Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

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

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will just make two observances in closing. One is to follow up on the comments of Mr. Faleomavaega, that there is a tremendous need for parenting classes and parenting help, for many of our young parents, especially, who have children but not much opportunity to really know about parenting. That is one of the needs that exists and one of the program areas that we need to pay serious attention to. The other is, people often ask me, are these kind of resolutions of any value? Do they make any sense? I thought of a story that I heard the other day that a man was walking along the beach, and he saw a silver fish, and he picked it up and threw it in the water. Another fellow walking behind him says, I hate to bother you, he said, but can you tell me what you are doing? He said, well, I am throwing the silver fish back into the water. He said, I do not know why you are doing that. There are so many of them you could never throw them all in, and even if you did all of them in this particular area, there are beaches all over the world, and so you are kind of wasting your time. Do you really think it will make a difference? The man never answered. He just reached down, threw another fish into the water. Of course, when the fish fall into the water, they oxidate and continue to live, and he said it made a difference to that one, picked up another one, made a difference to that one. If we only make a difference in the life of one child with this resolution, we have made a difference to that one.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of House Resolution 113, recognizing the social problems of child abuse and neglect and to bring attention to this issue. I also want to commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) for introducing such a timely and important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, today we call attention to the important fact that in the year 2000 about 879,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in this country. Of this number, approximately 1,200 children died of abuse or neglect, and 44 percent of those children were under the age of 1 year. It is indeed a disturbing thought that an adult would want to hurt an innocent, helpless child; yet it still occurs daily in our country. By the United States Congress taking a moment to bring this issue to the floor, we are not only acknowledging that there is a problem, but expressing a concern to help a child in need. I am pleased to report that in the past 7 years, the State of Illinois, my State, has seen a significant drop in its number of abuse cases. There was a 39 percent decrease in the number of cases of children that were victims of sexual abuse, as well as a 45 percent decrease in child abuse and neglect cases. However, there is always the correlation between the state of the economy and violence. As the economy worsens and the number of unemployed rises, it is likely that we will see the number of crimes also increase. We will see the level of frustration increase. We will see an increase in the number of individuals who will take out their anger and frustration on whoever and whatever is closest to them. Oftentimes, these are innocent children. We must ensure that crimes towards one's child are prevented as much as crimes towards one's neighbor. The National Institute of Justice reported that maltreatment in childhood increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53 percent and as an adult by 38 percent. Therefore, we need to intervene today and every day to keep our children safe and protected before we severely pay for it tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I again commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) for this thoughtful and timely legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do not have any other speakers; so I would say, in closing, I would state that I am a strong believer in the first amendment. I believe in prayer, fasting. I believe that we should pray not only for our troops but that we pray to end this conflict as quickly as it could possibly be ended and as peacefully as it could be ended. I pray that the loss of life would be diminished as much as possible and that people who are fighting from the United States as well as those from other countries and other nations would have the power of an Almighty supreme force invoked so that all of us can escape this effort with as much hope, peace, and possibility as we can. I urge support for this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us calls on the American people to fast and pray for the United States and the Armed Forces fighting the war in Iraq. Anytime there is any conversation or notion or discussion of a religious nature, there are bound to be different people who have different thoughts and ideas about it. Different people worship different forms of supremacy. As mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbors, and most of all as a peace-loving people, we seek and hope for a quick resolution to the conflict in Iraq. All those who believe in a supreme being, whether it be God, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha or whether people call their belief Prince of Peace or Rose of Sharon or Lily of the Valley, to me it does not really matter. What matters is that people believe in the supremacy of a being. They believe in the coming together. They believe in a force that is more powerful than anything that we have been able to actually discern or see. It is something that is one of the mysteries, in many ways, of life but a part of the hope that people have, part of the faith. And so I rise in support of this resolution. I urge that we pray for the men and women who are giving of themselves each and every day, who even may or may not return. I would urge passage, then, of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 981, which designates a postal facility located at 141 Erie Street in Linesville, Pennsylvania, after James R. Merry was introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English) on February 27, 2003. Mr. Merry was a former Pennsylvania State representative who represented his constituents in the legislature for 16 years, from 1980 to 1996. A graduate of Linesville School, Mr. Merry went on to operate a successful business in town and remained very active in local affairs, serving as a borough councilman and later as president of the local chamber of commerce. As a man dedicated to his community and its residents, it is truly an honor to name a postal facility after the late James R. Merry, who passed away on February 1, 2001. I join Members in support of this measure and urge its swift passage. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 917, which names a postal facility located at 1830 South Lake Drive in Lexington, South Carolina, after Floyd Spence, was introduced on February 25, 2003, by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). Floyd D. Spence, a former Member of Congress, was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1928. He was a graduate of Lexington High School and the University of South Carolina. He served in the United States Navy first as an ensign and later as group commander before he retired as a captain from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1988. As a Democrat, Floyd Spence was first elected to public office in 1956 as a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives. He later switched to the Republican party and went on to serve in the State Senate. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 2nd Congressional District of South Carolina, in 1970. He served as chairman of the House Committee on National Security from 1995 to 1999 and as Chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services from 1991 to 2001. In the last Congress, he served on the House Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Veterans Affairs. Mr. Speaker, Representative Floyd Spence represented his district for 31 years until his untimely death on August 16, 2001. He truly is deserving of this honor, and I urge swift passage of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Civil Service, Census and Agency Organization, I join my colleague in the consideration of three postal naming bills. I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) for the timely consideration of these measures. For the benefit of my colleagues, the postal naming measures before us today have met the committee requirements and enjoy the support and cosponsorship of their respective State congressional delegations. We continue the tradition of naming post offices after individuals of enormous character who have made important contributions to their community, State and country. To that end, I commend the sponsors of these postal naming bills for seeking to recognize their respective designees by naming a United States Post Office in their honor. H.R. 825, to Redesignate the United States Postal Service located at 7401 West 100th Place in Bridgeview, Illinois, as the Michael J. Healy Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 825, which names a U.S. Post Office located in Bridgeview, Illinois, after Michael J. Healy was introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), my friend and colleague, on February 13, 2003. On June 21, 1981, Michael Healy became the first uniformed postal police officer of the Postal Inspection Service to be killed in the line of duty. Sadly, he was slain by two assailants in a foiled robbery attempt while guarding the Chicago Main Post Office located at Harrison Avenue and Canal Street, which is now known as the Cardiss Collins Post Office. As one of our Nation's oldest Federal law enforcement agencies, founded by Benjamin Franklin, the United States Postal Inspection Service has a long and proud and successful history of fighting criminals who attack our postal system and endanger the public. Since its inception in 1772, the Postal Inspection Service has lost nine employees in the line of duty. In 2001, the Chicago division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service honored the 20th anniversary of the passing of their fallen comrade and the Fraternal Order of Police has supported the effort to rename the local post office after Officer Healy. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the roughly 1,900 postal inspectors who serve as fact finders and investigators, the Inspection Service maintains a security force of approximately 1,400 uniformed postal police officers assigned to critical facilities throughout the country. Postal police officers provide perimeter security, escort high-value shipments and protect and defend postal employees. As the primary law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service, the Postal Inspection Service was very ably represented by Officer Michael Healy. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) is to be commended for seeking to recognize Officer Healy by designating a post office in his honor.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I simply reiterate, Mr. Speaker, that this has been a tremendous event and will be a tremendous event. I strongly support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) for bringing this tremendous event to our attention. I had the good fortune to drive from Chicago to Rock Island 2 weeks ago, and it is indeed tremendous territory. Looking at the mighty Mississippi is a delight in and of itself. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 44, a concurrent resolution to express support for the celebration in 2004 of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854. Mr. Speaker, the Grand Excursion of 1854 represents a major turning point of the settlement and expansion of the Upper Mississippi River. It started out simply as a celebration of America's first railroad link to the Mississippi River from Chicago to Rock Island. Over 1,200 dignitaries, politicians, journalists, and businessmen, including former President Millard Fillmore, boarded a rail car in Chicago for Rock Island, Illinois. This group transferred to a fleet of at least five steamboats for a trip up the Mississippi to St. Paul, Minnesota, then traveled by horseback and wagon to view the falls of St. Anthony in what is now known as Minneapolis. When the travelers wrote home about their great adventure, word spread about what a splendid place that part of America was. The next year, the upper Mississippi saw twice the number of visitors as the previous year. The 2004 Grand Excursion is a regional initiative designed to recognize and celebrate the incredible renaissance that has occurred throughout the upper reaches of America's river, the Mississippi. As of December 2, 2002, 48 communities and 22 regional organizations, including Moline, Illinois, have endorsed and will participate in the Grand Excursion. The 2004 excursion is designed to celebrate the capital improvements, along with the environmental and ecological changes, that have made the upper Mississippi one of the cleanest stretches of river in the country. Steamboats, river boats, and trains will be used to honor the spirit of the 1854 Grand Excursion to draw national and international attention to the lasting legacies of the 1854 excursion. I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 44. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would just again commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for the introduction of this resolution and the work that they have done on it. It is an important one. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this resolution, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 57, a bill recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month, and I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) for its introduction. Each year, more than 1 million teenagers run away in the United States, a rate of more than 1 every minute. Many of these young people leave their homes to escape abuse and neglect or because their parents could not or would not meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and a safe, supportive home environment. While on the streets, America's children are vulnerable and may be exploited by drug dealers or become victims of crime or violence. To survive, runaways may resort to shoplifting or prostitution to earn money for food and clothing. Medical conditions may go untreated or become aggravated by neglect, and those who drop out of school threaten their chances for economic independence. The National Runaway Switchboard, which was founded by a group of Chicago agencies in 1971, gives help and hope to youth and their families by providing nonjudgmental, confidential crisis intervention and local and national referrals through a 24-hour hotline. The NRS, along with the National Network for Youth, are cosponsoring National Runaway Prevention Month during the month of November to increase awareness of the life circumstances of youths in high-risk situations and the need for a safe haven for these youths. I also want to commend the Chicago public school system, the Chicago Board of Education for the work that it does of providing education for homeless children without their having to go through lots of changes in terms of identification of where they are and where they come from. This resolution supports NRS and NN4Y in their efforts to create National Runaway Prevention Month. I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 57 and the runaway children it will help. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, March 28, at 1 o'clock, I shall join the Chicago Urban League, several Chicago land chapters of the NAACP, the National Association of Health Service Executives, the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and others in a town hall meeting to address the need for the continuation of affirmative action as a way of helping to level the playing field for all races and gender groups in employment, education, and upward mobility. There has been tremendous progress in these areas, but not nearly enough. Therefore, we must continue to move America towards becoming a land of equal opportunity, which affords to every man and every woman his or her chance, their golden opportunity to become whatever their manhood, womanhood, talents, and ambitions combine to make them. That is indeed the promise of America.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Cummings-Owens-Kucinich-Lee substitute. The Republican budget contains no specific Medicare or Medicaid cuts, but the fact is it mandates a 1 percent cut in all mandatory spending, which translates to approximately 10-year cuts in Medicare and Medicaid of $215 billion and $93 billion respectively. For Illinois, this means 10-year Medicare cuts of approximately $10 billion and Medicaid cuts of more than $3 billion for the same period. Estimated cuts for my district alone are at least $1.4 billion; cuts in public housing, cuts in education, cuts in veterans' health care, cuts in Justice Department programs. With the Republican budget, I am afraid that all of the bloodshed we shall see will not be in Iraq. All I am hearing about this budget is cut, cut, cut. I am afraid that when all you do is cut, cut, cut, all that you are going to get is blood, blood, blood. The blood of the American people will be on the hands of those who held the knife. There are more than 2 million people in jails and prisons throughout the United States. More than 600,000 of them are being released each year. This poses a real threat and a real problem to many communities, especially low-income areas where they come from and return. The Justice Department reports that the cost of crime to victims is $450 billion annually. The proposed Republican House budget cuts Justice programs $4.1 billion below the amount needed to keep up with inflation and $881 million below the President's proposed budget. The Cummings- Owens-Kucinich-Lee budget restores the funding level back up to $3.4 billion for Justice programs and to expand reentry programs for nonviolent ex-offenders to help these individuals transition back into normal life, to get housing or jobs, social service help, to be reconciled with their families and communities, and to cut down on the recidivism rate, which is almost 50 percent. This is a good budget, a responsible budget, and a problem-solving budget. I am pleased to support the Cummings-Owens-Lee-Kucinich amendment.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of our troops, but on principle must vote against the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my heartfelt support for our men and women who are currently engaged in war with Iraq. Although I disagree with this war, and the policies that have brought us to this point--our troops deserve the full support of America. The more than 200,000 courageous men and women in Iraq represent the best of America. They have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve their country and protect and defend freedom. The troops are ordinary men and women who are doing extraordinary things. Many of our service people have left family behind to fulfill their commitment to serve. The men and women of our armed services epitomise the biblical proverb: ``No greater love is there than one who would lay down his/her life for their fellow man.'' I want to assure the families of our service men and women that I stand fully behind them. In addition, I will do everything that I can to ensure that they have the best equipment and resources necessary to carry out their mission and provide for their safe return. While I have no doubt that America will prevail militarily. It is my hope and expectation that we will redouble our efforts to seek collective, nonmilitary solutions to these critical issues. Also, as we engage in war I hope that we take every effort to minimize collateral damage to civilians and innocent people. Again, I want to commend and honor the outstanding men and women of our armed services who are carrying out their orders with great distinction.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for his steadfastness and his many years of understanding, that sometimes you might have to give out, but you never give up, and even though it appears to be the last minute, right down to the wire, here the gentleman is continuing to speak to the American people, trying to help all of us see the light and see the way. So I thank the gentleman for this opportunity to join with him. On October 10, 2002, this Congress voted to give the President of the United States broad powers, which he has taken as the right to engage in a unilateral first strike war against Iraq without a clearly demonstrated and imminent threat of attack on the United States. Our oath of office as Members of Congress, our constitutional charge, the mandate laid upon us by the people does not permit us to delegate the responsibility of engaging the awesome military power of the United States. Our oath of office does not permit us to delegate our responsibilities in placing our fighting men and women on the field of battle. The Constitution places the power to declare war squarely and solely in the Congress. This issue arises far above partisan politics. President Abraham Lincoln put our Congressional responsibility this way: ``We cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation.'' I opposed that resolution, and I remain opposed, because after all of the information I have seen, and after all I have heard, neither I nor a majority of the residents of my district, the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois, are convinced that the war is our only, our best and our most immediate option. We are not convinced that every diplomatic action has been exhausted. In fact, diplomacy and inspections have not exhausted their ultimate potential. I was not convinced, and I am still not convinced, that the resolution would properly guide us to act cooperatively and legally, through the United Nations, with the agreement and the involvement of the international community. In fact, it has led us to pursue risky unilateral actions in defiance of international law and the United Nations charter. As the American people are attempting to make sense of this complex situation, it is the duty of the Congress to ask some hard questions. One, is there an immediate threat to the United States? In my judgment, the answer is no. We have not received evidence of immediate danger. We have not received evidence that Iraq has the means to attack the United States, and we have not received evidence that the danger is greater today than it was last year. Will the use of military force against Iraq reduce or prevent the spread or use of weapons of mass destruction? All evidence is that Iraq does not possess nuclear weapons today. The use of chemical or biological weapons or the passage of such weapons to terrorist groups would be nothing less than suicide for the current Iraqi leadership. So I join with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) in hoping that some way there is some resolve, that there is some sliver of chance, some reaction that might lead us out of this chaos and confusion into a peaceful existence, with the United States of America leading the way.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for yielding, and I also commend the gentleman for the outstanding leadership he has provided and continues to provide not only on this issue but on a myriad of issues affecting this country and affecting our world. I rise today to discuss the war that is pending, the unfortunate war that we are about seemingly to enter. I make it clear that those men and women who stand ready and are poised and who stand on the front lines and are ready to give every measure of devotion that they have, even in many instances perhaps their lives, are to be commended. They are to be supported. They are to be acknowledged for the tremendous sacrifice they are prepared to make. I have been told that war is by definition a state of open-armed conflict between nations, states or parties. It is a condition of active antagonism or contention, a concerted effort to combat something injurious. War is also the admission of the failure of diplomacy. Since the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, H.R. 3162, we have provided funding to intercept and to obstruct terrorism, our peace initiative. Unfortunately, recent failures in American diplomacy have impacted the United Nations' ability to work for a peaceful solution. In my home State of Illinois, the citizens of my district, as in all of America, have made many sacrifices during these difficult times. The greatest sacrifice has been that there are an estimated 100,000 servicemen and women currently stationed at strategic points overseas to ensure the success of this conflict. Many of them are citizens of my district and of the hundreds of other districts across this great Nation. There are compelling reasons that may have motivated our President to pursue this course of action. First, we have been told that we have the military might, resources readily available and poised at strategic points across the globe to address what is hoped to be a short-term conflict, and that we have the support of allies, Great Britain and Spain. The noted Greek historian Herodotus once said, ``In peace, sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons.'' The loss of human life in efforts of war, regardless of their country of origin, is unacceptable and should be avoided, as all life is sacred. While military and human resources may have been committed to this effort, the full cost of this war has yet to be disclosed, especially when we do not have the full support of the United Nations for both the war and the subsequent occupation and rebuilding of Iraq. I see no United Nations-supported Marshall Plan on the horizon. We were told that while we acknowledge the strained relationship with North Korea caused by their blatant confrontational comments and open defiance in the propagation of their own nuclear supremacy agenda, they are not of primary concern. Yet North Korea and its quest for nuclear power is an issue that will haunt us in the future because of our inaction today. We have also been advised by our President that this war in Iraq is the only means that we as a Nation have to respond to Iraq's 10-year failure to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for their disarmament after the first Persian Gulf war in 1991. The selection of Iraq was not a matter of revenge, unfounded on any principle, but was within the law as ascribed by United Nations Resolution 1441 and will also aid our efforts in the war on terrorism by accomplishing the removal of Saddam Hussein and his lieutenants. This, we have been told, will also ensure the disbanding, if not destruction, of the terrorist cells that are either located in or are supported by Saddam Hussein and his regime. Mohandas Gandhi, a man praised and revered for his life of peace, said, ``I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary. The evil it does is permanent.'' Mr. Speaker, I am not convinced by any shape, form or fashion that invading Iraq, that a preemptive strike by this country is going to net the results that we are hoping for. But I am optimistic, and I still hope. I hope and I pray that somehow or another before there is a grand holocaust, that peace will be found and peace will prevail. But if not, certainly I stand with the men and women, the young persons from my congressional district who are poised and have left home, who are ready to give of themselves and to give of their lives so that there can be hope for peace and the continuation of the kind of freedoms that we have come to enjoy.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in Chicago, an electrocardiogram is misread and the patient dies of a heart attack. A rare heart disorder is mistaken for a back strain and kidney stone. The patient dies. Both of these cases are about real people and real pain. In both cases, the families were awarded decent sums of money by juries, but I can tell my colleagues, no sum of money will ever replace the loss and suffering of people's lives. Yes, there is a crisis in health care, but this one-size-fits-all $250,000 cap on medical malpractice payoffs will not solve the problem. I have a profound respect for doctors, nurses, hospitals and other health care professionals who provide services, some 25 of them in my Congressional district, five medical schools, but I am not prepared to leave to chance a $250,000 cap on consumers.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 342, the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act. With snow on the ground and recent temperatures in the single digits, it is nice to look forward to the summer months but easy to forget the uneasiness that was felt during last summer due to the fear instilled by the West Nile virus. Illinois was greatly impacted by the West Nile virus. Not only was there fear within parents to let their children go outside to play or to take a walk in the neighborhood in the morning or after dusk, there were the startling numbers of those stricken with the virus. Illinois saw 873 cases of the virus in humans along with 60 deaths, the highest in the Nation according to the CDC. The Associated Press recently released that the harsh winters that most of the nation has felt does not preclude that the mosquitoes, particularly the ones infected with the virus, have ceased in numbers. The mosquitoes will continue to live and reproduce in sewers and other dark, warmer places were the harsh climates have not affected them. Due to this, the AP is suggesting that this year we will see the West Nile virus spread from coast to coast. Last year, our nation witnessed more than 4,000 individuals become ill and a total of 274 die from the West Nile virus. With the expected spread of the virus and increase number of mosquitoes, we can also then expect these numbers to grow. Mr. Speaker, to ensure the nation has a sense of safety and security as they go outside in the next few months, I ask for full support of this resolution.