Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H. Res. 345, a resolution that commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese. H. Res. 345, which has 61 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Vito Fossella on April 30, 2007. H. Res. 345 was reported from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform July 19, 2007, by a voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague Mr. Fossella for seeking to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese of New York, and urge swift passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I reserve, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I was just thinking that I spent last evening with about 800 black Catholics at the Knights of Peter Claver at their convention in Detroit. Of course, many of them were indeed from the east coast, from New York and New Jersey and Connecticut, and we just simply had a wonderful time. So I join in support of this resolution and urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to another son of Texas, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, the Honorable Silvestre Reyes.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H. Res. 553, a bill that mourns the passing of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and celebrates her life contributions and achievements. H. Res. 553, which has 58 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson on July 17, 2007. H. Res. 553 was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 19, 2007, by a voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague and Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson for seeking to honor the former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and celebrating her life contributions to the people of the United States. I urge swift passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 553) mourning the passing of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and celebrating her life and contributions to the people of the United States.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I know that Representative Gene Green had intended to be here. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to make it yet. It is my pleasure to yield 1 minute to Representative Chet Edwards from the 17th District of Texas.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to Lady Bird Johnson's Representative, the gentleman from Texas, Representative Lloyd Doggett.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for his participation in processing this legislation. I want to thank all of the Members from Texas who spoke. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 528) commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Town of New Milford, Connecticut.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding. I've listened rather intently all afternoon to the gentleman from Texas and his amendments. I've tried to find some logic. I've tried to find some validity. I've tried to find some argument. And, you know, for the sake of me, I have not been able to find any. You can talk to any educators in America, and they will talk about the great need that exists for science teachers. You can talk to any medical schools, anybody really interested in health care, and they will talk about the need for scientists. You can talk to researchers. You can talk to people who try and keep us competitive with other nations, and they will talk about the great need that exists. You can talk to school districts who are importing science teachers from other countries because we don't have an adequate supply here in the United States of America. Then I hear the gentleman say, let's not fund these institutions. Let's not give the Roosevelt University, named for one of our great Presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which provides opportunities for young people who would never, ever get the chance to go to college, to learn science. Well, I can tell you that I still have not been able to find the logic of the gentleman's argument, other than to say let's not have earmarks. I'm sure that Jarvis Christian could use whatever resources that it could get, and of course it would have them if its Representative had requested and tried to get what they need. So I strongly oppose the gentleman's amendment, urge that it be voted down, down, down, as far down as it can get, and that we provide the opportunity for young people in America to fulfill the dream of a college education, a chance to earn a living, raise their families, make America the Nation that it has not been. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the $700,000 from the Department of Energy--Science account for biology laboratory equipment for Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL. Roosevelt University seeks equipment assistance for its biology laboratory which supports student and faculty work in cell and molecular biology. These subjects are integral to majors in the sciences, pre-health career programs, and science education. This request would equip 2 laboratories, creating 48 state-of-the-art workstations and provide equipment for institutions advancing science and science education. The total cost of the project is $6,000,000. Roosevelt University has partnered with the State of Illinois and local university funds are available for this project. This laboratory also supports the summer career pathways biotechnology program with Chicago Public Schools.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I would urge passage of this legislation, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 87) supporting the goals and ideals of a world day of remembrance for road crash victims.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2570) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 301 Boardwalk Drive in Fort Collins, Colorado, as the ``Dr. Karl E. Carson Post Office Building''.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 2570, which names a postal facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, after Dr. Karl E. Carson. H.R. 2570, which was introduced by Representative Marilyn Musgrave on June 5, 2007, was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 12, 2007, by a voice vote. This measure has the support of the entire Colorado congressional delegation. Dr. Karl E. Carson served in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. He was a communications officer on the USS Strive, a minesweeper. Following his military service, he attended the University of Nebraska and received his doctor of dental surgery degree in 1951. Dr. Carson started his dental practice in 1954. His practice thrived and continued until his retirement in 1994. In 1991, the Colorado Dental Association gave him its Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Carson was a member of the Fort Carson City Council from 1975 until 1973. He held the city's top post, mayor, for 5 years, from 1968 to 1973. Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Marilyn Musgrave, for introducing this legislation and urge the swift passage of this bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I must tell you, I was in Detroit at the NAACP convention last week, and there were some folks there from Ohio. And as we talked about what needed to happen, I know I don't have to ask you, but I just know that my representative, Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, is up on this, as in my man, you got it right. You're on it; stay on it. We appreciate you so much.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend and thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for not only her leadership on this but her leadership on many issues that affect not only African Americans but people all over America. Although we are talking about health disparities, let it be known that we don't believe that merely dealing with the disparities is going to get us where we need to be relative to health care in this country. I am firmly convinced that the only way that we will address adequately all of the health care needs that exist in this country is to have a national health plan where everybody is in and nobody is out; where everybody will have access to quality, comprehensive health care without regard to their ability to pay. I have spent a great deal of my time over the last 2 or 3 years dealing with the particular needs of young African American males. And if we look at that population group, nearly four out of 10 young African American men lack health insurance. The percentage of uninsured African American men, while higher than that of whites, is lower than that of Hispanics, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians. Young men, regardless of race or ethnicity, are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group. People without health insurance are more likely than those with health insurance to delay needed care, less likely to fill prescriptions, and more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage when they do finally seek care. They are also less likely to have a usual or regular source of care. Young African American men die at the rate that is at least 1.5 times that of young white and Hispanic men and almost three times the rate of young Asian men. While the death rate drops for men ages 25 to 29 for most groups, it continues to rise among African Americans. The leading causes of death for all young men ages 15 to 29, regardless of race or ethnicity, are unintentional injuries such as car accident, firearm, or drowning, suicide and homicide. For young African American men, more deaths are caused by homicide than any other cause. Additionally, HIV is the sixth leading cause of death for young African American and Hispanic men. Yet for other racial groups, HIV is not among the top 10 causes of death. When I hear my colleagues talk about what we need to do and when Representative Clarke was here a few minutes ago talking about the need for gun control legislation that would make it more difficult to acquire and make use of handguns, that is so real. Not only are those tragedies taking place in New York, but I also take this opportunity to commend Reverend Jessie Jackson and a coalition of individuals, including Reverend Gregory Livingston, who every Saturday morning have been picketing gun shops outside the City of Chicago. Fortunately, you cannot purchase a handgun in Chicago, but you can go right outside and purchase all that you want. So I commend them for their efforts to make real the notion that change can occur, but it only comes as we are activated, motivated, stimulated, and involved. So, again, Representative Jones, I thank you for your leadership. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to put a face on this problem that is plaguing African Americans all over America.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as I was leaving a friend of mine's home on Sunday morning, a young fellow was across the street on the other side and he flagged me down and said, ``Can I talk to you for a moment?'' And so I waited for him to come across the street, and he did. And I asked what I could do for him, and he says, ``Well, I am trying to find a job.'' And I inquired as to his educational background, what kind of things that he could do, and what kind of jobs that he had. And he says, ``Well, I had a job, but then my employer discovered that I also had a felony conviction and he didn't know that when I got hired.'' And, ``Of course,'' he says, ``I have lost my job, lost my house, lost my car, lost my wife, and I am in the process of losing my children.'' And as I listened to him on Sunday morning, it reinforced for me how important it is that we try and provide for individuals like this young man a second chance. As a matter of fact, our country is the most imprisoned nation on the face of the Earth. More than 2 million people languish in our jails and prisons across the country. More than 650,000 of them come home every year, and, like this young man, oftentimes find every avenue blocked that prevents them from leading normal lives. Of course, many of them do what we call recidivate, that is, if they don't get any help within 3 years, 67 percent of them will have done what we call re-offend; that is, committed another offense against society. More than 50 percent of them will be re-incarcerated, costing our taxpayers enormous sums of money. And so I felt compelled to come to the floor and urge my colleagues to support the Second Chance Act, to urge the leadership to bring that legislation to the floor, so that this young man and thousands of others like him can, indeed, experience a second chance.