Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Civil Access to Justice Act of 2009. The purpose of this legislation is to reauthorize the Legal Services Corporation, which has not been reauthorized by Congress since 1977. Legal Services Corporation was established by Congress in 1974 to provide legal assistance to low- income people in civil matters. LSC directs and supervises the federal grants to local legal service providers who give legal assistance to low-income clients.

I am particularly pleased that we are introducing this bill, not only because it helps those in need, but because of my personal experiences with the program. Over 30 years ago, I was the founding Chairman of the Board of Peninsula Legal Aid Center, Inc., so I am aware of the need for resources to make a legal services program fully operational. In this bill, we are seeking to ensure that the Corporation has the resources required to help those in need.

The bill accomplishes several goals. It increases the authorized funding level for LSC to $750 million. This is approximately the amount, adjusted for inflation, appropriated in 1981, which was the high watermark for LSC funding. LSC is currently funded at $390 million--which, in current dollars, is well below the amount needed to fully fund the program. Currently, more than 80 percent of individuals who need civil legal representation do not have the means to obtain it. Families who need this assistance the most make less than 125 percent of the poverty line or about $27,500 for a family of four. Nationally, 50 percent of these eligible applicants for legal assistance from federally funded programs are turned away mainly because these programs lack ample funding. Moreover, as the economy continues to decline, the number of individuals who will need legal representation will increase. We need to ensure that resources are available to provide legal services to those who cannot afford adequate representation. The $750 million authorized in the bill should be enough to ensure a minimum level of access to legal aid in every county in the country.

Although the program has not been reauthorized in over 30 years, appropriations bills over that time have placed restrictions on the activities that attorneys in LSC programs can provide. The bill lifts most of these restrictions, including collecting attorneys' fees, permitting legal aid attorneys to bringing class-action suits, and allowing lobbying with non-federal funds. In the spirit of compromise, the bill does maintain the prohibition on abortion related litigation and incorporates some limits on whom LSC-funded programs can represent, including prisoners challenging prison conditions and people convicted of illegal drug possession in public housing eviction proceedings. The bill also provides for more effective administration of LSC.

The Government Accountability Office wrote reports highlighting issues with the governance of LSC. In an August 2007 report, GAO found ``. . . LSC has not kept up with evolving reforms aimed at strengthening internal control over an organization's financial reporting process and systems.'' That same report stated that ``The current board has four committees, but none are specifically targeted at providing critical audit, ethics, or compensation functions, which are important governance mechanisms commonly used in corporate governance structures. Because it has not taken advantage of opportunities to incorporate such practices, LSC's Board of Directors is at risk of not being able to fulfill its role of effective governance and oversight.''

Overall, the Civil Access to Justice Act of 2009 will provide relief to those who need civil legal representation. I would like to thank Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers and Representatives Cohen, Watt, Delahunt, Linda Sanchez and Hank Johnson for their hard work and dedication to this cause. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and support this important legislation to ensure that those who need civil legal representation are able to obtain it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak) for their leadership on the issue of campus safety.

I rise in support of H. Res. 90, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of the National Campus Safety Awareness Month. This resolution helps bring awareness to the issue of campus safety. Each year, college campuses across the Nation see a number of criminal offenses, including homicide, forcible sex offenses, aggravated assaults and arson occurring on their campuses. A recent example is the unfortunate murder that occurred at Yale University just a few weeks ago.

Additionally, over the past few years we have seen numerous tragedies occur at colleges and universities, including the disastrous events that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. National Campus Safety Awareness Month provides an opportunity for campuses to evaluate their campus safety practices and engage in efforts to improve campus safety.

In addition to Campus Safety Awareness Month, one way in which we can improve campus safety would be to provide a one-stop shop for universities to obtain safety information. This is why I introduced the Center to Advance, Monitor and Preserve University Security, or the CAMPUS, Safety Act of 2009.

The purpose of this legislation is to enable our institutions of higher education to easily obtain the best information available on how to keep our campuses safe and how to respond in the event of a campus emergency. The CAMPUS Safety Act creates a National Center for Campus Public Safety, which will be administered through the Department of Justice. The center is designed to train campus public safety agencies in state-of-the-art practices to ensure campus safety, encourage research to strengthen college campus safety and security, and serve as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of relevant campus public safety information.

This bill passed the House of Representatives in February. It also passed last year, but it still awaits action from the Senate. Once the National Center for Campus Public Safety is established it, along with events like the National Campus Awareness Month, will be able to greatly assist schools in assessing their campus safety initiatives.

I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak) for introducing this resolution to bring awareness to this issue and urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 623) requesting that the President focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention and community policing, and coordinate certain Federal efforts to participate in National Night Out, which occurs the first Tuesday of August each year, including by supporting local efforts and community watch groups and by supporting local officials, to promote community safety and help provide homeland security.

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 resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution supports this year's National Night Out events coordinated by the National Association of Town Watch and encourages the President to focus attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing and Federal efforts to participate in various local events. The 26th Annual National Night Out, America's night out against crime, was held on Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

The National Night Out is designed to promote crime and drug prevention efforts, create support for local anti-crime programs and strengthen neighborhood camaraderie and police-community partnerships. Last year's National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 States, as well as U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.

In 2008, over 37 million people participated in National Night Out events. National Night Out has the support of many agencies and organizations, including the National Sheriffs Association, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.

On August 4, people from communities around the country sat on their porches with their lights on to show their support for neighborhood crime prevention and drug abuse prevention efforts. Local sponsors also organized events such as block parties, cookouts, parades and visits with local law enforcement agencies, as well as rallies and marches. National Night Out events have become a very popular way to build police-community relations and to encourage people to volunteer in their communities.

For those reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, a law enforcement officer himself, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Ohio, a strong supporter of law enforcement, Ms. Sutton.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his introduction of the resolution and urge support of the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I, along with my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), would like to briefly discuss the importance of fully funding the Thomas Jefferson Lab's 12 GeV Upgrade.

This important project received accelerated funding in the Recovery Act. It is vital that this project receive the administration's full request of $22 million in this bill. If full funding is not in place for the upcoming fiscal year due to stringent controls in how Recovery Act funds are spent, there is little flexibility for the lab to meet their construction project without costly scheduling delays or potential elimination of physics-related work.

I would hope that the gentleman from Arizona will work with me and Mr. Wittman to ensure that this project is funded at the administration's request for fiscal year 2010.

And I yield to the gentleman from Virginia, my colleague, Mr. Wittman.

I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor).

I thank you for your commitment and thank you for your willingness to work on this important issue and thank my colleague from Virginia for his support and look forward to working with you in conference.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an institution in Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Saturday, June 27, 2009, the members of Fourth Baptist Church are celebrating their 150th anniversary, and I would like to take a moment to highlight the rich history of this church and its contribution to our community.

Fourth Baptist Church, the first black Baptist church in the Church Hill community in Richmond, began in 1859 as a regular assembly of slaves for prayer. The group met regularly on Chimborazo Hill until the outbreak of the Civil War, when the white congregation of the Leigh Street Baptist Church granted permission for the slaves to hold their services in the church basement.

In 1865 the Reverend Scott Gwathmey, one of the group's prayer leaders, gained permission for the group to meet in a Union barracks on Chimborazo Hill. There, on December 2, 1865, the Fourth Baptist Church was formally organized, with Reverend Gwathmey serving as the first pastor.

The barracks were eventually demolished, but the congregation salvaged lumber from the debris and constructed their own church building. In 1875 this church was replaced by another one of frame, on the northern side of Church Hill, near what was to be the site of the present church. The present building was completed in 1884, three months after the former church was destroyed by fire.

The church has grown considerably from these humble beginnings. Major expansion was conducted under the direction of current Pastor Emeritus, Dr. Robert L. Taylor. Dr. Taylor served as Pastor of Fourth Baptist for 34 years. He was responsible for instituting many of the programs that still exist at the church, and oversaw the building of the addition to the church building now known as Taylor Hall.

Fourth Baptist has vibrant Men's and Women's programs that enlighten and assist the

young people as they participate in the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Youth Usher programs. Fourth Baptist also participates with the Baptist General Convention of Virginia to conduct outreach ministries throughout Greater Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I would like to congratulate Chairman of the Board of Deacons Gerard A. Dabney, Interim Pastor Dr. Marion Tapscott, and the entire congregation of Fourth Street Baptist on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. I would to wish them another 150 years of service to their community.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 530) commending the purpose of the third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game and recognizing the historical significance of the location of the game in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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, House Resolution 530 commends the purpose of the third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game and recognizes the historic significance of the location of the Civil Rights Baseball Game in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I want to commend my colleague the gentleman from Cincinnati (Mr. Driehaus) for introducing this legislation. The Civil Rights Baseball Game is an important event, and it deserves to be recognized by the House of Representatives.

The third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game will be played in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Great American Ballpark on June 20, 2009, between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. Many celebrities will be in attendance, including Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Bill Cosby, and Bebe Winans. This Major League Baseball game was created to honor those who fought both on and off the field for equal treatment of all people.

The first Civil Rights Baseball Game was played in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2007, between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. It was organized as a preseason game, intended to commend the civil rights movement in the United States as part of a larger celebration of the civil rights movement. Memphis was selected for its important role in the history of the civil rights movement.

This year's host city, Cincinnati, Ohio, has a long and rich history in both the game of baseball and in the field of civil rights. Cincinnati was an important stop on the Underground Railroad and is the home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center located adjacent to the ballpark. Cincinnati was also home to the Negro League's Cincinnati Tigers from 1934 to 1937, and it was in Cincinnati that the first night baseball game was played in 1935.

Mr. Speaker, baseball has long been considered the great American pastime. It is part of our culture. It reflects the values of teamwork, competition, fair play, and the pursuit of excellence. Baseball was once segregated, as was most of the rest of the country, until Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The rest of the Nation would follow in time, but it was on the diamond that we made the most important steps towards ending Jim Crow. As Mr. Rickey said, ``Prejudice has no place in sports, and baseball must recognize that truth if it is to maintain stature as a national game.''

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague from Ohio in honoring the Civil Rights Baseball Game. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus), who represents Cincinnati and is the chief sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), who represents Memphis, the location of the first Civil Rights Baseball Game.

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

I thank the gentleman from Ohio for introducing the resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 309, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2661) to amend title 18, United States Code, to increase the penalty for violations of section 119 (relating to protection of individuals performing certain official duties), 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 may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2661, the Court Security Enhancement Act, addresses improper public disclosure of private information regarding all Federal employees, Federal officers, and persons involved in the judicial system. Specifically, this bill addresses the public disclosure of private information with the intent to threaten, intimidate or incite violence against a Federal employee or officer, a person involved in the judicial system, or his or her family.

The safety of all who participate in our judicial process is essential to the integrity of our judicial system. Threats and attacks against citizens and court officials are also attacks on the fair and effective administration of justice.

It is already a felony to knowingly disclose with harmful intent restricted personal information, including a Federal employee's home address, home phone number or Social Security number. However, the maximum penalty is currently 5 years. This bill will increase that penalty to 10 years.

The United States Sentencing Commission has brought to our attention the disparity between the 5-year penalty for this crime and the 10-year penalty for another serious form of harassment and attack on Federal employees, that of filing false liens against the Federal employee.

The Sentencing Commission has asked whether or not we intended that disparity. We did not. To reduce the disparity and to bring the penalty for disclosing private information with a criminal intent in line with the seriousness of the offense, the Court Security Enhancement Act increases the penalty from 5 to 10 years.

This bill also corrects a conflict we inadvertently created last session in sections 503 and 504 of the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007. This bill eliminates that conflict and clarifies that senior judges must perform at least the equivalent of a 6-month workload of an active judge to participate in court governance matters, including the selection of magistrate judges.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 540) expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the catastrophic explosion at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, North Carolina, and for other purposes.

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.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, with this resolution, the House of Representatives acknowledges the tragedy that occurred at ConAgra on June 9, 2009, and extends our sympathies to the people of Garner, North Carolina, and to all of those who were touched by this tragedy. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) for introducing this important resolution about such a sad tragedy.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on June 9, last Tuesday, a massive explosion ripped through the ConAgra plant in North Carolina while about 300 employees were working. The explosion killed three employees and injured at least 38 others. Three of the responding firefighters were also treated for chemical inhalation.

We wish we could turn back the hands of time and prevent this terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, we can't. And, instead, we need to do all we can to understand the cause of the explosion so we can minimize the risk of explosions like it.

This past weekend, the ATF response team announced that the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak in a room that housed vacuum pumps used for sealing snacks.

According to news reports, the ATF has not found any evidence of criminal activity. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, along with others, will continue with the investigation.

We express our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of this tragedy. We honor three employees who lost their lives in the explosion, Barbara McLean Spears of Dunn, North Carolina, Louis Junior Watson of Clayton, North Carolina, Rachel Mae Poston Pulley, of Clayton, North Carolina; and we also honor those who suffered injuries.

And, finally, we commend the heroic actions of the first responders, the Garner Police and Fire Departments, the emergency medical personnel, the North Carolina Task Force 8 Urban Search and Rescue, the ATF, and all other emergency services personnel and private citizens who came to the rescue. Their efforts, along with those of the ConAgra employees themselves, no doubt prevented further loss of life and injuries.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to another colleague from North Carolina, Mr. Price.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and thank my colleagues from North Carolina for bringing this tragedy to our attention and giving us the opportunity to convey our condolences.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1385, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act. I want to thank my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran) for, again, introducing this bill. Similar legislation passed this body by voice vote in the 110th Congress, but it was never acted on in the Senate.

Two years ago, Virginia and the Nation celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America. Jamestown is the cornerstone of our great Republic, and its success relied heavily on the help of the indigenous people of Virginia. Virginia's Native Americans played a critical role in helping the first settlers of Jamestown survive the harsh conditions of the New World.

After the Jamestown colony weathered its first few years in the New World, the colony expanded, and the English pushed further inland, but the same Native Americans who helped those first settlers were coerced and were pushed from their land without compensation. Treaties, many of which precede our own Constitution, were often made in an effort to compensate the Virginia Native Americans, but as history has shown, these treaties were rarely honored or upheld.

Like many other Native Americans, the Virginia Indian tribes were marginalized from society. They were deprived of their land, prevented from getting an education, and they were denied a role in our society. Virginia's Native Americans were denied their fundamental human rights and were denied the very freedoms and liberties enshrined in our own Constitution.

Mr. Chairman, the bill will finally grant Federal recognition to the Chickahominy, to the Eastern Chickahominy, to the Upper Mattaponi, to the Rappahannock, to the Monacan Indian Nation, and to the Nansemond tribes. H.R. 1385 will ensure the rightful status of Virginia's tribes in our national history. Federal recognition will provide housing and educational opportunities for those who cannot afford it. Federal recognition will also promote the tribal economic development that will allow Virginia's tribes to become self-sufficient. These new opportunities will allow Virginia's tribes to flourish culturally and economically, which will lead to a brighter future for a whole new generation. The Virginia tribes have waited far too long for Federal recognition.

Again, I want to thank my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran) for his excellent leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 426) honoring police officers and law enforcement professionals during Police Week.

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 honors police officers and law enforcement professionals during Police Week. In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed the week in which May 15 occurs to be Police Week. For over 40 years, the week of May 15 has continued to be the time to honor men and women in our Nation's law enforcement agencies, who protect our neighborhoods, our homes, and our loved ones.

The men and women who dedicate their careers to our safety do so at the expense of spending long hours away from their own families, putting themselves at great risk--and, in too many instances, making the ultimate sacrifice.

In fact, we have lost over 20,000 officers in the line of duty over the course of our history. Since January 1 of this year, we've lost 48 officers--five since the beginning of this month alone. Yet regardless of the continuing danger, day after day, and year after year, these dedicated professionals continue to make the sacrifices for their communities, without asking for thanks or praise.

And so the law enforcement professionals and police officers who toil in our communities across the Nation deserve our unwavering support and our thankful recognition.

I commend the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) for introducing this resolution and for giving the House of Representatives the opportunity to show respect and admiration for our law enforcement professionals. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman who, prior to coming to Congress, was a law enforcement professional himself, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this important resolution, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas, the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Michigan for their strong support of this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the House amendments to the Senate bill (S. 386) to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes.

Madam 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.

Madam Speaker, the bill, S. 386, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, is a bill crafted to combat the financial fraud that contributed to causing, and worsening, our Nation's mortgage crisis, as well as other financial schemes such as securities fraud, ID theft, and organized retail theft. Not only does the bill clarify certain Criminal Code sections, but more importantly, it provides resources to law enforcement agencies to enforce present antifraud statutes.

This is essentially the same bill the House passed 2 weeks ago, with a minor amendment that the Senate added before it approved the House- amended bill last week, by unanimous consent.

It also keeps the independent bipartisan commission proposed by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) to examine more broadly the circumstances giving rise to the current financial crisis.

The Senate has clarified the subpoena power of the commission to specify that at least one Republican-appointed commissioner must approve the issuance of any subpoena.

I would like to thank, once again, the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers); the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith); the ranking member of the Crime Subcommittee, Mr. Gohmert; and other Members of the committee, such as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) as well as the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), and our colleagues in the other body for their help in making this such a strong bipartisan bill.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill and to send it to the President.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the bill as it's before us passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I urge my colleagues to concur in the Senate amendment, thereby passing the bill so it can go to the President so that resources can be made available to law enforcement and those who are guilty of fraudulent schemes can be held accountable. I would urge us to pass the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for organizing this opportunity for us to discuss health care.

Access to quality, affordable health care is critical to the well- being of all Americans today and in the future. We are seeing millions of Americans suffering from illnesses that could have easily been prevented with basic preventive health care, but people did not seek that care because they didn't have health insurance. In fact, 46 million Americans lack health insurance, and

tens of millions more lack health coverage during some part of the year.

In these tough economic times, we must seek to provide universal health care and must seek to reduce the cost of health care insurance, especially for children and pregnant women. We also must address other health concerns, such as the health disparity that exists between racial and ethnic minorities and the need to fund cutting-edge research to find cures for diseases.

We also need to strengthen the Medicaid and Medicare systems and give patients the tools needed to challenge the decisions of all health insurers. Only through action in these critical issues can we meet the pressing health care needs of our Nation.

Providing health care for all and reducing the costs of health care will relieve the financial strain on all families and businesses. It will also go a long way to addressing the racial disparities in health indicators in this country because minorities, as it's already been said, are less likely to be covered by health insurance than others.

On child health, one of the first actions of this Congress was the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program, the SCHIP, where we were able to provide coverage for 7 million children already covered by SCHIP, plus an additional 4 million more. While this was a good step in the right direction, it is not enough, because 5 million children are still left without health insurance.

That's why I introduced legislation that would provide health insurance for all children, the All Healthy Children Act, which was endorsed by the Children's Defense Fund as a logical, achievable, and incremental next step to closing the child health coverage gap. This proposal would ensure that all children and pregnant women are covered by expanding the coverage of both Medicaid and the SCHIP programs by eliminating the procedural red tape that currently prevents them from being covered by either program. This comprehensive program will include all basic health care coverage, as well as coverage for mental health, prenatal, and well-child care.

Mr. Speaker, our health care system is unfortunately riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care and waste. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of the financial security of our families. We all know that reforming health care is not going to be easy, but we have a good opportunity now to finally reform the health care system by cutting costs, protecting families from bankruptcy or debt because of medical costs, investing in prevention and wellness, and improving patient safety and quality of care.

We have taken the first step in reforming our health care system by passing a Federal budget for fiscal year 2010 that includes more than $630 billion to establish a reserve fund to finance fundamental health care reform that will first bring down health care costs and then expand coverage.

The budget does a number of things. It accelerates the adoption of health care information technology and expansion of electronic health records.

The budget expands research comparing the effectiveness of medical treatments to give patients and physicians better information on what works best.

It invests over $6 billion for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health as part of the administration's multiyear commitment to double cancer research funding.

It strengthens the Indian health system, which sustained investments in health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives to address persistent health disparities and foster healthy Indian communities.

It invests $330 million to increase the number of physicians, nurses, and dentists practicing in areas of the country experiencing shortages of health professionals.

It supports families by providing additional funding for affordable, high-quality child care, expanding Early Head Start and Head Start, and creating the Nurse Home Visitation program to support first-time mothers.

It strengthens the Medicare program by encouraging high quality and efficient care and improving program integrity.

And finally, it invests over $1 billion for Food and Drug Administration food safety efforts to increase and improve inspections, domestic surveillance, laboratory capacity, and initiatives to prevent and control food-borne illnesses.

Mr. Speaker, for years we've been at a stalemate in Congress and haven't been able to enact real health care reform. As a Nation, we are already spending more on health care than any other Nation. We spend a higher percentage of our GDP. We spend a higher amount per capita, and yet by any measure, by any of the health indicators, we are still in poor health, and we still suffer from significant disparities in different parts of our population.

So we're already paying for health care. What we need to do under the present administration and Congress is to finally do more than talk about health care reform and actually do something about it.

Mr. Speaker, I'm delighted to have this opportunity and, again, want to thank the gentlelady from Ohio for organizing this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 386) to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes, as amended.

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.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 is crafted to combat financial fraud that contributed to causing and worsening our Nation's current economic crisis. We are bringing to the floor a bill that represents a consensus of efforts for the House and Senate, each acting on a bipartisan basis, blending the Senate-passed bill with H.R. 1748, the Fight Fraud Act of 2009, which the House Judiciary Committee reported last week.

This bill amends the Federal criminal fraud statutes to reach the full range of fraud and other financial crimes that have come to light as the financial crisis has unfolded. The bill amends the definition of ``financial institution'' and fraud statutes to make it clear that financial institutions include mortgage lending businesses. It amends the securities fraud statute to make it clear that securities fraud includes commodities fraud. It makes it clear that it is a felony for a mortgage broker to knowingly make a materially false statement on a loan application or fraudulently overvalue property in order to influence any action by a mortgage lending business. Of course, that is already a crime, and the bill clearly states this fact just in case anybody thought it was okay to cheat and defraud a mortgage lending business during the mortgage process.

It amends Federal money laundering statutes to make them more effective in the context of fraud prosecutions and to ensure their appropriate use. It also seeks to deter fraud from undermining the TARP and economic stimulus package efforts recently passed by explicitly making fraud in those cases a felony.

In addition to amending criminal statutes, S-386 clarifies key provisions of the False Claims Act in order to more effectively enlist private citizens in helping root out fraud against the government and bring its perpetrators to justice.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I think the most important part of the bill, in my judgment, is not the clarification of various fraud sections in the criminal code, but its authorization of resources to investigate and prosecute fraudulent activities. Additional authorization for the FBI, for example, would enable it to nearly double the size of its mortgage and financial fraud program. The U.S. Attorneys offices and other components of the Justice Department and other Federal agencies involved in investigating fraud would also receive increased authorizations. Additional funds provided pursuant to the new authorizations can be used not only for Federal investigations and enforcement, but also to support State and local law enforcement efforts in this area, including training, technical assistance, expertise and other support provided through programs such as the National White Collar Crime Center.

Mr. Speaker, many financial crimes today go unpunished because law enforcement agencies simply lack the resources to investigate and prosecute financial crimes such as ID theft, mortgage fraud or organized retail theft. This bill will empower Federal law enforcement officials to hold criminals accountable for their crimes.

And finally, Mr. Speaker, the bill incorporates legislation by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) which will create an independent, bipartisan commission with subpoena power to examine more broadly the circumstances giving rise to the current financial crisis.

I would like to commend the Judiciary Committee's chairman, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) and others on the committee, as well as the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and our colleagues from the other body for their help in making this such a strong bipartisan bill. 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 Connecticut, the chairman of the majority caucus, Mr. Larson.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as she may consume to a member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I yield 4 minutes to a member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Maffei).

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

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

Mr. Speaker, finally, in closing, I would remind the body that this is a bipartisan, bicameral consensus. We have worked together on a bipartisan basis in the House and the Senate.

The bill will prevent fraud by clarifying the fraud statutes and strengthen the False Claims Act. It will, I think very importantly, provide significant resources for fighting the fraud.

Finally, the value of the commission will be judged by its product, and we would all assume that the appointments would be people whose reputation is beyond reproach and we will get a good product from the commission.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, bias crimes are disturbingly prevalent and pose a significant threat to the full participation of all Americans in our democratic society. Despite the deep impact of hate violence on communities, current law limits Federal jurisdiction over hate crimes to incidents directed against individuals only on the basis of race, religion, color or national origin and only when the victim is targeted because he or she is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting. Further, the statutes do not permit Federal involvement in a range of cases where crimes are motivated by bias against the victim's perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

We need to change the law so that the Federal Government will have the authority to be involved in investigating and in prosecuting these cases when the State authorities cannot or will not do so.

Mr. Speaker, the bill is narrowly drawn. It only applies to bias- motivated, violent crime, and it has specific protections to ensure that it does not impinge on public speech, religious expression or on writing in any way. In fact, the only way that expressions could involve the defendant in this crime is if the language were such that it would already qualify as something like inciting a riot or other violent crimes.

Mr. Speaker, law enforcement authorities and civic leaders have learned that a failure to address the problem of bias crime can cause a seemingly isolated incident to fester into widespread tension that can cause damage to the social fabric of a community.

This problem cuts across party lines, and so I hope we will pass the bill on a bipartisan basis just as we did last year.

Washington, DC, April 27, 2009.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of thousands of clergy

members, pastors, and African American community leaders

within our African American Ministers In Action (AAMIA)

network of People For The American Way, I urge you to support

the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009

(LLEHCPA)--H.R. 1913.

As people of color, we are well aware of the hideous nature

of race-based violence, and understand the importance of

legislation that protects Americans who are victims of hate

crimes. We also are not blind to the fact that violent hate

crimes are motivated not just by racism. Knowing this, as

clergy members and pastors who affirm the humanity of every

person, we fully understand and embrace the call to advocate

for an inclusive federal law that will extend protection to

victims of hate crimes based on disability, sexual

orientation, gender, or gender identity. H.R. 1913 is the

bill that will make equal protection under the law for

victims of hate crimes a reality and not just an American

dream.

Unfortunately, propaganda and lies have prevented the

protections that H.R. 1913 proposes from becoming law. One

such falsehood is that this bill will eliminate churches'

first amendment rights; that this legislation will ``muzzle

our pulpits'' or dictate what we as clergy or religious

communities can or cannot say. This is not true. In fact,

H.R. 1913 protects freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

It only punishes violent acts like assault and murder, not

religious beliefs.

The law makes clear that it cannot be used to prohibit any

``expressive conduct'' or ``activities protected by the

Constitution.''

The AAMIA is passionate about protecting the civil rights

of all Americans, especially those that protect people who

are discriminated against because of who they are. Victims of

violent hate crimes often come to our churches in search of a

safe haven from enduring assaults, and they are in need of

federal protections. Thus from our houses of worship to your

house of policy, we trust that we can count on your support

for the protection of American citizens from violent hate

crimes. Please vote in favor of H.R. 1913.

Sincerely,

Timothy McDonald,

Founder and Chair,

African American Ministers In Action.