Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 59, ordering the previous question, I inadvertently voted ``yes.'' I would like the Record to reflect that I would have voted, appropriately and properly, ``no.''

I thank the gentleman very much for the yielded time, and I thank the floor staff and the representatives of the Democratic cloakroom, Republican cloakroom for their courtesies.

I want to join my good friend who was on the floor earlier this evening. I was detained in a diplomatic meeting. I could not join my good friend, Congressman Al Green, as he began to commemorate and salute Black History Month.

This is story of a proud people, of Americans who participated in every historic event since the founding of this country and whose ancestors proudly wore the uniform on many occasions, including the uniform in the Civil War and wars beyond.

Tonight, I come to salute both national heroes and local heroes from Houston, Texas, and--in particular--the 18th Congressional District.

This, in fact, is the 39th commemoration of Black History Month, and we celebrate the contributions of African Americans who have contributed to the history and the greatness of our Nation.

We pay tribute to trailblazers, pioneers, and leaders, like many of us know, such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; United States Senator Blanche Kelso Bruce; a U.S. Congresswoman from my congressional district, the Honorable Barbara Jordan, who most recently sat amongst us, retiring from the United States Congress in 1978-79; U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland, who lost his life trying to provide food to hungry people in Ethiopia; astronauts like Dr. Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr., and Mae C. Jemison; Frederick Douglass; Booker T. Washington; James Baldwin; Harriet Tubman; Rosa Parks; Maya Angelou, who taught me at Yale University; Toni Morrison, a premier writer; along with another outstanding writer as well, Gwendolyn Brooks--just to name a few of the countless well- known and unsung heroes whose contributions have helped our Nation become a more perfect union.

The history of the United States has been marked by the great contributions of African American activists, leaders, writers, and artists. As a Member of Congress, I stand on those shoulders.

Their struggles and triumphs made it possible for me to stand here today and continue to fight for their values and really the values embedded in what America is all about: the values of equality and justice, progress for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Mr. Speaker, I have two very special giants. They are my mother and father. Mrs. Ivalita ``Ivy'' Jackson, a vocational nurse, and Mr. Ezra C. Jackson, one of the first African Americans who was welcomed for a short period of time into the growing comic book publishing business during World War II.

That was the entertainment. Many Americans found stories of joy, drama, various superheroes, monsters, and a number of other things in the comic book business.

In New York City, a young man by the name of Ezra Jackson was given the door as the youngest son of my grandmother, Olive Jackson, who had sent three sons off to World War II. My uncles each fought. The youngest son was to stay with his widow mother. In doing so, he found in himself a talent.

Even today, I am very proud to say that his works have been shown in the Smithsonian. He is just an individual, one might say average man-- an African American man--who suffered the indignities of discrimination and later found no place in that industry as he was being replaced by White citizens.

I know that their strength--a mother in her tenacity and longstanding work at Booth Memorial Hospital--was the foundation for myself and my brother Michael Jackson and now with many who have come behind. They were beloved parents, and they taught me the value of education, hard work, discipline, perseverance, and caring for others.

I know this is not family night, but I cite my husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee. He became the first tenured African American professor at the University of Houston School of Law.

There are many today that make their pathway standing on the shoulders of others. The most wonderful tribute that I like is to our military veterans who, as I indicated when I started, have fought in every war since the Revolutionary War--how amazing.

These people came first in the bottom of a belly of a slave boat as slaves. They can count their history to every single war, fighting on behalf of the sanctity and the security of our Nation.

I remember joining Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Charles Rangel, a Korean war veteran, as we were invited to pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen and the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, the famed ``Triple Nickels.''

I was honored to be able to be at that ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Army commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Everything that we have gained has been because our soldiers, regardless of their race, religion, or background, were able to put on the uniform. I am very grateful to say that so many of those who put on the uniform, even when they were treated in an unfair manner in this country, proudly put on that uniform and fought for the Nation.

I am reminded of all of them, Mr. Speaker, because they live amongst us in our communities, and as we have seen in the honoring of the Devils yesterday, we see that they are so proud to wear their uniform. They have fought so hard.

Let me salute all of our veterans and soldiers, and let me be reminded of those from the African American community who went to serve, even as the laws of this Nation did not treat them fairly.

I am well aware of the Tuskegee Airmen because my father-in-law was a Tuskegee Airman, along with his wife, who was one of the supporters. Phillip Ferguson Lee and Ethiopia Lee, now 94 years old, received a Congressional Gold Medal.

Of course, we know the story of the Tuskegee Airmen achieving one of the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups and being in constant demand for their services by the Allied bomber units, a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

You know something, Mr. Speaker? These brave men and women, no matter--as I indicated--what race, it is so interesting. They do not tell their story often. That is why I am so glad that the United States Congress over these last years has begun to honor all of these groups so that their story can be told and forever embedded in the history of this Nation.

I want to go on to say that the impressive feats of the Tuskegee Airmen were outstanding and astounding. I believe that their efforts and much of the success of African American soldiers in World War II caused, in 1948, to persuade President Harry Truman to issue his famous Executive Order--which I am so glad he issued--No. 9981, which directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces and led to the end of racial segregation in the United States military forces.

One person to tell that story in the eloquent way that it has been told is General Colin Powell--or the famous Davis generals, ``Chappie'' Davis was who was one and well known--but Colin Powell tells that story.

Clearly, these individuals bravely fought for their country, but they show that they had the right stuff. They are American history, and they certainly are a testament to Black history.

Clearly, what began as an experiment to determine whether ``colored'' soldiers were capable of operating expensive and complex aircraft ended as an unqualified success, based on the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen, whose record included 261 enemy aircraft destroyed, 148 aircraft of the enemy damaged, 15,553 combat sorties, and 1,578 missions over Italy and north Africa.

They also destroyed or damaged over 950 units of ground transportation and escorted more than 200 bombing missions. They proved that ``the antidote to racism is excellence in performance,'' as retired Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Carter once remarked.

I take joy in this presentation and sharing this with my colleagues. It is Black History Month, but sometimes, we need to remember to say thank you to all Americans who have gone on before us. This month, we happen to be focusing on African Americans.

Who can forget United States Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and the strong voice that she was for the vulnerable? A lady from Brooklyn, her first appointment in this Congress was to the Agriculture Committee. No, she didn't run away from it. She ran toward it. Her famous statement is: ``A tree grows in Brooklyn.'' She ran for President. She made history there.

There are others like Harriet Tubman--we call her General Moses--who led slaves to freedom up and down the east coast. She had a sharp tongue and told anybody that was lagging behind: You aren't going to stay behind because, if you did and got caught, all my others who are trying to escape would be captured.

Certainly, Rosa Parks, who was a proud American, had the great fortitude--although a small woman who did tailoring work--to indicate in a way that subjected herself to being put in prison, put in jail, is that: I, too, am an American.

I am so glad that Mae Jemison lives in my community. I obviously represent the city that loves NASA and loves human space exploration. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to go into space, now has dedicated herself to exposing young people to math, science, engineering, technology, and creating more astronauts for the restored and reinvigorated human space exploration. That is a good thing. That is a very good thing.

I believe we can look to work together in the 50th year of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I am a member of the United States Congress and the Judiciary Committee, led by a man who made history himself at that time, John Conyers, who has served in many capacities but has been a chair of the Judiciary Committee, being the first African American to ever chair that committee, but also a man that at every cornerstone of justice has a fight, whether it is sentencing, whether it is prison reform, whether it is dealing with the issues of copyright, whether it is the social justice issues.

Let me say he was the first employer of Rosa Parks outside of her town of

Alabama where she made her historic stand in Montgomery, Alabama. She worked for Congressman John Conyers.

I mentioned this is the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. We all know the story. I knew the story beforehand. I worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Right after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, I knew the names of Hosea Williams and James Orange and Ambassador Andrew Young as those who worked closely with Dr. King. Certainly, Reverend Jesse Jackson had moved up to Operation PUSH.

I say that to say that we know the story that it was the throngs of unnamed persons who pursued a simple right: the right to vote. I believe their heroic efforts have made it part of America's history.

I always believed one vote, one person is not for me. It is not for whether you are White or Hispanic or Asian or African American. It is for America. I truly believe that they made the first step to tell America that a vote should be unfettered for every citizen.

You should not be blocked from voting--and I hope, Mr. Speaker, we will get to that point--not selfishly for one group versus another, but I hope we will get to that point for all of America.

I think in this month of Black history commemoration, I need to give a challenge. That challenge needs to be that we need to pass the Voting Rights Act reauthorization as was crafted in the last Congress and supported by bipartisan Members.

I had the privilege to be one of the original cosponsors. Former Congressman Spencer Bachus was on that bill with me. We had seen each other and marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He was, of course, a Representative from Alabama. There was no forcing, no pushing.

It was just quiet thought that this was the right thing to do by a number of Republican Members who supported that legislation in the last Congress, including one of the esteemed former chairmen of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Sensenbrenner.

But it was all about thinking that it is important not to block anyone from voting. I still think that that is the right thing. I think the premise is right. I think it is premised on the Constitution.

There is no statement about voting in the Constitution, but there are statements of philosophy and rights and liberties, all driven by someone's right to vote for a government that will promote religious freedom, freedom of access, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to a trial by jury, due process.

Certainly, we know the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were all geared toward the idea of freedom. And you can only secure freedom, one, by your wonderful men and women who are willing to stand in uniform and fight for us, many who have gone through the ages and shed their blood.

But the other is an active and involved and participatory civic society, and the actions of a civic society are their voice and their votes.

I plead with my colleagues, let us make the vote and the voice real by supporting the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, written to respond to the United States Supreme Court.

I may have disagreed with the Supreme Court's position on section 5, but, Mr. Speaker, I have a basic internal mechanism that says you adhere to the law. You follow the law. You follow the dictates of the courts as they reach their final answer in the highest Court of the land.

So we went to working on a structure that, in fact, was not pointed but broad, meaning that you would not point out certain States, you would just say that you couldn't violate a person's right to vote.

And the good news is, you had the ability to work yourself out of the coverage of that act. That is a good thing--work yourself out.

Then, if a State--though I don't think it might happen with the diverse States that we have--wants to work its way in, we find a way to correct their laws that might be blocking someone's right to vote. I am going to have the confidence that we are going to take that up and make a difference in the lives of all Americans.

Let me move on to say that I hope my challenge will be accepted, and I hope that we will take the words of Dr. King. I enjoy reading his writings. He was more than, if you will, the civil rights leader. He was a man who thoughtfully crafted words and messages to inspire and give us a road map.

He had these famous words, ``Why We Can't Wait,'' which were found in the 1960s. What a provocative statement. Is he trying to provoke people to violence? Absolutely not.

He was a committed, dedicated servant and disciple of Gandhi's nonviolence, and his own internal mechanism of nonviolence. It was in his DNA. He would not provoke any form of violence.

We should know that because, as the story looks back and things happened, if you were part of the SCLC, they were driven, they trained all of their foot soldiers in an absolute commitment to nonviolence. And if you showed any sign that you could not adhere, you would not be part of their efforts.

Dr. King had some famous words that I like. I know and like many of his words, but this one: ``Everybody can be great or anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.''

Let me also say, Mr. Speaker, it is important when you come up and talk about great people, that you don't forget home. And I just want to acknowledge some of the great leaders in my community. I can't call all their names, but I do want to acknowledge Reverend F.N. Williams, Sr., one of the founding pastors of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. His father was almost the founding father of Acres Homes, one of the great leaders in the 1920s and 30s, and he has carried on his civil rights legacy.

Dr. S.J. Gilbert, Sr., who led the Mount Sinai Baptist Church.

Reverend Crawford W. Kimble, who was the pastor of Barbara Jordan, an erudite man that wrote beautiful words of leadership and challenge.

The late Reverend E. Stanley Branch, in essence, a Republican, who was a leader who brought all people together.

Reverend Dr. William A. Lawson, the founder of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, who walked with Dr. King and is the go-to person on issues of, again, marching and fighting nonviolently for justice.

Reverend Johnny Robeson, who was a great leader of the Baptist Ministers Association. And I remember him distinctly not indicating what politics or party it was, but is it right, is it just?

Commissioner El Franco Lee is the first African American Commissioner on the Harris County Commissioners.

Mr. John Bland, one of the Texas Southern University students who marched to desegregate the various lunch counters.

Ms. Ruby Mosley, up in age, who is a fighter for senior citizens and is a mother of Acres Homes.

Ms. Dorothy Hubbard, the late Dorothy Hubbard, who, in fact, worked in my office and instructed me about how you serve and help people.

Ms. Doris Hubbard, one of the first young persons to be active in the Texas Democratic Party and who has been a champion for equality and justice.

Willie Bell Boone, another one who minces no words about fighting to make sure that everyone's voice is heard.

Holly HogoBrooks, who, again, is a great leader as it relates to the civil rights movement and the marching on the counters.

Mr. Deloyd Parker founded this great organization called Shape, that has lifted the boats of inner city children, one by one. And out of that Shape Community Center have come doctors and lawyers, have come scientists and businesspersons. But they all have a heart for service.

``Doll'' Carter, Ms. Lenora Carter, with her husband, was the founder of the Forward Times, I believe, the oldest newspaper.

So you can see that Black history is a storytelling history.

And so, as I close my remarks, I have to take a moment of personal privilege to be able to talk about something that I have enjoyed.

You see, Mr. Speaker, around this time of year, in Houston, we have something called the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It is eons and

decades of years old. It goes back to our traditions as cowboys and cowgirls, and we are not going to let it go.

So every year--we are coming up on it--it is probably going to go for, we say, almost two months that we are legitimately in our cowboy, cowgirl attire.

I was privileged to be honored by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Black Heritage Committee, which I helped found 20-some years ago because I knew that the Black cowboys and others wanted to be so much a part of it.

I want to pay tribute to Verna Lee ``Boots'' Booker, who was the first cowgirl, if you will, to be in the Houston rodeo. And I received that award. What a privilege to acknowledge that we are everywhere. She was a competitor, and I believe it was in the barrel competition. But what an exciting night to recall her history.

So we are going to be rodeoing over the next couple of weeks, and I want to pay tribute to all of the trail riders, and particularly, those of African American heritage. They have carried on this tradition.

I want to make mention, I know there are many others, but allow me to make mention of the Prairie View Trail Ride Association, which makes its annual trek to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Hempstead. They rendezvous with a dozen other caravans at Memorial Park and they join the rodeo.

Mr. Speaker, they stay out on the trail. This is real. They don't get into a hotel and then get on their horses. They ride that trail for 2 and 3 and 4 weeks, and then come down to the rodeo on the day of the big rodeo parade.

The Prairie View Trail Ride was founded in 1957 by James Francies, Jr., Dr. Alfred N. Poindexter, and Myrtis Dightman. I know there are others, but these are those who started.

Their mission was to promote agricultural interest in young Americans and to perpetuate those principles and methods which have come to be regarded as the ideals and traditions of the Western World as well as the Negro Western Heritage.

I am glad that they wanted to perpetuate this great tradition and, particularly, among African Americans.

A good many of the first Black cowboys were born into slavery but later found a better life on the open range.

I know many of us have heard of the Buffalo Soldiers. The Indians called African American soldiers that because of the woolliness of their hair. They were on horses, and they were fighting as well for the viewpoint of that time.

Some Black cowboys took up careers as rodeo performers, or were hired as Federal peace officers in Indian territory.

Our history weaves in and out, and it is a colorful history, and it mentions a number of people. I will mention Daniel W. ``80 John'' Wallace, who started riding the cattle trails in his adolescence and ultimately worked for cattlemen Winfield Scott and Gus O'Keefe. He put his accumulated savings toward the purchase of a ranch near Loraine, where he acquired more than 1,200 acres--that is a big deal--and 500 to 600 cattle.

We have been ranching for a long time, and Texas has a great tradition.

I want to talk about my friend, Mollie Stevenson, a fourth-generation owner of the Taylor-Stevenson ranch. I would take my children out there. She would have little horses and ponies for them to run and ride. She founded the American Cowboy Museum to honor Black, Indian, and Mexican American cowboys, to be able to embrace everyone.

Weekend rodeos featuring Black cowboys began in the late 1940s and continued to be popular. The contests of the Negro Cowboys Rodeo Association is evident that we have a strong history.

So I think it is important tonight that we salute the long history that we have had in many different areas and be able to say, as I close, again, that there is work yet to be done in the pouring forward of our history, whether it is to reflect on the cowboys who, at times, were poorly fed, underpaid, overworked, deprived of sleep, prone to boredom and loneliness, but they kept on going; or it is to fix the criminal justice system of the 21st century, to be able to recognize that for all the cowboys and the historic persons whose names I have called, Dr. King and his wife, who stood alongside him, Coretta Scott King, that we fix together the criminal justice system, and that we work to find ways to work with law enforcement; but we answer the questions of those grieving mothers, Trayvon Martin's mother, Eric Garner's mother, Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Tamir, and all of them, and we find ways to ensure the wives and family members of law enforcement, that, yes, your husband or wife, as a law enforcement officer, will come home.

Over the years, I have worked with the Federal law enforcement as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. We have always found ways to make their life easier in terms of the quality of life and work and expanded cops on the beat programs, and so now we can come together on training and the grand jury system and prison reform, which are not prone to any one group in America. It is an American issue.

I truly believe that the history of all people, the history of Americans, no matter what their background, is one of clinging to democracy and the principles of the Bill of Rights, that we all have a decent opportunity to be respected by our law enforcement processes. Whether it is our courts or whether it is our process of trying cases, we all are to be respected.

With that, Mr. Speaker, let me say that I end on the very note that this is a great country, and the history of African Americans has contributed to its greatness. Let us use the richness of their history to cast forward a new lot that will change America for the best as we move forward for justice, equality and freedom.

Mr. Speaker, this February we recognize and celebrate the 39th commemoration of Black History Month.

This month we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the history of our great nation, and pay tribute to trailblazers, pioneers, heroes, and leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Senator Blanche Kelso Bruce, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland, Astronauts Dr. Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. and Mae C. Jemison, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Gwendolyn Brooks just to name a few of the countless number of well-known and unsung heroes whose contributions have helped our nation become a more perfect union.

The history of the United States has been marked by the great contributions of African American activists, leaders, writers, and artists.

As a member of Congress, I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants whose struggles and triumphs made it possible for me to stand here today and continue the fight for equality, justice, and progress for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

The greatest of these giants to me are Mrs. Ivalita ``Ivy'' Jackson, a vocational nurse, and Mr. Ezra A. Jackson, one of the first African- Americans to succeed in the comic book publishing business.

They were my beloved parents and they taught me the value of education, hard work, discipline, perseverance, and caring for others.

And I am continually inspired by Dr. Elwyn Lee, my husband and the first tenured African American law professor at the University of Houston.

Mr. Speaker, I particularly wish to acknowledge the contributions of African American veterans in defending from foreign aggressors and who by their courageous examples helped transform our nation from a segregated society to a nation committed to the never ending challenge of perfecting our union.

Last year about this time, I was honored to join my colleagues, Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Charles Rangel, a Korean War veteran, in paying tribute to surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen and the 555th Parachute Infantry, the famed ``Triple Nickels'' at a moving ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Army commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The success of the Tuskegee Airmen in escorting bombers during World War II achieving one of the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups, and being in constant demand for their services by the allied bomber units--is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

So impressive and astounding were the feats of the Tuskegee Airmen that in 1948, it helped persuade President Harry Truman to issue his famous Executive Order No. 9981, which directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces and led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces.

It is a source of enormous and enduring pride that my father-in-law, Phillip Ferguson Lee, was one of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Clearly, what began as an experiment to determine whether ``colored'' soldiers' were capable of operating expensive and complex combat aircraft ended as an unqualified success based on the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen, whose record included 261 aircraft destroyed, 148 aircraft damaged, 15,553 combat sorties and 1,578 missions over Italy and North Africa.

They also destroyed or damaged over 950 units of ground transportation and escorted more than 200 bombing missions. They proved that ``the antidote to racism is excellence in performance,'' as retired Lt. Col. Herbert Carter once remarked.

Mr. Speaker, Black History Month is also a time to remember many pioneering women like U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm; activists Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks; astronaut Mae C. Jemison; authors Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Gwendolyn Brooks; all of whom have each in their own way, whether through courageous activism, cultural contributions, or artistic creativity, forged social and political change, and forever changed our great Nation for the better.

It is also fitting, Mr. Speaker, that in addition to those national leaders who contributions have made our nation better, we honor also those who have and are making a difference in their local communities.

In my home city of Houston, there are numerous great men and women. They are great because they have heeded the counsel of Dr. King who said: ``Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You only a need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.''

By that measure, I wish to pay tribute to some of the great men and women of Houston:

1. Rev. F.N. Williams, Sr.

2. Rev. Dr. S.J. Gilbert, Sr.

3. Rev. Crawford W. Kimble

4. Rev. Eldridge Stanley Branch

5. Rev. William A. Lawson

6. Rev. Johnnie Jeffery ``J.J.'' Robeson

7. Mr. El Franco Lee

8. Mr. John Bland

9. Ms. Ruby Moseley

10. Ms. Dorothy Hubbard

11. Ms. Doris Hubbard

12. Ms. Willie Bell Boone

13. Ms. Holly HogoBrooks

14. Mr. Deloyd Parker

15. Ms. Lenora ``Doll'' Carter

As we celebrate Black History Month, let us pay tribute to those who have come before us, and pay forward to future generations by addressing what is the number one issue for African American families, and all American families today: preserving the American promise of economic opportunity for all.

Our immediate focus must be job creation, and enacting legislation that will foster and lay the foundation for today's and tomorrow's generation of groundbreaking activists, leaders, scientists, writers and artists to continue contributing to the greatness of America.

We must work to get Americans back to work. We must continue to preserve the American Dream for all.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here in celebration of the heroic and historic acts of African Americans and their indispensable contributions to this great Nation.

It is through our work in creating possibilities for today and future generations that we best honor the accomplishments and legacy of our predecessors.

Prairie View Trail Ride Association

The Prairie View Trail Ride Association makes an annual trek to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Hempstead.

They then rendezvous with a dozen other caravans at Memorial Park where they will join the rodeo parade in downtown Houston.

The Prairie View Trail Ride Association was founded in 1957 by James Francies Jr., Dr. Alfred N. Poindexter and Myrtis Dightman Sr.

This group's mission statement says: ``The purpose of the Prairie View Trail is to promote agricultural interest in young Americans and to perpetuate those principals and methods which have come to be regarded as the ideals and traditions of the Western World as well as the Negro Western Heritage.

PVTR serves as a booster for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and supports Prairie View A&M University in their educational programs.''

Black Cowboys of Texas

Black cowboys have been part of Texas history since the early nineteenth century, when they first worked on ranches throughout the state.

A good many of the first black cowboys were born into slavery but later found a better life on the open range, where they experienced less open discrimination than in the city.

After the Civil War many were employed as horsebreakers and for other tasks, but few of them became ranch foremen or managers.

Some black cowboys took up careers as rodeo performers or were hired as federal peace officers in Indian Territory.

Others ultimately owned their own farms and ranches, while a few who followed the lure of the Wild West became gunfighters and outlaws.

Significant numbers of African Americans went on the great cattle drives originating in the Southwest in the late 1800s. Black cowboys predominated in ranching sections of the Coastal Plain between the Sabine and Guadalupe rivers.

A number of them achieved enviable reputations. Bose Ikard, a top hand and drover for rancher Charles Goodnight, also served him as his chief detective and banker.

Daniel W. (80 John) Wallace started riding the cattle trails in his adolescence and ultimately worked for cattlemen Winfield Scott and Gus O'Keefe. He put his accumulated savings toward the purchase of a ranch near Loraine, where he acquired more than 1,200 acres and 500 to 600 cattle.

He was a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for more than thirty years. William Pickett made his name as one of the most outstanding Wild West rodeo performers in the country and is credited with originating the modern event known as bulldogging. He was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971.

Black cowboys have continued to work in the ranching industry throughout the twentieth century, and African Americans who inherited family-owned ranches have attempted to bring public recognition to the contributions of their ancestors.

Mollie Stevenson, a fourth-generation owner of the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch near Houston, founded the American Cowboy Museum to honor black, Indian, and Mexican-American cowboys. Weekend rodeos featuring black cowboys began in the late 19405 and continue to be popular.

These contests owe their existence to the Negro Cowboys Rodeo Association, formed in 1947 by a group of East Texas black businessmen- ranchers and cowboys.

In the early days of Texas, the work of the cowhand was essential to the newly arrived settlers building a life on the frontier.

The story of the Anglo cowboys who worked the ranches of Texas is well known, but much more remains to be discovered about the African American cowhands who worked side-by-side with the vaqueros and Anglo cowboys.

The cowboy learned his craft from the vaqueros of New Spain an Texas when it was the northern territory of Mexico, as well as from the stock raisers of the South.

Such a life was hardly glamorous. Poorly fed, underpaid, overworked, deprived of by snakes or tripped by prairie dog holes.

Work centered on the fall and spring roundups, when scattered cattle were sleep, and prone to boredom and loneliness, cowboys choked in the dust, were cold at night, and suffered broken bones in falls and spills from horses spooked collected and driven to a place for branding, sorting for market, castrating, and in later years, dipping in vats to prevent tick fever.

African American cowboys, however, also had to survive discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice.

The lives of these cowhands tell a story of skill and grit, as they did what was necessary to gain the trust and respect of those who controlled their destiny.

That meant being the best at roping, bronc busting, taming mustangs, calling the brands, controlling the remuda, or topping off horses.

From scattered courthouse records, writings, and interviews with a few of the African American cowhands who were part of the history of Texas, Sara R. Massey and a host of writers have retrieved the stories of a more diverse cattle industry than has been previously recorded.

Twenty-five writers here recount tales of African Americans such as Peter Martin, who hauled freight and assisted insurgents in a rebellion against the Mexican government while building a herd of cattle that allowed him to own (through a proxy) rental houses in town.

Bose Ikard, a friend of Charles Goodnight, went on Goodnight's first cattle drive, opening the Goodnight-Loving Trail. Johanna July, a Black Seminole woman, had her own method of taming horses in the Rio Grande for the soldiers at Fort Duncan.

These cowhands, along with others across the state, had an important role that has been too long omitted from most history books.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 13 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, February 5, 2015, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, this morning, I feel compelled to speak again about the necessity of increasing the knowledge and the notice given by the FDA--the Food and Drug Administration--and the Centers for Disease Control on what seems to be a surge in the getting of measles by many across this country. The numbers have gone past 100. It is clear that measles is a disease that quickly spreads, and it is also clear that medical science affirms the value of vaccines.

So I believe it is extremely important today to again ask the FDA and the CDC, as I did yesterday in a letter, to raise the level of warning and concern to parents, schools, counties, and States in the entire Nation on being able to provide information to encourage vaccination, if that is what is the ability to have--if you are the age or if your child is of the age to be able to receive that vaccination and to do so.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen measles spread to enormous numbers. We have seen the numbers grow in California and then spread. We have heard of cases in which the measles started in an entertainment facility, and people moved around the country. One example, in particular, I think, is potent because the father of the children has been speaking out. He is a pediatrician, and he is calling upon families to vaccinate, particularly the MMR, which is the vaccination dealing with measles.

Unfortunately, an innocent visit to a clinic, which a child needs to do for pediatric services, exposed an 8-month-old to the possibility of measles and exposed his 3-year-old sister, who is suffering from leukemia. Now, as I understand it, they are in isolation. There is the thought of someone traveling on an airplane with measles. Unlike a number of other diseases, measles spreads extremely quickly. Stories have been told or examples have been given that if you have measles and if you are in a room and if you leave that room--and maybe you have coughed or done something--an hour later, someone comes in, and there is the possibility that you still may be exposed to it. When riding on an airplane, you may expose a whole number of persons to measles if you are, in fact, infected.

I think it is extremely important. Though we realize there are differences of opinion, I am glad to find in the political landscape that this is not a political football and that, in essence, we come together and recognize the importance of having this information and of encouraging vaccination.

I am asking for the State and city health departments and county health departments across the Nation to provide their own information to parents and schools. I wonder whether or not there is need to again reassess the importance of reinstating the obligation and the responsibility of all families who have children who are going into a public school system to have them vaccinated within the realm of their own health conditions and their own assessments by their pediatricians.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue. This is an issue of which we in a modern day, 21st century nation--and as an example of health care to those around the world--need to show the importance of preventative medicine and protecting our children. We have worked on these issues in many ways. We have fought for a vaccine for HIV. As has been said in the past, they are looking for a vaccine for Ebola because we understand how that can intervene and, in those instances, save lives. In this instance, in not knowing the condition of individuals, we know that this disease can be damaging.

It is important that we focus on educating the public. I believe an alert should go out that we have a problem and that we should be working with our local health facilities and disciplines and districts to be able to establish best practices and protocols, and that parents and others should be informed to make intelligent decisions.

More importantly, I think this is an issue that should be quickly assessed on behalf of the CDC and the FDA. Mr. Speaker, it is important for the children of America that we provide them the safety and security for their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for being astute in reminding us of the vast bipartisan support for the important Affordable Care Act. If I might add, the past Presidential candidate who lost was the same Governor, however, I understand, that supported it and succeeded in his support of it at that time.

But I think what is important is to again remind this Nation that we are now on the 56th annual trip to repeal what has been a lifesaver to Americans across the country. Let me simply share these very potent points:

People not having health insurance include 20 percent of the underinsured who delay receiving care when signs of illness appear; 15 percent of the underinsured had problems paying medical bills; 10 percent of the underinsured needed prescription drugs but could not afford them; 8 percent were hounded by collection agencies, many of them went into bankruptcy because of health issues--of course we have tried to reform that--6 percent did not seek treatment even though they needed it; and, of course, a report by the Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2015 to 2025 states that the actual cost of the Affordable Care Act is 7 percent lower than first calculated in 2010.

Let me tell you the real issues, the story of a lady written up in The Ledger, dated January 8, 2015, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013. She determined that her insurance at that time would not allow her to have health insurance. Her words are: ``I thought I was going to die,'' Ms. Gray said. In her scramble to try to get drugs, she was left holding the bag, yet she was able to get the Affordable Care Act starting on January 1, 2014. It gave her access to the recommended chemotherapy. Her cancer went into remission in the fall, and she is alive.

What about the situation of the measles? Why do we have this dead-end road again, repetitiously voting against the valuable Affordable Care Act that has saved lives?

Does anybody know about Medicare? It goes on and on and on. And many on the other side of the aisle opposed it in 1965.

I am going to stand on the right side of history and support the Affordable Care Act. Vote against this untimely bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act for two reasons.

First, the bill will save lives. Second, the legislation is necessary to support the vital work of first responders in the event of a biological and chemical terrorists attack or incident.

The legislation provides for the development and maintenance of an initial pharmaceutical stockpile, including medical kits, and diagnostics sufficient to protect first responders, their families, and immediate victims from a chemical or biological event.

The Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act will amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the use of Urban Area Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding for: enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass prophylaxis capabilities.

This legislation ensures that first responders have necessary medicines and treatments to protect themselves, their families and those within their vicinity immediately should a biological and chemical terrorist attack occur.

In short, first responders will not be able to do the work of saving lives if they fall victim to an attack or are distracted by worry regarding how their family may be fairing during a biological or chemical attack should one occur.

First responders often include law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and emergency medical personnel.

The city of Houston covers over a 1000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has an evening population of nearly two million people and over three million during the day when commuters are in the city.

There are 103 Fire Stations that serve the city of Houston with most offering ambulance or medic support, but there is only one station Number 22 that Specializes in Hazardous Material.

In the city of Houston one out of every ten citizens use Emergency Management Services (EMS) and within a year there are over 200,000 EMS incidents involving over 225,000 patients or potential patients.

EMS response services have 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles, with just under fifty percent staffed by two paramedics and can provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) to patients.

These consist of 15 ALS Squads, and 22 ALS transport units with eight functioning in a ``Dual'' capacity as both Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support (BLS).

The remaining fifty-one transport units are Basic Life Support (BLS), and staffed by two Emergency Medical Technicians.

Law enforcement agencies that serve the city of Houston include the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Department, Harris County Constables, Port of Houston Authority Police and Corrections Officers.

Because of the nature of chemical or biological terrorist attacks mass casualties are the objective and the impressive resources of our nation's 4th largest city would likely be overwhelmed immediately should an attack occur it is important to provide them with the resources provided by this legislation.

The prepositioning of resources in the form of medicines that can support pulmonary respiratory function or arrest neurological damage as a result of poisoning lives can be saved that could otherwise be lost. This bill can reduce deaths and give victims the greatest chance for survival and recovery.

Emergency responders because of this bill would have treatments in the communities where they serve and live to help neighbors, co- workers, and people who are immediate need to live saving help.

As a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am mindful of the need for our first responders to be prepared and well trained to manage a wide range of potential threats both conventional and unconventional.

This bill offers one more resource that will be available to first responders to do the work they have dedicated their lives to doing-- saving lives.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 361 the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act for two reasons.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 615, the Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act for three reasons. The bill would address interoperability among information technology systems and radio communications systems to exchange voice, data, and video in real time.

First, the bill will save lives of first responders and those they seek to help. Second, the legislation is necessary to create a seamless level of communication among Department of Homeland Security components that are first responders to a terrorist attack, natural

or manmade disaster; and finally to meet the technological challenges of bridging the communication divide between different communications systems used by first responders within the Department of Homeland Security.

As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I am well aware, as are many of my colleagues, of the essential and lifesaving role of communications during a crisis.

Because the tragedy of September 11, 2001, was compounded by communication failures among the brave first responders who entered the burning towers that comprised the World Trade Center it has been an imperative of the Homeland Security Committee to address first responder communication interoperability challenges.

The number of first responders lost on that single day was the greatest loss of first responders at any single event in U.S. History:

343 New York City Fire Department firefighters;

23 New York City Police Department officers;

37 Port Authority Police Department officers;

15 EMTs; and

3 court officers were casualties of the attacks.

The need for this bill authored by Congressman Payne is evident.

The City of Houston covers over a 1000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has a night-time population of nearly two million people, which peaks with over three million daytime inhabitants.

The city of Houston's 9-1-1 Emergency Center manages nearly 9,000 emergency calls per day. The volume of emergency calls can easily double during times of inclement weather or special City social/ sporting events like Hurricanes Ike in September 2008; and Katrina as well as Rita, which occurred in September and October of 2005).

Annually, one out of every ten citizens uses EMS.

There are over 200,000 EMS incidents involving over 225,000 patients or potential patients annually. On the average, EMS responds to a citizen every 3 minutes. Each EMS response is made by one of 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles.

In 2013, the City of Houston's fire Department lost Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee, Firefighter EMT Robert Garner and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan when they responded to a hotel fire.

Throughout the history of the Houston Police Department over 110 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Each member of the House of Representatives knows of the loss of a first responder who was going to the aid of those in harm's way. This bill will offer additional resources to the first responders of the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include among the responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Management responsibilities with respect to policies and directives to achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Under Secretary of Homeland Security would submit to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees a strategy, which shall be updated as necessary, for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, including for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies, with corresponding milestones, that includes:

an assessment of interoperability gaps in radio communications DHS components, as of this Act's enactment date;

information on DHS efforts and activities, including current and planned policies, directives, and training, since November 1, 2012, to achieve and maintain interoperable communications, and planned efforts and activities to achieve and maintain interoperable communications;

an assessment of obstacles and challenges to achieving and maintaining interoperable communications;

information on, and an assessment of, the adequacy of mechanisms available to the Under Secretary to enforce and compel compliance with interoperable communications policies and directives of DHS;

guidance provided to DHS components to implement interoperable communications policies and directives;

the total amount of funds expended by DHS since November 1, 2012, and projected future expenditures, to achieve interoperable communications; and

dates upon which DHS-wide interoperability is projected to be achieved for voice, data, and video communications, respectively, and interim milestones.

The bill ensures that the Department of Homeland Security would conduct a survey of intra-agency efforts or task forces that have been delegated responsibilities for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, and report on the status of these efforts, including:

progress on each interim milestone;

information on any policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary of Homeland Security;

an assessment of the level of compliance, adoption, and participation among the DHS components with the policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary; and

information on any additional resources or authorities needed by the Under Secretary.

This bill will ensure that the Department of Homeland Security's first responders are prepared to meet the challenges of manmade or natural disasters.

I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 615.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 423, ``The Social Media Working Group Act of 2014,'' which would establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a social media working group.

The Social Media Working Group would provide guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and response community on the use of social media technologies before, during, and after a terrorist attack.

Today, people are relying more on Internet enabled communications to engage and be engaged in personal, professional and commercial communications.

Since September 11, 2001, our nation has committed resources toward the preparation of our first responders and citizens in preventing, mitigating and responding to terrorist events.

As these efforts continue, we must keep pace with the rapid changing nature of the Internet. Part of this requires that Congress ensure that the Department of Homeland Security and especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency can reach citizens in new ways so that critical information is received in a timely manner.

In 2012, smartphones, most particularly phones running Apple Computer's iOS and the open source Android operating system, accounted for at least 40 percent of the mobile devices used in the United States.

In the first quarter of 2012, mobile phone consumers spent over $109 billion, while consumers of landline-telephone service spent $64.4 billion.

The Federal Communication Commission reports that this trend is expected accelerate as United States consumers participate in a worldwide trend towards mobile communication devices and away from traditional means of receiving and sending information.

Electronic tablet computers and e-readers, the other fully enabled portable Internet devices, smartphones are increasingly a resource for people to access information, share content, and communicate their views.

Social media is quickly emerging as a major source of information that citizens rely upon to receive news and engage government.

The number of people using social networking sites has nearly doubled since 2008.

In a 2011, a Pew Internet Center Research Project reported that 79 percent of American adults said they used the Internet and 59 percent of all Internet users say they use at least one of social networking service, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

The reasons for supporting this bill are obvious and I ask my colleagues in the House to vote for its passage.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control requesting an alert to the public that highlights the importance of our children becoming vaccinated for this outbreak of measles, particularly the MMR.

The United States is experiencing a large multistate measles outbreak that started in California in December of 2014 and has spread to six additional States and Mexico. From December 28, Mr. Speaker, through January 21, 2015, 51 confirmed cases linked to this outbreak have been reported to the CDC: 42 from California and nine from six other States--three in Utah, two in Washington, one in Oregon, one in Colorado, one in Nebraska, and one in Arizona.

But the spread of this is enormous. The most disturbing aspect of this outbreak is that 86 percent of the patients who have contracted the disease had either been unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. The outbreak is aggravated by the large number of children whose parents have chosen not to get the MMR vaccine.

What I want to focus on, Mr. Speaker, is for us to be cautious and for us to be able to do the right thing. The saddest case was an 8- month-old baby in

Arizona--innocent--who was exposed to the measles.

I ask that we take this seriously, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, and find a way to alert parents to make the right decision for their children. I will be continuing to work on this and have asked my own community to send out an alert to help save those children and the others who are vulnerable to the measles outbreak.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important evening. I thank my colleagues, both Mr. Payne of New Jersey and Ms. Kelly, for, first of all, taking up a very important challenge of being able to lead the members of the Congressional Black Caucus through this period of challenge to America.

I am reflective of the number of Members who have had the chance to convey their thoughts, and each one I thank personally: our chairman, Mr. G.K. Butterfield, for his leadership and his internal knowledge from his walk in life of the civil rights journey; Mr. Clyburn for living and understanding the civil rights journey and conveying it in his legislative journey; Mr. Rangel for his service to this Nation as a Korean war vet and then coming home to be a vet of the civil rights effort; then, of course, the holder of the seat who represents Selma for her life story.

Today, I rise to ask the question, What is our moral standard? And, following the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, why we can't wait.

This is a clarion call to my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans-- that, in fact, this year--of all years--calls for us to act. It calls for us to be able to understand why the Nation cannot wait and who is going to lift up the moral standard.

The walk from Selma to Montgomery turned into Bloody Sunday. It was where a young man by the name of John Lewis stood bravely alongside names like Hosea Williams. It was, of course, a place where the world watched, and it became the stair steps on which the Voting Rights Act was passed.

Today, we realize that, on the shoulders of that tragic time, violence claimed the life of Jimmie Lee Jackson, beaten by State troopers as he was attempting to protect his mother and others, and that violence claimed the lives of Reverend James Reeb of Boston and of Viola Liuzzo of Detroit at that time as she returned from the Selma march--a time when 25,000 strong or more marched across the Montgomery bridge.

We understand that our job is yet not done. In the wake of the decision by the Supreme Court that crippled the Voting Rights Act, we as members of the Judiciary Committee, led by our colleagues Mr. Clyburn and John Conyers, sought to correct that crippling.

Today, I stand and ask my chairman and the Speaker of the House to have us put that fix with the new Members, our Republicans and Democrats--the same body of individuals who President Johnson convened--to be able to ensure that that Voting Rights Act of 1965 could be done. It is important to note that we not allow the efforts to go unnoted.

Mr. Speaker, the voter ID law in Texas needs to be corrected by passing the Voting Rights Amendment Act. The terrible oppression of individuals in their walks to the polls has to be corrected by this amendment. Of course, we must ensure against the horrors of wealth inequality. The median income of Black households is $33,764--a mere 60 percent of the median income for White households.

Then, of course, we must move to criminal justice reform. I am privileged, Mr. Speaker, to serve as the ranking member on the Crime Subcommittee, and I join my colleagues in the commitment to ensure that we, in fact, answer the call of the mothers of so many, such as those of Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Bobby Tolan, Jordan Baker, and many others, that we have grand jury reform, special prosecutor reform, prison reform--the transitioning of nonviolent offenders to productive lives--law enforcement training and best practices.

Yes, the bill that I introduced, the Build TRUST Act, will not give incentives to towns that rely upon racial profiling and on stopping African Americans and other minorities to build their revenue.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, I have the opportunity to remind us that our walk is not done in wealth inequality, in criminal justice reform and, as I know that my colleague Mr. Green will mention, in the body cameras. All of these--closing the wealth gap and passing the Voting Rights Act--are challenges not to Democrats, not to minorities; they are to the Nation, to our Republicans and our Democrats.

So I answer the question why we cannot wait: because Dr. King left us a prophetic message and a mountain to climb to get to the promised land.

Tonight, as I close, I call upon all aspects of the beloved community that John Lewis so often speaks of--the youth who continue to persist in the streets of America, indicating that Black lives and all lives matter; women, the impoverished, the faith community, workers, and many others whose names I have left out. Today, I ask for them to join hands and march in the month of March in your own cities and hamlets and counties on an agenda of healing, justice, and equality in commemoration of the march of those who crossed on that bloody day but of those who crossed as well successfully from Selma to Montgomery.

Do not sit in your seats. Do not sit in your homes. March in the month of March. Let me hear your voices. Let us see you. Let us join you. You call us, and we will join you in those marches to make a difference in this Nation. I ask for that to all of my colleagues tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the rule governing debate on this bill, H.R. 351, the ``LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act.''

Mr. Speaker, I am not anti-energy exploration. I am not anti-trade. I am, however strongly ``pro-jobs,'' ``pro-economic growth,'' and ``pro- sustainable environment.''

As a Member of Congress from Houston I have always been mindful of the importance of, and have strongly advocated for, national energy policies that will make our nation energy independent, preserve and create jobs, and keep our nation's economy strong.

That is why I carefully consider each energy legislative proposal brought to the floor on its individual merits and support them when they are sound, balanced, fair, and promote the national interest.

Where they fall short, I believe in working across the aisle to improve them if possible by offering constructive amendments.

Although I believe the nation would benefit by increased exports of natural gas, the legislation before contains several provisions that are of great concern to me.

Pursuant to Section 2, subsection (a) of the bill, an application for authorization to export LNG is ``deemed'' approved if the Department of Energy (DOE) or other federal agencies do not approve or deny the application within 30 days of the conclusion of the site review.

I have three concerns with this regulatory scheme.

First, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I have a problem with ``deeming'' something done that has not been done in fact.

Thus, the provision is unwise.

Second, this provision is a remedy in search of a problem. There is no lengthy or intolerable backlog of neglected natural gas export authority applications awaiting action by DOE.

The provision is unnecessary because DOE has to date authorized the export of over 10

billion cubic feet per day of LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement countries.

Together with exports to FTA countries, this level of LNG exports that would transform the United States into one of the world's largest exporters.

Third, the provision is irresponsible because it would require DOE and other agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but for lack of sufficient review time.

Supporters of this bill argue that it is vital, in the face of Russian aggression and restrictions, to provide our allies in Europe with additional exports of LNG.

However, because actual exports through approved terminals are not expected to begin until late 2015, this legislation will have no impact on current exports.

And, limiting the time for review would prevent DOE from properly analyzing the domestic impact that of exporting large amounts of LNG.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that increased exports could result in an increase of as much as 8% in domestic LNG prices.

Given the inherent delicacy involved in assessing the impact of trade authorizations, both domestically and abroad, this state of affairs is likely to lead to DOE erring on the side of caution and denying applications that may otherwise have been approved if it had more time and more resources to carry out its responsibilities.

For these reasons, I urge all Members to oppose the rule, and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 351, the ``LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act.''

Mr. Speaker, I am not anti-energy exploration. I am not anti-trade. I am, however strongly ``pro-jobs,'' ``pro-economic growth,'' and ``pro- sustainable environment.''

As a Member of Congress from Houston I have always been mindful of the importance of, and have strongly advocated for, national energy policies that will make our nation energy independent, preserve and create jobs, and keep our nation's economy strong.

That is why I carefully consider each energy legislative proposal brought to the floor on its individual merits and support them when they are sound, balanced, fair, and promote the national interest.

Where they fall short, I believe in working across the aisle to improve them if possible by offering constructive amendments.

Although I believe the nation would benefit by increased exports of natural gas, the legislation before contains several provisions that are of great concern to me.

Pursuant to Section 2, subsection (a) of the bill, an application for authorization to export LNG is ``deemed'' approved if the Department of Energy (DOE) or other federal agencies do not approve or deny the application within 30 days of the conclusion of the site review.

I have three concerns with this regulatory scheme.

First, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I have a problem with ``deeming'' something done that has not been done in fact.

Thus, the provision is unwise.

Second, this provision is a remedy in search of a problem. There is no lengthy or intolerable backlog of neglected natural gas export authority applications awaiting action by DOE.

The provision is unnecessary because DOE has to date authorized the export of over 10 billion cubic feet per day of LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement countries.

Together with exports to FTA countries, this level of LNG exports that would transform the United States into one of the world's largest exporters.

Third, the provision is irresponsible because it would require DOE and other agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but for lack of sufficient review time.

Supporters of this bill argue that it is vital, in the face of Russian aggression and restrictions, to provide our allies in Europe with additional exports of LNG.

However, because actual exports through approved terminals are not expected to begin until late 2015, this legislation will have no impact on current exports.

And, limiting the time for review would prevent DOE from properly analyzing the domestic impact that of exporting large amounts of LNG.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that increased exports could result in an increase of as much as 8 percent in domestic LNG prices.

Given the inherent delicacy involved in assessing the impact of trade authorizations, both domestically and abroad, this state of affairs is likely to lead to DOE erring on the side of caution and denying applications that may otherwise have been approved if it had more time and more resources to carry out its responsibilities.

For these reasons, I urge all Members to oppose the bill before us and urge my colleagues to join me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 246, a bill ``To Improve The Response To Victims Of Child Sex Trafficking,'' which broadens the issues to be reported on the federal tip line on Internet-related child sexual exploitation run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to explicitly include child sex trafficking--specifically, by replacing the term ``child prostitution'' with the term ``child sex trafficking, including child prostitution.''

Trafficking in humans is a major problem across the globe and in our own country. As lawmakers, we have a moral responsibility to combat this scourge and protect our children, especially those without parents to care for them, from being exploited and falling through the cracks.

As the Founder and Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I understand how important it is to defend those who are too young to defend themselves.

This problem is personal for me because according to the U.S. Department of Justice, my home city of Houston, Texas is the epicenter of human trafficking in the United States with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month.

Houston has also surpassed Las Vegas for the dubious distinction of having the most strip clubs and illicit spas serving as fronts for sex trafficking.

Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested.

Between 1998 and 2003 more than 500 people from 18 countries were ensnared in 57 forced labor operations in almost a dozen cities throughout the State of Texas.

The Justice Department's Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (which coordinates with 61 federal, state and local law enforcement task forces) reports that the number of child victims of prostitution increased by more than 900% between 2004 and 2008.

Currently, our state child welfare systems do not properly identify and help the children that have been taken by this horrible industry.

Even more disturbing is that the protections provided by our child welfare systems often do not extend to young victims of trafficking.

Hard as it is to believe, in some states trafficked youths are not even regarded or classified as victims.

Rather, they are treated as youthful offenders and consigned to the criminal justice system.

These kids are not criminals. They are victims, robbed of their innocence by adult criminals.

They are boys and girls who have been taken advantage of and are unable to escape an ugly system.

I support H.R. 246 because it is focused on using technology to minimize the sex trafficking of vulnerable children and empowers people by giving the opportunity and means to report suspicious activity.

Under current law, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) provides an annual grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for a range of activities, including running a tip line that allows online users and Internet service providers to report Internet-related child sexual exploitation.

This tip line includes reports on child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, child prostitution, sex tourism involving children, extra familial child sexual molestation, unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, misleading domain names and misleading words or digital images on the Internet.

I strongly support H.R. 246 and urge my colleague to join me in voting for its passage which will help bring an end to the evil practice that is child sex trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

It is fitting today to remember those who experienced the depth of human cruelty in that camp and all other Nazi concentration camps.

It is estimated that over one million prisoners perished at the Auschwitz concentration camp over the five years that it was operational.

I grieve for those lost souls, but I give thanks for the 7,500 prisoners who were liberated 70 years ago today.

The stories of those survivors ensure that we remain vigilant and dedicated to combating hatred and oppression in all its forms.

For that reason, I would also like to bring attention to the ongoing massacres and human rights violations being carried out by the militant terrorist organization Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Just like the actions of the Nazis during World War II, the actions of Boko Haram today are an affront to human life and dignity.

From their first violent uprising in 2009, to the massacre in Baga less than one month ago, Boko Haram has been waging a war that has cost an estimated 10,000 lives, and displaced more than one million people.

I thank Secretary Kerry for his active role in supporting the Nigerians in their efforts to combat Boko Haram.

I also thank the United States military, for providing the Nigerian military with trainers and specialists to aid them.

But there needs to be more.

These atrocities must not be permitted to continue, and we must do everything within our power to stop the kidnapping and killing of innocent men, women, and children across Nigeria.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 357, the ``Human Trafficking Prevention Act.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their stewardship in bringing this legislation to the floor and for their commitment to expanding the training and capability of federal government personnel in detecting and combating human trafficking and assisting its victims.

Throughout my tenure in Congress and a founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I have advocated on behalf of victims of human trafficking, especially children, who are the most vulnerable and innocent victims.

I am also committed to ensuring that law enforcement agencies have the tools, resources, and training necessary to identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminals who ruthlessly traffic in people.

H.R. 357 strengthens the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 by amending it to require training related to trafficking in persons for all State Department personnel. Specifically, the bill requires the following:

1. A distance learning course on trafficking in persons issues and the Department of State's obligations under the Act to be completed by embassy reporting officers, regional bureaus' trafficking in persons coordinators, and their supervisors;

2. Specific trafficking-in-persons briefings for all ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission before they depart for their posts; and

3. Annual reminders to all such personnel and other federal personnel at each diplomatic or consular post of the Department of State located outside the United States of key human trafficking problems, threats, methods, and warning signs.

This legislation does for the State Department what the Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 4660, ``Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act for 2015,'' approved by the House in the last Congress does for the Justice Department.

That amendment, adopted in May 2014 by the House, provides another tool in law enforcement's arsenal to tip the balance in favor of victims by ensuring funding for the Attorney

General to provide training for State and local law enforcement agencies on immigration law that may be useful for the investigation and prosecution of crimes related to trafficking in persons.

Mr. Speaker, trafficking in humans, and especially child trafficking, has no place in a civilized society and those who engage in this illicit trade should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

To effectively combat human trafficking, we need to provide resources and training to government personnel to assist victims and apprehend criminals.

By providing the necessary training and support, we will catch more human trafficking criminals and save lives, and prevent many other persons, including children, from becoming human trafficking victims.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 357, the Human Trafficking Prevention Act.