Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an inspiring mentor, beloved educator, respected community leader and a trans-generational pillar in Dawson, Georgia--Mrs. Grace Virginia Richardson Humphrey Cutts. On Saturday, March 3, 2012, Mrs. Cutts will be honored at an event celebrating her 100th birthday. This highly anticipated event will be attended by Mrs. Cutts' family members, friends, former colleagues, well-wishers and former students.

Mrs. Grace Virginia Richardson Humphrey Cutts was born on March 2, 1912 in Dawson, Georgia to Walter Revenna Richardson and Clara Louise Cochran Richardson. As a 92-year member of the Adoration Temperance Obedience Charity African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Dawson, Georgia, Mrs. Cutts is a woman who has been guided by her strong moral convictions and Christian faith. As a tenured member of Adoration Temperance Obedience Charity AME Church, Mrs. Cutts has served as the church pianist, secretary and a stewardess.

Mrs. Cutts was raised in the rural South in the 1920s, a period in our nation's history in which most African-Americans had limited opportunities to pursue their educational dreams. Despite the numerous societal challenges that lay in her path, Mrs. Cutts would go on to graduate from Allen Normal and Industrial High School. After she obtained her high school diploma, Mrs. Cutts enrolled in Georgia Normal and Agricultural College and graduated from the institution in 1949.

Understanding the importance of a quality education, Mrs. Cutts served as a teacher for 45 years. As an instructor, Mrs. Cutts helped generations of young scholars reach their full potential and obtain excellent educations. Even in retirement, Mrs. Cutts continued to serve as a mentor and tutor for young students in her community.

Mrs. Cutts has achieved numerous successes in her life, but none of this would have been possible without the support of her late first husband Calvin Homer Humphrey; late second husband Sammie Lee Cutts; late son Calvin Walter Humphrey; grandchildren; and great- grandchildren.

George Washington Carver once said, ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' Mrs. Cutts has advanced far in life because she never forgot these lessons and always kept God first.

The race of life isn't given to the swift or to the strong, but to those who endure until the end. Mrs. Cutts has run the race of life with grace and dignity and God has blessed her over her lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Mrs. Grace Virginia Richardson Humphrey Cutts as she and her family prepares to celebrate her 100th birthday.

On a personal note, I would like to not only congratulate Mrs. Cutts on becoming a distinguished centenarian but also express my profound gratitude to her for her outstanding contributions to America's education system and her principled advocacy on behalf of our nation's students.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the men and women who have served and currently serve at the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) in Albany, Georgia. On Thursday, March 1, 2012 base personnel, Armed Services veterans and local dignitaries will celebrate the facility's 60th anniversary.

Over the last 60 years, the brave men and women who have served at MCLB, Albany have made significant contributions in defending our homeland and safeguarding our liberties.

On March 1, 1952, MCLB, Albany was commissioned as the Marine Corps Depot of Supplies. By 1954 the station was sufficiently complete with warehouses and administration buildings to assume supply support for Marines east of the Rocky Mountains and in the Atlantic area.

In 1967, the base became a Storage Activity and Depot Maintenance Activity.

On January 17, 1990, the Commandant of the Marine Corps designated the Commanding General, Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany to also be Commander, Marine Corps Logistics Bases. The reorganization placed control of Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, California; Blount Island Command, Jacksonville, Florida, as well as Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany under this single command.

Over the last several decades, MCLB, Albany has provided exceptional support to the Marine Air Ground Task Forces sent to Southwest Asia. The MCLB, Albany military and civilian team's hard work and dedication, combined with equal efforts from MCLB, Barstow and Blount Island Command, have reaped outstanding results for our nation's Armed Services.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of traveling to many U.S. military installations around the world and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia is one of the finest military bases I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Through my ongoing interaction with MCLB, Albany personnel, one of the things I have come to admire about our nation's Marines is that their commitment to serving our country does not end once they separate from Active Duty.

MCLB, Albany Marines hold themselves to a higher standard--that service to our nation is a lifelong commitment, not just a tour of duty.

Whether it is going on to work as policemen, fire fighters, teachers or business professionals, a MCLB, Albany Marine's commitment to making our nation better remains at the fundamental core of what not only makes them great during their Armed Services career, but what will also make them invaluable members of our society once their military careers end and their transition into civilian life begins.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to the men and women who have served at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia over the last 60 years for their outstanding valor and patriotic service.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and solemn remembrance that I come to the House Floor today to pay tribute to one of Macon, Georgia's most renowned attorneys and respected community leaders, the late Albert Phillips Reichert. Mr. Reichert passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at the age of 98 years old. A memorial service will be held in his honor at Vineville United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, with Dr. Marcus Tripp and Reverend James Duke officiating.

A Georgia native, Mr. Reichert was born on January 25, 1914, in Columbus, Georgia, the son of Jacob and Ann Phillips Reichert. He graduated from Lanier High School in Macon and enrolled at Emory University in 1932, where he worked various jobs to help pay his way through college. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he attended Duke University and on December 22, 1936, married Elizabeth Walton Bowen from Macon, who was then also a student at Duke. Mr. Reichert received his Master's Degree in Philosophy from Duke in 1937.

Following his marriage and his graduation from Duke University, Mr. Reichert served as an officer in the United States Navy during World War II in the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters. After the war, he worked for the Central of Georgia Railway in Macon while attending Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law, where he graduated cum laude in 1948.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Reichert embarked on what would be a tenured and highly successfully legal career. He began his professional legal career as an attorney with the firm of Anderson, Anderson & Walker, which later became Anderson, Walker & Reichert.

Over the course of his distinguished legal career, Mr. Reichert received several awards and recognitions for his many notable legal achievements. The General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia awarded him the Tradition of Excellence Award. Mercer University awarded him the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award and the Outstanding Alumnus Award. It is also worth noting that Mr. Reichert handled many pro bono cases throughout his career and he was listed in Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Reichert also played a very pro-active role in several community service initiatives

throughout the State of Georgia, including serving as president and as campaign chair for the United Givers Fund (now United Way). As a youth, he was a Boy Scout and reached the rank of Eagle Scout. As an adult, he was Scoutmaster of Troop 19 in Macon and served as chair of the Central Georgia Council, and received the Silver Beaver Award.

He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Elizabeth Walton Bowen Reichert; his son, Albert Phillips Reichert, Jr. and Albert's wife, Burnam ``Bebe'' Walker Reichert; his son, Stephen Allan Reichert; his son, Robert Adger Bowen Reichert and Robert's wife, Adele Dunwody Reichert; his grandchildren, Albert Phillips Reichert, Ill and Albert's wife, Dr. Gillian Tracy Braulik, John Walker Reichert, Elizabeth Bowen Reichert, and Thomas Dunwody Reichert; and his great-grandchildren, Eden Pape Reichert, Luna Walker Reichert, and Sarana Burnam Reichert; his sister, Mary Louise Reichert Earnhardt, and his sister, Beverly Reichert Kennon.

I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in paying homage to Albert Phillips Reichert. He lived a full life and the people of Middle Georgia will always be indebted to him for his high legal acumen and years of dedicated community service. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the Macon, Georgia community at this time of great loss.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great American cotton farmer, U.S. agricultural advocate, businessman, administrator, and dedicated community leader from the great State of Georgia, James L. ``Jimmy'' Webb. Earlier this month, Mr. Webb was elected to serve as President of the Cotton Council International, CCI. CCI is the National Cotton Council's, NCC, export promotions arm and manages programs in more than 50 countries under the prestigious COTTON USA trademark.

Mr. Webb was elected to his new position at CCI's recent board meeting which took place in Fort Worth, Texas during the NCC's 74th Annual Meeting. Previously, Mr. Webb served as CCI's first vice president and he succeeds John D. Mitchell as CCI's newly elected President.

Mr. Webb hails from Leary, Georgia and he began farming with his uncle, Bob McLendon, back in 1980 and he made his first crop in 1986. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Agriculture, Mr. Webb continued to work alongside his uncle until 1994, when he decided to venture out on his own.

Over the last several years, Mr. Webb has played a positively pivotal and instrumental role in advocating for sound agricultural policies that have benefited many of our nation's farmers on regional, national and global platforms. He currently serves as Delegate on the National Cotton Council; Treasurer of the Flint River Water Planning and Policy Center; Director of the Edison Gin Co-op Inc.; Director of the Cotton Council International; President of American Peanut Marketing; and Director of the Southern Cotton Growers.

Due in large part to his successful farming career and his unyielding advocacy on behalf of America's farmers, Mr. Webb has been recognized repeatedly for his agricultural achievements. In 1998, he was selected to participate in the National Cotton Council's prestigious leadership program. A few years later, in 2005, he was selected as the Lancaster Georgia Farmer of the Year at the Sunbelt Agriculture Expo Farm Show in Moultrie, Georgia. Additionally, in 2009, he was named Georgia's Outstanding Young Peanut Farmer of the Year.

Mr. Webb has achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of this would have been possible without the support of his loving wife of more than twenty-five years, Anjie Webb. Mr. and Mrs. Webb are the proud parents of three children--Parker, Devin and Harris.

On a personal note, Mr. Webb has served as an advisor and friend to me for many years and he has frequently given me wise counsel and sound advice.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Mr. James L. ``Jimmy'' Webb for his outstanding contributions to America's agricultural industry and his principled advocacy on behalf of our nation's farmers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute one of our nation's most prestigious and accomplished United States Marine Corps bands--the Albany Marine Band stationed at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia. After 22 years of distinguished service, members of the Albany Marine Band will be performing a farewell concert on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at the Albany Municipal Auditorium at 7 p.m. in Albany, Georgia.

The farewell concert has been titled ``Thanks for the Memories'' and admission to the event is free. The musical performance will feature many of the band's greatest hits from over the last several years, including many of the group's most notable award-winning pieces.

Mr. Speaker, last December, amid budgetary constraints, it was announced by the Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., that the Albany Marine Band would be cut along with the Marine Corps band stationed at Twentynine Palms, California. Although their mission is coming to an end, the Albany Marine Band's legacy of musical excellence will not soon be forgotten.

Over the last couple decades, the members of the Albany Marine Band have honorably represented our country and been recognized repeatedly for their harmonious innovations and inspiring melodic renditions. In December of 2003, the band was awarded the distinguished Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award. This prestigious award recognized the members of the Albany Marine Band for their pride and commitment in performing their duties.

In 2010 and 2011, the Albany Marine Band was recognized as the United States Marine Corps Band of the Year. Additionally, in 2011, the band also received the ``Best Live Recording Award'' in a competition among the twelve United States Marine Corps bands.

Due to their musical excellence, the Albany Marine Band has performed at locations throughout the United States and around the world. The band has traveled more than fifty thousand miles to perform over one hundred commitments in destinations such as Essex Junction, Vermont; New Orleans, Louisiana; San Antonio, Texas; and the Statue of Liberty in Liberty, New York. It is also worth noting that the Albany Marine Band was given the great honor of being selected to represent the United States in 2004 as it performed for the Changing of the Guard at the Citadel in Quebec City, Canada.

The Albany Marine Band has also performed for nationwide audiences during performances on Good Morning America and at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in applauding the exceptional musical achievements and patriotic commitment of the members of the Albany Marine Band. These fine men and women have served as excellent ambassadors for our country and the United States Marine Corps and I will remain eternally grateful to them for their many noteworthy accomplishments and selfless acts of service.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman John Lewis and his staff for reserving time this morning for Members of the House to come to the floor to pay tribute to my friend, one of Georgia's former and notable legislators, the late Congressman Edgar Lanier Jenkins. Ed died January 1 of this year.

The poet Longfellow wrote: ``Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling on upward in the night.'' It was no sudden flight for Ed Jenkins, born in Young Harris, Georgia, to rise to prominence in Washington, DC under the dome of this great Capitol. No, it was the result of hard work and humble sacrifice.

Although I didn't have the pleasure of serving in this body with Ed, as he retired from Congress in 1993 as I was beginning my first term, I and countless others from across the country looked to Ed as a role model. Ed came to me shortly after I was elected. He embraced me. He was always available to me for advice and counsel. Not only that, he and his friend of many years and his business partner, John Winburn, made it a point to offer continuous support for Democratic Members from the Georgia delegation, year in and year out; and Ed never asked for anything in return.

He was a humble and able country lawyer. He practiced in Jasper, Georgia. He was born in Young Harris. He attended Young Harris College. He was in the Coast Guard. For many years he served as an aide to former Congressman Phil Landrum of Georgia. He was elected to this body, and he served from 1977 to 1993.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he played an instrumental role in passage of key tax initiatives that benefited millions of working American families. He was a key figure in the investigation and uncovering the crimes committed during the Iran- Contra affair.

Ed, through his illustrious legislative career, always remained a passionate and loyal advocate of the South's manufacturing and textile industry. In 1985, he wrote and passed the Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act, which was ultimately vetoed by President Reagan, but would have rolled back the textile imports from foreign countries by 40 percent. As a conservative Democrat from the South, Ed Jenkins often received praise from his constituents for putting their interests ahead of political ideology or party affiliation.

In his political life, he always embodied the adage of the turtle on the fence post, which was quoted so often by his childhood friend, former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller. It goes like this: whenever you see a turtle perched on a fence post, you know one thing--he didn't get there by himself. Somebody put him there. Ed Jenkins always remembered who sent him to Washington.

Ed is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Jo Jenkins; two daughters, Janice Anderson and Amy Dotson; two brothers, Charles and Kenneth; three sisters, Marilyn Thomasson, Ella Battle, and Patti Chambers; and two grandsons. My wife, Vivian, and I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Ed's family, friends, and former constituents as they mourn the loss of our dearly departed friend.

There must have been something about the water at Young Harris College. It produced people who must have ingested something about public service: Zell Miller, Governor, Senator; Jack Brinkley, United States Congressman; Edgar Lanier Jenkins, United States Congressman par excellence.

Isn't it strange how princes and kings and clowns that caper in sawdust rings and common folks like you and me are builders for eternity. Each is given a bag of tools, a shapeless mass and a set of rules, and each must make your life as flown a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

Mr. Speaker, I'm so glad, and the people of Georgia and this Nation are glad, that Ed Jenkins was a stepping stone and not a stumbling block for a higher, better life for so many people across this country. We mourn his loss, but we are grateful that we knew him and that he passed this way.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference agreement. The MILCON/VA section of the conference agreement includes a discretionary total of $71.7 billion, a decrease of $1.4 billion below last year's level and a decrease of $2.1 billion below the President's request.

For Military Construction, the conference agreement provides $13.1 billion for military construction projects. And reductions to the budget request are possible because of savings on projects that were appropriated in previous years.

However, even with these reductions, the agreement funds family housing construction at $1.7 billion, which provides for a total of 48 new family housing units, 80 replacement units, and improvements to 216 family housing units.

For Veterans Affairs, the conference agreement provides a total of $122.2 billion for the FY12 programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, of which $58.5 billion is discretionary funding.

The agreement also contains $52.5 billion in advance funding for the VA, the identical level that was requested by the President for the VA medical accounts.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that the conference agreement provides $45.8 million for Arlington National Cemetery, which is $700,000 over last year's level.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the conference agreement fully funds the Armed Forces Retirement Home request and includes $14.6 million for the Armed Forces Retirement Home to facilitate the repairs at the D.C. campus to repair damages sustained by the earthquake in August.

Mr. Speaker, let me just thank the committee and the subcommittee staff for all of their hard work in putting the bill together in a bipartisan, bicameral, cooperative way, taking leadership from our chairman and our ranking member, who have worked tirelessly to get this appropriations process back to regular order.

I urge the adoption of the conference report, and I urge all my colleagues to support it. It's a good bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, in a few minutes I will offer a motion to recommit that would strike a misguided provision in the conference report that would exempt Tricare network providers from our labor protection laws.

Section 715 of this conference report excludes the Tricare network health care providers from being considered subcontractors for purposes of any law. Section 715 is nothing but an attempt to override pending litigation and long-standing civil rights law under Executive Order 11246 of 1965, section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

The civil rights protections contained in these laws have existed for decades, and they've served to protect millions of workers from race, sex, and other forms of illegal discrimination. Large Federal contractors are simply required to have an affirmative action plan to ensure that minority groups are not being discriminated against and that the Department of Labor reviews the records. The law currently exempts employers with fewer than 50 employees who do not meet minimum contract value requirements.

The health care industry employed approximately 16 million workers in 2009. Hospitals and similar entities employ tens of thousands of minorities, women, veterans and low-wage workers, groups that historically and currently depend on the basic assurances of fair treatment. The health care industry is the largest growing sector of employment in this country.

Veterans would be especially hard hit under this change in the law. There are close to 900,000 unemployed veterans in America right now. Despite their unique experience and leadership skills, wounded warriors and veterans often struggle to find meaningful employment in the civilian sector. That's why Congress passed laws, enforced by the Department of Labor, to protect the brave men and women who have served our country.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance ensures that Federal contractors and subcontractors do not discriminate against our veterans, and instead take steps to recruit, to hire, to train, and to promote qualified protected veterans.

Tricare providers, the very people who provide health care to our Nation's veterans, are arguing that they should be exempt from adhering to the very regulations that were passed to protect our veterans. This action would gravely undermine our efforts to employ veterans. These large government health care contractors should not be exempted from civil rights responsibilities that apply to all other similarly situated contractors or subcontractors.

Section 715 is a brazen attempt by large health care industries to overturn pending litigation and exempt themselves from civil rights scrutiny. Congress should vote against weakening these laws, and I urge my colleagues to join with me and support my motion to recommit the conference report.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am in its current form.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, last week the state of Georgia lost one of its most committed community leaders, beloved public figures and dynamic elected officials with the death of former Georgia State Senator Robert Brown. Senator Brown was a close friend, confidant, and someone who I greatly admired not only for his notable legislative achievements on behalf of the people of Georgia but more importantly for his measured disposition, kind-hearted nature and uncompromising desire to help needy families and low-income communities.

On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, Senator Brown's family members, friends, colleagues, and his constituents will pay tribute to his legacy of achievement and outstanding efforts on behalf of working families during funeral services at Greater Zion Hill Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia.

Although we are all saddened by the unexpected and sudden passing of our friend and colleague, we can all take solace in remembering the positive, enduring impact that he had on our lives and the profound accomplishments that he achieved throughout his exemplary public service.

Senator Brown was born on January 30, 1950 to Joe Brown and Ruby Lofton Brown. He spent his formative years in Greenville, Georgia before moving to Macon to attend and eventually graduate from Mercer University. Following college, Senator Brown permanently settled in Macon and began to gradually establish himself as one of Middle Georgia's most respected political leaders.

While he will be remembered as a wise and thoughtful public figure, Senator Brown had to overcome many obstacles and conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges in his ascension to the status of becoming one of Georgia's most influential legislators. Despite two unsuccessful election attempts for a seat in the Georgia State House, he refused to give up and was eventually elected to the Bibb County School Board.

Following his tenure on the school board, he once again beat the odds and in 1991 won a highly competitive election for the Georgia State Senate. While in the Senate he was appointed as the Governor's Assistant Floor Leader before being elected to serve as that

legislative body's Minority Leader. He served as Senate Minority Leader for six years and while in this position he effectively advanced initiatives that improved public education, consolidated overlapping government functions, and preserved historic landmarks cherished by local residents.

Senator Brown was preceded in death by his beloved parents and is survived by many cousins, close personal friends, an expansive network of professional colleagues and loyal constituents.

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that, ``Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.'' There is no doubt that through his service, Senator Robert Lofton Brown paid his ``rent'' and the world is truly better because he did.

Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to the life of State Senator Robert Brown--an outstanding legislator, dedicated community advocate, loyal friend and faithful public servant.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and feeling of fond remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a close personal friend, committed community leader, avid conservationist and one of America's most accomplished and legendary bass fishermen--the late Jack Wingate. Mr. Wingate, affectionately known as the ``Sage of Seminole,'' passed away on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at his residence in Recovery, Georgia.

A large gathering that consisted of family members, friends, colleagues and his expansive network of admiring fans, paid their respects to Mr. Wingate at his funeral service that was held on Monday, December 12, 2011, at Calvary Baptist Church. The funeral service was followed by an interment at Cool Springs Cemetery and Masonic graveside rites were provided by the Faceville Masonic Lodge number 487 along with military honors that were bestowed by the United States Navy.

Mr. Wingate, an immensely popular and universally respected public figure in the Decatur County, Georgia community for several decades, was born on September 1, 1929 in Faceville, Georgia. The son of William Paul Wingate and Myrtle Bates Wingate, he was a 1947 graduate of Faceville High School and was a Korean War veteran.

After honorably serving in the military during the Korean conflict, Mr. Wingate returned to his home state of Georgia and founded the famous Lunker Lodge on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. This nationally renowned lodge has hosted several prestigious fishing tournaments and has earned a reputation as a favored compound for expert bass fishermen and notable celebrities. Jack also operated the Wingate's Fishing Camp for Boys at Lunker Lodge and introduced many young men and future expert anglers to the outdoors for 33 years.

Along with operating the Lunker Lodge, Jack had a very successful career as a media commentator and columnist. Over several decades he served as a columnist for the Bainbridge Post-Searchlight newspaper and frequently made appearances on local TV and radio stations throughout Southwest Georgia to discuss current events, tell fishing stories, and provide in-depth updates on conditions at Lake Seminole.

Jack Wingate achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of this would have been possible without the grace of God and his loving wife of 59 years, Joyce E. Wingate. Jack was also the proud father of three daughters--Katherine W. Kent and her husband, Lamar, of Chattahoochee, Florida; Peggy W. MacDonald and her husband, Wayne, of Macon, Georgia; and Jacquie Wingate of Recovery, Georgia. Jack is also survived by two beloved grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Mr. Jack Wingate for being an outstanding ambassador and unyielding supporter of communities throughout Southwest Georgia and for all the outstanding work he did on behalf of working families throughout our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and solemn remembrance that I come to the House Floor today to pay tribute to one of Columbus, Georgia's most renowned and respected public figures, the late Judge John Henry Land. Judge Land, who served on the Superior Court bench in the six-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit for nearly 25 years, died on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at the age of 93 years old. His funeral will be on Monday, December 5, 2011 at the Striffer-Hamby Mortuary's Macon Road Chapel, followed by a committal service in Park-Hill Cemetery.

His many years of dedicated public service and steadfast commitment to mentoring young lawyers, District Attorneys, and Judges are just two of the many reasons as to why Judge Land was such an influential and respected pillar in Georgia legal circles.

A Columbus native, Judge Land was born on June 1, 1918, the son of Aaron Brewster and Mattie Miller Land. He is a graduate of Columbus High School and the University of Georgia. As a student at the University of Georgia, he epitomized the true meaning of a young and inspiring legal scholar by finishing a five-year law degree program in four years.

Following his exemplary collegiate career, Judge Land was engaged in the private practice of law before being drafted into the Army in 1941, eventually rising to the rank of Major before being honorably discharged after World War II.

After the war, Judge Land resumed his legal career and was subsequently elected to public office. He served in the Georgia State Senate from 1949 to 1950 and in 1955 he was appointed by Governor Marvin Griffin to serve as District Attorney.

Following his service as State Senator and District Attorney, Judge Land was elected in 1964 to the Muscogee County Superior Court, a position in which he served until his retirement in 1988. As a Superior Court judge, he was lauded and respected for his high legal acumen, disciplined adherence to the rule of law and his stern, no-nonsense judicial temperament.

Mr. Speaker, Judge Land possessed the intellect, courage, and fortitude necessary to grow as a lawyer and jurist and become one of our state's most renowned judges and preeminent judicial scholars. And, I will always respect him for his many outstanding professional achievements, substantive contributions to our community and his sage advice and counsel to me as I entered the Georgia political arena. But what I will remember most about Judge Land is his strength of character, his integrity, and his fidelity.

My wife Vivian and I would like to extend our prayers and condolences to Judge Land's wife, Mary, and his four surviving children, John H. Land III, Martha Christensen, Jeffrey Land, and Jere Land.

Though he will be greatly missed by his loving family and his many diverse friends of long standing, we can all be grateful that we had the opportunity to know, love, and have our lives touched by this exceptional human being!

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in celebrating the life of a great American and Georgia public figure of giant proportions--the late Judge John Henry Land of Muscogee County, Georgia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of our nation's best known naturalists, accomplished conservationists, and recognizable television personalities, Jim Fowler. This weekend, the city of Albany, Georgia is proclaiming Saturday, December 3, 2011 as ``Jim Fowler Day'' and presenting him with a key to the city. The ceremony honoring Mr. Fowler will take place during Albany, Georgia's Celebration of Lights Christmas Parade. I am pleased to say that Mr. Fowler, a native of Albany, will be serving as the Grand Marshall of this year's Celebration of Lights Christmas Parade.

Jim Fowler's five decade long career as one of America's leading wildlife experts began at Earlham College in Indiana, Pennsylvania where he graduated with degrees in zoology and geology. Following his studies at Earlham College, Mr. Fowler conducted the first studies of the world's largest eagle, the Harpy, in the Amazon Rainforest and later tracked the movement of the Andean Condor bird in Peru.

Following his academic pursuits, Mr. Fowler served with Marlin Perkins as co-host and later became host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom television show and also hosted Mutual of Omaha's Spirit of Adventure. These acclaimed educational television programs received many awards including four Emmys and an endorsement by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for family viewing. He has been a frequent guest on many network news and talk shows and served as the wildlife correspondent for NBC's Today Show. Mr. Fowler was also prominently featured in a news piece that the Animal Planet network did on the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom in 2007.

Jim Fowler serves as president of the Fowler Center for Wildlife Education in New York and serves as the honorary president of the Explorers Club. In 1994, he received the prestigious Explorers Club Medal, the club's highest honor. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from Earlham College and in 2003 he was awarded the Lindbergh Award which recognizes individuals for significant contributions toward the balance of technology and nature.

As a world renowned zoologist and leading wildlife expert, Mr. Fowler has dedicated his professional career to educating audiences on the importance of preserving and protecting some of earth's most precious habitats. He has inspired generations of Americans to pursue the altruistic goals of improving our global ecosystem and maintaining the existence of the world's wildlife communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Mr. Jim Fowler for his many career achievements, outstanding service, and public distinction and most importantly for his unwavering support for the preservation of our world's natural habitats.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am in its present form.

Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I offer the final amendment of the bill which, if adopted, will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. Instead, the bill will proceed to final passage, as amended. The purpose of my amendment is simple. It deals with one of my most valuable rights as an American citizen.

It is a right which many Americans throughout the course of our history have shared blood, sweat, and tears to protect, including our colleague and my dear friend, Representative John Lewis of Georgia. He marched from Selma to Montgomery and endured billy clubs, horses, and tear gas to preserve this sacred right.

The right to which I'm referring is the right to vote, as enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and further protected in the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and various other measures.

Today, nearly five decades after the Voting Rights Act was signed into law and nearly 10 years since the Help America Vote Act, there is still an unprecedented attack on voting rights in States across this country.

Yet, the underlying legislation before the House today would abolish one of the key provisions of the Help America Vote Act, the Election Assistance Commission, which was designed to avoid a repeat of the turmoil surrounding the 2000 Presidential election in Florida, where problems with absentee and military ballots played a large role and led to many of these ballots not being counted.

If the commission is abolished, it will undermine America's faith in the integrity of our elections. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than 5 million Americans in 2012 could be adversely impacted by laws that tighten or restrict voting that were put into effect just this year. The number is larger than the margin of victory in two of the last Presidential elections.

Seniors, the disabled, and our Nation's veterans are now being turned away from the polls for not having the photo identification. Popular reforms like early voting and same-day voter registration are being rolled back.

Mr. Speaker, this situation should not be happening in the United States of America today.

My final amendment, therefore, is simple. It states that any successor to the Election Assistance Commission

shall remain responsible for the administration or enforcement of laws relating to the rights of the elderly, the disabled, members of the uniformed services, and overseas citizens to vote and cast ballots in elections for Federal office.

In signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, President Lyndon Johnson said that ``the vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.''

If this final amendment is approved, we can continue to tear down the walls of injustice and ensure that our democracy is open for all Americans to deliberate, to participate, and to engage with each other.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield the balance of my time to my colleague, Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding academic, college administrator, education expert, community leader and good friend to me and the community of Albany, Georgia--Dr. Anthony O. Parker. On Monday, November 21, 2011, the administration at Albany Technical College, the institution of higher learning where Dr. Parker currently serves as President, paid tribute to him for his years of dedicated service to the college by having the school's library named in his honor.

Throughout his successful career in the higher education field, Dr. Parker has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of thousands of college students. One of the reasons he has been able to triumphantly guide the academic careers of so many students, is due in part to the impressive endeavors he was able to accomplish as a young collegiate scholar and graduate student.

Dr. Parker's post-secondary academic career began at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He commenced his graduate studies at Augusta State University where he obtained an Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration. Additionally, he later would go on to receive his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.

Over the course of his professional career in academia, Dr. Parker has successfully served in a multitude of roles in which he has progressively advanced the intellectual aptitude and social development skills of collegiate students. As Vice President of Student Services at Aiken Technical College and later at Southeastern Technical College, he was able to proactively develop programs, advise various student organizations and conduct research surveys designed to improve the schools' standards of educational enrichment. Additionally, as an instructor at Augusta Technical College, Dr. Parker played a hands-on role in counseling students, developing curriculum and teaching various classes aimed at improving the prospects of students looking to enter the workforce or acquire new occupational skills.

During his 16 years at Albany Technical College, President Parker has established the school as a premier institution within the Technical College System of Georgia and as a stable workforce development training facility in Southwest Georgia through his vision of excellence and steadfast commitment to increasing enrollment rates and placing Albany Tech graduates in sustainable employment opportunities. By using his positively transformative vision as a guiding post for success, over the last two decades Albany Tech has propelled forward as one of Southwest Georgia's leading technical institutions.

Dr. Parker has achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of this would have been possible without the grace of God and his loving wife of 38 years and junior high school prom date, Sandra Parker. Dr. and Mrs. Parker are the proud parents of three children--Dr. Kimberly Parker, a professor at Texas Woman's University; Andrea Parker, a Lt. Commander in the United States Coast Guard; and Richard Parker, an employee at the United Parcel Service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute to Dr. Anthony O. Parker for his life of selfless service to the students, institutions of higher learning and working families in the state of Georgia and throughout our United States of America.