Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, in 1966 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life and legacy we just finished celebrating, expressed his concerns about health care. He stated, ``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.''

Those words were brought home to me last year when a constituent from Florence, South Carolina, told me that she had just been informed by her insurance carrier that because of her 8-year-old daughter's cancer treatments, her family had reached their lifetime benefits limit.

What could be more inhumane than repealing this law's patients' rights and telling that mother that the lifesaving treatments for her daughter must end?

What could be more shocking than the injustice suffered by the middle-aged woman who called into a radio program to complain that although she had paid her premiums her entire adult life, she was dropped by her insurer when she contracted breast cancer. How can we repeal the remedy for this injustice?

Dr. King also taught us that the time is always ripe to do right. After nearly a century of debate, last March the time was ripe. And getting rid of these discriminatory practices was the right thing to do. And that is the reason I called the bill the Civil Rights Act of the 21st Century.

Interestingly, today we are hearing some of the same rhetoric about repeal of patients' rights that we heard regarding voting rights.

Do I feel that changes should not be made? Absolutely not.

When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, it did not cover public employees.

I yield myself an additional 30 seconds.

When the 1965 Voting Rights Act became law, it did not cover congressional and legislative redistricting.

The Fair Housing Law wasn't perfect when it was passed.

Bipartisan changes were made to improve all of these measures. I sincerely hope that we can develop some bipartisan modifications that increase efficiency and effectiveness and decrease costs and duplication--none of which will be achieved through repeal.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chair of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson).

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the chair of our policy committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how many more speakers there are on the other side?

I have two speakers remaining.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Mr. Steve Israel of New York.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a trailblazing woman in the field of athletics, who represents our shared alma mater with tremendous leadership. Charlene Johnson is being honored by the Baltimore Alumni Chapter of South Carolina State University on January 16, 2011 for her 28 years of outstanding contributions to the University's Athletics Department. It is my honor to join my fellow alumni in applauding her great work.

Charlene Johnson is currently serving her seventh season as athletics director at South Carolina State University. After guiding the Department in an interim capacity in 2003, Johnson was elevated to the athletics director on a permanent basis in the spring of 2004. Her influence is being felt well beyond the Orangeburg campus. In 2007, Johnson became the first female to serve as chairperson of the Directors of Athletics in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. She has also served on several NCAA committees.

The 2010-11 athletic season marks Mrs. Johnson's 28th year as a member of the SC State Department of Athletics, making her one of just three athletics staff members with more than 25 years of service to the University's athletics department. During her tenure as director of athletics, three different SC State teams have brought home conference championships, with three earning NCAA tournament appearances. The Bulldog football team won the 2008 and 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and made back-to-back trips to the prestigious FCS playoffs, and was league Co-Champion in 2004.

The women's tennis team has won the last six MEAC tennis crowns and made as many appearances in the NCAA Tennis Championship, while the men's squad has earned six of the last seven MEAC titles and as many berths to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to being named director of athletics, Johnson served seven years as the senior woman administrator and associate athletic director for the university. During that time she helped usher in a new era in SC State Athletics, assisting in the planning, directing, and coordinating of all areas of the department of athletics.

Johnson began her illustrious career in athletics at SC State in 1983 when she became the first woman to be appointed to a full-time coaching position as an assistant on the Lady Bulldog basketball team. Since that time, she has served the university in a number of capacities, including head volleyball coach, head women's tennis coach, and assistant women's basketball coach. She also spent two terms as the school's interim director of athletics.

Johnson's success as a leader in athletics is grounded in her success as a player. On the basketball court she became a part of SC State history early on when, she helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the 1979 AIAW National Championship with a 73-68 win over Dayton in Fargo, North Dakota. After her playing career, Johnson continued to help her alma mater and the women's basketball program. As a member of the coaching staff, she was instrumental in keeping the Lady Bulldogs among the top teams in the Southeast.

In 1990, Johnson guided the Lady Bulldog volleyball team to its sole Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, earning MEAC Coach of the Year honors for her efforts. She also earned MEAC Coach of the Year accolades for women's tennis in 1986.

In recognition of her efforts, Johnson was inducted into the SC State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 as an administrator and received special recognition in 2000 as a member of the 1979 AIAW National Championship team. Mrs. Johnson, who earned both her bachelor's (1980) and master's (1987) from SC State, is married to Virgin Johnson, Jr., and they are the proud parents of two children: Taylor and Virgin (Trey) III.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in recognizing the significant contributions of Charlene Johnson as an athlete, a coach and an athletics administrator. She has built an outstanding legacy at South Carolina State University, and is a trailblazing role model for women pursuing careers in university athletics. I congratulate her on a job well done and thank her on behalf of all South Carolina State alumni for her many contributions to the university.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, the Book of Micah, the religion that Gabby practices, raises a question: What would the Lord require of thee?

And the question is answered in Micah 6:8: To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.

I cannot think of anybody whom I have ever served with who personified that passage more than Gabby Giffords.

In my faith, I practice that which is found in the Book of Luke, the 10th chapter, where we get the story of the Good Samaritan. The question was asked of the lawyer who wanted to know what was required to have life everlasting. In the answer, the master said to him: In this and other things, love thy neighbor as thyself.

Gabby Giffords is our neighbor, not just here in this body, but she is our neighbor on this great planet, because we learn from that story that being one's neighbor is not dependent upon one's religion, nor is it dependent upon one's ethnicity.

Being one's neighbor is dependent upon whether or not we have the capacity to show compassion. Gabby Giffords is our neighbor, and I'm pleased to honor her today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute a spiritual and community leader as he retires from the ministry. Reverend Carnell Hampton has been a tremendous light in Clarendon County during his 45 years at Melina Presbyterian Church and his daily guidance will be sorely missed.

Reverend Hampton grew up in the Mayesville community of Sumter County, and graduated from the historic Goodwill Parachoial School. He chose to return close to home following his graduation from seminary at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina to serve at Melina Presbyterian Church. He built the church into the center of the Gable community, expanding its membership and its missions. He has lived next door to the church and been an active member of the community throughout his career. Over his more than four decades in the ministry, Reverend Hampton has made innumerable contributions to the community, the state, the Presbytery, the Synod and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

I want to personally thank Reverend Hampton for his friendship and support. Just six weeks after my election to Congress in 1992, he and the Melina Presbyterian Church Family welcomed me into their worship service and congratulated me on behalf of the community. His care and concern for the community extends beyond the church walls, and he let me know he expected me to represent the community well. I have worked hard to meet his expectations.

Reverend Hampton is married to Carrie Edwards a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina and the couple has one son Jermaine Carnell, a daughter-in-law Hollie, and two grandchildren Nathan and August.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Reverend Hampton on his retirement. He has touched countless lives and left an indelible mark on this community. His service to Clarendon County and the Presbyterian Church will be long remembered, and hard to replace. I offer my best wishes as he enters this new phase of his life, and know that he will continue to be an important part of the community.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.

Madam Speaker, today is a great day for our Nation's black farmers and Native Americans who were discriminated against by their own government--our government--for years. Thousands of families have waited for years to receive the settlements awarded to them in two class action lawsuits that have gone unresolved because of political gamesmanship.

In this Congress alone, we have twice passed legislation that would have resolved this issue. Today, the games have come to an end. Today we will mete out some modicum of justice. After more than a decade, this bill finally in some significant measure resolves the Pigford v. Glickman case, a lawsuit which was settled back in 1999. That lawsuit was filed by African American farmers against the Department of Agriculture for discriminating against black farmers who applied for access to loans and other assistance.

The Department of Agriculture has admitted that the discrimination took place and repeatedly urged this body to compensate those farmers who were discriminated against. Nothing in the Pigford settlement would prevent the government from prosecuting fraudulent claims. And this bill, which is fully paid for, includes strict provisions designed to ensure that payments are distributed to only deserving claimants.

Mr. Speaker, I want to address two issues--the issues of neutral adjudicator and performance audits, both of which are found in this bill and cause me great concern as to whether or not we're setting up a process by which witch hunts and intimidations will take place.

Now, I want the record to show that these two processes are not found anywhere else, but they are in this bill. I'm very concerned about that because I think they could open the door for witch hunts to take place as to whether or not these farmers are in fact deserving and whether or not intimidation may take place as to whether or not we will shield activities on the part of farmers who should be filing claims. I don't want anybody to be unjustly enriched, but I hope that nobody will be intimidated by the process.

I used to run the South Carolina Commission for Farm Workers, and I can tell you that from 1968, when I became director of that agency, I saw the discrimination taking place not just in farm loans but in housing loans as well. And the intimidation factor was great among these rural families that did not feel equipped to fight the process.

We have put these two procedures in this bill. I want the record to show that we do not put them there for people to be intimidated but only to provide a process by which the Federal Government can find out whether or not people are deserving of the service and of the resolution.

I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that as we carry forth this settlement that we will not once again visit upon these families the intimidation factor that so many of them experienced for years now. Now this case goes back to 1981. But I can tell you that these cases go back for nearly a century and they ought not be intimidated at this point in the process.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a South Carolinian, who has dedicated his life to motivating young men through baseball. Charles F. ``Dusty'' Rhodes is the founder of the South Carolina Storm travel baseball team in Charleston, and he has changed the lives of numerous young men through the program.

In 2002, Dusty Rhodes saw a need to help boys in the Charleston area pursue a college education through baseball. He began the Charleston Storm travel baseball program with the founding principles of ``attitude, academics, and baseball.'' Attitude was stressed by teaching players how to play baseball with respect for themselves, coaches, fellow and opposing players, umpires, and the game itself. Academics were stressed because many more scholarships are available to those who excel in academics than those who excel in baseball. The players had their grades checked, and the message was instilled that baseball would only last a few years, but a quality education would serve a young person for the rest of his life. The fundamentals of baseball were taught by coaches who had the ability to teach young men the correct way to play the game, in addition to upholding the attitude and academic goals.

Playing on a travel baseball team did have its financial cost. However, the boys were never denied the opportunity to play due to family financial hardship. Often Dusty and his wife, Kelly, supported the players out of their own pockets.

In the eight years since its inception, the team has evolved into the South Carolina Storm. Several hundred young men have been part of the program, and more than 65 of them have been afforded an opportunity to attend college and play baseball. One former player, Drew Miller provided the following testimony regarding his mentor, ``coach, leader, genuine, role model, giving, caring, friend and now cancer are all words that come to mind when the name Dusty Rhodes is brought up.''

Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in honoring the tremendous contributions of this remarkable community leader. Dusty Rhodes' commitment to helping young men through baseball grows from his Christian faith, his love of young people, and his love of the game of baseball. Now he faces personal health challenges, but his remarkable legacy is etched in his devotion to making the lives of young people better.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding physician and community leader as he retires and enters a new phase of his life. Dr. Spencer Disher of Orangeburg, South Carolina, has served the medical profession and his community admirably for half a century.

Spencer Disher was born in Darlington, South Carolina, and graduated as Salutatorian of his class at Mayo High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from South Carolina State College, now University, and entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1956. Following graduation, he trained for a year at Kate B. Reynolds Hospital and served two years in the U.S. Army. While serving as an Army Captain, Dr. Disher was the Chief Physician for the Pentathlon athletes on the U.S. Olympic Team.

In 1963, Dr. Disher returned to South Carolina and began his medical practice in Orangeburg. He has also served as the college physician at Voorhees College, Denmark Technical College and Claflin University, where he currently serves as Medical Director of Student Health Services. He also holds the position of State Grand Medical Director for the Masons of South Carolina.

In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Disher has been very involved in organizations that support and advance the profession. He has served as the Chair of the Grants and Proposal Committee of the Board of Trustees of the National Medical Association, and is a member of South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners. He was the Chief of Staff at The Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg. For eleven years, Dr. Disher served as chair of the Executive Board of the Palmetto State Medical Dental Pharmaceutical Association, PMDPA. He also served as president of the PMDPA in 1975. He chaired the Public Health and Consumer Affairs Committee of the National Medical Association, NMA, for over a decade.

Dr. Disher is currently a member of the Meharry Medical College Board of Trustees, and has been a staunch advocate of the school. Two of his sons have graduated from Meharry. He has established the Spencer C. Disher, Jr., M.D. Endowed Scholarship to enable students from South Carolina to pursue their dream of studying for Medical, Dental or a Doctorate Degree in the Biomedical Sciences at Meharry Medical College.

Dr. Disher has been recognized by many organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha and Omega Psi Phi Fraternities. He is a member of the New Mount Zion Baptist Church. In addition to his many professional affiliations, he is a 33rd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of the NAACP. Dr. Disher is married to the former Annette Moorer, and is the father of eight children.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating the wonderful professional contributions of Dr. Spencer Disher. He has distinguished himself as doctor who cares not only for the patient but for the community as a whole. He has been a tremendous leader and a consummate professional throughout his career, and I am proud to call him a friend. I wish him Godspeed in retirement and know that he will continue to play an important part in the Orangeburg community for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a tremendous public servant, whose heart was bigger than his six-foot- seven-inch frame. Sheriff Larry Williams served the citizens of Orangeburg County as a law enforcement officer for 33 years. We have lost this beloved lawman, but his influence and compassion for the people he served will live on.

Larry Williams was born in Bamberg County in 1956, to the late George Williams and Willie Mae Carson Williams. He was educated in the public schools of Branchville, and went on to attend South Carolina State University. He later earned his bachelor's degree from Claflin University in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology. Sheriff Williams gave back to his alma mater, joining the faculty as an adjunct professor of criminology and forensic science.

His career in law enforcement began as a police officer in the City of Orangeburg Police Department in 1977. After two years, he became a residential deputy with the Orangeburg Sheriff's Department. He quickly rose through the ranks to become a supervisor, and in 2000, he was elected Sheriff.

He received numerous recognitions for his dedicated service. In 2003, the South Carolina Sheriff's Association selected him as Sheriff of the Year, an outstanding accomplishment for a first term Sheriff. That same year he was recognized as an innovative Sheriff of Homeland Security. He also received recognition from the U.S. Marshals Service for his commitment to Operation Intercept.

Sheriff Williams established himself as a formidable lawman, who was well respected for his efforts to reduce the crime rate in Orangeburg County. His effectiveness won him the prestigious Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement and the Regional Organized Crime Institute's 2007 Gold Medallion Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement. That same year, he was selected as the Orangeburg County Community of Character Award winner for the character trait of ``Citizenship.''

In 2008 Sheriff Williams received the Criminal Justice Award from the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network. In 2010, the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department under his leadership was a finalist in the Crime Victims Services Award from the National Sheriffs' Association. He was also recognized with the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal by the Battle of Eutaw Springs Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in 2010.

Sheriff Williams always worked to improve his service as a law enforcement official. In 2002, he graduated from the 82nd session of the South Carolina Sheriff's Institute of Longmont, Colorado. Then in 2009, he completed the 62nd session of the Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar.

He served 3 years as a Crime Victim Services committee member for the National Sheriffs' Association. He was also a member of the South Carolina Association of Countywide Elected Executives, the executive board for the Salvation Army, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Palmetto State Law Enforcement Officers' Association, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He volunteered his time with the United States Youth Games of South Carolina.

A man of faith, Sheriff Williams was a member of Canaan Baptist Church in Branchville and an honorary member of First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in recognizing this giant in the law enforcement community. Sheriff Williams was an extraordinary advocate of his beloved Orangeburg County and a wonderful role model for young people. He made a lasting mark on his community, our state and our nation. We all owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude, and we can best honor his memory by immolating his commitment to public service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a rare find these days--a man who has dedicated 50 years to the same employer. Cordy Williamson has worked for Progress Energy since 1960, and says about contemplating retirement, ``I love going to work and I love Progress Energy. Why should I retire when I have all this going for me?''

Mr. Williamson first joined Progress Energy when it was known as Carolina Power & Light, working on the line crew. Sometimes, that meant digging ditches with his bare hands and a shovel. It did not seem hard for him, having grown up on a farm in Aynor, South Carolina where manual labor was a part of his everyday life.

Even though he was comfortable with the physical aspects of the job, his supervisors saw promise in Mr. Williamson's leadership abilities. He moved up the ladder, assuming positions such as lineman, meter reader, and Line and Service Supervisor. These jobs took him to Laurinburg and Lumberton, North Carolina, and Kingstree and Florence, South Carolina.

In 1987, Mr. Williamson became a distribution inspector, inspecting work performed by Progress Energy crews as well as tree trimming crews.

I believe this letter by Mrs. L.B. White written to the District Manager's office in Florence in 1973 sums up Mr. Williamson's 50 years of dedication to his work:

``. . . Last Saturday I went in to fix lunch--no heat, no

lights, and a complete power failure. I immediately called

your service department . . . and in about twenty minutes Mr.

Cordy Williamson was here. It was quite a job. He was so

courteous and patient with me (an old woman). I wanted you to

know what a wonderful fellow he is and how fortunate you are

to have such a man with your company. I tried to pay him--no

pay would he accept. Such an honest, upright man (sic). Hope

everything good possible will come to him. I am a widow and

live alone and he meant much to me.''

Mr. Williamson is the father of two daughters, Amanda and Margaret, and two sons, Jamie and Cordy. He enjoys fishing, motorcycle riding, and flying. He served the Civil Air Patrol in South Carolina and also flew assignments for the U.S. Customs Agency. He helped to start the ``MayFly'' Air Show in Florence in 1986 and continues to organize the show today.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in congratulating Cordy Williamson on reaching this tremendous milestone in his employment with Progress Energy. His commitment to his work is admirable and a model for young people today to emulate. I wish him many more years of happiness on the job.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to South Carolina's newest inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame and one of our State's favorite native sons. Coach Willie Jeffries has distinguished himself as a trailblazing coach, a tremendous motivator, and wonderful ambassador for his community, his alma mater, and the State of South Carolina.

Willie Jeffries was born in Union, South Carolina in 1937, and is a graduate of South Carolina State College (now University) in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he played football and baseball. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in guidance and counseling.

Jeffries' coaching career began in 1960 as assistant coach at Barr Street High School in Lancaster, South Carolina. A head coaching position followed in 1961 at Granard High School in nearby Gaffney, where he compiled a 6-year record of 65-7-2. He won three consecutive state AAA championships, 1964, 1965 and 1966.

In 1973 Jeffries' alma mater called him to serve as its head football coach. During the next six seasons at South Carolina State, his record was an impressive 50-13-4. In 1979, Division I-A football and history called. Jeffries was offered and accepted the head coaching position at Wichita State University, becoming the first African American to coach a Division I team.

Jeffries became the 32nd head coach for the Wichita State University Shockers in Wichita, Kansas. During his 6-year tenure he compiled a record of 21-32-2, which ranks him third in the school's history for total wins. In 1982, his team went 8-3, which holds the distinction as the last winning season in Wichita State history. Wichita's program was discontinued after the 1986 season.

In 1984, Jeffries left Wichita State to become head coach at Howard University in Washington, DC, where he led the Bisons to their first league victory and a national championship.

In 1989, Jeffries returned to his beloved South Carolina State for what was to be another 13 years as head coach. During those years, Jeffries earned a national title and made three Heritage Bowl appearances. He retired from coaching in 2001, and served as director of athletic fund-raising until 2005, when he accepted the athletic director position at Grambling State University. Earlier this year, Jeffries was named head coach emeritus at South Carolina State and serves as a liaison between the university, its alumni, and other constituents.

Over his outstanding career Jeffries has received several honors. He was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He is also a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Fame. He has also received numerous honors for his community service including the Order of the Silver Crescent, South Carolina's highest award for outstanding community service, the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian award. A scholarship fund and endowment have been established in his name at SCSU. During the 2002 school year, he was honored by the Black Coaches' Association with a lifetime achievement award and inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.

The highest honor of his career came on July 17, 2010, when Jeffries was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame. The requirements any coach must meet before being considered for this honor include coaching a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach, be retired for at least 3 years, and have won at least 60 percent of their games. Jeffries easily passed the first two tests, but he fell just short of the 60 percent winning record with a winning percentage of .565. Because of Jeffries remarkable career spanning 317 games over 29 years and his historic significance, the selection committee considered him a candidate who should qualify for an exception based on his unique record.

Jeffries is a three-time Black National Championship winner, and is credited with inventing the ``Freeze Option'' offense. He is the only person in history to coach against both College Football Hall of Famers Paul ``Bear'' Bryant and Eddie Robinson. Jeffries won the MEAC conference title seven times, six with SCSU and one with Howard. He coached College Football Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Donnie Shell.

In addition to his accomplishments on the field, it was also Jeffries work off the field that made him worthy of this extraordinary honor. He is a much sought after speaker and a tremendous ambassador for South Carolina State University. He is a member of several coaching, professional and civic organizations, including the American Football Coaches Association, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and NCAA Football Rules Committee.

He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of three children and currently reside in Elloree, South Carolina.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me and South Carolina State University in congratulating Coach Willie Jeffries on his induction in the College Football Hall of Fame and having November 6, 2010 celebrated as his day on the campus of SCSU. He is a legendary coach, whose love of football made him an unexpected barrier breaker. While he seeks no recognition for his extraordinary contributions to the sport and to society, I can think of no one more deserving of these honors.

I thank my friend, Chairman Holden, for yielding me the time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4785, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act. Mr. Chairman, the Rural Energy Savings Program, or Rural Star, as it is popularly called, is an important piece of the Make It in America agenda. It is a program that will create jobs and help save families money on their energy bills.

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called our 50 States ``laboratories of democracy.'' And that is certainly the case with this homegrown, American-owned idea. The rural electric co-ops in South Carolina brought this idea to my attention late last year. And I worked with them and my colleague Congressman John Spratt to craft legislation that takes the South Carolina model nationwide. I am very proud that South Carolina is providing significant leadership for our economic recovery with this innovative approach to job creation and energy savings.

The concept is very simple: low-cost home improvement loans for energy-efficient upgrades, sealing, insulation,

HVAC systems, heat pumps, and other structural improvements. Those low- cost loans are paid back on customers' electricity bills, with the energy savings covering the cost of the loan.

When the term of the loan expires, most people will be saving hundreds of dollars annually on their monthly utility bills.

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is first and foremost a jobs bill, and it is based on commonsense ideas that can be done in a fiscally responsible manner that will protect taxpayers and the Treasury. Let me emphasize that this is a voluntary loan program, not a grant or rebate; and the loans are paid back to the Federal Treasury.

We call this the Rural Energy Savings Program because it will save consumers energy and money. More importantly, it will put people back to work, particularly in the building and construction trades and manufacturing industries, sectors that have been hard hit by the economic downturn.

While providing energy upgrades and significant employment opportunities for building and construction workers, this legislation will boost domestic manufacturing. Retailers of energy-efficient building materials and appliances will also benefit from increased sales. Virtually all of the energy-efficient products and materials used for energy efficiency improvements are made in America.

Rural Star has the support of a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Home Builders, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Rural Star will create high-skill, high-wage manufacturing and construction jobs and deliver meaningful energy savings for consumers that will put money directly into their wallets.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. Let's create jobs that are made in America so that our fellow citizens can ``Make It in America.''

Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition but do not oppose the amendment.

I wish to thank my colleague and occasional sparring partner for making what I consider to be reasonable improvements to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the bipartisan, in fact, unanimous vote in favor of this legislation, I will accept the gentleman's amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank my good friend, subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott, for yielding me this time and for his leadership on this very important issue. He and committee Chairman Conyers have worked for years to eliminate the unjust and discriminatory disparities between crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

Although I'm disappointed that this measure does not entirely eliminate the disparity, I want to commend Senators Durbin, Sessions, and Coburn for crafting a very significant compromise. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2009 will significantly reduce the disparity in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine and help to correct an enormous disparity in our criminal justice system.

When the current law was passed, Congress felt that crack cocaine was a plague that was destroying minority communities. Twenty years of experience has taught us that many of our initial beliefs were wrong. We now know that there's little or no pharmacological distinction between crack cocaine and powder cocaine, yet the punishment for these offenses remains radically different.

Down where I come from, Mr. Speaker, we say that when one learns better, one should do better.

Equally troubling is the enormous growth in the prison population, especially among minority youth. The current drug sentencing policy is the single greatest cause of the record levels of incarceration in our country. One in every 31 Americans is in prison or on parole or on probation, including one in 11 African Americans. This is unjust and runs contrary to our fundamental principles of equal protection under the law.

Since 1995, the United States Sentencing Commission has issued report after report calling on Congress to address this unfair disparity. According to the Sentencing Commission, restoring sentencing parity will do more than any other policy change to close the gap in incarceration rates between African Americans and white Americans.

The American drug epidemic is a serious problem, and we must address that problem. But our drug laws must be smart, fair, and rational. The legislation to be considered today takes a significant step towards striking that balance.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an institution that helped to educate some of South Carolina's brightest minds and contributed significantly to our state's history. The Berkeley Training School, like so many schools established to educate African American children, was vital to its community and its students. I pay this tribute as its alumni are preparing to hold a Grand School Reunion on September 3-5, 2010, to celebrate the school's anniversary and the contributions of this tremendous institution.

Berkeley Training School began as Dixie Training School in early 1880 in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. It was originally planned as a short- term program to last just three months in a local church. The local school superintendent, Mr. I. Percher, was so impressed by the program and its teacher, Mr. J.L. Mitchell that he extended the school's term to eight months.

In 1900, a one-room schoolhouse was constructed to house Dixie Training School. Mr. Essex Reid organized the effort to build the school, and Mrs. Annie Williams was hired as the teacher. It didn't take long, however, before the school outgrew its small building. A building committee was organized and charged with raising $6,700 for a new four-room school. Mr. Steven Reid made the first $5 donation, and the community stepped up to raise $5,500. Reverend James Van Wright was instrumental in securing support from local citizens for the school using the mantra ``a dollar a day.'' Philanthropist Julius Rosenwald contributed the remaining $1,200 that was needed to complete the project. The new four-room schoolhouse opened in 1920.

Also, in 1920, Richard Allen Ready became principal, and three teachers were hired Ella Forest, Wilhemena Alston, and Laurieene Shine Heywood. Mr. Ready served the school faithfully for 32 years. During his tenure, Alberta Garnett Dupree received the first Dixie Training Certificate in 1924. The name of the school was changed in the 1930s to Berkeley Training School.

After Mr. Ready's death in 1952, Mr. Swinzon S. Wigfall, Sr. was named the new principal. He served just two years and was followed by Frank Gadsden, Sr., who oversaw the school's move into a new building in an area known as ``Mitten Lane'' on Highway 17A. The move included a new principal, Joseph H. Jefferson, Sr., who remained in this position until the school was merged with Berkeley High School in the 1970s. Mr. Jefferson went on to become an area superintendent and Berkeley Training School ceased to exist as a separate entity.

Over its 90-year history, a number of students who attended Dixie/ Berkeley Training School have distinguished themselves in all walks of life. A few notable alumni include: the late Lt. General Henry Doctor, Jr., the first African-American Inspector General of the Army; banker Elijah B. McCants; businessman Joseph Sanders; Dr. Syrus Alston; lawyers Dorothy Manigault and the late Donald Gadsden; funeral directors the late George Holman, Milton Scott and the late Octavious Gethers; building contractors the late Oscar Haynes and Sass Burden; School Superintendent the late William Baylor; educator Dr. Lela Haynes-Session; R. Delores Gibbs, MD and Henry Marion, MD; artist Robert Alston; Henry Harris, CPA; Franklyn Scott, DDS, PC; Robert L. Wilson, Jr., MSW, New York City Deputy Commissioner of Children Services; and my wife and partner for the last 49 years the former Emily England to name just a few.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating the contributions of Dixie/Berkeley Training School. This remarkable school was a beacon for Moncks Corner and all of Berkeley County. It helped shape the lives of hundreds of students who spent their formative years at this institution, and they, in turn, have made a lasting impact on our state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ron Gettelfinger today upon his retirement from the United Auto Workers or UAW. Ron devoted his long and distinguished career to helping his colleagues and the American people achieve the American dream; and as he leaves the working world, it is my great pleasure to honor his professional efforts and accomplishments.

Growing up with 11 brothers and sisters in Frenchtown, Indiana, Ron got some early lessons in negotiating with others. After graduating high school in 1962, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky and in 1964 was hired as a chassis line repairman at the Louisville Assembly Plant of Ford Motor Company.

In one of his earliest jobs Ron so impressed those around him that the workers in the plant elected him to represent them as committeeperson, bargaining chairperson and president. Ron excelled in these positions and also functioned as a delegate to the National Ford Council and Sub-Council # 2.

After twenty years of work in the auto industry, Ron was elected president of local union 862. In 1987, he became a member of the Ford- UAW bargaining committee. When he was asked by Car and Driver magazine about what prompted this move into the union arena, he simply responded ``I just thought I should apply my education to helping the workers.''

Ron moved on to other union positions, including director of United Auto Workers Region 3, which represents United Auto Workers' members in Indiana and Kentucky. After six years in this role, he was elected UAW vice president in 1998.

As Vice President, Ron was director of the UAW Aerospace Department and the UAW Ford Department, where he led negotiations in 1999 that focused on ``Bargaining for Families.'' In 2002, he was elected president of the UAW and was re-elected in 2006. On March 19, 2009, Ron announced his intent to retire at the end of his term.

During his tenure at the helm of the UAW, Ron has been an outspoken advocate for national single-payer health care in the United States. Under his leadership, the UAW has lobbied for fair trade agreements that include provisions for workers' rights and environmental provisions. With the help of these efforts, Congress enacted legislation to reform health, expand the children health insurance program (S-CHIP), the economic stimulus package, auto restructuring, the Lilly Ledbetter equal pay legislation, as well as a minimum wage increase.

During his presidency the UAW successfully lobbied for the enactment of compromise CAFE legislation in 2007, which included the Section 136 program to provide funds to encourage investment in domestic production of advanced technology vehicles and their key components. With Ron's help Congress was also able to facilitate agreement on a national standard for regulating greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy for light, medium and

heavy duty vehicles. All of these accomplishments have come in the face of trying times for organized labor. In the words of U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, American workers are endangered by ``the corporate global chase for the lowest wage which creates a race to the bottom that no workers, in any country, can win.''

With Ron as their advocate, UAW members have endured and succeeded in these difficult times. He will be remembered for his leadership role in putting the UAW at the forefront of the struggle for civil rights, better schools and pensions, tougher workplace health and safety standards, and stronger workers compensation benefits. His impact stretches beyond the auto industry and will be felt for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in wishing Ron Gettelfinger the best in his retirement. I am certain he will enjoy his newfound free time with his wife Judy, and their two children and four grandchildren. I can think of no one more deserving of having a long, happy and healthy post-career life. He will be sorely missed at the UAW, but if his successors follow the examples he set for so many years, American workers will continue to be well represented.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a popular television personality in Columbia, South Carolina as she leaves her post as a morning news anchor on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Kara Gormley is a familiar face to Columbians who have watched her professionally report the news at WIS-TV for more than a decade. Her presence on the Sunrise program will be sorely missed.

Kara Gormley is a native of Carthage, New York, and is the daughter of the late Barbara and Robert Gormley. After graduating from Providence College in Rhode Island, Kara took her first broadcast journalism job in Wausau, Wisconsin. Midlands viewers first came to know Kara when she joined WIS News 10 in 1996 as co-host of the Sunrise program. She later took an assignment to anchor the evening news at 5:00 p.m., and serve as a featured health reporter.

In 2000, she was lured away from WIS, and became the morning news anchor at the NBC

sister station in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her heart remained in Columbia, and Kara married Banks Meador, a native of Chester, in 2002, which led to her return to WIS. Back in Columbia, she anchored the weekend news and served as a weekday reporter. Later she rejoined the Sunrise program, where her journey at WIS began.

Kara has been recognized for her journalism talent by the Associated Press and the South Carolina Broadcasters Association. She has also earned the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award of Excellence.

She has been very active in the Midlands community. Kara has generously donated her time and her talents to the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill, Special Olympics South Carolina, Project Pet, Sistercare, Camp Kemo, the Children's Miracle Network and Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. She is also an active supporter of Winston's Wish, a foundation of autistic children, and the national Safety Council's ``Alive at 25'' program, which promotes safe driving habits among drivers under 25.

Kara takes great pride in her contribution to Faces of Freedom, a book that profiles fallen heroes who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The proceeds of the book go to charities that benefit military families.

As a former competitive swimmer and scholarship athlete, Kara is dedicated to promoting physical fitness. She helped create and build Limitless Sports, an organization that helps wheelchair-bound children and adults participate in athletics.

Kara and her husband will remain in Columbia, where she will focus on raising their three young sons--Dalton, Evan and Cooper.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me on congratulating Kara Gormley for her contributions to the field of broadcast journalism and to her dedication to making her community a better place to live. She has enriched the lives of so many during her years at WIS-TV, and I wish her all the best as she pursues other endeavors.