Hank Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I think we have got to be broad-minded as we look for solutions to this difficulty that we face that was caused by the conservative movement, the trickled-down economic theories, a failed policy, miserably, a miserably failed policy. And it is causing so much misery to the 90 percent of the people who were working and did not participate in the accumulation of wealth over the last 8 years. So I am glad that Congressman Ellison and the Progressive Caucus is taking the lead in ushering in change in the United States Congress. And I will say that I think that the House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; I don't like the way that the plan is shaping up on the Senate side, it seems like they are wanting to cut things that are important for a changing economy. They want to cut, things like $400 million has been removed for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and also STD prevention. Our schools, our middle schools, junior high schools, high schools are rife with persons who are either infected or at risk for being infected by these illnesses. And to the extent that we can prevent these kinds of developments, which are so costly to treat, we are going to actually have a savings when we look at it holistically.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. It is important to note that in addition to promoting policies that led us into this economic downturn in previous House sessions under the control of my friends on the other side, in addition to them willingly going along with certain things that they should have known were going to result in problems for the middle-class people of this country, there was also just simply being a rubber stamp and letting things go by without caring about the impact just to be team players. That kind of situation destroyed the check and balance system between the President, the executive branch, and the legislative branch. So we are now charged with the responsibility and the obligation to be, as much as we really like the new President and the new administration and the new policies and that kind of thing, we have got to remain diligent that we move with haste and with all deliberate speed on certain things. The American people voted for change. They voted for change in this body, they voted for change in the executive branch, and change we must fight for. And so when we have those who would take us back, it is our duty and our obligation to speak out against them. And that is why I support our courageous Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She gets a bad rap on radio and sometimes in print with people demonizing her. But there is a reason why you want to reach out and kill the head of a movement. And it is because that person is being very effective. And so I think that for the most part, we should stand tall with the House version and stand behind our House leadership as they fight for the things that we've worked so carefully for and got into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that the Senate threatens now to take away because of wanting to compromise and getting some Republican votes.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Yes. I would say one of the things would be the extension of the unemployment benefits. And another thing would be the increase in public assistance money, food stamps, and the like that serve as a safety net. It is just obscene in this country that we would allow people to be living under bridges and we don't even have enough homeless shelters for people. And many of the people are suffering from some kind of health ailment that has been neglected chronically. And so that is important. I think it is very important that we make a strong investment in our public transportation system. And that money, that pot of money has been decimated by the Senate. And it doesn't take us well into the future. We have to think more in terms of clean and efficient energy that is environmentally safe, that starts contributing to the global warming, because that threatens to take us all out, all the people on Earth. It changes our entire way of living. And so there are certain things we must address and we must address them now. And it is for the long-term benefit of America and the world.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I will.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Yes. My friends on the other side have become what they call ``fiscally conservative'' once they lost the majority in the House. And the reason why they lost the majority is because people did not like this idea of increasing spending while at the same time cutting revenues by giving a tax break to the top 10 percent of wealthiest individuals who didn't need it. And so I find it ironic that we hear the voices of those same proponents of failed policy wanting to dictate how we get out of this and what policies we should have. And I just think that now is the time for change. Now is the time for Members of the Progressive Caucus and all the other caucuses to insist that our carefully structured recovery and reinvestment package is not eviscerated by the Senate and then is crammed down our throat in conference committee. I just really want us to stand tall on this one. And I do believe that our Speaker is going to lead that effort. And for that I want to thank her and let her know that we will be right there for her.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, Whereas, SGI President Dr. Daisaku Ikeda visited Chicago in 1960, witnessed the discriminatory mistreatment of an African-American boy in Lincoln Park, and made a vow in his heart, ``I promise you that I will build a society truly worthy of your love and pride!''; and Whereas, this year marks 49 years of Dr. Ikeda's dedication to the peace and happiness of all humanity through peace, culture and education; and pledge to construct a peaceful world where individuals from all walks of life feel safe and secure while developing their fullest potential for the sake of their families and the greater good of society; and Whereas, on January 19th we honor and celebrate a noble and heroic life of Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy was to secure not only civil rights but human moral rights for all people as expressed in his own words, ``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'' Whereas, 40 years after the passing of Dr. King, we witness on this day the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as 44th President of the United States, filled with confidence in the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the prayers and efforts of countless ordinary heroes who believed that this day would one day be possible, expressed in President Obama's words, ``This is your victory!'' Whereas, in my capacity as a member of the United States Congress, I would like to acknowledge these behind the scenes efforts of one such extra-ordinary hero by recognizing, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, as an Emissary of Peace and Justice.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the news about the Bush economy gets worse each passing day. Just last week we learned that 84,000 more Americans lost their jobs in July, bringing the total number of job losses this year to a stunning 605,000. Despite all this bad news, President Bush seems content to ride out the next 5 months without any action. House Democrats recognize that middle class Americans can simply not afford to wait until next year for some real help. For 8 years now they have been forgotten by Republican economic policies that have overwhelmingly favored the wealthiest 1 percent. This month Democrats will work to enact a second economic recovery package that will help Americans who have lost their jobs or are barely making ends meet and give another boost to our economy. Mr. Speaker, for too long Republicans have rubber-stamped the Bush economic policies that have put America in an economic hole. This month Republicans will once again have a choice: stand with the Bush/McCain plan for more of the same or take action to aid families who are struggling.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I wish to let the Record reflect my intent when I voted on rollcall vote No. 552. On that vote I meant to vote ``yes'' and I voted ``no.'' The reason why was because I was out in the hallway speaking with an intern doing an exit interview and we were in the midst of 2-minute votes at that point.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I regret that I was unable to vote on the evening of Wednesday, the 25th of June. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on rollcall vote No. 460, the H.R. 3195, the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, which restores the intent and protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I deeply regret that I was unable to vote in support of an issue which I feel very strongly about. And I remain proud of this body, under the leadership of the Speaker and Majority leader, in guaranteeing that tens of millions of Americans with disabilities now enjoy equal rights under the law while being empowered to better our nation with their incredible, inherent talents without fear of discrimination or bias.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, with the price of groceries, gasoline and health care rising every day, Americans everywhere are feeling the economic squeeze. They worry about losing their jobs and their homes, and they fear losing their standard of living. The Democratic Congress has led the way in working to jump start the American economic recovery by approving $107 billion in stimulus checks that have already reached 76 million homes. With job losses exceeding 324,000 this year, with 48,000 having been lost in the month of May alone, we acted quickly last week to extend unemployment benefits for millions of workers who are having a hard time finding a job. These benefits will help struggling families put food on the table and gas in their cars. Congress has passed the most comprehensive legislation responding to the devastating housing crisis. The package will help millions of families avoid foreclosure, and it will rehabilitate properties in areas hit hard by the housing crisis. Mr. Speaker, this is a good beginning, but we must do more to alleviate the economic hurt Americans are enduring, and we must work together to turn the failed Bush-McCain economy around.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3546, which will reauthorize Byrne-JAG grants for local law enforcement. Officer Edward Byrne was a rookie New York police officer in New York City when he was killed in the line of duty in February of 1988. Officer Byrne came from a family of police officers and was dedicated to cleaning up his beat in Queens. Late on the night of February 26, 1988, Officer Byrne and his partner were staking out a house when he was murdered in his car, shot in the head five times with a pistol. He was only 22 years old. Officer Byrne's sacrifice was not in vain. His murderers and the criminals who employed them were found, charged, and convicted. And today, in perpetuation of Officer Byrne's legacy, the Byrne-JAG grant program is now the only Federal program that funds crime fighting and prevention throughout the States across State lines and nationwide. This program, Mr. Chairman and Madam Speaker, is more important now than ever. The slowing economy undermines the ability of local law enforcement to maintain and support crime prevention programs in our community as well as maintain order. Already, cash-strapped local governments face lower tax revenues and higher crime rates and recidivism. Local officials depend on these Byrne-JAG grants to invest in law enforcement resources that keep crime and drugs out of our communities. In my home State of Georgia, these grants provide for a specialize core of drug enforcement agencies that work closely together cooperating with each other and the Federal Government. And nationwide, the results speak for themselves. Byrne-JAG has led to the seizure of 54,000 weapons, the destruction of 5.5 million grams of methamphetamine, and the elimination of nearly 9,000 meth labs per year. Nevertheless, Congress has consistently underfunded this program, and President Bush threatens additional cuts in the 2009 fiscal budget fiscal year. But we can't afford to deny local governments the resources that they so desperately need to fight and prevent crime. My bill will reauthorize Byrne-JAG funding at full 2006 levels, and I urge my colleagues in this body to support it. In honor of Officer Edward Byrne, this program will help keep our streets, our kids, our fellow citizens, and our communities safe from criminal activity and drugs.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Thank you, Congressman Towns. Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out the fact that in the short time that the Democrats have been in leadership in Congress, we've passed no less than eight bills, passed them on to the President, the President has either threatened to veto them or vetoed them; and now the President proposes a plan that will have little or no impact on gas prices. It will take years to implement, it will threaten the environment and does nothing to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. And this is a plan that John McCain opposed as recently as last week when he made his announcement that he's now in support of this failed policy. So we look like we're headed for Bush-McCain a third term. And instead of pandering to the oil industry, the President should work with this Congress to come up with a plan to address our long-term energy challenges. And I want to thank you, Congressman Towns, for leading up this effort. I'm proud to be among my members of my fellow colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus because we're showing that we are broad based. We understand what is happening down home with the average Americans. And we stand with average Americans, regardless of what color, regardless of what shape or size or even sexual inclination. We stand with you because we're all in the same boat together.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. The price of food is going up. So we have food going up. We have energy costs going up. And the American people feel squeezed. They are counting on us to do something to address this issue. Congressman Towns, I just appreciate so much your emphasis on this dilemma that we face. We are, I think, proving that all Americans are concerned about the future of this country insofar as energy is concerned.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Thank you, Congressman Towns. Just listening to the comments of my colleagues, I am intrigued with so many things. My colleague from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is pretty much saying we have to have dialogue with our partners around the world, be they friends or foe. Because the bottom line, people talk about the global economy. It is true, we have a global economy. It doesn't always work as fairly as it should, but the bottom line is that we have a global economy. And some folks are making out like bandits, and others are sinking. And so it is time that we have equity in this world. I know Congresswoman Lee, you have been a woman who has throughout your career insisted on taking care of the have-nots while the haves can continue to be prosperous as well. And so dialogue with our oil- producing nations is so important. Because by the way, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, drilling is one of the tools that we need in our tool basket to address this issue. We must take advantage of the leases that have already been granted by this government to the oil companies, that they have been sitting on for years waiting for the price to go up so they can start drilling. And Congresswoman Barbara Lee, you talked about the children, and the children are so important. I am looking at an article in today's Washington Post. It says ``Fuel Costs May Force Some Kids to Walk.'' It means that our local boards of education have to pay for the price of diesel fuel which is going through the roof. And to get our children to school costs a whole lot more money than it did last year. And so that means less money for teachers and less money for school infrastructure, the buildings, less money for books. This oil crisis is wreaking havoc on us, and our children are looking to us to make the right decision. They are counting on us to make the tough choices for the future. They are counting on this Congress to understand that the most effective way to adapt to this changing reality or this new reality, which is dwindling supply with increased skyrocketing demand, we must as a tool in our toolbox insist upon conservation while we also extend tax incentives to companies to develop solar energy. I mean, we have a vast desert where I think it was 107 degrees out there, or more, sun brightly shining down. Do you mean to tell me that we can't put some solar panels out there and start capturing that sunlight and changing it to electricity, to help take some of the demand away from fossil fuels. It is much cleaner, but I think the oil companies would have a hard time trying to get their fingers and their hands around the sun. So we haven't seen a lot of solar energy. We are getting more wind coming through because of the global-warming phenomenon, the disruption of our climate. We are getting the wind, but we are not using that wind to help us with our energy needs. We need to do that. Biofuels. And all of these new things are on the table, but instead what we get is a new plan announced by the President which is more drilling, and drilling in our sensitive areas in our environment.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I thank my colleague from New York, the esteemed Congressman Ed Towns. I appreciate very much you speaking on this very important issue. It is an issue that has been creeping like a thief in the night into the pocketbooks and into the pockets of Americans, everyday working Americans. We have seen the price of gas escalating quietly but steadily ever since 2001, I say to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee from Houston, Texas, whom I am proud to serve with. And I see my other colleague, Barbara Lee from California. So we have got all parts of the Nation covered here. But ever since 2001, when the price of gas was at $1.50, it has steadily gone up. And that is kind of ironic, given the fact that we elected an oilman to be our President and an oilman to be our Vice President. You would have thought that America would be taken care of by our President and our Vice President. But what we have seen since that administration came to power is prices going through the roof. And, like a thief in the night, people have now awakened to see that they have been gouged and stolen from by the oil industry, and it has all been while we were enjoying a deregulated and unregulated market and we were allowing the speculators, instead of the producers, to get a stranglehold on the American economy. So these speculators are driving up the price of gas, driving up the price of oil. It has become the number one issue in this country. Mr. Speaker, while it is easy to peddle quick fixes, the hard truth is that there is no quick fix. It is kind of like the war in Iraq. We got in a little easier than it is going to take us to get out. By the way, ironically, some people believe that it was for the 35 billion barrels of oil beneath al-Anbar Province in Iraq that we went to war for. Some people believe that. So oil has driven much of the policies of this administration. And quick fixes will not do at this point. We are rapidly reaching the point of peak oil, peak oil being the moment, Mr. Speaker, after which global oil supplies will forever decrease. That moment is approaching. Meanwhile, global demand for oil is ever increasing. So we are reaching a point where we have dwindling supply and skyrocketing demand, and that means one thing, among others, but the biggest thing is that gas prices, high gas prices, are here to stay. Now, the President came up with an energy plan, it was done in secrecy back in 2001, if you will remember. It seems to me that it was Vice President Cheney who convened a group of people, whom we still have not found out who those people were, in a task force to formulate this country's energy policy. Someone went to court to have the names and identities of those task force members revealed, and I don't think that lawsuit was successful. But I can only speculate on who was in that room setting the oil policy. That policy went into effect back in August of 2005. When President Bush signed energy legislation into law, gas at the pump was selling for about $2.85 a gallon. Then, just 1 year later, in 2006, July 26, Energy Secretary Bodman celebrated the 1-year anniversary of energy legislation, kind of like ``mission accomplished.'' And that didn't pan out either. At that point, 1 year after the anniversary of the signing of the Bush administration energy policy, 1 year later gas had gone up to $3 a gallon. And, of course, back in May it went up, it continued to go up, to $3.81 in May. But now we are in June heading towards July, and folks are speculating that we will hit $5 a gallon by the end of the summer, and Americans are hurting. So it comes as no surprise that the big oil President and the big oil Vice President propose more drilling, instead of suggesting real, lasting solutions to our energy problem. The most effective way to address this problem is to start conserving. There is so much we can do to conserve energy. It means so much for our environment. We need to clean this environment up. I returned from a trip just 1 month ago to the North Pole, Mr. Speaker. The folks up there are talking about what is going to happen as the ice melts and it will open up the shipping lanes, so there will be more traffic, more opportunity to traverse that area, and more opportunity to get at that oil that is up in the North Pole. And I suppose we will run all of the polar bears out trying to get to that oil, trying to sip every last drop of oil that this Earth has to offer, while at the same time creating environmental havoc. So I would be happy to continue to have dialogue on this issue, but I know that there are other colleagues here who want to address this issue, so I would yield back at this point.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, as the price of gas continues to hit record highs almost every day, House Democrats continue to work on passing legislation that creates a cleaner and smarter energy policy that will provide consumers some real relief. This year, the House has passed nine bills, many of which the President has vetoed, that should help lower prices at the pump. Last month we passed a final farm bill that makes an historic investment in expanding biofuel production, largely from non-food crops such as cornstalks, wood chips and switchgrass. The bill also provides support to farmers growing energy crops and entrepreneurs building refineries to convert biomass into fuel. Without biofuels, gasoline prices would be about 50 cents higher per gallon than they are right now. The farm bill should be going to the President's desk any day now, but he plans to veto it. Fortunately, we should have enough bipartisan support to override that veto when the bill comes back to Congress. Madam Speaker, investing in biofuels is critical to our energy future. The farm bill is just one more example of how this Democratic Congress is working to lower prices at the pump.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject the President's demand for war money and to instead support an amendment that will force the redeployment of our troops from Iraq and to fully fund the benefits that our veterans deserve. A half decade after ``Mission Accomplished,'' the President is asking once again for $160 billion to fund a war that cannot be won militarily. But, Mr. Speaker, it's past time to look this President in the eye and say, ``Read my lips: No.'' Our military is superb, but it cannot impose peace in a country plagued by sectarian violence. Peace will not come to Iraq until Iraqis stop killing each other. Nevertheless, the President's followers demand hundreds of billions more for combat operations while they insist on blocking a relatively small appropriation for our veterans. This is an outrage, and we owe our servicewomen and men the best. The years of neglecting their safety and well-being must come to an end. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting funds for war, in requiring withdrawal from Iraq, and in providing the education and health care benefits our veterans deserve.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5819. The Small Business Innovation and Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are a critical means of supporting small businesses' research and innovative competitiveness and their technology training and technology exchange. This bill will increase the number of small firms that can take advantage of these valuable programs by requiring federal agencies to spend at least 3 percent of their annual research and development budgets on these programs. In addition, it will increase the maximum research and technology transfer awards so that these funds are adjusted for inflation and other changes in the economy. These changes will make SBIR and STTR programs available to more businesses and increase the impact they will have on those firms. I am extremely supportive of these provisions and strongly endorse the inclusion of them in this bill. I think it is important, however, to raise concerns about another section of the bill. Section 201 changes the definition of a small business. It clarifies that businesses that receive the backing of venture capital firms can still be considered small for the purposes of the SBIR and STTR programs. Specifically, the bill permits a small firm that is 100 percent backed by venture capital to be defined as long as not one venture capital firm owns more than 49 percent of the business and those venture capital companies have fewer than 100 employees. In addition, the bill permits large venture capital firms to have up to a 10 percent stake in the small business without jeopardizing the small company's SBIR and STTR eligibility. These changes to the definition of a small business are disconcerting. Although in this bill they are limited to the SBIR and STTR programs, these provisions establish a dangerous precedent that could pave the way for further alteration of the small business definition. Expanding the eligibility of small business programs to large or venture-capital-funded small businesses puts at risk the success and support of those companies that are truly independently owned and operated. I support H.R. 5819, but because of Section 201, I do so with reservations.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, as millions of middle-class Americans rush to the post office tonight to drop their tax forms in the mail, this Democratic Congress is fighting to make the Tax Code fair and pro-family. Already this year we passed a budget that makes middle-class tax relief a priority. Our budget calls for extending middle-income tax cuts, including child tax credit, marriage penalty relief and 10 percent tax bracket. Rather than supporting our budget, President Bush and congressional Republicans continue to push permanent tax cuts for multimillionaires. For 7 years now, President Bush's tax policy has disproportionately benefited the wealthiest few in our Nation. Consider that the average millionaire is being given $120,000 in tax breaks on their 2007 taxes, while middle-income taxpayers are, on average, receiving only about $740. As the income gap between the wealthy and the middle class continues to grow, we should prioritize middle-class tax cuts. If Congressional Republicans are serious about providing continued relief to the middle class, they should support our final budget proposal.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Colombia Free Trade Agreement for four main reasons. One, the agreement will flood Colombia's market with subsidized U.S. produce. This will force Colombian farmers to turn to a more profitable crop, coca, thereby fueling the drug trade and threatening U.S. national security. Second, this agreement will aggravate Colombia's horrendous human rights record. It will take away incentives to reduce child labor or protect union members, and the movement to improve workers' rights will languish in the face of international corporations' profits. Third, the pact will worsen the plight of the Afro-Colombians. They will continue to be forced off their territories, which are prime for oil palm and natural gas exploitation. And fourth, this free trade agreement is harmful to American workers. Its passage will make it more profitable for U.S. companies to move their operations to Colombia where labor is cheaper and environmental standards are lower. Everyone agrees that free trade is good but only when it's fair. The Colombia Free Trade Agreement is transparently unfair, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4203, my bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3035 Stone Mountain Street in Lithonia, Georgia, as the ``Specialist Jamaal RaShard Addison Post Office Building.'' The war in Iraq continues, and no matter what our differing opinions are on it, it is imperative that we honor those who have fallen serving our country. Specialist Jamaal RaShard Addison was one of the first to meet an untimely end, and it is my privilege to stand here today to honor him. Jamaal was born on October 7, 1980, to Patricia M. Roberts and Kevin B. Addison. He was the first Georgia soldier to lose his life in the Iraq war. He is survived by his parents and his 6-year-old son, Jamaal RaShard Addison, the 2nd. Jamaal was a lifelong resident of the Fourth District of Georgia, which is where I represent, and he was raised in the City of Lithonia for most of his life from 1981 to 1998. He attended Henderson Mill Elementary School, Henderson Middle School, and Lakeside High School. Motivated by the opportunity to train as a computer technician and to help provide for his family, Jamaal joined the ROTC at Lakeside High School in Decatur, Georgia, in 2000. After enlisting in the United States Army, Jamaal completed his basic training at Fort Benning and also at Fort Gordon in Georgia before serving a year in Korea. As a member of the 507th Maintenance Company, Jamaal was part of the initial invasion of Iraq. He was killed just days after he arrived there on March 23, 2003, when his convoy took a wrong turn and was ambushed near Nasiriyah. He was just 23 years old. Specialist Jamaal RaShard Addison was the first Georgia soldier to pay the ultimate price in the Iraq war. Out of this tragedy, however, has come some good in the form of the Jamaal Addison Motivational Foundation, Inc., founded by Jamaal's mother, Patricia Roberts. The foundation works with young people to offer opportunities for positive growth and to expose youth to the wide options available to them to lead successful lives. It offers youth an 8-week program designed to motivate, teach, and inspire them to develop into citizens of stature to give back to the community. I've had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Roberts and have seen firsthand the tremendous impact that this foundation has had upon our community. Jamaal's father, Kevin Addison, is a career postal worker; and so renaming this post office is a particularly fitting tribute to a fine young man who was an excellent father as well. Specialist Jamaal RaShard Addison paid the ultimate price by giving his life in service to his country. He was the first of too many Georgians to perish in Iraq. This year marks the fifth anniversary of his untimely passing, and I am very pleased to be able to offer this bill in his memory. America's fallen soldiers are heroes who deserve our enduring support. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to recognize those who have fallen and those who are currently serving by supporting this legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. On behalf of Congressman John Lewis, Chair of the full committee, and as a member of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee, I rise in support of the Davis amendment. Bankruptcy relief provides a critical last resort economic safety net for those in dire financial need. It gives a fresh start to honest and deserving debtors so they can regain their financial footing on which to rebuild a productive life, which is good for them as well as for society. My colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, seeks to restore some balance with respect to the dischargeability of certain student loans. This is an excellent measure for the following reasons: one, it ensures that predatory for-profit lenders cannot take advantage of a current provision in bankruptcy law intended to protect nonprofit institutions that make educational loans; and, second, the amendment instills some moderation with respect to the dischargeability of certain educational loans made by private sector lenders which under current bankruptcy law can be nondischargeable no matter how long ago the loan was made. So for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of Representative Watt's amendment as a way to strengthen the enforcement provisions of this mortgage bill. Subprime lending has devastated communities throughout Atlanta and my district. Thirty-five percent of all loans made to my constituents are subprime loans--that's much higher than the national average of twenty-eight percent. Seventeen percent of those loans result in foreclosure, which means, in DeKalb County, nearly 1,000 families enter foreclosure each month. In my entire district, it means my constituents who don't lose their homes will still lose nearly $200 million in home equity as foreclosures decrease the values of surrounding homes. Unfortunately, all indicators point to foreclosures continuing to rise well into 2008. These foreclosures have a devastating effect on the families in my district who work hard to buy a house. And they aren't just the result of a downturn in the housing market or because people don't pay their bills on time. No, my constituents have been victims of widespread mortgage fraud and predatory lending. Chairman Frank's bill takes a step in the right direction toward helping my constituents. And this amendment and the others submitted by Representatives Watt and Miller will help to make this bill stronger so that Americans are protected from lenders and brokers who prey on low-income and minority populations. With stronger enforcement mechanisms, this bill will help my constituents keep their hard-earned roofs over their heads. I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Watt's and Mr. Miller's amendments and Chairman Frank's bill and put a stop to predatory lending.

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, within the last month, the American people have seen just how misplaced President Bush's priorities are when it comes to addressing the needs of hardworking Americans. Earlier this month, the President vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have provided 10 million children private health insurance through the SCHIP program. The bill cost an additional $35 billion over the next 5 years, and would have allowed us to receive 4 million more uninsured children. Instead, the President suggested a mere $5 billion increase, which would lead to more than 800,000 children losing their health insurance coverage. Contrast that with the President's announcement last week that he was requesting an additional $189 billion in emergency funds over the next year for the war in Iraq, which was $42 billion higher than originally thought. Fortunately, most Americans, Senators and Governors have caught on to the President's misplaced priorities. But Republicans here in the House continue to blindly follow this President. And just as they refused to join us last week in standing by these 10 million kids, House Republicans will most likely sign off on the President's war funding request without ever asking a single question.