Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 6\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), from the 18th District of Texas. She certainly has been one at the forefront of addressing the issues concerning our firefighters.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, we have a limited amount of time, and it is my understanding that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) has agreed to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from the Eighth District of New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), who was the author of the Fire Act that became law during the last session. This was the first comprehensive fire bill ever passed on the part of DOD in the reauthorization. So he has been one of those Members of Congress who has, along with the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), been at the forefront of addressing the concerns and the needs of our firefighters.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, it certainly is a pleasure to be here this afternoon on the first bill of this session. Madam Speaker, last year more than 6.5 million acres of land, more than two times the ten-year national average, burned. Federal manpower resources were spread thin. More than 29,000 people were involved in firefighting efforts, including approximately 2,500 Army soldiers and Marines, and fire managers from Canada, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. In addition, 1,200 fire engines, 240 helicopters and 50 air tankers were in use last season. If nothing else, last year's fire season taught us that we must take steps to recruit and retain more Federal firefighters. H.R. 93 is a step in that direction, and, I might add, a step in the right direction. From the start of the Civil Service Retirement System in 1920 until 1978, all Federal workers were required to retire at age 70 if, at that age, they had completed at least 15 years of service. In 1978, mandatory retirement was repealed for most Federal workers, although it continues to apply to special occupational groups whose duties pertain to public safety. Under current law, Federal law enforcement officers must retire at age 57 or as soon after that age as they complete 20 years of service. The agency head may grant exemptions up to the age 60. Federal firefighters must retire at age 55 or as soon thereafter as they complete 20 years of service. H.R. 93 would raise the mandatory retirement age for firefighters to mirror that of Federal law enforcement officers. It would raise the mandatory retirement age of Federal firefighters to age 57. In June 2000, the Washington Post reported a 5.8 percent reduction in the number of firefighters nationwide. H.R. 93 will help stem the declining firefighter population and will help the Federal Government retain some of its most experienced firefighters. In addition to supporting this legislation, I urge my colleagues to support a bill I introduced in the 106th Congress, and plan to reintroduce this session, that will be of equal benefit to the Federal public safety community. Introduced last session as H.R. 1769, the bill works to eliminate a number of inequities found in the computation of benefits for public safety employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System. It is my hope that the chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), H.R. 93 author, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), and the firefighter and law enforcement communities will work with me to move my legislation through the Congress this session. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the hard work of the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), who worked very diligently with the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) to bring H.R. 93 to the floor. I join my colleagues, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), and ask that this bill be given full support. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that the other side will yield us 35 seconds.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. President, it is in writing and signed by myself on behalf of the many disenfranchised people in the State of Florida, and it is signed along with many of my other colleagues from the House.

Mr. CUMMINGS. No, it is not.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I have an objection.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the family of Julian Dixon, and certainly to his friends and relatives that they certainly have our sympathy. I also want to say to the staff, who I am sure is looking at this right now, that we thank them for all that they have done to uplift his life and uplift ours. In these moments it is really difficult to figure out what to say. But sometimes I think when we are going through grieving moments we have to first of all thank God that he allowed our lives to eclipse with Julian Dixon's. It was quite possible that we could have been on Earth at another time. We could have been on Earth at the same time and never had a chance to meet or never got a chance to know him. I got a chance to know him. We worked on the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation board together. Just a few weeks ago we were working on personnel policies, and he said, ``Cummings, when we start off, I want you to be real clear. We are going to be fair. These policies are going to be things where people can look at them 50 years from now and feel good about them.'' That is the kind of guy that Julian Dixon was. So we thank God for his life. We thank God that he allowed our lives to eclipse with his. This whole experience is a reminder that we are all bound by the reality of our mortality. We really are. So I guess one could sum up his life by that old spiritual that says, ``Peace, like a river, attendeth my way when storm clouds like sea billows roll. Whatever my life, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.'' May God bless.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as the driving force in the formation of the Constitution, James Madison organized the Convention, set the agenda, and worked through obstacles that threatened the process. The notes he took throughout the Convention constitute this country's best and most complete record of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Madison's notes, which comprised a third of the Federalist papers, were published in the 1830s. Accordingly, I urge the approval of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, two resolutions previously passed by the House commemorated the life and achievements of James Madison, one of our Nation's Founding Fathers. The act before us today, S. 3137, provides for a bipartisan and balanced selection of individuals to a commission that will direct the Government Printing Office to compile and publish a book containing important writings of James Madison. In addition, S. 3137 establishes an advisory committee to work with the commission to identify writings to include in a book on James Madison. The advisory committee is also tasked with compiling a list of events celebrating the birth and life of James Madison. The commission will consider the list in recognizing such events as official commission events. In 1776, Madison was a member of the Virginia Constitutional Committee, the body that drafted Virginia's first constitution and a bill of rights which later would welcome a model for the Bill of Rights amending the United States Constitution. When Madison was elected to the United States House of Representatives, he became the primary author of the first 12 proposed amendments to the Constitution. Ten of these, the Bill of Rights, were adopted. At the Constitutional Convention, which opened on May 25th, 1787, Madison set the tone by introducing a document he authored, called The Virginia Plan. The plan called for strong central government consisting of a supreme legislature, executive and judiciary. It provided for a national legislature consisting of two houses: one elected by the people, and the other appointed by the first from a body of nominees submitted by State legislatures. Representation in these bodies would be based on the population of States. It provided for an executive to be elected by the national legislature. The plan also defined a national judiciary and a Council of Revision charged with reviewing the constitutionality of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of our colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall No. 592. I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in support of The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act. During his radio address on February 21st, 1998, President Clinton committed the Nation to an ambitious goal by the year 2010: To eliminate the disparities in six areas of health status experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations while continuing the progress we have made in improving the overall health of the American people. Achieveing the President's vision will require a major national commitment to identify and address the underlying causes of higher levels of disease and disability in racial and ethnic minority communities. Contrary to what some may say, this legislation is not a ``quota'' bill. This legislation that opens the door of fairness and equality for a healthy nation. Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health will require enhanced efforts at preventing disease, promoting health, and delivering appropriate care. This will necessitate improved collection and use of standardized data to correctly identify all high risk populations and monitor the effectiveness of health interventions targeting these groups. Research dedicated to a better understanding of the relationships between health status and different racial and ethnic minority backgrounds will help us acquire new insights into eliminating the disparities and developing new ways to apply our existing knowledge toward this goal. Improving access to quality health care and the delivery of preventive and treatment services will require working more closely with communities to identify culturally-sensitive implementation strategies. At my request, the Committee on Government Reform held a Congressional hearing entitled, ``Ethnic Minority Disparities in Cancer Treatment: Why the Unequal Burden?'' The hearing gave us the opportunity to engage in a more exhaustive investigation of the disparity issue as it related to ``conventional'' treatments for cancer. I requested this hearing in response to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in October 1999, which reported that African American patients with early stage lung cancer are less likely than whites to undergo life-saving surgery, and as a result are more likely to die of their disease. The treatment disparities revealed in the study were of great concern to me, particularly when considered along with other data regarding cancer incidence and mortality rates among minorities as compared to the majority population. In fact, disturbingly: The incidence rate for lung cancer in African American and Native Hawaiian men is higher than in white men; Hispanics suffer elevated rates of cervical and liver cancer; and Alaskan Native and African American women have the first and second highest all-cancer and lung cancer mortality rates among females; Cancer has also surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death for Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese populations; Further, while surgery is the treatment option for lung cancer in its early stages, only 64 percent of African Americans had surgery at this stage, as compared to 76.7 percent of white Americans; and Paralleling recommended treatment options, cancer death rates among African Americans are about 35 percent higher than that for whites, and in my district of Baltimore City, 251 African Americans per every 100,000 die of cancer as compared to 194 of whites. Our Nation is in a ``race for the cure.'' However, we must be mindful that this race for a healthy America must be run by and for all Americans. The entry into this contest should not be dependent on your race, but must be based on your humanity. And winning the race for a quality, healthy life must be a victory for every citizen, no matter their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. As we move closer to crossing that victory line, we must all work toward a meaningful improvement in the lives of minorities who now suffer disproportionately from the burden of disease and disability. I will remain committed to the bioethical principles of justice and fairness which call for one standard of health in this country for all Americans, not an acceptable level of disease for minorities and another for the majority population.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is critical that the Federal Government be able to recruit and retain the best and brightest in the field of medicine. I thus commend the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for having the foresight to introduce H.R. 207 to address an inequity. The government cannot pay civil service physicians on the same scale as physicians employed in hospitals, HMOs, and universities. The Physicians Comparability Act enacted by Congress in 1978 provides Federal physicians with additional compensation to offset their lower pay and to ensure that the government can recruit and retain well- qualified physicians. H.R. 207 would permanently extend authority for the Physicians Comparability Allowance to eliminate the need to reauthorize the legislation every 3 years. H.R. 207 would also amend title 5 to authorize the PCA to be included as part of basic pay for retirement purposes for all civil service physicians. Under current law, depending on the Federal agency that hired them, only certain physicians receiving comparability pay are allowed to have the amount included in the calculations for retirement pay. H.R. 207 would erase this inequity and ensure that the government treats comparability pay the same for all Federal physicians. This legislation will not only help retain over 3,000 Federal- employed physicians who were awarded PCAs last year, but will help the Federal Government recruit highly trained physicians to join their ranks. The government's ability to attract highly qualified physicians at such agencies as the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is one of the reasons that the United States has led the world in medical research advances. I would like to remind my colleagues, however, that we have an obligation as lawmakers to ensure that these medical advances benefit all Americans regardless of race. As such, it gives me great pleasure to know that we have just passed Senate bill, S. 1880, to authorize these very institutions, our Nation's medical centers, to collaborate in an effort to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health. Our Nation is in a ``race for the cure.'' The entry into this contest should not be dependent on one's race, but must be based on one's humanity. Winning the race for a quality healthy life must be a victory for every citizen no matter the race or ethnicity or the socioeconomic status. As we move closer to crossing that victory line, we must all work toward a meaningful improvement in the lives of minorities who now suffer disproportionately from the burden of disease and disability. Further, as the bill before us, H.R. 207, provides, we must also ensure that those physicians that have our lives in their hands are treated fairly and equitably. This bill is supported by the Federal Physicians Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the National Treasury Employees Union. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our Members to join me and give this bill their support. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in June 1606, King James I granted a charter to a group of London entrepreneurs, the Virginia Company, to establish a satellite English settlement in the Chesapeake region of North America. By December, 108 settlers sailed from London instructed to settle in Virginia, find gold and a water route to the Orient. On May 14, 1607, the Virginia Company explorers landed on Jamestown Island, founding the first permanent English settlement in America. The first representative assembly in the new world convened in the Jamestown church on July 30, 1619. The general assembly met in response to orders from the Virginia Company to, quote, ``establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia.'' The other crucial event that would play a role in the development of America was the arrival of Africans to Jamestown. A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food in 1619 and thus began the presence of Africans in Jamestown. The celebration in 2007 of the 400th anniversary of the landing at Jamestown will involve coordination between many partners on the Federal, State and local level and with the private sector. In 1996, the Commonwealth of Virginia designated the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation as the State agency responsible for planning and implementing the Commonwealth's portion of the commemoration. H.R. 4907 establishes a Federal commission to assist in the coordination of the 400th anniversary commemoration of the landing of Jamestown. The purpose of the commission is to bring national and international attention to the significance of the landing of Jamestown and heightened interest in the early history of our Nation. The commission would help coordinate events, activities, fund-raising, and capital improvements related to the Jamestown 2007 anniversary. The commission will ensure that Jamestown 2007 observances are inclusive and, in addition to the English settlers, recognize the invaluable contributions of Native Americans and Africans to the development of Jamestown and this country. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5537, a bill to waive the period of congressional review of the Child in Need of Protection Amendment Act of 2000. This noncontroversial legislation is necessary to ensure the District of Columbia's swift compliance with the consent order to return the Child and Family Services Agency now in receivership to the District Government. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act requires that all civil legislation passed by the Council and signed by the Mayor undergo congressional review for 30 legislative days before taking effect. H.R. 5537 merely waives this requirement for legislation that will be passed shortly by the D.C. City Council to restructure the District's Child and Family Services Agency. Earlier this year an infant, Brianna Blackmond, was found dead after being returned to her mother's care. The decision to return Brianna to her mother was criticized because her mother had previously been found in neglect of Brianna and her seven siblings. The tragic death of baby Brianna prompted the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia to hold two hearings examining the District's Child and Family Services Agency and to pass legislation, now on its way to the President for his signature, requiring receiverships to adhere to best practices and cost controls. H.R. 5537 is a continuation of congressional efforts to assist the District government in its efforts to reform the District's foster care system. The Child and Family Services Agency has been under court receivership since 1995 because of serious failings in the delivery of child welfare services. However, despite court control, fiscal and management problems persist in the agency, necessitating a return of the agency to the control of the District government. The recent consent order returning the agency to the District requires the city to pass legislation that restructures its processes for delivery of child welfare services. H.R. 5537 will ensure that the District's legislation will take effect upon passage without any congressional delay. H.R. 5537 has the support of the city's elected representation to this Congress, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and the District of Columbia government. I urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would urge that all Members support this legislation. I would thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) for his leadership with regard to Children's issues. As he talked about his daughters, I could not help but think about the little prayer, Madam Speaker, that we say so often with our children: ``Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.'' Anyone who has knelt over a child and said that prayer, they cannot help but feel tingles and sometimes a tear at just the thought of that child not rising, just the thought of that child not being able to live out the full potential that God has given to them. Madam Speaker, I urge our membership to support this very important resolution, but in supporting this, I hope that when December 10 comes that we will also, as a Congress and as a body and as a country and as a world, do everything in our power to make sure that every one of our children, no matter where they are, no matter who they are, are able to rise up to be all that they can be, and be the best that they can be. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), this is a very, very important resolution. I think when one looks at it on its face we may not fully understand its significance, but it is so important. Yesterday, hundreds of families journeyed to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the importance of family and to examine the vital role that families play in maintaining stable and prosperous communities. In years past, we have had the Million Man March, the Million Moms March, but this time our children were encouraged to participate. Many thousands of children did attend the march, and some even addressed the crowds about issues that were of particular concern to them. The Nation took special note of our children yesterday in a positive and inspirational way. We adults were compelled to contemplate the world we have made for them, full of good times and bad, hope and despair, life and death. Yesterday in the Middle East, Madam Speaker, during the ongoing violence involving the Palestinians and the Israelis, a child was left brain dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The loss of a child, no matter what the circumstances and no matter where, causes tremendous personal grief for the family and friends. It causes some of us to stop and reflect on the loss, and sometimes consider, could or should we have done something to prevent it. It also makes us think about all the unmet and unfulfilled dreams of those children and their families. It is devastating to me when young lives are cut short. Those affected by such a tragedy often need assistance and support to get through the experience. I am glad to know that help is available. The Compassionate Friends, Incorporated, also known as TCF, is a group whose mission is to assist families in the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child. TCF conceived and nurtured the worldwide candlelighting. In its fourth year, the candlelighting is held in the second Sunday in December. Participants around the globe light candles for 1 hour to honor children who have died. The candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time starting in New Zealand. As candles burn down in each time zone, they are then lit in the next. This creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as the observance continues around the world. In the United States, approximately 228,000 children and young adults die every year. Nineteen percent of the adult population has experienced the death of a child, and 22 percent the death of a sibling. Taking into account people who have lost a child and sibling, 36 percent of the adult population has suffered the death of a child, a sibling, or both. Madam Speaker, just yesterday in my district I spoke at the West Baltimore Middle School to 37 eighth graders. I asked them a very simple question, but the answer was very telling. I asked them how many of them had had a loved one, a friend, a young person to die by gun violence. Out of those 37 children living in the inner city of Baltimore, 35 raised their hands. That is here in America. That happens in our cities and even in our rural areas. We certainly grieve for those families. House Concurrent Resolution 415 expresses, therefore, the sense of Congress that a National Children's Memorial Day should be established to remember the infants, children, teenagers, and young adults in the United States who have died. As we remember America's children, let us also remember those who grieve for them. Whether it be from gun violence, an airplane or car crash, a miscarriage, or a terminal illness, the loss of a child is something no parent, no parent, should have to experience, but many do. Children's Memorial Day is a time when we as individuals and as a nation can show our compassion to those who have suffered such a loss. Madam Speaker, I have often said that our children are the living messages we send to a future we will never see. It is sad to think that so often our children die before their parents, so we have no message to send to the future. Hopefully, on this Memorial Day, when we think about our children who have died, we will also think about ways that we can prevent them from dying so that they can experience this wonderful journey called life. Many organizations and support groups, such as the Compassionate Friends, exist to help bereaved parents deal with their grief. Yet, only 46 percent of parents are aware of them. Let us join TCF in observing December 10 as Children's Memorial Day, and let it serve as an opportunity for grief support organizations and churches to increase awareness of their services and programs. Madam Speaker, I urge our Members to vote in favor of this very important and wonderful legislation that has been sponsored by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as of early September, more than 6.5 million acres, more than two times the 10-year national average, have burned. Federal manpower resources were spread thin. More than 29,000 people were involved in firefighting efforts, including approximately 2,500 Army soldiers and Marines and fire managers from Canada, Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand. In addition, 1,200 fire engines, 240 helicopters and 50 airtankers were in use this season. If nothing else, this fire season has taught us that we must take steps to recruit and retain more Federal firefighters. H.R. 460 is a step in that direction. From the start of the Civil Service Retirement System in 1920 until 1978, all Federal workers were required to retire at age 70, if, at that age, they had completed at least 15 years of service. In 1978, mandatory retirement was repealed for most Federal workers; although, it continues to apply to special occupational groups whose duties pertain to public safety. Under current law, Federal law enforcement officers must retire at age 57 or as soon after that age as they complete 20 years of service. The agency head may grant exemptions up to age 60. Federal firefighters must retire at age 55 or as soon thereafter as they complete 20 years of service. H.R. 460 would raise the mandatory retirement age for firefighters to mirror that of Federal law enforcement officers. It would raise the mandatory retirement age of Federal firefighters to that of age 57. In June, The Washington Post reported a 5.8 percent reduction in the number of firefighters nationwide. H.R. 460 will help stem the declining firefighting population and will help the Federal Government retain some of its most experienced firefighters. In addition to supporting this legislation, I urge my colleagues to support a bill I introduced last year that will be of equal benefit to the Federal public safety community. In May of last year, I introduced H.R. 1769, the Federal Employees Benefits Equity Act of 1999. This bill works to eliminate a number of inequities found in the computation of benefits for public safety employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System. Although H.R. 1769, like the bill before us, H.R. 460, would be of tremendous benefit to the firefighter and law enforcement communities and their families, it is yet to be scheduled for floor action. I look forward to working with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, and the author of H.R. 460, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), to bring H.R. 1769 to the floor of the House before the end of session. Madam Speaker, I would be more than remiss if I did not acknowledge the hard work of the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) who worked so diligently with the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) to bring H.R. 460 to this floor today. I thank the gentlewoman and I thank the members of the Committee on Government Reform. I thank the members of the Subcommittee on Civil Service; and I join with my colleagues, with the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) and ask that my colleagues give this bill your support. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) in this light, that the committee has been very responsive to firefighters. We understand clearly the job that they do. We understand the dangers. We also understand that we owe them a great debt of gratitude. We have seen the fires in the West, and we realize that so often when those fire fighters go into the woods and go to put out those forest fires, and other kinds of fires, of course, they do not know whether they are coming home. So because of that, I think our committee has been very, very sensitive. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) for all of his hard work on our subcommittee, and all the other members of the subcommittee, because it was a bipartisan effort.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, last Monday I stood at this podium to manage House Concurrent Resolution 396, celebrating the birth of James Madison and his contributions to the Nation. Today I am here to manage a resolution that would express Congress' support for the recognition of March 16, James Madison's birthday, as Liberty Day. This resolution bestows this honor on James Madison because he was the primary author and steadfast supporter of three great works of American democracy: the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights. If this resolution is passed, Madison's birthday would serve to remind us of our rights and liberties as enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Liberty is defined in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as, and I quote, ``the quality or state of being free, and the power of choice,'' two premises on which this Nation was founded. The promise of freedom and choice is what thousands of immigrants saw in a copper statue in the New York Bay. The statue was of a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet bearing the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence in her left. Her pedestal reads, and I quote, ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.'' The Statue of Liberty was and still is a symbol of hope and freedom in America. Another traditional symbol of United States freedom can be found in Philadelphia in the form of a cracked bell. The bell was first rung on July 8, 1776, 4 days after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It tolled to celebrate the first public reading of the document. The bell bears the motto, and I quote, ``Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.'' The Liberty Bell, first named in an 1839 Abolitionist pamphlet, remains a symbol of freedom and a reminder that all Americans are created equal. When H. Con. Res. 376 is passed, Americans will have another opportunity to reflect on this Nation's tradition of freedom and equality. Liberty Day will further enhance the importance and symbolic meaning of two existing icons of American freedom: the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell. On March 16, Americans will celebrate a promise originated by James Madison and others and documented in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. That promise is one of freedom and choice. And in the words of James Madison, he said simply these: ``The prescriptions in favor of liberty ought to be leveled against that quarter where the greatest danger lies, namely, that which possesses the highest prerogative of power; but this is not found in either the executive or legislative departments of government, but in the body of the people, operating by the majority against the minority.'' Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. I congratulate its sponsor. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.