Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Jim Winestock, an outstanding Atlanta, GA, citizen who in February retired from a 40-year career with the United Parcel Service (UPS). In his most recent role as the Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations, Mr. Winestock was responsible for all package operations in the United States, including the pick up and delivery of more than 15.8 million packages each day. Mr. Winestock leaves a tremendous legacy of leadership, not only within the UPS organization, but in the business world in general.

A Greenville, SC, native, Mr. Winestock joined UPS in 1969 as a part- time package loader while attending Massey College in Jacksonville, FL. After graduation, he was promoted into management and worked in a broad range of jobs with increasing responsibility across Florida and Georgia. In 1992, he was promoted to vice president and Chief Operating Officer of the Northeast Texas District, then in 1996 he assumed responsibility for the Missouri District. Mr. Winestock was promoted again in 1998 to president of the Midwest Region, then became president of the North Central Region in 2000. In 2004, he was named Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations, the position he would hold for the duration of his UPS career.

Today I honor Mr. Winestock not only for his distinguished career, but also for his service that extends far beyond the meaning of his title. In addition to his responsibilities as Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations, Mr. Winestock served as the coordinator of UPS Corporate Schools, the company's management training program, and participated in the UPS Community Internship Program at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In addition to his numerous career accomplishments, Mr. Winestock sits on the Board of Directors of the National Urban League and also is a trustee of the MARCH Foundation.

I am truly honored to be able to call Mr. Winestock a fellow Georgian. His hard work and dedication are rare traits. I thank him for his years of service and I wish him luck and Godspeed in the next phase of his life.

Mr. Speaker, once again the month of February is upon us and we take a moment to look back. We look back and remember the fighters, the marchers, and the dreamers. We look back and remember those who marched on when they were told to stand down, and who remained seated when they were told to get up. We pay tribute to those heroes whose voices are heard across the generations, and to those heroes whose defiant silence rings louder than any word can be spoken. It is Black History Month. It is a month of solemn remembrance; and a month of exuberant hope.

So let us look back to remember and to honor those who refused to allow the status quo to hold this nation back from the fulfillment of its promise. Let us honor the ordinary slave, who embraced extraordinary courage to flee his oppressors and help maintain our union; the airman who fought and died for a country whose promise was not yet his, but who refused to stop believing what it could become; the preacher's son from Georgia, who dared to march and dared to dream; and the funny-named son of a Kenyan man and a Kansas woman who asked a nation what it wanted to become. Let us take this opportunity to remember these people, and the countless others who struggled by their side, honoring them with humility and gratitude.

Yet, also as we celebrate this month of remembrance, there is a principle that must not be forgotten: let us look back in order to honor the struggles and celebrate the triumphs of African-Americans throughout our history, but let us not forget that those struggles were endured and those triumphs attained so that we may look forward. These heroes of the past fought for that right. That right to look forward towards a future brighter than the past, filled with the opportunities that give our nation so much promise. If we wish to continue the progress towards our forebears' vision we must never forget this crucial principle.

Furthermore, it is this principle of looking forward which makes this Black History Month so different from the rest. This Black History Month we see, for the first time, the unequivocal results of more than two hundred years of looking forward, of more than two hundred years of fighting for the hope of tomorrow, and of struggling for the promise of the future. We see this in our new president, who embodies not only everything so many before him have struggled for, but everything we continue to strive for. As President Obama himself has said, ``What we have already achieved gives us hope--the audacity to hope--for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.''

Thus, Mr. Speaker I would like to leave my colleagues and the American people with what I believe to be the fundamental purpose of Black History Month: to look back, to the heroes and happenings of the past, so that we and our children may look forward to a future of greater promise, greater justice, and greater opportunity than has ever been previously imagined.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to join my friend and colleague Representative John Lewis in support of H. Res. 134. This resolution commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the role played by the revered leader of Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi--and those who followed in his footsteps--in influencing Dr. King's nonviolent approach to achieving social and political justice. I embrace this opportunity to look back at the men and the movement which pressed this nation forward in its journey towards the fulfillment of our founders' creed, and look forward as the march toward opportunity, justice, and freedom for all continues.

When Dr. King left for India in February 1959, he was just beginning to make his mark as a leader of the national movement for civil rights. He had organized the successful boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's public transportation system in 1955, and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference two years later. His burgeoning success had provided his nonviolent movement with the momentum and potential to become a truly powerful force in the pursuit of equal rights for all Americans. This momentum became entrenched during Dr. King's trip to India, where his immersion in the world of Mahatma Gandhi's own nonviolent success led King to commit himself in his philosophical entirety to the principle of meeting hate and injustice with persistent nonviolence.

Though Gandhi had passed away eleven years prior to Dr. King's journey, King was no less attentive to the followers of the great shanti sena--the ``nonviolent army'' that Gandhi led in his successful effort to free his country from the grasp of colonialism. He encountered those who had stood with Gandhi through the long, arduous struggle for India's sovereignty, and came to deeply understand the necessary commitment and purpose of which believers in nonviolence must never lose sight. Dr. King came to believe that if India can assert its independence from the bonds of the British Empire without violence, then the United States of America can achieve racial equality with the same approach. He took the lessons of a people half a world away and applied them to the struggle of his own nation, illustrating that a righteous cause pursued by means which justify its ends holds universal promise. Perhaps it is best articulated by Dr. King himself: ``As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.''

Now, with the passage of five decades, let us commemorate this historic journey of our beloved Dr. King, focusing on the lessons it taught him and the strength it provided him as he met the challenges of his day. Let us not only remember the past, but rather carry its lessons into a brighter future of promise and freedom. I once again express my heartfelt appreciation for Congressman Lewis, a man whose own journey and career follow closely the principles and vision laid out by these two men, and urge all my colleagues to take this opportunity to honor those who refuse to allow the forces of hate and oppression to provoke them to lose sight of their vision for justice by embracing the nonviolent path.

Mr. Speaker, this historic year marks both the inauguration of this country's first African-American president, Barack Obama, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (N.A.A.C.P.) 100th anniversary. February 12, 1909 was chosen as the founding date of the N.A.A.C.P. to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday, with the hopes of realizing his vision of a unified nation overcoming racial and ethnic hatred and discrimination.

The following decades have seen the emergence of new challenges along America's journey towards equality. Yet the N.A.A.C.P. has persisted and has overcome these obstacles. It currently bears witness to numerous advancements that may have never taken place had it not been for the collective will of the many N.A.A.C.P. members who were willing to fight for what they believed was right.

Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be if it never fought for African-Americans to have increased access to the ballot box.

Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be if it never fought against discrimination--from schooling to housing, and from marriage to employment. After all, the NAACP's Legal department, headed by Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall, undertook a campaign spanning several decades to bring about the reversal of the ``separate but equal'' doctrine enshrined in the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Without the N.A.A.C.P. and the courageous men and women who risked their lives and livelihoods in order to promote the rights of everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, it is hard to say where this great country would be.

In fact, it is hard to imagine an America without the N.A.A.C.P. My life and the life of this nation would be much different if it were not for the organization's efforts to tear down the barriers of racial discrimination and hatred.

The N.A.A.C.P.'s work, however, is not yet finished. If the last century is any indication though, as long as there is an N.A.A.C.P., all Americans will continue to have a powerful advocate for fairness, equality, and justice.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to join my friend and colleague Representative John Lewis in support of H. Res. 134. This resolution commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the role played by the revered leader of Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi--and those who followed in his footsteps--in influencing Dr. King's non- violent approach to achieving

social and political justice. I embrace this opportunity to look back at the men and the movement which pressed this nation forward in its journey towards the fulfillment of our founders' creed, and look forward as the march toward opportunity, justice, and freedom for all continues.

When Dr. King left for India in February 1959, he was just beginning to make his mark as a leader of the national movement for civil rights. He had organized the successful boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's public transportation system in 1955, and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference two years later. His burgeoning success had provided his non-violent movement with the momentum and potential to become a truly powerful force in the pursuit of equal rights for all Americans. This momentum became entrenched during Dr. King's trip to India, where his immersion in the world of Mahatma Gandhi's own non- violent success led King to commit himself in his philosophical entirety to the principle of meeting hate and injustice with persistent non-violence.

Though Gandhi had passed away eleven years prior to Dr. King's journey, King was no less attentive to the followers of the great shanti sena--the ``non-violent army'' that Gandhi led in his successful effort to free his country from the grasp of colonialism. He encountered those who had stood with Gandhi through the long, arduous struggle for India's sovereignty, and came to deeply understand the necessary commitment and purpose of which believers in non-violence must never lose sight. Dr. King came to believe that if India can assert its independence from the bonds of the British Empire without violence, then the United States of America can achieve racial equality with the same approach. He took the lessons of a people half a world away and applied them to the struggle of his own nation, illustrating that a righteous cause pursued by means which justify its ends holds universal promise. Perhaps it is best articulated by Dr. King himself: ``As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.''

Now, with the passage of five decades, let us commemorate this historic journey of our beloved Dr. King, focusing on the lessons it taught him and the strength it provided him as he met the challenges of his day. Let us not only remember the past, but rather carry its lessons into a brighter future of promise and freedom. I once again express my heartfelt appreciation for Congressman Lewis, a man whose own journey and career follow closely the principles and vision laid out by these two men, and urge all my colleagues to take this opportunity to honor those who refuse to allow the forces of hate and oppression to provoke them to lose sight of their vision for justice by embracing the nonviolent path.

Mr. Speaker, this historic year marks both the inauguration of this country's first African-American president, Barack Obama, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (N.A.A.C.P.) 100th anniversary. February 12, 1909 was chosen as the founding date of the N.A.A.C.P. to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday, with the hopes of realizing his vision of a unified nation overcoming racial and ethnic hatred and discrimination.

The following decades have seen the emergence of new challenges along America's journey towards equality. Yet the N.A.A.C.P. has persisted and has overcome these obstacles. It currently bears witness to numerous advancements that may have never taken place had it not been for the collective will of the many N.A.A.C.P. members who were willing to fight for what they believed was right.

Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be if it never fought for African-Americans to have increased access to the ballot box.

Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be if it never fought against discrimination--from schooling to housing, and from marriage to employment. After all, the NAACP's Legal department, headed by Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall, undertook a campaign spanning several decades to bring about the reversal of the ``separate but equal'' doctrine enshrined in the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this great country would be if it were not for the courageous men and women who risked their lives and livelihoods in order to promote the rights of everyone, regardless of the color of their skin.

In fact, it is hard to imagine such an America without the N.A.A.C.P. My life and the life of this nation would be much different if it were not for the organization's efforts to tear down the barriers of racial discrimination and hatred. The N.A.A.C.P.'s work, however, is not yet finished. If the last century is any indication though, as long as there is an N.A.A.C.P., all Americans will continue to have a powerful advocate for fairness, equality, and justice.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend and colleague Representative Jack Kingston for introducing this resolution to commemorate the life of--one of the giants in the legal community of Georgia and the Nation--Griffin Boyette Bell. His passing is a great loss to me, his family, and the country he proudly served. We have lost a true friend and a prominent leader. Mr. Bell's distinguished service as a civil rights advocate, U.S. attorney general, World War II veteran, and Federal judge reflects his lifelong commitment to public service and the American people.

Born in Americus Georgia, Mr. Bell, the only son of a farmer, dedicated his life to helping others. Following his Army service in the Quartermaster and Transportation Corps during World War II, Griffin Bell attended the Georgia Southwestern College and went on to law school at Mercer College. Even before graduating, he passed the Georgia Bar and served as city attorney of Warner Robins, Georgia.

Following law school, he set up a successful practice in Savannah and Rome and soon was invited to become a partner at the prominent law firm of King & Spalding. Griffin Bell could not stay out of public service for long. Shortly after the election of President Kennedy, he accepted an appointment to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

As a judge on the Fifth U.S. Circuit, Griffin Bell acted as a guardian of our constitutional rights and stood in strong opposition to segregation and discrimination. Later, as President Carter's Attorney General, he was an independent advocate of justice. Watergate was still fresh in people's minds, and Griffin Bell focused on eliminating official corruption. After his work as attorney general, he returned to King & Spalding, but still continued to be active in the public sphere. He served on the State's Advisory Committee on South Africa, President George H.W. Bush's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform, and was appointed the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Military Commission Review.

Throughout his career in public service, people from all walks of life--rich and poor, black and white, Democrat and Republican-- benefited from his insight and wise counsel. He strove to bring people together and resolve differences in a fair and pragmatic manner. Put simply, he was a model of integrity. He was a strong influence in my own life and was an inspiring mentor to countless numbers of young people over the years. Griffin Bell was looked up to and loved by everyone, and he will be greatly missed.

Madam Speaker, it often takes loss to remind ourselves of our, unwavering appreciation and unfaltering gratitude for those few extraordinary people who, despite their ability to enjoy tremendous success and reward for themselves, instead commit their energies and talents to the betterment of the world. Millard Fuller of Americus, Georgia was one of those extraordinary few. Fuller passed away February 2, leaving behind a legacy that is all the evidence one

needs to believe in the power of the human spirit to inspire hope and lift the burdens of poverty and despair from the shoulders of one's fellow man.

Throughout his life, Millard Fuller's talent and passion were put on display in no small number of ways. He proved to be a great entrepreneur, founding a marketing company that made him a millionaire before he had turned thirty; a great lawyer, heading the Montgomery Southern Poverty Law Center; a great Christian, walking away from his hard-earned wealth to pursue a life of service; and a great philanthropist, founding the tremendously successful Habitat for Humanity. He led the organization for over three decades, and, through the application of what he called the ``economics of Jesus,'' helped to provide over 300,000 homes to the destitute and the downtrodden across the globe. However, more than any of these things, Millard Fuller was a great man. His selflessness serves as an inspiration to people throughout the nation and across our world.

Born to a grocer in Lanett, Alabama, Mr. Fuller refused to allow his modest beginnings define the course of his life. Always one to take the initiative, he began raising pigs at the age of six, trading livestock during his teenage years, all before founding what would become known as the Fuller and Dees Marketing Group, Inc. after law school. Although he obtained a great fortune from his tireless efforts as a businessman, he soon found that in order to live a life of fulfillment, he had to dedicate himself to a simple life of devotion and service to a higher purpose. Fuller traveled to Africa in order to observe what he could do to improve the lot of the impoverished. He became a staunch advocate for aid to Africa's poor, and traveled the United States seeking assistance for his efforts. After moving to Americus, Georgia, Millard Fuller and his supporters founded what would become the most visible and effective manifestation of his desire to make a difference, an organization dedicated to providing housing and support for the poor-- Habitat for Humanity.

For more than thirty years, Habitat for Humanity, with the help of countless volunteers ranging from the average citizen to former President Jimmy Carter, has built hundreds of thousands of homes for the world's disadvantaged. Its mission has reflected a simple philosophy, best expressed in Mr. Fuller's own words: ``We want to make it socially, morally, politically and religiously unacceptable to have substandard housing and homelessness.'' In 1996, President Bill Clinton recognized Mr. Fuller's dedication by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Our deepest condolences go out to Mrs. Linda Fuller, and to all those who were touched by this extraordinary life. Let us seek to emulate Millard Fuller's passion for the good and the just, and his selfless pursuit of a better, gentler world. We should honor the life he lived by following the example he so emphatically set.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my congratulations to Sam and Doris Shorter of Cataula, Georgia, upon the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary on January 17, 2009. In this day and age where family values are often discussed, I can think of no greater testament to life, love, honor, and family values than the commitment of a 50 year marriage.

Samuel Shorter and Doris Lawson, both native Georgians, were born, reared and educated in Terrell County. They met while attending Terrell County high school. Sam was the starting guard on the basketball team and Doris was a pretty girl who caught his eye and snared his heart. After courting for just a few months, they both realized they had found true love and were destined to be partners in life. Shortly thereafter, Sam and Doris were joined in holy matrimony on January 17, 1959.

Along the way, during these last 50 years, they built a loving home, had successful careers, created a business and raised a family. Although they settled in New Jersey in the early 1960s, they never forgot their Georgia roots, and retired to Georgia in 2003.

Their marriage has been blessed with three children--Malcom, Tonya and Courtney; a loving daughter-in-law Joan; and six granddaughters-- Natalya, Olivia, Alazandra, Victoria, Ciara and Daijohna.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Shorters as they celebrate 50 years of marriage. It is refreshing to see two people who have devoted their lives to creating a successful marriage and happy family. They are an example of what a little dedication, a lot of love, and a belief in God can create.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a dear friend and one of our brave patriots. For over 30 years, Major General Walter Wojdakowski who is currently the commanding general at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, has served our nation with bravery, dedication and respect. He has a lifetime of selfless service that included command, battlefield and diplomatic experience. Major General Walter Wojdakowski ends his brilliant career at Ft. Benning where he first trained as second lieutenant to become an Infantry platoon leader.

Schooled in military arts at the United States Military Academy West Point, he would travel the globe with his wife Candy and their children Steven and Ami. Major General Wojdakowski would serve in leadership and staff positions in Germany and Kuwait with distinction as well as duty stations in the United States.

His impact is measured by the knowledge lie gained through his many challenging and difficult assignments. He used his experience to train this generation of war fighters for the most complex and difficult conflict in our nation's history, the Global War on Terrorism. The men and women he leads at Ft. Benning can proudly proclaim that they have trained the best soldiers in the world.

Major General Wojdakowski has demonstrated loyalty, faith and allegiance to our nation, to our military forces and to the citizens of our great country. He understands that meeting one's duty is to fulfill your obligations and accept responsibility for one's actions and the actions of one's subordinates.

He earned respect leading by example and showing respect by faithfully upholding and practicing the Army values. Major General Wojdakowski is recognized for his integrity and strict focus on exceeding the Army's highest standards. He has always understood the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war.

I am pleased to honor this warrior-patriot on his retirement from the United States Army. Major General Wojdakowski exemplifies personal courage and honor. He is one of the brave few who chose a life of servitude to his nation, and because of his service our nation is safer and stronger today. I want to commend Major General Wojdakowski, his wife Candy and his entire family for his reaching this important milestone. I wish him all the best in the years ahead.

Madam Speaker, I didn't take pleasure in voting yes today. But in tough times, Congress is required to make tough decisions. Voting for this bill is a risk, yes. But voting against this bill is a greater risk. Given the prevailing, dreadful economic trends, a bet that our economy will miraculously right itself on its own, without significant damage to the jobs and livelihoods of the people in my district and across America, is the greater risk I am not willing to take.

We are facing a startling reality. Without action, student loans, home loans, and lines of credit for local businesses will tighten, and eventually be cut entirely. With no credit source from which to pay employees, business will impose massive layoffs. Farmers, whose products are so vital to the Second District economy and who depend on a secure line of credit during planting season, won't have a crop. People facing foreclosure will not be able to refinance their mortgages, and will lose their homes. People looking to retire will have to take on part-time employment, or delay retirement entirely, because their savings, 401(k)s and pension plans will have been drained of assets.

I wish the bill we took up today was a cleaner bill. I wish we could have passed the bill Monday, and saved our deficit another $150 billion. Many of the provisions added onto this bill, especially relief for middle class taxpayers, are needed, but they add to the bill's cost. And any other day, I would stand firmly opposed until those costs were off-set.

But this is not ``any other day''--this is an extraordinary day, and these are extraordinary circumstances. The economy is on life support and not passing this bill would be tantamount to pulling the plug. Not passing it would imperil the very opportunities our society is known for, and that we behold as integral to American life: the chance to go college, run a business, own a home, enjoy retirement.

For the poor, for those who have been financially prudent, for the unemployed, for those who saw their 401(k)s dwindle this is not the end. In the coming months, it is my hope that Congress pours as much or more effort into investigating the financiers whose actions precipitated this crisis and who walked away with millions for themselves, as we have put into crafting this bill. It is also my hope we can repair the damage done the deficit. Meantime, I encourage my colleagues and my constituents to join me in supporting this first step toward regaining our financial footing and setting in place a new system, one that lacks the greed and the excess that brought us to this point in the first place.

Madam Speaker, Never in my 16 years in Congress have I so grudgingly voted ``yes'' on a piece of legislation. And hopefully, with this action, never again will I have to do so.

The so-called financial titans of this country and those who for years have favored lax regulatory oversight put us up against a wall. For some time now, Wall Street has been turning a tidy profit by playing with other people's money, manipulating balance sheets, and using complex financial instruments that few people, if anyone, understood. And through it all, the Bush administration has turned a blind eye and insisted that our ``fundamentals were strong.''

It turns out they were fundamentally wrong. And now we are all going to pay because of it.

I certainly do not disagree with the many constituents who have called my office and exclaimed, ``$700 billion!'' It is, without a doubt, an enormous sum. But it is less expensive than a deep economic recession.

During the Great Depression, the Federal Government waited too long to aid the battered banks. Today, the whims of a Wall Street Gone Wild have so afflicted our credit markets that I am convinced if we don't do something soon--and more importantly, if that action is not taken responsibly, and with strict oversight--we will regret it for a long, long time to come.

Everyone in this country, from individuals, to small businesses, to farmers, and multinational corporations, relies on credit. The local supermarket needs a reliable credit line to stock its shelves, farmers need to borrow money to plant their crops, students and parents have to borrow for college, and, right now at this very moment thousands of Second District residents facing foreclosure desperately need a chance to keep their homes by drawing upon a re-financed line of credit.

We must learn the lessons from history and act quickly to prevent an economic calamity. And, we are staring down the barrel of a gun that, if fired, would wound our economy so badly that even those with impeccable credit histories will not be able to secure a loan.

Members from both parties have come together to craft this consensus package. Each side made its views known. Neither party got everything it wanted. But I think we have a good plan in place to prevent a deepening of the current crisis and put us back on our feet.

And, we have secured the taxpayer protections absent from the administration's initial proposal: Taxpayers will have an ownership stake in these investments with profit-making opportunities, will be given a priority position to recover assets in the event a company fails, and will be included in a plan to recover any potential remaining costs from Wall Street firms after five years.

Taxpayers will also benefit from six different oversight entities, including an oversight board, an inspector general to monitor the Treasury Secretary's decisions, a review and audit program within the Government Accountability Office, public disclosure of any bailout- related transaction by the Treasury Secretary, and monthly reports to Congress on every $50 billion spent by Treasury. The Treasury Secretary's actions will also be subject to judicial review.

For the poor, for those who have been financially prudent, for the unemployed, for those who saw their 401(k)s dwindle--this is not the end. In the coming months, it is my hope that Congress pours as much effort into investigating the financiers whose actions precipitated this crisis and who walked away with millions for themselves, as they have put into crafting this bill. Meantime, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this first step toward regaining our financial footing and setting in place a new system, one that lacks the greed and the excess that brought us to this point in the first place.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Stork Medical, a company that fulfills a great need in the medical community.

Hope is a powerful emotion. It can turn despair into jubilation; futility into purpose, fear

into comfort; and isolation into community. Because Stork Medical and Community Blood Services are helping to provide hope to our military, it is my privilege to honor these patriotic companies with this resolution. Their forward thinking and generous program makes umbilical cord blood storage affordable to all who have ever served in our military, and are thus transforming this abstract word into a tangible commodity.

With the help of Stork Medical and Community Blood Services, the depressed soldier lying in bed, recovering from war injuries, will now have the hope that stored cord blood may one day repair his or her spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or even restore an amputated limb. Hope enables a smile to appear, a laugh to become audible, and allows healing to truly begin. To be sure, hope is potent medicine.

Families of our soldiers bravely live in a perpetual state of anxiety, constantly praying for the safe return of their beloved. These families, who reluctantly send their loved ones into battle, now have the hope that if a major injury occurs, it may one day be reversible through the use of this ``liquid gold.'' With stem cells already being used to build new fingers, bladders, noses, heart valves, and cartilage, it is more than just a ``wish.''

Madam Speaker, it is indeed ``hope.'' With their proven ability to treat many leukemias and cancers, these cells, which are harvested without any injury to the baby or mother, offer protection for soldiers exposed to chemical warfare and other toxic battlefield substances. Since these cells can be used for any close family member, they also offer added protection against many of the unspoken fears that young parents harbor.

This gift is a spectacular example of patriotism in its finest form. This program is offered by private enterprise without asking for a single tax dollar. It demonstrates that everyone can play a part in defending our freedom and liberty. As our military and their families sacrifice to defend all that we hold dear, Stork Medical and Community Blood Services have put hope into action.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Second Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Attapulgus, Georgia, which for the past 130 years, has been a beacon of hope and a sacred place of worship for many in the Second Congressional District.

According to a warranty deed dated February 11, 1878, Second Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church has existed at approximately the same location since its founding. In addition to providing a place of worship, the site also served as a school house for African-American children in the community at the beginning of the 20th century--an invaluable resource at a time in our Nation's history when education for African-Americans was a rare thing.

Building of the current structure was completed in 1956, under the Reverend J.L. Wingfield, a faithful servant of God and one of the church's thirteen pastors during its long and venerable history. The longest-serving pastor, Reverend C.D. Hammonds, served Christ, his community and the church for thirty wonderful years. The church's current pastor, Reverend Randall Hines, is in his seventh year and has overseen a large amount of growth, as well as an expansion of the sanctuary.

Second Morning Star now has worship services every Sunday, and is able to spread the word with the glorious sound of four choirs, Christian education classes for new members, and different ministries which serve every sector of the congregation.

Madam Speaker, it indeed is an honor and a privilege to know this church is in my district. I am proud to be able to serve Second Morning Star Church, and wish its members many more years of blessed service to their Lord and community.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to rise in full support of the fiscal year 2009 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and related agencies appropriations bill. I am extremely proud of the work of the subcommittee, on both sides of the aisle, as we have crafted a bill that truly supports America's servicemen and -women as well as their families.

Today I am especially pleased that we are ensuring better housing, health care, and day care facilities for our servicemen and -women by providing $24.8 billion for military construction, family housing, and fully funding BRAC.

Military facilities such as Fort Benning, located in my district, need this funding as they experience significant numbers of new personnel as a result of BRAC and the global repositioning of our forces around the world. In the Columbus area, we still have concerns with respect to the impact that BRAC may have on our local school system. But I'm encouraged by the interest and support shown by my colleagues on the subcommittee, in particular Mr. Edwards, our chairman; and our ranking member, Mr. Wamp.

But that's not all. Our bill includes nearly $200 million in additional housing for Army and Marine Corps trainees, an additional $136 million for medical facilities, $1.6 billion for Veterans Health Administration, and $3.8 billion for specialty mental health services, and $584 million for substance abuse programs.

But I don't think listing figures does justice to saying how important this bill is because with those resources, we are filling some gaping holes in veterans services and upgrading military facilities that are currently underfunded and overextended.

We are fully meeting and addressing the very same kinds of needs that arose at the barracks at Fort Bragg and the hospital at Walter Reed. We're keeping our commitment to veterans and giving the VA the funds they need to hire caseworkers to process the current backlog of claims. We are making sure that our veterans traveling long distances for medical care don't have to empty their wallets in order to get there. And we are upping funding for medical technology and giving our veterans access to a new generation of prosthetics so they may live as normal a life as possible.

Mr. Chairman, in short, this is a good bill.

Thank you.

I would like to recognize and thank the staff of the subcommittee: Carol Murphy, Mary Arnold, Walter Hearne, Tim Bishop, and Donna Shabaz of the majority staff; and Martin Delgado and Liz Dawson of the minority staff; and, of course, Michael Reed and Ed Larkin of my staff.