Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4994) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce taxpayer burdens and enhance taxpayer protections, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 4994.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is April 15, the day Americans will file their income tax returns. The IRS will receive nearly 150 million tax returns this year and issue over 100 million refunds. We know that taxpayers do not enjoy preparing tax returns. The tax laws can be complicated and difficult. We do, however, thank them for complying with the laws; and today, with this bill, we will try to ease some of the burden.

On this day, the House is considering the Taxpayer Assistance Act of 2010. I am pleased that this bill contains proposals supported by the administration, the National Taxpayer Advocate, and Members of the House from both sides of the aisle.

This bill has over a dozen provisions that will help taxpayers. It will help taxpayers who are struggling in this economy by making it easy to enter into payment options with the IRS. It will also help low- income taxpayers by improving the IRS services that are available to them, and it will help small businesses and nonprofit organizations by relaxing the record-keeping requirements for cell phones that they provide to their employees.

This bill addresses issues that have been raised in hearings of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, which I chair, and in legislation introduced by other Members of the House.

Many of the provisions in this bill enjoy broad bipartisan support. Today, in recognition of taxpayers, the Congress will look beyond what divides us and respond to the needs of our taxpayers. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in passing this good and necessary piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from North Dakota, a very valuable member of the Ways and Means Committee, just came in, and I yield to him for 1\1/2\ minutes.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Dr. Boustany, the ranking member of the subcommittee, and all the members of the committee and all staff on both sides for their help in bringing this bill before the floor.

I fully support H.R. 4994. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' for this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, my friend, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, not long ago, the American economy was headed toward disaster. In the past year, businesses have closed their doors, and more and more of our sisters and brothers have joined the unemployment line. In my district, unemployment is still over 10 percent. That is unacceptable. And with this bill, with this piece of legislation, we can do better.

While this Congress and this administration have brought our economy back from the brink of depression, there is still so much left to do. Today with this bill, we can take another step down that long road to recovery. This bill will create jobs, it will save jobs, and it will save our small businesses. Is it possible? Is it too much to ask for? Is there someway and somehow that we all could come together and create jobs to put our people back to work?

This bill will help the family-owned restaurant that has served our community for years. It will help businesses that are facing cutbacks, and it will help people follow their dreams to open their own businesses.

I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, for all of our small businesses, and to pass it now.

Madam Speaker, this may be the most important vote that we cast as members of this body. We have a moral obligation today, tonight to make health care a right and not a privilege.

There are those who have told us to start over. There are those who have told us to wait. They have told us to be patient. We cannot wait. We cannot be patient. The American people need health care, and they need it now. On this day at this hour, stand with the American people and not with the big insurance companies. On this day at this moment in this Chamber, answer the call of history, answer the spirit of history and pass health care. Give the American people a victory. Give health care a chance.

I want to thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in thanking Nathan Deal for his many years of service in this House and to the people of Georgia.

Madam Speaker, the time is always right to do what is right, and that time is now. The spirit of history is upon us. We must pass health care.

There are those who have told us to wait. They have told us to be patient. We cannot wait. We cannot be patient. The American people need health care, and they need it now.

Will we stand with the American people or will we stand with the big insurance companies? We have a moral obligation to make health care a right and not a privilege.

We cannot wait a moment longer. We must pass health care, and we must pass it now.

I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Memphis, Tennessee, Mr. Cohen, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, 45 years ago, on March 7, 1965, Hosea Williams and I led 600 peaceful, nonviolent protestors attempting to march from Selma, Alabama, to the State capitol in Montgomery to dramatize to the world that people of color wanted to register to vote. We left Brown Chapel AME Church that afternoon on a sacred mission, prepared to defy the dictates of man to demonstrate the truth of a higher law. Ordinary citizens with extraordinary vision walked shoulder-to-shoulder, two-by- two, in a silent, peaceful protest against injustice in the American South.

We were met on the Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing the Alabama River by

a sea of blue--Alabama State troopers. Some were mounted on horseback, but all of them were armed with guns, tear gas, billy clubs, and beyond them were deputized citizens who were waving any weapons they could find on that day. Some even had bullwhips.

Then we heard, ``I am Major John Cloud. This is an unlawful march. You cannot continue. You have 3 minutes to go home or return to your church.'' We were preparing to kneel and pray when the Major said, ``Troopers advance.'' And these troopers came toward us, beating us, spraying tear gas, chasing us. I was hit on the head by a State trooper with a nightstick and I fell unconscious on the bridge. On that day, Mr. Speaker, I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death. The most brutal confrontation of the modern-day civil rights movement became known as Bloody Sunday. It produced a sense of righteous indignation in this country and around the world that led this Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of the Congress and made what I believe is the greatest and most meaningful statement of speech any President has ever made on the importance of voting rights in America. He began by saying, ``I speak tonight for the dignity of man and for the destiny of democracy.'' President Johnson went on to say, ``At times, history and fate meet at a single time, in a single place, to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.''

In this speech, President Johnson condemned the violence in Selma, and called on the Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act. He closed his speech by echoing the words of the civil rights movement, and he said over and over again, ``And we shall overcome. And we shall overcome.'' I was sitting next to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the home of a local family in Selma, watching President Johnson on television as he said, ``And we shall overcome.'' And tears came down Dr. King's face. He started crying. And we all cried a little to hear the President say, ``And we shall overcome.'' And Dr. King said, John, we will make it from Selma to Montgomery, and the Voting Rights Act will be passed. Congress did pass the Voting Rights Act, and on August 6, 1965, it was signed into law by the President.

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend we have heard from the majority leader and my colleagues, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Cao, that we went back to Selma, along with Mike Pence and Senator Brownback and several others with the Faith and Politics Institute on the journey. During this journey, we brought our fellow Members of Congress on this unbelievable trip of the historic Civil Rights Act, not just in Selma, but Montgomery and Birmingham. We ended our time together in Selma by crossing one more time on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, crossing that bridge.

I know at times here in this body we talk, we debate, maybe sometimes in not such a nonviolent way, but on this bridge we didn't see ourselves as Democrats or as Republicans or adversaries. We saw ourselves as Americans on a journey to discover not just our history but to help create a more perfect union to help move us closer to a truly beloved community, truly closer to a multiracial democracy. We all come away from this journey with a deeper appreciation of our democracy and the power of people to make a difference in our society.

Mr. Speaker, with this resolution we honor the sacrifice and courage of those brave and courageous souls who used the power of peace, the power of love, the power of nonviolence to redeem the soul of our democracy; to remind ourselves that freedom is really not free; and that we must continue to struggle every day.

On this 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we must use this occasion to renew our pledge to protect the right to vote for every American citizen. We have come a distance. We've made a lot of progress. But there's still a distance to travel.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking Chairman Cohen, Chairman Conyers, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Poe and all of their staff for their support and work on this issue. I am proud to sponsor this resolution and hope that all of my colleagues will support this simple but important effort.

This is an important effort. It's an important step. Youth dating violence is spreading all across our country. In my congressional district, the Center for Disease Control, the Fulton County district attorney, the Partnership Against Domestic Violence, colleges, high schools, and yes, even middle schools have been seeing an increase in abusive teen relationships. Fear, stalking, bullying, violence and abuse are unacceptable and always shocking. But it is tragic that domestic abuse is a very real part of our children's relationships. We see it in the headlines. We see it on the streets. We see it with

our own children. Mr. Speaker, we must break this chain. We must stop the cycle from being repeated over and over again.

The CDC worked with Liz Claiborne, Inc. to develop Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention. This is a free online training course for teachers, youth leaders and family members. I encourage all those watching this discussion and debate to research this issue, take the course and watch for the signs. I think the time has come, Mr. Speaker, for us to teach our young people the way of nonviolence, our children, our teenagers, our college-aged students.

Last month, I know that many across the country recognized Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month. I hope they continue through Women's History Month and really the entire year. We used to think a week was enough time, but it is just not enough. Mr. Speaker, our communities must have the information and the training to stop teen dating violence. I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense resolution.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Ohio for bringing this resolution before us today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in speaking out against the war in Afghanistan. How much death must we bear, how much pain must we suffer, how much blood should we spill before we say enough is enough? Can we lay down the burden of war and lift up the power of peace?

Now is the time for the elected representatives of the people to give peace a chance. Now is the time for those of us who believe in peace, and not war, to speak up, to speak out, and to find a way to get in the way.

Madam Speaker, war is bloody, war is messy. It tends not just to hide the truth, but to sacrifice the truth, to bury the truth. It destroys the hopes, the dreams, and the aspirations of a people.

As one great general and President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, once said, ``Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.''

As I said some time ago, I urge to heed the words of the spiritual: ``I'm going to lay my burden down, down by the riverside. I ain't gonna study war no more.'' We should follow the wisdom of that song.

Madam Speaker, this war has gone on long enough. Enough is enough. It is time to bring this war to an end. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1127) expressing concern regarding the suicide plane attack on Internal Revenue Service employees in Austin, Texas.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1127.

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

On February 18, the IRS family suffered a terrible tragedy. I rise today to express my deepest sympathies to the families of Vernon Hunter, Shane Hill, and the employees at the IRS in Austin, Texas. We as a Nation and as a people are much better than this. We should be better to each other. This type of attack is just wrong, and we must not tolerate violence against our public servants.

I understand that people may not like to pay their taxes, but we cannot take out our anger on IRS employees. They do not deserve this. The people who work at the Internal Revenue Service are mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters who work hard each and every day. They do their jobs, and they do them well. They perform a public service that benefits the entire Nation. This Congress is committed to the safety of each and every person who serves this Nation.

I want to thank the IRS Commissioner for the steps he has taken to enhance security at all IRS sites around the country. We will continue to make sure that the Internal Revenue Service has the resources to improve security at its offices.

I was moved by the many stories of people who reached out and helped each other during this terrible tragedy. Even in the face of chaos and violence, people reached out and helped each other. First responders, emergency personnel, employees, and other citizens showed great courage and compassion to minimize the loss of life. I thank them all and honor them today.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague and my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and a sponsor of the resolution.

Having no further requests for time, Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas to close.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I still believe that health care is a right and not a privilege, and this Congress must not rest until we make health care a reality for all Americans. I know we will get the job done for the American people, but until that day comes, we must do what we can to make health insurance work for people who depend on it.

This bill, this piece of legislation is long overdue. The health insurance industry has been treated differently for over 60 years, and they have abused that privilege. In too many States there is no competition and no choice for consumers.

Insurance companies are raising rates, denying care, and dropping people when they get sick, all the while making record profits. We need to put people first and not profits.

For too long, insurance companies have had the upper hand. It is not fair, it is not just, and it is not right. Today, at this hour, we said, ``No more.'' It is time to repeal the antitrust exemption and put the American people first.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Stevie Wonder's song ``Happy Birthday.'' That song was such a fitting tribute to Dr. King and a rallying cry to create the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday that we celebrated last weekend and on Monday.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was my friend. He was my big brother. He was a prophet, and he was my hero. And above all, he was a simple human being filled with love, peace, and compassion for all humankind. Madam Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to thank my colleague, the chairman, Mr. Conyers, for the great and unbelievable role that you have played in making

this holiday possible. When the historians pick up that pen and write about this period, they would have to write that you, John Conyers, paved the way to make it possible for people all over America and around the world to stop and celebrate the work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We, as a Congress, as a Nation, and as a people are deeply indebted to you; and we will never, ever forget the role that you played. Stevie Wonder's song reminds us that there is a better way: the way of love, the way of nonviolence. Mr. Chairman, John Conyers, you never gave up. You never gave in. You and Stevie Wonder kept the faith, and you kept your eyes on the prize. Out of Detroit, out of that unbelievable city, you had the right stuff, the good stuff.

The King holiday is a day of reflection. We all took time to reflect on the legacy of this man who, through his love and his leadership, made our country a better place. It also becomes a day of service. Dr. King preached a doctrine of nonviolence and civil disobedience to combat segregation, discrimination, and racial injustice. Stevie Wonder's song 30 years later still reminds us that we have come a distance, but we still have a long road to travel until we reach the world that was Dr. King's dream.

So it is fitting and appropriate that we pause as a Nation and as a people to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And through the music, through the song, ``Happy Birthday'' by Stevie Wonder, we all continue to be inspired, as Dr. King inspired a Nation and changed America forever.

Madam Speaker, we all spent some time in reflection this weekend and on Monday, but today we encourage all citizens to try to live the teachings of Dr. King. Our Nation will move us closer to Dr. King's dream of creating the beloved community, a community of justice based on human dignity and at peace with itself.

Again, I thank Chairman Conyers for his work and for bringing this piece of legislation before us today.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for presenting this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a man I knew personally and regarded as a brother, friend, colleague, prophet, and my hero. He was a simple human being filled with love, peace and compassion for all humankind. He was a ray of hope who preached a doctrine of nonviolence and civil disobedience to combat segregation, discrimination, and racial injustice.

Dr. King's speech at the March on Washington transformed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial into a modern day pulpit. On that day, he shared his dream of the beloved community, a truly interracial democracy. I can still hear him say, ``I have a dream today, deeply rooted in the American Dream.''

It is fitting and appropriate that we pause, as a Nation and as a people, to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He inspired a Nation and changed America forever. It is also fitting that while remembering his life and his contributions, that we commit ourselves to serving our communities, to become the change that we all wish to see in the world.

Madam Speaker, today we encourage all citizens, especially our young people, to take the time to reflect on the teaching and the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We encourage all people to do something today for your neighbor, for your community, for your country that will move us closer to Dr. King's dream of creating a beloved community.

I urge all Members to reflect on this day of service and peace. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy this weekend; make a difference in your own community, and continue Dr. King's great legacy of service and make it your own.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4217) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to give Members 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4217.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

H.R. 4217, the Fiscal Year 2010 FAA Extension Act, Part II, extends the financing and spending authority for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The trust fund taxes and spending authority are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2009, a few days from now. This bill simply extends these taxes for 3 months.

Earlier this year, the House passed legislation allowing the trust fund to operate through 2012. Unfortunately, the Senate has not considered this important legislation. Today's bill simply keeps the Airport and Airway Trust Fund taxes and operations in place until a long-term measure can be signed into law.

Air travel plays a critical role in our economy and in our lives. The world's busiest passenger airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is located in my congressional district. This airport alone has a direct impact of $24 billion on our economy. Failure to act will prevent the FAA from spending funds that are already in the trust fund. As a result, important airport construction projects around the country would shut down.

This bill also extends a number of authorizing provisions that are under the

jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by my good and close friend, Chairman Oberstar. All of those provisions were passed by this body in a similar bill that extended these expiring tax provisions. If we fail to act on this bill, Mr. Speaker, I will repeat, if we fail to act on this bill, the trust fund will lose the revenue that we need for airport construction and the air traffic control system.

I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this good and necessary bill.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois, the chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, my good friend, Mr. Costello.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I fully support H.R. 4217. Simply said, Mr. Speaker, we must make sure that the FAA remains funded. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a resolution commending the participants and organizers of the inaugural World Peace March.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, ``Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.''

The idea for this march was developed during the Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies in Punta de Vacas, Argentina. The result is a 90-day global voyage to raise awareness about the importance of peace and nonviolence. More than 100 participants will visit 45 countries encouraging a global movement towards peace.

On the 140th anniversary of Mahatma K. Gandhi's birth, the World March for Peace and Non-Violence began in Wellington, New Zealand. The participants have since traveled across Asia, Europe, and Africa, through many countries in opposition to militarism, war, and violence. Upon arriving in the United States, the teams divided to travel across the country and to Canada before beginning the final leg of their journey through Central and South America en route to Argentina.

I applaud the participants for their commitment to nonviolence and their determination to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and Dr. King. Earlier this year, I led a congressional delegation to India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. and Mrs. King's pilgrimage. Upon return, I introduced H.R. 3328, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2009, a bill to establish initiatives through the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Institute of Peace to rededicate our nation and educate our future leaders about the power of peace.

Madam Speaker, I have dedicated my life to Gandhi's words, ``Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.'' Nonviolence was the foundation of the Civil Rights and Quit India movement. I hope that all of my colleagues will appreciate the value of nonviolence as a means to achieving both domestic and global peace. I hope they will join me in support of this very simple resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations and the countries awarded for being the most peaceful in the world.

Let me begin by congratulating those Nations that were selected to participate in the Symposium--Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, Malawi, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Uruguay, and Vietnam.

Earlier this year, I led a congressional delegation to India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King's visit to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi. Soon afterwards, my good friend Mrs. Harriet Fulbright, widow of the late, great Senator J. William Fulbright, and her staff introduced me to the Global Peace Index and the Symposium.

Mahatma Gandhi once said,''Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.'' As Mrs. Fulbright explained the symposium and the GPI, I was impressed by the methodology of the research, the focus on peace, and the true commitment to improving the global community.

Every year Vision of Humanity researchers develop the Global Peace Index, GPI, based on a variety of economic and analytical factors. The results are based on a variety of economic and social indicators that rank over 140 countries on their peacefulness and evaluate the economic benefit of peace. The Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations then brings together representatives from the two most peaceful countries in each of the nine global regions on the GPI.

While here, the delegates engage in comprehensive dialogue about how to build and maintain peace. The countries that participate in the forum have unique histories, perspectives, and domestic and regional realities, but they must be commended in their significant progress in combating domestic poverty and making strides towards creating more peaceful communities. Together, we have a collective responsibility to combat poverty and violence and promote peace, diplomacy, and stability.

I hope that all my colleagues will find time to review the report and the Symposium summary. Again, let me commend the Global Symposium for this international forum highlighting the strategies and benefits of global peace.