Danny Davis

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a man and a friend of mine who spent most of his adult life being actively engaged in the processes of social advocacy and public policy decisionmaking, and who ultimately became the mayor of Gary, Indiana, and a national progressive political leader. Rudy Clay was born in Alabama, and after the death of his mother was brought to Gary, Indiana, where he was raised by his two aunts, Ms. Lucy Hunter and Ms. Daisy Washington, who started him attending church, which he did for the rest of his life. He graduated from the Gary Roosevelt High School and attended the University of Indiana at Bloomington, married his wife, Ms. Christine Swan, was drafted into the Army, served his time, was honorably discharged, went into the insurance business, worked for Prudential and State Farm insurance companies, and ultimately opened his own company, the Rudolph Clay Insurance Agency, of which he was greatly proud. Rudy, like many people of his era, became actively involved in the civil rights movement of the sixties and seventies, which led him to electoral politics. He was elected to practically everything that one could be elected to in Lake County, Indiana, from precinct committeeman to mayor of Gary. In 1971, Rudy was elected to become the first African American State senator in the State of Indiana. In the Senate, he was the deciding vote that made it possible for an African American to be elected a Lake County commissioner. He was the first African American to be elected county recorder in the State of Indiana. He was county chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party. He served as a Lake County commissioner. He was the chairman of the Gary precinct committeemen's organization, and mayor of his beloved city. And he played a key role in the Obama victory in Indiana in 2008. Rudy was a great family man, loved by his neighbors and friends, loved by the members of his church and all of those with whom he came into contact. He was loved by his associates in his lodge. The average person in Gary, Indiana, and any place around it knew Rudy Clay, and loved him for his great work. I convey condolences to his wife, Mrs. Christine Clay; his son, Rudy, Jr.; his brothers and sisters and other members of his family. When one sums up his presence on Earth, they can simply say of Rudy: a job well done, a life well lived. We salute you, Mayor Rudolph ``Rudy'' Clay. I thank you for being my friend. May your soul rest in peace.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of America's most prominent African American businessmen and financiers. Mr. Jacoby Dickens was born and grew up in Panama City, Florida, one of six children in a low-income family. The family moved to the south side of Chicago when Mr. Dickens was a teenager. He attended Wendell Phillips High School. After school he worked as a building engineer, saved his money, and began investing in real estate. He eventually purchased and managed a large number of apartment buildings before selling them in 1971. After investing in several bowling alleys in the Chicago area, he was asked to join the board of Seaway Bank in 1979. In 1983, he became chairman of the board and remained until his death earlier this year. Under his guidance and leadership, Seaway Bank and Trust Company became the largest Black-owned bank in Chicago with assets of $547 million. Mr. Dickens was a great civic activist and contributor to public causes. He served on the boards of Chicago State University, the School of Business at Florida A&M University, and the Chicago Urban League. He donated more than $1 million to Chicago State University's athletic center, which bears his name. He was a trustee at the Museum of Science and Industry and DePaul University, where a scholarship and loan program are named for him. In the 1980s, he was a key supporter and fundraiser for Harold Washington, who was elected the first African American mayor of Chicago. Jacoby Dickens was a man of vision, courage, and determination. He used his wisdom, business acumen, and money wisely, not only for himself and his family, but also for the uplifting of humanity. My condolences and well wishes go out to his wife, Ms. Veranda Dickens, their family, and all of the trustees and employees of Seaway Bank and Trust Company. Mr. Dickens was, indeed, a man for the times and the seasons in which he lived. His bank gave loans in depressed communities and neighborhoods where people were hard-pressed to find resources. He will be sorely missed and always remembered.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act. As some of my colleagues on the other side prepare to vote in favor of this legislation, I want to make sure that the American people know that they are taking 13 million Americans' rebates that they got from insurance companies last summer, totaling at least $1.1 million. They will be voting to repudiate the fact that beginning last summer, millions of women began receiving free coverage for preventive services. They will be voting to take away the fact that 17 million children with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers. And they will be voting to take away the coverage of 6.6 million young adults, who, up to age 26, are able to be on their parents' insurance coverage, half of whom without it would have no coverage at all. They will actually be voting, Madam Speaker, to take America's health care backwards. We can't afford to go there. I urge that we vote ``no.''

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the fourth anniversary of the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka on May 18, 4 years ago. Although the war has ended and all of those who care about the well-being of this country are indeed glad and delighted, there remain high levels of suspicion among many Tamils who still feel that they are being denied equal rights, equal protection under the law, and are being treated as second-class citizens. A large number of Tamils fled the country, left their homeland, during the war; and many have not returned to their homes. Peace is present, but there still exists many hard feelings. Therefore, I urge that the government and the Tamil community find as many ways as possible to promote peace and live in harmony with equality, equal justice, and equal protection under the law. Mr. Speaker, I wish the country well on its peaceful coexistence.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Joseph Carter Corbin, founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. As a proud graduate of Arkansas Mechanical and Normal College, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the dedication of a headstone on the grave site of our founder and first president, Professor Joseph Carter Corbin. The Bible says, ``Where there is no vision, the people perish;'' and all of us who revere and appreciate the history of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff owe a debt of gratitude to our fellow alumna, Ms. Gladys Turner Finney, who thought of the idea, did the research, and communicated with other alumni across the country and brought the idea to fruition. The final resting place of Joseph Carter was recently discovered in an unmarked grave in Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, which I represent as a Member of Congress. Professor Corbin died January 9, 1911, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was interred at the Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park near his wife, Mary Jane Corbin, and two sons, John W. Corbin and William H. Corbin. The cemetery, known at that time as Waldheim German Cemetery, is located at 863 South Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park, Illinois. Mr. Corbin was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on March 26, 1833, to free parents, William and Susan Corbin. He entered Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, in 1850, when he was 17, after having been home-schooled. He earned a bachelor's degree in art. He also earned two master's degrees from Ohio University in 1856 and 1889. He later moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, joined the Republican Party, and became a leader. He quickly rose and became secretary of the State convention and was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, where he laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Branch Normal College. It finally started, and he became its founder and principal for 27 years, from 1875 to 1902. A leader in the public education movement in Arkansas, Professor Corbin became the principal of Merrill High School in 1902. He and fellow educator, R.C. Childress, founded Teachers of Negro Youth in Arkansas, which became the first State colored teachers association. Professor Corbin was its first president. Compared with educators Booker T. Washington and Horace Mann, Professor Corbin was thought to be one of the most highly educated individuals of his time as a scholarly graduate of Ohio University. During his tenure at Branch Normal, he worked tirelessly to maintain an adequate physical plant and academic program. The student population grew from 7 students to 241 students by 1894, when Arkansas graduated its first African American student. As beneficiaries of his work, we hold Professor Corbin and his legacy in high esteem. An institution which started with 7 students is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offering master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and doctorate degrees. We owe Joseph Carter Corbin, our first president and the founder of a now great institution, a debt of gratitude and thank him for his work.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on Friday of last week, I had the opportunity to attend the City Colleges of Chicago's graduation, seven city colleges with more than 4,000 graduates. So I congratulate the mayor of the city of Chicago; the chairman of the board of the City Colleges, Dr. Paula Wolff; the chancellor, Cheryl Hyman; and all of the faculty and staff. This was the highest number of individuals who have ever graduated from the City Colleges of Chicago at one time. I congratulate them, all of the administration and all of those who made it happen.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to first of all commend our colleagues for coming here every week raising issues and promoting awareness. Tonight it is health care, health care disparities. I believe that the big problem with the eradication of the disparities is the fact that we, as a nation, have not committed ourselves to the concept that health care ought to be a right and not a privilege. As the most technologically proficient nation on the face of the Earth, as the wealthiest nation with a quality of life for large numbers of people--that is commendable--we still have not reached the point where we take the position that every person, no matter what their status or circumstance, deserves the highest quality of health care that our Nation can afford for them. So until we reach that point, we will continue to have studies and reports and we will continue to look at disparities, and we'll keep doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it again. We will have legislation like the Affordable Care Act that is designed to close some of the gaps. And it does, in fact, close some of the gaps, and it's commendable that we have done that. But I maintain that we have a health care system that really is a sickness care system. We do a good job of treating illnesses and sickness when people can get to the places where they get the treatment. I had a call yesterday from a person who suggested that they had gone to the emergency room at the hospital and were given two Tylenol and sat in a room for a good period of time. When they inquired of the hospital why they had done that, they told them, Well, it's because of the ObamaCare; that ObamaCare is causing this to happen to you. Now, the person actually has been on Social Security disability for a long time, before there was any ObamaCare and there was a way to pay for their health care, and somebody took the opportunity to misrepresent ObamaCare. I would hope that people would not, especially people in the industry, people in the business, would not do that. But I also urge individual citizens to take more responsibility for our health. You know, there's still disparities in smoking, still disparities in drinking too much alcohol, still disparities in not having the appropriate diet or the exercise that is needed. So we've got to tack on several fronts. We've never put enough resources into the systems to make sure that they work properly and appropriately. We need to put more money into health education, health promotion, health awareness, so that individual citizens have a greater understanding of what it is that they individually can do. Of course, people who know me know that I promote community health centers as the best way of providing ambulatory health care to large numbers of low-income people more effectively than anything else we've come up with, with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid, in a long time. I still promote these institutions as being one of the best ways in local communities of having health care delivery where people themselves are involved. These centers provide jobs and work opportunities and help keep the money in the neighborhood so that the impact of poverty is not as great as it would be. So, Mr. Horsford, again, I want to thank you; I want to thank Mr. Jeffries; and I want to commend the caucus for raising the issues, promoting awareness, and helping, hopefully, to develop a different level of understanding. Health care ought to be a right and not a privilege.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for yielding me this time. I want to commend her for her leadership and commend the leadership of Representative Bachus from Alabama. I remember that day vividly as a young activist at the time. We thought it was unbelievable that this kind of tragedy could take place. But I think it reminds all of us that yesterday is yesterday. We look forward to tomorrow, and I again commend the gentlewoman from Alabama and Mr. Bachus for reminding us of that time and what can happen when we join hands together. And so I thank you both.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I rise to congratulate WVON Radio on 50 years of broadcasting. On April 1, 1963, WVON Radio in Chicago, Illinois, was launched, and since that time has gone from being ``the voice of the Negro'' to ``the voice of the Nation.'' WVON began when two brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, the owners of a successful music business, Chess Records, with a plentiful supply of local music under their banner such as Muddy Waters, Lil' Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and others, needed a way to express their music. Therefore, the brothers bought WHFC-1450 AM, a 1,000-watt station licensed in Cicero, Illinois. On April 1, 1963, WVON hit the airwaves in Chicago with a group of handpicked personalities: Franklin McCarthy, E. Rodney Jones, Herb Kent, Wesley South, and Pervis Spann. They became known as ``The Good Guys.'' Ric Ricardo, Bill ``Butterball'' Crane, Ed Cook, Joe Cobb, Roy Wood, Ed Maloney, Bill ``Doc'' Lee, Don Cornelius, Richard Pegue, Isabel Joseph Johnson, Cecil Hale, and McKee Fitzhugh eventually joined the roster. Under the direction of the station's general manager, Lucky Cordell, and its ``Ambassador of Goodwill,'' Bernadine C. Washington, The Good Guys held black radio listeners hostage in Chicago for a number of years. It became the hottest station in the market. Not only did it convey music, it also conveyed public information, public events, and what was going on. It was the voice during the civil rights movement, and individuals were often given the opportunity to speak. Dr. Martin Luther King was interviewed by Leslie South, as well as Elijah Muhammad and others. These personalities became so informational and influential that during the riots after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, they called for calm and peace. And people began to listen to them. They were very influential throughout what was called the civil rights movement, and individuals often went to them. They also had a relationship with Berry Gordy in Detroit, when he formed Motown Records; and every time a record would come out, he would send it to the WVON station before sending it anyplace else. WVON actually was instrumental in electing Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago. Lou Palmer, who had a radio series called ``Lou's Notebook,'' had a slogan: ``We shall see in '83.'' And that became the rallying cry. It was also instrumental in electing Carol Moseley Braun to the United States Senate, electing Barack Obama to the United States Senate, and ultimately electing Barack Obama President of the United States of America. Always more than a radio station, it belonged to the community and was the heart of the community. So I congratulate Melody Spann Cooper and all of those who have made WVON what it is today: the voice of the Nation. Congratulations to WVON Radio on fifty years of broadcasting. Mr. Speaker, On April 1, 1963, WVON Radio in Chicago, Illinois was launched and since that time has gone from being ``the voice of the negro'' to ``the voice of the Nation.'' WVON began when two brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, the owners of Chess Records, a successful record company with a plentiful supply of local music talent under their banner, such as Muddy Waters, Lil' Howlin Wolf, Jimmy Reed and others, who needed an outlet for their music. Therefore, the brothers bought WHFC-1450 AM, a 1000 watt station licensed in Cicero, Illinois. On April 1, 1963, WVON hit the airwaves in Chicago with a group of hand-picked personalities: Franklin McCarthy, E. Rodney Jones, Herb Kent, Wesley South, and Pervis Spann. They became known as ``The Good Guys'' and Ric Ricardo, Bill ``Butterball'' Crane, Ed Cook, Joe Cobb, Roy Wood, Ed Maloney, Bill ``Doc'' Lee, Don Cornelius, Richard Pegue, Isabel Joseph Johnson, Cecil Hale, and McKee Fitghugh eventfully joined the roster. Under the direction of the station's general manager, Lucky Cordell, and its ``Ambassador of Good Will'', Bernadine C. Washington, The Good Guys held Black Chicago captive for more than a decade and ranked consistently in the top five of the most listened to stations in the market. The power of WVON went beyond the Chicago market. Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records had a special arrangement with WVON that every song he produced would be sent immediately to WVON before any other station. WVON was so powerful that it produced airplay in other markets, which impacted the overall sales and success of the project. WVON has always been more than a radio station. During a time when Blacks were actively involved in the civil rights movement, WVON was the voice of information for local and national affairs. During the riots that followed the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., WVON on- air personalities were there to lift the tension that had erupted in neighborhoods across the city. They pleaded for calmness. Following the death of Chess in 1969, the family decided to sell WVON to George Gillette (heir to the Shaving Products Company) and to Potter Palmer (heir to Palmer house) who formed Globetrotter Communications. Their first order of business was to take WVON from 1450 frequency to 5,000 watt 1390 signal, which would improve their coverage of Chicago. The 1450 frequency was left dormant. In 1977, Globetrotter Communications sold WVON to the Gannett Company, whose major holdings were in print media. Gannett had purchased an FM station in Chicago which became known as WGCI. In 1979, Wesley South and Pervis Spann formed Midway Broadcasting Corporation and purchased the license for the 1450 AM frequency. Their station WXOL premiered in August of 1979 and remains one of the few minority-owned stations in the market. WVON became a mixed music/ talk radio station and with Wesley South, the hotline show in the evening with journalist Lu Palmer doing a notebook series called ``Lou's notebook.'' Lou spearheaded the election of Harold Washington as Chicago's first Black mayor with the slogan, ``We Shall See in '83.'' Upon the urging of Wesley South,a radio talk show pioneer, WVON changed to a talk format and has never looked back. It has been instrumental in not only electing Harold Washington as Chicago's first Black mayor, but also in electing Carol Mosley Braun, U.S. Senator; Barack Obama, United States Senator; and Barack Obama, President of the United States of America. WVON's current line-up of hosts are some of the best in the Nation: Cliff Kelly, called the governor of talk radio; Matt McGill; Perry Small; Reverend Al Sharpton; Saleem Muwakil; Kendall Moore; Dr. Leon Finney; and from time to time, Pam Morris, Dr. Terry Mason, and countless others who buy time like Garfield Major, talking to the people. Congratulations to Melody Spann Cooper and all of those who have helped to make WVON Radio what it is today.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, on Sunday, April 6, at 11 a.m., America lost five of our best and brightest in Afghanistan when the convoy they were traveling in, along with an Afghan doctor, was attacked by a suicide bomber. One of them, 25- year-old Anne T. Smedinghoff, who grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the Seventh Congressional District where her family still lives, became the first U.S. State Department officer to die in Afghanistan since the 1970s. She had less than 4 months left to serve in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Kerry said in Istanbul, where he is on a diplomatic trip: A brave American was determined to brighten the light of learning through books written in the native tongue of the students that she had never met, but whom she felt compelled to help, and she was met by cowardly terrorists determined to bring darkness and death to total strangers. Anne was killed while delivering donated textbooks to children at a new school. For Anne, who could have remained relatively safe in the embassy, delivering these books was essential to her mission, just as appearing on one of the most watched Afghan television shows to explain to the Afghan people the similarities between Eid, a Muslim holiday that celebrates giving and sharing, and Thanksgiving. Both give thanks for life's blessings, and Anne Smedinghoff discussed how she and her family celebrated back at home. Anne recently worked on a campaign to end gender violence by producing and distributing videos to the press across the country and was rewarded when she and her colleagues saw photographs of Afghan men in markets wearing purple ribbons, a symbol of the campaign. Her parents, Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff, said the foreign service was a calling, and Afghanistan was her second deployment, an assignment for which she had volunteered after a tour in Caracas, Venezuela. She died her parents said, doing a job she thought must be done. They said: She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people, and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war. We are consoled knowing that she was doing what she loved and that she was serving her country by helping to make a positive difference in the world. Before she joined the State Department, Anne served on the board of directors for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults' 4K for Cancer program, spending a summer cycling across the United States to raise money and awareness. She was full of life and hope. She rode her bicycle from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. She was once photographed with a boa constrictor around her neck in South America. The residents of the Seventh Congressional District join me in honoring her life and work. Her bravery, her focus on using public diplomacy for positive change, her vision of the human potential, wherever it might be, sets a standard that it behooves all of us to try and emulate. Today a flag is being flown across the United States Capitol in her honor in recognition of her service to our country. My thoughts and prayers are with her parents, brothers, sisters, and friends during these difficult days. She is indeed a hero.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, rarely have I been a fan of the concept that one size fits all. Therefore, I find it necessary to not be in favor of this legislation. However, I am strongly in favor of TANF. TANF is a greatly needed program. It provides temporary assistance to needy families, and we need to try to make those programs as effective as we possibly can. TANF is designed to help people who may have become parents too soon. Their jobs may have gone out of business. They may have dropped out of school, don't have much in the way of formal education and training, and may even have a prison record. In order to provide the most effective help, their State may need the flexibility to design and implement the best program they possibly can. They may even have clients who have three or four children and no husband or no wife. They may need babysitting help and cannot find it. They may need a waiver. I agree with the administration's position; and if a State determines that they can do a better job with the waiver, and Health and Human Services agrees, then they ought to be able to get one. I've been told, and I believe, that if you give a man or woman a fish, they can eat for a day; but you teach them how to fish effectively, and they can eat for a lifetime. I disapprove of this restriction on this bill.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I must express my profound surprise by the Republican effort to undermine state flexibility to strengthen work outcomes for people who receive TANF. In contrast to prior Republican support for such TANF waivers, in contrast to longstanding Republican advocacy for greater state flexibility, and in contrast to the reality that the TANF waivers would actually accelerate job placements and dramatically improve work outcomes, the current Republican rhetoric jettisons past support for state flexibility to improve TANF outcomes and disingenuously charges the Administration with gutting welfare reform. It is in states' best interests to improve the work outcomes of their citizens, which is why Republican and Democratic governors have asked for the type of flexibility provided by the Administration's waiver. Under current rules, a state can meet its work requirement even if no recipient finds a job. In contrast, approved demonstration waivers explicitly would focus on improving employment outcomes. Under current rules, states spend very little of their TANF funds on work activities and substantial resources monitoring participation in activities. In contrast, approved demonstration waivers would help states make more effective and efficient use of limited resources. Under current rules, people are discouraged from getting a high school diploma or GED, even though they're more likely to find good jobs with such education. In contrast, approved demonstration waivers would allow states to focus on building a better skilled workforce. Under current rules, people working in subsidized jobs don't count toward the state's work rate. In contrast, Illinois boasted one of the most successful subsidized employment programs in the nation while using TANF Emergency Funds. The program directly placed almost 30,000 unemployed and underemployed adults in jobs that paid approximately $10 per hour, putting almost $9 million dollars into the pockets of hard working Illinoisans and into the economy. Almost 5000 employers in Illinois benefited. Why Republicans would oppose innovative programs to help the unemployed get solid jobs is simply puzzling. Rather than advancing political theatre, the Republicans should be working with Democrats to replace the across-the-board spending cuts, strengthen the middle class, create jobs, expand our economy, and responsibly bring down the deficit. It is these proactive steps at governing that my constituents seek.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership in hosting this event. It is so good to see young and talented individuals come to the Congress, building upon the experiences that they've had in their city, State, and local governments, and it's a pleasure to be here. You know, I've been told that you can measure the humaneness of a society by how well it treats its old, how well it treats its young, and how well it treats those who have difficulty caring for themselves. I was just thinking that should the sequestration deal hold through the end of the fiscal year, between 600,000 and 750,000 low-income women, infants, and children will be turned away. This would be not only unfortunate, but it would be a tremendous change in what precedence has been because traditionally, dating back to 1997, both parties have made it a point of trying to make sure that this population group did in fact have an opportunity to participate in the Women, Infants, and Children program and that low-income pregnant women, infants, and children, the most vulnerable members of our society, would be able to have the basic necessities of life. And it was amazing to me this weekend, as I watched a little bit of television on Sunday morning, on the traditional Sunday talk shows, and how different Representatives were characterizing this action as: not as bad as some people thought it was going to be; it's not going to affect as many people as it seems; our country has not fallen into Lake Michigan. Well, I can tell you, if you are a young, pregnant mother with no money, no place to go, and you rely upon the Women, Infants, and Children program to try to make sure that you produce a healthy baby who just comes into the world with a chance to make it and who, without these services, may come into life already disadvantaged, already behind. And so I don't know how we can actually do this with a good conscience. But, also, I can't imagine what it is that we're thinking. How do you cut, cut, cut jobs and opportunities for people to work and expect to raise a recessed economy? I've always been led to believe that you've got to have the exchange of goods and services. You've got to keep money flowing in an economy, in a society, to move it beyond the bottom up towards the top. And so, in the recessed state that we're in, we need to be producing jobs, creating work opportunity, not furloughing, laying people off, having them wonder what they're going to be able to do. I think it's the wrong approach. I think it's not a good way to manage our resources, and I think it's not a good message that we're sending to the American people. So, sir, I want to thank you, again, for the opportunity to participate with you and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus as we raise awareness that, with this sequestration deal, our country is headed in the wrong direction.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as we mark the 4th anniversary of The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, I would like to take a moment to recognize the importance of equal pay for equal work. Equal opportunity for women--of which equal pay is a fundamental facet--is an essential premise for our nation to be a Democracy. In 2009, the Democratic Congress took strides to further close the gender discrimination gap in the professional work environment by passing The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was the first bill President Obama signed law. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is of enormous importance for women's rights in the workplace. For decades, companies large and small have paid women less for the same work compared to their male counterparts. This law reaffirmed that each occurrence of pay and compensation discrimination against women violates title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The law addressed a Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company that undermined statutory protections against discrimination by unduly restricting the time period in which victims of discrimination could challenge and recover for discriminatory compensation decisions or other practices, contrary to the intent of Congress. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restored women's right to challenge employers once they discovered they were wrongfully discriminated against in terms of pay and benefits. Further, the law clarified that employees are entitled to up to two years of backpay for such discrimination, as provided under title VII. Since enactment, courts around the country have applied the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as Congress intended, for straightforward pay discrimination cases based on sex, race, disability, and age. In clarifying the period during which a worker may file a discrimination claim by each unfair paycheck, the law has provided a proper time frame extension to file lawsuits against employers for wage discrepancies. The anniversary of the signing of this bill reflects the commitment of our nation to ensure equal pay for all Americans and serves as a reminder that we must monitor and protect civil rights laws. Unfortunately, equal opportunity is not yet a reality for women. This is why I join my Democratic colleagues in supporting the The Paycheck Fairness Act, which strengthens the equality provisions within the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and eliminates the loopholes not seen in the past. For example, it increases penalties on employers who violate federal law and allows women to pursue legal matters if they are treated unjustly. The legislation also ensures equality in the tax code so that everyone--male and female, high-income earners and those living in poverty--pays their respective tax rate. Fairness should be applicable to all, in wages and in taxes. The Paycheck Fairness Act provides effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal wages for equal work, and Congress should pass the bill as soon as possible.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this February marks the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Family and Medical Leave Act afforded millions of employees leave of their jobs for personal and family emergencies while keeping their job security intact. This bill expanded access to extended medical leaves to millions of workers and military caregivers enabling these citizens to take a leave intermittently whenever medically necessary to care for a loved one with a serious injury or illness. The Family and Medical Leave Act has afforded millions of Americans with up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave in one year for family and health events without jeopardizing their employment or their health insurance. Since enactment, American families have used the law more than 100 million times. The law has given mothers and fathers the ability to care for a new baby or a seriously-ill child. The law has helped adults caring for a sick spouse, child, or parent with serious health conditions--a protection that will grow exponentially in importance as the generation of baby boomers age. Despite the strides we have taken in protecting our workers, many Americans are not able to take advantage of the time off and protections offered under the Family and Medical Leave Act. For example, businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from the law, leaving tens of millions of workers ineligible. The need for continued improvement to federal law is clear from the story of Toya, as told by the Family Values at Work organization. Working as a substitute teacher at the grade school level, Toya needed to take time off to care for her sick children. After several days her boss posed a question to her that should never be asked: ``What's more important, your children or your job?'' Upon choosing her children, she was told her services were no longer needed. Federal law should not condone, support, or facilitate these situations. The anniversary of this legislation provides an opportunity to re- affirm that our nation is committed to fair benefits for all workers and to serve as a launching point to strengthen federal laws protecting workers. I celebrate this law and the relief it provides daily to millions of Americans, allowing them the ability to securely take leave from work in order to accommodate emergencies. Such protections constitute a worker's right, not a privilege. On this anniversary, we should examine the law's success as well as areas for improvement. I celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act and the piece of mind it gives families so that they can care for loved ones knowing that their jobs will be waiting for them.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my predecessor, who came to the House basically as an auditor, an accountant, not one who was greatly involved in public activity but quickly learned the ways of the House, became chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and a leading voice in equity for women in sports. I lived in the same community that she and her husband lived in, and our community is especially proud of the accomplishments of the honorable Cardiss Collins.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in the run-up to the 2012 elections Republican-controlled legislatures passed a wide range of bills designed to restrict, rather than broaden, access to the ballot box. Despite multiple comprehensive reports and findings demonstrating that impersonating another voter is more rare than being struck by lightning, thirty one states now require ID, fifteen require photo ID, for voting, potentially disenfranchising five million voters mostly minorities, especially African Americans, and senior citizens. Other recent oppressive state laws aim at making it more difficult to register to vote and scale back early voting periods. Several states undertook massive (and subsequently proven fraudulent) purges of the voting rolls. Some of the most egregious attempts at suppressing the vote occurred in states which required pre-clearance under the 1965 Voting Rights Act because of their long history of voter suppression. Without Section 5 in place, many of the roughly 2,400 blocked voting changes proposed since 1982 would have had a significant adverse impact on voters. Following the Civil War Congress recognized the critical central role of voting in our democracy and passed the fifteenth amendment which gives the Federal Government primary authority to prevent discrimination in voting. The amendment was ratified by the states and the Voting Rights Act (VRA) is a direct implementation of that authority to prevent any attempt to limit access to the ballot. The Supreme Court has itself noted that Congress, not the Court, has the special responsibility to protect voting rights. The fact is that, in an overwhelming bipartisan vote in 2006, Congress found that voting discrimination continues to persist, and it undermines our democracy and therefore reauthorized the VRA for twenty-five years. This year marks the 48th Anniversary of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act and I join in calling for a new generation of Freedom Riders to join with tens of thousands of original Freedom Riders in standing tall for our hard won voting rights.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding to me. I rise to pay tribute to the predecessor of my office, who served for 23 years as a Member of the House, the Honorable Cardiss Collins, who passed away on Saturday evening here in the District area. I followed Ms. Collins into Congress when she retired. She followed her husband, who was killed in an airplane accident. The amazing thing about her was that she basically had no political involvement and experience from that vantage point. She was an accountant, who also was a housewife and involved a bit in local politics. But she got involved and was a quick study, immediately grasped what takes place here, ultimately became chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, became chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, had an outstanding career, and I simply wanted to acknowledge her work. People of her community will remember the legacy that she created as a fighter for women's rights, as a defender of children's rights, and a real defender of health care. Again, I thank the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No budget, no pay. No budget, no responsibility. No stability, no confidence. No confidence, no ability to borrow, to attract investors. H.R. 325 is a gimmick. It is a gimmick. And I've always been taught that if you have a debt, pay it. Delaying it drives up interest rates and is not the best approach to convincing investors and lenders that we have the ability to pay. If you convince people that you don't have the ability to pay, it is more likely that they're not going to let you have what you want. That's what I've always been taught. They do not want gimmicks. They want solutions.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Article I, section 10: ``No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. ``No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws. And the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any State on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.''

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I had the opportunity to experience a great event in the community where I live and work. People had a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, who happened to have lived in that community of Chicago for a period of time. We went to all of the places that he used to eat and where all the meetings were held. It was quite an emotional experience, especially for those who were there and who got a chance to know him, to meet him, to shake his hand. So I simply commend those residents, friends, neighbors of mine for making sure that the King dream lives on.

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for not only anchoring this hour, but also providing an opportunity for the rest of us. I had decided to develop a statement, but then I had 16 young students visit me this afternoon from Oak Park, Illinois, and they presented to me their statement. Their statement was so similar to my statement that I told them that their statement was better than mine and I would use it. So I'm going to read it as they presented it to me. They said: Hello, my name is Joey Cofsky, and my name is Sebastian Torero, and we are here on behalf of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism to talk about gun violence prevention. We hope that you will offer support for the Fix Gun Checks Act when it is introduced. Unfortunately, it took an inconceivable amount of gun- related tragedies, and a recent catastrophic elementary school massacre, to once again raise awareness of the need for stricter gun laws. Nearly every day, I hear on the news that a common child has been shot to death in my very own city. Statistics furthermore illuminate this occurrence as eight young Americans die each day under the age of 19 from gun violence. By June of 2012, 228 people were killed in the city of Chicago. In that same period of time, 144 United States soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan. Instead of continuously cringing at these statistics in disbelief every time we read them, it is time to curb the pattern of violence that has made the inner-city streets more violent than our very own battlefields. Today marks the month anniversary of one of the most horrific mass shootings in our Nation's history. On this day, I personally think about the innocent 20 children whose lives were prematurely taken at a peaceful elementary school. I wonder about the difference in the world those 20 children could have made. That day, we all seemed to realize we had seen this too many times before. Mass shootings grab our Nation by surprise, and after every one, we feel a sense of deja vu. At first, people's passion for change is re-ignited, and the driving force of action is full throttle; but as the weeks go by, the clamor dies down. The memory of the victims fades from our consciousness, that is, until another shooting occurs. I, and the people of this country, have grieved over too many caskets. It is time to match our words with actions. In the Talmud, a collection of Jewish laws and lessons, we are taught that he who takes one life, it is as though he has destroyed a universe. And he who saves a life, it is as though he has saved a universe. As a Jew, and as a person, this quotation resonates strongly with me. It tells me that it is not only important to save lives in immediate danger, but to prevent the loss of life in general. It has become clear to many of us, and for some it has been clear for quite some time, that an effective way to prevent death in our country and in essence save a universe is to enact a policy that would stem the flow of gun violence. Gun violence in our country takes 12 times the amount of lives that it does in the other 25 wealthiest nations combined. It is clear that in our Nation, guns are a major problem. We are told to save lives, and we can do that. So I would urge every American to know that lives saved is like saving a universe. Hello, my name is Joey Cofsky, and my name is Sebastian Torero and we are here on the behalf of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism to talk about Gun Violence Prevention. We hope that you will offer support for the Fix Gun Checks Act when it is introduced. Unfortunately, it took an inconceivable amount of gun related tragedies, and a recent catastrophic elementary school massacre, to once again raise awareness of the need for stricter gun control laws. Nearly every day, I hear on the news that a common child has been shot to death in my very own city. Statistics furthermore illuminate this occurrence as 8 young Americans die each day under the age of 19 from gun violence. By June of 2012, 228 people were killed in the city of Chicago. In that same period of time, 144 U.S. soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan. Instead of continuously cringing at these statistics in disbelief, every time we read them, it is time to curb the pattern of the violence that has made the inner city streets more violent than our very own battlefields. Today marks the month anniversary of one of the most horrific mass shootings in our nation's history. On this day, I personally think about the innocent 20 children whose lives were prematurely taken at a peaceful elementary school. I wonder about the difference in the world those 20 children could have made. That day, we all seemed to realize we had seen this too many times before. Mass shootings grab our nation by surprise, and after every one, we feel a sense of deja vu. At first, people's passion for change is reignited, and the driving force of action is full throttle. But as weeks go by, the clamor dies down. The memory of the victims fades from our consciousness. That is, until another shooting occurs. I, and the people of this country, have grieved over too many caskets. It is time to match our words with actions. In the Talmud, a collection of Jewish laws and lessons, we are taught that he who takes one life, it is as though he has destroyed a universe, and he who saves a life, it is as though he has saved a universe. As a Jew, and as a person, this quotation resonates strongly with me. It tells me that it is not only important to save lives in immediate danger, but to prevent the loss of life in general. It has become clear to many of us, and for some, it has been clear for quite some time, that an effective way to prevent death in our country, and in essence, save a universe, is to enact policy that would stem the flow of gun violence. Gun violence in our country takes 12 times the amount of lives that it does in the other 25 wealthiest nations combined. It is clear that, in our nation, guns are a major problem. Jews are told to save lives, and laws that will prevent gun violence serve that purpose. In America, an average of 30,000 lives are lost to gun violence each year. This, and all we have said before it, explicitly demonstrates how dangerous guns can be, yet it can be easier to obtain a gun than it is to vote. 4 out of 10 guns are sold by unlicensed sellers with no background check conducted. Because of the Gun Show Loophole, anyone can walk up to a private set at a gun show, purchase a gun, and carry it out of the event. Domestic violence abusers, convicted felons, people with mental illnesses, and terrorists can purchase guns because of this loophole. 30% of illegally trafficked guns are connected to gun shows. Actions must be taken to prevent guns from falling into the hands of people who would not pass a background check, but can obtain a firearm because of this loophole. The Fix Gun Checks Act (H.R. 137) would eliminate this loophole by requiring background checks for any gun sales event that provides a venue for the sale or transaction of firearms. We thank you for cosponsoring this bill, and hope you will continue to support it in the future.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr Speaker, although our economy is gradually improving after one of the worst economic crises in our Nation's history, the economic crisis remains a daily reality for 12 million unemployed workers and for the millions of Americans experiencing record levels of food insecurity, poverty, and foreclosure. Unemployment benefits are a critical lifeline for our citizens and our economy, keeping 2.3 million Americans (including over 600,000 children) from falling into poverty in 2011, reducing the poverty rate for families by 40 percent in 2011, and generating $1.52 in economic activity for every $1 in economic compensation. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that extending these benefits another year will create 300,000 much-needed jobs. Now is not the time to cut unemployment; millions of Americans rely on unemployment assistance to survive. In my home state of Illinois during 2012, approximately 320,000 people relied on regular unemployment benefits and almost 140,000 additional Illinoisans depended on emergency unemployment. As Illinois and our nation continue to struggle out of this recession, failure to extend this critical lifeline will impose incredible hardship on approximately two million Americans. Failure to extend this critical lifeline means that--in addition to 90,000 Illinoisans who will abruptly lose benefits on December 29th--an additional 2,800 Illinoisans will lose benefits each week in 2013 if Republicans insist on slashing federal emergency assistance. Our nation continues to experience historic levels of long-term unemployment. Most unemployed Americans no longer receive unemployment insurance benefits, reflecting the crisis that exists for the millions of Americans who have exhausted their benefits and still cannot find work. Indeed, over 40.8 percent of all unemployed workers, more than 5 million people, have been out of work for more than 6 months. These Americans lost their jobs through no fault of their own, they tirelessly try to find work when the jobs are few and far between, and they struggle to cover basic food, housing, and transportation costs for their families on an average of $290 a week, a pittance which typically replaces only half of the average family's expenses. Now is not the time to cut unemployment; our economy needs federal unemployment benefits to support its growth. In addition to cruelly stripping millions of Americans of vital assistance just days after Christmas, a Republican failure to continue unemployment benefits would devastate our fragile recovery. Moody's economist, Mark Zandi, estimates that slashing emergency benefits this year will reduce economic growth in 2013 by $58 billion. Cutting unemployment benefits for two million people will take a tremendous toll on businesses as well as families. Even with the creation of millions of new private- sector jobs and improvements in the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings, jobs remain hard to get. There are 4 million fewer jobs in the economy now than at the beginning of the recession. Further, there are still 3.4 unemployed workers for each available job, worse than at any point during the 2001 recession and dramatically higher than the 1.8 people per job at the outset of the recession in December 2007. Government leaders have a responsibility to protect Americans and our country, especially during times of national crisis. Failure to continue unemployment benefits will harm our economic recovery and disproportionately harm groups of Americans who already are hardest hit by the economic crisis--including older Americans, low-income Americans, Americans from racial and ethnic minority groups, and Americans without a high school diploma. Congress must quickly act to support our citizens and our economic recovery by continuing emergency unemployment benefits.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, I rise first of all to commend a matriarch in my community who passed away a few days ago, Ms. Mavis Donahue, who came to the United States of America from Jamaica. Of course, much of her family came with her, and they kind of stay together as a group. It was her daughter, Claudette, that I first met, and we worked together for about 40 years. But then her son-in-law, Billy, Claudette's husband, took the first photograph that I ever used in a campaign brochure. Their daughter Erica, who is my goddaughter, was the first person who ever appeared on a campaign brochure when I decided to run for public office. So I simply want to commend them as they prepare to take their mother, their grandmother, their aunt, their friend, their neighbor, back to her home in Jamaica to be buried alongside her mother. I also join my colleagues in coming to pay tribute to our leader, the Reverend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. We've all talked about his leadership, and I've been told two things about leadership that I always try to remember. One is that leadership is the ability to get other people to do what you want them to do but because they want to do it, meaning that somehow or another you can convince them that what you're talking about is the thing to do. The other thing that I've learned about leadership is that you can't lead successfully where you don't go, and you can't teach what you don't know. I've been able to follow the life of Emanuel Cleaver long before he became a Member of the House of Representatives. See, he grew up in the Midwest, kind of, but really the Southwest, in a real sense, as I did. Our schools played football in the Southwest Athletic Conference. The first time we decided to televise our game, we went out and washed cars and did all the things you did to raise the money that we needed. We played Prairie View, and lo and behold, they beat us 28-0, which was a real letdown after we had paid to have the football game televised. But I remember that Emanuel came out of school, went to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, became a leader in his community as a young person, pastor of a tremendous church that I've had the opportunity to visit, and they even let me have something to say. Reverend Cleaver, Congressman Cleaver, America has benefited from your leadership for many years. We know that what you've done for the caucus and for this Congress will stand, but we know that you will keep doing it for many more years to come. God bless you and God keep you.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank my friend from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for yielding to me. When I think of Jerry Costello, I think of the fact that those of us in Illinois sort of had two go-to members of the Transportation Committee for many years, Bill Lipinski, who is the Congressman's father, and Jerry Costello. We used to call them the ``Gold Dust Twins.'' One of the reasons is because they had such a great relationship and worked cooperatively to make sure that our State, the State of Illinois, the home of Abraham Lincoln, was well taken care of in terms of infrastructure, but they also worked for the entire country. I had an opportunity to travel with Jerry and his wonderful wife a number of times. Of course she is a delightful lady who is a higher education administrator, the president of a community college. And other members of their family are engaged in public service as well as what they do privately. I've never known a more congenial Member of this body or any other legislative body that I've served in than Jerry Costello. I think he's actually too young to retire, and so I've got a feeling that he's got some other things on his mind, some other things that he's going to do. I think he'll still be fishing down in the East St. Louis area, making sure that the catfish and the other creatures out there give up their habitat and become members of the land gentry. So Jerry, take care of yourself. Have all the fun that you can, but I'm certain that there is something else that you're going to be doing.