Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, middle class Americans are sick and tired; sick and tired of footing the bill so that rich-folk millionaires and billionaires can get another tax break.

The Republicans' proposed tax reform plan is nothing but a tax cut for rich folks. It translates to increasing taxes for the poor and middle class families in our country. That means that families already struggling to make ends meet will have a tougher time making that car note, that mortgage, and gaining nothing in return.

As a country, the GOP billionaire tax cut plan steals hundreds of billions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury. That means that we can't make crucial investments in infrastructure, job training, or research and development that would help give people a good-paying job.

Reducing our tax base also translates into cuts to popular programs like Medicare. You know how much everybody likes that.

The American people want tax reform, but not a plan that would literally jeopardize families' livelihoods. We must put middle class families first in this country, and the GOP tax plan fails to do that. We can and must do better for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour. Also, I want to acknowledge the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Mr. Cedric Richmond, from the State of Louisiana, and other Members who are here to participate. For the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to speak directly to the American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, the constituents that we all represent in our various districts.

For this particular Special Order hour, I am going to open it up and begin to talk about something that is very important and has been widely discussed within the Congressional Black Caucus, and that is civil rights and some of the things that we are worried about that are going on within the Justice Department.

We have several important Members here to speak on these. Before I go any further, I want to go ahead and recognize them. The first speaker we have is from the State of South Carolina, representing that State's Sixth Congressional District, and also our caucus' assistant leader. That is Mr. Jim Clyburn.

I thank Representative Clyburn for joining and being a part of this Special Order hour to talk about this subject matter that is very important to so many members of the Black Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn).

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) very much for his timely and very serious comments. I hope that all of the Members who are here on both sides of the aisle realize the seriousness of the comments. There is nothing humorous about them all, nothing to be smiling or laughing about. It is very timely in light of the unfortunate incident that happened with our colleague. I thank the gentleman very much for bringing that to light.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my fellow Texan from the 18th Congressional District in Houston. I thank very much

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee for joining us this evening. We look forward to the gentlewoman's words.

I thank my colleague from the 18th Congressional District for her comments.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my friend and classmate who represents the 10th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Newark, New Jersey, for his comments, and also to talk about the fact that I am glad that he mentioned Facebook, because one of the things that really surprised me was the fact that some of those ads were purchased in rubles, and no one seemed to notice that, seems absolutely amazing to me. And we need to, again, just continue to have this discussion and talk about these things, so I thank the gentleman very much for his comments tonight.

I yield to my friend and colleague from the great State of Michigan, representing the State's 14th Congressional District, Brenda Lawrence. Again, I want to thank Brenda for participating. She participates often in this hour, and I just really appreciate her comments. Her district appreciates the comments, her State, and our country, and I appreciate her joining us this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Lawrence for her comments, which are very timely in light of everything that is happening right now.

Mr. Speaker, before I close out, the one thing that I would like to make note of is that I think, with this COINTELPRO 2.0 that is going on right now, we should take this very seriously. And I just want to remind everybody that may be out here listening right now, we talk a lot about extremist groups. We talk a lot about alt-right and KKK and White supremacist groups, but one thing that we have to keep in mind is that, in the 1960s, when Dr. Martin Luther King came to town, he was not treated like he is now.

I hear so many people--conservatives, liberals, Democrats, and Republicans--talk about how much they admire and respect Dr. King, and rightfully so, because he earned the respect and the admiration that he has now, posthumously, in this country. I don't think that anyone would argue that. But if we could travel back in time to the 1960s, we will find that he was not that welcomed.

And let's just put aside the White supremacists. Let's put aside the alt-right. Let's put aside these hateful forces that, again, all of us agree on are bad people. But remember, when Dr. King came to some of these Southern towns in the 1960s, he was not welcomed. He was not welcomed by people at the Lions Club, people at the Elks Club, people at the First Baptist Church, people at the Methodist Church. People thought that Dr. King was bad, that he was stirring up trouble, that he was not ``keeping his place,'' and that he had come into these communities to stir up a lot of trouble.

And because regular, everyday people--again, not the Klan, not the White supremacists, just regular, everyday, tax-paying shopkeepers in these little Southern towns--these conservative individuals who represented all segments of our society thought that Dr. King was out of place for doing what he was doing, because of that, the Nation reacted. And one of those people who reacted against Dr. King, against Malcolm X, and against other organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SNCC, which was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and many, many others, they ran the domestic counterintelligence program that you have heard about tonight, this COINTELPRO, and it became a weapon that was used to spy on individuals.

We heard mentioned earlier that our colleague, Barbara Lee, was one of these people who was monitored. But this was happening to everyday African Americans who were just out there trying to make sure that we can vote and that our water fountains and our schools weren't segregated. And these regular town folk--again, the ones that weren't in the Klan, that were just good old folks that went to Sunday

school and went to church every Sunday--were trying to prevent this from happening, and J. Edgar Hoover stepped in and decided that he was going to discredit, disrupt, and neutralize these organizations, again, that were just trying to make sure that African Americans were no longer second-class citizens.

I think these groups and these organizations and these individuals that I mentioned earlier within the Black community that were willing to be part of that circle, I know that I would not be here serving had it not been for that surveillance that they endured, and I know that I would not be here today were it not for them putting their lives on the line, quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, because of that.

So what I would just like to say is it is important that we monitor everything that is coming out of the Justice Department in relation to any announcements that they are going to make about investigating these organizations that they disagree with politically because it is dangerous, and we don't want to go back to those times. We don't want to end up in a situation where the organization is doing any sort of domestic spying on people who are practicing their First Amendment rights of free speech.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire how much time is remaining on the clock.

Mr. Speaker, let me also, again, talk about, very briefly, some of the things that people are concerned about in regards to civil liberties during the Cold War. That is when the FBI started running a lot of these counterintelligence programs, and Dr. King was always very high on the list. That is what people are concerned about. Their concerns are concerns that are very warranted because of what happened.

I know that people always say: Well, those things happened a long, long time ago. But, in reality, there are people who serve with us in this body who, sadly, remember those days. So it didn't happen that long ago because they are still here, and they are still active, very healthy members of society. They weren't Members of Congress back then, but they are now, and they saw this up front. They saw this in a very personal way, and that is important.

Also, one of the things that was mentioned earlier by Representative Payne from Newark, New Jersey, was the fact about social media. Social media has been very convenient. It has helped spawn new wealth in this country. It has brought us together like never before, but it can also tear us apart if we let it.

We have to be very serious when we have a foreign entity, a foreign country that doesn't like America, that doesn't like our values, and they have been very open and blatant in saying that you can't have a multicultural society that exists. We need to take that threat very seriously.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) so she can tell her story, and I thank her for joining us this evening.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 32 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a community trailblazer, father, husband, and man of God, the Reverend Dr. A.V. Fisher.

The Reverend Dr. A.V. Fisher was born the sixth of seven children to Essie J. and Corine Caraway Fisher in 1933 in Marshall County, Texas. After graduating from Pemberton High School, Reverend Fisher forged his own path to become the first male student to graduate Cosmetology at Valarie Hurd Beauty College. In 1958, Reverend Fisher brought his expertise and work ethic to Fort Worth where he opened his first beauty salon. Reverend Fisher immediately transformed the salon into a community icon that caught the attention of Ebony and Beauty Trade Magazines, ranking him as one of the Top 100 Beauty Operators in the United States. The Texas Legislature joined their high praise by honoring Reverend Fisher for 50 years as a Hair Stylist and Beauty Owner.

Following his successful barbershop career, Reverend Fisher decided to embark on a new chapter of this life by transitioning into ministry. He entered the Gospel Ministry in 1963 under the spiritual guidance of Reverend James Warren and Dr. M.R. Lester, and later became pastor of the Salem Missionary Baptist Church. As a Reverend, Dr. Fisher has welcomed hundreds to his church; baptized many, ordained over 300 deacons, and installed over 200 preachers as pastors all over the United States. Additionally, Reverend Fisher's service did not waiver. He founded the Black Pastor's Association, coordinated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service and Prayer Breakfast for 30 years, and helped found the East Fort Worth Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. Reverend Fisher graduated from the New World Bible Institute, and has received numerous awards including an honorary doctorate. He has preached all across the United States and the Bahamas.

Reverend Dr. A.V. Fisher passed away on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 and is survived by his wife, Verdell Knighten, and their three beautiful daughters, Avis Michelle, Ava LaNell, and Adrain Van.

I honor and celebrate the life of a dedicated community servant, Reverend Dr. A.V. Fisher.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Mid- Cities Texas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated as they are awarded the 2017 Community Service Award from the Pro-Duffers Foundation for their work to promote programs that provide services to protect, enhance and enrich the educational, economic, cultural and social aspects of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The Links was chartered on April 20, 1985 and has since expanded its association to 280 chapters worldwide with more than 14,000 predominantly African-American members globally. Led by President Billie Hawkins, the Mid-Cities Texas Chapter of The Links boasts a coalition of 50 professional women focused on a commitment to community, comradery, and communication. To commemorate their 30th anniversary, the Mid-Cities Chapter donated $30,000 to six local charities whose mission, vision and work in the community aligned with the service focus areas of the chapter: services to youth, the arts, health and human services, and removing barriers for national and international African American leadership development.

In years past, the Mid-Cities Texas Chapter collaborated with The University of Texas at Arlington and The University of Dallas to develop programs encouraging K-12 students to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The organization is also responsible for organizing Project ALERT (Alzheimer's Link to Education, Research and Treatment) with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center helping educating African-Americans about the disease and the importance of participating in clinical trials. Additionally, the Mid- Cities chapter established the Sallye Moore Scholarship Funding, awarding more than 30 four-year college scholarships to graduating seniors, and funded school construction in South Africa among other service projects aimed at empowering the African diasporic community.

I honor the Mid-Cities Chapter of The Links, a dedicated community service organization

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the United Court of the Lone Star Empire (UCLSE) in celebration of over 40 years of service to the Dallas LGBTQ community.

The UCLSE is a chapter of the International Court System, one of the largest LGBTQ organizations in the United States. In 1986, the UCLSE hosted its first coronation and has since worked tirelessly to serve those in the Dallas Community affected by HIV/AIDS.

Members of the UCLSE have fiercely served the LGBTQ community by addressing the needs of those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Due to the work of fearless LGBTQ advocacy groups, like the UCLSE, they have made a long lasting impact on the local community. UCLSE serves to ensure that Americans of any sexual orientation are treated fairly, are granted equal access to healthcare, and retain equal protection of their rights under the law.

The generosity of the UCLSE extends not only to those fighting HIV/ AIDS in North Texas, but also includes a host of other organizations across the country. UCLSE beneficiaries include the Aids Interfaith Network, Aids Services of Dallas, the Greg Dollgener Memorial Aids Fund, the Sharon St. Cyr Fund, the Legacy Founders Cottage and Counseling Center, and the Resource Nutrition Program.

Over the past 40 years, the UCLSE has raised over $500,000 for its charity partners in the Dallas area. In addition to its efforts, the UCLSE also supports other local organizations with similar missions and endeavors through collaborative community efforts.

The UCLSE will honor the work of its inspirational members in October 2017 at its XLIII annual coronation in Dallas, Texas.

I honor the United Court of the Lone Star Empire, an institution of the Dallas and Texas LGBTQ community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi) for yielding. He has done a great job of really making Congress aware and the American public aware of just how important the Jones Act is to our country.

There have been a lot of misconceptions out there, a lot of reports on the news that were just quick to pick up on a sound bite. But the fact of the matter is, when you talk about trade, when you talk about taxes, labor, and other things that you have added, national security, it is the Jones Act that is keeping all of those things going strong in America. I just really appreciate the gentleman doing that.

When we talk about middle class jobs in this country, there has been a lot of talk in this country about how we have lost a lot of middle class jobs over the last 20 years.

These jobs, because of the Jones Act, have been protected, and we need to make sure that we keep those jobs here in America going strong.

I am so glad that the gentleman also cleared up the confusion about what was really going on in relation to Puerto Rico, that American ships were doing what they were supposed to be doing, and that there were other issues on why people weren't getting supplies. The American public needs to know that.

When the gentleman starts talking about minimum wage, middle class wages, obviously, the Merchant Marines, the mariners out there who work on these cargo and container ships, help keep that middle class strong in America.

One of the reasons why they are able to do that is because many of those jobs related to the Jones Act, as the gentleman knows, are union jobs. The people who run those unions work very hard to make sure people have good wages and that they have good benefits so they can take care of their families and be able to send them to college.

As the gentleman knows, I have talked with the gentleman before, and he heard Representative Boyle earlier, who is also the co-chair of the Blue Collar Caucus, talk about how important these issues are to us, and I know as well as Mr. Garamendi and everyone else within our caucus.

I just want to point this out very briefly. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, unionized workers are compared to their nonunionized counterparts in showing that their wages are 14 percent higher on average. Again, if you have jobs that are paying 14 percent higher on average, we need to protect those jobs because we want people to have more spending power to be able to make our economy strong and great, not less spending power.

The union wage premium is even larger for some demographic groups that, on average, receive lower pay, including workers of color and those without a college education. According

to the Center for American Progress Action Fund, unions increase workers' benefits really substantially. Ninety-four percent of union workers have access to retirement benefits while only 65 percent of nonunion workers do.

As the gentleman knows, we discuss Social Security in this Chamber quite often, and how we are going into our retirement years and whether or not we are going to be able to take care of ourselves when we are no longer able to perform certain physical functions is obviously something that is very important.

Union workers are 28 percent more likely to have health insurance and pay a lower share of premiums for it. They are also 54 percent more likely to have a retirement plan than nonunion workers at workplaces. Union women in the United States are more likely to take parental leave, which is also more likely to be paid.

Again, whether it is the Jones Act or Davis-Bacon, we need to make sure that in this country we keep these jobs going strong and that we keep the conversation going in that direction.

Again, I just want to thank the gentleman for the work that he has done to raise awareness on this issue. We need to continue to talk about this just so the American public understands just how important this is to our economy and to our society as we continue to grow our workforce into the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I work to ensure that our service members receive all the resources they need when they volunteer to defend the United States. But it is important that Congress not only provides them with support during their service, but in the years after they faithfully executed their duties as a member of the Armed Services. That is why I rise today to address the epidemic of veteran suicide in our country.

September is recognized as ``National Suicide Awareness Month'' and currently our veterans are suffering from a substantially higher rate of suicide than the general population. According to a 2014 report by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 20 veterans take their lives every day, a rate that is 150 percent greater than the general population. Although the VA has dedicated a significant amount of effort and resources to address veteran suicide, the fact remains that of the 20 average veteran suicides that occur on a daily basis, 14 were not utilizing VA services. As the 2016 VA report ``Suicide Among Veterans and Other Americans'' explains, up to 22 percent of Post-9/11 veterans have depression disorders, and up to 43 percent of all struggle with symptoms of mental health issues, such as drinking excessively, smoking, and/or sleeplessness. In addition, female veterans and those living in rural areas face a higher risk of suicide and we must address the barriers to care for these populations.

It is clear that we must extend more resources to help our veterans and prevent the unnecessary loss of life. The VA's 2016 study and upgrading crisis hotlines are steps in the right direction, fully addressing veteran suicide remains a complex issue that will require a multi-faceted approach. But their suffering does not have to continue and we must reverse the trend of veteran suicide.

Raising awareness about the issue begins in Congress, but every day citizens can also join in the effort year-round. Moreover, the effort to raise awareness about veteran suicide will have benefits across our society as a whole, contributing to the de-stigmatization of mental health issues. It is no secret that the stigma surrounding mental health prevents many veterans from obtaining care for these issues, forcing our country's heroes and heroines to suffer in silence. De- stigmatizing mental health care is critical to open up dialogue about a pervasive issue and provides opportunities for treatment and prevention of suicide. In addition, Congress must provide the VA with additional resources so that they better serve the female and rural veteran population with child care services and extensions of specialized care to remote, rural areas. We must continue to support innovation within the VA so that the agency will be more willing to embrace new approaches to treatment, such as canine service animals, art and outdoor therapies.

It goes without saying that we owe our veterans a tremendous debt for their service to our nation in defense of the freedoms we all enjoy. In return, we must care for them as a demonstration of our nation's core values. Raising awareness of the suicide epidemic and de-stigmatizing care throughout society, in addition to embracing innovative modes of therapy and furthering the VA's outreach will go a long way to honoring the service of veterans' to our nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in ensuring that we address the veteran suicide epidemic immediately.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Texas Military Department for their outstanding response and service to the state in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas Military Department is a unique force comprised of the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, the Texas State Guard and the Domestic Operations Task Force. With little notice, Texas National and State Guard forces mobilized to participate in search and rescue missions, provide vital first aid, and assist in transportation and distribution support to the storm-ravaged areas of the Lone Star State. The 12,000 soldiers of the Texas National Guard are fully mobilized and completely engaged in operations serving Texans in need.

Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, the Texas National Guard has performed more than 16,000 rescues and evacuated more than 7,400 people and 1,000 animals They also ensured that the immediate needs of Texas residents were met by setting up over 30 points of distribution for food, water, and other vital commodities between Beaumont and Corpus Christi. There are 35 active Texas State Guard Shelter teams sheltering more than 8,000 evacuees at 13 shelters across the state and the Texas National Guard assisted in setting up three evacuation hubs. Rescue efforts have involved over 400 vehicles ranging from Humvees and troop transport vehicles to re-fuelers and wreckers. The Texas National Guard also deployed its 16 aircraft fleet to support rescue operations all along the coast, including numerous Blackhawk, Lakota, and Chinook helicopters.

Not only have Texas' military forces proved crucial during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth located in my district continues to play a critical role in the relief effort. The base housed a massive influx of aircraft that was evacuated ahead of the storm in order to avoid damage to critical military weaponry. It also became a rallying point for military and other first responders from all over the country to organize recovery efforts. I cannot stress enough the importance of this strategic base and its role in providing a swift response during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas Military Department's dedication to working around the clock in incredibly challenging conditions and its demonstrated ability to integrate seamlessly with active duty military troops, first responders, and the myriad of volunteers in the midst of one of the worst natural disasters to affect Texas is truly an embodiment of their motto of ``Texans Serving Texas.''

The Texas Military Department's response to Hurricane Harvey complimented federal efforts and the countless Texans who rose to the challenge of helping their fellow Texans during their time of need. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a native Texan, I could not be more proud of my state's response during one of the worst natural disasters to ever affect Texas.

I honor the Texas Military Department and the countless first responders who answered the call for help from their fellow Texans.

Mr. Speaker, DREAMers are bright, hardworking people who simply want to live in peace and contribute to the only country they know as home. They worship in our churches, serve as teachers and nurses in our schools and hospitals, and some even defend our country in the military.

Additionally, every DACA recipient passed extensive background checks

and came forward to register with the Federal Government. There is no security reason that DREAMers should not stay and continue contributing to our community and our local economies. There is no way to disguise that their deportation would just be the worst of what our country is all about. We have to protect them.

Being Members of Congress, it is so important that we step up, that we answer the call, and that we offer these young people the opportunity to continue to stay in our country, continue to work, go to school, and contribute so much because they have already given our country so much.

I urge my Republican colleagues to work with House Democrats to immediately pass the Dream Act. It is the only way we can provide peace of mind to nearly 150,000 DACA recipients in my home State of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Sheila Earline Baker, a generous and warm member of the Fort Worth community who passed away on Monday, August 28, 2017, following a courageous battle with breast cancer.

Sheila was born on August 30, 1950 to her parents Herbert and Ruth Baker, and was the third of five Baker Girls. A longtime resident of Fort Worth, Sheila graduated from I.M. Terrell High School where her energy and spirit shined as a cheerleader for her school. Following her graduation from I.M. Terrell High School, Sheila attended Huston- Tillotson College in Austin, Texas.

Sheila lived in Los Angeles for 20 years where she worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield before moving up in responsibility from an administrative assistant to a supervisor and trainer. She never met a stranger she didn't instantly connect with and had countless friends around the local DFW area.

Sheila was committed to serving her community. She was an active member of the Baker Chapel AME, serving as a class leader, greeter, usher, missionary and part of the Membership and Evangelism and Social Action Commissions. Sheila's passion for photography assisted her as she took on the role of resident photographer for Baker Chapel and consistently chronicled church activities and programs. In addition, Sheila worked on the Commission for Social Action in Fort Worth and served on the board of Tarrant Churches Together, assisting with the MLK Day of Service. She was actively involved with the Stephen Stallworth Scholarship Foundation, an avid supporter of the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and worked fiercely in support of the homeless, school children, and breast cancer survivors.

Most importantly, Sheila was her family's historian and her daughter, Ashley Hayes', biggest cheerleader and supporter. Sheila's spirit of service is greatly reflected upon Ashley, who proudly serves as the Legislative Director in my Washington, D.C. office.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Sheila Earline Baker, whose warm and generous heart touched many lives. I offer my condolences and deepest sympathy to those who loved her: mother, Ruth Munchus Baker; sisters, Ruth ``Cookie'' Baker; nieces and nephews, Eric (Linda), Ronald, Lisa (Sean), Misty (Carl), Keosha, Monique (Lemond) and Michelle (Jonathan); Godson, Andre' C. Dennis; dear friend, Cynthia Hicks Brown; several generations of other nephews and nieces; other family members and many friends. Among those are her beloved daughter, Ashley Hayes and her husband Michael.

I honor Sheila Earline Baker, a spirited member of the Fort Worth and Texas community.

Mr. Speaker, I was privileged to see something very special back in December of 1995 in Texas high school sports history.

Now, before you think this is a story of ``Friday Night Lights,'' it is not. This happened on the hardwood court of the Wilkerson Greines Activity Center in southeast Fort Worth. Four coaching legends on the court, all with 1,000 wins each: Morgan Wooten of DeMatha Catholic High School; Ralph Tasker, Hobbs High in New Mexico; Bill Kruger of Clear Lake High School just outside of Houston; and Coach Robert Hughes, Sr., of Dunbar High School located in Stop Six, Texas. They squared off in an extraordinary basketball game.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that of these four coaching legends, Coach Hughes has the most wins with over 1,300 victories.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Friday September 8, will mark another special moment in basketball history for Coach Hughes as he is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Growing up in Fort Worth and having lived part of my childhood in Stop Six, I knew of Coach Hughes at a very young age. He was a legend before he retired. He is and was a master basketball strategist, coach, mentor to the boys he coached and the most prominent ambassador for high school sports in the State of Texas.

When you would go to a Dunbar basketball game and watch Coach Hughes work his craft, you ended up watching Coach Hughes as much as you watched the action on the floor. I saw this as a player that not only played against Coach Hughes, but also as a spectator and a fan for many, many years.

Hughes and his longtime trusted assistant, Leonadas Rambo, fielded some great teams to rack up over 1,300 victories. These wins were racked up at Dunbar High School and I.M. Terrell High School, which was shut down after desegregation.

Coach Hughes would pace the floor while his teams ran up and down the court at a swift pace. He usually gave them lots of latitude when they made mistakes that he felt could have been avoided by using better judgment. It didn't matter if you were the star point guard or the sixth man, he would stand up from the bench--and Coach Hughes always had his jacket unbuttoned--and with a look of disapproval on his face that was unmistakable, he would look down the bench--and I am going to say he would look down the bench with his signature look of tough love--and you knew that you were being pulled out of the game. There wasn't anything that your mom or dad could do for you.

That was the type of coach that Coach Hughes was. Coach Hughes earned the dedication of his players because of the excellence that he expected each and every day.

I will never forget in one Whataburger Basketball Tournament in Fort Worth when Dunbar was playing Oak Hill Academy from Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Oak Hill had at least five or six guys that were all over 6 foot 8, three of whom went on to major Division I careers at the University of Virginia and Kansas.

Everybody at the gym that night, because Coach Hughes didn't have anybody over 6 foot 5, 6 foot 6, thought that Coach Hughes was outmatched. But with superior rebounding, patience, and good shot selection, Dunbar won the game. I was there, and I vividly remember the audience being shocked, but inspired, by the victory. But no one should have been surprised.

Once a reporter asked Coach Hughes who his favorite NBA player was, and it surprised everybody when he said Larry Bird was his favorite player. The reason why: he liked Larry's legendary rebounding, fundamentals, blocking out, scoring, the type of things that may not have been fancy but led to victories.

But that is who Coach Hughes was. That was the kind of excellence Robert Hughes brought to coaching Fort Worth ISD and boys basketball in the State of Texas. And due to that fierce competitive streak in Coach Hughes' Dunbar teams, they always made the playoffs.

I will never forget one day Coach Hughes was quoted in the paper saying that the people who worked in the neighborhood, who worked at the various jobs around town, at General Motors, Miller Brewery, and Lockheed, they would always save up their vacation time so they can go to the quarterfinals and regional games in Midland, because everybody knew that Dunbar was at least going that far. And he could say that because it was true, and his teams could back it up.

I will never forget one year when Dunbar didn't make it that far and Coach Hughes shared his scouting report with another school. I believe it was Southwest High School. He shared his scouting report with the coach from Southwest of the team they were getting ready to take on in the playoffs because he felt that at least the other team in the Fort Worth Independent School District should have the chance to advance. That is the kind of class act he was on the court and he still is off the court today.

The men that he made, Mr. Speaker, his former players include current winning high school basketball coaches and one of the top all-time assist leaders in high school and college sports history, James Cash, an I.M. Terrell graduate who was the first Black player in the Southwest Conference who went on to become the chair of the Harvard MBA program.

In a State known for its Friday night lights, Mr. Speaker, there is not a single other person in high school sports who exemplifies this like Coach Hughes.

Mr. Speaker, I am humbled with the opportunity to recognize the next member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Coach Robert Hughes. Congratulations, Coach Hughes.

Go Wildcats. Go I.M. Terrell.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Robert Hughes, local Fort Worth legend, for helping to bridge the divide of the segregated basketball community in Texas and for his commitment to developing all-star athletes on and off the court.

Robert Hughes was born May 15, 1928 as the youngest of five brothers. A phenomenal man who served our country during the Korean War, Coach Hughes is widely recognized for his successful basketball career. Hughes played college basketball at Texas Southern University. In 1955, he was drafted to the Boston Celtics, but instead played for the Harlem Magicians. During his time with the Harlem Magicians, Coach Hughes ruptured his Achilles tendon and began his legendary coaching career.

From 1958 to 1973, Hughes coached the then-segregated Fort Worth I.M. Terrell High School basketball team, with an astonishing record of 378- 84. The I.M. Terrell team played in the Prairie View Interscholastic League

(PVIL). Hughes won three PVIL championships and placed second during two more tournaments during his time at Terrell. When public schools desegregated in 1973, I.M. Terrell was closed and Hughes forged an impressive career at Fort Worth Dunbar High School.

Coach Hughes remained at Fort Worth Dunbar until he retired in 2005 with an astonishing overall career record of 1,333-264. He had the most wins in the entire nation until recently when Coach Leta Andrews surpassed his record. During his 47 seasons at Dunbar, Coach Hughes led his teams to victory while also transforming the lives of thousands of students. As a coach, he broke the racial divide and bridged the gap between communities. For 50 years, the Southwest Conference denied entry to African-American high school athletes. Coach Hughes navigated around the prejudiced policies and created relationships with the Big Ten, Pacific 8 and Missouri Valley Conferences so that all of his players could be offered the same opportunities as their white counterparts.

In February 2015, Coach Hughes' career was commemorated in a feature- length documentary about his career called ``Relentless''. The film captured the accomplishments of Hughes and his impact on the Texas basketball community.

Today, we recognize Robert Hughes for his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Coach Hughes will join the more than three hundred inductees in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and finally inducted during the weekend of September 7, 2017.

I honor Coach Robert Hughes, a pillar of the Fort Worth and Texas athletic community

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Fort Worth Association of Federated Women's Clubs (FWAFWC) for its 100 years of service to Fort Worth and the greater Tarrant County community.

The FWAFWC was founded in 1917 with Mrs. Fannie Mae Connally-Winn serving as the first president of the organization. Mrs. Winn created the organization because she wanted the ``colored'' women of Fort Worth to have the opportunity to be known for their service throughout the community. The organization has lived up to its founding mission and grown substantially over the decades.

The FWAFWC continues its commitment to ensuring that African-American women are aware of their civic duties, social issues in the community, family health matters, and the importance of educating youth for a better future. As part of their mission, FWAFWC members volunteer for the Annual Prom Dress Give Away each year and collect hundreds of donated items for local high school girls.

Additionally, FWAFWC has sponsored an annual cotillion for over 10 years, which provides young ladies with the skills to be successful later in life. The Cotillion also serves as a scholarship fundraiser event aimed at empowering young women to pursue their higher education aspirations. Along with volunteering throughout the community, the group makes monetary donations to numerous local charities and community service organizations throughout the year, including a $500 college scholarship to graduating African American high school seniors.

I honor the Fort Worth Association of Federated Women's Clubs and its century of service to the Fort Worth and Tarrant County community.

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 subject of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is great to be here with you this evening and to talk about a very important topic.

Before I get into the topic of this hour, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour with my dear friend, Delegate Stacey Plaskett from the Virgin Islands, and also acknowledge our CBC chair, the Honorable Cedric Richmond from the great State of Louisiana.

For the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to speak directly to the American people on issues of grea importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congress, the constituents that we represent, and all Americans on this very important issue of voter suppression.

Before I go into my remarks, Mr. Speaker, we do have some colleagues here that would like to also speak about this very timely and important topic.

There have been many developments that have occurred over the last week dealing with commissions that are being formed out of the White House to help aid in voter suppression and other things that have been very troubling.

So I am going to ask for the first speaker to rise, and that would be my colleague, also from the great State of Texas, from Harris County and the city of Houston, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, who has been very thoughtful and been a great voice on expanding the rights to vote of all Americans. I thank Representative Jackson Lee for taking the time during this hour to come out and talk about this very important topic.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow Texan and colleague for her timely remarks. I think the American public really would be interested in what she talked about with the criminal background history that this Commission wants.

I know that there are a lot of people--both Democrats and Republicans, quite frankly, people of all political stripes--that made mistakes when they were younger and now maybe they go and vote. They are good Americans. They assimilate themselves into society. They have learned from their mistakes, and they would be very disturbed to know that this sort of information about something that they did when they were 21 years old and now they are 40-something years old, they would be very disturbed to know that this type of information was being collected. I thank her for raising that issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my friend, to also speak on this issue. I thank him for taking the time to come out here today and share some of the concerns that he has.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, particularly for pointing out about the

hands that built this building. That is something that is not widely known, that the hands that built this building were not hands of free men but hands of slaves that built this building that we stand under today, that people come and admire from all around the world, and we admire this building as a symbol of freedom. But the hands that built it were not free hands.

And of course what followed emancipation in this country--Jim Crow, voter suppression, and all of those things--once we finally got past the late sixties and seventies, to see some of that coming back again is very, very disturbing, and I want to thank him for his timely comments on that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty). I thank her spending so much time here on the House floor working the Special Order hour, and particularly when it comes to the thing that we are so worried about right now, which is the voter suppression commission.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Beatty. I really appreciate her participating again and her comments, and we are going to take her call and continue to push on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite my friend and colleague up from the great State of Pennsylvania, Representative Dwight Evans, to also speak about this subject. Of course, throughout the history of African Americans, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania have played a very critical role. I am glad that my colleague from Pennsylvania is stepping up and speaking about this very timely issue of voter suppression in the wake of Shelby County.

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments and appreciate him taking time out to talk about this very critical announcement.

As soon as everyone in the Black community, Black communities around the country, and elected officials around the country who are concerned about voter suppression and other tools and tactics that have been used to suppress the African-American vote, we went to action, and I appreciate that the gentleman was one of the first people to step up and appreciate his participation tonight.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who was not able to make it here this evening, will be including a statement in the Record. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas and is my next-door neighbor. She represents Dallas and the southern suburbs of Dallas. I appreciate her weighing in on this topic as well.

Mr. Speaker, the foundation of American democracy is that, no matter who you are, we are all equal once we step into that voting booth. And the courage that has been displayed by brave foot soldiers who risked and, in some cases, gave their lives to guarantee that constitutional promise was fulfilled must never be forgotten, and this is really important to point out.

I mean, we have Representative John Lewis, who is a hero of the civil rights movement. But I always encourage people to watch the documentary, ``Eyes on the Prize'' so they can see how people were treated, how people were treated by law enforcement, how people were treated by people who were in positions of power, people who were active in the community, people who belonged to the Lions Club, belonged to the Elks Club, the way they treated people who were simply trying to register to vote.

There is one scene that I will never forget; it was about a woman who was trying to go and vote, and she was being kicked and shoved and hit and knocked to the ground by law enforcement in Alabama for simply trying to exercise her right to vote that was given to her in the early 1900s when women in this country were finally given the right of suffrage.

It is really in their memory that Congress originally passed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. And for years, both Republicans and Democrats reauthorized the Voting Rights Act, agreeing that equal access to the polls must be preserved for generations to come.

But sadly, Mr. Speaker, in 2013, that tradition dramatically changed. The Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder struck down section 4 of the Voting Rights Act and made Congress responsible for updating the VRA. The Court has left it to Congress to create a new formula for determining which States and other jurisdictions should be discovered under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to ensure protection against discrimination.

But 4 years later, we can confidently say that the Supreme Court ruling set into motion what most of us feared--that minorities and low- income Americans would have to face unfair and punitive barriers from exercising their most basic right as American citizens, and that is the right to vote.

In the years since the Shelby County decision, Republican legislatures nationwide have been in power to unleash an avalanche of purposely restrictive laws that have been aimed to keep, again, mostly Black and Latino voters away from the poll. Even when you do discovery and when you look into why these laws were passed by State legislatures, it is clear what the intent was.

It is a tactic that the Republican Party has indirectly endorsed, since they believe that trying to earn the vote of the growing minority population, that they would rather keep them away from the polls altogether.

Prior to Shelby, States with a history of voter suppression and discriminatory practices were required to preclear any changes in their election laws with the Department of Justice prior to enactment. But now, in the absence of an updated VRA, States no longer require the DOJ's approval.

I want to talk about my own State, the State of Texas, which has really served as an incubator for the suppressive tactics that Republicans nationwide have been eager to enact for years. I saw this up close and personal in the 8 years that I spent in the Texas Legislature, where I saw Texas Republicans enact SB 14, which severely restricted the types of IDs that voters could bring to the polls in order to cast the ballot. Texas Republicans claimed that limiting acceptable IDs would prevent widespread in-person voter fraud. As vice chair of the Voter Identification and Voter Fraud Select Committee in the Texas state house, I witnessed how Texas Republicans failed to produce any piece of evidence to prove that massive voter impersonation was occurring statewide.

Hearing after hearing--you can go back and look at the record, going back to 2005--I and my other colleagues who served on the committee and who were concerned about some of the voter suppression tactics asked the question: Show us evidence that voter suppression is taking place. We have time here during this legislative session.

That was what we would ask over and over again, and not one person could bring any evidence that this had happened.

Their flawed argument justified limiting voter IDs and instead favored an approach that would exclude student IDs but actually say that it was okay to use a concealed handgun license as a form of ID.

What is interesting about that is that these student IDs, campus law enforcement, which, in the State of Texas, where I am from, again, if a kid has alcohol or if someone is roaming around campus and the police need to be able to verify who they are and identify them, that student ID that is issued by a State university in the State of Texas serves as ID for law enforcement personnel on those campuses to be able to verify whether that student is, in fact, who they are and belongs on that campus. That same ID, again, that is issued by the State of Texas could not be used to go and vote. It just doesn't make any sense.

When the law was enacted, of course, the DOJ blocked the measure. However, hours after the Shelby decision, Governor Perry enacted Texas' restrictive voter ID law. I became a named plaintiff in the case because I knew that, despite Republicans' claims that the law would disproportionately disenfranchise Latino and African-American voters-- the State's own estimates showed that it would potentially disenfranchise over 600,000 Texans who are registered but do not have one of the required forms of ID. And there are lots of different reasons why people may or may not have an ID.

If they were born in a foreign country and they are now American citizens, they may have a hard time getting access to some of those documents. They may not have the money

or the transportation to go to the county that they were born in to be able to get the documents that they need in order to get one of these IDs. Again, there are costs and there are transportation and geographic barriers that may take place.

You may have people who were born in the country by midwives, and they are particularly African-American baby boomers and older that migrated from places like Longview, Texas; Marshall, Texas; Tyler, Texas, and they weren't really even raised in those cities. They were raised in smaller towns outside of those cities and they may not have those proper forms of ID.

Remember, segregation was very rampant back then in Texas, and many people were born by midwives, were born in their houses and what have you. There are variations of spellings of last names. I have that in my own family. There are just so many other examples of that.

I am proud to report that two Federal courts, including the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is easily considered by most to be the most conservative appeals court in the country, have found the law to be discriminatory in its intent and its effect. Despite this victory, we knew that Texas was only the beginning. We have heard about so many other laws around the country that exclude people from being able to register to vote unless they have a passport, or unless they have their birth certificate, which makes it almost impossible for nonprofits to set up a table at a busy grocery store, for instance, on a Saturday and do any sort of voter registration. There are just all sorts of issues out there. There are organizations like King Street Patriots, for instance, that pride themselves on their ability to try to suppress the minority vote. Again, Texas was only the beginning. And, sadly, Mr. Speaker, unless we can find a new way to come together to do what is right when it comes to suffrage in this country, it seems like this is going to be something that we have to fight for a long time.

Now, sadly, I am ashamed to say that our President has also taken a page out of the Republican playbook and has begun to perpetuate the same myths about widespread voter fraud that, sadly, we have been fighting since the Reconstruction era, Mr. Speaker. Very, very, very sad.

Nearly 3 months after winning the Presidency, President Trump could not handle the fact that, despite winning the Presidency, he lost the popular vote. An unsatisfied with the results, President Trump does what he does best: he went to Twitter to blame his unpopularity on widespread voter fraud.

And, worse, now he has created this Presidential commission on election integrity. It is a sham commission that will, no doubt, work to justify claims that elections are being compromised by our own citizens and serve as a catalyst to continue the wave of voter suppression and intimidation that we have witnessed across this country.

I am proud that the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Asian Pacific American Caucus have all gotten together to introduce legislation to ensure that not a single dollar from the taxpayers is spent towards this phony commission.

Again, I think that everybody should be concerned about this commission. Any commission that wants to gather private information on citizens, put it in a database, information that--quite frankly, mistakes that people made back when they were in college. There are a lot of people out there that I know, that I went to high school and college with, people that I have known around the Fort Worth and Dallas community for a long time, all around the State of Texas, they made mistakes when they were younger. Maybe it was a DWI. Maybe it was some other sort of issue, but they have assimilated themselves back into society. They are working. They are paying taxes. And the fact that this database would want to take the mistakes that they made in their youth and put them in this database and to look at whether or not they are committing some sort of fraud is just something that--again, doesn't matter if you are Democrat or Republican, there are a lot of people out there who made mistakes when they were younger. It is just awful that this could come back to haunt them.

The fact is that the voter fraud myth has been debunked by various reputable research organizations, including the ACLU, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Campaign Legal Center, and the Pew Research Center, to name a few. But that has not changed the fact that Republicans and now our President want to turn back the clock on voting rights. It is really sad, Mr. Speaker.

The commission recently requested sensitive voter information as part of their fake investigation, and we are already seeing the effects. Out of fear of having their Social Security, voting history, party affiliation, again, their criminal background history that I talked about in a concentrated voter base, news sources have already reported voters deregistering to vote. That is sad because that is exactly the type of voter intimidation that Republicans want to nationalize.

House Republicans have purposely dragged their feet on updating the VRA and ignored their duty to uphold the Constitution and ensure the sacred right of all Americans to be able to cast their vote.

Even as these courts begin to rule against the purposely prejudiced tactics of these GOP State legislatures, it is up to us to bring our voices together and lift the veil on their true intentions. It is our duty now to stand up against these discriminatory practices that are being implemented nationwide, because the President's sham commission will have its first meeting this Wednesday, and we have to send one message loud and clear: We will not allow voter suppression to become normal. We have to make that clear.

I thank my colleagues for working alongside me in this fight, because every member of the Congressional Black Caucus is talking about this in their district when they are going back, townhalls, various other events that are out and about in their respective areas that they represent around our country to let them know what is in store.

I have got to tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am confident that we will once again be able to ensure that the sacred right to vote is not denied to a single American. It has been overcome a lot. We are going to continue to overcome this, just like we have after the Reconstruction era, like we did in the 1960s, and we are going to fight this all the way until we get the fairness that we want.

I want to remind everybody that there is going to be a voter suppression forum tomorrow that members of the Congressional Black Caucus, along with the House Judiciary Democrats, will host on this very topic, voter suppression in the wake of Shelby County, which is the name of the Special Order that we are working on right now. And Members will hear from Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and others about the President's voter fraud commission and the bipartisan backlash that it is facing. The forum will be live-streamed on the House Judiciary Democrats' Facebook page. I invite all Americans to join in this very important and crucial conversation that is going to be taking place on Wednesday.

I thank everybody again that came out to participate for this Special Order hour on voter suppression in the wake of what happened in Shelby County.

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