Hank Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, DeKalb County serves as home for many Veterans who have served honorably in the United States Military; and Whereas, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 91 of Decatur is an organization that continues to serve those who have represented our nation in times of peace and war; and Whereas, our beloved county, continues to rely on the wisdom, leadership and service from the Disabled American Veterans to assist and build our community; and Whereas, this unique organization has given of themselves tirelessly and unconditionally to preserve integrity and advocate strongly for our disabled veterans and their families; and Whereas, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 91 continues to serve our county by being the sword and shield of those who served our country in the United States military; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 91 of Decatur, Georgia for their outstanding service to our District; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim March 20, 2011 as Disabled American Veterans Chapter 91 Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 20th day of March, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, New Life Church has been and continues to be a beacon of light to our county for well over fifteen (15) years; and Whereas, Pastor Marlin D. Harris and the members of the New Life Church family today continue to uplift and inspire those in our county and beyond; and Whereas, New Life Church has been and continues to be a place where citizens are touched spiritually, mentally and physically through outreach ministries and community partnership to aid in building up the community; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious Church of God has given hope to the hopeless, fed the needy and empowered our community by preaching the gospel, singing the gospel and living the gospel; and Whereas, New Life Church has produced many spiritual warriors, people of compassion, people of great courage, fearless leaders and servants to all, but most of all visionaries who have shared not only with their Church, but with DeKalb County and the world their passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize the New Life Church family as they dedicate their new Church Sanctuary and for continued leadership and service to our District; Now therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim March 13, 2011 as New Life Church Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 13th day of March, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following. Whereas, Ninety years ago a tenacious man of God was born in Newport News, Virginia on March 9, 1921; and Whereas, Mr. Purvis E. Isler, Sr., born to Mr. Elijah and Mrs. Esther Isler, grew up in New Jersey when his family moved north and attended Perth Amboy High School where he met and married his high school sweetheart Jeanette Deay Eaton and to their union seven daughters and three sons were born; and Whereas, Mr. Isler has shared his time and talents as a Husband, Father and Motivator, giving the citizens of the United States a person of great worth, a fearless leader and a servant to all advancing the lives of others, through service to our country in the U.S. Army, as a broadcast electronics technician and being the ideal father and grandfather; and Whereas, Mr. Isler has been blessed with a long, happy life, devoted to God and credits it all to the Will of God; and Whereas, Mr. Isler along with his family and friends are celebrating this day a remarkable milestone, his 90th Birthday, we pause to acknowledge a man who is a cornerstone in our community; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside these days to honor and recognize Mr. Isler on his birthday and to wish him well and recognize him for an exemplary life which is an inspiration to all; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim March 9th and March 12th, 2011 as Mr. Purvis E. Isler, Sr. Days in Georgia's 4th Congressional District. PROCLAIMED, THIS 9th day of March, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following. Whereas, One hundred years ago a tenacious man of God was born in Taliaferro County, Georgia on March 11, 1911; and Whereas, Mr. Garnett Rhodes was born to Mr. Chapman and Mrs. Mary Jane Frazier Rhodes, he grew up farming in Taliaferro County, Georgia and continued to farm in Greene County, Georgia and Athens, Georgia until he turned 90 years old; and Whereas, Mr. Rhodes has shared his time and talents as a Husband, Father and Motivator, giving the citizens of Georgia a person of great worth, a fearless leader and a servant to all who want to advance the lives of others; and Whereas, Mr. Rhodes has been blessed with a long, happy life, devoted to God, and credits it all to the Will of God; and Whereas, Mr. Rhodes along with his family and friends are celebrating this day a remarkable milestone, his 100th Birthday, we pause to acknowledge a man who is a cornerstone in our community; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Mr. Rhodes on his birthday and to wish him well and recognize him for an exemplary life which is an inspiration to all; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim March 11, 2011 as Mr. Garnett Rhodes Day in the Fourth Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 11th day of March, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following. Whereas, we are saddened by the untimely death of Mr. Kevin Hunter because our lives have been touched by the life of this one man . . . who gave of himself in order for the betterment of our beloved DeKalb County; and Whereas, Mr. Kevin Hunter's work is present in DeKalb County, Georgia for all to see, being one of DeKalb's favorite sons; and Whereas, this highly effective civil servant utilized his skills to aid in the growth and development of DeKalb County since 1999; and Whereas, he gave of himself, his time, his talent and his life as he served his family, his friends and his community; and Whereas, Mr. Kevin Hunter was a son, a father, a friend and a man of great integrity who remained true to the uplifting of our community; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the fourth district of Georgia has set aside this day to bestow a special recognition on Mr. Kevin Hunter for his leadership, friendship and service to all of the citizens of Georgia and throughout the Nation as a citizen of great worth and so noted distinction; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby attest to the 112th Congress of the United States that Mr. Kevin Hunter of Ellenwood, DeKalb County, Georgia is deemed worthy and deserving of this ``Congressional Recognition'' by declaring Mr. Kevin Hunter U.S. Citizen of Distinction in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 10th day of March, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today's message from the House Republicans is as follows--and these are my quotes, by the way--``This House will subsidize Big Oil and Wall Street, but our constituents who are losing their homes can just suck it up and find a bridge to sleep under.'' Just about every economist under the sun agrees that we won't have robust job growth and recovery until foreclosures are under control; but rather than putting forth a proposal to improve the deeply flawed homeowner assistance programs, the GOP panders to its Wall Street base by proposing we do away with homeowner assistance altogether. I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting this anti-homeowner, anti-middle class proposal so we can turn to the serious work of improving homeowners' assistance programs that are currently failing.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and to this bill. This CR is further proof that the majority does not care about the unemployment crisis. This really is a question of our morality as a Nation. Are we going to eat a loaf of bread that is spotted with the mold of conservatism and so-called fiscal responsibility, or are we going to bring to our children a loaf of bread that is healthy, whole wheat, and good for America? This bill represents a loaf of bread. And I might point out the Speaker yesterday or a few days ago said something about, well, if they don't want to eat the whole loaf of bread at one time, then I am going to make them eat it one slice at a time. Well, every slice is speckled with mold of this old-fashioned, old way of thinking that got us into this problem that we are in now. What we have done is given the keys to the car that they drove into the ditch back to them, and now we are forced to eat bread in that car, moldy bread in that car that is going nowhere but down. Mark Zandi said 700,000 jobs would be lost if we do it the way that these Republicans who cannot drive, if we allow them to do that. And I am simply looking ahead for my children and for my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren. I cannot in good faith go along with this.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 347, which will assist the Secret Service in performing their protective duties, and it does include the Pittsburgh Steelers organization in the confines of this legislation. The role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly since it was created in 1865 to fight the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The Secret Service became part of the Treasury Department in 1883 and took on many additional investigative responsibilities with respect to safeguarding the payment and financial systems of the United States. It wasn't until 1894 that the Secret Service first started protecting our Presidents, and that protective role with respect to the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries has grown substantially since that time. The bill before us today will help the Secret Service carry out this protective function. Current Federal law prohibits individuals from entering or remaining in areas cordoned off as restricted because of protection being provided by the Secret Service. This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute under--excuse me. This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute only applies to those who do not have lawful authority to be in those areas. The bill also would add the White House and the Vice President's residence to the definition of restricted areas protected under current law. The men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor and professionalism while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the President and national special security events. The Secret Service has other important functions which also deserve recognition. For example, the investigative role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly from protecting the currency against counterfeiting to investigating a wide variety of crimes related to this country's financial institutions and credit systems. I commend the gentleman from Florida, Representative Tom Rooney, for his work on this bill. I do sympathize with him in his loss. And I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 386. This bill establishes criminal penalties for knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft or in its flight path. Incidents involving lasers aimed at aircraft have raised concerns over the potential threat to aviation safety and national security. Some are concerned that terrorists might use high-powered lasers to, among other things, incapacitate pilots. There is also concern that laser devices can distract or temporarily incapacitate pilots during critical phases of flight. Lasers pose a safety hazard to flight operations. Even a brief exposure to a relatively low-powered laser beam can cause discomfort and temporary visual impairment. The visual distractions of a laser can cause a pilot to become disoriented or to lose situational awareness while flying. Higher powered laser devices can incapacitate pilots and inflict eye injuries when viewed at closer ranges. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board documented two cases in which pilots sustained eye injuries and were incapacitated during critical phases of flight. In one of these cases, after a laser was pointed at the pilot's plane, he experienced a burning sensation and tearing in his eyes. A subsequent eye examination revealed multiple flash burns in the pilot's cornea. These types of incidents happen more and more each year. There were over 2,800 reported incidents of this happening last year, more than double the number of reported incidents from the previous year. Because this is a documented and growing problem and because of the Federal interest in maintaining the safety of our airspace, this bill, unfortunately, is necessary. I commend the gentleman from California, Representative Dan Lungren, for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 394 is intended to clarify a number of uncertainties and technical flaws in statutory provisions governing Federal court jurisdiction and venue that have come to light in recent years. The legislation addresses the inefficient rules which judges have identified. These rules have required judges to spend considerable time deliberating jurisdictional issues instead of analyzing the case's facts and applicable laws. In the 111th Congress, we passed similar legislation in the House on a bipartisan basis. Unfortunately, the Senate was unable to pass it before the end of the 111th Congress. This legislation is based on studies within the judiciary and consultation from academics and legal organizations, including the American Bar Association, Lawyers for Civil Justice, the Federal Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, the Judicial Conference of the United States has endorsed this legislation. I want to thank my friend and sponsor of this bill, Chairman Lamar Smith for his continued efforts to strengthen the operations and efficiencies of our Federal judiciary. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, we are saddened by the untimely death of Mayor Ray Jenkins because our lives have been touched by the life of this one man . . . who gave of himself in order for others to stand; and Whereas, Mayor Ray Jenkins' work is present in Doraville, Georgia for all to see, being one of Doraville's favorite sons; and Whereas, this highly effective public servant was elected as Mayor of the city of Doraville in 2003 and again in 2007; and Whereas, he gave of himself, his time, his talent and his life as he served our nation in the U.S. Navy, with two tours during the Korean Conflict and served in the U.S. Postal Service until his retirement in 1986; and Whereas, Mayor Jenkins was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend and a man of great integrity who remained true to the uplifting of our community; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to bestow a special recognition on Mayor Ray Jenkins for his leadership, friendship and service to all of the citizens of Georgia and throughout the Nation as a citizen of great worth and so noted distinction; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby attest to the 112th Congress of the United States that Mayor Ray Jenkins of Doraville, DeKalb County, Georgia is deemed worthy and deserving of this ``Congressional Recognition'' by declaring; Mayor Ray Jenkins, U.S. Citizen of Distinction, in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 7th day of February, 2011.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I thank the gentleman from California, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 368, the Removal Clarification Act of 2011, will enable Federal officials to remove cases to Federal court in accordance with the spirit and intent of the Federal officer removal statute, 28 U.S.C. 1442(a). This is a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill. In the 111th Congress, a nearly identical version passed the House under a suspension of the rules and passed the Senate with an amendment by unanimous consent. Under the Federal officer removal statute, a Federal officer should be able to remove a case from State court to Federal court when it involves the Federal officer's exercise of his or her official responsibilities. The purpose underlying the Federal officer removal statute is to prevent State litigants from interfering with the Federal Government's operations. There is, however, some ambiguity as to whether the Federal officer removal statute applies to State pre-suit discovery procedures. More than 40 States have such procedures, which require individuals to be deposed or respond to discovery requests even when a civil action has not yet been filed. This means that Federal officials can be forced to litigate in State court, undermining the purpose and intent of the Federal officer removal statute. Courts are split on whether the removal statute applies to pre-suit discovery. Some courts have found that Federal officers cannot remove a proceeding to Federal court when these pre-suit discovery motions are at issue while others have found that such proceedings could be removed. This bill will clarify that Federal officers should be able to remove a proceeding to Federal court any time a legal demand is made for a Federal official's testimony or documents if the officer's exercise of his or her official responsibilities was at issue. The legislation will also allow a Federal officer to appeal a district court's decision to remand the matter back to the State court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1447. This bill will not result in the removal of the entire State case when a Federal officer is served with a discovery request when the only hook is that a Federal officer has been served with such a discovery request. Rather, the bill we consider today makes clear that ``if there is no other basis for removal, only that discovery proceeding may be removed to the district court.'' Finally, the bill makes clear that the timing requirement under 28 U.S.C. 1446 will not be changed, restating the 30-day requirement for removing the case when the judicial order is sought as well as when the judicial order is enforced. In closing, I would like to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Conyers for working with me on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we've had promise after promise after promise after promise that the Republicans were going to pay attention to what the people wanted. And what the people want is jobs, jobs, jobs. I rise in opposition to this amendment, Madam Chair. I want to point out that these Republican cuts that have been proposed are draconian, they are extremist, they are bad for America. They are bad for our economic recovery. Everybody knows that we just came out of the worst recession since the Great Depression. We call it the Great Recession. We're just coming out of it, even though most Americans don't feel it yet. Certainly those folk up on Wall Street who got the bailouts, they feel the recovery, and they are back to the huge bonuses and salaries. They are looking at this Republican Congress to release them from all of the regulatory measures that the Democrats put in place over the last 2 years so that they can continue to party. And while they party, their friends here in Congress on the Republican side of the aisle are busy trying to balance the budget on the backs of working men and women in this country. That's what the CR proposal is all about. It came out on Friday at 8 p.m.; they issued their plan, and here we are on Tuesday arguing the merits--or demerits, actually--of this plan that is nothing other than a plan that undermines America's future. This plan is going to cause severe job cuts which will hurt our economic recovery. It is ironic that as reported in the Wall Street Journal, a new Wall Street Journal survey of economists shows that they expect the economy to expand at the fastest pace since 2003--a recovery that would be certainly jeopardized, snuffed out, by this GOP plan. This is going to cut at least 300,000 private sector jobs, according to an analysis by staff at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. These cuts, by the way, these 300,000 cuts are less than half of the total infrastructure cuts in the bill. These Republican cuts in investments in roads, bridges, transit and rail include a cut of $1.4 billion in clean water State revolving loan fund moneys, which is $23 million for Georgia; and include a cut of $6.3 billion in high-speed intercity rail funding. That's going to cause people to not be able to go out and work to make that investment in America's future a reality. A $75 million cut in the TIGER II Program, those are transit projects, is what will happen in Georgia, just in the State of Georgia. So we are talking about massive job losses, 300,000 just with transportation and infrastructure projects, Madam Chairman. The consequence of that extends into our future. It is actually strangling the future of millions of Americans, both working and poor people. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the Republican CR is another broken promise that will eliminate thousands of good paying jobs in construction, law enforcement, research, education, and public safety. This is just more of the same, and this turns us into a pink slip Nation. I believe that's what the goal of the Republicans is, and this bill will cost us jobs today, tomorrow, and in the future by failing to invest in our infrastructure and by failing to invest in education. Mr. Speaker, the mistakes the majority intends to make today will not be very easy to reverse, and I urge the majority to keep its promise to America, which is it's all about jobs.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands. I appreciate how much you care about people. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government touches all of us, every single person who lives in America. The Federal budget touches each one of us in some way or another. Whether or not it would be when we call 9/11 for police help or whether or not we call 9/11 for the fire department, or even when we are sending our children to school, the teachers, they are touched by the Federal budget. What we now have, which has been introduced on Friday by the folks on the other side of the aisle, my Republican brothers and sisters, is an assault on each one of us. It's an extremist position that they have taken to cut things that are so important to Americans' quality of life. And I just simply don't believe that the majority of the American people are in favor of eliminating the positions of thousands of police officers across this land; of leaving fire departments high and dry, with not enough personnel. And we certainly don't want our schools to have hundreds of kids in one classroom because we don't pay for teachers. Those positions are going to be hurt and severely impacted with these extremist budget cuts that are being recommended by the Republicans. Certainly, they want to break the backs of the unions that represent these employees because they know that the Federal Government--they know that these workers are protected by moneys that the Federal Government transfers to the States and local governments. In fact, with the recovery bill that was passed out of this very body back in 2009, $800-some-odd billion, it was the greatest transfer of Federal dollars to the States in the history of this Nation. And what it did, Mr. Speaker, was to save the jobs of police officers, firefighters, municipal workers, and teachers across this land. But we are now at the point where there is no understanding, no admission that that recovery package actually helped, when in fact it did. Lots of people would not be working right now if it had not been for that recovery package. What we want to do now is exactly the opposite. We want to cut the budget, we want to cut aid and assistance to States and local governments to such a degree that it will force those governments to start laying off workers en masse. And it's not good for America, it's not good for Americans. And certainly there is a better way. Especially when you think about it, we could pay for it if we eliminate some of these tax breaks for the wealthy and from people who don't need them. Take the oil companies, for example. Can they afford to lose some of their multibillion dollar tax breaks in that great big, unwieldy Tax Code? Sure, they can. That's going to help us, but there's nothing like that coming from my friends on the other side of the aisle. They just simply want to balance this budget on the backs of the working people of this country. They want to turn this country into a pink slip nation, and they want to balance the budget on the backs of working people. So I'm going to do everything I can to speak on behalf of the shrinking middle class, who are the people I serve. Thank you, Congresswoman.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition of H. Res. 72, which would allow for nearly 10 hours of debate on Congress' authority to conduct oversight of executive agencies and the regulatory process. While there is no express authority in the Constitution for oversight, it is implied in Congress' myriad enumerated powers. We have a longstanding system where the executive branch promulgates regulations. If there is a problem with the regulations, the remedy is for the Court to invalidate--not the Congress. The new House majority promised leaner, more efficient, more focused government. Yet today we are wasting time and money debating a question that was already resolved. This is cheap political theater. This resolution is redundant and unnecessary. It is simply a waste of time. Americans are hurting. Spending 9\1/2\ hours debating something House Committees already have the authority to do is a slap in the face to the millions of unemployed individuals in this country. I am ready to roll my sleeves up and get to work and help those who have been harmed because of deregulation. I am ready to do what my constituents elected me to do--focus on growing the economy and creating jobs. We should be spending our time discussing legislation that will allow us to invest in America and grow the middle class. I strongly oppose this resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, Pastor Jasper Williams, Jr., is celebrating sixty (60) years in preaching the gospel this year and has provided stellar leadership to his church on an international level; and Whereas, Pastor Jasper Williams, under the guidance and calling of God began preaching and singing the word of God as a child and has transformed over the years as a ``Son of Thunder'' through his style of preaching and teachings; and Whereas, from Memphis, Tennessee, to Atlanta, Georgia, he has pioneered and sustained Salem Bible Church, as an instrument in our community which uplifts the spiritual, physical and mental welfare of our citizens; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious man of God has given hope to the hopeless, fed the hungry and is a beacon of light to those in need; and Whereas, Pastor Williams is a spiritual warrior, a man of compassion, a fearless leader and a servant to all, but most of all a visionary who has shared not only with his Church, but with our District and the world his passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Pastor Jasper Williams, Jr., as he celebrates sixty years (60) in preaching the gospel; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim August 8, 2010 as Pastor Jasper Williams, Jr., Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 8th day of August, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, Willie and Josephine Wilder are celebrating fifty years (50) in marriage today in Decatur, Georgia; and Whereas, on December 23, 1960, because of their union then, our community today has been blessed with a family that has enhanced our district. Mr. Wilder was captain of the football team and Mrs. Wilder was a cheerleader when they married and now, they both are instruments in our community that uplift the spiritual, physical, economic and mental welfare of our citizens; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious man of God and this phenomenal and virtuous Proverbs 31 woman have given hope to the hopeless, fed the hungry and are beacons of light to those in need, they both have been blessed with two wonderful children, three wonderful grandchildren and three great grandchildren; and Whereas, Willie and Josephine Wilder are distinguished citizens of our district, they are spiritual warriors, persons of compassion, fearless leaders and servants to all, but most of all visionaries who have shared not only with their family, but with our District their passion to improve the lives of others; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Willie and Josephine Wilder as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary, fifty (50) years in marital bliss; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim December 11, 2010, and December 23, 2010, as Willie and Josephine Wilder Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, This 11th day of December, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, Pastor Michael A. Shinn is celebrating nineteen (19) years in Pastoral leadership this year at New World Harvest Church and has provided stellar leadership to the church on an international level; and Whereas, Pastor Michael A. Shinn under the guidance of God has pioneered and sustained New World Harvest Church as an instrument in our community that uplifts the spiritual, physical and mental welfare of our citizens; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious man of God has given hope to the hopeless, fed the hungry and is a beacon of light to those in need; and Whereas, Pastor Shinn is a spiritual warrior, a man of compassion, a fearless leader and a servant to all, but most of all a visionary who has shared not only with his Church, but with our District and the world his passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Pastor Michael A. Shinn as he celebrates nineteen years on his Pastoral Anniversary; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim September 26, 2010, as Pastor Michael A. Shinn Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, This 26th day of September, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, the Thankful Missionary Baptist Church has been and continues to be a beacon of light to our county for the past one hundred twenty-eight years; and Whereas, Pastor Jack Marks and the members of the Thankful Missionary Baptist Church family today continues to uplift and inspire those in our county; and Whereas, the Thankful Missionary Baptist Church family has been and continues to be a place where citizens are touched spiritually, mentally and physically through outreach ministries and community partnership to aid in building up our District; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious Church of God has given hope to the hopeless, fed the needy and empowered our community for the past one hundred twenty-eight (128) years by preaching the gospel, singing the gospel and living the gospel; and Whereas, Thankful Missionary Baptist Church has produced many spiritual warriors, people of compassion, people of great courage, fearless leaders and servants to all, but most of all visionaries who have shared not only with their Church, but with DeKalb County and the world their passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize the Thankful Missionary Baptist Church family for their leadership and service to our District; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim September 26, 2010, as Thankful Missionary Baptist Church Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, This 26th day of September, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, one hundred years ago a tenacious man of God was born in Ringold, Virginia, on November 25, 1910; and Whereas, Mr. William Farmer Wilson graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Agricultural Education; and served as a Teacher, and Principal; and Whereas, he served our country in World War II in the Air Force, Retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and received recognition and medals for his heroics in the War, blessing our nation with his outstanding service; and Whereas, Mr. Wilson has shared his time and talents as a Teacher, Solider and Community Leader, giving the citizens of Georgia a person of great worth, a fearless servant advancing the lives of others; and Whereas, Mr. Wilson along with his family and friends are celebrating this day, his 100th Birthday, we pause to acknowledge a man who is a cornerstone in our community in Conyers, Georgia, with his wife Ruth, his daughters and grandchildren; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Mr. Wilson on his birthday and to wish him well and recognize his outstanding service to the District and the Nation; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim November 25, 2010, as Mr. William Farmer Wilson Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, this 25th day of November, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, Ronald and Doris Ramsey are celebrating twenty-five years (25) in marriage today in Lithonia, Georgia; and Whereas, on May 10, 1985 because of their union then, our community today has been blessed with a family that has enhanced our district with a stellar academy for educating our youth, Kingdom Kare Academy which was co-founded by Ronald and Doris Ramsey, wherein Doris Ramsey has utilized her background in business and education to keep the academy moving forward and Ronald Ramsey has given of himself as an attorney, judge and as a legislator in the Georgia Senate, they both are instruments in our community that uplifts the spiritual, physical, economic and mental welfare of our citizens; and Whereas, this remarkable and tenacious man of God and this phenomenal and virtuous Proverbs 31 woman have given hope to the hopeless, fed the hungry and are beacons of light to those in need, they both have been blessed with two wonderful children, Ronald Ramsey, II and Christyn Ramsey both of whom are honor students that are now enjoying college life; and Whereas, Ronald and Doris Ramsey are distinguished citizens of our district, they are spiritual warriors, persons of compassion, fearless leaders and servants to all, but most of all visionaries who have shared not only with their family, but with our District their passion to improve the lives of others; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Ronald and Doris Ramsey as they celebrate their Silver Anniversary, twenty-five (25) years in marital bliss; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim May 10, 2010 and May 29, 2010 as Ronald and Doris Ramsey Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, This 10th day of May, 2010.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following: Whereas, thirty-four years ago a virtuous woman of God accepted her calling to serve on the DeKalb Community Service Board; and Whereas, Mrs. Delphenia Davis has served the citizens of DeKalb County as an Advocate for People with Disabilities and our community has been blessed through her service; and Whereas, this phenomenal woman has shared her time and talents as an Advocate, Teacher and Motivator, giving the citizens of Georgia a person of great worth, a fearless leader and a servant to all who want to advance the lives of others; and Whereas, Mrs. Davis is formally retiring from the DeKalb Community Service Board today, she will continue to serve those in need because she is a cornerstone in our community that has enhanced the lives of thousands for the betterment of our District and Nation; and Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this day to honor and recognize Mrs. Delphenia Davis on her retirement from the DeKalb Community Service Board and to wish her well in her new endeavors; Now Therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby proclaim January 28, 2011, as Mrs. Delphenia Davis Day in the 4th Congressional District. Proclaimed, This 28th day of January, 2011.