Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on Monday next, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3, for morning-hour debate.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, as the economic recession worsens, millions of Americans are in financial trouble and looking for some immediate assistance, but help is on the way. Tomorrow this House will vote on the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will provide 3 to 4 million jobs here in America. Those hit hardest by the economic crisis are the ones we need to help first, and we are doing that by extending unemployment benefits to people in America, millions who are still looking for jobs. It is difficult to find a job when thousands are being cut. Yesterday a record number of jobs were cut. Economists say one of the best ways to stimulate the economy is to put the money in the hands of people who will spend it immediately, spend it on necessities, and that's people who are out of work. That's something we are going to do. It's also critical to give those people health insurance, and we will provide the States with money so that they can continue to provide Medicaid to those people who need that assistance. There are nearly 7 million unemployed Americans who need health insurance through COBRA. That will also be extended. Mr. Speaker, this economic recession has hurt millions. This Congress will respond and provide assistance.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday this country saw a marvelous event that occurs every 4 years, which is the inauguration of a President of the United States who was elected by the people and who assumes power because of the vote of the people. That is the essence of democracy and what America is foremost at, not revolutions, not juntas, but elections, the rule of law and not terror or violence. Just as we celebrated that great event with more people than ever here in Washington to witness it, it is important that we reiterate to the American public that we are a Nation of laws and not a Nation of men. It is for that reason that I joined with the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, as a cosponsor of H.R. 104, which seeks to set up an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration policies for having a claim of unreviewable war powers, for actions they took or might have taken that did damage to the United States Constitution and to the laws of this Nation. No person is above the law, no person should be considered above the law, and a commission of this sort is important to fulfill the duties of the Congress, which is an independent and separate branch of government, and to see if laws were violated. There are many Americans that feel that there were violations of the law by the administration in the process of leading us to the war in Iraq and information that was given or not given to this Congress, that the PATRIOT Act and uses of that PATRIOT Act in investigating Americans and listening to phone conversations or interrupting other messages without securing subpoenas or going through the proper due process also violated the law. In the Judiciary Committee we looked at several of these violations. We tried to subpoena individuals such as Harriett Myers and Karl Rove, and they rejected compliance with subpoenas. This is another area where we need to go forward, and we need to see that when a congressional committee issues subpoenas, that they are responded to by the executive and not under some blanket executive power. Harriett Myers, a private citizen, refused to comply. Karl Rove also refused to comply. Torture, as used and defined in international law, was used by this administration. Attorney General Designate Eric Holder stated that water boarding is torture; and the former Vice President Dick Cheney said that they used water boarding and seemed somewhat boastful of it. Again, if we use these type of tactics of torture of people detained without due process in particular, but with due process or not, we subject our own soldiers to such treatment, and that is a danger and a violation of the international laws that we should not allow. It is important that we look into the activities of the Justice Department that were politicized during the days of Alberto Gonzales and others. Monica Goodling told us in the Judiciary Committee, after being given a grant of immunity, that partisan associations of candidates played a role in the hiring of career officials in Justice. And the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility issued a joint report, concluding the Bush Department of Justice officials violated departmental rules and Federal law in considering political affiliations for the hiring of career attorneys. There are many areas for investigations. I hope that the Congress will pass H.R. 104, and allow us to look into these and guarantee the American public that we are a Nation of laws and not a Nation of men, and, regardless of the position you hold, you are held to standards. Just behind me there are words carved into the desk of the Clerk, and they include ``justice.'' There is liberty, there is justice, there is tolerance, and other virtues. Justice is the highest.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, few Americans have heard the term ``Black January,'' yet it is imbedded in the memory of all Azerbaijanis. Black January marks the evening of January 19, 1990, when at midnight 26,000 Russian troops stormed the capital city of Baku with tanks. Armed with a state of emergency declared by the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet Presidium and signed by then President Mikhail Gorbachev, the incursion was intended to suppress a growing independence movement. The net result was the opposite. This incident inflamed Azerbaijani nationalism and contributed to the breakup of the Soviet Union. Leading up to Black January, the national independence movement had reached a remarkable momentum with hundreds of thousands demonstrating for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Emerging democratic groups were leading the political agenda and were projected to succeed in upcoming Parliament elections in March 1990. The Soviet Union sought to ``restore order'' by indiscriminately firing on peaceful demonstrators in Baku, including women and children. The protesters were calling for independence from the Soviet Union and the removal of Communist officials. More than 130 people died that night and in subsequent violence, 611 were injured, 841 were arrested, and 5 went missing. According to a report by Human Rights Watch entitled ``Black January in Azerbaijan,'' ``among the most heinous violations of human rights during the Baku incursion were the numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances and even hospitals.'' The report concluded that ``indeed the violence used by the Soviet Army on the night of January 19-20 . . . constitutes an exercise in collective punishment . . . The punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers may have been intended as a warning to nationalists, not only in Azerbaijan, but in other Republics of the Soviet Union.'' In the days after the invasion, thousands of Azerbaijanis surrounded Communist Party headquarters demanding the resignation of the republic's leadership. The Baku City Council demanded that Soviet troops be withdrawn. The Soviet legislature in Azerbaijan condemned the occupation as ``unconstitutional'' and threatened to call a referendum on secession unless Soviet troops were withdrawn within 48 hours. And, Azerbaijani oil tankers blocked Soviet naval vessels from reaching the Baku harbor. Soviet troops were eventually withdrawn from Baku, but political control was maintained for almost another 2 years until Azerbaijan's parliament declared independence in October 1991. The Republic of Azerbaijan has maintained its independence for more than 17 years, despite lingering economic and social problems from the Soviet era and the military occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan by Armenia. Today, Azerbaijan has developed into a thriving country with double digit growth, in large part due to a freely elected president and parliament, free market reforms led by the energy sector, and, most importantly, no foreign troops on its soil. While January 20 has been inauguration day in the United States every 4 years since 1937, in Azerbaijan it is the day on which Azerbaijani citizens stood up to Soviet equipment and martyrs gave up their lives for freedom from communism and dictatorship. Indeed, January 20, 1990, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the fate of the Soviet empire was sealed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, last week, the 111th Congress was convened, and we started by electing our Speaker, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, for a second term of Speaker of the House. The 111th Congress has much potential, much of it because the 107th, 108th and 109th Congresses failed as a Republican majority, and a Republican President let the free market dictate how our economy responded to economic pressures, and as a result, we have had the greatest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. Those Congresses--the 107th, 108th and 109th--allowed the Republican President, on faith, to take us into a war that has cost us 4,000 American lives, over 30,000 casualties and over a half trillion dollars that has robbed our citizens and our cities, Madam Speaker, of monies needed for health care, education and infrastructure. The 110th Congress saw a Democratic majority come here, and it had an opportunity to pass legislation, some of which was approved by the President, was signed by the President or his veto was overridden. However, the President did veto several of our bills, including a children's health care plan, which we'll work on this week. We were unable to stop the hemorrhaging of our economy and of our young people's lives in the Middle East. In both the election of a new President and in the 111th Congress's opportunity to work with President-elect Obama, I believe this Congress will be viewed as one of the most historic Congresses in the history of our country. We have the opportunity to restore America's proper place in the world community as a nation that others see as a good and giving and intelligent country that shares the power of its ideas rather than the idea of its power, as President Clinton said, one that works in a multinational fashion to work with other countries to solve the problems around the globe. I have great confidence that Secretary of State Clinton will see to it that women's issues, children's issues and health care issues will be dealt with by the United States as a leader around the globe and that people will see us as a friend and not a foe, as someone to be respected and not feared. Nevertheless, the military is always necessary for those who are incapable of seeing peace as the ultimate purpose in our time on Earth, and we will see to it that our military is effectively maintained. Climate change threatens the very Earth we inhabit, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, under the leadership of Representative Chairman James Oberstar, will see to it that we address issues of importance that maintain the Earth as we know it, the flora and fauna as God has given them to us, and see that future generations aren't impacted as greatly as they would be. The past Congresses did not deal with global warming. They did not sign the Kyoto Accord--the President did not--and they leave us with a problem there. So we've got a problem with the world community, a problem with the economy, a problem with the environmental standards that we need to adopt. Much to be done. It has all begun, but most of it won't really get into full swing until after the inauguration of January 20. Madam Speaker, I urge every school system and every citizen to watch the inauguration of our next President on January 20. Allow students to watch that inauguration. Hopefully, it will instill in them the same spirit about government and the same hope that I had on January 20, 1961 when I watched John Kennedy take the oath of office. John Kennedy gave my generation the belief that politics could be an honorable profession and that government could be a useful tool in seeing our country and our world as a better place. To a goodly extent, I think we've lost that hope that the new frontier brought some 40- some-odd years ago. With the election of Barack Obama, hope again exists to the American people's hearts and minds. I expect his oratory to embody the spirit of America--a spirit of working together and a spirit of change that is for the betterment of this country and for the world. I hope everybody watches. Please encourage your children to watch and to allow them to be inspired, for if they are, we'll have a generation that will participate, that will vote and that will see to it that we have a better tomorrow. Madam Speaker, I am proud to serve in this Congress. I am very proud to serve with Speaker Pelosi. I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve with the new frontier of the 21st century, Barack Obama. Thank you very much.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I thank the gentleman. I want to first thank Congresswoman DeLauro for her long work on this. It is hard for me to believe that it is 2009 and this issue is still before us. It is a great day in this United States Congress, Mr. Speaker, that we will do fairness and equity for women here in this House. Hopefully the Senate will do the same. The Supreme Court in Lilly Ledbetter did itself just as much disservice as it did in Bush v. Gore. The Supreme Court needed to be reversed. We will do it with this legislation and will provide remedies for women in the future for inequities in workplace pay.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, the 21st century, in reality, will be arriving in America on the 20th of January 2009. It's been put off far enough by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and we've heard more of their rhetoric today, acting like, as Dick Cheney said, ``Herbert Hooverians.'' If the Republican Party didn't wake up, they'd be known as the Party of Herbert Hoover forever. When the Great Depression came, Herbert Hoover and his Treasury Secretary Morgenthal and his colleagues in the Congress did not act. It caused the Great Depression to be worse. We must act. We need a major economic stimulus package which will be presented by President-elect Obama, and this Democratic Congress and this Democratic Congressman will support it because we need jobs creation. We need to give people hope and the reality that we can come out of this. We're going to have problems in 2009 with the economy regardless, but they'll be less. The 21st century couldn't come soon enough. I look forward to January 20, 2009, to working with President-elect Obama and this Democratic Congress to make America great again.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased today that when the House considers the Economic Stabilization Act, it will contain an FDIC insurance raise. On the 22nd of September, I filed a bill to increase the FDIC insurance to $200,000 to protect our independent depositors and our community banks. This is a very difficult vote, as it was on Monday, because there is medicine that's bitter that you don't want to take but that you need. Sir Edmund Burke, a great member of parliament in Britain in the 1700s, said a legislator has a duty to his constituents to listen to them, but also to vote in what he believes from what he learns is their best interest. A good legislator has to make that decision. Years later, another great British philosopher, Mick Jagger said, ``Sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you get what you need.'' This time, we are going to do what the American economy needs. It's difficult but correct.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, as we are involved in this crisis with the economy, the world goes on. And part of the world is the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, when I returned home to Memphis, I learned that one of our citizens, Private First Class Christopher T. Fox, United States Army, became the 4,178th casualty in the Iraq war. He was the ninth casualty from my District; a 21-year-old gentleman who went to Hamilton High School, whose stepfather lives in Memphis, Mr. Randall Hancock, and whose guardian is in Knoxville, Tennessee. Private First Class Fox served this country admirably. He had a great love for the Army. He was due to get out in July, and looking forward to going to UT Knoxville in the fall. He played football at Hamilton High School. He loved his country. The people of the Ninth District, the people of Shelby County, the people of Tennessee, and all of us in America appreciate his sacrifice and his service and join his family in grieving his loss. Thank you for your good deeds on Earth, Private First Class Fox.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, today would have been the end of the 110th Congress. It appears it won't be for we will be returning to work on the bill that failed to pass today. I am a first-year Member, Madam Speaker, as you well know. And this was probably the most important and most difficult vote that any of us had to cast. I came in today not knowing how I was going to vote. I listened to my constituents. I listened to economists. I listened to members of my party and members of the other party and tried to study on the issue. I ended up voting for the bill because I think it was the right thing to do for our country which I do believe, after reading Thomas Friedman and listening to others, is on the brink of an economic disaster. The fact is, we need action. This Congress should have acted in a bipartisan fashion to take action. It was difficult to vote for the bill, just like it's difficult sometimes to take medicine that doesn't taste good or to have the doctor give you a shot or to go through a medical procedure. Sometimes you need it when you're sick. You want to avoid it because you don't want the bad taste or the pain of the surgery or the shot, but you know it's going to do you good. To do things that would allow people who have caused us this problem, people on Wall Street and investment bankers who are living all too well, to have some of their bad debts taken from them and to give them some relief was difficult. But the bottom line is it affects everybody in America. It affects everybody's pension. It affects everybody's savings. It affects people's jobs. It affects the basic economic structure of our country. And to have capitalism and an economic system that works, you have got to have a financial system, an economic system which bankers are part of. And it has to be one that works. We're interrelated. We had banks in Europe close. Two British banks and a German bank closed yesterday. And Wachovia was taken over today. Other banks in America are in trouble. A banker whom I have confidence in and respect for called me and suggested that if this Congress didn't take action, that there would be runs on banks and bank failures. There would be conduct that would be reminiscent of the 1920s. On Saturday I had some time and I went out and visited the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial. And I looked at the sculptures of the people in lines, the people that were affected by the Depression and the quote from Franklin Roosevelt that is inscribed on those walls that said ``The test of our progress is not whether we add to the abundance of those who have much. It is whether we provide enough to those who have little. And I thought about that and the failure of the Senate to pass the economic stimulus bill that we had passed here in this House to help people with food stamps, with Medicaid and with unemployment compensation that have already been affected, that while the bill we had today would have helped everybody, it would have most directly affected people who have much in abundance. And yet the Senate wasn't willing to help those who had too little. And I thought it ran counter to what Franklin Roosevelt spoke about. There was lots in the bill I didn't like. There were things that could have been better considering the judicial standards and courts having more authority and more oversight. There were things in the bill that could have helped people who are in their homes now with bankruptcy options for judges to allow people to remain in their homes. And those things weren't there. But on balance, I think we have to avert a disaster which I think we can be coming very close to experiencing. And I think the failure of this House to act in a bipartisan fashion, which it should have, is unfortunate for America. It was a difficult vote, but I'm proud to have cast it. I hope that when we come back, and we will on Thursday, that the Republicans will come with more votes. They didn't deliver the votes they were supposed to. I was proud of their leadership as well as I was with mine in trying to do something right for America on the last day of this 110th Congress. Madam Speaker, like you I'm very proud to be a Member of this Congress and to represent my country. I cast a vote that I know some people in my district might question because of the failures of the bill. But not to act would have been wrong. And on balance I felt like the right thing to do for our country to avert economic disaster was to vote for the bill. I hope we come back and have a better bill. Whether it is FDIC insurance going up to $200,000 or more, which I have recommended, whether it is part of the economic stimulus package being added to the bill, or options for bankruptcy judges to keep people in their homes, those are all ways that we can improve the bill. Hopefully we will improve it. And hopefully we will save our economy, the savings of our constituents and jobs of our constituents and keep America a strong and great country which I know it will be. Madam Speaker, God bless America.

Mr. COHEN

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

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman who is the sponsor of this bill and brought this to the Congress, a gentleman who is retiring, and was one of the first people I had the opportunity to meet when I came up here. He has been very kind to me in my first year. I regret his leaving, but he has provided his service to this Congress, and a gentleman whose district shares much with my district, music, and many of the Memphis musicians fled to Muscle Shoals at one time. We forgive him that; that was their choice. We wish him good luck in the Alabama-Georgia game--Mr. Cramer of Alabama.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I again join with my colleagues in expressing the pleasure I have had serving with Mr. Cramer and my appreciation for his service. We do share a lot. Sam Phillips was born in your district. He came to Memphis, he gave birth to Elvis Presley and the rest is history. Thank you; you have been a true gentleman and I will miss you.

Mr. COHEN. No, sir.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1224, to commend the Tennessee Valley Authority on its 75th anniversary. My hometown of Memphis is the largest customer of the Tennessee Valley Authority. It supplies us with our energy. The Tennessee Valley Authority over the years has had many, many great commissioners and has now a new form of administration. In the past, one of our predecessors from this House and the State of Tennessee, Bob Clement, served as a member of the board of directors of the TVA; and also a gentleman named Johnny Hayes, who passed away this past week, who was a great Tennessean and a great supporter of our previous Vice President Al Gore and a dear friend of mine. The Tennessee Valley Authority was signed into law by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on May 18, 1933. At that time America was in the midst of a Great Depression, and the Tennessee Valley Authority was seen as a way to lift the country out of economic recession. The establishment of TVA by the Federal Government was a sign of Congress' recognition of the importance of integrating regional and national resource management strategies and issues affecting multiple States. The TVA wove together Southeastern Conference members in a way that hasn't been done since other than the conference. More specifically, it was created to provide inland waterway navigation, flood control, affordable electricity and to bolster economic development in the Tennessee Valley region. TVA also helped farmers improve crop yields, replant forests and improve fish and wildlife habitation in the valley. TVA's facilities now include 30 hydroelectric dams, 11 fossil fuel powered plants and three nuclear power plants. It is the Nation's largest public power company and provides reliable electricity to nearly 8.5 million customers in the Tennessee Valley. Near my home is Pickwick Dam, also a source of great opportunity for enjoyment and pleasures for people wanting to boat and enjoy outdoor life. Today, TVA continues to support navigation along the Tennessee River, reduce the risk of flood damage to the surrounding area, and provide reliable electric power to its many customers. It does so while applying a unique problem-solving approach while fulfilling its mission of integrated resource management. TVA has proven that it remains committed to fulfilling the needs of the region's businesses and citizens. This has been reflected in the development of hydroelectric facilities in the 1940s to support the war effort and the production of aluminum, to its present day development of renewable power sources. I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in supporting this resolution and honor the Tennessee Valley Authority for helping to meet the needs of our country for the past 75 years. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I want to thank the chairman for his courtesies and the ranking member in helping bring this bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6146, which I introduced with Congressman Issa of California. The bill is designed to address the phenomenon of libel tourism, whereby plaintiffs seek judgments from foreign courts from American authors and publishers for making allegedly defamatory statements. The fact is, these statements in these cases would not be considered defamatory in American courts where the first amendment gives our authors and people the protection of the first amendment, but in certain jurisdictions, even countries that have similar legal systems to ours, the first amendment is not recognized, and the libel laws are much different, and plaintiffs have less burdens to prove to get judgments against defendants. This threatens to undermine our Nation's core free speech principles, as embodied in the first amendment. U.S. law places this higher burden on defamation plaintiffs to safeguard our first amendment and protect our speech. We have seen problems with this, particularly in courts of England. The State of New York has already acted to pass a bill to protect authors and publishers in the first amendment, but there was a need to have such on a national basis. Thomas Jefferson is memorialized with the monument here in Washington. My friend, Randy Wade, and I visited Thomas Jefferson recently. Around the top of the monument is a statement Thomas Jefferson is known for: ``I have sworn upon the altar of almighty God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the minds of men.'' To infringe on the opportunity for people to write books and publish, which is what this does, is tyranny over the minds of men. I believe Jefferson would join with us today in support of this proposal. H.R. 6146 will codify the principle that while U.S. courts will normally enforce judgments of foreign courts, they should not do so when the foreign judgments undermine our Constitution, particularly our precious first amendment. Specifically, our bill prohibits U.S. courts from recognizing and enforcing foreign defamation judgments that do not comport with the first amendment. I believe that passage of this bill will dissuade those who would seek to circumvent our first amendment by filing actions in libel-friendly forums that do not share our protections and then threaten our authors with judgments. I thank, again, Chairman Conyers and Ranking Member Smith for their assistance in bringing this bill to the floor on suspension. I also thank Congressman Issa for his help and Congressman Peter King. Representative King had a different bill on the same subject. He has shown leadership on this issue for his home State of New York, and he joined with us in this particular bill to try to get it passed here in this Congress. Adam Cohen, no relation to me in any way whatsoever, opined in The New York Times that this bill needed to become law immediately. We did go into warp speed to get this to the floor. I am committed to working with Mr. King next year. I have talked to Chairman Conyers, and he is in agreement that we should have a public hearing next year on this legislation with Mr. King's ideas that go further than this bill to discuss how far libel tourism should go. And that hearing I think would satisfy Senator Specter's office and others on the Senate side, to go deeper to protect our authors and the freedom of speech. I would also like to thank the Association of American Publishers, particularly former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, the Media Law Resource Center, and Professor Michael Brode of Emory University Law School for their input on the bill. I urge the bill's immediate passage. I thank my chairman from the bottom of my heart who I am fortunate to serve with, and my ranking member who has been so kind to me during my first term.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, this first year of Congress for me is about to end, and the 110th Congress is about to end. It is important that we come together on this floor and in this Congress in a bipartisan manner to preserve the American economy. Whose fault it is--I think the American people know whose fault it is. There were 6 years of a Republican President, a Republican Senate, a Republican House, and a lack of regulations and a lack of regard to the economic conditions that brought about this situation, but now is the time to fix the mess. Whether you are a first-year Member, a senior Member, a Democrat or Republican, when you make a mess, you clean it up. It's our responsibility to do it in the proper way with oversight, with the American taxpayer at the base of our concerns to make sure we do it right. We are in for historic times. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party need to come together, and we need to have a solution to keep America strong. God bless the United States of America.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the ``Individual Depositor and Community Bank Protection Act of 2008,'' which raises the federal deposit insurance limit from the current $100,000 to $200,000. This upward adjustment in the federal deposit insurance limit is long overdue. The last increase in the deposit insurance limit--to the current $100,000--was made 28 years ago, in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan was first elected President. This has been the longest period in history in which there has been no raise in the deposit insurance maximum. Since 1980, our nation's economy has changed, with an undeniable increase in income, prices, and wealth. By failing to raise the deposit insurance limit in kind, Congress has effectively weakened the federal guarantee underlying deposit Insurance. Deposit insurance, established in response to the financial meltdown of the 1930s that led to the Great Depression, is vital to consumer confidence and to the stability of our nation's banking system. It also is an effective mechanism for ensuring that small community banks can maintain a competitive position vis a vis large national banks. Large banks are not as dependent as small ones on deposit insurance because they are categorized as ``too big to fail'' and will be protected by the federal government should they run into financial trouble. As a result, they have a competitive advantage in securing depositors and in providing loans. Small community banks enjoy no such protection and, as a result, depend on a robust federal deposit insurance guarantee to reassure consumers that their money is safe in a community bank. Weakening deposit insurance effectively gives a competitive upper hand to the ever-shrinking number of large national banks and, in the long run, will limit the vitality and competitiveness of our nation's banking industry. At this moment of economic crisis and deep financial uncertainty for millions of Americans, I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward and long-overdue raise in the federal insurance deposit limit. It is vital to maintaining our nation's financial stability, ensuring a solid foundation for economic growth, promoting competition in the banking industry, and reassuring an anxious nation.

Mr. COHEN

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

Mr. COHEN. I appreciate Mr. Coble's and Mr. Smith's comments. Mr. Smith, of course, comes from a city in Texas that my predecessor, the Congressman from West Tennessee in the 1800s--Davy Crockett--went to. Unfortunately, it was the last city that Congressman Davy Crockett went to. I was noticing, in going through the Halls here, that Sam Houston, who left my State, went to be Governor of your State. So Texas and Tennessee have a lot in common. If it weren't for Tennessee, we probably wouldn't have a Texas, so it's wonderful to work with you today on this particular resolution. As I look around the Chamber here, there are great lawmakers, including Moses and Moses Maimonides. In Tennessee, we have a Bob Moses who had a lot to do with this three-tiered system, and he did a lot of work on it. We don't have any further speakers. I'd like to inquire as to how many more speakers the gentleman from Texas might have.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res 415, which celebrates 75 years of successful State-based alcohol regulation. I want to commend the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) for introducing this measure. It's the same as H. Con. Res 341, introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), which has 98 bipartisan cosponsors, and S. Res. 551, introduced by the senior Senator from Montana, Senator Baucus, which has 14 cosponsors, also in a bipartisan manner. Seventy-five years ago--nearly to the day--on December 5, 1933, the 21st amendment to the Constitution of this country was passed. It repealed prohibition, a great mistake in the social era in this country, and the 21st amendment was ratified by the people in constitutional form. It brought an end to a misguided experiment and ushered in a new system of legal regulation of alcohol beverages. Previously, we had an illegal system that encouraged organized crime and worked against the public's wishes. Section 2 of that amendment states that ``the transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors in violations of the laws thereof is hereby prohibited.'' The effect of section 2 was to entrust regulation of alcoholic beverages to the States. Under the 21st amendment, and the terms of the Webb-Kenyon Act which implemented it, States have done an outstanding job exercising their primary authority to regulate this industry composed of producers, importers, wholesale distributors and retailers, often dubbed the ``three tier system'' by such knowledgeable and legendary individuals as Tom Hensley. This has been a successful approach, and we have not had occasion to reconsider it. It is a system that provides transparency and accountability. It is one that prizes public safety in which the industry works with State lawmakers--of which I was one for 24 years and served on the State and local government committee in Tennessee that had the responsibility of ensuring that the three-tier system worked and the public was protected. Public health officials and law enforcement people also worked on this to provide quality products to consumers and ensure the responsible use of alcoholic beverages. Through this partnership with the Federal Government, we have pursued efforts to eliminate alcohol abuse, underage drinking, drunk driving, and other problems associated with the abuse of alcoholic beverages. I commend Mr. Stupak of Michigan and Mr. Coble of North Carolina for their leadership on this resolution, which commemorates the end of a failed experiment, prohibition, and the establishment of a system that served the citizens of this Nation well for over three-quarters of a century. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res 415).

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

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Davis and particularly Congresswoman McCarthy for bringing H.R. 998. I do represent Memphis, Tennessee, and much of the civil rights history of Memphis, for better and for worse purposes, have occurred in my district. It is important that the history of that struggle be maintained to teach people about the courageous struggle, the leadership that many, many people had to embark on to achieve their rights that should have been part of 18th century America, but the 18th century America was not complete, and all men were not created equal. Certainly women weren't created equal either, and people had to fight and risk their lives to attain rights for people who today are beneficiaries thereof. In my community, many of these heroes of the civil rights movement have been dying lately. They're getting old. This bill I wish would have come earlier, but I really thank Representative McCarthy for bringing it. It's a start. And there are people like the great Reverend Benjamin Hooks, who's getting up in his years but who's got many stories to tell, and Russell Sugarman. We lost Mr. Ernest Withers, a great photographer of the civil rights movement, this past year. Time goes by for all of us, and the opportunities to collect history become more difficult as each day passes. So I'm proud to speak on behalf of this, but mostly as a Congressperson from the Ninth District in Tennessee, I want to express my appreciation to Representative McCarthy for having the leadership to bring this and for initiating this process.