Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

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

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from Nevada for introducing this legislation. It is amazing and we would never believe that women only have had the right to vote since 1920. It obviously means we have come a long way as a result of women's suffrage. We now have a woman who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which represents movement and progress.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), the author of the resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I guess if I had not had to be here today, I would have been back in my community, where I live, at the Friendship Baptist Church, and I would have been there because today was the funeral for Mrs. Lucy Hall, who was the wife of the pastor of that church for the last 50 years. The Hall family have made tremendous impact on not only the community where we live, but also on the city of Chicago and its surrounding communities. Mrs. Hall was a retired educator. She and her husband raised their three children in our neighborhood. Two of their children are judges. One is an appellate court judge in the State of Illinois. The other is a supreme court judge in New York, and of course, their son is a noted psychologist who works in the State of New York. But Mrs. Hall exemplified the essence of excellence. She was indeed a grand lady, full of dignity, full of charm, full of commitment, full of dedication and full of hard work. She and her husband are legends in our neighborhood. They developed programs which originated at the Friendship Baptist Church to deal with health issues such as cancer. They provided mammogram screening and education. They had after-school reading and boy scouts and tutoring. So I simply take to the floor this evening to extend my condolences to the Hall family, to Reverend Shelvin Jerome Hall, to Judge Shelvin Louise Hall, to Judge Hall of the Supreme Court in New York, to their brother and the Halls' son and all of the members of a great family in the community where I live and work. We shall miss her, but we rejoice in the life that she lived.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

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

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2080 repeals sections 452 and 495 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and permits the District of Columbia Council to establish the District of Columbia public schools as a Cabinet-level agency. Under H.R. 2080, the mayor and the council will be held accountable for the management of the District's public schools. Section 452 describes the role and responsibilities of the mayor and council with respect to the annual budget process for the District of Columbia public school system. Section 452 provides the mayor and the council authority to establish the maximum amount of funds which will be allocated to the District of Columbia's Board of Education, but they are not allowed to change how the funds are used for educational programs. H.R. 2080 will eliminate section 452 and allow the mayor and council to determine the level of funding allocations that each program receives. The money for this budget is entirely local money. Section 495 established the D.C. Board of Education. H.R. 2080 would repeal the powers of the board and gives the mayor and council authority over the District's public schools. Mayor Fenty has been seeking the authority to reform the D.C. public school system since earlier this year. On January 5, 2007, the mayor submitted the District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007, the act, to the D.C. council for their consideration. The act transfers management and oversight authority for D.C.'s public schools to the mayor. It transfers all State education agency responsibilities from the Board of Education to the State education office; creates an Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission; establishes an Office of Ombudsman for public education; and a Public Education Facilities Management and Construction Authority. The D.C. council has held over 70 hours of hearings and heard the testimonies of residents, teachers, students, parents and leading educational experts on the mayor's proposal. The mayor believes that giving him control of D.C. public schools will lead to a dramatic improvement in the District's school system. The District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 passed the District of Columbia council on April 19, 2007, by a vote of 9-2. H.R. 2080 will allow the mayor to implement his initiatives to reform D.C. public schools. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton and ranking minority member, Representative Tom Davis, for introducing this legislation. It is important to note that if D.C. had home rule, this legislation would not be necessary. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation because, in effect, what we are really doing is giving certification, in a sense, to actions that have been taken by the District of Columbia's city council and giving them the authority to exercise responsibility for their own public school system, which is obviously the right thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

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 move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2080) to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to conform the District charter to revisions made by the Council of the District of Columbia relating to public education.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 264, the Congressional Lawmaking Authority Protection Act of 2007 and the National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. Correctional officers are the largest part of the workforce in jails and prisons, and they enforce the regulations governing the operation of correctional institutions as both supervisors and counselors. While they have no law enforcement responsibilities outside the institution where they work, each day they put themselves in harm's way, maintaining security and inmate accountability to prevent disturbances, assaults, and escapes. By definition, working in a correctional institution can be stressful and hazardous. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of attacks on correctional officers in State and Federal prisons jumped by nearly one-third, from 10,731 to 14,165, at a time when the number of correctional officers increased by only 14 percent. Except for police officers, the number of workplace nonfatal violent incidents is higher per 1,000 employees for correctional officers than any other profession. From 1992 to 1996, there were nearly 218 incidents for every 1,000 correctional officers, for a total of 58,300. Correctional officers' roles in our society are and continue to be critical. We must continue to recognize the sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis to ensure the safety and well-being of the prison population. Mr. Speaker, I spend a fair amount of time in and around correctional institutions. As a matter of fact, I serve as a member of the local school council at the Consuelo York Alternative High School in Chicago, which is located in the Cook County Jail. Therefore, whenever I'm there, when we have our regular meetings, I attend. I also go to jails sometimes to put up bail for individuals that I know, Representative Scott, who have been arrested. Quite frequently, I speak at jails, correctional facilities and prisons. And so I simply wanted to take this time to thank all of those individuals who not only work in these stressful situations, but the many men and women with whom I come into contact as they facilitate my entree, and as they assist whatever it is that I've been trying to do and that I try to do while I'm there. So I simply say, thank you to all of those corrections officers with whom I come into contact on an annual basis, and urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Kildee and Ranking Member Castle, as well as both the majority and minority staff for their hard work and for including so many issues near and dear to my heart in this bill. Some of those are recruiting minority male teachers; emphasizing children's social, emotional well-being; recognizing the expanding role of grandparents and kinship caregivers in children's lives; keep parent councils as equals to the governing boards; incorporating the best practices from the field of home visitation into the Early Head Start programs; and encouraging the development of on-line graduate training. All of these are key issues to me and to the people of Chicago. I know that you have toiled long and hard to integrate Member concerns, and you have my appreciation. In addition, I am very pleased that this bipartisan bill preserves the anti-discrimination history of Head Start advocated so ardently by the Head Start and religious communities. Federal funds are not meant to support discrimination of any type, and I applaud the Members of both sides for maintaining this fundamental commitment to justice and fairness in this bill. Finally, I must mention a concern from Chicago Head Start programs. I know that the Chairs and ranking members have worked hard to address the problems surrounding low-income families in high cost of living areas such as Chicago from losing access to this critical child development program. I ask that the issue of income eligibility continue to be discussed so that the children of working poor families can be included.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. I am delighted that I managed to make it here. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and neighbor from the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois, Mr. Rahm Emanuel, for introducing this resolution. I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 118, congratulating the City of Chicago for being chosen to represent the United States in the international competition to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and encouraging the IOC to select Chicago as the site of the games. I can speak with some authority on Chicago's qualifications to host those games because I am privileged to represent most of the proposed sites: Soldier Field, the United Center, U.S. Cellular Field, Navy Pier, McCormick Place, Grant Park, Douglas Park, Monroe Harbor, and facilities at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois. The Olympic Village will rise on land in the Seventh District. And although the site of the future olympic stadium and currently home to the DuSable Museum of African American History, Washington Park is not in my district, it is right adjacent to it. So with all due modesty, this assemblage of sports facilities is certainly one of the finest in the world. Then you add to that our infrastructure, our world-class architecture, our cultural and historical treasures and our matchless lakefront, and you have yourself the makings of a spectacular set of games. Now, mix in our sports fan base. The Seventh District is home to the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Mix in the fact that for the 2006 Chicago Marathon, starting and ending in the district, we had 40,000 runners and 1.2 million spectators. Mix in the fact that Chicago hosted the 2006 International Gay Games. Mix in the fact that Chicago was the first host to the Special Olympics in 1968, and you will understand that our toddlin' town is for sure a sports town. Mr. Speaker, the Olympic Games are about fierce, all-out athletic competition. But they are also about the greater goals of the Olympic movement: Fairness, peace, education, and friendship. The people of Chicago have a long and proud history of leadership in these struggles, nationally and internationally. Mr. Speaker, Chicago is ready, willing and able to make America the proud host of the 2016 games. So I join with the mayor of the city, the Governor of the State, all of the business and community leaders in urging passage not only of this resolution, but in urging the Olympic Committee to select Chicago as the site for 2016.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 272, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. I also rise in honor of my forefathers and foremothers who were captured through raids and kidnappings, sold to Europeans and subjugated to four and a half centuries of the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic slave trade is sometimes called ``Maafa,'' meaning ``holocaust'' or ``great disaster'' in Kiswahili by African and African American scholars because it resulted in a vast loss of life for African captives both in Africa and in America. It is believed that 50 percent of African deaths, 10 million, occurred in Africa as a result of wars between native tribes. 4.5 percent, around 900,000 deaths, occurred in large forts called factories. Around 2.5 million Africans died during voyages through the infamous Middle Passage, where they were packed into tight, unsanitary spaces on ships for months at a time. While estimates of the number of slaves brought to North America vary from a few hundred thousand to a few million, the slave population in the United States had grown to 4 million by the 1860s. From the latter 18th century, and possibly before that even, until the Civil War, the rate of natural growth of North American slaves was much greater than the population of any nation in Europe and was nearly twice as rapid as that in Europe. In North America, the treatment of slaves was very harsh and inhumane. Whether laboring or walking about in public, slaves were regulated by legally authorized violence. On large plantations, slave overseers were authorized to whip and brutalize noncompliant slaves. Significantly, slave codes authorized, indemnified or even required the use of violence and were denounced by abolitionists for their brutality. In the present phase of society, we must recognize the historical significance of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade to the world. More broadly, respect the memories of those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom, and make sure that no generations yet to come will ever experience this kind of inhumane brutality. And so I commend Representative Lee for introducing this resolution, commend Representative Payne for his tremendous leadership in human rights.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate charter schools I want to recognize the Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) operating in my Congressional District. The Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) has a unique mission and purpose. It has been said that education is the great equalizer--it is the key to success. The mission of YCCS is to provide individuals who have dropped out of school an opportunity--to drop back in and receive a quality education. Since its creation in 1997, YCCS has graduated more than 5,700 students who had previously dropped out of traditional high schools. Just think, what would have happened to those students if YCCS was not available to them. They likely would have become another statistic. Clearly, the data shows that students who drop out are more likely to be unemployed. In fact, the unemployment rate nationally for high school drop-outs was 29.8 percent in 200. (Dept. of Labor). We know that students who drop out are more likely to be candidates for prisons. A total of 75 percent of America's state prison inmates are high shool drop-outs, with only 59 percent of America's federal prison inmates completing high school (Harlow, 2003). We also know that high school drop-outs are more likely to be receiving public assistance and living in poverty. These negative consequences lead to the destruction of a community and country. Students who drop out are less likely to be married or see a doctor on a regular basis. The benefits of a high school education move society forward economically and socially. A person with a high school diploma is more likely to be employed, live longer, and become a productive part of society. The impact of YCCS and its involvement as the only charter school in Illinois providing alternative educational services focused primarily on drop-outs can be seen throughout education. In 2005, YCCS placed in the upper third for school performance in reading by CPS in comparison to all of the other 76 high schools in the city of Chlcago. Conversely, we know that a quality education opens the doors of opportunity and provides hope for a brighter future. An investment in the education of young people who have dropped out of school saves our city and state taxpayers' money. The Alliance for Excellent Education reports that a 1 percent increase in high school gradution rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in incarceration costs yearly. Additionally, a 1-year incease in average education levels would reduce arrest rates by 11 percent. I am pleased to honor the outstanding work of the Youth Connection Charter School. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise with a level of sadness to pay tribute to a good son, a good husband, a good father, a good citizen and one of Chicago's finest of the men and women in blue, Police Sargent Ralph Ford Jr. It has been my pleasure and that of my wife to know the Ford Family for many years. I first knew Ralph's mother, Mrs. Jacqueline Ford, when she was a pioneer community activist serving on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood health center. She and my wife Vera have attended Carey Tercentenary AME Church together forever. I first knew Ralph well when he was a young Chicago police officer and I began to run for public office; he was a diligent and enthusiastic volunteer who was not afraid to be associated with our campaign even though I was running as an independent against the existing political machine. The fact that Ralph had attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff added another star to his crown because I had attended the old Arkansas A.M. & N College before it attained University status. Being the excellent police officer that he was, Ralph made Sargent and outdistanced many of his peers. He was jovial, a good talker, had a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor. Family meant everything to Ralph, he was totally devoted to his wife and children, he had a great affinity for other members of the family, and of course he and his mother Jackie had an absolute long-standing love affair. Madam Speaker, Sargent Ralph Ford Jr. was an absolute credit to his law enforcement profession, the apple of his wife and family's eyes and a joy to humanity. He shall be sorely missed.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to associate myself with the remarks of my former colleagues who have talked about foreclosures and predatory lending. As a matter of fact, I also want to thank the committee that I established a few weeks ago, made up of about 50 people, including State Representative LuShawn Ford, who has agreed to chair. I come from the community that pretty much led the movement for community reinvestment in this country under the leadership of a woman named Gail Cincotta who was the head of the Organization for a Better Austin, and then Gail came to Washington and went ahead and founded the National Training and Action Committee which still exists to this day. So I simply want to associate with those comments made by my colleagues. But, Mr. Speaker, I really also rise with a great level of sadness to pay tribute to a good son, a good husband, a good father, a good citizen and one of Chicago's finest of the men and women in blue, Police Sergeant Ralph Ford, Jr. It has been my pleasure and that of my wife to know the Ford family for many years. I first knew Ralph's mother, Mrs. Jacqueline Ford, when she was a pioneer community activist serving on the board of the Martin Luther King, Jr, neighborhood health center. She and my wife Vera have attended Carey Tercentenary AME Church together, and I say forever. I first knew Ralph well when he was a young Chicago police officer. I had begun to run for public office. He was a diligent and enthusiastic volunteer who was not afraid to be associated with our campaign, even though I was running as what we call an Independent against the existing political machine. The fact that Ralph had attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff added another star to his crown because I had attended the same school when it had another name, Arkansas AM&N College, before it attained university status. Being the excellent police officer that he was, Ralph made sergeant and outdistanced many of his peers. He was jovial, a great talker, had a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor. Family meant everything to Ralph. He was totally devoted to his wife and children, and he had a great affinity for other members of his family, and of course, he and his mother Jackie had an absolute long- standing love affair. Of course, Ralph passed away a few days ago. Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Ralph Ford, Jr, was an absolute credit to his law enforcement profession, the apple of his wife and family's eyes and a joy to humanity. He shall be sorely missed.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride and a tremendous sense of appreciation that I rise to congratulate Ms. Jane DeLung on an outstanding career in research, planning and public advocacy. It has been a privilege to know Ms. DeLung since the late 1960s, when she was doing community health and family planning with the Chicago Department of Public Health, which was very exciting and meaningful work. She went on to become assistant commissioner, worked for the Federal Government, was vice president of the Illinois Family Planning Council and ultimately became president of the Population Resource Center where she served for 15 years. During her career, Ms. DeLung has developed effective approaches to bringing people together to raise issues, foster concepts and engineer advocacy action to advance causes and put ideas about advancing quality of life on broad scale agendas. Ms. DeLung has obviously obtained a wealth of personal experience to match her formal training, B.A. Emory University, M.A. Roosevelt University, and thousands of hours of workshops, seminars and field training. Madam Speaker, it has indeed been a pleasure to know and work with Ms. DeLung for all of these many years. She has been a most effective social planner, researcher, engineer and advocate. I commend and congratulate her, although she is retiring as President of PRC, I know that she will remain engaged. Best wishes and good luck.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues from all across America who have spent much of the evening extolling the virtues of our colleague Juanita Millender-McDonald. Much has been said, and yet there is much that can, in fact, be added. As a matter of fact, when I first came to Congress, Juanita was one of the first persons that my wife and I met. So my wife immediately became a Juanita Millender-McDonald fan. And I said to her, Vera, it is all right for you to be a Juanita Millender-McDonald fan, but don't try to dress like her. We can't afford it. Juanita was, in fact, a charming, delightful, snazzy lady, the essence of femininity, but as tough as a nail. As a matter of fact, I don't know if a week went by that I didn't receive some communique from her talking about some issue or explaining something that she had done or something that she had worked on. And as I listened to all of my colleagues talk about her many ``firsts,'' the first African American woman to serve on the Carson City Council, the first African American woman to render the national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio address, the first to be named Honorary Curator of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, and the first Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues. Obviously, she was many firsts. And I guess maybe the poet Homer had her in mind when he said that there are pioneer souls that go where highways never ran, but let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a friend to man. And I guess he had Juanita in mind as he talked about why would I live in my house by the side of the road as the race of men go by. Men who are good, men who are bad, men who are wise, foolish, but then so am I. So why would I not simply be, as Juanita has been, one who understood the relationship between people, moving across aisles, moving across boundaries to accomplish and get things done. So on behalf of my family and me and all of the residents of the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois, we extend our greatest condolences to her family and say that we too would hope to live in the house by the side of the road like Juanita Millender-McDonald and be a friend to mankind.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, to close, let me just thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for introducing this legislation, and the gentleman from California for his eloquent statements in support of it. And I sort of reflected, as I listened to Representative Moran, that it is good to have all of the eloquence and all of the youth, but to have been there and be old enough to remember, I join with him because I remember DDT as I was growing up in rural America, and the utilization of it as people would spray their crops and use it to fight pesticides, but were endangering themselves. And there was a great deal of fear and consternation. So again, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for introducing this legislation. I urge its support. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure now to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this bill, one of the outstanding new Members of the House, Representative Jason Altmire, from Pennsylvania.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 1434, which names the postal facility in Springdale, Pennsylvania after Rachel Carson. H.R. 1434, which was introduced by Representative Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania on March 9, 2007, was reported from the Oversight Committee on March 29, 2007, by voice vote. This measure, which has been cosponsored by 40 Members, has the support of the entire Pennsylvania, congressional delegation. Starting in the mid-1940s, Ms. Carson became concerned about the use of newly invented pesticides, especially dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane, better known as DDT. This turned into an amazing thesis she entitled ``Silent Spring.'' ``Silent Spring'' focused on the environment and the effect of pesticides on humans. This was known as Carson's greatest work. She worked to defend the claims in ``Silent Spring'' until her death. It is believed that Carson's ``Silent Spring'' was the catalyst for the United States taking a more in-depth look at the use of pesticides, as well as the founding of government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the memory, legacy, and contributions of Rachel Carson and urge swift passage of this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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 move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1434) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 896 Pittsburgh Street in Springdale, Pennsylvania, as the ``Rachel Carson Post Office Building''.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I had expected that Representative Solis, who is the sponsor of this legislation, would have been here, but maybe she had some difficulty getting back from way out west in California today. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time and urge passage of this resolution.