Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, it's March. That means March madness. Normally it means hoops and basketball, but, no, in this United States Congress it means more and more false statements made about health care. The other side of the aisle continues in March madness, talking about socialism, comparing our system to England and Canada. Nothing like it at all. What our system proposes is subsidizing people who don't have health care and small businesses to make sure they get health care and can live truly: life, health, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They talk about abortion. It doesn't change the Hyde amendment, which has been on the books forever. They talk about procedure, procedure they used. They talk about creeping socialism. There is nothing about socialism. The fact is this country is the last industrialized country in the world to provide health care for its citizens. It's the right thing to do. We will be proud of this Congress when we pass it. I wish it was bipartisan.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) was indeed correct. It's going to be a historic vote of 100 years that started with Teddy Roosevelt, who talked about the need for health care in this country. And that debate was continued by Richard Nixon, and it was also advocated by Howard Baker. It's been bipartisan for 100 years that we need health care reform in this country. And it's never been more critical than now, when it's eating up our Federal budget, our individuals' budgets, and hurting us economically. But beyond that, we need a compassionate and responsible government, and we have a President who is compassionate, responsible, and trying, like Nelson Mandela, to reach out to his former enemies and have bipartisanship. And he's had none of it, but he continues to try. And we need to support this President, support our country, preserve our economy, and provide health care like every other industrialized nation in this world does, and make America among the leaders and not the followers.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Richard ``Dick'' Sweebe and his Memphis-based business, Diamond Companies, for receiving Navistar Incorporated's prestigious 2009 International Circle of Excellence Award. The Circle of Excellence Award honors International truck dealerships that achieve the highest level of dealer performance with respect to operating and financial standards, market representation, and most importantly, customer satisfaction. It is the highest award a dealer principal can receive from Navistar. Diamond Companies has now received the Circle of Excellence Award a total of 17 times. Diamond Companies has grown from a single International truck dealership to one of the largest International truck dealers in North America. Mr. Sweebe began his career with International Harvester in 1972 and served in several capacities before purchasing his first International dealership in 1982. His entrepreneurial leadership helped grow Diamond Companies to an operation with more than 600 employees in 16 locations across Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. Diamond Companies is the holding company for Diamond International, Diamond Idealease and Diamond State Bus Company. As an industry leader, Mr. Sweebe has held numerous positions of responsibility in International organizations, including the former chairman of the International Dealer Council and co-chair of the International Dealer Development and Systems Board. Through his commitment to hard work and outstanding customer service, Mr. Sweebe has built an economically vital business of which he can be justly proud. Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join with me in congratulating Dick Sweebe for his record of accomplishment, the success of Diamond Companies, and for his many contributions to his community.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Herta Adler, known to Memphians as the ``matriarch of the local Jewish community.'' She was born to Adolf and Mathilde Arfeld on September 27, 1915, in Diez, Germany. Herta Adler was 24 when she witnessed the burning of her synagogue on Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass. That night rioters burned or destroyed 267 synagogues; thousands of homes and businesses were vandalized or destroyed; at least 91 Jewish people were killed, and 25,000 to 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps, including many who were friends or family of Herta Adler. In 1940, Mrs. Adler was permitted to move to Lisbon, Portugal, where her brother was in business, because the government granted residency to family members of established residents. From Portugal, Mrs. Adler made her way to New York City, where she met her husband, Dr. Justin H. Adler. They married in 1943 and relocated to Memphis not long after. Herta and Justin Adler were well-known as avid collectors of art and Judaica. Mrs. Adler, in particular, was known as a philanthropist who supported all kinds of artistic and cultural organizations, reminding others that ``charity is the gift that we give for having a good life.'' In the early 1990s, the Adlers donated a large collection of Jewish ritual art to Temple Israel, which is located in Memphis, TN, helping to create the only Judaica museum in the region. In 1992, the Adlers also contributed their extensive pewter collection, which spans 400 years, to Dixon Gallery and Gardens, where it is part of the permanent collection. Even greater than Mrs. Adler's passion and appreciation for art was Mrs. Adler's interest in the people around her and her dedication to her synagogue. She befriended and supported several young Memphis artists and centered much of her life on Temple Israel, where she was a member for more than 60 years. Mrs. Adler and her husband were also founders of Beth Sholom Synagogue, a Conservative Synagogue in Memphis. Mrs. Herta Adler passed away on Friday, February 12, 2010, and was laid to rest on Monday, February 15, 2010. She was 94 years old. She is survived by her daughters Hedda A. Schwartz, a residential and commercial real estate executive, and Susan Adler Thorp, a respected journalist, and her son Michael Adler, an accomplished attorney--all of Memphis. I will always remember Mrs. Adler for her devotion to shaping the cultural and Jewish life of Memphis, Tennessee.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4506, the Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2010, provides new resources for bankruptcy courts to handle the growing number and complexity of bankruptcy cases. This economy has resulted in many people having to seek bankruptcy who never would have dreamed they would have before. And the complexity of the cases, from our major automobile manufacturers on through other reorganizations, have grown in complexity for the bankruptcy judges to be involved in. The bill authorizes the creation of 13 new permanent bankruptcy judges, the conversion of 22 temporary judgeships to permanent judgeships, and the extension of two judgeships for another 5 years. The act will help bankruptcy courts in 25 different Federal judicial districts around this country. Bankruptcies had been steadily on the rise since October 2006. These events, bankruptcies rising and the financial crisis, combined with the continuing mortgage foreclosure crisis, consumer credit problems, and health care crises, have exacerbated this trend significantly and caused the bankruptcy courts much additional work. According to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, bankruptcy filings increased by over 300,000 from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009. That is a 34.5 percent increase in 1 year. The previous year they had increased by 30.2 percent. And the Wall Street Journal recently reported another sharp increase in personal bankruptcy filings in 2009, up 32 percent from 2008. According to the Wall Street Journal, these increases were driven by high unemployment rates and the continuing housing crisis, both of which have affected not only those on the economic margins, but also a growing number of middle class families who desire to work but have had to turn to our Nation's bankruptcy system for help as a last resort. In addition to the growing numbers of bankruptcy cases, the cases have also grown more complex, particularly in business bankruptcies. As I mentioned earlier, in 2009 two of the big three, General Motors and Chrysler, two companies upon which tens of thousands of workers, thousands of dealers, hundreds of suppliers, and many communities across this Nation depended for their livelihoods, went through quick but nonetheless intense bankruptcy processes. Bankruptcy courts performed admirably but under strain. Outside the automobile industry, as I mentioned earlier, businesses such as Delta Airlines to Lehman Brothers to Circuit City have all turned to bankruptcy for relief in recent years, with the same kind of extraordinary burden imposed on the bankruptcy courts. While the workload for bankruptcy courts is increasing, judicial resources are in danger of decreasing. Many current bankruptcy judgeships are authorized on a temporary basis, and some are set to expire soon. A well-functioning bankruptcy system is absolutely essential to helping individuals and businesses weather our Nation's current economic difficulties. Having a sufficient number of bankruptcy judges is a key to making the system work, and has never been more important than today. H.R. 4506, the Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2010, addresses these needs by authorizing the creation of 13 new permanent bankruptcy judgeships and the conversion of 22 temporary judgeships to permanent judgeships. Additionally, it extends the temporary authorization for two judgeships for another 5 years. These new, converted, and extended bankruptcy judgeships reflect the recommendations of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Those recommendations in turn are the culmination of an extensive and careful survey and review process that thoroughly assessed the bankruptcy judgeship needs of every Federal judicial district in the country. In essence transparent, fair, methodical, rational. I note that a significant part of the conference's assessment of bankruptcy judges' workload depends on the use of case weights that were developed almost two decades ago, prior to the enactment of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which we still labor under. BAPCPA created numerous new motions that bankruptcy judges are now required to consider. If anything, the Judicial Conference recommendations may underestimate the need of the workload and the need of new bankruptcy judges. In short, the conference's recommendations, as reflected in the new bankruptcy judgeships authorized by H.R. 4506, may actually be too conservative. To pay for 13 new judgeships, the bill also raises the filing fees for chapter 7 and 13 cases by $1, and for chapter 11 cases, which are business bankruptcies, by $42. While I understand that filing fees are needed for the successful operation of the bankruptcy system, I believe they are already too high, particularly for consumer debtors seeking bankruptcy relief because they are in dire straits. In this one instance we ultimately determined that a fee increase was the only practical way to get the needed judgeships in a timely manner, which will allow for the efficient functioning of the bankruptcy system to the ultimate benefit of debtors. So in passing a bankruptcy system, we wanted to have funds to make it self-sufficient. To put the bankruptcy system of our country in bankruptcy while saving the bankruptcy system seemed like an oxymoron. But I would urge in the future we rely on something other than bankruptcy filing fee increases to pay for new bankruptcy judgeships. The last time Congress addressed the issue of bankruptcy judgeships was 5 years ago when it authorized 28 temporary judgeships in the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. Those temporary judgeships are now about to expire. Moreover, the last time Congress authorized new permanent bankruptcy judgeships was in 1992. It is well past the time that we address the critical issue of bankruptcy judgeships needs, and I am pleased that we are able to do so today. I thank the Judiciary Committee chairman, John Conyers, and Ranking Member Lamar Smith for being original cosponsors of this important legislation and our Judiciary Committee working in a bipartisan fashion to pass the bill. I also thank Trent Franks, the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administration Law, for his support of this bill. I guess it wasn't an oxymoron but an inconsistency. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the bipartisanship under which we have worked on this bill. I thank Mr. Poe and the minority ranking member, Mr. Smith, and Chairman Conyers and the staff who worked on this bill, and the Judicial Conference. I hope that we pass this bill. I call on Members to vote ``aye'' on H.R. 4506 and pass the bill.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, President Obama spoke about health care. He said, If not now, when? And if not us, who? President Obama was correct. He knew that the duty and the obligations of this House are to pass momentous legislation to help the American people. It's engraved above the Speaker's rostrum in words from Daniel Webster, Let us gather all resources and do something worthwhile and momentous and great while we are here with the resources of this country, something to be remembered. Health care has been on the American agenda for 100 years, starting with Teddy Roosevelt in 1912. It went through Harry Truman, through Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and today Barack Obama. We are here to fulfill Ted Kennedy's dream and the work of many Congresses and the American people. I have had several constituents come to me and tell me of serious, serious illnesses they've had, that they would have gone broke if they didn't have insurance. And if they didn't have insurance and their cancer surgeries weren't covered, we would pay for it in the tax we pay that we don't know about of $1,000 per person for uncompensated care. Let's do something worthwhile. Let's pass health care.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 249) commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the role that it played in ensuring the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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

Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, just this past Sunday, on March 7, we commemorated the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the most significant moments in the civil rights movement. It was a day in which I was in Selma, Alabama, with John Lewis, one of the heroes of this United States of America, one of the great saints and heroes of this United States Congress. Other Congress people were there from both sides of the aisle. We first went to Brown Chapel in Selma for a prayer service, where Rev. C.T. Vivian led us with a wonderful sermon. It was a civil rights pilgrimage that the Faith and Politics Institute put on. The culmination of that, after going to Birmingham, where we went to the 16th Street Church and the Civil Rights Institute, and to Montgomery, where we saw the Rosa Parks Museum and went to Rev. Ralph Abernathy's church at the First Baptist Church and the Dexter Avenue Church, the church of Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as the Center for Poverty Law headed up by Morris Dees, culminated in Selma, and it was significant. John Lewis marched there 45 years earlier. Alabama State troopers and Alabama police, the government, stopped them with horses and sticks and gas and all other means of oppression to stop people who were marching simply to have the right to vote and participate in this country's great democracy. Voting is essential, and African Americans were denied voting. After the Civil War, they had the right to vote up until about the turn of century. But then Jim Crow laws came into place, and the effort to protest those, with John Lewis being a leader, culminated in Selma, where they were beaten. After that and the retreat to Brown Chapel, the government came to the aid of John Lewis and others and saw to it they could march, and Dr. King joined that march and Ralph David Abernathy joined that march. They marched down Highway 80 from Selma to Montgomery, culminating just across from the capital, going straight to the capital. Just around the corner is the Dexter Avenue Church of Dr. Martin Luther King. Eventually, the Voting Rights Act was passed, which Lyndon Johnson, in a speech to this Congress right from that lectern, said was the most important legislation that that Congress had passed and one of the most important pieces of legislation ever passed by this House. It was fought by a lot of people, fought by a lot of people from the South. But that voting rights act was so important, and it started because a group of people said, We are not going to stand it anymore. We are going to stand up for our freedom. We are going to march and bring attention to this issue and participate in this democracy and start a change that is going to fulfill America's purpose and promise. That started in Selma. It started with John Lewis, and it culminated with that great march. So it is important that this Congress take time to recognize the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday that forced this Nation to live up to its ideals of justice, freedom, and equality in society, generally, and in the realm of voting rights, specifically. The pilgrimage was one of the best experiences I have had. I am from Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. King was slain on April the 3rd. There were times when Mr. Lewis and other Members came up to me and asked me to go on the pilgrimage. I thought, I was from Memphis. I had spoken at Mason Temple. I had been to Mason Temple. I had been to the Civil Rights Museum. I had been to the Lorraine Hotel so many times, and I knew about civil rights history. But nobody really knows it until they go to the battleground, where this country's future and its promise was turned around and brought to bear because of a group of students and ministers, both black and white, who came together to march for civil rights and to make this country fulfill its destiny and its promise. Mr. Lewis is a man we are lucky to serve with, and I am lucky to serve with, and I appreciate him getting me to go, and for what I learned this weekend from being with him on the Edmund Pettus Bridge where the first march ended in violence, and later started on the long struggle to Montgomery and to freedom and to voting rights. Six hundred civil rights marchers stood strong in solidarity in the march to Montgomery 45 years ago. Our democracy reflects a government of the people and by the people, a principle that had been articulated by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. But until Bloody Sunday and Dr. King's participation and the successful march and the passage of the Voting Rights Act by Congress, it wouldn't have happened. It had not been a government of the people and by the people. It was a government of the white people. It was a government of the wealthy people, the propertied people. In Alabama, there were literacy tests and there were taxes, and these stopped people from having the right to vote. There were intentional impediments to letting people participate in a democracy that you wouldn't have thought would happen in a country with our great Constitution. But the words in our Constitution were simply words. They needed to have purpose and a spirit put behind them and a fulfillment, and that didn't happen until Montgomery and Alabama. Besides voting rights, that march led to other issues. There is economic justice as well as social justice, and we are working in those areas. Access to education, housing, health care, and more have not been available to all. Dr. King, in his famous speech in New York at the Riverside Church, talked about not only racism, but militarism and materialism. There are still problems in this world today and problems that affect this Congress, when too many times we do work on military solutions rather than peaceful solutions, and we worry about materialism rather than spiritual goods. We worry too much about people who have and not people who don't have enough. That is part of Dr. King's dream and part of the legacy that has not been fulfilled in this country, and this Congress needs to do more. That is why jobs bills are so important, to give people opportunities, and job training bills that we are working on. So it was fortunate that we had this opportunity to participate in the pilgrimage. This country needs to reflect back on what happened 45 years ago, understand that the promise is not fulfilled, pay homage to those individuals that participated and made this country a better country, but know that the dream is not finished, the dream endures. We need to fulfill that destiny, and there are opportunities to do it here on this floor with jobs, with tax policy, and with other issues. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the majority leader, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who joined us on this civil rights pilgrimage. I was so proud to be with him. He is one of the most constant attendees, and it reflects on his character that he goes and participates.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman who responded to Martin Luther King when he first met him as a young man in Alabama, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank each of the speakers, particularly Mr. Lewis, whom we are privileged to serve with and I was privileged to go to Montgomery with; and Leader Hoyer, who made such eloquent remarks; and the other gentlemen and ladies who were on the trip, Mr. Barrow, Dr. McDermott, Mr. Filner, Ms. Kirkpatrick, and others. I want to remind, Mr. Speaker, this House that this is an important event to remember. And there are people that go to Montgomery and go to Selma and go to Birmingham to reflect on their history. And in Brown's Chapel, there was a full church in Selma on Sunday, including Ms. Ruby Wharton, a distinguished attorney in my city and the mayor's wife of my city, AC Wharton. She goes every year. Also there was John Nixon, district court judge in Middle Tennessee and then a Sixth Circuit Court judge. He goes every year because he was with the Civil Rights Division in 1965 when the march that succeeded with Dr. King took place. There are people that go back every year to renew their thoughts and their experiences because we shall overcome someday, and I submit that day hasn't occurred yet, Mr. Speaker. The 110th Congress passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow. And in that resolution, passed by voice vote by everybody up here, we said that we're going to rectify the lingering effects of slavery and Jim Crow. And lingering effects include seeing that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are truly part of the American Dream. And you can't have life without health care, and many of the people without health care don't have it because they've been denied the opportunities to participate in the economic dream of America, to have jobs that give them insurance and to afford that opportunity. That's part of what Bloody Sunday was about. To pass this resolution is so important, but to pass it and not to carry out what will happen someday and overcoming the obstacles that have been placed before so many because of the horrific institution of slavery and those laws that were subsequent to it throughout this country of Jim Crow that denied people's rights is wrong. So we must commit ourselves to someday, and that day is now--the fierce urgency of now that Dr. King talked to us about--and fulfill that life, which includes health care, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which gives people a job and an opportunity to participate. So I would ask all of the Members to vote ``aye,'' to pass this resolution today and move passage.

Mr. COHEN. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1081) supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

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

Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1081 designates the month of February 2010 as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. By designating a month to teen dating violence awareness, Congress hopes to bring more attention to the problem. We also hope to underscore the need for more effective prevention and deterrence efforts to help young people break the cycle of violence. Dating violence is a serious problem in this country, and many teens do not report it because they're afraid to tell family and friends. It often starts with teasing and name calling but escalates to more serious violence like physical and sexual assaults. Teen victims of dating violence are at greater risk of doing poorly in school and abusing drugs and alcohol. Fifty percent of young people reporting both dating violence and rape also reported increased rates of attempted suicide, compared to youth who had not been abused. Physically abused teens are three times more likely than teens who have not been abused to experience violence during college. Teen victims also carry the patterns of violence into future relationships. According to a recent report by the American Bar Association, dating violence is occurring with people as young as 12 years of age. A Department of Justice study found that girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experienced the highest rate of intimate partner violence at a rate almost triple the national average. As a result of the growing number of deaths and injuries resulting from teen dating violence, we must recognize this type of behavior is not only a crime but also is a serious public health concern. Today's resolution should occur in families and communities around the country to educate their teenagers about this problem and help in preventing it. I would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for his leadership on this issue and this important resolution. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 1081. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, H. Res. 1081. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1087) honoring the life of John H. ``Jack'' Ruffin, Jr.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to extend and revise their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution as they see fit.

Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1087 honors the life of John H. ``Jack'' Ruffin, Jr. Judge Ruffin began his distinguished legal career as a civil rights attorney, and throughout his career blazed a trail to advance civil rights for all. Judge Ruffin spent most of his life in the great State of Georgia. He was born in Burke County, Georgia, and graduated from Waynesboro High and Industrial School. He attended Morehouse College, and then moved to Washington, D.C. to attend law school at Howard University School of Law. After graduating from law school, Judge Ruffin returned to Georgia to practice law. Only 3 years into his legal career, he filed lawsuits to desegregate the public school systems of Richmond County and Burke County in Georgia. After several additional years of fighting for civil rights, Judge Ruffin became the first African American member of the Augusta Bar Association. After 33 years of practicing law, Judge Ruffin was administered the oath of office and took the bench as the 62nd judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia. He made history as the first African American Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit, and later made history again when he served as the first African American Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. At the time of his death, Judge Ruffin held a teaching position at Morehouse College, still actively engaged in inspiring those to follow. To honor all of Judge Ruffin's accomplishments, the new Richmond County judicial center will be named in his honor. We mourn his passing, but are pleased to honor his many civil rights and legal accomplishments today. He stands, as did Thurgood Marshall and others, as great individuals who used the courts to advance civil rights. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow).

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I join with the gentleman from Texas and thank Mr. Barrow for bringing the resolution. Gentlemen such as Judge Ruffin need to be remembered and others encouraged to follow in their footsteps. And that is important. So I yield back the balance of my time and ask all of my colleagues to join me in voting ``aye'' on House Resolution 1087.