Stephanie Jones

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. I thank Ms. Jackson-Lee for her leadership on these issues and for joining me during the Congressional Black Caucus hour. Let me talk about Judge Southwick for just a few minutes, and then I would like to review some of the progress that has been made under the leadership of our Chair, Ms. Kilpatrick, in the 110th Congress. As we were talking about Judge Southwick, you have to understand this will be the first controversial judicial nomination considered by the Senate since Democrats took the majority. It has been 10 months since the Senate changed hands, and the people expect a difference in the way judicial nominations are handled. We don't want to go back to the way they were handled under the Republican leadership. The Congressional Black Caucus and the civil rights groups warned the Senate about Roberts and Alito, yet they were both confirmed. The first full Supreme Court term of the Roberts court showed that we are able to predict how judges will act or respond on civil rights cases once confirmed. To confirm a lower court judge in the face of a bad record on civil rights will simply be too much to bear. Let me step aside for a moment, and I heard my colleague Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee talk about there being a white judge and an all-white jury and a white prosecutor. I served as a judge for 10 years in the Common Pleas Court, a general jurisdiction court, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. I served for 3 years as an assistant county prosecutor and 8 years as an elected prosecutor. I have been in courtrooms where there have been all-white juries, and I will not say that an all-white jury cannot be fair. But what the law says is you should have a jury of your peers. And the law also says that people should not be excluded from a jury just because of their race. I have seen an attempt for that to happen in other cases. It is so very, very important that if we expect people to follow the law and be a part of the law and be a part of the judicial system, that they have a belief that the judicial system will be fair. Once you have that perception and belief, then you can succumb to the rule of law. In this country, so often we see instances where young men and women have come before the court and they have not had fairness, and that is when it is important to have a circuit court where you can appeal your decision in a trial level court to the circuit court for relief. The fight in the Fifth Circuit is a fight worth having. It has the highest percentage of minority residents, black and brown, of any circuit. At the same time, the civil rights jurisprudence is far to the right. We have already talked about the Jena Six. There is a history with this seat. President Bush is intent on placing someone who has a history adverse to civil rights in Mississippi sit on this court. Charles Pickering and Michael Wallace were nominated, but couldn't get confirmed because of their civil rights records. This is the third try by the administration, and the pattern is very clear. We believe that the President, if he was really paying attention to the people of America, what he would in fact do is withdraw this nomination and go on and allow us to have someone who would be fair and honest. We may not win this battle on a sound bite or our debate on the floor of the House of Representatives, but we believe that the Senate, we believe that this Senate under the majority, Democratic majority, is going to step up to the plate and make the right decision. We expect that they will take a look at his background and experience and make that decision. So I am pleased, as I said, having been a judge, and it is a difficult job being a judge. You have to have the right temperament. You have to give people the opportunity to present their evidence, and you make decisions and rulings on evidence and admissibility and whether it is probative, whether it can be prejudicial. And if it is prejudicial, is it outweighed by the probative value. And be familiar with the rules of evidence such that when you sit in the chair as the judge making a decision, and the reason, and it is symbolic, under the law, the reason judges wear robes, the robe is supposed to cover the human frailty of a judge and allow the judge to step up and be fair and set aside any of their background or experience that would be adverse. So we are concerned about this judge, Judge Leslie Southwick, and we implore the U.S. Senate to not confirm his nomination. I am going to close on a few of the accomplishments that the Congressional Black Caucus has been involved with over the first 9 months. We are pleased to have an opportunity to be in the leadership role. We fought for minimum wage. Nearly 13 million people will enjoy the benefit of an increase in the minimum wage. We fought for stem cell research which provides Federal funding for research that has the potential to treat sickle cell anemia, diabetes, paralysis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. And many of these diseases are prevalent in the African American community, and we have been fighting for them. We fought about student loans. I heard on the news today that George Washington University will be the first university to publish that their tuition and room and board is $55,000, and that the largest increase in tuition is actually going to be in public universities, not private universities. And we all know that most working-class folks send their children to public universities, so we are happy to be in the forefront of fighting for student loans. We have also been pushing for disadvantaged businesses, disaster eligibility in light of what happened with Hurricane Katrina. We fought for the Katrina Housing Tax Relief Act of 2007. We fought for United States Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act because we understand that there are young men and women of all colors fighting over in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is very, very important that they have the ability to have the kind of health care they need and that this government be held accountable for their conduct. We have fought for the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act because so many people were left out as a result of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. We fought for accountability in contracting because all of us have learned that many of the dollars that have been squandered over these past few years under this administration have come as a result of contractors not being held accountable. We fought for the Hate Crimes Act which provides legal protection for churches, synagogues, and mosques against hate crimes. We fought for the Farm Nutrition and Bioenergy Act addressing the issues around that. We stood up on behalf of the Children's Health Insurance and Medicare Protection Act, CHAMP. It was defeated in the Senate, and so it really didn't get anywhere; and that brought us back to SCHIP, which recently was vetoed by the President. We want everyone to know that Democrats are going to continue to fight to be assured that 10 million children in the United States of America have health care coverage. We fought on behalf of the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act, and the list goes on. I am so proud to be in the U.S. Congress. I often tell people the story that my father was a skycap for 38 years for United Airlines and my mother was a factory worker. And for them to have the opportunity in a generation to see their daughter serve as a judge, a prosecutor, and then have an opportunity and the ability to be in the U.S. Congress is just something wonderful. I always tell people if I am judged, and we always talk about honor thy father and thy mother, that if I am judged on honoring thy father and thy mother, I am probably going to get to heaven. Now some of the other conduct I've engaged in may keep me out of heaven, but I want to say I am pleased and proud to be the daughter of Andrew and Mary Tubbs and to represent the Congressional Black Caucus and represent the country in the U.S. Congress. Lastly, I will say, the first time I had the opportunity to sit in that chair where you are, Mr. Speaker, I looked up to my mom and dad and said: ``Mom and Dad, look at me now, I am in charge of Congress and I'm swinging the gavel.'' Mr. Speaker, I thank you on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, let me seek unanimous consent that my colleagues will have 5 days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject matter of my Special Order.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Thank you, Congresswoman Lee, for leadership in this area but also in the whole HIV/AIDS area. You are a beacon of light for the Congressional Black Caucus and for the Nation. So I thank you for joining me this evening, and I hope you have a great evening.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, one thing that we all know is that the Children's Health Insurance Program, the acronym which is SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program, has always been a bipartisan piece of legislation. We have seen Governors from both parties across this country in strong support of the bill. Senate Republicans and Democrats have joined together on a veto-proof vote that the President has ignored. In the House we have strong bipartisan support as well. I am pleased at this time to yield to my colleague and good friend from Brooklyn, New York, and I hate that we beat the Yankees, but my good friend from New York, Yvette Clarke.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. The people of Brooklyn need to know that this congresswoman has come in here, put her running shoes, we call them high-heeled sneakers, put those running shoes on and really has done a fantastic job. We're so very proud of what she's doing, the leadership she's showing; and I thank you for joining me for this message hour this evening.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. SCHIP, one of the best ways to deliver health care to America's children. SCHIP, one of the best ways and cost- effective ways to deliver health care. You know, I was stunned when I heard President Bush tell the people of America, well, these children have health care already; all they have to do is go to an emergency room. I don't know how many of you had the opportunity, just very recently, to see the news show talking about how the emergency rooms in this country are overladen and overburdened by so many people coming into emergency rooms across the country. In my efforts of obtaining earmarks over the past 4 years in my congressional district, I have sought money for improving the emergency rooms in several hospitals in my congressional district. I've been in the emergency room. I've been there, and the pictures show it, where there are people laying on gurneys in the hallways because there are not enough private spaces for them to use. There are children, seniors, people of all ages in these hospitals and using the emergency room as their primary care. Emergency rooms were created just for that, emergencies, not for the delivery of ongoing preventative care. And the only way that we can make sure that our children are more healthy, the only way that we can ensure that children who are being educated, they have to be healthy in order to get a good lesson. That's why we started Head Start and we started lunch programs and breakfast programs at school so that children could go to school and they wouldn't be hungry. So now that we're feeding them and they go to school and they're not hungry, we ought to make sure they have health care coverage so they go to school healthy. And I don't know how many of you there are listening, but I know you've heard the story where your granddaughter or your niece or your nephew or your child goes to a day care facility for the first time and they come home with all kinds of whooping cough or something, running noses, and it's because a lot of young children come to day care without having received any health care. It will make a real difference in the lives of a lot of people if we provide health care to our children, and particularly preventative health care. The other reason it becomes so important is that an unhealthy child is not going to be able to pay attention in school. An unhealthy child who is not paying attention in school, is not doing well, is unlikely to do well in junior high school, unlikely to do well in high school, unlikely to make it to college. It may be the precursor to dropping out for a number of children here in the United States of America. And that is why this issue becomes so very important and vital to all of our communities. Let me just read to you some of the things that some of the national newspapers have said about SCHIP. The Miami Herald said: ``Vote to Override the Veto of Children's Health Bill.'' ``President Bush's veto of the children's health insurance bill is like Imelda Marcos denying a barefoot child a pair of shoes.'' That makes me laugh because I think about all my girlfriends who have lots of shoes, and they're much like Imelda Marcos. ``The President complains that expanding health care coverage for low-income children will cost too much and lead to socialized medicine. Neither assertion is true. Now it's up to Congress to override this veto. We urge the Representatives who voted against the bill, most of them Republican, to reconsider. Instead of supporting the questionable priorities of a lame-duck President, they should vote to improve the health prospects of low-income children.'' The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said: ``Some People, All the Time.'' ``Caring for and protecting children is among the highest values of society, and one of its most crucial obligations. On Wednesday, President Bush vetoed a bill to renew and extend the reach of a program that provides health insurance to American children whose families can't afford it or can't get it at any price. Congress now must stand up for children's health and override the President's veto. Mr. Bush's misleading rhetoric calls to mind the warning about gullibility made by a very different Republican President, Abraham Lincoln. As Congress prepares to override the President's veto, those who voted against the SCHIP plan should take care to ensure that they're not fooled all the time.'' The Philadelphia Inquirer: ``The SCHIP Veto: Children Last.'' ``There was no convincing reason for President Bush to deliver on his long- standing threat of veto for the SCHIP bill other than that he hoped to score political points. Bush's stated reason for opposing the congressionally approved $35 billion increase in the program was that somehow it was a step towards socialized government-run medical coverage benefiting low-income families. That doesn't square with the facts, since most of the kids helped by the program are in working- class households. And it doesn't jive with the widespread support for SCHIP among the American public, not to mention the impressive number of Republicans who backed the veto measure. So it's difficult to see how the President's strategy on SCHIP puts any more children first.'' The Columbus Post-Dispatch: ``Veto Lament.'' ``President Bush's veto yesterday of the expansion of SCHIP not only leaves millions of children without health care coverage; it can leave many of Bush's fellow Republicans exposed to political attacks in next year's election. Bush said the expansion passed by Congress would cost too much. At $35 billion over 5 years, it certainly is expensive, but this investment in the health of America's children will pay big dividends. Healthy children do better in school and in life. And those who get well-child care in a doctor's office take some of the burden off the Nation's crowded emergency rooms, saving on medical costs overall. Congress' plan, which has the support of the public and backers from both sides of the aisle, would add 4 million children to the rolls.'' The Seattle Post Intelligencer: ``Children's Health: Overturn the Veto.'' It said: ``In vetoing a much-needed expansion of children's health coverage, President Bush distorted the issues, put partisanship over compassion, and defied the goodhearted will of the public.'' And finally, in terms of newspaper endorsements, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier of Iowa: ``Bush Should Have Compromised on SCHIP Program.'' ``President Bush's veto Wednesday of a bill that could have dramatically expanded children's health insurance came as no surprise. He had promised to do so even before a compromise was hammered out in Congress. Bush's determination, in the face of bipartisan support for the bill and with polls showing the bill is favored by nearly two- thirds of Americans, is troubling.'' All of these newspapers have said pointblank that President Bush is wrong on this issue, that President Bush should not use this as a political partisan dagger, that he should move forward and allow the children of America across the board to have access to health care coverage. The other reason this bill becomes so very important is because a lot of employers no longer are providing health care coverage for their employees. A number of employees can't afford the health care coverage that employers provide. So it is particularly important for these young children to have access to well care, as well. Let me tell you what Senator Charles Grassley, Republican, said, ``The President's understanding of our bill is wrong. I urge him is to reconsider his veto message.'' Senator Orrin Hatch, another Republican, said, ``We are talking about kids who basically don't have coverage. I think the President had some pretty bad advice on this.'' I want to echo that. I think whoever is advising President Bush on this issue is doing a detriment to the President as well as a detriment to the people of America. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, has said, ``I can't believe the President would veto a program that benefits low-income children.'' I couldn't believe it either, Senator Collins. He should not have vetoed it. But he did. So our job, as Members of Congress, is to override this veto on Thursday of this week. Today, 50 million Americans have no health insurance. That includes more than 8 million children. Eight out of the 10 uninsured Americans either work or are in working families. Jesse Jackson, when he was running for President, Rev. Jackson, used to use the term the ``working poor.'' They get up every morning. They go to work. They work 40, 50 hours a week. They come home every evening. The kind of money that they are receiving, even with the increase in minimum wage, still puts them below or within 200, 250 percent of poverty. So not only do we have poor people who are with no income or low income, we have working poor who need health care coverage. My colleague, Barbara Lee, spoke to earlier the whole issue of disparity in health care. The studies say that an African American male and a Caucasian male can have the same health care coverage but that the delivery of that health care to the African American male is less than the delivery to the Caucasian male. There are all kinds of disparities in what is going on in health care in our Nation, and this is one of the ways that we can level the playing field. We can get rid of some of the disparities within our support of SCHIP. Being uninsured means going without needed care. It means minor illnesses become major ones because care is delayed. Tragically, it also means that one significant medical expense can wipe out a family's life savings. Right now, everybody is talking about the problem with the mortgage industry, and one of the reasons there are a significant number of foreclosures and bankruptcies is because there are families who have had to pay for health care coverage, and as a result of being required to pay for health care coverage, they are losing their houses. That should not be happening. There are millions of working uninsured Americans who go to bed every night worrying what will happen to them and their families if a major illness or injury strikes. In Ohio, my home State, there are currently 1,362,000 uninsured. It is an increase of 18,000 people since 2003. We have also seen this drain on many of the local hospitals in my district when people are forced to use emergency rooms. The problem is getting worse. As the price of health care continues to rise, fewer individuals and families can afford to pay for coverage. Fewer small businesses are able to provide coverage for their employees, and those that do are struggling to hold on to the coverage. It is a problem that affects all of us. We cannot sit idly by while the people of this country continue to go without health care coverage. We must continue to push. And today is Monday. On Thursday, this House will vote to override the veto of SCHIP. Those of you who are listening across this country, if you have not contacted your Member of Congress, if you have not contacted your Senator and said to them that they need to vote to override this veto, I encourage you to fax, call, e-mail, stop by the office, whatever you need to do so that we can advocate on behalf of our people. This will be an opportunity this week for the people of America to stand up and say to this President that health care is a priority for us. But more importantly, health care coverage for our children is our highest priority. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to work on the Health Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee. I wanted to get on that committee because that is an opportunity for me to be engaged in long- term policy development of health care in this country. In my congressional district, the largest employers are the health care industry. We have a large number of hospitals. I want to work to assure the people of the 11th Congressional District that they are going to have access to health care. I want to work to assure that people of America, black, white, brown, yellow, that we are working in order to make sure that they have health care coverage. It has been a privilege to serve on the Health Subcommittee with my good colleague, Pete Stark, from California and a privilege to serve on the Ways and Means Committee under the leadership of Charles Rangel. I have the privilege of leading this Special Order, this message on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus and our leader Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. It is so very, very important that we continue, the Congressional Black Caucus continues to lead on these issues. I am pleased to have the opportunity to lead this message hour in and around SCHIP this week. Again, everyone needs to pay attention to this issue and pull out all the stops and say to President Bush that we are going to override your veto. We understand that you have chosen to go down the wrong path, that you are reaching out to the wrong people and supporting the wrong people. And you are overlooking the most important group of people in our country, and that is our children.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have been granted this message hour, and I am very pleased to yield back my time early so that the next Special Order can begin.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased once again to host the Congressional Black Caucus message hour on Monday, the first hour of the week. In the past weeks we have talked about all kinds of issues affecting the American people and have focused on issues particularly affecting African American families. Once again, however, we are compelled to this week focus in on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which the President chose to veto a couple weeks ago. This week on the floor of the House we will again be debating SCHIP and the President and our effort to override that veto. I am confident that my colleagues will join me in overriding that veto because they understand the importance of children in the United States having health care. I am joined this evening by several of my colleagues who will be speaking on this very issue. And I also want to say on behalf of the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who appointed me to lead this message hour, I want to thank the American public for listening in to our messages. I am pleased at this time to yield to my colleague, my good friend, and my sister from Oakland, California, Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. I want to engage in a conversation with you just for a moment, Congresswoman Lee. The cost of providing health care to children is $3.50 per child. Now, those of us who drink expensive coffee spend more than that on a cup of coffee every day. And wouldn't it just make sense? With all due respect to President Bush, but on this issue he is just totally incorrect. And all the newspapers and organizations are saying just that, that he is incorrect.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the amazing thing is he is trying to talk about this whole piece of being conservative, fiscally conservative in the dollars he is expending, but this President has put us in greater deficit than all the Presidents predating him. From George Washington on up to Bill Clinton, he has spent more money. So being fiscally conservative really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3648, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, a much-needed bill that will provide relief to homeowners facing foreclosure on their homes. I appreciate the leadership of the Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Charlie Rangel. I also applaud the Members from both sides of the aisle who are supporting this critical piece of legislation for homeowners. I cannot think of a more bipartisan issue than basic shelter. It comes as a surprise to most Americans that when debt is forgiven by a lending institution in a foreclosure, that this amount must be included as income on their tax statement. In a time of rising foreclosures I cannot imagine anything more upsetting to a family than this scenario. The situation usually occurs when the family cannot pay their mortgage and then must give up their home. Then they must pay tax on phantom income when the lender forgives some part of the homeowner's mortgage. In my home State of Ohio, the foreclosure epidemic went from bad to worse last year as the number of new cases grew by nearly 24 percent from 2005. Cuyahoga County led the state in new cases with 13,610 new filings last year. This ranking has attracted national attention with Ohio's foreclosure rate currently at 18 percent which is higher than the national average of 17 percent. I must also point out that predatory lenders often target low-income and minority communities. Subprime loans are three times more likely in low-income neighborhoods than in high-income neighborhoods and five times more likely in minority neighborhoods than in white neighborhoods. This is an outrage. Nothing is more symbolic of the American Dream than the ownership of our homes. Almost all of us dream of the day when we can have a place of our own. For most Americans, home ownership is the single biggest investment they will ever make. That is why the loss of one's home is also one of the most humiliating and debilitating experiences that anyone can go through. It is, at its core, an issue of humanity. That is why I am pleased to rise in support of this piece of legislation that will allow taxpayers to exclude from their income debt that was forgiven by a financial institution or lender. We cannot sit by as a Congress and add insult to injury to our most vulnerable taxpayers. Many of the homeowners in my district in Cleveland--which has some of the highest foreclosure rates in the Nation--need relief, not rhetoric. This is the same relief all Americans see and to which we must provide access. This bill provides some relief, but need I remind my colleagues that much more must be done on this front, and I look forward to working on other legislative initiatives that 5 will help to address the plight of the American homeowner.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, Members of the House that are still here this afternoon, and people of America, I ask you to join with me in a moment to say prayers for the families of the victims from the Cleveland shooting this afternoon. It is unfortunate that we as a Nation once again face a shooting in a public schoolhouse. It is unfortunate that we once again face children who have access to guns in an educational environment. I ask you to pray for the family of the young man who was the shooter. I ask you to pray for the families of the persons who were injured in this shooting. Day after day we will get all kinds of questions about what happened and how it happened and what we could have done. But today is a day when we should stop and just for a moment say prayers on behalf of all those families. The city of Cleveland is my home. I grew up there. I currently represent it, and I ask you to hold us in your thoughts and prayers and pray that God will give us the strength and the ability to work through this difficult time.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud sports fan from the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Yes, I have said it. What about those Indians? It has been years since Clevelanders can stand up and say they are proud of their professional sports teams and can actually point to success. Yet just this year the Cavaliers made the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history and on the back of our young superstar, Lebron James. After a strong draft in the spring, the Cleveland Browns looked competitive for the first time since the franchise returned in 1999, save one season. But the main reason I stand today is to congratulate the Cleveland Indians for their first trip to the ALCS since 1998. Cleveland fans have been through a lot of disappointment in our sports history. Two losses for the Browns in the 1980s in the AFC championship by a drive and a fluke fumble. Losses to Michael Jordan's Bulls by the Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals in the early 1990s, and most recently in a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series in the 9th inning to the Florida Marlins. As a lifelong Clevelander, it has been difficult to live through so many near misses, and it makes you yearn for the days of Jim Brown and Bob Feller. The Indians displayed such a consistent level, failures during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, that the movie ``Major League'' was made depicting a fictional Indians team that was supposed to be the worst ever in baseball. However, all this disappointment changed in the 1990s when the Indians moved to their current home, Jacobs Field. It was not so long ago that the Indians were competing for the World Series every year. Throughout the 1990s, the Indians made the World Series twice, in 1995 and 1997, and made the playoffs 5 straight years from 1994 to 1999. After a few bad years, the Indians were rebuilding through the early part of the 2000s, and I must credit General Manager Mark Shapiro for putting together a young, talented team that looks poised to become the class of the AL Central for years to come. This year, the Indians won the AL Central crown and tied for the best record in baseball with the Boston, what are they called? Boston Red Sox. I must say, this team is exciting to watch. We have a rising star in center fielder Grady Sizemore, the best one-two pitching punch in baseball with CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. I want to give a special shout out to veteran outfielder Kenny Lofton. Kenny is the only player on the roster who played with the Indians during their playoff runs in the 1990s. Kenny has played for 11 teams in his 17-year baseball career, including nine different teams in the last seven seasons. He played nine of those seasons with Cleveland, and I was so happy to see him return during this season. He provides veteran leadership in the Indians lineup, and his performance in the ALDS is one of the main reasons the Indians have moved on to the ALCS. Cleveland is proud to have him back, and hopefully he can help lead the Tribe to the World Series victory he has worked for. The Indians have been very impressive so far this postseason, defeating the vulnerable--veteran, excuse me, vulnerable now, New York Yankees in four games and closing out the series this past Monday in New York. I can't wait to see them take on the Boston Red Sox this Friday and hopefully win the series to get into the World Series. It has been a tough few decades for Cleveland sports fans, but this year is providing hope for success in the future. This success is so wonderful and cherished by a community that has experienced so much economic loss. So I am grateful that our sports serve as a beacon of pride for Cleveland. I want to thank the owners, the management, and most of all the hard-working, young players, the Browns, the Cavs and the great Indians. And I want to say they do a good job in representing the City of Cleveland. Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak today, and I just want to close with one more thing. Go Tribe! Go Indians! Go Cleveland!

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding. Mr. Speaker, this is like deja vu. We were right here last night talking about many of these same issues. But these issues are so very important to the people of America, to the children of America, that it just makes sense that we are back here again trying to make sure that people across America understand the importance of providing health care for children across America. I was sitting and smiling as you were talking about your children, or someone having a child and they go to day care and they come back home and the next day they are ill. The germs just keep floating around and around. If you have children that don't have access to health care, you present a real problem for other children in day care, and for yourself as well. It is a problem that not only will greet those who vote against this legislation in 2007 and 2008, but they will look back on these young people who are now 4, 5, 6, 10 years old, in 10 years these children will say, well, where were you when I needed some health care? Now that I am old enough to vote, I remember back in 2007 when you voted not to support children's health care across America. I remember. I might have been a better athlete. I might have been a better student. I might have been able to go to medical school. Instead, because I wasn't able to have the appropriate health care, I wasn't able to pay attention to what is going on in class, I wasn't able to have the appropriate dental care, I am doing X. So it will not only resound throughout America in 2007 on October 18 when we vote to override the President's veto; it will resound for years and years to come. You know what the wonderful thing I have to say to Mr. Ryan and Mr. Meek is? That today I have been going around the floor of the House talking to some of my colleagues who voted to support the SCHIP bill several weeks ago and asking them are they going to hold up their vote; are they going to vote with us when the time comes up on October 18. And I haven't run into anybody yet, except for one who has got an issue about something else, that said they won't be with us again on October 18 when it is time to override the President's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This program has been so valuable. It has been so useful. It has been a hallmark for children, 6 million children in the United States of America; and it is time for us to extend it to another 4 million and to every child in these United States who needs to have great health care, some of the greatest health care that is given to all the rest of the people. The funny thing is, I happened to be over in the United Arab Emirates, and I was seated at the table of one of the higher-ups of this country, and he said, you know, my father just came back from Cleveland getting health care services. I said, he did? And I got the information. I am not mad at him. He can come here, we have the greatest health care in the world, and he can get it. But how is it that children right here in America can't get that same health care? That is the problem, and we got to fix it.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Then the President says, if the gentleman will yield, that everybody in America can get health care because they can go to the emergency room. Could you imagine if the 4 million children who don't have any health care coverage lined up in emergency rooms all across America, what a dilemma we would be in. It's just outrageous. Mr. Speaker, the other important thing we have to think about is the fact that when families have children who are sick in them, that means parents have to stay off work, that means they aren't able to function or pay attention on the job, that means they are dysfunctional at their job if they go there because they are going to have to leave and pick up their children. I mean, it goes on and on and on. Health care for children is good for America, it's good for American business, it's good for American families. George Bush needs a wake-up call.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the other interesting thing is when you have 270 organizations from all over this country signed onto a letter to the President urging him to support SCHIP, and I am going to just read the last paragraph which says, ``We know you agree that our children are our Nation's most precious resource, and that investments in health care for kids reap benefits that last a lifetime. We urge you to stand with our children and to put their interests ahead of the partisan rhetoric that is threatening a timely SCHIP reauthorization. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with you and to work with you on this and other initiatives to be sure that all of our Nation's children have access to the health care coverage that they need.''

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Forty-five Republicans voted in the House.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Sixty-eight Senators, including 18 Republicans.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. I just want to say, on behalf of other Members of the House of Representatives, I am so proud of this 30 Something Working Group. I'm proud to have been able to participate in this time with Mr. Meek, under his great leadership; and Mr. Ryan, under his great leadership; and Ms. Wasserman Schultz, under her great leadership. You're continuing to fight on behalf of the people of America, and I'm thankful to be considered 30 something.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Yesterday, again, we had an opportunity to have this discussion. The interesting thing is that we are not alone in the position that we have taken about SCHIP. We are not alone, because newspapers across this country, across the country the newspapers have said that this President is wrong. The Washington Post: ``Children's Health Check.'' The Austin American Statesman: ``For many kids, the doctor is not in.'' The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ``Kids lose out to politics.'' The Chicago Tribune: ``A sound children's health bill,'' talking about SCHIP. The New York Times: ``Overcoming a veto and helping children.'' The Daily News: ``Presidential malpractice,'' the veto on SCHIP is ``Presidential malpractice.'' The Sacramento Bee: ``The SCHIPs are down.'' The Akron Beacon Journal: ``SCHIP at the brink.'' The USA Today: ``Plan to protect kids' health spawns needless veto fight.'' The Charlotte Observer: ``Vote for healthy kids.'' The Des Moines Register: ``Don't abandon kids needing health care.'' Charleston Gazette: ``Child health--override the President.'' The Houston Chronicle: ``Wrong priorities--Presidential veto of SCHIP expansion would place ideology over children's health.'' The Republican: ``Bush abandons kids on health insurance.'' And the Connecticut Post: ``Insurance change to help children.'' Do you know what I heard the President say today? ``I am willing to negotiate.'' Mr. President, don't negotiate with our children. Give them health care. Forget the negotiation, forget the political stuff you're trying to do on SCHIP, and all your Republican and Democratic colleagues in the House. Override the veto.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Have you ever been to the emergency room?

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. What's it like?

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Lest you think it is only Democrats saying SCHIP is a good bill, let me read the statements of some of my Republican colleagues. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas said: ``The administration is threatening to veto this bill because of `excessive spending' and their belief that this bill is a step towards federalization of health care. I am not for excessive spending and strongly oppose the federalization of health care, and if the administration's concerns with this bill were accurate, I would support a veto. But bluntly put, they are not.'' That is Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota said: ``We have a moral obligation to cover all our children so every child in America can grow up healthy. It is the right thing to do. It is also the cost-effective thing to do, and that is why I strongly support extending and expanding SCHIP. I also hope we can work together to provide greater access to private insurance coverage for America's children and other uninsured Americans. There is no better investment than to invest in the health and well-being of America's children.'' That is Jim Ramstad. Mr. Regula, one of the senior Members in the House of Representatives said: ``I voted today with the majority of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to extend SCHIP to expand health care access to the children of working parents whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but who, for one reason or another, do not have any health insurance coverage through their employers. The program has proven to be extremely successful in covering many children who have fallen through the cracks and providing them with quality preventive and acute health care. This bill provides States with new tools to enroll more eligible low-income children with health care coverage.'' That's Ralph Regula of Ohio. Vernon Ehlers of Michigan: ``I grew up with acute asthma, and I know personally how important it is for kids to have access to affordable health care. This bill will continue to provide health care coverage to millions of children who otherwise would be uninsured.'' Finally, from Steve LaTourette, Republican from Ohio, ``The children's insurance program is too important to not support.'' Steve LaTourette.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. You want a bridge to nowhere?

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleagues, both on the Democratic and Republican side, for introducing this legislation. I rise today in support of H.R. 3648, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Act of 2007. It comes as no surprise to most Americans that when debt is forgiven by lending institutions in a foreclosure, this amount must be included as income in their tax statement. In a time of rising foreclosures, I cannot imagine anything more upsetting to a family than this scenario. The situation usually occurs when the family cannot pay their mortgage and then must give up their home. Then they must pay tax on phantom income when the lender forgives some part of the homeowner's mortgage. More than 8 years ago, I introduced a piece of legislation called the Predatory Lending Reduction Act of 2001, I believe it was. And in that legislation, I suggested that we needed to monitor or regulate mortgage brokers. The reason I raised the issue is because most of the subprime lending that occurs in America comes through brokers who are brokering subprime lending mortgages. The reason I'm so concerned about the statement of my colleague before about this taxation should not be permanent, the reality is, for many families who lose their homes as a result of the situation we're in, it's permanent. It's permanent loss of assets that would pass from one generation to the next. And they can never recover from it. It's permanent loss for communities where the tax duplicate is reduced because they don't have that money upon which they can build a rating so that that community could then borrow money on a bond. It's a permanent loss for public school systems that no longer receive the tax that you allow them to be able to support that public school system. So this legislation is very, very important. And whatever happens in the housing market, and hopefully we're going to get a hold on these subprime lenders who have devastated permanently our communities across the United States of America, we're going to get a hold on that. But in the interim, let's give the people who are in this position a break.