Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Nevada, as well as my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who offered their support during this tragic time in Ferguson. In particular, let me thank the Congressional Black Caucus for standing with me in our efforts to deliver justice--equal justice--under the law to all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the Congressman from Missouri's First Congressional District, which includes Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb with over 23,000 people in St. Louis County. The pain that has enveloped that community since the tragic police shooting of Michael Brown on August the 9th has stirred the conscience of our Nation and has forced us to confront some very difficult truths.

The hard reality that I observed with my own eyes is a deep sense of outrage and anger that is present, not just in Ferguson, but in many communities across this country. And that pain is most deeply felt by millions of Americans of color, both young and old, who know from decades of sad experience that far too often local law enforcement agencies and the justice system do not view them or treat them as equal citizens who deserve due process and equal protection under the law.

That is certainly true in Ferguson, Missouri.

According to the latest Census data, Ferguson, Missouri, is 67 percent African American. It has a police force of 58 officers. Only four of those officers are black, and many of the officers do not live in Ferguson. So, in essence, the Ferguson Police Department is an outside armed force which is not representative of the community that they are sworn to protect and does not live among the citizens who pay their salaries. And that is a prescription for tension, a complete lack of trust, and in the case of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old, unarmed black teenager, a tragic and completely unnecessary death.

Two days after he was killed, I joined with CBC Chairwoman Fudge and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Conyers to send an urgent letter to the Attorney General seeking immediate assistance from the Justice Department. And I want to personally

thank President Obama and Attorney General Holder for responding to our request with great speed and strength.

In addition to the local criminal investigation into the Michael Brown shooting, which I have little confidence in, there are now two parallel Federal investigations that are being directed by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. The first investigation is examining all the circumstances, physical evidence, and multiple eyewitness accounts of the fatal police shooting on August the 9th. The second, which was announced by the Attorney General just last week, will examine the overall law enforcement practices of the Ferguson, Missouri, Police Department, including the already published extreme racial disparities in who is stopped, who is searched, who is arrested, and what happens to them if they go to jail.

Mr. Speaker, I made a promise to Michael Brown's mother that we would focus every possible Federal resource on this case in an effort to bring justice for her son's death. I have confidence in that process. But the sad truth is that there are too many communities just like Ferguson across this country where decades of discrimination, abuse, and a lack of respect by local law enforcement has resulted in a gulf of suspicion and mistrust. And as we have seen, that tinderbox can lead to an explosion of anger and violence that is difficult to control.

While I certainly condemn all lawbreaking and the destruction of property, I understand the anger that so many of my constituents feel because I feel it too. And I would urge all of you to read a compelling story published in The Washington Post on September 3 entitled, ``How Municipalities in St. Louis County Profit From Poverty''. This remarkable story, authored by Radley Balko, tells the tale of how people of color are often preyed upon at municipal ATM machines by the police and by the very justice system that is supposed to protect these people.

Again, the title of the story: ``How Municipalities in St. Louis County Profit From Poverty,'' published on September 3 in The Washington Post.

That same story happens every day in majority-minority communities across this country. So, Mr. Speaker, there are many hard lessons to be learned from Ferguson, and I fear that there may be more to come.

But this much cannot be disputed: across America today, we have too many Michael Browns, we have too many unarmed young black men who interact with police and wind up dead. The resolution of that problem will only come through a painful, honest, national discussion about race and our inability to address these tragic disparities.

My hope is that we will not only achieve justice for Michael Brown but that his tragic death will help us begin a long overdue national conversation that leads to truth, reconciliation, and equal justice under the law for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor from H.R. 4098.

Mr. Chair, I would like to commend the House Armed Services Committee and its Chairman, Honorable Buck McKeon, and Ranking Member, Honorable Adam Smith, on passage of the FY15 Defense Authorization Bill today that includes funding for additional Navy EA-18G ``Growler'' aircraft, as well as language to continue the EA-18G and F/A-18 E/F lines in my district in St. Louis, Missouri.

The United States Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Greenert, has testified to Congress numerous times this year about the growing need to control the electromagnetic spectrum to support the war fighter. He and the Navy have requested 22 additional EA-18G ``Growler'' aircraft, as part of an unfunded requirement, to meet these expanding electronic attack requirements.

I have a number of constituents that work on the EA-18G and F/A-18 production lines in St. Louis. Without additional aircraft from Congress this year, this production line will shut down, and we as a nation will lose a national asset--including thousands of dedicated and talented workers who make up this defense industrial base.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming weeks, especially on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, to help address this clear Navy requirement. We need to support our war fighter, and the EA-18G ``Growler'' is vital to operating and prevailing in the important and growing airborne electronic attack environment.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove myself from H.R. 3717.

I thank my friend from Florida for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this misguided, highly partisan select committee that seeks to exploit the tragedy of the attack on our consulate in Benghazi for purely political purposes.

There have already been eight--eight--reviews of that terrible incident. There were legitimate oversight questions about Benghazi, and we explored them in exhaustive detail. More than 25,000 documents have been produced, and dozens of witnesses have been interviewed. Millions of tax dollars have already been spent responding to repetitive and partisan congressional requests. The majority has alleged multiple conspiracy theories, each of which has been dispelled by the facts.

Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty are American heroes who gave their lives in brave service to our Nation. But instead of honoring their memory, even before it convenes, this sham select committee is already blatantly being used for political purposes. Evidence of that comes directly from the National Republican Congressional Committee, which created an online fundraising solicitation yesterday. And it reads, in part:

You're now a Benghazi watchdog. Let's go after Obama &

Hillary Clinton. Help us fight them now.

So this is not about discovering new facts about Benghazi. This is about creating a partisan vehicle to exploit this tragedy to raise money and to provide the majority's echo chamber on cable TV and talk radio with red meat rhetoric to influence the 2014 midterms and the 2016 Presidential election.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution.

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

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 1228, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 300 Packerland Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building.

The measure before us was introduced on March 15, 2013, by my colleague, Representative Reid Ribble of Wisconsin.

In accordance to committee requirements, the bill before us is cosponsored by all members of the Wisconsin delegation. H.R. 1228 was reported out of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous consent on March 12, 2014.

At this time, Madam Speaker, I would like to just thank the Ross family for their son giving the ultimate sacrifice in serving this country.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I too am prepared to close.

I want to urge the passage of H.R. 1228, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

As a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 3060, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue, in Burleson, Texas, as the Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building.

This measure before us was introduced on August 2, 2013, by my colleague, Representative Roger Williams of Texas. In accordance with

committee requirements, the bill is cosponsored by all members of the Texas delegation. H.R. 3060 was reported out of the committee by unanimous consent on March 12, 2014.

Let me say that Sergeant Moody lived a remarkable life, and he served his country in two capacities: first, as a U.S. marine and, second, as a sergeant in the Army. Madam Speaker, I ask that we pass this bill without reservation in order to recognize the service, valor, and life of Sergeant William Moody.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to pass

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

Madam Speaker, at this point, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from that beautiful district in upstate New York (Ms. Slaughter), our ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Madam Speaker, I would just ask that we pass this bill without reservation in order to recognize the sacrifice that Nicholas J. Reid, his family, and loved ones have made for the United States.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

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

I urge the passage of H.R. 1376, to commemorate the life of Judge Tolentino and all of her accomplishments and service to the Jersey City community.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Ohio for bringing this bill forward. I ask that we pass the underlying bill, without reservation, to honor Lance Corporal Deyarmin and his steadfast dedication to this country.

I urge the passage of H.R. 1813, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 1036, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in Eatonville, Washington, as the National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson Post Office.

This measure before us was introduced on March 7, 2013, by my colleague, Representative David Reichert. In accordance with committee requirements, the bill is cosponsored by all members of the Washington delegation.

H.R. 1036 was reported out of committee by unanimous consent on March 12, 2014.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to thank my colleague from Washington State for bringing this bill.

I ask that we pass this bill, without reservation, to recognize Margaret Anderson and her dedication to her family, the United States Park Service, and for paying the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, to ensure the safety and security of her fellow citizens.

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

I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 899, the curiously named Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act. As a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which passed this ill-conceived omnibus lobbyist gift bag on a strictly partisan vote, I can assure you that the only thing transparent about this bill are the invisible benefits it promises to help our economy.

It is shameful that the majority would advance reckless legislation like this, which would seriously obstruct and weaken the Federal Government's ability to protect clean air and water, ensure a safe workplace, safeguard the purity of our food supply, provide safe medications and medical devices for the sick and injured, and protect consumers from predatory practices that have already caused so much pain across this country.

This bill puts corporate profits ahead of protecting workers and consumers. It would shackle key Federal agencies, like OSHA, the FCC, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and CFPB. It assumes that the ability to regulate is always an evil to be evaded, delayed, or defeated.

It would give business interests advance notice of proposed regulations, but would exclude workers and the public from deliberations. My friends, that is not transparency. That is not good for our economy; and it is a prescription for more fraud and abuse, more environmental disaster, and more workplace accidents.

H.R. 899 would greatly undermine the independence of Federal agencies that the American people depend on to keep them safe at home and at work and to give them a fair shake in the economy. This bill is not a job creator.

It is a gift-wrapped offering to special interest lobbyists who advocate for no new rules, no regulation, and no consequences for their clients, regardless of how much damage they have caused.

H.R. 899 would not only delay or halt the rulemaking process by adding time-consuming and redundant procedures, it would also strip away the public's right to petition agencies when they fail to act. These proposals would severely undermine our Nation's ability to establish and enforce reasonable health, safety, and environmental standards.

Given the multiple health and safety disasters in communities and workplaces across the country that have occurred since the beginning of the year, it is hard to believe that the majority would attempt to weaken standards and safeguards for the public.

You know, Mr. Chairman, recently, the director of the CFPB, Richard Cordray, came before Congress--testified before Congress and told us that he knows there are no perfect rules in government; and there is a process for Members of this body to challenge those rules and appeal for changes in the rules.

We should follow that process and not come up with flawed legislation like this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the unique history, terrible sacrifices, and remarkable contributions that African Americans have made to build our great nation.

Black History Month calls out to all Americans to join together as we advance the unfinished march towards greater diversity and full equality for all.

151 years ago, the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freed the slaves in all states that were in rebellion against the Union, and established a broad legal framework for the future.

And just like present day executive orders issued by this administration . . . President Lincoln's action set off a fire storm of criticism from those who hated him, and thought he had acted beyond his constitutional powers.

But President Lincoln was not deterred by the vicious and vile uproar from his political opponents. Like all great leaders at pivotal moments in our Nation's history, President Lincoln ignored the politics of the moment and followed the moral compass of history.

He chose the path of courage, he chose the path not taken, in order to advance the cause of freedom.

51 years ago, hundreds of thousands of Americans, both black and white, joined together for the historic March on Washington. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in the shadow of the Great Emancipator, he declared in his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech--``We have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.''

Tonight, we should hear those words again. Absorb them. Live them.

As we look back on the accomplishments of the past, let us remember that the fierce urgency of now still calls us to act boldly . . . with courage.

Equality is not to be put on hold. And the hopes of millions who have been left out of the American dream, must not be delayed or denied.

46 years ago, my father, former Congressman Bill Clay, was elected as the first African-American U.S. Representative from Missouri.

He used his experience as a civil rights activist who had been wrongly incarcerated for fighting for his beliefs--to provide a strong voice for his constituents for more than three decades, and he was one of the original 13 cofounders of the Congressional Black Caucus.

One of the St. Louis's first legendary black entrepreneurs, Miss Annie Malone, the daughter of escaped slaves, inspired people around the world as she became a black beauty product millionaire. She was a noted inventor, educator and businesswoman. And she became one of America's first prominent black philanthropists.

As we praise the achievements of these great American heroes, we are reminded of the obligation to honor all of the brave souls who have come before us . . . and to rededicate ourselves to bring honor to their memories by the quality and conduct of our own lives. We learn from and continue to be inspired by our compelling history.

But the past does not limit us. It compels us to continue the long journey towards a most just, more equal society.

That is a Black History Month lesson that everyone across the great country, and in this historic Chamber, should embrace.

Mr. Speaker, Dick Morgan, who began his professional musical career as a child and spent decades as one of Washington's leading jazz pianists, died Oct. 20 in hospice care at the Village at Rockville retirement facility. He was 84 and resided in Silver Spring.

He had prostate cancer, his wife, Sylvia Morgan, said.

Since his arrival in Washington in 1960, Mr. Morgan had a long and steady career as a pianist in nightclubs, hotels and concert halls, including Blues Alley and the Kennedy Center. He recorded more than a dozen albums and performed over the years with many top singers and musicians, including Etta Jones, Joe Williams and Keter Betts.

He was known as a versatile, crowd-pleasing pianist who could embellish a large repertoire of tunes with improvised flourishes that

reminded many listeners of piano stars Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner.

``Dick showed you that jazz is fun,'' David Einhorn, Mr. Morgan's bass player for 17 years, said Wednesday in an interview. ``Dick was a guy who could bring you to tears and make you laugh and make you bounce in your seat, all in one song.''

In the mid-1950s, when Mr. Morgan was working in Norfolk, the trombonist and bandleader Tommy Dorsey invited him to join his group in Las Vegas. The job was cut short when Dorsey died in 1956. During his time in Las Vegas, Mr. Morgan performed at a birthday party for Frank Sinatra, with Sinatra singing along with him.

By the late 1950s, Mr. Morgan had returned to Norfolk, where he often worked with Virginia-born guitarist Charlie Byrd, who helped launch the bossa nova craze of the 1960s. Byrd helped bring Mr. Morgan to Washington, where he was soon leading a trio at the old Showboat Lounge in Adams Morgan.

Saxophonist Julian ``Cannonball'' Adderley, then at the height of his fame, was so bowled over by what he heard from Mr. Morgan that he called his record label. Within a week, a recording crew came to Washington to capture Mr. Morgan in a live album, ``Dick Morgan at the Showboat'' (1960). His drummer on the recording, Bertell Knox, continued to work with Mr. Morgan for more than 50 years.

``I don't make any claims to be a first-class jazz pianist,'' Mr. Morgan told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2007. ``I'm somebody that will immediately get immersed in the audience and get them to pay attention. That has carried me through the years. I play for the audiences--I don't play for me.''

Richard Lewis Morgan was born June 5, 1929, in Petersburg, Va. By the time he was 5, he could play hymns from memory--after his mother had played them just once on the pump organ at his family's home.

Largely self-taught on piano, Mr. Morgan had his own radio show in Petersburg when he was 10. He learned mostly from older musicians passing through nearby Fort Lee, Va., and had a early encounter with bandleader Duke Ellington, who encouraged his budding career.

Mr. Morgan attended Virginia State University and played in an Army combo in the early 1950s.

He often had extended hotel and club engagements in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and Puerto Rico, but Mr. Morgan became a Washington fixture, with long residences at the Top of the Town in Arlington, Pirate's Hideaway in Georgetown and, more recently, the Madison Hotel in downtown D.C.

In 1997, a Washington Post critic praised Mr. Morgan's album ``After Hours,'' noting that he ``taps into the essence of the blues'' and ``an engagingly blue mood envelops the listener, thanks to his rippling tremolos and leisurely paced turnarounds.''

Mr. Morgan's final recording, the solo album ``Bewitched,'' was released in 2010. He gave his last performance in April.

His first marriage, to the former Lois Josephine Fountain, ended in divorce. He was predeceased by a son from an earlier relationship, James Morgan, and a stepson, Roland Everett.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Sylvia Everett Morgan of Silver Spring; a daughter from his first marriage, Anita M. Harris- Jones of Norfolk; a stepdaughter, L. Verlon Colwell of Washington; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and five great-great- grandchildren.

When he was approaching 50, Mr. Morgan returned to college at the behest of a friend, comedian Bill Cosby, and graduated in 1979 from the Washington program of Antioch College. He received a law degree from Howard University in 1983 but never pursued a legal career, preferring to stay at the piano.

``He really touched audiences because of how he understood the music and how he could convey what the music was saying,'' Steve Abshire, his guitarist for the past 29 years, said Wednesday. ``He had a way of communicating the music that went straight to the heart.''

Mr. Speaker, I consider it a great tribute to have the Poplar Street Bridge renamed in my honor. I wish to thank those who participated in making this happen. Let me personally thank . . .

Let me especially thank my friend, Representative Penny Hubbard, for her untiring effort in managing the bill through the legislature.

Let me say to Rep. Penny and those that participated in naming this bridge in my honor that prior to this dedication, two bridges have had a special meaning in the life of the Clay family and me. The first was the McKinley Bridge, where the electric train carried my father, five days a week, back and forth, to work in Venice, Illinois, for more than 30 years.

He earned a good living that enabled him to take care of his wife of 60 years and us 7 children. How can the Clay's not remember and appreciate what that fabulous bridge meant in our lives?

The second bridge that had a tremendous influence in my life was the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. It was there on a Sunday that John Lewis and 600 other marchers attempted to cross on their way to Montgomery. They were peacefully demanding the right to register and vote like all other Americans.

But Governor George Wallace ordered local and state police to stop the march on the flimsy ground of ``public safety.''

What followed is now infamously known as ``Bloody Sunday.'' Police, armed with billy clubs, dogs, and tear gas, were seen around the world on television beating men, women, and children unmercifully.

That scene on the Edmund Pettis Bridge was the stimulus for passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act and subsequently my election to Congress. At the time, there were only five blacks in Congress. Today, because of what happened on that bridge, there are 42 blacks.

My mission while in Congress for 32 years was to build bridges that carried resources to the economically underprivileged, and to those discriminated against because of race, gender and age.

My message to those of you still battling the forces of hatred and ignorance is to ignore that group of idiots that want to destroy bridges provided by government assistance. Do not join those chanting the idiotic slogan of ``government is the problem and should get out of the way.''

Government has a sacred responsibility to play a major role in building bridges that elevate the standard of living for its citizens. It must build roads leading to bridges that take our children to schools, our adults to jobs, our sick to hospitals.

Bridges must enable the working poor to move into the middle class and our seniors to live the remainder of their lives in dignity.

You in the legislative body must always remember that bridges take people to untold opportunities. I am proud of the bridges I helped build while in Congress that now provide for family and medical leave, that gave political freedom to federal employees, that assured that after five years you are vested in your pension plan, that rewrote the higher education law, the elementary and secondary education bill, and, yes, Rep. Hubbard, the one that makes our workplace safe.

Yes, Rep. Penny Hubbard, I know you will continue building bridges that take people from poverty to prosperity, from hopelessness to dreams fulfilled.

Government must not let the excessive greed of some exploit the helpless in the name of providing jobs that pay less than a living wage.

Government must provide the bridges that guarantee a good education for its citizens, a decent job with adequate pay and health benefits, a nice home in a safe neighborhood. If building bridges that establish a strong, vibrant middle class is seen as government being in the way, I say to those . . . well, I say that, and much more.

OK, I have had my say. So, Rep. Penny Hubbard, let me thank you again for remembering that bridges have played an indispensable role in my life. Thanks for remembering that building bridges has made my life worth living.