Chaka Fattah

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. As for myself, I believe that America and our ideals, the notion that someone could have their liberty taken, be held with secret evidence, be denied an opportunity to appear before a court of law, be denied counsel or outside contact, is something that our country would never engage in. The problem with this theory is that we are engaged in it. The problem is that, under President Bush, Sr., he would say about China: You all are arresting people with no charges, no public evidence, no tribunal of any sort, and that this is not part of the civilized world. I remember questioning the former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. We had a talk right after 9/11. He was talking, and I said: Well, if we are a Nation of laws, how are we going to reconcile that in this new circumstance? He said: It is going to be very difficult. And here we are. It is very difficult. We are spending $3 million per prisoner to house people in a foreign land under charges that we are not prepared to make public, no offering of a trial, most of whom were turned over for bounty or for ransom paid out by our government. I don't know how it is that we suggest that we want to project to the rest of the world what a Nation of laws actually looks like, but as for me and my district, I am going to cast a vote in favor of this amendment because the Constitution of the United States was drafted and written and signed in Philadelphia, and somehow I believe that the notion that our country would ever come to this moment is the voice from the source of those who wrote that document at that time. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I want to make a couple of points. One is that this requirement is in place now and has been in place, and it has not disrupted life. It has saved lives, however. This requirement does not actually apply to normal shotguns or to hunting rifles. I think it is important for the House to understand that it applies to semiautomatics that are greater than a .22 caliber and that can hold a detachable magazine. All this says is, if somebody shows up and buys 1,000 of these, the Federal firearms license dealer needs to report that multiple sale. It is a reasonable thing. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the ranking member on Appropriations.

Mr. FATTAH. In reclaiming my time, I would now like to yield to the gentlelady from Connecticut (Ms. Esty).

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. FATTAH. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FATTAH. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. FATTAH. In reclaiming my time, I can tell you that those are States that the chairman and the former ranking member, Mollohan--and now myself--have been investing in, in the Justice reinvestment programs, that help States think through how to do just that and operate a more safe environment for their people. Mr. Chairman, I hope that the gentleman will withdraw his amendment and work with the chairman and me, and we will see to what degree we might be able to meet his concerns. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from the great State of Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Reclaiming my time, in closing, I participated with the former Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh, in a pro bono effort for some of our major law firms, which is great. However, national Legal Services in many of these rural communities, unlike a big city like Philadelphia, don't have the benefit of the law firms where they can have pro bono partners and the like. If they are going to have a lawyer for a soldier, a veteran who needs help on a foreclosure, it is going to be Legal Services. So to cut off their access to the court is the wrong thing for us to do, and I oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. I am opposed to this amendment. I do, however, want to yield to the gentlelady from the great State of Florida--part of the Space Coast, and who does an extraordinary job--to speak on behalf of Legal Services. Before I do that, I want to make one point. Last year alone, Legal Services helped 41,000 veterans of the United States of America who were facing foreclosure and had other challenges related to disability claims. This notion that we should do away with access to courts for people who have worn the uniform to protect our rights, I think, is wrongheaded. I yield to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Castor) to speak further on this subject.

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), who represents, in part, one of the greatest research triangles in the country outside of Philadelphia.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. It is said that you need to be able to hold opposing, competing views all at once, so here we go. First of all, I think that the DEA is one of our extraordinary law enforcement agencies under DOJ. I think the Attorney General has done a great job, and I definitely believe that the administrator of DEA has done a great job rounding up cartel members and doing all kinds of work, interfacing with Interpol in its efforts. So on one level, I disagree with my colleague in his characterization. However, I also agree that the $35 million plus-up over the requested amount is too large, which is why I supported and will support the notion that some percentage of those dollars should go into legal services versus going to an agency that didn't need it or request it, so I don't think we should be plussing it up by $35 million, notwithstanding the fact that I don't agree with the gentleman, in terms of their performance, per se, on a host of issues. Now, I think that the gentleman is really concerned about the underlying question about his home State and States similarly situated, and I agree with him there that the State has made a different decision and that there should not be unnecessary harassment relative thereto, but if we are going to repeal prohibition every 100 years or so--we did alcohol in 1933--maybe we are at the moment where we are going to do something similar on marijuana. It does not mean, however, that we think every illegal narcotic in the world should be available without penalty or punishment for every single person who might desire it. So the country is trying to make some decisions, and we have to kind of parse through this as we work forward. So I rise to say that I don't support the amendment in which we would take this $35 million and put it into what is called deficit reduction. I suggest that the 41,000 veterans who are able to fight off foreclosure and other challenges by using legal services last year, those dollars should go to legal services, so that our veterans can have the legal services that they need in order to interface with our civil court system and to have the rights that they fought for protected. So I think the House will be able to work its will. I hope that we vote against this amendment and that we support the effort to put these dollars into legal services and that we continue to hold high the great courage and sacrifice of our law enforcement agencies as they fight crime here and abroad. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FATTAH. This is an extraordinary and important amendment, and the issue is important not just in Tennessee, but throughout the country. So I also support the amendment, and I urge its adoption. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, OSTP is doing enormously important work on behalf of our country, and Congress also has an oversight role, and if the chairman of the Oversight Committee is having difficulty getting an answer to a question, I would be glad to try to help facilitate that and work with the chairman. We do have some arcane rules here in Washington about advisers to the President not being in a position to be able to talk directly to Congress, but the head of the agency, as the chairman said, could be brought up with his subordinate, Mr. Park, to answer whatever questions there may be. I kind of think that we are closing the door on that particular issue relative to the Affordable Care Act, but you deserve answers, no matter what, on this question, but when we talk about the budget of this agency, when there are 50 million Americans suffering from brain- related diseases, when China has almost an absolute monopoly on rare earth elements that we need to find our way around for national security and other reasons, OSTP is doing some vitally important work, and we can't take 20 percent of their budget, but we can get to the point where you can get the answers that you desire and rightfully. You are the anchor of the Thursday prayer group, and you are someone who is a responsible Member of Congress, and we want to make sure that you get your answers. I will work with the chairman.

Mr. FATTAH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Ponsie B. Hillman, an educator, an advocate, and pioneer in the civil rights and labor movements. Her life was defined by a love for education and driven by the staunch determination to share it. She passed away on June 26, 2008, but her legacy remains vivid. Ms. Hillman was born in Maryland, October 7, 1918. The determination and success that characterized her early education would foreshadow her later success. She battled overwhelming social odds by prioritizing her schooling and pulling ahead of her peers. During Ms. Hillman's senior year, she received the highest grade in the county on the state exam. She supported herself through college on scholarships and summer jobs, graduating from Morgan State College in 1939. Ms. Hillman moved to Philadelphia in 1948. She taught business at Vaux High School for 6 years before taking a post as a mathematics teacher at Roosevelt Junior High. She spent her summers furthering her own education by taking classes at Columbia University, earning a Masters in Mathematics and Education. Never ceasing to take every opportunity to learn, she continued attending classes at Sarah Lawrence College where she was able to offer her children their first view of higher education. She also studied Intergroup Education at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1959, Prince Edward County, VA, had closed its public schools to avoid court ordered integration. Ponsie Hillman arrived in the summer of 1963 to partake in the United Federation of Teacher's effort to establish Freedom Schools. She volunteered as a teacher for those students no longer able to receive an education. She was greeted with hostility from those who did not understand integration and from those who refused to accept change. Using the local church for classroom space, Ms. Hillman was successful in providing quality education to over 600 students that summer. She received an American Federation of Teachers award for her work at the Freedom Schools in Prince Edward County. In addition to her selfless dedication to educating others, Ms. Hillman's contributions to the education community matched her passionate appetite for learning. She became an integral part of the community and consistently fought for teachers' rights, fair wages, and higher quality teaching. She won the NAACP's highest individual award for outstanding achievement as a teacher and was named a lifetime member. Ms. Hillman completed a 5-year term as a delegate to the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers where she served on the executive board, sharing her experience and cultivating ways to combat national education challenges. During her tenure, she organized the Afro-American Heritage Committee, the Asian American Committee, and initiated United Federation of Teachers summer camps. She was noted for her solidarity to the Union and her commitment to serving the community of educators. I am pleased to honor Ponsie B. Hillman for her unceasing efforts and outstanding progress in working to make education equitable and attainable for all students. Her legacy in Prince Edward County and her mark on the national education system will inspire generations to come.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey, Rush Holt, my friend, the great science leader here in the Congress. He is the only one among us who has a terminal degree in nuclear science, and he is also retiring this year.