Danny Davis

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for addressing this important matter. The purpose of this colloquy is to clarify the intent of section 225 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. As we know, correctional education and job training are greatly needed. They foster successful reentry through increased employment and decreased criminal behavior and save taxpayer money. I am pleased that the bill before us broadens the use of funds for correctional education to include a range of education and job training activities needed by incarcerated individuals for educational and career advancement. I want to make clear the congressional intent of section 225 to include activities that support transitions to postsecondary education, workforce training offered alongside adult education, or concurrent enrollment for the purpose of educational and career advancement, also attaining a recognized postsecondary credential, which may include an associate or baccalaureate degree.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for clarifying the congressional intent of section 225. I urge passage of this bill.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I offer my strong support for the Autism CARES Act of 2014, a bill that continues the much-needed research and educational activities related to autism. I strongly support our nation's autistic community; this bill helps to promote and facilitate the good work being done related to autism by federal entities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Autism is a disorder that has a tremendous effect on the lives of the people with it and their families, including challenges with education, communication, and employment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies autism as one of our nation's leading public health crises. An autism-related diagnosis is more common today than the diagnosis of pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. More research on this complex neurobiological disorder is still needed because we do not fully understand the cause or course of this disorder. The Autism CARES Act of 2014 will facilitate autism research by reauthorizing $190 million annually through 2019. In addition, it focuses attention on the important issue of transitioning autistic youth from school to adulthood. I have heard from constituents with autism about the need to improve the transition of services to consider life after high school graduation to ensure that students are supported as they move to work or higher education. I am well aware of the benefits of services and research dedicated to autism. I am proud that Chicago is home to the Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research run by the Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago. The Center provides care and advances research on autism. It provides multiple services--research, training, early intervention, school-to-work transition training, and independent living training--all under one roof. It is an amazing resource for Chicago, Illinois, and the nation. I strongly support this program and any federal efforts to support and expand these services. Therefore, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the Autism CARES Act of 2014.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize one of my constituents from Oak Park, Illinois, Essie Pough, as she retires from the Illinois Department of Human Services after 46 years of public service to the state of Illinois and its citizens. On behalf of the 7th District of Illinois, I congratulate and commend Mrs. Pough for almost five decades of outstanding dedication to the state. Mrs. Pough began her career when the agency was known as the Illinois Department of Public Aid. She has worked at multiple locations for the agency, providing the customers with professional assistance at each-- whether she was in the Walcott office, the Madison office, or in Humboldt Park. As an example of her commitment to the public, Mrs. Pough started taking Spanish classes after moving to her Humboldt Park office which serves a large number of Illinoisans who speak Spanish. She worked at the Humboldt Park office for 30 years. Although small in stature, Mrs. Pough has a dynamic and impressive personality that amazes her friends, family and co-workers. I also understand that she has a fondness for high heels, even starting her work day by walking up the stairs to her second floor office every day in 4-inch heels, which no doubt helps explain her health and fitness to this day. Mrs. Pough is a caring friend and co-worker. Her propensity to routinely feed her colleagues makes me disappointed that I never had the opportunity to work with her. In addition, she regularly supported her coworkers' accomplishments with parties to recognize birthdays and promotions as well as led the annual Black History celebration. Outside of work, Mrs. Pough is an avid bowler with an average of 133. Impressively, she has already bowled 200 twice this year alone. These scores are especially notable given her distinctive bowling stance, bowling while down on one knee. She is an active member of Living Word Christian Center where she adds her beautiful voice to the choir and shares her bowling talents with the bowling team. In closing, I join with the friends of Essie Pough and her 8 children, 19 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 6 great great grandchildren in celebrating her retirement on April 30, 2014, after 46 years of public service. I recognize Mrs. Pough's dedication to her community and state as well as convey my deep appreciation for her service. I am honored to celebrate the achievements of Mrs. Pough and am hopeful for a prosperous and active retirement.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I am a longstanding supporter of S corporations, pass-throughs, and small businesses. In my State, as well as around the country, S corporations are a cornerstone of the business community. These corporations span a broad range of industries and employ a large percentage of our country's workforce. In my State alone, there are more than 235,000 S corporations providing more than 1.5 million jobs and bolstering the Illinois economy through their taxes paid. In the name of fiscal responsibility, the Republican leadership has justified refusing to help 3 million Americans, including 116,000 Illinoisans, who were unemployed through no fault of their own. Yet the Republican leadership abandoned its fiscal responsibility to balloon our deficit to $614 billion for permanent tax breaks for corporations while refusing to aid hardworking struggling Americans in the name of fiscal responsibility. My track record is very clear on my strong support of small businesses. My track record is also very clear that I cannot and will not prioritize over half a trillion dollars in deficit spending for business tax breaks and tell struggling Americans that they are not worth the expense. I very much want the small businesses in my State to benefit from the tax benefits contained in H.R. 4457 and H.R. 4453. However, I cannot support the Republican approach of unpaid for, permanent cuts for businesses while the needs of our unemployed and working poor go ignored.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to pay tribute on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to Mrs. Albivory Hester Corley, who is known as Bib to many and will be 100 years of age on May 23rd. Bib was born in Mississippi at a time when situations and circumstances were quite different in this country. Armed with a great desire to acquire higher education, she left the family farm and attended Jackson College, (currently known as Jackson State University) and Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. After college she returned to her roots in Mississippi and taught at the Pilgrim Rest School. After teaching for a number of years, Bib decided that it was time to pursue greater opportunities and moved to Chicago, like many other African Americans who were born in Mississippi. In 1952, she began working at the Cook County Probate Court and eventually became the first African American to become Probate Clerk, and worked for the Probate Court for thirty-seven years during the tenure of nine governors and six mayors. Chicago brought Bib not only success in her career, but also success in finding her soul- mate. It was in Chicago that Bib met her husband Jimmy Corley, whom she married in 1956. Bib and Jimmy shared a strong faith in God and joined the outstanding Grant Memorial AME Church where they were both active members until Jimmy's passing in 1982. Bib remains active in the church and considers herself truly blessed for all the years of life that God has given her. Even in retirement, Mrs. Corley is not slowing down. She remains very active, traveling all over the world sharing her story and inspiring others. As a Member of the US House of Representatives, I take delight in recognizing a truly remarkable woman and thank her for all the contributions she has made to human-kind.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this legislation. H.R. 4438 would add $156 billion to the deficit to provide permanent tax breaks for businesses while doing nothing for the 2.6 million Americans living the constant nightmare of long-term unemployment. H.R. 4438 does nothing to help low-income working families by permanently extending the earned income tax credit or the child tax credit used by over 100,000 of my constituents and credits that keep millions of Americans out of poverty. Further, H.R. 4438 does nothing to incentivize businesses to hire hard-to-employ workers via the work opportunity tax credit, to help revitalize distressed communities via the new markets tax credit, to help the elderly donate to charities via the IRA charitable rollover, to create affordable housing via the low-income housing tax credit, to reimburse the 3.7 million teachers the hundreds of dollars a year that they pay out of their own pockets. In the name of fiscal responsibility, the Republican leadership has justified refusing to help the unemployed and slashing food stamps for poor families, cutting health care and services for seniors and limiting services for foster use. Even worse, the Republican leadership understands that, as a law, H.R. 4438's failure to pay for its $156 billion price tag will cause automatic cuts to Medicare, to student loans, and to other mandatory safety net programs because the bill violates PAYGO. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this business giveaway.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I raise a point of order against H. Res. 569 because the resolution violates section 426(a) of the Congressional Budget Act. The resolution contains a waiver of all points of order against consideration of the bill, which includes a waiver of section 425 of the Congressional Budget Act, which causes a violation of section 426(a).

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I raise this point of order not only out of concern for unfunded mandates, but to highlight the failure of Republican House leadership to protect the long-term unemployed, low-income citizens, and others who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. I raise this point of order because the bill before us would add $156 billion to the deficit to provide permanent tax breaks for businesses while doing nothing for the 2.6 million Americans living with the constant nightmare of having no job, no food, no money, no lights, no gas, no college tuition money, and no unemployment check. H.R. 4438 is 15 times the cost of helping the 2.6 million Americans who are looking for jobs that have been shipped overseas, jobs that have been downsized or outsourced, or jobs that simply do not exist. Please tell me, Mr. Speaker: What are they supposed to do? H.R. 4438 would give $156 billion in tax breaks for businesses but do nothing for the 72,000 additional Americans who lose benefits each and every week. An estimated 74,000 Illinoisans lost benefits on December 28, 2013, with 38,000 of these citizens living in Cook County alone. Forty-two thousand Illinoisans exhausted their benefits in the first 3 months of 2014. H.R. 4438 completely fails these Americans, many of whom stood on the Capitol steps yesterday pleading with Republican leadership to do the right thing. But the heartless response has been and continues to be refusal to help hardworking Americans struggling to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care for their families. Now is not the time to cut, deny, or delay unemployment benefits. Failure to continue emergency unemployment benefits threatens the continuation of our economic recovery, costing over 200,000 greatly- needed jobs. The expiration has already drained almost $5 billion from our national economy in the first quarter of this year. In Illinois alone, this loss of Federal aid means the loss in purchasing power of $23 million each week--money that could be used to support local businesses, buy gasoline, pay utility bills, provide copayments at doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals; purchase groceries, and pay children's graduation fees. Every $1 in unemployment insurance generates $1.63 in economic activity. I say let us practice good economy, let's be reasonable, and let's have a heart. In my State of Illinois, the unemployment rate remains 8.6 percent, and in much of my district it is more than 20 percent. Finding a job is not easy, but people are still trying. Government leaders have a responsibility to protect our citizens and our country, especially during times of national crisis. Instead of helping Americans who already are hardest hit by the economic crisis-- including older Americans, low-income Americans, veterans, and members of minority groups--Republicans prioritize $156 billion in unpaid-for business tax breaks and tell the American people that it is all about fiscal responsibility and deficit reduction. Mr. Speaker, extending unemployment assistance is a true demonstration of leadership and our national commitment to all Americans, not just the most secure. Refusal to help these citizens is an unacceptable, abject, and mean-spirited approach to leadership. I urge that we reject this rule and the underlying bill by voting ``no'' on this motion until the Republican leadership puts people first and provides unemployment insurance to the 2.6 million Americans struggling to keep their lights on and gas in their automobiles, to pay rent and mortgages, and to feed their families. I urge that we vote ``no'' on this rule and to the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I think all of us agree that one of the responsibilities of our committee is to investigate and try to make sure that the laws are carried out the way we intended and to try and make sure that the money is being spent the way we intended for it to be spent. It seems to me that we have spent $14 million, up to this point, investigating this one issue; and while I think the investigations are designed to tell us something we don't know, we have not learned anything new. We have not learned of any kind of conspiracy. We have not learned of any kind of underhandedness. The only thing that we know is that we have said to a United States citizen that you cannot invoke the Fifth and say: I have a right not to answer questions if I think it is going to damage me. I would much rather see us spend the $14 million creating jobs, providing educational opportunities for those who need it, doing something that will change the direction and the flavor of the economics of our country, rather than wasting $14 million more on continuous investigations. I vote ``no.''

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today marks a holiday that I hope to see stricken from the calendar. Today is Equal Pay Day, a day which marks the number of days into 2014 that it takes for the average woman to make as much as her male counterpart did in 2013. It is truly staggering that a woman does not earn the same annual amount as her male counterpart until four months into the following year. The fact that women earn only 77 percent of what men are paid has a staggering effect on society as a whole, our economy and our future. Closing the wage gap would likely have an immensely positive effect on our economy. The additional $400,000 that each woman would earn in her lifetime if paid the same as her male counterpart would be just the economic boost that our country needs as we recover from the recession. Economists estimate that closing the wage gap would have twice the stimulative effect as President Obama's $800 billion Stimulus Bill. We simply cannot afford Congressional inaction on this issue. Not only does wage inequality diminish a woman's spending power, it also has a devastating effect on women's retirement savings. Diminished earnings means that women are less equipped to contribute to retirement savings, but it also means that their Social Security and pensions, both of which are based on income, are diminished. The resulting effect is that retired women are more likely than retired men to live in poverty. The fact that we can let our mothers and grandmothers live in poverty during the final years of their lives is truly a travesty. The wage gap is even more dramatic for women of color: African American women on average earn only 64 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. Latinas fare even worse, earning only 55 cents on the dollar. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, that adds up to an average of $18,817 and $23,298, respectively, in annual lost wages. Put another way, the lost wages are the equivalent to 118 weeks' worth of food and 4,549 gallons of gasoline for African American women and 154 weeks' worth of food and 5,743 gallons of gasoline for Latina women. This inequity is intolerable. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 to address the issue of wage inequality, but progress has been slow. Since the Act's passage, the wage gap has closed by just 18 cents. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, at the current pace, the wage gap will not be closed until 2058. This is simply unacceptable. Congress cannot sit by idly while women's economic security, including their retirement savings, are threatened by gender inequity. As the Senate prepares yet again to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, it is my hope that my colleagues in the Senate will recall the devastating effects that wage inequity has on women, particularly minority and elderly women, and vote in favor of S. 2199. Paycheck inequity also means women are more economically vulnerable during breaks in employment. Women, earning less than their male counterparts, have less money to place into savings as a safeguard to protect themselves and their families from unexpected unemployment. The House can act immediately to provide women and their families with economic safeguards by passing the Senate's 5-month extension of long-term jobless benefits. Not only do tens of thousands of women rely on long- term unemployment insurance to satisfy their most basic needs, they also use these benefits to provide for the needs of their children. Many women, despite earning significantly less than their male counterparts, are the primary providers for their families. Congress should reward women for their hard work and extend long-term jobless benefits, a critical safety net for women and their families.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I thank the gentleman very much. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from New York, Representative Gregory Meeks not only for yielding, not only for being engaged in this discussion, but for the tremendous amount of time, energy, and effort that he spends dealing with international issues, recognizing that every day, as we see the increases in technology and our ability to communicate more effectively with other people across the world, how small and how much smaller our world is becoming, so things that may have been considered far away are now much closer to our everyday existence. So I thank the gentleman for his leadership. I also want to commend Representative Emanuel Cleaver and our whip for convening this session. As I listened to Representative Cleaver give a bit of the history of Rwanda, I was actually glued to the television set and felt immobilized that I couldn't or didn't want to move. And to think that during the last two decades we would experience, in our modern-day world, such horrific actions as that which we are commemorating and remembering here today some 20 years later, to think that the international community sat by, watched, discussed, but didn't move, wouldn't move, couldn't move, and watched 800,000 people, and perhaps even more, be annihilated, wiped out, to see them experience some of the most horrific actions that could be taken against a people. I guess the whole lot of us share in the blame because we saw it, didn't move on it, couldn't find a way to bring world interest, world concerns together to stop it or prevent it before all of these people had lost their lives. And so, yes, it is shame on our world, and all of us must take some of the responsibility and share in the blame. When a tragedy is occurring to some of us, it really affects, in a way, all of us. When a government is unable or unwilling to protect its people, then it becomes a world issue, and the rest of us have the responsibility to step in. And as much as some of us abhor war and as much as we know that it is not the best utilization to get involved in warlike activity that is unnecessary, I think that there are some things that you just can't let go without doing whatever it is that you can do. So I hope that our world is saying that never, ever again will we stand by and let such as this take place, that never, ever again will we be immobilized and wondering about what to do or can we do or should we do. We know that something must be done. So, Greg, again, I thank you for not only yielding, but I thank you for your leadership on international affairs which helps us to know that, yes, we can be our brothers' keepers. And our brothers don't have to be just across the street--they can be across the ocean; they can be across the continent; they can be in other lands--because all of us are joined together as a part of the mutual elements of our world. So I thank you for your leadership. Mr. Speaker, according to the Outreach Programmee on the Rwanda Genocide and the United Nations reported that between April and June of 1994, as the international community watched, more than 800,000 Rwandans, mostly ethnic Tutsi, were massacred by Hutu militia and government forces over a period of just 100 days. The killings began the day after a plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The presidents were returning from peace talks aimed at shoring up a fragile peace agreement and ending the conflict between the largely ethnic Hutu-dominated government and the largely Tutsi rebel army. The crash re-ignited the war. Retreating government forces joined ethnic Hutu militia in inciting civilians to kill ethnic Tutsis. They alleged that civilians were helping the Tutsi rebels and used this to justify the mass targeting of innocent peoples. A small peacekeeping force which had been sent by the United Nations to monitor the peace accord was not authorized to intervene. A warning that genocide was planned was not acted upon. Today, the effects of the genocide in Rwanda are still felt in many different ways both inside the country and in neighboring states, including in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where large areas of South Kivu province are still controlled by Hutu militia from Rwanda and their local allies. Alongside other fighters in the Congo war, they continue to commit serious human rights violations, including abductions, killings and rape. Sexual violence, particularly against women and children, is widespread. This week marks the 20th year anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. Since this genocide, certain concepts and initiatives have come forward by the international community that when a nation fails to protect its citizens or people the responsibility relies upon the international community to step in to stop the killing of people.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join with the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee and my colleagues to call for the immediate passage of legislation in the House concur with the Senate in the restoration of unemployment benefits to the more than 2.2 million Americans who have been cut off extended unemployment insurance because Republicans continue to block extension of the program. It is inconceivable that as a government and as a nation, we would leave all of these people hanging, many of them since December of 28 of last year 2013. Nationally, nearly 72,000 people are losing unemployment insurance on average every week, adding to the 202 million people who have already lost their benefits. The Department of Labor estimated that the bipartisan Senate agreement to extend the emergency unemployment insurance program would benefit nearly 2.8 million people. Illinois, my state of Illinois is estimated to have lost 296,763,435 just under 300 million dollars in unemployment dollars in unemployment benefits during the first three months of 2014 due to the Republican shutdown of the Federal benefits program. 153,400 Illinoisans would benefit from extending emergency unemployment benefits. And let's do it now.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the mayor of the city of Chicago for initiation of a new set of policies designed to help facilitate the reentry of individuals with criminal records back into normal and productive life. These policies include apprenticeship and job opportunities with the Chicago Transit Authority, city departments, and other municipal agencies, and--on a limited basis--the ability to access public housing as a place to live. These are important initiatives for the reentry into community and for the citizens of Chicago. I commend Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. I am pleased to join with him and others of my colleagues as we come to the floor to call for the immediate passage of legislation in the House to concur with the Senate in the restoration of unemployment benefits to the more than 2.2 million Americans who have been cut off of extended unemployment insurance because our Republican colleagues continue to block an extension of the program. Mr. Speaker, it is inconceivable to me that, as a government, as a nation, we would leave all of these individuals hanging, many of them since December 28 of last year, in 2013. Nationally, nearly 72,000 people are losing unemployment insurance, on average, every week, adding to the 202 million people who have already lost their benefits. The Department of Labor estimated that the bipartisan Senate agreement to extend emergency unemployment insurance would benefit nearly 2.8 million people. That is a big part of America. Long-term unemployment wrecks people's lives. It makes it almost impossible for them to ever catch up because they have gotten behind. They have lost what they had. They have been evicted from their homes. Their children have had to leave college. They just have not known which way to turn except to turn to their government, which they believe has their interests at heart and will do the right thing by and for them. Illinois, my State--the home of Lincoln--is estimated to have lost $296,763,435, just under $300 million, in unemployment benefits during the first 3 months of the year. Any way you count it, that is a lot of money, and it takes that money away from and out of the economy. Those of us who understand a certain kind of economics know that, if you are not able to exchange goods and services, if people are not able to go to the store and get a bottle of milk or to stop at the service station and buy gasoline, there is no point in talking about economic recovery. So, not only is it in the best interests of those individuals who are in need of unemployment benefits, but it is also in the best interest of our Nation as a whole. Mr. Levin, I want to commend you for the leadership that you have provided on this issue. I want to thank you for the tremendous leadership and for your understanding of the issues facing America. I hope that, next week, when we return, that our colleagues will realize that we, too, can make a difference, that we can join with the Senate and pass unemployment insurance benefits for more than 2.8 million Americans.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant). For the past 11 years, the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula has impeded stability in the Medicare program for providers and beneficiaries. Congress has to fix the SGR and not continue to do short term fixes every 3 or 6 or 12 months. Physicians should and deserve equitable reimbursement and not a lower reimbursement rate for the services they provide to our seniors. This is one of the leading reasons why physicians are leaving their practice. We should repeal SGR and establish a legislative fix with a minimum five-year period of payment stability for our doctors. This period will allow doctors to develop long-term strategic planning for their practice and time to invest in electronic health information technology and other medical systems to improve access and quality care for their patients. Now is the time to capitalize on the lower offset now projected for the permanent repeal of the SGR formula otherwise failure to do so may cause problems for many providers to see Medicare patients. Ten thousand new enrollees enter Medicare each day. Access to physicians will suffer for the Medicare population as the gap between payments and practice costs continue to grow. We needed to pass H.R. 4015 without any poison pill provisions that will attempt to take pot shots to diminish the efficacy of the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 2391, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5323 Highway N in Cottleville, Missouri, as the Lance Corporal Phillip Vinnedge Post Office. The measure before us was introduced on June 14, 2013, by my colleague, Representative Ann Wagner. In accordance with the committee's requirements, the bill before us is cosponsored by all members of the Missouri delegation. H.R. 2391 was reported out of committee by unanimous consent on March 12, 2014. After graduating from Francis Howell Central High School in 2009, Phillip attended Lewis & Clark Technical School for 2 years. Described as loving life and the challenges it presented, it is no surprise that Phillip enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Phillip Vinnedge was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton in California. In September 2010, Lance Corporal Vinnedge's unit was deployed to Afghanistan. Only a month later, he was tragically killed on October 13, 2010, as his unit was conducting combat operations in the Helmand province region. While Lance Corporal Vinnedge will always be remembered as a marine who proudly served his country, those who know him best will forever remember him for his courageous and competitive spirit. Lance Corporal Vinnedge leaves behind his loving parents, Dave and Julie Vinnedge, and two brothers, Corey and Jason. Lance Corporal Vinnedge is the recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we pass this bill to show honor and appreciation to one of our fallen heroes. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Reverend Cleve Minter, a member of my community, who passed away a few days ago. Reverend Minter was pastor of the New Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, but also was a great gospel singer, who along with three of his friends-- Reverend John Parker, Reverend Mac McCullum, and Reverend William Jenkins--were known fondly as the four heavyweights, and it didn't mean anything to do with size. I express condolences to his family and church.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, one of the great pleaures that I have had as an elected official has been getting to know families like that of Mr. & Mrs. Tidwell, whom I met doing what is called community organizing. Mrs. Annie Tidwell was blessed to possess one of God's greatest gifts, the ability to cook. She of course was an avid churchgoer, a wonderfully engaged Christian and churchgoer, one who looked after her husband and family, and their home was always open for civic and community activities. Some of my best block club remembrances took place in the Tidwell home because everybody in the neighborhood knew that if you were at the Tidwells' there would be a great environment and some of the best food on this side of heaven. The Tidwell family is a prime example of what has been the underpinning of Black development in this country, making use of whatever skills, talents, training and hard work they could produce. For many years Mr. Tidwell was my plumber and together, the two of them were stalwarts in the Austin Community and great friends to everyone. It seems as though the poet Sam Walter Foss must have had them in mind when he wrote, the House by the side of the Road. The House by the Side of the Road There are hermit souls that live withdrawn In the place of their self-content; There are souls like stars, that dwell apart, In a fellowless firmament; There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths Where highways never ran-- But let me live by the side of the road And be a friend to man. Let me live in a house by the side of the road Where the race of men go by-- The men who are good and the men who are bad, As good and as bad as I. I would not sit in the scorner's seat Nor hurl the cynic's ban-- Let me live in a house by the side of the road And be a friend to man. I see from my house by the side of the road By the side of the highway of life, The men who press with the ardor of hope, The men who are faint with the strife, But I turn not away from their smiles and tears, Both parts of an infinite plan-- Let me live in a house by the side of the road And be a friend to man. I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead, And mountains of wearisome height; That the road passes on through the long afternoon And stretches away to the night. And still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice And weep with the strangers that moan, Nor live in my house by the side of the road Like a man who dwells alone. Let me live in my house by the side of the road, Where the race of men go by-- They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong, Wise, foolish--so am I. Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat, Or hurl the cynic's ban? Let me live in my house by the side of the road And be a friend to man.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Lucille Robinson Faulkner was born in August of 1930 in Portland, Arkansas in the Mississippi Delta, eight miles from Parkdale, Arkansas where I was born and lived until I was nineteen years old. Mrs. Faulkner moved with her grandmother and family to Chicago where she attended Waller High School and graduated in 1948, which made her one of the more educated Black persons in her community at that time. Mrs. Faulkner married her husband Mr. Derrell Faulkner in 1949, and to this union, thirteen children were born. Mrs. Faulkner worked as a seamstress, took care of her children and eventually was hired by Samuel Adams Sr., an outstanding, colorful and very successful attorney who is known far and wide. This was a position which she held until she retired. Mrs. Faulkner was a great cook and actively involved with church and the community in which she lived. I am indeed proud of the fact that I was able to know and represent individuals and groups of people like the Faulkner family whose heritage is so closely aligned with mine that I feel a great sense of personal kinship. Bless you Mrs. Lucille Faulkner and may your soul rest in peace.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4118, the 50th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which, if passed and implemented, would increase premiums, decrease coverage, and increase the number of people who are not insured by as much as 11 million people in this country. It is unbelievable that we would be on the floor voting for the 50th time to try and turn back the clock on millions of Americans who have been denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting condition, didn't have enough money, or did not have accessibility to facilities. In Illinois, over 256,000 individuals benefit from the Affordable Care Act. Nationally, more than 4 million Americans have enrolled in private plans, with 82 percent receiving premium tax credits to make health insurance more affordable. More than 3.1 million young adults have access to health insurance by remaining on their parents' plans until age 26. Millions more Americans have secured new coverage through Medicaid expansion. Rather than decreasing or taking away, the Republican leadership and all of us ought to be increasing and providing. We ought to be affording individuals the opportunity to get insurance because they are unemployed--to get a check. So it is amazing that rather than giving, we would be talking about taking, taking away, when the law says and all of us know that everybody ought to have access to quality health care. I oppose this legislation.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the thousands of dentists and volunteers who participate in the ``Give Kids A Smile Day.'' Each February, Illinois dentists donate more than $1 million in much-needed dental care to children. Many families cannot afford to provide their children with regular dental care. This can not only result in potentially serious health problems but is also likely to serve as an impediment to economic success. The unfortunate truth is that individuals with unhealthy looking teeth are less likely to be hired than those with better oral health. Furthermore, an inability to obtain dental care can adversely affect children before they even enter the job market--dental pain can affect both sleep patterns and school performance. Inadequate dental care is not a cosmetic concern; it has a real impact on a person's economic mobility and success. I commend the American Dental Association for its tireless efforts to raise awareness and develop solutions so more people can receive dental care. Since the ADA's ``Give Kids A Smile'' program was founded twelve years ago in St. Louis, it has grown to become the world's largest oral health charitable program--encouraging parents, health professionals and policymakers to address the year-round need for oral health care for all children. Each year, thousands of the nation's dentists, dental team members and community volunteers provide free oral health care services to children from low-income families. This February in Illinois, over 2,000 dental care professionals volunteered for ``Give Kids A Smile Day,'' reaching upwards of 17,000 kids. Dentists in Illinois have demonstrated their commitment to giving back to the community. In June 2014, the Illinois State Dental Society and its Foundation will hold the third ``Illinois Mission of Mercy'' in Peoria, Illinois. The Mission of Mercy is a free, two-day dental clinic during which over 950 volunteers see 1,000 patients each day and provide over $1 million in much-needed oral health care. I would like to thank all the dental professionals who have volunteered their time this year to provide screenings, treatments and education to children throughout the United States. I urge my colleagues to support the ADA's efforts to improve the lives and expand opportunities for our nation's children.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to join my colleague from Illinois in the discussion and debate of H.R. 2530, the Taxpayer Transparency and Efficient Audit Act. Since 2010, the Internal Revenue Service's total budget has declined by 8 percent. This may not sound like much except that the number of individual tax returns has gone up by 11 percent, and the number of business tax returns has gone up by 23 percent. What happens when you combine a larger workload with fewer employees? You get more unanswered mail, more unreturned phone calls, and the closing of taxpayer assistance centers around the country. I recently had the pleasure of welcoming the new Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, John Koskinen, to the Ways and Means Committee. He painted a very bleak picture of the challenges the agency is facing. Over the same 4-year period that the Internal Revenue Service's budget has been slashed, the number of phone calls the agency receives has gone up by 40 percent. Over 100 million calls were placed by taxpayers to the Internal Revenue Service last year, and nearly 20 million of those calls went unanswered because the IRS did not have enough employees to answer them. The Internal Revenue Service's ability to process taxpayer correspondence has taken a similar hit. The IRS tries to respond to taxpayer correspondence within 45 days. During the final week of fiscal year 2013, the IRS was unable to process 53 percent of its letters within the 45-day timeframe, and the open inventory of unanswered letters stood at 1.1 million. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us requires the Internal Revenue Service to provide written responses to taxpayers within 30 days. That is simply an impossibility given the current funding levels. The Republicans can't have it both ways. You can't both complain about the IRS' not answering its mail within 30 days and then demand that its budget be cut at the same time. Of course, the Internal Revenue Service would have more resources to spend on taxpayers if they were not wasting time and money responding to the Republicans' infinite document request. According to the latest letter from the Internal Revenue Service, dated February 7, 2014, over 150 IRS personnel have worked for a total of more than 79,000 hours to respond to ongoing congressional investigations. They have produced more than a half a million pages of documents, have had more than 60 transcribed interviews taken of IRS employees, and have answered questions at 14 congressional hearings. Enough is enough. It is time for the Internal Revenue Service to get back to its primary mission of administering taxpayer services. Mr. Speaker, I am also concerned about the provision in the bill that calls for audits to be completed within 1 year. This will create an incentive for criminals to try and delay any audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service to try and ``run out the clock'' so that they can avoid their taxes. We would not say that if you can avoid a criminal investigation for 1 year that your crime will be forgiven. So why would we say that for cheating on your taxes? Our constituents expect us to provide a level playing field when it comes to the Tax Code, and the Republicans should not tilt that playing field towards tax cheats in the pursuit of their November preelection strategy. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that all of this legislation designed to hurt the Internal Revenue Service instead places the burden most directly on the elderly, the poor, and the disabled. They are the ones who are most likely to need the services from the Internal Revenue Service that they can no longer find. This is not just a problem for the Internal Revenue Service or for taxpayers but also for this Congress. When our constituents cannot get the help they need and deserve from a Federal agency, they turn to us. It is not just the Commissioner who has called for more resources but also the IRS Oversight Board, the Taxpayer Advocate, and the Treasury inspector general. I am hopeful that this Congress will listen. These are our constituents who need us. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close. I will end with just two things. I certainly appreciate the instructions as well as the passion from my colleague from Illinois, and I want every agency of our government to be as efficient as it possibly can and should be. One of the things that we have learned is that you can't get blood out of a turnip. You can squeeze it; you can tease it; you can do everything to it that you want to, but it will still end up being blood. The other thing that I will end with is this month we celebrate African American History Month. I am reminded of something that Frederick Douglass said: In this world, we may not get everything that we pay for, but we most certainly must pay for everything that we get. I maintain that we must have the adequate resources that are needed for employees to do their jobs in a timely and efficient manner. And so I appreciate the comments of my colleague. I appreciate his passion. I yield back the balance of my time.