Brenda Lawrence

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, on November 26, 2019, during the Thanksgiving holiday, a dock piled with aggregates collapsed into the Detroit River. Local and State authorities were slow to communicate with each other, and misinformation quickly spread. Concerns about polluted drinking water, even radioactive contamination, caused confusion and concern in my district. Many of us learned about the collapse from a Canadian newspaper, which published an article days after the collapse. Over 2 months later, the site continues to deteriorate. The shoreline continues to erode, and contaminated soil is still spilling into the water. More recently, a sinkhole developed at the site, discharging even more contaminants into the water. The area's long-serving industrial history was another source of concern for public health and the environment. During the 1940s and the 1950s, the site produced uranium for the development of the atomic bomb. Recently, the site has been leased to companies openly storing toxic chemicals and piles of aggregates along the water. Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed in the site owner's lack of urgency to quickly fix this problem. Over 2 months later, aggregate is still spilling into the water. The owners have failed to address the erosion and, now, the emerging sinkhole. Mr. Speaker, I join with the EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy, or EGLE, to hold this owner accountable to the fullest extent possible. The owner has missed key deadlines to submit cleanup plans and, so far, their proposals don't even come close to stopping the erosion. If it is the responsibility of the violators to clean up their mess, how do we know they will do it properly and efficiently? I expect our State and Federal agencies to continue to take action to safeguard our public health. They are continuing to test the surrounding area for contamination and are regularly updating my office with test results. The risks to our public health cannot be dismissed. My constituents have witnessed how government action can help or hurt our communities. We cannot forget the Flint water crisis. We witnessed a failure of government. Just last year, the Detroit Public Schools shut off its drinking fountains after finding elevated lead and copper. In the last year, Michigan has led the Nation in active PFAS sites, drawing national attention to the efforts of these ``forever chemicals'' in our waters. We cannot--and I will fight to make sure we do not--repeat the Flint water crisis. We must learn from our mistakes. This situation demands a sense of urgency to restore the public's faith in our government to protect them from being contaminated by water. This is why I am continuing to monitor the ongoing cleanup and remediation of the collapsed site. While the latest test results showed no significant threat to the public health, I will work with the State to ensure the site's cleanup and urge the State to push for a third- party independent study. We have the right to know that the surrounding water and the environment is safe from contaminants. I will also remain in communication to ensure the drinking water in Michigan and--also with government oversight--that we in America have safe, clean water, and we must continue the fight for affordable water. If there is a threat to our public health, the government has a responsibility to safeguard our constituents from harm.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On June 23, 1963, in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered an impassioned precursor to his ``I Have a Dream'' speech during the historic Detroit Walk to Freedom, which recognized the 20th anniversary of the Detroit race riots. With over 120,000 people present, the Detroit Walk to Freedom was the largest civil rights demonstration in the Nation's history. Of course, we all know that soon changed just a few weeks later with the March on Washington. As a young Black girl growing up on the east side of Detroit, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was more than just a public figure; he was our hope. Today, I am honored to have the chance to recognize him and his work and will continue to do my part to ensure his legacy lives on. And in today's environment, here in Washington, D.C., and this Congress, we must refocus on the ability to recognize every person based on their character, their skills and abilities, and not based on race.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Madam Speaker, today, history is being written. The facts are conclusive: The President attempted to use the power of the powerful Office of President to force Ukraine to influence our 2020 election. In the process, President Trump jeopardized our national security and withheld vital military assistance intended to prevent further Russian aggression in the region. However, as our committees--including the Committee on Oversight and Reform, of which I am a member--sought to interview additional witnesses and obtain documents, the President ordered, from the power of his office, that the executive branch not participate and obstructed the congressional oversight. Article I provides the House of Representatives with the sole power of impeachment, as well as the authority to conduct oversight of the executive branch. What did he have to hide? When the Framers met over 200 years ago, they went to great lengths to ensure future Presidents will be forced to answer to their constitutional responsibility. I stand today in support of the two Articles of Impeachment.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I stand today as the chair of the Women's Caucus and as a member of the executive board of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I stand in strong support of H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. These repeated attacks on our right to vote have severely undermined the people's fundamental voting rights, which are the principles of our democracy. H.R. 4 helps protect citizens' ability to register to vote and provides real enforcement so that marginalized communities, like women who celebrate their 100th year to vote and African American communities, will have proper access to the ballot box. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, and we must ensure that every eligible American voter has the ability to have their vote heard. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, more than 200 years ago, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia to help chart a path forward for the newly independent United States of America. After deliberation, the Framers established a system of government with three equal branches, the legislative, executive, and judiciary, along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch had too much power. After years of control by a foreign power, our Framers understood the importance of self-governance and ensuring no monarch could once again rule over our country. Now, more than 200 years since the ratification of our Constitution, our democracy faces a constitutional crisis that the Framers never could have imagined. The office of the President of the United States, the most powerful position in the world, yields immense influence with the expectation to use that power in a principled manner. However, that principled approach has since vanished as self-interest has consumed the Oval Office. In the pursuit of that self-interest, this President has compromised our national security by withholding critical military assistance to Ukraine, military assistance approved by the Congress, the legislative branch, to provide assistance to preserve their sovereignty and counter Russian aggression. That same system of checks and balances described in the Constitution over 200 years ago is now under attack. The President, as well as the Members of Congress, take an oath of office when stepping into this amazing place of our Republic to be leaders in our country, to protect, to preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States as long as we hold this office. As part of that oath, it is my constitutional duty to protect the Constitution from all threats, even within our own government. This June, I announced my support for the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment inquiry. In the 6 months since then, with new details revealed weekly and daily, my support for the House impeachment inquiry has never been stronger. This President has jeopardized our national security to affect an election; no one is above the law, not even the President. On Tuesday, The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence voted to approve a comprehensive report outlining actions regarding Ukraine and the obstruction of justice. For 2 weeks last month, the American people heard various witnesses share their account of the President and the things that were happening in our government. As an African American I stand here today, Mr. Speaker, and I am very sensitive to any action to oppress my right to vote. My history as an African American in this country causes me to be very alert. Furthermore, the report details a concerted effort by the White House to defy authorized congressional subpoenas for documents, a right the Supreme Court has affirmed Congress possesses. During the Constitutional Convention, it was noted that Madison rose and asked his colleagues two questions: ``Shall any man be above justice? Shall that man be above it who can commit the most extensive injustice?'' With great power comes great responsibility. That responsibility has been ignored, and it has been demonstrated in the office of our President that his only interest is his self-interest and not that which is the best interest of the American people. Mr. Speaker, Congress will be tasked with making a decision that will likely alter the course of history. However, taking the evidence into account, this is not a difficult decision. When history looks back, I will be one of the Members of Congress who kept my oath, who served and voted to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the continuing resolution to fund our government. Unfortunately, it breaks my heart that we have not been able to do our job and reach a consensus on a budget, but we will not be shutting down our government. The bill ensures that the Federal Government does not shut down a week before Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, preventing countless Federal employees from being forced to work without a paycheck. For my home State of Michigan, this continuing resolution repeals section 1438 of the FAST Act, which would rescind over $7 billion in highway funding from the States. This repeal would protect over $300 million in critical funding for Michigan, which is needed for our highways. I am also thrilled that the continuing resolution provides a 3 percent pay increase for our Nation's servicemembers who devote their lives to protecting our Nation. While the House and Senate use this additional month to continue negotiating complete fiscal year funding, I urge the Senate to include House language that would include increased funding for maternal mortality, environmental protection, and programs that give women and families a better chance.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for her leadership. It is imperative that we use our platform as Members of Congress to highlight the crisis of mental illness. So often when we talk about gun violence, it leaves the crisis of gun violence and goes to mental illness; but we have not, as America, taken the steps we need to take. Black and African American communities, we are seeing 13.2 percent of the U.S. population who are identified as Black or African American; of those, 16 percent has a diagnosed mental illness in the past year. I had a friend of mine, she is a therapist, and we had a roundtable in the community that I hosted on mental illness. The T-shirt she wears, says: ``I'm an African American. I go to church. I believe in God. And I see my therapist.'' So often in our community you hear the words, ``just pray about it and God will fix it.'' But you don't say that to someone who has heart disease. Yes, we pray and, yes, we believe in God, but we also must get the healthcare we need. Mental health is an issue that we are facing. And when we talk about women, we just had this amazing, informative dinner tonight, and the stress, the abuse, the separation, and they were giving us examples: at 3 in the morning, hearing the weeping and crying of women who have not seen their children, would just love to put their arms around them, those who are in prison and have no clue why they are in there, and to have the guards tell them that they have to perform sexual acts if they want to see their children, and if they fail to do it, they deny them access. When these women come out of prison, they are broken and they are wounded. And the major issue that we need to confront, when you talk about women surviving and their mental health, the number one criteria for a woman to be reunited with her children is housing. If a woman has been imprisoned, she has no income. She comes out homeless. She is living in a shelter, and she cannot provide the housing, and so she is still not joined together with her child. And she is confronting her children, being a free woman, who are crying, saying: Mommy, when are we going to go home together again? And another issue, think about in Washington, D.C., a two-bedroom apartment, and the law requires that, if you have a boy and a girl, you have to have at least a three-bedroom apartment. Can you imagine the costs? And how can a woman afford that? We have so many historical issues that have impacted the socioeconomic resources, the economic resources, that there are disparities by African Americans today. The socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health. People who are in prison, people who are homeless, incarcerated, or have substance abuse problems are at a higher risk for poor mental health. And putting people who are mentally ill in prison has become the norm in America. Instead of us stepping up and using our ability to provide mental health, we incarcerate. And we see the victims of people with mental illness killing people through gun violence, and all we do is have a moment of silence, and we talk about, well, we knew something was wrong with them. We heard a parent on the TV, because we just had another shooting, and he was saying: I tried to get help and no one would help me. I knew my son was mentally ill. I cried out. We must change this in America. I thank the gentlewoman so much for giving us an opportunity to bring this voice and, hopefully, shake America awake to this issue. We have so much work to do. We need to see our physical doctor, and we need mental health, as well, in America.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, today, finally, a congressional resolution that will pay tribute to the Armenian, the Syrian, the Greek, the Chaldean, and other lives lost, and the determination of those who survive. To many Americans of Armenian descent who continue to strengthen our country today, we honor those contributions with an honest statement of history, recognizing the massacre of 1.5 Armenians as the 20th century's first genocide. In the spirit of honoring these victims, I am proud to cosponsor H. Res. 296, an official recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today with the Michigan delegation and my beloved members of the Congressional Black Caucus to pay honor and tribute to the life of John Conyers. He passed away this past weekend. As we know, John Conyers was the dean of this Congress. He served 53 years. He served as chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as well as the Judiciary. We stand here today to recognize his fight for civil rights, his fight to have the Martin Luther King birthday celebration, his fight against apartheid, his fight to ensure that we in this country never lost sight of our criminal justice that is not equal, and his fight for justice for all. We often remember him walking around with his kind manner in this House, and I ask at this time if we could have a moment of silence. Would everyone please stand.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here and to have the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) sitting in that seat. I want to thank my colleague, Representative Scott, and I want to start by thanking our chairwoman, Maxine Waters, for bringing this legislation to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2423, the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act introduced by my colleague, Ms. Stefanik, and myself. As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and the co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, I strongly support this measure which honors the legacy of suffragists who played a vital role in rallying support for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The suffragists began their organized fight for women's empowerment in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. They were tireless and never gave up the fight. For 72 years, the women leaders lobbied, marched, picketed, and protested for the right to the ballot. More importantly, proceeds from the sales of these coins will support the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative for the purpose of collecting, studying, and establishing programs recognizing diverse perspectives on women's history and women who have influenced the direction of this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I like to always remind people that women are 51 percent of the population in this great country, and we are now 106 strong Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. I also want to note that, on May 21 of this year, the House celebrated its 100th anniversary of the House passage of the 19th Amendment with the passage of H.R. 354, legislation I introduced and which was supported by all women Members of Congress. The Senate followed 2 weeks later, in June, with the passage of the Senate resolution. Today, over 68 million women participate in elections, which would not be possible without the suffragists who never gave up the fight for equal rights. Because of their hard work, glass ceilings were broken and progress prevailed. Mr. Speaker, I know that the gentleman stands today recognizing that women are so important to the lives of so many in this country and to our strong government and democracy. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

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

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, there are so many facts that we need to share about John Conyers, including the fact that in his 52 years in office he represented Michigan's First Congressional District, Michigan's 14th Congressional District, and Michigan's 13th Congressional District. Also during his time in Congress he chaired the House Oversight and Reform Committee and also the House Judiciary Committee and served as dean of the House. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) who is my amazing colleague and who will have comments about the passing and honoring of our colleague whom we all are mourning, John Conyers, who impacted so many of us in this country.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lewis. Some other facts that people may not know about John Conyers: He worked for the Lincoln auto factory and was a member of the UAW. He became the director of education for UAW Local 900. He was the first African American to chair the House Committee on the Judiciary. He also sponsored the Racial Justice Act and the Police Accountability Act during that time. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), a Member of Congress who has fought many fights and has stood up and knows the story of justice in our country.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. That was beautiful. We continue in our effort to capture the life of a great man who served in this House. Again, another fact: Since 1989, John Conyers had introduced H.R. 40, the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. This bill would establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery in the United States. The legislation has now been taken up by our colleague from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), my colleague who has shown to be a voice of reason, hard work, and compassion in his service to Congress.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for mentioning so many of the accomplishments that John Conyers had. I want to add to that his legislative record extends to introducing the Medicare for All Act, legislation to establish a government- sponsored single-payer healthcare option to control costs. Additionally, he championed the issues of reparations to establish a commission that I had mentioned earlier. He fought for justice that also extended to international issues. He was an early leader in the anti-Vietnam war movement in addition to the anti-Iraq war movement. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), my colleague and a hardworking freshman. It is hard to recognize that he is a freshman.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a statement by the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson about the Congressman. She said: I pay tribute to the life and legacy of a distinguished public servant and colleague, John James Conyers Jr., who passed away this weekend, and she asked that her colleagues join her in extending sympathies to Congressman Conyers' wife, Monica; Conyers' sons, John Conyers III and Carl Edward Conyers; and all whom he influenced over the course of his life. May he rest in peace. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring forth my Michigan delegation colleague. It is significant to note that Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman Tlaib, actually represents the seat from which John Conyers retired. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan, Rashida Tlaib.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman as we share the amazing honor of representing the city of Detroit, a place that John Conyers loved and gave his life to. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also read from a statement from our chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Karen Bass. Her statement outlines his life and his history. It also talks about how he fought apartheid and that he confronted President Nixon about imposing sanctions against South Africa; and, when it became clear that the President wouldn't act, he joined Congressman Dellums in introducing legislation to that end and was even arrested at a protest, in front, of South Africa. He impacted so many people in his district and throughout the country. America is a better country today because of the legislative and advocacy work of Representative John Conyers Jr. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring forth a chair of this amazing body--a chair, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and an amazing leader, Congressman Scott. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those kind words and informative message. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to bring forth a woman in our Congress, the longest serving woman in Congress, Marcy Kaptur, who served with the dean of Congress and would like to reflect. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for his remarks.

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, as I wrap up now in our tribute to John Conyers, the dean, he was many things: He was a UAW labor member; he was a military veteran; he was a fighter for voters' rights, for healthcare, for reparations, for racial justice. He was a lover and promoter of jazz. But most of all, I stand here today, as a Member of Congress representing Michigan's 14th District. He was Detroit. He was Motown. He was a person whose thumbprint will remain throughout history as a political voice, a leader, and a beloved man in the history of our city and of metro Detroit. I want to say to the family, we send all the love and respect; and to say, in closing, John Conyers, rest in power. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, who has been a very close colleague as we have sat under the guidance and leadership of Elijah Cummings. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to honor my chairman, Elijah Cummings. This is an extremely difficult time for me because Chairman Cummings was more than a colleague; he was my mentor. As a freshman, while serving on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform with Chairman Cummings, I came to him with a litany of questions. He never turned me away. He was always receptive and always considerate. He would eventually explain to me how much he appreciated that I had put thought into the policies that I wanted to implement while serving in Congress. It was then that this great man actually saw that I really cared for people, and he instructed me to continue doing the work because, when you really care, your constituents will see it and will appreciate it. When I came to him during the Flint water crisis and told him we needed to look into this because people were being hurt, and children were being physically damaged, he was so determined to get to the truth. I watched him serve in the majority and in the minority, and there were many times when this chairman, my Chairman Cummings, became the voice of reason within the Caucus and at the helm of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. He was a consensus builder. He cut to the chase. And he was the person who worked across the aisle, never, ever putting anyone before the American people. I will miss his bigger-than-life presence in our meetings. I will miss that booming voice, heaving incredible words of wisdom during our committee hearings. I will miss the intelligent and passionate questions and the astute observations that he would hurl at any of the combative witnesses. I will miss the man who believed in the American experience, and he fought for this democracy with his last breath. Most of all, I will miss the considerate, giant gentleman who was my mentor, Elijah Cummings. This week, as we bid farewell to Baltimore's native son, I know he will be dancing with the angels, smiling down on us, saying to continue the fight and keep the faith because our democracy is worth the fight.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on September 27, 2019, I was not able to cast my votes during the vote series due to personal matters in Michigan. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted: ``aye'' on Roll Call No. 555: H. Res. 603--Raising a question of the privileges of the House; ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 554: H.R. 3722--the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act; and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 553: S.J. Res. 54--A joint resolution relating to a national emergency declared by the President on February 15, 2019.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution to hold Attorney General Barr and Commerce Secretary Ross in contempt of Congress. Madam Speaker, we have reached a point that we, as Congress, must have the courage--and we have a duty to our constituents of these United States of America--to uphold the Constitution. Congress has an obligation to conduct oversight of the executive branch, yet this administration complains each time we request information critical to fulfilling our investigative responsibilities. Today, the full House will vote to hold Attorney General Barr and Secretary Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for their complete disregard of the Constitution--not of Democrats, of the Constitution-- and their refusal to provide our committee with relevant documents relative to the investigation of our 2020 Census. It is 100 percent within our congressional responsibility to ensure the Federal Government is ultimately working in the best interests of the people it serves. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, to stand up and fulfill their duty and responsibility to the Constitution, which says we must take care of the people of this great country and that Congress will maintain its power as a separate but equal branch of government. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.

Mrs. LAWRENCE

Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the issue of stagnant wages for African Americans and, as a result, the lack of economic opportunities. The Federal current minimum wage is $7.25, not enough to sustain an individual's necessary expenses, let alone for those who are an entire American family. In fact, the purchasing power of the current minimum wage has gradually eroded over the past decade. Since this minimum wage was raised to $7.25, its purchasing power has declined by 17 percent due to inflation. Mr. Speaker, this is a staggering thought: A person working 40 hours a week at the current Federal minimum wage earns a gross income of $15,000 per year before taxes. Even families working full-time earning the Federal minimum wage are below the Federal poverty level. This is why we need to pass the Raise the Wage Act. Under H.R. 582, 1.3 million Americans will be lifted out of poverty. This includes 600,000 children who will finally have a shot at a better life simply because of raising the minimum wage. The Raise the Wage Act helps women and workers of color the most since women are nearly two-thirds of the American workforce who earn the Federal minimum wage or just above that. In Michigan's 14th District, up to 61,000 women and over 76,000 Black and Hispanic workers in my district alone will receive a wage increase. This bill is way overdue. Mr. Speaker, let me reference a letter from my colleague, the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas: ``We have seen a recent epidemic of the working poor, hardworking Americans who each day are forced to choose between food, shelter, clothing, or healthcare for themselves and their families. In the past 40 years, minimum wage increases have not kept pace,'' causing many families to struggle. The Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson says that the current minimum wage in her home State of Texas ``is only $7.25 an hour and even lower for workers in the service industry who instead rely heavily on customer tips for take-home pay. The African American community, which makes up a significant portion of the minimum wage workforce, is disproportionately affected by lower wages. ``According to the Economic Policy Institute, 38.1 percent of all Black workers would receive higher pay as a result of an increased wage, therefore opening up new economic opportunities. ``We must act quickly to ensure that any American willing to work 40 hours a week can afford basic necessities.'' That is why, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson says, she is proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act. The bill will lift millions of Americans out of poverty by gradually increasing the minimum wage over a period of 5 years to $15. Mr. Speaker, I want to be on the Record and join my colleague, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, to say: ``The growing racial wealth gap in our country can no longer go unnoticed. We now have an opportunity to take concrete steps to help close the gap.'' This bill is way overdue.