Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek). (Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 55.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day. As we know, this is the day that everyone speaks from the heart. This is a day more flowers, especially roses, are given to loved ones, more chocolate and other boxes of candy are purchased. But I would like to call attention to this heart day and our heart health. While we celebrate Valentine's Day, let us not forget our heart and the signs it gives off, or in some cases, signs that do not give off that are important. Mr. Speaker, in 1963, a congressional mandate designated February as American Heart Month. Because Valentine's Day is the day of the heart, it is fitting to raise awareness that heart disease kills nearly one million Americans every year, which is about 41 percent of deaths here in the United States. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Every 33 seconds an American dies from heart disease, and every 21 seconds someone suffers a heart attack. Due to these statistics, Americans need to become more educated on heart disease risks, prevention, and treatment. Heart disease is also the number one killer for women. About one in five women have some form of heart disease. Even though surveys show that women view breast cancer as a much greater risk to their health than heart disease, the reality is that a woman's lifetime risk of dying from heart disease is one in two, whereas it is one-in-nine lifetime risk for contracting breast cancer, which is also important to be educated and seek examination. High cholesterol and hypertension are two of the main causes of heart disease, which is alarming considering the following statistics. Approximately 50 percent of women have cholesterol levels of 200/dL or higher. Seventy-nine percent of black women and 60 percent of Caucasians over the age of 45 were classified as having hypertension. Further, women often experience other AIDS-related diseases, such as arthritis and osteoporosis that can mask heart disease symptoms and delay the seeking of necessary medical care. There are also critical preventive measures that include tobacco-use cessation, regular exercise, reduced daily alcohol intake, and controlled blood pressure that women should know of and take to try to avoid this fatal disease. While heart disease is also the number one killer in my State of California, the good news is that heart disease in California is less than the national average. We must ensure that fighting this disease is on the forefront of our agenda. In addition to having annual checkups, screening and participating in regular exercise, it is important to be aware of the heart attack symptoms, which include uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes; pain spreading to the shoulders, neck and arms; chest discomfort with light- headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath; atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain, nausea, or dizziness. Women typically do not have the crushing chest pain, which is considered a classic symptom. As a result, women's symptoms can be overlooked until it is too late. Heart disease is a critical health issue. Both men and women need to understand how they can prevent and detect heart disease. Both men and women need to become aware of heart attack symptoms and what to do if they experience any of these symptoms. We need a national effort to raise awareness of this disease. Perhaps most of all, as the new co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I urge all of my colleagues to please make sure they understand the facts and that they, their mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, daughters all get screened on an annual basis. So, happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Speaker; and let us not forget the heart.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution honoring the contributions of Catholic schools in America. I congratulate the more than 8,000 Catholic schools that serve this nation's students. I am a product of Catholic schools as a graduate of Holy Family High School in Birmingham, Alabama so I know first hand about the value of a Catholic school education. According to the National Catholic Education Association, Catholic schools serve over two and a half million students a year. With an impressive average student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1, Catholic schools provide the necessary one-on-one teaching that students need to learn. My graduating class of Holy Family had 23 students who graduated with me! I was able to bond with my classmates and had a true sense of family and support. My experiences with Sister Mary Catherine, Sister Mary Ambrose, Sister Mary Mathilda, Sister Jean Bernadette, Father Nathaniel, Father Carl, and Father Alvin instilled in me and the other girls at Holy Family an appreciation for Math and Science that was unprecedented at that time. The same quality education that I enjoyed as a youth is making a difference in communities across the United States, including my 37th District of California. I am proud of the four Catholic schools in my district that have created rigorous educational environments with quality teaching: St. Miguel Catholic School in Los Angeles, California, Verbum Dei High School in Watts, California, St. Albert the Great Catholic School in Compton, California, Our Lady of Victory Grade School in Compton, California and St. Philomena Grade School in Carson, California. These schools make a tremendous contribution to the community and I am proud to represent them in Congress. Many hears ago, my Catholic education spawned a love of learning that I have treasured throughout my life. Institutions that generate this type of intellectual curiosity in our nation's youth are critical to developing productive, hardworking citizens and leaders of tomorrow. That is why I join my colleagues in recognizing America's Catholic schools. I commend the community of teachers, students, parents and administrators that have established this high standard for learning that challenges and engages students. They are playing an integral role in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the children of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I inadvertently missed the vote on H.R. 4577, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 4577.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I am shocked over the death of my friend, Julian Dixon . The only thing that I can say is that he was a gentleman's gentleman, one who served this country very well. He will be sorely missed. I, for one, will miss him dearly.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, the late great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Every man must decide if he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's most urgent and persistent question is what are you doing for others?'' If service is the judgment, then heaven's gates have greeted the late Congressman Sidney R. Yates with open arms. Mr. Yates spent his life tirelessly, shamelessly, and unselfishly advocating for others who would have otherwise gone unheard. Our country would be a much better place if we all did. Although our nation is a great one, it has not . . . because our laws and our statesmen, have not, always served the interests of certain persons and certain disciplines very well. However, in his more than sixty years of public service, Sidney Yates always did. I applaud him as a protector of the arts, a protector of the environment, a protector of children, and a protector of civil rights. His advocacy in these areas has never wavered. I do not merely regard Mr. Yates as a great statesman for what he did, but when he did what he did. Sidney Yates has often stood up for people when doing so was not only unpopular, but in many instances, taboo. His advocacy for civil rights predates back to the 1940s, even though the Civil Rights Act was not passed until 1964. As the last of the New Deal Democrats and against the persistence of an emerging Grand Old Party majority in the 1990s, he fought to save, and did save, the National Education Association, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the nuclear submarine program. Furthermore, his leadership efforts have saved innumerable national parks and led to the establishment of the National Memorial Holocaust Museum. These are but a few of his contributions. Perhaps even more intriguing than what he accomplished was how he went about his work. Although Congressman Yates was a hard worker, he, unlike many of us, was a rather silent and modest one. In his close to fifty years on Capitol Hill, he never held a press conference. He never even had a press secretary. He conducted his affairs and gained the trust and respect of his constituents the old-fashioned way. He earned it one act and one handshake at a time. Although Sidney goes down as a member of Congress who served for the longest period of time, serving twenty-four full terms, his status when leaving the House in 1998 did not reflect that. His service record was interrupted in 1962 when he ran for a seat in the United States Senate for which he was unsuccessful. Although he won his U.S. House of Representatives seat back in 1964, but for his lack of continuity, he ranked 27th on the House Appropriations Committee when he otherwise would have been chairman. Although frustrated, as any of us would be, his manner of working and dedication to the betterment of life for America's citizens never faltered. A well-deserved honor, in 1993, toward the end of his career, President Clinton bestowed the Presidential Citizens Medal of Honor on Congressman Yates for his efforts on behalf of the arts and humanities. Mr. Yates' belief has always been ``[e]very civilization throughout history, you know, has been judged not by its military conquests but by its civilized achievements.'' He lived his life with this quote as his guide. Let it guide our lives. As we bid farewell to the great Sidney Yates, may his spirit of service to every American forever live in all of us.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pride to congratulate my colleague and good friend Congresswoman Tillie Fowler on her exemplary service to her district and the nation as she retires from the U.S. Congress. Congresswoman Fowler is well known as a determined advocate for a strong national defense and has worked with great success on behalf of the military personnel and facilities in her district and around the country. Congresswoman Fowler supported me immensely as I secured $5 million in the Fiscal Year 2000 Defense Appropriations bill for the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. These funds were used for much needed maintenance to the memorial. Over the past 3 years Congresswoman Fowler has joined me in organizing a wreath laying ceremony at the Women's Memorial to pay homage to the thousands of women who have served in our armed services. Congresswoman Fowler has served graciously and energetically as co-host of this very touching ceremony. The Women's Memorial was dedicated on October 18, 1997 and stands as the nation's only major national memorial honoring women who have served in our Nation's Armed Forces during all eras and in all services. I have been fortunate to serve with Congresswoman Fowler on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Together, we have worked for needed improvements to road, mass transit, water, and public works infrastructure. She is one of the hardest working Members I have had the pleasure of working with on this committee. I applaud Congresswoman Fowler for her dedication to serving the interests of her constituents and the nation. She has been an outstanding colleague and a good friend. I feel privileged to have worked with the Congresswoman and wish her God speed as she embarks upon another endeavor.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I stand with my friends and colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus and there are three words that I think kind of epitomizes Bill Clay. Those are: Determination, dedication, and distinguished. He is a man of such distinction. I am so pleased that he, along with a few members of the Congressional Black Caucus, formed such a caucus. Otherwise, we would not be here together in unanimity trying to work on behalf of the constituents we serve in our districts. This man of honor is the most effective and hard-working colleague in the House. He is from Missouri and he is from that ``show me'' State, so we have had to show him our interest and our determination and our true grit on educating the children of this country. He has served tirelessly and been a strong advocate for America's children. This is why we have to show him, and continue to have to show him, where our hearts are in terms of educating our children. We have heard from other speakers before that he has been in the forefront fighting for workers' rights and was the key sponsor of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton. For nearly two decades, Congressman Clay fought hard and tirelessly for the Hatch Act which is one of his labors of love and one of the really sterling pieces of legislation that was passed out on this floor and signed October, 1993, by President Clinton. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) knew that he left his paw print and his mark on us, and so he then thought that he would get his son to come and follow in his footsteps, a young man of distinction. I hope that we do have the pleasure of continuing with a Clay Member. He serves on many boards. One is the W.E.B. DuBois Foundation and the Jamestown Slave Museum. He also serves on boards for furthering education to our children, such as Benedict and Tougaloo colleges. He is the founder of the William L. Clay Scholarship Fund, a nonprofit organization that will continue to give scholarships to young African-American students and other students who are aspiring to higher education. Yes, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) will be missed in this body. He is the recipient of numerous achievements, degrees, and awards. He is the author of many books, as we have been told, but one that really gives us a perspective of the history of the Congressional Black Caucus and black Members of Congress. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) will be sorely missed. I know I have not known him for 20-some years, but I tell my colleagues, the way he has whipped us around here to make sure that we will take care of the education for the children of this country, it seems like I have known him for 22 years. Godspeed to him, a great man. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor one of our most effective, hard working colleagues in the House. Congressman William Clay is the distinguished senior member of the Missouri congressional delegation. He is the Minority Ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee where he has served as a tireless advocate for America's children. As a native of St. Louis, William L. Clay was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. And since that moment, Congressman Clay has developed and promoted a legislative agenda focused on ``workers' rights.'' He was a key sponsor of the Family and Medical Leave Act, H.R. 1, which was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton. For nearly two decades, Congressman Clay worked on the Hatch Act reform which was one of his labors of love and was signed into law October 1993, by President Clinton. Congressman Clay serves on many boards, one of which is the board of the W.E.B. DuBois Foundation and the Jamestown Slave Museum. He has served on the boards of Benedict and Tougaloo colleges. He is the founder of the William L. Clay Scholarship Fund, a nonprofit, tax- exempt scholarship program which presently enrolls fifty-six students in twenty-one different schools. Mr. Clay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in history and political science from St. Louis University and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees for his achievements as a legislator. The Congressman is author of two books: To Kill or Not to Kill, published in 1990, which deals with the savagery of capital punishment, and Just Permanent Interests, published in September 1992, which chronicles the history of Black Members of Congress. Congressman Clay will be solely missed by myself, his Congressional Black Caucus colleagues and all of us here in Congress. But we know he will continue to provide leadership, dedication and compassion for America's workers and for education and our children for years to come.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I come tonight because I think it is a testament of any Member of this House when someone on the other side drops what they are doing to come and speak favorably on the departure of a Member. I have come tonight because Ron Packard is a friend of mine, one whom I admire immensely. When I came to this House, I began to serve on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. There were a lot of times when I was not quite clear as to what I would do in terms of asking for more funding for California, but then I met a man who was from California who knew exactly what I should be doing and how I should do it. That man was Ron Packard. Ron Packard represents the best in all of us in this House, whether we are a Republican or a Democrat, because he simply puts his hands out to give advice when one who was a freshman sought that advice. He made me feel quite welcome to come to him and comfortable to come to him and to seek that advice. I remember one time when I was asking for perhaps more money than I should have for California, and he simply said, let us get together and see what we can do to work this out. I will always have fond memories of Ron Packard. And as he leaves this House to go and be with his family and children and grandchildren, I know that he will look back upon this House with fond memories, but we want him to leave knowing that he had friends on both sides of this aisle who not only recognized his experience and his expertise on transportation and appropriation issues but also recognized his friendship, his putting his hands out to both those across the aisle as well as those who worked directly with him on the Republican side. We wish the very best for Ron as he goes back to California. I know he will not miss the traveling, coming back and forth from California, but I hope he will miss us as his friends, because we certainly will miss him and all of the great things that he has done to make the people of California feel proud of him and to make this Nation feel proud of him. I am happy to call him my friend.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, S. 3062 was introduced on September 18, 2000, by Senators Voinivich and Durbin. Together, these two Senators worked with the Mayor's Office to draft the technical changes to the performance plan submission requirements, and bipartisan support appears to exist in both houses for this legislation. The legislative changes include, one, changing the deadline for submission from March 1 of each year to be concurrent with the submission of the D.C. budget to Congress each year; and two, getting rid of the multiple performance goals for each measure in exchange for one ambitious goal per performance measure. With this, Mr. Speaker, I do urge the House to adopt this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, but I do not plan to object. I take this time to engage the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) in a colloquy for a brief explanation of his unanimous consent request.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Protecting Our Children From Drugs Act. This bill increases the mandatory minimum sentences for using minors to distribute illicit drugs, distributing illicit drugs to minors and drug trafficking in or near a school. In addition, this bill increases the mandatory minimum sentence for individuals convicted of using minors to distribute illicit drugs. Perhaps, more importantly, this bill cracks down on those who distribute illicit drugs near schools. Our children cannot learn in an environment that is infested with drug use. To use children to sell drugs is not only disturbing and outrageous, but cruel. Such illicit distribution in our schools deprives our youth of the safe, healthy, and growth-inducing environment they need to learn and become valuable and productive members of our national labor force. Worst of all, this activity strips our children of their innocence and hope. Among eighth graders alone, the rate of marijuana use tripled in 1996, and the marijuana of today is 15 times more potent than the marijuana used in the 1970s. But even more lethal, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines are the drugs that are tearing apart families and ruining communities throughout the country and in my state. California has the worst methamphetamine problem in the country. Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in methamphetamine use, especially in Los Angeles. From 1990 to 1994, the admissions of Los Angeles residents to addiction treatment centers jumped from 700 to 2,250. That is more than a 30% increase, and this number only includes those who have received treatment. At any given time during the month, some 13,100 Californians who have sought treatment cannot get it because they are placed on waiting lists, which can last from three to sixty days. The Protecting Our Children From Drugs Act can help change these numbers by enacting tougher laws to stop drug traffickers from reaching our children. Ensuring that law enforcement resources, parents, teachers, and churches come together to prevent the distribution of drugs to youth is critical to lowering the rate of drug use in the entire community. The possibility of a child who reaches adulthood without using drugs, who then tries drugs as an adult is statistically zero. That is why cracking down on drug criminals reaching out to children is vital to winning the war on drugs. In our effort to maintain and improve the social fabric of all of our communities throughout the country, I encourage my colleagues to join me in voting for the Protecting Our Children From Drugs Act.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman in charge of this resolution on the other side, as well as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) on this side. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of this concurrent resolution. I had several friends who were stricken by this disease in their early to late twenties, so it has become second nature to me in trying to fight to ensure that we get the type of support and the type of funding for such a disease. Mr. Speaker, we recognize that multiple sclerosis is twice as common in women as in men, and while we tend to recognize the importance of fighting this disease for everyone, it is clearly one that poses a problem with women who have been stricken with this disease. My friend, who had three children, once she received word that she had this, her husband left her and she was there with this disease with the three children. So it is very devastating to know that I speak from a personal standpoint, in a sense, that young women who had finished school with me were stricken with this. We also recognize, Mr. Speaker, that an estimated 250,000 to 350,000 individuals suffer with multiple sclerosis nationwide, and this is why there is a critical need for the Patients' Bill of Rights and for prescription drugs, because it is tremendously expensive to have the medicine to treat this type of disease. Oft times death comes. So I come today to just simply say I too support this resolution, and suggest that we must do everything we can to provide the funding and the support for those who have been stricken with this very deadly disease.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I would like to simply thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn), and tonight I introduce H.R. 5157, introduced along with my dear friend and colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watts). This bill is known as the Freedmen's Bureau Preservation Act of 2000. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, properly called the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of this government on March 3, 1865. This act was the culmination of several years of efforts as the U.S. Government, embroiled in Civil War, sought to settle ``the slave problem'' for the United States. From 1619 to 1800, more than 660,000 African men, women, and children were torn from their homelands in West Africa, herded onto ships, and brought to North America as slaves. While the southern economy was flourishing from slave labor, the country simultaneously was building a new democracy based on the principles of liberty and individual freedom. As the democracy debate clarified issues of government and citizenship, grave contradictions were drawn between slavery and our Nation's first principle of individual freedom. As President Lincoln said, the government could not endure permanently half slave and half free. On July 4 of 1861, President Lincoln, in a speech to Congress, said that the war was ``* * * a people's contest * * * a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form and substance of government, whose leading object is to elevate the condition of men. * * *'' And this war between the States was, among other things, a war about the condition of the slaves. This very body was engaged in the overwhelming challenge of moving millions of slaves from bondage to freedom. In March of 1864, the House passed a bill by a slender majority of two that established a Bureau of Freedmen in the War Department. The Senate reported a substitute bill to the House too late for action attaching the Bureau to the Treasury Department. After the 1864 elections, the House and Senate conferred and proposed a bureau independent of either War or Treasury. In the political machinations between these elected representatives, the Senate could not agree with the House. A new conference committee was appointed which finally in 1865 established in the War Department a Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Thus, the War Department set about the enormous task of documenting, supervising, and managing the transition of slaves from bondage to freedom. The Bureau deployed field offices in Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. These offices were responsible for all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen, including issuing rations, clothing, and medicine. The Bureau also assumed custody of confiscated lands or property in the former Confederate States, border States, the District of Columbia, and Indian territory. The Bureau records that were created and maintained became the documented history of the greatest social undertaking in this country's history. During this tumultuous period of transformation between 1865 and 1872, the Freedmen's Bureau recorded the movements of slaves from community to community and States to States. For historians and genealogists, these records provided the critical link between the Civil War and the 1870 census, the first one to list African-Americans by name. Former slaves, recognized formally in government records only by sex, age, and color, were named in the Bureau records as individuals in marriage, government ration lists, lists of colored persons, labor contracts, indentured contracts for minors, medical records, and as victims of violence. Many historical and genealogical associations like the African- American Historical and Genealogical Society, the African-American Research Project, the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, the Internet-based Afrigeneas, and annual gatherings like the family reunions have popularized African-American genealogy and historical research. African-Americans, like many other Americans, look to official records for their ancestors. As ship manifests are the vital link between European-Americans and their European ancestors, the Freedmen's Bureau records are the link for African-Americans to their slave and African ancestors. The original Freedmen's Bureau records presently are preserved at the National Archives and Records Administration here in Washington. Greater access to these records is a high priority for millions of Americans interested in Civil War and post-Civil War history, and millions of African-Americans interested in their family genealogy. There are many historians, genealogists, and family researchers interested in exploring the vast contents of these records. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5157 calls on the Archivist to microfilm the Freedmen's Bureau records, create a surname index, and put the index online. Innovative imaging and indexing technologies can make these records easily accessible to the public, including historians, genealogists, novice genealogy enthusiasts, and students. With that, Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House of Representatives, a descendent of slaves, and a genealogy enthusiast, I urge the passage of this legislation so that the period in our history can become known even further to American citizens interested in our past. Let me thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn), my colleague and friend, for his sensitivity and support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do not by any means plan to object, but I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) for a brief explanation of the bill.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate one of the premier universities within the California State University system, Cal State Dominguez Hills, located in my district, on 40 years of exemplary higher learning. In its 40th-year celebration, we reflect back on the many who have passed through her doors. California State University has produced over 29,000 graduates with baccalaureate degrees, 12,000 graduates with master's degrees, and 12,000 elementary and secondary school credentialed teachers. Cal State Dominguez Hills is known throughout the State of California as the highest producer of credentialed teachers of any university in the State of California. The student body of Cal State Dominguez Hills is the most diverse in the State and possibly in the country, reflecting the richness of a multicultural society. The University is celebrating its 40th anniversary under the leadership of a newly appointed president, Dr. James E. Lyons, Sr. Dr. Lyons brings 16 years of presidential experience to the campus. He has served as president of Jackson State University in Mississippi and Bowie State University in Maryland. An integral part of Dr. Lyon's vision for Dominguez Hills is building a model communiversity. The communiversity places emphasis on building partnerships that benefit the community and its people, focusing not only on their educational and cultural needs, but also serving as a major research institution for community and economic development. In an effort to extend its services and resources into the community it serves, Cal State Dominguez Hills was the first in the Nation to develop a distance learning program. Forbes Magazine named Cal State Dominguez Hills one of the top 20 ``cyber'' universities in the country. The distance learning program offers timely degree and certificate programs and individual courses via cutting-edge technologies to working professionals, busy adults, and high school students. Over the past 5 years, approximately 7,500 students have enrolled in the Dominguez Hills distance learning program. More than 3,000 of these students come from outside of California, and more than 400 of these students come from outside the United States. The university's Young Scholars Program enables high school students who have limited access to advanced placement courses to earn college and advanced placement credits through the university. In addition, Mr. Speaker, we have the California Math and Science Academy, a premier program where they take the top 10 percent of the students in the middle school and enroll them to complete their secondary education with 90 percent of them going on to the top Ivy League and other universities. I, again, congratulate Cal State University Dominguez Hills on its 40th anniversary, the appointment of a new impressive president, Dr. Lyons, and the outstanding accomplishments of the Distance Learning Program and CAMS, California Academy of Math and Science. These milestones add significantly to the university and the surrounding communities as they forge ahead with a mission to be a communiversity dedicated to preparing students for the opportunities to be successful in a world of unprecedented challenges and change.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my strong and heartfelt support for the Lupus Research and Care Amendments Act, which was introduced by our hardworking and dedicated colleague, Congresswoman Carrie Meek. She has been a tireless advocate for this issue for years. As the Co-Vice Chair of the Women's Caucus, I am a proud co-sponsor of this legislation, as are 45 Women Caucus members. This legislation is the perfect illustration of a bipartisan effort to address a painful, debilitating disease that affects women nine times more often than men, and African American women three times more often than white women. It is estimated that between 1.4 million and 2 million Americans have been diagnosed with this disease and that many more have undiagnosed cases. This serious, complex, inflammatory autoimmune disease can simultaneously affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys and brain. It can be difficult to diagnose this disease because its symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases and many people suffering the signs of its onset have never heard of lupus, nor understand how to respond to these symptoms. The Lupus Research and Care Amendments Act authorizes funding to expand and intensify research on lupus at the National Institutes of Health, including basic research on the causes of lupus; research to determine why the disease is more prevalent in women and particularly African-American women; research on improving diagnostic techniques; and research to develop and evaluate new treatments. This bill also requires the Health and Human Services department to establish a grant program to deliver services to those afflicted with lupus and their families. The program would provide grants to state and local governments, nonprofit hospitals, community based organizations and community or migrant health centers to provide services for diagnosing and managing lupus. I urge my colleagues to follow the women of the House, and pass this legislation to help countless women and families. This legislation will spur unprecedented yet direly needed research on how this disease affects women and on what the best treatments are to cure this disease. Lupus can be fatal if not detected and treated early, but with this research and proper delivery of services, we can not only enhance people's lives, but save them as well.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 575. This resolution urges Americans to recognize and support educational programs that make surfing the Internet safe and fun for children. It supports initiatives to educate parents, children, educators and community leaders about the enormous possibilities and potential dangers of the Internet, applauds the work of law enforcement officers to make the Internet safe for children, and urges all Americans to become informed about the Internet and support efforts that will provide Internet safety for children and for future generations. The Internet is a wonderful tool for educating our children and has been instrumental in driving the growth of our economy. But unfortunately tools can be misused. Today an estimated 10 million American children have unfettered access to the Internet--a 444 percent increase from 1995. What is alarming is that as the new millennium has begun more and more children will have access to the Internet and in turn, easy access to alcohol. Just before Memorial Day, I participated in a news report concerning ease with which our youngest constituents can obtain alcohol through the Internet. On the videotape I witnessed two fifteen-year-old children using their home computers to access the world-wide web and order alcohol on the net. And in a few short days this alcohol was delivered to their front door by a national mail carrier who did not ask for identification when the two fifteen-year-old children signed for the boxes containing wine and a bottle of Absolut. Last year, I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on my concern for this issue because similar stories had surfaced in the news December 1997. Although there is a no single solution to the national epidemic of underage drinking, the bill that I introduced in the first session of the 106th Congress, H.R. 2161 would close some of the gaping loopholes I call ``cyberbooze for minors'' that now make it possible for teens and young adults to easily obtain alcohol over the Internet. H.R. 2161, the Prohibition Against Alcohol Traffic to Minors will curb underage drinking by prohibiting ``direct shipment'' of alcohol to persons under a State's legal drinking age. I want to urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 575 because it recognizes the powerful potential and inherent danger that the Internet offers our children. I hope that my colleagues will also join me in putting an end to easy alcohol access on the Internet by supporting H.R. 2161.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of this Conference Agreement on H.R. 3244 and the joint efforts of the House, Senate, and Administration to assert our global leadership in halting trafficking and gender-specific violence against all persons, particularly women and girls around the world. Practices of abduction, coercion, violence and exploitation are without a doubt the most reprehensible phenomena sweeping the globe today. We know that between 1-2 million women and children are trafficked annually around the world. Approximately 50,000--100,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States each year primarily from Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union. Think about this for a moment. In our country, where we have fought to secure women rights for nearly a century, we too are plagued by these terrible practices. Women and girls suffer extreme physical and mental abuse including rape, torture, starvation, imprisonment and sometimes death. Women and children trafficked in the sex industry are exposed to deadly disease including HIV and AIDS. While many of us are prospering in the global economy, still others are exploited by traffickers seeking to capitalize on foreign labor markets, the disintegrating social networks, and lower status of women. Victims are lured into trafficking networks through false promises of jobs, good working conditions, high pay and foreign adventure. Yet, slave-like conditions in jobs as domestic workers, factory workers, sex workers, nannies, waitresses, and service workers mire trafficked women and children at the bottom, lock them into the most insecure occupations, and leave victims open to ongoing exploitation and isolation. Trafficking is a grave human rights, economic, migration, and transnational crimes issue. In 1998, President Clinton established the anti-trafficking strategy of prevention, protection for victims, and prosecution and enforcement against traffickers. The President also charged the Interagency Council on Women with coordinating the U.S. trafficking in women and children policy. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3244 will permit the U.S. government to extend our efforts to combat trafficking in women and children and ensure a just and effective punishment of traffickers and protect their victims. This bill directs the Secretary of State to include comprehensive information on trafficking in our Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The bill also establishes the ``Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking'' which I applaud. I believe the high level appointments to this Task Force, including the Secretary of State, Director of USAID, and Attorney General speak to the seriousness to which our country takes this issue. H.R. 3244 will help create economic alternatives to deter women from traffickers by providing them clear choices to improve their economic conditions. H.R. 3244 engages the U.S. government with foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and establishes a policy not to provide nonhumanitarian foreign assistance to countries which do not meet these minimum standards. And, this bill targets individuals who are known to traffic in persons. The Secretary of State is instructed to establish a list of such persons to identify and sanction such persons who are significant traffickers in persons. The Attorney General is empowered to strengthen the prosecution and punishment of traffickers. And, finally, this bill puts our money where our hearts and commitments are to end this horrible practice by authorizing $15 million over two years to Health and Human Services, $15 million over two years to the Secretary of state; $15 million over two years to the Attorney General and $15 million each for victims' assistance and foreign countries to meet minimum standards and finally, $15 million over two years to the Secretary of Labor to assist victims in the United States. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the H.R. 3244 Conference Report.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Ryan White CARE Act. AIDS is one of the cruelest diseases to strike this nation in recent history. Between 800,000 and 1 million Americans are currently infected with HIV and each day, an average of 100 people are diagnosed with AIDS. The rate of HIV infection is growing at an even higher rate for minorities. Thirty to forty percent of all Americans with HIV are minorities. But when we break down these numbers, we find that the rate of HIV transmission is spreading most rapidly to women and children. Of all women with AIDS, 76 percent are women of color and of all the children with AIDS, 82 percent are minorities. Every year I lead a minority women and children AIDS Walk in California--the first of its kind in the country. I do so because in order for the Ryan White CARE Act to truly be effective, community leaders must play an integral role in bringing people together to raise awareness, educate individuals on HIV and AIDS, and build a network of support for families struggling with this disease. The Ryan White funding is crucial, but so is our activism. As leaders in each of our communities we have a duty to help raise awareness of critical issues such as AIDS, and to help our constituents obtain the education, counseling and treatment services they need. The Ryan White CARE Act implements some valuable and necessary changes that will help more minorities in my district. Specifically it changes the formulas for distributing Title I grants to cities and Title II grants to states to consider the number of cases of HIV infection as well as the number of AIDS cases. Under current law, funds are distributed to cities and states on the basis of the number of AIDS cases alone when we all know that those with HIV are in dire need of these programs. The bill also modifies the current ``hold-harmless'' provision for cities receiving Title I grants. Under current law, if a city experiences a decline in its Title I formula allocation, its allocation is partially protected by a hold-harmless provision. Also under current law, no city could receive less than 95% of the amount it received in FY 1995; however, this bill changes the hold-harmless provisions so that cities will be protected from losing no more than 2% of their base-year allocation in the first year. The Ryan White CARE Act also establishes a Title II formula grant program for states with ``emerging communities'' in need of additional resources to combat HIV/ AIDS. This supplemental program, which will help the emerging communities in my district, will be triggered when Title II appropriations exceed FY 2000 levels by $20 million. Finally, the Ryan White CARE Act increases the authorization for the grant program dealing with perinatal transmission of the HIV virus from its current level of $10 million to $30 million. It adds treatment services for pregnant women infected with HIV to the current list of activities, such as counseling, voluntary testing and outreach, that may be funded by these grants. This portion of the bill is particularly important to me as I have been extremely active in trying to secure funding for pilot programs here and abroad to prevent mother-to-child transmission. I am proud of the bipartisan efforts devoted to this important legislation and know that the Ryan White CARE Act programs will continue to benefit thousands upon thousands of my constituents in need of assistance in my district. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this vital, and in many cases, life-saving legislation.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. I think she made a very telling statement when she says penalties last long after probationary periods. What a telling statement that is. I am told I have a shorter period of time than I thought I had, and so I will give the remainder of the 5 minutes that I have to an outstanding young woman who hails from the great State of Texas, who everyone knows in my State because of the absolutely sterling presentation she did during the impeachment. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) is a gracious lady, and I appreciate her coming. The gentlewoman kind of hit the nail on the head, if you will. We all have been given second chances. So why not give those who have had a mishap through this penal system a second chance, too, to have a restoration of their voting rights. I will be working with the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson), not only with this issue, but with the issue of mental health as it absolutely integrates into this whole issue of incarceration. Mr. Speaker, we now have a man who has gained enormous respect across this country as we saw him during the impeachment process. The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) is known to challenge anyone on this floor when there is an infringement on the Constitution. He is highly respected in this House because of his constitutional background and expertise. But today he comes because he questions the Constitution as we talk about fundamental rights of those who should have those rights be restored. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).