Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge). I was sitting there thinking and recalling that North Carolina is recognized as having one of the best public education systems in the country; and as I have observed the gentleman over the last several years, I kind of smiled to myself and said, yes, I know why. And one of the reasons is because they have had great advocates like the gentleman over the years, even before he came to the Congress, who seriously promoted and functioned as an advocate, who kept pushing and kept recognizing how valuable and how important education is. And so I simply want to commend the gentleman for the kind of leadership that he has displayed in the State of North Carolina and in the United States Congress, pushing the concept that we really cannot afford to leave any child, that we cannot leave any of our children behind, especially as we continue to try and make America become the Nation that it has the potential of being. So I thank the gentleman for giving me the opportunity to share a bit of the time with him this evening to talk about how important education is because it has always been a priority for me. And I, too, believe that the best way to preserve the safety of our country is to educate our Nation's youth so that they can continue to grow and develop and help be in a position to confront the issues and solve the problems that we continue to face. I was thinking of the fact that we spend and we are going to spend, because we have no choice except to, billions of dollars to protect our Nation from future terrorist attacks and to rebuild what has already been torn down. And I support this kind of spending and know that it is vital to the success of our country. But I also think that we cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that, as we increase military spending, we also need to protect the future by continuing to invest in the education of our children. I am fortunate to come from a congressional district that has some of the very best public schools as well as private schools. I mean, I have got schools like Whitney Young High School, which has won the academic decathlon every year for the last 10 years. It is known as the best college prep school in the Nation. This is a public high school. Yes, it is a magnet school; but it is also a public high school. Then I have got other schools like the Oak Park and River Forest High School, like Trinity Lutheran. All of these schools have super records. Then I have got a little school like Providence St. Mel, which is a little private black school in the heart of the inner city where 99 percent of all the young people who graduate from there go to college. And this school has a tremendous program of discipline where every young person has to comply with whatever the rules and regulations are. If not, you just cannot go there. Paul Adams does not allow it. Then I have got St. Ignatius Prep, one of the top prep schools in the country. And then I also have schools that turn out great athletes, people like Mark Maguire, Kevin Garnett. All of these individuals came out of my schools, schools in my community. Westinghouse just won the boys' championship this year. And Marshall High School has the best woman basketball coach in the Nation. I mean, Dorothy Gaters has won more championships and has had more offers to go to universities and go to the pros, but she will stay right there at Marshall; and that is where she is going to probably end her career. But we also have to recognize that there is still a tremendous amount of unmet need. And that is to say, far too many of our young people do not have the resources made available to them so that they too can actualize all of the potential that they have, and so we have to keep putting in the resources. I mean, it is not good enough to talk about leaving no child behind. We also have to put the money in where it is necessary. We have to have standards that are high. There must be accountability, and there must be adherence to standards that have been set. And so I agree with everything that I have heard you talking about here earlier this evening. And I certainly want to keep commending you for keeping education on the front burner, out in the forefront. Let me just tell you as I end and go back and do some other work, I went to a one-room school when I first started school. As a matter of fact, there was one woman, Ms. Beadie King was the teacher, and she taught eight grades plus what we called then the little primer and the big primer. And much of whatever it is that I know today and much of what I can recall, I am a person who likes to use poetry when I am talking and use vignettes, and most of those I learned from Ms. Beadie King, and I can still remember them. Today I could not remember anything, but I remember them. So there is nothing greater than good teachers, and we need to make sure that our teachers are well compensated, that they are paid for the work that they do so that the quality of their lives can also be what it should be. So I commend the gentleman and thank him for the leadership that he has displayed, and it has just been a pleasure to be here these few moments and join with the gentleman.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Medicare Wage Adjustment Provision. The pure thought of allowing selected hospitals in two states to receive preferential treatment over the hospitals in the other 48 states is simply absurd. Similar to the hospitals in my Colleagues' districts, the 23 hospitals in my district are faced with extreme cuts in funding on the state and federal level and cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. By granting the selected hospitals in Pennsylvania and New York a wage adjustment, we are taking more money away from the hospitals in other districts. We do not need unnecessary funding to this already expensive bill. We do not need to give special treatment to a few hospitals and the members which represent them, who did not seek help or adjustment based on procedure by going to CMS or allowing the policy to be considered or reported by the Ways and Means Committee. Instead, the Members of these hospitals were looking for a political shortcut and are attempting to use this legislation. Every week, Mr. Speaker, I meet with my hospital constituents to discuss the alarming issues the hospital industry is facing, such as the nursing shortage, the cuts in reimbursements to the hospitals and physicians, the cuts in Medicare Indirect Medical Education Payments and the list sadly continues. This provision will only add to the current feeling of distress among our country's hospitals. Mr. Speaker, I stand side by side with my Republican Colleagues and my Democrat Colleagues in support of our troops and homeland security. However, this provision is one which I cannot stand behind knowing the amount of damage that will arise. This is not about the War on Terrorism. This is not a fair provision intended to help all Americans.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this month has been designated as National Stroke Awareness Month. In this regard, I will focus on the topic of stroke and its prevention. Stroke is an acute onset of focal neurologic deficits resulting from diminished blood flow. This diminished blood flow can be caused by ischemia (clogging) or hemorrhage (bleeding). In both scenarios, there is not enough oxygenated blood nourishing the brain, hence, a person will have a stroke. Risk factors for stroke include diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, atrial fibrillation (fast heart beat), and cocaine. This disease affects so many citizens in our Nation. Stroke is America's No. 3 killer. This disease kills nearly 170,000 Americans annually. It attacks an American every 53 seconds consequently killing an American every 3 minutes. When we look at death rates in each State, the State of Illinois's death rate from stroke is ranked No. 23. This deadly disease costs our economy billions to manage in our hospitals and healthcare facilities. The estimated direct and indirect costs (in billions of dollars) for the management of stroke patients are 49.4 billion in the year 2002. The numbers for Heart disease are even more devastating. Stroke has no preference for any race or gender. It is one of the cardiovascular diseases, the top killers in each ethnic group. Many citizens of the African-American community deal with high blood pressure and diabetes. These citizens visit family physicians for check-ups infrequently. Education on prevention is not prevalent in many minority communities. Additionally, minorities deal with more stress than other populations. As a result, minorities become likely candidates for having a stroke. In the midst of these devastating statistics, there are answers. Education on prevention is an excellent route to fright the horrors of stroke. Additionally, we should continue to emphasize heart and stroke research. Heart and stroke research have not kept pace with the burdens of this disease. The NIH only invested $1.6 million on heart research and $240 million for stroke research in fiscal year 2001. Even in this time of increasing funding, the NIH only funds I of every 3 research applications. Hence, two-thirds of potentially lifesaving opportunities are lost. I urge my colleagues to increase funding to the NIH and CDC for heart and stroke research. It is critical that we act swiftly. I urge society to do their individual part and live healthy lifestyles. An American if capable should exercise three to four times a week, eat low-fat and high-fiber diet mostly throughout the week, perform activities that remove stress, and visit your family practitioner routinely. In closing, cardiovascular diseases including stoke kill almost as many Americans as the next seven leading causes of death combined, Lets invest in heart and stroke research,

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The Congress has designated this month as a time to celebrate Americans of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry and their contribution to our culture and history. The theme for 2002 is ``Unity in Freedom.'' Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a relatively new holiday. President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating an annual celebration in 1978. President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in 1990. However men and women of Asian and Pacific Island heritage have a long and rich story as an integral part of America. Asian Americans, at first mostly from China, were first brought to the United States in large numbers as workers . . . workers on the railroads, workers in the gold fields, workers in the agricultural sector. They were often ruthlessly exploited. Both the public and private sector sought to increase immigration in the early- and mid-1800s in a search for cheap labor as exemplified in the ratification of the Burlingame Treaty which guaranteed the right of Chinese immigration; but which did not, however, grant the right of naturalization. Our relations with the nations of Asia during this period is a complex one--one too often based on ``gun-boat'' diplomacy. The combination of racism and competition for jobs led to ugly anti-Asian riots including such shameful events as the 1877 Chico, California riots and the 1885 Rock Springs, Wyoming riots. However, these events resulted in only a brief pause in the rapacious need for cheap labor, and an increasing number of Asian Pacific people were brought or lured to work in Hawaiian and California agriculture-- These new immigrants were increasingly men and women from Japan and the Philippines, especially after the Spanish American War. The level of anti-Asian racism came into full focus with the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II. On February 19, 1942, soon after the beginning of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The evacuation order commenced the round-up of 120,000 Americans of Japanese heritage to one of ten internment camps in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. Even though many did not speak Japanese or have close ties to Japan, they were nonetheless regarded as wartime threats. Despite the fact that the U.S. was also at war with Germany and Italy, Americans with ancestors from those countries did not face internment. It took almost half a century for us to acknowledge the enormity of the wrong done to Japanese Americans until Congress passed a measure giving $20,000 to Japanese Americans who had been interned during the war in 1988. President George H.W. Bush signed it the following year. Asian Pacific people continued to find their way to the United States and continued to become citizens despite significant legal barriers. From 1910 to 1940 Angel Island, off California, was used to process mainly Asian immigrants to the United States, earning it the nickname ``Ellis Island of the West.'' With increasing numbers, and growing political awareness the Asian Pacific American community began to assume their rightful place in our democracy. Filipino American farm workers led pioneering struggles for the unionization of agricultural workers. Dalip Singh was elected to U.S. Congress from the agricultural heartland of California. In 1962 Hawaii sent Daniel K. Inouye to the U.S. Senate and Spark Matsunaga to the U.S. House. Two years later, Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii was elected to the U.S. House, becoming the first Asian-American woman in Congress. Since then, hundreds of Asian Americans have been elected to state legislatures and municipal positions. In the last quarter of the 20th century America became home to millions of new Americans from the nations of Asia and the Pacific rim including China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Again the search for workers, especially skilled professionals with training in medicine, computer technology, and other specialties, played an important role. Asian Americans are an important part of our diverse American people . . . but they are also a diverse group themselves. According to the 2000 census there are 11.9 million U.S. residents who reported themselves as Asian alone or in combination with one or more other races in Census 2000. They make up 4.2% of our population. They consist of 2.7 million U.S. residents who reported they were Chinese alone or in combination with one or more other races or Asian groups, 2.4 million Filipino residents, and 1.9 million Asian Indian residents. There were 874,400 native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander according to Census 2000. The median income in 2000 of Asian and Pacific Islander households was $55,525, the highest median income of any racial group. The poverty rate of Asian Pacific Islanders in the 2000 census was 10.7%, the lowest poverty rate the Census Bureau has ever measured for this race group. 44% of Asians and Pacific Islanders age 25 and over held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2000. The corresponding rate for all adults 25 and over was 26%. One million Asians and Pacific Islanders held an advanced degree in 2000 (that is, a Master's, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.), representing a ratio of 1 in 7 Asian Pacific Islanders 25 and over. There were 913,000 Asian Pacific Islander-owned businesses in the United States in 1997. These businesses employed more than 2.2 million people and generated $306.9 billion in revenues. They made up 4% of the nation's 20.8 million nonfarm businesses and 30% of all minority-owned firms. Mr. Speaker, I could go on with statistics describing Americans of Asian and Pacific Island descent . . . but the point is made: Asian Pacific Islanders are integral to our notions of what America is, and what we want America to be. Mr. Speaker, over the course of our history we have learned to value our diversity. We have learned that our diversity makes us strong. Asian Pacific Americans are an important and irreplaceable part of our diversity. In every aspect of our culture, our economy, our values, our body politic, our creative energy Asian Pacific Americans are an inseparable part. Mr. Speaker, let us glory in our diversity. Let us all swell with pride at the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans, not just this month, but every month. Let us reach out and embrace one another, secure in the strength of our multi-racial, multi-ethnic society, and understanding the need to further perfect our unity and eliminate every aspect of inequality and inequity. And let us move forward together, keeping our eyes on the prize of the great American dream, uplifted by the history and contributions of Americans of Asian and Pacific Island descent now woven into our very being as a Nation.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, We began the preamble to our constitution by stating, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,'' and then proceeded unnecessarily to leave out women, and they still have not reached parity. We declared the right to vote as almost being sacred, and then placed restrictions that left out non-landholders, women, Black Slaves and other categories of human beings. We started counting people, but reduced Black Slaves to being counted as only \3/5\ of a person. Mr. Speaker, I am afraid that with this program, we are following the same philosophy and same trends. We have a program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. It does say temporary assistance to needy families and then we move promptly, piously and insensitively to give states the option to cut out or deny participation to individuals who are sick and have been convicted of felonious drug possessions. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about hundreds, thousands and perhaps even millions of people who are in great need, have limited education, no marketable skill, an arrest record and cannot find a job; Who will hire them? And quite frankly many of them will return to the penitentiary, destitute, hopeless and sentenced to a lifetime of poverty, broken promises, unfulfilled dreams and a cost item or liability to the rest of society. I could cite any number of other concerns that I have about this legislation such as not enough opportunity for real training such as degree granting college programs, not enough emphasis on childcare and not enough emphasis on transportation so that people in inner city and rural communities can get to and from where the bulk of new jobs are, suburbia America. And so . . . Mr. Speaker, I hope that when the dust settles and we have a new TANF bill, I hope that ex-offenders, including those who have been convicted of drug offenses and otherwise qualify, I would hope that they too will be eligible to participate. I hope that we would allow for programs to help people clear their records so that their chances of finding a job will be increased. When we do this, we are indeed providing assistance to needy people and at the same time we will be helping the rest of society just as much.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule because it does not provide opportunity for the kind of discussion, the kind of debate, or even for the kind of amendments that are necessary to deal with something as serious as providing temporary assistance to the needy families of this country. When we think of those who are needy, who could be more needy than individuals who have been arrested, the hundreds, the thousands who have been arrested for drug offenses, and yet this legislation gives States the option to deny them benefits under TANF. Individuals who may have had some difficulty when they were 17, 18, 19 years old, and now cannot find a job, cannot get into school, cannot get decent housing, and yet they are denied benefits under this legislation. Mr. Speaker, this legislation goes backwards from the original legislation rather than moving us forward. I hope that we vote to reject the rule and reject the legislation that will not provide assistance to some of America's most needy families.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the ``National Hospital Week'' (NHW). This year, the theme is ``Where Miracles Happen Every Day''. That theme portrays the uniqueness and necessity of the field of healthcare. This period of time will recognize and honor health care professionals, volunteers, and other health professionals for their continued dedication to healing our communities. The celebration of National Hospital Week began in 1921. A magazine editor developed an idea to place more information about hospitals in communities to help erase public fears and uncertainties about healthcare at that time. Since NHW's origination, it has developed into the nation's largest health care event. This prestigious event is sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA). The AHA has been in existence since 1899. It started as an association of Hospital superintendents with a mission to facilitate discussion among hospital administrators. Overtime, its members and mission has develop into a membership which embodies all health care workers and a mission that stresses leadership in public policy, representation and advocacy, and services. Today, the AHA focuses on enhancement of health status, health promotion, ongoing care and rehabilitation of patients, education, research, and that all these activities are conducted with an overriding concern for the values and dignity of patients. As I stated earlier, I am an advocate of this celebration. This week will help us to focus on universal health coverage by allowing health care workers across our nation to share ideas and thoughts on the coverage issue and others. In a time of state budget cuts and medicaid cuts, this week will display the need for appropriate funding of the health care system. In the past year in Illinois, hospitals grappled with Medicaid funding cuts of $340 million. Nursing homes in Illinois dealt with medicaid funding cuts of $170 million. Additionally, this week will help us attack the issue of health care access as grass roots discussions take palce and solutions are developed from individuals at the fore front of health care. In the 7th Congressional District, there are twenty-five community health centers, twenty-three hospitals, three veteran hospitals, and four medical schools. These institutions help sustain my district. I urge my colleagues and constituents to join me in this celebration which is vital to the health of our Nation.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with the remarks made by the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) relative to Mother's Day and the role that mothers play in this country. And I also take the moment to pay tribute to both my maternal and paternal grandmothers, as well as my own dear mother and my wife for the outstanding roles that they have all played in giving to the institution of motherhood. Mr. Speaker, for the past 39 years, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of Small Business Week. I rise in support of the Small Business Administration and the designation of the week of May 5 through 11, 2002 as National Small Business Week. This celebration will honor the estimated 25 million small businesses in America who have created three out of every four new jobs and generate the vast majority of American business innovations. Small Business Week recognizes outstanding small business owners for their personal achievements and contributions to our Nation's economy. One outstanding entrepreneur is named to represent each State as the State's Small Business Person of the Year, and from this group the national Small Business Person of the Year is chosen. I am very proud and pleased to be able to congratulate Ms. Diane MacWilliams, from my 7th Congressional District of Illinois, who is President of Quicksilver Associates, Incorporated, in Chicago, for being our State's Small Business Person of the Year. Armed with a brand new degree in fine and applied arts from the University of Illinois, Diane MacWilliams dove head first into a new career in graphic arts as a new hire in the audiovisual department with Arthur Anderson & Company. Over time, she perfected her skills in photography and graphic arts and began taking on more special assignments, including a promotional slide presentation for the Reading Is Fundamental campaign. The acclaim for that production convinced her to take the plunge and in 1976 start her own business, along with a close friend, who later would become her husband. Thus was born Quicksilver Associates, Incorporated. Diane's work experience taught her that there was a real need for creative outsource corporate audiovisual support. With this in mind, she started calling on corporate 500 companies, such as Quaker Oats, CBS, and International Harvester. As a pioneer of smears, zooms, starbursts, and other new and innovative graphic techniques, Quicksilver provided corporate customers with the creativity needed to customize their own business presentations. In 1978, Quicksilver won an International CLIO Finalist Award for its promotional piece on International Harvester's Scout, a sports utility vehicle apparently ahead of its time. As a premier audiovisual production studio, Quicksilver employs approximately 30 people within its four divisions, New Media, Video Production, Meeting Production, and Planning and Creative Services, generates sales of approximately $4.5 million annually, and hosts a ``who's who'' of corporate clients that include ABN/AMRO, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, Household International, and United Airlines. As a founding member and former President of the Make a Wish Foundation of northern Illinois, Diane received the first Fountain of Hope Award and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Make a Wish Foundation of America. Diane and Quicksilver also have offered their talents and resources to help other nonprofit organizations throughout the year. So, Mr. Speaker, I am indeed proud to bring to the attention of America Diane's achievements, for it is an example of how small businesses can achieve in America. Small businesses account for 99.7 percent of America's employers. They played a vital role in helping to bring America out of this economic downturn. To help create and ensure America's small businesses continue to survive, we must engage all available resources in facilitating entrepreneurship development, providing low or no interest loans and more technical assistance to programs for small businesses. So, again, I congratulate Ms. Diane MacWilliams, President of Quicksilver Associates in Chicago, for being our State's Small Business Person of the Year.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of H.R. 4486, legislation naming a postal facility after Clarence B. Craft. H.R. 4486, introduced by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) on April 18, 2002, is supported and cosponsored by the entire Arkansas State congressional delegation. The obituary in the Morning News said that Clarence B. Craft was born on September 23, 1921, in San Bernardino, California, and died on March 28, 2002, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It reported that he was retired from construction and that he was a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Indeed, Clarence B. Craft's life was distinguished by true heroism and service to his country, both during World War II and afterwards. According to the citation accompanying Clarence Craft's Medal of Honor, on May 31, 1945, as a private first class in the U.S. Army, he, and I quote, ``was a rifleman when his platoon spearheaded an attack on Hen Hill, the tactical position on which the line of enemy defense on Okinawa was hinged. For 12 days our forces had been installed and repeated heavy assaults had been thrown back by the enemy with serious casualties. Against odds that appeared suicidal, Private First Class Craft launched a remarkable one-man attack. He stood up in full view of the enemy and began shooting with deadly marksmanship whenever he saw hostile movement. Private First Class Craft killed at least 25 of the enemy. But his contribution to the campaign on Okinawa was of much more far-reaching consequence, for Hen Hill was the key to the entire defense line which rapidly crumbled after his utterly fearless and heroic attack.'' Yet despite this display of heroism, Clarence Craft never thought of himself as a hero. He would often tell people that he did not do anything that any other GI would not do in my spot. Clarence Craft's service did not end in World War II. According to the obituary that appeared in the Northwest Arkansas Times, he spent the last 25 years of his life in Arkansas, where he served others through volunteerism at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and National Cemetery. There is a Clarence B. Craft primary care center on the hospital grounds. In addition, Mr. Craft was recognized for his almost 9,000 hours of service between 1992 and 2000 with a volunteer service award from the Veterans Affairs Office. United States Senator Blanche Lincoln observed that ``Clarence Craft's continued commitment to his country and his community was impressive. Even after he retired, he went on to donate thousands of hours to helping fellow veterans. That is a tremendous example of selflessness above and beyond his heroism fighting for our country.'' Mr. Speaker, Clarence Craft was the epitome of what a good citizen should be, a man who served his country through heroic deeds in war and dedicated volunteerism in peace. By naming the post office at 1590 East Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for him, we will be remembering a true American hero and a great citizen. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, for the past 39 years, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of Small Business Week. I rise to draw attention to that designation and to that celebration. This celebration honors the estimated 25 million small businesses in America that create three out of every four jobs and generate the vast majority of business innovations. Small businesses account for 99.7 percent of America's employees. I think it is time that we pay tribute, honor, acknowledge the great work that they do, and urge all Americans to shop at a small business, take care of small businesses.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as a young person growing up, I had the good fortune to be a member of a 4-H club, and I rise today to recognize the centennial of 4-H clubs as one of our premier youth development organizations. Indeed, 4-H accomplishments over the past 100 years have helped developing youth to become productive citizens and are a catalyst for positive change, to meet the needs of a diverse and changing society. Through the tireless efforts of 4-H over the past 100 years, and its sponsorship of numerous programs dedicated to developing our youth, the world is a better place. I applaud 4-H's history, and herald its future. In the last 100 years, millions of 4-H members have raised their hand to recite the pledge: ``I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and the world.'' These words have been a blueprint for success. Millions of members have also lived by the 4-H motto: ``To make the best better.'' Although the 4-H pledge and motto have remained basically the same over the decades, the 4-H movement has constantly sought diversity, both in its programs and participants. Over the last 100 years: In 1902, A.B. Graham, superintendent of schools in Clark County, Ohio, organized a boys' and girls' agricultural club in Springfield Township. 1903 saw the development of corn clubs. Pig clubs were later introduced, as were canning clubs. Federal-State-county programs began to develop, and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 established the Cooperative Extension Service, of which 4-H is a component. During the 1920s and 1930s, 4-H expanded to Europe. World War II saw active participation of 4-H in the war effort. ``Food for Freedom'' was the slogan, and 4-H'ers were responsible for increased agriculture production. Following World War II, international exchange programs were furthered in Europe, as well as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The decades of the 1960s and 1970s saw increased emphasis on participation by minorities and disadvantaged youth. In 1966, a national workshop was held in Chicago to expand 4-H for disadvantaged youth in both rural and urban areas. In the 1980s and 1990s, 4-H focused heavily on Youth at Risk, highlighting school-age child care and education, community programming, and development of literacy and technological literacy. 4-H programs now span the gamut, touching on critical areas of our world: the environment; health, wellness and safety; workforce preparation; youth decision-making; biotechnology in agriculture; and community building. I have been struck by the impact of these programs over the years and want to commend the University of Illinois and its agricultural extension programs. Not only are their 4-H clubs actively involved in rural communities, but its urban programming has been significant and productive. Yes, indeed, 4-H'ers have indeed helped to improve the quality of life and to make a better world. So we proudly say when we pledge: ``I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands for useful service, for better living, for myself, my club, my country and for the world.'' Congratulations to a great movement, the 4-H Club.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I share comments with all who have spoken for the need of health education and awareness. However, I do not agree that piecemeal in health care will ever get us to the point that we have the coverage that is necessary. Yes, we need a prescription drug program. I agree with that. Yes, the children's health program is helping. But in reality what we really need is universal coverage for each and every American citizen. We need a health system where everybody is in, and nobody is out. We need a system that covers each and every person from the cradle to the grave. While we move towards that, piece by piece, ultimately we will come to the realization that we must have a system, everybody in, nobody out.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 378, a bill to name the building located at 3348 S. Kedzie the Paul Simon Chicago Job Corps Center. I want to commend our senior Senator Dick Durbin for his sponsorship of this bill. Former Senator Paul Simon really epitomizes the virtues of work and what the Job Corps stand for. Senator Simon at the age of 19 became the nation's youngest editor-publisher when he accepted a local Lion's Club challenge to save the Troy Tribune in Troy, IL--near St. Louis. He built a chain of 15 newspapers in southern and central Illinois, which he utilized to expose syndicate gambling connections in Madison County. Senator Simon has always been a voice for the disadvantaged and less fortunate throughout his career in the Illinois State House and the Illinois State Senate. During his 14 years in the state Legislature, he won the Independent Voters of Illinois' ``Best Legislator Award'' every session. Senator Simon became known throughout the state as a public official with high integrity and great political courage. He did what was right--even if it was not expedient. Senator Simon served as lieutenant governor in 1968, and was the first in the state's history to be elected to that post with a governor of another party. His work in that office focused on making government work more efficiently and effectively for its citizens. During his years in the Senate he focused on education, job training, transportation and limiting violence on television networks. His integrity, exceptional constituent services, openness and willingness to listen are all virtues to be admired. He was without question one of the best Members to ever serve in the House and the Senate. Senator Simon has retired from the Congress, but not from the influence of public policy. He is currently teaching at Southern Illinois University--where he is helping to shape young minds and future leaders. The designation of the Job Corps facility at 3348 S. Kedzie is an excellent tribute to my friend Senator Simon--and may help to inspire all the young people who pass through.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the conference report on the farm bill. The conference report's provisions on sugar will impose an undue burden on the working people in my congressional district. The conference report fails to reform the sugar price support program so as to accommodate the interests of consumers and workers in the Chicago area. Of even greater concern, it takes a bad sugar program and makes it even worse by repealing the sugar forfeiture penalty and imposing marketing allotments. Employment in the Chicago confectionery industry has fallen 11 percent since 1991. The sugar program has contributed to this decline. Sugar price supports and import quotas keep the cost of U.S. sugar at least twice as high as the world price. Besides raising consumer prices, increasing taxpayer costs and threatening the environment, the price gap creates an artificial incentive to move domestic food and confection manufacturing operations offshore. And this has happened in my own back yard in Chicago with the announcement of plant shutdowns by candy makers. By repealing the forfeiture penalty, the conference report will effectively increase price supports. By imposing a complicated system of production controls, the conference report will further disrupt the marketing of sugar and raise sugar prices for consumers. Mr. Speaker, the people hurt by the conference report provisions on sugar will be ordinary taxpayers, consumers and workers who do not get subsidies or protection like wealthy sugar producing companies do. That is not right. And so I must oppose the conference report.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I commend the Committee on Agriculture for the good job that they have done. I have some serious concerns about this bill, and my concerns are that our sugar program continues to drive food processors and candy makers out of business in my community. We are continuing to lose jobs by the hundreds because they cannot afford the high cost and the high prices that they are paying for sugar. I also have some concerns that the civil rights, that the concerns expressed by minority farmers are not adequately addressed. I grew up on a small farm, and so I know what minority farmers are feeling and what their experiences are. I hope as we continue to develop our agricultural policy, that we take those concerns and put them at the top of the list rather than the bottom of the list. Again, I commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) for the work that they have done, but I cannot support a bill that will not provide for the food processors in my community to stay in business.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as we are moving rapidly towards reauthorization of TANF and as we continue to talk about welfare reform, and we continue to try and figure out what that really means, what is it that we are talking about? What is it that we are attempting to accomplish? Well, it seems to me that one of the pieces that is often left out of the puzzle is there is conversation about movement but not necessarily conversation about movement away from what. It seems to me that any time we talk about that issue, that we really ought to be talking about the reduction and ultimate elimination of poverty. And so we talk about these as social issues, but in reality, they are really economic issues. And often we do not talk about the economic implications. We point out all of the difficulties of disadvantagement. We point out the numbers of people, two million of them in our criminal justice system, who are locked up in the Nation's prisons and jails, or we will talk about the 40 million-plus people who do not have health insurance, or we will talk about those folk who lack decent housing, or people who live in disadvantaged areas. And when we get right down to the bottom of it, it all revolves around the issue of poverty. Who are those who have and who are those who have not. Who are those who have more than they need and others who have not enough. And so the question becomes, how do we balance the equation? How do we mix up the goods, services and resources of our Nation so that all of our citizens can try and live out the American dream of a decent house, a place to live, the ability to send their children to a good school, to send their children to college, for children to grow up, have their own families, and continue to progress? When I think about it, it is almost incongruous that the America of the 21st century is home to millions of family who have left welfare but are worse off economically, because many of the State governments are not spending the Federal funds that were intended to help these individuals transition into work or to take care of their children. To my mind, it is an America where child poverty that remains at a historic high, with nearly one out of every five children in the United States of America living today in poverty after a decade of boom in the national economy, where the average person living in poverty is poorer today than they were at the beginning of the decade. And that is a real contradiction that it is difficult to morally justify; and I must confess that I have some difficulty understanding it. In my mind, a society which celebrates the reduction in welfare roles but ignores the realities that half of those who have left welfare jobs have been unable to pay the rent, buy food, afford medical care, or keep their telephone or electric service from being disconnected. That seems to me to be a serious contradiction. It is amazing that here we are, a Nation where at most, 15 percent of eligible children have ever been enrolled in Head Start. That is an indication that we talk about Head Start, but oftentimes do not provide it. But that is a national figure. At most, 15 percent of eligible children are served by Head Start. Even worse than that, most Head Start programs do not meet the needs of working moms because of insufficient hours. Child care for low income families often exceed 35 percent of the family income. Yet, child care workers are among the lowest paid and most poorly trained workers in the Nation. And yet we talk consistently about leaving no child behind. We talk about the great education system. We talk about all of the resources that are being provided. But what we have here is a kind of triple whammy. The needs of working families are not met, young minds are left unchallenged, and the families of child care workers themselves are locked in poverty. It is amazing that you will expect a person to devote their lives to working with children, providing child care at a day care center or a Head Start program and yet they themselves remain poverty stricken for so long as they continue to do that work. My mind cannot rest when more than 20 percent of adolescents suffer from mental disorders, including anxiety, mood disruption, and substance abuse. Without new public resource, the problem of mental illness among children and youth will not be addressed. So we have all of these young children and adolescents growing up with mental and emotional problems that never get dealt with, who themselves are headed towards a welfare system, and so they will live their entire lives never experiencing the fulfillness of the American dream, what America is designed to be or yet to become. The uninsured rate for children increased from 14.5 percent in 1994 to 15.6 percent in 1998. For families with incomes of less than 200 percent of poverty, the uninsured rate increased from 23.4 percent to 26.5 percent. My mind recoils at our growing prison population, which has spawned a generation of parentless families and a new source of mass trauma. Our prison population is now in excess of 2 million people. More than any other developed nation on the face of the earth. More than any percent of prison inmates are parents, and so one would have to ask what happens to, with, and for these children? The result is that 1.5 million children have a parent in prison. Yet we have few programs to support these families while the parents are incarcerated or in the transition of trying to come back into the normalcy of a society. Mr. Speaker, as the old saying goes, ``You can run but you can't hide.'' No part of our society can escape the consequences of the great inequalities which plague us as a Nation. We talk about disparities, the difference between this group and another group. A report was just released about a month ago talking about the tremendous disparities in health status of African Americans, of Latinos and other minorities in our country. It is in the national interest, in the best self-interest of every sector of our society to address these great inequalities and inequities and to address the consequences and inequities in a constructive, humane and just manner. It follows logically that the problems facing urban America require that every sector of our society become a part of the solution, public and private, secular and faith-based. When I think about problem- solving, I often think of what used to be the slogan of the Black Panther Party, and I used to think of what they would say. They would say, ``You're either part of the solution or part of the problem,'' and it really means that every sector of American society must indeed be a part of the solution because injustice anywhere diminishes justice everywhere. So I welcome all of those who rallied to the cause of the most vulnerable. My understanding of history suggests that the great movements in American history, our struggle for independence, our struggle to end the curse of slavery, our struggle for civil and human voting rights, our struggle for the equality of minors and women, our struggle for dignity in the workplace, have only succeeded when we called into action every resource, every heart and every hand of goodwill. Mr. Speaker, welfare reform in the 1990s proved in a perverse kind of way that government does work and it works well. We just had the wrong public policy goals. We set a goal of reducing the number of persons on welfare and we succeeded. We succeeded spectacularly well. However, our failure was in setting the wrong goal. We did not set the goal of reducing poverty. We did not set the goal of increasing the quality of life or improving health or education outcomes. I agree with those who hold that the record of welfare in America is a cycle of reducing benefits to force people to work, then increasing benefits when the activism of the poor begin to disrupt society. Then we cut benefits again to replenish the lower wage pool. Let me just tell my colleagues that I am one who believes seriously in the concept of work. I believe very strongly in the work ethic, and I believe that we work not just to earn a living or to be able to live. I believe that we work because through work we demonstrate that we are a contributing member of the society. We help to perpetuate that of which we are a part of. So we work not just to get paid, but we work as a kind of pay for the privilege of living in this society. I maintain that not only is work a virtue, but it is difficult to be fulfilled if one does not feel that they are contributing to experience the wholeness of one's being, and so I maintain that it is time to break the cycle that we have become accustomed to by fundamentally changing the paradigm of our attack on the problem. If we look at a problem one way, then we attack it one way. If we look at it another way, then perhaps we attack it differently. Let me walk through a few of the parameters which define for me where our children are today and what reform of our welfare system ought to really mean. In 1994, 14 percent of all children were receiving welfare benefits. By 1999, only 7 percent of children received these benefits. The share of poor single mothers in the labor market grew from 39 percent to 57 percent, while the share of poor married mothers in the labor market remained constant at 39 percent. There are those who would want to debate the merits and demerits of marriages and who want to spend a great deal of time talking about welfare reform couched in whether or not people should get married and whether or not they should not get married, whether there is coercion to get married, whether there are incentives for marriage, and I tell my colleagues, I do not believe that people ought to be coerced or skyjacked in any direction. I also can tell my colleagues that I have no difficulty with the concept of marriage. As a matter of fact, marriage is a form of social organization, and I believe that where there is more organization, there is less chaos. So the first form of organization perhaps starts when two people form a union, and then of course the union might get larger, there might be other joiners, there might be other members of it, and then people expand it and we get something called a family. Could my colleagues just imagine what our society would be like if there were no families, if everybody just kind of individually went their own way, without any of this social organization that comes as a result of the union and unification of people, oftentimes beginning with two? Since the current recession began, and we are still arguing whether or not it is over, more than 2 million Americans have lost their jobs, and the old rule of last hired, first fired proved itself to be true once again, but, of course, that was not anything to not be expected or anything out of the ordinary. For many form of welfare recipients, there is little or no security in the job market. Less than 60 percent of welfare leavers are currently working, though as many as 70 percent have had employment at some time or another, but only 40 percent have worked consistently. Those who do work are likely to earn wages which fail to bring the family above the poverty line. One group of studies determined that the median earnings in the first quarter after leaving TANF for people was $2,526 and in the fourth quarter $2,821. About 40 percent of the leavers are not working at all. This group is more likely to have less education, less prior work history, and greater health problems. They are more likely to face problems of domestic violence, which is not necessarily in many instances an issue by itself. It is oftentimes an issue that is intertwined with other factors that cause people to exhibit this kind of behavior. They are more likely to be dealing with mental illnesses. Families which have been sanctioned have a very high poverty rate, 89 percent, according to one study, and after leaving assistance, many families lose their food stamps and Medicaid, even though they are still poor, and fewer than one-third receive child care subsidies. In other words, the support system for low income families is riddled with holes. Thirty-three percent of leavers report not enough food, 39 percent report inability to pay the rent, and 7 percent report having to move in with others because of inability to afford housing. We know that today 82 percent of new mothers return to the workforce in less than 1 year, but only 42 percent are able to work full time. Most Head Start programs do not meet the needs of working mothers because of insufficient hours. Child care for low income families often exceeds 35 percent of their total income. So when we talk about our ability to move, the fact of the matter is that many of the individuals are in a Catch 22 position, and that remains the case. In a majority of the States, and in my State, the great State of Illinois, the land of Lincoln, the recession has decimated the State budget. Illinois now has unpaid bills totaling over $1.2 billion and is facing a $1 billion deficit over the coming year. Every program in the State budget is vulnerable, including education. In the area of education, we have faced for a long time tremendous disparities. While average spending nationally is about $6,000, in Illinois, and in some other States, spending ranges from less than $4,000 to more than $15,000. That is to say, in some school districts they are spending $4,000 per pupil; in other school districts they are spending as much as $15,000 per pupil. Now, I am not a mathematician, and I am not sure I always know exactly what equality means, but I guess any way that you cut it, there is something uneven and unequal about that equation. Since most school funding comes from property taxes, rich communities have well-financed schools and poor communities, those most in need of supportive programs, have less-than-well-financed schools. Instead of focusing on the needs of students with smaller class sizes and repairing substandard buildings and providing remedial and before- and after-school programs, we are being swept away by the rhetoric of testing. I spent a little bit of time teaching and serving as a counselor, and I can attest to the fact that testing can help teachers, students, and parents to understand what materials remain to be mastered, or it can be used as an arbitrary and irrelevant standard, in which case the curriculum is narrowed to whatever the test is on, and instructional time is allocated to whatever is on the test. The result is higher test scores but less real learning and a failure to develop the real potential of our children. As you know, after the great debate, we passed a major reform of Federal assistance to education with bipartisan support. What many Americans do not know is the refusal of this House, and if we are very honest, a very partisan refusal, to pass a budget which provides funding for many of the new programs and initiatives. So we have programs and initiatives on the books, but it is like saying there is still no water in the well; or, in many instances, it would be the same as having a brand-new shiny automobile but no gasoline. The surgeon general's recent report, ``Mental Health,'' has highlighted the critical need for expansion of mental health services for children and youth. Many of these children are the very same children who need assistance from TANF. They are the children of needy families. More than 20 percent of adolescents suffer from mental disorders. The report details some of the inherent limits of the for- profit health system in addressing our mental health needs. Without new public resources, the problem of mental illness among children and youth cannot and will not be seriously addressed. The share of children without health insurance increased from 14.5 percent in 1994 to 15.6 percent in 1998. For families with incomes of less than 200 percent of poverty, the uninsured rate increased from 23.4 percent to 26.5 percent. The CHIP program, Children's Health Insurance Program, is struggling because it is not an entitlement program, like Medicaid or Medicare. States can cut back on CHIP when budgets face crisis, as we are experiencing in my State of Illinois. Medicare and Medicaid have been enormously successful in providing health care to their target populations; 98.7 percent of seniors have health insurance. We need a similar entitlement for children. I believe that when it comes to health care, we have to set our sights on universal health care and coverage for everybody without regard to their ability to pay. There is a new movement afoot to develop a consensus around a set of family support principles and to find ways to operationalize them with regard to public policy. So let me offer just as suggestions a few thoughts; and, hopefully, some of these will be found in the TANF reauthorization bill once we are finished with it. The goal of TANF should be to reduce poverty, to improve the quality of life and to enhance the independence of families. The health, education, and well-being of every child in America must be protected. People in need should receive assistance whenever and wherever they need it, and in many forms, not just in face-to-face visits. People in need of assistance need to have necessary information and the ability to exercise the degree of control they choose over decisions which affect them and their lives. Each member of the community needs to be unfettered and have access to personal information to the status of their community and to the latest advances in social and scientific practice. Individuals and families should be protected from injury caused by the system. The community needs to play a key role in anticipating the needs of the Nation and being involved in that. There has to be cooperation among programs and professionals. There should be no reason to have a maze of programs that people cannot find their way through when we have stated and indicated that all of these programs were in fact for the benefit of the people. So as we reauthorize TANF, we must be serious with ourselves and say to ourselves that we know that education is the key, and so there ought not to be these restrictions on training for people. Because we already know that unless they get serious education and training, there will be no jobs in the workplace for them. How do they move from welfare to work unless they have the ability to do what somebody else needs to have done? Lyndon Baines Johnson was supposed to have said one time that we have to speak truth to the American people. We have to let them know that there is no gain without some pain. So as a Nation we have to adopt that same principle, and we have to know that if we are going to successfully move people from welfare to work, they must be able to convey to others that they are in a position to do for them what they need to have done. Nobody gives a person a job just because they need to work. I mean, there is no such thing as a job in a capitalistic society just because somebody needs to work. People are able to acquire jobs because they can go into the marketplace with a demonstrable skill, and they can say to that marketplace that I can do for you whatever it is that you are willing to pay for, and I can do for you what you need to have done. A good example: lots of people go to the barber shop, and some of them will go there and just sit and engage in conversation and talk and have fun. Here the barber is wanting to cut hair because he wants to make money. But if people do not need a haircut, they do not just get in the chair and say cut my hair because you need to make money. No, they get in when they need a haircut or when they need a shave. So we have to give people the opportunity to develop the skills that they need to go to school, to get educated, to learn technology, develop computer skills, to be able to go in the marketplace. And then we have to be serious about this whole business of the minimum wage. I do not know how you get off welfare and out of poverty with a job that pays $6.25 an hour or $6.50 an hour. You certainly cannot do it in Chicago. I do not believe that you can do it in New York, I do not believe you can do it in Los Angeles, you cannot do it in St. Louis, you cannot do it in Philadelphia, and you cannot do it in Jackson, Mississippi. The real deal is you cannot do it anywhere in this country. So we need to seriously, seriously, seriously look at raising the minimum wage so that there can be a greater level of sharing of the great resources of this Nation. Yes, people go looking for something. But when they do, I am reminded of the song that Billie Holiday used to sing: ``Them that's got shall get and them that's not shall lose. So the Bible say, and that still is the rule. Mama may have, Papa may have, but God bless the child that's got his own.'' And what we have to provide for the individuals in need of assistance is their own computer skills, their own education, their own carpentry training, their own sheet metal training, their own mechanical training, their own ability to go into the workplace and provide for someone that which is needed. They ought to be able to get an associate in arts degree in college, at the very least. We all talk about how education has been the great equalizer, and yet we will restrict how much education and training that we are willing to provide for the individuals on TANF. We also need to understand where jobs are and what is going on. Seventy-five percent of all new jobs in this country are being created in what is called suburban America. So many of the people who are unemployed live in inner city or rural or semi-rural communities. If there are no jobs in those locations for them, and we cannot create the jobs for them, then we have to make sure that they can get to where the jobs are, which means that we need strong transportation access. So in the TANF reauthorization, there has to be enough money to get people on welfare, to get the participants from where there are no jobs to where there are some jobs. I live in a community where we have lost more than 130,000 well- paying, good manufacturing jobs over the last 30 years. I can go by places and point to them and say there used to be 10,000 people working here, there used to be 10,000 working here. There used to be 2,000 people working here. All of those companies are gone. Many of them have moved not only out of the areas where they were, but they have actually moved out of the country. They have moved to Taiwan, to Mexico, to other places in South and Central America. They have gone where the labor costs are not the same. And yet the ability to explore it continues to exist. So when some of the Members of this body talk about trying to make sure that there are labor protections and standards so that people who work earn enough money to live and so that they have decent places in which to work, they are trying to maintain a quality of life to which we have become accustomed, and we are saying that other countries ought to be able to move in this direction as opposed to allowing businesses and corporations and companies to move out in other directions and not only diminish the quality of life for those in our own country, but also the quality of life for others in places where they would go. And so welfare reform is more than just a notion. Welfare reform has to provide the necessary support services so that as individuals are trying to make this transition, there are people available to help them. What does that really mean? It means every time we develop a self- sufficient person, that person can take care of him or herself and their family and does not have to look to public resources, does not have to go to the public warehouse or public storehouse or do what some people call ``feed from the public trough.'' I believe that America, my country 'tis of thee, that America is big enough, strong enough, understands enough, recognizes the need enough, that we can provide for all of our citizens, even those who have fallen behind, even those who have maybe gotten off track, even those who are maybe incarcerated and coming back home this year, like the 630,000 people who are slated to be released from prisons and jails but do not necessarily have warm, inviting communities to come back to that will help them readjust, help them to have a solid place to live, the opportunity to get training, develop a skill, get a job, work their way back. That is why I introduced in February something called the Public Safety Ex-Offenders Self-Sufficiency Act of 2002, which is not a difficult program to understand. Build 100,000 units of SRO-type housing over a period of 5 years so that as ex-offenders come back home, they will have structured living environments in which to live and receive help. And the good thing about it, it does not ask for any Federal grants because we model the program after the low income housing tax credits, but rather than using the population of a State, we use the ex-offender population of the State to determine the number of credits that a State would be allocated or would be eligible for. We think that there are innovative and creative ways of meeting the needs of those who are disadvantaged in our society, and we think that there are innovative and creative ways of helping structure reform of our public welfare system so that it does not recycle people on and off, but so that it develops people into solid, self-sustaining, self- developing citizens who themselves can reach the point where they can take care of themselves. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to engage in this discussion, for the opportunity to express a position and a point of view that we have a great opportunity with TANF reauthorization. We have an opportunity to help demonstrate that America can become the America that it has never been, but yet the America that it can and must be, that we can lift even those boats at the bottom. I have been told that a rising tide would lift all boats. If we can lift people out of poverty, get them off welfare, we also reduce the number of individuals in prison. We reduce the number of children who are walking and wandering the streets, we reduce the number of those who have not been able to experience all of the greatness and the goodness of what this United States of America, my country 'tis of thee, has the potential for being, has the potential to become. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we will do that. It may take a little longer than we hope, but I think we are moving in that direction.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and I join with all of those across the country who are taking the opportunity to raise this issue, and that is the issue of sexual assault that occurs far too often, often goes unreported, often leaves individuals feeling shameful and feeling that they have no place to turn. That is a kind of terror and a kind of terrorism that our country must rid itself of. So I urge all of us to join together to make sure that we can reduce the incidences of sexual assault.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as we approach the reauthorization of TANF, let us be mindful of the fact that 75 percent of all new jobs are created in suburban communities, outside large inner cities. If we are to be successful with moving people from welfare to work, then we must make sure that there is adequate money, resources for transportation, so that the people can get from where there are virtually no jobs to where the jobs are. Mr. Speaker, let us make sure that transportation is a part of TANF reauthorization so that people can get from welfare to where the jobs are.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as we move towards the reauthorization of TANF, and as we look at the whole question, the whole issue of welfare reform, I think there are some principles and concepts and realities and truisms that we need to deal with. First of all, we need to understand that in order for people to move from welfare to work, that more education and training is needed and necessary, as opposed to more work requirements. The 24-hour direct work-related activity that is proposed is too strict. The only 16-hour non-direct work-related activity does not allow an individual to receive adequate educational or vocational training, and does not allow the ability for adequate job training and education. We need to understand, Mr. Speaker, that education is needed for recipients to get off welfare permanently. We need to allow recipients the opportunity of 24 months of job training or vocational training, and 2 years of degree attainment. That is to suggest that they need to be afforded the opportunity to acquire at least an Associate of Arts degree. Recipients must compete with the lagging economy and the fact that more college graduates are now stuck in low-paying jobs. We need to understand that recipients need education, education, and education if they are to increase the possibility of moving from welfare to work. We need to allow for high school diploma attainment, English language learner classes, and adult basic education, including adult literacy programs. Education and training make a critical difference in employability, earnings, and job retention. In 1998, 28 percent of TANF recipients worked for substandard pay while still qualifying for aid. People leaving welfare earn around $6.61 per hour, or from $8,000 to $12,000 a year. More education is obviously needed if they are to earn enough to earn a decent living. Welfare rolls dropped 22 percent between 1995 and 1997. However, poverty among families headed by single mothers dropped only 1 percent. The reality is that the poor are getting poorer. Many must choose between child care and work. We must reduce the extent and severity of poverty and promote self-sufficiency among families if we are doing anything serious about moving people from welfare to work. Child care funding needs to be adjusted for inflation. We must increase Federal funding for the child development funds to meet the needs of all eligible children. And we must invest enough in child care to make a difference. Mothers who work low-wage jobs often do not have benefits to leave work when the child is sick or they work conflicting hours. The annual cost of child care is $4,000 to $6,000 and can rise as high as 10,000. Child care must be an integral part of any effort to move people from poverty, from welfare to work. So I urge, Mr. Speaker, that as we move towards reauthorization of TANF we realize what we are trying to do is to move people not from just welfare to work but from poverty to a decent level of living.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of what is being commonly called the No FEAR Act. I want to commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson- Lee) for their hard work, diligence, and tenacity in pursuing this legislation to get it to the floor today. They both have done outstanding work, and I appreciate their efforts. Mr. Speaker, our goal should be to always have in place the most open and responsive workplace that can be created. This means that employees must feel free, uninhibited, and able to operate without fear. They must be able to operate knowing that should they reveal information, that should they bring to the surface what they have seen, and should they report what they know, that there will be no reprisals, there will be no retaliation, and there will be nothing that anybody will ever be able to do that will cause them grief. I think the day is great because it means that the Federal Government is exercising the kind of leadership that we ought to provide. The Federal Government should be the barometer, the leader in causing our country to function a certain way. I have always been told that you cannot lead where you do not go. So if we expect the private sector to come on line, then it is only apt that the Federal Government lead the way, lead the way in tolerance, nondiscrimination, and no retaliation against those who would exercise the right to be responsible. So again, Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson- Lee) for their leadership on this issue, and urge strong support. I look forward to its passage.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I also want to commend the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for her outstanding work on this issue and commend all of these who have been instrumental in bringing this matter to the floor. I rise in enthusiastic support of H. Con. Res. 388, which expresses the sense of Congress that there should be established a National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month. Dr. W.E.B. Dubois suggested that the problem of the 20th Century would be that of the color line. Dr. Dubois was profound and prophetic in his analysis, but we still have not solved the problem of the color line in the 21st century and it is vivid in our health care delivery system. The persistent problem of health disparities continues to be the reality; that there is serious separation in this Nation. I stand here today to suggest that as long as health disparities persist, we will remain a Nation divided; divided along the lines of those who have and those who have not. According to the report that we have been discussing, issued by the Institute of Medicine last month, racial and ethnic minorities experience a lower quality of health services and are less likely to receive even routine medical procedures than whites. The report goes on to suggest that when it comes to diagnostic exams for heart disease, cancer, end-stage renal disease, and kidney transplantation, African Americans and other minority groups receive less care than whites. This report suggests that African Americans and other racial minorities die early and often because of a lack of quality care. The report, which is extensive, entitled ``Unequal Treatment,'' really underscores the need to establish a National Minority Health and Disparities Month, a month that is set aside so that we can refocus, take a hard look, better understand, better realize the disparities, and then find the resources that are necessary to move us from the position of inequities to equality, to equal treatment, equal understanding, and equal recognition. So again, I commend all of those who have been instrumental. I commend the chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), and certainly the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for all of their serious leadership on these matters.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1950.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, for those who think welfare reform is working well because caseloads have decreased, I ask them to come with me through low-income neighborhoods across the country. Walk into the many ghettos and barrios in distressed areas and tell those individuals that welfare reform is working. During the caseload plunge, many recipients moved laterally in the employment sector from one low-income, low-wage job to another one. In order to do real welfare reform, we must put hope in the new welfare bill. We must put in job training, education, and transitional movement. We must have a strong fatherhood initiative. Many of the individuals are parents of children. They are incarcerated, in jail, in the penitentiaries. If there is to be hope, we must make welfare reform a reality. If there is no work, there is no hope, and there is no welfare to work.