Al Green

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I am honored to stand here today as a Member of the Congress of the United States of America, and I am grateful to my constituents for allowing me to serve in this capacity. My district is a very diverse one. It contains the greatest medical center in the world, the Houston Medical Center, and it contains the first domed stadium, the Astrodome. We speak more than 80 different languages, and the ballot in the Ninth Congressional District in the State of Texas is printed in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese. We are indeed a very diverse district. My constituents are constituents not unlike those across the length and breadth of this country. There are issues of concern to them. I want to assure my constituents that as we move into the 114th Congress, I will be pushing legislation that will be important: the LAW Act, the Living American Wage Act. We have filed this bill before, and we will file it again in this Congress. The LAW Act indexes the minimum wage to poverty. It is our belief that anyone who works full time should not live below the poverty line. People should be able to work their way out of poverty. The LAW Act indexes the minimum wage to poverty such that when the poverty level rises, the minimum wage will also elevate, such that people who are working for minimum wage will continue to live above the poverty line. As an aside, I spoke to a person who is working at the wage that is paid to the persons who wait tables, the wait staff, $2.13 an hour; and one of the things that was called to my attention was that these persons--good people, hardworking people--don't always make a lot with these tips that are supposed to supplement their income. I have been told that as little as $8 in one day in tips were being made by one of my constituents, so I am concerned not only about the $7.25 an hour, the minimum wage, but also about the $2.13 an hour. I also supported H.R. 1010, which was filed in the last Congress, and it also indexed the minimum wage, not to poverty, but it did index the minimum wage. I will be concerned about comprehensive immigration reform because in my district, I have a good many persons who are the sons and daughters of immigrants who came here not of their own volition. Many of them came and discovered that they were not American citizens after graduating from high school. I support what the President has done with his executive order. I have to support what he has done with his executive order, given that I am the beneficiary of the greatest executive order ever written: the Emancipation Proclamation. It did not free the slaves, but it did pave the way for the passage of the 13th Amendment. I am honored to say that I support what the President has done, but we still must have comprehensive immigration reform because there is much more to be done. With millions of people living in the shadows, we need to know who is in the country, and we also need to make sure those who are in the country pay their fair share of taxes, that they are a part of the infrastructure that elevates the country--the economic infrastructure--and to do this, we need comprehensive immigration reform. I am also concerned very much about our veterans. This is why in the last Congress, we passed the language that was in the HAVEN Act in the defense authorization bill. Senator Jack Reed, thank you so much. Senator Jack Reed helped to get that through the Senate, and that language got through the Senate because Senator Reed was there. Senator Reed, we are eternally grateful, and I think a good many veterans are too. Twenty million dollars was made available to veterans to help those who are low-income veterans who are injured in some way, such that they cannot use their facilities in their homes as they would without that disability. Counters are lowered, bathrooms are made accessible, and ramps are installed. Senator Reed, thank you for helping us to get this $20 million, which will be matched by NGOs who will perform this service and help our veterans. Finally, we are concerned about law enforcement. I respect law enforcement. I support law enforcement. What happened to these peace officers in New York was dastardly done. The dastard that did it is a person that we can never ever in any way glorify. The people who commit crimes ought to be punished, and I support punishment for people who commit crimes. I also support having a system that prevents our law enforcement officers from being falsely accused. I believe that a camera on an officer can make a difference, and I am honored to say that my colleague, the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver, and I are working together on bills that we have filed to bring them together, so that we can help our law enforcement avoid specious accusations and make sure that they have the evidence of what actually occurred. God bless my constituents and the United States of America.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Honorable Ted Poe, will recognize this name. The Honorable Lee Duggan, a district court judge in Houston, Texas, reminded young lawyers that we live in a world where it is not enough for things to be right, they must also look right, and this bill doesn't look right. It doesn't look right when you combine 11 bills into one overnight and then present that to the floor without any amendments being available to the bill. We should not allow a poison-pill process to develop at the genesis of this Congress. If we do it now, we will continue to do it. I think we have to concern ourselves not only with these 11 bills, but with the many other bills that are to follow. We can never allow this to start the new Congress. We should prevent it. I would also add this. I am all for doing a lot of things with a hurry-up process. I would like to see us do something about minimum wage; we are not doing anything about minimum wage at all thus far. I would like to see us do something about comprehensive immigration reform; that will be a piecemeal deal if it ever becomes a bill. Mr. Speaker, I stand with those who believe that the process ought to be fair. It ought to favor the openness that allows for amendments. I say to you that this is not right, and it doesn't even look right.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following vote: S. 1000--Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2014. Had I been present, I would have voted ''yes'' on this bill.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say without reservation, hesitation, or equivocation, I have preeminent respect for the constabulary. I have a relative who was a part of the constabulary. I believe that police officers have a very difficult job, and they do it under stressful circumstances, and I believe that most police officers are doing a good job every day. I also want to say that there are many people without the constabulary, however, who would have us get over Michael Brown, get over Eric Garner, get on with it. And then there are those who say in the alternative--not in these exact words but with words connoting this--they say, if you can't get over Garner, get over Brown, because Garner is a better case for you to take to the court of public opinion. To these people I say, we can't get over Garner and we can't get over Brown, because if the truth be told, Garner and Brown are two sides of the same coin, two sides of one coin. If the truth be told, without the eye of the camera, without what appears to be clear and convincing evidence, without what appears to be evidence that is beyond reproach, without the eye of the camera, Garner would be Brown. The Garner case is only what it is because the camera was there to capture the essence of what happened. If the truth be told, without the camera, there would be questions about how Garner was arrested, there would be questions about how he was taken to the ground, there would be questions about whether he made comments about his inability to breathe. How many times did he say, ``I can't breathe?'' There would be questions about whether or not he made some effort to harm some officer. There would be questions about whether the guns were somehow at risk of being taken from an officer. If the truth be told, without the eye of the camera, Garner would be Brown. This is why, Mr. Speaker, I have made an appeal to this House to bring H.R. 5407 to the floor. Let it go to a hearing. H.R. 5407 is the TIP Act, the Transparency in Policing Act. H.R. 5407 would accord the Justice Department the opportunity to do a survey and ascertain the cost of equipping municipalities, counties, police departments--the constabulary, if you will--with cameras. Then it would go on to require those that can afford it to have the cameras, and those that cannot, it provides an exemption to them. H.R. 5407 is good legislation. It is not a panacea; it won't cure all. For those who are concerned about the camera not being enough to cause a proper decision to be reached before a grand jury, it may not be, but it sure does provide the opportunity to galvanize the country around the notion that something needs to be done. It is not a panacea, not a cure-all, but it does present an opportunity for officers to be exonerated. H.R. 5407 would do more to help officers than anything out there right now that I can see, because it gives the evidence of what actually occurred at an event, it can cause officers not to be questioned about what they did, and it will cause those who would perpetrate dastardly deeds and fraudulent circumstances upon officers to be properly prosecuted. H.R. 5407 is a bill that is before the House and has a good many supporters right now, more than 40. I believe that H.R. 5407 deserves a hearing. I make an appeal, I beseech, and I implore my colleagues, who have the preeminent authority to make a decision as to whether it moves forward, to please give H.R. 5407 an opportunity to be heard. This is not an appeal from one Congressperson; this is an appeal from those who are concerned about proper policing.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I cannot support this legislation, and I hope nobody expects me to. Mr. Speaker, I am the beneficiary of the greatest executive order ever written, the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1863, when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the country was at war, it was being torn apart, and yet he signed that proclamation. While it did not liberate the slaves, it did lead to the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. I can't agree with this legislation because Truman in 1948 signed an executive order integrating the military, and it went on to integrate the broader society because it was a part of the avant-garde effort. And I would note that at the time he did it, the Dixiecrats were formed. They split from the Democratic Party. We have always had times of strife in this country, but great Presidents have always stepped forward, and they have done the right thing. Now let me address something quickly that has to be addressed: the question of this is a magnet, that it attracts a lot of people to the country. You can't be serious about this. If you were serious about the magnetic approach, you would have done something about wet-foot, dry-foot. Wet-foot, dry-foot allows any person who is from Cuba who gets one foot on American soil to come right on in and get into a pathway to legalization, just by getting one foot on. Have the other foot in the water, one on land? Come on in. And that is the policy of the United States Government. You would end that if you were serious. That is a magnet. But you don't see magnets until it comes to certain people, it seems. Mr. President, I salute you for what you have done. I commend you, I stand with you on this issue, but more importantly, I stand with bringing people out of the shadows of life into the sunshine of a new life. God bless you.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to the many persons who serve in law enforcement. They have difficult jobs, and they do their jobs well. I salute them. I also salute the many persons who have been engaged in peaceful protests. What they have been attempting to do, I support. A peaceful protest is the best protest. Peaceful protests can make a difference in the lives of people. I know, because I stand here today because of peaceful protests. I would like to continue what I started on yesterday, when I indicated that I would give a response today to a query that was made on Morning Joe. And I want my colleagues to know that I don't believe the query was made with malice aforethought. I think it was a genuine expression of concern. While intonations and expressions may connote otherwise to some, I believe that this is a question that should have been asked and that needs to be answered. The question was: What is wrong with these people?--meaning three Members of Congress. What is wrong with these people that they would come to the well of the House of Representatives and they would hold their hands up? What is wrong with them? Here is the answer, my dear brother: the same thing that was wrong with the Pilgrims and caused them to come to Plymouth Rock; the same thing that caused persons to throw tea into the Boston Harbor; the same thing that caused farmers to traverse the country on tractors and come to the United States Capitol to protest; the same thing that caused Rosa Parks to take a seat on a bus against the law; the same thing that caused Dr. King to march from Selma to Montgomery; the same thing that caused them to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what is known as Bloody Sunday. What is wrong with these people? They refuse to accept injustice. I refuse to accept injustice. What happened in Ferguson was an injustice. I refuse to accept injustice. Injustice anywhere is still a threat to justice everywhere. Dr. King was right. Injustice in Ferguson is a threat to justice in Houston, a threat to justice in Boston. Injustice anywhere is still a threat to justice everywhere. And so I will continue to hold my hands up. I will continue to support those who engage in peaceful protest. Because holding one's hands up is an indication that you don't have anything that will be harmful, an indication that you are willing to move freely and give an opinion about something that you believe to be important. I think that this will symbolize a movement that will metamorphose far beyond the initial reason for it being developed. I am absolutely convinced that this will not eviscerate, this will not evaporate, that it is not going to go away. It is going to become part of the protest movement. I also want to note that what happened with the Rams players was a seminal moment, and I want to legitimize what they did. I have already said that I will have flags flown over the Capitol of the United States of America in each person's name. Somebody is going to say, well, what about the people who may have committed a crime? Washington wasn't perfect, but we honored him. Jefferson wasn't perfect; we honor him. I am going to honor them for what they did at that seminal moment, just as I believe John Carlos and Tommie Smith should be honored for what they did when they held their hands up, indicating that they were protesting at the Olympics in '68. So I, Mr. Speaker, am honored to have this opportunity today to indicate to the world, finally, that Dr. King was right when he said the truest measure of the person is not where the person stands in times of comfort and convenience, when everybody is patting you on the back, when everybody loves you, all your bills are paid, when things couldn't be better. The truest measure of the person is not where you stand in times of comfort and convenience. The truest measure of the person is where do you stand in times of challenge and controversy, when people are throwing the slings and arrows of life at you because you took a simple stand against injustice. And it was injustice. I can explain it. I regret that I wasn't invited on the program to give my point of view. So I had to take to the floor of the House of Representatives to give what I would have given, if given the opportunity. God bless you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, November 30, we had a seminal moment occur in the history of our country. When those football players came out and held their hands up, they were speaking to the masses; and they were using these words, ``Hands up; don't shoot,'' in this symbolism. I believe so strongly in what they have done that I will have flags flown over the Capitol of the United States of America in honor of each of those players, and I will pay for the flags with my personal U.S. dollars. I also want to mention something that happened this morning on the Morning Joe show. The question was posed: ``What is wrong with these people? Don't they know that this is a lie?'' meaning what happened in Ferguson in terms of the hands up; don't shoot. I want to tell you what is wrong with these people. These people refuse to accept an invidious whitewash. I will say more about this tomorrow when I will have 5 minutes around 10 a.m. or sometime shortly thereafter, because I want the American people to know that there are some people who are willing to take a stand.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I wanted mention Mr. Horsford. He is not here tonight, but I always associate him with Mr. Jeffries. They have been a great dynamic duo. And they have done outstanding work with these Special Order hours. In his absence, I want to let him know that we still greatly appreciate him and we miss him. Mr. Speaker, I had a John Carlos moment. For edification purposes, John Carlos was the athlete at the 1968 Olympics who went to the podium, along with Tommie Smith, and raised his hand in what was called at that time a Black Power salute. At that time, much was said about John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Many people criticized them for taking the podium and making this gesture. They were said to be outside of the mainstream. But I believe that history has vindicated them because they were a part of the avant- garde. They actually were causing many people to understand that the Black Power movement at that time was much bigger than many thought. I had a John Carlos moment because I saw this clip where the Rams players came into the arena: Hands up; don't shoot. It was a John Carlos moment because this has become the new symbol, a new statement, a statement wherein people around the country now are calling to the attention of those who don't quite understand that this is a movement that will not dissipate; it will not evaporate. It is a movement that is going to continue because young people--a new generation--have decided that they are going to engage themselves in the liberation movement, the freedom movement, if you will, the continuation of what happened in 1968 with John Carlos and Tommy Lee Smith. I want to make sure that those who participated on the Rams team, that their names are chronicled in history. I want people who look back through the vista of time to know who they were when they search the Congressional Records. So I want to add their names to this Record. I want Kenny Britt to be recognized, Tavon Austin to be recognized, Stedman Bailey to be recognized, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, and Tre Mason. These are persons who in the years to come will be acknowledged as a part the avant-garde. I want people to know also that I appreciate and support what the President is doing with his executive action. I support what he is doing with body cameras, and I support what he is doing with body cameras because I believe that body cameras can exonerate, and they can as well incriminate. They can exonerate officers who are falsely accused. They can provide empirical evidence of what actually transpired. There won't be ``he said'' or ``she said.'' There will be the empirical evidence of what the camera actually saw. They can also incriminate those who would try to perpetrate a fraud upon the American people. Body cameras can identify those who would engage in criminal conduct and then try to excuse their conduct with words that don't match what the camera will reveal. I believe in body cameras. This is why I have filed H.R. 5407, the TIP Act, Transparency in Policing. The TIP Act would cause the Justice Department to examine the circumstance in this country, the costs for body cameras, and would then allow those jurisdictions that cannot afford to incorporate body cameras into their police departments, there would be an exemption for them, but would require those generally speaking who receive Federal dollars to move to body cameras. I regret that we are getting to a point now where we are getting it right after the fact. We shouldn't get it right after the fact. This is what is happening in Ferguson. After the fact, Ferguson is moving to body cameras. But we don't need another Ferguson. There are other communities around the country where after the fact they are moving to body cameras. We don't need to have an injustice take place before we move to a just circumstance and incorporate these body cameras. My hope is that we will follow the President's lead and that we will incorporate body cameras into police departments across the length and breadth and the scope of this country, if you will. But I also pray that this bill, H.R. 5407 will get a hearing. It is overwhelmingly supported by members of the CBC as well as others. It is not a CBC initiative, but it is supported overwhelmingly by the CBC, and my hope is that this bill will get a fair hearing because we should not get it right after the fact. We should have an opportunity to eliminate a lot of what we see as confusion and chaos. We need not continue to add fuel to the flame of confusion. That flame can be eliminated if we but only had these body cameras. They are not a cure-all, and they are not a panacea, but they are a positive step in the right direction. I salute the President and thank him for what he is doing, and I pray that we will get a fair hearing on H.R. 5407. God bless you, dear brother, and I pray that you will continue to do what you are doing on the floor of the House in giving us this voice so that we may reach the American people.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following votes: Waxman/McNerney Amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill. Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 4795. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill. H.R. 4795--Promoting New Manufacturing Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill. Personal Explanation

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I believe, in the inner sanctum of my soul, that we are the home of the free because we are the land of the brave. I salute those who are willing to serve their country, who are willing to go to distant places, and who don't always return home the way they left. I highly commend them, and I believe that those who serve us in our military, the men and women who serve us, should always be appreciated for their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. I also believe, Mr. Speaker, that we spend a huge amount of money-- about $1 trillion in one circumstance--to put them in harm's way. I believe that if we can spend $1 trillion to put them in harm's way, we can spend whatever it takes when they return home to make sure they have got the best health care, they get the best housing, and that they get good jobs. I also believe that we have a responsibility and an obligation in the Congress of the United States of America to make sure that their needs are met. This is why I have introduced certain pieces of legislation to deal with the issues that are confronted by our veterans. I would like to mention a few pieces of this legislation today. And I rarely use the personal pronoun ``I,'' but in my business, if you don't use the personal pronoun, somebody else will. I would like to talk about H.R. 384, Homes for Heroes. This piece of legislation would place a person in HUD, who would have the responsibility of filing a report with Congress annually on the status of veterans and who would be there to look out for veterans. There is currently a person there, but the person is not there in a legal capacity such that it would continue beyond this President or ad infinitum. I also have sponsored H.R. 2362, Transportation for Heroes. We have veterans who need to get to jobs and who need to get to the VA who cannot afford public transportation. I believe that we need to make sure that they get the same opportunity to take a public transportation system, to utilize it, that persons who are senior citizens have and persons who are disabled have. We have to provide a means by which veterans can get to those places that can be a benefit to them. This is why we have also sponsored H.R. 3876, Burial with Dignity for Heroes. This piece of legislation would allow those veterans who die in poverty, who have family members who are in poverty, who cannot afford to send them to a tribal cemetery once they die in some place that is distant from a tribal cemetery or a State facility--if you can't send them currently, you have to try to scrape the money up as best you can--I think this country ought to be grateful enough to make sure these veterans cannot only get to these places where they may be buried, but also they should get there and have a casket or an urn. They should have the opportunity to be buried with dignity. No veteran should die in poverty and then find that they can't get a burial with dignity. I also believe that we should have our veterans who are hurt after they leave the military be accorded the opportunity to have places to live such that they can access them easily and use them efficaciously. This is why we have filed the HAVEN Act, H.R. 3743. The HAVEN Act would accord $20 million--by the way, that we don't have; I believe that if we can spend money we don't have to put them in harm's way, we can spend money we don't have to take care of them when they get home--$20 million, $5 million a year, a pilot program to allow NGOs to match the $20 million and provide the type of facility that a veteran would need to move efficaciously, to move and have a great degree of functionality within his or her home. This is the kind of thing that a grateful nation ought to do. This piece of legislation is currently in the Senate defense authorization bill, and in that bill this legislation lies. But there is some question as to whether or not it will survive a conference committee. I pray and I hope for this piece of legislation, $20 million over 5 years to modify homes for disabled veterans, those who are hurt after they have left the military, to help them. There is already a program for those who are hurt while they are in the military. This is not duplicative. This does help veterans who need help. I believe we are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave. I believe that if we are going to continue to be the land of the free, we must make sure we must protect those who are the brave. God bless you.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Thank you very much, Congressman Jeffries. I also thank in his absence the gentleman from Nevada, Congressman Horsford. The two of you have been almost inseparable when it comes to these Special Order hours. I want to compliment you on the outstanding job that you have done. I would also like to compliment Congressman Horsford for the outstanding job that he has done on the Financial Services Committee. He brought his talents. He brought his brilliance, and he has represented his constituents exceedingly well, and I know that in the annals of history, when they look back through the vista of time, it will be said that he served us well in the Congress of the United States of America. With reference to the relevant question of the hour, as it relates to a more perfect Union, as we ponder and query where we go from here, it was appropriate, I think, that you introduced this topic by referencing President Lincoln. It was appropriate because you are eminently correct. It was a time of great turmoil when he announced that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and in January of 1863, when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the country was in the midst of a Civil War, being torn apart. There was much to be said about his announcement that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation. There was great debate, and there were many people who said that it should not be done, that it was not worth the paper it would be written on, to be quite candid with you, it was said, because it would only free the slaves in the States that had left the Union, States that, quite candidly, at the time, he had no control over. But he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and I thank God that he did, because by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, he laid the foundation for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America that was in fact executed in December 1865. But for the Emancipation Proclamation, I don't know that I would be standing here in the Congress of the United States of America tonight. By issuing that Emancipation Proclamation, he changed the course of history. Dr. King was right, ``The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.'' However, it doesn't do it on its own accord. It takes the hand of man and women to bend it, so I am pleased that he did so. I am also pleased that there was another opportunity for a President to forge a more perfect Union. President Harry Truman had the opportunity in 1948 to issue an executive order, as was the case with Lincoln and the executive order for the Emancipation Proclamation. He issued an executive order to desegregate the military. There was much to be said about it. In fact, that executive order led to the birth of the Dixiecrats. There was a split in the Democratic Party because the Honorable Harry Truman decided that he would issue Executive Order 9981, to desegregate the military. He issued it, the military was desegregated, and I contend that this was also one of the many reasons why the country itself moved along to desegregation and integration. These were two outstanding and well-noted executive orders issued by Presidents of the United States. If President Lincoln could issue an executive order--an Emancipation Proclamation--if Harry Truman could issue an executive order--to desegregate the military--surely, President Barack Obama can issue an executive order to liberate many people who are living in the shadows of life, an immigration declaration, if you will. I believe the President should issue this order, notwithstanding all that is being said. There was much being said and much being done when Lincoln issued his executive order, much said and much being done when Truman issued his, much said and much being done now, but I think the President should do this, and I think he should be bold when he does it because he will be lifting people out of the shadows of life. I am confident that while many will be angry with him, God will not. I think God will smile on the President for issuing this executive order. More than 15,000 executive orders have been issued. Not one President has ever been impeached for issuing an executive order, not one. There is talk of impeaching President Obama. If we didn't impeach Lincoln and we didn't impeach Truman and we didn't impeach Reagan and we didn't impeach many of the other Presidents who have signed the more than 15,000 executive orders, I don't think that we ought to impeach President Obama. Finally this, as an aside: there is much talk about the President's legacy and what he has done to form a more perfect Union while being President, if you will, but all of this talk about his legacy misses the mark, in my opinion, because there are many who think that the Affordable Care Act will be the centerpiece of his legacy. I think it is a great piece of legislation. I supported it. I still support it. There are many who think that saving the auto industry would be his legacy. I think this is significant, exceedingly so. I supported what he did. There are others who believe that his work in human rights and human dignity, especially as it relates for equal pay for equal work for women, will be his legacy. I think it is a great piece of work, and I commend him for what he has done. But the President's legacy in the eons to come will be that he became President of the United States of America. The mere fact that the Honorable Barack Obama was elected not once, but twice, speaks to our efforts to form a more perfect Union. I think that his greatest legacy will be his having served as President of the United States of America. That fact alone will be something that we will never, ever erase from history. I thank you for the opportunity to visit with you, and I pray that the President will be bold and sign the executive order, will lead with the executive order that may lead to comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for those who are living in the shadows of life. God bless you.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following vote: Senate Amendment to H.R. 4194--Government Reports Elimination Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am on a mission of mercy. I have a constituent who is missing in Syria. He is the son of Marc and Debra Tice. His name is Austin Tice. On August 11, 2012, he celebrated his 31st birthday in Syria. On August 13, he was reported missing. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, and he was there pursuing his career in journalism. Mr. Speaker, his parents are gravely concerned, and we are asking anyone with any information concerning this young man, Austin Tice, to please contact the FBI hotline at 1 (800) 225-5324, repeating 1 (800) 225-5324. My number is (202) 225-7508. I would like to now have a moment of silence for his return.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Thank you very much, Representative Horsford. I am honored to be with you tonight. Nevada's Fourth District is most capably and competently represented by your presence in Congress. I am also grateful to Mr. Jeffries, who represents New York's Eighth District. The two of you have done a stellar job in hosting these Special Order hours. I am grateful to the President of the United States of America, the Honorable Barack Obama, for appointing the Honorable Eric Holder as Attorney General. I am grateful because Mr. Holder is intelligent. He has the intellect necessary to comprehend the breadth of these issues. I am also grateful in that he is a person of courage. I am grateful because intellect without courage can be intellect wasted. His intellect is not wasted. He has had the courage to take on the challenges such as what we have with Ferguson. The Justice Department is there. They are investigating. There is good reason for the Justice Department to be in Ferguson. The Justice Department is in Ferguson because Ferguson is 67 percent Black, and only one African American is on the city council of seven, if you count the mayor--67 percent Black. The police department is 83 percent White. Three Blacks out of 53 officers--good reason to be in Ferguson; school board, one member Black of seven. Of the officers that are on the police department or were on the police department, one of them is on the city council--good reason to be in Ferguson. Five officers or former officers, either they are on the department now or not, have been alleged to be involved with some sort of civil rights violation, accused--allegation--of choking and hog-tieing a young person--another circumstance wherein a person was tased and died afterwards; another circumstance wherein a person was beaten by a peace officer and then charged with destroying public property when he bled on the officer's clothing--good reason to be in Ferguson. A prosecutor who has decided that he will not recuse himself, notwithstanding his father's tragic circumstance--the father died at the hands of a person who happened to have been African American, who was a peace officer by the way, his father was--refuses to recuse himself, and he refuses to have a preliminary hearing with this case. This case does not have to go to a grand jury. This case could be heard by way of a preliminary hearing after an arrest warrant has been issued. I submit to you that there is sufficient probable cause to indict this officer or to arrest this officer, more appropriately. In any jurisdiction in the United States of America, there is probable cause to arrest. Then you would go to a preliminary hearing, and you would have transparency. The world would hear what the witnesses have to say. There is good reason for the Justice Department to be in Ferguson. So I am honored to be here tonight to stand with my colleagues, especially the Honorable Lacy Clay, who has been a real champion on behalf of this family. I am honored to be here because I understand that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and injustice in Ferguson unchecked can lead to injustice in Houston. I think that the President of the United States of America made a wise choice when he chose the Honorable Eric Holder. I pray that the natural order of things will not continue to be circumvented. Mothers and fathers should not--n-o-t--should not bury their children. We must circumvent this kind of behavior. Thank God for you, Mr. President. I thank you, sir, for yielding me the time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Dr. King reminds us that the truest measure of the person is not where you stand in times of comfort and convenience, but where do you stand in times of challenge and controversy. In these times of challenge and controversy, I stand with those children at the border and I stand for due process. I don't stand for a fast-track adjudication that mimics due process and makes a mockery of justice. I stand with the DREAMers. They have been given hope by our President. I will not vote for a bill that will destroy hope for those DREAMers. We must keep their hope alive. I stand for due process, I stand with the DREAMers, and I stand for hope. I stand with the President.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I support Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which would secure our borders, create a pathway to citizenship, and provides for electronic employment verification. I believe more than ever after having seen the humanitarian consequences of the crisis firsthand, we must act now. Having a broken system that is in dire need of reform only exacerbates the issue. However, I oppose H.R. 5230, Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes, and H.R. 5272, To prohibit certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens not lawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes. These bills do not adequately address the problems in our immigration system or deal with the current influx of unaccompanied minors. These bills will also end protections that have provided relief to millions of people currently living in the U.S. H.R. 5230 emasculates current anti-trafficking law, meant to protect minors from certain countries and allow them to apply for asylum in this country. The bill provides a fraction of the $3.7 billion requested by President Obama to address the humanitarian crisis at our border. The bill would likely produce simulated hearings with fast- track adjudication that mimics due process for unaccompanied minors. H.R. 5272 eviscerates the vital Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has provided much needed relief for millions of undocumented immigrants who arrived in this country as minors. DACA allows the Department of Homeland Security prosecutorial discretion towards some undocumented immigrants who immigrated to our nation as children not of their own volition. Mr. Speaker, the humanitarian crisis caused by an influx of unaccompanied minors from mostly Central American countries with staggering crime rates has tested our nation's laws and values. We are a nation of laws but we are also a nation of values. We must treat all individuals, especially minors, in a way that is consistent with our values.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up H.R. 1010, a minimum wage increase, to jump-start the middle class, instead of the partisan lawsuit attacking the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States of America.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank you, Madam Ranking Member of the full committee. I am exceedingly proud to be a part of this effort. And I want to you know that when we succeed, it will be due in no small part to the energy that you have provided to help us get this legislation through. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck) for H.R. 4950, an outstanding piece of legislation. It extends the Export-Import Bank for 7 years, and it will increase the cap to $175 billion. I think it is an outstanding piece of legislation. And, of course, I am one of the persons who is supporting it. Mr. Speaker, let me start by indicating that the Export-Import Bank is not one of the too big to fail institutions. It wasn't involved in the credit default swaps. It wasn't involved with derivatives. It wasn't involved with no-doc loans. It wasn't involved in all of these exotic products that nearly caused the collapse of the economy. If the truth be told, the Export-Import Bank was one of the reasons why the economy was able to survive. It has been thriving. It has done well. It pays for itself by virtue of the loans that it makes, by virtue of the fees that it collects, by virtue of the products that it insures. The Export-Import Bank makes good sense. I find no businesspeople in my community who are in opposition to the Export-Import Bank. It is not too big to fail, and it should not be too small to save. We ought to do what we have done 16 times in the previous 80 years, and that is, reauthorize the Export-Import Bank in a clean bill, and do it with very little fanfare. Unfortunately, that is not the circumstance that we confront presently. Unfortunately, there are persons who believe that the Export-Import Bank no longer serves a useful purpose. Well, it serves a useful purpose for the people in my district. And the facts speak for themselves. In my district, between 2007 and 2013, in the Ninth Congressional District, we had a total of 88 export- importers. We had 39 small businesses, 13 minority-owned businesses, and four women-owned businesses, and we are proud of these businesses that are owned by women because we still contend that when women succeed, America succeeds. The Export-Import Bank is on the agenda to help women succeed. I would add that there are businesses that have indicated that they are supportive. I have a letter from a company in Houston, the style of it is the South Coast Products Company, and I just shall read an excerpt from their letter. I have many letters to read, but I shall pick a few and just read excerpts. This one reads--and it is addressed to the Honorable Maxine Waters: We are a small manufacturer in Texas that exports thread and valve lubricants primarily to the oil and gas industry. We have used Export-Import Banks' export credit insurance for 13 years. During that time, our export business has grown by a factor of 15 because of the security offered by our policy with Export-Import. I shall go to the last paragraph which reads, ``Please emphasize to your colleagues that Ex-Im Bank is not corporate welfare''--this is a business, a business that has written this to us--``or a charity of any kind. It facilitates U.S. exports, especially for small businesses like us, while supporting itself. Please do not let them put our livelihoods on the chopping block for their own political gain.'' This is from South Coast Products, a Texas business. I would also like to read a letter from the Greater Houston Partnership. The Greater Houston Partnership is the preeminent chamber of commerce in my area. It is called the partnership because we do things differently in Texas, and the partnership has also joined in this letter by a good many other entities that I shall name after having read an excerpt from this letter. It reads: The Houston region continues to enjoy strong economic growth driven in large part by the Export-Import Bank. In order to keep momentum, it is crucial that Congress supports tools encouraging businesses to expand into new markets and create new jobs. The Export-Import Bank of the United States is one of these tools, and we ask that you support this legislation. The letter is addressed to me. It goes on to add: Small- and medium-sized businesses in our region also benefit directly from Export-Import. Small businesses account for nearly 85 percent of Ex-Im Bank's transactions; further, these transaction figures do not include the tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses that supply goods and services to large exporters using the bank. This is signed by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, the Brenham/Washington County Chamber of Commerce, the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, League City Chamber of Commerce, Pearland Chamber of Commerce, West Chambers County Chamber of Commerce, and the Wharton Chamber of Commerce. I close simply with these words: businesses are supportive of the Ex- Im Bank. People understand the necessity for it. We but only need to have a vote on it to get it continued.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I greatly appreciate your yielding the time, and I greatly appreciate your work in the Congress of the United States of America to bring equality to all persons, regardless of who they are, where they are from, or where they happen to be at a given point in time. Mr. Speaker, I believe that one God created all of humanity to live in harmony, regardless of sexuality. I believe that human rights are not conferred by a State. I don't think they are accorded by a constitution. I think that human rights are birthrights, and these are rights that one acquires simply by being born a child of God. As such, I believe that all human beings deserve dignity and respect and that all human beings deserve equality under the law, regardless of who you are, regardless of your race, creed, color, national origin, familial status, or sexuality. I believe that we, who hold ourselves out as people of goodwill, should do all that we can to make sure that every person on the planet Earth is treated fairly and with a great degree of dignity. To this end, I am proud to have filed in the Congress of the United States of America H. Res. 416, which recognizes the month of June and celebrates it as LGBT Pride Month. I am proud to say that this resolution has been cosponsored by 25 Members of Congress, including all seven cochairs of the Equality Caucus. I am also proud to tell you that the Honorable Barney Frank, who was an openly gay Member of Congress and chaired the Financial Services Committee, is an honorary sponsor of this legislation. I would like to, if I may, my dear friend and brother, I would like to just give some indication as to what the resolution does, so that persons who may not be familiar, who may not have an opportunity to peruse certain records and documents, will at least hear some of what it does. This resolution specifically recognizes the protesters who stood for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn, on June 28, 1968, as some of the pioneers of the movement. It celebrates the creation of gay rights organizations in major cities in the aftermath of the Stonewall uprising. It highlights the importance of the American Psychiatric Association removing homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in December of 1973. It recognizes Elaine Noble as the first LGBT candidate elected to a State legislature in 1974 and Barney Frank as the first Representative to come out as an openly gay Member of Congress in 1987. It highlights the importance of the Civil Service Commission eliminating the ban on hiring gay persons in most Federal jobs in 1975. It celebrates Harvey Milk making national news when he was sworn in as an openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on January 8, 1978. It praises the thousands of activists who participated in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights to demand equal civil rights in 1979 and the National March on Washington to demand that President Reagan address the AIDS crisis in 1987. It highlights the importance of the 1980 Democratic National Convention, where Democrats took a stance in support of gay rights. It highlights the importance of the Supreme Court ruling in Romer v. Evans, in May of 1996, which found a Colorado constitutional amendment preventing the enactment of protection for gays and lesbians unconstitutional. It celebrates Vermont becoming the first State to legally recognize civil unions between gay and lesbian couples in 2000. It highlights the importance of the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, in June of 2003, which found that, under the 14th Amendment, States could not criminalize the private, intimate relations of same- sex couples. It goes on to do many other things, but I want to focus now on something that I think the resolution should do. It is my hope that I will live to see the day that this resolution will not only be spoken of in Congress in the month of June, but that it will actually come to the floor of the Congress of the United States of America and that it will pass the Congress of the United States of America because, on that day, we will have taken one more step toward equality for all of humanity. Mr. Speaker, on that day, we will have taken another step toward making real the great and noble American ideal of liberty and justice for all. On that day, we will have taken a step toward making real the concept that all persons are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On that day, when we pass this resolution in the Congress of the United States of America, we will have said to the world that the United States of America understands and recognizes the human rights of persons, regardless of their sexuality. I thank the gentleman for the opportunity to give these expressions, and I pray to live to see the day that this resolution will pass the Congress of the United States of America.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank you very much, and I look forward to working with you and other Members of Congress to give us the opportunity to have a vote on the resolution.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to recognize the holiday of Juneteenth, or as it is also known Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, and Emancipation Day. Juneteenth commemorates a huge step toward the emancipation of African American slaves in Texas from the morally abhorrent institution of American slavery. On June 19, 1865, after the Union's victory in the Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger arrived with Union troops on the island of Galveston, Texas. The celebration of Juneteenth recognizes that day, when Major General Granger publicly read ``General Order No. 3,'' ostensibly freeing Texas slaves. Granger said, ``The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.'' The order ostensibly freed 250,000 slaves in the former Confederate state of Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. ``General Order No. 3'' was another marker on our nation's long road toward the full realization of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all our fellow citizens. We are still traveling down that road but because of the extraordinary courage and compassion of some of our greatest citizens, we have come further than many ever imagined. We traveled further down that road when in 1979, my friend, Texas State Representative Al Edwards introduced the bill that officially made Juneteenth a state holiday in Texas. In 1996, the House of Representatives and the Senate officially recognized June 19th as ``Juneteenth Independence Day.'' As of today, 43 states observe Juneteenth. In closing, Mr. Speaker, Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's emasculation in the U.S. On this Juneteenth, I encourage all my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the historical significance of this holiday, which celebrates a huge step toward the extension of the American Dream to African Americans and encourages multicultural respect for all.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Ms. Lee for her efforts and her work in trying to restore funding. Mr. Chairman, this does not bring it back to the FY14 funding level, but it does help. I am so grateful that Ms. Lee took the lead to get this done. She worked with the ranking member and the chair of the committee. I want to compliment and thank both of them for working with Ms. Lee to get this done. Let me mention this about this program. The Fair Housing Initiatives Program, affectionately known as FHIP, has been of great benefit to persons who are being discriminated against, especially veterans now. We have a good many veterans who are coming back. They don't return the way they left, and they are disabled. Many times when persons are discriminating against people, they don't know that the person is a veteran because the person happens to be in a wheelchair. This initiative allows for housing entities--NGOs--that are qualified and certified to actually do testing to ascertain whether or not this kind of invidious discrimination exists. When they do find that there is discrimination, most of the cases, about 70 percent, are resolved by way of reconciliation. There is not a lawsuit filed. There is a means by which people become educated, and they abide by the law. This opportunity for us to continue the program, notwithstanding the fact that it is not at the Senate level, it is not at the level that the President requested, but it is at an additional $10 million, and I am grateful to Ms. Lee for what she has done. Ms. Lee, I compliment you, and I am grateful that you took the time to work with our colleagues to show some bipartisanship in getting this done. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your bipartisanship on this effort. Mr. Ranking Member, I thank you as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following votes: 1. Thompson (CA) Amendment to H.R. 4660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment. 2. Polis Amendment to H.R. 4660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this amendment. 3. Cicilline Amendment to H.R. 4660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this amendment. 4. Smith (TX) Amendment to H.R. 4660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this amendment. 5. Austin Scott Amendment to H.R. 4660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this amendment.