Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I too rise to express my heartfelt sympathy to the family of Representative Walter Capps and extend my condolences and those of my constituents to his wife Lois and his children, Laura, Todd, and Lisa. Mr. Speaker, during the time I knew him and had the opportunity to serve with him in this House, it was a pleasure. His gentle, reflective nature had a calming influence, one I appreciated during those times we have to dash to the floor to cast votes. On one occasion, Mr. Speaker, when we were discussing the challenges of maintaining two households, one here and one in our districts, I encouraged him to consider a place in my building because Walter was more than an educator, a father, and a Member of Congress; he was a neighbor whose civility, reflections, experience, and knowledge helped him to master a rule of the House we should all refer to more frequently: The Golden Rule. For even in this House, with all the issues, the stakes and the games, Walter would do unto others as you would have others do unto you. The great State of California has lost a great warrior of the people.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express support for one provision of H.R. 1119, Section 2826. Although this provision prohibits conveyance of the property at Long Beach Naval Station to the China Ocean Shipping Company [COSCO], it includes elements of a recommendation I made to this House that allows the President to waive this restriction if it is determined that the transfer would not adversely impact our national security. Mr. Speaker, I still have reservations about the language in the Conference report, however, because I do not believe it goes far enough to protect the national security of the United States. The language I recommended to the House addressed this issue. The restrictions limit the provisions of this section to Long Beach and to the China Ocean Shipping Company [COSCO]. The language fails to address the impact of transfers of property at other bases to state owned shipping companies which may pose a risk to national security or significantly increase the counter intelligence burden on the U.S. intelligence community.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, as a former educator, I have sat here to try and listen to a plan for our children. I have not heard it, and so I will say that I am for the Moran amendment, and I oppose anyone who has not given us a plan for absolutely educating our children in this country.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Mollohan-Shays amendment ensuring that each American is fairly counted. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of the Mollohan-Shays amendment, a bipartisan measure to allow the Census Bureau to use the scientific method of sampling to conduct the decentennial census in the year 2000. The current system is inefficient and expensive and needs to be fixed. There are various undercount problems that need to be solved before the numbers are delivered to the Congress--problems that affect congressional representation. These numbers also affect fundamental Federal community programs for the impoverished. In 1990, the differential undercount, where the census inadvertently omits a higher proportion of the minority population than the majority, was the highest it has been since the 1940's--4.4 percent of blacks, 5.0 percent of Hispanics, 2.3 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, and 4.5 percent of American Indians were unaccounted for, compared with only 1.2 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Sampling is not a new technique. Especially in conducting the census. The method used to develop socio-economic profiles of the U.S. population employs extensive use of sampling. For instance, the Census Bureau's long form is sent to only one in six households. It is used to obtain most of our information about income, educational attainment, ancestry, and housing stock, just to name a few categories. Sampling methods are not just limited to the Census. Tax legislation is written using data collected by sample surveys. Health legislation is based on the national health, examination, and nutrition survey. Even the consumer price index, whether it is ever reformed or not, will be calculated from two different sample surveys--the point of purchase survey and the consumer expenditure survey. And we rely on scientific sampling and analysis to improve the CPI's accuracy. All the Census Bureau wants to do is to expand its capabilities to adjust for the undercount before its deadline to report the numbers. Under the Constitution, these are the numbers we use to reapportion our congressional districts. These data are also used for revenue-sharing purposes. So, to oppose sampling methodology to produce one single, accurate figure to be reported, makes no sense. I ask you, Is there some reason my colleagues don't want the census results to be accurate? Is there some reason they don't want the more transient among our population--the minorities, immigrants, low income, and impoverished counted in the official numbers? You tell me, because I can't figure it out. But I agree with a statement by Barbara Baylar, vice president for survey research at the National Opinion Research Center. She explained that: Oftentimes the pressures are not to produce data to support some position but not to produce data. All of us can name examples--income data, poverty data--that exerted [such] pressure. Not to produce this data in a timely and efficient manner is a brand of know-nothing-ism that we cannot afford to tolerate in the era of the information age, at the dawn of the new millennium. This is a serious issue. The 1990 numbers undercounted the United States population by 4 million people. That's 1.6 percent. In the State of California alone, the nonsampling method missed 834,000 people. That's 2.7 percent. The Mollohan-Shays amendment would allow the Census Bureau to conduct its research more accurately and inexpensively, and should be supported by Members on both sides of the aisle. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that tomorrow will be an historic day for women business owners. For the first time, women business owners from a range of professions will convene on Capitol Hill to share their stories with Members of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues. My colleague, the gentlewoman from New York [Ms. Kelly], and I will cochair this unprecedented bipartisan forum, addressing the vast growth of women-owned firms and the contrasting poor rate of procurement to these firms. With the procurement rate to women-owned firms at less than 2 percent, the need to explore the problems women business owners are experiencing in trying to obtain Federal contracts and to develop concrete solutions to these problems has never been greater. Over the past decade, this country has experienced an explosion in the growth of women-owned businesses. The statistics speak for themselves. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of firms owned by women grew by 78 percent, which is almost twice the rate of increase in the number of all U.S. firms, which is 47 percent. Sales increased by 236 percent, nearly $2.3 trillion, and employment increased by 183 percent. In the same time period, the number of minority women-owned businesses increased by 153 percent, which is three times the rate of overall business growth in the United States, the rate of employment by minority firms grew by 276 percent, and revenues rose by 318 percent. Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Hispanic women-owned firms grew 206 percent, the number of Asian, American Indian and Alaska native women-owned firms increased by 138 percent, and the number of African- American women-owned firms increased by 135 percent. There are now approximately 8 million women-owned firms, providing jobs for 15.5 million people and generating nearly $1.4 trillion in sales. Women-owned businesses now employ 35 percent more people in the United States than the Fortune 500 companies employ worldwide. Between 1987 and 1996, the industries with the fastest rate of growth for women-owned businesses were in nontraditional fields. Women-owned firms grew by 171 percent in construction, by 157 percent in wholesale trade, by 140 percent in transportation-communications, by 130 percent in agriculture, and by 112 percent in manufacturing. In the same period, the same phenomenon of women-owned businesses growing at the fastest rate in nontraditional fields were even more astounding among minority women-owned businesses. These firms grew by 319 percent in construction, by 276 percent in wholesale trades, and by 253 percent in transportation-communications and public utilities. Although the number of women-owned firms has grown in every State over the past several months, they have exploded in the State that I represent. In California, from 1987 to 1996 the number of women-owned firms has grown by 78 percent, employment has increased by 255 percent and sales have grown by 313 percent. Women-owned businesses now account for more than one-third of all firms in California. As a result, California ranks first out of the 50 States in the number of women-owned firms, first in employment and first in sales. This unprecedented growth of women-owned firms is happening in the 37th District of California, Mr. Speaker, which is my district, generating $105 billion in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan areas. This area ranks second out of the top 50 metropolitan areas in the number, employment and sales of women-owned firms. That sounds promising. Maybe. But, the rate of procurement for all women-owned businesses remains a meager 1.8 percent, far below the 5 percent goal which was established in 1994 by Congress. Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow this discrepancy to continue. It is only hurting the strength of this Nation's economy. We are not utilizing this hidden resource within the business community. When the Government continues to contract with the same large companies, America's taxpayers lose money, because when various agencies select their bid without real competition, it is highly unlikely that that bid is indeed the least expensive, more effective way of getting the job done. Mr. Speaker, tonight I speak for millions of women business owners throughout the country. I ask that we recognize that tomorrow will be an historic day for women as we continue to grapple with the notion of women business owners and the lack of procurement and meeting the goals Congress has established.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, we must stop this trend of escalating numbers of young girls becoming pregnant and raising children when they have hardly escaped childhood themselves. It is imperative that we as leaders address the Nation's problem of teenage pregnancy with the most practical and effective strategies, the most important of which is education. An accurate and informative education on pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is not being provided to those who are the most vulnerable and are in the most need of this information. Parents, legal guardians, and other adults influencing children should emphasize healthy and responsible sexual development and decisionmaking, yet study after study of adolescent youth demonstrates that this is lacking in the home. In addition to family, poverty, sexism, and economic disenfranchisement are critical factors shaping the ability of teenagers to make decisions and yet, teenagers have little influence on any of these areas. What adolescents need, and are provided by the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, are the knowledge and confidence to make the best decisions despite, and in light of, these factors. The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program is designed to implement and evaluate a range of interventions that promote healthy sexual development and reduce teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The program also focuses on decreasing the incidence of pregnancies to teenagers by increasing the proportion of teens who delay the initiation of sexual activity, and who effectively use contraception. We all know that teenage childbearing robs not only the young parents of a better future, but the baby as well. That is why we must work together to ensure that the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program can continue its work to buck the current trend of increasing teen pregnancy. And that is why we must pass the Pelosi amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to join my colleagues, Mr. Burton of Indiana and Ms. DeGette, in celebrating the democracy that makes this Nation so unique. I join my colleagues in their efforts to strengthen the invaluable education that is provided by the We the People Program. It is so critical that we raise our children to understand the pillars upon which this Nation was founded and still stands today. Our children need to know the history and principles of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They need to understand how the American political traditions and institutions at the Federal, State, and local levels were created and function both in the past and present. Our children need to learn about the crucial steps our forefathers and mothers took to make this great democracy. And with this knowledge, our children will feel compelled to act with the civic responsibility it takes to make this an even stronger, greater Nation. Through simulated congressional hearings and a national competition of such hearings for secondary school students, this Nation's children learn how this country ever became such an envied democracy by so many other countries. We must ensure that every school is provided with the opportunity to educate students on the history of our political system and the need for active civic participation. I encourage my colleagues to join me in celebrating and enriching the democracy that defines America by voting for the Burton-DeGette amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the distinguished chairman and ranking member for their work in securing adequate funding for some essential antidrug initiatives. I am particularly proud to support the drug free communities matching grants, which will help community coalitions in the 37th District of California and throughout the country address the Nation's drug problem. From 1991 to 1996, the proportion of eighth-graders using an illicit drug more than doubled from 11 to 24 percent. Ten years ago, 18.6 percent of high school students reported using at least one illicit drug over the course of a year, and now, 29 percent of high school students report using at least one illicit drug. That is a 58.6-percent increase. Thanks to the drug-free communities grants, we can change these numbers and parents, teachers, churches, and entire communities can come together to prevent, treat and ultimately, end drug abuse. Creating opportunities for community coalitions to overcome the problem of drug abuse is essential in our effort to maintain and strengthen communities in the 37th District of California, and throughout the entire country.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 394 on H.R. 2016 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I did have an amendment that I put at the desk, but I have talked with the leadership of both sides, I have talked with the leadership on the Democratic side, and I am going to withdraw that amendment. But I do want to speak to school construction. Mr. Chairman, we sit in this House and talk about testing. We sit in this House and talk about higher standards. We sit here and talk about parental involvement. But we never talk about the one thing that will be the important factor in quality education, and that is an environment that is conducive to learning. The amendment that I was to introduce would have spoken to that, and this amendment was simple. It was to speak to the whole notion of allowing our children to have the quality education through an environment that will be conducive to learning. We know that schools have leaky roofs, they have bad plumbing, they have asbestos, they have all types of hazards around them that will not allow children to have the quality education and the environment that is conducive to learning. The buildings that our children are forced to try to learn in are the most deplorable types of buildings that anyone would ask to have anyone come into. One-third of all the elementary and secondary schools in the United States serving 14 million students need extensive repair or renovation. Over 60 percent of the Nation's 110,000 public, elementary, and secondary school facilities need major repair. Last year an estimated $112 billion was needed to repair and upgrade school facilities to a good condition, not an excellent one; and yet, it is amazing to me that we are talking about just $5 billion, in trying to correct the ills that will afford our children a quality education in our schools. If education is going to be a priority in this country, then we must have the environment that is conducive to the quality education that we want. Furthermore, many schools do not have the physical infrastructure to take advantage of computers and other technology needed to meet the challenges of the next century. In my State of California, 87 percent of schools report a need to upgrade or repair on-site buildings to good overall condition. Seventy-one percent of all California schools have at least one inadequate building feature, and of these building feature problems, 40 percent are the roofs, 42 percent are interior walls and windows, and 41 percent are plumbing. Forty-one percent are also the ventilation and heating and air conditioning, and 37 percent of schools do not even have sufficient capabilities to use the computers. We talk about high-tech, we talk about the Information Highway, but without having sufficient wiring in schools, we cannot have our children prepare for what is called the Information Highway and this whole high-tech era. As my colleagues know, it is by far the poorest communities, such as my communities, that have the most difficulty meeting the needs to maintain and improve school facilities. So I urge all of my colleagues, as we come to this floor, not to just talk about higher learning, higher standards, we want that; not to just talk about parental involvement, we want that; not to just talk about testing, we certainly want that; but we also want an environment that is conducive to learning. That environment must include school construction that will allow us to fix and repair those schools that we ask our children to attempt to learn in.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] for his sensitivity on the issue, and ask that the gentleman continue to work with the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey] and myself to try to find the common ground that will help us to improve school construction. Mr. Chairman, I would also like to thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Porter] and hope that the gentleman will continue to look at this and find some common ground to work with the ranking member.

Mrs. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Mrs. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, it is so difficult to make sense of the tragic death of Princess Diana. At the young age of 36, Diana had already become one of the greatest humanitarians of our time. She crusaded against antipersonnel land mines with high-profile visits to Bosnia and Angola and worked to address many of the issues surrounding AIDS through organizations and charities for children. Although she made a beautiful princess, her true beauty shone through in her kind and generous actions on behalf of those less fortunate than herself. Diana was deeply moved by the senseless deaths due to antipersonnel land mines in Bosnia. With as many as 70 people a month becoming injured by land mines left over from the 3\1/2\-year war that split the country, she was determined to get rid of these lethal underground bombs. Efforts to remove the explosives were dragging, but Diana worked hard to speed up this process right up to the time of her death. Princess Diana was also a tireless advocate for children with AIDS and a leader among organizations trying to provide pediatric AIDS services. She believed that we as human beings must work together to care for these children and devoted a great deal of her time to ensuring that she did more than her part in this effort. We have lost a woman of immense compassion and leadership on some of the most troubling issues facing society today. We will most certainly miss this vision of beauty who possessed a heart of gold. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms. Norton] for bringing this Special Order tonight so that we would have an opportunity to really speak about a dear friend, an outstanding woman, a woman of character, a woman of dignity. Yes, on June 23d, we lost one of the greatest leaders in the fight for social justice, Dr. Betty Shabazz, and I join tonight with my colleagues in sending my deepest sympathies, as I did during those dark days and dark moments after her demise, to the entire Shabazz family. Despite the third-degree burns which covered over 80 percent of her body, and numerous painful skin grafts, she endured. Dr. Shabazz held on with strength and determination, those qualities that have continued to sustain us during these difficult days ahead. So I am so proud tonight to be able to participate in this evening's function to offer the rightful homage to one of our greatest political and social activists to have graced this earth. I rise tonight not to focus, though, on the tragic loss of Dr. Shabazz, but rather on the tremendous gains that we as a society have made due to the unyielding dedication and determined leadership of Dr. Betty Shabazz. Throughout her 61 years of life, Dr. Shabazz embodied an extraordinary balance of intellect and compassion, coupled with grace and composure. Dr. Shabazz grew up in Detroit and studied at Tuskegee Institute, New York's Brooklyn State Hospital School of Nursing and the Jersey City State College in New Jersey, while helping her children to accept the absence of their father. In 1975, she received a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts, and later became the Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Relations at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY. Throughout her academic career, and long afterwards, Dr. Shabazz served as a spokesperson and tireless advocate for the homeless, the poor, and for civil rights. She educated children and adults on dealing with racism and civil rights, and built very strong relationships with the Hasidic rabbis and other Jewish leaders to address the violence and tensions dividing communities throughout this country. On top of all of her work to advance social justice, Dr. Shabazz raised those six daughters of hers all on her own and she never asked for pity, she just exemplified her pride. She was a leader with a powerful and contagious compassion for making a difference. She was also a team player and knew how vitally important it is that we all work together to resolve racial tension and inequality in this Nation. The pain and sorrow that fills all of our hearts when we think of the tragic death of Dr. Betty Shabazz is overwhelming, but I ask my colleagues, and all within the sound of my voice, to join me in recognizing and honoring the wonderful ways in which Dr. Shabazz has enriched all of our lives as an inspiring role model and as a friend. Let us continue to impart her fine work to generations and for the generations yet to be born. Yes, Dr. Betty Shabazz dedicated her life to social justice and had a tremendous impact on the young since the death of her husband, Malcolm X, some 30 years ago. While we mourn her passing, let us not forget, more importantly, how blessed we were to have had someone of this esteemed caliber touch all of our lives in such an unforgettable way. The legacy of Dr. Betty Shabazz will live on in all of our lives.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Smith amendment and support of the Campbell-Smith amendment. To deny funding to multilateral and foreign nongovernmental organizations that engage in abortion-related activities with their own private funds is wrong. To suddenly terminate all U.S. funding for family planning worldwide under the United Nations Population Fund based on UNPFA activities in China, which do not exist, is punitive and without logic. And to prohibit foreign organizations from using their own funds to engage in legislative discussions and advocate for abortion-related issues is a gag rule in the worst form. All of these provisions contradict our Nation's attempts to create healthy and prosperous communities across the world. Unfortunately, we are living in an era where family planning is not an option, but rather, a necessity. Providing education on conditions which may harm a woman's pregnancy, on ways to avoid ever even needing an abortion, on prenatal care, and on how to care for babies once they are born are all necessary components of family planning. This kind of education and the delivery of basic health care are needs that transcend politics. I thank Mr. Campbell and Mr. Greenwood for standing up for responsible foreign policy and making sure that this essential need for quality family planning is not stripped from the women and families who need it most. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the Campbell-Greenwood amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I insert the following letter for the Record: U.S. Congress House of Representatives, Washington, DC, July 25, 1997. David J. Mactas, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA/CSAT, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall II Building, Suite 615, Rockville, MD. Dear Mr. Mactas: We are writing to express our concerns about attempts that have been made to close down vital Pregnant Postpartum Women and Infants (PPWI) programs despite the fact that the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee has provided full funding to continue all of these programs. We are particularly concerned about the Tarzana treatment center, as it has helped numerous women, children and families in all of our Southern California Districts. Both categories of women and children programs provide intensive substance abuse treatment as well as strong support services and childcare for infants and children of women in treatment. Families depend on these programs to become healthy and self-sufficient. In addition, invaluable outcome data is collected and analyzed at the completion of the five year grants. This information is shared with other treatment programs to ensure that the best modalities of treatment are replicated in other regions of the country. We are concerned that you will continue to direct certain women and children treatment programs to close down as you did last fall, despite the congressional intent to fully fund these programs in the Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 1997. To ensure that these programs will not be forced to shut down, we would like to receive your written confirmation indicating that when Congress appropriates these funds for all of the women and children programs, you will distribute this money to the thirteen Residential Women and Children and eleven Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants programs. All of the CSAT Knowledge Development and Application grants are key to ending the vicious cycle of addiction. The PPWI programs, in particular, give women a second chance and their children the healthy start they need to break this cycle. Thank you in advance for providing us with written assurance that CSAT will enforce the legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton, and that none of these programs for women and children will be shut down in fiscal year 1998. Sincerely, Juanita Millender-McDonald, Member of Congress. Brad Sherman, Member of Congress. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Member of Congress. Howard Berman, Member of Congress.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of the Wynn amendment to increase funding for equal opportunity complaint resolution in the Department of Agriculture. With over 1,400 discrimination cases pending, the USDA's Office of Civil Rights is underfunded, understaffed, and unable to fulfill its purpose. This amendment would transfer $1,500,000 in revenue to the program for administrative and staffing assistance, and would enable the Department to fulfill its goal of eliminating racism within. For years, the USDA has been discriminating against minority farmers. While the Secretary of Agriculture has acknowledged the problem and created the Civil Rights Program, it seems like little has been done. There are continued delays in investigations of discrimination complaints, inadequate minority representation in the Office of General Counsel, and an ongoing tension between the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Civil Rights. The number of discrimination complaints has more than tripled since 1991. It is time to put a halt to this disturbing statistic. The Wynn amendment would provide money for additional staff to help combat the backlog of discrimination cases. The amendment simply caps the Market Assistance Program funding level and transfers its additional allocation for fiscal year 1998 to the Civil Rights Program. It is a small price to pay for such an important oversight. In addition, we must continue to keep pressure on the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that this funding is put to good use and that the problem is attacked immediately. He must put his money where his mouth is. I urge my colleagues to support the Wynn amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend Chairman Wolf, Mr. Sabo and the members of the Appropriations Committee for the yeoman's job of meeting the numerous funding priorities in this tough fiscal environment. Many of us do not recognize the arduous task the committee faces each time it is asked to balance economic development with fiscal responsibility. Transportation provides substantial economic benefits to our country. According to the Department of Transportation, 42,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion we invest in roads, highways, transit, bridges, and airports. The committee has drafted a solid bill that while not perfect meets most of the Nation's transportation needs. I am pleased with the bill's funding for the Airport Improvement Program and many of the local transit projects in my State, and further commend the appropriators for not presupposing the authorizers as we attempt to reauthorize ISTEA. This bill further reflects the chairman's commitment to both airline and highway safety--issues of tantamount concern to me and my constituents. To compete in today's global economy we need world-class highways, airports, and transit systems--this bill goes a long way toward providing adequate funding to meet those needs. I am pleased to support this bill.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to thank and support my colleague, Mr. Obey, for introducing such an important amendment today. The current bill provides just enough money to maintain current participation levels, but it is based on the assumption that the number of women and children in need and the cost of food will remain absolutely constant. A similar miscalculated assumption brought all of us to the floor 2 months ago to vote on increased funding for WIC in the middle of the 1997 fiscal year. The WIC funding level does not provide enough funding to ensure that no women, child or infant will be cut from this critical program. The cost of infant formula, for example, depends in part on the contract the State WIC program secure with formula manufacturers. This is not a fixed price. Furthermore, the prices for which the manufacturers have offered to sell formula to State WIC programs have been steadily increasing. If this trend continues, which many expect that it will, then this appropriations bill will fall far short of ensuring that current participation levels are maintained. The Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Agriculture project that the funding level the committee has provided would result in the loss of 55,000 to 60,000 women, infants, and children next year alone. In my State of California, 1,225,800 low income and nutritional at risk pregnant women, infants, and children benefit from WIC. It is not fair to suddenly strip many of these women, infants, and children of this vital program in the middle of the 1998 fiscal year simply because we have lacked the foresight now to make accurate predictions of the needs of WIC recipients. The WIC program is one of the most cost-effective and successful programs in the country. The Government saves $3.50 for each dollar spent on WIC for pregnant women in expenditures for Medicaid, SSI for disabled children, and other programs. More importantly, research has demonstrated how effectively WIC reduces low-birthweight babies, infant mortality, and child anemia. On behalf of the State of California, which operates the largest WIC program in the country, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the Obey amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, the gracious gentlewoman from Texas. Mr. Chairman, we have heard the old adage, I have been there, done that. As the former director of a gender equity program, I can tell my colleagues firsthand how successful these programs are. It is not by happenstance, it is because there was a gender equity coordinator at the State level that ensured that we followed an accountability trail of these programs. I cannot imagine that we are trying to argue with success or even challenge it. These are successful programs that were done by this person, who was the director of gender equity programs for the second largest unified school district in America, the Los Angeles one, and we simply ensured that those women who were most vulnerable received the type of access to the vocational programs that gender equity ensured. What is missing here is the whole notion that one thinks that we can put this money in vocational programs and those vulnerable groups would be serviced. Let me just say that these are women who need not only the vocational training and the skills, but they need the self-esteem, the self-worth. That is what comes when the gender equity coordinator at the helm, at the State level, ensures that those of us directors throughout the Nation and throughout the States provide for these women. This amendment, our amendment, is a hold harmless amendment which does not restore the set-aside that has been articulated numerous times, much to my chagrin. The main purpose of the Perkins Act is to improve the quality of vocational education and to provide access to quality vocational education for special populations. I have seen 80 percent of the participants with children, 80 percent of participants on some form of public assistance be enhanced and enriched by this Perkins equity program. I say to my colleagues that those who do not see the need to service those who are most vulnerable, those who are moving from welfare to work to get gender equity programs, I feel are short-sighted. So I say to my colleague, a person who has been there and done that, do know the success of this program, gender equity programs, Mr. Chairman, do work for those women, those pregnant women, the displaced homemakers, and those who are in need of this program. I would say to all of my colleagues to support the Mink, et al. amendment, of which I am one of the cosponsors. The amendment: This is a hold-harmless amendment which does not restore the 10.5 percent set-aside, at the State level but rather, assures that these valuable services to an often overlooked population continue. The Mink - Morella - Woolsey - Sanchez - Millender- McDonald amendment would require that localities currently funding such programs continue to provide funding for these purposes at, at least, the same level as fiscal year 1997. This amendment would also restore the requirement that a vocational education equity coordinator exist in every State. The main purpose of the Perkins Act is to improve the quality of vocational education and to provide access to quality vocational education for special populations such as women who are single mothers and displaced homemakers. We need this amendment to ensure that we continue to meet this purpose. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, where I served as the director of gender equity programs, the preliminary statistics for the 1996-97 year: 1,642 adult women completed programs offered through the Perkins grants--several more attended classes but did not complete the courses; 2,600 teen mothers benefiting from these programs--5,000 total teen mothers in Los Angeles city school district, 10,000 in Los Angeles country; ages range from 14 to 62, median age is 30's; 80 percent of participants have children; 80 percent of participants on some form of public assistance; 68 percent of participants are Hispanic; 14-16 percent of participants are African-American; and 4-6 percent of participants are Asian-Americans. Results of the Los Angeles Unified School District's gender equity programs: 50 percent of participants are employed after completing these programs which directly results in reducing the number of people receiving public assistance. State of California--98 percent of the Perkins Act funding in 1996 was distributed to local districts in the State of California These programs help over 1,000 school districts and 107 community colleges in California regardless of whether they receive the Perkins funding Throughout the country the long-term success rate of these single and displaced homemaker programs is very impressive. in the neighboring State of Oregon in 1996: Employment rates soared from 28 to 71 percent; median wage rates increased from $6 per hour to $7.45 per hour; and dependence on AFDC of the program participants fell from 29 to 15 percent. In Arizona, women in nontraditional jobs have increased from 7 to 17 percent. In Georgia, participants' annual salaries increased from an average of $11,000 prior to participation to an average of $16,500, and the New Connections to Work Program saved the State $13 million in welfare savings over 10 years. In Pennsylvania, these programs saved the State $2.3 million in welfare savings in the 1994 program year. MR. RIGGS. Mr. Speaker, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. (Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, as a former director of gender equity programs for the Los Angeles Unified School District, I would like to correct something that the previous speaker spoke on with reference to women, single parents, displaced homemakers, teen pregnancy programs. As the director of those programs, I know from the absolute experience that we provided the majority of the money to those programs to help the women, the young women who were pregnant, parents as well as displaced homemakers in these programs. The majority of the money did go down to the local level to help them, and we want to just make sure the Record reflects this statement and correction of that statement, because I do know the value and necessity for providing quality vocational programs for single parents and displaced homemakers. I also know the need for equity coordinators to oversee, coordinate, and evaluate equity initiatives in vocational education. I had four equity coordinators working under me, and I do know that they made evaluations of the program on an annual basis. Under current law, a 10.5-percent set-aside is required at the State level for these programs. Our amendment would not restore the set-aside but simply require that localities currently funding such programs continue to provide funding for these programs at the same level as the fiscal year 1997. Our amendment would also restore the requirement that a vocational education equity coordinator exist in every State. The Vocational Education Reauthorization Act that Congress has deemed essential in helping women escape domestic violence and become self- sufficient for the past 13 years has indeed been a model program and one that is sorely needed. I do not see nor understand why we would not want to maintain a program at the current level that has proven to be one of the most successful programs in this country. The 1996 GAO study ``Employment Training: Successful Projects Share Common Strategy'' reported that the single parent/displaced homemaker program funded through the Florida program is one of the most successful training programs. Most of the 1,300 single parent/displaced homemaker program participants and program coordinators follow the Florida model. In Oregon, during the same year, the long-term success rate of these single and displaced homemaker programs was remarkably high. The employment rate soared from 28 percent to 71 percent, and the median wage rate increased from $6 per hour to $7.45 per hour. In addition, Mr. Chairman, the dependence on AFDC of the program participants fell from 29 percent to 15 percent. Studies all over the country, from Arizona to Georgia, demonstrate the vast improvement in increased salaries for women participants, a higher rate of employment of women in nontraditional jobs, and more women living independently from welfare assistance. And these numbers do not even mention the vast ways in which the vocational education has improved the self-esteem of these women and enhanced the lives of their families. The single and displaced homemaker programs are exceeding the goals they were designed to meet. This is not the time for us to close down these programs. If anything, we should be expanding these programs to ensure that we reach even more women in need of a quality education program, especially in light of the welfare reform bill that was passed by the majority in this House. But that is not what this amendment does. The Mink-Morella-Sanchez- Woolsey-Millender-McDonald amendment requires that local recipients of vocational education funds spend at least as much as they spent in fiscal year 1997 on programs for displaced homemakers, single parents, single pregnant women and programs which promote gender equity. We need this amendment to ensure that the doors to education and employment opportunities remain open for single and displaced women. This amendment will maintain the gender equity coordinator position and continue to create opportunities for women that they should have. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. And upon the report that the gentleman is talking about, will he then return back to my community, as was suggested at the hearing when the director came to south central? Will he then bring that report to the community that has been devastated by the drugs when that report is completed?