John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Let me just thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Dickey) for those words. I think tonight we are deeply grateful, in a sense we are more than lucky but really blessed that we have an organization like Faith in Politics Institute that brought us together. It is my hope that as a group that we will stay together and from time to time we will engage in other discussions and dialogue. This is only, as I said, but the beginning. This is just one step on a very long journey before we create the beloved community and open society. I want to thank all of my colleagues for participating in this dialogue tonight.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate my soon-to- be colleague, Lois Capps. Lois won an impressive victory in yesterday's special election in California's 22nd Congressional District. She won the election 53 percent to 45 percent with a margin of more than 12,000 votes. The message from this special election is clear: The Democratic agenda, providing education opportunities, putting 100,000 new teachers in our classrooms, providing affordable and safe child care, access to health care and livable wages, is striking a responsive note with American voters. Lois, we look forward to having you here in Congress working on the issues that people in your district and across the Nation really care about. Congratulations, Lois. We will see you soon.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, there is nothing more important than giving every child a chance for good education. Our economy is changing and technology is more important than ever. We must prepare our students to compete in a growing, global economy. That is why Democrats want to strengthen our public schools, build and renovate more than 5,000 schools, reduce the class size to 18, hire over 100,000 teachers, and ensure that every child has a chance to get ahead in our society. What do Republicans propose? Just yesterday the majority leader came to this floor and suggested draining funds from our public schools for private school vouchers. This plan would weaken our public schools; it would help the few and deprive the many. That is the Republican plan. It is not right, it is not fair to the majority of our students, it is the wrong road to travel. Mr. Speaker, we must support strong public schools for every student in America.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend and colleague for yielding time to me. Mr. Chairman, this is a bad amendment. We do not need it. English is the predominant and common language of this Nation. English is used in government and courts throughout Puerto Rico. We must encourage everyone to speak English, but we must not discriminate against those who speak other languages. Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States. We must not deny the people of Puerto Rico their heritage. They contribute to the diversity and richness of our country. This amendment will make government more difficult. It will make communication more difficult. Mr. Chairman, we should encourage everyone to learn English, but we should not deny Spanish-speaking Americans their tradition. English is the primary language of our Nation. In almost every corner of the world English is the language of international affairs, of international politics and business. We do not need this amendment. This amendment tells our citizens, deny your heritage, forget your roots. That is the wrong message for a great Nation, for a great people, a proud people to send. Let us embrace diversity and learn from each other. This is how we have grown and prospered as a great Nation and a great people. I urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to vote no on the Solomon amendment.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio, my friend, for yielding me this time, and I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim) as well as the gentleman from Ohio for their work to help us honor Senator Sam Nunn, a fellow Georgian. Mr. Speaker, I believe we all recognize the tremendous accomplishments of Sam Nunn and his service in the United States Senate. Sam Nunn was one of the true statesmen of that body and is a source of pride to all Georgia. Since winning election to Congress in 1986, I have had many opportunities to work with Senator Sam Nunn on several issues, and often benefited from his experience, his counsel, and his support as we worked together. Since his election to the Senate in 1972, Senator Nunn has served the State of Georgia with honor and distinction. Senator Nunn worked to become the Senate's foremost expert on national security and international affairs. Senator Nunn served 8 years as the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and retired as the ranking Democrat on both the Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Mr. Speaker, the naming of this building located in the heart of downtown Atlanta will be a fitting tribute to a great American and to a citizen of the world, Senator Sam Nunn. For these reasons, I hope that the Federal Center will soon bear the name of our former Senator and colleague, Senator Sam Nunn.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise against this misguided legislation. This bill is a dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It destroys not only the spirit, but the very soul of the Voting Rights Act. Too many people have died so that every American can exercise their right to vote. Jimmy Lee Jackson, Mickey Schwerner, James Cheney, Andy Goodman. These are not just names. I knew these young men. We have come a long way in this country toward protecting every American's right to vote. This bill erases the gains we have made. It forgets those sacrifices. Many of my colleagues over the last 12 years since I have been in the Congress have come to me and said, ``I wish I had been there with you. I wish I had fought those battles with you.'' Let me say: If you wanted an opportunity to stand up, if you say you wanted to go on the freedom rides, if you say you wished you had marched across the bridge in Selma, if you wanted to stand up for the right of all Americans to participate in our democracy, now is your chance. Now is your turn, now is your time. Like the poll tax, like the literacy test, this bill is intended to keep people from participating in our political process. That is a shame; it is a disgrace. It harks back to another period, a dark period in our history. We have come too far to go back to the days of Bull Connor, Sheriff Jim Clark, and George Wallace. We cannot go back, we must not go back, and we will not go back. I urge all of my colleagues to do what they know is right in their hearts. Support one man, one vote. Let us not erase the progress we have made in our Nation. Defeat the Horn bill, defeat this bill, and defeat it now.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I was on the bridge from Selma to Montgomery. I almost lost my life on March 7, 1965, because I was fighting for the right to vote, to open up the political process. I do not know, maybe the gentleman has changed his ways or maybe he has seen a different light, but that is the effect of this legislation. It will destroy the heart and the very soul of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), for calling this special order. I join him and all of my colleagues in paying tribute to an extraordinary Member of this House, the gentleman from California, Ron Dellums. He is my friend, he is my colleague, and he is my brother. I knew Ron Dellums long before I came to Congress. I knew him as a progressive thinker and a rare, gifted political leader. When I came to Congress in 1987, I sought out Ron Dellums because of his steadfast commitment to principles. On all the big global issues, he is always leading the pack, serving as a compass for the right thing to do. As a supporter of disarmament, a crusader for social justice, and a defender of human rights, Ron Dellums has been a sure and steady voice for investing in human needs, rather than the B-2 bomber. As the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on National Security, Ron Dellums fought hard for a rational military policy, a policy that calls for reduction in the use of arms and the downsizing of military manpower and in the budget. Through his hard work, he sought peace rather than war. Although he came to this body as a former marine, he must be looked upon today as a peaceful warrior, not only here in America, but around the world. His record in Congress has followed a very old Biblical teaching: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives; nation shall not lift swords against nation, or even again be trained for war; and each man shall dwell under his own vine, under his own fig tree, undisturbed. Some of the great lovers of peace are those who have known war. Ron Dellums has known war and has courageously sought peace. He has sought to build a world community, a community at peace with itself. Ron Dellums, as I said before, is my colleague, our colleague, our friend, and my brother. We are more than lucky; we are truly blessed that he has brought honor to our country as a champion of peace. Ron, we are going to miss you. We are going to miss your clear and distinct voice. We are going to miss your ability and your capacity to speak about building a world community based on peace, rather than division. We are going to miss your warm and abiding spirit. I told you this before. I must tell you again. I hate to see you go. You know, if I was out on the street, I would say it another way. I probably would say, brother, maybe I would say, you are one that I hate to see go. Your contribution has been so great that your absence will leave us weakened and less determined. We need you and people like you in public service now more than ever before. You have told this Congress, you have told the American people and nations around the world to lay down the tools and instruments of violence. Time and time again you have stood in this well and told us to redirect our resources toward human beings, those who need food to eat, those who need to learn, and those who need to have a livable wage. I hope one day as a Nation and as a people we heed your call, and I hope that day is soon. God knows, your call for peace is the right thing to do. As you leave us this week, I know you will go on with your life's work, and I know you will be welcomed home by your family and the people of California's Ninth District. And, as you leave, may your journey continue to be blessed. And I want to thank you for your gift of public service to this Nation and to this world. Thank you, Ron Dellums. Thank you, Ron Dellums, for being you. We respect you, we love you, and we will always admire you.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation that would place a $500 per year tax on vending machines that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. It is my hope that this tax will discourage the use of these vending machines and recoup some of the costs that these vending machines inflict upon society by making it easier for our children to illegally purchase and use tobacco products. Smoking and second-hand tobacco smoke are known class A carcinogens. In fact, scientists recently identified the chemical process through which cigarette smoke causes cancer. Smoking also causes heart disease and birth defects among the children of women smokers. Cigarettes kill more than 434,000 Americans each year. Tobacco addiction costs the American public more than $65 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity. The saddest fact to me is that 90 percent of smokers began smoking when they were children--most started before they were 16 years old. Everyday--every single day--3,000 young people began smoking. All States have laws restricting tobacco sales to children below a certain age. While these laws can be effective when a sales clerk is selling the tobacco, they do little to prevent minors from purchasing tobacco from vending machines. My legislation recognizes the insidious nature of tobacco vending machines by placing a $500 per year tax on vending machines that sell tobacco products. Hopefully, this tax will help discourage tobacco companies from selling their goods through vending machines and discourage our children from smoking; $500 is a small price to pay to protect our children from emphysema, cancer, and the other ravages of tobacco.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Nadler], for yielding me this time. I thank the chairman for all of his help and all of his support, the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I am here to lend my strong support for these three tri-State water compacts. It was not easy, but the States of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama had come together with the Federal Government behind a proposal that we all can agree on. This legislation will protect the environment, the water supplies, and the interests of everyone involved. A lot of dedicated people spent a lot of time working on this legislation. I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Barr] and the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich], for their work on this project. I also want to thank Rob Hood with the Speaker's office and Bob Herriott with the office of the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Barr], Spinner Findley with the Department of Justice, Philip Mancusi-Ungaro with the EPA, Joe Tanner with the State of Georgia, and State Representative Bob Kerr, who deserve recognition for their contribution. In addition, I thank Sally Bethea with the Upper Chattahoochee River people for her work to ensure that these compacts adequately protect the environment. Mr. Speaker, lastly, I thank Harold Reheis, head of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. More than any other individual, Harry Reheis deserves recognition for bringing us to where we are today. Through his leadership and dedication, we have managed to resolve all of the differences and overcome all of the problems confronting this project. So I thank Mr. Reheis for all his work on this project. Again, I express my strong support for these compacts and ask my colleagues for their support.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from California [Mr. Riggs], he invoked the name of Martin Luther King, Junior, and his niece, Alveda King Bill. I knew Martin Luther King, Junior. He was my mentor, my friend, and my leader. If he were alive today, he would be ashamed of what his niece did and said.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this so- called HELP Scholarship plan. This plan is not about helping the majority of students in America. This is just the latest attack on public schools by the opponents of public education. Speaker Gingrich and the radical Republican right have a plan to dismantle public education, abolish the Department of Education, cut the school lunch program, cut funding for safe- and drug-free schools, for teacher training, for Head Start. Just 2 weeks ago the Republican opponents of public education supported a voucher scheme that would drain millions of public education dollars in our Nation's capital and give it to just 3 percent of students to attend private and religious schools. But taking money out of public schools in the District of Columbia was just the beginning. Today we consider a plan that would drain resources from every public school in every neighborhood and every city and town in America. This so-called HELP Scholarship scheme does nothing to help public schools. It is about draining resources from public schools to help private and religious schools; help the few, deprive the many. This is the Republican plan. Mr. Speaker, 50 million students in America attend public schools. Nine out of 10 students attend public schools. We as a society know that educational opportunity is good for all. It was Thomas Jefferson who said, education is the cornerstone of our democracy. That is why Democrats support investing in our public schools, rebuilding our crumbling school buildings, and giving every child in America a solid foundation through public education. We should be building our public schools, building them up, not tearing them down. We should be working together to improve our public schools, not giving up on them and selling them down the river. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support public education in America, support education for all of our children. Oppose the Republican HELP Scholarship scheme. The scholarship is no help at all. These are really hurt scholarships. They hurt our public schools, and they hurt the overwhelming majority of our children. I urge my colleagues to defeat this bill. It does not help anyone. It does not help our children. It hurts our children, and it hurts our public schools.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Cardin] for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, this bill does not make sense to me. It is bad news for American workers and bad policy. Supporters of this bill argue that it is designed to help Caribbean nations that have suffered as a result of NAFTA. They said that these countries have lost business to Mexico as a result of NAFTA. Well, Mr. Speaker, another group of people have suffered as a result of NAFTA, and they will suffer as a result of this bill, the American workers. Since NAFTA, exports from Mexico are up. Since NAFTA, exports from the CBI countries are up. Since NAFTA, our trade surplus with Mexico has changed to a trade deficit. NAFTA has helped Mexican exports. During the same time, the CBI countries have increased the apparel export to the United States. However, during that same time, one group has lost, American workers. More than 250,000 American apparel workers have lost their jobs to Mexico and the CBI nations. So this bill does not make sense. It does not make any sense to me. Many of the workers who lost their jobs are minorities and women. Many of them live and work in areas where there are few other jobs. These jobs are good jobs. The workers do not get rich in these jobs, but they make a living wage. And this bill will speed up the loss of these jobs. It is not necessary for the CBI nations. They are doing pretty well. Their exports to the United States have increased since NAFTA. I support trade with other nations. I support workers in Mexico and the CBI countries. But we need to be on the floor today considering a bill that helps American workers, a bill that helps keep jobs here at home, here in this country, a bill that promotes American products and helps American workers. We need a bill that promotes free and fair and open trade. We need trade with other countries. But it cannot, it must not, be trade at the expense of our working men and women. I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, just 2 weeks ago, the Republican leadership brought to this floor a so-called scholarship proposal, an experiment that would drain $45 million out of public schools in the District of Columbia and give it to just 3 percent of students to attend private and religious schools. But taking money out of schools in the District of Columbia was not enough for them. Now they are coming after all public schools in every city, town and village in the Nation, draining resources from public schools and giving vouchers for a few to attend private and religious schools. That is the Republican HELP Scholarship scheme. HELP the few, deprive the many, that is the Republican plan. This voucher scheme will do nothing to rebuild our crumbling public schools, some overcrowded, or train teachers. Our children need our help. This is why Democrats believe in investing in public education. Public education for all, opportunity for all, scholarships for all, not vouchers for a privileged few.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my deep sense of loss over the passing of a great Member of this House, Walter Capps from Santa Barbara. Very few of us have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Walter Capps was such a person. Whenever I saw him, he shared a great appreciation for the best our Nation had to offer. He was a lover of the principles of democracy. He cared deeply for the people he represented. I heard of Walter's accomplishment as a scholar, teacher, writer, and thinker long before he came to Congress. When he came here in January of this year, I wanted to meet him because I knew he would add something different to this body. I knew that he was not a seasoned politician, but a deeply caring and sharing citizen of his community. I knew that Walter loved ideas and that somehow his ideas would shape the laws we make and the destiny of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, on several occasions I had an opportunity to talk with Walter on the floor, in the cloakroom, walking across the lawn. Just last Thursday we had an opportunity to talk, and he was so pleased to introduce me to the grandson of Cesar Chavez. Walter Capps was the personification of the best of human kind, and I think we all can learn from his example. He was our colleague. He was my friend. He was my brother. To Lois, his wife, and to his family, we mourn with you. And as Members, we are more than lucky we are blessed we had an opportunity to know him. We will miss Walter.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, few bills we consider pose a greater threat to the health and well-being of our Nation than the one before us today. Nuclear waste is a deadly poison, a poison we must not treat lightly. We must develop an intelligent, thoughtful, and prudent nuclear waste policy. Mr. Speaker, this bill is not intelligent. It is not thoughtful. It is not prudent. This bill would have us move nuclear waste not just once, but twice. This bill will require nuclear waste to travel thousands of miles on our highways and railroads, through our neighborhoods, past our homes, down our streets. And in a few years, we may well do it all over again. Why? Because we do not know if Yucca Mountain is safe. Mr. Speaker, nuclear waste does not just go away. The poison will be around for thousands of years. Our children and unborn generations will live with the nuclear waste we have created with the threat of leukemia, cancer, and a slow, agonizing death. So when we store nuclear waste, let us take our time and do it right. Do it right. We should not rush to send these poisons through our neighborhoods, down our roads, down our railroads, into our streets and into our neighborhoods. Mr. Speaker, let us slow down. Think of our children. Think of unborn generations, and defeat this ill-conceived and dangerous bill. I urge my colleagues to defeat the rule.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say to you, to the chairman of the Committee on House Oversight and to the Republican Members of the House, let Loretta Sanchez go. Stop holding this woman hostage in your game of political terrorism. The voters of California's 46th Congressional District cast their ballots last November. They voted Bob Dornan out and Loretta Sanchez in by nearly 1,000 votes. The election was certified by the California Secretary of State. A lengthy recount requested by Mr. Dornan showed no change in the outcome. Then came Mr. Dornan's charges of voter fraud. Yet almost a year after the election and after expending hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds, Republicans have yet to show any evidence of voter fraud. Mr. Speaker, the time has come to give up the charade. Stop this mockery of an investigation, stop the harassment, stop the intimidation. Let Loretta Sanchez go. She won her seat in the House fair and square. Put up your evidence or drop this ill-conceived investigation. Stop it and end it now.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. We are planning to spend maybe $2 billion or more?

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. That is very good. I am just trying to help your child and all children; your children, my children, and the children of Georgia.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, my leader, for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong opposition to this ill- conceived plan. Across our Nation, public schools are in need of assistance. According to a recent GAO report, one out of every three public schools is in serious need of repair and construction work. Our public schools are crumbling. Our children need our help. The deterioration of our public schools should not be a partisan issue. The Department of Education did not cause the physical deterioration of our public schools, nor did Goals 2000, or Head Start. They are crumbling because of a lack of money, effort, and caring. Some of our public schools are crumbling in other ways. Students are not learning. Drugs and firearms have invaded our Nation's school yards. As a nation and as a people, we should be responding to this crisis by fixing and building our public schools. Public education is a great equalizer in our Nation. Nine out of every ten children in this country attend public schools. I attended public schools. I would bet that the majority of the Members of Congress came from some public school. We know that each and every child has a right to a good education in a safe environment at a public school. The bill before us would do nothing to improve our public schools. Instead, it would use the Federal Tax Code to undermine support for public education. This bill is a sneaky and slick proposal that would have two results: First, it would subsidize religious groups and religious schooling; second, it would continue Republican efforts to undermine our support for public education. Working families do not want their hard-earned tax dollars going to support private schools. A family making less than $55,000 a year will receive, at most, $7 under this misguided proposal. Meanwhile, upper income families get more than 10 times that amount. Most Americans, Mr. Speaker, cannot afford these exclusive education accounts. They cannot afford to set aside $2,500 each year for each child's education. This bill cannot and will not help them, but public education can. Public education can help every child, no matter how rich, no matter how poor. Again, public education is the great equalizer. If we are going to spend $2.5 billion on education, let us spend it on public education that our Nation's children and all of our children can use. Let us invest in public education, not tax breaks for sending their kids to private and religious schools. Mr. Speaker, for this reason I urge all of my colleagues to reject this proposal. Let us invest in our crumbling public schools. Let us support the Department of Education. Let us use our limited resources to invest in the millions of children who cannot afford exclusive education accounts. These children are the ones that need our help. Defeat this bill, support the Rangel substitute, support our public schools.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, my friend would agree that 9 out of every 10 children go to public schools. That is where the greatest need is.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, we are proposing to help all families, not just wealthy families.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. My child attended a public school.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, last week I visited six schools in Atlanta: Inman Park Preschool, Morningside, Adamsville, Cook Elementary School, Walden Middle School, and Grady High School. What parents, teachers, administrators, and students all told me was we should not allow Republicans to take money away from our public schools and give it to private and religious schools. Madam Speaker, the American people want strong public schools, not private school vouchers for a privileged few. Nine out of 10 children attend public schools. Each and every one deserves a first-class education. That is why Democrats want to invest in public schools. What do the Republicans propose? Abolish the Department of Education, divert resources to private and religious schools. And today we consider a sneaky plan that uses the Tax Code to undermine support for public schools. Madam Speaker, our children deserve better than easy schemes and quick-fix solutions. Stop scheming and invest in public education.