Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5662) to amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to the offense of stalking, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the STALKERS Act of 2010 makes a number of changes in the United States Code with respect to the offense of stalking. It clarifies, strengthens, and enhances the current law.

First it allows law enforcement to intervene in cases where a victim may not be aware of the seriousness of the threat before it's too late. The existing statute requires a person have reasonable fear of bodily injury or to undergo emotional distress. These injuries are difficult to demonstrate, often frustrating both victims and prosecutors.

H.R. 5662 addresses this problem by permitting law enforcement to intervene in any event of stalking that might reasonably be expected to cause another person serious emotional distress. This small change will go a long way towards both effective law enforcement and justice for victims.

Second, the bill reaches criminals who make use of new technologies to stalk their victims. It extends the law to any course of conduct in or substantially affecting interstate commerce, which will apply to cyberstalking, acts of surveillance and other forms of stalking that employ emerging technologies.

Third, the bill takes several steps towards more effective enforcement of the Federal stalking statute and other

stalking laws. It increases the maximum term of imprisonment by 5 years if a criminal violates a protection order or if the victim is under the age of 18 or over the age of 65.

The bill also requires the Attorney General to conduct a annual study of best practices and enforcement of stalking laws nationwide. In short, this legislation updates current law to target the full range of behavior that stalkers direct towards their victims. It will help law enforcement seek justice, help victims seek closure, and increase protections of the most vulnerable amongst us.

I want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for her hard work and advocacy on behalf of victims of stalking. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to a strong advocate for victims of stalking, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).

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

I want to thank my colleague from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) for his support and the gentlelady from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for her strong advocacy on behalf of victims of stalking. I hope that we will pass the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5827) to amend title 11 of the United States Code to include firearms in the types of property allowable under the alternative provision for exempting property from the estate, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield all of the time to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri), and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control the time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In 1990, then-President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. It was the most significant federal civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both signed by President Lyndon Johnson. And overall it has been a tremendous success.

The ADA was enacted to protect individuals with disabilities from being discriminated against in employment, public entities and transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications. It created a promise of inclusion and equal opportunity, so that all Americans can live up to their full potential, encouraging and enabling individuals with disabilities to participate in the social and economic fabric of American life. As a result of the ADA, millions more people with disabilities are working, living independently, and actively using public accommodations that so many of us take for granted.

But it was not the first legislation to do so.

Mr. Speaker, in the early 1980s, when I was a member of the Virginia General Assembly, sixty-four disability organizations formed a coalition known as INVEST--INsure Virginians Equal Status Today--to pass a state statute in Virginia to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination. I was a Member of the Senate Committee on General Laws, the Committee that considered the legislation, and we dealt with many of the central issues that needed to be addressed, such as what constitutes a reasonable accommodation. We worked through all of those issues, and the Virginians with Disabilities Act was signed into law by former Gov. Charles S. Robb in 1985.

Today the Act protects nearly one million residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This Act acknowledged that ``it is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage and enable persons with disabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life . . .'' and it protects Virginians with disabilities from discrimination in employment, education, housing, voting, and places of public accommodation. It preceded the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by five years, and many of the key concepts in the Virginia statute formed the basis of the ADA. The landmark Virginians with Disabilities Act is the Commonwealth's commitment to encourage persons with disabilities to participate fully in the social and economic life of the Commonwealth.

Five years later, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was enacted to protect all Americans against discrimination on the basis of disability.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that 20 years later we are able to look back upon the passage of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and recognize the importance of this legislation and the changes it has made in American society. But our work is not yet done. The law is stable yet it cannot stand still; it must continue to evolve. On this 20th anniversary of the ADA, while we acknowledge the progress we have made, we must also examine the challenges that still remain. We must continue to revisit the ADA and to examine whether it is accomplishing its purpose to the fullest extent possible, and when we find that it is not, we must be willing to make the changes necessary to do so.

One recent example of this willingness occurred last Congress when we passed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush and became effective on January 1st, 2009. The ADA Amendments Act restored the ADA to Congress' original intent by clarifying that coverage under the ADA is broad and covers anyone who faces unfair discrimination because of a disability, and it overturned several court decisions that held that people with disabilities would lose their coverage under the ADA simply because their condition is treatable with medication or can be addressed with the help of assistive technology.

That legislation was the direct result of the business and disability communities working together to rectify a problem that was created by the courts. It is my hope that this kind of commitment, determination and cooperation will continue into the future until we have broken down all barriers to individuals with disabilities.

Today, we break another barrier, because Congress has taken a step toward greater accessibility by making the House rostrum wheelchair accessible for the first time. I would like to recognize my friend and colleague, Congressman James R. Langevin, who today presided over the House Floor as Speaker Pro Tempore, as is his right and honor as a member of Congress.

It is my hope that we will continue to break down barriers in the Halls of Congress, on Main Street U.S.A., and throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, which will promote competitiveness, innovation, exports, and, most importantly, jobs in the Richmond, Virginia area.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, and I thank Chairman Levin and the Ways and Means Committee for their diligent work on this bill over the last two years.

The legislation before the House today will help American manufacturers compete at home and abroad by temporarily providing import relief on certain intermediate products or materials that are not made domestically or are not opposed by domestic producers.

This bill will help level the playing field of U.S. firms, increase competitiveness of American products at home and abroad, provide support for tens of thousands of American jobs, and help increase American production and expand our nation's gross domestic product by billions of dollars. As we continue our economic recovery, this bill is an important short-term action that Congress can take now to protect and expand American jobs and provide another boost to our economy.

I especially appreciate the Committee's work to include several duty suspensions for Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, a distributor of small kitchen appliances based in Richmond, Virginia. These duty suspensions for Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex were first included in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule by Senator George Allen in 2006. I was happy to support the extensions of these duty suspensions in the 110th Congress and I thank the Chairman for including these suspensions in this bill. By providing this import relief through 2012, these duty suspensions will protect important manufacturing jobs in and around my Congressional district.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act will promote competitiveness, innovation, exports and, most importantly, job creation for American manufacturers. I urge my colleagues to support this important job protection and job creation legislation.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I am very pleased to join my colleagues in support of the legislation today, which includes the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010.

Others have spoken about the epidemic of crime in our Nation's Indian lands, but unfortunately the tribes have reported that many of the crimes, including the very serious crimes such as rape and assault, are not included among those prosecuted in Federal courts by U.S. Attorneys either as a matter of case priorities or limited resources.

With inadequate funding and limited prosecutorial authority of the tribes, even when the crimes are prosecuted in tribal court, the limitation of 12 months on sentences in tribal court does not allow sentences to address the more serious crimes. This bill allows tribal authorities to respond to such crimes and to do so with more appropriate consequences for the more serious and dangerous offenders.

At the same time, it improves the procedures in tribal courts and better protects the rights of tribal defendants. Moreover, as it authorizes more robust enforcement and more appropriate sentences, it also authorizes key programs to address the root causes of crime. These include juvenile delinquency prevention and summer youth programs, as well as drug and alcohol abuse programs.

Finally, while empowering tribes to better police themselves, the bill also addresses Federal law enforcement to do more and improves the coordination among tribal, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies. This is a practical effort to solve a very significant problem in our country.

Mr. Speaker, this is a rare crime bill that comes to the floor of this body with the kind of broad, bipartisan support that the Tribal Law and Order Act has earned. This bill has the unanimous support of the Senate. It has the support of tribal governments and organizations. It has the support from the Justice Department and outside law enforcement groups such as the National District Attorneys Association. We also have the support of Amnesty International.

With that kind of bipartisan support, I urge all of the Members to vote ``yes'' on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1470) honoring the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Chief Justice William S. Richardson.

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 resolution under consideration.

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

House Resolution 1470 honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Chief Justice William S. Richardson. Chief Justice Richardson was a leading proponent of the rights of Native Americans throughout his 16-year tenure as Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice.

He was primarily known for drawing on ancestral Hawaiian customs rather than Western common law in his decisions. He has been credited with triggering a ``renaissance'' in pride in native identity and the language and culture of Native Hawaiians.

Born in 1919, William Richardson worked his way through the University of Hawaii, where he received his undergraduate degree. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Upon graduating from law school in 1941, he volunteered for the Army Air Corps, and later served as a platoon leader with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment. After World War II ended, he returned to Hawaii, where he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He was later inducted into the Infantry Office Candidate School Hall of Fame.

Fueled by a sense of patriotism, William Richardson aligned himself with the emerging Hawaii Democratic Party, eventually serving as its chairman from 1956 to 1962.

In 1963, he became the lieutenant governor under Governor John Burns. Just a few years later, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, where he served for 16 years.

Under Chief Justice Richardson's guidance, the Hawaii Supreme Court oversaw judgments ensuring public beach access, expanding Native Hawaiian rights to use private property, and affirming public ownership of natural resources.

He was famously quoted as saying that ``the Western concept of exclusivity is not universally applicable in Hawaii.''

Education was paramount to Chief Justice Richardson. One of his proudest accomplishments was his successful effort to see a law school opened in Hawaii. In 1973 The University of Hawaii opened the only law school in

the State. It was named the William S. Richardson School of Law upon his retirement from the bench.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my two colleagues from Hawaii for their bipartisan cooperation on this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5566) to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit interstate commerce in animal crush videos, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation addresses a disturbing subject in need of congressional action.

In the late 1990s, Congress was made aware of a growing market of videotapes and still photographs depicting animals, typically small animals, being slowly and sadistically crushed to death. These depictions are commonly referred to as ``crush videos.'' Much of the material features women inflicting torture with their bare feet or while wearing high-heeled shoes. The depictions often appeal to people with a very specific sexual fetish.

Even in States where harming the animals in such a way itself violates State laws prohibiting cruelty to animals, prosecutors had difficulty obtaining convictions. For example, the faces of the persons inflicting the torture were often not shown in the videos; and the locations, times and dates of the acts could not be ascertained from the depictions themselves. So defendants were often able to successfully assert as a defense that the State could not prove its jurisdiction over the place where the acts occurred nor that it could prove that the actions took place within the statute of limitations.

In short, it has been difficult enough to find the perpetrators of the underlying acts of cruelty to animals. Then, even after they have been found, it has been difficult to obtain convictions.

So Congress enacted a new law prohibiting the creation, sale, and possession of the depictions of such acts. The new law was codified as section 48 of title XVIII of the U.S. Code. The motivation for passing the law was to address the sale of crush videos, but the statute was written in such a way that it also could be read, in some circumstances, to apply to more mainstream material, such as videos depicting hunting and fishing and other activity protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Because of this susceptibility to a broader reading, in April the United States Supreme Court invalidated the entire statute in the case United States v. Stevens, holding that the law was overbroad and violated the First Amendment. The Court made it clear, however, it did not rule out the possibility of Congress' adopting a bill that would hold up under constitutional scrutiny.

In May, the Subcommittee on Crime held a hearing about the decision. It heard from witnesses who testified that a narrower legislative approach would likely be constitutional and survive court challenge.

The bill before us is much more narrow than the original law. The most important difference is that the bill would only prohibit the sale of crush videos that are obscene under current law. This would address a key flaw in the original statute because obscenity is outside the protections of the First Amendment. Whereas some of the activity covered by the prior law under the broader reading was, in fact, protected by the First Amendment, a much narrower range of conduct is covered in the depictions prohibited by this bill. Furthermore, this legislation specifically makes it clear that hunting and fishing videos would not be covered by the prohibition.

I commend my colleague from California (Mr. Gallegly) and my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Peters), who worked together to produce this bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Peters), who has worked extremely hard on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Sutton).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the people who have spoken and worked hard on this bill to get it in a form which we believe will pass constitutional muster. Any time you deal with a subject like this you have to deal with the First Amendment. The last bill didn't quite make it, but we believe, based on the testimony we have had today and the testimony we had at the hearing, that this bill will survive constitutional muster and deal with the trash that is being profited on.

So I thank my colleagues and urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1749) to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the possession or use of cell phones and similar wireless devices by Federal prisoners, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 will address an ongoing problem of cell phones being smuggled into prisons by visitors and prison guards. Prison inmate cell phone accessibility has resulted in offenders facilitating and committing crimes with the use of the cell phones. Gangs have also become far more organized because members in prison have cell phone access.

S. 1749 amends Federal law to make cell phones and similar devices contraband that Federal prisoners are prohibited from possessing. Some have argued that cell phone smuggling is a direct reaction to the outrageous costs inmates and their families pay for telephone calls while a person is incarcerated. Prisons and jails require that inmates call their families collect or pay for calls with their prison accounts. And, indeed, phone companies charge much more for calls from prisons than

they charge for calls made from outside prison. For example, one organization found that a 15-minute collect call made from San Quentin Prison to Oakland, both in California, would cost $5; whereas, the same collect call made from outside the prison would be about $2.55. That's for a collect call. It would be even cheaper if a reliable way were established for inmates to pay for their own calls.

S. 1749 requires the GAO to study the issue of exorbitant prison telephone rates and the gulf between those rates as the first step to finally bringing those rates down to reasonable levels so that inmates and their families have a much easier time staying in touch. In addition, the study will look at State and Federal efforts to prevent smuggling of cell phones into prisons and jails.

Although we should not allow prisoners to have access to cell phones while incarcerated, it is appropriate to provide them with telephone service at reasonable rates in order for them to maintain ties with their families and children.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1469) to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to establish a permanent background check system, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1469, the Child Protection Improvements Act of 2009, will permanently authorize the National Child Safety Program.

Passed in 2003 as part of the PROTECT Act, the National Child Safety Pilot Program assists organizations in checking criminal records of volunteers before placing them as mentors with children. Every year, millions of Americans generously give their time and energy to volunteer and mentor children across the country. While most of these volunteers and mentors are only interested in being good role models to children, it is important that we are able to identify those who seek to do harm.

The National Child Safety Pilot Program has enabled youth-serving organizations to access the FBI's national fingerprint-based background check system since 2003. By providing access to the more comprehensive data in the FBI's database, rather than just the in-State background check that would otherwise be available, the program has helped to prevent child predators and sex offenders from getting access to children through legitimate mentoring programs.

Notably, 6 percent of checks have come back showing serious criminal records.

In a study of the pilot program, it was found that over 41 percent of the individuals with criminal histories had committed an offense in a State other than the State in which they were applying to be a volunteer. In these cases,

a State-based search would not have provided a complete picture of the person's criminal record.

Over 50 percent of the individuals found to have a criminal history had falsely indicated on their application form that they did not have a criminal history, even when the volunteers knew a background check was going to be performed.

This is a noncontroversial fee-based program that has successfully provided invaluable information to mentoring organizations at no cost to taxpayers. It makes sense to now make the program permanent.

I want to thank my colleague from California (Mr. Schiff) for his hard work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) a former prosecutor and the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to, again, thank the gentleman from California for his leadership on this issue.

I ask my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend Dr. Dwight S. Riddick, Pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia. This is the 25th anniversary of Dr. Riddick's service to Gethsemane Baptist and the people of Newport News, and I would like to take this moment to recognize some of his numerous accomplishments during that time.

A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Dr. Riddick is a graduate of Norfolk State University. In 1991, he received his Master's Degree of Divinity from the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, and in 2005, he earned his Doctorate in Ministry from Regent University in Virginia Beach. Dr. Riddick previously served six years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Dendron, Virginia before coming to Gethsemane Baptist.

In his position as Pastor of Gethsemane, Dr. Riddick has been an extraordinary shepherd over a vibrant and growing flock. Under his visionary leadership, Gethsemane Baptist has grown from a mission with 200 individuals to a church with well over 3,000 active members. I have attended Sunday services at Gethsemane Baptist and have seen his hand at work in his church and community. During his tenure, the Church established a learning and child development center, a Christian school and a Bible Institute. In addition, several community outreach programs and ministries have been created during Dr. Riddick's tenure.

Dr. Riddick led a successful building program which resulted in the construction of the current church building at Chestnut Avenue and 36th Street, and he is currently leading another building program which will result in the Church's second location on a 16-acre campus in Newport News.

Aside from his duties at Gethsemane, Dr. Riddick currently serves as the President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, a group with over 1000 member churches. He also serves as the Vice President of the Hampton University Minister's Conference, a member of the Board of Trustees at Virginia Union University, and an Advisory Committee member of Consolidated Bank and Trust.

On the occasion of his 25th anniversary, it gives me great pleasure to recognize and commend Reverend Dr. Dwight S. Riddick for his service and dedication to the parishioners of Gethsemane Baptist Church, the people of Newport News, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Madam Speaker, just months ago, the President signed the historic health care reform law, and thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act, Americans are already seeing benefits from the reform.

First, our seniors on Medicare part D have begun receiving $250 rebate checks when they fall into the doughnut hole so that they are receiving help when they most need it. Second, the new law requires that health care insurers offer dependent coverage to allow children, up to age 26, to remain on their parents' policies, and that plan has been implemented by most policies.

Just today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would begin accepting applications for the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program to help early retirees get affordable coverage. Later this summer, Americans with preexisting conditions will be able to get insurance at affordable rates.

Now, we know that there are some who want to repeal all of these provisions and who want to take these benefits away from American families, but we remain dedicated to health care reform, which has expanded coverage to all Americans, and we are going to make sure that the law remains in effect.

Madam Speaker, I rise with great pride to call attention to a group of young students who have distinguished themselves, their school, their community, and the city of Portsmouth, Virginia.

The I.C. Norcom Greyhounds boys' basketball team had a remarkable season and I believe the Greyhounds deserve formal recognition for their accomplishments. On March 12, 2010, the I.C. Norcom Greyhounds won the Group AAA boys' state basketball championship. The Greyhounds completed their 2010 season with an impressive 25-4 record.

I.C. Norcom won the championship in memorable fashion. Down ten points with 7:48 left in the game, the team rallied back to trail 54-53 with a minute left to play. A buzzer-beating shot by Shelton Haskins with 1.5 seconds left sealed the 55-54 victory over a previously unbeaten team from Petersburg High School.

I.C. Norcom made history throughout the tournament. They were the first Portsmouth team to ever reach a semifinal game. In a similar comeback victory against Chantilly High, Norcom advanced to the AAA Championship, again the first team from Portsmouth to do so. The win gives the school and the city of Portsmouth its first Group AAA state basketball title.

I.C. Norcom was founded in 1913 as the High Street School, the first public high school for black students in Portsmouth. It was renamed in 1953 in honor of its first supervising principal, Israel Charles Norcom, a pioneering educator, civic leader and businessman. Now, more than 50 years and three locations later, I.C. Norcom High School is still an innovating and inspiring place for Portsmouth students.

In addition to excelling on the basketball court, the Greyhounds are also doing great things in the classroom. I.C. Norcom houses a Center of Excellence in Math and Science, which provides students with additional classes in science, math, and technology. Fifty seniors this year will be receiving their Center of Excellence Diplomas which require five science course credits, one more than required under the advanced diploma. In addition 23 I.C. Norcom seniors have been participating in the First College program--attending Tidewater Community College this semester and taking up to 14 college credits before they graduate. I.C. Norcom is doing a great job cultivating excellence both on and off the athletic field.

I would like to extend my enthusiastic congratulations to the I.C. Norcom players, their families, principal Lynn Briley, coach Leon Goolsby and the rest of his coaching staff, on the occasion of this historic Boy's basketball championship. On behalf of the people of the Third Congressional district of Virginia, I.C. Norcom alumni, and the entire city of Portsmouth, I commend them for this historic win and wish the program years of success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1514) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the juvenile accountability block grants program through fiscal year 2014.

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 bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill reauthorizes the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program for an additional 3 years.

I worked with my Republican colleagues in 1997 to develop and pass the legislation that created this important initiative. This program directs the Department of Justice to make grants to States and units of local government to strengthen their juvenile justice systems.

The program allows funds to be used for a broad range of purposes that help reduce juvenile crime, such as establishing programs to assess the needs of juvenile offenders in order to facilitate provision of comprehensive services; establishing programs to reduce recidivism amongst juveniles; hiring juvenile court judges, court-appointed defenders and advocates; and developing systems of graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders.

The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant has been an important part of the Federal Government's funding of juvenile justice programs. When we worked together on a bipartisan basis to develop this program, Members recognized that success in preventing juvenile crime and reducing recidivism by juvenile offenders requires something other than tough- sounding slogans and sound bites.

When it comes to dealing with issues of juvenile justice, we're fortunate that there is more and more information available showing that we need to make sure that we approach this problem based on evidence, and we know that that evidence shows what works and what doesn't work.

Those studies show that comprehensive prevention and early intervention programs directed towards youth at risk of involvement, or those already involved in the juvenile justice system, will significantly reduce crime.

For example, we've seen in this program that this program has funded a chemical dependency program in Idaho serving at-risk youth with mental health issues and substance abuse and related offenses.

And in Ohio, the program funded a system of graduated sanctions that provided alternatives to secure detention for pre-adjudicated youth.

These are just two examples of how the program successfully provides juvenile justice professionals with alternatives they need so that there is not a one-size-fits-all system of sanctions, regardless of the needs and situation of each juvenile.

We extend and strengthen grants to ensure more accountability for juvenile crime, and so we need to make sure that these principles are kept in mind, and we do more to help communities prevent juvenile crime from occurring in the first place.

I am pleased that this program continues to have bipartisan support. This bill is cosponsored by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers); the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith); and the Crime Subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his support. I urge colleagues to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1325) recognizing National Missing Children's Day, as amended.

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 resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes Tuesday, May 25, as National Missing Children's Day. We hope this resolution will continue to raise public awareness about the problem of missing and abducted children. I therefore thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) and his colleague from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for introducing this resolution.

May 25, 1979, was the day that 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from New York City while he was on his way to school. The media attention and massive search efforts that followed his disappearance focused the Nation's attention on the problem of child abduction.

Two years later, in July 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh disappeared from a Florida shopping mall. His parents, John and Reve Walsh, turned to law enforcement to find their son. They quickly realized that there was no coordinated effort between Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in the search for their son. And to make the situation even more difficult, in 1981, there were no organizations to assist them in their search.

The momentum for a national movement to keep children safe from predators and coordinate efforts by law enforcement to search for missing children began with the disappearance of these two children. As a result of this movement, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was established in 1984. Over the past 25 years, the National Center has assisted law enforcement with more than 165,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 151,000 children.

Although the National Center has done a remarkable job in helping to find missing children and raising public awareness about the problem of child abduction and exploitation, the Department of Justice reports that far too many children still go missing every year. We hope that on May 25, the National Missing Children's Day, we hope that on that date everyone's thoughts will be with the families who have missing children and that we will rededicate our efforts to protecting our children from predators.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

I reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all of our colleagues who've made comments today, particularly the gentleman from Florida for his leadership on this legislation and the leadership of the Judiciary Committee. I thank them for their concern and leadership on the issue of missing children.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an institution in my hometown of Newport News. On Friday, May 28, 2010, Second Baptist Church East End will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and I would like to highlight some moments from the history of the church and its contribution to our community.

Second Baptist was organized during the first week of May, 1910, with Minnie Jones, A.B. Lucy, Rebecca Vaughan and Daniel Peters serving as charter members. The first worship service was held on the second Sunday in May 1910 at the Odd Fellows Hall in the 1100 block of 33rd Street, with Reverend J.E. Tynes serving as the guest speaker.

The church chose Reverend H.H. McLean as its first pastor. Under his leadership the church membership increased rapidly--a new church building was built in less than a year with the first worship service being celebrated Easter Sunday, April 16, 1911. Under Rev. McLean's leadership, many church organizations were founded that are still alive today, including the Choir, the Deacon Board, the Board of Trustees, the Sunday School, the Baptist Young People's Union and the Willing Workers Club.

Second Baptist has had eleven pastors throughout its history, including Rev. F.A. Brown, Rev. W.S. Sharp, Rev. A.A. Watts, Rev. O.B. Allen, Rev. John Tilley, Rev. L.A. Williams, Rev. E.D. Harrell, Rev. O.L. Simms, Rev. Preston T. Hayes, and Rev. Avery E. Miller.

Under Rev. Sharp, the church was able to pay off its mortgage. Under Rev. Watts, multiple improvements were made to the church including the furnishing of stained glass windows, chandeliers and carpeting. The term of Rev. Allen saw the purchase of a parsonage. Rev. Harrell added a basement and annex to the church building. Under Rev. Simms a new parsonage was purchased and a new organ installed.

The longest serving Pastor in the history of Second Baptist was Rev. Preston T. Hayes, who succeeded Rev. Simms in July 1956. Under Rev. Hayes' leadership, multiple organizations and ministries were formed, including: The Layman Fellowship; The Women's Prayer Breakfast; Youth Fellowship; Blind and Deaf Ministries; and the Wednesday Morning and Evening Bible Classes. While at Second Baptist, Rev. Hayes was elected President of the Virginia Baptist General Convention (1977-79). During his tenure as President, the Convention formed a Division of Men to provide an avenue through which the Men of the Convention could utilize their skills and talents in promoting Christian stewardship and support for their local congregations. Rev. Hayes passed away in 2001, and the church dedicated the Preston T. Hayes Center for Christian Education in his honor. In the period between permanent pastors, the church continued Rev. Hayes' tradition of establishing programs to serve the church and the community by starting a Mentoring Program and a Computer Lab.

Rev. Hayes was succeeded by Second Baptist's current pastor, Rev. Avery E. Miller. Under Rev. Miller, Second Baptist has continued to flourish with the establishment of a Media Ministry, a Nursing Home Ministry, a Singles Ministry, and Mannah Inc., the Church's non-profit community service organization. Among Mannah's numerous efforts to serve the East End community are: one-on-one services for at-risk children in school; afterschool tutorial programs; summer day camps; and a weekly feeding program.

As Second Baptist gathers to celebrate its centennial, the church can truly remember its past, celebrate its present, and focus on the future with great expectations. I would like to congratulate Pastor Miller and all of the members of Second Baptist Church East End on the occasion of their 100th anniversary. I wish them 100 more years of dedicated service to the community.