Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge. And thank you for the great job you're doing in pulling us together every week. We had a press conference last week--and I agree with Al Green when he said we shouldn't even have to call it, not when unemployment in our communities is over 15 percent, even over 30 percent in some, and 50 percent when we look at young African American males, not when our CBC foundation can tell us about the lack of jobs for black males who have not completed high school or who have just completed high school compared to other people with similar educational levels. The stark gaps in unemployment for African Americans, American Indians, Latinos, and Asians cry out for a remedy, one that responds to those who are most in need and at risk. If no one else will answer tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus is answering, and we will answer every day until we turn the unemployment rates and every other inequity in our communities around. I've had the opportunity, on a small scale, to see what can happen with programs like these because we don't have to go through the State and the local distribution. We will soon graduate 26 formerly unemployed men and women who knew nothing about solar water heaters who can now build them from scratch and install them. They have an opportunity, through the ARRA, the program created by our government, our utility, and a not-for-profit to put their training to work in real jobs. And what these young men have told us is please continue these programs and expand them for us. That is what we are here to say on behalf of them and the millions of others who need work today. I want to just say that the same thing applies to health care jobs; they are needed in all of our communities on every level. This is a job industry that is growing and will continue to grow as we pass health care reform. There is a great opportunity for our communities in health care to create jobs. I want to take this opportunity to thank Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, Congressman, and our Chair, Barbara Lee, for being so aggressive in working and moving the Congressional Black Caucus and using us to move our caucus towards the creation of these jobs, and to thank our President for making job creation a central part of his agenda. We are his strongest allies and supporters and advocates. And advocating, as we do for our community, we are working to ensure that the benefits of his Presidency reach everyone in this Nation. Democrats don't plan to go home until we do something meaningful to create jobs. The Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa season must be one of hope for everyone. That is our commitment as Democrats and as the Congressional Black Caucus; our commitment is to make sure that these benefits extend to everyone, especially those who are suffering most, especially those in the African American community and other communities of color, not just for a few, not just for some, but for everyone living in this country. I yield back. I am pleased to join our Chairwoman Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Fudge who does such a great job of organizing these special orders every week and my other CBC colleagues to speak to the critical importance of creating jobs for the American people, as we Democrats are poised to do, but particularly in the hardest hit African American communities who when America sneezes gets pneumonia, when a breeze blows elsewhere we get a hurricane, and when surf is high for everyone else we get a tsunami. We had a press conference last week, that as Congressman Al Green said and I agree, we should not have had to call. Not when the unemployment in African American communities is over 15 percent, even over 30 percent in some areas and higher in some age groups. Not when the projections are as they always have been that joblessness will continue longest for us--especially for African American males. Not when the CBC foundation issued issues a very telling report that has clearly demonstrated the severe gaps in employment for black male high school graduates or who have not finished high school even in unskilled jobs compared to every other group with the same educational levels. And not when universities and others across our country have reported studies that clearly demonstrate racial bias in hiring and all of this is only the tip of the iceberg. The stark gaps in employment for African Americans and Latinos cry out for a remedy--one that responds to those who are most at need and at risk and, if no one else will answer, we the Congressional Black Caucus is answering today and every day until we turn around the unemployment rates and every other inequity in our communities. There is just no way that we will stand by and let our community be left behind as the country recovers from the recession and the focus turns, as it must, to job creation. And, we are determined that our community will not be left behind as we turn the page to a new green economy and as we embark on a reform of our healthcare system. Both will require massive training programs and a major expansion of our workforce on every level. This is an opportunity that we cannot afford to let pass us by--we won't! I have had the opportunity to see on a small scale what can happen with programs funded thru ARRA because in my district--the US Virgin Islands--state and local are treated as one entity, so I do not have to depend on the state to distribute funds at the local level. We will soon graduate 26 formerly unemployed men and women who knew nothing about solar water heaters soon who can now build and install several models from scratch. They are now in their practicum installing them in government youth and senior facilities. I was so impressed as they explained things I will never understand. They have an opportunity now with a program created by government our utility and a not for profit to put their training to work in real jobs. But what the student-trainees we met with Paul Larsen, Dean Doctrine and Kahlil Simone--begged us was that we continue this program and provide them with even greater opportunities., This is what we--on their behalf and on behalf of millions of others--are asking this Congress and our President to do now. And the same applies to health care jobs. They are needed in all of our communities. Community health workers, allied health techs and nurse techs will be needed to meet the demand of the newly insured, they will be the key to eliminating health disparities in our communities, and open a door to even more opportunities. Right now the Department of labor has 200 million dollars available for training for healthcare jobs our of the ARRA, we need to continue and expand that going forward in the jobs bill this body will pass and we need to ensure that the communities that suffer the greatest disparities are targeted with these programs for job creation in this industry where the demand will only continue to grow. Health care provides a great opportunity for the now un- or under- employed to lift themselves out of poverty, to improve the health of their communities and to raise our nation's standing for all of the health indicators for which--like infant and maternal mortality as well as general health status we lag behind everyone of our industrialized global partners. I would like to thank the Jobs Taskforce led by our colleague, Reverend Emanuel Cleaver, and our Chair Barbara Lee for aggressively moving to ensure that communities like ours which are distressed and the people who live there will not continue to be marginalized by post racial wannabees. As was said at the press conference in response to those who would make this a racial issue--if it is, it is not because we made it so. It is made so by the fact that the communities with the highest unemployment and the highest rates of poverty are African American, American Indian and other communities of color. And for those who want to make this a fight between the CBC and the President--nothing could be further from the truth! The White House unfortunately has too many advisors to whom the distress and misery in our communities are if not invisible, are not clearly seen and definitely not felt! It is our responsibility to be the advisors and the advocates on the other side, on the side of those who have felt and borne the brunt of every hard time, every recession or depression long before and a whole lot longer than anyone else in this country. We are our President's allies, supporters and strongest advocates. In advocating, as we do for our community, we are working to ensure that the benefits of his presidency reaches every corner of this nation, and that his presidency surpasses every other through the prism, not just of history, but of what happens today to improve the lives of those most in need.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of HR 4213, the Tax Extenders of 2009 Act which contains the crucial extension of the rum cover-over program to the American Caribbean territories. The annual extension, which raises at least $20 million for the Virgin Islands for infrastructure development, is a vital component of our economic development strategies for continued growth and self sufficiency. In 1954, Congress extended the equalization cover-over provision to the Virgin Islands to foster greater fiscal autonomy and in 1983 and 2000, it enacted laws which vested the Legislature of the Virgin Islands with sole authority to determine how rum cover-over revenues should be utilized. Recently, that authority has been challenged by legislation that would tie the hands of our local territorial governments in regards to determining how best to utilize those funds. The government and people of the Virgin Islands commend the early foresight of the Congress and reserve the right to determine what is in the best interest of our community. Madame Speaker, Congress designed the rum cover-over program to create economic stability for its territories in the Caribbean, to include the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Over the years, each has benefited from this program and hopes to continue to do so in the future. If one territory believes that they no longer need or require this benefit, I am here today to tell you, that the people of the Virgin Islands are grateful for the continued opportunity to have this funding and to determine how best it can be utilized for their ultimate benefit. In the present global economic development environment, the U.S. Virgin Islands has moved to stabilize this industry on its shore, guaranteeing revenue and jobs for Americans, securing our retirement system and repairing schools while at the same time working to clean up environmental issues associated with the rum industry. The Congress support of today's rum revenue extenders and indeed the entire rum cover program is crucial to the economic future of the territories and today, I, along with the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands thank Chairman Rangel, the leadership of the House and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for your continued support.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today in honor of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., and to recognize his landmark and barrier- breaking run for the Presidency of the United States of America 25 years ago. I was his campaign Chair in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a committed delegate during both campaigns and conventions. Although I recall those days on the platform committee, fighting for every vote on the floor and the tears of admiration from people from every corner and segment of U.S. society when he spoke to us, what I remember most was his coming to the aid of an often cast-aside, forgotten or ignored, misunderstood territory of our great Nation in our time of need. After the devastation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and the ensuing negative media portrayal that our community endured in its wake, I contacted him through my DNC Black Caucus Chair, Dr. C. Delores Tucker, and Rev. Jackson came to St. Croix with an entourage that included Cicely Tyson to bolster our spirits, inspire our recovery efforts, and stave off an ill-informed Presidential declaration of martial law. Jesse, there is so much for which we are grateful to you, but for me and the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, we love you for always coming to the aid of those whom many look upon as the ``least of these,'' God's people. You are doing God's work.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in support of providing affordable coverage for the 39 percent of Latinos, 23 percent of African Americans, and 34 percent of Native Americans who are not insured.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, as a family physician who practiced for more than 20 years, a mother, a grandmother and an American, I am proud to stand here in support of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. This bill is for the many patients I know who put off health care until it was too late because they couldn't afford it and the tens of millions like them who will now have access to full health care. This year and every year past, over 80,000 African Americans died, whose deaths were preventable, because they were unable to get health care. This bill is for all people of color, those in our rural areas, the territories and the poor, because beyond insurance, this bill will provide the services some of them never had. H.R. 3962 will give young people for whom a health care professional is out of the reach the opportunity to help heal their communities. It will cover 36 million uninsured people, making insurance secure and affordable, strengthen prevention and public health, improve Medicare and Medicaid, help poor communities, create an environment that supports good health, and finally begin to eliminate health disparities. Today we have the opportunity to vote for health and a better life for everyone in this country and for a better country where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is truly a right for all. Let's make history together. Vote ``yes'' for affordable health care for America.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, this House and our Nation are poised for a historic vote tomorrow. That vote will determine whether tens of millions of people who are uninsured and underinsured will finally have access to health care. But beyond that, it will begin to transform the current sick care system which is draining this country, not just of its finances, but of some of its brightest and best who, because they are not able to access the fantastic health care this country has to offer, are not as productive as they would or should be. It will enable many, those in our rural areas and our territories, those in blighted urban areas and racial and ethnic minorities who have been left out of the health care mainstream to finally have access to wellness and more productive and fulfilling lives. Our vote tomorrow will also determine how successfully we will compete in the global community where everyone is in a race to the top, whether or not we will, through reducing the highest health care in the worlds, set our country on a more sustainable economic footing, and whether we can regain our leadership in this world by raising our health indicators, like infant and maternal mortality, to levels that match or better the other industrialized nations we now lag behind. To me, a vote against this bill is a vote against what is best for our country. No one ever thought we would have had a perfect bill, but what we have in H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, is as near a perfect bill as anyone could have conceived when we started out this process. I applaud the outstanding leadership of our Speaker, our leader, our whip, our caucus Chair and vice Chair, the chairmen of the respective committees, and Chairman Emeritus John Dingell for the bill which will be before us tomorrow. H.R. 3962 covers at least 36 million of the now uninsured, expands and improves Medicaid, strengthens Medicare, begins to close the doughnut hole, and makes it, as well as other insurance, more affordable. It will provide a robust benefits package, new prevention and wellness programs, with no copayments for preventive care. It ends insurance abuses that have led many families to bankruptcy or near bankruptcy--no exclusions for preexisting diseases, no dropping your coverage or putting limits on how much insurance will pay for you when you get sick. It expands the health care workforce and especially supports the training of primary care physicians, nurses and physician assistants, as well as that of now underrepresented minorities. It provides community health centers and community health workers as well as programs that help communities to better prepare to take advantage of the new health care system. And it will strengthen our public health infrastructure and workforce. The bill is fully paid for, and will reduce the deficit over the 10 years. What is not to vote for? I know that some of the hesitation is over abortion issues. I don't understand it because H.R. 3962 keeps the Hyde amendment in tact. It prohibits Federal funds from being spent on abortion. It excludes abortion from the basic benefits package. It prohibits discrimination against providers who do not perform abortions by insurance plans. It does not require any insurance plan in the exchange to cover abortion, and it provides that the exchange would have an insurance option that does not cover abortion. I, like every Member of this body, I am sure, am deeply committed to life--to protecting lives, to saving lives, and to improving the quality of lives. Without passage of this bill, many will suffer the unnecessary loss of life that happens every day in this country of plenty to those who are uninsured and in people of color, whether they're insured or not. In this 21st century, every year 88,000 African Americans alone, not counting American Indians, Latinos, Asians, or Pacific Islanders, 88,000 African Americans die who would not have if they were insured and if they had equal access to the services that this bill would now provide them, some of them for the very first time. Have those who oppose this bill because of concerns of abortion considered that this bill would even reduce the need for abortion? Something everyone, no matter what side of the debate you are on, would want. It would do so by ensuring that everyone would have access to comprehensive health care and the kind of family-life counseling that is a part of it. Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to save millions of lives. There is no more important reason to vote ``yes'' for the Affordable Health Care for America Act than that. Everyone should want to be on the right side of the historic vote that awaits us tomorrow. We need health care reform now.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the achievements of a Navy Lieutenant from my district, John R. Logan, who will be promoted to the rank of Lt. Commander in a ceremony that will be held this morning here in the Capitol Building. Presently serving as the Command Chaplain at the Marine Barracks here in Washington, D.C., Lt. Logan has been decorated with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Logan was born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He received a B.A. in Theology from the Antillean Adventist University in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 1992. He was licensed by the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh Day Adventists and began pastoral duties on St. Croix and St. Maarten. Lt. Logan graduated with his Master of Divinity Degree on August 8, 1998 from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Two years later, he received a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan, with a clinical emphasis in children and Youth in Marriage and Family in Society. He subsequently served as a youth pastor, mental health therapist and marriage and family therapist in Michigan. As a soldier, Lt. Logan served as Flotilla Chaplain of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary before coming on active duty in 2001, serving aboard the USS Belleau and deploying on WESTPAC 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In January 2004, he was assigned as Squadron Chaplain to Marine Aircraft Group 16 and was later deployed to Al Asad, Iraq with MAG-16 Headquarters in support of Iraqi Freedom in May 2007. Earlier this year, he graduated from the U.S. Naval War College, Fleet Seminar Program, receiving a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff. Madam Speaker, Lt. Logan, soon to become a Lt. Commander in the Navy has combined his call to serve others with distinguished service as a soldier, a counselor and a minister. He is one of our best, as he provides counsel to his fellows in the armed services and to civilians in need of his help. We are proud of his accomplishments and on behalf of my family, staff, and the people of the Virgin Islands I wish him well as he continues to serve his country and his community with distinction.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am sick and tired of all of the lines in the sand on health care reform. This is something that we have to do, something we cannot afford not to do. To quote Fannie Lou Hamer, on behalf of African Americans and all who are un- and underinsured, ``We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.'' This Congress has an obligation to end this, and those who continue to misrepresent the facts need to stop. The bills being put together will end insurance discrimination and the dropping of coverage when one needs it most. We will provide a public plan for those who choose to use it, and, if we do it right, we will reduce the high cost of insurance and will end those insurance horror stories. With our bill, we will ensure security for our seniors, affordability for the middle class, access to quality health care for the poor and our responsibility to our children. We can do this without adding to the deficit. So I think everyone needs to get up off of that hard line and come together around the most important thing we can do in our time here-- give every American the possibility of health, wellness, and a decent quality of life.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today--on behalf of the more than half million low-income Americans living with HIV/AIDS who rely on this program--in full support of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, particularly those in my community where we have the second highest incidence of AIDS in the country. I applaud the leadership and hard work of Chairmen Pallone and Waxman and Ranking Members Barton and Deal, as well as those in the other body, for this bipartisan, bicameral bill. The Ryan White program plays a pivotal role in addressing the unique health care challenges facing low-income Americans with HIV/AIDS and their families. I would have liked to have seen a more robust investment in this program to end the ADAP waiting lists and more support for the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center at Howard University, especially when minorities are making up the vast majority of people with HIV/AIDS. But we have the opportunity today to provide assistance to large and midsize cities, States, and territories with high HIV/AIDS incidence and/or prevalence, and to expand access to care and support services for women, infants, children, and youth. I am particularly pleased that we improve the Minority AIDS Initiative by going back to formula funding and by removing some of the barriers to funding that prevented many eligible entities from applying. As a physician who cared for AIDS patients from the outset of the epidemic, I cannot express enough how today--how voting in full support of this bill--will mean so much to the hardworking Americans who deserve the opportunity, just like all of us here, to achieve their lives' potentials.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank you for yielding, and I want to rise also in strong support of H.R. 816, mourning the loss of life caused by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on September 29, 2009, in American Samoa and Samoa, and to extend my thoughts and prayers and that of the people of the Virgin Islands to the victims of that 8.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated our brothers and sisters in the U.S. territory of American Samoa and the Nation of Western Samoa and to offer our condolences to those that lost loved ones as a result of that tragedy. Like my colleague from California, I've been to American Samoa several times with the Congressman. We were there in early August and visited his own village of Leone--which we heard so much about in the wake of the earthquake and the tsunami because they were so hard hit-- and I remember how the people came out and welcomed us. They fed us. We had a joyous time with them. That evening they showered us with so many gifts, and we just hope that we can return those gifts to them in their time of greatest need. As I speak to you, there is a young girl--and I wish I had her name with me--who has started a drive at home for the people of American Samoa and Western Samoa. When I go back home on Saturday, I will join her at one of our shopping centers to continue to raise supplies and funds to help our neighbors. I know as a Congresswoman from the U.S. Virgin Island, a community of islands that is also vulnerable to tropical disasters, I am very aware of the toll it can take on the people, infrastructure, and our time and resources. I know how hard it has been on our colleague, Mr. Faleomavaega to be home. I called him one morning, forgetting that it was 5 o'clock in the morning in American Samoa, but he was already up and preparing to go and visit just another area that had been devastated. The people of my district, the U.S. Virgin Islands, have asked me to express their solidarity with the people of American Samoa at this time of their distress, and to extend our support to our colleague, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, as they make and we make with them the necessary arrangements to mobilize and deploy urgently needed emergency assistance and to assure them that all of the American people, but especially those on the other off-shore territories, are ready to assist them. In visiting American Samoa you cannot help but be struck by the strong community spirit that exists there and the strong faith, and I know that will bear them up through this difficult time, but they still need our support, and we're here for them.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to join in the commemorations of Hispanic Heritage Month and as it is known in my district, as the Puerto Rico--Virgin Islands Friendship Celebration, to honor and commend a mover and shaker in my community, who has served our community, in particular its youth in an exceptional manner for many years. Celia Torres Garcia Maldonado, or Cielo, as she is affectionately known, has for the past thirty five years been the visionary behind an organization that has provided structure, creativity, and the opportunity to excel to young women and men on my home island, St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1974, when her young daughter expressed interest in becoming a majorette, Cielo, finding that there were not any viable groups for her to join on St. Croix, took it upon herself, with the help of like minded friends to found the St. Croix Majorettes, an organization which has stood the test of time in providing a positive outlet for St. Croix's youth to develop their performing talent. As the story is told, with the purchase of a baton and the help of her sister Mirta L. Martnez, it all began. The St. Croix Majorettes was organized in May 1974 with Celia T. Maldonado as director, and Mirta L. Martinez and Maria Cotto as co-directors. These ladies were assisted by the late Miguel Duchesne. The local majorettes started with twenty girls practicing at the Canegata Ball Park. Within two months, and with the help of the Doc James Radio Talk Show, parents were encouraged to register their children and this led to an increase of 150 active participants. In 1975, the St. Croix Majorettes and Marching Band were officially inducted into the Majorettes and Band Federation of Puerto Rico. The organization grew and eventually, Cielo and the St. Croix Majorettes, was responsible for hosting the first Majorette festival on St. Croix. Seven groups came from Puerto Rico and one from St. Thomas to participate in the VIPR Friendship Day celebrations. Under the leadership of Cielo, the St. Croix Majorettes have been invited and have participated in numerous festivities on the U.S. mainland and Caribbean islands representing St. Croix in a dignified and diligent manner. After thirty three years, Celio T. Maldonado, director of the St. Croix Majorettes, has over 300 members who are still performing whenever they are called upon to do so. They continue to practice at their headquarters located in Est. Peter's Rest. All members and parents of the St. Croix Majorettes have become her most precious ``extended family''. Her utmost satisfaction, pride and joy is when former members, who are now parents, bring their children to enroll. As she travels around and meets her ``extended family'', her proud remark is always, ``This is, or was one of my majorettes.'' Cielo's reach has been far and wide. For instance, one of my staffers, Attorney Angeline Muckle Jabbar, one of the original group of little girls who are now successful in their careers, was molded by Cielo and the St. Croix Majorettes. Madam Speaker, today, I ask the Congress to join me in commending an outstanding Virgin Islander and American of Hispanic Heritage who continues to serve her community and its youth in an outstanding manner.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as a member of Energy and Commerce and also a former Steering Committee Member of the Travel and Tourism Caucus and a cosponsor of this bill, I too support its enactment with the understanding that its implementation will benefit the territories and not just the 50 States. So I want to thank Ms. Castor, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Blunt and others for their work on the bill; thank them for the exchange of letters clarifying the application of the territories, and we look forward to working with you on the implementation of the bill.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I once again today rise to extend my thought and prayers to the victims of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that devastated our brothers and sisters in the U.S. territory in the South Pacific, American Samoa and Western Samoa. Any my heart and that of all Virgin Islanders go out with sympathy to those that have lost loved ones as a result of yesterday's tragedy. As the Congresswoman from the U.S. Virgin Islands, a community of islands that are also vulnerable to tropical disasters, and former chair of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, I am well aware of the toll that it can take on people, on infrastructure, on our time and resources but most especially--individuals and families. And the emotional repercussions go on long after the physical recovery is done. Having visited American Samoa on several occasions and Western Samoa once, I know of the many struggles especially faced by the people of American Samoa, but I also know of their close family and community ties, their strength of spirit and most importantly, their faith. The people of my district, the U.S. Virgin Islands and I stand in solidarity with the people of American Samoa at this time of their great distress. I extend my support of our colleagues and friend--the Dean of the territorial delegation--Congressman Eni Faleomavaega as we make the necessary arrangements to mobile and deploy the urgently needed emergency assistance that our President has directed, and assure them that the American people and the people of the other offshore territories stand ready to assist them in their time of need. As I said earlier, the people of American Samoa and Western Samoa are a strong and resilient people. I know that their faith and their strong cultural bonds and traditions will help; them meet this present challenge, as they have ones that have come before. On behalf of myself, my staff and the people of the Virgin Islands, please know that you can count on us in your hour of need, but also as you move forward in recovery and then to address the other longstanding challenges that your leaders so clearly and passionately outlined for us when we were there last month.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, less than 2 months ago, Chairman Nick Rahall and many of us on the House Committee on Natural Resources were with the wonderful people of the village of Leone, which is the home and family village of our colleague, Eni Faleomavaega, who represents American Samoa in this body. Despite the severe economic challenges they face, they lavished us with gifts, song, food, and lots of love. Today, villages all over American Samoa and other parts of the region are devastated not only by the damage from the tsunami but, most tragically, by the loss of loved ones. Among them, I am sure, are some who sang and danced and welcomed us so warmly. We thank the President for immediately declaring a disaster. I also pledge that my community will do what we can to help them recover. Many of their fellow Americans will do the same. Nearby Independent Samoa, which I also visited at another time, was also affected and needs our help as well. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of American Samoa, Samoa and the region. If anything good can come out of this terrible tragedy, very importantly right now, perhaps it will remind everyone that the people of American Samoa and the other territories are Americans and deserve equitable treatment in health care reform.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Judge Raymond Lawrence Finch, a Jurist extraordinaire, who has served the Virgin Islands legal and judicial communities with diligence, competence and unfailing dedication for 33 years from the Bench. Raymond Finch is a true ``Native Son'', a product of two Crucian Virgin Islands families: Bough and Finch; whose family members have been making outstanding contributions to the Territory of the U. S. Virgin Islands for more than four generations. Raymond Finch is a product of the Virgin Islands public school system and a graduate of the Christiansted High School in 1958. He completed, on schedule, his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in Economics, from Howard University in 1962; and his Juris Doctor Degree in 1965, from the Howard University School of Law. Entering in the U. S. Army as a First Lieutenant in 1966, he served honorably for three years, adjudicating claims of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese nationals. He was also an Advocate before the Elimination Boards, Article 15 Hearings and in Article 32 investigations. His exemplary service was awarded with the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and a Certificate of Appreciation from General William C. Westmoreland and the Army Chief of Staff. Having served previously as a Law Clerk in the Municipal Court of the Virgin Islands, he worked as a Law Clerk upon his return to the Territory, in the firm of Hodge and Sheen. He was admitted into the Virgin Islands Bar in 1970 and became a partner in the law firm of Hodge, Sheen, Finch and Ross in 1971. For more than a dozen years he was an instructor at the University of Virgin Islands and the American Banking Association. In 1976, then Virgin Islands Governor, Cyril E. King, appointed him Judge of the Municipal Court of the Virgin Islands. On September 1, 1994, after being nominated by President Clinton, Raymond Finch took the oath of office as Judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and became Chief Judge of the District Court in August, 1999. Raymond Finch the Law Clerk, to retiring District Court Judge Finch, has seen the remarkable evolution of the Virgin Islands Judicial system. The Municipal Court that he first served as a Law Clerk was the same Court to which he was first appointed as a Judge. During his judicial tenure, the Municipal Court became the Territorial Court, where it achieved its jurisdictional autonomy and recognition as the highest local court in the Territory and it is now the Superior Court. During Judge Finch's District Court tenure, the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands was established. Accordingly, Finch's judicial career also evolved through his serving as Acting Presiding Judge, Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands; Judge, Appellate Division, U. S. District Court of the Virgin Islands; by Special Designation as Judge of the U. S. District Court of the Virgin Islands; U. S. District Court Judge and Chief District Court Judge for the Virgin Islands. During Judge Finch's tenure on the Bench, he was served by a group of Law Clerks, many of whom have gone on to distinguished and illustrious careers. His demeanor has always been one of quiet reserve. He is one of those rare individuals that will listen attentively. There have been occasions where a court room participant miscalculated with uttering a statement, uncomfortably finding themselves in the vise of a first class mind. His tenure has produced excellent legal Opinions and Memorandums, along with Decisions that demonstrate inordinate wisdom and compassion. He has mastered the uncanny ability to clearly and concisely follow the dictates of law, weaving and intermingling, with the African West Indian derived customs, of Danish and American cultural and jurisprudential influence. No easy task. His pride and understanding of the Virgin Islands culture, heritage and its people, resulted in outstanding interpretations and implementations of law that appealed to all the adversaries. His numerous community and professional involvements have been demonstrated through membership in the Virgin Islands Bar Association; Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; American Law Institute; American Judges' Association; American Bar Association; National Bar Association, and the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission. His wise acumen was sought as or contributed to, the Task Force Member of the Criminal Code Revision Project; Committee on Model Criminal Jury Instructions, Third Court of Appeals; Supervisory Board of Juvenile Justice & Prevention of Delinquency Committee; the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands; and Board of Directors of Boy's Club, St. Croix Division. At the recent unveiling of his official District Court Judge portrait, he showed a profound sensitivity when he thanked all that had gathered. Judge Finch has one son and two daughters. Through marriage, an additional son and daughter. The Virgin Islands and its people have been privileged to witness the passing of one that touched many, thereby making the world a better place.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to talk about something everyone, Republicans and Democrats, cares about: paying for health care reform. There is so much evidence that prevention at the individual and community levels will produce hundreds of billions of dollars of savings. Trust for America's Health has shown, based on existing community prevention programs, that we could get a return of 5.6 to 6.2 times on every dollar spent. Private industry has also shown a similar savings in less than 10 years. Another report will show that we would save $652 billion over 10 years by getting healthier individuals to Medicare and by reducing advancing disease when they enter the system. This kind of prevention is in the bill. The CBO will score prevention if we give them reliable data, and that would make the true cost of this bill much less than $1 trillion. So let's cover the Territories and not cut important programs out of the bill. Let's score prevention, and let's pass a bill that honors health care as a right and that reestablishes the United States as the leader we ought to be.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, we Democrats have been explaining the health care bill, but our colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem not to have heard. The truth about our bill is that it does not create a government-run health care system. Instead, there is one public plan. Individuals and families can keep the plan they have, or they are free to choose--free to choose--the public plan or one of the private plans in the exchange. As a doctor, I support the bill, and I want it passed out of Energy and Commerce this week because it gives family doctors like me the support we need to spend time listening to our patients and managing their care. It actually removes the barriers between doctors and their patients. For those in this country who have never had full access to quality and comprehensive care, we welcome the bill, even though we know it will cost a lot to begin to close the health care gaps that our dysfunctional system has created. We cannot afford not to do it. Lives are at stake. There are enough savings in this bill from prevention to help pay for it. To everyone who is holding this bill hostage, please get out of the way and let us pass H.R. 3200 so that everyone in this country can have the health care they deserve and they need.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge. Thank you for yielding. Thank you for being so steadfast in anchoring this special order every Monday night. I know many times I have wanted to join you and have not been able to be here and to support you in it, but you have managed to keep it going and to provide good information on many, many topics to the people who are listening across America. I also want to thank you for your very clear explanation of what the public plan really is. We've heard a lot of misinformation about that public plan, as Congresswoman Fudge says, one of many plans that will be in the exchange that will offer choice. And it is not a single- payer, it's nothing like the Canadian plan--not to disparage the Canadian plan; I think they have a good system--but ours will not be that. It will be an exchange where you, the American public, will have choices and can choose a public plan or a private plan. So thank you for making that clear. And as we meet, Mr. Speaker, the Democratic Caucus is probably finishing up downstairs discussing the health care reform, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, going through it section by section; and there is nothing about abortion in it. There have been many complaints about the bill, and some of them are rather weak and just plain wrong. Some people complain that they don't know what's in the 1,000-page bill. Well, the basic outline of that bill has been available for almost 4 weeks now, and the bill itself for over a week. I think that has given enough time for everyone and their staff to have the opportunity to read the bill if they wanted to. And as important as that bill is, I hope everyone has taken the time to read it. Other complaints are of regional disparities in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. They've been a big issue for us. It's one that may now be solved satisfactorily--at least on the regional level--and poor and minority communities, which have also had historically disparate and low reimbursement rates, will also see that fixed in H.R. 3200. But no one has more of a disparity than the people that I represent and those in the other territories who are not getting equal treatment in Medicare or Medicaid and who, as of now, are not even in the insurance exchange. And yet, despite all of that, because of the overall good this bill will do for us in the territories and our fellow Americans, I fully support this bill. I want to also address some of the myths that are out there. No bill is perfect. Especially not one that has to do as much as this will have to do to fix the longstanding systemic malfunctioning of our health care system. But what we have produced after many meetings, many preliminary hearings, followed up by a week of daylong hearings where over 50 people and organizations testified, it's a good bill. And we can get it out of the Energy and Commerce Committee this week. If we can do that, we're not going to bring it to the floor and keep everyone in here, but we would like to get it through this week so that when we go home, we'll have time to read the final product, discuss it with our constituents at home, and come back prepared to pass it when we return in September. But I firmly believe that we have to keep moving forward. If we don't, it won't be a President Obama loss or Speaker Pelosi loss or even a Democratic Party or Caucus loss. It will be a serious loss of the American people, especially to the more than 46 million who are uninsured and the millions more who are underinsured or intermittently insured. As well, it will be a loss to the poor, rural, and minority communities in our country. Too many of the under- and uninsured are people of color, so this is an important issue for the Congressional Black Caucus. That's why we've devoted four or more of our special order times here on the floor of the House to this issue and to urging support and passage of the health care reform bill in the House. It's why we met with Speaker Pelosi last week, why we're going to sit down with the President, and why we've written or discussed our concerns with chairmen and ranking members of the relevant committees in the House and the Senate. In many of our efforts, we are joined with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus as a Tri-caucus in support of this bill. To go back to some of the gross misrepresentations and to explain the real provisions of the bill, let me say that one erroneous criticism that's often heard is that this bill will put Washington bureaucrats in between the patient and the doctor or other health care provider. Nowhere is there anything in this bill that would do that. Yes, your Members of Congress, the Democratic Members of Congress, want to include a public plan. Yes, we want to ensure that every insurance provides a comprehensive, basic package of services, that they must accept you for coverage, that they do not exclude you if you have a preexisting disease, that they cannot drop you if you get sick, and cannot put a limit on how much they will pay over a year or over your lifetime. What we in Washington want to do in this bill, and will do when we pass it, is to make sure that there is no obstacle between you and your doctor. And yes, we want everyone to be able to get the important preventive care without having to pay for it. We want you to be the healthiest you can be. And again, we are taking down important barriers that stand in the way of your getting the health care you need. Preventive care, such as mammography, colonoscopy, immunizations, and others, will cost you nothing. And we insist that if you have insurance or a provider you like, as Congresswoman Fudge said, you can stay with those, you can keep that provider and that insurance carrier. We do not put government between you and your doctor. Many of you either have or work for a small business. You are the target of much of the fear-mongering that is out there. Rather than raise taxes on small businesses, as the opponents of your getting your health care would have you believe, this bill makes it easier for small businesses to provide or continue to provide insurance because of the exchange, because of the public plan and the tax credit that they will get if they provide insurance for their workers. And smaller businesses which aren't able to pay high salaries or have less employees will be exempted from having to provide that insurance, but their employees will have access to the exchange and be able to have their insurance premiums subsidized so that it won't take a big chunk out of your already stretched salary. Some of you, like many in my district who are Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries, have difficulty finding a doctor or provider who will give you the services that you need. Some of you live in communities which don't have a hospital and have to travel many miles to one because the one that was there was not able to keep its doors open because of low reimbursement rates in your community. The House health care reform bill, H.R. 3200, will increase reimbursements. Many of our congressional districts lose over $100 million every year in uncompensated care, and that compromises the ability to get the quality of care you need and deserve. First of all, with this bill, your local hospital will be able to survive, maybe even return, because when it is passed, they will be paid for every patient that they take care of. Secondly, Medicare will pay more, especially to primary care providers and those providers who come together to make sure that your care is better managed and more complete in groups called accountability care organizations or medical homes. And if the community you live in can demonstrate that they not only provide good care but improve your health, the reimbursement will also be increased. So this legislation that we want to see passed will not only increase payment to help make sure the providers you need are there in your communities, but those providers will be supported and encouraged to take the time needed to listen to you and to coordinate your care to ensure that you will be healthier. This is a real win-win. Those of us who become health care providers choose this life of service to help individuals and communities have a better quality of life and help individuals live long enough and well enough to see and enjoy their grandchildren. The new payment structure and the eliminated copayments for preventive care will help us to do what we went into our professions to do in the first place. And then, as we have always said, for those who have not had the ability to be fully a part or fully utilize the health care system for many reasons, just providing insurance, as important as that is, is not enough. And for African Americans and other people of color who are the most disenfranchised in the current system of health care delivery, the additional services and support are critical if we are ever to close the health gaps that cause us to die prematurely from preventable causes, that causes our life expectancy to be 7 to 8 years shorter than other Americans, and that causes over 86,000 excess deaths that should never have happened every year in this rich country. And so the bill includes a major expansion of community health centers, more National Health Service Corps scholarships to help more of our young people enter the health profession, more loan forgiveness, especially for those who are going to be a primary care provider, the main doctor or nurse practitioner you see to get and manage your health care. There will be funding to help more students better prepare for medicine, for nursing, for pharmacy, allied health and other health professions, and support for institutions that train underrepresented minorities. This is important because, although there is a need for many more primary care providers, it is just as critical that they come from all communities, including communities of color, which make up more than 30 percent of our population. The Congressional Black Caucus has always taken the position also that communities know best what they need, and the way to ensure that when health information and care is provided, it is done in a way that will be understood, accepted, and effective. We have, therefore, been able to have community-based and -driven programs included in the bill. These provisions are patterned after our health empowerment zones, which provide the technical assistance and funding to enable communities to not only meet their specific health care needs with respect to specific diseases, but to also be able to address the social and economic determinants of our health: housing, economic opportunities, safety, the environment, nutrition, and others. Also included are provisions to ensure that data is collected which includes race, ethnicity language, and other socioeconomic factors, and also provisions that provide that language differences would not be a barrier to getting health care. This bill, H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, must pass and must not be allowed to be derailed by any group or industry that does not have our best interests at heart. The basis of the opposition has nothing to do with better health for all of us who live in this country. We recognize, as the gentleman said, this effort is about change, and change is what the people in this country voted for. It is about major change, which is always difficult. But this is change that must happen, and it must happen now. Sure, there will be losses to some in the interest of providing more to everyone to ensure that the benefits of this country will be more fairly shared; that is a basic tenet on which this country was founded, and in no place is this more important than in our health. This country has the best and most advanced health care services, expertise, and technology, but because so many are not able to access it, we lag behind the rest of the industrialized world in life expectancy, maternal and infant mortality, and health in general. Closing the insurance gap, as well as the racial and ethnic minority gaps, will make this country the true leader in health that we ought to be. So my plea to those who are listening outside of the beltway is do not let the misinformation and the self-serving propaganda steer you wrong and away from supporting this important legislation that many of the best minds in this country have guided to ensure that your right to health care will be protected and delivered. This bill is important to the African American community. It is important to the Native American community and all communities of color. It is important to rural areas, And it is important to every American. With your help and support, it can also provide more equity to your fellow Americans in the U.S. territories. Passing H.R. 3200 is important to all of us, our families, and our communities. We cannot lose this great opportunity that President Barack Obama has worked so hard to bring this far. As he has said to us, it is not if we can afford this bill or if we can afford health care reform, the real issue is we cannot afford not to do it. Covering everyone, providing increased access to preventive care and disease management, will surely reduce health care spending because prevention saves. But most importantly, it will improve and save lives. So I join my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues in saying, let's pass this bill. Let's get it out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Let's give the American public a bill before we leave for our recess, and then let's come back in September and pass it and provide quality health care to every American. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, we in this body will deliver a health care reform package and fulfill our and the President's promise to America. That makes this a special time to be in the Congress, and it is a great privilege to be a member of one of the main committees that has responsibility for this product. Although there is still a need to improve on some measurements, because of the public plan and exchange, the improvements in Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP, the mandates for coverage, a robust benefits package, accountability care organizations and medical homes, and the provisions already included to reduce health disparities, our Nation will be a fairer and more just country and we will not only save money, but we will be a more productive and competitive nation as well. We must not let the cost today stand in the way of our destined and future greatness. A significant investment in health care will reap savings in the not-too-distant future. Let's make sure that quality, comprehensive, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health care is available and accessible to every person living in this country, in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and all of the offshore areas or territories. Let's make sure that universal health care is universal health care.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 131) directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the National Motto of ``In God We Trust'' in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous matter on the resolution under consideration.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you for yielding, Congressman Lynch. As a person of Caribbean-American descent, I proudly rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 127 and applaud the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for leading this effort to recognize our joint and very special heritage. The ties between the United States and its close neighbors to the south are ones that go back to the founding of our early colonies, the fight for independence and the founding of this country. George Washington, our first President, visited family in Barbados. As you've heard many times this afternoon, Alexander Hamilton, his aide-de-camp, a Revolutionary War hero, chief author of the Federalist Papers and first Secretary of the Treasury, was born in Nevis and raised in St. Croix in my own district. The service and contributions of people from the Caribbean to every facet of life in this country are countless and invaluable, and there is much to celebrate. In a special order on June 15, members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the floor to speak about many of those individuals, and you've heard some this afternoon. But the true test of the homage we pay to the special heritage that we share is what happens going forward, and the step taken with President Obama's attendance and leadership at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad earlier this year bodes well for that future. From the inclusion of the Caribbean countries in PEPFAR to the extension of security initiatives, the forgiveness of Haiti's debt, Congresswoman Lee's proposal for the Shirley Chisholm Educational Exchange program for students in the United States and the Caribbean, and many other initiatives, the Congressional Black Caucus has actively fostered the relationship to the benefit of both the region and our country. It is fitting that this body recognizes the special heritage we, the people of the Caribbean and the people of the United States, share and the contributions of each to the other. Again, I thank Chairwoman Lee for introducing this resolution and urge its passage.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank my colleague for yielding and for those kind words. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 135 which would have the work of enslaved African Americans in the building of our historic Capitol Building memorialized for this generation and for posterity. And I applaud, thank and honor the lead sponsor, the mentor of all of us, Congressman John Lewis, for this resolution and for his unwavering commitment to justice. The Architect of the Capitol's 2005 report entitled ``History of Slave Laborers in Construction of the United States Capitol'' clearly outlines the contributions of ``the slaves who quarried the stone, cut the timber, and formed and fired the bricks that became our Nation's Temple of Freedom.'' I am sure that there are many who will wonder, Why is this important? Why is it necessary to have a marker placed in the Capitol Visitor Center that acknowledges the work of the un-free in the construction of the Capitol? In response, let me say that it is important because it is part of the American story. It is an integral part of the fabric of our history which runs from its founding on the great ideals of freedom, justice and equality to today, where we have witnessed the toils, tears and prayers of hundreds of years answered in the contributions of the descendants of those enslaved Africans in every endeavor of American life today. And that story, the American story, is an enduring one of redemption. It is a story that points to the unique quality of our Nation and our continuous striving to achieve those ideals of freedom, equality and justice. Mr. Speaker, while some may see irony in the fact that it was hands of the then un-free that forged the structure that has become the temple of freedom for the entire world, we see it as the hand of God pointing, as always, to the lives of the ``least of these'' as precious in His sight. There should be a marker in the Capitol Visitor Center because it is an appropriate way to mark how far this country has come and to show countries around the world that the impossible is indeed possible. The marker needs to be placed to finally give voice to those whose silent witness to the potential greatness of our country was forged in their blood, sweat and tears. I urge my colleagues to vote ``aye'' for this resolution.