Chaka Fattah

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant].

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Visclosky].

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to just suggest that the people of the State of Indiana and the 10th District have sent forth a Representative now, we just heard from her, to speak on their behalf on some of these very important issues of tax policies and the like, and I think that the issues of how Andy Jacobs would have voted on some of the matters that were discussed in the one- minutes are really beyond the point. What we are here to do is to honor his 30 years of service and, through this legislation, to name a post office after him; and we seek no partisan advantage in that process. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from the State of Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], a most distinguished Member, to comment on this legislation.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana [Ms. Carson], a brave woman who has been sent by the State of Indiana to replace Andy Jacobs here in this body serving the people of her great State.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to support H.R. 1057. This legislation naming a postal facility in Indianapolis, IN, after our former colleague Andy Jacobs. Last year Congressman Jacobs completed a very long and distinguished career in public service. As a young marine he was wounded in combat during the Korean war. He later worked as a police officer, served in the Indiana House of Representatives and was elected to the Congress in 1964. Many of his years here were spent on the House Committee on Ways and Means and as chair of the Subcommittee on Social Security. He will be remembered most for his efforts to balance the budget and minimize spending on his own reelection campaigns. This legislation bestows a fitting honor upon a Member who served with great distinction in this body for over three decades. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the recipients of the first Crystal Stair Award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. This award is given to natural social workers--those volunteers and professionals from any discipline who have worked passionately for social justice and the elimination of prejudice and oppression. The four recipients include Marian Wright Edelman, a nationally known advocate for children, C.B. Kimmins, an activist from a drug ridden Philadelphia neighborhood, and Jeffrey Lobach and Craig Trebilcock, two attorneys whose pro bono work assisted Chinese refugees. Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund [CDF], based in Washington, DC. She has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans her entire professional career, which began as the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. Ms. Edelman founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm and the parent organization of the Children's Defense Fund, which under her leadership has become a strong national voice for children and families. C.B. Kimmins, is executive director and chief of staff of Mantua Against Drugs, Inc., and chief executive officer and president of C.B.'s Role Models, both based in Philadelphia. Mr. Kimmins has become a Philadelphia institution, who has made Mantua Against Drugs, Inc., well known beyond these city limits through his efforts to bring diverse elements of the community together to work with law enforcement to wage the war on drugs. Mr. Kimmins has the ability to empower neighborhoods to take back their communities. Jeffrey D. Lobach and Craig T. Trebilcock are attorneys from York, PA, who have provided pro bono advocacy for years on behalf of Chinese refugees from the freighter Golden Venture, who were detained in York County prison. During Mr. Lobach's presidency of the York County Bar Association, Mr. Trebilcock chaired its pro bono committee on Chinese refugees. Mr. Lobach is a 1981 graduate of the law school at Penn. Each of these recipients worked tirelessly against significant odds for the benefit of others. They have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in moving us forward collectively as a society. In doing so, they have touched all our lives and exemplified the spirit of the Langston Hughes poem ``Mother to Son'' from which the award derives its name. In his poem, Hughes writes of a mother's encouragement to her son: In a world where ``life ain't been no crystal stair,'' a natural social worker struggles unremittingly to bring light from darkness and create a crystal staircase, one stair at a time. It is this quality of determination and commitment that the Crystal Stair Award recognizes. The award, given April 16, 1997, highlights the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work and the profession of social work, encouraging and inspiring others to join this effort. The award's benefits go well beyond the important work of calling attention to the selfless efforts of these recipients. Funds for scholarships and research will also be generated because of this award to further the objectives of Penn's School of Social Work. I hope that all Members will take time to learn more about this important award and encourage its recognition as our Nation moves forward in its effort to mobilize citizens to volunteer time to their communities.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Barrett] for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. As someone who led a drug-free coalition effort in my own city in Philadelphia and has seen its benefits, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Portman] for his leadership on this and for our committee for expeditiously moving this bill forward. This is the beginning of what we can do here at the Federal level. The gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel] has for such a long time been pointing in the right direction that as a Nation we should take a more aggressive leadership role on this issue and that more can be done. I rise in favorable support of this. I know that it works, bringing people together, providing the kind of cohesive and coordinated efforts that can happen through these efforts in the local communities. We should not stop here, however, and we should take hopefully this bipartisan spirit and really work together, really making sure that treatment and prevention are resources that are going to be available in abundance at a neighborhood level and community level and also inside our prison system which we seem so dedicated to as a society, we should also make sure that treatment is available and assistance is available there.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the bold and brilliant leadership of the chairwoman of the CBC, and my colleague from the great State of Mississippi, for offering to this Congress an opportunity to proceed along a rational budget process, a process in which those who are deficit hawks can have deficit reduction and a balance 1 year ahead of all other alternatives. For those of us interested in investment and opportunity, we can have more schools and better education, rather than more jails and more social problems. This is a budget that puts before the Congress some very clear decisions in terms of what our priorities ought to be. Let us not just have a balanced budget that is fiscally balanced. Let us have one that is also morally correct, and faces the real tough issues that we have to face as a country. I would offer to my colleagues that they seriously consider and cast a vote, not just to whisper quietly their support for the CBC alternative, but stand up and cast a vote on behalf of what is a reasonable fiscal policy for our country, in keeping with American priorities and with the promise of the next century that we should govern our votes by this evening.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me conclude by thanking my colleague, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Souder]. We came into the Congress together, and we served together on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and also on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for his deliberations here this afternoon and his willingness to share time with the minority. This is a very important issue. We heard my colleague just suggest that the Bureau of Labor Statistics was looking for guidance from the Congress. Well, that is the purpose of House Resolution 93. We are providing that guidance. We are saying that we have the confidence in their ability and their expertise to determine appropriately within the level of limitations that exist what is indeed appropriate consumer price fluctuations in the market, and we would like to not have this be driven by political decisions or budget decisions. I do understand the legitimate and authentic interests of Blue Dogs and others who have moved us along this continuum of a dialog to the day that Congress will, I think, indicate through this expression that we want to see BLS handle this matter and handle it without political interference. So I rise in support finally of House Resolution 93 and I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] for his leadership on this matter. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee]. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy].

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Boswell] to speak on this very important piece of legislation. (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute and 15 seconds to the gentleman from the great State of Florida [Mr. Wexler].

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Strickland].

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, could we have an understanding what time is available to each side? The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Snowbarger]. The gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] has 12\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Souder] has 10 minutes remaining.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Maloney], who is a sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Stenholm]. (Mr. STENHOLM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. McIntyre]. (Mr. McINTYRE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 93. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are considering this resolution to protect the integrity of the process for adjusting the CPI, the Consumer Price Index. House Resolution 93 clarifies that adjustments of the CPI should be made solely by technicians at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it should not be left subject to the whims of politics. I want to commend my colleague from Pennsylvania, [Mr. Fox] and the gentlewoman from New York, [Mrs. Maloney], the gentleman from Pennsylvania, [Mr. English], and the gentleman from Massachusetts, [Mr. Kennedy] and others for their leadership on this important issue. I recognize that there has been extensive debate regarding the termination and accuracy of the CPI. However, as this resolution plainly acknowledges, the Bureau of Labor Statistics alone has the integrity, the objectivity and the experience to make this determination. Mr. Speaker, the CPI should accurately reflect the rate of inflation and should not be manipulated for purposes of balancing the Federal budget. CPI adjustment could have a profound effect on the tax burdens of the American people. In addition, indexing affects the income of over 70 million Americans. Some 43 million Social Security beneficiaries, 4 million military and Federal civil service retirees and survivors, and 23 million food stamp recipients have their lives directly impacted by the CPI and changes thereto. Even the cost of lunches for 24 million children who participate in the school lunch program is affected. So when we look at who is dependent on the accurate assessment of the index, then we understand how vitally important it is that we send this message that we will not allow seniors and our children to be pawns in the budget chess games, now or in the future. This legislation is supported by such groups as AARP, the National Council on Senior Citizens, the Council on Aging, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Speaker, I stand, as I am sure many of my colleagues will today, in full support of House Resolution 93. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Minge], our final speaker.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of our attempt to honor the life and legacy of this great African American. I am reminded, however, that as we come to honor Jackie Robinson, we should be clear what brought him to the opportunity to play major league baseball. It was in its own way an affirmative action program in which he was sought out, brought in to deal with the fact that African- Americans had been excluded from the opportunity to play in major league baseball. If it were not for the active effort to include him, then we would not be here today honoring him, and as we honor him as a nation, we should think about the other doors that are sometimes locked to persons of color because, for whatever reason, people are unable to get past prejudices, to deny people access to law school and medical school, to colleges, college preparatory schools, to deny them access to contracts and employment opportunities. We know all too well that the racism that existed that prevented Jackie Robinson from being able to play and others who were even more qualified than him perhaps and were denied the opportunity to play in major league baseball at that time has not evaporated totally in this country over the last 50 years. So I come to the floor to join my voice to the voices of others, but I want to remind us that as we pay homage to Jackie Robinson and as we marvel at the ability of a Tiger Woods, we should know that they represent the reality that Americans of every color and persuasion have gifts given to them by the Creator and are capable if they are given the opportunity. We should continue as a Congress to try to find ways to open those doors of opportunities so that these young people and people like them can continue to create a circumstance in which we can all be proud. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland, and thank my colleagues from the other side of the aisle. I hope that as we vote to honor Jackie Robinson, we will not vote to close doors of opportunity to other young people, those same doors that we today rise to congratulate and recognize the accomplishments of this great African-American.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel Synagogue, in Philadelphia, PA, the congregation and community at large will celebrate with the recitation of the Kiddush Proceed and festive music. Located in central Philadelphia, Temple Beth Israel was established in 1840 and is the third oldest congregation in the Philadelphia. This historic congregation merged with Beth Zion (1946) in 1964. In 1984, the Neziner congregation merged with Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel. Today, the Neziner congregation would have been over 100 years old. All the artifacts from the Neziner Synagogue were carefully and lovingly placed at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in the lower level referred to as the Neziner Chapel. This multicultural congregation represents Beth Israel members from Germany and Poland, and Neziner members from Russia and eastern Europe. Beth Zion members are offspring of both waves of immigrants who defied flight to the suburbs and created a major Jewish congregation in the heart of this great American city. The present quarters, a gothic stone structure of the 19th century known as ``A jewel of a synagogue,'' with its lofty tower, is reminiscent of the ancient synagogue in Prague, with its distinctive architecture. The sound interior upholds the concept of the threefold function of a synagogue: a house of worship; an area of study; and a meeting place. Some of the services provided to the congregation include a Hebrew School and Youth Activities Program for youth age 1\1/ 2\ through high school. Additionally, the synagogue offers an Adult Education Studies Program which is open to the public. The anniversary of this great American multicultural Jewish synagogue is worthy of mention to remind us of the extent to which diversity is an integral part of the American character.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that Congress remembers Marian Anderson on this day which marks the 58th anniversary of her Easter concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. For she is no stranger to Washington. This year also marks the 100th birthday celebration of Ms. Anderson. A native Philadelphian, born on February 27, 1897, Anderson became an internationally renowned contralto and an aspiring symbol to all who strive to achieve against tremendous odds. Anderson began her career like so many African-Americans, by singing in her church choir where funds were raised to help pay for her voice lessons. Anderson traveled the world singing arias and ending each concert with spirituals, for she was a spiritually centered individual. She was affectionately referred to as the ``Lady from Philadelphia''. In 1930, she toured Europe, winning from Toscanini the tribute ``the voice that comes once in a 100 years''. She became an accepted citizen of the world long before she was accepted as an equal citizen in her own country. The story of the Easter Sunday concert has been told many times in many ways. The announcement that Anderson was to be awarded the Spingarn Medal--the highest medal given by the NAACP--brought her national attention. Prominence of a different order came a few months later. Within weeks of the NAACP's announcement, Charles C. Cohen, chairman of Howard University's concert series, acting for Sol Hurok, Ms. Anderson's manager, requested the use of Washington, DC's Constitution Hall from the Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR]. The DAR refused to allow Ms. Anderson the use of the hall, admitting finally that no Negro would be allowed to perform there. This was a restriction, in fact, that had been in place for a number of years. Everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to actor Frederic March rose their voices in pointed outrage. As a result of this public snub of Ms. Anderson, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership from the DAR. Furious with the shameful and bigoted action of the DAR, Lulu Childers, the director of music at Howard University, vowed that ``she'll sing here even if we have to build a tent for her.'' The solution that gradually emerged became one of the early defining moments in the history of peaceful protest against racial inequality in this country. Walter White and other NAACP officials, in discussions with Hurok, decided that Anderson should sing at the Lincoln Memorial, in the open air, where no barriers could be erected. White took his plan to the Department of the Interior, from whence it went to President Roosevelt, who gave his enthusiastic approval. So on Easter Sunday, April 9 1939, Ms. Anderson sang in front of a crowd of 75,000 instead of the 4,000 that would have filled Constitution Hall. The crowd stretched down both sides of the Reflecting Pool, to the base of the Washington Monument. Many of her own people in attendance would never have heard her sing because of the disabling Jim Crow laws that governed much of the country. These same laws forced Ms. Anderson to travel in the colored section of trains traveling South, stay at black-owned hotels or stay at friends and friends of family members during her tours, and enter concert halls from the back entrances to the very halls in which she was to perform. Easter Sunday Ms. Anderson was introduced by the Secretary of Interior, Harold L. Ickes. Secretary Ickes said, ``In this great auditorium under the sky, all of us are free. When God gave us this wonderful outdoors and the sun, the moon, and the stars, he made no distinction of race creed or color. . . . Genius, like justice, is blind . . . Genius draws no color line and has endowed Marian Anderson with such a voice as lifts any individual above his fellows.'' In later years Anderson spoke infrequently and always reluctantly about the DAR affair. She was uncomfortable with controversy. The quite dignity with which she bore those now historic events, her refusal to speak any harsh words of blame or to be diverted from a belief that people will one day act more honorably, only served to enhance her reputation as a woman of great dignity and hopefulness. In her 1956 autobiography, she wrote, ``I said yes, but the yes did not come easy. In principal, the idea was sound but it could not be comfortable to me as an individual. I could see that my significance as an individual was small in the affair. I had become, whether I liked it or not, a symbol representing my people. I had to appear.'' Some people felt that she should have spoken up more often regarding racism and how she was treated however, she felt that your actions spoke volumes. She is quoted as having said, ``Remember, wherever you are and whatever you do, someone always sees you.'' Regarding racism she says, ``Sometimes, its like a hair across your cheek. You can't see it, you can't find it with your fingers, but you keep brushing at it because the feel of it is irritating.'' Quote from her nephew, Maestro James DePreist, conductor of the Oregon Symphony: ``For those who loved her singing, there was a uniqueness to the quality of that voice that was able to touch people profoundly. For those who have viewed her as a symbol against prejudice, her life was an example of the dignity of the person versus the absurdity of discrimination.''

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, what we have is seemingly a disagreement between two groups of economists about what might happen some 5 years out in terms of the largest economy in the world, a slight difference of opinion about that between the President's economists and the CBO. But we should not waste our time here today with this resolution. This has no import or impact on the President of the United States in terms of any legal meaning. The result of the passage of this resolution is just that the House will have taken up the time of the House, rather than working on producing a budget that could be scored by CBO and that could take into account the President's priorities which, by the way, are the Americans' priorities, as illustrated in the last election. The public wants more investment in education and environmental protection. These are issues we should be debating, we should be working toward. This political one-upsmanship between the House and the White House does not make a lot of sense. We have a role here in the Congress to play. We are one of two Houses, and along with the White House, and we have to do the most important thing we do every year, which is to pass a budget. I would ask that my colleagues vote ``no'' on the resolution, and then urge ourselves to get to work, not through the words we speak on the floor, but in the hard work of designing a budget to take this Nation into the next century.