John Conyers

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. House Resolution 1095 recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. On April 11, 1968, days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion or national origin. Twenty years later today, the law was expanded by the Fair Housing Amendments Act to include protections against discrimination based also on sexual orientation, familial status, and disability. Many may not recall Dr. King's advocacy for fair housing, but he recognized the tremendous costs our society pays if patterns of segregated living continues, as it has. While there is no question that the Fair Housing Act has become a powerful tool for advancing civil rights, there is much more to be done. For instance, most Americans still live in communities largely divided by race, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance. An estimated 3.7 million people are discriminated against in housing transactions every single year. This number doesn't even include instances of discrimination against persons with disabilities, nor does it reflect discriminatory lending in insurance practices, planning and zoning, or other forms of profiling. We have so much more to do. Enforcement is a key area where we need further improvement. For example, while 27,000 complaints of housing discrimination were filed with the Federal Government last year, Housing and Urban Development issued 31 charges, and the Justice Department filed 35 cases. Landlords, real estate agents, lenders, insurance agents, and others know they face limited risk of prosecution for discrimination. Even those who are prosecuted often pay such a minor penalty that discrimination today becomes just another cost of doing business. It's no surprise that housing providers continue to discriminate and communities across our Nation sadly remain highly segregated. The most recent manifestation of discrimination in housing is the current sub-prime foreclosure crisis, which presents some of the greatest fair housing and civil rights issues facing our Nation today. Fueled by reverse red-lining practices, the sub-prime foreclosure crisis is now causing extreme havoc for minority owners who were targeted for predatory home loans that stripped away their home equity and put their houses at risk of foreclosure. It's also affected financing markets all over the world. If left unchecked, the foreclosure crisis threatens to wipe out many of the advances the country has made in the 40 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act. To be an effective tool in our fight against discrimination, the Fair Housing Act must be enforced, and we need to augment it with tough anti-predatory lending legislation, which is what I intend to do. We should also enact legislation permitting bankruptcy judges to restructure home mortgages so deserving families can save their homes from foreclosure and, thereby, stem falling housing prices in communities all across our Nation. After centuries of discrimination and denied opportunities, enactment of the Fair Housing Act 40 years ago marked a milestone in our Nation's efforts to achieve equal housing opportunities. And so today, we celebrate the Fair Housing Act's 40th anniversary with, I hope, a renewed commitment to achieving and furthering its goals by supporting this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), the ranking member, for his great work on the matter. And now I recognize the Reverend Al Green of Texas, the author of this idea, for 4 minutes.

Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1095) recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

Mr. CONYERS. I am pleased now to recognize a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, Mel Watt, for as much time as he may consume. And I note that, although the gentleman from Texas is not a minister, we may all agree that he is a good preacher.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased now to recognize the Honorable Maxine Waters of California for as much time as she may consume.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I recognize now the gentlewoman from Oakland, California, a valuable member of the House (Ms. Lee), for such time as she may consume.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Did you say yes or no?

Mr. CONYERS. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren), the chairwoman of the Immigration Subcommittee.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5570) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the sunset in the special immigrant nonminister religious worker visa program, as amended.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam 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.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Members of the House, this week we are honored by a visit from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and are reminded of the good work that people of faith do all around the world. I am pleased to bring before the House at this time the Religious Worker Visa Extension Act of 2008. This measure would reauthorize the Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Program, which also allows non-minister religious workers to obtain special immigrant status in the United States so that they may do the work required of their faith. If we don't act, the program will sunset at the end of September of this year. Non-minister religious workers are people of faith who are called to a vocation or who are in traditional religious occupations with a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States. Examples of those called to a vocation include nuns, monks, and sisters. Examples of those in religious occupations include missionaries, counselors, translators, religious instructors, cantors, and other pastoral care providers. The program provides up to 5,000 special immigrant visas per year that religious denominations or organizations in the United States may use to sponsor foreign nationals to perform religious service here. Once granted, this type of visa allows religious workers to immigrate permanently to the United States. Since it was first enacted in 1990, the program has been extended four times, most recently in 2003. Working with the ranking member of our committee, Lamar Smith, we're making changes in the program for the first time to address potential fraudulent uses of the program. None other than our Immigration Subcommittee Chair, Zoe Lofgren of California, has led the way in fashioning these proposals. First, the bill requires that the Department of Homeland Security issue regulations by December 31 of this year to eliminate or reduce any fraud in the program. Then it extends authorization for only 15 months if the Department of Homeland Security fails to issue those regulations. This would enable Congress to better consider other possible avenues to address possible or potential fraud in the program if that proves necessary. If the department does issue the regulations, the authorization is extended for 6 more years, for a total of a little over 7 years. Finally, the bill requires the Inspector General to report on the effectiveness of the regulations by September 30, 2010. With these significant anti-fraud provisions we have worked together with our Republican colleagues to add, I am confident Congress will be equipped with the information it needs to determine whether further action to prevent fraud in the program is warranted. And if it is, we do not hesitate to take such appropriate action. So I hope that we will receive unanimous support on this bipartisan legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Steve King, ranking member. Am I getting from your remarks that you are implying that Protestants commit more abuse than Catholics in this particular program?

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I recognize now the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren), Chair of Immigration, without whose inordinate leadership we would not have been able to arrive at the accommodations and agreements that is in the bill that is now before us, and I yield to her such time as she may consume.

Mr. CONYERS. I would like now to recognize the distinguished gentlelady from Texas, Sheila Jackson-Lee, who has worked on immigration as long as anyone on our committee, and her industry and cooperation have been very effective in bringing us together this afternoon. And I yield her as much time as she may consume or as much time as I have left, whichever is the longest.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am very happy to yield back my time if the other side has no further speakers.

Mr. CONYERS. Absolutely. Madam Speaker, I return any unused time.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the seven bills the House is considering on suspension today in conjunction with National Public Health Week. This week gives us an opportunity to reflect on the importance of quality public health programs in all of our lives--from effective childhood vaccination programs, to early screening programs for diseases, to ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. These seven bills were all approved unanimously by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and I expect they will get a similar level of support today from the full House. H.R. 1198, The Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EDHI) Act, was introduced by Rep. Lois Capps. Congresswoman Capps is a registered nurse (R.N.) who served for 20 years as a nurse and health advocate for the Santa Barbara School District. I want to commend her for continuing to advocate for the health of young Americans by authoring this legislation. H.R. 1198 will reauthorize this critical Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program, intended to identify and help infants with hearing loss, through FY 2013. It also expands screening and intervention services to include young children. Children who are hard of hearing find it much more difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication. It is estimated that approximately 391,000 school-aged children in the U.S. have unilateral hearing loss, and early detection of hearing problems is critical to developing and implementing effective treatment for these children. When EHDI was first authorized in 1999, only 3 percent of all babies were being screened for hearing loss at birth; today, 93 percent of babies are screened within one month of birth. H.R. 2464, The Wakefield Act (Emergency Medical Services for Children) reauthorizes through FY 2011 and makes improvements in the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, which is designed to improve emergency medical services for children needing trauma or critical care. There are over 30 million child and teen visits annually to our nation's emergency rooms. And yet many emergency services are still designed for adults. Since the EMSC program was created 20 years ago, major improvements in emergency care for children have been realized. Injury-related deaths have dropped by 40 percent over that period of time. H.R. 1237, The Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act, is designed to improve the analysis of tests for cervical cancer by ensuring that health care professionals who read tests for cervical cancer are skilled in today's medical technology. It modernizes the cervical cancer testing program by requiring continuing medical education for pathologists to assess their diagnostic skills and ensure they keep up with the latest practices. The program is modeled after a similar quality standards program for reading mammograms. The American Cancer Society predicted 11,150 women in the U.S. would be diagnosed with cervical cancer last year and 3,670 women would die from the disease. The way to cut down on the number of deaths is to ensure that all cervical cancer tests are read correctly. S. 845, The Keeping Seniors Safe from Falls Act, was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent in August 2007. Nationally, 42 percent of all nursing home admissions take place as a direct result of geriatric falls. Fractures of the hip are relatively common in seniors and often lead to devastating consequences. Disability frequently results from persistent pain and limited physical mobility. Hip fractures are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality; approximately 15- 20% of patients die within one year of fracture. Most hip fractures occur in elderly individuals as a result of minimal trauma, such as a fall from standing height. S. 845 launches a comprehensive preventative care program to reduce the number and severity of falls by the elderly. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement directives to reduce falls, including improving the identification of seniors who have a high risk of falling; supporting education campaigns focused on reducing and preventing falls and educating health professionals about fall risk, assessment and prevention; and conducting research to reduce falls. H.R. 2063, The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act, helps schools deal with food allergies among student populations. Nearly three million American children have food allergies. The danger of a life-threatening reaction from exposure to an allergen can be found beyond obvious places like the lunchroom. This danger also lurks in places where kids--and adults--wouldn't normally expect it, including field trips, school celebrations or special projects like arts and crafts. Last year, the Congress appropriated $491,000 for the CDC to develop guidelines for schools regarding food allergies and anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction involving multiple organs). This bill requires HHS, in consultation with the Department of Education, to develop a policy for schools on appropriate management and emergency plans for children with food allergies and anaphylaxis. The policy would be provided to schools within one year after enactment, and schools could voluntarily implement the policy. The bill also authorizes HHS to award grants to local school districts to help them in implementing the policy. S. 1858, The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent on Dec. 13, 2007. This bill educates parents and health care providers about newborn health screening, improves follow-up care for infants with an illness detected through newborn screening, and helps states expand and improve their newborn screening programs. Incredible advances in medical technology have equipped us to better screen and treat infants for congenital, genetic and metabolic disorders that, if left untreated, could lead to severe disability and death. S. 1858 authorizes funding to help states expand and improve their programs. It also helps to ensure the quality of laboratories involved in newborn screening, so that tests are as accurate as possible and infants receive appropriate care. The House Amendment to S. 793, The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act, was sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell. The House amendment was reported out by the Energy and Commerce Committee on March 13 and is similar to S. 793, which was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent on December 11, 2007. The thousands of brain injury survivors who are returning home from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are joining the 5.3 million similarly afflicted Americans here at home. TBI is now the leading cause of death and disability among young Americans. The legislation would require the CDC to monitor brain injury incidence and create a reporting system to track the condition. It also directs CDC to study treatment techniques and NIH to conduct basic research to improve treatment. The House version renews through FY 1012 the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, which authorizes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to provide state grants for patients with traumatic brain injury to enter treatment and rehabilitation programs. These bills make critical contributions to our nation's public health infrastructure, and I commend the House for considering them. I would like to add, however, that the single most important public health initiative the Congress could take would be to pass national health insurance legislation such as that proposed in my bill, H.R. 676, which was recently endorsed by the American Public Health Association. With a system of truly universal health care, there would no longer be any need to implement the stopgap, patchwork measures that we are so frequently obligated to consider.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 945) raising awareness and promoting education on the criminal justice system by establishing March 2008 as ``National Criminal Justice Month''.

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

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1061) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and encouraging people of the United States to pause and remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for other purposes.

Mr. CONYERS. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1061.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now to yield as much time as he may consume to the one person in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate that knew Martin King, Jr., better than any of us here. He's a distinguished civil rights leader in his own right, but he worked closely with Dr. King and the SCLC and SNCC and other civil rights organizations. I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Georgia, John Lewis, for as much time as he may consume.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and yield back the balance of my time.