Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this is like deja vu. We were right here last night talking about many of these same issues. But these issues are so very important to the people of America, to the children of America, that it just makes sense that we are back here again trying to make sure that people across America understand the importance of providing health care for children across America.

I was sitting and smiling as you were talking about your children, or someone having a child and they go to day care and they come back home and the next day they are ill. The germs just keep floating around and around. If you have children that don't have access to health care, you present a real problem for other children in day care, and for yourself as well.

It is a problem that not only will greet those who vote against this legislation in 2007 and 2008, but they will look back on these young people who are now 4, 5, 6, 10 years old, in 10 years these children will say, well, where were you when I needed some health care? Now that I am old enough to vote, I remember back in 2007 when you voted not to support children's health care across America. I remember. I might have been a better athlete. I might have been a better student. I might have been able to go to medical school. Instead, because I wasn't able to have the appropriate health care, I wasn't able to pay attention to what is going on in class, I wasn't able to have the appropriate dental care, I am doing X.

So it will not only resound throughout America in 2007 on October 18 when we vote to override the President's veto; it will resound for years and years to come.

You know what the wonderful thing I have to say to Mr. Ryan and Mr. Meek is? That today I have been going around the floor of the House talking to some of my colleagues who voted to support the SCHIP bill several weeks ago and asking them are they going to hold up their vote; are they going to vote with us when the time comes up on October 18. And I haven't run into anybody yet, except for one who has got an issue about something else, that said they won't be with us again on October 18 when it is time to override the President's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

This program has been so valuable. It has been so useful. It has been a hallmark for children, 6 million children in the United States of America; and it is time for us to extend it to another 4 million and to every child in these United States who needs to have great health care, some of the greatest health care that is given to all the rest of the people.

The funny thing is, I happened to be over in the United Arab Emirates, and I was seated at the table of one of the higher-ups of this country, and he said, you know, my father just came back from Cleveland getting health care services. I said, he did? And I got the information.

I am not mad at him. He can come here, we have the greatest health care in the world, and he can get it. But how is it that children right here in America can't get that same health care? That is the problem, and we got to fix it.

Yesterday, again, we had an opportunity to have this discussion. The interesting thing is that we are not alone in the position that we have taken about SCHIP. We are not alone, because newspapers across this country, across the country the newspapers have said that this President is wrong.

The Washington Post: ``Children's Health Check.''

The Austin American Statesman: ``For many kids, the doctor is not in.''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ``Kids lose out to politics.''

The Chicago Tribune: ``A sound children's health bill,'' talking about SCHIP.

The New York Times: ``Overcoming a veto and helping children.''

The Daily News: ``Presidential malpractice,'' the veto on SCHIP is ``Presidential malpractice.''

The Sacramento Bee: ``The SCHIPs are down.''

The Akron Beacon Journal: ``SCHIP at the brink.''

The USA Today: ``Plan to protect kids' health spawns needless veto fight.''

The Charlotte Observer: ``Vote for healthy kids.''

The Des Moines Register: ``Don't abandon kids needing health care.''

Charleston Gazette: ``Child health--override the President.''

The Houston Chronicle: ``Wrong priorities--Presidential veto of SCHIP expansion would place ideology over children's health.''

The Republican: ``Bush abandons kids on health insurance.''

And the Connecticut Post: ``Insurance change to help children.''

Do you know what I heard the President say today? ``I am willing to negotiate.''

Mr. President, don't negotiate with our children. Give them health care. Forget the negotiation, forget the political stuff you're trying to do on SCHIP, and all your Republican and Democratic colleagues in the House. Override the veto.

Have you ever been to the emergency room?

What's it like?

Then the President says, if the gentleman will yield, that everybody in America can get health care because they can go to the emergency room. Could you imagine if the 4 million children who don't have any health care coverage lined up in emergency rooms all across America, what a dilemma we would be in. It's just outrageous.

Mr. Speaker, the other important thing we have to think about is the fact that when families have children who are sick in them, that means parents have to stay off work, that means they aren't able to function or pay attention on the job, that means they are dysfunctional at their job if they go there because they are going to have to leave and pick up their children. I mean, it goes on and on and on.

Health care for children is good for America, it's good for American business, it's good for American families. George Bush needs a wake-up call.

Lest you think it is only Democrats saying SCHIP is a good bill, let me read the statements of some of my Republican colleagues. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas said: ``The administration is threatening to veto this bill because of `excessive spending' and their belief that this bill is a step towards federalization of health care. I am not for excessive spending and strongly oppose the federalization of health care, and if the administration's concerns with this bill were accurate, I would support a veto. But bluntly put, they are not.'' That is Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas.

Jim Ramstad of Minnesota said: ``We have a moral obligation to cover all our children so every child in America can grow up healthy. It is the right thing to do. It is also the cost-effective thing to do, and that is why I strongly support extending and expanding SCHIP. I also hope we can work together to provide greater access to private insurance coverage for America's children and other uninsured Americans. There is no better investment than to invest in the health and well-being of America's children.'' That is Jim Ramstad.

Mr. Regula, one of the senior Members in the House of Representatives said: ``I voted today with the majority of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to extend SCHIP to expand health care access to the children of working parents whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but who, for one reason or another, do not have any health insurance coverage through their employers. The program has proven to be extremely successful in covering many children who have fallen through the cracks and providing them with quality preventive and acute health care. This bill provides States with new tools to enroll more eligible low-income children with health care coverage.'' That's Ralph Regula of Ohio.

Vernon Ehlers of Michigan: ``I grew up with acute asthma, and I know personally how important it is for kids to have access to affordable health care. This bill will continue to provide health care coverage to millions of children who otherwise would be uninsured.''

Finally, from Steve LaTourette, Republican from Ohio, ``The children's insurance program is too important to not support.'' Steve LaTourette.

Mr. Speaker, the other interesting thing is when you have 270 organizations from all over this country signed onto a letter to the President urging him to support SCHIP, and I am going to just read the last paragraph which says, ``We know you agree that our children are our Nation's most precious resource, and that investments in health care for kids reap benefits that last a lifetime. We urge you to stand with our children and to put their interests ahead of the partisan rhetoric that is threatening a timely SCHIP reauthorization. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with you and to work with you on this and other initiatives to be sure that all of our Nation's children have access to the health care coverage that they need.''

That's correct.

First Focus of Alexandria; National Association of Community Health Centers; AARP; Action for Children of North Carolina; African American Health Alliance; AIDS Alliance for Children; AIDS Institute; Alliance for Children, Youth & Families; Alliance for Children and Families; Alliance for Excellent Education; Alliance for Retired Americans; Aloha United Way; Ambulatory Pediatric Association; American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Nursing; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Academy of Pediatrics of Colorado; American Academy of Pediatrics of Iowa; American Academy of Pediatrics of Pennsylvania; American Academy of Pediatrics of Rhode Island; American Association of People with Disabilities of Washington, D.C.; the American Association of University Women of Utah; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; American Cancer Society; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Counseling Association; American Dental Association; American Dental Hygienists Association; American Diabetes; American Health Quality; American Heart Association; American Humane Association; American Mental Health; American Music Therapy; American Network of Community Options and Resources. All of these organizations want SCHIP to be reauthorized. American Nurses; American Psychiatric Association; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; AMERIGROUP Corporation; Anchor House.

All of these organizations want SCHIP, and the list goes on. Centene Corporation; Center for Civil Justice; Center for Community Solutions of Cleveland, Ohio; Center for Law and Social Policy; Center for Medicare Advocacy; Center for Public Policy Priorities; Central County United Way; Chicago Foundation for Women; Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative; Child and Family Policy Center; Child Care; Child Welfare; Children First for Oregon; Children Now; Children's Action Alliance; Children's Defense Fund, and the list goes on. How can this President stand up to all 270 organizations?

And the crazy thing about that statement is that if you talk to senior Americans across this country and you ask them about Medicare, they will say that Medicare is one of the finest systems of delivery of health care in this country, and they are so happy that we have Medicare and that the cost of running Medicare is equal to the cost that people pay, that it is a well-run program. So, even if we were talking about government-run health care, which we are not, let's talk about how great a program Medicare and Medicaid have been.

So I just want to close out, as I leave the two of you with the last few minutes of this, I'm calling upon everybody who can hear what I'm saying, and if you can't hear me and you're reading my lips or there's a script going under your TV, call your congressperson. Ask them, are you supporting SCHIP? If they are not, ask them why. Call your neighbor; ask your neighbor to call your congressperson.

This is down to a battle, and the battle is either for the children or against the children, and we're for the children.

Little pressure.

You want a bridge to nowhere?

Forty-five Republicans voted in the House.

Sixty-eight Senators, including 18 Republicans.

I just want to say, on behalf of other Members of the House of Representatives, I am so proud of this 30 Something Working Group. I'm proud to have been able to participate in this time with Mr. Meek, under his great leadership; and Mr. Ryan, under his great leadership; and Ms. Wasserman Schultz, under her great leadership. You're continuing to fight on behalf of the people of America, and I'm thankful to be considered 30 something.

I am so happy, Mr. Speaker, to have an opportunity to be on the floor with two of my favorite Congress people, Tim Ryan and Kendrick Meek. Over the past few years, these two young men have shown such great leadership in the 30-Something Working Group, and I am just proud to be counted among the 30-Something group even though all of us know I am not 30-something, though I think I manage well anyway.

It is just so significant that we have an opportunity to be here this evening to talk about an issue that is so very, very important to all of America: our children.

A child. You think about when your baby is born or before your baby is born, how important it is to you to contemplate that he or she be of good health. More important than it be a boy or a girl, it's important that they come here and you start counting, do they have all their fingers? Do they have all their toes? Is their heart working? Are their eyes open? Can they hear? Can they see? And for some parents, it becomes a difficult moment because all those wonderful things that you would hope would be the case are not.

But moving along, regardless, every parent wants their child to have access to good health care. And one of the wonderful things about this program called SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program, is that it will provide health insurance for all of our children. And who could not want that?

Our President. Our President has made a decision that SCHIP is not

something that he can support. Now, he has made all kinds of excuses as to why he can't support it, but the reality is that 72 percent of the American public support the State Children's Health Insurance Program. And it's not a panacea. It's more than many children have.

Now, the argument that the President would want to make is that children who don't have health insurance can go to the emergency room and get health care. Anybody can walk into the emergency room and get health care. What kind of sense does that make? One of the most expensive ways in which to deliver health care in America is the emergency room, and if any of you have been in the emergency room recently, I have. When my father was very ill, he was in the emergency room. And people were loaded. We sat for hours waiting to get X rays. There were not enough doctors, not enough nurses, not enough facilities. And the people in the emergency room do a great job. I commend them. University Hospitals is where I usually go with my dad or some member of my family. But the reality is that is not the place where we should be rendering health care.

I am going to move on because there are other people here to talk, but contemplate this: We want our children to be competitive. We want our children to be able to compete with children from China, children from Russia, children from every country in the world, and we want to deny them health care.

An unhealthy child cannot learn. An unhealthy child causes a dilemma or problems for other children in the classroom. All of you that are new parents and you take your child to day care and the first thing you know is that baby comes home with an ear infection, pink eye. It's guaranteed. You even get sick from whatever it is that baby has going to day care and brings it home to you.

We know that the children of America deserve better. We know that the children of America deserve health care coverage. And we know that all children who are required to compete in this world in America by the tests that we are giving them to be No Child Left Behind that health care is the most important thing in addition to a great education that we can give to them. The most important thing that will give them the opportunity to be successful in their childhood, in their middle age, and in their lifetime is good health care. The State Children's Health Insurance Program is the beginning of that. And it is a shame, it is a shame that we would have a President who would get partisan with an issue so important to both Democrats and Republicans and veto that legislation.

I was just going to say, I am a coffee drinker. And that $3.50 is much less----

Oh, now, cut it out. You're getting personal out here now. But the reality is that I am a coffee drinker, and that $3.50 could go so much further if we were to invest it in the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

And the other dilemma that the President is faced with is, he is claiming about States who have been given waivers to provide health care to those other than children, but it was his administration that granted the waiver. Now, if you're mad about a waiver, then bite your own nose, smack your own face, but don't hurt children over the fact that they have been given an opportunity to have health care in America.

And the other thing I want to switch to, and I'm jumping around a little bit, is there are Republicans, there are strong-minded, good- thinking, good-hearted, smart Republicans who have voted with us on the SCHIP bill. In the Senate, 68 Senators, including 18 Republicans, voted for the bill. There are 43 Governors, including 16 Republicans, who have voted for it. In the House, 45 Republicans voted with us on this SCHIP bill. And the good thing is that they recognize the need that we have for child health insurance.

I don't know if anybody has given these quotes. Senator Grassley, ``The President's understanding of our bill is wrong. I urge him to reconsider his veto message.'' Senator Orrin Hatch, ``We're talking about kids who basically don't have coverage. I think the President had some pretty bad advice on this.'' Let me say that again. Orrin Hatch said, ``I think the President had some pretty bad advice on this issue.'' And Susan Collins, ``I cannot believe the President would veto a program that benefits low-income children.''

I yield.

I just want to make one point and then yield to my colleagues. My colleague Kendrick Meek so eloquently put forth the debt that we are, as a Nation, in and you think about it from this perspective. Every child born in the United States at the time they are born are owing, owe part of the U.S. debt. They say it's now somewhere between $27,000 and $28,000. If that is a fact, why then can we not allocate $3.50 a day to health care coverage for our children? $27,000 they owe when they are born. They are entitled to $3.50 a day for good health care. It is fiscally sound and it makes great sense.

Let's take President Bush's own words. He says, ``I have strongly supported SCHIP as a Governor. I have done so as president. My 2008 budget proposed to increase SCHIP funding by $5 billion over 5 years.''

Now, this is Bush math, because it is a 20 percent increase, according to him. But reality, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the President's budget for SCHIP would result in 840,000 children currently enrolled in SCHIP losing their coverage. According to CBO, due to rising health care costs, the President's increase of $5 billion for SCHIP over 5 years fails to cover the cost of simply maintaining the current SCHIP enrollment of children of 6 million. Indeed, according to CBO, over the next 5 years, the President's budget so underfunds SCHIP that it will result in 840,000 children losing their SCHIP coverage.

Even more, the number of uninsured children jumped by 600,000 in 2006, up to nearly 8.7 million children. Yet President Bush, the Bush budget does nothing to reduce the number of up insured children.

Finally, what I would just say is, it is not just us saying it. Listen to what newspapers across the country are saying.

The Washington Post editorial: ``Children's health check.''

Austin American Statesman editorial: ``For many kids, the doctor is not in.''

Atlanta Journal editorial: ``Kids lose out to politics.''

Chicago Tribune editorial: ``A sound children's health bill, SCHIP.''

New York Times: ``Overcoming a veto and helping children.''

The Daily News, New York: ``Presidential malpractice.''

Akron Beacon Journal: ``SCHIP at the brink.''

USA Today: ``Plan to protect kids on needless veto fight.''

Charlotte Observer: ``Vote for healthy children.''

Des Moines Register: ``Don't abandoned kids needing health care.''

Charleston Gazette: ``Child health. Override the President.

Houston Chronicle: ``Wrong priorities. Presidential veto of SCHIP expansion would place ideology over children's health.''

The Republican editorial: ``Bush abandoned kids on health insurance.''

And the list just goes on. You don't have to believe me or Mr. Murphy or Mr. Ryan or Mr. Meek. The newspapers, who are supposed to be the bastion of giving us all that we need to know and independent thinkers in the world, are saying that this President is wrong, that the veto is wrong, and we need to override the veto.

I am calling on all my colleagues. My Ohio Republican colleagues, they are stepping up and I am very proud of them. But we need more across this country to step up and say that we are going to support children in this Congress.

Wow. Wow. The only thing that I want to end on, and I am going to be very quick to yield for the last time to my colleagues Mr. Ryan and Mr. Murphy, was I participated one Saturday afternoon in a program at University Hospital in my Congressional district called ``healthy children.'' The purpose of the program was to help these children who were overweight understand the importance of choosing the right foods, the right diet and exercise.

There are so many unhealthy children in these United States. There are so many children who are suffering from type II diabetes, who are suffering from all types of conditions that could be dealt with given a strong health care opportunity, given an opportunity for their parents to have the appropriate guidance.

We cannot afford to let our children down, because when we have children who are unhealthy, who may be overweight, who are suffering from diabetes, it also leads to children who have depression, children who don't want to be here because somebody is kidding them or their self-esteem is low.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program, SCHIP, will give our children the opportunity to have a chance, have a chance to be successful in a world where you would think it would be no big deal; that it would be no big deal to say to the American public, yes, we are going to give you health care, children.

We owe it to them. We are morally obligated as the grownups in this country. I am just so proud of my colleagues that I am here on the floor with. I am proud to be part of the 30-Something. I thank them for their leadership and their guidance.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, September 27, 2007, I missed three rollcall recorded votes due to unforeseen circumstances.

On rollcall vote No. 914, on a Motion to Adjourn, I would have voted ``No.'' On rollcall vote No. 922, on a Motion to Recommit with

Instructions, I would have voted ``No.'' On rollcall vote No. 923, on Final Passage of the Small Business Investment Expansion Act of 2007, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Madam Speaker, it's so good to see you in the Chair, especially on this occasion as we engage in the Congressional Black Caucus message hour.

This evening it gives me great pleasure to spend some time talking about the annual legislative conference that was this past weekend right here in Washington, DC.

I am joined this evening by the cochair. The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus foundation is Kendrick Meek, but the cochairs of this wonderful weekend this year are my good friends G.K. Butterfield from North Carolina and my colleague and good friend Donna Christensen from the Virgin Islands.

So I am going to begin by yielding to my colleague and good friend from the great State of North Carolina, G.K. Butterfield.

Are you a member of the 30-something club?

More than 3,000.

Before you leave, I want to congratulate you on your choice of prayer breakfast speaker. Dr. Clifford Jones out of North Carolina was a wonderful speaker, and his theme, ``Somebody Pray for Me,'' I think hit right home with all of us, and we had a wonderful, wonderful time in praise and worship Saturday morning. You would have actually thought we turned the convention center into a church on Saturday morning. It was a wonderful experience.

I wasn't part of the choice, but I knew a minister named Jones had to be a really good person. Thank you so much for the choice.

It gives me great pleasure to yield time to my colleague and good friend, Congresswoman Donna Christensen. She cochairs the brain trust for the Congressional Black Caucus. She represents the Virgin Islands. She has done a great job and always been a great friend since I have been in the Congress. This year, along with G.K. Butterfield, she cochaired the annual conference for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, ``Unleashing Our Power.''

Absolutely.

He was excellent. He was excellent. Wow.

Why don't you tell us a little bit about Neville Peter? Some people across the Nation may not know about him.

Yes, now it's personal. We remarked, as we were sitting at the table listening to him, that his look was much like a Stevie Wonder look with the braids. When he turned to the side, the profile was much like Stevie Wonder.

I am with you.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Donna Christensen, the Delegate from the Virgin Islands, one of the co-chairs for the ALC Conference.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield 5 minutes to my colleague and good friend, Diane Watson from California, our former ambassador to Micronesia.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of this Special Order today, the annual legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus.

At this time it gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to yield 5 minutes to my colleague and good friend from the great State of North Carolina, the immediate past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Mr. Mel Watt.

I had a recent discussion with our colleague Keith Ellison from Minnesota, and he was telling me that in the seventh circuit that it had been granted to go to the Supreme Court on a voter ID. That will be an interesting case to watch as it goes forward as well.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on getting the Voting Rights Act reauthorized, Congressman Mel Watt of North Carolina.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield to my colleague and good friend, a former judge from the great State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield 3 minutes to the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and my great friend and son in the House of Representatives, Congressman Kendrick Meek, from the great State of Florida, Miami, Florida.

I thank you, Mr. Chair. It is always great working with you.

At this time, I would like to yield 4 minutes to my colleague and good friend from the great State of Virginia, Congressman Bobby Scott, who has been a leader in and around so many issues. It is great to yield to you.

Thank you to the gentleman from Virginia for his comments.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to have the opportunity to yield 3\1/2\ minutes to my colleague and good friend from the great State of New Jersey, who serves on the International Relations Committee and is just a leader in the international arena, my colleague and good friend, Donald Payne.

Thank you, Congressman Payne, from the great State of New Jersey.

I am going to close out this hour and take these last couple minutes. One of the things that you make a mistake about when you leave a Special Order is you yield to everybody, and you forget to talk about your own workshops. So very quickly, I am going to talk about the two workshops that I did. The first one was ``African American Athletes: Roles, Representation, and Expectations.'' It was a wonderful opportunity where I had the opportunity to host Jim Brown, the former Cleveland Browns player, renowned athlete, to talk about things he has been doing around outreach and mentoring. I had Keven Davis, a partner at Garvey, Schubert & Barer, who provided an overview of how African American athletes are represented in financial transactions. Carlos Flemming, a VP of IMG, who represents Venus and Serena Williams. Everett Glenn, the president and CEO of Entertainment & Sports Plus, who is an agent. Ken Harvey, president and CEO of JAKA Consulting, a former NFL player and a representative. Jacquelyn Nance, who is the executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. And finally, William Rhoden, who is the author of ``Forty Million Dollar Slaves,'' and is a sportswriter for the New York Times. And I particularly want to thank him for taking care of the workshop while I was required to be here on the floor voting on some other issues. It was a great opportunity, and we talked about a lot of issues around African American athletes.

My second forum was focused on the declining enrollment of African Americans in law schools across the Nation. My panel consisted of Christopher Johnson of General Motors; Vanita Banks, the president- elect of the National Bar Association; John Nussbaumer, associate dean of Thomas Cooley Law School; Dwayne Murray, the Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi; John Brittain, a lawyer from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights; Karen Weaver, associate dean for academic affairs and diversity; and Pauline Schneider, on behalf of the ABA. She's at Orrick & Harrington.

And the quick issue around law schools is that African Americans do have a decline in enrollment and that ABA is responsible for accreditation.

So with that, Madam Speaker, I want to yield back my time and say thank you to Speaker Pelosi for giving the CBC this Special Order to focus on the ALC weekend. It's not a party; it's a legislative conference with great import for all people across the country.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 914, I missed this vote, because I was stuck in traffic. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker I rise today in support of H. Res. 95, a bipartisan resolution that I, along with Mr. Whitfield, introduced to establish September as Campus Fire Safety Month.

This legislation encourages administrators and municipalities across the country to provide educational programs to all students during September and throughout the school year on fire safety.

Additionally, the resolution calls for evaluation of the level of fire safety being provided in both on- and off-campus student housing and taking the necessary steps to ensure fire-safe living environments through fire safety education, installation of fire suppression and detection systems and the development and enforcement of applicable codes relating to fire safety.

In June, the Senate adopted a similar resolution, sponsored by Senator Joe Biden, that also encourages campus fire safety across the Nation.

Nationwide, 113 people have been killed in student housing since January 2000, as identified by the Center for Campus Fire Safety, a nonprofit organization that compiles information on campus-related fires. Almost 80 percent of the fire fatalities have occurred in off- campus occupancies such as rented houses and apartments. Common factors in a number of these fires include: lack of automatic sprinklers, disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of smoking materials, and alcohol consumption. According to the center, April and May, followed by August and September, are the two most dangerous periods of time for student housing fire fatalities. So far 31 States have issued proclamations declaring September as Campus Fire Safety Month. Historically, September is one of the most fatal months for campus fires, but for the first time since 2000 there were no fatalities last September.

H. Res. 95 is supported by the Center for Campus Fire Safety, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Congressional Fire Services Institute, National Fire Protection Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Fire Sprinkler Association, International Code Council, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, International Association of Fire Marshals.

For the past few Congresses I have introduced H.R. 642, known as the College Fire and Prevention Act. This legislation would establish a demonstration incentive program within the Department of Education to promote installation of fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in qualified student housing or dormitories, and for other purposes. The Congressional Fire Services Institute, the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the American Fire Sprinkler Association have endorsed this fire prevention legislation.

Fire safety and prevention is an issue that needs to be addressed across this country. Over these few years we have seen many tragedies involving fire at colleges, places of business, entertainment venues and places of residence. We must begin to put in place suppression measures against fires and increase support and resources for our fire fighters to ensure that no more lives are lost to fires that could have been prevented. I am pleased to say that this institution adopted this resolution in the 109th Congress and will do so again today. It is encouraging that we remain committed to bringing awareness to this issue in order to prevent more needless deaths of our students.

I encourage my colleagues to pass this legislation so that we can increase awareness about this problem that affects us all.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subjects of the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order message hour today that will focus on SCHIP as well as the Jena Six.

Mr. Speaker, today 50 million Americans have no health insurance, including more than 8 million children. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans either work or are in working families. Sadly, many of those uninsured and underinsured are African American.

Being uninsured means going without needed care. It means minor illnesses become major ones because care is delayed. Tragically, it means that one significant medical expense can wipe out a family's life savings. There are millions of working uninsured Americans who go to bed every night worrying about what will happen to them and their families if a major illness or injury strikes.

In my home State of Ohio, there are currently 1,362,000 uninsured, an increase of 18,000 people since 2003. We have also seen the strain on many of the local hospitals in my district when people are forced to use emergency rooms as their source of primary care.

The problem is getting worse. As the price of health care continues to rise, fewer individuals and families can afford to pay for coverage. Fewer small businesses are able to provide coverage for their employees, and those that do are struggling to hold on to the coverage they offer. It is a problem that affects all of us, and we cannot sit idly by while the people of this country continue to go without health insurance.

Tomorrow, we will have an opportunity to expand one of the most effective government programs implemented in the last decade, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. SCHIP is a joint State- Federal program created in order to provide health insurance to children in low-income households whose income, although meager, was still above Medicaid eligibility.

Currently, the program allows for States to provide health insurance to families whose household income is up to 200 percent of the poverty level. In 2006, SCHIP provided coverage to over 6.7 million children, and although it has been successful since its inception, there are still 9 million children without any health insurance, many of whom are minorities. Currently, more than 80 percent of the uninsured African American children and 70 percent of the Hispanic children are eligible for SCHIP but not enrolled.

It gives me great pleasure to lead this special hour this evening on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I'm pleased at this time to yield time to my colleague and good friend Barbara Lee from California.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from the great State of California, Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield time to my good friend from the great State of New Jersey. He is a leader in international relations and is now the Chair of a new subcommittee called Global Health as part of the International Relations Committee. I give you my good friend and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Donald Payne).

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

Absolutely, please proceed.

I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his comments.

Today, as I said previously, under the leadership of our Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, this is the CBC's special message hour. Today our message is on the SCHIP program and the Jena Six.

It gives me great pleasure to yield time to my colleague and good friend from the Virgin Islands. She is a medical doctor. Prior to coming to Congress, she practiced medicine right here in Washington, DC. She is the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus health brain trust. It gives me great pleasure to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, Donna Christensen.

I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield for comment to my good friend from the great State of California, former ambassador to Micronesia, a now Member of Congress, such time as she may consumer. We are glad to have her here. She is in her third term, the gentlewoman from California, Congresswoman Diane Watson.

I am about to yield some time to a really good friend of mine who in fact was the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when I was a trial lawyer at the EEOC with my earlier career. But before I do that, I want to make a statement with regard to Jena Six.

I have been blessed in my lifetime to have a lot of opportunities in the law. I was an assistant county prosecutor, criminal division for 2\1/2\ years; I was a municipal court judge for 2 years; I was a general jurisdiction judge for 8 years; and I also was the Cuyahoga County prosecutor for 8 years before I came to Congress. And I give that statement, my background, so you understand the breadth and the experience that I have.

The prosecutor in Jena, as I have come to understand, as with every other prosecutor in this country, has an ethical obligation, and it is very difficult when the light is shone on you. Here we have a young man who has been in jail more than a year, a juvenile. Now a court has said to them that his trial should be overturned. That prosecutor, the prosecutor in Jena, should be saying to himself, duh, should I be rethinking the position I have taken? Should I not encourage the judge to do justice? Should I not say to that judge, grant this young man bail until we work this out?

I'm confident it's tough on him because he's got all these other people saying, hold your ground; do what you've been doing. It's a lot easier to hold your ground than to do what's right. And I'm calling upon that prosecutor, the prosecutor in Jena to rethink, go back in a corner in his office all by himself without all the pressure, and contemplate why he was put in office.

Prosecutors are some of the most powerful people in this country, and I'm going to encourage young people who are listening to me to become an assistant county prosecutor. When you are the prosecutor, you are vested with so much discretion that you would have the opportunity to reconsider what's happened with this Jena Six.

But as I move forward, I want to say to this prosecutor, all of us talk about justice and what's happened in our judicial process, in the judicial system. Young people need to see in judicial officers and prosecutors justice so that they will have faith in the system.

Again I'm calling upon this prosecutor to rethink what he did. You know, it's very easy to overcharge. When you overcharge, then you can say to the people, well, I charged him with this, but I was able to get a plea bargain. Justice requires, ethics require that the prosecutor apply the law to

the facts and then make a decision with regard to what the charge should be.

In this instance, again, I call upon this prosecutor to take a look at the circumstances. High school kids. And we've seen fights among high school kids where the fights get rough and damage occurs and injury occurs. And I'm not saying by any stretch of the imagination that there should not be some question or responsibility for the conduct that was engaged in.

But I call upon the prosecutor again, you do justice. Don't wait for the judge to do justice. Don't wait for God to do justice. It's in your hand to do justice, to use the power that you have, that you've been vested with, that the people of America expect you to do your job; and your job will be to rethink the decisions you've made in this case and make sure that justice applies. And it's in your power to do so.

It gives me great pleasure, at this time, to call upon my good friend, one of the great lawyers in the Congressional Black Caucus who's shown leadership in every area that I can think of, my good friend, the Delegate from the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes Norton, for such time as she may consume.

If I could reclaim my time for a moment, in my notes with regard to Jena Six, after the new situation where the white students or whoever hung the nooses from the tree, the African American students decided to protest. So here, then, the district attorney, accompanied by the police, comes to the high school and says to them, I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I can take away your lives with the stroke of a pen.

My position would have been, again, and I say this very clearly, that this prosecutor knows that he has power and people know that he has power. But there is this piece of poetry that says that when you are talking to young people, in essence, what they say to you is, I would rather see a sermon than hear one every day. And this district attorney should be setting the example by engaging in conduct and setting justice as his point of entree with these students versus sitting down and saying to them, along with the police, cut down what you are doing because I can be your worst enemy or your best friend. And he truly can, but being someone's worst enemy or best friend is not the gauge by which we would hope that prosecutors in this Nation engage in their conduct and official responsibilities.

I yield to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia. And I want you to know, and the people of the District of Columbia to know, we are for your having representation and a vote in the Congress, and we are going to be vigilant and keep working on that very issue.

Mr. Speaker, I am currently serving on the Ways and Means Committee. As many people have said this evening, I am blessed to be the first African American woman in the history of this country to serve on this committee. I am pleased this year to work my way to the Health Subcommittee. And on that committee, as a part of that committee, I have had the opportunity to work on the recent legislation passed by the House on August 1 that took a vital step towards ensuring the future health of America by approving the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act. It was called the CHAMP Act of 2007.

On the Health Subcommittee, I have had the opportunity to talk with my colleagues and listen to testimony

from doctors and those in health care and those who provide kidney dialysis, et cetera, to help me begin to formulate my position on many issues.

One of the things that has been clear to me, however, is if we don't provide health care to our children, we are writing our future. I recently had the opportunity to go to university hospitals in my congressional district to participate with some young people in what's called the Healthy Children program and their focus on obesity, one of the biggest problems that faces children in our country and particularly minority children whose diet tends to be not as healthy, low-income folks, as folks who are able to choose fresh vegetables, fruit, et cetera. And as I was playing with these children, and we were doing exercises and we were rolling around the floor with these exercise balls and these various types of strings to help us lift and move our arms, I noticed that these young people were motivated, motivated, to change their eating habits as well as their life-style.

Obesity has claimed so many of our children. Back in the day when I was in school, I remember there was this President's requirement that you had to do so many sit-ups, you had to run so many laps, and you had to be involved in activity. And somehow we have to get our children back to that activity.

We have children with high blood pressure. We have children with diabetes. We have children who are working their way to kidney failure as a result of the lack of health care and the lack of preventative health care.

So there should be no surprise on the face of any person in the United States of America that we need to have health care coverage for all of our children.

Now, the controversy becomes how do you pay for it. And right now we are in this Congress where we are saying we want to be concerned about pay-fors. We want to be fiscally sound. So we either have to come up with a way to tax and change it, or we have to be able to reduce expenditures in other areas. I am one of those who believes that it is time to expend the money that we need to expend for health care, health care for all Americans, because I know we are spending much more than that as we fight this war in Iraq and we provide health care to the people of Iraq and still question whether we provide adequate health care to the veterans of our country who have been injured and maimed over there.

But today on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, it has been my pleasure to host this message hour. We have had an opportunity to bring to the attention of the American public our concerns about the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which will be debated on the floor of this House tomorrow.

I encourage America to tune in, listen in, and call in and raise your complaints, raise your concerns, and let Members of Congress and Members of the Senate understand how important you know that health care for children is.

And, lastly, I will focus back one more time on the Jena Six. It was great to have an opportunity with my colleagues to address that particular issue. And on behalf of our great Chair, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of the State of Michigan, I thank the Speaker for granting us this Special Order for today.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 879, I actually attempted to vote with a malfunctioning voting card. I was present and on the floor. I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1852, the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007. I commend the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the author of this bill, for their leadership on this issue.

The meltdown of the mortgage industry, predatory lending practices and excessive foreclosures is an opportunity for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to reassert its traditional role of meeting unmet mortgage market needs. H.R. 1852 is intended to increase the market share of mortgages insured by Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and to encourage greater stability in the mortgage market in coming years. It raises loan limits for FHA-backed loans, boosts loan limits in high- cost areas, allows the agency to vary the premiums it charges borrowers based on their credit risk, modifies disclosure requirements to provide more information concerning mortgage choices, and allows for lower monthly payments for borrowers who make on-time payments for the first 5 years of a loan. It also extends the maximum loan term on FHA single- family loans to 40 years from 35 years.

Predatory lending is a leading cause of foreclosures across this country. It compromises the opportunity to own a home and hinders economic stability, creating greater disparities in wealth. In my home State of Ohio, new foreclosure cases grew by 24 percent in one year. Cuyahoga County led the State in new cases with 13,610 new filings last year. This ranking has attracted national attention with Ohio's foreclosure rate currently at 18 percent which is higher than the national average of 17 percent.

Subprime lending provides affordable mortgage credit to borrowers with less than perfect credit histories, but who are still creditworthy. Predatory lending occurs when lenders impose excessive rates and fees, prepayment penalties, and reset terms that can result in exorbitant interest rate increases. I believe that FHA could serve subprime borrowers at more attractive rates and provide fairer mortgage opportunities than predatory lenders.

I applaud provisions in the bill that require FHA to provide ``payment incentives'' for borrowers that make on-time payments for at least the first 5 years of a loan. The measure authorizes the department to offer these incentives to borrowers after a period of 3 years of on-time payments.

I am especially pleased and support provision in the bill which authorizes funds from FHA profits, to be used for an affordable housing fund. This fund is key because it would provide grants to support affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities for low- income families.

Over the past 2 weeks, I have participated in home preservation workshops, where I have had an opportunity to meet with various organizations and lenders in my congressional district to discuss loss mitigation plans for homeowners that are in loans set to readjust to higher rates as well as those that are facing foreclosure. Representatives of lenders, servicers, housing counseling agencies, and State, county and Federal housing officials have been on site to meet with individuals to discuss their personal situations.

To help stem the tide of growing foreclosures, I have reintroduced the Predatory Lending Practice Reduction Act, H.R. 2061. This legislation calls for Federal certification of mortgage brokers and agents and stiffer penalties for violation of Federal law. Additionally, it will authorize funding for Community Development Corporations to provide training and counseling on the home buying process. Not all subprime lenders are predatory, but most predatory loans are subprime loans. This legislation would work to weed out the bad actors that are responsible for equity stripping and other predatory practices.

I am pleased that the Financial Services Committee brought this bill to House floor for a vote today. It is a great piece of legislation which I support wholeheartedly. I look forward to working with the Financial Services Committtee to advance my legislation, H.R. 2061 which would protect borrowers from unscrupulous lending practices.

One of the first steps toward creating wealth is homeownership and I want to make sure that everyone is given the opportunity to not only attain but retain that goal.

Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to have the opportunity and the honor to rise this evening to lead the Special Order of the Congressional Black Caucus. We are going to be talking about Iraq.

I want to recognize first for comment the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, my colleague and good friend, the gentlelady from Detroit, Michigan, Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick, and to thank her for her leadership of her wonderful caucus.

In conjunction with what my colleague has already said, can you imagine that of the amount of money we spend in Iraq, we could put in place 4,072,709 additional housing units nationwide? In Ohio, we could put 142,849. Imagine this, right in the city of Cleveland where we have 2,185 homeless, we could take care of them and they would not have to be homeless.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield time to my colleague and good friend who has been at the forefront of issues around this war, the Congresswoman from California, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. And I yield to her 5 minutes.

Thank you, Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Quick statistics. Of the young men and women who have been killed in Iraq, total 3,734, 885 were less than 22; 1,013 were between 22 and 24; 1,007 between the age of 25 and 30; 445 between the age of 31 and 35; and older than 35, 445

It gives me great pleasure at this time to yield to my good friend and colleague from the great State of California, the Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, Congresswoman Maxine Waters for such time as she may consume.

I'd like to thank Congresswoman Waters for her statement.

For the Record, I have a statement from Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson to be submitted for the Record.

Listen to these statistics. Of the percentage of persons serving in the military, 60 percent are white, 23 percent are African American, 10 percent are Hispanic, 3 Asian American Pacific. Of those serving in the Navy, 62 percent are Caucasian, 19 percent are African American. Those serving in the Air Force, 72 percent are Caucasian, 15 percent are African American, in the Marine Corps, 66 percent are Caucasian, 12 are African American.

Let's look at the statistics with regard to deaths as a result of this Iraq war. Of the 3,734 who have been killed in this war, 40 are American Indian or Alaska Native, 69 Asian, 350 African Americans, 405 Hispanic, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 440.

Totally in 2007, Caucasian, a total of 3,734.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure at this point to yield to my colleague and good friend from the great State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Thank you, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas.

Did you know that there are proportionately more African American and proportionately fewer white servicemen in the military than in the comparable civilian workforce? In other words, there are greater numbers of African Americans serving in the military than in the workforce of the United States of America. That presents a problem.

I will go on with other statistics as the hour goes along, but it gives me great pleasure to yield to my colleague and friend from the great State of Georgia, the gentleman, David Scott.

I would like to thank my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for his statement.

General Leave

For the Record, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order today.

I want to thank my colleague, the newest Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has joined us in the House, Congresswoman Laura Richardson, from the great State of California, who has joined us on the floor this evening, for her support. I also want to thank my staffer, Aaron Wasserman, for his work and research.

Let me close out this Special Order with a few more statistics and a couple of statements. Can you imagine this: The amount of money that we've spent on the Iraq war so far, 270,850,440 children could benefit from receiving health insurance for 1 year. In addition, a Census Bureau news release stated that 8.7 million uninsured children in 2006 could be insured for 31 years with the amount of money that has been used in the Iraq war. The number of 4-year scholarships that could be provided, 21,927,497 scholarships could be provided to the children of the United States nationwide if we used the money from Iraq.

And let's talk about, for a moment, the cost to the people of Iraq. A recent article by the Washington Post has said that Iraq needs 10,000 megawatts of electricity per day, but they're only producing 4,110. In civilian casualties, since April of 2004, the average number of Iraqis killed per day has grown from just over 20 to over 100. The total number of Iraqi casualties is estimated to be between 70,264 and 150,000 people.

I am so pleased and honored to have an opportunity to be on the floor leading this Special Order on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus. I personally am opposed to any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, and no control by the U.S. of Iraqi oil. I am opposed to the surge. The benchmarks not being met are, the GAO says three of 18 were not met, and I am opposed to continued funding for the surge.

There is no military solution to this war, and only political and diplomatic solutions will actually work. We should not arm Iraqi security forces when the United States leaves, and we should not leave behind weapons that can be used to perpetuate violence. We have a moral obligation to help with Iraqi national reconciliation and reconstruction.

I've been a Member of Congress now for 9 years, and I never thought when I ran for Congress that I would have the responsibility or obligation of attending deployments or attending funerals of my constituents, but as a Member of Congress I see it as my obligation. I'm so happy that even though I oppose this war, that I have a chance to go and meet with many of the Army Reservists and National Guards who have been deployed from my congressional district, and go to them with their families and say to them that I pray for their safe return, that when they return from their mission over in Iraq and Afghanistan, that they all come back.

I remember one of the deployments I took a flag that I had flown over the Capitol and gave it to these young men. And I said, I pray that you will bring my flag back. I want you to fly it every day, but when you come back, bring it back, but bring every member of your group back with you. And you know what? They brought me my flag back, and every one of the members of that troop came back home. It was a wonderful thing. But I've witnessed the death of a 19-year-old, Officer Sloan. I've witnessed the death of a 38-year-old. I've witnessed the death of so many young men and women as a result of this particular war.

And I say to the American people who are listening to our Special Order this evening, the Congressional Black Caucus believes and argues to the American people that you need to step up your protests. If you believe that this war is not correct and that our troops need to come home, you need to tell somebody. You just can't sit in your chair and be an armchair quarterback. You can't sit back and not say anything. The people, the Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate needs to hear from you. The President needs to hear from you to let him know that we do not support his continued effort over in Iraq.

I am pleased, as I said, to be a part of this Special Order. I am pleased to represent the finest congressional district in the United States of America, the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. And I thank all of my constituents for writing, calling, e-mailing, faxing and saying to me, Congresswoman, it is your job to stand up and oppose this war. And ladies and gentlemen of Cleveland and northeast Ohio, that is what I'm doing.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would yield time to Mr. Obey, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, such time as he may consume.

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

Mr. Speaker, my first comments are to Karen Gillmor. Karen, I stand in your stead. Only 4 years ago, I lost my husband suddenly. All I can say to you is hold on to God's unchanging hand. He will help you through all of this. And as you think about all the wonderful memories and the wonderful opportunities and the blessing that you had to have Paul Gillmor in your life. To your sons and daughters, I say the same thing. I always talk to my son, and I say, ``Merv, just remember all the good times. Remember all the fun you had, all the things you learned, and cherish each and every one of them.''

As a Member of Congress, I rise to speak to honor the life of my colleague and friend, Paul Gillmor. Paul and I served on the Committee on Financial Services together. When I first came to Congress, Paul reminded me of the big

bear, kind of a gentle bear. You don't even know he is really in the room until he kind of humbles into the room. I remember him saying on occasion, Stephanie, Congresswoman Jones, so forth and so on.

I was pleased to have had the opportunity to cosponsor some legislation with him with regard to historic preservation. He and I both understood the importance of preserving historic buildings in this Nation and offered legislation that would have provided tax incentives for people to be able to shore up that legislation.

Unlike Paul, I was not in the legislature when I first came to Congress. The advantage of having a colleague and a friend who has had some experience in the legislature works greatly. I can remember one time at a Financial Services hearing, as usual, I was going at a witness. Later Paul said, ``Now, Stephanie, just calm down a little bit. It ain't like you're in a courtroom anymore.''

We're all going to miss Paul Gillmor. The beauty of the United States Congress is that it is a bipartisan body where you have Democrats and Republicans who are there and who are able to argue or debate their particular issue. But the beauty also of a bipartisan body is that you have Democrats and Republicans who can get along, who understand the importance of raising the issues on behalf of their constituents, but also understand the importance of working together.

I know everyone has already placed into the Record all of Paul's background, experience and things that he did to represent the great State of Ohio. Again, I stand here as a colleague and a friend to talk about my experiences with Paul Gillmor, to record them in my memory, and to smile, because at these times it is often hard to smile and lift up a time of laughter. But I call upon all of our friends and colleagues and his family to look to the good times, to look to all the great memories, and, over time, time will heal some of the wounds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio, Tim Ryan.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests and join with my colleagues issuing condolences to the Gillmor family, and I yield back the balance of my time as well.

Good Saturday morning. Here we are in the House, and I'm proud to be part of that great Democrat majority in the House of Representatives, and already this year we have passed major bipartisan legislation and won real victories on behalf of the American people.

For example, just last week, many American families received their first pay raise in a decade when the minimum wage increase passed earlier this year. Our Democratic majority also passed strong legislation last week to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations and make sure that America is protected from the threat of terrorism.

And this week, the House sent a sweeping lobby and ethics reform measure to the President. This landmark legislation provides the toughest ethics reform in a generation. It will go a long way towards returning this House to its rightful owners, the American people, not special interests.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats have worked very hard to make real progress on issues that are important to American families, and we're proud to be the Democratic majority.

Madam Speaker, I rise in celebration of the life of Thaddeus Edgar Owens, Sr., a great citizen, father, and friend who recently passed away at the age of 88.

Thaddeus was born on January 7, 1919 to Alex Owens and Carrie Brown in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He enjoyed a happy childhood with his sister, Cleopatra, and a large extended family. An attentive student, he received a scholarship to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, enrolling at the young age of sixteen. There, he played football and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

After graduation, Thaddeus lived and worked in New York until 1941 when he was drafted into the armed forces. He achieved the rank of a sergeant and worked as a clerk in the office of the Quartermaster. In preparation for work with the French Underground, Thaddeus was chosen to participate in a secret project at Hamilton College where he studied and became fluent in French. Despite their training, Thaddeus and his fellow African American soldiers were never permitted to participate in this aspect of the war. Thaddeus confronted the injustices existing within the segregated armed forces protesting the railroading of a fellow soldier. His actions resulted in him being accused of mutiny and reduced in rank. Despite this incident, he was honorably discharged in 1945 after receiving the Asiatic Pacific Service, Good Conduct and World War II Victory Medals.

After the war, Thaddeus went on to obtain his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He led an active life in local politics and community affairs for many years, serving on the Legal Redress Committee of the Brooklyn NAACP and a legal advisor in the Brooklyn Democratic Party. His legal career progressed when he won the election for Judge of the Civil Court of New York City in 1975. He became the first African American man appointed to the Supreme Court of Staten Island, and then returned to Brooklyn to serve as a fully appointed State Supreme Court Justice in 1982. Thaddeus retired in 1995.

Thaddeus loved to read and was appreciated for his intellectual brilliance. Charming and outgoing, he was known for his quick wit and playful sense of humor. Thaddeus always put the care and well-being of his family first, his wife, Emma Louise Owens, his two sons, Thaddeus Jr. and David, and his two daughters, Michele and Priscilla. On behalf of the United States Congress and the people of the 11th District of Ohio, I express my sincerest condolences to the family of Thaddeus Edgar Owens, Sr. May his legacy of compassion forever live in our hearts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 75th birthday of a man that had a profound impact on my life, Dr. James L. Phillips. A native of Sharon, Texas, Dr. Phillips was a skilled athlete and student and attended Washington & Jefferson College on scholarship earning a bachelor's degree in 1954. From there he went on to attend Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

In 1968, he became the first African American intern at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Dr. Phillips spent 2 years at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton, California before joining the Ohio Permanente Medical Center in Parma, Ohio. He remained there for 16 years before going to serve as associate dean for student affairs and minority programs and associate professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University. While there, he created and directed the Health Careers Enhancement Program for Minorities at Case School of Medicine from 1988 to 1993.

Currently, Dr. Phillips serves on the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine. In addition to his administrative and educational responsibilities, Dr. Phillips has served on a variety of boards including Chairman of the Harris County Hospital District's Medical Board from 1993 to 1999. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of William & Jefferson College, Bay Ridge Christian College, MidAmerica Christian University, Intercultural Cancer Council, and the Huffington Geriatric Center for Excellence and the Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools. Dr. Phillips has received numerous honors and awards throughout his career.

Dr. Phillips is married to Barbara Phillips, and lives in Missouri City, Texas. He is the proud father of three sons and six stepchildren.

I first met Dr. Phillips in the late 80s when he was teaching at Case Western Reserve University. He was a stalwart in his support and encouragement of minority students and worked diligently to provide them with opportunities. I am proud to serve on the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, a position he encouraged me to seek. Dr. Phillips has and continues to be a role model, teacher, supporter and a dear friend. Therefore, on behalf of the Congress of the United States and the people of the 11th Congressional District of Ohio, I am pleased to join with the family and friends of Dr. James L. Phillips in celebrating his 75th birthday. May you be blessed with many, many more.

I would like to thank my colleague, Mrs. Tauscher, for her leadership on this committee and on this issue. When I went to Congress, I never thought that I would be deploying troops or welcoming caskets back to my congressional district. What I am learning is most of the young men and women who get killed in Iraq are on their second or third or fourth tour. Clearly it must indicate that they need some rest and down time.

I am here to say I understand, Mr. Leadership in the military, you think you know what you are doing, but I am telling you I sit with mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and aunts and uncles who have lost people in the military. If all it takes to help them save their lives is to give them some rest, give them some rest.

Does it need to be mandated? Apparently so. Let's mandate it. Let's give our young men and women the time they need, down time, to be able to do a good job. I support your resolution and am glad to stand up with you.