Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank our chairwoman of the CBC, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the gentlewoman from California, for her leadership and tenacity in moving forthwith on critical issues of importance not only to African-Americans but to all Americans. And to our revered and preeminent leader, the gentleman of Ohio, Congressman Louis Stokes for his guidance in advising those of us who have come recently to this great House to do the people's business. My thanks to both my colleagues for allowing us these extended moments to reflect. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud African-American to acknowledge this month as African-American History Month and to recognize the vast contributions made by distinguished citizens of this Nation who are of African descent. And as we hold our forbearers in high esteem for their courage, perseverance, morality and faith, we salute them for their relentless efforts in fighting to remove the legal and political disabilities that were imposed upon us. While I represent California's 37th Congressional District with pride, my birth State is Alabama, and I am reminded of the first African-American from Alabama, who was elected to the 42d Congress and who advocated even then the importance of education, Benjamin Sterling Turner. Education has been a cornerstone in the African-American community. My father, Rev. Shelly Millender, Sr. knew the importance of education. He and my mother, Mrs. Everlina Dortch Millender, advocated a quality education and, gave us a value system that is part and parcel of the true spirit of African-American families. We recognize that a good education is the key to success and should open the doors to opportunity. I am further reminded of my father's teaching when he would say: never subordinate to race bashing, respect yourself and others even though you have differences of opinion, but hold firm to your convictions. These are the teachings of numerous African-American families. And as I listened closely to the President's State of the Union Address as he spoke of education as a No. 1 priority; building strong families and communities; and humanitarian efforts in the assistance of the underpriveledged through volunteerism, I stand tonight to lift up some of my constituents who are role models and great citizens that the President talked about. Their names were never in lights nor on billboards, but they are the unsung heroes of my community. They helped in the education of our children, they built strong families and engaging communities. And they taught us to have a strong value system. Let me share with you these outstanding African- American individuals.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, in these early days of the 105th Congress, we face many of the same challenges of governance and public policy development our predecessors had to address as we confront the problems and opportunities before our great nation. As we look forward, we should pause to reflect on the contributions, both large and small, our citizenry, collectively and individually, have made to the development of our great nation. In doing so, we cannot help but take notice of Carolyn Ann Richardson Cheney, who passed away on December 13, 1996. Carolyn's devotion to family and community service, as well as her generosity, spirituality and faith, served as an inspiration to all who knew her. Born in Dallas, TX, to Oda Lee Blair and Howard Richardson, she spent her early youth in El Paso, TX, before moving to Tulare, CA. After graduating from Tulare Union High School, she obtained credentials as a dental assistant and began working in Los Angeles. She moved to Compton, CA, where her love of learning, thirst for knowledge and pursuit of higher education continued at Compton Community College. She earned her associate of arts degree and, upon graduation, matriculated to California State University Dominguez Hills. As an honor student, she earned a bachelor's degree in public administration. In 1977, she gained admission to the University of Southern California's master's program in public policy and judicial science. Until health challenges forced her to postpone her graduation, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average as a personal expression of her high standards and expectations for those whom she nurtured and set an example. Carolyn's ambition, strength, and motivation found expression in her entrepreneurial and managerial talents. For 15 years, she worked at Sears and Roebuck, during which time she was promoted from sales clerk to floor manager for the home furnishings and interiors department. In 1980, she opened her own insurance agency under the auspices of Allstate Insurance Co., where her firm became one of the top agencies in southern California. Despite her busy schedule, Carolyn found time to serve others through her church and community service activities. Throughout her life, Carolyn's leadership and organizational skills found expression in a wide variety of organizations. She served as president of the Compton Rotary Club; director of evangelism and coordinator of the Angel Tree Program at Tower of Faith Evangelistic Church in Compton; and as a teacher at Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. She was a member of the Torrance/Lomita Rotary Club; served on the advisory board for the California Women's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Dependencies/Black Women's Media Project as well as the board of trustees of Light of the World Community Church. She volunteered in the Los Angeles Probation Department Chaplain's Office. Carolyn was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International in appreciation of her efforts and assistance in the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world. Carolyn was a loving and devoted mother of four children: Vernon, Giselle, Darrell, and Marcus. Through words and deeds, she instilled in them the principals of honesty, integrity, hard work, perseverance, and self sacrifice. These are the values that helped to make our Nation great and our people strong. The attributes and her example are testaments to the enduring strength of motherhood. Carolyn Ann Richardson Cheney is survived by her sons, Paston Vernon Lee Ward of Hawthorne, CA; Darrell Delaune Cheney of Dominguez Hills, CA; Marcus Sebastian Mason of Washington, DC; one daughter, Giselle Faune Cheney of Hawthorne, CA; seven grandchildren, including Shelly Fion, Vernisha Leshaun, Fallon Veron, Deijanae Zaire, Delaune Marcus, Jazmin Ayana, and Taelor Chanel; daughters-in-law, Debra Ann Ward and Dionne Patric Cheney; daughter-in-love, Chanel Nicole Troy of Los Angeles, CA; aunts, Mattie Bernice Owens and Elizabeth Anthony and a host of extended family and friends. She is also survived by a loving stepfather, Coyal James Marlin. Mr. Speaker, Carolyn Ann Richardson Cheney will be sorely missed by all who looked to her for nurturing, leadership and strength. Her example should inspire us all to make the most out of our lives and opportunities.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank our chairwoman, Congressman Maxine Waters, the gentlewoman from California, for her leadership and tenacity in moving forthwith on critical issues of importance, not only to African-Americans, but to all Americans, and to our revered and preeminent leader, the gentleman from Ohio, Congressman Louis Stokes, for the guidance in advising those of us who have come recently to this House to do the people's business. My thanks to both of my colleagues for allowing me these moments to reflect. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud African American to acknowledge this month as African American History Month and to recognize the vast contributions made by distinguished citizens of this Nation who are of African descent. As we hold our forbearers to high esteem for their courage, perseverance, morality and faith, we salute them for their relentless efforts in fighting to remove the legal and political disabilities that were imposed upon us. While I represent California's 37th Congressional District with pride, my birth State is Alabama, and I am reminded of the first African American from Alabama who was elected to the 42d Congress and who advocated even then the importance of education, Benjamin Sterling Turner. Education has been the cornerstone in the African American community. My father, Rev. Shelley Millender, Sr., knew the importance of education. He and my mother, Mrs. Evelena Deutsche Millender advocated a quality education and gave us a value system that is part and parcel of the true spirit of African American families. We recognize that a good education is the key to success and should open the door of opportunity. I am further reminded of my father's teachings when he said, never subordinate to race-bashing; respect yourself and others, even though you have differences of opinion, but hold firm to your convictions. Let us not forget one who had strong convictions in the name of Wiley Branton, now deceased, but who was a great American and a great leader in the early civil rights movements. He was born and reared in Pine Bluff, AR, became a lawyer, and began practicing law in his hometown. His earliest achievements, however, was of national interest, as he represented the Little Rock Nine in 1958. He later became the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, being appointed by the President, then Lyndon Johnson. He served as the dean of Howard University School of Law until his death. Convictions like that and convictions like Branton is but one of the various teachings of commitment and dedication that the African American family instills in their children. As I listened very closely to the President's State of the Union Address, as he spoke of education as a No. 1 priority, building strong families and communities, and humanitarian efforts in the assistance of the underprivileged through volunteerism, I stand tonight to lift up some of my constituents who are role models and great citizens that the President talked about. Their names will never be in lights nor on billboards, but they are the unsung heroes of my community. They helped in the education of our children, they built strong families and engaging communities, and they taught us to have a strong value system. Let me share with you these outstanding African American individuals. Theresa LaVerne Harris who passed away in November 1996 was a dedicated educator. Throughout her life Theresa LaVerne touched all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her with her humor, her strength and, perhaps most importantly, her dignity. But she never forgot that education was the key, and therefore she became an educator and an administrator with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She spent her early youth in Louisiana and Mississippi until her family moved to California in 1943. She attended the Los Angeles unified schools and graduated from John Francis Polytechnic High School with honors. But it was during her college days at UCLA that she decided to become this educator. Theresa LaVerne began a long distinguished life educating the young kids from the inner city. She excelled in her career as an educator. Though she raised three outstanding children, she was a loving and supportive wife, and in spite of all of this, she went on to earn a master's degree in personnel administration from Pepperdine University. But both as an educator and an administrator within a public school system, Theresa LaVerne worked hard to ensure that students under her charge had the very best of education available to them. While she was deservedly proud of her mark as a personal and academic woman of achievements, she was more interested in using her talents and her strength to help children to become better educated and to ensure their mark in the future in mainstreaming them into the world of work. Those of us who worked around her saw that she was a very strong disciplinarian in her efforts to make sure that education stayed the primary responsibility of those teachers and administrators who worked under her watch. Mr. Speaker, I worked with Theresa LaVerne Harris and had the privilege of knowing her and her family for decades. She was a devoted wife, a wonderful and nurturing mother, a role model not only for our children, but for all of us who had the opportunity to know her. She will be sorely missed, and as I said a moment ago, she was one who was a person who did extraordinary work in the field of education and educating our children. The next person I will speak of is Carolyn Ann Richardson Cheney, a woman of immense talents. Carolyn passed away in December 1996, and she too was a devoted family and community leader. She had a generosity of spirit in giving all that she could to the community and to inspire those who worked around her. Those of us who knew her knew that she spent her early days as a youth in El Paso, TX, before moving to California. After graduating from high school she obtained a dental assistance credential and began working in Los Angeles. Her further thirst for education prompted her to go on to Compton College, where she earned her associate arts degree and on to California State University, Dominquez Hills where she finished her bachelor's degree with honors. What do these two people have in common? In spite of being mothers and in spite of being wives, they obtained their education and went on to help others outside of their children. Carolyn's ambition, strength, and motivation found expressions in her entrepreneurial and managerial talents. For 13 years she worked in Sears & Roebuck during off times to help with the family finances. In 1980, she opened her own insurance agency, and it became one of the top agencies in southern California, and despite all of this she found time to serve her community and her church, reaching out to teenage mothers, reaching out to the desolate, reaching out to those who were the homeless. She volunteered in the Los Angeles probation department in the chaplain's office. Carolyn received the Paul Harris Fellowship by the Rotary International in appreciation for her efforts and assistance in the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relationships among peoples throughout the world. Though she was a loving and devoted mother of 4 children, through words and deeds, she instilled in them the principle of honesty, integrity, hard work, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. And these are the values that help to make our Nation great and our people strong. Her attributes are a testament to the unending strength of motherhood. Carolyn will be sorely missed by all of those and all of us who knew her for her nurturing, her leadership, and her strength. She indeed was an inspiration to all of us throughout the community. I pay homage to Mr. Sam Littleton, who passed away January 31 of this year. Mr. Littleton went to work early as a mail carrier in the cities of Los Angeles and Compton until he was stricken with disability. But his disability did not dissuade him to go on in his middle age to college, having received an AA degree from Compton College and a bachelor's degree from Los Angeles University of Los Angeles. But he was still motivated for higher education and he applied and was accepted to the graduate program of social work at UCLA. When he became a social worker, he started work at the new then- Martin Luther King, Jr., Medical Center. He elected to not work as a social worker in the daytime, but he elected to work as a social worker at night so that those who worked during the day, parents, single parents, and those who could not get off at work could come and talk with him, and he counseled them. He was the only social worker in the State of California who took an evening shift. He was a positive and unique role model for the community. He served and assisted with the bereaved and grieving families; he assisted many homeless persons in finding shelter; he counseled many with abuse problems and substance abuse as well, and he even counseled women who were victims of rape. The elderly grew to know him as a person whom they could depend upon because he would make home visits to make sure that they felt safe in their homes and that their needs were met even though they could not come out from their homes. Yes, his 18 years of service as an evening social worker endeared him to not only his family, but to employees and coworkers and the community around him. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy remains. I salute Mr. Sam Littleton for an outstanding record of public and community service, a record that has touched so many lives throughout the community. He was truly an inspiration to all of us. His community commitment, his dedication to human services, his social services and service to the community through volunteerism were indeed the life and the high regard that was given to him at the time of his funeral on January 31. Another person who is not deceased yet, of course, is Maxie Filer, who has given 45 years of public service to the community. Mr. Filer is in the Guiness Book of Records because he took the law exam 45 times before he passed. Perseverance. He was indeed a role model and is a role model to the community. While he has 7 children, 3 of whom are attorneys and one is a judge, Mr. Filer knew the importance of public service. He was a resident of Compton for over 40-some years. He served in presidential campaigns; he was the president of the Compton Democratic Club in 1952. He was labor and industry community chairman. He was even with Martin King on the march on Washington in 1963, and he became the president of the Compton NAACP from 1964 to 1970. Mr. Filer served as a Compton city council member from 1976 through 1989. His commitment, though, to the youth, the African-American males, is one indication of a man who knew outside of being a father to his 7 children, along with his wife, Glendell, that he had to help young African-American males to see the right way, to move into a mainstream of life and to divert from gangs and drugs. He is still serving in the community as an attorney and does a lot of pro bono work for those in the community who are unable to pay for legal service. Maxie Filer is one who now recognizes volunteerism is an important component. He will serve as my chairperson for my volunteerism task force that I am convening. Mr. Speaker, as new trailblazers emerge to chart new paths, and they commence agendas to promote African-Americans and invest in future generations, let us never forget the spirit of those who I have mentioned, and our forebears. Let us also recognize the ones whose names do not ripple in neon lights, whose distinctiveness has yet to be embedded on printed pages. Because for all that we are and hope to be, it is because of them. For all of the songs that they sang over stovetops and beside washtubs that went unscored, for all the poems that they scribbled on matchboxes and matchbox covers and on dinner napkins that went unpublished and unnoticed, for the many discovered roles that they played in unrecorded and then unforgotten movies, and for all that they did for us, we are all the better because of them. We want them to know that they will not go unnoticed, because each time we sign our names, we know that it is for the thousand like them who cannot hold a pen, but instead, held us, and tucked us in gently, as they sang the many rhythms and rhymes of the old African spirituals. Mr. Speaker, I have come tonight because I wanted to recognize not just those of us who perhaps in the eyes of others have succeeded, but for the many who perhaps will not ever work in this Chamber, will not ever have an opportunity to run campaigns, but they, too, have given so much to this Nation and to this world. As we celebrate African-American History Month, let us not forget those who toiled in order that we would have a place in this House.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, the first days of the 105th Congress are clearly historic and momentous days as a new Congress begins to address the myriad of problems that face our Nation. At the same time, however, I would urge all of us to take a moment to reflect on some of the major events which have taken place over the past few months and perhaps more importantly on the millions of strengths that have made us, and this Nation, what we are today. An example of one of these strengths is Theresa La Verne Harris, who passed away on November 21, 1996. Throughout her life, Theresa LaVerne touched all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her with her humor, her strength, and perhaps most importantly her dignity. Born in Beaumont, TX, to Armand Rodney and Geraldine Phillips Richard, Theresa LaVerne was the oldest of three children. She spent her early youth in Louisiana and Mississippi until her family moved to California in 1943. She lived in California for the rest of her life, attending Los Angeles public schools and graduating from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School with honor, in 1947. It was during her college year at UCLA, where she majored in English, that she met and married her husband of 45 years, Robert E. Harris. Together they had three sons, Michael, Vincent, and Trevor. Following her graduation from UCLA in 1953, Theresa LaVerne began a long distinguished career with the Los Angeles Unified School District [LAUSD] as an educator and personnel administrator. Over the next 16 years, she excelled at her career; she raised three outstanding children; she was a loving and supportive wife; and she went on to earn a master of arts degree in personnel administration from Pepperdine University. During this time Theresa LaVerne served the LAUSD in a variety of administrative capacities before taking a 2-year leave of absence to serve as assistant superintendent for personnel services for the Compton Unified School District in 1983. She retired from LAUSD in 1989. As both an educator and an administrator within the public school system, Theresa LaVerne worked hard to ensure that the students under her charge had the best education available to them. While she was deservedly proud of her personal and academic achievements, she was more interested in using her strengths and her assets to elicit the best from those around her. In passing, Theresa LaVerne Harris is survived by her husband; Robert Emery Harris, her three sons and their wives: Michael and Anita of Fresno, Vincent and Celeste of Oakland, and Trevor and Kamela of Fresno; her father Armand Rodney Richard of Los Angeles; her brother, Dr. Rodney A. Richard of Pasadena; her sister, Geraldine Constance Speed of Carson; her three grandchildren, Ahmad, Mazisi and Jamila; a great granddaughter, Maya; two aunts, and an uncle; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family. She is also survived by the thousands of people whose lives she touched and invariably improved, some of whom knew her well and others who simply benefited from her efforts. Mr. Speaker, I worked with Theresa LaVerne Harris and have had the privilege of knowing her and her family for decades. Theresa LaVerne was a devoted wife, a wonderful and nurturing mother, and a role model for all of us who had the opportunity to know her. She will be sorely missed. As I said earlier, however, it is up to us to remember people like Theresa LaVerne and to build on their strengths and their legacies. It is people like her who should be our role models.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding woman who has made countless contributions to her community, to the legal profession, and to the State of California, Ms. E. Jean Gary. I honor Ms. Gary on the occasion of her stepping down after her 1-year term as president of the largest association of women lawyers in the country, the California Women Lawyers. It should be noted that Ms. Gary's term was historic not only for all that she accomplished, but also because she was the first African- American to head California Women Lawyers. Although she is completing her tenure as president of the California Women Lawyers, Ms. Gary is by no means slowing down. As of January of last year Ms. Gary took a new position as assistant chief trial counsel, working for the newly appointed State Bar Chief Trial Counsel. Prior to this position, Ms. Gary was chief assistant court counsel to the State Bar Court. In addition to her responsibility associated with her job and with California Women Lawyers, Ms. Gary has been active in the Black Women Lawyers, the California Association of Black Lawyers, and the John M. Langston Bar Association. Through all of these groups, and through her teaching and lectures, Ms. Gary has promoted and given support to women, especially women of color, who hope to enter the legal profession. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I join the California Women Lawyers in saluting Ms. Gary and in applauding the years of dedicated service which she has given to countless women throughout the State of California. I also wish her the best of luck in the years to come as she continues to serve as a mentor and an inspiration to women, to people of color, and to the any one who is interested in the legal profession. Ms. Gary will be saluted at a dinner on October 10, 1996, at an awards dinner which will be addressed by our Ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Madeline Albright. As I said earlier, I salute Ms. Gary and wish her the best of luck in her continuing efforts in the legal profession.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, on October 5th and 6th, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles will be celebrating its 6th Annual Jazz at Drew Legacy Music Series and Cultural Marketplace. This year, the festival will be honoring several of the best jazz acts in history--Dizzy Gillespie, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, H.B. Barnum, Melba Liston, and Al Grey, Sr. John Birks ``Dizzy'' Gillespie is widely regarded as an icon of popular jazz music. His style, which came to be known as ``bebop'', has been emulated by musicians around the world. The ability to compose and arrange pieces combining his style with big band, synthesizing swing, bop and Afro-Cuban music earned him the respect of his famous colleagues, from Charlie ``Bird'' Parker and Bud Powell to Oscar Pettiford and Thelonius Monk. His collaboration with such artists increased his already astonishing creativity and talent and he was recognized by the State Department in 1956 and appointed as a cultural Ambassador to the United States. He will be recognized posthumously at the Drew festival, as is befitting an artist of his stature. Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions are yet another example of musicians with the talent that sets them apart from others in their profession. Curtis Mayfield, Fred Cash, and Sam Gooden were three men dedicated to using their craft to positively affect the lives of those who listened to their songs. Their unique ability to lift spirits with their instruments and voices has been rewarded by a large following of fans and musicians alike, and an induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. H.B. Barnum has been singing and playing the piano from the age of 4, and he has mastered every instrument from tuba to drums. H.B. Barnum is highly recognized as a conductor, composer, producer and director, and his credits include television commercials, award shows, and theatrical productions and concerts. His work has been performed by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King and Frank Sinatra, just to name a few. Yet despite such a successful career, H.B. Barnum still finds the time to give to his community through activities such as feeding the hungry. He has received more than 1,000 commendations from groups as diverse as local organizations to Presidents of the United States. Native Angeleno Melba Liston has distinguished herself as a performer, writer, arranger and composer for orchestras, big bands, jazz masters and outstanding vocalists for nearly five decades. Some of the most notable include Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Quincy Jones, Gerald Wilson, Clark Terry, the Boston Pops, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Sarah Vaughn, Aretha Franklin, and Dinah Washington. She leapt over gender discrimination in her field and paved the way for other women to follow. Melba Liston has actively advocated the music profession, establishing the African-American Division of the Jamaica School of Music in 1973 at the invitation of the country's leaders and teaching at Jazzmobile in New York City and at the Pratt Institute Youth In Action Orchestra in Brooklyn. Her numerous commendations include the Universal Jazz Coalition for Outstanding Contributions to Jazz at the Fifth Annual Women's Jazz Festival, the Annual Black Musicians' Conference's Distinguished Achievement Award, and the highest citation at the 1975 Jamaica Jazz Festival. Al Grey, Sr. is a pre-eminent trombonist, composer, arranger and educator, working with some of the greatest talents in the world, including Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Lunceford, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis, Jr., Tony Bennett, and Sarah Vaughn, just to name a few. He has played for every elected U.S. President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and at the White House for the 40th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, and at the Inaugural Gala of President William Jefferson Clinton. His achievements have been documented by the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Thelonious Monk Institute and is also a clinician for the Clark Terry International Institute of Jazz Studies, the Lionel Hampton School of Music, the University of New Hampshire, East Stroudsburg University, Temple University, and other academic centers. Mr. Speaker, these fine musicians have exhibited a wonderful talent and a great commitment to their profession. Tribute should be paid to each one for the contribution they have made for the enrichment they have provided to our lives. I look forward to joining Drew University in honoring these deserving artists.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am inserting into the Record correspondence and a resolution having to do with the CIA involvement in introducing crack cocaine into the Los Angeles area to help support the Contras. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, August 20, 1996. Hon. Janet Reno, Attorney General, Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Dear Madam Attorney General: It is with great alarm that I have read, in the San Jose Mercury News and other news publications, of the involvement of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the introduction, financing, and distribution of crack cocaine into the Compton and South Central areas of my District. As the elected representative of these areas, I am both appalled and extremely distressed by these reports and am asking that the Department of Justice conduct a full scale investigation into these allegations. As you are no doubt aware, crack cocaine is one of today's major problems facing not only the area that I represent but also hundreds of thousands of Americans nation-wide. The mere idea that our government could have, in any way, been involved in the financing or distribution of this horrendous drug is repulsive to me. I believe that it is incumbent upon us, the elected federal representatives of the people, to look into this matter and determine what, if any role, the federal government played in ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. I am sure you would agree that we need to determine the extent to which the government was involved in the cocaine trade in Lose Angeles--or anywhere else for that matter--if we are to continue to hold the trust of the people. Please advise me as soon as possible what you and your agency are doing to address these allegations. I will not allow this matter to rest until I am satisfied that we have the answers to the many questions that have been raised in the last few days. I look forward to working with you in investigating this matter as well as in addressing the larger question of how we help the millions of people whose lives have been adversely affectd by this insidious drug. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Juanita Millender-McDonald, Member of Congress.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, for yielding time to me to honor one of this body's most distinguished gentleman, the honorable Cleo Fields from the 4th district of Louisiana. While it pleases me to pay tribute to my dear friend, it saddens me to know that the reason I am here is because of an arbitrary rule change. My son Keith, who is about Cleo's age, tells me, ``Mom, you have to be a student of the game'', the game being sports. Over the years I've read a sports page or two. And in my readings I have found that whenever we African-Americans began to excel at a particular sport, there is a ``rule change''. When Lou Alcindor--also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar--began playing college basketball, the NCAA outlawed the slam dunk--a rule change. When Wilt Chamberlain scored more than 100 points in one night, the NBA had a rule change. When Willie Brown became the most powerful speaker ever to preside over the California State Assembly, there was a rule change. And when the Nation's youngest State senator was elected to serve in this body, the most deliberative body in the world, there was a rule change. These rule changes indicate one thing to me: The struggle has not been ended. There are battles to be fought and wars yet to be won. It has truly been a pleasure to serve with Cleo on the Small Business Committee. I only wish that we could have served together longer. I have never seen a young man who was so wise beyond his years. He participated in some of the great debates of our committee. He brought clarity to the issues and always answered the call to defend the rights of minority and disadvantaged businesses. At a time when more of our young black males are in jail than in our universities, we can look to the Cleo Fields' of this Nation and know that there is hope. When his son, Cleo Brandon Fields, looks for a role model, we know that his father, Cleo Fields, will be there. As a mother, I am proud to say that I know this young giant, Cleo Fields. As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I will remember his service and his sacrifice. As an African-American, I will remember that the struggle is not over. And while the rules may change--and change often--we are still in the game. Godspeed to you, Cleo Fields. And may His blessings follow you, Deborah, and Brandon in all of your future endeavors.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Members of both Houses for the yeoman's job of putting together this omnibus bill and meeting the numerous funding priorities in this tough fiscal environment. Many of us take for granted and do not recognize the arduous task this body faces each time they are asked to balance fiscal responsibility with our obligation to provide and our duty to govern effectively. I would also like to thank the Chairman and the members of the committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Appropriations, and the Subcommittee on Transportation Appropriations for having the vision to provide the funding for the Alameda corridor, to support the $400 million in direct loans, as requested by the President through the Federal Highway Administration. While I was disappointed that unforseen circumstances caused the Alameda corridor project to be removed from a previous funding bill, I am pleased to see that the conflict was resolved and that this most important infrastructure project will be funded this year. The Alameda Corridor will provide this country with a fast and efficient gateway to Pacific rim trade and will bolster our ability to compete in the burgeoning economic area. Once completed the Alameda Corridor will generate more than 70,000 local jobs and close to 200,000 new jobs nationwide. The expanded trade, created by the construction of the corridor, through the ports, will create new jobs related to manufacturing, production, and the shipping and trucking of goods. Today's funding environment requires a strong public-private partnership to finance projects of this nature. With over 75 percent of the cost of the project funded by State and local sources, the Alameda Corridor truly exemplifies the kind of public-private partnership that this Congress has long urged States and localities to pursue for important infrastructure projects. I would like to thank the members of the California delegation for working together in a bipartisan manner to effectively move the project through this body and to bring to fruition plans and blueprints that were conceived long before many of us where sworn into office. Let history reflect that the success of the Alameda Corridor is rooted in the bipartisanship that has helped to bring us to this point. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues from both parties and with President Clinton to see the Alameda Corridor through to its completion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I have come down because I was just getting back to my office when I recognized my colleague, the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Waters], speaking to this whole issue that we have been plagued with in south central Los Angeles. I, too, represent the heart of Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton, those areas that were ravished by this insidious act. While I was sitting here watching the gentleman who spoke about his inability to think that the CIA was involved in this, I had to come down to say we cannot conclude whether they were involved or not involved, but it is a serious issue that we must call up for a thorough investigation. I join the ranks of all of the Members who have spoken this morning, because when we find crack babies lying in hospitals, when we find children who are trying to go to school and who are unable to be educated because of the mental incapacity that they have, when we have a community that has been totally destroyed, we cannot help but to come to this body to ask for a thorough investigation. I join the ranks of all of the Members who have spoken this morning, because when we find crack babies lying in hospitals, when we find children who are trying to go to school and who are unable to be educated because of the mental incapacity that they have, when we have a community that has been totally destroyed, we cannot help but to come to this body to ask for a thorough investigation. This has now become not just a south central Los Angeles problem or a California problem. Members heard the gentlewoman from another part of the northern States, I think Oregon, who spoke on this issue. This is a national problem. I think it is incumbent upon this body to ask for and demand a thorough investigation of this drug trafficking into south central and into other urban areas of this country. We can ill afford to have a community think that we will not pay close attention nor will we take this very seriously and look into the allegations that are very startling in the San Jose Mercury News. I join with all of the Members who have spoken this morning, I join with my colleague, the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Maxine Waters, in asking that this be brought to the forefront and that we get down to the bottom of this very insidious act that has plagued our communities and that has absolutely destroyed a whole community. I urge Members to pay close attention, and I call on my colleagues for a thorough investigation of this insidious act.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Appropriations Committee for the yeoman's job of meeting the numerous funding requests in this tough fiscal environment. Many of us take for granted and do not recognize the arduous task the committee faces each time they are asked to balance fiscal responsibility with economic development. I would also like to thank the chairman and the members of the Committee for having the vision to provide the funding for the Alameda Corridor, to support the $400 million in direct loans as requested by the President through the Federal Highway Administration. While I am disappointed that unfortunate, unforseen circumstances caused the Alameda Corridor Project to be removed from this funding bill, I stand assured that this important infrastructure project will be a part of another funding bill later this year. The Alameda Corridor will provide this country with a fast and efficient gateway to Pacific Rim trade and will bolster our ability to compete in the burgeoning economic area. Once completed the Alameda Corridor will generate more than 70,000 local jobs and close to 200,000 new jobs nationwide. The expanded trade, created by the construction of the Corridor, through the ports, will create new jobs related to manufacturing, production, and the shipping and trucking of goods. Today's funding environment requires a strong public-private partnership to finance projects of this nature. With over 75 percent of the cost of the project funded by State and local sources, the Alameda Corridor truly exemplifies the kind of public-private partnership that this Congress has long urged States and localities to pursue for important infrastructure projects. I would like to thank the members of the California delegation for working together in a bipartisan manner to effectively move the project through this body and to bring to fruition plans and blueprints that were conceived long before many of us were sworn into office. Let history reflect that the success of the Alameda Corridor is rooted in the bipartisanship that has helped to bring us to this point. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues from both parties and with President Clinton to see the Alameda Corridor through to its completion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the manager's amendment. H.R. 3719 attacks the small businesses in my Congressional district and for that matter across the Nation. I am especially incensed by the manner in which this bill treats innocent victims of natural disasters and am therefore pleased with the changes to the Disaster Loan Program included in the manager's amendment. The Small Business Administration's Disaster Loan Program helps victims of natural disasters rebuild and get back on their feet. The Northridge earthquake had a devastating impact on southern California. From the point at which the earthquake struck, on January 17, 1994 until June 30, 1996 the Small Business Administration provided 124,180 loans, totaling $4.5 billion to businesses and individuals that may not otherwise have been able to rebuild. And I will remind my colleagues that it is not just California that benefits from the disaster loans. Even as we speak, millions of people along the East Coast are preparing for the potential devastation that may be caused by hurricane Fran. While my thoughts and my prayers are with the potential victims of hurricane Fran, I am committed to do all I can to ensure that if they do suffer damage, that they are given all available assistance to rebuild their lives and their economy. Low interest disaster loans are key to the economic recovery of an area after a disaster has hit. The manager's amendment I am pleased to report, would cap the interest rate at 7 percent. In the last 6 years California alone, which has certainly seen its share of disasters, has received 165,373 loans totaling over $5.5 billion. Given the importance of small businesses to any economy, I believe that these loans have been instrumental to the economic recovery that the State has achieved. The changes to the Disaster Assistance Program are but one reason I support this amendment. Overall I believe that it makes the bill more responsive to the needs of our Nation's small and emerging businesses and I therefore urge my colleagues to support the manager's amendment. Mr. BALDACCI, Mr. Chairman, I am pleased we are prepared to approve this important bill authorizing certain programs in the Small business Administration. The Small Business Committee, on which I serve, has worked diligently to reach accord on certain differences with regard to policy. As a result, we have been able to produce a responsible authorization bill that protects popular SBA programs while reducing the Federal Government's share of expenses. Given the growing popularity and need for such programs, these changes were necessary to instill a sense of commitment in all participants. As a freshman Member of Congress, I am particularly pleased to have legislation I introduced earlier this year included in this authorization bill. This is my first legislative initiative to be approved by the full House, and I hope it will be enacted into law. My legislation will encourage banks to make capital available to small firms that want to export their goods. It does so by increasing the guarantee rate on export loans backed by the SBA. The change was necessary because the SBA guarantee rate for export working capital loans was reduced in legislation approved last year, creating a disparity between the rate offered to small businesses by the SBA, and the rate offered to larger businesses by the Export-Import Bank. Prior to the 1995 legislation, SBA and the Export-Import Bank harmonized their export loan programs to ensure that all borrowers--big businesses and small businesses--would have the same loan terms. Both provided a 90 percent guarantee rate on loans. My legislation returns the SBA guarantee rate to 90 percent, the same level as that offered by the Export-Import Bank. It is widely believed that the reduction in SBA's guarantee rate for export loans had a chilling effect on small business lenders, who were required to incur greater risk. A recent letter from the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee indicated that over half of the lenders polled, small lenders in particular, would retreat from making trade finance loans to small businesses due to increased risk. The letter, signed by the Secretary of Commerce, the SBA administrator, the Ex-Im Bank chairman, and the director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, urged reharmonization of the rates. In addition, a recent GAO study noted that the guarantee rate is critical for funding original loans, and that a higher rate is particularly important when the lender or borrower is new to export. This is precisely the audience SBA serves in an effort to increase small business exports. I'm pleased that my legislation was added to the bill. It's important to me because it recognizes the critical role of trade and exports to the economy of Maine and the Nation. Figures from the Department of Commerce underline the incredible potential of foreign markets. According to them, every $1 billion in increased trade creates approximately 20,000 manufacturing jobs and 40-60,000 service and support jobs. Moreover, wages associated with exported goods are some 20 percent higher than those related to nonexports. Reharmonizing the guarantee rate could have very positive effects for our economy, as well as small business exporters, one of the fastest growing segments of the exporting community. As a member of the Small Business Committee, I am constantly seeking ways to help smaller companies expand and succeed. It is my strong belief that small businesses will benefit from increased trade. Promoting exports is one of the best means to this end. Encouraging new small business exports is an important, nonpartisan public policy objective. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, the welfare system in this country is in desperate need of reform. The current system has created a cycle of dependency that has had a detrimental effect on our society. For the first time in my lifetime, we are looking at third generation citizens that have never known the value of hard work and the satisfaction of bringing home a paycheck earned as a result of an honest days work. The very nature of the term welfare reform implies that our current system is not functioning properly and is in need of modification. But in our zeal, to reform--to score political points in an election year-- we must ask ourselves one very important question: Is it fair to gut this welfare program on the backs of our children? I would submit that the welfare system as we know it today was not intended to function as it does currently. At its inception, welfare was intended to be a transitional program--a proverbial bridge over troubled waters for our citizens who had recently become unemployed, widowed, or forced to deal with some other unfortunate financial crisis. At its inception, the current welfare program did not contain child care programs for parents who wanted to work. Nor did it provide adequate job training or job location assistance. We now know that these elements--child care, job training, and job search assistance--are necessary if parents are going to get off of welfare and into the work force. I recognized this and my constituents recognized this. Throughout the town hall meetings that I have had over the last few weeks I have heard again and again that welfare reform is not true reform unless it contains job training, child care, and job location assistance. Welfare usually referred to aid to families with dependent children program, AFDC, as it is commonly referred to today, provides benefits to families with children headed by a single parent, or two parents, if one is incapacitated, or unemployed, with incomes below State- determined limits. Most adult AFDC recipients are not working or are looking for work in the months during which they receive aid. Income eligibility thresholds in many States are so low that even meager earnings make a family ineligible for AFDC. I do not subscribe to the theory that the vast majority of persons on welfare are able-bodied persons who do not want to work. Research has provided evidence that there is much movement between welfare and work, and that the average time spent on welfare is about 2 years. When I was elected to Congress last March I told my constituents that I was committed to ending welfare as they knew it and to making AFDC the transitional program it was intended to be--a bridge over troubled waters. But I was not committed to the bill that was voted on today. The legislation that was passed by this body and will be signed by the President will move over 1 million children and 2.6 million families further into poverty, without any safety net provisions or proof that there will be jobs available that allow them to earn a livable wage. In the State of California there are more than 2.5 million families on welfare: 1.8 million children and 800 thousand adults. What will happen to those families when the promise of a job is not kept and there are no means by which parents can put food on the table? This reform bill will have disastrous financial consequences for California and Los Angeles County. California alone will be subjected to 40 percent of the Federal funding loss over the next 6 years, totaling $10 billion of an estimated $25 billion in lost revenue. In Los Angeles County, the estimated 93,000 legal immigrants who would lose SSI benefits would still be eligible for county-funded general relief. The annual increase, however, in county costs could total $236 million if all 93,000 applied for general assistance, putting LA county's budget into a further deficit. My State and my constituency will bear the full weight of the disproportionate fiscal impact that will ultimately undermine the fiscal health of Los Angeles County. The current welfare system doesn't work and hadn't worked for a long time. However, in our attempts to aid the families who are on welfare gain economic self sufficiency, we should have been careful not to hurt our Nation's children and bankrupt the counties in which they live.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my daughter and son-in-law, Angela McDonald Thomas and Juan Demeris Thomas, on the birth of their child, my new granddaughter, Ramia Regina McDonald Thomas. Ramia was born on Tuesday, July 23, 1996, at 10:07 p.m. at the Sutter Roseville Hospital in Roseville, CA, weighing 8 lbs., 4 oz., and 20.5 inches in length. The relationship between grandmother and grandchild is a special one and the bond between grandmother and granddaughter is one that has been cherished by millions of women around the world. I shall love Ramia and cherish every moment that we spend together. I shall do my best to provide her with the benefit of whatever knowledge that I have gained over the years. I will share with her many good experiences, as well as those that I wish to forget and hopefully be a bridge to our family's past. Once Ramia is armed with the knowledge of her forebears, she can chart a course for her future. In Africa, a family's wealth was judged by the number of children and grandchildren they had. By my heritage, I am a wealthy woman. I have five wonderful children, Valerie, Angela, Sherryl, Keith, my daughter- in-law Lori Blair McDonald, and son-in-law Juan Demeris Thomas of whom I am proud. They have blessed me with Ayanna Damaris McDonald Thomas, Myles Chandler Millender McDonald, Diamond Sequoia Short (adopted), and new Ramia, four wonderful grandchildren. My husband Jim and I thank God for each and every one of them and we will love them for as long as they shall live.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I really would like to thank the gentlewoman from Texas and to really applaud her on her leadership in this area. It is very important that I stand before my colleagues to strongly support her amendment and the increased funding for the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration. We know how important this is for our children, for the growth and the information highway that is much needed for the educational components of our schools. I am in strong support of this.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I am in support of the Mollohan amendment to increase funding for the Legal Services Corporation. We live in a litigious society, and all people may need legal counsel. Legal counsel is not a luxury to be available to only a portion of society, it is a necessity for all. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have not provided adequate funding to the Legal Services Corporation, and I applaud Mr. Mollohan for bringing this amendment forward to protect the least fortunate among us. This amendment addresses an issue of fairness. It is not fair to allow people of means to have counsel and not provide it to the poor, simply because they lack the means. We have experienced other instances of unfair treatment of people in the history of our Nation and it would be wrong to go down that path again here. I urge my colleagues to support the Mollohan amendment to increase funding for the Legal Services Corporation by $109 million.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I am today in support of the Scott Amendment. There is an old adage--an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Statistics indicate its costs around $30,000 a year to house an inmate in a correctional facility. Those same statistics show that it costs $3,000 a year to educate a child. We need to invest in our children before they become adversely involved in our criminal justice system rather than after. The very fact that a legislative body, such as this one, would cut funding for education, and then block grant funds to the States to build more prisons flies in the face of good, moral, judgment and sound fiscal management. The at-risk youth programs of the Department of Justice, provide communities with the means to involve those at-risk youth in tutoring and mentoring programs for schools in high crime communities and summer recreational programs for at-risk youth before they have the misfortune of stumbling into a criminal justice system that is incapable of rehabilitating them. The Scott amendment takes a commonsense, front-end-solution approach to providing programs for our Nation's youth. I urge my colleagues to support the Scott amendment.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I would like to just speak on behalf of the increase in funding for bilingual education. We do recognize that there are numerous students now coming into the public school systems that are non-English-speaking students. There is a critical need for teachers to teach these students English. I am appealing to those who are on the Committee on Appropriations and my colleagues to increase bilingual education, thereby providing these young people a qualified teacher who can help them to learn English. It is important, it is critical for the future of our country to have these young folks who are thousands, increasing thousands, in the public schools, to have a teacher who can teach English to them. I am urging that we support the increase in bilingual education that will afford us the opportunity to train teachers to teach these students.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to stand in opposition to this bill because of the elimination of the Goals 2000 Program. I applaud Mr. Porter for his efforts. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3755 for several reasons: Freezing summer youth jobs programs, eliminating healthy start, and abortion family limits. Perhaps the most pressing reason, however, is the elimination of funding for the Goals 2000 Program. As a former teacher and a person who still cares passionately about the education of our youth, I am appalled by this political attack on the future of our Nation. Mr. Chairman, the United States is currently ranked third in the world in terms of the reading skills of our youth. While this may be admirable to some, I would in fact argue that we need to do better. Given the global economy into which our children will soon be entering, and the need for the United States to remain competitive in this new international arena, it is imperative that we offer them the best education possible. In order to help prepare our children for the future, the Congress passed, in 1993, the Goals 2000 legislation. Unfortunately, since that time, the purposes behind Goals 2000, and the methodology involved in its implementation, have been grossly distorted. To set the record straight, Goals 2000 is a framework to help States develop a curriculum for their public school students to help them gain the knowledge and learn the skills that will be necessary for us as a nation to remain competitive. Goals 2000 was developed to enable us to deal with the almost 15,000 public school districts in our Nation which are charged with educating and preparing the 50+ million public school children who will be looking for help and guidance as they face the future. It may interest my colleagues to know that approximately 5.2 million of these over 50+ million public school students reside in my home State of California. It is in my home State in fact that our Governor, who by the way is a member of the other party, has included in his latest budget a request for funding to increase the quality of public education and decrease the class size of public school. While I do not agree with our Governor on everything, I do agree that we need to put public education at the top of our priority list. We need to stay competitive, and we need to educate our children. If we are sincere about changing behavior in our urban children, if we are sincere about giving them a fighting chance to move from the bowels of despair Goals 2000 is one of the many tools which we can and should use in their fight for the future. I therefore object strongly to this bill, and I hope that the other body shows more foresight when they consider this legislation. I thank the gentleman again for this time and I urge my colleagues, in the strongest terms possible, to oppose this bill.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend the Appropriations Committee for the Yeoman's job of meeting the numerous funding requests in this tough fiscal environment. Many of us take for granted and do not recognize the arduous task the Committee faces each time they are asked to balance fiscal responsibility with economic development. I would also like to thank the chairman and the members of the committee for having the vision to provide the funding for the Alameda Corridor, to support the $400 million in direct loans, as requested by the President through the Federal Highway Administration. The Alameda Corridor will provide this country with a fast and efficient gateway to Pacific Rim trade and will bolster our ability to compete in the burgeoning economic area. Once completed the Alameda Corridor will generate more than 70,000 local jobs and close to 200,000 new jobs nationwide. The expanded trade, created by the construction of the corridor, through the ports, will create new jobs related to manufacturing, production, and the shipping and trucking of goods. Today's funding environment requires a strong public-private partnership to finance projects of this nature. With over 75 percent of the cost of the project funded by State and local sources, the Alameda Corridor truly exemplifies the kind of public-private partnership that this Congress has long urged States and localities to pursue for important infrastructure projects. I would like to thank the members of the California delegation for working together in bipartisan manner to effectively move the project through this body and to bring to fruition plans and blueprints that were conceived long before many of us were sworn into office. Let history reflect that the success of the Alameda Corridor is rooted in the bipartisanship that has helped to bring us to this point. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues from both parties and with President Clinton to see the Alameda Corridor through to its completion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996. I come to the House of Representatives having grown up as the child of an active Baptist minister in Alabama with fear that my family would be the target of church bombings that were all too common during the 1950's. The burning of a church is nothing less than a cowardly act of terrorism upon the community that hosts the church. We are seeing church burnings in the African-American communities every day and we must put a stop to it. We do everything in our power to stop terrorism abroad, we must do nothing less to prevent this terror in these United States. The cowards who set these fires must be caught, brought to justice and punished severely. I hope that we will work together to help all Americans build a better nation and a better world. I urge each of my colleagues to vote in support of the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana. It is really fitting and absolutely great for me to see two young African-American men who are role models who are here tonight at this hour to talk about the rash of church burnings in this Nation. Then to hear the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee], who speaks so eloquently on this floor, who has to now go back and try to see what she can do with the recent decisions that have been brought down on her by the Supreme Court. I would like to thank also the Speaker for allowing us tonight to come and speak about the rash of church burnings. Mr. Speaker, this issue is very important to me, as it should be to all Americans. However, I have a special concern about the rash of church burnings that is taking place across the South and other areas as I have lived through a similar period. During the 1950's I was the child of an active Baptist minister in Alabama. Given my father's status and the respect he had earned, especially among the African-American community, we lived in fear every night of the bombings and the arson that was rampant at the time. The young women who were killed in the church bombings in 1962 were neighbors and friends of our family. Mr. Speaker, I can personally attest to the fact that these burnings, both in the 1950's as well as the ones with which we are currently faced, are acts of terrorism. Furthermore, the U.S. Government, which spends billions of dollars each year investigating and attempting to abate terrorism here and abroad, should do all it can to stop this terrorism that is currently invading the souls of our community. As we are all aware, Mr. Speaker, terrorism such as these church burnings is the insidious act of cowards; people who are too afraid to air their hatreds or fears in public lest they meet others who may be able to talk some sense into them during a debate. Yet in order to really understand these random acts of violence and hatred, we should perhaps look at the culture by which they are being perpetuated. The burning of African-American churches is but one manifestation of the fear, the hatred, and the divisiveness that is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Mr. Speaker, we see this divisiveness in ballot initiatives, we hear it in stump speeches by some politicians, and we witness it even in some of the legislation that is coming before us. Moore and more, people are blaming minorities, immigrants, and women for their woes or their fears. In my home State of California, we will have a ballot initiative in November on Whether or not to do away with all affirmative actions programs. This initiative follows closely on the heels of the Governor of my fair State asking the regents of the University of California to abolish all affirmative action administration programs. While these actions, Mr. Speaker, as well as legislation that has been introduced here and in other bodies to eliminate affirmative action programs are not terrorism on the same level as the church burnings, they are born from the same fears and divisiveness. What we, as national leaders, Mr. Speaker, should do is try to pursue a rational debate to try to solve the problems that face all Americans, regardless of their color, their age, their gender, or their religious affiliation. We, the political leaders of our Nation, should not try to use the fears of the population to promote ourselves or our agendas. In doing this, we are only creating an environment in which hatred and anxieties are driven to extreme measures, such as those we are witnessing in the South and other places. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge all Americans to join us in speaking out against the current rash of church burnings and to alert the perpetrators that this is not how civilized people conduct themselves. I also urge Americans, and especially the politicians, to pause before they speak words of divisiveness. Rather than playing on and driving the fears of some citizens, I would hope that we could begin to work together for the resolves that will help all Americans build a better nation and indeed a better world.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I think that we can all agree that the welfare system in this country needs to be reformed. I think we can further agree that it is our responsibility to make an attempt to reform that system. But as we begin our deliberations on reforming welfare, I would caution my colleagues to be thoughtful and deliberate. For it is a fool who rushes a raging river to beard an angry tiger. Presidential politics should not be the driving force behind any reform movement. H.R. 3562 is being fast tracked through this body by the majority in an attempt to embarrass the President. How can we begin to consider waivers for the Wisconsin welfare plan when we have less than all the facts. I have not seen a copy of the Wisconsin plan, there has been no committee review, no hearings, no markup, and there has been no health and human services public comment period. What do the citizens of Wisconsin think about the welfare reform plan offered by their Governor? Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Research Service can't even provide Members with a summary of the bill. I caution my colleagues that if we approve these waivers in this irresponsible manner, we will give a green light to every Governor who seeks waivers for similar reasons. Let's not circumvent the process-- oversight and inquiry are our responsibility and public comment is the right of the taxpayer--let's hold hearings on the Wisconsin plan--let's hear from the people of Wisconsin--vote no on approving the waivers.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Montgomery for the time to speak today and for your leadership, as well as that of Chairman Stump, in seeing this bill through the legislative process. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, this bill addresses some urgent needs among our Nation's veterans' medical facilities and I rise in strong support of the legislation and urge its swift approval. The $434 million authorized by this legislation is perhaps some of the most important money that we will be discussing on this floor, for it will be spent ensuring that the men and women who put their lives on the line for our Nation will be adequately taken care of once they have left service. This money renovates, upgrades and, where needed, expands current Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities to ensure that the needs of our former servicemen and women are met. One project of particular importance to me and my constituents in the 37th Congressional District is the seismic upgrading of the VA medical center in Long Beach, CA. This bill provides $20.2 million to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to bring three of the buildings at the Long Beach facility up to code in terms of earthquake safety, fire safety, mechanical and electrical safety, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The buildings receiving these improvements are all over 50 years old and in serious need of repair. Specifically, the three buildings to be improved house important operational and various support services critical to monitoring the health and welfare of our veterans. Without these repairs the buildings, all of which were built in 1943, are in grave danger. The facilities are very close to the Newport- Inglewood Fault Zone, which is considered active and capable of generating an earthquake of magnitude 7.0. The VA has testified that there is no other medical facility in Long Beach large enough to meet the VA's needs, and it is expected that the major functions of this Medical Center will remain the same under the proposed Veterans Integrated Service Network. In short, this is an important facility to the veterans residing in the Long Beach area and it is therefore incumbent upon us to ensure that it meets the basic safety codes of the area. It is for this reason that these seismic repairs were included in the President's fiscal year 1997 budget request and that the Department of Veterans' Affairs Undersecretary for Health, Mr. Kenneth Kizer, testified in support of these repairs as recently as March. Without these repairs, we are placing the lives of our Nation's veterans, as well as the lives of those who serve them, in grave danger. I would submit to my colleagues that our veterans deserve better than this, and I am pleased to see that the committee agrees with this assessment. I look forward to working with you, Congressman Montgomery, and with Chairman Stump, to see that the wisdom of the committee is followed and that the veterans who use the Long Beach facilities are not placed in harm's way. In closing, I would like to commend the committee for deciding to name the medical center in Jackson, MS after our esteemed colleague from Meridian, Mr. Montgomery. Although I have only had the honor of serving with him for a little over a month, I appreciate the work that he has done for our veterans and share the committee's view that it is befitting to bestow such an honor in naming a veteran's medical center in his honor in his home State. So, once again, I rise in support of this important legislation and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the amendment and ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to revise and extend my remarks in the Congressional Record. About 12 million people will benefit from a 90 cent increase in the minimum wage according to the Economic Policy Institute, many of whom are my constituents. An increase in the minimum wage would enable thousands of my constituents to move out of poverty and into the world of work and self-sufficiency. America's working class has been doing without for long enough. Seventy-eight percent of the American people favor the plan by President Clinton reflected in the Riggs amendment to raise the minimum wage by 90 cents over 2 years. The minimum wage directly rewards hard work. An increase in the minimum wage would send a signal to millions of Americans that we have not forgotten them, we appreciate and support them.