Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, up to today, I was concerned that my friends on the Republican side were only trying to defeat great Democratic programs of the 20th century. Medicare, which will be celebrating its 46th birthday next month, is one of the great laws that have been passed in this House, and yet it's in danger. Medicare as we know it is in danger. Social Security passed in the thirties, one of the great social advances of the 20th century under President Franklin Roosevelt, but also endangered--all Democratic activities and Democratic Congresses. But today I saw there was a bipartisan effort to destroy the work of the 20th century. In the Transportation Committee, a bill coming to this floor is going to try to end the Clean Water Act. So it's bipartisan. Richard Nixon passed the Clean Water Act. I'm a history buff, and I think Richard Nixon should be known not just for Watergate, but for clean water. I hope they don't repeal Richard Nixon's signature achievement, the Clean Water Act.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 146th anniversary of Juneteenth and the 18th annual celebration of the Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced in the town square that all slaves were free. Although this came nearly 3 years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the newly freed men and women rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations, and thus, the Juneteenth holiday was born. The theme of this year's Memphis festival is ``Juneteenth Salutes `The Divine Nine' in 2011.'' Founded out of the necessity to combat racial discrimination and segregation, the Divine Nine is a collective group of nine historically African-American sororities and fraternities that together, create the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated. The Divine Nine works to promote unity, camaraderie, academic excellence and community service. The Divine Nine is made up of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. They have profoundly impacted the lives of both their members and those they serve. Many of these organizations address issues related to social justice, human rights, poverty and economic security in African-American communities. Over the years, countless Memphians have become members of these organizations and have made significant contributions to our community. Some include: current city of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., Alpha Phi Alpha; Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone, Alpha Kappa Alpha; 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald, Zeta Phi Beta; and Pastor Kenneth Whalum, Jr., Phi Beta Sigma. Some who have fought for civil rights and equality are: Former president of the Memphis branch of the NAACP Velma Lois Jones, Alpha Kappa Alpha; current NAACP Executive Board member O.C. Pleasant Jr., Kappa Alpha Psi; and the late civil rights leader and former executive director of the NAACP Reverend Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Omega Psi Phi. As we celebrate sororities and fraternities this Juneteenth, Delta Sigma Theta will host their 43rd Southern Regional Conference in Memphis. Some accomplished Memphian Deltas are cofounder Mary Church Terrell, singer Aretha Franklin, State Reps. Johnnie Turner and Lois DeBerry, Olympian Rochelle Stevens and National Civil Rights Museum Executive Director Beverly Robertson. Delta Sigma Theta has organized many initiatives that have improved African-American communities such as foreclosure prevention workshops, ACT test sessions and raising millions of dollars in college scholarships. Mr. Speaker, it is in the spirit of these great organizations that I ask my colleagues to join me in observing our nation's 146th anniversary of Juneteenth and the celebrations in Memphis. This is a time to reflect upon the end of slavery in America and to recognize the many contributions of African-American citizens. As the Alpha Phi Alpha, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, the Emancipation Proclamation ``came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. This past Friday, the United States would have observed-- ``celebrated'' would be entirely the wrong word--the 40th anniversary of the war on drugs. The war on drugs was initiated by President Richard Nixon. He said we can have a war on drugs 40 years ago. The fact is, 40 years later, we've spent nearly a trillion dollars on the war on drugs. We have just as much drug use in this country as ever before. We've incarcerated millions and millions of people for victimless crimes. And when we get people who sell drugs, which we need to do, all that happens is like sharks teeth--they're replaced by the next in line; somebody else wanting to make money from a program that the public endorses and supports. So the war on drugs has been a terrible mistake. Now, don't get the wrong impression. I'm not suggesting that drug abuse and drug addiction is not a great problem that we must deal with. But our approach in treating it as a law enforcement matter and not as a health matter, a health care issue, has led to prison populations increasing, racial disparities of the greatest source in this Nation in the arrest process, and a lost generation of people with no education and no job prospects because those arrests haunt them for the rest of their lives. Think about how many law enforcement resources have been wasted on drug arrests--nonviolent drug arrests--when policemen could be spending their time working against violent crime and crimes that are dangerous to people--robberies and murders and assaults and other offenses that are truly important to the American public. It has been estimated that the total criminal justice cost of marijuana arrests for State and local governments is as much as $7.6 billion a year. That averages out to about $10,000 per arrest. Think of all the serious criminals that could have been arrested instead. I was shocked recently to read that the New York City Police Department arrested 50,000 people for low-level marijuana offenses last year. New York City, 50,000 arrests for low-level marijuana offenses. This was more than during a 19-year period between 1978 and 1996 combined. Marijuana use has not skyrocketed in the last year, but arrests have ramped up. They use arrests as a basis to get people, particularly people of color, where it's seven times more likely you'll be arrested if you're African American and four times more likely you'll be arrested if you're Latino, and more likely if you're African American or Latino that you'll spend the night in jail than if you're Caucasian, as a way to take people and arrest them and deprive them of what should be their basic civil rights to go around the city. Our local budgets are straining like never before. And yet we see more arrests. It's time that we question this policy, this war, knowing that insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This is insane. For 40 years we've had this war on drugs. We've had a war on our own citizens. We've wasted moneys that can be used for better things. And we've treated what is a health problem and a societal problem as a law enforcement problem. It is a mistake. We need to change our approach. Drug courts have been a successful way to deal with this problem. We have drug courts in my community that have been successful in getting people to see a different approach to life--not a jail, but a different approach. Racial disparities that I mentioned have been tremendous. It is seven times more likely if you're African American, four times more like if you're a Latino, to be arrested. These inequities run throughout our drug policy program and need to directed. We corrected a discrepancy between powder cocaine and crack last year. It was 100-to-1 before we changed the law. It's now 18-to-1 in quantity. Still, it should be equal. And it results in racial disparities once again. I have introduced legislation, the Justice Integrity Act, which would study those disparities and a Byrne Program Accountability Act which would require States to do studies on their racial disparities. The fact is law enforcement makes arrests for these crimes sometimes to justify getting Byrne funds and getting funds from the Federal Government for the purpose of getting money into their programs and not providing justice. We need to have expungement laws so that people who have had nonviolent drug offenses can have their records expunged and go on to get employment and have a successful life in America. I have introduced the Fresh Start Act that says if you have a nonviolent Federal offense and you've spent 7 years and had a clean life, you can get your record expunged. This needs to become the law and give people a second chance. Otherwise, they can't get jobs and they resort to crime. Medical marijuana is an issue that's come up in this country and most States that have had the opportunity to deal with it have passed it, mostly by percentages of over 60 percent. I had a good friend named Oral James Mitchell. Oral James Mitchell was a Navy SEAL and one of the strongest, toughest, best friends I ever had. When O.J. was 54, he got pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer destroys a person, just whittles them away. And a guy who was 210 pounds, who could do all those things the SEALs do, the hand-to-hand and the paratroops, he used medical marijuana, and his mother said, Thank God for the marijuana. It allowed Oral to have a sense of humor and to eat. It worked. I yield back the balance of my time and urge us to solve the war on drugs by getting out of it. It is a war. It is a crime.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I appreciate the Member from Carmel yielding time to the gentleman from Memphis. This is unfortunate. Mr. Kingston, in presenting his side of the budget, was almost apologetic about WIC, and I can understand that, why he would be apologetic. This is a sacred portion of the budget to people on my side of the aisle, and it should be sacred to all people in America--newborn mothers, babies, and children under 5 who are identified as nutritionally at risk, and yet we are cutting that budget 13 percent. There's good reason you'd be almost ashamed to introduce it. And the way he introduced it showed concern. He thought it was difficult, and it is. The fact is some people talk about, in difficult economic times, everybody has to tighten their belt and everybody ought to tighten their belts equally. Well, what about the obesely wealthy? They're not being asked to tighten their belt at all. In fact, there's not a belt big enough to go around their obesely successful selves. They are doing great. And it seems like in this budget there are only about two things that seem to be sacred. One is tax cuts for the rich. The Bush tax cuts that were created when there was a surplus created by a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President, Bill Clinton. Those tax cuts were passed because we had a surplus. Now we've got a great deficit and they are being extended, and even to people making over $1 million a year. There is rejection of having them pay more so that mothers, babies, and children under 5 identified as nutritionally at risk can get the WIC payments. There's something wrong here. Economists estimate that for every $1 invested in WIC, there are savings between $1.50 and $3 in health care costs just in the first 60 days after an infant's birth. Talk about a return on investment. However, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle obviously think this return isn't good enough and so we should gut the program, just like what they want to do with Medicare, until it can no longer function adequately to serve so many of the Americans who need it the most. This measure funds the WIC program at $686 million less than the current level, which is the equivalent of kicking off 475,000 eligible mothers, infants, and children.

Mr. COHEN. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) brought up a quote about how you look at government. And it was Hubert Humphrey who said that governments are judged on how they treat those in the dawn of life--the young; in the twilight of life--the old; and the shadows of life--the disabled, people with handicaps. And that is the way you should judge it. I sometimes think with this budget and what we're seeing here from the other side is they think the way you judge a government is by the way it treats the millionaires, the billionaires, the way it treats the oil and gas industry, or the way it treats the Wall Street folks who do the hedge funds. And I think if that's the way you're being judged, it's going to be a harsh, harsh condemnation. My friend from Indiana (Mr. Burton) came down and he spoke and he said something about, look at what happened in the last election. Well, I'll tell you what happened in the last election--it was in New York State and the people spoke loudly. In a district that in 2010 was strongly Republican, they said we don't want Medicare destroyed, we want to keep Medicare, and they elected a Democrat. And the people are seeing what these budget cuts are doing. One of the reasons we've got all these problems and the reasons why we have more and more people falling into needs for the SNAP program and the WIC program and others is because the middle class is disappearing in this country because jobs are being shipped overseas. We're giving millionaires and billionaires tax breaks, and we're saying everybody should share, but the sharing isn't going to the rich; it's only going to the poor people, and they're getting cut and cut and cut. This WIC program, Women, Infants and Children, should be the last place anybody would consider cutting, it should be the absolute totally last place; and yet the cuts are there, 13 percent. The fact is those people are in the place in life where if we don't give moneys to the food for pregnant mothers we're going to have more infant mortality. In my district, we've got an infant mortality rate similar to Third World countries. We've tried to have programs passed up here to deal with infant mortality and to study it and to try to save the lives of babies, and we're not going to be doing that. I've heard a lot from the other side about being pro-life. We have a difference on that. I'm pro-choice, but I'm pro-life after birth. And pro-life shouldn't just be during a period of gestation; it should include a time after birth. And we're not hearing pro-life-type statements and pro-life-type budget provisions; it is all about saving money on the backs of the poor. This is something that is not appropriate, and it's something that I think should shame the other side. Mr. Kingston is a fine man. I heard him say he voted against the Bush tax cuts, which I did. I got confused on what you did on Libya, but I don't know what that had to do with it. You voted with Kucinich? Well, I didn't. I don't know what it has to do with women, infants, and children. There's a whole lot going on in Africa. That's another issue. The bottom line is he's a good man, but he has a bad provision here, and he could see to it that we change that. The women and the infants and the children are dependent on the man from Georgia to try to come up with a provision to help them. The lady from Connecticut wanted some more time a few minutes ago, and I would like to yield to her on this issue.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. COHEN. It's equivalent to kicking 475,000 eligible mothers, infants, and children off one of the most cost-effective programs in our country. It will cost Tennessee over $1 million. If we get rid of tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires for 1 week, we could pay for the entire WIC program for a year. I cannot see this. It seems to me it's distorted values, and I would ask that they reconsider and put the WIC program back to its basic level.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, the agenda of this House should be jobs, jobs, jobs. And yet here we are in June, and the Republican leadership has not put forth one single jobs bill, not one single jobs bill, and the American people want that. The Democrats have proposed the Make It in America program, a Make It in America agenda that will close tax loopholes that encourage U.S. jobs to go overseas. It will provide hometown tax credits to small businesses to hire new employees and help sell their products and innovations overseas; to boost incentives to create clean energy jobs so we don't have to spend so much money with our military and lives protecting oil imports from the Middle East; set requirements for the government and its contractors to buy American products and services; and demand that China and other countries honor fair trade principles. Jobs is the agenda. The Democrats are offering a jobs agenda. I support it and ask the other side to come forth and try to help us create jobs.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the mock trial team from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis for winning the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition that took place March 9th-13th, 2011 in Houston, Texas. The team consisted of LaChina Algers, Angela Harris, Chandra Madison, Joseph McKinney, and their coaches Melanie Stovall Murry and Bridgett Stigger. The National Black Law Students Association founded this national competition in 2002 to encourage future lawyers to further develop their proficiency in the courtroom. Hundreds of competitors compete regionally each year in the hopes of earning national recognition for their trial advocacy skills. This year, through their hard work and commitment to their professional development, the team from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law took home the national title, defeating delegations from Harvard, DePaul, St. Mary's and Texas Wesleyan along the way. Their victory is a testament to the outstanding students that graduate each year from the University of Memphis to become successful professionals in cities all over the nation and the world. Since it was founded in 1962, the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has graduated over 4,500 students. Just this year, law graduates from the University of Memphis posted a 100 percent first-time passage rate on the Tennessee Bar Exam. As an alumnus of the School of Law at Memphis, I could not be prouder of the entire student body for their achievements and of the exceptional faculty dedicated to their success. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial National Champions from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. I commend these students for dedicating many hours of study towards this competition. Their time spent in preparation in addition to their already rigorous professional law program is evident and represents the city of Memphis and the University of Memphis well.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday the New York Times editorially commended bills that give people an opportunity to get jobs without having credit checks run on them. In this country today, credit checks are run on almost 65 percent of all job applicants, and sometimes they are used to deny people jobs. The fact is, even the industry lobbyist said in Oregon last year that credit checks have no correlation to fraud in the workplace or a person's ability to perform a job. Yet because of the credit industry, credit checks are still required. We have a bill in Congress, the Equal Employment for All bill, that would outlaw such a practice. Five States have outlawed such a practice and 20 States are considering it. We need to create jobs and give everybody a chance. Many people have bad credit because of this economy, because of the recession, because of health care costs that almost forced them into bankruptcy or have, or divorces. They should not be denied the chance to have a job, a second chance. We should pass the Equal Employment for All bill and give all Americans a chance for employment.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a historic day in the Republic of Turkey. On May 19th, while Congress was in recess, the Republic of Turkey and Friends of Turkey commemorated the 92d anniversary of the launching of Turkey's national campaign to establish an independent nation by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Turkey also celebrates May 19th as the birthday of Ataturk. During his lifetime Ataturk was able to lift a country from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire and build a secular democratic nation located at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East. His reforms were widespread including political, social, legal, educational, and economic. Some were monumental such as abolishing the caliphate and the sultan, recognizing equal rights for men and women, adopting a new alphabet and adopting secular law. Ataturk had a vision for the country, one of a pro-western secular and democratic state in which the rule of law would prevail. He swiftly but steadily advanced toward that goal with the confidence of a born leader and the support of the Turkish nation. Ataturk championed women's rights, and believed that education and scientific training was the key to advancement not only for the individual, but also for the country. During his tenure, women were encouraged to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, and enter into politics. The legacy of Ataturk is even more evident today, as the Arab Spring leads to dramatic changes in the Middle East and North Africa. There are lessons in Turkey's history which can be applied to the current situation around the world. With the right leadership and determination, democracy can take root and lay the foundations for a prosperous future in the region.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I represent the Tennessee Ninth Congressional District, which is Memphis. Memphis has been in the news quite a bit these past few weeks, and partly it's been for a bad reason: a flood, the greatest flood since 1937 on the Mississippi River. There has been a massive flow of water across lands and into our downtown and other areas, and it's affected a lot of people. I have toured the damage. There are at least 1,500 people whose homes have been lost. They are in shelters. They have lost possessions. But the city of Memphis is coming together with a lot of volunteerism to help those people, and the Federal Government, through FEMA and the Corps of Engineers, is doing all it can to protect property and protect people and offer them shelter and food. And because it's a disaster area, we'll be helping them get back on their feet once again. It's a tragedy for those people and a tragedy for a lot of other people up and down the river. But the fact is the city of Memphis is open and open for business, and most of the city of Memphis is not affected by the flood. Contrary to what you might see on the news, the entire city is not underwater. The business sections, most of the city, are totally dry, and people are going to work, flying Federal Express planes all over the world to deliver packages. International Paper and all the businesses that are there are fully operational. Our Memphis Grizzlies are still alive and playing tonight in the NBA Western finals, and the people of Memphis are filling the FedEx Forum when they play and cheering them on and bringing the city together in the spirit that Memphians have come together for years. The city of Memphis has had problems over the years. A yellow fever epidemic in the 1870s almost destroyed the city, but it didn't. The city came back and came back even stronger. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on the 4th of April, 1968, was an awful moment in our city history and one we had to overcome. But the city did. And on that site, the Lorraine Motel, has been built a great civil rights museum, the National Civil Rights Museum, like a phoenix from the ashes telling the story of the civil rights movement and the movement out of slavery and out of Jim Crow into an era where an African American could and has been elected President of these United States. The city of Memphis and the people have an indomitable spirit. They have come back from problems in the past and will continue to do so. Yesterday, the city of Memphis received great news when President Obama announced that of all the schools that applied in this Nation in the Race to the Top program to be recognized and to be honored by his presence as the commencement speaker for graduation, that Booker T. Washington High School, a high school created in the 1800s, a Jim Crow school, an African American school in the 1800s, which has done spectacularly well in academics, increased their graduation rate from the fifties into the 81st percentile, best in the State on algebra scores and other scores, and great improvement and shown innovation, was chosen as the school in the country to have the President come to their graduation. He will speak at the Booker T. Washington High School graduation next Monday in Memphis. It will be his first visit to Memphis, and the city of Memphis has looked forward to his visit. I look forward to his visit, and have encouraged the President to come to Memphis, and I hope he'll come more times after that. But for those students and other students who need to have inspiration and hope, particularly at this time when there is flood and many people have been dispossessed, it's so important that the President be there and give those students hope and encourage them to continue to make good grades and to lift themselves up. Many of the students at Booker T. Washington lived in housing projects, Cleaborn Homes, which was recently demolished to make way for a HOPE VI project, the fifth of six in the city of Memphis, which has gotten rid of projects but given people private residences or apartments and a better way of life. Those students saw their homes destroyed, but they've worked hard in their school and stayed at Booker T. Washington High School and will be honored by the President's visit. They, like everybody else in Memphis, cheer for the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies cheer towel is one that I bring you today. ``Believe Memphis.'' Believe Memphis has carried the Grizzlies, an eighth-seeded team, to the championship game. The city believes. The city is strong. We urge you to come to Memphis, have some ribs, have some music and enjoy our hospitality.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I think every Member of the House probably wants to do the same thing that Mr. McCotter did and I am going to do, and that is to congratulate and thank the Commander in Chief, the President; our Armed Forces, our men and women in the military, and particularly SEAL Team 6 for the outstanding job that they accomplished. Finally, the mission is accomplished. The mission after 9/11 was to get Osama bin Laden, and our troops did it, and they did it in a spectacular fashion. I've always been proud to be a Member of this House and to be an American. Never more proud than last night and today when I think about our soldiers who put themselves in harm's way to truly protect our country and to keep our freedoms, because Osama bin Laden did all he could to hurt our country and take away those freedoms. And he has taken freedoms away. As Mr. McCotter said, we will win, we will endure, victory will be ours. And I thank the men and women of the United States Armed Forces for the mission that they accomplished.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our President for taking a mature and comprehensive approach to the problems we face. When people have a need to lose weight, they both reduce their caloric content and they increase their exercise. It's the same thing with the deficit we have. You have to have cuts or reforms, but you also have to have more revenue. The President's proposal yesterday about finally getting around to taxing the millionaires and the billionaires and having them contribute to the need to reduce our deficit is so important, while at the same time reforming Medicare, not eliminating Medicare. That's what is scary: eliminating Medicare for seniors, threatening Social Security, and not providing an innovative program to create jobs. Jobs is the issue. We need to create jobs in this country, and we haven't seen it coming forth. I praise the President for his mature approach to the situation, and I encourage others to fall in line.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, that was great rhetoric but not reality. Thank God when the Architect built this Capitol, he put a top on it that attracts lightning rods; otherwise, who knows what would happen in front of us. The budget that was put up yesterday talked about defense, but it also had one other element in it. That was restricting the District of Columbia from using funds for low-income women to get family planning or abortions. If you really wanted to take care of the troops, you would fund a spending proposal that took care of the troops and you wouldn't add a rider to it that you know that no human being who cared about women's choice would vote for. You eliminate a great percentage of your possible supporters. If the troops are number one and number one only, you don't put something on with DC abortion rights on it because that eliminates part of your constituency. Now, one of the previous speakers talked about this too, the one that was back into Led Zeppelin. I haven't figured that one out yet. But it was something about Planned Parenthood. Why is Planned Parenthood an issue? Because the Republican majority made it an issue. They put in their budget that there will be no funding for Planned Parenthood, a specific organization. Not any organization that does family planning, not any organization that might provide abortions, but Planned Parenthood. And that is a sticking point in the negotiations. It is wrong to single out a single organization that helps women with their family planning and that does give low-income women opportunities to get tests for HIV/AIDS and for breast cancer and for all other types of women's health issues. The Republicans have made that an issue, and they made it such an issue that they wouldn't have a clean CR proposal yesterday. Mr. Hoyer offered a proposal. He said, Let's just continue the budget for a week at its current spending plans. No cuts, true. They could come later. That was resoundingly rejected because they wanted to go forward with their extreme social policy, and that's what matters to them. They can hide behind what they want. The fact is there are two America's today. I read about it when I was a young person. Michael Harrington wrote a book decades ago called ``The Other America.'' It was about an America that didn't get the support that it needed--Appalachia, poor people, regular folks that didn't get what they needed and didn't have the opportunity that this country should give everybody. The two Americas are the upper 1 percent that aren't going to be paying more taxes and the other 99 percent that do. One gentleman said the Democrats want everybody to pay more taxes. No, not everybody; just the millionaires. And they wouldn't go along with that, because the millionaires are the party that control the Republicans. That's what they're about. They won't fund--put a tax proposal on that will tax millionaires because they want the middle class to pay more. Their budget blueprint that's going to come out lowers the overall rate to 25 percent--even more for millionaires. And the billionaires, they're not watching today, Mr. Speaker, because they've got their lobbyists working for them. They came here in December and they took the estate tax from a million dollar exemption to a $5 million exemption. And they took the rate that really mattered to them from 55 to 35 percent so they can pass that wealth on and continue the differences in America. Two Americas: The upper 1 percent that the majority party represents, and the other 99 percent that we represent. Mr. Speaker, let's get abortion out of the debate. Let's protect our troops. Let's keep this government moving.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the second longest serving Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the most beloved Tennessee Governor, Ned Ray McWherter. Governor McWherter was born on October 15, 1930 on a small farm in Palmersville, Tennessee. His tenacious work ethic and his ability to understand the problems of working people would lead him to become a revered Tennessee politician and successful entrepreneur as well. Ned McWherter grew up the son of a sharecropper and went on to work diligently at his family's restaurant, the Hotdog, at a shoe manufacturing company and as a traveling shoe salesman. In 1973, he found Volunteer Express with just two tractors, five trailers and three employees. He grew Volunteer Express to become one of the first LTL niche carriers in the nation by offering second and third day service to and from the East Coast. He also developed the entirety of the state of Tennessee and the surrounding areas into Volunteer Express' marketplace. This coming August, Volunteer Express will celebrate its 38th anniversary. Although he worked hard throughout his life as a successful businessman, Ned never forgot his rural upbringing nor did he lose his love for everyday working people in Tennessee. McWherter served in the Tennessee National Guard from 1948-1969 and retired with the rank of Captain. In 1968, he ran unopposed to represent the citizens of Weakley County in the Tennessee House of Representatives. After serving only two terms, McWherter challenged the incumbent speaker of the House and won the speakership by one vote in both the Democratic caucus and the full House. He served in that position for 14 years, the longest tenure for a Tennessee Speaker of the House at that time. In 1986, McWherter ran for governor and unseated Republican Winfield Dunn. Governor McWherter had a progressive agenda that was positively felt across Tennessee and closely watched by governors in neighboring states. As a champion for education and road projects, he put his slogan ``Schools plus roads equal jobs'' into action. He restructured and grew K-12 public school funding by 49 percent through his ``21st Century Schools Program.'' This program put money directly into classrooms and funded textbooks, computers and more teachers. His ``95- County Jobs Program'' was the largest road-building program in Tennessee's history. It linked all the counties of Tennessee via four- lane roads and stimulated jobs in rural areas across the state. Growing up in a lower income family at the height of the Great Depression, Ned understood the challenges hard working families faced when it came to affordable health care. As governor, McWherter revamped Medicaid services in Tennessee to include coverage of more than one million Tennesseans, up from about 800,000. President Bill Clinton noted how Governor McWherter ``blazed a trail'' with his reform of Tennessee's Medicaid program. While I served as a Senator in the Tennessee Senate, I was proud to have worked with Governor McWherter on many projects that helped my city, Memphis. Gov. McWherter included funding in the budget he presented to the Tennessee General Assembly for the conversion of the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to the National Civil Rights Museum. He supported funding for the Memphis Zoo, a place he visited often as a child and of which he had fond memories. Gov. McWherter was also supportive of the arts, requesting funding for one of the pre-eminent art museums in the Memphis area, the Brooks Museum, where he is memorialized on their wall for his efforts. Governor McWherter continued his support for education by budgeting money for the University of Memphis to construct a new campus library that provides state-of-the-art access to information technology and is fully accessible to the disabled. In honor of his dedication to their project, the University of Memphis named the library the Ned R. McWherter Library. During and after his tenure, Governor McWherter served as a confidant to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. President Carter noted how McWherter was ``one of the most effective and finest public servants'' he had ever known. President Clinton remembered how Gov. McWherter had a way of calming him down when he was excited and how McWherter's ``few blunt words'' were invaluable to him while he was in the White House. I remember how McWherter had a way of calming anyone down by simply telling them to ``ease along.'' Governor Ned McWherter will be remembered for his hard work, his dedication to Tennessee, his many accomplishments and for his down-to- earth nature and ability to connect to with the people he served. He had a charm like no other governor Tennessee has seen. He was blunt and never shied away from the real tasks at hand. He had a witty sense of humor coupled with his own folksy sayings. On the campaign trail, he often joked that all he would need to start the day as Governor was ``four vanilla wafers and a cup of coffee.'' Governor Ned Ray McWherter passed away on April 4, 2011 at the age of 80. He will be missed by his family and friends as well as the many working and middle class Tennesseans he strove to serve and help. He is survived by his son, Michael Ray McWherter; his daughter-in-law, Mary Jane Wooten McWherter; two grandchildren, Walker Ray McWherter and Mary Bess McWherter; a stepdaughter, Linda Ramsey; and two step- grandchildren, Matthew Ramsey and Brett Ramsey. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Bette Jean Beck McWherter. Gov. McWherter was a great politician, leader, Tennessean and American. We are lucky to have had him come our way. His was a life well lived.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, this House is at an historic moment because we look at a possible shutdown of government, a shutdown of government that you have to look and ask: Why may it occur? It's going to occur because we don't have a budget. And why don't we have a budget? Because we've got a great deficit. Why do we have that great deficit? Because the Bush tax cuts got rid of the Clinton excess we had. During Clinton's days, we had extra money. We balanced the budget. The Bush years: a deficit for the tax cuts, which have been extended with the majority of the Republicans and some Democrats, and two wars overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan that were off budget. And they have cost us much. In the future, we are going to see a political Armageddon here about this continuing resolution and the budget of this country. And the issue is going to be whether we deal with the superrich or we guarantee America's past and care for everybody to have opportunity and a chance; whether we care about the oil companies that make record profits and give them continued deductions or whether we care about people that need education and health care. Medicare is at risk, Social Security will be at risk, and there's no jobs plan been put forward by this Congress. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Mr. Fred Freres after learning of his upcoming retirement after thirty nine years of teaching at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee. A native of Chicago, Fred moved to Memphis to attend what was then called Christian Brothers College where he became the first person in his family to attend college and received his degree in History in 1970. A decade later he would receive his Masters in Political Science from Memphis State University. That same year he married his college sweetheart, Cathy, and went to work selling insurance to support his new family. His dream to teach and inspire young people proved unflappable and his opportunity came in August, 1972 at Christian Brothers High School teaching in the history department--a department he would later chair. Due to his passion for teaching and his tireless efforts at coordinating numerous extra-curricular activities, Fred became an integral part of the CBHS family. Participants in organizations such as the Key Club, the Organization for Young Political Scientists, the LaSallian Development Committee, and the National Honor Society Committee found a tireless mentor and advocate. Fred even worked as the baseball and basketball announcer for five years and coached the Cross Country team for three years. As I read an article in the CBHS newsletter about Fred, I was moved by a quote where he used the word ``vocation'' to describe his profession--and that part of that vocation was inspiring the young men he taught, ``to become good citizens, not just interested in what's happening in their community, nation and world, but have a positive impact on their world.'' Mr. Speaker, now more than ever the nation is in need of teachers who inspire young people to become active participants in our democracy and dedicate significant portions of their lives to public service. Fred Freres has done just that over his thirty nine years in the classroom. Proof of this can be found right here on Capitol Hill, where numerous ``Brother's Boys'' have worked over the years after having been encouraged by Fred Freres. I wish Fred and Cathy nothing but the best for their future and hope that they get to spend more time with one another and their three daughters, Catie, Julie and Annie as well as their two grandchildren-- Hailey and Clara. And if he gets really lucky Mr. Speaker, he might even live long enough to see his beloved Chicago Cubs win the World Series. Thank you Fred Freres for the dedication to your vocation, service to your community and inspiration you have provided to your students over the course of your career.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of former Memphis State basketball player and men's basketball coach, Larry Finch. Coach Finch was born on February 16, 1951 in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in the historic Orange Mound neighborhood and attended Melrose High School. Unaware of the impact his life and love for basketball would have on the city of Memphis, Larry Finch would help ease race relations during a sharply divided era and go on to lead the Memphis State Tigers to the NCAA Tournament finals then coach the team to its greatest number of wins. Larry Finch joined the Memphis State Tigers in 1969. During a time of high racial upheaval in Memphis, he along with his teammate, Melrose graduate Ronnie Robinson, helped integrate the Tigers. Although he received much advice on schools to attend, he ultimately chose Memphis State because of his love and pride for his city. It was his love for both basketball and Memphis that united the city like never before. Blacks and whites came together, unconcerned about race, to cheer for the Tigers and for Larry Finch. During Finch's college career, the Tigers had a 63-21 record and either won or tied for two Missouri Valley Conference championships. In 1972, Larry was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and was named All-America honorable mention by both the Associated Press and UPI. In his senior year, Larry Finch led his team to the 1973 NCAA Tournament championship game against the UCLA Bruins. He scored an impressive 29 points but the Tigers still fell to the Bruins, 87-66. It's reported that when asked why he helped UCLA lead Bill Walton off the court after sustaining an injury to his ankle, he replied with laughter, ``Because he was kicking our butt.'' Bill Walton later noted that it was Larry Finch alone among all players on the court that helped the star when he was in need of assistance. After helping lead his team to the 1973 finals, Larry's No. 21 jersey was retired. He was the Tiger's all-time leading scorer and currently ranks fourth with 1,869 points. The Tigers had never won an NCAA Tournament game before Larry Finch joined the team. Larry Finch was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers after graduating but instead decided to sign with the local American Basketball Association team, the Memphis Tams. From 1975 to 1979, Larry Finch was the assistant coach to his former coach Gene Bartow at the University of Alabama Birmingham and then the assistant coach at Memphis State from 1979 to 1986 before replacing Dana Kirk as head coach. Larry Finch served as the first African American head coach for the Memphis State Tigers from 1986 to 1997. He was responsible for recruiting and training Memphis greats such as Elliot Perry, Anfernee ``Penny'' Hardaway, David Voughn and the late Lorenzen Wright. During his tenure, Coach Finch amassed seven 20+ win seasons. He took the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament six times with the 1991-1992 team led by Hardaway going to the Elite Eight. At the end of his coaching career, Larry Finch had a 220-130 coaching record and was named University of Memphis' ``all-time winningest coach,'' a title he still holds today. In 2000, the University of Memphis dedicated a world-class practice facility in his honor--the Larry O. Finch Center. Larry loved playing against Louisville as either a player or a coach. He was proud of besting the Louisville Cardinals 16 out of 27 times throughout his basketball career. His 1987 Metro Conference Championship win over Louisville in Freedom Hall was perhaps his most memorable meeting against Louisville. The Tigers won that game 75-52, beating the Cardinals for the third time. The Tigers ended that season 26-8 and Finch was named Basketball Times Rookie Coach of the Year. Larry was loved by many in the Memphis community. After suffering from a stroke in 2002, those close to him created the Friends of Larry Finch Foundation to help cover medical expenses. In 2006, the Foundation released a tribute CD called ``Eye of the Tiger: A Tribute to Larry Finch.'' It featured songs by Memphis performers Al Green, The Bar-Kays, Gary Johns, John Kilzer and Al Kapone. Larry Finch passed away on April 2, 2011 at the young age of 60. He will be missed by many in Memphis including two of his closest friends, Leonard Draper and Randy Wade, the many players whose lives he touched and hundreds of fans across Memphis and the Nation. He is survived by his wife Vickie, his daughter Shanae Deon Finch and two sons, Larry Finch, Jr. and James Finch. He is also survived by his sister, Gloria Finch, and four brothers, Barry, Gary, Greg and Ronald Finch. Larry Finch was predeceased by two beloved younger sisters, Gail and Gwendolyn Finch. Larry was a great American and we are lucky he came this way for the people of Memphis and our Nation. His was a life well lived.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, today is many things in different people's lives. To many, it's the NCAA final tournament game. To many in my city of Memphis, Tennessee, it is a day that 43 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It's a holiday in my city, and we reflect on his great talents and his dream and reflect on all that we've learned since then. But yesterday, the 3rd of April, a great Memphian named Larry Finch died. He put together those two events. He was a basketball player and a basketball star like none other in Memphis and maybe like none other in the United States of America. And he was a person who brought people together in the way that Dr. King dreamed they would. The city of Memphis was split and hurt and racially divided in 1968, and because of that racial divide, it caused Dr. King to have to come to Memphis to stand up for the sanitation workers and the right of employees to have bargaining units and a dignity in life. And Memphis was even racially hurt more because of that assassination. But Larry Finch stayed home in Memphis, a local basketball player who really was the first great basketball star of African American descent to play at Memphis State. He took our team to the national finals in 1973, and he ignited the city like never before. Whites and blacks came together to cheer for Memphis State and for Larry Finch. He spent his entire life in Memphis and was our head coach for 11 years, winning more games at Memphis State than any coach in history. He was a beloved individual who brought people together and didn't know race. He died Saturday. He will have his homegoing this coming Saturday. I show you the Memphis Commercial Appeal from the day after he died: ``The Greatest.'' The entire first section is nothing but Larry Finch and his story from Orange Mound, Tennessee, and Melrose High School to Memphis State and the Final Four, where he had 29 points--and we would have won but for Bill Walton having the game of his life. I mourn my friend Larry Finch. The city of Memphis mourns Larry Finch. Sports can be more than winning and losing. Larry Finch did that. He was a great American. We're lucky he came this way for the people of Memphis and our Nation.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, it is on days like this in the House when you lose a colleague, John Adler, who passed, served in the previous Congress, that you realize how many good men and women come and serve in this House of Representatives, and what an honor it is to serve with them and to spend time with them while they are here on this Earth. It is also a reminder on how sometimes good people pass early, so we need to all enjoy each day the opportunity that God has given for us to live. John Adler was a fine man, he served honorably in this Congress, and he cared about human beings. He was my friend, and I will miss him.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I'm just totally confused. I was in New York a couple of weeks ago and I saw a play called ``The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.'' Robin Williams was the star. I wrote him a letter and said, ``Reality, what a concept. It even exists in Congress.'' Robin, I'm sorry. I was wrong. It doesn't exist today.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Graves. I appreciate your yielding time and I appreciate your bringing this amendment. I rise in strong support of the concept in the amendment. Although I know it's going to be withdrawn, the concept is important, and we need to address this issue in this Congress. This amendment would address the going crisis of discriminatory taxes placed on rental car transactions. I don't need to tell my colleagues how frustrating it is to go rent a car and see huge taxes on your bill, taxes put on your bill by legislative bodies that you don't get a right to vote on most of the time and that you don't get to vote on. It's a simple thing for people to do. It's cheap taxes from State and local officials to let tourists pay their taxes for their sports arenas and other facilities. ``Don't tax me; don't tax thee; tax that guy behind that tree.'' That is not the kind of tax philosophy we should encourage, and we should make our State and local officials do taxation in the proper manner which is supposed to be with either property taxes or sales taxes or income taxes but not these types of taxes that discriminate. And my jurisdictions have done as well, but it doesn't make it right. Rental car taxes target air travelers, but they also hurt low-income people who don't own cars and must rent instead. The 1994 FAA reauthorization bill included a provision to prevent taxes targeting air travelers to pay for projects that have nothing to do with air traffic. But State and local governments have exploited a loophole and raised billions of dollars through these taxes. Since 1990, more than 117 discriminatory rental car excise taxes have been enacted in 43 States and the District of Columbia. I was in the Tennessee Legislature for 24 years, and we did our share. I tried to oppose some of them. It's wrong and we need to act. So I urge support for the amendment when it comes back up. I thank Congressman Graves for his work on the issues, and I look forward to working with him in the future to see this become a law in our Nation.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, this week I plan to introduce a bill that will allow States to submit three statues for display in the United States Capitol. This bill seeks to include more diversity among the honored in our Capitol by increasing that number of statues to include more notable women, minorities, and other ethnic groups that have contributed significantly to our history. Currently, there are 100 statues on display given by the States, and only 16 are women or minority groups. Ten are women with three Native- Americans; three statues are Native-American males, two are Hispanic, and one is a Pacific Islander. Although there have been many noteworthy African Americans and Asian Americans in our history, no State has submitted a statue honoring one of them. This disparity must be rectified. If you walked through the Capitol and looked at the statues, you would think all the heroes and leaders were granite white men. This bill is to express that equal representation of all Americans is essential in our historical perspectives and the educational value that the Capitol offers its thousands of visitors. I urge my colleagues to look at the bill, to support it, and to have more diverse representation among the statuary in the United States Capitol.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I was detained from voting on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the following rollcall votes: rollcall 183, rollcall 184, rollcall 185, rollcall 186, and rollcall 187. I would have voted ``nay'' on the following rollcall vote: rollcall 188.