Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. And we learned that this disease was a global pandemic. It is disproportionately affecting people of color, Latinos, African Americans. It is devastating the continent of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and it is a ticking time bomb in many developing countries. The most important lesson we have learned is that HIV can be prevented and it starts with breaking the silence. And once again I want to commend my colleagues for helping us do that once again tonight on the floor of Congress. Now, in my district in Alameda County, California, HIV/AIDS has disproportionately affected the African American community. While the number of new diagnoses for virtually every segment of the population was declining, it was rapidly moving in the opposite direction for African Americans in Alameda County and also for the Latino community. According to data provided by the Alameda Department of Health and Human Services in 1998, nearly 60 percent of the new HIV infections were occurring among African Americans, even though African Americans account for only 18 percent of the county's population. Of the new infections in Alameda County, a growing number of infections are occurring among women. Through a community-wide initiative, a state of emergency task force was formed, and on November 4, 1998, the Alameda County Public Health Officer declared a public health emergency on AIDS in Alameda County's African American community. This designation led to Alameda County's designation by the Department of Health and Human Services as one of the 20 targeted metropolitan statistical areas and the disposition of a crisis response team to aid in this effort. And I would suggest to my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to challenge your counties to declare states of emergencies, because this is what we have on our hands and we should have nothing less than a formally declared state of public health emergency where this pandemic is wreaking havoc on our communities. Also, because of this designation, several community-based organizations and AIDS service providers in my district have been awarded additional resources, not enough, but additional resources to assist them in bringing our local crisis to an end. In the 3 years since Alameda County declared a public health emergency, HIV and AIDS prevention efforts have been widely expanded, and it is working. Some of our community-based organizations are reporting that they are now able to reach many highly vulnerable populations, such as sex workers, the incarcerated populations, and youth to provide HIV and AIDS prevention and education. The Highland Hospital and the Magic Johnson AIDS Clinic have expanded their care and treatment services, including providing lifesaving anti- retroviral treatments to people living with AIDS that were not receiving these treatment services because they could not afford them. They are now receiving them, and this has happened in the last 3 years. AIDS organizations and the county health department have been able to step up their surveillance efforts in order to have a more clear picture of who in Alameda County remains at high risk for contracting AIDS. According to the Alameda County Department of Health and Human Services, in 1997, the risk for African Americans to contract HIV was five times higher as compared to whites. In 2000, that number has decreased to 4 to 1. This is slowly decreasing. And it is a positive sign, but it is not zero yet. And that is where we want it. Increases in funding for surveillance have showed that women account for 12 percent of all AIDS cases in Alameda County. However, what was not known was that the incidence of transmission of AIDS through heterosexual sex is 47 percent. Now, this year, the administration's budget actually flat-funded our domestic HIV and AIDS programs, including the minority health initiative, which was led by the Congressional Black Caucus, and we put in many hours, many years of work under the leadership of the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), and we must not let this be reversed back to the days when our heads were in the sand. The United States must move forward, and we must not become complacent. We must increase funding for HIV/AIDS education and treatment programs, and we must advocate for the highest level of funding possible to address our domestic AIDS crisis. Yes, 20 years of AIDS is really enough. Let us wipe it out. Mr. Speaker, I yield back and want to once again thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus for again breaking the silence.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to join my colleagues to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis in the United States. I first want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), my fellow social worker, and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), our physician, who is leading this very valiant effort on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, because I believe in unity that we will win. So I am very sober tonight and very humbled by the joint efforts that we are mounting. I want to thank them for their leadership in this. Twenty years ago, the world learned about a new disease. All that was known then was that this disease destroyed the human immune system, and its ultimate outcome was unknown. Unfortunately, because this disease emerged in the United States primarily in the gay community, very little was done to curb the rate of new infections because, quite frankly, of political policies during the Ronald Reagan era. That is when we began to really wonder about this disease. But we did not do much then. We put our head in the sand. Since then, we have learned that this disease could be transmitted through exposure to HIV-infected blood. We learned that transmissions were occurring through unprotected sex with HIV-infected partners. We learned that transmissions were occurring through blood transfusions where HIV-tainted blood products were used. We learned that exposure to HIV was occurring through shared needles and intravenous drug use. We learned that in the United States, poor minority communities were at a greater risk for new HIV infections than the white community.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely honored and proud to rise today to salute Providian Financial Corporation for its selection as this year's Quality Cup service industry award winner, as named by the Rochester Institute of Technology and USA Today. On learning of Providian's selection, I felt a special sense of pride in knowing that this company is based in the Bay Area and that thousands of its employees live and work in my district. Providian is an outstanding corporate citizen. In my own district, Providian partnered with the NFL Oakland Raiders to raise more than $40,000 last year for a children's education center. The company's dedication to the community translates to its business practices as seen by this recognition of its high quality customer service. Providian also deserves commendation serving people along every point of the economic spectrum. The company believes that providing access to credit helps people build better lives. And, it works hard to help people obtain and manage the credit they need. To ensure quality service, Providian records every sales call. It has empowered its customer representatives to resolve complaints on the first call. It has put in place new systems to help customers protect their credit records with last-minute payments by phone and the Internet. With initiatives like these, Providian has made service its hallmark. Remarkably, Providian has implemented these changes and recorded a steep drop in complaints at the same time it has dramatically increased the number of customers it serves. I hope my colleagues in the House, and all Americans, will join me in saluting Providian for a job well done. I hope that all of corporate America will look at their example of being a good corporate citizen.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and salute Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. for his many years of service to Allen Temple Baptist Church and the City of Oakland. As the Co-Pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church, Reverend Smith Jr. helped lead the Allen Temple Family to new heights with its spiritual, social and economic justice agenda. He has exemplified, in a magnificent way, steady, enlightened and inspirational leadership. Reverend Smith Jr. has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Services and African American Studies from Antioch University. He has also earned his Master in Divinity from the Graduate Theological University and a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. While pursuing his graduate degrees, he was an instructor at San Francisco State University, U.C. Berkeley, the Pacific School of Religion, and the Allen Temple Leadership Institute. Reverend Smith, Jr. has educated students about Black Religion, Black Philosophy, African American Children and Their Families, the Mission of the Church and Church Administration of Social Justice. Aside from his role as an educator, he has played a pivotal role in contributing to the betterment of the City of Oakland. He has served as an Urban Employment Analyst in the Office of Economic Development and Employment; he has worked with the Oakland Crime Prevention Unit; he has served on the advisory board for fair housing; and he has been an advocate for the homeless. Reverend Smith Jr.'s activism is not bounded by the City of Oakland. He has led a study tour and has participated in peace discussions in Israel and Palestine. He has traveled to London to be a keynote speaker for the Progressive Baptist Churches of the United Kingdom. He has traveled to Western Africa and China on a cultural exchange mission. Reverend Smith Jr. has received numerous awards and has received worldwide recognition for his advocacy for social, political and economic justice. He has often been quoted by the media for his wisdom on particular issues. On a personal level, I have relied on Reverend Smith, Jr.'s insights on the major issues confronting the human family for several decades. His clarity, his wisdom and his vision have meant so much to me and my predecessor, Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. It is with a deep sense of gratitude and a profound sense of love and affection for Reverend Smith, Jr., his wife, Mrs. Elaine Smith, and his entire family that I wish him well, good luck and God's blessings as he embarks upon the next chapter of his life. I proudly join Reverend Smith's family, friends and colleagues in thanking and saluting him for his years of service and commitment to improving the human condition. Thank you Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr.!

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, at a time when my home State of California and more and more States in this country are dealing with the most severe energy crisis in the past several decades, I believe it is really the height of irresponsibility to pass huge tax cuts for the very wealthy while, at the same time, not even providing any assistance in the budget for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Also, cutting funding for renewable energy research and also neglecting to get a national energy policy in place to help consumers. This is the height of irresponsibility. The LIHEAP program helps low-income Americans pay their utility bills. It is severely underfunded, so we must fight for an increase in LIHEAP funding this year for our senior citizens and our low-income residents. Finally, this energy crisis has gotten so bad that many of our California State legislators and the city of Oakland have joined together to file a lawsuit to make sure that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission establish just and reasonable prices. It is unconscionable that the price gouging continues to go on, and that our residents in California are going to face a very serious hot summer. Mr. Speaker, we must move forward with price caps. We must insist that our Federal Government insist that the FERC do this, and we must do this right away.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me just say first that the Boy Scouts, I think, reflect the standards, of course, that we hope for in terms of all young men in our country, and so that is why I believe that this amendment would be dangerous in terms of restricting the use of Federal funds from schools and school districts that choose to stand against the Boy Scouts' discriminatory policies. Now, this amendment is really unnecessary. It is an unwarranted intrusion into a local school district's ability to set standards for the use of their own facilities. I am very concerned that Congress would eliminate vital funds for our children's schools simply because their school system stands up against discrimination. It also bestows upon the Boy Scouts and other youth groups unique rights that are not available to other student-led groups. The first amendment already guarantees the Boy Scouts the right to use any school or public facility to the same extent and in the same manner as any other group allowed to use those facilities. So the Hilleary amendment will transform these schools into open forums requiring them to allow anti-gay groups to use school premises regardless of a local school board's decision on the matter. So I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time and for her extraordinary leadership on this issue. I rise today to oppose this rule which eliminated many good amendments that should have been at least debated. For example, I submitted an amendment that would have established a formula grant program to ensure that all States could receive funding to allow them to hire additional school counselors, social workers, and psychologists. At a time when our children are dealing with suicide, substance abuse, school shootings, and other very grown-up problems, these mental health personnel are vital to the health and well-being of our students. The average student-to-counselor ratio is 1,100 to one in my State of California, although the recommended ratio is 250 to 1. Now, as a trained clinical social worker, I know firsthand how counseling and effective treatment can reduce violent behavior. Early detection of troubled youth by mental health counselors prevents school violence. We need mental health school counselors in all of our schools. We need school construction. We need smaller class sizes. We owe this to our children. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Hyde-Smith amendment which will overturn the pro-family planning language that the Committee on International Relations added by a bipartisan vote of 26- 22, and I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the ranking member, for his tremendous leadership. Mr. Chairman, I wanted to begin first by asking Members to put themselves in the shoes of someone who will be affected if we reinstate the dangerous gag rule with the Hyde-Smith amendment. Imagine being a 20-year-old woman living on $300 per year in Africa, and going to the only health clinic within hundreds of miles of your home to get family planning counseling, and being denied access to the truly lifesaving information needed to decide when to have children or how to prevent HIV and AIDS. Mr. Chairman, the use of condoms and information about sexually transmitted diseases is essential in preventing AIDS. Also, this is central to family planning counseling. We will be compromising the health and the lives of millions of women and children worldwide, and especially those in developing nations, who want and need to plan their families, if this Hyde-Smith amendment passes. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues what they oppose about the current language in the bill. Do they not support access to family planning which is proven to reduce the number of abortions? Do they not support access to HIV and AIDS prevention and education which could be eliminated at clinics under this amendment? Do they not support free speech and medical ethics and allowing health care providers in other nations to give complete information to their patients, as is the case in this country? Mr. Chairman, I want to remind my colleagues that not one penny of United States funds can go to providing abortions overseas as per the 1973 Helms amendment. The law states, and I have the law right here, the law states, ``None of the funds made available to carry out subchapter I of this chapter may be used to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.'' This has been law since 1973. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on the dangerous Hyde-Smith amendment which will put the lives of millions of women and children at risk.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in Celebration of a Community Treasure, Miss Alice Waters, chef and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for her leadership in educating the public about the necessity to incorporate healthy, sustainable foods into their daily lives, and her active contributions to the schools, children and community of Berkeley. Alice Waters is an internationally recognized and respected chef, author, activist, and humanitarian. She has brought about a wealth of positive changes to her community since she opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley thirty years ago. The philosophy behind the restaurant's menu--only preparing foods that are ``fresh, local, seasonal''--has had a major influence on chefs and restaurants throughout the world and has helped to ``redefine the American diet.'' Alice Waters has worked closely with local farmers and food suppliers who share her belief that food tastes the best and is the best nutritionally when it is grown organically and harvested using environmentally responsible methods. In this respect, Miss Waters is a pioneer in the sustainable agriculture movement that has recently gained visibility now that we are in the age of genetically-engineered foods. Ongoing advocacy for farmer's markets and sustainable agriculture has led Miss Waters and Chez Panisse to support and create programs that will educate others through hands-on growing and cooking experience. One such program was the Garden Project, which taught organic gardening skills to former San Francisco County Jail inmates. This program transformed and enriched their lives. Most of all we want to recognize and thank Alice Waters for the time and effort she has given to Berkeley children. The idea of the Edible Schoolyard came to Miss Waters after she noticed the worsening conditions at neighboring Martin Luther King Junior High School. She presented her ideas for an edible garden at the school in 1995. The program has been integrated into the academic curriculum and the school lunch program. For years she worked with the school staff, community members, and outside supporters to make the garden happen. Today the garden is famous, as is the refurbished kitchen where students cook and eat its bounty together. Principal Smith credits the Edible Schoolyard with helping ``change the culture of the school.'' Less well known is the time Miss Waters put in as one of the most active members of the Measure A Site Planning committee at Martin Luther King Junior High School. For two years she worked with parents, neighbors, faculty, and architects on plans to rebuild the school with bond funds allocated by voters in 1992. Miss Waters' insistence that MLK, Jr. High School should strive to be rebuilt as a welcoming, appealing center of learning and community pride inspired us all. In 1996 she created The Chez Panisse Foundation to help underwrite these exemplary cultural and educational programs. I thank Alice for dedicating her time and insight for many years and for providing the means for financial support for many important programs. Alice has planted a seed in a garden that has grown into a lush landscape of sustenance from which we all learn and benefit.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to clarify a couple of points that the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) raised. Mr. Chairman, let me first mention the purpose of family planning. Family planning's purpose is to allow information to be distributed to women with regard to pregnancy prevention. Family planning information, family planning education, family planning counseling, prevents abortions. Women in developing countries oftentimes are living off of very minimal resources and do not have a lot of money, and they only have maybe one or two health clinics within a radius of 500 or 600 miles. They need to learn how to space their children. That is what this amendment incorporated in the committee is about. It is about preventing abortions through the use of family planning methods which provide information to women with regard to the spacing of their children and information with regard to how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1646, as it passed out of committee with strong bipartisan support. I want to thank our chairman, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), and especially our ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for their leadership. But I urge my colleagues to oppose the Hyde-Smith amendment, which will be offered next week, to strike our bipartisan pro-family planning language incorporated in the bill during our committee hearing. This amendment added the text of H.R. 755, the bipartisan Lowey- Greenwood-Pelosi-Shays Global Democracy Promotion Act. Now, the Hyde- Smith amendment will eliminate vital family-planning funds. This is for family-planning services. This amendment will eliminate this totally as it relates to our nongovernmental organizations that use their own privately raised funds for their own health care and counseling services. And I want to remind my colleagues once again that per the 1973 Helms amendment, no United States funds, that is zero, no United States taxpayer funds go to fund abortions overseas. So we must defeat the Hyde-Smith amendment next week to ensure that women overseas have access to vital health care services that they need, and also which amounts to really the same health care services women in our own country are entitled to. Family-planning services are essential for the prevention of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, which kills 7,000 people a day. I also support this bill because it includes a bipartisan measure urging the United States to complete the Kyoto process and address the problems of global warming. I am proud to stand with my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), in recognizing these dangers and in crafting the bipartisan global climate change amendment. This amendment is so important. It incorporates many of the provisions of the language of my resolution, H.R. 117, the Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Global Climate Change Act. It is very important in terms of our leadership in the world with regard to the reduction of greenhouse gases. As passed by the committee, this bill helps create a more forward-thinking foreign policy that truly advances our values, protects human rights, preserves the environment, and promotes peace.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this budget which shamefully does not fund education, health care, and housing programs that this country so desperately needs. The meager 3.6 percent increase in this budget's education funds is simply not enough to modernize our crumbling schools and institute programs to retain teachers and improve student aptitude nationwide. There is simply not enough money in the budget to fund the education rhetoric coming from the Administration. The basis of this budget is a massive tax cut that does not come for free. It has a price. In my district in Alameda County, California we are having an affordable housing crisis at all income levels but particularly affecting low and moderate income people. To pay for this tax cut we will cut 1.7 billion in real dollars from the federal housing budget, including cuts to the drug elimination program, the community development block grant, and empowerment zone funding. We are also having a health care crisis in this country. Many of us have been pushing for a Medicare prescription drug plan for our seniors who cannot afford costly drugs. Because of this tax cut our seniors will continue to pay the highest cost for drugs among developed nations. This is the cost of the Bush tax cut. This budget eliminates the COPS program which practically any law enforcement official will tell you made our streets safer and crime go down during the past several years. Another cost of the Republican tax cut. A vote for this budget and the Bush Administration's mega tax cut is a vote against most Americans and their rights to decent shelter, healthcare and safety. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this budget.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, on the heels of a successful OAS summit in Quebec, Canada, Haiti President Jean Bertrand Aristide has redoubled his personal efforts to include all parties in achieving political stability and balance in Haiti. In an effort to achieve this objective, on his return from the Summit, President Aristide, publicly stated, ``This is the hour of dialogue, this is the hour of consultation, this is the hour of consensus, this is the hour of compromise. Our arms are open to receive all our citizens in mutual respect to continue to find those essential solutions for democratic growth.'' Putting words into action, the President invited all opposition groups, as well as members of the private sector and civil society to meet with him at the National Palace on May 2, 2001 to ``promote transparency and expand the dialogue toward a solution to the crisis resulting from the 2000 election.'' Although 12 opposition groups accepted the invitation to the meeting, one of the opposition groups known as Convergence continues to refuse to meet and talk with the President. President Aristide invited Convergence representatives to meet at the Presidential Palace and work towards solutions in Haiti's remaining political and election issues. Despite this personal invitation and the President's demonstrated intention and willingness to work with all groups to establish the strongest possible democracy in Haiti, Convergence continues to refuse to participate. President Aristide's efforts in this regard are consistent with his stated commitment to resolve this electoral situation as quickly as possible, and to get on with the governing of Haiti. In addition, the President's actions affirm his commitment made to President Bush and others to quickly resolve any remaining election issues in a fair and open manner that recognizes and protects the decisions already made by Haiti's voters.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, today one of the greatest civil rights and human rights leaders of our time, a great orator, a humble minister who lived his faith, Reverend Leon Sullivan, was laid to rest in Phoenix, Arizona. Rev. Leon Sullivan was an advocate for the ``least of these.'' His deep and abiding commitment to human rights, to economic development, to education, to the elimination of racism and apartheid transcended the North American continent all of the way to the continent of Africa and the entire world. His love for all of God's children was the driving force for many of his magnificent endeavors here in America and in Africa. Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record Reverend Sullivan's obituary which sets forth his life's work. [From the International Herald Tribune, Apr. 27, 2000] Leon Sullivan, 78, Key Player In Ending Apartheid, Is Dead (By Paul Lewis) The Reverend Leon Sullivan, 78, the clergyman and civil rights leader who drew up guidelines for American businesses operating in South Africa under apartheid, died Wednesday of leukemia in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1977, Mr. Sullivan drafted the Sullivan Principles to help persuade American companies with investments in South Africa to treat their workers there in the same manner that they treated their U.S. workers. He later worked with the United Nations on a code of ethical conduct for multinational corporations. As originally stated, the Sullivan Principles called for racial nonsegregation on the factory floor and in company eating and washing facilities; fair employment practices; equal pay for equal work; training for blacks and other nonwhites so they could advance to better jobs; promotion of more blacks and other nonwhites to supervisory positions, and improved housing, schooling, recreation and health facilities for workers. On Wednesday, the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, praised Mr. Sullivan, saying that he had played a bold and innovative role in ending apartheid. And the Reverend Jesse Jackson called Mr. Sullivan ``a tremendous source of hope and vitality and moral authority.'' In 1971, Mr. Sullivan joined the board of General Motors as the company's first black director. He was instrumental in expanding black employment and creating more black dealerships. By 1984, Mr. Sullivan had used his position on the General Motors board to persuade most American companies doing business in South Africa to abide by his principles. He then added several more guidelines. He said that American companies should campaign actively against apartheid, allow black workers full job mobility and provide housing accommodations close to work. In 1987, with apartheid still in place and such African leaders as Nelson Mandela still in prison, Mr. Sullivan toughened his approach, urging American corporations to withdraw altogether from South Africa and calling for the United States to impose trade and investment sanctions on that country. This harsher stance, however, won little support from either the Reagan administration or American business leaders. When apartheid was dismantled in the 1990s, many credited Mr. Sullivan's work as a major force in the change. But he said only, ``If you take a hammer and chisel and pound a rock 100 times, it's going to crack. I pounded and pounded and it cracked.'' In 1988, Mr. Sullivan retired as the head of Zio Baptist Church in Philadelphia, moved to Phoenix and began building bridges between African and black America, organizing a series of African and African-American summit meetings, with the first held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 1991. In 1999, he promulgated his own Global Sullivan Principles, ethical guidelines for multinational corporations. About a hundreds U.S. corporations have accepted them. He was awarded honorary degrees by Dartmouth, Princeton and Swarthmore, among dozens of other colleges.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership on this and so many other issues important to women. Mr. Speaker, today in this Chamber we rise again to protect a woman's right to choose. Yes, once again. This full-scale assault on a woman's right to choose is dangerous and it is wrong. As a woman, I am deeply offended and angry. First, President Bush reinstitutes the global gag rule as one of his very first actions in office. And now we have the Unborn Victims of Violence Act before us today. Where is the compassion for women? I deplore acts of violence against women and stand as a strong advocate against domestic violence and domestic abuse. However, while this legislation claims to protect pregnant women, the reality is that it will harm women. H.R. 503 represents a direct attack on the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade, and therefore a woman's constitutional right to reproductive freedom. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has indicated that H.R. 503 would actually worsen the plight of women in domestic violence situations. This substitute offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) is equally tough on crimes against women without weakening our reproductive freedom. The substitute recognizes the pregnant woman as the primary victim of a crime. However, it also allows for further punishment if that woman's pregnancy is ended as a result of the attack. If Congress wants to ensure safe pregnancies for both mothers and babies, we should be passing legislation to increase access to prenatal care and to support and strengthen WIC nutrition programs and food stamp programs. But, instead, we are once again forced to speak out to defend women's fundamental rights. I urge my colleagues to recognize H.R. 503 for what it is, a misguided initiative, dangerous and harmful to women. I urge a no vote on H.R. 503 and support of this substitute.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to join my colleagues in commemorating the Armenian Genocide, one of the great tragedies of the twentieth century. I also want to thank Representatives Pallone and Knollenberg for calling special orders tonight to remember this terrible event. Eighty-six years ago, in the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Genocide began with the arrest and murder of many of the Armenian community's religious, political, and intellectual leaders. Their deaths would be followed by the massacre of one and a half million men, women, and children, and the displacement and deportation of hundreds of thousands more. Today, we pause to remember and mourn their loss. As we enter a new century, we carry with us, seared into our memories, the bloodshed of the last hundred years. That century added a new and terrible word to our vocabularies--genocide, the attempt to wipe out not merely a life, but a people and a culture. The Armenian Genocide stands as the first chilling example of that crime against humanity. History matters. It must be remembered, and it must be acknowledged. If our past is a blank slate, we have no identity, no sense of place or of self, and nothing from which to learn. Failure to remember, acknowledge, and learn from the Armenian Genocide would only increase the scope of this terrible tragedy. The murders of a million and half people must not be compounded by the erasure of their memory. That would be one more act of genocide, and that we can never allow.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Oregon, Mr. Blumenauer, for his leadership in the fight to build livable communities in a livable world. I rise tonight to speak out against the pollution of our waters, our atmosphere, our wilderness, and our children. Arsenic causes cancer. Global temperatures are climbing every year. These are not wild theories, they are established science. Nonetheless, the Bush Administration is turning back the clock to 1942 on arsenic regulations, is seeking to plunder the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and is declaring that the Kyoto Protocol on Global Climate Change is dead on arrival. As a candidate, George W. Bush declared, ``We will require all power plants to meet clean air standards in order to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon dioxide within a reasonable period of time.'' He also states that voluntary reductions were insufficient: ``in Texas, we've done better with mandatory reductions, and I believe the nation can do better.'' I agree. We can do better. However, as President, Mr. Bush has reversed himself on carbon dioxide, claiming that the nation cannot afford to reduce emissions. The fact is, we can't afford not to. We cannot erase decades of progress. We cannot wipe out the accomplishments of such wild eyed radicals as Richard Nixon who signed the Endangered Species and Clean Air Acts. We have to move forward, not backward. We have to set drinking water standards that will safeguard human health. We need to establish protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other irreplaceable wilderness areas. And we need to live up to our commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because global warming threatens the well-being of the entire planet. Tomorrow, as a first step in restoring our national and international commitments to a cleaner environment, I will be introducing the Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Global Climate Change Act. This resolution will send a strong message to the President and the country that Congress will hold Mr. Bush to his campaign promises, that it recognizes that global warming poses grave dangers to our environment, our economy, and our national security, and that this country must seek to reduce its CO2 emissions. As a member of the International Relations Committee, I am fully aware of the impact that abandoning our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will have on our allies in Europe and throughout the world. As a member of the human race, I am aware of the impact that it will have on our planet. We must uphold our commitments and responsibilities to the rest of the world. We are the biggest contributor to global warming, and we must also take the lead in reducing pollution. Clean air and clean water are the most basic of human rights. However, we have a President who apparently feels that arsenic is good for kids, that oil spills are good for caribou, and that excessive carbon dioxide is good for all of us. The American people disagree. They overwhelmingly oppose weakening arsenic standards, drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and abandoning CO2 reductions. We cannot turn back the clock, we cannot abandon our commitments, and we cannot give up this fight for our future.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Progressive Caucus's alternative budget resolution and in strong opposition to the Republican budget. It is clear which budget truly benefits the American people. Let me give you just a few examples of why we should support the Progressive Caucus budget. First, the Progressive Caucus budget places a priority on affordable housing, which is not only important in the Bay Area, including my congressional district, but also in many other parts of this country. Families are finding the American dream of homeownership harder and harder to attain and the Progressive Caucus budget takes low- and moderate-income Americans one step closer to realizing that dream. We include $2 billion for affordable housing construction. The Republican budget does not include one penny for this purpose. And in order to ensure that low-income families don't have to live in squalor in public housing, our budget includes a $500 million increase for public housing repairs while the Republican budget actually cuts this program by $1 billion! That is outrageous. Second, my home state of California is facing an energy crisis. Just yesterday, the California Public Utilities Commission voted in favor of a rate increase for consumers, raising the rates by as much as 46 percent. I order to try to help Californians and others around the country who need help paying their increased energy bills, the Progressive Caucus budget would provide a $6.7 billion increase for LIHEAP, a low-income energy assistance program. This 400 percent increase will make it easier for many more Californians to pay their energy bills during this crisis. The Republican budget freezes LIHEAP funds next year and does not provide any funding at all in the LIHEAP emergency account. Clearly what is happening in California is an emergency and will spread throughout the Western states and the nation. We must have these funds to help the people in our state. Finally, on a subject that is dear to me and many others in Congress--election reform--the Progressive Caucus provides $2.5 billion to ensure that what happened in Florida last year does not happen again. This funding for election reform would assist states and localities in upgrading election procedures and voting technologies. Far too many people in our country were disenfranchised by what happened in the 2000 election and we must do everything in our power to ensure that we never have another Florida. I think it is disgraceful that the Republican budget does not provide any funding for these essential reforms. The Progressive Caucus budget also includes large increases in education, health care, veterans' programs and true tax cuts that benefit all Americans and not just primarily the very rich, all while preserving Social Security and Medicare. I urge my colleagues to vote for a budget that cuts taxes, provides for debt relief, and allows for needed spending programs. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Progressive Caucus budget.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great sense of loss that I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Rudolph ``Rudy'' V. Marshall, the founder and chairman of the Bay Area Black Media Coalition, who recently passed away at the age of 64. Rudy Marshall proudly served this country for 30 years. He enlisted in the United States Navy. He worked at the Veterans' Hospital and the Alameda Naval Supply. Rudy demonstrated his leadership abilities in the community. He was often involved with service projects, which helped to build and to strengthen the neighborhoods. He developed a trust and a bond with the people. One of Rudy's greatest achievement was his founding and chairing of the Bay Area Black Media Coalition in 1979. He was a tireless advocate of the racial diversification of newspaper and broadcast facilities. Rudy utilized all legal avenues to ensure the fair treatment of African Americans and other minorities by the media. He conducted workshops and seminars for young people to have the opportunity to experience broadcasting and media work first hand. Rudy provided mentors from the communications industry in hopes of fostering an interest for a career in journalism. Rudy Marshall was a pioneer in bringing to the people's attention the demand for fair and diverse representation in the media industry. He had a deep passion for justice, fairness, and professionalism. He has touched us all. Rudy Marshall, beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and community leader will be deeply missed.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished and courageous gentleman from Georgia for yielding and for organizing this Special Order, and for also leading one of the most memorable journeys of my lifetime. Let me take a moment to convey my deepest gratitude to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for his sacrifices, his leadership, and for his tolerance, which he has demonstrated throughout his life as he fought and as he continues to fight for freedom and for justice. I also want to thank the people of Alabama for their heroic and their noble struggles, for I know for a fact that because of their blood, sweat, and tears, I am here today serving as a Member of Congress. Now, during our visit to Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, we talked about where we were during those tumultuous times. Some felt guilty, but everyone felt gratitude. But I would dare to say that all of us felt galvanized to redouble our efforts for equality and justice and realize just how blessed we are to be Members of Congress, for we actually have a second time and a third time to make a difference in the lives of people in this millennium. This pilgrimage was very personal for me, whether visiting the 16th Street Baptist Church where four young and beautiful African-American children died as a result of a ruthless bombing or touring the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma or marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. I was reminded of my childhood in Texas where I was forced to drink out of the colored-only water fountain or not allowed to go to movie houses or my dad, dressed in his military uniform, with his family, being told that he could not be served at restaurants. Yes, all of these painful repressed memories surfaced, experiences which I seldom talk about. But for me, I say to the gentleman, this visit provided really some breakthroughs personally; and I thank him for that. Now, as we toured Rosa Parks Museum and Library and during our visit to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Dr. King served as pastor, and during our moments at the First Baptist Church and while worshipping at Brown Chapel AME Church, I reflected on the unfinished business of Dr. Martin Luther King and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and all of those who shed their blood for the right to vote. Of course, I was reminded of thousands of African Americans and others who were disenfranchised in the recent elections. During our visit to Alabama, several people told me, now I understand why you and other Members of the Congressional Black Caucus protested the ratification of the Electoral College vote and walked off the floor of Congress. Our pilgrimage to Alabama certainly provided additional inspiration to work on electoral reform so that never again will the lives and legacy of those known and unknown be denigrated by denying the people the right to vote. Mr. Speaker, let me emphasize the importance of educating young people about the civil rights movement. Many young people of color, many African Americans really do believe that integration always was, that the right to vote always was. The history of the civil and human rights movement has all but been ignored in American history books. Many young people believe that the ability to sit anywhere on the bus or to eat at a lunch counter just always was. Many young people believe that riding in any car on a train instead of the colored-only car just always was. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Faith and Politics mission to Alabama reminded us of times passed and that we owe a debt of gratitude to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and all of those heroes who made it possible for people like me to pick up the baton and fight to end institutional racism, unequal education, universal health care, to fight for that; to fight for affordable housing, for a clean environment, a livable wage, and to fight for people who have been left out of this economic prosperity. In closing, let me just encourage each and every Member of Congress to participate in this magnificent pilgrimage. It is really a privilege and an honor to be able to meet with men and women and break bread with them, those men and women who were on the front lines, taking bold risks to make America a better place. It was because of them that democracy was actually forced to confront and address its contradictions. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia. I want to thank all of those with the Faith and Politics Institute for really putting this together. I hope that everyone in this body and all of our young people can benefit from the great work that the gentleman is doing, because we certainly have benefited from the struggles which took place during that time.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his very powerful statement, and also for providing a road map in terms of what we need to do. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), who has been a leader and is a leader on a variety of issues here in this Congress and at home in North Carolina. Specifically, she is working very diligently on the HIV-AIDS crisis in rural communities, and she always reminds us that rural communities have the same types of diseases and same types of disparities that urban communities have to deal with, and oftentimes in greater numbers. (Mrs. CLAYTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. LEE. I would like to thank the gentlewoman for that very eloquent statement, and also for putting this in a historical context for us and reminding us that we have waged war before on a very ruthless system, and we won, and it is important that we do keep hope alive, because we will win this battle also. Mr. Speaker, let me now yield to the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis), an individual whose life has been committed to social, economic and political justice. He is an individual who constantly speaks the truth on behalf of a variety of issues here in Congress.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her very comprehensive statement and for reminding us that this is a global pandemic. We did declare in Alameda County a state of emergency as it relates to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in our own area in Northern California. I also thank the gentlewoman for reminding the administration of their commitment to address this as a priority. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson- Lee), who serves on the Committee on the Judiciary. I have had the privilege to benefit from her insights in our travels to Africa, looking at the devastation caused by this pandemic as it relates to orphans and children, also as it relates to women and economic development in Nigeria.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Texas for taking time out of her very busy schedule and making a major contribution to this Special Order tonight. In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me just say, I think we have heard tonight from many of my colleagues who are indicating that they believe, as I do, that this lawsuit should be dropped and it should be dropped immediately. We have made some progress in the fight against this pandemic, but we certainly do not need any more obstacles to making sure that people begin to receive medication so that they can live. I thank my colleagues, once again, for joining us this evening.