Wm. Clay

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment being offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey). At a time when public schools are struggling to rebuild antiquated and crumbling school facilities and deal with a record enrollment of over 52 million students, we should not be considering proposals that divert scarce taxpayer dollars from our public school systems to subsidize private and religious schools. While school vouchers may benefit a small minority of children who have the option of attending a private or parochial school, school vouchers will ultimately condemn the vast majority of our children to an inferior education as a result of the shift in tax dollars from public education to private. This voucher proposal provides a select few a way out of the public school system while abandoning the vast majority of our children to underfunded and overcrowded schools. The hardest hit will be low- income, inner-city children who are already suffering from a lack of quality educational opportunity. Rather than defunding public schools, we need to be reinvesting in public schools. Our children's future success in the Information Age will depend on their ability to receive a quality education, and school vouchers are a nonanswer to that challenge. School vouchers are an attack against public education and an attack against our children. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, this morning I was testifying before the Senate Government Affairs Committee on the need for election reform and I was unable to reach the House floor in time for rollcall vote No. 97, a motion to adjourn. I would like to state that I intended to support this motion and would have voted `yea.' Also, I would like to take this opportunity to share my Senate testimony with my colleagues in the House. Statement to Senate Committee on Government Reform, May 3, 2001 Mr. Chairman, Senator Lieberman and Distinguished members of the Committee. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to detail the election problems that occurred in the City of St. Louis during the November 2000 Presidential Elections and to add my voice to those calling for meaningful and comprehensive election reform. Last November's general election in the city of St. Louis exposed a voting system that is riddled with serious election procedural mistakes; major deficiencies in poll worker training; obsolete and inadequate equipment; and gross errors in maintaining accurate voter registers that resulted in the disenfranchisement of thousands of qualified voters in my district. These factors led to an election conducted amid widespread voter chaos at polling places throughout the city--the result of a record voter turnout and the arbitrary and capricious removal--by the St. Louis Board of Elections--of over 50,000 qualified voters from the city's active voter register. When these voters--most of whom were African American-- arrived at the polls to cast their votes, they were told by election officials they were not on the active voter register and that they would not be allowed to vote at their normal voting precinct. Due to inadequate communication between polling precincts and the Central Election office, election workers were unable to verify the eligibility of these voters. Additionally, poll workers had not received training for dealing with these situations, so they ultimately directed all of the affected voters to go to the Central Election Board office downtown to verify their status. The resulting confusion at the Central Election office led to a near riot as thousands of eligible voters attempted to cast their vote, some to no avail. To make matters worse, while the Election Board was clearly unprepared for the massive voter turnout, they were also slow to react to the growing voter confusion they created as the day progressed. An equally troubling was the Election Board officials' resistance to reasonable remedies designed to ensure that every qualified voter be afforded the opportunity to cast his or her vote without obstruction. Clearly, such a situation cannot and must not be tolerated. Such conditions not only create confusion among voters; they also threaten the integrity of the Electoral process itself. It is imperative that federal, state and local officials join in a common effort to reform how we conduct our elections. The nation should never again be subjected to the voting travesty of the last presidential election. The system is broken and it is time that we admit it and work towards common sense solutions. First, we must take legislative action to provide the necessary funds for modern, state-of-the-art uniform voting equipment, paying particular attention to lower income communities that have long been burdened with outdated and obsolete voting equipment. And to the maximum extent possible, we must mandate uniform ballot designs and eliminate the current 40-year old punchcard system. We must also require that local election officials develop comprehensive training standards for their workers and hold them accountable for implementing such training. Lastly, and most importantly, we must mandate election procedure reform to ensure that qualified voters are not arbitrarily or inadvertently removed from active voter rolls. This was a major failure in the City of St. Louis and I suspect this situation is widespread across the country. Voters should not continue to suffer disenfranchisement because election officials are unwilling or unable to safeguard their fundamental right to vote. If we fail to act now, we will not only inflict further damage to the democratic process, we will also fail in our sworn duty to protect and defend the fundamental rights of every citizen.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, this morning I was testifying before the Senate Government Affairs Committee and missed rollcall 97. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to add my voice to those calling for a substantial increase in the fiscal year 2002 budget appropriation for the consolidated health centers program. Community health centers provide critical primary and preventive health care services to over 11 million low-income and uninsured patients in more than 3,000 rural and urban communities throughout our country. In my own district, thousands of citizens benefit greatly from the quality health care they receive at our local community health care clinics. The fact that this program has enjoyed strong bipartisan support throughout its 30 years' existence is itself a testament to the success they have achieved in providing needed health care services to our Nation's most vulnerable populations. While I am encouraged by the President's call to double the level of service these health centers provide, I believe his proposed funding increase of $124 million will not adequately cover the critical demand for quality health care by the uninsured. There are over 45 million people in our country without access to affordable health care insurance; and, sadly, that number continues to rise. Nowhere is the problem of access to quality health care more critical than within the African American community where economic factors and limited health care options exacerbate an already disproportionate health care crisis. Community health care centers are a vital component in addressing the health care gap that exists in minority communities across this country. But if they are to continue to meet the growing health care needs of those communities, it is imperative that we increase the consolidated health centers program funding by $250 million in fiscal year 2002. Mr. Speaker, with an additional $250 million, we can expand community health care facilities in rural and urban communities and provide quality health care to an additional 70,000 uninsured individuals. I urge the Committee on Appropriations and all of my House colleagues to support a $250 million increase in funding for the consolidated health care program.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support the OSHA Ergonomics Standard by voting no on the CRA resolution. The importance of maintaining the Ergonomics standard as it relates to the health and well being of American workers cannot be argued. Each year, ergonomic workplace hazards cause over 1.8 million Americans to suffer crippling Musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs. And of those injuries, 600,000 result in lost time from work. Clearly, MSDs are the greatest single safety and workplace hazard confronting American workers today. But these types of injuries can be prevent simply by requiring employers to adhere to specific ergonomics workplace standards--and the OSHA rules do just that. The long overdue OSHA ergonomics standard is supported by extensive scientific research and an exhaustive rulemaking record. We have the testimony of scores of scientific experts and hundreds of workers presented during numerous hearings on the matter--and they confirm that MSD injuries ARE serious, and they ARE caused by inadequate workplace environments, AND, they ARE preventable. Since 1990, when then-Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole first promised to take action to protect workers from repetitive strain injuries, more than 6 million workers have suffered serious MSD injuries. American workers have waited over ten years for this critical workplace protection and we must not make them wait any longer. Every member of Congress has experienced first-hand the enormous pressure coming from the White House, the Republican leadership and business groups for us to use the Congressional Review Act to do away with these critical worker protection standards. But while the Bush Administration says these rules place an unfair financial burden on corporations, it says nothing about the long-term health problems MSD's impose on American workers. These new safety and health protections will prevent hundreds of thousands of serious MSD injuries each year and spare American workers the pain, suffering and disability caused by these debilitating injuries. I urge every member of Congress to join with the scientific experts and safety and health professionals in support OSHA's Ergonomics standard, so all working people throughout this country can finally have the workplace protections they so urgently need and so justifiably deserve. For the sake and health of American workers, vote no on the CRA resolution.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that I rise on this, the last day of Black History Month, to urge my colleagues to support passage of House Concurrent Resolution 43. I also want to thank my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), for scheduling this special order and allowing us this opportunity to speak on the measure. As the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) mentioned earlier, I am a second generation African American Member of this body. I am only the second African American to succeed a parent in this body, with the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ford) being the first. We were proud to follow in our parents' footsteps, and with both his father and my father being founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, that adds a certain significance, also. House Concurrent Resolution 43 calls on the Library of Congress to update and reprint the historic publication, ``Black Americans in Congress, 1870 to 1989.'' I urge all of my colleagues to support this effort. Black Americans in Congress is an important historical document for all Americans. It brings together the stories of men and women of color who, through their own determination and commitment, overcame incredible barriers to serve this Nation with distinction as Members of Congress. The collective stories are a record of achievement that we can all be proud of. It has been more than a decade since this collection was last issued, and during that time many more distinguished African Americans have stepped forward to serve their Nation as Congressmen and Congresswomen. Their stories of success in public service deserve to be told, as well. I encourage all of my colleagues in the House to support and pass this resolution.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the spirit of the many great men and women we honor each year during black history month, I rise today to join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in calling for meaningful election reform that will ensure the voting rights of all Americans. I want to commend the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) for her leadership on this matter and for scheduling this special order at this time. We as Americans cannot afford to allow a repeat of what transpired during the last Presidential election. Although our Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to vote, what we witnessed last November was an electoral system so flawed and outdated that it caused the disenfranchisement of thousands, if not millions of eligible voters across our country. The essence of our constitutional freedom itself is founded on the inalienable right of every eligible American citizen to cast his or her vote without obstruction or intimidation. When this right is denied, whether by design or simple neglect, democracy itself suffers. Like Florida, in my own district in St. Louis, Missouri, thousands of citizens were turned away from the polls and denied their right to vote. The result of a failing system that was ill prepared to deal with the large voter turnout. Such a situation cannot and must not be tolerated. That is why it is incumbent on those of us in Congress to work together to ensure that every eligible citizen in our country be afforded the unobstructed right to vote. And just as important, every vote cast also must be counted. To do this, we must modernize our Nation's failing electoral system by creating one that is accurate, efficient, and tamper proof. To do any less, we risk forfeiting the rights and protections guaranteed to all Americans by law. We must not allow partisan differences to prevent us from resolving the critical problem, and the public demands that we do not. Because if the people do not have confidence in the electoral process, how can we expect them to have faith in our government? I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) very much for this opportunity to participate in the special order.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, as the devastating results of the earthquake in Gujarat, India continue to unfold before the world's eyes, I believe I speak for all citizens of the United States when I say sorrow fills every heart and soul. When tragedy of this magnitude strikes, its impact is not isolated by physical boundaries. The pain is felt by the entire world. Let us, as individuals, remember that while we have all experienced loss in our own lives at one time or another, many Indian families lost everything they had in one devastating moment. Therefore, let us, as members of local communities, reach out to our Indian friends, neighbors and coworkers and do all that we can to ease their pain and suffering. Let us, as a country, use the resources we've been blessed with to help the Indian government cope with this widespread destruction and loss of life. Personally, I send my deepest sympathy to those families affected by this cataclysmic disaster. I, along with my family and my staff, also extend our hearts and hands to the Indian community here in America. With humbled hearts, we will pray for strength for the Indian nation.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus today to voice my deep concerns regarding the nomination of John Ashcroft for Attorney General of the United States. I want to also commend my colleague, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) for her leadership with the CBC Task Force on this nomination and for scheduling this special order. Mr. Speaker, our Constitution states that the President has the right to nominate individuals whom he chooses to be in his cabinet. Likewise, the Senate has the right and duty to advise and consent on those nominations as it sees fit. But I am a congressman from Missouri, a place known as the ``show me'' State, and I am not easily convinced. I will wait to see which John Ashcroft shows up as Attorney General, the John Ashcroft who appeared at the confirmation hearing, or the one who I served with in Missouri State government. Because those are two very different men. Evidently, former Senator Ashcroft has had a sudden epiphany, one which miraculously coincided with his confirmation hearing. He has apparently undergone a great conversion on a wide range of issues that he has consistently opposed in the past, issues such as civil rights, school desegregation, voting rights, reproductive choice, and equal protection for all Americans, including those of a different sexual orientation. But the John Ashcroft that I served with when he was Missouri attorney general and governor was not at the confirmation hearing we witnessed. I know what John Ashcroft's real record as a public servant has been because I was there. His public record shows a pattern of extremism that has deprived many children of a quality education. He squandered millions of tax dollars and harmed our State by using racially divisive political tactics. But for now, I will take Senator Ashcroft at his word that as U.S. Attorney General, he will enforce all Federal laws vigorously, regardless of his personal views and past record. I hope that both President Bush and former Senator Ashcroft are sincere in their intent to use the law as a healing force in this country. And to demonstrate that sincerity, I challenge the President and Senator Ashcroft to put their words into action by renominating Justice Ronnie White to the Federal bench. Americans are still divided following a bitter election, and this current nomination process has deepened the divisions across our country. Renominating Justice White would provide a powerful act of healing. It would show the American people that the new administration is serious about bringing our Nation together. I urge the President to take advantage of this unique opportunity and demonstrate the compassion he so frequently refers to. And I hope that former Senator Ashcroft will encourage him to do so.