Let's not pick winners and losers. Let's fund the full bill.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that for a full day now we've been hearing all kinds of anecdotes about what may or may not have taken place on yesterday as people were signing up for the first time for the Affordable Care Act.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I want to share with you a little bit of information

that comes from Los Angeles, California:

``It took 3 hours, but Andrew Stryker managed to be among the first people to purchase health insurance through ObamaCare's new insurance markets. Stryker is 34 years old and lives in Los Angeles, where he now does freelance work.'' He pays premiums of $600 to keep his COBRA plan that he had on his job, which he left 4 years ago. He is diabetic and has been denied insurance because of a preexisting condition. Mr. Stryker says, although it took him 3 hours, this plan is now saving him over $6,000 a year. And in his words, ``For that, I would have waited all day.''

A lot of us would.

I thank my friend for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill we are about to vote on is as unnecessary as it is disingenuous. My congressional district is highly populated by veterans whose service and sacrifices are greatly appreciated. That is why I came to this floor on June 4 and enthusiastically joined with 420 other Members of this auspicious body to keep our obligations to them at higher levels than are included in this legislation.

Last night, the Tea Party Republicans shut down the government because they refuse to accept the verdict of the American people in last year's election. They shut down our government over the implementation of settled law--a position that polling shows that 72 percent of the American people oppose. Now they are using our patriotic heroes as pawns in their petty, partisan, political game.

Veterans should not have to choose between having their claims processed and their grandchildren educated. Their family members should be able to receive their medical treatments and enjoy our national treasures.

This piecemeal approach is the Tea Party's plan. They want to pick and choose winners and losers and only fund the priorities that they like. That's not how our government works.

As one of my favorite Republicans stated back in 1860, President Abraham Lincoln:

Your purpose, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the

government unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the

Constitution as you please on all points in dispute. You will

rule or ruin in all events.

We should end this reckless stunt tonight. Let's reject this partisan gamesmanship and reopen our government like honorable men and women.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3102, the latest attempt by the Republican majority to add more insults to the injuries that have been inflicted upon many working families, making their lives much more difficult.

It's become clear to me that some of my colleagues on the other side either don't believe or don't care that their preferred policies would make the poor poorer and the hungry hungrier. They seem unmoved by the arguments of many, including former Senate majority leader and Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole, that this bill would make it more difficult for millions of Americans to feed themselves and their families.

For the last half century, the farm bill has always included both agriculture subsidies and nutrition assistance. This combination makes a lot of sense. Every time the EBT card is swiped, farmers--large and small--grocers--national chains to local mom-and-pop stores, and banks--Wall Street and Main Street--all benefit. For American farmers and agribusiness industry to succeed, they need consumers to purchase the food that they produce.

With the comprehensive nature of past farm bills, it is no surprise that 532 agriculture, conservation, rural development, finance, energy, and crop insurance groups oppose the Republican leadership's cynical ploy to separate nutrition assistance from the rest of the farm bill.

We talk about how SNAP's benefits go to individuals, but if the truth be told, the real beneficiaries are local communities and enterprises. My Republican colleagues claim to be big supporters of small businesses. But you can't support small businesses if you don't support their customers. This ill-advised legislation would also hurt businesses that have nothing to do with food.

In my district, the average household income among SNAP recipients is less than $25,000 a year. If these low-income people lose access to nutrition assistance, money they would otherwise spend on other needs would be spent instead on food, taking customers away from other businesses throughout our economy.

Out-of-a-job supermarket workers will also have less money to spend. Less demand means fewer jobs. An analysis by the Department of Agriculture of similar SNAP cuts last year found that more than 50,000 jobs would be affected. SNAP funding is crucial to our economy because those dollars go directly into the local economy.

My Republican colleagues and I might differ on how to grow the economy, but at the very least, we should be able to agree that we can't grow the economy by shrinking it.

Madam Speaker, I recognize that there are legitimate philosophical differences between the two parties on the role of the federal government.

But if you disagree with me about the moral consequences of this legislation, I hope you will pause to consider its harmful economic consequences and vote down this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Myke Reid and commemorate his recent retirement from the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). Serving as Legislative Director of the APWU since 2004, Mr. Reid has been a tireless advocate for our Nation's postal workers and the postal service. He has worked tirelessly benefitting countless numbers of my constituents and many others across the country.

While Mr. Reid has spent many years in the halls of Congress, his life and career began much more humbly. After growing up in a blue- collar family and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Norfolk State University, he began his postal career in 1976 as a clerk in Norfolk, Virginia. He became involved in the union right away, working his way up from newsletter editor, steward, local business agent, state legislative director and state president.

In 1984, Mr. Reid came to Washington to work on a legislative campaign to protect Social Security. He never left. The next year, he was appointed as a Special Assistant to then-President Moe Biller, working on legislative matters. In 1992, he was selected to fill the newly created position of Assistant Legislative Director, which he held until being promoted to Legislative Director in 2004.

Mr. Reid's career is replete with many legislative accomplishments. He played a major role in the enactment of the Family and Medical Leave Act; and reforms to the Hatch Act, the Federal Employees Retirement System Act, the Spouse Equity Act, the Postal Employees Safety Enhancement Act, and the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act. Postal workers have had no stronger advocate, and his successors have big shoes to fill.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Reid has been active in the communities of Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. He has served on the Virginia Employment Commission Advisory Board, the Virginia Community College Board, the Alexandria Human Rights Commission, and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board. He has also been active in advocacy; serving on the boards of the National Consumers League and Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington. Mr. Reid's impact has been felt beyond our shores as well. He served as an international observer during the historic election of Nelson Mandela as President of the Republic of South Africa.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House join me in congratulating Mr. Myke Reid on this well-deserved retirement. I wish him good health and Godspeed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in strong opposition to the farm bill rule and the underlying bill because it significantly increases poverty in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a Sixth Congressional District community that celebrating its centennial anniversary. The Waverly District in Columbia, South Carolina, is an historic African American neighborhood that has built a very proud history over its 100 years in existence, and it is my honor to represent it in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Waverly District was named a National Register of Historic Places District in 1989, and is the only African American residential neighborhood to hold that distinction in Columbia. There is good reason it qualified for this designation. By the early twentieth century, Waverly was a thriving community of African American artisans, professionals and social reformers, many of whom made significant contributions to the social and political advancement of African Americans in South Carolina and in the nation.

Among the Waverly District historic properties and sites are: the Heidt-Russell House, home of Edwin Roberts Russell, one of the few African American scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project in during World War II; the Matthew J. Perry site, location of a former home of South Carolina's first African American Federal Judge and 1963 Edwards v. South Carolina lead attorney. The landmark breech of the peace case and its impact on civil rights was featured in May 2013 on C-SPAN's LCV Cities Tour; the Modjeska Simkins childhood home, former home of the ``Matriarch of the South Carolina Civil Rights Movement'' Modjeska Monteith Simkins, who hosted former Justice Thurgood Marshall during strategy meetings for Briggs v. Elliot, which became part of the historic Brown v. Board of Education desegregation case; and the Visanska Starks House, one of the few historic sites in America with residential histories of an antebellum white Southern woman, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, and an African American scholar who became president of three historically black colleges. The House and its carriage house were featured on a segment of HGTV's ``If Walls Could Talk'' and the site is a member of the International Sites of Conscience.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Waverly District and congratulate the Historic Waverly Improvement and Protection Association President, Doris Hildebrand, and Association Historian, Catherine Fleming Bruce, for their efforts to commemorate this great occasion. The current residents and members of the extended community have dedicated themselves to preserving the Waverly District and its history, and they deserve commendation for their extraordinary work. This is a model preservation effort that is dear to my heart and serves as an example of the significant impact such efforts can make for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a loyal South Carolina State University bulldog, who dedicated his entire career to his alma mater. Mr. William ``Bill'' Hamilton is retiring after forty years of service as the SC State Sports Information Director, and his presence and leadership will be sorely missed.

Bill Hamilton was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but grew up in Chesterfield, South Carolina. There he attended public schools and graduated from the former Gary High School.

As an African American growing up in the deep South just as integration was beginning to take hold, Bill chose to attend South Carolina's only publicly supported historically black college. He graduated from South Carolina State College (SCSU) in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature. He went on to earn a Master of Education degree from SC State in 1979, and did further study at New York University.

Just two months after his 1973 graduation, Bill joined SC State as its first full-time sports information director. He holds the distinction of being the only person to hold that position in the history of the college.

Bill has earned numerous professional and civic awards during a long and distinguished career. Most recently he received the 2013 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been the recipient of CoSIDA's Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award (1998), the CoSIDA 25-Year Service Award (1998), the CoSIDA Trailblazer Award (2005) and the CoSIDA Arch Ward Award (2009).

Other awards include the All-American Football Foundation Scoop Hudgins Outstanding SID Award (2005), the BCSIDA Cal Jacox-Champ Clark Outstanding SID Award (1989), and the Herm Helms Media Excellence Award (2012).

Hamilton was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 2009. He is also enshrined in the MEAC Hall of Fame (2009), the SCSU Physical Education Hall of Fame (2011) and the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame (2002).

In addition, he was named Staff Employee of the Year at SC State in 1999 and also inducted into the Quarter Century Club. He was selected as a NAFEO (National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education) Distinguished Alumnus (2006), and appeared as a Stellar Alumnus on the SC State National Alumni Association's 2010 calendar. He is a Life Member of the Greater Orangeburg Alumni Chapter of SCSU.

A member of a number of professional and civic organizations, Hamilton is actively involved in the sports industry and his community. He is a longtime pollster for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) and The Sports Network, and served on the NCAA Final Four Media Coordination Committee nine years (1999-2007). He is the former chairman of the Orangeburg Attention Homes, Inc., a former board member and local chapter president of the Alston Wilkes Society, and currently a board member of the SC State Employees Association and president of the Orangeburg Chapter of SCSEA.

In addition, he is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and was named the fraternity's ``Kappa Man of the Year'' in 2000.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Bill Hamilton for his 40 years of distinguished service as South Carolina State University's Sports Information Director. His commitment to his alma mater and his profession are exemplary, and his contributions are incalculable. His retirement is well-deserved and I wish him all the best in this new phase of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a hospital system that has served as a beacon for 75 years in Columbia, South Carolina. Providence Hospital in the Palmetto State's capital city has provided extraordinary care and healing for three quarters of a century, earning it the appreciation and admiration of a grateful community.

Providence Hospital was founded in 1938 as an act of faith and charity. The vision behind the hospital came from Father Martin C. Murphy of St. Peter's Church, who wanted to bring the quality care that Catholic hospitals provide to the Columbia area. With a generous donation from local businessman James B. Younginer, he was able to put a downpayment on an 18-acre tract of land. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in Ohio mortgaged their motherhouse in Cleveland in order to finance the new hospital. This was extraordinary considering the sisters had never been to Columbia.

Today Providence Hospital operates under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity Health System. Over the last 75 years, the non-profit organization has grown to provide 304 beds in four hospitals: Providence Hospital, Providence Heart & Vascular Institute, Providence Hospital Northeast and Providence Orthopaedic & Neuro Spine Institute. Providence Hospital is a faith-based health care facility that employs more than 1,900 caring individuals.

Providence Hospital is renowned as South Carolina's ``heart hospital.'' Since 1974, Providence Heart & Vascular Institute physicians and staff have performed more cardiovascular procedures than any medical team in the state. It is recognized statewide as a referral center for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

In 1985, Providence Hospital added a helicopter service to help bring critically ill patients to the facility to be treated. Today LifeNet South Carolina is a 24 hour a day airborne intensive care unit serving Providence and other facilities in the Carolinas and Georgia.

In 1999, Providence Hospital established a 46-bed community hospital in the Northeast area of Columbia. This facility offers a range of medical services in surgery, emergency care, women's and children's services and rehabilitation. Also located on this campus is the Providence Orthopaedic & Neuro Spine Institute, which offers an integrated continuum of care for orthopaedic and neurosurgical patients throughout the region.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in congratulating Providence Hospital for its 75 years of compassionate health care. As the facility continues to grow and expand, I commend Providence for its commitment to improving the delivery of quality health care to the people of South Carolina and maintaining its focus on faith. Providence Hospital has become synonymous with exceptional patient care and embodying the values of respect, compassion, collaboration, courage and justice. I look forward to its continued service to the community and the Creator.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a tremendous educator and wonderful visionary on the occasion of his retirement. Dr. Charles W. Gould is retiring as president of Florence-Darlington Technical College after nearly 20 years of service. His leadership will certainly be missed, but his legacy will continue at the college and throughout the State of South Carolina.

Dr. Gould knew from a young age that he was passionate about education. He earned a Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an emphasis on the philosophy of mathematics and a Ph.D. from Duke University with an emphasis on ethics and law.

Early in his career, Dr. Gould taught at Duke University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he was an Associate Managing Editor of a national educational publishing company. He has been in the technical college system of South Carolina for over thirty years and has served in three of the system's sixteen technical colleges.

His last and most significant position is serving as president of Florence-Darlington Technical College since November, 1993. During his tenure he has more than doubled the student body from less than 3,000 to more than 6,000 today. He has also grown the college by adding the health sciences campus in downtown Florence, the Lake City and Mullins satellite sites as well as expanding the Hartsville campus.

My service in Congress has coincided with Dr. Gould's presidency at Florence-Darlington Tech. During those two decades it was an honor to work with him, especially to secure funding for his crowning achievement. In 2007, the Southern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SIMT) opened and fulfilled Dr. Gould's vision for the college to provide hands on technical training in advanced manufacturing for students and local industry professionals. He oversaw the completion of the second phase of SIMT earlier this year which serves as a manufacturing business incubator.

In addition to his leadership at Florence-Darlington Tech, Dr. Gould serves on the board of the Commission on Colleges for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and frequently chairs accreditation teams and special projects for the Commission on Colleges. He also serves on the board of the National Council of Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Centers, Global Learning Systems and several other national organization boards of directors.

In the community, he currently chairs the Florence County Economic Development Partnership; is past president and ex-officio board member of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce; is an advisory board member for the Darlington County Economic Development Board, SCANA, Progress Energy, and BB&T Bank.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Charles Gould for his visionary leadership and tremendous dedication to Florence-Darlington Technical College and the State of South Carolina. He deserves commendation for his many contributions as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement. I extend best wishes to him as he enters this new phase in his life, and thank him for his service and his friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a trailblazing educator who has been recognized as the 2014 South Carolina Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Rose Wilder is a remarkable leader and visionary who serves with distinction as the Superintendent of Clarendon School District 1, the historic school district that was the birthplace of the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education. She is very deserving of this tremendous honor.

Dr. Wilder is a native South Carolinian; the daughter of Mr. Laco Davis and the late Mrs. Ruby Mae Davis. She was one of seven Davis children born and raised in the Orangeburg County town of Santee.

From an early age she loved learning and appreciated the value of education. She did her undergraduate work at South Carolina State University and Columbia College. Her postgraduate work was at South Carolina State University, the Citadel and Cornell University. She earned an undergraduate degree in guidance and counseling, a master's in special education, and a PhD in education administration.

In 1979, Dr. Wilder began her teaching career in her home county of Orangeburg as a reading teacher at Galliard Primary School in the Town of Eutawville. After eight years in the classroom, she became assistant principal at Manning Primary School in neighboring Clarendon County. She then went on to serve as the first principal of the new Manning Elementary School and later returned as principal of Manning Primary.

In 1994, Dr. Wilder was appointed as assistant superintendent of instruction for Clarendon School District 2. Later that same year she was chosen to lead the school district and made history by becoming the first African American female superintendent in South Carolina since the Reconstruction era. She served in that capacity for seven years, and in 1999, she was named Outstanding Superintendent by the South Carolina School Board Association.

She left Clarendon County to serve as superintendent for the Fairfield County School District for two years and as a curriculum facilitator for Richland County School District 1. In 2004, she returned to Clarendon County to serve as superintendent of school district 1 in the Summerton area.

During her nine years leading the district, Dr. Wilder has challenged the notion that poor students cannot achieve high academic standards. Once a chronically underperforming district, Clarendon School District 1 is now the second highest academically performing high poverty district in the state of South Carolina, despite having a 95 percent poverty index rating. She has also brought the district out of a $1 million deficit into financial solvency. Her other achievements include earning the district accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, completing the new Summerton Early Childhood Center, and refurbishing the old middle school campus as a community resource center. Next school year, Scott's Branch High School will become a New Tech Network Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) school, one of only two schools in the state to institute this project-based curriculum.

Dr. Wilder's motto is ``every child, every chance, every day,'' and that is clearly reflected in the school district's philosophy and achievements.

Her other achievements include serving on the transition team for State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex in 2006. She is a 1994 graduate of Leadership South Carolina, and a 2009 graduate of the Riley Leadership Diversity Institute at Furman University. She holds a life membership in the NAACP and the United Council of Negro Women. She is an active member of several professional organization and serves as President elect of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Dr. Wilder is married to James C. Wilder. They share three children and two grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Rose Wilder for her selection as 2014 South Carolina Superintendent of the Year, and wish her well as she competes for the national honor. She has done an outstanding job during her tenure at Clarendon School District 1, and, as a former teacher, I applaud her dedication to her schools, her students and her community. I am proud to call her a friend and claim her as a constituent of the 6th Congressional district.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague, Congressman Garamendi, for his leadership on this very important issue.

Just a few minutes ago, we received some breaking news: the stock market just closed, and for the first time in the history of this great country, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over 15,000 at 15,056. Standard & Poor's also closed at a record 1,625. So much for a socialist President.

Now, during my 20 years of service in this body, I have often reflected upon my experiences growing up in a church parsonage in the little town of Sumter, South Carolina. Early on, I internalized an Old Testament scripture, Micah 6:8: To do justly, to love mercy and walk humbly.

Today in this great country, we are experiencing an injustice that continues to get worse, one which I believe demands our attention. Indisputable evidence continues to show that income inequality has worsened over the last 30 years. The Congressional Budget Office released a report back in October 2011 on the distribution of household income between 1979 and 2011.

On the distribution of household income during that time, you might remember that report came out just a few days before the so-called supercommittee held its first public hearing. I served on that special panel, and I raised concerns with the CBO director about the ever- widening gap between America's rich and poor.

This chart is from that CBO report, and it shows that over the past 30 years, the wealthiest 1 percent have enjoyed income growth of more than 275 percent, while the lowest 20 percent have experienced only 18 percent growth.

Working families across the country have seen their wages stagnate and decline as earnings for the wealthiest few continue to soar. In fact, earnings for the top 1 percent during the current economic recovery have risen 11.2 percent, but declined for the other 99 percent by 0.4 percent. I'm going to repeat that.

The 99 percent have seen a decline of 0.4 percent--that is a negative--while the upper 1 percent, a positive growth of 11.2 percent.

Now, my friends across the aisle will talk about the American Dream and the ability of every American to work their way up to the top. But numerous studies have shown that there is less economic mobility in America than most people think. The fact is that if you work hard, play by the rules and

take responsibility, it is currently harder to get ahead in America than it is in many parts of the world.

Let me cite an example. Thirty years ago, CEOs made an average of 42 times as much as rank-and-file workers, 42 times as much.

Today, a newly released report confirms that last year, CEOs of the biggest companies in the United States made 354 times what the average worker made, 354 times. That is the widest pay gap in the world.

Do most Americans believe that our CEOs work 354 times harder than their average employees?

Here is another example. Over the last 45 years, average income for 90 percent of Americans went up just $59--almost no change at all. That's over 45 years, an increase of $59. For the top 10 percent, average incomes rose roughly $116,000. For the top 1 percent, average income rose $628,000; and for the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent, the average incomes rose $18.3 million.

The numbers are so staggering it's almost difficult to comprehend. So if we convert the dollars to distances, the vast majority of Americans, 90 percent, saw their average income increase by 1 inch. The top 10 percent went up 168 feet; the top 1 percent, 888 feet; and the top 1 percent of 1 percent, their incomes rose by almost 5 miles relative to that 1 inch.

We are recovering from one of the greatest economic recessions in American history. As I said in the beginning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average just a few minutes ago closed for the first time in history over 15,000. The stock markets are setting record highs, but working families continue to struggle.

Wages have stayed low, and unemployment is still too high. It does not have to be that way, and it should not be that way. This Congress can and must take direct action to restore a just economic system for working people.

We need to raise the minimum wage. We need to boost Pell Grants, Head Start, and other support for public education. We need to invest in innovation and infrastructure to create jobs now and foster broad-based economic growth and prosperity. And we need to pass a budget that reflects the values of working Americans.

It is time to ``do justly.'' It is time to refocus on the American Dream, on building ladders of opportunity, on restoring fairness in our Tax Code, and on creating good, high-quality jobs so that every American who wants a job can find a job.

I call on Speaker Boehner to appoint budget conferees as soon as possible so that we can get to work on a budget that puts America back to work.

I thank my colleague from California.

I do, but I appreciate the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 360. This timely legislation will provide for the posthumous awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. These four precious girls were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, 50 years ago this year.

1963 was a pivotal year in the struggle for civil rights in our Nation. It marked 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and was the year of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, stirring ``Letter from Birmingham City Jail,'' which sounded the call for nonviolent civil disobedience to counter oppression in the Jim Crow South. In that letter, Dr. King famously proclaimed:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, as a veteran of those efforts, I know that the struggle for justice, empowerment, and equal opportunity for all continues to this day.

I want to thank my colleague, Representative Terri Sewell, for her leadership in this outstanding effort. Representative Sewell has quickly made her mark in this institution for her tireless devotion to duty and her thoughtful approach to legislating. I am proud to join her in this effort and urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.