Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to explain how I would have voted on Roll Call Number 289, which was up for consideration on June 22, 2022. During the time I was on and off the floor last night, I discussed many bills and letters with my colleagues. In the midst of these discussions, I missed the opportunity to vote on H.R. 6538, a bill under the suspension of the rules. Had I been present,

I would have voted YEA on Roll Call Number 289.

Madam Speaker, from a very young age, this person for whom I stand today was into all kinds of athletic games. Not just one kind of sport but every sport and every kind of athlete. So, talking about it came naturally. He asked, why should I not make this a career?

In Baltimore there is a gritty loyalty to its sports teams and its heroes. Over the span of four decades, one man has talked about and reported on two Super Bowl champion teams, the most decorated Olympian of all time and various stars in the athletic firmament from the greater Baltimore region with a gusto unmatched or unequaled by anyone. He has made everyday people feel like they were a part of the story, and so I am pleased today to enter into the Record my recognition for distinguished sportscaster and storyteller, Mr. Bruce Cunningham, who has recently retired from WBFF Fox 45 TV news in Baltimore.

Many Ravens fans know only one voice as the straightforward announcer and analyst of the NFL team's home games. Michael Phelps' exploits were told true and writ large over the TV screens of viewers young and old, proud of their hometown hero bringing gold medal after gold medal home for swimming. Whether it was the Orioles after a come-from-behind win or a heartbreaking loss, or Navy football celebrating a win over Army, Bruce was sure to tell the story with imagination, spirit, and Baltimore braggadocio.

I was Sports Unlimited, on Sunday nights, that was Bruce's hallmark. Since 1991, at its inception with Fox 45 in Baltimore, Bruce has been sharing his takes on everything from MLB to the Baltimore Blast soccer team to Maryland and Johns Hopkins lacrosse. He was there for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship the University of Maryland brought home. He saluted Coach Brenda Frese's Lady Terrapins NCAA Championship in basketball. He also talked golf, tennis and other sports like boxing and horseracing, and he was there at Pimlico for eventual Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh in 2015.

There is something intangible about sports which unites a city, and Bruce Cunningham made that part of his many broadcasts. Ranging from the intensity of Baltimore in the Ravens' Ray Lewis and the Orioles' Cal Ripken, Jr. to the lesser-known stories in Maryland like Tamir Goldman of the Talmudical Academy in Baltimore, dubbed the ``Jewish Jordan'' for his basketball abilities, or Helen Maroulis, the two-time bronze medal-winner in women's wrestling at the Olympics from Rockville, Bruce has covered it all with the spirit and grit of Baltimore and a love for our state of Maryland not many could match.

Now that he has decided to lead a ``normal life'' and ``get home before midnight on Sundays'' as he puts it, our city will not have that

voice which closed off our weekends with highlights, insights, and the sports stories which not only gave us the score but let us in on so much more: a look at the athletes and a look at ourselves. I thank Bruce Cunningham for all the memories, as our grateful city and state will miss him dearly.

Madam Speaker, music is not just a passion, but a life's calling for some. Mr. Melvin Miles, Jr. is without question a man who has walked this life listening to and answering the call of the art of music. From his matriculation at Morgan State University in the early 1970s, Melvin Miles, Jr. was fascinated by all kinds of music and musicians. Over the span of the better part of five decades, Mr. Miles has been recognized by many as an exceptional cornetist, trumpeter, and band leader.

Since 1973, Melvin has honed his unmatched musical admiration and talent to serve as a faculty member at Morgan State University where he has taught and mentored students and marching bands alike. In this chapter of his life, he has committed himself to the mission of leading young people on the path to higher learning and mastering an instrument with purpose.

Madame Speaker, I am pleased today to enter into the Record my recognition for a musician, friend, and teacher extraordinaire, Melvin Miles, Jr., who is retiring from Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Melvin first attended Frederick Douglass High School before entering Morgan State University and receiving Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Music Education. He then furthered his art by attending The Catholic University of America for doctoral studies, again in Music Education. While these institutions and college experiences fine-tuned his technique and craft, they also taught him that nothing compared to music in terms of uniting a university.

Upon starting with Morgan State's faculty, Mr. Miles made sure to make music a part of every student's college experience. The Symphonic Winds, Jazz Ensemble, and the Concert Band brought endless hours of joy to students, alumni, and attendees of all walks of life.

As a teacher, Melvin has been known to demand excellence from those he mentored. Still, he maintained a sense of humor that made it nearly impossible to not smile when you were around him. Melvin Miles' blend of serious and lighthearted mentorship was a winning formula that carried his marching bands to the highest of heights. This included him guiding his 2019 marching band through the immense pressure of performing in the renowned Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Even with the many eyes and ears that have been fixed on his bands over the span of his career, Melvin has never diverged from the down-to- earth man he is. Ultimately, it is his purely genuine persona paired with his accolades that has caused Melvin's unmistakable popularity to endure.

Melvin's love for music, Morgan State, and Maryland is truly unmatched. I thank Melvin

for his friendship and leadership over all these many years and thank him as well for all the memories he has given to the university, the Historically Black College or University community, and the thousands of alumni who will miss him dearly. I have been lucky enough to personally call Melvin a friend for the past forty-two years. On behalf of all who know him or have heard his sound, we are all grateful that Melvin has given the world his song.

Madam Speaker, I particularly thank the chair for yielding this time but also for her very important leadership on the Committee on Small Business and for the excellence of her example--getting all of us to the point of where we are today.

At a time when, as has been said, small businesses are at risk of being pushed out of the Federal procurement space due to forces outside of their control, it is imperative that we unite across the aisle, as has been stated, to stand up for small business concerns and to help grow their presence in the Federal contracting space where possible.

I am very pleased to work with Representative Stauber, the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota, who, on committee and at this time, jointly share an interest in this legislation because of what it does. I look forward to working with Mr. Stauber in the future on other joint endeavors.

I also thank the staff of the Committee on Small Business for working very hard to pull together this commonsense bill that protects small businesses by incentivizing large prime contractors to adhere to their contracting plans.

Now, some might say, well, why do you have to do that? Unfortunately, if we don't do it, they will continue as

they have done, to not adhere to those plans, and it hurts the overall small business community.

Currently, prime contractors have very little economic incentive to do the right things, to abide by their subcontracting plans, and these are the plans that they, themselves have negotiated. So when prime contractors disregard these pre-negotiated terms, the only recourse that we have is to make sure that we find a way to involve ourselves before they are left with their only alternative, which is to file a lawsuit.

Given the nature of the courts, any small business relief that may come to them could prove to be too little, too late.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. This bill creates an economic incentive for prime contractors to follow their subcontracting plans by requiring any agency of the government to assess those plans and to offer advice and an opinion on whether or not they have complied.

The SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Madam Speaker, by amending the language of the Small Business Act, by expanding its scope, this legislation will give contractors that treat small businesses the right and the fair way, a greater chance at winning Federal contractors. And it will hopefully incentivize those contractors that are not, to finally do the right thing.

Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask that my colleagues vote in support of H.R. 7694, the Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an icon in the civil rights movement, business world, and political landscape, Mr. Earl G. Graves, who passed away on April 6, 2020.

Mr. Graves founded Black Enterprise magazine in 1970, a publishing company dedicated to lifting up and recognizing Black entrepreneurship. Over the next 50 years, Mr. Graves took Black Enterprise from a single- magazine publishing company to a diversified multi-media business that spread the message of financial empowerment to more than 6 million African Americans through print, digital, broadcast, and live-event platforms. He wrote a New York Times bestselling book in 1997, titled ``How to Succeed in Business Without Being White,'' that discussed the strategies he used to achieve such success, and was selected as a finalist for the 1997 Financial Times/Booz-Allen & Hamilton Global Business Book Award.

As a champion for Black excellence, Mr. Graves received numerous awards. Two years after launching Black Enterprise, he received the National Award of Excellence and was named one of the 10 most outstanding minority businessmen in the country by President Richard Nixon. He was named by Time magazine as one of 200 future leaders of the country in 1974 and became part of the National Black College Hall of Fame in 1987. Mr. Graves has lectured at Yale University as a Poynter Fellow and received honorary degrees from more than 65 colleges and universities, including his alma mater, Morgan State University. In recognition of Mr. Graves's staunch advocacy for higher education and equal opportunity, Morgan State renamed its school of business and management the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management in 1995. In 2002, Fortune magazine named Mr. Graves one of the 50 most powerful and influential African Americans in corporate America.

Mr. Graves threw himself into causes and projects that supported and empowered his communities in New York and the Black community at large. He held a seat on the board of selectors of the American Institute for Public Service, the Advisory Council of the Character Education Partnership, the board of the Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation, the board of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the national advisory board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He was also a trustee of Howard University, the Committee for Economic Development, the Special Contributions Fund of the NAACP, and the New York Economic Club. He was appointed to serve on the presidential commission for the National Museum of African American History and Culture by the George W. Bush Administration and was a vice president on the national executive board and a member of the marketing committee for the national office of the Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Graves's wife of 51 years, Mrs. Barbara Graves, was his closest companion. You didn't see one without the other. She lived for him, he lived for her, and they both lived for their three children. All three sons, Earl ``Butch'' Jr., Johnny, and Michael, worked at Black Enterprise throughout their lives, developing their business acumen under the watchful eye of Mrs. Graves, who served as a mentor and guide to several generations of employees. Butch took over as CEO of Black Enterprise in 2006, after spending decades growing the company together with his father.

Earl G. Graves was raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York, where he learned hard work and perseverance from his parents, Earl Godwin and Winifred Sealy Graves. After receiving a B.A. in economics from Morgan State University, he served two years in the Army, followed by a three-year stint as Senator Robert F. Kennedy's administrative assistant. After Kennedy's assassination, Graves entered the business arena, where he realized his unprecedented success as a public servant, intellectual, and businessman.

It is my honor to stand today, Madam Speaker, in recognition of Earl G. Graves, a successful entrepreneur, caring father, dedicated philanthropist, and friend.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Scott for yielding, and for also working so closely with Representative Adams to get us to this point.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know how we got here, except that I know that we can't, as a Nation, stay at this point. There is no reason that Black colleges and universities, and the students that attend them, ought to be threatened in this sort of way with this sort of almost impunity by racists who think that they can do that and that there will not be a response.

I happen to be chair of the Board of Regents at Morgan State University, a historically Black college, founding itself 4 years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and has turned out, over that period of time, thousands of bright young people who have come out all over the country and are serving in different capacities.

In my State of Maryland, whether it was Morgan State University, or Coppin State University, or Bowie State, you cannot imagine the sense of uncertainty that students had, knowing that they were under threat and that at any minute something could, in fact, happen.

Mr. Speaker, for them who are the extensions of a race of people who have suffered, endured, and survived two centuries of slavery, oppression, deprivation, degradation, denial, and disprivilege, none of them should have to matriculate in this country at an institution of higher education under those conditions simply because they are Black.

I strongly urge this condemnation to be approved by this body.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the ``Six Triple Eight.'' I also rise to support S. 321, the legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Battalion's patriotism, valor, and achievements.

Since its first mission in 1945, the Six Triple Eight was comprised of 855 Black women including 824 enlisted personnel and 31 officers. Groundbreaking for the time, the Six Triple Eight was the only African American women's unit of its size to serve overseas during World War II. Most of the 6888th worked as postal clerks, but others were cooks, mechanics, and held support positions so that the 6888th was a self- sufficient unit.

The Six Triple Eight was led by Major Charity Edna Adams and trained for their overseas mission at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia. In practice, the Battalion's assignment entailed more than ensuring the swift delivery of mail. Rather, the Battalion was also trained to identify enemies by air and sea, meet the physical demands of military service, and evacuate targeted ships.

Amid war, the tenacity of these brave women never wavered. Rain or shine, day in and day out, the Six Triple Eight worked around the clock, operating under their motto, ``no mail, low morale.'' These women sacrificed despite knowing their return home would be to an America that still denied their basic rights and liberties.

I am proud to support this measure that honors such a courageously driven Battalion of women and bestows them the highest expression of national appreciation Congress can grant.

I urge swift passage of S. 321, the ``Six Triple Eight'' Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding a little bit of time here at the conclusion of this discussion. I want to thank particularly the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for coming up with this bill on the House side and obviously those on the Senate side that support it.

I can't say enough about the need here to do the right thing in awarding this Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Women's Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. It was a total of 855 Black women.

It was 1944 and 1945. They went to serve their country with distinction and to make sure that that war would somehow guarantee rights to all Americans, many of the rights that they did not have themselves.

They were the largest contingent of Black women to be deployed overseas, and they worked 7 days a week. As was stated earlier, 7 days a week was not even enough for many of those who witnessed what they were doing.

The Army, by its own admission, figured that the work that would be before them would take months and months and months. We all know now, as a result of history, that was not the case. They worked tirelessly to support the mail that was going both ways at a time when we didn't have internet and we didn't have all of the ways to communicate today.

So I congratulate them as a sterling group. There are just a few that are still alive, well into their nineties today. I urge passage of this very, very important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Kaptur for her overly gracious remarks. I appreciate them. I also appreciate the opportunity to join her and the others in our discussion about Ukraine.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to join with Congresswoman Kaptur, who has served for some time now as chair of the Ukrainian Caucus, who has driven us and gotten us to this point, but who has also kept together a bipartisan group of legislators. So, to her and to Ranking Member Fitzpatrick, my thanks to both of them.

We are all here, obviously, because of the situation in Ukraine. This comes at us from different ways. I initially got involved when I came back to Congress because of a gentleman by the name of Roman Goy in my district who has watched these situations with Ukraine going back to 2014 and beyond and who felt sort of helpless.

On behalf of Mr. Goy in Catonsville and all the other ones that I have heard from--and I am particularly heartened to also hear, as we did earlier, from the gentlewoman, Mrs. Spartz, who is the only native Ukrainian to serve here in the United States Congress. Her comments are compelling, and her witness is one that we should always keep in front of us as something to be reminded of.

Mr. Speaker, I go back a long, long way in terms of the aggression that we now see in Ukraine. I go so far back as to remember the Cold War days that a lot of us grew up under, the days of a very, very aggressive Soviet Union hellbent on domination, spanning 13 time zones, with a growing nuclear arsenal in those days and with the twisted belief that they somehow or another could, in fact, be a part of this hemisphere and pose an issue to us. It was a different Soviet Union. It is Russia now, but that same sort of thinking pervades.

Back then, I am talking about the missile crisis in Cuba, where Soviet President Khrushchev, Nikita Khrushchev, was putting missiles 90 miles off our coast, believing that he and the Soviet Union had a right to that sort of expansionism, that sort of aggression.

Thank God that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, having reached a very tight ultimatum with the reality, decided that the United States would not accept that.

We were on the brink of war then, but the Soviet Union blinked. They removed their missiles from Cuba, and we have sort of coexisted in a sort of Cold War for some time now.

Then, with the fall of Berlin and the ending of the Soviet Union as we knew it, and now the singular emergence of Russia, all of us concerned here are concerned about what is happening in Ukraine.

When you look at the troop movements that are taking place, when you look at the propaganda being spun by the Kremlin, it is all so familiar to what happened in 1914 when the Soviet Union went off in its own direction and when it began to build up its war machine.

In 2014, the Russian Government, following the same script, has decided--or did decide then--to have similar troop movements, similar weapons buildup, and a similar effort to invade. Even though the talk then was ``we are not invading,'' we know what happened then. They invaded Ukraine. They took and annexed Crimea.

People in Kiev and elsewhere have been watching the situation with great trepidation, and now we are at a point with a massive Russian buildup all along the Ukrainian border, well over 100,000 troops, all sorts of armaments, and the ability to have airpower to strike and to take, if they want to, that country.

So, the fact that President Biden and others have stood up--we want to also thank all of our European allies for banding together. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed just to be able to prevent things such as this. Although Ukraine is not a signatory under Article 5, its sovereignty and its independence is so very, very important.

I want to join with Congresswoman Kaptur, Ranking Member

Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Spartz with her testimony, and all the others who have continued to raise this issue.

In the old, old days, we never knew when the then-Soviet Union was going to strike. We don't know now. I remember air drills at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. In schools, we were so close to the end of the last war, kids had to stop what they were doing and practice drills, hiding under their desks. In every school, there was a bomb shelter. We have come a long way since then, but that threat is still there.

A lot of people say: Well, why is this important? It is important because history can repeat itself. It is important because history often does repeat itself. It is important because it is a lesson that we have learned and must never get away from.

Terrorism anywhere is a threat to democracies everywhere. I join and am happy in this bipartisan effort, Mr. Speaker, to lend my voice.

Madam Speaker, it has often been said ``Education is the Key'' that unlocks the future for people seeking a better life. The person I rise for today could really be considered the ``Locksmith'' for Baltimore's kids. From teaching at public schools to educating juvenile detainees, his compassion for others motivated him to give freely the keys to set minds free for higher endeavors. A life-long educator and philanthropist of modest means, he gave of himself to the Baltimore Community, its schools as well as to Coppin State University. He was the epitome of the humble hometown hero. I am honored to stand today for the recently departed James Leroy ``Winky'' Camphor, age 94.

After teaching for 43 years in the Baltimore City Schools, in his love for youth and the underserved, he assumed the role as Superintendent at the Cheltenham School for Boys. He was ever devoted to unlocking doors for at risk children and those within the juvenile justice system. In all his unselfish endeavors, he never sought accolades. As one whose salaries were always modest, his charitable gift of $200,000 to his beloved alma mater, Coppin State, was an incredible gift. Imagine the number of students who have been helped and will be helped with books, meals, and transit costs. He was a man of noble stature, a man of an unquenchable thirst to empower others, and a man who gave unselfishly of his talents, his finances, his inspiration, and never sought recognition nor praise.

This from a family man of modest means who according to the Baltimore Evening Sun ``scrimped and saved'' over his whole career in education. He loved Coppin State so much he married the former Florine ``Peaches'' Harrison, a city public school educator who graduated from Coppin in 1958, whom he met at a meeting of Coppin's alumni association. And together they grew their philanthropy.

Additionally, he holds the record for scoring 50 points in a basketball game at Coppin State, a record, which has never been broken.

As a champion for children and all the causes he held near and dear to his heart, he received numerous awards. The prestigious listing includes organizations and affiliations such as: the National Association for Equal Opportunity in High Education Distinguished Alumni Award, State of Maryland Faithful Citizen Award, Children's Cancer Center Volunteer Award, Heart of Love Award, the Harlow Fullwood Award, the National Association for Sickle Cell Outstanding Member Award, Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene Service Award, City of Baltimore Citizen's Award, National Federation of the Blind Service Award and the list goes on.

James Leroy Camphor, son of James Camphor and Emma Camphor, was born in Baltimore and grew up near Hollins Market in Southwest Baltimore. Raised by a single mother, he reflected the value of hard honest work in his childhood job of shining shoes. The beginnings may have been humble, but they did not define nor stymie him. He rose to become a champion for children and the underserved and a philanthropist for Coppin State University. He gave freely of that which

were his. It is my honor to stand today, Madam Speaker, in recognition of James Leroy ``Winky'' Camphor and the memory of a man who shared the keys of education, charity, compassion, humility and strong moral values--a true Baltimore hometown hero.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a champion for all people, a fighter for fair housing, an unrelenting advocate, and an American trailblazer. This woman was a friend and was our colleague as a former member of this body. The champion I rise to salute today is the Honorable Carrie Mae Pittman Meek--the Sunshine State's Public Servant.

Congresswoman Meek was born the grandchild of a slave and daughter of a sharecropper. As the youngest of 12 children growing up in Tallahassee, Florida, she excelled in academics and used education to overcome systemic obstacles that were the routine reality of those times, including sexism, racism and discrimination.

After earning her undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University, Congresswoman Meek enrolled at the University of Michigan to earn her master's degree because Florida banned Black students from attending state graduate schools at that time, according to her Congressional biography. The state government would pay her out-of-state tuition ``if we agreed to get out of Dodge,'' she once recalled.

The then-single mother of two started her professional career as a college professor and coach at Bethune Cookman University, then taught at her alma mater Florida A&M University, before taking her talents to Miami-Dade Community College as its first Black professor, associate dean and assistant to the vice president.

With a firm foundation as a college professor, our former colleague beat out 12 other candidates when she ran for the Florida state House in 1978. Just five years later, she became the first Black woman elected to the Florida state Senate. Carrie would go on to leverage her state service into a successful U.S. House campaign in 1992. Alongside former Representatives Corrine Brown and Alcee Hastings, Carrie joined Congress as one of the first Black members elected from Florida since the Reconstruction Era.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Meek knew the importance of investing federal dollars to provide opportunities for all people and in all communities across this great nation. Her work ethic, thorough knowledge of the legislation before her, and mastery of the legislative process are as much a part of her legacy as her support for public education, affordable housing, and programs to prevent poverty.

As a fighter for women's rights, Congresswoman Meek worked to protect victims of stalking at the state level and focused Congress on important legislation like the Violence Against Women Act. Indeed, her effectiveness as a public servant was only rivaled by her warmth and grace. Warmth, grace, compassion, tenacity, and savvy are some aspects of the Sunshine State's Public Servant that we will always remember.

Congresswoman Meek recently passed away after living a full life of over 95 years. Her funeral services and homegoing celebration are taking place today as I stand before you in this Chamber.

Carrie is survived by her three children Lucia Davis-Raiford, Sheila Davis Kinui, and retired Congressman Kendrick B. Meek of Florida, as well as seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Her entire family will remain in our prayers. May they be comforted to know the courageous spirit of the Honorable Carrie Mae Pittman Meek lives on.

Madam Speaker, throughout my years in Congress, I have found it is not often that someone is as impactful or influential in breaking the color barrier in a sport or changing the culture of country clubs as the person for whom I stand today. I am honored to rise to recognize someone who found a more fair way on the fairways of professional golf; from Pensacola, Florida to Johannesburg, South Africa all the way to Augusta National and many courses in between, this groundbreaking golfer recently passed away. This incredible ambassador for the game was a gentleman both on the links and in real life, Mr. Lee Elder.

With 16 professional tour wins, including his breakthrough at the Monsanto Open in Pensacola in 1974, Lee Elder was the first African American to win a PGA Tour event. Mr. Elder was, however, a champion in more ways than one. He was a Black man born in the Jim Crow South who taught himself how to play golf on segregated courses. Working as a caddy he surmounted the hardships of being orphaned at a young age. In his early golfing days in the United Golf Association, Lee gained prominence for his skill and approach to the game.

Much like Jackie Robinson in Major League Baseball, Mr. Elder who chose to stand against the stain of racism, had to endure many indignities. He broke through on the PGA Tour in 1968 as a 34-year-old golfer. From changing clothes in parking lots because Black people were not allowed in the clubhouse to getting death threats for playing in the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, he overcame obstacles. He went to South Africa during the height of apartheid. He protested PGA rules allowing golfers to play at Sun City, Bophutswana, an outpost for segregation. He spoke out against country clubs which still excluded Black players as late as 1990. Mr. Elder helped Black golfers for whom he created Summer Youth Development Programs. All these acts define a champion of civil rights.

I stand today, Madam Speaker, for Lee Elder, not only for his dedication to the game of golf but also for his outstanding commitment in paving the way for people of color to pursue their passions in both their studies and their sports. Using his fame and fortune to establish a foundation to help Black students and the United Negro College Fund is also an important part of his legacy. Standing on the shoulders of such an athlete shows us what we all know in our hearts to be true: without the likes of Lee Elder, there might not be a Tiger Woods nor entry into Country Clubs. Mr. Eider's efforts yielded a fairer way on all fairways across this land.

Madam Speaker, I hereby remove my name as a cosponsor of

Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Mfume-Neguse amendment which will codify Congress' support for small businesses across the country, particularly as it relates to this defense bill.

This amendment increases the overall Federal contracting goal for eligible small businesses from 23 to 25 percent. But more specifically, the amendment also increases the Federal contracting subgoals in different areas.

For example, for service-disabled veterans, who we always talk about and

sometimes do something about, this is an important aspect of this amendment because, for service-disabled veterans, this increases the contracting goal from 3 to 4 percent, over a year or two.

For qualified small businesses, it increases the Historically Underutilized Business Zone contracting goals from 3 to 4 percent.

And for qualified women-owned and controlled businesses, it increases the contracting goals from 5 to 7 percent; which I think is significant for women-owned businesses and, as I said before, those disabled veteran businesses.

For small businesses that are owned by socially-disadvantaged individuals, it increases the contracting goal to 15 percent, and it does that over 4 years incrementally.

This is an extremely rare opportunity for us to do something in this particular bill about the people who are going to be benefiting from the bill and the people who have worked so hard in and out and around the defense industry who are small businesses in our country, veteran- owned businesses, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses.

And at the beginning and the end of the day, Madam Speaker, this is a simple amendment aimed at growing contracting opportunities for those categories. And again, this is not a mandate; these are goals, and we think they are very achievable.

I would urge consideration, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would respectfully disagree with the gentleman in his opposition. There are a couple of things that I think are important to be pointed out.

As the vice chair of the Small Business Committee of the House, I continue to hear the stories from women-owned businesses, veteran businesses, minority-owned businesses, and those that are socially and economically disadvantaged, that they want this; that they believe that if you increase these goals, things then will change.

By the way, these goals are aspirational; that is why they are called goals. This is not a mandate; not saying that we are going to move 1 year to another. It is all aspirational. And we believe it is the right thing to do; otherwise I don't know what we go back and say to those different groups of individuals.

Now, Republican and Democratic Members alike on this committee have heard over and over again about how we ought to do more; how we ought to push the government to actually do what it ought to be doing in many respects. But, again, this is an aspirational goal.

These are very, very small increases. And as we talk about defense contracting and the ability of minority businesses, women-owned businesses and, even more importantly, as I have said before, service- disabled veteran businesses to be able to compete with some real hope of being able to benefit. I would really urge passage of this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Madam Speaker, I look forward to the gentleman, not only being on the committee, but agreeing and certainly offering the invitation to work together. My hope is that this passes; and, if it does, then I would extend to him the opportunity to do that, and I would join with him in doing that to make sure the already existing goals are achievable, and the aspirational goals really represent a ray of hope for these four groups.

And I don't favor one over another, except that it is hard for me to look at a service-disabled veteran who is trying to do business in a bill dealing with defense, and to be able to say, well, I am sorry, we just didn't do it again.

So I would close--I appreciate the gentleman's opposition, although I don't agree with it, and I would urge passage of this amendment, Madam Speaker.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a measure on which I am a proud original cosponsor--H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. Named for my friend and classmate from the 100th Congress, Congressman John Lewis, H.R. 4 honors America's promise to keep our democracy open to all--regardless of gender, income, race, color, or creed.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are some of the most consequential acts of Congress passed in our lifetime. The Voting Rights Act was a needed countermeasure to the voter suppression efforts emanating across many states as a part of America's ``Jim Crow'' era.

The Voting Rights Act required preclearance of changes and adjustments made to voting laws by certain states and local jurisdiction--jurisdictions with long and demonstrated histories of discrimination. The jurisdictions captured by the preclearance designation are said to be subject to the ``coverage formula.''

In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the ``coverage formula'' of the Voting Rights Act in many respects. The Court's rationale, with which I disagree, was the discrimination targeted by the original Voting Rights Act is outdated and is no longer relevant. It's a play on the notion of ``my ancestors discriminated against you, not me'' so there is no allowable remedy for that discrimination and its vestiges.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act updates the coverage formula component of the Voting Rights Act, using data, testimony, and evidence captured by the House Committee on Administration through various hearings and briefings. Over the course of 13 hearings in two Congresses, including six just this year, the House Judiciary Committee built a substantial record demonstrating the continuing and current need for preclearance protections. Additionally, the House Administration Committee's Elections Subcommittee conducted numerous hearings and issued a report on ``Voting In America: Ensuring Free And Fair Access To The Ballot.''

The combined record shows that in the absence of a preclearance requirement, a number of states swiftly passed voter suppression laws, including many state and local jurisdictions that had previously been subject to preclearance before the 2013 Supreme Court decision. For example, within 24 hours of the ruling, Texas and North Carolina reinstated voter ID laws, which were later held to be intentionally racially discriminatory. These court rulings, however, came too late for many minority voters. In both states, their discriminatory laws were in effect for three years before being struck down, including during the 2014 midterm elections.

In short, without preclearance, these states were able to hold elections under discriminatory rules that banned minority citizens' ability to vote, and those citizens had no remedy for the harm they suffered. The onslaught of voter suppression targeting minority citizens has continued unabated.

Today, Americans face the worst voter suppression campaign in America since Jim Crow. State lawmakers have introduced over 400 voter suppression bills in 49 states this year alone. And at least 18 states enacted 30 laws that restrict access to the ballot, with likely many more on the way. These laws suppress the vote--they make mail voting and early voting more difficult, reduce availability at polling places, unleash a flurry of faulty voter purges, and exacerbate barriers at poll stations for Americans with disabilities, among other blatant suppression tactics.

Now, with H.R. 4, the House is restoring the preclearance protection with a new formula, which is ironclad constitutionally and which will make significant progress to restore the purpose of the Voting Right Act: ``banish the blight of racial discrimination in voting.''

As Members of Congress, our duty lies in upholding our democracy and serving the American people. Our nation provides the opportunity for its people to amplify their voices at the ballot box. The United States Constitution allows us to correct any underlying issue that poses a threat to this fundamental right.

I urge my colleagues to cast their vote in favor of this critical measure and to protect every citizen's vote from the wave of voter suppression laws flooding our Nation. Americans deserve nothing less than the ability to participate freely in our nation's political process.