Marcia Fudge

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, my good friend and colleague, Representative Richardson from California, did bring up some interesting points, and I can assure you that the passion she showed today is the same passion that the rest of this caucus has, and that is why, in fact, our caucus did indeed send a letter to the Speaker of the House to talk about our jobs initiatives, what we believe should be in a jobs bill. Congressional Black Caucus of the 111th United States Congress, Washington, DC, December 9, 2009. Hon. Barack Obama, President of the United States, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear President Obama: As you work with House and Senate Leadership to structure the jobs package, we respectfully request that you include and prioritize the following proposals in the legislation: Direct Job Creation and Training Utilize language that states that the $139.3 billion of unobligated funds authorized for expenditure by the Troubled Asset Relief Program should be reprogrammed to be used to create jobs for United States citizens. Reauthorize language from the Humphrey Hawkins Act, Public Law 95-523, with a new provision establishing a ``Green Jobs and Training Trust Fund.'' The trust fund would be funded by a financial transaction tax similar to that proposed by Congressman DeFazio. If the targets established in the Economic Reports mandated in Title I are not met, funds would automatically be disbursed from two separate trust funds to a list of: (1) training programs enumerated in the bill; and (2) a direct public sector jobs program. The training programs would include, amongst other programs: The Department of Labor's Green Construction Careers Demonstration Program (not yet authorized). The Department of Energy's Labor's Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program (EEREWTP) (authorized in the Green Jobs Act of 2007)--specifically, the Pathways Out of Poverty Demonstration Program. The Department of Energy's Weatherization Program. The Job Corps Program. Grant programs that promote state and local hiring of police, firemen, and other public servants. Additional programs identified by the Secretary of Labor that: (1) promote energy efficiency consistent with the EEREWTP Program or promote clean energy creation; and (2) provide sustainable employment in the public or private sector. The government would provide grants to states and municipalities to set up ``Green Corps, ``Urban Corps,'' and/ or a form of expanded Americorps. These jobs would be low human capital jobs where the ratio of government spending to job creation would be very low. Some activities these individuals would engage in include: Home and public building weatherization; Greening of public spaces; Municipal waste and recycling; Public building solar installation and maintenance; Forestry; and Tutoring or mentoring. Utilize language throughout the bill that will provide a 10 percent for areas with high levels of poverty such as: Of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate at least 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Job Creation and Training Increase funding for Youthbuild and the 2010 Youth Summer Jobs Program, to allow for the employment of 5 million teens, with a requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Creation of a federal assistance program through the Department of Labor to prepare economically disadvantaged unskilled adults or adults needing retraining for full-time jobs, for a period of 12 to 24 months in public agencies or not-for-profit organizations. The intent is to impart a marketable skill that will allow participants to move to an unsubsidized. Fully fund the Green Jobs Act, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, as authorized by the Energy and Independence Security Act, of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Increase funding for the National Service Corps programs with an emphasis on current college students and recent college graduates. Direct funding to career colleges, technical, and trade schools, community colleges, and universities to train Americans in high-growth industries and healthcare professions, particularly focused on entry-level training and nursing programs, which allow participants to be able to continue to collect unemployment benefits through the period of training and/or allow them to receive a livable wage stipend during the period of training, with a requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/ Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Increase funding for High Growth Industries and/or grants for job creation in occupations identified by the Department of Labor as ``the ``fastest growing occupations and occupations projected to have the largest numerical increases in employment between 2006 and 2016,'' with a requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in quaffed areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/ Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Increase funding for Employment and Training Administration, Training and Employment Services, with a requirement to that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Increase funding for Welfare to Work program. Increase funding for the Second Chance Act (replaced and expanded Prisoner Reentry Initiative) and include language that eliminates or mitigates the bar on ex-offenders from receiving Federal financial aid programs, job-related training, public benefits, and public housing. Increase funding for pre-apprenticeship programs and the National Apprenticeship programs through the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, with a requirement to that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Language modification to allow for Americans to continue to collect unemployment benefits and/or TANF benefits while in an authorized job training program for up to 12 months. Expand the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) under the Older Americans Act to provide job training and employment for older job seekers by lowering it to age 50, eliminate requirement of unemployment--allowing participants to be underemployed, and changing the cap to 35 weekly hour cap employment allowing. Infrastructure Provide for Hope VI, green projects through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Rehabilitation of housing through Neighborhood Stabilization Fund which provides for additional construction jobs. Funding for the Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration to allow state and local agencies to move forward on infrastructure projects, of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined the Office of Management and Budget. Discretionary funding for Clean Energy technology and manufacturing through the Department of Energy, with a requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Small Business Language modification to allow the Community Development Financial Initiatives Fund to access capital markets via the Department of Treasury Guaranteed Bond Issuance program. Expand and expedite the Small Business Administrations Community Express Loan program by reducing the interest rate to 1 percent, particularly focused on areas where local unemployment rates exceed the state and/or high rates of long-term unemployed. Long-term extension of Build America Bonds, to result in liquidity and a lower interest rate. Reform and modernize the Section (8) program to assist more small and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) remain in business and hire more workers by doing the following: Extend by at least 2 years the 9-year period in which Section 8(a) certified businesses can participate in the program. Reform the Section 8(a) program to permit reinstatement of companies who were graduated from the program after nine years. Reform the Section 8 program to create a new program for small businesses that did not qualify for admission to the 8(a) program or were graduated from the program before the 9 year period expired because their financial resources exceeded maximum limits. Under this new program, an eligible company would be permitted to participate for a period of 7 years or until its financial resources exceeded 300 percent of the maximum amount allowable under Section 8(a). Language modification to the Workforce Investment Act performance measures in entrepreneurial training to allow for microenterprises to receive Self Employment Training and Technical Assistance from Workforce Investment Boards with a ``successful/positive outcome'' in order to support and spur further growth of small businesses/microenterprises. Language to support an appropriation to support payment of Black Farmers claims. State/Local Fiscal Relief With each provision, we would urge you to direct funding through the federal agencies directly to localities: county/ city/municipality/college/university or nonprofit organizations, rather than through the state, to be quickly disbursed and used by most economically depressed communities. Our Nation has suffered substantial unemployment and underemployment over a prolonged period which has imposed significant economic and social costs, particularly in communities of color. We appreciate your attention to these prescriptive measures and look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Rep. Barbara Lee, Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Chairman, CBC Taskforce on Economic Recovery.

Ms. FUDGE. At this time, I'd like to bring up a colleague, Donald Payne from New Jersey. Representative Payne has joined us many evenings, and it's a pleasure to yield some time to him this evening.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very, very much, Representative Scott. We so much appreciate your thoughtfulness, quite frankly, and showing a real difference between what is happening on Wall Street and Main Street. I would like to now, Madam Speaker, yield to our chair, our Chairman Rangel, to give us some words of wisdom which I'm sure he is going to do this evening. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We so much appreciate your being with us. Now I would like to yield to the person who has really gotten me through most of this year, our representative from the Virgin Islands, Donna Christensen.

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, we thank you for, once again, allowing the caucus to come and share with you our views. I want to thank all of the members of the caucus who came tonight. I think it was a very, very interesting and dynamic discussion.

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, the Nation's unemployment rate is alarming-- over 10 percent of our citizens are unemployed. However, African Americans have been hit harder by the recession. Nearly 15.6 percent of African Americans are unemployed. My congressional district has an even higher unemployment rate, of 17.1 percent, and is one of the poorest communities in the country. Many parts of the Greater Cleveland area suffer from abject poverty and unemployment. Nearly one in every four Cuyahoga County residents lives below the poverty line. These unemployment rates demonstrate that Americans need and deserve a more concerted federal effort to reduce poverty and create jobs. We must do more to help curb our Nation's problem and create jobs for our people. One reason I came to Congress was to help struggling Americans in my district. My number one priority is to promote policies that create jobs and spur economic development. I have consistently advocated for such policies this year. In the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, Representative Loebsack and I introduced the sectors amendment, which helps individuals and businesses by bringing together multiple stakeholders with a common interest in developing and implementing workforce development strategies that contribute to local and regional growth. The purpose of Sectors is to prepare individuals for jobs that are available in their communities now. Sector approaches draw upon the expertise of many partners who improve worker training, retention, and advancement by developing cross-firm skill standards. It promotes career development, job redefinitions, and shared training, while supporting capacities that facilitate the advancement of workers at all skill levels, including the least skilled. An emerging body of research demonstrates that sector strategies can provide significant positive outcomes, including job attainment, increased wages, and greater job security. As we work to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health care, I authored an important provision in the Affordable Health Care Reform Act. This provision requires the Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment, established by the bill, to monitor the adequacy of the health care workforce and report workforce shortages. This will ensure the creation of job opportunities, where necessary, for constituents of the Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio. My provision will guarantee a rapid response to shortages in the health care workforce, such as Health Information Technology, nursing, primary care physicians, pediatrics and other specialists. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $19 billion for the U.S. to take the lead in health information technology. It establishes standards for a nationwide electronic exchange and health information to improve quality and coordination of care by 2010. Earlier this year, I introduced the Health Information Technology Public Utility Act. This bill will assist all health facilities transition to computerized health records. Ursuline College, an all- women's school in my district has created a curriculum responding to this need. Sister Diana Stano, President of Ursuline, has a health IT program that facilitates the expansion of my district's health information technology workforce. This program is more important at a school like Ursuline, because nearly 30 percent of the population is comprised of students from lower socio-economic groups or first generation college students. These students will now have an opportunity to move straight from training to sustainable employment. Currently I am working with Chairman Towns and Representative Patrick Murphy on legislation that will not only assist students with private education loans but also create jobs following college. The proposal allows college graduates to swap a portion of their private student loan debt for a federally subsidized loan with a lower interest rate. As a result of the conversion, the federal government would earn $9 billion for school construction, improvements for primary and secondary education facilities and institutions of higher education. We must provide financial support for students to complete trade certifications or college degrees. Education is the only way to end the cycle of poverty. We must encourage innovation in lending so small business and those in minority communities have access to capital. We must aggressively advocate for loan modifications to reduce foreclosures and keep Americans in their homes. In short, we need a concerted effort from the Federal government to expand access to the critical services and resources for minority communities. The exaggerated rate of Black unemployment is problematic for the entire Nation. These families, and those in disproportionately affected regions, need a solid pathway out of poverty. By re-training workers in expanding industries, instead of those that are shrinking we can move people out of poverty. Targeted assistance to Americans disproportionately suffering from the recession is crucial to reducing the unemployment rate for all.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Chair, one in seven mortgages in the United States is now either delinquent or in foreclosure. This is an all time high. By the close of this year, there will be nearly 3 million homes lost to foreclosure. This amendment gives homeowners a chance to save their homes. It would allow bankruptcy courts to extend repayment timelines, lower excessive interest rates, and modify mortgages. It will protect hard-working and honest Americans struggling to keep their homes. As I've witnessed firsthand in my own district, the relentless tide of foreclosures has a crippling and destabilizing effect on the community. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Chair, the failure to regulate financial markets led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Reforming our financial system is one major part of restoring our economy's health. Today this Congress and President Obama are taking effective steps to bring our economy back from the brink of disaster. The Act is crucial in curbing the predatory practices of the past. It will protect consumers from predatory lending abuses and industry gimmicks. This bill will guard a family's retirement funds, college savings, home, and business from unnecessary risk by executives, lenders, and speculators. It will bring transparency and accountability into the financial system. I commend Chairman Frank for his tireless efforts to protect the American economy and taxpayers.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Glenville High School football team on its historic season. This Division I team became the first Cleveland Public School to compete for the state championship last Saturday. While track icon Jesse Owens and the creators of Superman were products of Glenville, it has never had a state football champion. This year's players are champions in every sense of the word. They play football at Glenville High School for the structure that football provides and the mentorship of their coach, Ted Ginn, Sr. More than 100 of Ginn's players have earned athletic scholarships. Five play in the NFL. Glenville played valiantly in the state championship, but lost by one point Again, I congratulate the Glenville High football team, students, Coach Ginn, his assistant coaches, our supportive community, and Glenville Principal Jacqueline Bell on an amazing season. Next year they will bring home the trophy!

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, Anthony Sowell raped and murdered 11 women in my own Congressional District. I offer condolences to the families of these women, whose names are: Tonia Carmichael, Nancy Cobbs, Tishana Culver, Crystal Dozier, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Leshanda Long, Michelle Mason, Kim Yvette Smith, Diane Turner, and Janice Webb. In honor of the women he victimized, we must address the underlying issue of violence against women. Consider that 1 in every 4 American women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. However, only about half of domestic violence incidents are reported to police. Even though African-American women are more likely than others to report their victimization to police, intimate partner homicide is the leading cause of death for African- American women ages 15-45. A report issued in 2000 found that 17.6 percent of women in the United States have survived rape or attempted rape. Of these, 21.6 percent were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 32.4 percent were between the ages of 12 and 17. About half of all rape victims are in the lowest third of our national income distribution. In 2010, the Violence Against Women Act is scheduled for reauthorization. Since its enactment, this Act has saved the lives of numerous women by providing funding for life-saving shelters and services, and educating the public about the cycle of violence. Congress has a unique opportunity to strengthen these programs and raise the profile of violence against women. Our Nation's current response is insufficient. As we move forward, we must act with outrage about how our nation responds to violence against women and girls. Education and prevention is the key to break this cycle of violence.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Chair, today this Congress and President Obama are taking critical steps in bringing our economy back from the brink of disaster. Reforming our financial system is one major part of restoring our economy's health. I rise in support of an amendment Chairman Barney Frank and I have offered requiring credit rating agencies to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Credit rating agencies provide a valuable service by issuing opinions on the creditworthiness of a company or debt. Investors and creditors rely on these ratings to determine if their investment and contractual decisions are sound. However, credit agencies' registration and oversight is entirely voluntary. Why should agencies as important as credit rating agencies be permitted to opt out of regulatory oversight? There is no valid reason. Large, established rating agencies should not be able to avoid regulation designed to protect the financial system, consumers, investors, and taxpayers. Under our provision, for the first time, the Securities and Exchange Commission will have an office dedicated to broad oversight of credit rating agencies. Registering these entities will provide greater accountability and transparency. This amendment will truly enhance oversight of credit rating agencies and protect investors, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment. I commend Chairman Frank for his tireless efforts to protect the American economy and taxpayers.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Rev. Jesse Jackson's historic run for President of these United States 25 years ago. Main Street pundits then underestimated his ability to draw Americans to the polls, but his passionate devotion to the advancement of the disenfranchised resonated with so many Americans. In fact, in his 1988 Presidential bid, he won 11 contests, 7 primaries, and 4 Democratic caucuses. His current activism moves our Nation towards the true inclusion of diverse ideas, of classes, races, and ethnicities. In his words, he said, ``At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division.'' As an agent of social, political, and economic change, Rev. Jackson has positively impacted the lives of many. I celebrate Rev. Jackson's achievements and applaud him for continuing his advocacy for economic parity and minority inclusion. Mr. Speaker, I thank you so much for this opportunity, and I thank Mr. Jackson for being in our midst today.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus is proud to offer this special order tonight which will focus on the needs of American women and the response of the 111th Congress to those needs. The Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC, is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. I am Representative Marcia L. Fudge from the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. Madam Speaker, we have been joined by our Chairwoman, the gentlelady from California, the Honorable Barbara Lee. I now yield to our Chair.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend and to enter remarks into the Record on this topic.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you. Madam Speaker, the CBC is composed of 42 members, including 4 committee Chairs, 15 subcommittee Chairs, and the majority whip. Our members promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens. CBC members are tireless advocates who work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress. We stand firm as the voice of the people and provide dedicated, focused service to our constituents. Madam Speaker, we are proud to anchor this hour to discuss Congress' responsiveness to an important constituency group, American women. Let's first understand the current role of women in the legislative process. Since 1917, when Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in Congress, a total of 260 women have served as U.S. Representatives or Senators. Currently, more women now serve in Congress than at any time in the Nation's history. In this year's Congress, there are 17 women serving in the United States Senate and 74 women serving in the United States House of Representatives. Of those Congresswomen currently serving in Congress, 14 are members of the CBC. Since the first Congresswoman of color, Representative Patsy Mink of Hawaii, won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964, a total of 39 women of color have served in the U.S. Congress. Roughly three quarters--or 30--of these women were elected after 1990, and a total of 38 have served in the House of Representatives, where Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois is the only woman of color to serve in the U.S. Senate, from 1993 to 1999. The first African American woman to serve in Congress was Shirley Chisholm of New York who won election in 1968. Twenty-five African American women have followed her. There are some States who have never elected a woman to Congress. They are Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi, and Vermont. I look forward to having women from those States join us at some point, Madam Speaker. There are a historic number of women currently serving in Congress, including the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who was elected Speaker in 2007. The 111th Congress understands that our Nation's laws must include and respond to all of our citizens, including women. Women in the Workforce. We addressed that when we looked at Lilly Ledbetter. Congress began this year addressing gender-based pay discrimination. In January, Congress swiftly and decisively passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Just days later, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law and restored an employee's right to challenge unlawful pay discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act passed by the House on January 9 takes further steps to ensure that gender-based pay discrimination does not occur in the first place by closing the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay. A comprehensive update to the 46-year-old Equal Pay Act, The Paycheck Fairness Act puts gender-based discrimination sanctions on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination, such as race, disability, or age. It creates a new grant program to help strengthen the salary negotiation skills of girls and women. And it creates strong incentives for employers to equally compensate workers while strengthening correlating Federal enforcement efforts. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. Progress has been slow during the 46 years since passage of the act. After four decades, American women continue to be unfairly compensated for their work. According to the National Organization for Women, when the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women working full time and year round earned an average of 59 cents for every dollar earned by men; in 2007, women made 78 cents for every dollar earned by men; today, the gap has narrowed by less than a half a cent a year. The impact of income disparity extends far beyond the individual woman. As such, equal pay is not just a women's issue, it is a family issue. The current wage gap hurts everyone. It lowers family income for essentials such as groceries, doctor's visits, and child care. When women earn more, families benefit. Closing the wage gap is an integral part of strengthening American families and providing hope for a better future. I stand in support of equal pay for all. I look forward to the day when all women receive equal pay for equal work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act recognized the need to get our people back to work, and that includes women. During the current recession, from December 2007 until September 2009, roughly 2 million women lost their jobs, according to employers across this Nation. As of September, women represented 49.9 percent of all workers, excluding those in the Armed Forces and farmworkers. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains powerful provisions to retrain workers. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has made nearly $4 billion in new funding available through the Department of Labor for job training programs. Just under $3 billion of this funding has already gone out to States through formula grants under the Workforce Investment Act. Speaking with Lori Atkins, the deputy director of workforce training in Cuyahoga County where I live, I learned the county will receive $14 million for training. The money will help dislocated adult and youth workers, including America's women. Another $750 million will be allocated through competitive grants to train people in green jobs and health care and other high-demand sectors. While women are underrepresented in many of these high-demand sectors, we can be retrained to compete for these jobs. I am proud of community organizations that retrain women in nontraditional industries. Hard Hatted Women is one such organization. The nonprofit, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is launching a new program called Tradeswomen TOOLS. This program will link women to opportunities in high-wage, nontraditional fields using the expertise of women working on diversity initiatives in these fields. The goal is to link unemployed women with employment opportunities within the building trades in heavy highway construction, the energy and utility sector, the green building sector, and advanced manufacturing. Tradeswomen TOOLS provides orientation to nontraditional careers, industry specific workshops and presentations, individualized career counseling, one stop center for referrals, and math and physical fitness for the trades. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and organizations like Hard Hatted Women provide women the resources to get back to work. Now I would like to talk a bit about women and education challenges. Madam Speaker, we must ensure that our girls graduate from high school in order to financially provide for themselves. According to the National Women's Law Center, an estimated 25 percent of female students do not graduate with a high school diploma in 4 years. Girls of color are particularly affected by this trend. Across the Nation, in 2004, 37 percent of Hispanics, 40 percent of black, and 50 percent of American Indian or Alaskan Native female students failed to graduate in 4 years. While there are many factors that contribute to students dropping out of school, some are unique to girls. Those factors are: first, pregnancy and parenting responsibilities. According to a survey conducted by the Gates Foundation, 33 percent of female dropouts reported that becoming a parent played a major role in their decision to leave school. Specifically, students cited the lack of affordable day care for their children. While some high schools provide subsidized care for student parents, many do not. The school itself then becomes a determinant in whether the student remains in school. In many schools where a certain number of absences result in students forfeiting a class, teen mothers need child-related absences not counted toward their total number of absences, and most could benefit from counseling in time management, parenting skills, and referrals to services for their children. Poor attendance rates influenced by a high occurrence of sexual harassment by peers and educators is another reason why young women drop out of school. During the same Gates Foundation survey, 83 percent of girls were victims of sexual harassment in school. Suffering abuse at the hands of peers, teachers, and other school administrators, these girls reported that the abuse caused them not to want to attend school to avoid the teacher responsible for the harassment, to stop participating in the classroom, and to be distracted from their studies. Unfortunately, when we fail to create a safe space in our schools, we undermine the success of all students, especially girls, their future families, and our Nation. According to the study ``When Girls Don't Graduate, We All Fail: A Call to Improve High School Graduation Rates for Girls,'' female dropouts earn significantly lower wages than male dropouts, are at a greater risk of unemployment, and are more likely to rely on public support programs. Female high school dropouts earn only about 63 cents for every $1 earned by male high school dropouts. Measured against the Federal poverty line, women without high school diplomas earn an average salary about 7 percent below the family poverty line for a family of three, $15,520 versus $16,600. Women with high school diplomas earn an average salary about 32 percent above the Federal poverty line, or $21,936 to $16,600. Female dropouts struggle with worse health conditions and less access to health coverage to address their needs than girls who graduate from high school. Women under the Affordable Health Care of America Act are among those who stand to gain the most from health insurance reform. Madam Speaker, we pay more, we get less, and some of the ways we are treated by insurance companies is just criminal. Recently, I met Mrs. Jodie Miller of Maryland, a mother who conceived triplets through in vitro fertilization. Mrs. and Mr. Miller were later denied health coverage because their insurance company declared that they had preexisting conditions. She was denied because of her infertility. The insurance company denied Mr. Miller coverage due to what they deemed ``spousal infertility.'' America's Affordable Health Care Act will outlaw such discrimination based on preexisting conditions. The Affordable Health Care for America Act would revolutionize health care for women, ending the discrimination we face under our current system. More than 14 million American women who have purchased health insurance in the private market last year paid up to 48 percent more in premium costs than men. Insurance companies routinely practice what they call gender rating, and that permits them to charge men and women different premiums for the very same coverage. The Affordable Health Care for America Act would make gender rating illegal. Never again will insurance companies be able to deny women coverage for C-sections because we are pregnant or because we are victims of domestic violence. Never again, Madam Speaker, will insurance companies be able to deny us coverage just for being women. The House's health reform proposal would make health care affordable for all of America's women and protect us from high and potentially unimaginable out-of-pocket health care costs. We must and will improve health care for not only women, but for all Americans. I want to talk about women of color and disproportionately being targeted for high-cost mortgages. According to a report for the National Council of Negro Women researched by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, African American and Latino women continue to receive disparate treatment in the mortgage lending process. The report, ``Assessing the Double Burden: Examining Racial and Gender Disparities in Mortgage Lending,'' demonstrates that minorities continue to be much more likely to receive high-cost home mortgage loans than their white counterparts. In many instances, disparities by race widened as income levels increased, indicating that discrimination remains a reality in home mortgage lending, as reports by the Federal Reserve and others have documented. The foreclosure epidemic is, in part, rooted in the targeting of communities of color for high-cost loans. The report finds that minorities were first to experience disproportionately high rates of foreclosure. As the foreclosure crisis continued to spread to suburban areas, the study suggests that middle- and upper-income minorities will continue to experience a disproportionate impact, which is especially pronounced for African American women. Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever of the National Council of Negro Women commented that, ``Given the importance of homeownership to families and entire communities, it becomes clear that we simply cannot rest until every person, regardless of race or gender, is treated fairly at every stage of the mortgage lending process.'' The report examined data collected under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act for the year 2007, which is the latest year for which data is publicly available, for 100 of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Among the findings, middle- and upper-income African American females were at least twice as likely to receive high-cost loans as middle- and upper-income white females in more than 84 percent of the metropolitan areas examined. Low- and moderate-income African American females were at least twice as likely to receive high-cost loans as low- and moderate-income white females in 70 percent of the metropolitan areas examined. Middle- and upper-income Hispanic females were at least twice as likely to receive high-cost loans as middle- and upper-income white females in almost 62 percent of the metropolitan areas examined, and low- and moderate-income Hispanic females were at least twice as likely as low- and moderate-income white females to receive high-cost loans in 32 percent of the metropolitan areas examined. The foreclosure crisis has definitely affected my congressional district. The Center for Responsible Lending projected that more than 5,500 foreclosures will occur in my district in 2009, and more than 18,500 foreclosures will occur over the next 4 years. The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act is to respond to the foreclosure crisis. In May, the House of Representatives passed the Predatory Mortgage Lending Practices Reduction Act of 2009. If the act passes the Senate, it will strengthen restrictions on compensation paid to mortgage lenders and brokers. Today, some lenders deceptively pay brokers extra fees for loans if they write loans at a higher interest rate, even when lower rates are available to borrowers. The rates are unreasonable, and borrowers are often subsequently forced into foreclosure. Such arrangements are an indefensible conflict of interest and must be stopped. A key element of the act prohibits lenders from underwriting unreasonable loans and prohibits practices that increase the risk of foreclosure. The act supports lenders making 30-year, fixed rate, fully documented loans rather than the record number of unstable loans marketed today. It also provides greater protections for renters of foreclosed properties, like requiring a mandatory 90-day notice to vacate instead of the arbitrary practices currently being used. The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act is crucial in curbing the predatory practices of the past. Mortgage lending reform is a vital piece of the congressional effort to prevent future financial disasters. Congress cannot, and will not, ignore the fact that lax regulation of this industry has left far too many consumers unprotected. I urge the Senate to pass this measure soon. In response to the predatory practices of some mortgage brokers and agents, I introduced the Predatory Mortgage Lending Practices Reduction Act of 2009, H.R. 2108. The act is designed to assure consumers that mortgage brokers or agents are thoroughly trained and accountable for predatory practices. It does this by altering the law in three ways. First, the act requires that brokers and agents issuing subprime loans undertake a rigorous certification program. Second, the legislation streamlines the process for filing complaints against unethical brokers and agents. And, finally, the act creates civil penalties for violations of Federal predatory lending laws. Madam Speaker, there are honest and decent mortgage brokers and agents in this industry. Then there are a relatively few number of unscrupulous individuals who earn their commission through deception. The Predatory Mortgage Lending Practices Reduction Act of 2009 would help protect consumers from the latter class of lenders by ensuring that all related personnel are properly trained and held accountable. Madam Speaker, further, I, on a regular basis, host housing clinics within my district. I do this in order to educate women about predatory lending, about housing scams and their rights under foreclosure. In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I would quote from Susan B. Anthony who said it was ``we the people,'' not we the white male citizens, nor yet we the male citizens, but we the whole people who formed the union; men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less. By responding to the needs of all Americans, Congress will address the needs of all women as well.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so much. Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank my friend for coming this evening and thank her for her support of businesses and for her work on the Small Business Committee. Thank you again. I hope that you will join me another time.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I just want to say to our Chair how appreciative I am that she has allowed me to anchor this hour for most of this year, and even though I may in fact be biased, I know that we have the most dedicated and hardworking Chair of any caucus in this House. So I thank you, and I thank you for being with me just about every week. I couldn't do it without you. Madam Speaker, as well I have been joined by my good friend and colleague from the great State of New York, the gentlelady from New York, Yvette Clarke.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. There comes a time, Madam Speaker, when we must choose that which benefits the greater good or look for selfish reasons to support the status quo. Now is that time and I choose the greater good. When I go home, Madam Speaker, I will be able to say that I was asked to make health care more affordable and I said ``yes.'' This bill makes health care affordable for 36 million more Americans by ensuring that working-class citizens will never have to pay more than 12 percent of their income on health care premiums and that people whose incomes are 400 percent of poverty or less will receive their premiums in the form of subsidies. More than 163,000 households in my district alone will benefit from these subsidies. When asked to increase access to care, I said ``yes.'' ``Yes'' to the people of America who will no longer worry about being denied coverage because of preexisting conditions. ``Yes'' to the people of America whose families can now have regular checkups and free preventative care. Madam Speaker, I said ``yes'' to those who for the first time will have a family doctor instead of using the emergency room for routine matters. When asked to help the laid-off worker, the small business owner, the working poor, and those who can't make ends meet in this very struggling economy, I said ``yes.'' When asked to ensure that those who have health care today but may be dropped tomorrow are taken care of, I said ``yes.'' When asked to exhibit the courage needed to fight for change, I said ``yes.'' When the history of the 111th Congress is written, I choose to be in that number that said ``yes'' to the people of America.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to a lot of this today, and I just feel that it's time that the American people hear the truth. The truth is that more than 60 percent of the American people want health care reform. The truth is that seniors pay much too much for their prescriptions and for their medications. The truth is that the American people are being mistreated by their insurance companies as they exist today. And the truth is that Democrats are working to fix the problem and not just be obstructionist.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. I appreciate the gentlewoman from Texas for joining me. I just want to say this one thing: I was listening to one of my colleagues earlier ask what happened to the month of August? The month of August was spent, at least in my district, hiring 6,000 children to work summer jobs. The month of August was a time when I spent time talking to the people at home who want a public option. The month of August wasn't lost. But let me just say that in the event people believe it was, the month of October certainly isn't. And all the polls indicate that more people want a public option than not. So I just want to make that clear to make sure that the record was straight. Madam Speaker, I want to continue with our hour this evening, and I just want to say to everyone who is listening that we all share in the responsibility to create a better America. One way to strengthen our government is through civic engagement, whether it is through voting, attending a town hall or other public discussion, or writing a letter to your Members of Congress. These e-mails, letters, and phone calls you make to your elected officials really do have an impact. In my office my staff keeps a tally of all the phone calls we receive on the issues, which I review on a regular basis. One of my constituents, Paul Gordon, calls every week and sometimes several times a week. I may not always agree with Paul Gordon, but I appreciate his comments and encourage him and other constituents to share their views with me. And that's what happened in August, Madam Speaker. People shared their views. We learned a great deal from the dialogue we had in the month of August. Madam Speaker, in last year's historic presidential election, voter turnout was at a record high, particularly in the African American community. To create change and hold elected officials responsible for their votes, Americans must continue to stay engaged on the issues year round, not just at election time. Moreover, African Americans must be involved in the debate. The stakes are high in every election, on every ballot, and between elections. Every voting day presents Americans with the same question: Will we be the masters of our own destinies or will we allow others to decide our fate? We must voice our opinions through civic engagement to positively change the course of our cities, towns, and the Nation. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, Our lives begin to end the day, the very day, we become silent about things that matter. I am proud to share a few stories of individuals from my district who are actively engaged in the civic process. They come from various backgrounds and ages. However, they all share a desire to help others and to make government responsive to the people. There is a young woman named Artavia Hill from Euclid, Ohio. She is a shining example of a young person actively engaged in the political process. As president of the NAACP Cleveland Youth Council, she registered voters during Russ Parr's Back to School Bus Tour in August of this year. She also spearheaded the youth council's ``Vote Hard, Step Hard: Stop the Violence'' which was an event held at Cleveland State University in January where young people were encouraged to register to vote, they discussed the effects of violence on the city and listened to local candidates. Don't give up on our youth. Artavia Hill is not the only one doing things for Cleveland's community. Dorothy Jones is another young northeast Ohioan committed to civic engagement. Her grandmother, Margaret Walker Fields, put Dorothy under her wing and taught her the importance of voting. During her childhood, Dorothy canvassed the 55th and Broadway area, and helped seniors fill out their absentee ballots. Because of her grandmother and the sense of reward she gets from helping others, she has devoted her life to public service. Dorothy now works for a council member in Cleveland. It is people with passion like Pearl Livingstone that brought me and many others into politics. Pearl, a Shaker Heights resident, created a program where the Ohio Secretary of State's office sent letters to high school seniors congratulating them for graduating and encouraging them to vote. She also encouraged 17-year-olds, who would be 18 by election day, to register to vote. To support those efforts, she helped start a voting advocacy group in Cleveland to encourage young people to get out and vote. Pearl deserves praise for putting her energies toward engaging young people in the civic process and educating them on the powerful impact of voting. And then there are seniors. Senior citizens are also very involved in the process. My friend, Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, told me about one of her friends and mentors and someone I have known for many years, Ms. Dionne Thomas-Carmichael. Dr. Chisholm said Dionne is very involved in the community, from signing people up for voter registration, to participating in political campaigns, to galvanizing individuals to care about their communities by turning complaints into positive action through advocacy. She is proud of the years that she has spent on the frontline in grassroots political action. I am always amazed by her energy and willingness to roll up her sleeves and get to work. She believes that we each have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, and our communities to make life better for others. To this end, she recognizes that the political process and advocacy are an important vehicle through which everyday people's voices are heard. I want to talk just a bit about ex-offenders, sometimes the forgotten people in our society. But in Ohio, an ex-offender can register to vote immediately upon release from confinement even if on parole. The reinstated citizen can vote in the next scheduled election without any restrictions. While there are no barriers that prevent ex-offenders from voting in the State of Ohio, many ex-offenders are not aware that they have these rights. David Singleton who is the executive director of the Prison Reform Advocacy Center says: ``States like Ohio, where all former prisoners can vote as soon as they are released, should take steps to ensure the ex-offenders fully understand this important right. When former prisoners believe they are stakeholders in their communities and have the power to contribute to civic life, they are more likely to succeed which is in all of our best interests. Our democracy suffers when the voices of all eligible voters, including former prisoners, are not heard. If 20 percent of the 34,000 ex- offenders on community supervision in Ohio are not voting because they erroneously believe they are ineligible to do so, then 6,800 potential votes have been lost. We want to ensure that ex-prisoners are not being disenfranchised on account of misinformation.'' Count every vote. We have all seen why counting each and every vote in an election is so important. During the 2004 Presidential election, Ohio suffered unfortunate irregularities in the voting system, which caused confusion and disruption. That disenfranchisement of voters is why my dear friend, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, introduced the Count Every Vote Act while a Member of Congress. The Count Every Vote Act, or CEVA for short, sought to remedy many of the problems that voters continue to face all over this country. This bill is not yet law, but should be. While the bill is not law and has not been reintroduced this year, I want to highlight some of the voter protection and enfranchisement provisions of this bill. CEVA maintains that voters deserve a paper trail of their electronic vote. This must be done to ensure accuracy in counting and avoid technological glitches. The first portion of the bill focuses on voter verification and auditing procedures. CEVA would require that all voting systems produce or require the use of voter-verified paper ballot or record suitable for manual audits. We must ensure that all Americans, including those with disabilities or language barriers, retain their right to cast a ballot. To that end, CEVA asks that the Federal Government require that at least one machine per precinct must allow voters with disabilities and language-minority voters to cast a vote in a private and independent manner. I believe that the Federal Government should require all States to offer early voting. CEVA makes this proposal to encourage people to vote by allowing them to vote at times convenient for them and avoiding long lines on election day. As I mentioned before, for our democracy to function well, all Americans must have a pathway to participate in the election process. To that end, the bill proposes that all States end the practice of prohibiting convicted felons who have completed their prison term, parole or probation to vote. After all, they have served their time. CEVA further proposes that we study the impact of making election day a Federal holiday. Creating such a day would give more voters time to cast ballots and allow more qualified people to serve as poll workers. Our leadership and moral strength is only enhanced when we help others. We lift as we rise. To have a vibrant democracy, we must encourage the participation of all citizens and fight against efforts to disenfranchise voters. We must work to ensure that our citizens do not encounter barriers to their full participation in the election process. Whether it is seniors who need transportation to the voting booth or ex-offenders who are unaware of the reinstatement of the right to vote, we cannot sit by while our fellow Americans are excluded from the democratic process. We must also encourage voters to be educated and organized citizens in order to strengthen and empower our communities. At the end of the day, civic participation is both a duty and a right. The legislative process affects all aspects of our lives and we cannot afford to remain silent. Your vote is your voice, so speak loud and clear. Members of Congress and all elected officials will hear you. Next Tuesday is election day for many. Use the power of your one vote. When you do not vote, by default you cast a ballot against the person or proposal you prefer. Your missing vote is one less that the opposition has to overcome. Thus, your vote is for those with whom you disagree. Get out, use your voice, and vote.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. I just want to just go one step further and talk about the power of the vote. There are so many people who believe that one vote doesn't make a difference. I could go through a litany of things that were decided by one vote, but I won't. But what I will say is this: Your vote is your voice. If you don't vote, then you have silenced yourself. So I think that it is important for us to understand and let the American people understand that no matter what the issue is, if you don't vote, what you've done is help the other side. So let your voice be heard, because even though I wasn't in the House, obviously, when you took up this whole thing about revising the way we do elections, I am just so pleased that in my State as a result of that, we now have absentee voting for any person. It used to be you had to be a certain age or you had to be infirm or you had to be this. Now any single person with no reason whatsoever can request a vote from the comfort of their home. Especially when we have many, many issues as things get difficult and more and more communities are asking for resources, then they can sit and take their time and not be in a voting booth being rushed or feeling rushed because people are behind them. I think it is something that really came out of that, and I appreciate and thank you and especially thank Stephanie Tubbs Jones for her work with it as well. But I just hope that people understand it is a responsibility. So many people fought to get us where we are today. It really is a responsibility to go out and vote.

Ms. FUDGE. Reclaiming my time, just to take that one step further, I think that people don't understand the significance of voting, as you suggest, all the time. What most people don't realize is that it is bodies like ours, which the gentlewoman from Texas talked about, who make decisions about things that people never think about. Just the very air we breathe, we make decisions about pollution and how much pollution can be in the air, about the quality of the food people eat, about the quality of their children's education. Those are decisions that are made by elected officials many, many times. I think that if people understood how significant it is to vote and how much change could be made by a vote, more people might be inclined to do it on a regular basis. I yield.

Ms. FUDGE. I appreciate the opportunity to join my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus for this special hour. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Representative Marcia L. Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. CBC members work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress and provide dedicated and focused service to our congressional districts and families nationally and internationally. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus is to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens. It continues to be a focal point for the legislative work and the political activities of the Congressional Black Caucus today. As Members of Congress, CBC members also promote civic engagement and active participation in the legislative process. The United States is the world's longest-existing democracy. Americans understand that our ability to elect our leadership through a democratic process is precious, and we recognize the need for greater civic engagement. Madam Speaker, I have been joined by my friend and colleague, the Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee from Texas. I now yield to my friend.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record on this topic.