Hakeem Jeffries

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that's been troubling to me and to many of the people that I represent back home in Brooklyn and parts of Queens has been to witness the attack on organized labor, on unions all across the country. Particularly in 2011, 2012, we witnessed it in Wisconsin, we witnessed it in Ohio, taking place in other parts of the country. And I think that it's unfortunate that there are some forces out here in the country determined to crush the ability of the American worker to organize and fight collectively for a decent way of life. And I think it's important to point out some of the reasons why all Americans should be thankful for unions and for the organized labor movement. I'm just going to highlight quickly 10. We should be thankful to organized labor because of overtime pay. We should be thankful because of child labor laws. We should be thankful because we now have the 40-hour workweek. We should be thankful because of workers' compensation, there to provide a safety net for folks who are injured on the job. We should be thankful because we now have the presence, as a result, in significant part, of the organized labor movement, for unemployment insurance. We should of course be thankful because many Americans, as a result of the efforts of organized labor, enjoy pensions, increasingly under assault, increasingly being taken away, but pensions have provided a vehicle for retirement security important to the American way of life and standard of living. We should be thankful to organized labor because it fought for employer health care insurance coverage, something that many folks in this country still don't have, and that's one of the reasons why I strongly support the Affordable Care Act, an effort to correct that inequity that exists in America. But the fact that many employers do provide health insurance is an outgrowth that resulted from, in large measure, the effort of organized labor. We should be thankful to organized labor because of the presence of whistleblower protection laws that give, in many instances, workers the capacity to identify something that's wrong, and to be able to move forward and reveal it, often, in some instances, when public funds are being squandered or the law is being broken; to reveal a wrong without having to have the same level of fear that retaliation would take place as a result of simply doing the right thing. We should be thankful to organized labor because it fought for sexual harassment laws designed to allow the workforce to be an environment where men and women could exist without fear of inappropriate behavior poisoning the atmosphere. We still have a long way to go in that regard, but we've got some good laws on the books designed to protect against repulsive behavior in the workforce. Lastly, we should be thankful, and this in no way is an exhaustive list, just a representative sample, but we should be thankful for holiday pay, thankful that organized labor fought for the opportunity for many Americans to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's or other holidays with their families, still have an opportunity to be compensated as a result of the ability to get certain holidays, perhaps most significantly, the Fourth of July, where we celebrate the birthday of this great Nation--off in remembrance of who we are and where we need to go in this country. We've got a lot of reasons to be thankful to organized labor. Several of my colleagues earlier today referenced their own personal experiences as it relates to the labor movement. And as I was listening to those experiences, from Representative Donald Payne and Representative Marc Veasey, I thought about the experience of myself and my own family, growing up in Brooklyn to two parents in a working class neighborhood in Crown Heights. My parents were married in April of 1967. At the time they got married, they were both members of the Social Service Employees Union, SSEU, which subsequently became Local 371 and DC 37. But they were both SSEU members. They got married in April of 1967. And just a short while thereafter, the union decided to go out on strike because they were fighting for improved conditions, both for the workers and for the clients that Social Service workers served. My parents, newlyweds at the time, confronted what I imagine was an extremely difficult decision: Do we strike with our union brothers and sisters, even though we'll have no possible means of providing for ourselves, and we don't know how long we'll be out of work, or do we cross that picket line in defiance of the collective action of the SSEU workers who went out on strike? I'm proud that my parents joined with their union brothers and sisters and went out on strike. And as I look back at that decision, it's a lot of reason for me and for my brother and for our family to be thankful, because when I think about it, in 1973, my younger brother was born with some heart difficulty, and I'm confident, looking back on it, that it was that union-negotiated health care that helped our family get through what was otherwise a very difficult time. And my brother's alive and well and doing wonderful things as a professor at Ohio State University right now. And then in 1980, my parents bought their first and only home in Crown Heights, the home that my brother and I grew up in, the home that they still live in back in Brooklyn right now. And it was that union- negotiated salary that helped them put together the money to make the down payment and to pay the mortgage all of these years. Then in 1988, it was time for me to go off to college. And one of the reasons why I was able to come out of college relatively debt-free is because my mother borrowed against her union-negotiated pension in order to send her children to college. And so the organized labor movement never has to worry about whether I'm going to stand up for them because they've always stood up for me and so many others just like me, as we heard from my colleagues in the freshman class here in the Congress. And that's simply representative of stories that so many folks across America could share. Now, unfortunately, we know that organized labor is under attack. About 60 years ago, in 1953, about 35 percent of the American workforce had collective bargaining coverage. But as of 2010, we went from about 35 percent in the 1950s to just under 7 percent in 2010. Where has that gotten us? I think it's put us, not in a better position, as middle class America or working families; it's put us in a worse position. And we saw the attacks in Wisconsin, and we saw the attacks on collective bargaining in Ohio that the folks had to roll back after the people of Ohio rose up in opposition. I was proud, as a member of the State legislature at the time, in 2012, to support the effort to unionize by a group of very courageous cable workers in Brooklyn. Organized by the Communication Workers of America, they voted, in the face of significant pressure to the contrary, to join the union and to organize a chapter in order to fight for better wages and for stronger health care and the possibility of a better retirement. Unfortunately, the courageous nature of those workers has not been met with a negotiated contract. The collective bargaining process has failed them to date. In fact, more than 20 of them were unceremoniously terminated earlier this year, and they were only brought back in the face of tremendous pressure by public servants at all levels of government. But more than 18 months later, from the moment in which they voted to join the union, they still are in limbo. They have no contract, and in many ways, their lives have been turned upside down. In fact, every other worker in the company that employed these cable workers has been granted a substantial raise, while these individuals remain in limbo. We're hopeful that we can do better, that we can bring the NLRB back to life, that it can serve as an objective entity to regulate the relationship between the workforce and employers across America. There are a lot of employers who want to do the right thing. We should encourage that because it's good for America. And in this economic recovery that we have right now, there are a lot of companies that are doing pretty well. But there are a lot of workers who are still struggling. One of the things that I think we have to confront here in the Congress is the fact that we have a very schizophrenic economic recovery. The stock market is way up, corporate profit's way up, the productivity of the American worker is way up, yet, unemployment remains stubbornly high, and wages remain stagnant. How can that be when corporate America is doing so well, when investors in the stock market are doing so well, when objective measures show that the productivity of the American worker has increased significantly? But the American worker, in terms of their ability to live and pursue the middle class dream, has, in many ways, been left behind. These are questions that I'm hopeful this Congress will confront. As we fight our way through sequestration and deal with the debt ceiling and the potential default, God forbid, that we have to confront next month, and we work our way, deliberatively, through the question of whether a military strike in Syria is appropriate, let's not forget the fact that what makes America great is the capacity for people to work hard, to purchase a home, to raise their family in safety, in security, with the ability to live a life where they provide for themselves and for their families and are able to hand to a generation of Americans that come behind them, hopefully, an America that is more prosperous, not less prosperous. We in the CBC believe that the best way to get there is not to continue to attack organized labor but to recognize what it has done for this country and to strengthen organized labor as we move forward. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina for those observations and for your continued leadership here in the Congress. I would ask the Speaker how much time is remaining on this Special Order.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Representative Veasey, for your very eloquent thoughts and observations. Of course, we understood that Dr. King was very close with organized labor, with 1199 in New York, with the retail workers, and a variety of other unions. And of course on that tragic day down in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was assassinated in 1968, he was there in support of striking Black sanitation workers, so he leaves behind a tremendous legacy. Part of that legacy, of course, includes standing up for the rights of workers to organize and fight for decent wages and health care and a pension. These are all things that Dr. King would advocate for were he around today. We have been joined by one of the leaders of the CBC, someone who was a distinguished civil rights attorney prior to his arrival here in the Congress and a judge, and now he serves as vice chair in the Congressional Black Caucus, one of the most eloquent voices in the CBC, and I am pleased to yield the floor to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield)

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Congresswoman Beatty, for those very comprehensive, thoughtful, and insightful remarks, and for pointing out, of course, the historic connection between the struggle for civil rights here in America and the organized labor movement. Of course we know that A. Philip Randolph was very central in the 1963 March on Washington, that great labor leader who, in 1937, formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. A. Philip Randolph once made this observation: The essence of trade unionism is social uplift. The labor movement traditionally has been the haven for the dispossessed, the despised, the neglected, the downtrodden, and the poor. He echoed those words several decades ago, but I think they ring true today in America in 2013, and we're thankful for that. I've been joined by another distinguished colleague, a member of the freshman class, my colleague from the Lone Star State. It's now my honor and my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Marc Veasey.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank my good friend from New Jersey for those very insightful and thoughtful observations. I think the organized labor movement has a pretty simple objective in that a hard day's work should be compensated by a good day's pay; and anybody that works hard to provide for their family should be able to take care of their family, possibly even with a solidly middle class existence. That seems like that is consistent with the idea of who we are as a country. We, of course, right now have a minimum wage that is so low--$7.25 an hour--that you can work 40 hours a week and a family of four will still fall below the poverty line. We've seen income inequality reach levels that are as bad as they were during the Great Depression. Part of the reason for these economic phenomena clearly have to do with the decline of Americans and their participation in the workforce as union members. It's something that we just have to confront here in this country in deciding what type of America we're going to become as we move forward into the future. I've been joined by another extremely distinguished, eloquent, thoughtful colleague from the great State of Ohio, and I'm pleased to yield the floor now to Representative Joyce Beatty.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the achievements of Bishop Eric R. Figueroa, Sr. During his 30 years of service, Bishop Figueroa has ministered to thousands and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all those he encountered. In honor of his three decades of service to our community, Bishop Figueroa was honored at a celebratory banquet on Monday, May 20, 2013 at Russo's on the Bay in Howard Beach, New York. In 1983, Bishop Figueroa founded New Life Tabernacle, which has been an important part of our community. In addition to his ministry at the church, Bishop Figueroa has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the lives of the people of Brooklyn through the Family Life Development Center. The Center provides an impressive range of services which include: a food pantry, drug rehabilitation programs, juvenile alternatives to incarceration, mentoring, counseling, college preparation, scholarships, and senior citizen programming. He recognized the needs of the people of Brooklyn and found solutions. His work has provided critical services to those most in need. Bishop Figueroa's efforts as a founding member of Brooklyn Congregations Together, which united church communities in the borough to best meet the needs of the people, are commendable. The community remains indebted to the New Life Covenant Fellowship, which educates and empowers new leaders. Bishop Figueroa is truly a gifted teacher, preacher, and singer. He is an inspirational leader whose work would not have been possible without the love and support of his wife Doreen Figueroa and their devoted children and grandchildren. We thank his family for sharing him with us all. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in congratulating Bishop Figueroa on his 30th pastoral anniversary. For his commitment to the people of Brooklyn and to his service of those less fortunate, he is worthy of the highest praise.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas. We, unfortunately, are approaching the close of this Special Order. To close us out in the remaining time we have Representative Marc Veasey from Dallas, who's done a tremendous job as a Member of this freshman class.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas. We've come a long way in America. But we, of course, still have a ways to go. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady for those very powerful remarks and observations. I now yield to the distinguished gentleman from Houston, Texas, a fighter for civil rights and equality prior to arriving in the Congress and during his tenure here in this great institution, Representative Al Green.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I'm going to now turn to the distinguished gentlelady from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Donna Christensen.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank Congressman Payne for those very eloquent remarks and for noting the conversation that he had with his young son, conversations that have been taking place in the aftermath of this verdict in households all across this country, with parents and their young sons and daughters trying to make sense of an inexplicable verdict in the eyes of many. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining in this Special Order?

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from New York. The conversation on race is not an easy one, but certainly is a necessary one here in America and one that should be embraced because the diversity of our society, as the gentleman from New York, Congressman Rangel, pointed out, is one of our greatest strengths here in America. We've been joined by a classmate of mine, the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, Representative Donald Payne, not only one of the sharpest dressed Members of Congress, but he's got one of the sharpest minds. And so I'm pleased to yield to him such time as he may consume.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Texas for her very thoughtful and eloquent remarks. We in the CBC simply want a justice system that is color blind. That should be our goal, our objective, our mission here in America. We can't have a set of laws unequally applied--over-enforced with one group that looks a certain way and under-enforced with another group that looks a different way. That's not the type of America we want. One of the reasons so many folks were troubled with the verdict down in Florida was that it appeared that the stand-your-ground defense seemed available for a self-appointed vigilante who shot down a 17- year-old in cold blood but, apparently, was not available for a battered woman who simply fired a warning shot against someone who had had a history of abusing her. We just want a set of laws equally applied to everybody. We are pleased that the distinguished gentlelady from New York--my neighbor back at home--who has been a fighter for justice here in the Congress over the last 6-plus years, has joined us. Let me now yield to Representative Yvette Clarke.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New York for his very insightful, passionate, and wonderful remarks as they relate to the situation that we in America find ourselves in today, the way forward, as well as an understanding of why we have arrived in this position. Before I turn the floor over to the distinguished gentlelady from Texas, I just want to thank the Congressman from Harlem for mentioning the fact that we here in America do have a capacity, I think, to address multiple problems at the same time. We can multitask. It's wrong when a child is killed in the inner city. It's wrong when a child is killed, 17 years old, walking home down in Sanford, Florida. We have an ability to address all of these problems, but there are some in this country that criticize those of us who raise problems of injustice in America by immediately pointing out that in inner cities all across this country--in Brooklyn, in Harlem, in Houston, in Chicago--there's Black-on-Black violence. We understand that it is our children who are dying. That is why the CBC, this Friday, will be in Chicago convening a summit to discuss the problem of violence in the inner city communities in places like Chicago, Illinois. But that doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to injustices that exist in other parts of the system. We are pleased that we've been joined by the distinguished gentlelady from Houston, Texas, who has been working hard on this issue, on many issues of concern and injustice here in America. So let me now yield to Representative Sheila Jackson Lee.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished chair of the CBC. Our objective here today, as part of our mission in the Congress, is really just to make sure that all Americans, regardless of skin color, have access to the American Dream, have an opportunity to pursue life and liberty and happiness here in America, unencumbered by any barriers connected to the color of their skin. That's our hope in America. That will make America all that it can be, this great country even better, in the quest toward a more perfect Union. I am pleased that we've been joined by the distinguished gentleman from New York, the lion of Lenox Avenue, a legendary Member of this great institution, Congressman Charles Rangel. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and my privilege once again to anchor this CBC Special Order where, for the next 60 minutes, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus will have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on the important issue of race in America. Where do we go from here? The events of the last several weeks have startled many throughout this country; most recently, the verdict down in Florida where Mr. Zimmerman was acquitted and the result that shocked many all across this country, a verdict that was viewed by many as unjust. A few weeks prior to that, the Supreme Court struck down an important provision of the Voting Rights Act, an act that had been the most effective piece of civil rights legislation in this country which has helped to bring our democracy to life and is designed to make sure that all Americans, regardless of race, have an opportunity to participate in our democracy in a meaningful way. The debate over the farm bill that has left many people troubled by the fact that the SNAP program, in an unprecedented fashion, was left out; and if we don't come to an agreement here, our failure to step up and help those who are hungry will disproportionately have an effect on many in the African American community. These are just some of the recent events that have come together to put us in a position where, as the President has recently indicated, it's time for us to have a meaningful conversation on race--a direct conversation, a forthright conversation, an honest conversation. That's why the members of the Congressional Black Caucus are here today. We have made tremendous progress in America. We've come a long way in this great country, but we certainly still have a ways to go. The road to equality is still under construction, and we're here today to try and lay out a roadmap for how we can get closer to a more perfect union here in America. I'm pleased today that we've been joined by the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Fudge), who has been such a tremendous, eloquent, forceful leader in her position as chair of the CBC. I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials into the Record on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, the Voting Rights Act has a strong bipartisan history. It was reauthorized by Congress in 2006 with the overwhelming support of both Democrats and Republicans. Yet the Supreme Court, in striking down a key provision of this historic civil rights legislation 2 days ago, has undermined the integrity of the democratic process. It was a jurisprudential hijacking of the principle of responsive and representative government. It's a decision that will go down in history, right next to the infamous Dred Scott opinion written way back in 1857. The unencumbered right to vote is fundamental to the foundation of this democracy. In this regard, the Supreme Court has failed the Nation. Let's make sure that this Congress does not do the same.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. This bill is a violent assault on reproductive rights here in America and an unnecessary intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship. It is a continuation of the Republican war against women and an unconstitutional effort to repeal a 40-year Supreme Court decision. It is dead on arrival in the Senate. The White House and the President will veto it. A majority of the Supreme Court will declare it unconstitutional. So why are we here wasting the time and the money of the American people on a futile and extreme legislative joyride? This is not Barry Goldwater conservatism. This is not even Ronald Reagan conservatism. This is conservatism gone wild. We can only hope for the good of the country that our friends on the other side of the aisle can get the extremism out of their system today so that we can return to the business of the American people tomorrow. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. I want to thank my good friend, Representative Horsford, who's made several important points. And if I could just highlight a few in particular, we hear a lot of talk here in Washington, D.C., about the evils of regulation. That talk is generally put forth in very generalized terms, without being able to point to specific regulations that actually are impeding the growth and opportunities of small businesses, but is certainly something that we hear a lot about, the evils of regulation. But the reality is if you really want to deal with some of the problems that are confronting small businesses in America, I think Representative Horsford has laid it out in pretty compelling ways. One, we need to ensure that our small businesses have access to capital in order to be able to grow their businesses, allow them to flourish and expand, build upon the ideas that exist. Two, we've got to make sure that we give these small businesses access to contracting and procurement opportunities. Many times there are small businesses that have the capacity to do the job, but are unaware of the opportunities that actually exist, whether that's at the Federal Government level, the State government level, or down at the municipal or county governmental level. And, lastly, as my good friend, Representative Horsford, pointed out, we've got to make sure that we provide access to technical assistance to deal with the compliance issues that businesses do confront. That doesn't mean that all of these issues are overly burdensome or unnecessary. But we want to make sure that small businesses do have the capacity to operate within the regulatory framework that is applicable and reasonable and that the elected officials in whatever the particular jurisdiction have deemed necessary for the proper functioning of a small business. So I thank the distinguished gentleman from Nevada for raising those very compelling points. We've now been joined by a very important leader on the issue of small business and entrepreneurship, who comes from the great State of New York, the great borough and county of Kings and Brooklyn, where we have many entrepreneurs. And she's helped many businesses over time. She is on the Small Business Committee. She's my neighbor, so I wanted to make sure I gave her the appropriately generous introduction. It's an honor to yield the floor to the distinguished gentlelady from New York, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials into the Record on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and my privilege once again to stand here on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus to help anchor this Special Order along with my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the Silver State, Representative Steven Horsford, where for the next 60 minutes, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about an issue of great significance as we kick off Small Business Week in America and commemorate the 50th anniversary. Entrepreneurship innovation, the capacity of Americans who have an idea and want to translate that idea into a business initiative in urban America, in rural America, in suburban America, is something that we here in the Congress should not simply celebrate, as we will do this week, but figure out ways to make sure that we can facilitate those entrepreneurial ideas in the most robust manner possible and help those entrepreneurs from all over the country translate their ideas and their dreams into small business reality. It goes without saying that small businesses are the heart and soul of the American economy. A significant number of people all throughout the country are employed in small businesses on Main Street and throughout inner-city commercial corridors and in the far reaches of rural America. Many of these small businesses we, of course, know were also hit extremely hard in the aftermath of the collapse of the economy in 2008. They were knocked down on the ground. And it's our job in the Congress and government, working with industry, to help lift those small businesses up off the ground and get them back on their feet so they can survive and thrive in the face of the economic difficulty that they confronted. So we will be presenting ideas related to entrepreneurship for small businesses throughout America generally and in the context of entrepreneurship and innovation in the African American community. We are going to begin today with the distinguished gentleman from Newark, New Jersey, our good friend, Representative Donald Payne, who is a distinguished member of the Small Business Committee. Prior to arriving in Congress, he worked hard on these issues, and he has been a leader since being sworn in as a Member of the House of Representatives. It is my honor and my privilege to yield to Representative Payne.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey for so eloquently laying out the history of entrepreneurship in America through the lens of the Black community, and also for detailing his own personal experiences in Newark, New Jersey, experiences that, I think, were replicated in many inner cities all across the country in the face of urban decay and abandonment that took place in the 1960s and in the 1970s. It was those African Americans who remained behind in inner city after inner city after inner city in America with an entrepreneurial idea of providing a service that otherwise may not have been available. We want to make sure that we create opportunities for all Americans to be able to grow their businesses and transform their ideas into reality. I look forward, and all the members of the CBC look forward, to working with Representative Payne in his capacity on the Small Business Committee with the leadership that he has demonstrated. We've now been joined by another distinguished member of the freshman class who also has experience from a personal perspective as a successful small business owner and entrepreneur. So it's my honor right now to yield the floor to the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio. She certainly eloquently illustrated the point that small business and entrepreneurship are as American as baseball and apple pie. And for women and minority-owned businesses to thrive is for America to thrive, as has been pointed out by speaker after speaker. So many of the jobs that Americans hold to this day are as a result of the employment that small businesses provide. So as we figure out how we can continue to recover from the Great Recession of 2008, it's critically important for us to make sure that we can guarantee the best possible opportunity for small businesses to succeed and for entrepreneurial ideas to flourish. That is why we've taken to the floor today, and it's my honor and my privilege to now yield to another distinguished member of the freshman class, my co-anchor for the CBC Special Order, the gentleman from the Silver State, Representative Steven Horsford.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Texas for her very eloquent and thoughtful remarks and for her putting forth some very important policy prescriptions for what we in the Congress can do to help advance the agenda on behalf of small businesses all across this country, and certainly in the women- and minority-owned business context. I also want to note, I am thankful that Representative Clarke mentioned one of the important immigrant businesses that began in the Bronx, New York, but has spread all across the country, the Golden Crust Caribbean Bakery and Grill, as well as I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas for highlighting some of the important businesses that have sprouted up in Houston, Texas. Those are just a few examples of what entrepreneurs in the black immigrant community, in the African American community, have done all across the land. All we're saying is we want to make sure that we provide these businessmen and -women the same opportunities that others throughout time in America have had, because if we do, they will be able to translate their entrepreneurial spirit, their innovative ideas, their vision, into reality that will make economic sense for their communities and lead to the hiring of American citizens and others who need the employment opportunity that these small businesses will continue to generate. Just a few observations in closing. One of the things that was mentioned earlier today on the floor was the fact that many small businesses confront an uncertain economic environment. And as a result of this uncertainty, they are unable to move forward in any concrete fashion because they don't know when the next crisis will hit our economy: Are we going to default on our debt? Are we going to fall over the fiscal cliff? How long are we going to be dealing with sequestration? I would suggest to my good friends on the other side of the aisle that if we really want to help out small businesses and entrepreneurs, we've got to figure out a way to come together and find common ground as it relates to moving our economy forward, because as long as we're in this period of uncertainty, it will be difficult for small businesses and for entrepreneurs to take any step forward as it relates to growing their businesses and allowing them to be more prosperous. Now there is a vehicle for us to try and find common ground. For 4 years, my good friends on the other side of the aisle were complaining about the fact that we were not in regular order, that the Senate failed to pass a budget. Well, this year a budget resolution was passed in the House of Representatives. A budget resolution was passed in the Senate. Two very different visions for where we should go as a country. But the vehicle to find common ground is to move forward with a conference committee. The majority in the Senate has indicated they are prepared to move forward and appoint conferees, but the Speaker of the people's House refuses to do so, even though for the last 4 years folks were complaining about the absence of regular order. If you want to do something about small businesses, what we should do in America is figure out how we in the Congress can come together, find common ground and create some economic certainty so these entrepreneurs can move forward. I don't know if my good friend has any parting comments, but let me just say that we in the CBC are committed to continuing to stand up for entrepreneurship in America, for opportunity, for the fruitful pursuit of the American Dream through innovation, and we extend an olive branch to Members of the other side of the aisle on this issue and on all other issues so we can finally find a way to come together and move this economy forward in a way that should benefit all Americans. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.