John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California, the Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland, the Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my colleagues, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Congresswomen Terri Sewell and Martha Roby, for offering this resolution today. I am so pleased that this resolution will preserve the oral histories of current and former Members of Congress who participated in the civil rights movement, and it will also preserve the experiences of Members who have come on the Faith & Politics Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama. Together, we have retraced the steps that were walked so many years ago and have spent time with some of the people who shaped the civil rights movement. Some of the Members who have gone on this pilgrimage were not even born during the civil rights movement, and they come to learn about our Nation's history. Many Members have come away changed by this experience forever. This resolution will help us preserve a powerful and transformative period in American history. Without the brave and courageous souls who shed blood, sweat, and tears in Alabama and throughout the South, this would be a very different Nation today. It is very important that Members of Congress understand and acknowledge the debt we owe to ordinary people with extraordinary vision, who, as Dr. Martin Luther King once said, ``injected new meaning into the very veins of our democracy.'' Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 1965, 600 peaceful, nonviolent protesters attempted to march from Selma, Alabama, to the State capitol in Montgomery to dramatize to the world that people of color wanted to register to vote. We left Brown Chapel AME Church that morning on a sacred mission, prepared to defy the dictates of man to demonstrate the truth of a higher law. Ordinary citizens with extraordinary vision walked shoulder to shoulder, two by two, in a silent, peaceful protest against injustice in the American South. We were met at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge by a sea of blue--Alabama State troopers. Some were mounted on horseback, but all of them were armed with guns, tear gas, and billy clubs, and beyond them were deputized citizens who were waving any weapons they could find. Then we heard: I am Major John Cloud. This is an unlawful march. You cannot continue. You have 3 minutes to go home or return to your church. We were preparing to kneel and pray when the major said, ``Troopers advance.'' The troopers came toward us, beating us and spraying tear gas. That brutal confrontation became known as Bloody Sunday. It produced a sense of righteous indignation around the country and around the world that led this Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress and made what I believe is the greatest statement any President has ever made on the importance of voting rights in America. He said: I speak tonight for the dignity of man and for the destiny of democracy. At times, history and fate meet at a single time, in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama. During that speech, President Johnson condemned the violence in Selma and called on Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act. He closed his speech by echoing the words of the civil rights movement, saying over and over, ``And we shall overcome . . . And we shall overcome.'' Congress did pass the Voting Rights Act, and on August 6, 1965, it was signed into law. This weekend, starting tomorrow, is the 12th congressional pilgrimage to civil rights sites in Birmingham, Montgomery, and in Selma with the Faith & Politics Institute. We will remember the distance we have come and the progress we have made. We will end our time together in Selma by crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. During this trip, we see ourselves not as Democrats or Republicans or as adversaries. We see ourselves as Americans on a journey to discover our history. We all come away from this pilgrimage with a deeper appreciation of our democracy and the power of people to make a difference in our society. I am so pleased that this story will be told. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire about how much time remains.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. We don't have any additional speakers.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and my colleague from California for his commitment, for his dedication, with all of his kind words today. I think this resolution is saying to all of us that we have come a distance. We've made a lot of progress, and the Members of Congress participated in helping to bring about what I like to call a nonviolent revolution in America, a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. It is unreal, it is unbelievable. Just think, a few short years ago, in a place like Selma, Alabama, or Lowndes County, Alabama, between Selma and Montgomery, Lowndes County was more than 80 percent African American. There was not a single registered African American voter in the county. Today there's a biracial county government. That in a city like Selma, in 1965, only 2.1 percent of African Americans were registered to vote. Today there is a biracial city government. Or in a State like the State of Mississippi, in 1965, the State had an African American population, voting age population, of more than 450,000, and only about 16,000 were registered to vote. Because of the action of Presidents and Members of Congress, we have changed, and it's my hope and my prayer that every Member of Congress will vote to pass this resolution. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate the life of Ed Jenkins, a fellow Georgian, a dedicated public servant, and a good friend. I had the honor of serving on the Ways and Means Committee alongside Congressman Jenkins. Born in the small town of Jasper, Georgia, Congressman Jenkins would often describe himself as a country lawyer, but he was a country lawyer with an extensive knowledge of the tax system. He was knowledgeable; he was very informed. He was an advocate for the people and industries of Georgia. He was a champion of the South's textile industry and a fierce protector of the local economy. Although often soft-spoken, Ed Jenkins bravely pressed for the facts of the Iran-Contra affair. He believed the American people deserved to hear the truth, and he was not afraid to speak out, he was not afraid to speak up. He was thoughtful, considerate, a brave negotiator and an unbelievable, just excellent colleague. When I first came to Congress, he was so helpful and so caring. I learned so much from him. He was a good man, a decent human being. I never heard him say a mean thing about anyone. I only wish we had more Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, with not just his demeanor, but with the pride he took in this institution and this Congress. He was very proud to be a Member of Congress and proud to be a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and that pride made him a powerful leader. I can remember over the years each time the Ways and Means Committee came together for a reunion. He would always show up long after he retired from the Congress. I was so sad to hear of his passing and would like to express my deepest sympathy to his wife, Jo; his daughters, Janice and Amy; and his entire family. As a Nation, we greatly benefited from his service. As a colleague, I learned so much from his example and his friendship. He will be deeply missed by the people of Georgia, the people of this Nation. He made a lasting contribution to our country; and we must never, ever forget this good and great man.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. Here we go again, Madam Speaker. Instead of working on legislation to help create jobs, House Republicans have gathered us here for political games. This bill is not constructive. Madam Speaker, it is destructive. It is disruptive to the most important task we face--helping struggling Americans get back to work and getting our economy moving again. We've been down this road before. We fought this so-called ``battle'' last year. The debt limit is America's credit card bill, and just because we don't like the balance doesn't mean we don't have to pay it. It's just that simple. When you get a balance on your credit card, you pay it. We all do it. This exercise is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill. Let's come together and work for the good of this Nation and not partisan dissent. The time is always right to do right.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and my colleague, Mr. Levin, for yielding. If we go home without passing the bipartisan Senate bill, we disgrace ourselves and this Congress. We are out of time. We cannot go into this holiday season without helping our unemployed brothers and sisters. We cannot keep our seniors from seeing their doctors. We cannot allow taxes to go up for millions of Americans. What is happening here today is shameful, it is a disgrace, it is unreal, it is unbelievable. We can do better. If we fail today, how will you face your neighbor, your family, who are suffering? Where is your compassion? Where is your heart? Where is your soul? I, sir, vote ``no'' on this motion and pass the Senate bipartisan bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, my colleague, Mr. Levin, for yielding. And thank you for all of your great and good work. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill. It is a very sad day for this body. Day in and day out, unemployed Americans beat the pavement applying for jobs everywhere and anywhere, sending hundreds of resumes applying for many jobs. These people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. They don't want a handout. They want a job. In Atlanta we had a job fair where more than 4,500 people from as far away as New York showed up with the hope of just getting an interview. This bill is an insult to them. It is an affront to their dignity. It says that millions of Americans do not want to work or they are not searching hard enough for a job. Instead of extending unemployment benefits before the holiday break, giving equal treatment for struggling Americans, as we do for the wealthy and large corporations, this legislation strips the program down to its bones. It's not right. It's not fair. It is not just. This body represents the people, and we should not stomp on the souls of our fellow citizens. We can do better. We must do better. We must do better for the sake of our fellow citizens. Mr. Speaker, is this the spirit of the season? Last night we offered an amendment to the Rules Committee that the Republicans refused to even consider. These amendments said, in effect, stop the politics, stop the games. Stand up for the people, for the people that voted for us, for our people that need our help. They are depending on us.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we should stay here, stay here, don't go home until we can meet their expectations. We must come together and do what is right, and do it now. I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this bad bill and come together, pass a long-term, clean extension of unemployment benefits. That's the thing to do.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today with a heavy heart. Martina Davis-Correia, the older sister of executed Georgia prisoner, Troy Anthony Davis, died last week in Savannah. She was the most outspoken advocate of the ``I Am Troy Davis'' clemency campaign, which spread to countries all around the world. Correia traveled far and wide to any group that would give an ear in a strenuous effort to save her brother's life. Despite several commutations of his sentence, Davis was killed by lethal injection in Georgia in September of this year. The Davis case has helped turn the tide of public opinion in the struggle for repeal of the death penalty. I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Martina Davis- Correia. The agony of this death sentence and execution has killed not just one man, but has decimated an entire nuclear family. After 22 years of struggle, Davis's mother died in the spring, her son was killed by the state of Georgia in September, and now her daughter has died. Correia was a brave and courageous woman who was her brother's most stalwart advocate for clemency. She was an angel of mercy who sacrificed her health to win her brother's life. For a state which could have used its power to do what is right, the outcome is tragic. But for the Davis family, if it had to be this way, it is an elegant ending. God has finally accomplished what the state of Georgia could not. In his mercy he granted their prayers to be all together again--happy, healed and whole. They leave us the lessons of their lives and a legacy of struggle that strengthened a movement for repeal of the death penalty in this country. I send my deepest condolences to the Davis family and to Martina Correia's son, who needs our support in this time. May God richly bless you for the sacrifice you as a family have made in the long, hard struggle for justice in America.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank my friend and colleague for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to extend unemployment benefits now. It is amazing that we have time to debate this farm dust bill. We are polluting our air, but we don't have time to create jobs or to help people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It is our moral obligation to give just a little bit of hope, a little bit of justice to help people survive these cold, difficult, hard times. During this holiday season, I ask each and every one of you to take a deep, hard look within and ask yourselves: Is this how I wish to treat my mother? my father? my sister? my brother? my son? my daughter or my neighbor? The unemployed lost their jobs through no fault of their own. They don't want handouts. They want jobs. This small amount of money is just enough to squeeze by while they continue to look for jobs. Help them. Please help them keep roofs over their heads, shoes on their feet, food on their tables, and heat in their homes. Madam Speaker, this is the least we can do. It is the right thing to do. It is the fair thing to do. Fairness cannot wait. Give them just a little bit of hope in the name of those elected to serve them. Let's come together. Let's put politics aside and just get it done. Vote ``no'' on this rule, and extend unemployment insurance here and now.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, recently Atlanta Magazine gave a voice to the jobless in America. The words of one person speaks for millions. ``Unemployment dehumanized the real person,'' one American writes. ``You lose the essence of your identity and value. You become a number, a label, a resume, a failure, a defect, desperate, poor, and separated from society. Being unemployed is to be silently disrespected, on par with being homeless, mentally ill, or addicted.'' Today we speak for millions of Americans who will be pushed to the edges of our society, locked out and left behind, if we fail to act. The jobless in America elected us so that they would have a voice in these debates. They are not points on a graph or numbers on a page. They are human beings. We must not abandon the people of this Nation. We must pass the unemployment insurance extension and do it without delay. Wake up, Congress. Wake up, and do what is right.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the most important task we face today is helping Americans get back to work. People stop me all over metro Atlanta and tell me how long they've been looking for work, how many applications they have filled out, how many resumes they have sent. And with the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans over 12 percent, Senator Tester's amendment is a good start. It is a necessary start. These are people who want to work, who need to work. They don't want a handout; they want a job. These men and women put on that uniform to serve and protect our country. We can and must do more to honor their service. It is simply the right and good thing to do. Now, I must say, Madam Speaker, that I strongly object to the Republican effort to stain a bipartisan bill with a partisan poison pill, making it more difficult for America's seniors to get private health insurance and Medicaid. It is not right, it is not fair, and it is not just.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank the gentlelady from Ohio for holding this Special Order. Congresswoman Fudge, thank you very, very much. You are making a lasting contribution to this discussion, to this debate. Voting rights are under attack in America. Quietly, gradually, State by State, the right to vote that many people died for has been taken away. Sometime ago, some of us came to this floor, I believe this past summer, to warn the American people about this dangerous trend. No one, but no one, seemed to be listening. But today, we can no longer ignore this trend. Congressman Holt said just a few moments ago that the Brennan Center released a report that shows that voting law changes in States across the country will make it much harder for more than 5 million voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote. In 2011, we should be ashamed. Today, we should be making it easy, simple and convenient to vote. Instead, we are creating barriers and making it more difficult for citizens to vote. There's not just one law, but many types of laws that are disenfranchising millions of voters: voter ID laws, proof of citizenship laws, barriers to registration, elimination of early and absentee voting, and making it harder to restore voting rights for people who have paid their debt to society. These laws are barriers to an inclusive democracy. They are a disgrace, and they are a shame to our democracy. We continue to step backwards toward another dark time in our history. We cannot separate the dangerous trend across this Nation from our history and the struggle for the right to vote. Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, not so long ago, it was almost impossible for some citizens to register and vote. Many were harassed, jailed, beaten and some were even killed for trying to participate in the democratic process. In the 1960s, people stood in what I like to call immovable lines trying to register to vote. People waited day in and day out, only to be turned away and told that voters were not being registered on that day. The same thing is happening today. States are passing laws to restrict voter registration and are doing away with the same-day voter registration. There is no reason that we cannot make it easy and convenient for people to register to vote. Ten years ago, the Carter- Ford National Task Force on Election Reform called the United States' registration laws ``among the world's most demanding'' and blamed those registration laws for low voter turnout. Because of registration problems, 3 million American citizens tried to vote in the 2008 Presidential election, but they could not vote. And with these new laws restricting voter registration, the problem would get even worse. One of the most dangerous voting changes is the new voter ID requirements, which are disenfranchising millions of American voters. Approximately 11 percent of voting-age citizens in the country, or more than 20 million individuals, do not have a government-issued photo ID. Today, too many States require a photo ID in order to vote. Each and every voter ID law is a real threat to voting rights in America. Make no mistake; these voter ID laws are a poll tax. I know what I saw during the sixties; I saw a poll tax. And you cannot deny it; these ID laws are another form of a poll tax. In an economy where people are already struggling to pay for the most basic necessities, there are too many citizens who will be unable to afford the fees and transportation costs involved in getting a government-issued photo ID. Despite all of the new voter ID laws across the country, there is no convincing evidence--no evidence at all--that voter fraud is a problem in our election process. The right to vote is precious, almost sacred, and one of the most important blessings of our democracy. Today we must stand up and fight. The history of the right to vote in America is a history of conflict, of struggle for that right. Many people died trying to protect that right. I was beaten and jailed because I stood up for it. For millions like me, the struggle for the right to vote is not mere history; it is experience. We should not take a step backward with new poll taxes and voter ID laws and barriers to voter registration and voter participation. We must ensure every vote and every voter counts. The vote is the most powerful, nonviolent tool or instrument we have in a democratic society. If we allow our power to vote to be taken away, we will be facing the need for a new movement and a new nonviolent revolution in America to retake the same ground we won almost 50 years ago. We must fight back. Thank you again for giving us a voice, giving us a way to fight back.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank my friend and colleague Mr. Levin for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the United States- Colombia free trade agreement. Some of my colleagues do not believe that the issue of human rights and the issue of the rule of law should be addressed through our trade policy. Some believe it is not about stolen lands, ransacked homes. It is not about human rights activists whose families and friends were harassed and disappeared. It is not about murdered labor leaders. It is not about a crisis that is only comparable to Sudan. Trade for the sake of trade. Money for the sake of money. Let someone else care. Let someone else do it. Let someone else work on the human rights. Let someone else fight for justice. Let someone else worry about peace, order, and tranquility. All we need to do is find the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to make a buck. My friends, we're mistaken to believe that this is not about us. But the crisis in Colombia affects every part of our region. It affects millions forced from their homes. It helped to create the drug cartels and international gangs. It impacts the cost of crack and cocaine on every single street on America. We cannot ask someone else to address the violence. We cannot leave the question of corruption and impunity to another leader, another generation. We must demand these answers now. If we don't, who will? It is up to us. We can do better. It is on our watch. Mr. Speaker, today is a very sad day. We could have taken our time and done it right. Today, we are abandoning our duty to the people who elected us and to millions of Colombians who now know that their cries fell on deaf ears and cold hearts. We can do better. We must do better. This Congress and this administration must have the courage to stand up and do what is right and be on the right side of history. It is a missed opportunity for change, for good, if we fail to do what is right.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Terri Sewell from Birmingham, for holding this Special Order. Thank you for representing the people of the Seventh Congressional District of Alabama, especially Birmingham and Selma. I grew up reading and hearing about Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, the man from Birmingham, Alabama. I grew up about 150 miles from Birmingham outside of a little town called Troy. The words of Fred Shuttlesworth, the actions of this man were so inspiring, I probably wouldn't be standing here today, I know I wouldn't be standing here today as a Member of Congress representing the good people of the Fifth District of Georgia if it hadn't been for individuals like Fred Shuttlesworth. The Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth is the last of a kind. He was a fearless, determined, courageous leader for civil rights and social justice. When others did not have the courage to stand up, speak up and speak out, Fred Shuttlesworth put all he had on the line to end segregation and racial discrimination not only in Birmingham but throughout the State of Alabama and throughout our Nation. As has been said so well before, he was beaten with chains, his home was bombed, his church was bombed, and he lived under constant threat of violence and murder; but he never, ever lost faith in the power of love to overcome hate. He escorted brave young children to desegregate public schools in Birmingham. In 1961, and I will never, ever forget it, when I was only 21 years old, during the Freedom Rides, 50 years ago, when others were immobilized by fear, he was fearless and met us at the Greyhound bus station in Birmingham, Alabama, and welcomed us into his home. When we were trapped in the First Baptist Church a few days later, pastored by the Reverend Ralph Abernathy in downtown Montgomery, after we had been beaten by an angry mob and the church had been surrounded by individuals who tried to burn the church down, he stood up and he spoke. He gave us courage. He told us not to be afraid. He worked tirelessly beside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others as he led the Birmingham Movement. In 1963 when Bull Connor, the commissioner of public safety, used dogs and fire hoses on peaceful protesters, including young children and women, Fred Shuttlesworth was there. And I will never forget, Congresswoman Sewell, when we went back to Selma in 2007, Fred Shuttlesworth wanted to cross that bridge one more time. He was unable to walk. He was in a wheelchair. Then-Senator Barack Obama pushed the chair across the bridge. Former President Clinton came and kneeled down at the chair in front of Fred Shuttlesworth to pay tribute and homage to him. This brave and courageous man must be remembered. In my estimation, he is one of the Founding Fathers of the New America. He helped liberate, not just the State of Alabama, not just the South, but he helped liberate America; and that's why we honor him. He helped change and made us a different people, made us stand up, walk, run, and march with pride. We owe him a debt of gratitude. He will be deeply missed. When we go back to Birmingham, or to Montgomery, or to Selma, or any part of the American South, we may see a statue at the Civil Rights Institute or Museum in Birmingham, but we will see Fred Shuttlesworth all over the South and all over the Nation, because he helped bring down those signs that said White Men, Colored Men; White Women, Colored Women; White Waiting, Colored Waiting. America is different. America is better. And we are a better people because of this one brave, courageous man who had the audacity, had the ability, the capacity, to stand up and say, we will be free. He said over and over again, Emanuel Cleaver: ``Before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.'' That's the message of Fred Shuttlesworth. I hope all of our young people, black and white, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans, will study the life of Fred Shuttlesworth. Thank you, Congresswoman Sewell.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the two bills, H.R. 2681 and H.R. 2250, are an affront public health and to our environment. When we take our air, waters and land for granted; when we show a simple lack of respect for nature and our environment, we unmake God's good creation. Over 40 years ago, Republicans and Democrats passed the Clean Air Act because they believed that every American child deserved to breathe clean air. They believed that every American child deserved an environment free from toxic pollutants that cause cancer and impair their ability to learn. EPA standards, like the ones attacked in this bill, did not run our economy off the cliff. EPA standards did not drive us into debt, or stop the banks from extending credit. But here we are, ready to stop common sense protections are 11 years overdue. If enacted, these bills would make damaging changes to the Clean Air Act. We would stop future EPA standards from protecting our children and our families from mercury and toxic air pollution. 2,500 lives are lost for every year these pollution reductions are delayed. There are protesters right outside this building, Mr. Chairman. They want us to take up the American Jobs Act. They want it passed. They don't need another attack on the Clean Air Act. They don't need another attack on the public's health. We're wasting their time, Mr. Chairman. It is my strong belief that our country needs environmental protections and that real protections do not have to come at the expense of jobs or our economy. Whatever we do to the earth, we do to each other. I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate and express my thanks to the National Environmental Education Foundation, and the more than 180,000 volunteers lending their time and talent to the 18th annual National Public Lands Day. Mr. Speaker, this will be the largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States. Eight federal agencies will participate along with more than 250 state, county, and city partners and a host of nonprofit groups. At parks, beaches, wildlife preserves and forests around the country, dedicated citizens will work to improve and restore the places that we all use for recreation, education, exercise and relaxation. One such site, Mr. Speaker, is very dear to me. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site will see at least 300 volunteers weed, paint and place mulch around Dr. King's first home and the adjacent properties. I am so proud and grateful for the work they do in my district and in our country. I am sorry I can't be with them on this special day, but I think it is appropriate that we recognize them from this great Chamber of public service. National Public Lands Day celebrates volunteerism and the importance of recreation and public lands to community health, so I think it is appropriate that we celebrate them. I hope all my colleagues will join with me in wishing the volunteers good health and a blessed event.