Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on November 17, 2003. I would like the record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 620, 621, 622 and 623.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on May 13, 2003. I would like the record to show that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 183, 184, and 185. On May 19, 2003, I was also unavoidably absent from this Chamber. I would like the record to show that had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 192, 193, and 194. Furthermore, I was absent from this Chamber on May 23, 2003, and had I been present in this Chamber, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 226.

Mr. Speaker, I was inadvertently absent from this Chamber today, November 6, 2003, and missed rollcall vote 615. I would like the Record to show that, had I been present in this Chamber, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on October 29, 2003. I would like the record to show that had I been present in this Chamber, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 574 and 575. I also would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 576, 577, 578 and 579.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on October 30, 2003. I would like the record to show that, had I been present in this Chamber, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 580, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588, 589, 590, 592, 595, and 597. I also would have voted ``yea'' on rolecall votes 581, 582, 583, 591, 593, 594, 596, 598 and 599.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on October 31, 2003. I would like the record to reflect that, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 600 and ``nay'' on rollcall vote 601.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this Chamber on October 28, 2003. I would like the Record to show that had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 569. I also would have voted ``nay'' on rolecall vote 570. Further, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 571, 572, and 573.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this chamber on July 14, 2003 and missed rollcall vote No. 357, the Ackerman-LaTourette amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill which would require that the USDA expend no funds to approve meat from downed animals-- animals that are too sick to walk or stand--for food. I would like the Record to show that had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from this chamber on October 20, 2003. I would like the record to show that had I been present in this chamber, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 563, 564 and 565.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the ``Day Laborer Fairness and Protection Act,'' a bill to ensure fair wages and due process for day laborers.

Day laborers are individuals who are hired by agencies to work on a day-to-day basis for employers who pay for the services of temporary laborers. Day labor is not of a clerical or professional nature. Most day laborers perform construction, warehouse, restaurant, janitorial, landscaping or light industrial work--

often taking home far less than the minimum wage.

In the absence of federal guidelines, day laborers are often subjected to long, unpaid wait-periods before being assigned to a job. Commonly, these workers also face dangerous working conditions and are paid lower wages than full-time workers performing the same or similar jobs. Further, day laborers are frequently charged high (often undisclosed) fees for on-the-job meals, transportation to and from job sites and special attire and safety equipment necessary for jobs. Some agencies even ask workers to sign waivers in case they are injured on the job.

Partially due to these unfair labor conditions, many day laborers are caught in a cycle of poverty. A study by the University of Illinois Center for Urban Economic Development found that 65 percent of 510 surveyed day laborers receive $5.15 per hour. Taking into consideration the number of hours spent waiting to be assigned to work (often between 1.5 and 3 hours), the real value per hour of work is reduced to less than about four dollars per hour. This low figure does not reflect transportation and food and equipment fees, which are often deducted from day laborers' wages.

To address these problems, this Act requires day laborer wages that are equal to those paid to permanent employees who are performing substantially equivalent work, with consideration given to seniority, experience, skills and qualifications. Also, it will help ensure that workers are being properly trained before performing hazardous tasks. My bill would also ban fees and wage deductions for health and safety equipment and for transportation between the place of hire and the work site. Further, it requires itemized statements showing deductions made from day laborers' wages. It will also outlaw the unscrupulous practice of charging workers a fee for cashing paychecks. Some companies reap millions of dollars from this deceitful practice. Finally, it mandates that when a day laborer is hurt on the job, the employer who has requested the services of the day laborer provide for coverage of health care costs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this pro-labor legislation that will help ensure that people who work hard and pay taxes have the same employment protections as people in other jobs.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce legislation to honor the achievements of the late Raul Julia by awarding his family the Congressional Gold Medal. I am pleased that 31 of my colleagues have joined me as original cosponsors of this important resolution.

Whether he played Edmund in Shakespeare's King Lear, or Valentin in The Kiss of the Spiderwoman, or Rafael the fix-it-man on Sesame Street, the passion and talent that Raul Julia exhibited in his work made him an inspiration for actors of all backgrounds. Raul Julia took risks in the projects he chose and the success of these risks was an inspiration of aspiring actors everywhere and especially in his native Puerto Rico.

Raul Julia often chose to forgo traditional plays and Hollywood blockbusters for such innovative roles as a Fellini-esque filmmaker in the Broadway musical Nine or as slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero in the movie Romero. Best known for his roles as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family and as Chico Mendez in The Burning Season, he was nominated for four Tony awards in 10 years, and posthumously received the Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors' Guild award.

In addition to his talents on the stage and screen, Raul Julia was an activist on both local and global levels. He was a spokesperson for the Hunger Project, a nonprofit organization committed to the eradication of world hunger, and was also involved in La Familia, a New York City outreach program for Latino families in need. Raul Julia's immense success did not diminish the immense generosity of his spirit and dedication to helping actors from Puerto Rico and elsewhere. His long- standing association with the New York Public Theater and the New York Shakespeare Festival opened doors to nontraditional parts for Hispanic actors. He co-founded the Latino Playwrights Reading Workshops and was instrumental in the creation of the Puerto Rico Traveling Theater, which showcases bilingual plays and Hispanic playwrights and actors, while bringing theater to those who cannot ordinarily afford it.

In 1994, thirty years after he made his Broadway debut in Spanish playwright Calderon de la Barca's Life is a Dream, Raul Julia's life and career were cut short by a fatal stroke. He was given a state funeral in Puerto Rico, where thousands of people attended as a testimony to his many lasting achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in finally recognizing and honoring Raul Julia's great contributions to the Latino community and to the performing by cosponsoring this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the ``Wire Transfer Fairness and Disclosure Act of 2003,'' a bill to require additional disclosures relating to exchange rates in transfers involving international transactions.

Immigrants throughout the United States work hard, save money and send billions of dollars to relatives living in foreign countries. The money sent home helps finance basic needs ranging from food and medicine to education to new homes. Unfortunately, customers wiring money to Mexico are often losing millions of dollars to undisclosed ``currency conversion fees'' charged by giant firms such as Western Union and MoneyGram.

Wire Transfer companies aggressively target audiences in immigrant communities with ads promising low rates for international transfers. However, such promises are grossly misleading particularly for those with ties to Mexico or other Latin American countries, since companies do not always clearly disclose extra fees charges for converting dollars into Mexican pesos. While large wire service companies typically obtain pesos at bulk bargain rates, they charge a significant currency conversion fee to their U.S. customers. The exchange rate charged to customers sending

U.S. dollars to Mexico routinely varies from the benchmark rates by as much as 15 percent. The profits from these hidden currency conversion fees are staggering, allowing companies to reap millions of dollars more than they make from service fees.

To address these problems, this Act requires full disclosure of all fees involved in all money-wiring transactions. More specifically, the bill requires that any financial institution or money transmitting business which initiates an international money transfer on behalf of a consumer (whether or not the consumer maintains an account at such institution or business) shall provide the following disclosures:

The exchange rate used by the financial institution or money transmitting business in connection with such transaction.

The exchange rate prevailing at a major financial center of the foreign country whose currency is involved in the transaction, as of the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the date of the transaction (or the official exchange rate, if any, of the government or central bank of such foreign country).

All commissions and fees charged by the financial institution or money transmitting business in connection with such transaction.

The exact amount of foreign currency to be received by the recipient in the foreign country, which shall be disclosed to the consumer before the transaction is consummated and printed on the receipt given to the consumer.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this pro-consumer legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I think the discussion that we are having tonight is really a discussion about immigration and the immigration policy of our country. And we might want to cloak it in national security but it is what it is.

Our Supreme Court has stated that when you matriculate a child in school, you do not ask the immigration status of that child or that child's parents. That is the Supreme Court decision. That is the law of this land. Children born here in the United States of America, they are citizens by constitutional right. When their parents go to enroll them in school, they must feel free to enroll them in school. Indeed, there are hundreds of thousands of children in our public school systems in this country whose parents do not have a legal status in this country. They do. They are the citizens of this great Nation of ours. We should allow those educational systems to continue to work.

There are police departments, over 400 of them in the Nation, that have made a decision that they want crime reported. That is a very local decision. And we should not be substituting it with a national policy by passing this amendment. I think the police chief of LA, the police chief of New York, the police chief of Chicago and the employees that work under them should be given the respect that this institution should give to them because they are on the front line fighting crime each and every day. And they should make the decisions about how best they can protect the welfare of the citizens of those cities.

We have talked a lot about the localities and making sure that everything works better back home. Well, this is an instance where things are working better back home and we should leave it alone. And we can have a debate all night, but I think clearly what is going to be read in the papers tomorrow and the evaluation that is going to be made of this vote is going to be that those that care to say that immigrants are bad to this country, and those that care to extol the virtues of immigrants are going to take different sides on this debate. But this is really a debate about immigration.

Let me end with this: I think that the President of the United States of America acknowledged that we have to do something about undocumented workers in this country. That is just a fact. There are 8 to 10 million undocumented workers and that is what this is really all about, and this is an attempt to deny them education and to deny their children education and to deny the police to protect them. That is what this is really all about.

The President of the United States sat down with the President of Mexico for one to try to work out some reasonable immigration policy. We should allow them and the Secretaries of State of those countries to bring back, to come to a reasonable solution. Listen, this is not going to get rid of one undocumented worker, as long as in the State of Washington 70 percent of the agricultural workers are undocumented. We know that we eat their apples. We eat the grapes from California. We eat the oranges from Florida. We know who picked those fruits in this Nation. We know who does some of the hardest work in this country each and every day.

So let us have a debate on immigration. Let us have a debate on immigration. Let us have a broad debate on immigration, and let us try to figure out how we streamline new immigrants to this country as we integrate those that are working hard, paying taxes and following the law of this land. Let us not have a debate here tonight where one person can go and put a claim, I got the immigrants today. I feel so proud.

America has a proud tradition in this country of respecting the work and the wealth of the contributions of immigrants, whether they be Italian or Irish or Polish. That is what has made this Nation so great.

Let us not belittle those contributions here with this debate tonight. Let us vote no on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding me time, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her work on the consideration of this bill today. I would like to also thank all of the staff members who worked tirelessly in making this possible, and specifically I would like to thank my good friend Danielle Simonetta and Michael Layman from the majority side for all of the work they have done in making this bill. And I say to Danielle specifically that my daughter sends her good wishes. She is doing better, and she is real excited about Cesar Chavez and the opportunity for the action that we can afford his life here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate today the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and to recognize his passion for empowering workers and for defending the rights of the disadvantaged.

The legislation we are considering today, H.R. 925, would designate a United States Postal Service facility at 1859 South Ashland Avenue in my district as the Cesar Chavez Post Office. The facility would serve as a permanent tribute and a lasting reminder of the selflessness and self-sacrifice that embodied Chavez's life and work.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time a legislative body has paused to honor Cesar Chavez, and it is my hope it will not be the last. The more buildings, the more streets, the more stamps and the more parks that are designated, the more we can keep Cesar Chavez's principles, his passion and devotion alive, and the more we will be able to encourage others to continue the unfinished business that Cesar Chavez left behind, to take up his fight and his causes and to make similar sacrifices in the name of justice and dignity.

Throughout history, there have been few individuals that have done more, that have fought harder or sacrificed as much to ensure dignity and decency for all workers than Cesar Chavez. The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy called him one of the heroic figures of our time.

Cesar Chavez remains a champion to working people around the world and an inspiration to generations of Latinos, both here in this country and abroad, and his accomplishments are an enduring symbol and a shining example of what one man can achieve in the fight for fairness.

Cesar Chavez stood up to the biggest, the most well-financed and the strongest corporate growers. He fought for farm workers who spent countless hours doing our Nation's most arduous and strenuous work.

He defended men and women crippled by despair and deplorable working conditions, so that they too could have a say in the fight for reasonable and respectable wages. Chavez fought for the most basic and the most fundamental and the most essential rights for workers. He fought so that growers would not spray pesticides while workers were in the fields. He fought so that they could have a clean water system and decent housing. And his actions and hard work were vital in achieving better pay for migrant farmers, to banning child labor abuses, and to mitigating the proliferation of sexual harassment of women workers.

Cesar Chavez's courage and his character helped strengthen the farm workers movement, and his principles of nonviolence continue to play an important role in the quest for social justice and human rights and for a world without prejudice or injustice.

Mr. Speaker, for everyone who has ever fought for fairness, Chavez is a model and a true mentor. Because he refused to let bigotry and bias go unchallenged, workers are better protected and represented today. Because he refused to respond to discrimination and intolerance with silence, we live in a better and more inclusive America.

According to Chavez, ``The truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others.''

At the time those eloquent words were articulated, Chavez was too weak to speak them himself. He was fasting in protest of violence against workers, and his speech had to be read by someone else.

Throughout his life, Chavez never relented, he never backed down, and he never wavered from his commitment to nonviolence. When he passed away in 1993, more than 50,000 people attended his funeral to pay homage and their respects to a man who fought so fearlessly, so tirelessly for those not always heard or even seen in our society.

A reporter wrote, ``During the vigil at the open casket on the day before the funeral, an old man lifted a child up to show him the small, gray-haired man who laid inside. `I am going to tell you about this man some day, he said.' ''

The legislation we are discussing today would ensure that countless others remember to tell their children about this man, about his life, his lessons, and his legacy. It will also help educate tomorrow's leaders about the characteristics that they should appreciate, about the achievements that they celebrate, and about the types of individuals that they should emulate.

Mr. Speaker, in the year since his passing, Chavez has been awarded many of our Nation's highest honors, including the 1994 Medal of Freedom. And the passage of this legislation, I believe, would serve as another important and lasting testament to the outstanding work of Cesar Chavez.

At the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Chavez said, ``The consciousness and pride that were raised by our union are alive and thriving inside millions of young Hispanics who will never work on a farm.'' And we must work to keep that consciousness and pride alive in future generations. We must work to keep the consciousness and pride alive as we advocate for a new generation of immigrant workers.

Every time someone in my community drops off a letter, goes to buy a stamp, or passes by the post office, they will be able to remember Cesar Chavez's life, remember his accomplishments, appreciate his vision and, ideally, summon the strength to embody his teaching in their daily activities. It will also serve as a focal point in a vibrant and growing Pilsen community and as a reminder of the challenges we face today.

Mr. Speaker, Cesar Chavez gave workers everywhere a reason to believe and a reason to dream. He inspired them, with his desire and discipline, to stand together and to do better and to reach farther. And in doing so, he gave so many the courage and the strength to fight for equity and equality.

That is why I urge the passage of this important legislation.

In ending, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friends again, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), and my dear friend, the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis), who I know when we finally get this legislation approved will be standing with me in inaugurating this wonderful new post office for Cesar Chavez.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my best wishes for the upcoming marriage of Dena Marie Carli and Dennis Wayne Pociask on June 7, 2003.

Dena and Dennis met while on duty as police officers with the 13th District Chicago Police Department.

Dena, who is currently pursuing a law degree, has been working in law enforcement since 1995. She started as Cook County deputy sheriff and in 1999 became a Chicago police officer. Her parents, Officer Reno and Diane Carli, and her sister, Officer Lisa Carli, are all very proud of her decision to continue in the family business of keeping our city safe.

Dennis has been with the police force since 1998 and remains close with his mother, Tina, his brother, Ray, his sister-in-law, Pamela, and his niece, Holly.

Mr. Speaker, marriage is an occasion worthy of celebration and recognition. Please join me in wishing the very best for Dena and Dennis' new life together. May they share many pleasant memories in a marriage built on trust, friendship and a loving commitment to one another. I wish them many years of happiness and ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution we are considering today, H. Res. 195, congratulates the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa for reaching a major milestone in his remarkable and outstanding career.

On Friday, April 4, against the Cincinnati Reds, Sammy Sosa made baseball history during the top of the seventh inning when he drove a fastball over the right field fence. As he stepped on home plate, index fingers pointed at the sky, he also was stepping into some very select and special company.

With that historic home run, Sammy became the 18th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs and the first Latino to break the magical mark. His name will be etched alongside baseball legends Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and Ernie Banks.

Mr. Speaker, sports writer Ralph Wiley wrote that ``The home run remains the American sporting accomplishment and expression, combining nearly everything we admire: lightning-quick strike, power and, above all, great spectacle, a sustained visual effect in one beautiful arc of life.'' It brings us to our feet, howling and high-fiving total strangers. We admire and are in awe of the individuals with the power and precision to hit home runs. And the notion of hitting 500 home runs remains one of the most impressive and most difficult accomplishments in sports.

It immediately conjures up images of baseball legends and of history, and for the select few who achieve this amazing and astounding feat, it truly exemplifies and embodies their enduring excellence.

With his 500th home run, Sammy will forever be associated with baseball greats and has permanently secured his place in the record books, but he is so

much more than just one remarkable and incredible accomplishment. Time and time again, Sammy has proven on and off the field to be a source of pride, joy and jubilation for all the residents of the Dominican Republic, as well as all Latin Americans and all immigrants to the United States from around the globe.

His story is so familiar so hopeful for so many immigrants in this country, men and women who, like Sammy, come to the United States to work hard, to provide for their families and loved ones, so that they, too, can live a better and safer life.

And that, in addition to his 500 home runs, is why this resolution is so important, deserving and justified. Throughout history people have associated baseball with the strengths of American culture and equated the game with the best of our country's character and resolve.

At no time was this more evident than after the tragedy of September 11. Across the United States, ball parks hosted moving and emotional attributes to the fallen heroes of that dreadful and heart-wrenching day. And perhaps no image was more poignant or more touching than Sammy Sosa running the bases waving an American flag after hitting a home run.

Sometimes I believe it takes someone born elsewhere to sum up the most patriotic and powerful sentiments of our great Nation. No one loves and respects and admires America, their community or their profession more than Sammy Sosa.

Roberto Clemente once said, ``When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on Earth.'' Sammy has approached the game with that same passion and purpose, with that same excitement and enthusiasm. And in doing so, he has shown us just how potent the combination of discipline and dedication and desire can be. I think the comparison between Sammy and Roberto Clemente is fitting and appropriate. Roberto Clemente was such a model, such an example and such an inspiration to so many people; and Sammy instills and encourages that same desire and dedication, that same commitment to be better, to reach higher, to succeed despite the odds.

From his first home run off Roger Clemens in 1989 to today, Sammy has awed us with his ability and athletic prowess on the field and his dignity and selflessness off the field. He has embodied the team spirit, talent, exuberance, and determination that we associate with the very best qualities of sports. He has been able to do so under the most intense media scrutiny and public attention.

Throughout his record-breaking career, Sammy has consistently conducted himself with a level of modesty and humility that has been a source of motivation to people around the world. After his historic 500th home run, the standing ovations and the praise and accolades, Sammy stated, ``I'm very happy, very blessed. I've been working hard all my life to be where I am.''

Mr. Speaker, it is all of us that I believe are blessed. We are blessed to have men and women like Mr. Sosa to inspire our imaginations and to encourage us to make the most of our ambitions and our aspirations. From the child finding safety and sanctuary in a game of stickball in the heart of the inner city, to the dusty little league field in our most desolate and isolated countryside, countless young men and women can look at Sammy's accomplishments, at his fervor, and at his fortitude and say, I too can achieve, I too can dream, and I too can overcome obstacles. I too can break down barriers on the playing field, in the classroom, and indeed in life.

So today, Mr. Speaker, it is with great reverence and great respect that I say thank you, Sammy. Thank you for tearing down barriers for Latinos around the world. Thank you for being a role model and an inspiration; and thank you for letting us dream as big as our hearts will allow. And congratulations on this magnificent and memorable achievement. We look forward to another 500 home runs.