Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the ``Federal Living Wage Act,'' legislation to mandate a livable wage for employees under federal contracts and subcontracts. Twenty Representatives are original cosponsors to this important legislation.

I introduce this bill after the Chicago City Council took a strong stand for workers by passing a living wage ordinance for employees of big-box retailers. The ordinance is an important victory in the fight for living wages for all workers.

That fight now needs to come here, to Washington, where it is long overdue. The bill I am introducing today will hopefully move us closer to delivering all workers in America a fair and equitable wage. No full-time worker deserves to live in poverty. And certainly, the federal government should not be in the business of paying federal workers, or federally contracted workers, sub-poverty wages.

Although Congress passed laws, such as the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act, to help ensure that employees of Federal contracts earn a decent wage, thousands of Federal workers and federally contracted workers still do not earn enough to support themselves and their families.

This legislation will allow hard-working individuals to earn quality wages and to increase their savings for such essential needs as their retirement and their children's education. The Federal government must take responsible, workable steps to reward working Americans and to help keep them out of poverty. This bill represents a practical and tangible step toward this goal and I urge my colleagues to join me in calling for the passage of this important and sensible legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 394, 395, and 396.

Mr. Speaker, on account of official business in my district, I missed votes in this Chamber today. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 384, 387, and 388. I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall votes 382, 383, 385, and 386.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this chamber today, due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 360 and 361, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 362 and ``no'' on rollcall vote 363.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 358 and 359.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 319 and ``yea'' on rollcall votes 320 and 321.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on June 16, 2006, and today, June 19, 2006. I would like the record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 288 and ``yea'' on rollcall votes 289, 290, 291.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the ``Guarantee of Medical Accuracy in Sex Education Act,'' a bill that prohibits

the federal government from funding sex education curricula that contain medically inaccurate information.

Currently, the federal government is spending millions on abstinence- only education that includes medically inaccurate and misleading information. In 2004, the House Government Reform Minority Staff prepared a report that found more than two-thirds of federally funded abstinence-only programs use curricula that contain false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health.

The federal government should not be in the business of funding sex education that is rife with errors and examples of medically inaccurate information. Specific examples in current sex education courses include:

The first player spins the cylinder, points the gun to his/her head, and pulls the trigger. He/she has only one in six chances of being killed. But if one continues to perform this act, the chamber with the bullet will ultimately fall into position under the hammer, and the game ends as one of the players dies. Relying on condoms is like playing Russian roulette.'' From Me, My World, My Future, Revised HIV material, p. 258.

AIDS can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. From Reasonable Reasons to Wait, Teacher's guide, Unit 5, pg. 19.

Couples who use condoms for birth control experience a first-year failure rate of about 15 percent in preventing pregnancies. This means that over a period of 5 years, there could be a 50 percent chance or higher of getting pregnant with condoms used as the birth control method. From Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 18.

Since 1998, the federal government has spent nearly $1 billion on abstinence-only education. These programs that contain inaccurate information regarding contraception and STD/HIV prevention can make sex education both dangerous and counterproductive. Responsible sex education, by contrast, is an important component of a strategy to reduce unintended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions and lessen the spread of STDs. The American Medical Association, the Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health support the use of sex education that is medically accurate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in ensuring that sex education curricula contain accurate medical information that can help young people develop a healthy understanding of their sexuality, so they can make responsible and educated decisions throughout their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 242, 243, 244, 246, 247, 249 and 250 and ``no'' on rollcall votes 245 and 248.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 128, 129 and 130.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. I would like the record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 100 and 101.

Mr. Speaker, I was ill today and, therefore, missed votes in this chamber. I would like the record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 19 and ``nay'' on rollcall vote 20.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution congratulating Christopher House of Chicago on the occasion of its centennial celebration.

I believe Christopher House is a successful and absolutely essential organization for the livelihood and well being of the great city of Chicago. Let me explain why.

In 1906, the First Presbyterian Church of Evanston founded Christopher House as a settlement house on Chicago's North Side. Over the course of a century, it has grown in response to the needs of new immigrants and others in our community.

Today, Christopher House is a seven-site resource center that helps families overcome the consequences of poverty, enabling them to thrive. Through early childhood and youth development, parent enrichment, literacy, counseling, pregnant and parenting teen support, and the meeting of basic human needs, Christopher House is a catalyst in a family's journey towards stability, resiliency and self-sufficiency.

Christopher House is a premier human service organization that provides assistance to all in need without regard to race, creed, religion or national origin.

Shortly before his death, Cesar Chavez said, ``You are never strong enough that you don't need help.'' I think he was speaking to all of us.

Obviously, we are all touched by the 100 years of work of Christopher House. We see the lives Christopher House changes--the children who receive Head Start, the people who benefit from English as a Second Language classes, the families who are enlightened by literacy classes--and we are pleased that we can help in some small way.

So we volunteer. Or we write a check. Or we attend a fundraiser or a rally or make a donation. Or support legislation and federal funding. All of which are critically important, and we extend our gratitude to all of those who have given time, money and resources to help Christopher House.

But here is an important part of what I believe Cesar Chavez meant when he said, ``You are never strong enough that you don't need help.''

Christopher House does more than serve 3,500 children and their families in need. It does more than help teen moms who have nowhere else to turn. It does more than help children who would have few options for summer camps and tutoring programs. It does more than help kids by providing comprehensive early childhood education to families across our neediest neighborhoods.

Christopher House helps us. Christopher House helps all of us-- whether we are a CEO or a partner in a law firm or a member of Congress. Because of the work that the organization's staff does every day, the lives of all of us are enriched and improved--not just the families who receive direct service.

Because Cesar Chavez was right--none of us are ever strong enough that we don't need help.

Perhaps we don't need a literacy class. But we all benefit from an educated and capable work force.

Perhaps we don't need to put our own children in Head Start. But we need to know that every child with a desire to learn and grow and reach toward their dreams has a place to go and people to help them.

Perhaps--if we're lucky--many of us will go through our lives and never have a desperate need for emergency services--for food and shelter and for clothing.

But we need to be part of a community where every person in need has somewhere to go, someone to turn to, someone who cares.

And perhaps, if we are fortunate, few of us will have a need for the day-to-day, make-or-break help that Christopher House routinely provides. But that doesn't mean we don't rely on Christopher House.

Because it comes down to this--all of us rely on Christopher House to answer this important question: Who can we count on? Who is there for us? Who cares enough to do the hardest work for the people who need help the most?

Every day, the people who devote their lives as staff and volunteers and donors to Christopher House answer those questions through their actions.

We can count on Christopher House. Christopher House is there for us. And Christopher House has been doing this vital work for 100 years, and with our support should continue for many more.

Christopher House's history means a lot to me--because it has always served precisely the population that I work with every day as a member of Congress. When it started a century ago as part of the settlement house movement, Christopher House focused closely on the population that has always been the sustaining life of our city--the immigrant community.

Today, Christopher House still serves our immigrant population--now largely Latino. It is a population whose steady influx breathes oxygen into Chicago's lungs and reimagines our city every generation.

From the time it opened, Christopher House has been there for all of us, because its leaders have understood that treating the newest Americans well means that all of us are treated better.

So, Mr. Speaker, with this resolution, we recognize Christopher House for its century of contributions to Chicago.

To the ``House with a Heart,'' I say from the bottom of my heart-- thank you very much. Thank you for enriching and improving the lives of Chicagoans for the last 100 years and we look forward to many more years of your services.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber today. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 14, 15 and 16.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this chamber today. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 8 and 9.