Corrine Brown

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Well, Mr. Speaker, this whole question of outsourcing and then this administration talking about the jobs they have created, they are low-paying service jobs. And most people are happy to have a job, but we have lost the best jobs. And this administration refuses to do training programs, or they cut those programs, educational programs. The 9/11 Commission was talking about the recommendations, and I was listening to them. And they were talking about the young people in Iraq, and they did not have jobs or training. And I said to myself, We have that same problem right here in the United States. We have that same problem right here in the United States. And so while we are addressing other areas, other countries, Iraq, their training and education, we need to be doing the same thing here with the people that are paying the bills. It is amazing.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Just one thing, if the gentleman will continue to yield. We constantly try to bring up an extension on the unemployment. This is money that people have actually paid into it. But this administration and the House refuses. Because of what reason? Because I am not quite sure. They do not want the public to know how many people are unemployed? What is it?

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Well, Mr. Speaker, my records indicate that the deferred compensation account was valued at between $500,000 and $1 million.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Does the gentleman know how much a month Mr. Cheney gets?

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. No, no, I want to stress the Halliburton thing.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. The President indicated from the beginning that they would be able to pay for the expenses. They have one of the largest oil reserves in the world. But then the President says, Well, we do not want to burden their people down with debt. But it is okay for the American people, our children and grandchildren, to pay this debt. And then they cut Social Security and Medicare and Housing and Veterans' Affairs. This administration has already put out a memo that, If reelected, we will cut all domestic programs, all domestic budgets. So it is okay for the American people to carry this burden, but yet, why are we saving the oil reserves? Why is it that part of it, a portion of it, cannot be a loan to these people? It is just amazing to me. Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman talks about teachers, when I go to the Dollar Store, they are in there buying supplies themselves, the teachers, because the schools cannot afford it, particularly with this new provision of Leave No Child Behind. It is a real crunch to the school systems throughout. I know, Florida, in talking to the superintendents, where we put in these additional standards, standards are wonderful, but once we find out that a kid has a deficiency, what are they going to do about it? We did not put the money there to follow the standards. In other words, it is what they call an unfunded mandate. Does the gentleman know about unfunded mandates?

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will, on just that point.

Ms. CORINNE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORINNE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise another issue with my colleague, and it is pertaining to the Vice President Cheney and the package he received when he decided to run for Vice President. My understanding, and I want to be correct on this, but I understand he got a $34 million retirement package when he retired, but also I am trying to find the exact amount that he gets every month. What was very disturbing to me is that his company Halliburton got a sole source contract before the first shot was fired. I have worked really hard trying to help minority and female businesses get a part of government opportunities, government business, but this is an example of sole source, no competition, no nothing, billions of dollars to your company and then say, well, you know, I had nothing to do with it. Well, who believes that? But let us go on. I received calls from soldiers. Let us say Halliburton was supposed to provide 25,000 meals a day, twice a day. They were charging the American taxpayer for 100,000 a day. That is criminal, but yet there is nothing and we are still doing business with them, and you know it is just nothing. It is just amazing about how they are running this war. We gave them, I want to be correct, $89 billion for the first 6 months. Six months later, they came back and asked for another $87 billion. Everybody talked about the second $87 billion. No one talks about the first $89 billion. There is no accountability. They will not even tell Congress what they did with the first. They certainly did not provide the military with the flak suits and the armor and what they need to protect the Humvees. What happened? What happened to the first $89 billion? There is no accounting, no telling the people, that is our job of oversight, what happened to it, and then 6 months later, they came with another $87 billion. I did not vote for it and I support the troops 100 percent, even though I know that they were sent to a war based on lies from the beginning. I went to all of the briefings. I went to all of the discussions, and they did not show me not one single thing that they did not know in 1991. So people said, well, why did some Democrats vote for it and others did not? Well, I come from Florida and I know they stole the election in Florida, and my grandmother always told me if you lie, you steal, and it goes on and on. So I had no trust in this administration. Certainly, they were telling Members, please give the President the authority to go to war, he is going to use it as a hammer. I mean, I guess some people really trusted him, and I guess the American people still trust him, but I go with the facts. I knew that this administration started out based on lies. What happened in the 2000 election was criminal and what have we gotten from that? We have a war in Iraq. Now we are taking the Medicare prescriptions, pollution, and Leave No Child Behind is just a slogan, because we have cut funds for after school programs, Head Start programs, day care programs. A wonderful slogan, Leave No Child Behind, stolen from the children defense armor, should I say, adopted by this administration. So there is a lot of anger in me because this administration constantly misleads the Congress and the American people.

Ms. CORINNE BROWN of Florida. My comment that night was a snake is a snake, no matter what color it is, and the AARP are getting in bed with a snake, the Republican Party, on this issue. I said it and I stand by it. Now I understand that the AARP is asking for some changes. My constituents constantly call me about AARP and I tell them my position. I have always supported them because they were an advocate for the seniors, but on this issue they really deserted the seniors.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I stand here before you in support of this bill. My district has been devastated by the record number of storms that have made landfall this hurricane season. Many people in my district are still without power. I want to thank Chairman Young and the ranking member. In 1992, FEMA was in shambles. Tonight I want to send a special thanks to President Clinton and to Director Witt whose leadership was instrumental in getting this organization working and back on track. And I want to thank all of the volunteers who worked together to bring relief to the victims of Bonnie, Charley, and now Hurricane Frances. Working side by side and neighborhood to neighborhood, they have helped all of us weather the storms. We are truly blessed that no further lives were taken during this latest storm. We need a dedicated method of funding, not piecemeal dollars here and there, to adequately meet the needs of Florida and any other disaster that occurs in this country. I hope that we will have a clean bill, one that is not loaded or loved to death with amendments that do not pertain to the support and help of people who truly need the relief these funds promise. Thanks again for the support. I also want to mention all of the organizations, FEMA, but under that the Army Corps have worked extremely hard and many community organizations and groups, the Red Cross. They are too numerous to name, so I want to make sure I revise and extend my remarks so I can thank all of these people that have come together, the fire departments, the mayors, local governments, the Federal agencies. Senator Nelson has been on the ground from day one. I want to thank everybody and all of the Florida delegation and all of the people that worked together to make things better for the people of Florida.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join Rep. James Oberstar (Minn) in introducing the Protecting Railroad Operators, Travelers, Employees, and Communities with Transportation Security Act of 2004 (PROTECTS Act). The bill authorizes nearly $1.3 billion to provide better railroad security and response to terrorist attacks. The federal government is spending $4.4 billion this year on aviation security, but it's spending only $65 million on rail security, even though five times as many people take trains as planes every day. The bill authorizes $500 million to be appropriated for freight and passenger rail security improvements, a total of $597 million for Amtrak's fire and life-safety improvements, $65 million for system-wide Amtrak security upgrades, and a total of $100 million for rail research and development. It also provides for improved training and equipment for railroad employees and local emergency personnel to better respond to terrorist incidents. Increased funding for rail security is something this country desperately needs, particularly in light of the terrible metro rail tragedy in Madrid. The nation's rail infrastructure has been treated like the stepchild of the overall transportation system. It is finally time we dedicate our resources to providing rail security for our nation's citizens. After September 11th we started spending money like crazy on security, but I'm not sure we are getting our money's worth out of many of the programs we developed. That's why it is so important that we tailor a security program that truly meets the needs of our rail lines and passengers. The security measures we put in place for Aviation will not work for Rail. We need to learn from the mistakes that were made in developing aviation security, and apply what we learned in developing a rail security program. But we can't keep treating our rail infrastructure as a second class citizen. We have dedicated billions of dollars to the airline industry, and created a grant program for the nation's ports, but have done little to invest in the security upgrades our rail infrastructure needs. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I know that everyone in Washington is dedicated to protecting our railways from attack. No security is fail-proof, but working together we can create a rail security program that protects passengers and keeps the trains running on time.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the setting for the 15th Anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus's Veterans Braintrust took place amid repeated inferences that the Congressional Black Caucus CBC and other Democrats were unpatriotic. Despite the CBC's determination to express it's patriotism we support the troops while continuing to raise the volume of criticism about the current engagement in Iraq, and/or the War on Terrorism. With this as the larger socio-political backdrop the Veterans Braintrust decided to invite some of our most heroic African Americans, their family members and advocates such as Sgt. Andrew Bowman, Asa Gordon, Elizabeth Rankin-Fulcher, Maj. Robert Greene, USA, Ret., John Howe, Steve Harris, Alonzo Swann, Jr., Allene Carter, CDR. Ross Fowler, USCG, Ret., Lee & Cornelius Charlton, Mark Pitts, Baba Henderson, Dr. Frank Smith, Jr., Betty Stokes, Mary Jones, and Isaac Prentice to Washington, DC as a special testimonial to our collective patriotism, sacrifice and valor on behalf of this great nation during her many times of trouble and conflict. Thus, consciously choosing to illuminate some historical facts and advocate in effect that countless African Americans have served in America's wars, been shot, wounded and disabled, yet continue to be neglected, or denied quality health care and access to other benefits and services, including basic equal rights. Equally important, the 15th Anniversary Veterans Braintrust National Issues Forum ``The Path to Glory: The Congressional Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and Distinguished Service Cross Recipients'' also known as the pyramid of honor; and subtitled: ``Revisiting the Battles of Sgt. Henry Johnson and Dorie Miller for the Congressional Medal Honor,'' was indeed a historic milestone. For the first time in our nations history the families of African American recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, along with awardees of the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) were gathered in one room. Additionally, the issues forum was exceptionally well attended with representatives coming from as far away as Albany, New York, Detroit, Michigan, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Los Angeles, California. While the CBC represents 26 million African Americans, including more than 2 million African American veterans, we all recognize our country faces many challenges both within and without that is why Representative Sanford Bishop, Jr. D-GA and I felt a moral obligation, not a duty at this time to look back and reexamine issues from the past, closely related to the awarding of the military's highest awards for heroism and valor--The Congressional Medal of Honor, Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross. Here again, the Veterans Braintrust which is widely recognized as the premiere forum for debate between veterans of African descent and government officials sought to examine some of the historically vexing issues, individual war narratives, and family testimonies associated with more than a century and a half of the awarding of the military's highest awards for bravery and valor. To help provide a framework for this historical and contemporary analysis war/veteran narratives included the Civil War, Indian Campaigns of the 19th Century, and World War I, World War II, Korean and Vietnam Conflicts of the 20th Century in the wake of growing criticism of US Foreign Policy, raising concerns about the fate of affirmative action, and the ever increasing African American health disparities. Executive Director Ron Armstead layed the groundwork by researching William Raspberry's `Two Heroes, No Medals of Honor' column examining two black war heroes quest for posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor: Sgt. Henry Johnson, a World War I Infantryman from Albany, and Seaman Dorius `Dorie' Miller, a World War II hero from Waco, Texas. The column cited, although the military services, while not discounting their heroism, have steadfastly refused to go along with any attempts to grant Johnson and Miller the Medal of Honor. While countering, that although no black soldier was awarded the medal of honor during WWI, approximately 50 black soldiers were awarded the DSC, the Army's second highest award for valor in combat, for their extraordinary heroism in WWI. As a result, the number of black servicemen to receive CMH's for their heroism in the two world wars of the twentieth century remained zero until the 1990's. Further, our war/veteran narratives revealed the Navy's reluctance to embrace black war heroes in 1944 met it's timely demise 48 years later when Alonzo Swann, Jr., then 67, of Gary, Indiana stepped aboard his old ship the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier and accepted the Navy's highest award for bravery--the Navy Cross. His medal came nearly a half-century after he and his African American shipmates in Intrepid's Gun Tub #10 shot down a Japanese kamikaze plane. However, his odyssey began October 27, 1944, when the captain of the Intrepid, Joseph Bolfger, recommended all seven survivors for the Navy Cross, just short of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award and conducted meritorious mast on board the ship for the men. Yet, when the commendations were sent on to Washington, they came back, with the men being given only Bronze Stars, or lower medals with no apparent explanation for the change. Notwithstanding Swann's long, arduous and lonely court battle to receive the belated honor, it wasn't until 1997 that another of his shipmates Navy Petty Officer Robert Jones, by then 71, and a resident of Newport News, Virginia received his Navy Cross, again more than 50 years afterward in a stately ceremony held at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, hosted by Congressman Robert ``Bobby'' Scott (D-VA). Furthermore, family testimonies revealed America in 1951 prior to the Brown versus the Board of Education decision was a very different place when Sgt. Charlton, who would have been 22, had he lived to his birthday, July 24, distinguished himself in battle to such an extent that he earned his nation's highest recognition for valor--the Medal of Honor. However, when his body was returned from Korea, his family was denied the right to bury his remains in Arlington National Cemetery with other Medal of Honor recipients. Sgt. Charlton was a war hero, but Cornelius Charlton was black. Moreover, it wasn't until 1990, when the American Legion spearheaded an effort to locate the graves of all Medal of Honor recipients. Through their efforts Charlton's final resting place was identified as Bryant Memorial Park, which had become overgrown. Yet, equally poignant, family testimonies revealed that it wasn't until 1997, a half century since WWII, and President Harry Truman who stood on the White House grounds and awarded 28 United States Medals of Honor to white soldiers for their outstanding valor that black soldiers who were denied the recognition accorded their white counterparts, were awarded the same honor--the Medal of Honor. During a White House ceremony former President Clinton presented the nation's highest military award for bravery to seven black WWII heroes, six of which were awarded posthumously. The only living veteran awarded the medal of honor during the ceremony was 77-year-old Vernon Baker, of St. Maries, Idaho. The other heroes finally awarded the Medal of Honor were: Edward A. Carter, Jr., John R. Fox, Wily F. James, Jr., Ruben Rivers, Charles L. Thomas, and George Watson. Attending the ceremony was retired Army General Colin Powell, who as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was the highest ranking African American in the military. And now almost a century and a half after the end of the Civil War, a resurgence of interest and advocacy on behalf of legendary Harriet Tubman has gradually materialized, while on the other hand the first- ever memorials to honor black war heroes within: (a) the Commonwealth of Virginia is being planned; (b) the first national park monument was dedicated to Mississippi Black Civil War soldiers; (c) a monument/ memorial is being planned to honor the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts and their families; (d) a US Colored Troops USCT plaque dedication is being planned for Andersonville National Historic Site in southwest Georgia; and finally planning is underway for the North Chicago Memorial Park/ Monument dedicated to the 100,000 men who went through the Great Lakes Naval Training Center during World War II. Later that evening we gathered drenching ourselves in the richness of Black history and feeling mixtures of both pride and pain as we awarded, or publicly recognized, acknowledged and meaningfully remembered those who fought for people they had never even met. Something quite austere happened at the gala reception and award ceremony, which prompted many to say, `I thought we did therapy that night,' and left others crying and emotional. We have given these awards annually over the course of the past ten years. This year our honorees included three categories: (1) individual awardees: Norma Baker, GSgt. Maurice Bingham, USMC, Ret., Celestine Caldwell Hollings, Paul J. Matthews, Cpl. Fred McGee, USA, Freddi E. Moody, Master Chief Vince Patton, USCG, Ret., Ed.D., Lt. Col. Charles H. Rucks, USMC, Ret., Isiah J. Williams, III, Master Chief Harold Wilson, USN, Ret., and Wallace Terry (Posthumous); (2) organizational awardees: the Center for Drug Abuse Research, Howard University, Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, Harlem Youth Marines, Inc., Morgan State University, The Association of the 2221 Negro Volunteers, WWII, and the 1279th Combat Engineers Alumni Association; and (3) historic groups and/or sites: United States Colored Troops Institute and Olustee Battlefield Historical State Park. Finally, as we prepare our special 15th Anniversary report, after- action briefs and legislative proposals we must reiterate now more resolutely than ever before from the very beginning of independence ``We were there,'' and despite the adversity, ``We served!' Simply read the missing pages of American history, or perhaps the footnotes and you will find the names of Crispus Attucks, Salem Poor, Sgt. William H. Carney, Cpl. Andrew Jackson Smith, Harriet Tubman, Freddie Stowers, Sgt. Henry Johnson, Mess Attendant Dorius `Dorie' Miller, Josephine Baker, Pvt. William Thompson, Sgt. Cornelius Charlton, Cpl. Fred McGee, Captain Riley L. Pitts, Staff Sgt. Hilliard Carter, and others, as well as thunderous places like Breeds Hill, Fort Wagner, Honey Hill, New Market Heights, . . ., Kunu-Ri, Hill 188, Hill 528, Hill 543, Pork Chop Hill, Hamburger Hill, Heartbreak Ridge, and others looming as silent reminders of past deeds, and debts unpaid. Therefore, let it be said, here, now and forever more that African Americans have not once, not twice, but repeatedly demonstrated throughout this country's long history an unwavering dedication towards the principles of freedom, liberty and justice for all. This is the true testament of African American patriotism and looms as an outstanding example for current and future generations of Americans nationwide, as well as freedom loving people around the world. The struggle continues.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the chair. I ask unanimous consent to clarify my words.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I want to turn in a copy of the Certified Vote Organization. Over 1,700 people, that is technologists, lawyers, political scientists, says that the technology that we are using in the upcoming election is flawed. I come from Florida * * * No, we are not going to get over it. And we want verification from the world.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr Chairman, what a horrifying message to send to our troops and to our adversaries right now to close bases during a time of war. It is not prudent to shut down these bases at this time. I support postponing BRAC until the defense needs of the nation are more settled than they are at present. Particularly during this time of economic crisis, we do not need to close bases. There should never have been any discussion about this in the first place. Base closures are devastating to communities. Our resources should be used to improve our current defense system, not for arbitrarily closing bases because of political decisions.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 180, 181, and 182, I was unavoidably detained and unable to make the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``No'' on No. 180, joint rule for consideration of H.R. 2728, 2729, 2730, 2731; ``No'' on No. 181, tabling Miller motion to instruct conferees on overtime; ``No'' on No. 182, H.R. 3722, Undocumented Alien Emergency Assistance Amendments of 2004.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, with Mother's Day quickly approaching, I want to first thank all of the mothers and wish them a happy Mother's Day and thank them for what they do to make America the great place that it is. I want to thank in particular the American gold star mothers for their sacrifice and for the sacrifice of their children by answering the call of duty to their country. Let me be clear: I support our troops 100 percent. I would like to honor our brave troops, all the military families and all that they do and have sacrificed for our Nation. I want to emphasize that I do not want our troops to be the scapegoats for this administration's failed policies. What is going on in Iraq right now is just another example of this failed administration policy. And where is the leadership on this? Where is the President? This administration is once again missing in action. MIA. At this exact moment, with all of the uprising in Iraq, our troops are being placed in the most dangerous position. And although I pledge to do everything within my power as an elected official to ensure that our servicemen and women have the equipment and resources they need to carry out their mission, I find it disturbing, in fact, misleading that President Bush continues to hide the truth about Iraq from the American people. In fact, up until yesterday, the administration was saying that another supplemental appropriation request would be unnecessary until after, by the way, November elections. To me, however, it seemed more than likely that this administration knew all along that they were going to need additional funding. Unfortunately, this new request of $25 billion in supplemental spending for Iraq is just another example of the administration's pattern of covering up the facts and refusing to share information with the American people. Although the American public demands to know the truth about the cost of the war, time and time again the administration has denied them the opportunity to get the full story. Moreover, the Republican leadership in Congress refuses to fulfill its constitutional obligation to act as a check and balance on the executive branch. With this $25 billion, our country's taxpayers will be forced to spend over $200 billion for this war. How much more will we need in the future? No one knows because the administration does not tell us anything. I would like to say contrary to the administration's talk about how they pass measures like this to provide for the troops, in the last $87 billion supplemental, the Bush administration never even requested sufficient funds for body armor, Humvees, and dozens of other badly needed supplies that the troops need over there for their survival. These items were only included in the package because it was stuck in in this Congress. Not this administration. The Congress put those supplies in for the troops. In closing, we need to be included in the strategy. The President is asking for another $25 billion. What I am requesting from them is some transparency. I am requesting a broader, inclusive strategy. We are three branches of government, not a dictatorship. America needs a plan for Iraq, Mr. President, one that does not involve hundreds more American troops going home in body bags. In November, the American people will have their say. Do not forget the 2000 election because it does matter who is in charge.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay honor to a true American hero, Officer Rodney Chambers, who without thought for his own safety, risked his life to save others from harm. Officer Chambers has been chosen to receive the prestigious Officer of the Year Award from the Amtrak Police Department because of his selfless heroism and courage, and I am proud to join them in saluting his bravery. On June 9, 2003, Officer Chambers was on patrol in Washington's Union Station when he was dispatched to respond to a call for service from Union Station. Security reporting that a male put a grenade in a trash receptacle. Officer Chambers responded to First Street where a Union Station security officer identified the suspect. Capitol Police Officer Michael DeCarlo joined Officer Chambers in pursuit of the suspect. Officer Chambers came upon the suspect and instructed him to put his hands on the wall. The suspect removed a piece of clothing that he was holding and revealed a grenade. He then pulled the pin and attempted to drop the grenade. Officer Chambers reacted immediately by pinning the suspect against the wall while wrestling the grenade away from him, holding the spoon and fuse from priming. At this time, Officer DeCarlo arrived on the scene and assisted in controlling the suspect. As the suspect was being taken into custody by police officers, Officer Chambers along with his Sergeant removed himself to a safe distance from the area of onlookers while continuing to hold down the spoon on the grenade. Officer Chambers maintained his position for approximately 15 minutes while waiting for the arrival of the EOD team. During this period of time, a search revealed a second grenade. The Capitol Police EOD responded and placed both grenades in an isolation chamber. Ultimately, both grenades were found to be inactive and filled with a gel-like substance. However, during the period of time Officer Chambers spent with the grenade he had no way of knowing this. Officer Chambers was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Amtrak Police Department on November 10, 2003; a Resolution from Amtrak's Board of Directors on June 12, 2003; the Officer of the Month Award from the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund; and the Department of Transportation Award for heroism from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Norman Y. Mineta and Federal Railroad Administrator Allan Rutter on October 21, 2003.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Justin Snyder attained his bar mitzvah on May 1, 2004. Justin is a seventh grade honor student at Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. He is sincerely committed to academics, as evidenced by his effort to obtain all ``A's'' in each of the last quarter's grading periods over the past twelve (12) quarters. Such an achievement has earned him the distinction of being placed on the Headmaster's List for the past four (4) years. Justin has also participated on the Academy's debate team, where he won many awards for his scholastic achievements. Finally, he is a member of ``People to People Student Ambassadors'', a travel program, which has enabled him to travel with other young people to Washington DC, California, Australia, and this summer to Europe. Justin also finds time for recreational and sporting activities. He is an avid basketball, baseball, and tennis player--having won trophies in each sport. From his enjoyment of skiing, he has secured many awards in the form of pins and medallions, and has skied on various slopes not only throughout the United States, but also the world. Justin has scuba dived in the Cayman Islands, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and has caught a seventy-two (72) inch sailfish off the coast of Cancun. Even at a relatively young age, Justin Snyder has left his mark on the youth community in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia; evidencing a strong sense of fundamental fairness in his dealings with others, and strong moral principles, gleaned from his friends, his religious upbringing, and his family. I know that we will continue to see more great accomplishments for this fine young man, as he grows and blossoms into manhood. I am proud to recognize, and to honor Mr. Justin Snyder on this important step in his life, and wish him much continued success for the future.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield for just one second, he is absolutely right, the provisional ballot is in place. But to this point you have no assurance that they are going to count it.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Let me just mention that there are only five States now that will not allow ex-felons to vote. And that is a bigger issue. Because once someone pays their dues and serves their time, you want them to be productive citizens. And part of being a productive citizen is participating in the voting process. So that is something that we need to take a look at. This is something that has been held over from the old Jim Crow days.