John Conyers

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished majority leader, Mr. Steny Hoyer, from Maryland.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise only to advise my colleague that starting at page 51 on our bill, we have so many felonies that are listed that they run for three pages. And I don't have the time to go through them today, but some of them are the ones that the gentleman mentioned.

Mr. CONYERS. I don't see it here.

Mr. CONYERS. The answer is, it is not included in here.

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

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. Colleagues, I wish that I did not have to stand here today; I wish that we did not have to have this debate. However, in reversing decades of precedent and placing new limits on the ability of victims of pay discrimination to pursue their claims, the Supreme Court's May 29 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear makes our debate here today critically necessary to ensuring a better America for all of our citizens. Some on the other side of the aisle have complained that this legislation will dismantle the statute of limitations established by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They maintain that this legislation will allow an employee to sue for pay discrimination resulting from an alleged discriminatory act that might have occurred 5, 10, 20, or even 30 or more years earlier and that under H.R. 2831 a worker or retiree could seek damages against a company run by employees and executives that had nothing to do with the initial act of alleged discrimination that occurred dozens of years ago. These arguments represent nothing more than an attempt to muddy the waters. The reality is that Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act does nothing to disturb the current law's 180-day charge-filing period and employees continue to be subject to these time limits. Instead, the bill merely clarifies the conduct that triggers the running of the 180-day clock. Under the legislation, if an employee wants to challenge discriminatory pay, he or she must file within 180 days of the discriminatory conduct, such as the payment of a discriminatory wage. If the employee waits longer than 180 days after the discriminatory conduct, the 180-day clock will run out and a charge will become untimely. The fact of the matter is that pay discriminatory is often difficult to discover and takes place over many years. Many employers have policies explicitly forbidding employees from talking to one another about their pay. Workplace norms also discourage employees from asking each other about their pay. Additionally, discriminatory pay tends to have a cumulative effect--what may seem like a minor discrepancy at first builds up over time. By the time the discrimination is noticed, it would be too late to file a charge under the Supreme Court's ruling. These facts were undoubtedly the reason why a jury of her peers originally awarded Lilly Ledbetter more than $3.5 million; finding ``more likely than not'' that sex discrimination during her 19-year career led to her being paid substantially less than her male counterparts. By passing this legislation here today, Congress will be heeding Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's call to stand up and ensure that no American's income should be determined by race, sex, creed, color, or sexuality.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, as it celebrates 50 years of promoting non-violent action as a means to achieve social, economic, and political justice. The opportunity to serve as the first African-American Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is a tribute to the efforts of the SCLC to promote equal opportunity and equal justice. Without the courage and sacrifice of members of the SCLC, namely its first President, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and those Presidents that followed--Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, and Martin Luther King III, we simply would not be where we are today. And while we have much work to do, we are living the legacy of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference everyday. This August will be the 50th anniversary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The SCLC traces its roots to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, which began with the quiet yet courageous efforts of one woman: Rosa Parks. I had the privilege of working with Rosa Parks for over 20 years when she agreed to join my staff after I was elected to Congress in 1964. The Montgomery Bus Boycott brought together two local ministers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ralph Abernathy, who established the Montgomery Improvement Association to lead the boycott efforts. As the movement to desegregate public transportation spread beyond Montgomery County into surrounding States, it was clear that the organization needed to expand, both in size and in scope. Following the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a group of 60 organizers from 10 States met in Atlanta, Georgia to plan the next steps. The result was the founding of the Southern Leadership Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration. The organization's title was shortened to its current name, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during its first convention, held in Montgomery in August 1957. Next week, the SCLC will be hosting its 49th annual convention in Atlanta, GA. Leading the efforts of the SCLC to end segregation was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man I am honored to have been able to call a friend and confidant. In fact, it was Dr. King that endorsed me for Congress when I first ran and was elected to serve in 1964. Significantly, Dr. King personally awarded me with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Award in 1967. Having walked alongside Dr. King, a fearless leader who challenged continued racial segregation and believed that ``oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever,'' I am committed to continuing the legacy of Dr. King and the SCLC. Under the helm of President Joseph Lowery for much of its existence-- from 1977 until 1997, the SCLC advanced Dr. King's dream for an America--a society united behind the banner of equality and freedom. Today, the SCLC remains strong under the leadership of Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., promoting a number of programs in the areas of economic empowerment, health advocacy, education, and criminal justice. The SCLC has also established the Martin Luther King, Jr., Conflict Resolution Center, an international initiative to promote Dr. King's principle of nonviolence as a means to resolving conflicts throughout the world. We've come a long ways over the last 50 years, and the work of the SCLC continues to be of critical importance. It is to the credit of Dr. King and other leaders of the SCLC that today the torch of the civil rights movement is carried by many hands. One of those hands is Dr. King's son, Martin III, who headed the SCLC from 1997 until 2003 and remains committed to the organization's vision. So following the lead of Martin III, Joseph Lowery, Ralph Abernathy, and of course Dr. King, let us continue the work and legacy of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on its 50th anniversary.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2419, the Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007. The House Agriculture Committee has produced a comprehensive farm bill that represents true reform. Not only is the focus on getting vital benefits to family farmers and investing in America's producers; but it aims at stimulating rural economies, and securing renewable energy resources. Chairman Peterson has constructed an outstanding House Farm bill of which my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can be proud. H.R. 2419 protects family farmers and agriculture in America in a fiscally responsible way, and provides the freedom and the support that farmers need to compete and succeed at the business they know best--providing food, fiber and fuel for all Americans. Furthermore, the 2007 Farm Bill addresses many of my grave concerns about improved access to socially disadvantaged, and more specifically black farmers by providing Mandatory funding of the 2501 Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Outreach Program. Allowing deserving claimants in Pigford v. Glickman an opportunity to have their cases heard with a fund created to redress civil rights abuses against Black Farmers is an important step to providing justice to these families. This bill further makes major and timely reforms to the nutrition title, especially the Food Stamp program which increases and indexes benefits for the 26 million Americans that participate in this program each month. The House Agriculture Committee has also taken into consideration the need for expanding senior farmer markets and school snack programs, so that our elderly and youth have access to the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables to lead healthier lives. Mr. Chairman, I encourage passage of H.R. 2419 that will both extend and reform our nation's farm and nutrition programs into 2012. It is a well balanced approach to maintaining the gains we have made in prior legislation, and makes the necessary improvements to lead us into the future.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of ``H.R. 1 Implementing the 911 Commission Recommendations Conference Report.'' This report provides an opportunity to enhance the security and protection of our citizens and strengthens our homeland security policy. ``Six years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and three years after the bipartisan and independent 9/11 Commission delivered to the American people a roadmap for security that the Republican Congress had failed to pass into law, the Democratic Congress is about to deliver to the President a bill for his signature to make the American people safer. H.R. 1 will now provide a policy that will allow us to address the gaps that were created when the President decided to underfund many Homeland Security programs and initiatives. This legislation, which was developed through bipartisan support, is a proactive step in making our country a safer place to live, work, and play. H.R. 1 makes the Nations security a top priority by significantly increasing the share of State homeland security grants provided on the basis of risk; requiring a significant increase in the number of maritime and air cargo containers scanned for weapons of mass destruction; significantly strengthening the Coopreative Threat reduction Program and creating a new National Bio-Surveillance Integration Center, which would support Federal efforts to rapidly identify and track biological threats. The Bush Administration has repeatedly shown a lack of commitment to improving relations abroad. The report seeks to utilize diplomacy by enhancing the International Arab and Muslim Youth Opportunity Fund and establishing a Middle East Foundation that will promote economic opportunities, education reform, human rights, and democracy in the Middle East. We now have an opportunity to begin to rebuild relations and move in a proactive direction. I am convinced that this bill ensures that we are better prepared to protect our families, our homes, and our Nation against any and all terrorist threats. So, I am honored to support this legislation.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3074, the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill. My colleagues, I think that it is incredibly appropriate that we are here talking about housing today. Forty years ago this week, whole sections of Detroit were engulfed in flames and 43 people died amid 6 days of gunfire, looting and chaos. While there were many reasons for this unrest, one of the biggest was lack of quality, affordable housing; while affordable housing continues to be one of our nation's most pressing problems, H.R. 3074 makes a number of significant strides in improving the status quo. Despite the President's desire to cut Section 8 tenant-based vouchers and possibly force up to 80,000 families and individuals on the street, this appropriation legislation includes an increase in funding of $330 million for tenant- based vouchers and nearly $667 million for projected-based vouchers in order to renew all current Section 8 vouchers, so no one who has a tenant-based voucher will lose it. In addition, included within this amount is $30 million for 4,000 new, targeted vouchers for homeless veterans and for non-elderly people with disabilities. Once again this year the President's budget proposed eliminating the HOPE VI program, the highly successful program that revitalizes distressed and obsolete public housing projects. Instead, by providing $120 million, $21 million over 2007, Congress has ensured that HOPE VI projects will continue to help transform and revitalize communities across the United States. Finally, by allocating $64.5 billion to the Department of Transportation, H.R. 3074 will safeguard the regional needs of our Nation and invest in transit projects for urban areas to help commuters save time and money getting to work. The bill likewise rejects the President's deep cuts to AMTRAK, protecting our national passenger rail system, and it fully funds the highway and transit guarantees set in the SAFETEA-LU authorization bill. With final passage of this bill today, we in the House of Representatives will be addressing the important challenges of keeping our Nation's transportation system safe and strong, ensuring that every American has adequate shelter, and doing so in a way that strengthens the economy.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this vitally important appropriations bill that addresses a wide range of our nation's critical needs. H.R. 3093, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 provides local communities with the help they need to keep our streets safe; makes significant increases into scientific research to keep our Nation's economic preeminence in the world; and bans civil rights and privatization abuses furthered by the Bush administration. Last year, the FBI reported that violent crime had its biggest increase in over a decade. Under Republican control from 2001 to 2006, funding for state and local law enforcement grants was cut from $4.4 billion to $2.5 billion--a 43 percent decrease. This bill reverses those trends, making major investments into restoring state and local law enforcements grants. It appropriates $725 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (the COPS program)--$693 million over the President's request and $183 million above 2007--to support local law enforcement agencies, including $100 million for the ``COPS on the Beat'' hiring program, not funded since 2005. The Congressional Research Service estimates that 2,800 new police officers can be put on America's streets with these funds. The President's budget would have cut these grants by 94 percent. H.R. 3093 also funds the Office on Violence Against Women at $430 million, $60 million above the President's request and $48 million above 2007, to reduce violence against women, and to strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It provides $1.3 billion for the Office of Justice Programs for grants to state and local organizations to fund activities like crime prevention, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, Drug Courts and Byrne Grants. It also appropriates $400 million for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for state and local grants to address the problems surrounding juvenile offenders, including $100 million for a competitive youth mentoring grants program. To keep our Nation's economic preeminence in the world we need to stay on the cutting edge of science and technology. To that end, H.R. 3093 makes significant investments in scientific research at the country's top agencies devoted to science. It provides $28 billion, $2 billion above 2007 and $1 billion above the President's request, for science and science education as part of the Innovation Agenda to keep America competitive in the global market. The bill also tackles the enormous challenge of global climate change, with $1.86 billion for research and development projects to study what is happening, what could happen, and what we can do about it. The bill also funds other essential federal programs including the Legal Services Corporation, for civil legal assistance to people who are unable to afford it, allowing an additional 31,000 low-income client cases to be concluded. The program was funded at $400 million in 1995 and has been cut repeatedly since. A 2005 study found that for every eligible person served, another was turned away due to lack of resources. This bill provides $377 million for that program, $28 million above 2007 and $66 million above the President's request. H.R. 3093 also appropriates $333 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to reduce the backlog of pending cases-- projected to increase 70 percent from 2006 to 2008 under the President's request--and requires that all complaint calls be handled by EEOC employees, cancelling the outsourcing of this service. Finally, the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill prohibits administration policies that have infringed on our civil rights and curbs privatization policies that have led to waste, fraud and abuse. H.R. 3093 bars the FBI from authorizing National Security Letters in contravention of the law, a practice that we have examined in the Judiciary Committee. The Justice Department's Inspector General has found multiple instances of FBI abuses and misuses of its authority in issuing these letters. The bill also prohibits the privatization of work performed by employees of the Bureau of Prisons or of Federal Prison Industries, Inc. It also allows federal employees the same appeals rights as contractors after decisions are made on public-private competitions. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support this bill because it gets us back on the right track after six years of misguided cuts whose disastrous effects are now becoming apparent with the FBI's latest crime statistics. This legislation deals literally with life and death issues that need to be given adequate resources. H.R. 3093 will put more police on our streets, aid crime victims, help juvenile offenders get their lives back on track, and provide critical legal services to those who can't afford it. It also makes vitally important investments in our Nation's economic future by encouraging scientific research. Finally, it protects us from government and contractor abuses. The New Direction Congress is once again working to align the priorities of the Federal Government with the needs of the American people.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Chairman, the problem of animal fighting has been in the news a lot lately, with the recent indictment of quarterback Michael Vick, who is alleged to have been involved in a major dogfighting ring. As we are debating the bill that provides funding for the Department of Justice, I wanted to express my hope that the Department will devote the needed resources to bring an end to this vicious so-called ``sport.'' It's cruel and barbaric, and often associated with other crimes. I commend the Department for its ongoing work to determine the truth of the allegations in the Vick case, and urge that it continues to expand its efforts to crack down on animal fighting across the country. I also wanted to note that the DOJ's Safe Streets Task Force could play a key role in increasing law enforcement action against dogfighting. Sadly, animal fighting occurs in all corners of our country, impacting hundreds of thousands of animals every year, and also our communities. Indeed, it is estimated that there are more than 40,000 professional dogfighters nationwide and 10 underground dogfighting magazines. Cockfighting is also a multi-million dollar nationwide industry. I'm pleased that this Congress took action against animal fighting earlier this year when we passed the Federal Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act and established felony penalties for these crimes. That measure will provide an important additional tool for law enforcement to combat dogfighting and cockfighting enterprises. To make this new law truly effective, though, we need to encourage the active and ongoing participation of Federal law enforcement. Such participation would bolster protection for our neighborhoods in addition to assuring the welfare of animals. Animal fighting is often associated with illegal gambling and acts of human violence. The Chicago Police Department recently revealed that over a 3 year time period, two-thirds of 332 people arrested for animal abuse crimes in the city were also involved in drug crimes, according to the Humane Society of the United States. To combat dogfighting and associated crimes, I recommend that the Safe Streets Task Force devote a considerable amount of its attention and funding to the issue of dogfighting.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3043, the Federal Year 2008 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill. By passing this legislation today the House of Representatives is taking a significant step forward toward investing in our Nation's long-term future. This $152 billion investment marks a $10 billion increase over President Bush's 2008 request and a $7 billion increase over the Federal Year 2007 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill. The increases in the appropriation's legislation before us today, will translate into more help for those in need of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, more affordable higher education, and health care for the uninsured. Home heating costs have skyrocketed over the last few years. Many people are finding themselves unable to keep up. We in Congress believe that no American should be forced to choose between whether to eat or heat your home. This is why we are increasing Low-Income Home Energy Assistance to $501 million in 2008, an increase that will ensure 1.3 million families are not left out in the cold this winter. We have also used this appropriation to demonstrate the Democratic Party's commitment to reining in the sharp rise in college costs that continue to be a barrier to so many students. By increasing the Pell Grant from $4,050 to $4,700, an increase which will benefit more than 5.5 million low- and middle-income students, we have taken another major step in the 110th Congress toward making higher education more accessible. Finally, it is a disgrace that there are 46.6 million Americans without health insurance; in this year's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill we have taken major steps to expand access to health care for the uninsured. For example, the bill provides a $200 million increase in funds allocated to community health center initiatives--enabling these centers to serve an additional 1 million uninsured Americans. Furthermore, the bill provides $75 million for a new initiative to state health access grants--providing start-up grants to states that are ready with plans to expand health care coverage to targeted groups. Finally, H.R. 304 also includes $50 million for an initiative to assist states in providing high-risk insurance pools to support affordable insurance for almost 200,000 people who are medically high-risk. This is finally a Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill with the right priorities, one that puts working Americans first.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of the life of David Ray Ritcheson. I met David when he testified last April before the Judiciary Committee at a legislative hearing on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He had the courage to come forward and testify about the need for that legislation and the impact of hate crimes on communities and families. He spoke from the heart and from experience. David survived a horrific attack last year that required him to endure countless operations to restore his appearance and body. He was the voice for all who could not speak and did an admirable job. I believe that his story served as a I inspiration that led the House to pass the Hate Crime Prevention Act on May 3 of this year. It is a tragedy that David will not see the fruit of his labor. The psychological wounds from the crimes inflicted upon him finally caused David to take his life on July 1, 2007. I hope that this resolution will convey to his family and community the heartfelt condolences of this House. It is also my hope that the brutal attack that he survived will not define his life. David Ritcheson should be remembered in his community as a friend, a classmate, a football player and a son. House Resolution 535 is a fitting tribute to David Ray Ritcheson. It honors David as someone unafraid to stand and speak for the victims of hate crimes, so that we could act to protect other communities in the future. He will be remembered and missed. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this well-deserved resolution.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 980, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007. This vital legislation will provide police officers, firefighters, and other public safety officers with basic collective bargaining rights, without undermining state authority or existing state laws--providing modest minimum standards to be included in state laws. Sadly, some members of this body object to H.R. 980 on the grounds that it supposedly ``tramples on state's rights.'' This could not be further from the truth. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act only requires that states and localities have a bargaining process, it does not mandate binding arbitration, it does not allow strikes, and local employers still retain the final say in all budgetary decisions. Furthermore, most states and localities already meet or exceed the bill's minimum requirement of having a process in place that allows police, firefighters and others sit down and talk about their jobs with their employers. For these reasons, it seems to me that the state's rights objections raised by the bill's opponents do not stand up under scrutiny. Congress has long recognized the benefits of a cooperative working relationship between labor and management. Over the years we have extended collective bargaining rights to letter carriers, postal clerks, public transit employees, and even Congressional employees. It is long past time that we allow public safety employees the basic right to bargain collectively and raise workplace and public safety issues with their employers and in passing H.R. 980 today we will correct this wrong.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Chairman, I rise not to oppose this legislation but to raise a very serious concern about a provision in the bill to mandate that the National Institutes of Health, NIH, change its public access policy for journal articles. Under this provision, the current, voluntary program to provide journal articles to NIH will now become a federally mandated requirement that private and nonprofit sector copyright owners provide their materials for posting--free-of-charge-- by NIH on its publicly available websites. I sympathize with the laudable goal of widely disseminating the results of publicly-funded research that comprises some of the information contained in these journals. And I am pleased to note that the bill does contain language stating ``that the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.'' I trust that this provision will mean that the agency must cooperate with journal owners and authors to assure that their rights are fully protected and that they receive just compensation for this use of their works. However, I believe this new mandate will have unintended and negative consequences and will set worrisome precedents that may in the future actually diminish the amount of scientific, technical and medical information available to the public. By severely restricting the scope of protection for a critical class of copyrighted works, this provision could ultimately reduce incentives for publishers to continue to make substantial investments in conducting peer review of research prior to publication. Finally, this provision could send a mixed message to our trading partners about the importance of intellectual property rights, IPR, to our economy. Such a message may make it difficult to advocate strong IPR protection and enforcement abroad, including the U.S. government's efforts to spread respect for IPR abroad and slow the trend in compulsory licensing of pharmaceutical patents by other nations. Because this provision contains significant implications for IPR, the Committee on the Judiciary should have been given an opportunity to hold a hearing to further explore the complex issues involved.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support for the continuation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Since 1997, this program has served as a safety net for our Nation's low-income uninsured children. Today, the number of uninsured low- income children participating in SCHIP has fallen by more than one- third. The number of minority children that participate in the program has decreased even more drastically. In 2006, 6.7 million of America's children received health care benefits through SCHIP; of these, 6.2 million came from families whose income was less than $33,200 a year for a family of three. SCHIP working in conjunction with Medicaid through State programs provides necessary preventive, primary and acute health care services for the lowest income children and those with disabilities. Overall, these programs service more than 30 million children. Children living in both rural and urban areas benefit from the SCHIP program. In rural areas, one in three children is covered either through SCHIP or Medicaid. In spite of this statistic, 17 percent of the children living in these areas remain uninsured. In urban areas one in four children has healthcare coverage through SCHIP or Medicaid, but 19 percent continue to be uninsured. SCHIP also helps to reduce the number of uninsured minority children. The percentage of low-income African-American and Hispanic children without insurance decreased between 1996 and 2005 because of this program. Prior to SCHIP's enactment, approximately 30 percent of Latino children, 20 percent of African-American children, and 18 percent of Asian-American and Pacific Islander children were uninsured. By 2004, those numbers had dropped to 21 percent, 12 percent, and 8 percent respectively. Mr. Speaker, let's not undermine the purpose of the SCHIP program. We have a responsibility to our children to provide them with one of the most basic needs in our society, equal access to health care. Let us not ignore the great strides that SCHIP has made in reducing the number of uninsured children. Reauthorize the SCHIP program and keep our children insured.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, which will cut excess subsidies paid by the federal government to lenders in the student loan industry and reinvest those funds to allow for the single largest investment in higher education since the GI bill, at no new cost to taxpayers. Over the last few decades, the cost of a postsecondary education in our country has more than doubled for graduates with student loans, from $9,250 to $19,200--a 108 percent increase (58 percent after accounting for inflation). As the richest nation in the world, we have a moral obligation to eliminate the barriers this de facto economic segregation erects. No child should be forced to forgo the dream of a college education due to fear of debt, and no child should have that potential debt dictate their future career choice. The College Cost Reduction Act will provide us with a real chance, a $15.1 billion chance, to roll back the spiraling cost of higher education in this country. By cutting interest rates in half on subsidized student loans and increasing the maximum Pell Grant scholarship, this act makes College more affordable and moves more Americans into the middle class. Passing H.R. 2669 will also provide upfront tuition assistance to students committed to teaching at public schools in high-poverty communities or high-need subject areas. Furthermore, this legislation provides loan forgiveness to encourage students who choose to pursue careers as public servants. By enacting these provisions, we will be allowing students to become a nurse, public defender, prosecutor or firefighter free from the restraints of debt. Finally, the College Cost Reduction Act Congress will be making a landmark, $500 million investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribally-Controlled, Native or Predominately Black Institutions, ensuring that students can not only enter college, but count on continued support through graduation. In the first 50 legislative hours of the 110th Congress, the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives took up and passed H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act, which cut the interest rates in half on certain subsidized student loans over the next five years. In passing that legislation, we kept our promise of making college more affordable and accessible. Today, with H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act, we build on this effort and once again prove that the 110th Congress is on the job and fighting for a better America.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, while our national crime rates have fallen over the last decade, we have seen an unprecedented explosion in our prison and jail populations. Over two million prisoners are now held in Federal and State prisons and local jails. Each year, approximately 650,000 people return to their communities following a prison or jail sentence, resulting in more than 6.7 million Americans under some form of criminal justice supervision. In large part, these people are casualties in our war against drugs. The weight of the drive to incarcerate has fallen disproportionately on the African-American community. Although drug use and sale cuts across racial and socioeconomic lines, law enforcement strategies have targeted street-level drug dealers and users from low-income, predominately minority, urban areas. As a result, the arrest rates per 100,000 for drug offenses are 6 times higher for blacks than for whites. The rate of imprisonment for black men is more than eight-times that of white men; and over the last 10 years, the incarceration rate of black men has increased at 10 times that of white men. This disproportionate rate of incarceration has created havoc in our communities. One of the most significant costs of these policies is the impact on children, the weakened ties among family members. According to the 2001 national data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3,500,000 parents were supervised by the correctional system. Prior to incarceration, 64 percent of female prisoners and 44 percent of male prisoners in State facilities lived with their children. Obviously, the long-term generational effects of a social structure in which imprisonment is the norm and law-abiding role models are absent are difficult to measure, but undoubtedly exist. The social and criminal justice policy decisions generated by the drug war have also resulted in massive collateral damage negatively limiting critically important access to housing, employment, public benefits, education, and political participation. A vast infrastructure of barriers, often legislatively mandated, combine to erect seemingly insurmountable roadblocks at every turn, creating a host of proscriptions blanketed under a ``one shoe fits all'' regime. For example, in some States, it is impossible for an ex- felon to get a barber's license, an extreme prohibition when cutting hair is a skill that can be acquired in prison. There is a pressing need to provide the more than 650,000 men and women who re-enter our communities from prison each year with the education and training necessary to obtain and hold onto steady jobs, undergo drug treatment, and get medical and mental health services. For that very reason, I have been active in supporting and introducing re- entry legislation for well over a decade. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I was pleased to join my colleague Danny Davis in this Congress in supporting the Second Chance Act. The Committee passed this legislation on March 28th and we await action on the floor. This bipartisan legislation is a critical step in expanding the foundation for comprehensive re-entry programs at the Federal, State and local level. The bill focuses on development and support of programs that provide alternatives to incarceration, expand the availability of substance abuse treatment, strengthen families and expand comprehensive re-entry services. The bill is a product of multi-year bipartisan negotiations and enjoys support from across the political spectrum. The statistics underlying the needs of our prison population are staggering. As detailed by many researchers, these deficiencies include limited education, few job skills or experience, substance and alcohol dependency, and other health problems, including mental health. Evidence from the Department of Justice indicates that the needs of the prison population are not being met under the current system. If we allow them to return to communities with few economic opportunities, where their family and friends are often involved in crime and substance abuse, we can only expect to extend the cycle of recidivism. For example, 57 percent of federal and 70 percent of State inmates used drugs regularly before prison, with some estimates of involvement with drugs or alcohol around the time of the offense as high as 84 percent. Further, over one-third of all jail inmates have some physical or mental disability and 25 percent of jail inmates have been treated at some time for a mental or emotional problem. In the face of these statistics, I believe that we can be cautiously optimistic in the support of re-entry programming through the Second Chance Act. Researchers at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy have determined that programs employing ``best practices'' have yielded up to 20 percent declines in re-arrest rates. Spread across the thousands of arrests each year, these practices could yield a significant decline in recidivism, with a commensurate reduction in community and victim costs. Family-centered programs are one of the hallmarks of this legislation. Family-based treatment programs, for example, have proven results for serving the special population of female offenders and substance abusers with children. An evaluation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of family-based treatment for substance abusing mothers and children found that at six months post treatment, 60 percent of the mothers remain alcohol and drug free, and drug related offenses declined from 28 to 7 percent. As we move toward passage of the bill, I hope that we are not caught in the trap of attempting to solve this problem on the cheap or over- reacting to misinformation. In past Congresses, there have been objections to the cost of this bill and past re-entry initiatives. I must point out that Section 101, the demonstration projects at the heart of the legislation, works out to less that $200 for each of the more than 650,000 people released into the community each year. Moreover, there are no perks--Blackberries or cosmetic surgery--for ex- offenders. This bill is a truly modest measure when balanced against the more than $60 billion each year spent on incarceration. If we are going to continue to send more and more people to prison with longer and longer sentences, we should do as much as we reasonably can to assure that when they do return they don't go back to prison due to new crimes. The primary reason for doing so is not to benefit offenders, although it does--the primary reason for doing so is because it better assures that all of us and other members of the public will not be victims of crime due to recidivism.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Chairman, I regret that I will be unable to vote ``yes'' tonight for passage of H.R. 1851. I was scheduled to be in Detroit in order to receive the NAACP's most prestigious award, the ``Spingarn award.'' I applaud the vision, courage and compassion of Representative Maxine Waters for introducing the ``Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007, H.R. 1851.'' I strongly support the legislation, because it expands Section 8 vouchers for working families in America who are in desperate need of affordable housing by creating 20,000 incremental Section 8 vouchers in each of the next 5 years for a total of 100,000 new vouchers. In a nation where affordable housing is scarce, and family homeless shelters continue to be built across the nation, passage of H.R. 1851 is a vitally important step in having the Federal Government take the lead in expanding affordable housing for deserving families and children in America. There are approximately 16,000 individuals and families who are currently on the Detroit Public Housing Waiting List. H.R. 1851 will help reduce the affordable housing crisis in Detroit, by increasing the availability of housing units through the expansion of Section 8 housing. It clearly does not make sense, nor is it fair, to have apartments available for rent in Detroit, but not enough citizens to move into them, only because there have not been a sufficient supply of Section 8 vouchers in the past. H.R. 1851 also changes rent calculation, recertification, and inspection rules for the voucher, public housing, and project based Section 8 programs, to reduce costs and compliance burdens for public housing agencies, landlords, and families. These changes are made while maintaining rules that target scarce resources to those families most in need and while maintaining rent calculation rules that ensure rents are affordable. This will mean that Section 8 apartments will now become more affordable due to changes in rent calculation formulas mandated in H.R. 1851. H.R. 1851 also permits public housing agencies across this country to allow families in need of affordable housing to use a Section 8 housing voucher as a down payment on a first time home purchase. Passage of this legislation means scores of working families in Detroit, many who have saved and sacrificed the entire lives to buy a home, will be now able to do so. The ``Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007, H.R. 1851.'' Is a critically important piece of legislation because it reforms HUD Section 8 guidelines to ensure that the approximately $1.4 billion in unused Section 8 funds will now be spent. This legislation mandates reforms in the Section 8 program that will eliminate inefficiencies, streamline paper work, and provide more incentives for public housing agencies to assist more families who qualify for Section 8 housing. Having an additional $1.4 billion dollars to be used for Section 8 housing vouchers means that there will be a substantial increase in families in Detroit who will live in safe and decent affordable housing. There are too many working families in Detroit, and across this nation, who are living in homeless shelters, expensive inner city hotels, and staying with friends and relatives until they can locate housing. This is a moral outrage. All Americans deserve safe, decent, and affordable permanent housing. Under the leadership of Representative Maxine Waters, passage of H.R. 1851 shows how we as Democrats have always had a historical commitment to expanding affordable housing to working families, and will continue to do so. If we are to be a truly compassionate and moral nation, all individuals and families, regardless of income, race, or employment status must have as a fundamental human and civil right safe, decent, and affordable housing. Passage of H.R. 1851 is a critically important piece of legislation that will move America closer to this goal. Now, 100,000 additional Americans will have the opportunity to either become home owners, or move into an apartment, something that we can all agree on should be one of the highest priorities of this Nation.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of ``H.R. 2956, The Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act,'' and had I been on the floor today, I would have voted ``yes.'' Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to the fact that I was given the high honor of receiving the NAACP Spingarn Award. However, this is an extremely important piece of legislation. One of our greatest responsibilities is the protection of our soldiers. The Democrats are determined to end this war and bring our young men and women back home. H.R. 2956 will now provide such a policy that will allow us to meet our national security interests in Iraq and the broader Middle East region by maintaining a minimal force. The Administration has provided a failed policy and it is time for a new direction. We understand that this transition must be well thought out and handled responsibly; with a view toward an enduring national security interest in the region. This legislation, acknowledges that our military has accomplished the mission they were given in the original 2002 authorization to use force and that Iraq must now take leadership for its own future. For years Democrats have advocated for the responsible redeployment of American forces from Iraq. The relocation and redistribution of our soldiers is long overdue and enough American lives have been sacrificed for a failed policy. Democrats have argued that the Iraqis must take primary accountability for their country and their security. American presence in Iraq must be re-focused away from playing referee in a civil war. We must focus and limit our efforts to military missions such as counter- terrorism, training Iraqi security forces and protecting American personnel at the embassy. The bill requires American forces to begin redeploying within 120 days and to complete the transition to a limited presence by April 1, 2008. The bill also requires a comprehensive strategy by January 1, 2008 for U.S. policy in Iraq, including a discussion of American national security interests in Iraq and the broader region, the specific missions remaining forces would undertake, and minimum force levels required to accomplish them. Finally, it requires the President to submit updates on the use of and need for any forces remaining in Iraq every 90 days starting on July 1, 2008. The President has been given ample time to bring our soldiers home. It is now time for us to act on their behalf. I am committed to the homecoming of our brave men and women who have so valiantly completed their mission. So, I am honored to support this legislation.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 660) to amend title 18, United States Code, to protect judges, prosecutors, witnesses, victims, and their family members, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.