Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lance Corporal Robert Lynch who was taken from us far too soon when he and two other Marines were killed in Iraq by an IED. In Louisville, the hearts of his family and friends are full of grief as they mourn this tremendous loss, but we are also full of pride as we celebrate the life of an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Robbie's heroism began well before his service in the Marines. At a young age, he conquered Tourette syndrome and became a charismatic joker, an eloquent poet and a caring and empathetic young man.

At Seneca High School, he enrolled in the ROTC as a freshman, becoming an instant favorite among the faculty and his classmates alike. In fact, to many, it seemed Robbie was friends with everyone, classmates, teachers, administrators, clerks, everyone. And in Robbie, or Jax, as he nicknamed himself, they had a friend who would send people into hysterics when times were light or cut through the tension with a joke that lightened the mood. In Iraq he used that sense of humor to keep up the spirits and morale of his fellow warriors.

But people were drawn to Robbie for more than his affability. Robbie was also the one you knew you could depend on, the one you would go to if you needed help, support or simply a friend. That sentiment was shared by the many at home who loved him and those who served with him in Okinawa in the 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Robbie dreamed of going to Hollywood to sing. He wrote songs and poems that expressed, among other things, his passion for justice and freedom. Tragically, his devotion to service eclipsed his artistic aspirations, and that dream will not be realized. Still, his words remain with us, and I'd like to share just a few.

He wrote, ``I don't plan on being a hero to the world. I just want to try to help make it a better one.'' Clearly, Robbie underestimated himself, for in just 20 short years on the planet we are better for having him here, and he is a hero to us all.

Today I'm introducing legislation to rename the Fairdale, Kentucky, Post Office the Lance Corporal Robert A. Lynch Memorial Post Office, so that it may stand as a testament to his heroics and strong character. For his selfless devotion to all of us in the United States, he deserves our recognition and thanks. For their sacrifice, his family deserves our support. We are poorer for the loss of him but we, as a community and a country, are better off for the short time we had him.

I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring Lance Corporal Robert Lynch, a patriot, a poet, and a good man.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to rise today in recognition of my good friend and a great citizen of my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Owsley Brown II, as we mark the end of his 46- year career at Brown-Forman.

In Louisville, Owsley is well known for his success in business. He worked his way up to the top of his family business, and his leadership turned it into a giant in the wine and spirits industry. That fact is all the more astounding, considering that among the top companies in the industry 50 years ago, only his Brown-Forman remains a leader in the field.

The global expansion has taken the company to heights only dreamed of back then, and the branding under his watch was absolutely unprecedented. Jack Daniel's, a tiny acquisition of a half century ago, has practically superseded the term whisky itself. But in Kentucky, of course, we take the most pride in Brown-Forman's home-grown bourbons: Early Times, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve.

Owsley Brown's reputation in business comes not only from making money, but from creating an environment in which people want to work. Owsley himself takes great pride in the fact that the average tenure at Brown-Forman, 14 years, is three times the average for a Fortune 500 Company. The reason for this is simple. For many of these employees, Owsley Brown gave them more than a job; he gave them a home.

But Owsley's place in our community only begins with what happens in the walls and barrels at Brown-Forman Corporation. Through the philanthropy of Brown-Forman, Owsley set the standard for what it means to be a good corporate citizen. His commitment to social responsibility can be seen throughout his work for the Century Council, of which Brown-Forman is a founding member, and in every facet of Louisville life.

His dedication to the arts has been critical to Louisville's developing a scene in which music, theater, independent film and visual arts of every stripe have thrived, helping to forge our community's unique and exciting character. His philanthropic devotion to health care has helped make Louisville home to some of the best facilities, doctors, and medical innovation in the world.

What's more, as Owsley helped to make Louisville a vibrant 21st- century city, he never lost sight of the need to preserve Kentucky's natural beauty. In fact, he has served as a powerful force in protecting land from overdevelopment, particularly along Louisville's scenic riverfront. Long before conservation hit the mainstream, Brown- Forman began implementing policies to reduce the company's environmental footprint and enhance the environment around us.

So as Owsley took Brown-Forman to new heights worldwide, our community reaped the rewards. We are fortunate in Louisville, for even as a corporation sees its leader pass the torch into other capable hands, Mr. Brown remains one of our most generous and responsible citizens. His triumph and business exceeds the success of the bottom line. The true achievement he oversaw and engineered was creating a company of fine character and impeccable integrity, just like the man himself.

I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring my good friend, Owsley Brown, thanking him for all he has done and wishing him luck as he enters this next chapter of life.

Owsley, you and Christy now have time to see the world, and I have no doubt that you will use that time to change it.

Mr. Speaker, the President recently boasted that we were ``kicking ass in Iraq.''

With brave Americans dying in record numbers, I have two questions for the President.

Point of Order

With brave American soldiers dying in record numbers, I have just two questions for the President: Just whose posteriors are we kicking? And how do you know?

With Sunnis and Shiites killing themselves and each other, plus an incompetent Maliki government, we don't know who we are fighting much less where we are kicking them. And while we are tied up in Iraq, al Qaeda thrives in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

So the President's turn of phrase will go into the Blooper Hall of Fame with other Bush golden oldies, like ``last throes,'' ``links to al Qaeda,'' and ``mission accomplished.''

There was a time when American success meant defeating Nazis, tearing down communism's iron curtain, and walking on the Moon. Supporting our troops meant honest safeguards, not trash talk. How low have our standards fallen when the President points to the debacle he created and says, ``This is what I am proud of''?

Most Americans believe in a country that is capable of much higher standards. And if America were really kicking butt, the President wouldn't need to say anything. Everyone would know it.

Madam Speaker, I rise to salute the life of a good friend and great public servant. William E. McAnulty, Jr., lost his battle with lung cancer on August 23. His passing marks the culmination of an incredible life: the son of an Indiana mailman became the first African American to be elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

He will be missed not only by his wonderful family--wife Kristi, sons Patrick and William III, daughters Katheryn and Shannon, and father William E. McAnulty--but by legions of friends and admirers who loved him for his incredible wit, his lively intelligence, and his unwavering commitment to justice throughout society.

Bill, or Judge Mac as he was belovedly known, was born in Indianapolis in 1947. He received his B.A. from Indiana University and both his masters and J.D. degrees from the University of Louisville. He was first elected to the bench in 1975 as a judge in Jefferson County Juvenile Court. Two years later he was elected to the Jefferson County District Court, and then he was selected by Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr., to serve as Secretary of the Justice Cabinet in 1980.

Following his service in Frankfort, Bill was once again elected to the bench, this time to the Jefferson Circuit Court, where he served until 1998, when he became the first African American to be elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

In June, 2006, McAnulty was appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to succeed Justice Martin E. Johnstone, who was retiring. Then last fall, he was elected to that post. While he tried to play down the significance of being the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, he was well aware of what his accomplishment meant. Upon his swearing in, he said that other African Americans ``will understand this door is open and they are able like any other lawyer or judge to enter.''

But McAnulty was not like any other lawyer or judge. He was universally recognized and applauded for his fairness, his patience, and his disarming sense of humor. When he learned that he had cancer that had spread to his brain and was to undergo surgery, he said his only fear was that he would ``wake up as Clarence Thomas or a UK fan.''

Justice McAnulty was frequently the recipient of professional honors, including the Henry V. Pennington Outstanding Judge of the Year in 1997, awarded by the Kentucky Trial Attorneys.

Unfortunately, no simple biography can adequately describe the person under the black robe. Bill was one of those rare individuals who was equally comfortable with princes and paupers, and who never thought about the difference. I was fortunate to know him for more than 25 years, and most recently, as we both campaigned last year, I saw firsthand how deeply he cared about the least among us, and how steadfast was his commitment to combat injustice wherever he saw it.

I know he would have seen some kind of cosmic irony in the fact that his crowning

achievement would have ended so quickly, but while his tenure on the Kentucky Supreme Court was short, his legacy to Kentucky justice will endure forever.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to allow 5 legislative days in which Members may revise and extend and place extraneous material relevant to the conference report on H.R. 2669 into the Record.

Madam Speaker, President Bush continues to ignore reality in Iraq, instead glossing over the deteriorating situation while asking for more money from Congress and more personal sacrifice from our troops.

A report released by the White House in July claimed that progress had been made on eight of the 18 benchmarks mandated by the Congress. But a new, unbiased report from the GAO shows that the situation is even worse than the White House led us to believe.

According to the GAO report, Iraq has failed to meet all but three of the 18 benchmarks required for political and military progress in Iraq. Some of the report's most disconcerting findings include the fact that the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved and that violence remains high.

Madam Speaker, with the release of this discouraging and objective report, Republicans in this body must decide whether to continue rubber-stamping the President's failed policy in Iraq or begin working with Democrats to bring our troops home.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for yielding. And I want to join many of us in expressing my great empathy for him and the residents of his State who have gone through so much recently. And we all, I think, not only empathize but sympathize with what the people of Minnesota have had to go through, and I know we all stand ready to help in any way that we can.

But my colleague is right, Mr. Speaker. When we all came to this body last year right after being elected and we all met for our orientation and, as freshmen, we met for the first time and started comparing notes, it was clear that we all came with pretty similar mandates. We were sent by our people to change what was going on in this country. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with energy problems. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with a dysfunctional health care system. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with the income and wealth inequality that has put such a strain on the great working families of this country and has seen the wealthiest people in America have their wealth increased by leaps and bounds while, as the census report just mentioned last week, 95 percent of the people in this country have not seen their standard of living improve over the last 6 years.

We were sent by the people of this country to do something about the education system, to make sure it not only leaves no child behind but moves every child forward; that we work with the most gifted kids and we work with the kids posing the greatest challenge; that each one of them will have the best that our teachers have to offer and have the greatest support system that we can provide for them.

And foremost of all these things, the people of America sent us to Congress with one overriding thought, and that was to change direction in Iraq.

And it is very interesting because I know that the people on the other side, our colleagues in the Republican Party, want to try to spin our activities by saying, well, we haven't really accomplished very much. Well, I think every one of us knows how hard we have worked over the last 8 months to accomplish the mission that the people of the United States sent us here for.

We have dealt with minimum wage, increasing the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years. We have dealt with the energy situation. We tried to eliminate the great and unnecessary tax cuts that were given to the oil companies when they were making record profits. We dealt with health care, not just recently by trying to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover 5 million more American children, but also in trying to save money and make the system more efficient by forcing the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate with Medicare in the Medicare part D program.

In every area of our jurisdiction, we have tried to respond to the demands of the American people. We have listened to them. We are dealing right now with the revision of No Child Left Behind. The changes we are making in that program stem directly from what we have heard from the American people. We are listening. We are acting. We are moving.

And so it is with not only a great deal of personal disgust but also with a sense of outrage that I listened to President Bush make a statement when he was halfway around the world in comparing this Congress, this body, with the Parliament in Iraq. And I know he likes to be cute and that is the way he is, but for him to stand halfway across the world before international cameras and international media and tout the fact that the Iraqi Parliament has passed 60 bills when, according to him, we haven't passed that many in this session of Congress to me is an outrage. It's not even factually correct. We have sent him 57 bills; he signed 55. We have passed several hundred bills in this House.

But the most important thing is look at what he has done. Look at the vetoes he has threatened, the vetoes he has actually made. He has already threatened to veto 10 out of 12 appropriations bills we passed in this body. After the committees in this body, both parties working hand in hand, have dealt with these issues and the budgeting for months and months and months, he says arbitrarily, they weren't my budgets, it wasn't what I asked for and, therefore, I'm going to veto them.

For him to criticize the United States Congress for not passing legislation is like the Vice President criticizing his lawyer friend for getting in the way when he shot him. I mean, if anyone is more responsible for retarding and obstructing the work of this body, it is the President of the United States and his party. And it happens day after day. It happens hour after hour. And the only reason it happens is because the Republican Party and the President of the United States have run out of initiatives. They have run out of ideas. They know the American people have rejected their agenda, and they are looking for a new direction, and they just simply don't want to see us succeed.

But that's not what we're here for. We're here to continue working. We're going to generate the type of grassroots support for what we've done. We know it's out there. We're listening to the people. They will be listening to what we're doing, and they will force this Republican Party and this President to move in our direction.

I am convinced that we are doing the right thing, that we are working, we are making progress for the American people. We will continue to do that under the great leadership we have in Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer. And I know eventually the Republican Party will come to their senses and they will begin to realize that the American people want us to act to solve the very demanding, the very challenging problems that face

this country. We are about that task. That's why we came here. That's what we will continue to do as long as we are here.

I thank the gentleman.

I would like to follow up on something to which you alluded because I think it's really important. This Congress has not only taken on a lot of new initiatives and has tried to deal with substantial problems that face this country and our people, but it has also made up for a lot of lost ground and a lot of inactivity in prior Congresses. And we hate to sound partisan around here, and I know the American people don't want us to be partisan, they want us to work together, and I think we have tried to work together and to reach out, but the fact remains that over the last 6 years the Congress did not do a lot of the things that it was supposed to do. We've seen the impact in a lot of ways. We've seen the impact on our budget, where we have increased the Federal debt, the national debt by $3 trillion, 50 percent over the last 6 years. That's because the previous Congresses were not doing their fiscal accounting the right way.

We've seen time after time, program after program, you mentioned veterans. We also had situations with education. We've had situations with health care where basic research that we were supposed to be funding has been cut. A lot of human services have been cut or zeroed out in past budgets. So we've not only had to take new initiatives, but we've had to make up for a lot of lost ground and programs that have affected a lot of Americans adversely. So we've had a lot to do.

And another area we've had a lot to do, and this is, again, something you alluded to, my colleague from Minnesota has alluded to, is that we've had to finally provide the accountability for many of the operations of government which have basically gone unsupervised for the last 6 years. We've seen it time after time after time. We've seen it in the reconstruction effort in Iraq. We've seen it in cases of fraud and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid situations. We've seen it in the enforcement of coal mine safety rules. We've seen it in environmental regulations. Across the entire spectrum of government we have seen time after time where problems in the operation of government have basically gone unsupervised and unaccounted for.

We have taken steps to do that. I hope that the American people all have the occasion, for instance, to read the new Rolling Stone where there is an article about all of the subcontracting, the private contracting in Iraq, and the billions and billions of dollars which have been lost or essentially stolen by fraudulent activities by contractors in no-bid contracts and in sweetheart contracts given to friends of the administration. Nobody was looking at these deals until this Congress decided to take action and look at them. And now we have tried to implement new contracting laws and new supervision so that the taxpayers' dollars are accounted for. This is what the Congress is supposed to do. This is what we're doing.

Again, it comes to me as an incredible affront for the President of the United States to stand halfway around the world and say to the world that this Congress is not doing what it should be doing and that it is not functioning as effectively as the most dysfunctional parliament in the world, which is the Iraqi Parliament. I can't imagine what the American people would say if Speaker Pelosi or my colleague from Minnesota, or any one of our Members went to Australia or went to Iraq and compared President Bush unfavorably to Mr. Maliki. There would be an outcry unheard like anything in this country. And yet the President does it in Australia and criticizes this Congress. I hope the American people respond with the same degree of outrage which I think they would, and probably justifiably, if we were out there comparing him to Prime Minister Maliki.

I would like to expand on that a little bit, just for the sake of having fun, since the President likes to be cute and have fun when he makes these statements. Since he was so interested in the Iraqi Parliament, let's talk about what the Iraqi Parliament has done with regard to some of the benchmarks that they were supposed to make progress on. We're going to get a report from General Petraeus in a few days. But the Government Accountability Office has already given us a report on the progress of the Iraqi Parliament, the one that Mr. Bush seems to appreciate so much.

One of the benchmarks, enacting and implementing legislation on de- Baathification, nothing done. Laws were drafted, not passed. Enacting and implementing legislation to ensure the equitable distribution of hydrocarbon resources of the people of Iraq, none being considered by the Parliament. Enacting and implementing legislation on procedures to form semiautonomous regions, that one they did enact a law. Enacting and implementing legislation establishing an Independent High Electoral Commission, provincial elections law, provincial council authorities, and a date for provincial elections supporting laws, not enacted. Enacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty, no law drafted. Enacting and implementing legislation establishing a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that such security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the constitution of Iraq, no laws drafted. Nothing done.

So this is the great Iraqi Parliament that President Bush seems to appreciate when he is standing halfway across the world. The fact of the matter is, this Congress has acted. It has acted in so many areas that I am so proud to speak of and that my colleague has done such an excellent job of enumerating. But this Congress continues to work in education, in health care, in the environmental issues, and, yes, in Veterans Affairs, for the great heroes of our country to whom we made a critical promise when they decided to give their service. We had made a promise to them, and we haven't been keeping it. This Congress is going to make sure that we do keep it, even though prior Congresses and this administration is not.

So again, I am very proud of the record that this Congress has assembled over the last 8 months. I am, again, ashamed of the President of the United States for what he said in Australia. But I hope he will come back. I hope he will realize that his legacy is going to depend, to a certain extent, on how he reaches out to us and deals with us over the next 15 months.

The Constitution begins with article 1, which vests the legislative authority in this country in this body, not in him. Now, he doesn't seem to have read the Constitution. With 700 or so signing statements in which he said he is basically going to ignore what this Congress does with executive orders, vetoes, and virtually every other parliamentary procedure or technical procedure he can use to invalidate the work of this Congress, I think basically he has a lot to answer for, both to the American people and to us. The Constitution vests the legislative authority in this body. We are doing our job. We will continue to do our job.

I ask the President and the Republicans on the other side of the aisle and in the other body to recognize that this is our job. We are the ones mentioned by article 1. We are mentioned first in the establishment of this government, and I think we will continue to act first in the interests of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, over the last 7 months, the new Democratic Congress has amassed an impressive record of accomplishment, making real progress on issues important to the American people.

Last week, thanks to our efforts, the minimum wage was increased for the first time in a decade. We also sent to the President's desk one of the most important bills of the new Congress, legislation that will make America safer by finally enacting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Last week, the House also passed a farm bill that reforms our Nation's farm policy by committing more resources to nutrition and conservation programs, while also addressing the needs of our Nation's family farmers.

And our efforts continue this week. Today, we will live up to our promise to change the way business is done here in Washington when we pass the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. Tomorrow, we will strengthen the health care safety net programs essential to our children and seniors. And then on Thursday we will pass a comprehensive energy bill that reduces our dependence on foreign oil and fights global warming.

Democrats are delivering results and doing it in a new way.

Madam Speaker, in this body, where we often discuss proposals to allocate millions or billions of dollars, it can become easy to lose sight of what just a few thousand dollars a year can do. But the increase in the minimum wage, the first part of which takes effect today, will make a major difference in the lives of America's working families. The extra $4,400 per year that these families will bring home to their families will have a very tangible impact on their lives.

For families who have struggled too long without a raise, $4,400 a year translates into 15 months of groceries, 19 months of paid utility bills, 20 months of child care, or well over 2 years of employer- provided health care. The extra money could even pay for 30 months of tuition at a public 2-year college, allowing these parents to get additional education or to help their children achieve their dream of attending college.

Madam Speaker, thanks to the Federal minimum wage increase passed by this Democratic Congress, nearly 13 million working Americans and more than 6 million children will have a chance at a better life. This fair and long overdue pay raise is an important first step in moving our Nation in a new economically healthy direction.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of my home town of Louisville's largest employer and one of its greatest corporate citizens: The United Parcel Service, UPS. For one quarter of UPS's 100 year history, it has located its international hub in Louisville, Kentucky forging a partnership that has facilitated tremendous growth for both the company and our city.

Louisville has undoubtedly been good for UPS. They have built a four million square feet facility that processes more than 300,000 packages an hour, using 122 miles of conveyor belt and enough fiber optic cable to stretch from coast to coast four times. UPS went public with the highest initial public offering in the history of the New York Stock Exchange, reached a milestone that saw its services reach an astounding two-thirds of the world's six billion people, and--keeping with the times--just won the Clean Air Excellence Award for its ``Green Fleet'', which has logged more than 100 million miles.

But UPS has also been very good for Louisville. Let me tell you a little bit about what Brown has done for us.

UPS employs 20,000 members of our community and will hire 5,000 more after it completes a one billion dollar renovation to our airport--only the latest major improvement at least in part due to UPS's influence. But that is just a fraction of the story. Because they are not merely jobs, but good ones. We are fortunate that our largest employer pays wages on which a family can be raised, health benefits for personnel, and even college tuition for part-time workers. Through the Metropolitan partnership with the city and area universities, UPS has paid the tuition for thousands of Louisville students, giving them a chance to pursue fulfilling careers at UPS while earning a college degree.

Of the four billion people around the world who benefit from UPS, few can claim the advantages we gain in Louisville--not just the employees, but all who are helped by their economic development initiatives, community service, and commitment to our community. I congratulate UPS--the world's largest package delivery company--on its first successful century and hope that the next one yields continued success in our home of Louisville, Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, by overwhelming majorities, the American people are demanding a change of course in Iraq. After 5 years of a failed Bush administration strategy to bring peace and stability to Iraq, the American people are fed up with the way that is jeopardizing our national security, our military strength and our Nation's fiscal future.

The American people no longer listen to the President when he says the situation in Iraq is improving. And they received more proof last week that the President's new way forward strategy, the so-called surge, is only inflaming Iraq's civil war. Casualties among U.S. forces have surged and the political process in Iraq has halted. The President's policy has produced few results on the ground, and yet he is asking both the American people and the Congress for more time.

Mr. Speaker, President Bush has had 4 years to make his policy work, and the situation is not getting any better. It's time that we get back to fighting the real global war on terror so that al Qaeda does not continue to gain strength in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Senate has a chance today to follow our lead, listen to the American people and begin bringing our troops home.

Mr. Speaker, in this great land of opportunity, wealth should not be a prerequisite for education, and it should not be a prerequisite for future success. For too many hardworking and qualified Americans, a college degree is the key to a successful career.

And for millions more, that education sends them so deep into debt that raising a family is impossible. The College Cost Reduction Act will respond to this injustice with an unparalleled commitment in higher education. 140,000 students and families will save more than $200 million on tuition costs in my home State of Kentucky alone.

We've heard a lot during this debate from our colleagues on the other side throwing the word around of ``entitlement'' as if ``entitlement'' is a dirty word. And I will grant that over the years, some entitlements have not been particularly productive, but entitlements can also be significant investments in not only human capital but in the future of this country.

And in this particular instance, what we are saying is we are going to make a dramatic step not just to improve the lives of millions of young Americans, but also to make an investment in their futures and the future of this economy. And if we don't do it, the great disparity in wealth between the most wealthy people in this country and everyone else will continue to grow, and we will face an economy in which we are not developing the type of talent that will keep this country at the stature that it has always maintained.

So I am firmly against and urge my colleagues to vote against the amendment. I strongly support the College Cost Reduction Act because this is ultimately an investment in our future as a country, as a great nation, and the future of many Americans who without this help will be destined to a mundane future, which will mean that our country will result in the same state.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 436) recognizing the 100th anniversary of the University of Central Arkansas.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert material relevant to H. Res. 436 into the Record.

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

(Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the University of Central Arkansas.

The University of Central Arkansas has gone by a handful of different names over the years, but its strong commitment to higher education has remained consistent. The University of Central Arkansas had its humble beginnings in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School with only 105 students. The school started as an entity only to train teachers, but now that school has diversified in a way that its founders would be proud of. The University of

Central Arkansas now has 100 undergraduate courses of study, 33 master's degrees programs, and three doctoral programs.

The University of Central Arkansas enrolls students from each county in Arkansas, students from 35 States, and students from 55 foreign countries. With current enrollment of over 12,000, the University of Central Arkansas has conferred more than 52,000 degrees in its 100-year history.

Madam Speaker, I am glad to see another outstanding educational institution continuing to serve those who wish to advance their education. I would like to thank my colleagues from Arkansas for bringing this resolution to the attention of the House of Representatives. I urge my colleagues to resoundingly pass this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Madam Speaker, I want to once again congratulate the University of Central Arkansas on its 100th birthday, commend my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder) and thank the distinguished gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 210) commending the Appalachian State University football team for winning the 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-AA Football Championship, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days during which to insert material relevant to H. Res. 210 into the Record.

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

(Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Appalachian State University for winning the 2006 NCAA Division I-AA Football National Championship.

On December 15, 2006, the Appalachian State University Mountaineers captured their second consecutive NCAA Division I-AA Football National Championship by defeating the University of Massachusetts Minutemen by a score of 28-17.

I want to extend my congratulations to Mountaineer head coach Jerry Moore, Chancellor Kenneth Peacock, the student athletes and fans for a national championship and a 14-1 season.

I also want to extend my congratulations to the University of Massachusetts and their student athletes for a great season. The Minutemen finished their season with a record of 13 wins with only two losses for the year.

The Mountaineers achieved some amazing accomplishments in 2006. The team won the Southern Conference for the second year in a row; six players were named Associated Press All Americans; Armanti Edwards was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year; and Coach Jerry Moore was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.

Madam Speaker, I once again commend and congratulate the Appalachian State University Mountaineers for their dedication and success.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I also want to close by congratulating the entire Appalachian State University family.

I urge my colleagues to pass H. Res. 210.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of one of the most storied institutions in Louisville's rich history on this day of its rebirth as an independent liberal arts institution, as it was intended.

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, 12 forward-thinking former slaves gathered in Louisville, united by the understanding that education would be key to prosperity as free people in America. The institution of higher learning that opened its door 14 years later in 1879 was unique in its commitment to African American education.

While many similar institutions were the result of the efforts of white missionaries working to give recently freed people the advantages of American society, Simmons, known at that time as the Kentucky Normal Theological Institute in Louisville, was created in a collaboration that bridged the racial divide. Black Baptists and white Baptists, recently freed and those born of privilege, worked hand in hand in pursuit of equality in education.

Early leaders at the school came with impressive Ivy League pedigrees, but as the strength of the institution increased, they turned more and more to alumni that came from within. By the early part of the 20th century, it was difficult to find a finer education than that offered at Simmons College, earning it the nickname: ``The Black Harvard of the South.''

Within four decades of its inception and a half century removed from slavery, Simmons embodied the dream and exceeded the expectations of the dozen visionaries who foresaw education as the tools for equality. Louisville's Simmons College was a liberal arts college of national renown.

But like so many others, the economic hardships of the Great Depression devastated the school. The properties succumbed to foreclosure and the institution lost its independence. Despite meeting tremendous adversity, the determination that led Simmons' inception and incredible ascent drove its journey onward.

For decades and under several names, the school continued to exist. Most recently, the school specialized in theology, expertly training pastors at Simmons Bible College at 18th Street and Dumesnil.

But, Dr. Kevin W. Cosby, the latest in a great tradition of Simmons leadership dating back to Elijah Marrs, William Simmons, and Charles Parish, has led the way to a full restoration of

Simmons' early success as, in his words, ``the mother of black higher education in the State of Kentucky.'' Through his work as president of the school and as pastor at St. Stephen Baptist Church, Dr. Cosby has worked to expand the school to its original home at 7th Street and Kentucky, where, in conjunction with the current campus, it will once again operate as a fully independent liberal arts university.

In this capacity, Simmons will again offer students from around the country a chance to realize their potential and excel, giving hope to those who need it. I applaud the vision and fortitude that Dr. Cosby has shown in restoring this indispensable treasure, which is not just a shining light in Kentucky's history, but to the Commonwealth's present and future as well.

I hope that it is Simmons, not recent decisions in Washington that could indicate a slow retreat from our strides in civil rights, that portends the course our Nation now treads. It is my great honor to stand on the House floor in recognition of the tremendous national significance and benefit of Simmons College of Kentucky and to say: Welcome back.