Marcia Fudge

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. The Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC, is proud to anchor this hour. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the 9th Congressional District of California. My name is Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. CBC members are advocates for families nationally and internationally, and we have played a significant role as local and regional activists. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress, but understanding that all politics are not local, we provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and to the congressional districts we serve. During this Special Order, we have the honor of speaking about the life and legacy of a great man--Professor John Hope Franklin. It is with sadness and pride that the CBC members are here this evening to commemorate the passing of Professor Franklin, who was a great historian and a true conscience of the Nation. During this month of March, we are also privileged to celebrate Women's History Month. Members of the CBC will join with me on the floor and will offer their reflections on women trailblazers and the impact women have had on this Nation as a whole. Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield to our Chair, the Honorable Barbara Lee.

Ms. FUDGE. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for his remarks. At this time, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Scott.

Ms. FUDGE. I'd like to again thank the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, who has really been of such help to me as I continue to anchor these hours. I thank you again. I would like to close, Madam Speaker, by talking about some special women to me as we celebrate Women's History Month. I would talk about those who are on the rolls of this very House, people that I have followed over the years. I'd like to begin with the Honorable Shirley Chisholm. Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress. She was the first African American and the first female to run as a major party candidate for President of the United States in 1972. Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York, of immigrant parents in 1924. She earned her BA from Brooklyn College in 1946 and later earned her master's from Columbia University in elementary education in 1952. From 1953 to 1959, she was director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center. From 1959 to 1964, she was an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care. In 1964, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State legislature. In 1968, she ran as the Democratic candidate for New York's 12th District congressional seat and was elected to the House of Representatives. Defeating Republican candidate James Farmer, Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the Congress of the United States. Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969 as one of its founding members. As a freshman, Chisholm was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee. Given her urban district, she felt the placement was irrelevant to her constituents, and shocked many by asking for reassignment. She was then placed on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Soon after, she was assigned to the Education and Labor Committee, which was her preferred committee. She was the third highest ranking member of this committee when she retired from Congress. All those Chisholm hired for her office were women--half of them black. Chisholm said that during her New York legislative career she had faced much more discrimination because she was a woman than because she was black. In the 1972 U.S. Presidential election, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Chisholm said she ran for the office ``in spite of hopeless odds to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo.'' Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who continued to be politically active and was elected as a Congresswoman 25 years later. Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem attempted to run as Chisholm delegates in New York. From 1977 to 1981, during the 95th Congress and 96th Congress, Chisholm was elected to a position in the House Democratic leadership as Secretary of the House Democratic caucus. Throughout her tenure in Congress, Chisholm worked to improve opportunity for inner-city children. She was a vocal opponent of the draft and supported spending increases for education, health care and other social services, and reductions in military spending. She announced her retirement from Congress in 1982. After leaving Congress, Chisholm was named as the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College. Today, her portrait hangs in a very prominent place--a place of honor in the U.S. Capitol. Barbara Jordan. Barbara Jordan was a congressional Member from Texas's 18th Congressional District from 1973 to 1979. Jordan campaigned for the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964. Her persistence won her a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first African American State Senator since 1883, and the first black woman to serve in that body. She served until 1972. She was the first African American female to serve as president pro tem of the Senate, and served for 1 day as acting Governor of Texas in 1972. In 1972, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first black woman from a southern State to serve in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon Johnson, who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1974, she made an influential televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Jordan was mentioned as a possible running mate to Jimmy Carter in 1976, and that year she became the first African American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech in New York that summer was ranked fifth in a list of Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century. Jordan retired from politics in 1979 and became an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She again was a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1992. In 1995, Jordan chaired a congressional commission that advocated increased restriction of immigration and increased penalties on employers that violated U.S. immigration regulations. President Clinton endorsed the Jordan Commission's proposals. She supported the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, legislation that required banks to lend and make services available to underserved poor and minority communities. She supported the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and expansion of that act to cover other ethnic minorities. Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. It was only one of many honors given to her, including election into both the Texas and National Women's Hall of Fame. In 1995, she was awarded the prestigious United States Military Academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award, becoming only the second female awardee. Upon her death on January 17, 1996, Jordan lay in state at the LBJ Library on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. She was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, and was the first black woman interred there. The main terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is named after her, as are a middle school in Texas and a high school in Houston. The Kaiser Family Foundation currently operates the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars. This fellowship is for people of color who are college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates, and it is designed to provide them with a summer experience working in a congressional office. Carrie Meek. She is a former U.S. Congresswoman from Florida's 17th Congressional District from 1993 to 2003. She was the first African American elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction. Meek was born on April 29, 1926, in Tallahassee, Florida. The granddaughter of a slave and the daughter of a former sharecropper, she spent her childhood in segregated Tallahassee. Meek graduated from Florida A&M University in 1946. At this time, African Americans could not attend graduate school in Florida, so Meek traveled north to continue her studies, and graduated from the University of Michigan with an MS in 1948. After graduation, Meek was hired as a teacher at Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida, and then at her alma mater, Florida A&M University. Meek moved to Miami in 1961 to serve as special assistant to the vice president of Miami-Dade Community College. The school was desegregated in 1963 and Meek played a central role in pushing for integration. Throughout her years as an educator, Meek was also active in community projects in the Miami area. Elected as Florida State representative in 1969, Meek was the first African American female elected to the Florida State Senate in 1982. As a State Senator, Meek served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Her efforts in the legislature led to the construction of thousands of affordable rental housing units. In 1992, Meek was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th Congressional District. This made her the first black lawmaker elected to represent Florida in Congress since Reconstruction. Meek has received numerous awards and honors. She is the recipient of honorary doctor of law degrees from the University of Miami, Florida A&M University, Barry University, Florida Atlantic University, and Rollins University. Meek was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, in addition to serving on the Subcommittee of Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government and the Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and independent agencies. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was a U.S. congressional Member from Ohio's 11th Congressional District; the first black woman to represent Ohio in the House; former chairman of the House Ethics Committee since 2007; first black woman to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1949, Tubbs Jones graduated from the city's public schools. She earned a degree in social work from Flora Stone Mather College of Case Western Reserve University in 1971. In 1974, she earned a JD from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Tubbs Jones was elected a judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1981, and subsequently served on the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County from 1983 to 1991. She then served as the Cuyahoga County prosecutor from 1991 until resigning early in 1999 to take her seat in Congress. In 1998, Tubbs Jones won the Democratic nomination for the 11th District after 30-year incumbent Louis Stokes announced his retirement. She was reelected four times. Tubbs Jones was a cochairman of the Democratic National Committee. She opposed the Iraq war, voting in 2002 against the use of military force. Despite representing a heavily unionized district, she was a strong proponent of free trade. Tubbs Jones most recently took a lead role in the fight to pass the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement in November, 2007. In 2004, she served as the chairwoman of the platform committee at the Democratic National Convention and as a member of the Ohio delegation. She strongly supported Senator John Kerry in his campaign to become President of the United States. On January 6, 2005, she joined U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in objecting to the certification of the 2004 U.S. Presidential election results for Ohio. As the sponsor, she was one of 31 House Members who refused to count the electoral votes from the Ohio House in the 2004 election. She was selected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as chairperson of the House Ethics Committee to watch over the standards of ethical conduct for Members of the House. Tubbs Jones was popular in her district and was routinely reelected against nominal Republican opposition. She received 83 percent of the vote in her final general election in 2006 against Republican Lindsey String. She faced no opposition in the 2008 Ohio Democratic primary. I want to say that all the women I have recognized today are certainly people that I have a great deal of respect for. I have followed them to this House. And I want you also to know that they are all my sorority sisters. With that, Mr. Speaker, that would close this hour of the CBC Special Order, and we hope to see you again on next Monday as we continue our work in being the conscience of the Congress.

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, good evening. General Leave

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his continued participation in our CBC hours, our Special Orders on Mondays, and I would now like to yield to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. I want to thank my colleague for her very moving remarks and because she is here and even though she doesn't feel well, because it is such a very important issue. So I want to thank her. Mr. Speaker, I would now yield to the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I would very much again like to thank our teacher, our dean, our resident expert for his remarks this evening. And now, Mr. Speaker, I would yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the United States is a leader in advocating for human rights and humanitarian assistance. These ideals are embodied in the desire to assist and guide others that have lost hope. At the United Nations World Summit in 2005, 191 members of the UN expressed support for the idea of a responsibility to protect. This responsibility to protect proclaims that mass atrocities that occur in one country are the concern of all countries. This echoes the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, declaration that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. With Dr. King's words in our hearts, I rise today to speak about the grave tragedies affecting individuals in Darfur and the temporary protective status, better known as TPS, for individuals from Liberia and Haiti. I begin with the humanitarian emergency that is taking place in Darfur. The history of the information in the Darfur region of Sudan is long and complicated. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for decades. The conflict took a turn for the worst in 2003 when the Sudanese government mobilized militias known as Janjaweeds to attack opposition groups. The militia has brutalized the people of Darfur with murder, rape, torture, and pillage. They have burned down entire villages forcing people to flee their homes and their livelihoods. Entire portions of the region are now ruled by roving bands of armed gunmen. Since 2003, 300,000 Darfuris have died as a result of a conflict, and approximately 2.7 million have been forced from their homes. The conflict in Darfur is also having a devastating effect on its western neighbor, Chad. Nearly 200,000 refugees from Sudan have joined the 90,000 persons displaced by the civil war in Chad. To further complicate matters, both Chad and Sudan have accused each other of supporting rebellions in their countries. Last week, however, the situation in Darfur took a grave turn for the worse. Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir, expelled 13 nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, and 6,500 aid workers from the country. This was in direct retaliation for Bashir's indictment on war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, better known as the ICC, on March 4, 2009. Bashir's unsubstantiated accusation that the NGOs were cooperating with the ICC investigation only heightens the urgency and necessity for an international response. The civilian population is composed of two million people who are spread out among 200 refugee camps in Darfur, and in 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad. The UN estimates that 40 percent of Darfuris depend on outside assistance for their survival. This expulsion of humanitarian groups, such as Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, will adversely affect millions of civilians who rely on NGOs for their most basic food and medical needs. Who will continue to provide these urgent services, Mr. Speaker? The Sudanese government has clearly demonstrated that it is unwilling or unable to assist its citizens throughout this very conflict. The expulsion of the NGOs is only the most recent act that endangers millions of lives. This is why the international community must unite and forcefully declare that Sudan's government not hold its citizens hostage. Last week, I and nearly 80 Members of this Congress sent letters to the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, the chairman of the African Union and the President of China urging them to insist that the government of Sudan allow humanitarian organizations to re-enter the country. President Bashir must separate the ICC action from the charity relief efforts of relief groups. The expulsion violates international humanitarian law and damages efforts to resolve the conflict. Without the NGOs, more than one million Darfuris will be left vulnerable to disease and starvation. These are civilians, Mr. Speaker. They are caught in the cross hairs of a conflict they did not begin and they have no power to end. By sacrificing his people for political gain, President Bashir has shown a call as disregard for human life that the international community cannot ignore. President Bashir must reverse the expulsion order and allow NGOs back into Sudan. The people of Darfur have suffered enough. To compound their anguish at this critical time is unconscionable. I applaud President Obama's appointment of a special envoy to Sudan. President Obama named retired Air Force General Scott Gration last week as a special envoy to Sudan, choosing a close adviser with broad experience in the region. The President has indicated that the conflict in Darfur is a priority for his administration. The CBC is encouraged by the administration's stance, and we look forward to working with the President and the Special Envoy Gration. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to my colleague from the State of Texas, the gentlewoman from the State of Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague because she always does bring great focus and great insight, and I thank you so much. Mr. Speaker, I will close with a few comments. Mr. Speaker, the suffering of the people of Haiti and Liberia are pressing issues. The United States has more options available in dealing with Haitians and Liberians. It is time for the United States to exert that control and extending temporary protected status, or TPS, for individuals from Haiti and stand by our TPS for Liberians. As a signatory to the United Nations protocol relating to the status of refugees, the United States has agreed that it will not return an individual to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened. U.S. immigration law employs TPS designations to address this very issue. TPS protects individuals from being deported to a country where that person would be threatened on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular group, or political opinion. TPS is also sought by those aiming to flee extreme poverty, depravation, violence, and the dislocation brought on by famines or natural disasters in their home countries. Mr. Speaker, I think that it is time for this country to understand the significance of helping those who cannot help themselves. I began this hour talk about a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, and I will close with the same one, that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Mr. Speaker, I just ask that this Congress and the Members who are hearing this or who will read this at some other point do make themselves aware of the plight of the people who we spoke about today.

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC, is proud to anchor this hour. Currently the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. CBC members are advocates for families nationally and internationally. We have played a significant role as local and regional activists. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress. But understanding that all politics are local, we provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and congressional districts we serve. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens, continues to be a focal point for the legislative work and political activities of the Congressional Black Caucus today. As Members of Congress, CBC members also promote legislation to aid neglected citizens throughout the world. We understand that the United States, as a bellwether, has the ability to positively impact our neighbors abroad. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to our chairwoman, the Honorable Barbara Lee.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I would very much like to thank our Chair for her leadership, for her vision, and certainly for her support of this special hour for the CBC. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards).

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I would very much like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentlelady from Wisconsin, for her passion and for her insight. At this time, I would now like to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey who, indeed, is the dean of the CBC as it relates to matters of Foreign Affairs, especially those in Africa. Mr. Payne.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I would certainly like to thank my friend and the outspoken representative from the 11th District of New York. She stands for her people, and I am so appreciative of her participation this evening. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to one who has been so helpful during the CBC hour, who has provided me guidance and support, and I call my co-anchor. And that would be the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. I would very much like to thank my colleague for all of her help and support during the CBC hour, and look forward to working with her as well. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from the State of Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee, who has been a strong voice in our Congress for years for the people who are most in need.

Ms. FUDGE. The Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC, is proud to anchor this hour. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, representing the 11th Congressional District of Ohio. CBC members are advocates for the human family, nationally and internationally, and have played a significant role as local and regional advocates. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress. But understand that all politics are local. Therefore, we provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and congressional districts we serve. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens continues to be the focal point for our legislative work in political activity. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to our chairperson, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Ms. FUDGE. There are a couple of things that I would like to address. Many people know that Cleveland, which is a major part of my district, has been one of the poorer cities in America for the last 3 years. So when we are talking about more than 10,000 vacancies in a city, which is the case in the city of Cleveland, not only does it destroy neighborhoods, but there are less resources to go to the school or to go to the city for city services, and all of the things that go along with tax dollars. As well, it deflates and devalues all of the property around it. And it clogs the courts. The foreclosure process is a timing issue because of all the notice requirements. It is a domino effect. It hurts everything that you can think of that has to do with housing. But most importantly, it puts people on the street. We have thousands and thousands of people waiting to get into public housing. We have people who have moved in with other family members. Where do these people go? No one addresses the issue where do these people go. Everyone doesn't have a family that they can move in with. Everyone cannot get a voucher or stay with a friend. Where do these people go? And then what is compounding the problem is we are now having landlords who have renters in their homes, and haven't told the renters they are in foreclosure. One day the renters wake up and they have a notice on their door saying that they have to move in three days. Or the sheriff saying you must move from these premises. So it becomes a very difficult experience to watch someone lose their home. I am hopeful that some of the things that we have done in this Congress will stop the bleeding. We may not cure the problem over the short run, but I am very confident that we will over the long run. I certainly hope that some of these things are given a chance. We have given 8 years of opportunity to make things work and they haven't. Give us the same opportunity. I do believe our President is doing the right thing. It is just going to take some time.

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.

Ms. FUDGE. I want to thank my colleague who is obviously an outstanding lawyer and leader for participating in this hour. Mr. Speaker, certainly, as you have listened to my colleagues this evening, helping the economy recover is foremost in all of our minds. At this time in our Nation's history, it is important that Congress ensure that Americans have jobs to support themselves and their families, as well as homes to raise these families in. To fix the economy, we must address the foreclosure crisis. Foreclosures affect all races and incomes. It doesn't just stop in the poor cities, it affects every community in every State. However, the effects on the black community are especially pronounced because of the lower level of homeownership. For many black families, home equity is the main source of wealth because most have lower incomes, little to no savings or investments, and no life insurance policies. The decline of the housing market is at the center of our economic crisis. Home prices have dropped 18 percent in the last quarter of 2008. It is estimated that each foreclosed home reduces surrounding property values by as much as 9 percent, causing increased concern for even those who are not directly affected by the housing crisis. Nearly 6 million homes are facing foreclosure, and nearly one in five homeowners owes more than their home is worth, and many cannot afford to refinance. The foreclosure crisis affects every sector of the population, and nearly every person in this Nation. Cities across the Nation are experiencing a crisis that imperils communities and cripples the economy. In my district, the Center For Responsible Lending projected 5,500 foreclosures in 2009--just in the 11th District--and 18,500 foreclosures over the next 4 years. Within the State of Ohio the projection is very grim: 87,500 foreclosures in 2009. In Cuyahoga County, 13,858 were foreclosed in 2008. Cleveland is one of the Nation's big cities in the most need due to its large population of poor families. The city has set aside nearly $11 million to handle some 10,000 homes that have been abandoned primarily due to foreclosure. Much of that money, about $7.5 million, goes to demolition, while the remainder takes care of vacant lots, boarding up windows, picking up trash, and mowing lawns. This money could be used to hire more police officers and to keep more teachers. But because of the risk that goes with abandoned neighborhoods, money needs to go towards foreclosed properties. As we see far too often, for communities with foreclosed homes, it is a short road from nuisance to blight to crime. Blight affects a city's morale and slows economic growth and development. Abandoned homes also become harbors for criminal activity. Typically, it is our inner cities that bear the brunt of vacant homes and community blight. But now it can be seen in each and every community, in every development and in every neighborhood. Even the affluent suburbs face the same problems. The suburb of Shaker Heights spent nearly $1 million on foreclosed properties. The city of Euclid had to tear down 18 homes, and Cleveland Heights spent a great deal of money on maintenance on over 250 properties. I spoke recently with Ms. Arnetta Parker, a long-time resident of Richmond Heights, Ohio, a nice, upper-middle-class suburb. She and her husband have resided in the area for over 35 years and are currently doing fine. However, their community is struggling greatly. Her subdivision has about 80 homes, and on her street alone, four of those homes are vacant. She recalled one of the first times she saw a family be required to move out of their home and how much it hurt her to see a hardworking couple lose their home. The displaced couple had two kids, a teenage son who was very involved in sports and a very young girl. They were uprooted from what was familiar to them, from their schools, their friends and community. They became a part of the crisis. Just this month, foreclosures.com, a Website that looks at the rise of foreclosures in the United States, found an increase in foreclosures of over 60 percent from January to February. The organization's president, Alexis McGee, opined if foreclosures continue unabated, then the United States could see 1.2 million homes back in lenders' hands by the end of this year. The Center For Responsible Lending estimates there are 6,600 new foreclosures every day, and that equates to one foreclosure by one family that loses their home every 13 seconds. This Nation cannot sustain a system in which mortgage servicers prefer foreclosure over mortgage modifications. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan creates incentives for lenders to modify mortgages by bringing mortgages more in line with the value of the home and should reduce the number of home foreclosures. It also encourages servicers to modify mortgages for at-risk homeowners before they are delinquent. Recent reports show that homeowners are not the only ones suffering in this crisis. Renters are also becoming victims as their landlords lose property to foreclosure. Usually renters are not aware of the foreclosure proceedings. Once the lender has foreclosed, they often provide little notice to tenants before demanding that the tenants vacate the property. Forced from the property, renters may lose their security deposit and everything else they have. To help insure that similar crises are averted in the future, regulations must be developed that combat mortgage fraud and predatory lending practices. In general, predatory lending covers those practices that are deemed deceptive or fraudulent, that manipulate borrowers through aggressive sales tactics, or that unfairly seize on the borrower's lack of understanding about loan terms. Predatory lending strips borrowers of home equity, increases the homeowner's chances of foreclosure, and destabilizes communities. Vacant properties invite criminal activities and affect neighboring property values. The most common predatory lending tactics include excessive fees and abusive prepayment penalties. For example, borrowers with high-interest loans have a strong incentive to refinance as soon as their credit improves. However, as the Center for Responsible Lending estimates, up to 80 percent of all subprime mortgages carry a prepayment penalty. Homeowners become trapped by such provisions, leaving them unable to make cost-effective decisions. Moreover, studies have shown that predatory lenders often target vulnerable groups, including minority groups, females, elderly, and low-income borrowers. The evidence is clear by the concentration of predatory loans in low-income and minority neighborhoods. Congress and President Obama have both designed legislation to curve the downward spiral in foreclosures. These plans are coordinated among major government and regulatory agencies to bring targeted relief to the American housing market and to homeowners. The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, H.R. 1106, is designed to stabilize the housing market by reducing foreclosures, and to help responsible, hardworking Americans who are losing their homes during this economic downturn. It could reduce foreclosures by 20 percent. The bill ensures that those who seek recourse via chapter 13 can do so through a uniform process. Several important points about the bill are that it protects lenders from lawsuits, it fixes the Federal Housing Administration's HOPE for Homeowners Program by lowering the fees paid by borrowers and lenders, and by providing $1,000 payments to servicers for each successful refinance of existing loans. It reduces current fees that have discouraged lenders from voluntarily participating. As a last resort, it allows bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of loans for families with existing mortgages, just as investors in vacation homes, real estate speculators, and corporations have been able to do for years. And it helps veterans, and others, to avoid foreclosure by allowing the Department of Veteran Affairs, the FHA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to guarantee or ensure mortgage loans modified either out of court or in a bankruptcy case. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for allowing the CBC to have a Special Order this evening. It is my pleasure to have anchored those hours.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our Chair, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), for her leadership, for her ability to keep the issues that are really pertinent and pressing on the CBC agenda. Madam Chair, I thank you. I would now like to yield to the gentlewoman from New York, Ms. Yvette Clarke.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Bobby Scott. For those of us in the Congressional Black Caucus, we clearly know that Representative Scott is the best in the Congress when it comes to analyzing budgets and providing information to his colleagues. So, again, I thank him. Madam Speaker, I thank you. I thank the members of the CBC for allowing me to act in their behalf tonight; as well as I want to say that we do very much appreciate the fact that we now have an administration and a President who does believe in an honest budget, who does believe in doing the things that are necessary to get this country back on track. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for your leadership as well. At this time, Madam Speaker, I would like to yield to the distinguished Member from the Virgin Islands, Representative Christensen.

Ms. FUDGE. I am a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, better known as the CBC. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, representing the 11th District of Ohio. CBC members are advocates for the human family nationally and internationally and have played a significant role as local and regional activists. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress. But understand all politics are local. Therefore, we provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and the congressional districts we serve. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens continues to be our focal point for the legislative work and political activities of the Congressional Black Caucus today. More than ever, it is necessary that we, as leaders, help those whom we serve. As the floor moderator today for the Congressional Black Caucus special order hour, I have to add that it is more important than ever that we put the money where our mouth is. For the past 8 years, we have lived in a cloud of corporate misdeeds, back-room dealings, and extreme tax cuts that have only benefited the wealthiest people in this Nation. Due to the Bush administration's lack of government oversight, intervention and inattention, we now face the toughest economy in our lifetime. Such neglect and inattention have led to this storm called a housing crisis, a collapse of the stock market and rising health care costs that leaves most Americans in a state of shock. In 2008, nearly 4 million jobs were lost across the Nation. In February of this year, the Greater Cleveland area unemployment rate was at a staggering 10.2 percent. The overall African-American unemployment rate is even greater, currently over 13 percent. In these dire times, something must be done to help our Nation and our people get back on their feet. The best way to address these issues and illustrate our desire to better the lives of so many Americans is with our budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. I want to thank President Obama for his thoughtful budget that signals a new era of responsibility. I want to applaud his attention to our Nation's most urgent needs, job training and job creation, health care and education. I would like to thank him for the particular attention that this budget gives to the mental health needs of our veterans. Finally, I applaud this administration for paying attention to those that need us the most, our children and our elderly. As the former mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and on behalf of all mayors and all local leaders, I want to focus on the administration's full funding of Community Development Block Grants. The fiscal year 2010 budget provides $4.5 billion to fully fund this program. As legislators, our number one priority is to get ourselves out of this current economic crisis. To accomplish this, we must look to programs that help improve and grow our economy. Historically, for every $1 of funding through a Community Development Block Grant, nearly $3 is leveraged for economic development projects. When a city needs a grocery store or more affordable housing, this block grant funding is utilized and helps build neighborhoods. This is one of the few programs where the money goes directly to the locality. It does not get tied up in State government or Federal affairs. The money immediately goes to the areas where local leaders can help expand economic opportunities for their local citizens. In Cleveland, Community Development Block Grant dollars have gone to assist our housing trust fund. Every dollar of investment leverages $5 of private investment. In 2008, housing trust fund funds were committed to projects that supported nearly 700 energy efficient housing units. This money has also gone to combat foreclosure. CDBG funds are the principal source of funds for supporting a range of activities to respond to the aftermath of foreclosures. This year, block grants can provide $300,000 for anti-predatory lending programs administered by Cleveland's Department of Consumer Affairs and other nonprofit agencies, over $400,000 for code enforcement and almost $900,000 for nuisance abatement and land reutilization on properties that are either vacant or have been through foreclosure. Community Development Block Grant dollars will help with housing services for low- or moderate-income families. These funds are a critical source of assistance for seniors and low-income families with funding to repair their homes. This year over $2.2 million is expected to be used for home repair assistance from these funds. This grant will also helped community-based organizations. Approximately $8 million supports a network of organizations that provide housing services, neighborhood safety programs and community outreach. Finally, CDBG funding will help city-wide services, housing and financial services such as foreclosure counseling, homeownership counseling, landlord tenant counseling and fair housing assistance. The funds also support nonprofits that offer social services such as educational programming for youth and food programs for our seniors and low-income families. Madam Speaker, I yield to the distinguished woman and our chair, the gentlelady from California, Ms. Barbara Lee.

Ms. FUDGE. Thank very much. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, who is always, in our caucus and in this Congress, a leading advocate for health care reform. I thank her. At this time I would yield to the distinguished Member from the State of Virginia, Mr. Robert ``Bobby'' Scott.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.

Ms. FUDGE

Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I stand tonight to represent the Congressional Black Caucus for this hour as we talk about Black History Month. The Congressional Black Caucus is proud to anchor this hour. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. I am Representative Marcia Fudge, representing the 11th Congressional District of Ohio, here to anchor the hour for the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC Members are advocates for families, nationally and internationally, and have played a significant role as local and regional advocates. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress, but because all politics are ultimately local, for that reason we provide dedicated and focused services to the citizens of the congressional districts we represent. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens, continues to be the focal point for the legislative work and political activities of the Congressional Black Caucus today. To close the month of February, we are proud to present a reflection on black history. Specifically, we would like to take this time to herald the unsung history-makers in the black community. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to our chairperson, Barbara Lee, the gentlewoman from California.