Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on the vote on H.R. 835. If I had been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, so many of us, when we go home, get the question of what is going on in Washington and why this behavior continues.

I think it is important for the American people to know that we have the responsibility of oversight. And I believe, as a senior member on the Judiciary Committee, that we need to address the question of the firing of Andrew McCabe. We understand there may be a report, the IG report. I don't challenge it, but it has not been rendered or made public. The precipitous and heinous, unfair firing, in the manner that it was done--I think that our Nation is better than that. I believe it is important for the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings.

And we should also hold hearings on the Cambridge situation. As a member of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee for Homeland Security, Judiciary should hold and find out why the private information of millions of Americans through Facebook has been utilized to skew the election of 2016. No, I am not complaining, Mr. Speaker, about the results. What I am saying: The American people are owed a fair and just election, and the responsible people are the Members of the United States Congress to determine how their private information has been skewed and used and

is still being used without their permission.

It is time for us to exercise our oversight, Mr. Speaker. Let's do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and tenacity, and that of her coanchor, the Honorable Brenda Lawrence. They are so correct. This is the year of Black Woman Rising.

I can't help but celebrate the quote from the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, whom I had the privilege of introducing more than once as a younger woman. One will never forget that experience and never forget the experience of just being around the Honorable Shirley Chisholm and the Honorable Barbara Jordan. They both came from similar stock on opposite sides of the Nation, but they were strong, stern, committed, and ready to serve; and serve, I like to think, without foolishness.

So I love the quote of Congresswoman Chisholm that said: If there is no chair for you at the table, then bring a folding chair.

I am paraphrasing.

What a celebration. Let me be very clear, it can go for Black women today in the 21st century.

I do want to acknowledge and to thank all women in this Women's History Month for their leadership and service. I want to particularly take note of our lost, late colleague, the Honorable Louise Slaughter, and say that if there was ever a mighty woman of great leadership, tenacity, and strength, it was our dear friend, Louise Slaughter. We honor her now and as well in the months to come.

As we talk about women of color, and in this instance, Black women, let me tell my colleagues that was about 400 or 500 of my sorors on Saturday. I must make mention of Marsha Penn, our president, and we were talking about the famous number 98.

Let me make sure I note all of the sorors in different sororities. For those of you who are not familiar with the sorority, that is a particular unique and special part of Black women's lives. I know there are other sororities, but we take it very seriously. You can be many colors. I happen to be pink and green, but there are many colors. I call them all my sorors. They are my sisters.

But we were talking about the power, and I use the number 98. I used that same number when I spoke with Stacey Abrams in Georgia just a few weeks ago. She may, in fact, be the first African-American woman nominee for Governor. She is running for that position in Georgia. She may be one of the great leaders coming forward.

But the 98 number is, as my colleagues know, 98 percent of African- American women cast their vote that catapulted Senator Doug Jones into the United States Senate. They are change makers and tree shakers. That is what I want to say about Black Woman Rising. They are, in fact, those tree shakers.

Might I say and pay tribute to Ivalita Jackson, my mother; Valerie Bennett; Sarah Jackson; Sybil Gooden; Olive Jackson, my grandmother; Vannie Bennett, my grandmother; Mrs. Simms, my great-grandmother; Audrey Reed, my aunt; Vickie Bennett, my aunt; along with Valerie Bennett, my aunt. All of these women surrounded me and gave me the kind of tenacity and strength that I can be proud of.

I also want to acknowledge women like Dr. Alexa Canady, the first African-American woman neurosurgeon; Oprah Winfrey, a Mississippi native who has turned into a multi-multimillionaire and upwards of a billionaire; and the story of Sojourner Truth, who was left off of the suffragette statue; but women like myself gathered together. Senator Clinton carried the legislation, but C. Delores Tucker was the inspiration. She did not rest until Sojourner Truth found her place in the United States Congress.

There was Rosa Parks, who now sits in Statuary Hall in tribute to many members of the Congressional Black Caucus. I certainly thank our chairman, Mr. Richmond, for creating these opportunities for us to have this kind of experience.

Let me now get to the crux of what we need to do to be fair to Black women.

First of all, we need to quash, extinguish the stereotypes of welfare queens, incarcerated women, women with children and no spouses, and really talk about the mountains that Black women have climbed to raise children and to create heroes across the specter of leadership, from science to medicine, to education and, yes, to sports.

Let's make sure that we never have a President that says ``sons of a B'' to malign the many mothers, many of them African American, who are the mothers of sports persons who, only because of their upbringing, had a sensitivity to criminal justice reform.

Let us always characterize the mothers of the movement for what they are: not individuals who are against law enforcement or order, but mothers who have lost their children in an unfair way.

We need to work toward how things should change in criminal justice reform and improve police-community relations so we don't have mothers who have lost their children, such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, and Jordan Davis. Some of these were not directly police issues, but they were sons who lost their lives, African-American young men. Also, Sandra Bland. Her mother is a dear friend of mine.

They lost their lives in ways that should not have been. There are also the same mothers of those law enforcement officials who have lost their lives. They mourn. What about bringing them together? Many of the mothers of young African Americans are obviously people of color, but we have lost many in the law enforcement in the same way.

My point is that the pain of mothers, the pain of African-American mothers, should be treated with dignity. The idea of a mother being on assistance to provide for her children and living in public housing should carry no label. There should not be a definition of supplemental food stamps as a handout, as much as it is a hand-up.

No one should be trying to save money in the United States Congress by providing boxes of food versus a nutrition system that food stamps allow, which is to allow someone to go and buy what their family needs or buy the formula or what their child with allergies needs.

Let's, first of all, establish dignity. Then, of course, if young women who happen to be African American happen to be incarcerated, let's make sure that we are looking to end mandatory minimums so that for these young women who are caught up in a conspiracy where the law wraps everyone up because of some elements of a spouse or a significant other or a boyfriend, and they get caught up in the criminal justice system, we can respond to them as mothers and recognize that they should be having an opportunity to not be entrapped with mandatory minimums so that they are never able to return to their children.

What about women who are pregnant and incarcerated, many of them Latino and African-American women?

We should be able to have a situation where those women are not separated from those children.

I heard Mr. Payne mention the 64 cents per dollar that many African- American women make in those kinds of hourly wage jobs. Therefore, we must have an increase in the minimum wage, but, more importantly, an increase in wages for women working in all capacities so that the stagnant wages that have not been impacted positively by the $2 trillion-dollar tax cut, we must ensure that.

We must ensure the ability of all persons to vote without obstruction and without the dastardly voter ID laws that have been put in place specifically to stymie the vote of people of color: Latinos and African Americans. I would hope that the courts would find them unconstitutional.

Motherhood must be promoted, as I indicated, for those incarcerated, but also for those who are not. Also, the support of healthcare, which is what the Affordable Care Act was all about. It was to equalize and to give a protective system for our working mothers or our mothers who could not afford insurance in another way. It is unfortunate, though we have tried--the Republican Congress has attempted to unravel a very strong healthcare system.

There are women in the United States military. First, I salute them all, but I also salute those African-

American women who have served in the military and have become generals.

I do want to take note of an organization that I have a deep affection for, and that is NASA. I am going to make it very clear that I want NASA to be on notice that I am still going to focus on the precipitous removal of an African-American, well-qualified astronaut without any explanation. The only explanation is: We did this wrong, and we really need to fix it.

But it needs to be explained why this person is not put back on the astronaut list and what excuse you had to remove her, other than the fact she was an African-American woman. In this month and this time we are honoring women, if you have a reason, you need to come forward to discern or explain why an African-American woman with the credentials, who is an M.D., who has been in training for a large number of years, was precipitously removed with no explanation.

These are the kinds of challenges that we face. So, I guess my message is: Let us give dignity to these women who are characteristically different.

Sojourner Truth represents a powerful example of that. She was a tall, dark, regal women. The story goes that, when she was at the suffragette meeting in the Midwest, she either raised her hand or attempted to be recognized, and the person in the front said: Yes, sir, what do you want, the gentleman in the back?

She began this long statement that said: Ain't I a woman? I have born 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery. Although I may be strong looking and manly looking, you may not have recognized that I am a woman that has born children and had them snatched away from me.

So I think the underlying premise of what we need to do for girls is to stop having the bias of young boys and girls who are African American being expelled or suspended from school in larger percentages than others. We need to make sure that the schools in our communities that happen to be Latino and African-American neighborhoods are equal to other schools.

We need to invest in education. We need to invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We need to invest in technology and coding. We need to invest in giving our young people opportunity.

I want to conclude my remarks by saying that this is an amazing array of outstanding women. I cannot recall all of their names, but I hope that, as I call their names, you understand my singular thing of dignity. Dignity doesn't write legislation, but it causes us to write legislation and policies that give women of color--in this instance, African-American women--as we honor them in Women's History Month, dignity and whatever the tools there are that give them dignity: better access to jobs, better access to housing, better respect for the work they do. We had the dismissal of an astronaut without any explanation and no explanation that they can find.

Tracey Norman is a model. Oprah Winfrey. Shirley Chisolm. Leontyne Price. Maya Angelou. We know them for their work in civil rights.

Aretha Franklin, a historic, wonderful artist in her own right. Hattie McDaniel. Marian Anderson. Ella Fitzgerald. Althea Gibson. Dorothy Dandridge. Chemist Marie Daly. Sarah Goode, an inventor. We know the wonderful movie that talked about NASA women.

Della Reece. Ms. Muhammad, an athlete. Ms. Butler, an author. Mae Jemison, my friend, a doctor and astronaut. Tyra Banks. Whoopi Goldberg. Loretta Lynch. Patricia Roberts Harris. Many of us are familiar with her work as a secretary in our United States. Mary Jane Patterson, an educator. Alice Coachman. There are so many.

I conclude by simply saying that what we want is dignity, respect, and the ability to serve and to be Americans, as we should.

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago this Friday, March 16, 1968, Senator Robert Francis Kennedy announced his candidacy for President of the United States and launched the legendary, whirlwind, wondrous 82-day campaign that captured the imagination of millions and inspired a generation.

Much has been said about Robert F. Kennedy, affectionately known to family and millions of loved ones as ``Bobby.''

We know of Bobby the brother; we know of Robert the passionate Senator and crusading Attorney General; we know him the tireless and determined champion of civil rights; and, sadly, we know of Robert Francis Kennedy the martyr.

These different sides of Robert Kennedy came into sharp focus during the last 11 and a half weeks of his time on this Earth.

It has been said that a man is a product of his time.

I remember the 1960s; it was a time when America was divided and riven by social unrest and civil upheaval and facing global dangers threatening the post-World War II international order.

But as I reflect back on that time, it is clear that Bobby Kennedy was not just merely a man of his time, but he was a man whose spirit, ideals, beliefs, and moral clarity transcend time and place.

Robert Kennedy stood for equality, dignity, fairness, humanity, empathy, and moral clarity.

Robert Kennedy lived these ideals during a time when they were in short supply in our society.

Robert Kennedy loved America which he knew to be good but could and must be made better.

``What is right, keep it right; what is wrong, make it right.''

That pretty much sums up the belief system of Bobby Kennedy.

I think of Robert Kennedy marching with Cesar Chavez, with whom he met almost 50 years ago on this day, as Cesar Chavez was ending his consequential hunger strike in support of migrant farm workers.

When Robert Kennedy announced his candidacy for president--from the same spot in the Senate Caucus Room as had his brother 8 years before-- he remarked that he was running ``not to oppose any man, but to propose new policies.''

Robert Kennedy also provided a roadmap for those of us in public service when he said: ``I don't think we have to shoot each other, to beat each other; I think that we can do better in this country.''

But, for me, Robert Kennedy's lasting legacy are his contributions advancing equality of opportunity, civil rights, and human dignity for all Americans.

Robert Kennedy's presidential platform emphasized racial equality, economic and social justice, and civic engagement and tolerance.

Robert Kennedy's appeal was universal, and knew no racial bounds because his vision for America included everyone; whites and blacks and browns, rural and urban dwellers, the poor and working and middle- class.

Robert Kennedy's message--of decency, respect, compassion, and humility--appealed to the good in Americans and was in turn embraced by people of goodwill in every region of the country.

Next month, when we mark the 50th anniversary of a terrible day in Memphis when the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was slain, let us remember the words of Robert Kennedy as he broke the news of Dr. King's death to an assembled crowd in an African American neighborhood in Indianapolis:

``What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another; and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.''

Two months later, on June 4, 1968, Robert Kennedy would himself be felled by an assassin's bullet at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, after winning the California Democratic Primary.

In the days immediately following his assassination, the full measure of the country's loss became apparent.

Over two million people assembled along the train tracks as his funeral cortege made its way from the funeral mass at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral to Union Station in Washington, D.C. for his interment at Arlington National Cemetery.

When the cortege reached Philadelphia, ``estimates of 20,000 people, mostly African-American . . . began to sing `The Battle Hymn of the Republic' with such force that inside, passengers began to weep.''

When America lost Bobby Kennedy, it lost a big heart and a guiding hand and a generation of Americans lost its innocence.

The words used to eulogize Robert Kennedy by his brother, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, are as applicable today as they were in the hectic days of his legendary campaign for President:

``My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.''

The life of Robert Francis ``Bobby'' Kennedy teaches us at least three important lessons when it comes to the question of justice: Words have power, actions matter, moral courage is indispensable.

Many persons have one of these qualities but much rarer are those who possess two, let alone all three in the abundance and to the degree possessed by Robert Kennedy.

Is it any wonder then that we still revere Bobby Kennedy after all these years and still miss him so much?

The 1968 folk classic, ``Abraham, Martin, and John,'' by Dion and the Belmonts still sums up the feelings of countless millions, here in America and around the world:

Has anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

I thought I saw him walkin' up over the hill

With Abraham, Martin and John.

Has anybody here seen my old friends?

Can you tell me where they've gone?

They freed a lot of people,

But, it seems the good they die young.

You know, I just looked around and they were gone.

The mortal presence of Robert Kennedy may be gone but his immortal spirit lives on and we will always remember those joyous, vibrant, and wondrous 82 days that were his legendary 1968 presidential campaign.

I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of the late Robert Francis Kennedy, the former U.S. Senator from New York and Attorney General of the United States.

Madam Speaker, it is 8 months since Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of the State of Texas and the United States.

We are engaged in an assessment, and I will tell you, after 88 people died, people are still in hotels, houses are still in disrepair, and we are still in need. We are a strong State and a resilient city with great leaders who work very hard.

But I think it is important that, as we try to recover, we work to restructure FEMA, as we are assessing right now in a hearing, so that we can address the questions that 300-plus of my constituents on March 5 in Kashmere Gardens--heavily hit, along with northeast Houston--asked the questions: Why were there so many FEMA denials? Why did the inspectors see 4 inches of rain in your house and it was 4 feet? What is the structure that we can utilize to allow people to come out of hotels and get into housing when they don't have a down payment or they don't have the first month's rent?

This is a holistic approach. We need to reform FEMA from the perspective of housing and the Stafford Act. We need to structure FEMA in the rescue part and the recovery part. We need answers, and my constituents need answers now regarding the many, many denials that have stopped them from proceeding with their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member, the chairman of the committee, and the proponents of this bill. I acknowledge their commitment and certainly their sincerity.

Mr. Speaker, I joined the thousands of young people today on the west side of the Capitol as they came from schools throughout this region to stand for 17 minutes to acknowledge those who lost their lives in Florida at a high school.

That should not have been their destiny. It should not have been their destiny to die in a bloody massacre in their school. It should not have been the destiny of those in the Pulse nightclub, Sutherland Springs, Columbine, Las Vegas, Texas Tech, the streets of Houston in my district, Chicago, or any other place.

This bill is not about preventing the unsafe use of guns. Guns kill. The young people today made it very clear that they will not stop until we have real gun safety legislation barring the AR-15 and we have universal background checks.

At the same time, I believe these bills of our colleagues are important legislative initiatives. So, in tribute to these individuals who have passed, but also the Members, I believe the STOP School Violence Act of 2017 is a ready response to aspects of school safety and security that are very important.

One of the unique aspects of this bill that I think should be noted is the language in the bill itself that indicates it is through evidence-based strategies and programs to prevent violence, which may include the use of appropriate technologies. The bill readily acknowledges many aspects of school safety.

The AFT and the National School Boards Association are two of the supporters of this legislation. But it does not answer totally the question of the parent who said: ``I didn't get a chance that morning to say good-bye to my daughter.''

We must address the question of gun violence. I believe it is important that we put a stop to children evacuating schools, like this one, and for us to be able to address a real, nonpartisan, bipartisan response to the proliferation of guns, whether it means enforcing gun laws, lifting the age to 21, or banning bump stocks, all points we thought the President was supporting but, unfortunately, he is not.

I do want to raise the point of the tip line. I think it is extremely important, as long as it is guided by teachers, counselors, and mental health experts. We must be very sure that we do not have racial disparities where the largest percentage of individuals impacted by the tip line may be African-American youth, Hispanic youth, or Muslim youth.

We know that racial disparities are real because the largest percentage of those who are sent to detention or juvenile centers happen to be African-American children, young boys and girls, which I really believe is something that has to stop.

In addition, it is important that we comply with civil rights law. I think the advocates of civil rights organizations like the Legal Defense Fund are absolutely right. There must be a standard where the civil rights of these children are not violated on this tip line and that due process is provided for them.

We must make a statement here today that, as we support this legislation, we do not intend to support legislation that we skew to be biased toward these young people. These young people in impoverished neighborhoods and schools, Mr. Speaker, deserve to learn as well. But we want safe schools. Those safe schools can be had with the beginning of this infrastructure.

We can begin with this question of school safety and a tip line and best evidence and best practices. We can begin with grants to ensure the safety of our schools. We can allow schools to make choices about what will make them more safe.

At the same time, we must safeguard our children and their rights. We must answer the cry of the children. We will not finish our task until we have real gun safety legislation.

Enough is enough. It is time to act now. I need my Republican brothers and sisters to work with me.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Legal Defense and Education Fund and a news article published in the New York on March 13, 2018.

NAACP Legal Defense and

Educational Fund, Inc.,

Washington, DC, March 12, 2018.

Re H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018.

Hon. Paul Ryan,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi: On behalf of the NAACP

Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), we write to

express our concerns with H.R. 4909, the Student, Teachers,

and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (the STOP

School Violence Act or Act). This bill will fail to achieve

its goal of improving school safety and will instead create

more dangerous conditions for students, especially students

of color.

Founded in 1940 by Thurgood Marshall, LDF is the nation's

oldest civil rights law organization. For almost 80 years,

LDF has relied on the Constitution and federal and state

civil rights laws to pursue equality and justice for African

Americans and other people of color. Since the historic U.S.

Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which

LDF litigated and won, we have continued to represent

students of color to ensure they receive quality and

equitable educational opportunities.

Unfortunately, we all have too much experience dealing with

the aftermath of school shootings. After the incidents in

Columbine, CO and Sandy Hook, CT, families, school districts,

and lawmakers took a variety of actions intended to prevent

future tragedies. In studying these actions and their

consequences, we can see which efforts work, and which do

not. The STOP School Violence Act does not do enough to

ensure that effective methods that protect all students are

used by our nation's schools and risks furthering racial

disparities in education.

The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret

Service have published a guide (the ED/SS Guide) to

maintaining safe schools, recommending the following steps:

1. Systematically surveying students, teachers, and other

stakeholders about the emotional climate of a school to be

able to continuously assess and improve school climate;

2. Encouraging students and teachers to respectfully listen

to each other;

3. Ensuring that students feel comfortable speaking with

adults in the school community;

4. Preventing and addressing bullying through promotion of

pro-social behaviors;

5. Involving students and staff in the maintenance of a

culture of safety and respect;

6. Ensuring all students have a trusting relationship with

at least one adult at school; and

7. Creating mechanisms for developing and maintaining safe

school climates.

The ED/SS guide emphasizes that safe and secure school

environments are created only through focusing on maintaining

a respectful and supportive school environment where

students' emotional and academic needs are met, with things

like effective threat assessment only a small part. These

recommendations are supported by other experts.

To effectively make schools safer, the STOP Schools Act

should provide grants to states and districts to help

cultivate these positive environments. To do this, the Act

should focus on expanding resources, such as school

counselors, mental health services, social workers, and

proven programs, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions

and Supports (PBIS) and restorative practices, and prohibit

assigning law enforcement to schools. Instead, the Act

provides grants to states and school districts to improve

school security by providing training to prevent student

violence, including for law enforcement officers, school

personnel, and students; developing and operating anonymous

reporting systems for threats of school violence; developing

and operating school threat assessment and intervention teams

that may include coordination with law enforcement agencies

and school personnel, and specialized training for school

officials in responding to mental health crises; coordinating

with law enforcement; using metal detectors, locks, lighting,

and other deterrent measures; implementing security

assessments and training; installing technology for expedited

notification of law enforcement during an emergency; and

taking ``any other measures that . . . may provide a

significant improvement in security.'' These provisions are

only a small part of the strategy that experts recommend for

maintaining safe school environments, and as written,

the provisions have a high risk of exacerbating race-based

disparities in how students are treated by school police and

staff.

The Act's language regarding coordination with law

enforcement and allowing any measures that ``may'' provide

more security will allow school districts to use the grant

funding to increase law enforcement presence rather than on

evidence-based interventions. Research has shown that having

more police in schools does not make schools safer, but,

results in an increasing number of students being led from

schools to the justice system. Although Black and Latinx

students do not misbehave more than White students, students

of color make up over 58% of school-based arrests, but only

40% of public school enrollment. Black students are more than

twice as likely as their White peers to be referred to law

enforcement or arrested at school. Additionally, research

shows that police officers perceive Black youth as older and

more culpable than they do similarly-situated White youth,

and this bias leads to the over-criminalization of Black

students. Furthermore, the presence of police in schools

makes Black students and students who have been victims feel

less safe, which would negatively affect school climate.

To address these disparities, a clause should be added to

the Act requiring that data be collected on any activities

undertaken with grant funding to determine whether they are

disproportionately affecting students of color or other at-

risk groups. Any districts that are discriminating against

students should not receive federal funding.

Moreover, the Act's anonymous reporting system does not

have prescribed due process or civil rights protections and

could lead to more racial disparities in how students are

treated at school. As the ED/SS Guide cautions, anonymous

systems could lead to individuals reporting false and

malicious information. It will be an easy vehicle for

students or staff who hold implicit or explicit biases

against students of color to report those students as being a

danger to themselves or others based on discriminatory

reasons. In order to protect students, the tip system should

be implemented as recommended in the guide: it should be

housed within a wider system of trust amongst students and

staff so that all feel comfortable filing reports and

providing any required additional information in assessing

threats. In addition, the communications should be tracked

and data disaggregated and assessed for racial disparities in

threat reporting.

Finally, the STOP Violence Act does not restrict its

funding to public schools and does not state that all

recipients of funds must comply with existing civil rights

laws. The Act should include a statement that any school

receiving funds under this Act complies with all federal law,

including civil rights laws protecting students on the bases

of race, color, national origin; sex; disability; and age.

All students deserve to attend safe and welcoming schools,

and we encourage you to provide states and districts with

additional resources to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, the

STOP School Violence Act as currently written will not

improve school safety and will risk further harm to students

who are already disserved by the system. Thank you for

considering this letter. If you have any questions, please

contact us.

Respectfully submitted,

Todd A. Cox,

Director of Policy.

Monique L. Dixon,

Deputy Director of Policy.

Nicole Dooley,

Policy Counsel.

Mr. Speaker, in the course of my coming over to the floor, we heard a comment, which I intend to check, of an accidental discharge of a firearm by a resource officer in a school in Virginia. The gun went off.

I just want to conclude by saying that we have brought people together in that nothing in this bill will allow for Federal funds to be used in these grants for the arming of teachers. I think the AFT has evidenced their support for that.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2017 would make it a crime to knowingly engage in any scheme to defraud a veteran or his or her dependents of veterans' benefits. This legislation provides an important, additional tool for Federal prosecutors to use to combat veterans' benefits fraud.

Because we honor the service of our brave men and women, and because of the sacrifices our veterans have made for us, it is particularly important that we protect them from fraud and ensure the integrity of the benefit system we provide.

According to a 2016 AARP study of investment fraud victims, it shows that while veterans are less than 10 percent of the U.S. population, they were one-third, 33 percent, of the victims of investment fraud because their money is certain. A recent Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel program reveals that the number of complaints filed by military veterans each year has increased by 63 percent over the past 5 years.

Recently, my State of Texas highlighted these issues in an article which reported that several disabled veterans were unable to receive their benefits via direct deposit. Investigation revealed a number of veterans did not receive their VA disability compensation checks due to the theft that occurred by way of perpetrators rerouting veterans' benefits to virtual banks.

Veterans are the targets of many of the same types of fraudulent activities as the rest of society, including mail, telephone, and online fraud. They are more victimized by fraud than nonveterans, and have lost money to scams 16 percent more than nonveterans during the past 5 years.

Nearly 78 percent of veterans report having been a target of veteran- specific scams, such as approving a VA loan, taking advantage of little-known government programs for vets, or paying for a back, knee, or arm brace because of one's military service. Nearly 22 percent of veterans report receiving 10 or more suspicious phone calls per week. Nearly all veterans, 97 percent, have received at least one scam attempt in the past 5 years.

We hope we can stop this.

Currently, there are about 21 million veterans--and more upcoming--of the United States military. These are men and women who selflessly served our Nation and in the theaters of war, from the Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam, to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As I indicated, our veterans will continue to grow and be vulnerable to scams.

Unfortunately, many of our veterans, as a result of their service, have physical and mental scars. There are well over 1 million American veterans with service-connected disabilities. It was my privilege to institute a PTSD center in my own district supported by the late Congressman Murtha.

In addition, veterans are more likely than nonveterans to become homeless. They comprise 17 percent of our homeless population, even though many of them are eligible for veterans' benefits. On any given night, an estimated 50,000 veterans are sleeping on America's streets.

In recognition of the extreme sacrifice by our veterans and the hardships many of them continue to face after their military service, it is our duty to provide, to the best of our ability, an appropriate measure of compensation for them, particularly those in need.

For instance, we provide disability payments to those with service- connected disabilities, pensions for veterans with limited incomes, education and training under the GI Bill, and also various life insurance benefits.

This is the least we can do, and it is still not enough. There continues to be issues with the medical care we provide our veterans and problems about some benefits never being processed and paid because of the loss of claims by the Veterans Benefits Administration.

That is why we must prohibit any schemes to defraud a veteran of his or her veteran's benefits. Anyone convicted of such crime could be fined, imprisoned, or be subject to both penalties. Those who defraud veterans or their surviving spouses or dependents endanger our system of veterans' benefits not only by harming the victims, but also by diminishing resources required to pay the claims and fund the programs that are needed to help those who have served their country have a decent quality of life.

Accordingly, I support H.R. 506. I commend the bill's sponsors, Representative Tom Rooney and Representative Ted Deutch, for their work on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 506, the ``Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2017,'' which would make it a crime to knowingly engage in any scheme to defraud a veteran or his dependents of veteran's benefits. This legislation provides an important, additional tool for federal prosecutors to use to combat veterans' benefits fraud.

Because we honor the service of our brave men and women, and because of the sacrifices our veterans have made for us, it is particularly important that we protect them from fraud and ensure the integrity of the benefit system we provide.

According to a 2016 AARP study of investment fraud victims, it showed that while veterans are less than 10% of the U.S. population, they were one third (33%) of the victims of investment fraud. A recent Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel program reveals that the number of complaints filed by military veterans each year has increased by 63% over the past five years.

Recently, my state of Texas highlighted these issues in an article, which reported that several disabled veterans were unable to receive their benefits via direct deposit. Investigation revealed that a number of veterans did not receive their VA disability compensation checks, due to the theft that occurred by way of perpetrators re-routing veterans' benefits to virtual banks.

Veterans are the targets of many of the same types of fraudulent activities as the rest of society, including mail, telephone and online

fraud. They are more victimized by fraud than nonveterans and have lost money to scams (16%) than nonveterans during the past five years.

Nearly (78%) of veterans report having been a target of veteran- specific scams, such as improving a VA loan, taking advantage of little-known government programs for vets or paying for a back, knee or arm brace because of one's military service. Nearly (22%) of veterans report receiving 10 or more suspicious phone calls per week. Nearly all veterans (97%) have received at least one scam attempt in the past five years.

Currently, there are about 21 million veterans of the United States military--men and women who selflessly served our Nation and in theaters of war, from the Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, many of our veterans--as a result of their service-- have physical and mental scars. There are well over 1 million American veterans with service-connected disabilities.

In addition, veterans are more likely than non-veterans to become homeless. They comprise 17% of our homeless population. On any given night, an estimated 50,000 veterans are sleeping on America's streets.

In recognition of the extreme sacrifice by our veterans and the hardships many of them continue to face after their military service, it is our duty to provide, to the best of our ability, an appropriate measure of compensation for them, particularly for those in need.

For instance, we provide disability payments to those with service- connected disabilities, pensions for veterans with limited incomes, education and training under the GI Bill, and also various life insurance benefits.

This is the least we can do and it is still not enough. There continue to be issues with the medical care we provide our veterans, and problems about some benefits never being processed and paid because of the loss of claims by the Veterans Benefits Administration.

That is why we must prohibit any schemes to defraud a veteran of his or her veteran's benefits. Anyone convicted of such crime could be fined, imprisoned, or be subject to both penalties.

Those who defraud veterans, or their surviving spouses or dependents, endanger our system of veterans' benefits not only by harming the victims, but also by diminishing resources required to pay the claims and fund the programs that are needed to help those who have served their country.

Accordingly, I support H.R. 506 and I commend the bill's sponsors, Representative Tom Rooney and Representative Ted Deutch, for their work on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, we must do everything we can to protect our Veterans who have given so much of themselves to keep us all safe. We must ensure that the benefits they have earned are safeguarded against criminal acts.

We ask our veterans to lay their lives on the line so that we can enjoy the freedom, which is at the heart of this great country. We owe them much. Surely we can and should repay our gratitude whenever we can.

Protecting their veterans' benefits is one way of expressing our appreciation, and it is the right and just thing to do.

For reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), the coauthor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 506 creates a new section, 1352, in chapter 63, title 18, to penalize fraudsters that knowingly execute or attempt to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud a veteran of his or her benefits--that is a dastardly act--or in connection with obtaining that veteran's benefits by imposing a fine, imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both.

Under current law, you can be an agent or attorney and meet certain standards and you can help a veteran. But there are many who were not licensed, not connected, or had the approval of various States or local governments, and they were fraudulently taking precious resources from our veterans. There was no criminal or financial penalty for breaking the law.

So, H.R. 506 provides that penalty because, in recent years, financial predators across the country have targeted easy targets, who are veterans. Many, as we have said, have been physically or mentally maimed in their service to this Nation. Many of them are also elderly and live in low-income housing.

This bill is long in coming. I thank Mr. Rooney and Mr. Deutch, working with the members of the Judiciary Committee, for moving this legislation forward.

We ask our veterans to lay their lives on the line so that we can enjoy freedom, which is at the heart of this great country. We owe them much. Surely, we can repay our gratitude whenever we can. Protecting their veterans' benefits is one way of expressing our appreciation, and it is the right and just thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, to the distinguished manager and to the author of this legislation, there is certainly room for legislation that speaks to the needs of our children and speaks to those who obviously have joined vicious and violent gangs even though of young ages.

I will always, however, reemphasize the message that, as we look at these efforts, as I speak about my Juvenile Block Grant Antibullying and Prevention Act, legislation that I would like to see go through the Judiciary Committee, we must be reminded that, in order to continue to be safe, this Congress cannot ignore debate and passage of gun safety legislation.

Guns kill. AR-15s kill. The lack of raising the age from 18 to 21 for guns

hurts our children. Not having universal background checks hurts our children. But at the same time, we must find ways to stem the tide of gangs, and there are many gangs throughout the Nation.

Just speaking with my law enforcement, the gang names that came to me were not just MS-13. We will find gangs in our particular jurisdictions that have many names. But whatever their names, their behavior is dastardly and it is injurious, and if we can find ways to keep our neighborhood safe, as H.R. 3249 intends to do, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2017, which would provide additional resources to help local jurisdictions prevent and fight crime in their communities, then we should stand together to do so.

The bill would authorize the Attorney General to establish and implement a program to be known as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Program within the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice, thereby providing a formal authorization for the Project Safe Neighborhoods program currently implemented by DOJ. A portion of the funding awards under the program would be allocated to fighting gang- related crime.

While I support authorizing this program, I would like to highlight two concerns. The first is the Juvenile Block Grant Antibullying and Prevention Act, which would have reauthorized the juvenile block grants which would go to communities for a variety of reasons. That has been stalled in the Judiciary Committee under the pretense of not having an offset. And I see that this particular legislation does have, seemingly, a $70 million a year authorization without an offset.

So I think we should work together, and as I support this legislation, I think we should support other legislative initiatives that can really intervene. It is clear that the perpetrator in Florida, there is some evidence, some newspaper reporting, that this individual was bullied and had a very difficult life. We see that that is certainly a reason that young people become gang members.

So as we look to supporting this legislation, I think that we should look to broaden our support and work on the whole idea of steering our children away from the idea of gangs, guns, and violence.

I would hope, first, a substantial portion of the funding of this bill will be dedicated to antigang task forces. I support preventing and fighting crime no matter who the perpetrator may be. But I also want to make sure that we look holistically at dealing with young people and that we have alternatives for them, which block-granting does in giving alternatives to communities to direct young people in other directions other than gangs.

We must be vigilant in conducting oversight, also, of the use of program funds and in protecting those program funds so that they can be utilized for authorization of other efforts to help our young people.

Let me also indicate that this program should be one facet of working with young people. The program will be one facet of DOJ's efforts to address gun and gang violence at the local, State, and Tribal levels.

The Juvenile Accountability Block Grants, which provide other funds for a myriad of activities in our local communities, we should view it from the holistic perspective and as an effort to supplement but not supplant alternatives that may employ different but yet still effective approaches, which I am speaking of through the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program. None of the funding prohibitions would serve the interest of public safety.

For instance, the bill would eliminate the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program, which, when implemented, helps local governments develop crime reduction strategies to address crime in hotspots that generate a significant amount of crime within larger communities or jurisdictions.

The Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program is a community-based strategy that aims to prevent and control violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in high-crime neighborhoods by providing funding to support partnerships between law enforcement agencies and community- based organizations that balance targeted enforcement with prevention, intervention, and neighborhood restoration services. If you ask your local police, many of them will tout the Byrne program as being very successful.

In the past, OJP has coordinated the efforts of this program with related efforts to promote neighborhood revitalization by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Education. We see no reason to eliminate the possibility of funding for this program which is very helpful.

So along with the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program and many others, I believe this legislation can be enhanced. I hope that as we make our way through the legislative process, we will not only work with H.R. 3249, but we will also work with other legislation that will holistically help the crime situation in our Nation and secure young people as they desire to be secured and, particularly, work on gun violence, which is severe in many of our communities.

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

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

In closing, again, I want to acknowledge the author of H.R. 3249 for an important statement regarding gangs, and I would hope that we could continue to work on these issues. For instance, the bill would eliminate the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program, and I hope that we can restore that.

As well, I hope that we can work very closely on other legislative initiatives that are going through the Judiciary Committee. A holistic approach is the best approach. And then I hope that we can restore the funding that is necessary for some of the programs that have been eliminated because of this legislation. Good as it may be, it is important to do a combination of efforts to deal with protecting children and steering children away from these vile actions.

Mr. Speaker, I truly believe that there are programs dealing with bullying and prevention of bullying that can complement the work that is being done here and the Byrne program that has been utilized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, cleaning neighborhoods, making neighborhoods safe. I can see it in my congressional district and I can see it in other congressional districts, to come in and combine with those resources. And then, of course, are the resources that uplift our young people, steer them in the right direction and provide alternative support systems for them.

As many people know, in years gone by, something that many people found humorous was midnight basketball. Today I hear law enforcement officers say: You know, that midnight basketball really worked so many years ago.

We need to look at a collective approach to getting kids off the street, making sure our children are safe, and that they don't find, as their only relief, gangs, but they can also find clean, safe neighborhoods and neighborhoods that are free of guns as the only tool to settle their disputes.

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

Mr. Speaker, the children of our Nation are raising their voices. In the last couple of days in my district, many young people representing the 140,000 DACA-status young people in Texas and 800,000 in the Nation walked and shouted and asked and cajoled and spoke eloquently about the ridiculous malaise of this Congress, where we have not reauthorized DACA when there is a bill ready to move.

Do we care about our children? Do we care about the doctors, lawyers, and astronauts? Do we care about the teachers? Do we care about the parents--mothers and fathers--all DACA-status individuals who love this Nation?

And then today we heard from the voices of those who raised their hands

and said: I do not feel safe in school. I do not feel safe.

So they left their schools and honored those who died in Florida just a few weeks ago. They begged for this Nation and this Congress to get out of its stupor and to begin to pass real gun safety legislation.

Raise the age. Ban the bump stocks. Have universal background checks. The children's voices are crying.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, where in the world does General Sessions get in his mind that he can fire FBI Directors, Assistant Directors? And where in the world does the President get in his mind that he can fire the Secretary of State in such a disgraceful manner?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on this special occasion to commemorate our beloved colleague and next door neighbor, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur from the 9th District of Ohio.

March has been designated to commemorate Women's History Month and Congresswoman Kaptur has indeed made history this month.

First elected to the 98th Congress in 1982, and reelected to the succeeding 17 Congresses, Marcy Kaptur is now the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, breaking the record previously set by Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts.

Congresswoman Kaptur, a native Toledoan, lives in the same modest house where she grew up.

She is a Polish-American with humble, working class roots.

Her family operated a small grocery store and her mother later served on the original organizing committee of a trade union at the Champion Spark Plug factory in Toledo.

After graduating from St. Ursula Academy, she became the first member of her family to attend college, earning a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin (1968) and later a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan.

After working for 15 years as a city and regional planner, primarily in Toledo and Chicago, she accepted an appointment as a domestic policy advisor to President Jimmy Carter.

During his Administration, she helped maneuver 17 housing and neighborhood revitalization bills through Congress.

In 1981, while pursuing a doctorate in urban planning and development finance at MIT, she was recruited by the Lucas County Democratic Party to run for Congress against a first-term Republican.

Although she was outspent by a 3-to-1 margin, Marcy Kaptur parlayed a strong economic message during the 1982 recession to stage a nationally-recognized upset.

In Washington, Marcy Kaptur fought vigorously to win a seat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Today she is the ranking member on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, which is fitting given that the Ninth

District hugs the Lake Erie coastline from Cleveland to Toledo.

Congresswoman Kaptur also is the first Democratic woman ever to serve on the powerful Defense Subcommittee.

There, she is a strong advocate for national security, energy independence and adequate support for the armed forces.

She is also a member of the Interior Subcommittee where she fights for clean water programs that protect our Great Lakes.

Earlier in her congressional career, she served on the Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee as well as the Banking Committee.

She served on the Budget Committee as recently as the 112th Congress.

She has received the Prisoner of War ``Barbed Wire'' Award for her commitment to veterans' affairs.

She has secured funding for a path-breaking study into the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental health issues among our armed forces.

And she helped lead a community effort to save the 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo when it was threatened by the base closure commission.

Congresswoman Kaptur has always shown strong interest in America's standing in the world and its relations with other countries.

She currently serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and co-chairs the Congressional Hungarian Caucus and also the Ukraine Caucus.

A strong supporter of Middle East peace, she directed the first surplus farm commodities in 1999 to support the peace process in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Congresswoman Kaptur remains dedicated to the development of democratic institutions globally.

She has spearheaded private charitable efforts to alleviate suffering in nations such as Ukraine and Vietnam.

As leader on issues related to international trade and human and labor rights, Marcy Kaptur has led the fight for fair trade laws, dating back to her opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

In 1993, Congresswoman Kaptur was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Toledo in recognition of her ``effective representation of the community.''

St. Ursula Academy named Marcy Kaptur Alumna of the Year in 1995.

She is recipient of the Taubman College Distinguished Alumna award from the University of Michigan, making her the first woman so recognized and the first graduate of the Urban and Regional Planning Program to be so honored.

Marcy Kaptur recently received the Director's Award from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University for her commitment to increased understanding and appreciation of the peoples and cultures of Eurasia, Russia and East Europe.

Marcy Kaptur was named the National Mental Health Association's ``Legislator of the Year'' for her championing mental health and received the 2002 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Marcy Kaptur is also the author of a book, Women in Congress: A Twentieth Century Odyssey that was published by Congressional Quarterly in 1996.

Dedicated to the principle that fiscal responsibility begins in ``one's own backyard,'' Congresswoman Kaptur has consistently returned money to the federal Treasury.

Marcy Kaptur refuses to accept Congressional pay raises and donates them to offset the federal deficit and charitable causes in her home community.

Marcy Kaptur leads the charge on urban agriculture in Congress, she introduced the Urban Agriculture Production Act of 2017, which will create help create jobs, healthier, local food options and opportunities for cities and towns to become part of the food production process.

With all of that said, Congresswoman Kaptur's kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity precede her.

When Hurricane Harvey hit the 18th District, she promptly sent my staff a box of doughnuts, knowing they would need that extra push to get through the busy hours ahead.

Congresswoman Kaptur goes above and beyond her job description as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies.

Marcy Kaptur worked closely with me to pass several Jackson Lee amendments to Energy and Water Appropriations spending bills to provide funding for flood mitigation studies in Houston and Harris County and was crucial in securing House passage of the supplemental appropriations providing disaster recovery relief for hurricane Harvey victims.

So on behalf of the residents of the 18th District of Texas, I say thank you Congresswoman Kaptur for being there and standing strong with us in our time of need.

Her compassion shows through random acts of kindness and thoughtfulness ranging from holding the door open for a young staffer to calling to check on the status of the 18th District as she is concerned about the human consequences of extreme flooding--I imagine her background in urban planning plays a role in her attentiveness.

As the Ranking Member for the subcommittee with Jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineer, Congresswoman Kaptur helped in the effort to secure funding allocated to study floods--a crucial program for Hurricane Harvey recovery and future preparedness.

Thank you for your leadership, Congresswoman Kaptur.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Houston City Councilmember Larry Green who passed away suddenly on March 6, 2018, at the age of 52.

I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of my dear friend, Councilman Larry Green, and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones.

Although the years of his life were short, the life lived in those years by Councilman Larry Green was vibrant, dynamic, purposeful, and directed toward service to others.

Larry Green was an extraordinary human being with an unsurpassed exuberance and passion for our city, its neighborhoods, its future, and most of all, its people.

Councilman Larry Green was devoted to providing opportunities for his constituents, indeed all Houstonians, to realize their potential and their dreams.

Larry Green worked as my District Director, and in this role he helped me to serve the constituents of the 18th Congressional District.

I am proud to have served as one of his mentors.

In fact it was during this service to my office that I observed first hand his dedication to the community that claimed him, because he was one of Houston's own.

But as anyone who knew Larry Green can attest, you also learned a lot from him because he was so generous with his knowledge and expertise.

Larry Green was a lifelong Houstonian.

You often hear it said that greatness is measured by the magnitude of one's service.

By that measure there is no greater public servant than Larry Green, whom we lost entirely too soon.

Larry Green proudly served the citizens of District K on Houston's City Council for almost six years.

Larry Green was a native Houstonian; a graduate of Madison High School, the University of Houston, and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

It was in my office that Larry Green honed the skills for which he is well known for: hard work, long hours, attention to details regarding the lives of those he serves, getting the job done, and making sure that the needs and interests of the poor and vulnerable would never be forgotten.

As the shock and grief over his untimely death recedes, left in its place is our memory of his dedication as a public servant; his sense of humor when faced with a challenge; his tireless work for the people of District K, and omnipresence at community meetings was legendary.

In fact, it was at those community meetings where his love for his constituents shined brightest.

As members of the community attested after he passed: ``Larry was everywhere--he's at the civic club meetings; the coalition meeting; he was like your friend. I'd call him all the time.''

The loss of Larry Green's leaves is heart breaking.

I am reminded of the common refrain that ``all death teaches us is that nothing is promised, but only that life was worth it.''

Larry Green lived that wisdom and always sought to give back and live a life worth it.

Among his numerous contributions and accomplishments, it is Larry Green's dedication to his constituents that stand tallest, and will stand the test of time.

Larry Green knew the value of viewing neighborhoods and towns as communities--rather than districts--and sought to make the everyday lives of people better.

Larry Green educated people about how to become citizen activists so that they could improve the quality of their communities or their own lives.

Larry Green sought to remedy blighted neighborhoods by attracting development; he helped neighbors set up civic clubs and taught them how to beautify their neighborhoods.

And as the rough waters of life have stilled his body, his soul lives on and his legacy will not be diminished.

Larry Green will be remembered always as a fearless advocate; a tireless champion; a true friend; a man whose passion for Houston was contagious.

Scripture teaches us that blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted.

To his entire family, who shared him with us for 52 years, on behalf of all Houstonians, we thank you.

To his brother, two nieces and a nephew, all of whom survive him, we pray that God will deliver you from the pain that his passing has visited on you.

To those he was honored to serve as a proud representative of District K: all of us in public life are inspired by his example and his fortitude and while we know he is looking down on us, we can only seek to honor his time on Earth by emulating his service.

In a time of wanting leadership, let those of us still on this Earth be inspired by Larry Green's example and his service and strive to be worthy of his legacy.

I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of the beloved Larry Green, who as much as anyone reflected the heartbeat of Houston.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 31st observance of March as Women's History Month.

I want to list several women who made history with their election to the U.S. House of Representatives:

1. Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin of Montana who was the first elected woman member of the House of Representatives;

2. Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaii was the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress;

3. Congresswoman Shirley Anita Chisholm of New York who was the first African-American Congresswoman member of the House of Representatives; and

4. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen whom we have the honor of working with is the first Hispanic woman elected to serve in Congress;

5. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin is from the LGBTQ community to serve in this body and the first to serve in the United States Senate; and

6. Nancy Pelosi, the first woman elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.

National Women's History Month can be traced back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions.

International Women's Day was first observed in 1909.

In 1981, Congress passed a law authorizing the President to proclaim March 7, 1982 as ``Women's History Week.''

It was a modest beginning, but very significant to women because it started a societal and cultural change in how women--and especially young girls--saw themselves within American story.

In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month and every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation.

This month we recognize Women's History Month by noting the fundamental role women have played in shaping America's history.

But a month is not enough to make known the significant contributions of women to the success of the United States of America.

We taught our girls about `Rosie the Riveter' who represented the millions of American women who went to work on assembly lines to manufacture tanks, planes, and weapons for the defense of this nation during World War II.

America has been blessed to have the contributions of American women heroes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Women like Sally Kristen Ride, the first women sent into space; Eileen Marie Collins, the first women space shuttle pilot; and Grace Murray Hopper, an American computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral.

Admiral Hopper developed the first compiler for a computer programming language, which made it possible to program computers without using punch cards.

There are many women in the State of Texas and in the city of Houston who have made significant contributions to the American story:

1. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives;

2. Kathryn ``Kathy'' Whitmire was the first woman elected to serve in the Houston City government; and

3. Mae Carol Jemison was the first African American woman astronaut.

I was proud to have been a cosponsor of the ``National Women's History Commission Act,'' signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2014 and which established a commission to study the potential for creating a National Women's History Museum and submit to the President and Congress a report containing recommendations on a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Commission delivered its report to Congress in November 2016 which contains the following recommendations:

1. America deserves a physical national museum dedicated to integrating women's distinctive contributions into our culture and history.

2. The Museum should be built on a highly prominent location close to other museums on or very close to the National Mall.

3. The Museum should be composed of a strong permanent collection with supplemental exhibits or objects on loan from other museums and archives, including components of the Smithsonian.

I agree and that is why I strongly support and am an original co- sponsor of H.R. 19, the ``Women's History Museum Act,'' which establishes a comprehensive women's history museum within the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC to provide for the collection, study, and establishment of programs related to women's contributions that have influenced the direction of the United States.

A National Women's History Museum is needed to ensure that when the story of our nation is told that the role of women is represented in the narrative of our nation.

But there is much that remains to be done to ensure that women receive the same opportunities as their male counterparts and are equally represented in the public, civic, and economic life of the nation.

Women represent more than 50 percent of the population and cast more than 50 percent of the votes in the last several national elections but no woman has yet been elected to serve as President or Vice-President of the United States, although Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first woman to win the nomination of a major political party and won 65,853,516 votes, nearly 3 million more than her opponent, the current President.

Today, on average women still make only 77 cents for every dollar made by men and this gap is wider for African American and Hispanic women.

Nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are women.

The poverty rate--14.5 percent for women--remains the highest in two decades.

Family and medical leave protections fail to cover nearly half of full-time employees.

Women-owned businesses continue to lag behind men-owned businesses. The average revenue of women-owned businesses is only 27 percent of the average revenue of men-owned businesses.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats know that when women succeed, America succeeds.

That is why in July 2013, House Democrats unveiled ``When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.''

This agenda addresses the need to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work.

It helps ensure work and family balance by allowing working parents to support their families and care for their children.

And it recognizes that expanding educational opportunities, increased job training, and investments in women entrepreneurs are essential for women's success in our economy.

American women have made great strides over the last 100 years--but the fight for equal opportunity and to provide women with the economic security and opportunities they deserve and their families need is far from over.

We cannot rest until all of America's mothers, wives, and daughters truly have the same opportunities as America's fathers, husbands, and sons.

Mr. Speaker, as the senior member on the Judiciary Committee, I remember dealing with church bombings some few years ago. So I rise today to acknowledge my colleagues in Austin and to express my sympathy for the bombing deaths that occurred with a nondescript package being left at the homes of African Americans and a Hispanic.

I believe action is needed now, and I certainly thank law enforcement for engaging ATF and the FBI. But I think it was important that when the first bombing occurred, notice generally should have been made about nondescript packages at the homes of individuals.

We know the facts are not all in. The investigation is ongoing. However, the Federal Government can be of help to local law enforcement that I know is working hard. We want to be there for them. But it is important to take note, and I want my constituents to be aware, that nondescript packages, until this dastardly individual is found, please call the police in whatever jurisdiction you are in in the State of Texas, and let's hope that we can find this person as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, my deepest sympathy and prayers are with those who already lost their life.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Evans for anchoring this very important Special Order on the subject of the famous Kerner Commission Report and the persistence of economic inequality and poverty in America.

Together, we stand, firmly committed to combating poverty.

Poverty in America reaches into all regions of the country, urban and rural, and affects millions of persons of all races, ethnicities, creed, ages, and gender.

However, it seems that far too often, and for far too long, the African American community has been disproportionately disadvantaged.

Three years ago we marked the 50th anniversary of the Watts Rebellion in Los Angeles, which was followed in the succeeding two years by the long hot summers and outbreaks of civil unrest in Detroit, Newark, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Gary, Indiana.

The 1967 civil unrest and disturbances in Detroit and Newark prompted President Lyndon Johnson to establish the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, an 11-member commission, chaired by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner.

The mandate of the Kerner Commission was to identify the underlying cause of the civil unrest in communities across the country.

On February 29, 1968, following several field trips to troubled communities, the Commission released its 176-page report that examined cultural and institutional racism, from segregated schools and housing discrimination to generational poverty and limited economic opportunity.

The Kerner Report brought attention to the racial tension and divide that communities of color were facing nationwide.

It is important to recall two of the more important conclusions of the Kerner Report.

First, the Commission concluded that:

``Discrimination and segregation have long permeated much of American life; they now threaten the future of every American. This deepening racial division is not inevitable. The movement apart can be reversed. Choice is still possible. Our principal task is to define that choice and to press for a national resolution. To pursue our present course will involve the continuing polarization of the American community and, ultimately, the destruction of basic democratic values.''

Second, the Commission concluded that:

``No American--white or black--can escape the consequences of the continuing social and economic decay of our major cities. Only a commitment to national action on an unprecedented scale can shape a future compatible with the historic ideals of American society.''

The Kerner Commission called for bold policies to counter decades of political failure, such as investment in much-needed social services, housing, and education programs and incentivizing diversity among law enforcement.

In the wake of the upheaval, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 outlawing housing discrimination was signed into law.

Consequently, the past 50 years have seen the most progress towards equality than any point in our nation's history.

Over the last five decades, African Americans have seen substantial gains in high school completion rates.

High school graduation rates are up to 92.3 percent.

College graduation rates have also improved for African Americans.

Among 25-29-year-olds, less than one in 10 (9.1 percent) had a college degree in 1968, a figure that has climbed to almost one in four (22.8 percent) today.

Over the same period, however, college completion expanded for whites at a similar pace, rising from 16.2 percent in 1968 to 42.1 percent today, leaving the relative situation of African Americans basically unchanged: in 1968 African Americans were just over half (56.0 percent) as likely as whites to have a college degree, a situation that is essentially the same today (54.2 percent).

America has made some improvements, but African Americans continue to face some of the same obstacles identified in the Kerner Report.

The unemployment rate for African Americans in 2017 (the last full year of data) was

7.5 percent, 0.8 percentage points higher than it was in 1968 (6.7 percent).

The unemployment rate for whites was 3.8 percent in 2017 and 3.2 percent in 1968.

The unemployment data for these two years, almost 50 years apart, demonstrate a longstanding and unfortunate economic regularity: the unemployment rate for black workers is consistently about twice as high as it is for white workers.

Today, hourly wage black workers who could get jobs still only made 82.5 cents on every dollar earned by the typical white worker.

In, 1968, black infants were about 1.9 times as likely to die as white infants; today, the infant mortality rate is 2.3 times higher for African Americans.

On average, an African American born today can still expect to live about 3.5 fewer years than a white person born on the same day.

In 1968, African Americans were about 5.4 times as likely as whites to be in prison or jail; compared to today, African Americans are 6.4 times as likely as whites to be incarcerated, which is especially troubling given that whites are also much more likely to be incarcerated now than they were in 1968.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the inequalities and disparities that ignited hundreds of American cities in the 1960s still exist and have not been eliminated over the last half-century.

Fifty years ago, the Kerner Commission proposed bold recommendations to address the issues of poverty and racism that plague the African- American community, including:

Investmnts in housing programs to combat de facto segregation in communities;

Investments in K-12 and higher education to provide equal access to quality education;

Investments in job training programs to ensure equal employment opportunities.

Unfortunately, those recommendations have not been fully heeded over the past half-century.

The time has come for Congress to rededicate itself to making bold investments necessary to eliminate economic inequality of opportunity in every corner of our great nation.

If these investments are not made, our nation will remain separate and unequal for another 50 years.

I urge my colleagues in Congress, and all Americans, to look at what unites us rather than what divides us.

We are linked by our compassion, and bound by the fundamental edict of the American Dream that says we will strive to provide our children with a better life than we had.

We can, and we must, find the common ground necessary to make this dream a reality for Americans of every race and creed, nationality and religion, gender and sexual orientation; indeed for every American wherever he or she may live in this great land regardless of what he or she looks like or who they may love.

Mr. Speaker, fifty-three years ago, in Selma, Alabama, hundreds of heroic souls risked their lives for freedom and to secure the right to vote for all Americans by their participation in marches for voting rights on ``Bloody Sunday,'' ``Turnaround Tuesday,'' or the final, completed march from Selma to Montgomery.

Those ``foot soldiers'' of Selma, brave and determined men and women, boys and girls, persons of all races and creeds, loved their country so much that they were willing to risk their lives to make it better, to bring it even closer to its founding ideals.

The foot soldiers marched because they believed that all persons have dignity and the right to equal treatment under the law, and in the making of the laws, which is the fundamental essence of the right to vote.

On March 15, 1965, before a joint session of the Congress and the eyes of the nation, President Lyndon Johnson explained to the nation the significance of ``Bloody Sunday'':

``I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. . . .

``At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom.

``So it was at Lexington and Concord.

``So it was a century ago at Appomattox.

``So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.''

The previous Sunday, March 7, 1965, more than 600 civil rights demonstrators, including our beloved colleague, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, were brutally attacked by state and local police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of the right to vote.

``Bloody Sunday'' was a defining moment in American history because it crystallized for the nation the necessity of enacting a strong and effective federal law to protect the right to vote of every American.

No one who witnessed the violence and brutally suffered by the foot soldiers for justice who gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge will ever forget it; the images are deeply seared in the American memory and experience.

Mr. Speaker, what is so moving, heroic, and awe-inspiring is that the foot soldiers of Selma faced their heavily armed adversaries fortified only by their love for their country and for each other and their audacious faith in a righteous cause.

The example set by the foot soldiers of Selma showed everyone, here in America and around the world, that there is no force on earth as powerful as an idea whose time has come.

These great but nameless persons won the Battle of Selma and helped redeem the greatest nation on earth.

But we should not forget that the victory came at great cost and that many good and dear persons lost their lives to win for others the right to vote.

Men like Jimmy Lee Jackson, who was shot by Alabama state trooper as he tried to protect his mother and grandmother from being beaten for participating in a peaceful voting rights march in Marion, Alabama.

Women like Viola Liuzzo, a housewife and mother of five, who had journeyed to Selma from Detroit to join the protests after witnessing on television the events at Edmund Pettus Bridge on ``Bloody Sunday'' and who was shot and killed by Klansmen while driving back from a trip shuttling fellow voting rights marchers to the Montgomery airport.

Persons of faith, goodwill, and non-violence like the Reverend James Reeb of Boston, a minister from Boston who heeded the call of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Selma and who succumbed to the head injuries he suffered at the hands of his white supremacists attackers on March 9, two days after Bloody Sunday.

Mr. Speaker, in the face of unspeakable hostility, violence, brutality, and hatred, the foot soldiers of Selma would not be deterred--would not be moved--would not be turned around.

They kept their eyes on the prize and held on.

And help came the very next week when President Johnson announced to the nation that he would send to Congress for immediate action a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote by striking down ``restrictions to voting in all elections--Federal, State, and local--which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.''

On August 6, 1965, that legislation--the Voting Rights Act of 1965-- was signed into law by President Johnson and for the next 48 years did more to expand our democracy and empower racial and language minorities than any act of government since the Emancipation Proclamation and adoption of the Civil War Amendments.

But our work is not done; the dreams of Dr. King and of all those who gave their lives in the struggle for justice are not behind us but still before us.

Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, which severely crippled the Voting Rights Act, we have seen many states across our nation move to enact legislation designed to limit the ability of women, the elderly, and racial and language minorities to exercise their right to vote.

To honor the memory of the foot soldiers of Selma, we must rededicate ourselves to a great task remaining before us--to repair the damage done to the Voting Rights Act by working to pass H.R. 2978, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017, which I am proud to be one of the original co-sponsors.

As I have stated many times, the 1965 Voting Rights Act is no ordinary piece of legislation.

For millions of Americans, and for many in Congress, it is sacred treasure, earned by the

sweat and toil and tears and blood of ordinary Americans who showed the world it was possible to accomplish extraordinary things.

As we remember and honor the foot soldiers of Selma, let us resolve also to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, so that it remains a lasting monument to their heroism and devotion to the country they loved.