Hank Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I will yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we honor the lifelong service of Griffin Boyette Bell to the legal profession and to the American civil rights movement. I want to thank Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia for introducing this fitting tribute to one of Georgia's native sons. Griffin Bell was born in 1918 in rural Sumter County, the son of a cotton farmer. His family relocated to Americus, the county seat, when the advance of the boll weevil devastated cotton crops. Griffin Bell excelled at school and for a while attended Georgia Southwestern College and worked in his father's successful tire shop. When duty called in 1942, Griffin enlisted in the U.S. Army serving in the Quartermaster Corps, the Transportation Corps, where he rose to the rank of Major. After the Army, he attended Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, graduating with honors. While still in law school, he was appointed city attorney of Warner Robins, Georgia. He practiced law in both Savannah and Rome, Georgia, eventually joining the Atlanta law firm now known as King and Spalding. In 1959, he returned to public service as chief of staff to Governor Ernest Vandiver. One of his responsibilities was helping guide the State of Georgia in implementing the Supreme Court's Brown versus Board of Education decision requiring that public schools be desegregated-- which was a matter that was creating public and political tensions throughout the South. Working with the blue-ribbon Sibley Commission that he organized, he navigated a steady but incremental approach which helped Georgia implement the Brown decision without the school closings and other public rancor experienced elsewhere. Griffin Bell's handling of this and other matters for Governor Vandiver brought him to the attention of President Kennedy, who appointed him in 1961 to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which used to incorporate the State of Georgia, but now Georgia is in the 11th Circuit. In addition, among the many cases he dealt with during his 14 years on the bench were numerous school desegregation cases throughout the States from Texas to Georgia and Florida where he worked with a great deal of success to ensure that the Brown mandate was carried forward resolutely, but also with the cooperation and support of school boards and local communities whenever possible. I had the opportunity to practice before the Fifth Circuit to promote civil rights on many occasions, including one case where I represented the NAACP in a voting rights case. In that case, the NAACP was denied an application to conduct voter registration drives. The court decided that the city could not prevent the NAACP from conducting voter registration drives if this would have a discriminatory effect, a decision which might not have been possible had lawyers and judges like Griffin Bell not had the courage to stand up for civil rights over the course of decades. Judge Bell retired from the bench in March of 1976 only to be called back to public service soon thereafter by President-elect Jimmy Carter, who nominated him to be Attorney General of the United States. He was instrumental in restoring morale and public confidence at a Justice Department whose reputation had been severely damaged by Watergate. And he helped greatly increase the representation of women and minorities on the Federal bench. Judge Bell returned to King and Spalding in 1979, but he remained active in public affairs not only in his community, but in national and international affairs as well. He had barely left the Justice Department when President Carter appointed him to lead the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Two years later, he served as co-Chair of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Violent Crime, and in 1985, he accepted the position on the Secretary of State's advisory committee on South Africa. In 1989, the first President Bush appointed him to be vice chairman on the Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform. In 2004 at age 86, he was commissioned as a Major General in the United States Army to serve as chief judge on the appeals court for reviewing military commission trials of enemy combatants. To fully list the many positions Judge Bell held and the many ways he served his community and his country and the world would take more time than we have here today. Last fall, his historical essays were published in a book called ``Footnotes to History.'' Griffin Bell was anything but a footnote to history. His advancement of civil rights and commitment to the rule of the law will continue to be an inspiration to the many who worked with him, who knew him, and who will read about him in years to come. I am proud that today we celebrate his many accomplishments and honor his life. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I can think of no man who deserves these accolades who is greater than the late Judge Griffin Bell, and I look forward to this measure passing.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 71) acknowledging the lifelong service of Griffin Boyette Bell to the State of Georgia and the United States as a legal icon.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to the honorable Representative from the great State of Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is left for each side?

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield an additional 1 minute to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the fine gentleman from the great State of Washington, Mr. Jim McDermott. (Mr. McDermott asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 134) recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the Civil Rights Movement.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is the third elder justice bill that we present to date. Like the previous two elder justice bills, this bill also passed the House last September on suspension but was not able to be considered by the Senate before adjournment. Thousands of vulnerable older adults go missing each year as a result of dementia, diminished capacity, foul play, and other unusual circumstances. For example, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America estimates that more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease; and, according to the foundation, approximately 60 percent of these men and women are likely to wander from their homes. If they do, the disorientation and confusion that is a part of this illness keeps many from finding their way back home. Their safe return then often depends on being found quickly. If not found within 24 hours, roughly half risk serious illness, injury, or death. When the House passed the bill last Congress, 11 States had Silver Alert programs. As we again consider this bill, there are now 13 States with the Silver Alert programs. The need for Silver Alert programs and for appropriate assistance from Congress continue to grow. Last Congress, three Members of Congress, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Sue Myrick of North Carolina, and Gus Bilirakis of Florida, individually introduced legislation to address this serious problem in separate bills. H.R. 632 combines these three bills into one. Title I, the National Silver Alert Act of 2009, establishes a national program patterned after the successful Amber Alert program for children. It creates a national Silver Alert coordinator responsible for developing voluntary guidelines, standards, and protocols for States to consider in the creation of their own local Silver Alert plans. It establishes a Department of Justice grant program to help States develop and implement local Silver Alert programs. And, finally, the program requires the coordinator to submit annual reports on the status and activities of the State Silver Alert plans. Title II reauthorizes Kristen's Act, which expired in 2005. Kristen's Act provides for competitive grants to both public agencies and nonprofit private organizations for a national resource center, information clearinghouse, and database for tracking missing adults, training, and other related activities. I commend Congressman Doggett, Congresswoman Myrick, and Congressman Bilirakis for their hard work and bipartisan efforts to address the critical problem of missing elders. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend from Texas, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, such time as he may consume.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I will reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, if the other side decides to relinquish its remaining time, I will do the same. We have no other speakers.

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

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the second elder justice bill we are considering today is the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009. The House passed this bill on suspension last September by a vote of 387-28, but the Senate did not have time to consider it before adjournment. It is estimated that each year, as many as 5 million elders are abused, neglected, or exploited. And the incidence of elder abuse is likely to only get worse in coming years, as 76 million baby boomers reach retirement age. The legal protections against elder abuse vary significantly from State to State. The problem of elder abuse is especially problematic as many abuse cases remain secret and are never reported. The National Center on Elder Abuse has estimated that only one in six cases is reported. H.R. 448, the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009, sponsored by the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Sestak, will help provide training, technical assistance, and other support, to State and local law enforcement officials to help them catch and prosecute those who would prey on our elders. The bill will authorize funding for specialized elder justice police officers and units, as well as for special elder justice positions and units within State and local prosecutors' offices and courts. It will also provide other services to elders who are victimized. In addition to training for health care, social, and protective service providers, it establishes the Elder Serve Victim Grant Program with regional emergency crisis response teams. These teams will provide short-term emergency services to elder victims, including shelter, care services, food, clothing, transportation to medical or legal appointments, and other life services as warranted. Finally, the bill requires the Attorney General and the GAO to examine State and Federal laws, practices, and initiatives, and to recommend ways to more effectively address this problem. This bill comes to the floor amended to more clearly define the role of the Comptroller General in conducting its study and reporting to Congress. In addition to Joe Sestak, I want to commend the gentleman from New York, Peter King, for his leadership in making this a bipartisan initiative. I would also like to acknowledge our former colleague from Illinois, Rahm Emanuel, for his work on this issue. I would like to insert in the Record at this point a letter from the American Bar Association supporting this legislation as a ``significant step in addressing the inexcusable and growing national problem of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.'' American Bar Association, Washington, DC, February 9, 2009. Re the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative: The American Bar Association urges you to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 448, the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2009, legislation that we understand will be brought to the floor of the House under Suspension of the Rules tomorrow. The ABA supports enactment of the legislation as a significant step in addressing the inexcusable and growing national problem of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation--a tragedy that is estimated to cause serious harm to as many as two million people each year. That estimate does not reflect abuse of residents of long-term care facilities and thus is likely quite low. Additionally, the problem is estimated to grow as the older population burgeons. Elder justice is central to any viable notion of the rule of law and social justice. The serious problems faced daily by victims of elder abuse cannot be remedied unless the justice system is given the resources to address those problems effectively. Elder abuse is a criminal violation, yet historically the justice system has handed the issue off to social services personnel who cannot adequately address the problem on their own. Currently there are very limited resources and expertise available to prosecutors to address elder abuse. H.R. 448 would establish vitally necessary specialized elder abuse prosecution and research programs and activities to aid victims of elder abuse and to provide relevant training to prosecutors and others who work in law enforcement. Thank you for your support. Sincerely yours, Thomas M. Susman, Director, Governmental Affairs Office. I urge my colleagues to support this, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, a former admiral, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak).

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 448) to protect seniors in the United States from elder abuse by establishing specialized elder abuse prosecution and research programs and activities to aid victims of elder abuse, to provide training to prosecutors and other law enforcement related to elder abuse prevention and protection, to establish programs that provide for emergency crisis response teams to combat elder abuse, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, prior to yielding back, I would like to glance over at the other side of the aisle and recognize my good friend, Judge Poe, who is probably well familiar with elder abuse and this general topic, he having been a trial court judge down in Beaumont, Texas. Mr. Speaker, I strongly emphasize my support of this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I will, Mr. Speaker, say that I can't think of any legislation that is more timely than this, and more needed, to protect our elderly from all sorts of harm. These are people who have worked productively, given their lives, and now have fallen victim to a disease that we are still searching for cures for. And they need special protection, especially as our aged population increases. And so I look forward to this measure passing, and I want to thank Congresswoman Waters for her thoughtfulness in producing this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we come to the floor with three elder justice bills, each with bipartisan support, and each addressing, in different ways, serious problems faced by our ever-expanding aging population. These problems range from dementia, and elders who ``go missing,'' to neglect, financial exploitation, and physical abuse. The three bills we are considering today address these critical problems. The bill before us now, H.R. 908, the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of 2009, addresses the serious problem of seniors who go missing each year as a result of dementia. It passed the House on suspension last September, but Congress adjourned before the Senate could consider it. The Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program was created in 1994, and while Congress has continued to support and fund it, its formal authorization expired in 1998. This legislation, Mr. Speaker, sponsored by the gentlewoman from California, the Honorable Maxine Waters, will formally reauthorize the program. H.R. 908 authorizes the Attorney General to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for planning, establishing, and operating locally-based programs to protect and locate missing persons with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other problems. This is an excellent measure that responds to a critical problem, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve 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 object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.