Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I would like to recognize an important event for the city of Atlanta--the upcoming grand opening of the New World of Coca-Cola adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

Seventeen years ago in 1990, the World of Coca-Cola opened its doors to the public and has since delighted over 13 million visitors at its Underground Atlanta location. This new and expanded facility opening May 24 is twice the size of the current World of Coca-Cola. It will be a much more interactive and dynamic version of its predecessor.

The New World of Coca-Cola will house exhibits that draw upon Coca- Cola's history and timeless values of optimism and refreshment. It is a physical manifestation of the company's vision and values and commitment to the city of Atlanta. It will introduce visitors to the Coca-Cola Company of the 21st century: a company that is committed to offering people more than 400 ways to be refreshed and to having a meaningful impact in the communities in which it operates.

I would like to congratulate the Coca-Cola Company on a premier destination for Georgia residents and visitors from around the world.

Mr. Speaker, hate is too heavy a burden to bear. We have the opportunity, with this bill, to move this Nation one step forward toward laying down the burden, the burden of hate. With this legislation, we can send the strongest possible message that violence against our fellow citizens because of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or transgender will not be tolerated.

It was the Great Teacher who said, ``As much as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.''

During the 1950s and the 1960s, as a participant in the Civil Rights Movement, I tasted the bitter fruits of hate, and I didn't like it. I saw some of my friends beaten, shot and killed because of hate. Hate is too heavy a burden to bear. It also was the Great Teacher who said, ``Love you one another.'' He didn't say hate you one another.

We're one people. We're one family. We all live in the same house. It doesn't matter whether we're gay or straight. We're one people.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to honor one of our colleagues, Representative Juanita McDonald of the 37th District of California.

Representative McDonald was an extraordinary woman. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama at a time of racial violence and overt displays of the most open and systematic forms of racism. But she did not let that hold her down or hold her back. She went to college in California, she became a teacher in the Los Angeles school system, and throughout her career she used education as an instrument for change.

She was a great teacher, and she used the power of knowledge and her commitment to human understanding to break down institutional barriers and to reach across the aisle.

I think that is why she made so many strides as a Member of Congress. She knew gaining mutual understanding was the only way to build coalitions and lay all differences aside.

That's why her creativity and skillful leadership became legendary. She was the first Democrat to chair the Congressional Caucus For Women's Issues and she used that power to build a coalition between the women of the Supreme Court and the women of Congress. She knew the differences in their roles as public servants didn't matter. She believed all women in government shared a common bond.

She took concerned women of Congress to meet delegates to the United Nations to unify the global struggle against the exploitation of women and girls.

She developed the first National Teen Dating Violence Week as a platform for all women to speak out against a common problem--violence against teen girls. And she was the first Member to bring the head of the CIA to the city of Watts to address longstanding, widespread allegations of drug dumping in that community.

And, of course, she was the first African American to chair a full committee, the Committee on House Administration. This committee oversees some of the great educational institutions of our Nation--the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Government Printing Office, and the Capitol Fine Arts Board.

We can only dream about what this great teacher would have done in this capacity. I know she would have used the power of knowledge and education as an instrument of change.

But beyond that, Juanita McDonald was an elegant lady. She may have moved to California, but she never lost her southern charm. She was always a lady--as tough as steel but as sweet as honey. She was more than a colleague. She was our sister, our friend. Juanita was a sharp dresser, and sometimes she would dress to kill. She was beautiful on the outside and on the inside. She had a sweet, sweet spirit, and she will be deeply missed.

Sometimes when she would see me, she would call me Mr. Civil Rights. And sometimes when she would see Sanford Bishop, David Scott and me together, she would say, ``What are you Georgia boys doing? What are you up to?''

And when she was planning programs in her district, she would stop by to see members of the Georgia delegation and tell us she needed a box of peanuts. And we would all ante up and make those peanuts available to her.

It is so unreal. It is so unbelievable that we will not see her on the floor of this Chamber again. Life is short, too short. We are here today, and we're gone tomorrow, but her spirit and her memory will live on in all of us.

With the passing of Congresswoman McDonald, it seems the world is a little darker. It seems that a light has gone out. Maybe here in this Chamber and on this Earth a light has gone out. But in another part of the universe Juanita is shining brighter than ever before.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday this Nation lost one of its most gifted journalists and authors in a car accident in California, David Halberstam.

As a reporter for The New York Times, his coverage of the Vietnam War earned him a Pulitzer Prize and the enduring respect of his colleagues. This man embodied the spirit of a thoughtful, free, and independent press.

President Kennedy was so frustrated by the truth of his reporting on Vietnam that he once called The New York Times and demanded David be fired. The New York Times did not back down, and neither did David. He was labeled unpatriotic because the stories he wrote did not flatter the administration. But he reported what he saw, regardless of the consequences. Now we see the value of his great insight in the history of that conflict.

I have often said that without the members of the press, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings. In David's reporting at the Nashville Tennessean and later in his book on the Nashville student movement, called ``The Children,'' he delivered the message of injustice in the South.

We trusted David. We knew that he was determined to report the truth. We trusted that he would get the story right, and we believed he would be fair. He was deeply moved and affected by the dizzy dint, the commitment and the dedication of the young people in the Nashville student movement because they were prepared to face violence with non- violence and peace.

I feel that we have lost one of the greatest minds in America, who understood the deepest ramification of violence and war. I only wish that he were here today for Members of this body to consult as we try to find answers in Iraq.

David was a sympathetic referee in the cause of civil rights and social justice. He helped convince the Nation that the price of segregation and racial discrimination was too high. He used his pad and his pen to answer the calling of his conscience. He stood up for what he believed to be right.

This Nation will always be indebted to him and people like him, who are

willing to speak the truth regardless of the consequences.

I have known David for almost 50 years. In him the Nation has lost one of its prolific writers, but I feel like I have lost a very good friend. I feel like I have lost a companion in the struggle for civil rights and social justice in America.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 317, I call up the bill, (H.R. 1906) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to adjust the estimated tax payment safe harbor based on income for the preceding year in the case of individuals with adjusted gross income greater than $5 million, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 1906. No one, but no one will pay more taxes under the bill. It merely ensures that multi-millionaires don't add to our tax gap.

The bill changes in a very minor way estimated tax payments made by wealthy individuals with incomes of more than $5 million a year. It makes a technical timing change to tax payments made by these individuals. They do not pay more taxes. H.R. 1906 is critical to the pay-as-you-go pledge of this Congress.

I am pleased to have supported H.R. 1905, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007. For 207 years, Washington, D.C. residents have paid Federal taxes, and for 207 years they have had not a voting representative in the United States Congress.

The right to vote is precious. It is sacred. It is the cornerstone of our democracy.

Americans sacrificed everything for this right. They were harassed, beaten, jailed and even killed for the right to vote.

Not so long ago, many of my friends, many of my colleagues lost their lives. There are many more faceless, nameless heroes who suffered and sacrificed for this basic right.

How can we preach this principle around the world and not practice it here in our Nation's Capital? It is the foundation of our democracy.

So I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1906.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to give Members 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 1906.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Indiana, Congressman Hill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

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

I don't understand it, Mr. Speaker, how my colleague, my friend, my brother from Georgia can come here and state in an open way that this is the most oppressive Congress. We have only been in the majority for 4 months, 4 short months, not quite 4 months. You really don't believe that.

Yes, I will yield to my friend.

Let me say to my friend from Georgia, I think it was a good and a necessary rule.

I will no longer yield.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is an historic day. This is a wonderful day for the people of the District of Columbia.

I first came to Washington, Mr. Speaker, in May of 1961 to go on something called the Freedom Rides. It was impossible for blacks and whites to board a Greyhound bus or Trailways bus here in the District of Columbia, and travel together through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, into Mississippi and to New Orleans.

I came back here in 1963 at the age of 23 with Eleanor Holmes Norton, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, to participate in the March on Washington. To be here and see Jack Kemp, an old friend, former colleague, on this day is a great day.

So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1906. And I want to make it plain and crystal clear that no one, but no one, will pay more taxes under this bill. It changes in a very minor way estimated tax payments made by wealthy individuals. This bill does not increase their taxes. It would affect only 4,000 multimillionaires. It is only a tiny change.

Yes, I am going to say it again: I am pleased to have supported H.R. 1905. Today is the day for Washington, D.C. residents to realize the dream that so many take for granted. The 200-year wait is over. The 200-year wait is over.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' for H.R. 1906.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record:

Rules From the 109th That Added Text of House-Passed Bills to

Underlying Bill

H. Res. 151 rule for H.R. 1268, 3/14/05, 7:30 p.m., Making

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for FY2005--a.k.a.

Iraq/Afghanistan/Tsunami Relief.

Open: waives all points of order against consideration;

waives points of order against bill for clause 2, Rule XXI

except two sections; provides for the text of H.R. 418 as

passed the House to be added to the end of H.R. 1268.

H. Res. 783 rule for H.R. 4975, 4/26/06, 11:20 p.m.,

Lobbying Accountability & Transparency Act of 2006--ethics

reform.

Restrictive: waives all points of order against

consideration; 1 hour general debate controlled by Majority &

Minority Leaders; makes in order Rules Committee 4/21/06

print in Part A of Rules' report and self-executes its

adoption; allows only those amendments printed in Part B of

the Rules' report as specified; waives all points of order

against amendments; after final passage adds text of H.R. 513

as passed the House (527 Reform bill) to H.R. 4975; provides

for consideration of Senate bill (S. 2349) and substitutes

House passed text and calls for conference; waives all points

of order against consideration of Senate bill and against

motion to strike and insert.

H. Res. 1100 & 1099 rules for H.R. 6406 and H.R. 6111, 12/

7/06, 10:30 p.m., To modify temporarily certain rates of duty

and make other technical amendments to the trade laws, to

extend certain trade preference programs, and for other

purposes.

Closed: Consideration in the House; waives all points of

order against consideration; provides that in the engrossment

of H.R. 6111, the text of H.R. 6406 will be added at the end.

(H. Res. 1099) Provides for a motion to concur in the

Senate amendment with an amendment consisting of the text of

H.R. 6408 for a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of

1986 to provide that the Tax Court may review claims for

equitable innocent spouse relief and to suspend the running

on the period of limitations while such claims are pending--

vehicle for tax extenders and more . . . .

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1677) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance taxpayer protections and outreach, as amended.

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

I rise in strong support of H.R. 1677 and am pleased to be a lead co- sponsor of this bill with Chairman Rangel.

Today is the due date for Americans to file their tax returns. On this day, it is wise for the House to consider a bill to increase taxpayer protection and expand outreach efforts to millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill; this is a timely bill. The Taxpayer Protection Act is a result of a hearing held by the Oversight Subcommittee that I chair. H.R. 1677 is an important first step in standing up, really standing up for the American taxpayer. It is a shame that people use fraudulent tax schemes to steal Social Security numbers and financial information from Americans.

This legislation protects taxpayers from misleading Web sites and identity theft. H.R. 1677 provides higher penalties for persons who use either Web site names that may be confused with the official IRS Web site or mass e-mails that appear to be from the IRS. This bill requires the IRS to notify you if your identity is stolen in a tax scam.

You should not become more vulnerable for being a responsible citizen. The Taxpayer Protection Act prohibits the IRS from providing certain information to businesses that the IRS believes make predatory loans based on tax refunds. These short-term loans often charge interest rates sometimes above 100 percent that victimize low-income workers.

H.R. 1677 will also assist with efforts to reach millions of working Americans who are eligible to claim the earned income tax credit. These taxpayers often do not take advantage of the EITC. They have a right to know of all benefits available to them. Under this bill, the IRS will expand its current outreach program to help more low-income Americans receive this tax credit, a credit which lifts millions of families out of poverty each year.

This bipartisan legislation moves us in the right direction to make tax issues simpler and clearer for the average person. We must fight poverty, fight fraud, and provide these basic protections for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I fully support the Taxpayer Protection Act, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' for

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, my colleague, the ranking member, for all of his help and support in bringing this legislation before us today.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to give Members 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 1677.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Carney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Shuler).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

That was my last speaker, Mr. Ranking Member.

Madam Speaker, I too, before I close this debate on this bill, join with my colleagues and others to mourn for the victims of this unspeakable, unbelievable, senseless act of violence at Virginia Tech. We mourn, we pray for the victims and for their families.

I also want to thank my colleague, my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Ramstad, for all of his help in bringing this piece of legislation, as I stated before, before us today.

Madam Speaker, I fully support H.R. 1677, the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007. We must do more for Americans. We must protect taxpayers from being victims of fraudulent tax schemes, misleading Web sites and predatory refund loans.

H.R. 1677 does this. It provides higher penalties for deceptive Web sites and mass e-mails. It requires the IRS to notify you if your identity is stolen in a tax scam. It reduces predatory refund loans.

H.R. 1677 expands IRS outreach programs to millions of taxpayers eligible for the earned income tax credit who have not claimed it. This credit lifts millions of working Americans out of poverty each year.

Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. This is an important bill. This is a necessary bill. On this tax day we must do more for taxpayers. I urge my colleagues, all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' for H.R. 1677.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I'm submitting the CBO cost estimate on H.R. 1562, the Katrina Housing Tax Relief Act of 2007.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, March 23, 2007.

Hon. Charles B. Rangel,

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1562, the

Katrina Housing Tax Relief Act of 2007.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Emily

Schlect.

Sincerely,

Peter R. Orszag.

Enclosure.

H.R. 1562--Katrina Housing Tax Relief Act

Summary: H.R. 1562 would extend and expand certain tax laws

specific to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, which were

enacted in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005. The bill

would also raise revenue by changing the collection due

process procedures for employment taxes.

The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates that

enacting H.R. 1562 would decrease revenues by $1 million in

2007 and increase revenues by $42 million over the 2007-2012

period and by $4 million over the 2007-2017 period. The

Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing H.R

1562 would have discretionary costs of less than $500,000 in

2007 and 2008, subject to the availability of appropriated

funds.

JCT has determined that the tax provisions of the bill

contain no private-sector or intergovernmental mandates as

defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). CBO has

determined that the non-tax provisions (section 4) contain no

private-sector or intergovernmental mandates as defined in

UMRA and would impose no costs .on state, local, or tribal

governments.

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated

budgetary impact of the bill over the 2007-2017 period is

shown in the following table.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--

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

Mr. Speaker, on March 13, 2007, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing on housing tax issues related to the rebuilding of communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. These hurricanes created and caused more damage than any other natural disaster and left over 700,000 residents in the Gulf Coast without housing.

The Congress has provided $15 billion in tax relief to victims of the hurricanes, but it is clear that we must do more and we can do more. The Katrina Housing Tax Relief Act of 2007 will help families affected by the hurricane to return home. This bill will extend incentives for low-income rental housing. It will also expand existing incentives so they can be used to refinance homes that need to be rebuilt from scratch.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. This is a necessary bill. I wholeheartedly support H.R. 1562 and urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 1562.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey, Congressman Pascrell.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\3/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana, who represents New Orleans in the Congress, Mr. Jefferson.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon).

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

I fully support H.R. 1562, the Katrina Housing Relief Act of 2007. Adequate and affordable housing is a basic human right, and today Congress is stepping in again to give our citizens of the gulf coast some help. This bill will provide tax incentives to ensure that adequate and affordable housing is available in the gulf coast region.

I urge all of 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, I rise with deep concern that on this very day 4 years ago, our Nation inaugurated a conflict, an unnecessary war, a war of choice, not a necessity.

The most comprehensive intelligence we have, the National Intelligence Estimate and the latest Pentagon report, tells us that Iraq had descended into a state of civil war. Over 3,000 Americans have died, and hundreds of thousands, some even say up to 1 million citizens of Iraq, have lost their lives in this unnecessary conflict.

And while we are telling our veterans of this war, the elderly, the poor, and the sick that there is no room in the budget for them, the American people have spent over $400 billion on a failed policy. We cannot do more of the same. Mr. Speaker, violence begets violence. It does not lead to peace.

President John F. Kennedy once said, ``Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.'' My greatest fear is that the young people of Iraq and of the Middle East will never forget this war. My greatest fear is they will grow up hating our children and our children's children for what we have done. Mr. Speaker, the Bible is right. Even a great nation can reap what it sows.

Nothing troubles me more than to see the young faces of these soldiers who have been led to their death.

Some are only 18, 19, 21, 22, 23. It is painful; it is so painful to watch. Sometimes I feel like crying and crying out loud at what we are doing as a Nation and what this administration is doing in our name. Our children do not deserve to die as pawns in a civil war.

They do not deserve to pay with their lives for the mistakes of this administration. They never had a chance.

When I was their age, when I was 23 years old, I was leading the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, soon to speak in Washington on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but then we were involved in a nonviolent revolution to transform the soul of America, to create a beloved community.

Forty years ago, I was there in New York City in Riverside Church when Martin Luther King, Jr., gave one of the most powerful speeches he ever made against the war in Vietnam. If he could speak today, he would say this Nation needs a revolution of values that exposes the truth that war does not work. If he could speak today, he would say that war is obsolete as a tool of our foreign policy.

He would say there is nothing keeping us from changing our national priority so that the pursuit of peace can take precedence over the pursuit of war.

He would say we must remove the causes of chaos, injustice, poverty and insecurity that are breeding grounds for terrorism. This is the way towards peace.

As a Nation, can we hear the words of Gandhi, so simple, so true, that it is either nonviolence or nonexistence? Can we hear the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish as fools?

Tonight I must make it plain and clear that as a human being, as a citizen of the world, as a citizen of America, as a Member of Congress, as an individual committed to a world at peace with itself, I will not and I cannot in good conscience vote for another dollar or another dime to support this war.

Madam Chairman, today there are powerful forces in America that want to take us backward, not forward. In the name of global competition, there are some who say that in order to be competitive in the world market that we must give away our standard of living and our high working standards. To those people, I say ``no.''

We have to ask ourselves, as a nation and as a people, what kind of nation do we want to be? Are we really free and successful, if too many of our citizens are harassed and intimidated on the job when they are trying to form a union to protect their rights?

People living in a democracy should not have to work in an atmosphere of fear and oppression. And they should be able to exercise their rights to organize. There are many corporations in Atlanta, like UPS, Coke and others, that are profitable international institutions who do not sacrifice the dignity and the integrity of their employees.

We have to ask ourselves whether we can be truly comfortable, if somewhere in America somebody is working hard, struggling to make ends meet, but they fear the retaliation of their employer if they try to protect their dignity and worth on the job? How long can we live in comfort before this injustice comes knocking at our door?

I have always been a strong supporter of labor and working Americans, and why I am an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act. It is our duty as members of Congress to protect our workers and to encourage citizens and corporate citizens to implement these values of respect in our society. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues, Representative Jim Ramstad, Representative Rick Boucher, and Representative Gary Miller to introduce the Telephone Excise Repeal Act of 2007. Our bill will repeal this 107-year-old tax that is outdated and is only paid by Americans that cannot pay for expensive communications services.

The telephone FET was introduced in 1898 as a ``luxury'' tax to fund the Spanish American War. While it may have made sense then, there is no question that telecommunication services today are necessities, not luxuries.

Telephone tax revenues, first collected in 1898 to help finance the Spanish-American War, are deposited in the General Fund. Unlike other excise tax revenues, these revenues are not deposited into a specific account such as the Highway Trust Fund, which is made up of gas tax revenues. Additionally, other excise taxes serve the purpose of decreasing consumption of the taxed product; the FET serves no such purpose. A telephone is a necessity for every American, and thus does not fit with this list of ``luxury'' and other excise tax items.

The FET is now regressive and disproportionately burdens low-income, rural and lifeline telephone subscribers who have only local telephone service. As more and more Americans buy bundled communication services, the projected tax revenue collected from the FET continues to decrease and only affect those with the least means to purchase more costly packages. CBO estimates that this tax will bring in $1.5 billion over the next 10 years.

This tax is contrary to the national goal of having an advanced, highly efficient, and low cost communications network to serve the American people. Please help us hang up on the telephone tax by joining us on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Kidney Care Quality and Education Act that I am proud to introduce today with my colleague from Michigan, Mr. Camp. This comprehensive legislation will help educate Americans about how to prevent and delay the onset of kidney disease and ensure high quality care for patients with irreversible kidney failure.

More than 400,000 Americans have kidney failure, which is also known as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The only treatment available to these patients is a kidney transplant or renal dialysis. Because there are so few kidneys available for transplantation, most dialysis patients must undergo 3-hour treatment sessions three to four times per week.

Diabetes and hypertension are two of the leading causes of kidney disease. We continue to see the numbers of Americans with these conditions rise, and as a result, we will continue to see more Americans suffering from chronic kidney disease. Statistics show that African Americans are particularly at risk for kidney disease and kidney failure. They make up more than one third of all patients on dialysis in this country. Most alarming, the growth rate of kidney failure among African Americans age 30 to 39 has risen 26 percent since 2000 and it shows no signs of stopping. African Americans have a higher risk of developing the conditions that lead to kidney failure. For example, the American Heart Association reports that more than 40 percent of African Americans have hypertension. African Americans with diabetes experience kidney failure about four times more often than white Americans with diabetes. In addition, African Americans are less likely to receive treatment in the early stages of the disease or to learn about how they can slow the progress of kidney disease.

The Kidney Care Quality and Education Act will help address these issues by improving public awareness about kidney disease and improving access to quality care. The importance of educating our citizens about kidney disease cannot be understated. The Kidney Care Quality and Education Act will provide funding to establish critical educational programs to increase public awareness about kidney disease treatment and prevention. These programs will also help people already suffering from chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, by providing important self-management skills that will improve their quality of life and help them continue their normal activities, such as working. This legislation also takes steps to improve the quality of kidney care by creating a 3-year Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative within the Medicare ESRD Program.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, which also has the support of all sectors of the kidney care community. We should maintain our commitment to Americans with kidney failure by improving the quality of care for these patients and help slow the occurrence of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with deep concern that this President has chosen to escalate the war in Iraq instead of charting a course towards peace.

Today, I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke out against the war in Vietnam on April 4, 1967. He said, ``The world now demands a maturity of this Nation that we may not be able to achieve. It demands that we admit that we have been wrong from the beginning of our adventure in Vietnam,'' we could substitute Iraq, ``and that our actions have been detrimental to the people of that Nation.''

Mr. Speaker, war is messy. War is bloody. It tends not just to hide the truth but to sacrifice the truth. And the truth is that this was a war of choice and not a war of necessity. It was ill-fated from its inception at the highest levels of Government, and persisting in error will not fix a policy that was fundamentally flawed from the very beginning.

Thousands of our sons and daughters have been left dead on the battlefield, and tens of thousands are changed forever, wounded physically and spiritually by the brutality of war. Our soldiers are the best men and women in the world, willing to sacrifice all they have at a moment's notice to protect our freedom. They do not deserve to pay with their lives for the errors of this administration.

Mr. Speaker, we will never find the answer to the problem we have created in Iraq down the barrel of a gun. The lasting solution to this crisis will rise from skillful diplomacy, not military might. The Good Book said, ``Come let us reason together.''

We must never, ever be afraid to talk. What harm comes from sitting down with Syria, Iran and our allies in the Middle East to help bring the warring parties together? John F. Kennedy once said, ``Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.''

My greatest fear here is that the young people growing up in the Middle East will never forget this American invasion. My greatest fear is that they will grow up to hate our children, our grandchildren and generations yet unborn, because of what we are doing today in Iraq.

Yes, we must maintain a strong national defense. We must defend our borders. We must bring an end to terrorism. But not at the expense of our democracy, not at the expense of the very principles this Nation was founded upon.

I want to close by asking a question of old, Mr. Speaker. What does it profit a great Nation to gain the whole world and lose its soul? Gandhi once said, ``It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.''

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, ``We must learn to live together as brothers and sister or perish as fools.''

It is better to heal than to kill. It is better to reconcile than to divide. It is better to love than to hate. That is why we must vote for this resolution. We must do more.

We must not place more of our young people in harm's way. We must not continue to make our soldiers sitting ducks in a civil war. As Members of Congress, we must continue to stand up, speak up and speak out. It is our duty, it is our right, it is our moral obligation. We must find a way to get in the way until we bring our young men and women home, and not to continue to escalate this war.

Vote for this resolution. It is the right thing to do. We must send a powerful and strong message to this administration to stop this madness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007. I commend my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee for working in a bipartisan way to reach an agreement on provisions that will not only help small businesses grow and thrive, but will provide small businesses with incentives to hire disadvantaged workers. Not only that, it will not pass any costs onto our children.

The most important thing that will come out of passing this piece of legislation today, is that it will ensure that we finally pass a minimum wage increase. As I have said before, we have waited far too long--10 long years--to give our working poor a pay raise. We should be ashamed of that delay, but I am proud that we are taking that important step to restoring dignity and fairness for our minimum wage earners. This minimum wage increase will help millions of our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.

My fight in Congress is the fight against poverty. We must do more for working families, for families who are playing by the rules and still cannot get ahead. I just don't understand how people survive under these circumstances. We cannot stand by and watch millions of people continue to fall into poverty. This minimum wage increase is not the end, but the beginning of our fight against poverty in this nation.

Passing this legislation today will smooth the path to the passage of the minimum wage increase. This bill is also a symbol of how much we can accomplish to help hard working families when we work together, across the aisle--Democrats and Republicans. And I look forward to continued progress in the fight against poverty in the 110th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Deal and members of the delegation for bringing this resolution before us as a tribute to our fallen colleague, Mr. Norwood.

More than anything else, Congressman Norwood was a warrior. He fought for his beliefs with passion and conviction, and he fought for the people of his district and for the people of Georgia who loved him.

He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his bravery on behalf of our Nation during the Vietnam war, and he fought courageously for patient rights right here on the floor of the House of Representatives.

In fact, his last official act was to reintroduce the Patients' Bill of Rights on Monday, a bill he coauthored with John Dingell. Charlie Norwood, this good man, this son of Georgia, fought a good fight. He was a warrior to the end.

The thoughts and prayers of all of the Members of Congress, and especially the members of the Georgia delegation, are with his wife Gloria and his two sons, Charles and Carlton, their family and his many grandchildren. I hope they will find comfort in knowing that Congressman Charlie Norwood made a lasting contribution not just to the State of Georgia, but to the Nation and to all of us as Members of this body. We are more than lucky, we are very blessed to have known him as a friend and as a colleague. He will be deeply missed.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the young lady from California, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall).

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time do we have left.

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

I would be pleased to do so.

Mr. Speaker, how much time does the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) have?

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 6 minutes to my colleague from Georgia, and I ask unanimous consent to let the gentleman from Georgia in turn control that 6 minutes and yield to other Members.

Mr. Speaker, Charlie Norwood, the man from Georgia, not just a citizen of Georgia, not just a citizen of the American South, but a citizen of the world, a man who fought the good fight, who kept the faith. He was a good and decent man, and we will never ever forget his lasting contribution.

We pray for his family, for the people of his congressional district, and we pray for his soul.

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