Danny Davis

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, to live to become 109 years old in this country or any country is quite a feat. Such has been the life and legacy of Mrs. Rosie Atchison who was born on August 15th, 1911 in Bolivar Mississippi and passed away on November 23rd, 2020. Her birth mother passed away when Rosie was just six weeks old and she was taken into the care of her father Mr. Henry Liner who raised her as the 2nd oldest of 27 children whom he fathered. Rosie grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi where she lived a typical life for blacks in that area, she worked the fields, went to church, got married had two children, lost a child, got tired of the fields and a failed marriage, took her two children and migrated to Chicago looking for a better life and that is exactly what she found. With faith in God she joined Greater Salem Missionary Baptist Church where the renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was a member and she also sang in the choir. She met and married her second husband Mr. Andrew Atchison who worked for the Diamond Glue Factory. She found a job cleaning rail cars for the Pennsylvania Railroad and worked there until her retirement in 1970. Mrs. Atchison and her husband became very productive citizens and developed a reputation for helping others less fortunate than themselves and she became known to many as big mama. Rosie and her family lived in the mecca building in the heart of the Bronzeville community until they were forced out to make room for the Illinois Institute of Technology. They protested and held marches around city hall but lost. After her husband died she purchased a 2 flat building in the Englewood community and kept on helping people. On November 23, 2020, after 109 years Rosie passed away leaving 2 daughters, 15 grandchildren, 60 great grandchildren, 95 great great grandchildren and 24 great, great, great, great, grandchildren, one sister Josephine Liner Wilson and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and extended family. What a life, what a legacy.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the Almighty God has called to his eternal rest Mr. Lee Rayburn, a skilled mechanic and business leader who became a legend on the westside of Chicago in the automobile repair business. I met Mr. Rayburn in the late 1960's when one of my staffer Ms. Arlene Granderson introduced me to Mr. Nate Irwin who was her mechanic and was working at Rayburns Automobile Repair Shop at Roosevelt and Independence. Mr. Irwin became my mechanic and my friend as did his boss, Mr. Rayburn. For more than fifty years Mr. Rayburn and his mechanics repaired my cars, fixed my flats, and preformed tow services, whenever I needed them. I soon learned that Mr. Rayburn was not only good at repairing cars, but was also interested in community politics, social service activities and was a great financial supporter of community causes. He, Garfield Major, Willie Barney, The Knox Family at the hardware store, Cliff Duwel White, Walker Harris the iceman, Dave at the hot dog stand and Rev. Murphy at Rose of Sharon Cleaners became the heart of business support group in the area. Mr. Rayburn loved his business and loved the Lawndale Community. After he was no longer actively working, he would come up to the shop and sit around talking with customers and giving people advice. He was a great mechanic, a great businessman, a great family man, a great community leader, and he will be greatly missed.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. As a cosponsor of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, I rise in strong support of this bill that removes the harmful 5-month waiting period for earned Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. For years, representatives from the greater Chicago chapter of The ALS Association have raised the financial hardship caused by this waiting period. Disability insurance is an earned benefit. Federal law should ease suffering and promote the well-being of persons eligible for SSDI. This bill will help alleviate the financial burden of persons and families struggling with ALS, making it a little easier as they battle the tremendous loss associated with this illness. Enacting this bill is an important step forward to removing barriers to disability benefits. I look forward to advancing additional bills to eliminate obstacles to disability benefits, including advocating for the elimination of the waiting period for financial and Medicare assistance for all SSDI-eligible individuals. Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the period during which slavery legally existed represents the most horrific and most sordid period in the history of the United States; therefore, I commend and thank Representative G.K. Butterfield for facilitating and anchoring this Special Order highlighting the importance and relevance and impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments on changing America. Of course, we know that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment gave Blacks and former slaves citizenship, and the 15th Amendment gave newly freed slaves the right to vote. The period preceding, during, and after the Civil War, known as Reconstruction, is not only one of the most sordid, but the most violent and most repressive periods in our history. The most interesting part of all of this, though, is not yesterday. The most interesting part is that there are individuals and groups in our country today who are attempting to take us back to that period, and we can never let that happen. In U.S. News Today, there is an article defining how some historians, some boards of education, some school boards have attempted to rewrite and teach a history that is very different than the real history. When you consider the number of individuals who are part of the mass incarceration system who are forced to work for nothing and whose rights are suspended, that takes us back a ways. And when you consider efforts to prevent and make it difficult or basically impossible for people to vote, that nullifies the 15th Amendment. So you see, Brother Butterfield, when you consider the times that we are in, one would have to conclude that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are all under serious attack, and we must glory in the fact that we have overcome some of the obstacles, but we also must be vigilant, vigilant to the extent of never going back to that period. We must be able to say even as a 12-year old girl said when she wrote a little poem that said: No chains on my hands, no chains on my feet, but the chains on my mind are keeping me from being free. So I thank you again for anchoring this Special Order, and I thank you for reminding us that freedom is a hard-won thing. Each generation has to win it and win it again.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the MORE Act, which allows the Federal Government to begin to catch up with the 47 States, like Illinois, which have already reformed their marijuana use laws in one way or the other. Mass incarceration, which disproportionately affects Black and Brown citizens, has been aided and abetted by marijuana laws, which result in more than 600,000 arrests annually. The expungement provisions in this legislation will allow hundreds of thousands of individuals to get their records expunged so that they can more enthusiastically pursue legitimate jobs and work to take care of themselves and their families. The MORE Act is an idea whose time has come. I urge that we vote ``yes.''

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, Elaine Rasberry was born on January 31, 1956 in Chicago, IL to the union of Christine Davis and Leroy Williams, both of whom preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her brother Calvin Davis and granddaughter Jurzee Hopson. Elaine accepted the Lord as her personal savior at an early age under the leadership of Pastor Hackline of Chicago, IL. She realized you find God the moment you realize you don't need to seek him. Later she joined Garden of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Johnnie Haynie. Elaine loved her family and her friends. She was your favorite cousins' favorite cousin. She stayed connected to everyone in her extended family including the Davis, Williams, Houston and Rasberry families. She was known for her famous lemon pies and German chocolate cakes. Her brother Calvin traveled miles for a taste of her butter cookies. Elaine graduated from Lucy Flower High School in Chicago and received a business certificate from the Murdock Institute. She always had a passion for children, serving as an associate at Mark's Day Care and a teacher's aide at St. Eulalia Elementary school. Most recently, she served as a student monitor for children with special needs at Student First. Elaine's hobbies included cooking, traveling, watching The Young and the Restless and Tyler Perry movies, eating Red Lobster, posting on Facebook and of course she loved shopping. She always had a deep affection for helping people, serving as the Vice-President of the Van Buren Block Club where she hosted school supply drives to help poverty-stricken families. One of her biggest honors was meeting and taking a photo with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Elaine made her transition to be with the Lord on November 25, 2020. She leaves to cherish her memories: her husband Eugene Rasberry, her son Jarvis Houston, her daughters Latrice Houston (Giovanni), Latrina Houston (Jeff) and son Devin Rasberry (Diana), sister Tamesha Hawkins (Stanley), sister Lawana Davis, eight grandchildren (Giovanni Jr, Gialin, Amerika, Jurnee, Amina, Gili, Ezekiel, Jaylen) and a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, this Proclamation is in tribute to Bishop Willie James Campbell: Whereas, Bishop Willie James Campbell was called in his eternal rest on November 7, 2020 at age 75; and Whereas, Willie James Campbell was born in Chicago to the union of Bishop Jesse Campbell and Agnes Campbell; and Whereas, Bishop Campbell started preaching in 1968 at his father's church on Chicago's Westside at 4147 West Roosevelt Road and was ordained in 1970's; and Whereas, Bishop Campbell was known as ``the prince of preachers,'' a dynamic, energetic and effective minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with over 25 years of ministry, an evangelist (who preached my Ordination Service when I became a Deacon at the New Galilee MBC Church). He was a loyal community leader and supporter of community revitalization programs including as an original supporter of Community Bank of Lawndale (now Liberty Bank); and Whereas, Bishop Campbell was appointed by the Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake and the General Board of the Church of God in Christ to the office of President of the Department of Evangelism and subsequently was recommended and promoted to the designation of Bishop; and Whereas, Bishop Campbell was a member of the Gospel Music Workshop of America Announcers Guild, a member of the NAACP, AARC, Chicago Urban League, Ministers Alliance of Chicago, Operation PUSH and a Save the Children sponsor; and Whereas, Bishop Campbell leaves to cherish his memory his wife: Lori; sons: Jesse, James and Jared from his first marriage to Anne Campbell; daughter Bridgette Hurt; another daughter, Tjuan Gibbs; children Miisha and Kayla Campbell from his marriage to Lori Campbell; sisters Lillie Mae English, Eunice McIntyre and Clarola Scott; brothers Wardell and Kenneth Campbell; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his Congregation and a host of relatives and friends; Now, that we join with his family, Congregation and friends in deeply mourning the passing of our friend Bishop Willie James Campbell; and Furthermore, we express to his family, Congregation, friends and all who knew him, our respect for his life and works, and we commend his soul to the Almighty God for peaceful repose.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and in strong support of the act. As I listened to the discussion relative to the coronavirus, the pandemic, I am very optimistic now with the advent and the announcement of vaccines that may very well prove to be effective. It means that as we gain control of the pandemic, as we gain control of the virus, we are going to need a well-trained, skilled workforce ready and available to work if we are going to rebuild and redevelop our economic status. Having this workforce available, increasing apprenticeship training and opportunities is one of the best possible things that we could do. Madam Speaker, I commend Representative Scott and the Committee on Education and Labor for their work on this bill. I urge strong support for it and I will vote to pass it, and I can hardly wait to do so.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate Fannie May on its 100th year anniversary serving the Chicagoland community with handcrafted, premium American chocolates. H. Teller Archibald opened the first Fannie May shop in 1920 at 11 N. LaSalle St. in the heart of downtown Chicago. By 1935 there were four dozen shops in Illinois and surrounding states and in 1946, the iconic PIXIE was developed. This mouth-watering combination of caramel, chocolate and nuts are one of the companies best sellers and one of my favorites. During World War II, while other companies chose to change their recipes when ingredients were scare, Fannie May stuck with its exact recipes, making only what they could with the available superior ingredients. Though the company battled many cultural and financial challenges, it never stop creating new treats for the young, old and health conscious. In 1991 Fannie May produced sugar-free chocolate, which quickly became a favorite among dieters and people with diabetes. To this day, Fannie May does not compromise on quality, and their 55 stores including their flagship store on Michigan Avenue in my district, and 500 employees in the Chicago area serve the community with the utmost pride. Fannie May chocolates are undeniably some of the most popular in the U.S. and often a favorite for Valentines and the holiday shopper. Again, congratulations to Fannie May, we look forward to another 100 years with you as a vital member of the Chicagoland community.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I stand tonight to recognize the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession on its 10th Anniversary. The legal profession remains one of the least diverse professions in the United States. This adversely impacts the pipeline of women, racial/ethnic minorities, openly LGBTQ+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and religious minorities, who will serve as future legislators, judges, public policy advocates, civic and community leaders, and the lawyers who can be found daily in boardrooms and courtrooms. While there are an abundance of organizations working to make the American legal profession more diverse and inclusive, and some progress made, much remains to be done. For ten years, the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (``IILP'') has been working for ``Real change. Now.'' Its approach has differed from more traditional efforts. It has focused on inclusion rather than just diversity. It has emphasized the supply side over the demand side: making the legal profession more hospitable to diverse individuals, one where anyone with the talent, aptitude, ambition, and determination may enter and rise as high as those abilities will permit. It has grounded its work in research and data that go beyond the anecdotal. It discusses the hard issues and tackles the tough questions that need to be resolved before this profession can truly become more diverse and inclusive. It addresses all types of diversity in all practice settings all over the United States. More importantly, everyone in the legal profession has a home within the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession. I was honored to give remarks during the inaugural year of the formation of the IILP in 2009 and I am pleased to share these highlights from its first ten years of service. The IILP is continuing to publish its ``Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession,'' the only comprehensive compilation of data, statistics, demographics, and thought leadership essays designed in the country. This report has become an important tool to everyone in the legal profession who is concerned about diversity and inclusion issues. In addition, the IILP presented some 40 Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession to lawyers all over the United States. These symposia bring together an extremely diverse group of lawyers who learn about all types of diversity and find synergies that allow them to work across lines of difference. The IILP provided the legal profession with the only hard data available on the business case for diversity in ``The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?''. The IILP published the series, ``Competing Interests,'' which is the only analysis of the conflict between corporate efforts aimed at economy and efficiency with corporate efforts supporting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and the impact this has upon minority lawyers. The IILP established the Social Impact Incubator, a group of Millennial lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds and practice settings, who are learning to be thought leaders on diversity and inclusion for their generation. The IILP developed the program, ``Diversity and Data Privacy in a Digital World.'' While much has been focused on data privacy issues, this program is the first to examine those issues through the lens of diversity and inclusion concerns. The IILP conducts programs that offer unique and thought-provoking ways to look at and think about diversity and inclusion, such as ``The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion,'' wherein IILP examined challenges to diversity and political considerations that are impacting inclusion efforts; and ``Women and Minorities,'' studying the root causes and potential strategies to address tensions between white women, women of color, lesbians, and trans women. The IILP presented the first conference outside the United States or United Kingdom that was dedicated to diversity and inclusion issues within the legal profession. For its 10th Anniversary, the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession is celebrating with another thought-provoking program: ``Is ROI (Return on Investment) the Appropriate Measure for D&I (Diversity and Inclusion)?''. On behalf of the 7th Congressional District of Illinois, I offer my deepest appreciation for the work that they do and encourage that they continue to find innovative approaches to ensure our legal professionals produce diverse and inclusive workforces.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen, Christian, businessman, church leader, family leader, community leader and all around wonderful human being. Mr. Walker Harris started work in the ice business when he was eighteen years old while visiting with his sister and her husband while deciding what to do after high school. He had grown up in Louisiana and after school worked for a black owned business helping out; therefore, he knew that he wanted to be a businessman. While 18 he was hired as an ice bagger, he quickly learned the business and its distribution process. After a few months he heard that one of the drivers was retiring and wanted to sell his route of thirty clients. Mr. Walker Harris purchased the client list, started his own company and was off and running. After a few years he heard that a distribution warehouse was available for sale, he purchased the warehouse, upgraded the building and hired drivers. His business acumen, delivery, and customer service were so effective that he became one of the top ice distributors in the city of Chicago. In the meantime, he was actively engaged with his church, became a developer of some affordable housing units and became known as a leader in the community. He has been acknowledged by several church, civic, business, and community groups for outstanding service and contributions to his community and the city of Chicago. I now commend and congratulate Mr. Walker Harris for outstanding service to humanity as we celebrate his birthday and the great contributions made through his ownership and development of the Walker Harris Ice Company.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, today I rise to tell my colleagues during this week that ends with National POW/MIA Recognition Day about my district's 78-year old Maywood Bataan Memorial Day tradition. This service honors the men from the village of Maywood, Illinois who became prisoners of war after fighting from December 7, 1941 to April 9, 1942 against invading Imperial Japanese forces in the Philippines. The men of Maywood were members of Company B of the federated Illinois National Guard 33rd Tank Company, 33rd Infantry Division based at the town's Armory. On November 25, 1940, they became part of the 192nd Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army. In October 1941, 89 men from Company ``B'' left the United States for the Philippine Islands. They arrived in the Philippine Islands on November 20, 1941--Thanksgiving Day. On December 8, the war started and the Japanese attacked. These Illinois tankers fought valiantly on the Bataan Peninsula with little food, medicine, fuel, or ammunition. Relief from the United States never came. Malaria, scurvy, and dysentery reached epidemic proportions. On April 9, 1942, Bataan was surrendered. The following day, some 85,000 American and Filipino soldiers, as Japanese captives, all became victims of the greatest atrocity of the Pacific War: the Bataan Death March. A seemingly endless line of sick and starving men began their 85 mile trip up from the tip of Bataan to Camp O'Donnell in central Luzon. More than 12,000 died en route. Survivors of the March endured three and a half years of death camps, brutal labor, and untold abuse. Many were taken to Japan aboard hell ships to be slave laborers for Japanese companies. Of the more than 10,000 Americans taken prisoner on Bataan, between 6,000 and 7,000 died. Of the 89 men of Company ``B'' who left the U.S. in 1941, only 43 would return from the war. This is the first year that the Memorial, which was scheduled for September 13, has had to be postponed. I ask my fellow representatives to join me in commending the hard work and dedication of Maywood Bataan Day Organization President Col. Richard A. McMahon, Jr. and his Board of Directors. And on this Friday, September 18, National POW/MlA Recognition Day may we all pause to remember the men and women of Bataan who gave so much in the fight against tyranny.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of our Postal Service and in support of its mission to serve our people, in support of its role in our democracy, in our elections, in support of its role in delivering vital goods and services critical to the health and well-being of our people and our economy and in support of the men and women of the Postal Service who have added the pandemic to the list of barriers they cast aside each day in their daily rounds. Mr. Speaker, I note that we do not require that our government departments and agencies show a ``profit.'' That is not their purpose. We do not defend our country for a ``profit.'' We do not educate our children for a ``profit.'' We do not protect our environment for a ``profit.'' Mr. Speaker, we long ago rejected the Luddite movement which advocated breaking machines in a futile effort to turn back scientific and technological progress. Breaking and discarding postal sorting machines is sabotage today, just as it was in the 1800s. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply troubled by the alarming delays in First- Class, marketing, and Priority Mail documented by the Postal Service's own briefing packet for the Postmaster General from last week. I have seen evidence of these delays in the pictures sent and the stories told to me by postal employees. Mr. Speaker, I proudly cast my vote in support of the request from the Postal Board of Governors for $25 billion in aid and in support of H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Michael Burgess, who has been my bipartisan partner in this effort to affect positively those individuals who suffer from sickle cell anemia. The Davis-Burgess amendment will add $2 million to the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities' Public Health Approach to Blood Disorders account to fund a surveillance program in sickle cell disease and reduce the administration account in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Service's account by a similar amount. This same bipartisan amendment was offered last year by me, Representative Burgess, Representative Butterfield, and passed a roll call vote of 410-12, 410 yes, 12 noes. I urge passage because what it does is set up a separate account for sickle cell anemia in the National Institutes of Health. It has no bearing on the budget, and I urge passage.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, you know, if there are angels on Earth, John would be one. He was the most angelic person I have ever known, generous to a fault, easy to get along with. John was known for marching, but I am reminded that the Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. John was and is a good man, always looking out for the underdog, always looking out for the disadvantaged, the poor, the needy, the hopeless, the helpless. John has been an inspiration for me for more than 50 years, when he was a mere teenager. If I had a message, I would say that the songwriter probably had John in mind when he said: If you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the Savior is come; Be not dismayed when men don't believe you. Pick up the cross and run swiftly to him. He'll understand. And we all say: John, well done. Well done.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I sincerely believe that the best way to evaluate the effectiveness and greatness of a society is by how well it treats its old, how well it treats its young, and what it does for those who have difficulty caring for themselves. Childcare is one of the most essential needs that exists in our community. And I have just heard my colleague say $100 billion helps to put childcare on the map. I know individuals who work in the childcare industry who cannot put their own children in the programs that they work for because they earn so little. Madam Speaker, if we are to move America as we confront the pandemic, as we deal with racism, as we deal with structures that have kept disadvantaged people and communities disadvantaged, nothing would do it better than making sure that every individual who needs childcare will have it available. Madam Speaker, events of the past few months have shown the need for policies to strengthen child well-being as thousands of youth across America marched and demonstrated as they challenged our systems of social, educational and economic justice. Child care powers both family economic well-being and our national economic growth. Prior to the pandemic, federal funding only provided child care for one in six eligible children. And parents in communities weighed down by poverty and systemic racism experienced a shortage of high-quality, affordable child care. Today, we face a global pandemic that has disproportionately infected and killed people in these same struggling communities, and the child care crisis we had before is now much, much worse. Now, parents have lost millions of additional child care options, and providers confront new costs to keep children and workers safe, risking financial losses for businesses already operating on the knife's edge of profitability. In Illinois, nearly half of all previously available child care slots are at risk of disappearing altogether due to the pandemic, and sixty percent of child care programs are fully-closed. In Chicago, we did not have much to lose. Pre-pandemic, five out of six Chicago children lived in a ``child care desert'' where children outnumbered child care slots by 3 to 1, or more. The high cost of quality child care disproportionately affects Black families because Black children are disproportionately likely to live in homes with only working parents, but Black working parents earn 40 percent less, on average, than white working parents. For workers with low wages, work is impossible without child care subsidies, and difficult even with assistance. Latinx and Black workers are more likely to work nonstandard schedules than their peers, which often makes child care harder to find and more expensive. Moreover, people of color are disproportionately represented in the child care workforce. About 40 percent of the child care workforce are people of color who are concentrated in low-level positions with lower credential requirements and relatively low pay. The child care workforce alone is 94% female and 40% persons of color. Latinas--who represent 15% of all workers--comprise 21% of child care workers, and Black women represent 15% of all child care workers. These data demonstrate that protecting the child care industry is key to both economic priority and racial equity. As states lift stay-at-home orders and other economic restrictions, more parents are returning to work, if they can. Quality, affordable child care is a cornerstone of parents' ability to work and move up the economic ladder. I know essential workers who couldn't work because they had no one to watch their kids. I know parents who have lost so much income that they can't afford child care to work. As a Black man living in Chicago, I have grieved at far too many funerals for friends lost to COVID-19, and I know far too many parents who legitimately fear for their family's health when they return to work and their children go back to child care. When I see the devastation caused by this pandemic and the barriers to working due to child care, I am offended by claims that people will refuse to work because of the availability of supplemental unemployment benefits. This charge is simplistic, insulting, and refuted by data showing that low- wage workers stay at work and return to work even when faced with unsafe working conditions and inadequate wages. As our nation grapples with structural racism, policymakers need to enact policies that support workers and address the barriers they face, taking care not to penalize communities weighed down by poverty and racism. Big challenges call for big solutions. Now is the time for this Committee and this Congress to take meaningful action to ensure that high-quality child care is available to all who need it. The two bills before us today demonstrate Democratic commitment to growing our workforce and our economy by investing in families and in our child care infrastructure--both the people and the buildings. I am extremely proud to co-lead the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act and to cosponsor the Child Care is Essential Act. Together, these bills parents afford and help businesses provide safe, quality child care. In addition to increasing the guaranteed investment in child care via the Child Care Entitlement to States funds to states from $2.9 billion to $10 billion for the next 5 years, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act helps ensure states can use these funds by waiving the requirement that states match the funds for the first two years. The bill includes critical investments in child care infrastructure to help states and providers adapt, expand, and reconfigure child care facilities and infrastructure in response to coronavirus. Further, it helps qualified child care facilities weather the pandemic with targeted tax benefits to help cover rent, mortgage, and utility costs. The bill also includes two bills I have championed to substantially help families afford child care. One centers on providing targeted support to essential workers who need care for children or adults so they can work, and the other modernizes the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to provide tens of billions of dollars to help working family cover child care costs. Specifically, there is an additional $850 million in funding for the Social Services Block Grant to help essential workers pay for family care. Importantly, states can use the funding to support child care for any group of workers they deem essential for in-person work, including sanitation and public safety workers, grocery store employees and other workers designated by the state. Further, the bill makes the full amount of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit available to more families by raising the current phase-out of $15,000 to $120,000, almost triples the maximum credit from $1,050 to $3,000 per child, and it ensures that families with the greatest need benefit by making the credit fully refundable. The Child Care is Essential Act creates a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization Fund to help stabilize the child care sector and help providers reopen and operate safely. These grants will support providers' ability to maintain employee benefits and salaries; follow Center for Disease Control and Prevention health and safety guidelines in the classroom; train employees on health and safety standards; make mortgage, rent, and utility payments; and modify child care services as needed as a result of the pandemic. Substantively investing in child care is the right thing for our economy, the right thing for our children, and the right way to give everyone a fair shot in America.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Georgia for giving me the opportunity to speak on this important bill. As a matter of fact, Representative Frederica Wilson has made this her life's work. As a matter of fact, I am wearing her 5000 Role Model tie, where for many years she established one of the most effective programs in public education with the Dade Miami school board, where 5,000 young males are taught and trained. Mr. Speaker, we have had many efforts. Eleanor Holmes Norton and I created the Caucus on Black Men and Boys. We have been all over the country with conferences. And I remind us that what we say is one thing, but what we do is something else. Mr. Speaker, I hope that we take into consideration all of the things that we know that has caused the disparities among African American males and do something that is going to really make a difference. Put them into action.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I would like to wish Ms. Barbara B.J. Durha a happy birthday and recognize her service to our nation as an educator and author. Ms. Durham was born in Chicago and attended Beasley Elementary school where she would find her passion for education by the 4th grade,thanks to her teacher Mrs. Ollie MacLemore. Ms. Durham would use that passion later in life to train future educators like herself. Barbara Durham is also the author of the wonderful book ``Willie Lee: A little slave boy who was determined to learn how to read and be free!'' and is working on her next book in honor of her 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Ollie McLemore. On behalf of the great city of Chicago,I would like to thank Ms. Durham for her services to this great nation and wish her a very happy birthday.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, C.T. Vivian was a key member of Dr. King's leadership group at SCBC during the height of the movement. He began his activism in Peoria, Illinois and as many others talented activist oriented individuals did, he found his way to Dr. King and became a valued member of the team. Rev. C.T. was a fiery orator who lead marches, motivated and inspired crowds and was activity engaged in strategy development. He was viciously attached by an Alabama Sheriff, but held his ground. C.T., as we fondly called him, came to Chicago and helped develop the Black Strategy Center with Dr. Archie Hargraves, Chester Robinson, Rev. Jesse Jackson and others. I got to know Rev. Vivian in 1975, when a group of us spent a month in Nairobi, Kenya on a study colloquium for a doctoral dissertation writing. Rev. Vivian spent the rest of preaching developing social change programs and being engaged in activities designed to help make the work a better place in which to live. Living during the same time as Rev. C.T. Vivian and knowing him and his work has been gratifying and inspirational. He was a great contributor to positive change in America and may he rest in peace.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, To every man there is a way, a ways, and a way, And the high souls take the high way, And the low souls take the low. While all the rest on the misty flats drift to and fro. But to every man there is a way, a ways, and a way, And each man decideth which way his soul shall go. John Lewis always took the high road, always giving of himself in such a way that you knew that he was gracious and kind. John had faith. Like John, I grew up in rural America, went to a one-room school, never had a new schoolbook. But John had the faith of a mustard seed and said: If you want to move a mountain, just say to the mountain be moved. And if it wouldn't, then you get you some dynamite, nitroglycerin, TNT, and blow that sucker down. That was John Lewis. May he rest in peace.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and thank Richard W. Lariviere, PhD, for his leadership at the Field Museum of Natural History. President and CEO of the Field Museum since October 2012, Dr. Lariviere will retire on July 31, 2020. In his eight years at the Field Museum, Dr. Lariviere piloted the beloved Chicago institution through several pivotal challenges and opportunities. These included stabilizing the Museum's financial situation, reorganizing its science and education departments, reconfiguring its landmark Stanley Field Hall, revamping its outdated Native American Hall in consultation with representatives from indigenous communities, leading the $250-million Because Earth campaign, and co-convening a group of major U.S. and overseas natural history museum directors to discuss common issues. Before joining the Field, Dr. Lariviere was the President of the University of Oregon from July 2009 through November 2011. During his tenure there, he cultivated the university's growing reputation for innovation in the classroom and in research, sharpening its focus on sustainability and international partnerships. Prior to Oregon, Dr. Lariviere was Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of Kansas from 2006 to 2009 and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin from 1999 to 2006. Dr. Lariviere also served as the inaugural Associate Vice President for the Office for International Programs at UT Austin. Dr. Lariviere was born in Chicago and grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa. He earned his bachelor's degree in the History of Religions from the University of Iowa in 1972 and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1978, he earned his doctorate in Sanskrit from the University of Pennsylvania. After spending time in India, Dr. Lariviere built an impressive academic career around the country's languages, histories, religions and culture. He has published articles and several books on India's legal history. His work on early Sanskrit literature has transformed our understanding of Indian legal history. He reads eight languages and speaks French and Hindi. He has conducted research in London, Oxford, Calcutta, Poona Kathmandu, Tokyo, Beijing, Lahore, Munich, Colombo and Madras, and many other cities. He had a successful career as a consultant for American and Indian companies in information technology and business process outsourcing. He has also served on corporate boards in the IT industry in Europe and India. Dr. Lariviere is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Oriental Society, a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a founding member of the Society for Design and Process Science. In Chicago, he is a member of the Economic Club, The Chicago Club, and the Arts Club of Chicago. In 2019, he was elected a Fellow ofthe American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has earned several awards for outstanding contributions, including the Margaret C. Berry Award in 2004 from the University of Texas and the Eyes of Texas in 2004 and 1993. He was selected by the Royal Dutch Academy to give the annual Gonda Lecture in 1994, and the College de France honored him with the status of Professeur etranger in 1996. In 1989, his book on Indian legal procedure was selected as the best book of the year on South Asia by the CESMEO Institute in Torino, Italy. I commend Dr. Lariviere for his years of service and legacy to Chicago's cultural community, and remember, Retiring is not how I would describe him. I have a feeling that it is the beginning of another exciting chapter in his life. Whatever retirement means to him, may it bring greater personal fulfillment than he ever though possible.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation that is long overdue. As a matter of fact, people like me have been fighting these issues for years and years. Now, we get an opportunity to actually vote. I want to thank Chairman Nadler and Chairman Bass for giving us the opportunity to vote on what might become and should be the most important legislation we will pass this year, because it does say that Black lives, and all lives, matter. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. I am an original co-sponsor of The Justice in Policing Act which will for the first time ever under federal law: 1. establish national standard for the operation of police departments; 2. mandate data collection on police encounters; 3. reprogram existing funds to invest in transformative community- based policing programs; 4. streamline federal law to prosecute excessive force and establish independent prosecutors for police investigations; 5. make Lynching a federal crime to conspire to violate existing federal hate crime laws. Among other specifics it will: make it easier for the federal government to successfully prosecute police misconduct cases, end racial and religious profiling, and eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement. The bill incentivizes the use of independent prosecutors for police misconduct investigations, helps take equipment made for war off of our streets, and requires the use of body and dashboard cameras. The legislation bans the use of choke holds and no-knock warrants the federal level and encourages states to do the same. This bill contains no new federal funds for policing except where constitutionally-mandated for data collection and conditions access to federal grants based on a state's willingness to adopt the transformative provisions in the bill. Instead it reprograms existing grants to law enforcement and reinvests in our communities by supporting critical community-based programs to change the culture of law enforcement and empower our communities to reimagine public safety in an equitable and just manner. The ``Executive Order'' signed by President Trump recently was too little, too late. Surrounded by bellicose declarations of ``law and order'' in the face of persistent and on-going murder of Black men and women, especially our youth, it was nothing less than an insult and an attempt to deny the demands put forward by more than three weeks of protest and calls for real change by hundreds of thousands in more than 100 cities, towns and villages in every state of the union. I view the Justice in Policing Act as a long overdue minimum federal action to address 400 years of terrorism against the African American community and other oppressed communities and our responsibility as Members of Congress to utilize the power of the voice of the people in streets in every corner of our nation to take decisive and meaningful steps to redress the centuries of brutalization of our people.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the U.S. received two shipments of medical supplies from the Republic of Turkey to assist with our coronavirus response. On April 28, Turkey provided us with 500,000 surgical masks and 400 N95 masks, as well as protective clothing, disinfectant, goggles, and face shields. Two days later on April 30, a second shipment including personal protective equipment, masks, hazmat suits and disinfectants also arrived from Turkey. In a show of solidarity, our U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield and the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Selim Yavuz Kiran, were together watching as the second plane departed Turkey. We are grateful to our strong ally Turkey for its generosity and leadership, and look forward to continued close cooperation into the future in fighting COVID-19 and also working together on many important issues of mutual concern.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, once again, the persistent disparities in our society, our physical well-being, and our economy have emerged with brutal clarity under the impact of the coronavirus. The pandemic's devastation on the least secure is widespread across multiple facets of life and profound in impact. I strongly support the Heroes Act because it will targets significant emergency assistance to improve well-being and help meet basic needs of some of those who are hardest hit by the pandemic. It is designed to get this critical aid to the local level quickly, prioritizing people who may not be receiving other help and entities with demonstrated success in helping individuals most in need. Before the pandemic, my constituents struggled with poverty. Almost one-third of children in my District live in poverty, almost one-fifth of adults in my District over 18 have income below the poverty level, and one-quarter taxfilers in my District were low-income working parents. The pandemic and national crisis exacerbated the income inequality, hunger, and housing insecurity; in addition, the African American and Latinx communities have disproportionately lost their lives due to these persistent disparities in our society that so many took for granted. As a Member of the Committee on Ways and Means and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Worker & Family Support, I am proud of the policies providing critical supports, including: A second round of more generous direct payments--up to $6,000 per family--to help individuals and families pay for food and housing; Extension of the $600 federal unemployment payments through January 2021 recognizing that workers will face a job market unlike anything our country has experienced; Modernization of key work and child tax credits to improve the economic well-being, reduce poverty, and increase labor-fore participation of millions of workers; $850 million for child and family care for essential workers; $100 million to strengthen vulnerable children and families via home visiting; Substantial investment in public health via coverage for people, help for physicians and hospitals, and free treatment; and Stabilization of multiemployer and single employer pension plans to protect retirees. I applaud the investments in food security, housing assistance, small business assistance, help for non-profits, broadband, tribes, veterans, tribes, and our democracy. I am thankful that this bill includes bills that I have championed-- the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for childless workers, foster youth, and homeless youth; the modernization of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit; investments in family care for essential workers and home visiting to support vulnerable children and families; assistance for foster youth; and the protection of vulnerable students from tax bills from emergency education grants. This is an expansive bill. It is an expansive bill to meet a unprecedented challenge affecting everyone in our country. The last hearing that I chaired before we began remote working focused on reducing child poverty. We must not lose sight of that goal. We know how pernicious and devastating childhood poverty is. I am proud that this bill advances policies to reduce child poverty and strengthen the economic well-being of families. I am proud that this bill invests in strengthening our communities and businesses so that we can all come out of this crisis stronger. This is an historic bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, May 10th marked the 40th Year Anniversary of the Austin Peoples Action Center which was organized by a teenager/young adult, her parents and members of the Third Unitarian Church of Chicago in the Austin Community. Austin at the time was the largest community area in the City of Chicago and was still under-going a serious population change from being predominately white to becoming majority black. There was wholesale migration, racial animosity, blockbusting, panic peddling and mistrust. Cynthia Williams, a feisty teenage/young adult emerged as a leader of a group and the Austin Peoples Action Center was born, with support of the Williams family, the Mayfield Block Club and the Third Unitarian Church. The group took off with neighborhood programs, help for teenagers, block club organizing and other self-help activities, e.g. community festivals and the Taste of Austin which has occurred for more than thirty-five years in succession. Help for teenagers and young adults has evolved into Maternal and Child Health Programs and the largest WIC Program in the State of Illinois, Parenting Skills Development, Technology Training and other activities for youth. I take this opportunity to commend and congratulate Ms. Cynthia Williams and the Austin Peoples Action Center on 40 Years of Productive Service.