Stephanie Jones

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I represent the great City of Cleveland Ohio, which is home to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and also music legends such as the singing group the O'Jays. The O'Jays had legendary hits in the 1970s like ``Climbing the Stairway to Heaven,'' ``Back Stabbers,'' and ``For the Love of Money''. Just like in the 1970s when these songs of conscience were the rallying cry for so many around the country, they still have relevance today when you consider how we in Congress have yet to pass a true and comprehensive prescription drug benefit for our greatest treasure-- Senior Citizens. I hope people remember the titles of these songs when trying to figure out why we in Congress have yet to pass what we promised you sometime ago--Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. Yes, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have touted a new Medicare reform package that is suppose to address the ills of those Americans who are forced to decide between eating or taking their medicine--Senior Citizens. I don't know a song title that would address this concern but I believe one of the three songs, I mentioned is appropriate and believe if you listen very closely to the tone my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are humming it just might be one of these songs--like ``Back Stabbers'' or ``Climbing the Stairway to Heaven''. My personal favorite is ``For the Love of Money'' which was one of the O'Jays greatest hits. In one stanza in the song, the lead singer states, ``For the love of money, a person would steal from his own mother.'' This is what is happening in many cases because I know many of my colleagues are not listening to their conscience but rather House Leadership--Leadership which does not want to see a true comprehensive prescription drug benefit this Congress but would rather wait. Waiting is an indication that many more people will continue to suffer because of inaction on our part. I was raised to believe that a broken promise is equivalent to stealing. But House leadership wants us to keep dancing. I pose the question to all--What are we dancing to? It seems that my colleagues once again have dropped a quarter in their rhetorical jukebox that plays music that they want us to dance to. But this time, I hope all of America listens closely to the beat and is not fooled by the words of the song or its rhetoric. Because if you listen closely you will hear:

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to join with my colleagues in celebration of Mother's Day. I particularly want to celebrate my mother. Yesterday was election day in the State of Ohio; and my mother, and she is going to be angry when I do this, who will be 81 years old on April 19, ran for State Central Committee, unopposed, won overwhelmingly. Mom, here is the campaign literature right here that was sent out on your behalf. I want to say that I have a wonderful mother and I am so pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate Mother's Day with her this coming weekend. She has been a guiding light and beacon in the lives of me and my family, not only my two sisters, one who lives in California and one who lives in Cleveland, but my husband's family as well. I want to say to Mary Elizabeth Tubbs, my mom, happy Mother's Day. I am counting on you to stand up on behalf of all of the 21st Senate District as the Democrat Central Committee woman in the State of Ohio. After learning all of these wonderful things from my mother, I have to take a moment and say I am pleased to be a mother as well. Yesterday my man child, Mervyn LeRoy Jones, II, 18 years old, and a senior at Shaker Heights High School said, ``Mom, I have a great Mother's Day present for you, but it will be early.'' I said, ``What is it?'' He said, ``I am going to take you to school.'' I said, ``That is good. What are we going to do in school?'' He said, ``You and I are going to recite poetry together.'' He knew that I liked poetry a whole lot. We go to the class, which is poetry writing, and I have a favorite woman poet whose name is Mona Lake Jones. Mona Lake Jones has written a lot of culturally sensitive poetry, and one piece is called ``Being the Mother of a Black Child: It Ain't No Easy Thing.'' So my son and I recited this piece of poetry together. It goes on to say being the mother of a black child, it ain't no easy thing, it makes you call on Jesus, and listen to the angels sing. Mervyn and I alternated these versus together. The topping on my Sunday was at the end Mervyn said to his class, I brought my mother to school today. And he said, ``You know, Mom, I am not going to have any money on Sunday, but I knew how much you liked poetry so this is your Mother's Day present; I recited poetry with you in poetry class.'' Mr. Speaker, I want to celebrate and trust that other mothers around this country have wonderful opportunities to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend. Those whose mothers have passed on, or whose children have passed on, step back and remember some of the great memories and times you had together, and think about how blessed you are to have been a mother or a daughter or son, or to have someone who cared as much as mothers care for you.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, sometimes God puts you at the right place at the right time, and I know he did not want to hear that from us from the floor of the House. I know what he wanted to hear from us was let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me. Let me step up to the plate and say to the world, I want peace, and I am going to do what it takes to give peace. Let me step up to the plate and say to the world, I have it within my power, within my hand, to make peace. As a kid, remember that saying they used to say, ``sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me''? All we have is names on this piece of paper, throwing words. If we as a Congress sincerely believe in peace in the Middle East, let us get on some planes and go over there and sit down and talk to the people in the Middle East and make a difference. Let us stop talking and step up and give some action. I support Israel. I support Israel. My congressional district has many, many people of Jewish descent; and I am pleased to represent them, but I am pleased to believe in peace. Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with this Congress. Let us stop throwing words across the floor and every which way and make a difference.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a very special constituent, Louise P. Dempsey, on the occasion of her receipt of the Ohio Women's Bar Association's Justice Alice Robie Resnick Award of Distinction. This award is the OWBA's highest award for professional excellence and is bestowed annually on a deserving attorney who exhibits leadership in the areas of advancing the status and interests of women and in improving the legal profession in the state of Ohio. It gives me great pleasure to wish Ms. Dempsey my warmest congratulations on this truly special occasion. Louise Dempsey is currently Assistant Dean for External Affairs at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland. She received her B.A. from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec; Certificate of Advanced Study in Bioethics from the Department of Philosophy, College of Graduate Studies and Research, Cleveland State University; and J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She is a former Trustee of the OWBA (1994-1997) and also a past co- chair of the OWBA's Law School Liaison Committee. The OWBA was initially formed in 1991 and is the only statewide bar association within Ohio solely dedicated toward advancing the interests of women attorneys while encouraging networking and the creation of a statewide mentor program for women attorneys. Louise has also been active in other bar associations. She served on the Cleveland Bar Association's Board of Trustees and also, in 1999, was named One of Ten Outstanding Women in the Law by the Cleveland Bar. In 2001, she was awarded the Nonprofit Lawyers Academic Award by the American Bar Association. At the same time, Ms. Dempsey has been active in the community in a variety of areas, including: appointment to the Board of the Cleveland Municipal School District; Board of Trustees of Laurel School; Board of Trustees of Park Works; Board of Trustees of Visiting Nurse Association; member of Northern Ohio Hate Crimes Working Group; and United Way Services. On May 1, 2002, Justice Resnick will be presenting Ms. Dempsey with the Ohio Women's Bar Association's Justice Alice Robie Resnick Award of Distinction at its Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. It gives me great please to rise today, Mr. Speaker, and Join the OWBA in congratulating Louise Dempsey and wishing her continued success.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, to my colleague, the gentleman from the great State of Ohio (Mr. Oxley), and to the ranking member, the gentleman from the great State of New York (Mr. LaFalce), I am pleased to have had an opportunity to serve on the Committee on Financial Services as we have debated this legislation. But what is clear to me is the American public expects us to do more than pass strong legislation that does not go far enough. I just want to put in the Record a copy of The Washington Post editorial that fully addresses many of the issues. Let me tell my colleagues a few things I am concerned about. Mr. Chairman, I do not believe that this current legislation that is before the House of Representatives addresses the issue wherein the CEOs, like the CEO at Enron and Global Crossing, were able to take their 401(k) dollars out of the pot, and leave workers like Mrs. Linton, who I read about in the newspaper, stuck with not receiving any other dollars. Now, what we have not addressed, and I am not an SEC attorney, but I do know there is a piece or a rule that allows a CEO to put in place a plan to dispose of his assets in a particular company, as long as they have in place a plan to do so. We need to put in place a plan that would also allow workers to be able to access their dollars in the same fashion that CEOs do. Or if they are not able to do so, that the CEOs would be held accountable. Let me go to another point that I raised at the Enron hearings, which is with regard to the SEC. I have a lot of respect for the SEC and their chairman, Mr. Harvey Pitt; but the reality of the matter is that we should not leave our job to the SEC. We should give the SEC clear direction on what we want done, when we want it done, and how we want it done. For example, the records of Enron were not reviewed by the SEC. That presents a real problem for me and other Members as we review this process. Finally, I am worried about a private organization giving advice and counsel on many of these issues to the Congress. Let me just say that the Arthur Andersen relationship with Global Crossing, the CEO said that he thought that relationship was okay. If he thought it was okay, what does that say about other private industry people.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in opposition to this rule and the current legislation. I have the privilege of serving on the Committee on Financial Services as well as serving on the Committee on Small Business. I had the privilege and opportunity to ask questions of Harvey Pitt, the SEC chairman. I had the privilege and opportunity to ask questions of the CEO of Arthur Andersen, CEO of Enron, and the CEO of Global Crossing. And what I have to say to the American public this morning is, in the course of that questioning I have never seen any men more arrogant in my life. I have never seen any men who believe that they did not need to respond to the questions of the American public on their conduct. If, in fact, the exhibition of the questions and answers before that committee are any indication of the conduct of the CEOs of large companies, then clearly this legislation that we put on the floor this morning does not go far enough to deal with the issue of CEO responsibility. I stand in support of a Democratic substitute that would strengthen corporate responsibility and executive accountability by requiring CEOs and CFOs to certify the accuracy of their firm's financial statements, subjecting them to criminal penalties for lying. If the rest of us are subject to criminal penalties for lying, why should they not be? I will give you a perfect example. When I asked the Global Crossing CEO what his salary is, he said, Mrs. Jones, it is a matter of public record. And I said, sir, it may well be, but I want you to answer my question for the record. He said it was $3.5 million. He failed to disclose at that point that he got a $10 million loan forgiveness to become the CEO of Global Crossing. Let us go on to say that it is important as Members of this Congress that we restore the public's trust in the CEOs and CFOs of large companies in which we invest. Clearly, not everyone is an investor, but there are those, like those who are members of the Public Employees Retirement System of the State of Ohio, who lost their compensation as a result of the Enron situation or the California Public Employee Retirement System. I believe we need greater accountability. And while we are doing this, let us not just sit back and give something to the public where we say we are doing something when in reality the bill does not go far enough. I think it is important that we look to auditor independence and industry oversight. When I questioned the Arthur Andersen head, as well as Mr. Pitt, it was clear that in the past we have not done a good job of distinguishing between auditor and the consultant. And this legislation, in my opinion, does not go far enough to distinguish and keep them from being in the position of saying, oh, your company is in great shape, when in reality it is not. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we need to be in a position to distinguish between those two roles so that never again do we find ourselves in the position of having the possibility of an Arthur Andersen, being the accounting firm that is looked upon as the greatest accounting firm in the world upon which all of us rely, when in fact, behind the scenes, and I am not saying all Arthur Andersen employees were involved in the process, but in fact the name Arthur Andersen was consistent with who you invested in. Mr. Speaker, again, I believe it is important that any legislation that we deal with this morning deals with the independence in the auditor industry as well as dealing with issues of conflict of interest. And so, therefore, I again rise in opposition to the rule, and with all respect to the chairman and this great effort in dealing with this legislation, we need greater corporate accountability and CEO accountability. And we do not need just a study about what CEOs do in a possible conflict of interest, we need some legislation that addresses the conflict.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to return to Congress on Tuesday, April 16, 2002, Wednesday, April 17, 2002, and Thursday, April 18, 2002 due to a death in my family. I request an excused absence for these days. Had I been present, the record would reflect that I would have voted: On rollcall No. 96, H.R. 476, Motion to recommit with instructions, ``Yea''. On rollcall No. 97, H.R. 476, on passage, ``No''. On rollcall No. 98, on approving the journal, ``Yea''.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to return to Congress on Tuesday, April 16, 2002, and Wednesday April 17, 2002, due to a death in my family. Had I been present, the record would reflect that I would have voted: On roll 93, H.R. 1374, Philip E. Ruppe Post office Designation--``yea''; on roll 94, H.R. 4156, Clergy Housing Allowance Clarification--``yea''; on roll 95, H.R. 4157, Family Farmer Bankruptcy Extension Act--``yea.''

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 90th birthday of Dorothy Height. We will be celebrating this wonderful event tonight. She is the President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women. She grew up under the tutelage of Mary McCleod Bethune and is a member of my great sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and I am so pleased to stand up. But, see, Dorothy Height would want me to stand on the floor today and talk about a what? He said a balanced budget? This is not a balanced budget. I cannot believe the man even had the nerve to stand there and say that. Balanced budget on the back of seniors who need Social Security, and Dorothy Height, a 90-year-old woman, needs Social Security. Balanced on the backs of seniors who need Medicare. Dorothy Height needs Medicare. Balanced on the back of seniors who need housing. Fortunately, Dorothy Height has housing. Mr. Speaker, give me a break. Balanced budget? I do not even believe he had the nerve to let those words come out of his mouth. We are balancing it on the back of the senior citizens who need it most.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 2175, the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2001. Many individuals who support a woman's right to choose have argued that this bill is harmless because it restates existing law. I oppose this bill because it mischaracterizes current abortion rights law and may create confusion among physicians who provide emergency care to pregnant women. Concerns have been raised that H.R. 2175 would obligate physicians to provide care beyond recognized standards, and that failure to adhere would raise the issue of liability. More importantly, I oppose this bill because it is yet another attempt to chip away at a woman's right to choose. Pro-life advocates have opposed and attempted to erode reproductive rights in a number of ways: by imposing waiting periods, by denying women information about their own health choices, by restricting or removing funding for contraception and family planning efforts, and at the most radical by terrorizing physicians and clinic workers. The current Administration has signaled its intent to pursue this line of advocacy. In April 2001 the Bush Administration proposed to remove contraceptive coverage for federal employees. Only a groundwell of opposition restored this benefit, which the Office of Management and Budget found added nothing to the cost of federal health benefits. Again in 2002, the Bush Administration has proposed to end contraceptive coverage for federal employees, even though ending such coverage would violate Title VII, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in the workplace. In addition, the Administration has proposed cutting Title X funding family planning programs that provide critical family planning and related health services to millions of low-income families. Make no mistake--advocating on behalf of women's health care and reproductive rights entails stating the core issue of reproductive rights: Who gets to decide? Who decides what a woman does with her own body? Access to birth control and abortion is part of the larger struggle for access to health care for all women. In 1973 the Supreme Court legalized abortion. Yet today, 20% of women who want to have an abortion cannot obtain one. Lack of funding, restrictive legislation, and campaigns of terror and harassment by the antiabortion movement have severely eroded abortion rights. While public attention has focused on restrictions of women's choices through legislation and judicial decisions, abortion services have been undermined in more basic ways. Through harassment and violence directed at doctors and other health care providers, as well as medical schools and hospitals, anti-choice forces have discouraged both the teaching and provision of abortions. As a result, abortion services have been eliminated in large parts of the country and a critical shortage of abortion providers and services has developed. As with all other attacks on access to abortion, these restrictions have the greatest impact on low-income women, rural women, and women of color. A number of solutions support reproductive rights: Opposing hospital mergers with institutions that prohibit reproductive health services; Developing the role of non-physician clinicians as women's healthcare providers, including nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants in abortion; Increasing abortion training for medical residents; Increasing awareness of reproductive choice and abortion access as a public health issue and encouraging research in the field; Creating innovative public education campaigns; Publishing directories of reproductive health and abortion providers in English, Spanish, and other languages where women lack access to information and health services; Creating coalitions of like-minded organizations which have an interest in women's reproductive health and abortion, such as: American Civil Liberties Union, NARAL, NOW, National Lawyer's Guild, National Women's Law Center, and numerous health care providers and unaffiliated activists. In the 1986 case Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Justice Harry Blackmun stated ``Few decisions are more personal and intimate, more properly private, or more basic to individual dignity and autonomy, than a woman's decision whether to end her pregnancy. A woman's right to make that choice freely is fundamental.'' The terrorist events of 2001 focused our country on fundamental values such as freedom, commitment, and tolerance. Bills such as the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2001 ultimately seek to curtail the freedom of choice held dear by the majority of the American public. We cannot afford to ignore challenges which seek to restrict the freedom of women to control their reproductive capacity, their decision to bear children, and the shape of their destiny.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, today, we finally have an opportunity to do something for the worker. I can remember back in September talking about the airline security bill and talking about the fact that many of my family members are employed in the airline industry, my father having carried bags for United Airlines for some 38 years. And every time I go through that airport, I see these men who have been carrying bags for years making $2 an hour, and unable to get tips to supplement their families and help their families. But the discussion kept going on: we are going to help the workers, we are going to help the workers, we are going to help the workers. Well, finally, we are doing that. And unlike some who say that we as Democrats see compassion as an unemployment check, I do not see compassion as an unemployment check. I see compassion that we ought to exhibit all during this year and years to come as Members of the House: compassion for affordable housing for people who cannot afford housing, compassion for people who need health care, who cannot afford a health care credit. Because if I do not have any money, I cannot pay for health care and then get a credit. I see compassion as giving opportunities for people to have a job at a living wage and have a job where they can work and get a health care benefit that they do not then have to pay for. I understand compassion. I see compassion. And I am not going to give support of business to the Republican Party, because Democrats support business. I serve on the Committee on Small Business, and I am here to help business. But we cannot help business and not help the workers who help to build the business. I am glad for workers. Thank God we have got unemployment compensation.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise this morning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Faith Community Credit Union. Faith Community Credit Union is headed by my good friend, Rita Haynes; and in the 50 years of this credit union, this credit union has come from a small church credit union to being a community credit union where they now in fact have the opportunity to administer Small Business Administration loans to small businesses in our communities. Last week I had the opportunity to address the National Credit Union Association, and I was introduced by my good friend Rita Haynes. I want to celebrate the great work that the Faith Community Credit Union has done for our community. It has even taken the step of trying to provide loans for people who are being subjected to predatory lenders and those payday loans that you have seen all over the TV where people come in and say to you, get a loan this week and you can pay it off next week with next week's check, and then what do you do with the money that you do not have at that time? I am so pleased that credit unions are stepping in where many other financial institutions have stepped out. I again rise to celebrate Faith Community Credit Union's 50th anniversary.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am going to split my remarks between two areas that will be addressed in the House later this evening. First of all, I rise in support of our domestic steel industry. Thousands of American steel workers have lost their jobs due to massive levels of low-priced steel imports. In my own district, the 11th district of Ohio, 3,200 LTV steelworkers may lose their jobs while 22,000 steelworkers and vendors in the region have been affected as a result of these imports. I stand here today to urge the President to take decisive action against the cheap imports that are destroying the U.S. steel industry. This is an industry that has been a cornerstone of our economy and national security over the last 100 years. The ITC found unanimously that American steel companies and thousands of workers and their communities have been seriously injured by these imports. I say and know firsthand that they have been devastated. The ball is now in the President's hands. He must decide what measures his administration will take to correct the wrong that has been caused by low-priced imports. I urge the President in the strongest possible terms to impose strong and effective tariff-based relief. The President must impose a tariff of at least 40 percent against all foreign low-priced steel imports. I urge the President to impose such a tariff for a period of at least 4 years, as the law allows. I also urge the President not to waiver from his commitment to the American steel industry and its workers because strong tariff-based relief is the only remedy that can realistically assist this industry in our United States. Secondly, I rise in support of the Congressional Black Caucus Black History Month Special Order. Our theme tonight is ``The Color Line Revisited: Is racism dead?'' We have come together to salute the great history of African Americans in America. I would like to address that African American history and its origins and what it means to our great Nation today. Let us take a moment to reflect on a time in our history when African Americans were so dehumanized and their history so distorted that slavery, segregation, and lynching were not punishable by law. It was a time when people were being mistreated because of the color of their skin, and as a result, many people began to stand against these terrible acts. This stand against injustice by many eventually brought about a massive change that divided our Nation and sparked the Civil War. After the war, America stood true to its union as one Nation, under God. The spirit of African Americans was strong and unwavering during such difficult times, which makes the history of African Americans so great. It is important to reflect upon this time in our history so that what happened to innocent people never happens again. It is largely for these reasons that I am working to make a difference in the life of every American. I believe that we must pick up where African American heroes left off. We must not only know our history but honor it, so that slavery, segregation, and inhumane acts never happen again. We must be united for access to quality public schools for our Nation's youth, we must be united for access to affordable health care, and we must not rest until our Nation unites and what will be done for African Americans in terms of reparations. Right now, inner-city schools, which are overwhelmingly populated by African American children, are failing standardized tests at disproportionate rates. Right now, African American families lack access to quality health care at disproportionate rates. Right now, in the slowing economy, African Americans are losing their jobs at double the rate of white Americans. Right now, African Americans are victims of predatory lending by unscrupulous companies that are stripping our community of her wealth. Right now, the American people have a duty to their fellow countrymen and women to not only apologize for the inhumane acts, but also to supplement it with economic justice. With all of our efforts, I am sure that we will continue to celebrate freedom and justice for all for many, many years to come. In closing, racism is not dead; but we are one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be an American, and I am more proud that I am an African American. I salute those African Americans who believed in the fight for justice, believed in their dreams for equality, and paved a path for a brighter tomorrow. We must stand up and continue to fight to be assured that racism does die. But right now, it is not dead.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today is Valentine's Day. But for thousands of American steelworkers whose jobs have been lost, this is a day filled with bitterness. I stand here today in protest of the low- priced steel imports that have ravaged the American Steel industry and the 3,800 LTV steelworkers in my district whose lives have been devastated as a result of these imports. Today I urge the administration to take decisive action against the cheap imports that are destroying the U.S. steel industry. This is an industry that has been a cornerstone of our economy and national security over the last 100 years. The administration, as part of its steel plan, has taken the important step of initiating a section 201 investigation to examine the devastating impact that steel imports have had on the American steel industry. The International Trade Commission found, unanimously, that American steel companies and thousands of American workers and their communities have been seriously injured by these imports. I say, and know firsthand, that they have been devastating. The ball is now in the President's hands. He must decide what measures his administration will take to correct the wrong that has been caused by low-priced imports. I urge the administration, in the strongest possible terms, to impose strong and effective tariff-based relief. The President must impose a tariff of at least 40 percent against all foreign low-priced steel imports. I urge the President to impose this tariff for at least 4 years, as the law allows. Most importantly, I urge the President not to waiver from his commitment to the American steel industry and its workers because strong tariff-based relief is the only remedy that can realistically assist the industry. It is no secret that low-priced imports are due to excessive global steel production. The Department of Commerce has released a study showing that global steel overcapacity results from subsidization and anticompetitive practices around the world. We must not allow steel imports that originate from such distorted markets to destroy a vital component of our economy. We must not allow those foreign producers to destroy thousands of good American jobs and the financial security that those jobs represent. Families depend on these jobs. Cities and communities depend on these jobs. Workers in my district depend on these jobs. Thousands of American steelworkers are anxiously awaiting a trade remedy decision in the current 201 investigation. Their future depends on strong and effective trade relief and an administration that will be unrelenting in reducing global excess steel capacity. I urge the President to impose a strong tariff-based remedy against all foreign steel imports over the next 4 years.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I keep hearing that the third time is a charm. This was a bad bill the first time; it is a bad bill the second time; and it is a bad bill the third time. The American people are not going to be charmed about this bill, even on Valentine's Day. They do not want candy. They want jobs and benefits. In Cleveland, Ohio, we just lost 3,000 jobs from LTV Steel because of overcapacity of steel in our Nation, and we lost it because this government did not come up with a steel stimulus package that would allow the steel industry to benefit. We lost 1,000 jobs with TRW, and another 3,000 jobs with Ford. I came through the airport the other day. Something I had on buzzed, and I looked up and I was being wanded by a former LTV worker who said to me, Congresswoman, we are here working in the airport because we no longer have jobs at LTV. I suggest this morning that the problem we have is that this is not a bill that will help unemployed workers, nor do we have a budget that is going to help unemployed workers. If we were going to help them, we would not have reduced Pell grants, reduced dollars to elementary and secondary education. If we were going to help them, we would not have reduced dollars for job training programs. If we were going to help the unemployed workers, we would not have reduced dollars for affordable urban and rural housing. Mr. Speaker, I suggest we need to come together and sit down and stop playing with the unemployed, but help them.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It is time that we pass meaningful hate crimes legislation. Over the past several years, we have witnessed a rash of violent hate crimes across America. And while no law can effectively outlaw bigotry, it can be fought by imposing stricter penalties upon those who commit hate crimes, by making the laws more inclusive, and collecting more accurate information about hate crimes. We need to pass legislation that prohibits offenses involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Right now, in my Congressional district, there is a billboard across the street from a public library that is filled with hate for persons because of the color of their skin. Now, while I support freedom of speech, I also believe that the community can speak out against hatred. History has shown us that hate has the potential of criminal behavior. I urge my colleagues to vote for legislation that will sustain the fabric of this Nation and lead us toward a more united America. I encourage my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1343.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, in honor of the 56th Annual Public Servants Merit Award of the Cuyahoga County Bar Foundation, I would like to salute the honorees by entering them in the Congressional Record. Each honoree has provided over 20 years of faithful service to the bench, bar, and public. These public servants will be honored this year with the distinguished Franklin A. Polk Servants Merit Award on February 8, 2002. Shannon Donahue, Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, Administrative Assistant to the Personnel Director. Nominated by Hon. Timothy M. Flanagan, Administrative Judge. Judith McGinty, U.S. District Court, Cleveland Clerks Office, Operations Specialist. Nominated by Hon. Paul M. Matia, Chief Judge. Margaret Payne, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, Senior Supervisor, Clerk's Office. Nominated by Hon. Peter Sikora, Administrative Judge. Donna Owen, Ohio's Eighth District Court of Appeals, Judicial Secretary. Nominated by Hon. Diane Karpinski. James Ruddy, Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts, Acting Department Head, Pending Files-Civil Division. Nominated by Gerald E. Fuerst, Clerk of Courts. Mercedes Sport, Ohio's Eighth District Court of Appeals, Court Administrator. Nominated by Cuyahoga County Bar Foundation, Public Servants Committee. Richard Sunyak, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Assistant Director of Operations. Nominated by Hon. Richard J. McMonagle, Presiding Judge. Ron Tabor, Cleveland Municipal Court, Clerk of Courts, Director of Criminal Division. Nominated by Earle B. Turner, Clerk of Cleveland Municipal Court. Theresa Talbott, Cuyahoga County Probate Court, Psychiatric Department. Nominated by Hon. John J. Donnelly, Presiding Judge. Barbara Washington, Cleveland Municipal Court, Jury Commissioner. Nominated by Hon. Larry Jones, Presiding & Administrative Judge.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the comments of my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), and I stand here to congratulate the new minority whip of the House of Representatives, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi). This is my second term in the U.S. Congress, and I have to express the fact that the joy I have had serving in the Congress I partly owe to Nancy Pelosi and the guidance she has given me as a colleague throughout these 3, almost 4, years in the House of Representatives. The wonderful thing is that the world is very small, because I came to know Nancy Pelosi through some friends of mine from Cleveland, the Sklars; and so I stand here celebrating with them as well this great opportunity. I also have to say that there was no greater joy than being a monitor in the room when those votes were counted and I was able to say, yes, I have been a part of history being made as those votes were counted on behalf of Nancy Pelosi. I am looking forward to her leadership and the opportunity to be there to help her lead this Congress and lead this Democratic Party into this new century and to have an opportunity to say to the world that ``a woman's place is in the House, the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress.'' Congratulations Nancy Pelosi, and I am here to let you know I am here for you.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I inadvertently missed the vote on H.R. 3338 Defense Appropriations Conference Report. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea.''

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, the song goes, we wish you a merry Christmas; good tidings we bring to you and your kin. That is good tidings if you are unemployed and you have had coverage for 12 to 18 months; it is good tidings if you are eligible for unemployment compensation. It is good tidings if you have money to pay for health care and you can come up with 40 percent. It is good tidings if you can find your way through the unemployment maze. The gentleman from Ohio failed to admit that in the State of Ohio, our Governor closed down unemployment offices, so they are going to be very hard to find. But more importantly, as we stand here talking about truth at 2:35 a.m., the truth of the matter is that this bill does not provide all that it could for unemployed workers because many are left out of the pocket. If we really wanted to help unemployed workers, we would do one bill that helps unemployed workers, and then we could say to them, good tidings we bring to you and your kin. We are going to give you some money to take care of your families and your Christmas.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for this opportunity to discuss the economic stimulus package. I agree with the statements that have been made by my prior colleagues, and I would like to associate myself with their comments. If the gentlewoman would allow me, I would like to bring this issue particularly back to my own congressional district. Mr. Speaker, currently, we have LTV Steel Company in bankruptcy. In fact, in court yesterday and today, the steel company has moved to have an opportunity to corral its assets and sell those assets. As a result thereof, we are looking at losing 3,200 workers from LTV Steel. If those 3,200 workers are laid off, another 40,000 workers across the State of Ohio will be impacted by the layoff. Two things that I would like to have happen on the economic stimulus package is that the steel loan guarantee would be changed, that it would allow the steel loan guarantee bar to be reduced to allow a steel company in the United States to have the same application process as a steel company in a foreign country. Currently, if you are building a steel company in a foreign country, your economic layout does not have to be as strong as if you are building in the United States. Secondly, I would like to have added a proposal that would allow for net operating losses to be used by steel companies when they have not been able to use them before because they have not been profitable and let those dollars be used as tax credits to pay retiree health care benefits, legacy costs, as well as to pay retiree health care benefits and retirement. I recognize that our time is coming to an end. I thank you for the opportunity to be heard. I would encourage those of you who are listening to me and my colleagues to allow these two amendments to any economic stimulus package we present so that the steel industry, that has significant numbers of minorities and women in those jobs, that they be able to stay in decent high paying jobs. I thank you for the opportunity to be heard.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. From foreign countries.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker on December 4, 2001, I had official business in my Congressional District and I missed rollcall votes 466, 467 and 468. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on the aforementioned rollcall votes.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue, and I thank the chairman for his leadership on the committee. I just rise very quickly to say that I had an opportunity to visit Ship Rock, New Mexico, with President Clinton when we went on the tour of the Digital Divide. At that time, I had a chance to visit an Indian reservation, and I had a chance to speak with and discuss with the people there the issues of small business. I am so happy that the gentleman has chosen and has had an opportunity to address this issue. Secondly, I had a chance to visit the Small Business Development Center in Hawaii where they were doing innovative things on a lot of little small islands where they were able to put the counselor for the Small Business Development Center on a computer at one end and the people on the small islands at the other end to engage in counseling. So I am so happy that the gentleman has taken the leadership in this area, and I rise in support of him and congratulate him on the work he is doing, and the chairman as well.