Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker. I would also like to thank Congressman Davis for his leadership on this issue, and for introducing H.R. 1593, The Second Chance Act, which injects a much needed dose of reality into this debate. The reality is, recidivism rates continue to rise with nearly 70 percent of released offenders returning to prison within 3 years. By releasing ex-offenders back into our communities without arming them with the necessary tools for survival, we are condemning them to repeat their past mistakes. And this does nothing to reduce the crime rate and provide for safe communities. Today, we can change the landscape of ex-offender re-entry programs in this country. We need to make rehabilitation a reality not just an abstract proposal. By providing all formerly incarcerated individuals with greater access to education, health care, job placement, and drug treatment we will reduce recidivism rates across the board. Re-entry programs are critical to reintegrating ex-offenders into civil society. Up to 60 percent of ex-offenders are unemployed a year after their release and up to 30 percent go directly to homeless shelters upon their release. The incidence of drug use among ex- offenders is over 80 percent, twice the rate of the United States population. It's more than clear that something needs to be done. Madam Speaker, this legislation is especially important to me due to large number of formerly incarcerated prisoners in my district. I am currently helping those who qualify to legally clean up their records. Following the lead of my colleague from Illinois, Congressman Danny Davis, I have hosted two Record Remedy summits in my district. These summits are a resource for the nearly 10,000 people who come back to my District every year after having served their time in jail. We have a vested interest in making sure that people reentering our community do so successfully. Help with cleaning their records provides an opportunity for a second chance to read an application, get a job or go back to school. Madam Speaker, our criminal justice systems are sorely in need of reform. We must provide formerly incarcerated individuals with the required skills to successfully reenter our communities. And, we must end the cycle of injustice that is perpetuated by a system that continues to punish people, long after they have paid their debt to society. H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act, is a critical step forward. No one condones criminal activity but I tell you once one serves their time, they should be able to feed their family and move on with their lives. I urge my colleagues and support the Second Chance Act.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and offer my personal congratulations to Dr. Melissa Barber, Dr. Evelyn Erickson, Dr. Carmen Landau, Dr. Toussaint Reynolds, Dr. Teresa Thomas, Dr. Wing Wu and especially my two constituents, Dr. Jose de Leon and Dr. Kenya Bingham, who will all be graduating on July 24, 2007 from the Latin American School of Medical Sciences. They have all traveled a long road to earn Medical Doctorates in Havana, Cuba. These dedicated doctors overcame immense hurdles to complete their medical educations. They not only had to face 6 years away from home, but had to pursue their educations in Spanish after attending a 12-week intensive language program. They had to complete their studies cut off from their families and uncertain about their futures due to the draconian Cuban embargo that continues to threaten this excellent program. I was proud to have initiated the scholarship program, along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, after a visit to Cuba in 2000. I am also proud to support the students' ability to travel to Cuba and I hope to encourage more students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to bring access to healthcare back to those who need it most. These pioneering students of medicine should be recognized for not only the many challenges that they had to overcome, but also for their dedication to service. They had to commit to serve in medically underserved communities, back home in the United States, in order to receive their free medical education in Cuba. The Cuban government offers 250 full scholarships each year for students from the United States to study medicine there. Tuition, dormitory room and board, and textbooks are all provided free of charge and allow students who might otherwise not have the resources to pursue medical degrees in the United States to become doctors and to serve the uninsured and underinsured who too often fall through the cracks of our for-profit healthcare industry. It is my hope that what these doctors have achieved will not only bring desperately needed health care to the uninsured, but will also serve as an example to the healthcare industry, the American people and the Members of this Congress, that health care is a basic human right, not a privilege.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for your diligence in this debate. Madam Chairman, I would like to briefly make a couple of points with regard to this whole notion of government excess. When you look at, for example, the military budget, we all support a strong national security, a strong military. However, a military budget of close to $500 billion, when you look at the waste, fraud and abuse that is in this budget, and also when you look at a measly $60 billion that should be cut in Cold War era weapons systems, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why we shouldn't get the kind of scrutiny and the laser focus on this government excess over at the Pentagon. It makes a lot of sense to me if you really want to put your deeds and your words into some kind of real action as it relates to our Federal budget. Also, let me just say something about these across-the-board cuts and who they impact. When you look at our future, when you look at our young people, when you look at individuals who deserve a second chance such as ex-offenders who had done their time who now want to pick up with their lives, who need education, job training, vocational training, when you look at our health care system that is in shambles, when you look at our young people and the drop-out rates and the type of after-school programs and drop-out prevention programs that we are talking about, these across-the-board cuts in many ways would decimate these programs. That means that certain segments of our society who need this safety net and need these initiatives would just drop through the safety net, whatever is left of that safety net. For the most part, it has been decimated over the last few years. Also, many of these people do pay Federal taxes and they deserve some of their Federal taxes back. I hear you all talk about tax cuts, and the American people deserving their tax dollars back to spend more, right? Fine. Many of these programs that you are talking about cutting are programs that are designed to help those who do pay tax, and who do deserve some of their Federal taxes back and who do deserve to live and seek the American dream, just like anybody else who makes $100,000 more or more. I would hope that some type of rational thinking would prevail out of this debate today and rethink some of these notions of cutting initiatives and cutting the safety net out of those that really need it the most, those that the American dream is still a nightmare for and those that, if we listened and did all that you want us to do, we would have more homeless on the streets. We would have more people just hanging on in the twilight of their lives. I think that we need to know that this budget that the chairman has crafted today really will help enhance the quality of life for millions of Americans.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank you, first of all, for your support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities over the years. In subcommittee I know we did increase this a significant amount. The gentleman's amendment which he has presented today is worthy of consideration. I just want to say why, as a person from California, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are important. Several years ago, the Governor of the State of California ended affirmative action. Very few African American and Latino students now are able to attend the University of California, and that is a tragedy. What we have found is that the majority of African American students now are going from California to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They have saved the day for our young people in California. So I am very clear on what may or may not happen. I look forward to working with you and the chairman as we go to conference on this. But I just want to say on behalf of those African American students in California, that they need as many opportunities as they can get because of what happened in terms of the decimation of equal opportunity programs and initiatives that would allow them into the University of California.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, first let me thank our chairman for yielding and just say to him once again thank you for a bill which really does make the forward-thinking investments in our Nation that we so critically need. The values of a country are really demonstrated through its funding priorities, and I think when you look at this subcommittee and the priorities of it, we can really determine what our great Nation values as being a priority. So let me, even though I talked for a few minutes yesterday, I want to make a few general remarks about some additional issues that this bill addresses. First, let me just briefly discuss how this bill addresses the dropout crisis that this Nation is facing. Forty years ago the United States was number one in the world in terms of high school graduation rates. Today it ranks seventh. About one-third of the students who enter ninth grade each fall will not graduate from high school within 4 years, if at all. High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at six times the rate of their peers from high-income families. Dropout rates are especially high in communities of color. Only about 55 percent of African American students and 52 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time from high school with a regular diploma, compared with 78 percent of white students. Now, in my district in Oakland, California, which is not unlike other districts in urban communities, the graduation rate for African American males is 26 percent, mind you, 26 percent. That is about a 75 percent dropout rate, compared to 57 percent of the graduation rate for white males, which still is deplorable. We must do better by our children. Nothing less than the future of this country is at stake. Yes, black and Latino and low-income children deserve a piece of the American Dream also. That is why I am so pleased that this bill recognizes that and invests in dropout prevention. It includes millions of dollars to increase elementary and secondary counseling, a $40 million increase in TRIO, $20 million in GEAR UP. Also we add $125 million in 21st Century Community Learning Centers for before and after-school programs. And let me just mention and highlight the 77 percent increase in comprehensive school counseling, which involves making sure that our teachers are freed up to do what they do best, and that is teach. This increase allows for counselors, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists to really help in our schools in terms of making sure that young people who are demonstrating the need for intervention early on receive the type of assistance before the situation gets out of control. This is so critical in terms of school safety because, of course, many of the issues that we have witnessed around the country in terms of violence on campuses, if we had just intervened earlier with the proper support staff, counselors, social workers, those situations may not have occurred. So I am very pleased that we have an increase for our counseling program. Another critical issue facing many of our communities is the issue of re-entry and ex-offender programs, which this bill recognizes and makes a modest increase with a little bit over $26 million in reintegration and ex-offender programs and real focuses on youthful offenders. We must do everything to prevent, I mean prevent, the vicious cycle of recidivism in this Nation, and that means working to ensure that re- entry programs are available. So this bill recognizes that employment and mentoring and transitional services do reduce recidivism and help individuals stay out of jail. So this provision is an excellent crime prevention measure which also helps formerly incarcerated individuals get their lives together. On the issue of HIV/AIDS, of course, this bill provides important increases in funding for our domestic HIV/AIDS programs. Specifically, the addition of $100 million for the Ryan White CARE Act and the additional $3.5 million is especially welcomed given the largely flat funding we have had for this important program. The state of emergency in my district is a state of emergency as it relates to the African American community and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We need really to declare a state of emergency nationally. We need a Federal state of emergency as it relates to HIV/AIDS. Finally, let me just say thank you, Mr. Chairman, for recognizing the fact that there is a disparity in the rates of unemployment in the black community and in the Latino community and in the Native American community and for directing the Secretary of Labor to develop a specific plan to develop these disparities. Thank you very much for a great bill, Chairman Obey. Amendment Offered by Mr. Davis of Kentucky

Ms. LEE. I want thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for her leadership on this issue. Madam Chairman, when we took this up in the full committee, I raised this with the chairman. At the time, he committed to working with us on this issue. I am glad we have the opportunity to do that this evening. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus communicated our concern to Chairman Obey, who understood its importance. In closing, let me just say that Congress has actually rebuffed attempts to eliminate or replace Upward Bound programs in the past. So the administration did administer these absolute priority initiatives which really does include a very unethical and immoral study at the expense of our young people. I want to once again thank the gentlelady from Wisconsin for raising this and for making sure that we were aware of all the issues and the facts around this. I want to thank the chairman very much for accepting this tonight.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, I rise to strongly oppose the amendment proposed by the gentlewoman from Colorado. First of all, as one who wrote the initial legislation that established the framework for the Global Fund, I want the gentlewoman to know that the Global Fund is the only international organization multilateral that is providing for care, prevention and treatment of those living with HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. It is a very successful effort. We have major international partners. We are the largest contributor to the fund. And I believe, and she can correct me if I am wrong, that the cut that she is talking about references a prior director of the fund who is no longer there. And, in fact, the fund has reorganized, is moving forward, and is doing quite well. And we discussed this in the subcommittee and we had testimony. We met with the officers and directors, the new executive director of the funds, and I would hate to see us cut a nickel from the Global Fund because we need every dime we can get to make sure that we address this global pandemic that is killing so many, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Barton amendment. This issue of HIV and AIDS, first of all, is a matter of life and death, and I don't want to see us tamper around with the language which we have in this bill. Despite the inclusion of language in the Ryan White Reauthorization Act to protect against these drastic cuts that would destabilize existing systems of HIV and AIDS, one jurisdiction's award was cut by 31 percent, or $8.6 million. Several other jurisdictions also received larger than anticipated cuts. So the language that we have creates just really a stop loss effort that doesn't prevent further cuts but just reduces losses to a level that a jurisdiction can absorb in one fiscal year, which still to me is just not acceptable, but it is the best we can do in this bill. For instance, as we said earlier, the San Francisco EMA will still receive a $2.3 million cut. The language also caps losses for eligible metropolitan areas like San Francisco at 8.4 percent, which represents the 5 percent hold harmless loss that was agreed to in last year's reauthorization plus the average loss for all title I jurisdictions, which was 3.4 percent. Also, the losses for transitional grant areas which were not protected by the hold harmless in the reauthorization will be capped at 13.4 percent. We heard earlier some of the jurisdictions that were included in the chairman's mark, but in addition there is Jersey City, New Jersey; Dutchess County, New York; and others. My colleague from California just mentioned over 20,000 people have died from AIDS in the San Francisco EMA, and AIDS continues to be the second leading cause of premature death in the city and county of San Francisco. Also, nearly 23,000 people are currently living with HIV and AIDS, more than at any point in the history of the epidemic. San Francisco also has the third largest cumulative number of AIDS cases in the country. In fiscal 2006, San Francisco's EMA received about $27 million. In fiscal year 2007, it is only $18 million. This represents again, what I said earlier, a 31.4 percent reduction. Provisions were included in last year's reauthorization to prevent drastic cuts of this sort, and we don't believe HRSA properly interpreted these provisions. I hope that we oppose the Barton amendment. We do not need any more destabilizing initiatives that would affect people's lives. This is a matter of life and death. We need to look at how we can begin to move forward to make sure that all of those that need the HIV/AIDS services receive those services in terms of care, treatment, and prevention, and start looking at how to do that rather than do the things that the Barton amendment does. So I urge us to oppose this amendment. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, let me thank the chairman and our ranking member and our staff for their very diligent and brilliant work, really, in crafting this bipartisan bill. As a new member of the committee and the subcommittee, it has been a true honor to work with the chairman and our staff and our ranking member on this bill. I must tell you, we had our work cut out for us because of the deep draconian cuts that the President proposed and because of the President's priorities of tax cuts for the rich and the invasion and occupation of Iraq. I am pleased that this bill rejects most of those cuts and makes the kinds of investments that recognize that an educated and skilled workforce and a healthy population are the backbone of our national security. Let me highlight a few of these investments. First, in the area of education, this bill invests in strengthening our minority-serving institutions by providing a $249.5 million for our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which is an $11.4 million increase over FY 2007 levels, and also we increased by $4.5 million above FY 2007 the President's request for our Hispanic-serving institutions. With regard to helping our low-income students go to college, we have increased TRIO and GEAR UP, which really do provide first generation college students the resources to enter and complete college. With several universities in my district, we have increased the maximum Pell Grant, which will benefit millions of students which I know my district truly will benefit from. On the issue of economic opportunity and a trained, skilled workforce, this bill reverses deep cuts in workforce training and requires the Secretary of Labor to provide a plan to address the huge dramatic disparities in unemployment in the African American and other communities of color. We have increased, actually, by $100 million the Ryan White CARE Act, which, of course, is our HIV and AIDS funding.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to address the continuing tragedy of racial and ethnic disparities in America. I want to commend my colleague, the gentlelady from Ohio, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and my colleague, our great Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick, for tonight calling us all together later in a Special Order. I would like to talk just very briefly in support of the efforts of my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to highlight health care as a central and important policy issue in the 110th Congress and to call for an end to racial and ethnic health disparities. We must no longer turn a blind eye to the continuing pattern of racial bias in the delivery of health care in America. The fact is that if you are a person of color, are poor or speak a different language and walk into a hospital in need of care, you are less likely to be diagnosed correctly, less likely to receive the accepted standard of care and less likely to walk out. It is a death sentence for millions of Americans. It is appalling that our Nation cannot commit the resources necessary to eliminate once and for all the devastating impact of unequal health care delivery in America. We must root out the causes of the continuing discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities in our health care system. We must increase the diversity in the professional health care provider workforce. Health care must be delivered in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way without having to turn to intermediaries or family members to relay private information, health information. Funding research into the reasons for the different rates of disease incidence and minority populations must be a national priority. While Latinos and African Americans make up over 25 percent of the U.S. population, they account for more than 67 percent of newly reported AIDS cases. Diseases that primarily impact communities of color continue to be neglected. We must commit to providing access to comprehensive preventive care, educational outreach, health screenings and follow-up consultation for at-risk populations. Our health care system is broken. Health care should be a right, not a privilege. We spend more money on health care than any other Nation in the world; yet the United States ranks 23rd, 23rd in infant mortality among industrialized nations. We ranked 67th in immunization rates overall, right behind Botswana. We were first in life expectancy in 1945, and now we rank 20th behind nations like Canada, Britain, France and Cuba. In the 1960s, I lived in Great Britain, and I was exposed to the assurance that the British public had in their access to quality health care with the British national health service. We in America can do better. We must do better. We can ensure that every person in America be treated equally, given a fair and thorough diagnosis and be treated with the most up-to-date treatments that are available. We must remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In any hospital on any given day or night, in communities with large numbers of people of color and African Americans, the poor, you will witness this terrible health care crisis firsthand. Just go to an emergency room and see who needs medical attention, emergency or not. It's about time that we invest resources to close these deadly, and that's what they are, they are deadly disparities. We need to enact universal health care for all. America is the wealthiest industrialized country in the world. It is a shame and disgrace that over 47 million have no health insurance and that such a large percentage are African Americans, Latinos and Asian Pacific Americans. What is wrong with this picture? I just want to commend, again, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones and the Congressional Black Caucus; and also our Tri-Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Asian Pacific American Caucus for insisting, and I mean insisting, that this House of Representatives begin to focus on closing these deadly health care disparities among communities of color.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentlelady for yielding, and also for your leadership, and for bringing together today a very fair rule. I rise in strong support of this rule and in strong support of this bill, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007. And I want to commend, first of all, our committee chairman, Mr. Frank, and our subcommittee chairwoman, Congresswoman Waters, for their leadership and for their hard work in crafting this bill. As a former member of the Financial Services Committee, actually a member of Congresswoman Waters' Subcommittee on Housing, I had the opportunity to work with my colleagues on earlier versions of this bill, and this end product contains many important updated provisions. For example, this bill permits families to use housing vouchers as a down payment on a first-time home purchase. The goal of home ownership is necessary to help stabilize family units, promote gainful employment, and restore pride and dignity to many low-income families. It is the primary path to wealth accumulation in America for ordinary folks who don't have stock accounts and who can't play in the stock market and on Wall Street. It's the way to achieve the American Dream for most folks in America. And so home ownership is extremely important, and this bill offers that opportunity. It also offers a number of changes that protect and benefit tenants. Examples include the portability provisions that preserve voucher families' ability to move to other areas as they determine. They deserve that right and should be able to do that. It provides for more accurate and fair market rent calculation. And it also protects voucher holders in units that are in need of repairs. Section 8 housing vouchers provide the security of affordable housing to many low-income families, the elderly, people with disabilities, and others who need this type of rental assistance. This leads to stronger families and safer communities, and it does prevent homelessness. There is a housing crisis in America. This bill is a major step forward in addressing it.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank Chairman Skelton for yielding, but also for his commitment to our Armed Forces, as the daughter, Mr. Skelton, of a 25-year Army veteran who loves you dearly and thanks you for supporting our troops. As a cofounder of the Out of Iraq Caucus, I rise in support of this bill. The President has dug us deep into a hole in Iraq. By setting a clear timeline for the redeployment of United States troops, we are standing with the American people to stop the digging. If we are to climb out of this deep hole, we are going to have to make sure that when our troops come home that they all come home. That means no permanent bases. It means ending our blind commitment to arming and training Iraqi security forces. It also means that come September, we must use the power of our purse, and we must begin to fully fund the safe redeployment of our young men and women and our contractors out of Iraq. The civil war in Iraq is raging within the very security forces we are arming and training. Our weapons and expertise are being used for sectarian violence and for killing Americans and Iraqi civilians. This policy only further endangers our troops and fuels a civil war. We must end the Bush administration's failed policy in Iraq. It has failed. We must reconsider this blind commitment to arming and training Iraqi security forces. Let us support our troops, and I mean support our troops in a real way, by bringing them home. This is the will of the American people. That is the goal of the Out of Iraq Caucus. That is in the national security interests of our country. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, once again, for his leadership and for yielding.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, let me first thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her leadership on this issue and on so many issues that affect those who have no voice in our own country and throughout the world. I rise in strong support of this resolution, which calls on the United States, the United Nations and the government of Colombia to recognize 2007 as the Year of the Rights of the Internally Displaced Persons in Colombia. And let me thank my colleague, Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts, for being such a leader on this issue and on his tireless work to end human rights abuses around the world, particularly in Latin America, now as a Member of Congress but also in his prior life as a staff member. He is truly committed to ending human rights abuses, and his life's work is about that. So I thank him, and congratulations on this resolution. Madam Speaker, after Sudan, Colombia has the largest number of internally displaced persons. Estimates range from 2 million to 3.6 million persons. Less than one-third of IDPs receive emergency assistance, and many have to wait months to receive that emergency aid. Of those IDPs, traditionally marginalized, and I mean marginalized, Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected. In 1993, the National Development Plan for the Afro-Colombian population awarded land titles to protect ancestral property rights. Madam Speaker, in recent years Afro-Colombians have been forcibly displaced from more than half of their land. The April 2001 massacre of Afro-Colombians in the Naya region brought international attention to the plight of these communities. This resolution takes a very important step towards ending the violence and terror that Colombia's internally displaced persons have faced. I hope all of us support this resolution. I am very delighted that this is a bipartisan resolution. I want to commend again Mr. McGovern for this. We must end this grave injustice.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, earlier today we passed the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, and I just want to take a minute to thank Congressman George Miller for his tremendous leadership in achieving bipartisan support for a bill that will have a positive and lasting impact on the future of education in our Nation. We raised the maximum Pell Grant, reaching $5,200 by 2011. In my home State of California, this will benefit over 645,000 students. Another important part of this bill is the increase to the Upward Bound program, effective for the current fiscal year, allowing several program sites that had to shut their doors a few weeks ago to reopen, including one in my district. This bill also makes landmark investments in our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, our Hispanic-serving institutions, and will raise the number of students obtaining degrees in science, technology and math, and increase the capacity of these institutions to teach in these fields. Today's vote was a vote for the future of our children and for the future of our Nation.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me just thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding and thank her also for her steady and solid work on the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule and the underlying Financial Services appropriations bill. I would like to thank my friend Chairman Serrano for his leadership and commitment to consumer issues in this spending bill and for his work on Cuba. To that end, I want to raise an issue I know that the chairman and I agree on, and that is ending the travel ban to Cuba. I intended to offer an amendment to prohibit the Office of Foreign Asset Control from enforcing the travel ban for students, but was unable to for procedural reasons. Allowing student travel to Cuba for students to study will go a long way to foster peace and security in our region and, quite frankly, sets a good example for the type of connections and collaboration that we need to foster understanding between different cultures and countries. Students are some of the best ambassadors, highlighting the best in our country. For the life of me, it makes no sense and I do not understand why, first of all, why this embargo exists when Americans have the right to travel wherever they so desire. That is fundamental in our democracy. But why we would keep our young people from going to Cuba to study? It makes no sense. Young people can study in China. They can study in Vietnam. Why in the world can't they study in Cuba? We are going to continue to work on that until our young people have that right to travel and study wherever they so desire. This is an important issue, and, again, I am going to continue to work to lift this inconsistent and costly travel ban, but also to end this very ill- advised and ineffective 40-year embargo against Cuba.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Interior Appropriations bill, and in favor of the rational funding increases it proposes to help manage federal lands, support Native Americans, protect our environment, and address the urgent problem of global climate change. Chairman Dicks and his staff have put together a great bill that finally reverses the long series of cuts for environmental programs imposed by the President and previous Republican Congress. With $2.047 billion in this bill, we can finally take a step forward to address the huge backlog of maintenance projects in our national parks system. With $8.086 billion in this bill we can finally put some teeth into the Environmental Protection Agency's mission as it now moves to comply with the recent landmark Supreme Court decision requiring regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. With $5.731 billion in this bill we can finally make good on some of the promises we have made to Native American communities by supporting health care, education, economic development and law enforcement, including a targeted methamphetamine prevention initiative. And with the important creation of a new Commission on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation with a $50 million budget to jumpstart scientific activity, we can begin to implement some real solutions to the problem of global climate change. I am also pleased that in addition to making these much needed investments, the Interior bill maintains the bipartisan moratorium on new oil and gas drilling on our outer continental shelf. We recognize that safeguarding the health and natural beauty of our coastal environment for future generations is an important priority for our nation. We don't believe that it is worth trading away coastal habitats to the administration's cronies in the oil and gas industry to continue their massive shakedown of our constituents through tax incentives and high prices at the pump. I again want to applaud my colleague Chairman Dicks for writing such a well-crafted, thoughtful, and forward looking bill and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 477, recognizing the goals and ideals of National Home Ownership Month. I'd like to thank my colleague from California Congressman Gary Miller for introducing this resolution. Mr. Speaker, home ownership has long been acknowledged as a vehicle to build personal wealth, a source of pride and motivation, provided a sense of security to its owners, helped stabilize our neighborhoods and families and a tool that drives the Nation's economic engine. Unfortunately, in recent years the goals of home ownership have proven elusive for many Americans. According to a recent report by the Center on American Progress, nearly one in three Americans is low- income, with an income below twice the poverty line. A further 1 in 20 Americans lives in extreme poverty, with an income below half of the poverty line. That's why I have often joined with my colleagues in the House to call for the provision of adequate and affordable housing and a strong, safe and stable community for all Americans particularly those of low- and moderate income individuals and families and members of minority populations. Furthermore, in the 110th Congress, I am sponsoring three housing bills: H.R. 172--Community Partners Next Door Act; H.R. 173--One Strike and You're Out Bill; and H.R. 174--Public Housing Drug Elimination Program. These bills take steps to address housing affordability, neighborhood safety and fairness in the enforcement of local and Federal statutes. Mr. Speaker, we have a responsibility to ensure that the gap between the rich and the poor is narrowed and that all Americans have the opportunity to pursue the American dream.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Payne amendment and thank my colleague for working with Chairwoman Lowey in drafting this amendment. Over the last month the entire country has awakened to the threat of XDR-TB (Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis). The simple fact of the matter is that we can prevent XDR-TB and the less dangerous MDR-TB (Multi-drug resistant TB) with better TB control programs that ensure that people who are taking drugs for TB stay on their medicines, and avoid developing drug resistance. XDR-TB has already been found in over 37 countries around the world. However, due to inadequate lab facilities around the world we don't truly know how far XDR-TB has spread. Additional funding provided by the Payne amendment would help us address some of these issues. I want to again thank my colleague Representative Payne for offering this amendment and for working with Chairwoman Lowey to ensure that we increase funding for Tuberculosis programs in the State-Foreign Ops bill this year. I look forward to continuing to work with both of my colleagues and the committee to ensure that TB continues to get the funding and attention it deserves.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 361, recognizing and honoring Jack Valenti and expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to his family on his death. I also want to thank my colleague from California, Diane Watson, for introducing this resolution. Mr. Speaker, Jack Valenti was a giant of a man in many respects. While he was well known for his service to Presidents and his work at the Motion Picture Association of America, I came to know Jack best from his tireless and selfless work on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Jack came to this final mission in his life with the same dedication, creativity and vigor that he had so long displayed in serving the MPAA and our nation. He was a champion for communities devastated by disease throughout the world, and brought both Republicans and Democrats together with his impassioned testimony about the terrible toll that AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria had taken on Africa and the developing world. I had met with Jack a number of times over the last few years to talk specifically about his work on behalf of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Each time we met I always came away inspired by his energy and his advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable among us. We had talked about traveling to Africa together so that he could bear witness to both the tragic impact of AIDS, TB and malaria, and to the hope and dedication of the people--who through it all still maintained their dignity and their optimism for a better tomorrow. Although we never managed to take that trip together, Jack finally made it to Africa for the first time in his life in July of 2006, and I know that he was deeply affected by what he saw. We had been in the process of organizing another meeting together in March to strategize about AIDS policy and funding for the coming year when he had a stroke. Unfortunately I regret that I never had the chance to talk to him again before he passed away. But I will always remember Jack Valenti for his determined spirit, his compassion, and his friendship. As we continue the global fight against these three diseases, his legacy and his advocacy will continue to serve as a true inspiration for all of us.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Chairman, first let me also thank our chair for your leadership, for your very focused work, and for your commitment not only as chair and to this bill, but to this entire institution. I also want to thank our Ranking Member Wamp for your leadership and your expertise and, really, your ability to work together in a bipartisan way to make the committee truly a bipartisan committee, which is what all of our committees are striving for. So it's a pleasure to serve as vice chair on this committee. I am very proud of the product which we are presenting today. I rise in strong support of this legislative branch appropriations bill, and really want to just take a moment to thank all of the staff who really, as a result of their vigilance and their expertise and their hard work, they were the ones who really helped us put this all together. I want to especially acknowledge Chris Lee on my staff, because this is one of his very first legislative initiatives, and he did a phenomenal job in keeping me pointed on looking at the goals of what we were trying to accomplish in this legislation. This bill also seeks to improve the working conditions of dedicated staff who are a vital and integral part of this legislative process. This bill also commits the House of Representatives to set an example to the Nation on how to reduce the environmental impact of the workplace by beginning the greening of the Capitol complex. How exciting this is. This bill also begins to address the pattern which, unfortunately it is, but it's a pattern of exclusion that has gone on for too long in contracting and procurement in the House of Representatives. For too long businesses owned by women, minorities and the disabled have not had a seat at the table. It was appalling, with what we learned at the hearings about the exclusion of such a large segment of our qualified business community. For too long we have operated without written formal policies and reliable reporting on compliance without the crucial data that the committee cannot know if real progress is being made or if additional action should be required. Well, naming the great hall Emancipation Hall in recognition that the great Capitol had been built by the expertise, the blood, sweat and tears of slaves is appropriate and timely as we also now go beyond the name to include the descendants of slaves in the economic vitality and opportunity of this Capitol. So we have included in this bill language that requires specific contracting with minorities, with women and the disabled. We required contractor and vending opportunities and access to equal opportunities for our disadvantaged businesses and for promoting their hiring and development as well. We also include language that requires GAO to adopt a formal affirmative action plan. They may be doing the right thing, but we don't know that. We know that they do need an affirmative action plan, so we would require that in this bill. We also make sure that there is accountability in this bill, but let me just say I am very proud of the fact that for the first time we will have requirements now, with our own Capitol contracting opportunities, as well as with the Visitors Center, to not exclude minorities and women and the disabled, but to include them in the economic opportunities that this bill provides.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, forty years ago, the U.S. was number one in the world in high school graduation rates. Today it ranks 17th. About \1/3\ of the students who enter 9th grade each fall will not graduate from high school with 4 years, if at all now in 2007. High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at 6 times the rate of their peers from high income families. Dropout rates are especially high in communities of color: Only about 55 percent of African American students and 52 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 78 percent of white students. In my hometown of Oakland, CA, the dropout rate for Black males is 74 percent. In this country, there are about 2,000 high schools that produce the majority of dropouts. Six million students throughout America are currently at risk of dropping out of school. Students who fail to graduate from high school are more likely to participate in criminal activity than students who do graduate. Likewise, students with low levels of achievement in high school are more likely to engage in crime than students with high levels of achievement. For example, the Harvard University Civil Rights Project and the Urban lnstitute Education Policy Center conducted a study on K-12 schools in California. The center estimated that Oakland's 52 percent dropout rate costs the state $14 billion in lost wages, crime and jail time. lnvesting in education would save millions of dollars in crime- related expenditures annually, not to mention ensuring a quality of life that young people deserve or America's standing in the world. The statistics are staggering and tell the story. Approximately 75 percent of state prison inmates did not complete high school. High school dropouts are 3.5 time more likely than high school graduates to be arrested in their lifetimes. And a mere one percent increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in costs associated with incarceration costs, or about $2,100 for each male high school graduate. We must do better by our children. Nothing less than the future of this country is at take. That is why I am committed to effective reform that can transform high schools and keep students at the greatest risk of dropping out on the path to graduation. I'm proud to support authorizing legislation that will soon be introduced which will help address some of the reforms that are needed and that is why I'm proud to be an advocate on the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education subcommittee working to appropriate funding to address the crisis in dropouts that our country is facing. Clearly, we need increased investments in programs that keep kids in school and learning. School counseling bill: On the Labor, Health and Human Services subcommittee, I worked with my colleagues to include $61.5 million for elementary and secondary school counseling in the FY08 bill that is currently working its way through our committee. This is a 77.5 percent increase in a program that the President would have eliminated. These funds enable school districts to hire academic counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The additional resources will be targeted to improving and expanding academic and mental health counseling to middle and high school adolescents. This significant increase is a tremendous step toward addressing the crisis in counseling in our schools. After School programs: Another critical tool we have in our arsenal to fight drop out and to keep kids off the street and for preventing youth violence is our nation's after school programs. The fact of the matter is that between 3-6 p.m. the rate of juvenile crime triples. On LHHS subcommittee, we were able to provide a $125 million increase over FY07 levels for a total of over a billion dollars for the 21st century community learning centers. This program is a formula grant to states which in turn distribute 95 percent of the funds on a competitive basis to local school districts, community based organization and other organization for after school activities that make sure that young people have alternatives to getting into trouble. UPWARD BOUND/Trio and Gear UP: I want to echo the comments of my colleagues here tonight about the problems we are fighting as it relates to the Absolute Priority regulation and the concerns over the loss of funding for numerous previously funded grantees including 30 percent of our HBCU's and Mills College in my district. I know that working together we will resolve these critical issues and I want to specifically thank Bobby Scott and Gwen Moore for their leadership on the Education committee and on this issue. We all understand just how critical these programs that provide a variety of outreach and support services to encourage low-income students to enter an complete college. That is why I'm pleased our LHHS subcommittee was able to provide a $40 million increase in funding for the TRIO programs and a $20 million increase for the GEAR UP program. It is time that our policy and funding priorities take a new direction for our children. That means investing in education. When we do that, we invest in our future.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the students, faculty, and staff of Canyon Middle School in Castro Valley, California for its clear record of success. Canyon Middle School has now been named one of the top performing middle schools in the country. Today through June 23 in Arlington, Virginia Canyon Middle School will be recognized with 55 other high-performing schools across the nation as a School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform at their annual conference. The faculty and staff at Canyon Middle School have clearly set high standards for performance. They have made it their daily mission to be academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. They challenge all of their students to use their minds, and as teachers and adult mentors to our young people, they are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence. As a whole, Canyon Middle School strives to provide every student, regardless of background or life obstacles, with high-quality teachers, resources, and a viable support system. Canyon Middle School's accomplishments represent its dedication and commitment to bolstering the success of our youth early on in their academic careers, so that they may achieve successful and productive lives as individuals. The service that Canyon Middle School provides to its students, their families, and the Castro Valley community is undeniable. I salute Castro Valley Middle School's students, faculty, and staff for their exemplary performance, and I thank them for their outstanding service to the 9th Congressional District and to our country.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and once again for her very valiant efforts to save lives of women and children throughout the world. Let me first say I rise in strong opposition to the Smith amendment. This bill includes a very narrow provision to allow foreign NGOs to receive only U.S.-provided contraceptives. Chairwoman Lowey has additionally offered the amendment that clarifies the existing language in the bill to make it absolutely clear that this provision only allows for the donation of the contraceptives. This provision has absolutely nothing to do with funding. The bill does not provide financial assistance to clinics or to NGOs. It simply allows those family planning organizations that have been denied USAID family planning funding under the global gag rule to receive contraceptives from USAID and domestic NGOs. Again, it has nothing to do with providing assistance for abortions, which are already strictly and clearly prohibited in 10 other provisions in this bill, which, I must say, I am very disappointed with. But the fact is that those provisions are there. By providing contraceptives, we will actually help to reduce abortions, reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS and save the lives of mothers and infants by reducing the number of high-risk and unintended pregnancies. The negative impact of the gag rule, which, of course, as I said earlier, and you all know this, this bill leaves the gag rule in place, but the negative impact is well documented. Since it was reinstated in 2001, shipments of United States-donated contraceptives have ceased in 20 developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The NGOs most affected are often the ones with the most extensive distribution networks and the largest outreach to young women in rural areas. They often provide the only family planning program in a region and they have suffered severely from the cutoff of contraceptive shipments. The Smith amendment would continue to punish these NGOs for running successful family planning programs and would effectively undermine the goal we all share to reduce abortions and HIV and AIDS around the world. For the life of me, I don't understand why we are doing this, Mr. Smith. You know and I know that this does not tamper with, unfortunately, the global gag rule or Mexico City language. So let's be straightforward. Let's be honest. What we are trying to do today is just save the lives of women and children.