Corrine Brown

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, shame, shame, shame.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, did the gentleman say more workers lost their job in October than any other month since May, 1980?

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I want to thank the gentlewoman for organizing this special order. I think it is so very, very needed, that we point out how the minority communities around this country are suffering. You talked about California, but I want to point out I represent the third Congressional District of Florida that goes from Jacksonville to Orlando, and we have had one of the largest declines in tourists coming into the area. An area that had 30 million people coming through, it is scary when you look at the decline. It is for many reasons. People are not taking personal family trips, and we want to encourage them to do that, but they are not going to do it if they do not have jobs. They are not going to be tourists if they do not have the jobs. That is just common sense. So, job creation should be one of the things we should be doing, along with training, to stimulate the economy. When we think about homeland security, let us look at it. We have looked at the security of the airports, but we have not discussed the ports. That is another area. For every $1 billion we spend, it creates 49,000 jobs. We have not discussed Amtrak. That is another area that we need to deal with as far as security. In fact, we need to change our mode of operation completely on how we do things in this country, and we need to beef up security. That should be targeting part of any economic stimulus package that we bring forth to the American people. One of my favorite scriptures that I quote all the time is to whom God has given much, much is expected, and he is expecting us during this time to raise up and do more. When we have had special orders talking about how women and children are doing in other countries, we need to look at how women and children are doing in this country, how are women and children doing in this country. Many of those workers that we are talking about are the head of the household, so, therefore, when they lose their jobs and there are no benefits and the benefits run out, there is no safety net, and it is our responsibility to do what we can to make a difference for the people in this country. Once again, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership in organizing this special order.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. If I can interrupt the gentlewoman for one quick second, I have a question. We are going to take up Fast Track tomorrow. Does my colleague think that is the solution? Is that the President's solution to the high-paying jobs?

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Well, I first want to bring in the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney).

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, what stands out most in my mind is that the economic stimulus package that passed this House, that I did not vote for, gave more tax breaks to a certain segment. I call them the country club tax breaks. I say it is the reverse Robin Hood, and we have practiced it ever since a certain group took over this House. What I call it is reverse Robin Hood, robbing from the poor and working people to give tax breaks to the rich country club friends. I am so happy to say that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), from Chicago, has joined us, and he wants to help us explain to the American people about this, the big dogs controlling this debate.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I also want to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina, our former class president, for her leadership. She is always right on target.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman for organizing this Special Order. It is so important that we point out the disparity within the minority community; and I have an old saying, that when America has a cold, African Americans, Hispanics, have pneumonia. That is what we are here today to discuss, what is going on within those communities, and, of course, the economic stimulus package. First, I just want to take 1 minute to talk about a subject that is very dear to my heart, and that is election reform. We have not had or passed a bill, a fair election reform bill, and that is so close and dear to my heart because of what happened in the last election in my district, the Third Congressional District of Florida, where 27,000 African Americans were disenfranchised. Mr. Speaker, there is an article that I will include for the Record that was written by former President Carter and President Ford on this subject, and I would like to commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for their leadership on this issue. The title of the article is ``A Holiday Gift for the Voters,'' and it talks about the House and the Senate and the administration coming close to passing an election reform bill. That is so needed for the people that were so disenfranchised in the last general election in this country. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman again for her leadership on this issue, because how minorities have been affected by 9-11 and the economic downturn is something that we need to point out, and we need to move forward as far as how we address these issues. When we passed the transportation emergency bill for the airlines, we passed $15 billion for the industry. In the hearings, when the airline executives, the CEOs, the big dogs, when they came to the committee, they indicated to us that they were going to lay off over 100,000 employees. Mr. Speaker, I did not vote for the bill because nowhere in the bill did we address those over-100,000 people that were going to be laid off. That is the problem with this House, the people's House. That is the problem. The problem is that, and I like this saying, only the big dogs eat here. That means they have to have the big-time lobbyists, and they have to be in with certain people. But the problem that bothers me is not just that the big dogs eat, it is the only dog that eats. In other words, we are not concerned with the gentlewoman's constituents or my constituents. We were not concerned about those 100,000 people that we laid off, that the industry laid off. I am very concerned about it.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have one question. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) talked about his mother's soup. Now I need him to know that my grandmother used to do a sweet potato pie, and I mean her pie was the best pie, and those ingredients that she put in the pie represent the ingredients that we have here in this Congress, the economic stimulus, and the key is that everybody always wants a slice of my grandma's pie, and that is what our constituents want. They want a part of that soup and a part of the pie. As I heard one of the colleagues on the floor say, we know that this is tilted one way. Tilted was not the word. The word was there was nothing left over. There was no pie nor soup for the majority of the American people. The economic stimulus package that passed this House was clearly for the country club set.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his comments.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. On that point, if the gentlewoman will yield for a second, the gentlewoman said something that was very important when she spoke of the governors. Because I come from the great State of Florida, and one thing I can tell my colleagues about my governor from the great State of Florida, for the past 3 years we have given these ludicrous tax cuts. Well, what is the result? Florida is a tourist State. The tourists are not coming. So we have given these large tax cuts every year, and what has happened? Florida now has a $1.3 billion shortfall. Based on spending every dime that we have on a tax cut, now the revenue is not good so we do not have any money. So we are going in there cutting programs now. And let me just mention a few. Services for children. Blind kids. Can my colleagues imagine that? $15.2 million cut just in one county. Duvall County school system cut out summer school programs. Florida will take from health care, and we talked about health care earlier today, $146 million, $109 million from public safety. Those are programs for youth. Cutting out scholarship programs for kids in college. So those are the results of this same kind of ludicrous policy we have going on in Florida that we are trying to transport here to Washington.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman would yield, I want to mention that the bill that passed this House, the one that passed, I did not support it because it did not include almost any of those elements that we are discussing here tonight.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. We lost them in Florida, too.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. God bless America.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney) to know that this is a very touchy situation for me, because so much happened in Florida. In fact, former President Jimmy Carter said that if Florida had been any other country, it would not have been certified, because when you had Republican operatives going into the supervisor of elections filling out forms and sending them out, it was totally illegal. But that happened in Florida. Some of the things that happened in Florida you would not believe. It is just so hard for me to talk about. In my county alone, 27,000 of my people, voters, were thrown out; thrown out. Let me tell you, 16,000 said it was overvotes. We never saw them. But 10,000, let me tell you, the machines were old, there were undervotes, and the machines kicked them out. So, to date, they have never been counted.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as a Floridian and a Member of Congress, I am thrilled to see that Mr. Blankenship is going to be the next Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. A community activist and advocate for children and local schools, I am certain he will serve our country honorably. Mr. Blankenship's qualifications, which include over 20 years of experience in the private sector and years of work with Caribbean nations, make him a perfect fit for this position. His leadership in the area of international trade should benefit both countries, and his experience with air and port security will be a great asset at this critical time. You know, the Bahamas is only 45 miles from the coast of Florida. My state has a special relationship with the island, as well as the Caribbean in general. And not only does the United States have close economic ties to the island, we also share ethnic and cultural ties, especially in education. And although many people outside the U.S. view, us as ``the ugly Americans'' or ``imperialists,'' I think that Mr. Blankenship could do a lot to improve our already friendly relations with the island. His concern for improving education and for children proves that he is a man that is concerned about people, and kids in particular. I know he will serve well as a link between our two countries. I would like to close by once again congratulating Mr. Blankenship and wish him the best in his new position!

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, thank you to Chairman Lewis and Mr. Murtha for your hard work on this bill. As we discuss ways in which this House will support this nation's defenses, I feel there is no better time to thank the brave men and women who are presently risking their lives in Operation Infinite Justice. With their help we will continue to root out and destroy the terrorist networks that threaten peaceful nations throughout the world. I want to commend the committee for not including in this bill any BRAC language, which would have closed military bases at a time when we all can agree that we need a strong military. Now is not the time to close training facilities for our military. It is a long and tough road ahead for us as we rid the world of those terrorist elements who wish to do us harm. We must be fully prepared to meet those challenges and that means using the resources that we have, not stripping our military of vital bases. The tragedy of September 11 has given American an opportunity to do some soul searching. As we struggle for answers, we must not let our resolve grow weaker. We must always remember this tragedy--the enormous pain and suffering it has caused--and work to make our nation and this world a safer and more peaceful place. Again, my heart and prayers are with the family and friends of those who perished on September 11. Neither you, nor your loved ones, will be forgotten. As we consider this bill today, it is with you in mind. God bless you and God bless America.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) for their hard work and for this fair and reasonable bill; and I want to compliment the leadership of the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), who in my opinion is a real transportation guru; and to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for his input, and to everyone on the committee who kept us informed; and, of course, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for his strong voice during this entire process. I believe we finally have a bill that will convince the American people that it is safe to fly. I am pleased that we finally passed an aviation security bill that put airport security in the hands of the Federal law enforcement officers. I am particularly glad to see that the final bill includes the tough requirement for flight schools, including background checks for non- U.S. citizens; the terrorist-recognition training and reporting requirement for flight school personnel. This is a win-win for the American people and should be a big boost for the Florida tourism industry, as well as the whole economy. Now we must act to protect the safety of the entire transportation system, including ports, rail, bridges, tunnels, and maybe, after Monday's accident, more thorough safety inspections for airplanes. We have a lot more work to do. The American people deserve it. This is a win-win for the American people.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Monday's plane crash was another devastating blow to the residents of New York and the citizens of this great Nation. Although we do not know the cause yet, I have been hearing it called a routine plane crash. God help us all if we ever accept a plane crash as routine. I was in New York Monday and had to take the train back to D.C. I was talking to the train conductor who said that the U.S. lawmakers have failed the American people. This is what our citizens think of this Congress. How many planes must go down before we truly deal with the safety issue? Not just who screened the baggage, but the safety of the entire transportation infrastructure, including ports, rails, bridges, tunnels, and maybe after yesterday, more safety inspectors for airplanes. Does this Congress have to wait until another disaster strikes again to act to protect our transportation infrastructure? Mr. Speaker, we do not want the American people to feel that we have failed them. I do not hold much hope, but I ask the conferees to support the Senate version of the airline security bill so we can move on to other areas of homeland security. There is something that the American public needs to know. At this very moment, American flight schools are training pilots from countries sponsoring terrorism. All those terrorists need to do is pay in cash, and those schools will teach them anything they need to know. Preventing those with ill intent from acquiring flight skills, which they can use in a hijacking, is just as important if not more important as other issues being addressed in this legislation. It saddens me to know that the terrorists accused of these hideous acts on September 11 received their flight training at Florida flight schools. Obviously, current law regulating who may receive training and what kind of training they receive is insufficient. The other body passed a version that addressed this matter by requiring aliens and other individuals, as determined by the Department of Transportation, to acquire a certificate indicating completion of a background investigation by the Attorney General prior to beginning flight training. Under this section, a background check consists of a criminal, immigration status and security check. Flight training includes in- flight training, training in a simulator and any other form or aspect of training as defined by the Secretary of Transportation. I encourage the conferees to support the language of the other body. We have waited weeks for this legislation to reach the floor and we should not leave for Thanksgiving vacation until the American people feel safe to fly in their own country.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's plane crash was another devastating blow to the residents of New York and the citizens of this great Nation. Although we do not know the cause yet, I have been hearing it called a ``routine plane crash.'' I want to repeat that, a routine plane crash. God help us all if we ever accept a plane crash as routine. I was in New York yesterday, and I had to take the train back to Washington. In fact, I chose to take the train back to Washington. I was talking to the train conductor who said that U.S. lawmakers have failed the American public. This is what our citizens think of this House and this Congress. How many planes must go down before we truly deal with safety? Not just who screens the baggage but the safety of the entire transportation system, including ports, rail, bridges, tunnels and, maybe after yesterday, more thorough safety inspections for airplanes. Does this country and this Congress have to wait until another disaster strikes again to act to protect our transportation infrastructure? We do not want the American people to feel that we have failed them. I do not hold out much hope, but I am asking the conferees to support the other body's version of airline security so that we can move on to other areas of homeland security. I also want to take the time tonight to talk about four heroes in the field of education. Earlier today, I attended a luncheon honoring four outstanding college professors. I especially am proud of Commander Vincent Wilczynsky, an engineering professor at the Coast Guard Academy. He is the first service academy professor to receive this distinguished award in its 20-year history. The members of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and the entire Congress are very proud of the commander and all educators like him who strive for excellence in their classrooms every day. Although this award ceremony only lasted a few hours, their contribution to these young minds will be felt for many years to come. U.S. Professors of the Year Program winners' bios CDR Vincent Wilczynski is associate professor of mechanical engineering at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Wilczynski was instrumental in establishing the mechanical engineering major at the Academy, and earning its accreditation. A strong advocate for linking engineering principles to practical applications, he guides students through research and analysis to real-world design problems. Wilczynski extends his impact beyond the walls of the Academy by working with high school students across the nation in FIRST (For Inspiration of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization that brings students together with distinguished professionals and introduces students to mentoring, leadership, entrepreneurship, and professional behavior. CDR Wilczynski hold a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from The Catholic University of America and an M.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cornelius Carter is associate professor of dance at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Carter founded the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre in his first year of teaching to create an environment that would prepare young Alabama dancers to compete for the best national internships and memberships in professional dance companies, and for scholarships to graduate academic dance programs. One colleague affectionately called Carter ``a one-man gang'', as he collaborates with local high schools, mentoring at-risk students and expanding cultural horizons of those outside the university's dance program. Carter holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, and has taught dance at the American Ballet Theater, Harvard Summer Dance Program, and this summer, at the Ailey School at Lincoln Center in New York City. Clarence Romero is associate professor of psychology at Riverside Community College in Riverside, Calif. He spearheaded Latino Educators of Tomorrow (LET), a teacher preparation program that encourages students to overcome mental and physical barriers, to set personal goals and accept responsibilities. LET reinforces the idea that students are the masters of their own destinies. Romero's teaching philosophy was profoundly impacted by an exercise in which he asked his students to make him ``student for a day''. The students told him, ``Teachers tell; they don't listen. They don't know who we are or what we're all about.'' Romero understood, and strives to make his students active participants in an education process that has real life applicability. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology from University of Riverside, and has served as an instructor, chief administrative officer, counselor and student personnel worker. Laura Duhan Kaplan is associate professor of philosophy at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She developed ``narrative philosophy'', a teaching style in which students use stories from their own everyday lives to unpack the meaning of difficult theoretical concepts proposed by famous philosophers. She writes extensively on how her method affects student understanding, highlighting student's writing about their learning experience. Kaplan served as coordinator of Women's Studies at UNC Charlotte for seven years, and is credited with tripling program enrollment. She established numerous other interdisciplinary programs, including a Junior Great Books course for middle school students, and is working toward establishing a Jewish Studies program at UNC Charlotte. Kaplan holds Ph.D. in philosophy and education from Claremont Graduate School and has taught more than twenty different courses from pre-freshman to graduate level. State Winners Alabama: Stephen Chew, Professor and Chair, Psychology, Samford University. Alaska: Ping-Tung Chang, Professor, Mathematics, University of Alaska Anchorage. Arizona: Albert Celoza, Faculty, Liberal Arts, Phoenix College. Arkansas: Helen Robbins, Associate Professor, English, Lyon College. California: Nicole Weekes, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Pomona College. Colorado: Charles Ferguson, Assistant Professor, Biology, University of Colorado at Denver. Connecticut: David Sloane, Professor, English and Education, University of New Haven. District of Columbia: Gerald Feldman, Associate Professor, Physics, George Washington University. Florida: June Main, Professor, Education, Jacksonville University. Georgia: Ulf Kirchdorfer, Associate Professor, English, Darton College. Idaho: John Freemuth, Professor, Political Science, Boise State University. Illinois: Constance Mixon, Instructor, Political Science, Richard J. Daley, Chicago. Indiana: Mary Johnson, Assistant Professor, Micro Biology, Indiana State University. Iowa: Terence Kleven, Associate Professor, Religion, Central College. Kansas: C. Rick Snyder, Professor, Clinical Psychology, University of Kansas. Kentucky: James Wagner, Assistant Professor, Biology, Transylvania University. Louisiana: Teresa A. Summers, Professor & Division Head, Textiles, Apparel Design & Merchandising, Louisiana University. Maryland: Sylvia Sorkin, Professor, Computer Science, The Community College of Baltimore County, Essex. Massachusetts: Kevin Smith, Associate Professor, Physics, Boston University. Michigan: Bernard J. O'Connor, Professor, Political Science Eastern Michigan University. Minnesota: James Bartruff, Professor, Theatre Arts, Minnesota State University Moorhead. Mississippi: Michael M. Neumann, Professor, Mathematics, Mississippi State University. Missouri: Vicki Ritts, Associate Professor, Psychology, St. Louis Community College. Montana: John Photiades, Professor, Economics, The University of Montana-Missoula. Nebraska: David Iaquinta, Professor, Sociology, Nebraska Wesleyan University. Nevada: Dale Holcombe, Professor, Animal Biotechnology, University of Nevada, Reno. New Hampshire: Randall S. Hanson, Associate Professor, Colby-Sawyer College. New Jersey: Robert Clark, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Cumberland County College. New Mexico: Mary Fanelli Ayala, Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Eastern New Mexico University. New York: Frances Bronet, Associate Professor, Architecture, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. North Carolina: Althea Riddick, Chair, Business and Office Technology, College of the Albemarle. Ohio: Robert Welker, Professor, Education, Wittenberg University. Oklahoma: Sue Ellen Read, Professor, Teacher Education, Northeastern State University. Oregon: Becky Houck, Professor, Biology, University of Portland. Pennsylvania: Gary S. Smith, Professor, History, Grove City College. Rhode Island: Roger Lebrun, Professor, Entomology, University of Rhode Island. South Carolina: Mary Steppling, Assistant Professor, Speech Language Pathology, Columbia College. South Dakota: Michael Roche, Professor, Political Science, The University of South Dakota. Tennessee: David Julseth, Associate Professor, Foreign Language, Belmont University. Texas: Robert Webking, Professor, Political Science, The University of Texas at El Paso. Utah: David Lancy, Professor, Anthropology, Utah State University. Vermont: Lyndon Carew Jr., Professor, Animal Sciences & Nutrition, Food Science, University of Vermont. Virginia: Cheryl Jorgensen-Earp, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, Lynchburg College. West Virginia: John J. Renton, Professor, Geology, West Virginia University. Wisconsin: Scott Hartsel, Professor, Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Wyoming: Carol Frost, Professor, Geology & Geophysics, University of Wyoming.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, it is incredible to me that 7 weeks have passed since September 11 and this is the first security bill that we have brought to the floor, although we immediately brought up the $15 billion bailout for the airline industry as they were laying off 100,000 workers and not one dime for the workers. On October 11, the Senate passed a bipartisan aviation safety bill 100-0. I keep hearing over and over again from my colleagues that this is not a perfect bill. I have been here 9 years and I have not seen a perfect bill, but this bill the Senate passed is a perfect start. It is a perfect start and we have much more work to do. As we speak today, there are schools that are training people from terrorist countries, paying them $25,000 in cash, and we have not done anything about that. The Bible says to whom much is given, much is expected. The people of this country are expecting much from the people of this House. Let us pass the Senate bill.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Just one last point. Recently, for the past couple of weeks I have been flying into Orlando. Orlando aviation has over 30 million people flying through there. It was very disturbing that nobody was there. Why? Because if you want to stimulate the economy, pass aviation safety so people will feel confident and secure in traveling again, so we can get the economy moving. Let us put the money, the economic stimulus, into security. In closing, one of my favorite scriptures is ``To whom God has given much, much is expected.'' The people of this country are expecting a lot from the Members of the House of Representatives. They are expecting us to put aside partisan bickering and do the people's business in the People's House.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Many of us went to Ground Zero a couple of weeks ago, over 100 Members of Congress, and everyone talked about the physical devastation. What stands out most in my mind was the number of people that lost their lives. We cannot put that back together. How many families got destroyed? We can rebuild the buildings, but we need to do what we can in this House to make sure that that never happens again. That was my commitment. I wish it was everybody's commitment, in particular the people on the other side of the aisle. I do think it is not most of them; it is just a few people that are holding up our passing a meaningful aviation security bill. Shame on them. Shame on them.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I agree with the gentleman 100 percent. Following that up, I am just concerned that the Europeans, he mentioned them, they talked about their system. But I want to be clear. Those jobs in Europe and other places are not minimum wage jobs.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Yes.