Gregory Meeks

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to make sure that I made clear on the record that the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce in Queens, New York, is not a private entity. It is a not-for-profit organization that is a public organization that depends upon public funds, and the City of New York, the State of New York, and the Federal Government all try to support it because it is a not-for-profit organization in the City of New York to help people create jobs in the Queens area.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. MEEKS of New York. I would just say it is on the Web site. Later I can show you that it's on my Web site.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Chair, I just want to give some good progress that has been made in Latin America. For example, we see Graciela Dixon become the first black woman to head Panama's Supreme Court in 2005 and Joaquim Barbosa of Brazil rise as a prominent member of the Supreme Court. Paula Moreno stands now as Colombia's first Afro- Colombian to serve as a minister in a presidential cabinet. And in Ecuador, it was reported that a group of more than 100 black women in 2006 sought more government assistance for housing to combat racial discrimination in the rental market. We are in this together; we can accomplish this together. And I thank the gentlewoman who is the ranking member on the committee for supporting this bill as well as the Chair of the committee. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Chair, I rise today with an important amendment to H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. We here in the United States understand all too well that it takes more than just passing laws to ensure equal access to prosperity. It took decades of constant pressure and struggle to get the legal right to full participation of African Americans in our American democracy, yet we realize that our work is far from over in our great Nation. Racial discrimination is a sobering reality, both here in the United States and in the rest of the world. We understand that we cannot throw stones from a glass house, but instead we must work in tandem with our neighbors to ensure that all citizens in our hemisphere are unfettered by discriminatory practices now and the vestiges of those practices of the past. It is in our interest to work toward a more equal hemisphere. And we are all at risk if our citizens do not have full faith in the strength of democracy to provide upward mobility. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., put it best when he said, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Afro-Latinos face a longstanding struggle against racial discrimination and a lack of opportunities. Afro-Latinos make up approximately 150 million of the region's 540 million total population and, along with women and indigenous populations, are among the poorest, most marginalized groups in the region. People of African descent comprise a significant portion of the population in several Latin American countries and account for nearly 50 percent of the region's poor. For many Afro descendants, endemic poverty is exacerbated by isolation, exclusion, and racial discrimination. In Brazil, Afro-Latinos represent 45 percent of the population but constitute 64 percent of the poor and 69 percent of the extremely poor. In Colombia, the plight of Afro-Colombians is perhaps harshest, as they are all too often caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. Congress previously supported the United States-Brazil Joint Action Plan Against Racial Discrimination in House Resolution 1254 and called for both the United States and Brazil to promote equality and to continue to work toward eliminating racial discrimination. The joint action plan helps to facilitate the exchange of information on the best practices of antidiscrimination measures and development of ideas of how to bilaterally promote racial and ethnic equality. With this amendment, we request that Secretary Clinton report on plans and efforts to address the plight of Afro-Latinos and indigenous peoples in the Western hemisphere. And we also request a report on the status of the U.S.-Brazil joint action plan so we can gain a greater understanding of how to increase our collaboration on similar initiatives. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, on roll call No. 277, I inadvertently voted ``aye.'' I meant to vote ``nay.'' I want the Record to properly reflect that.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. The bill does not mandate it, and the sole purpose of this bill is as I indicated. At one point, the President said we should be thoughtful and careful as we move forward, and I don't believe, in order of fairness, that in the middle of a game we can change the rules. Therefore, once the game is completed, then we should change the rules. I just think that there are ordinary people, not executives, who are affected by the bill. I have talked to people in my district who are depending on certain funds and on certain contracts that were written before we got into the TARP money, and they need that to pay their mortgages. When you look at the effects on the City of New York, the mayor of the city has said, in the past 2 years, the firms on Wall Street have reported losses of more than $54 billion and may eventually lay off one quarter of their workforce. While the financial services sector directly employs only about 9 percent of our city's private sector, it accounts for more than one-third of its payroll, and those individuals in ancillary businesses therein are affected. Therefore, I am just trying to take care of those average, everyday Americans.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. I recognize the gentleman from California for 30 seconds.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Chairman, I, like most Americans, was deeply upset and emotionally charged when I learned of the bonuses that AIG gave to its employees. I, like most Americans, believe strongly that if you receive taxpayer dollars, you should have standards to limit abuses. I believe that this bill does begin to set those standards, but with just one flaw. To correct this flaw, I had to contemplate, because some have said this amendment may not be the safest thing for me to do. Some say, for the sake of expedience, this may not be the political thing for me to do. And others say for the sake of vanity, it definitely may not be the popular thing to do. But I'm reminded of Dr. King, who said, there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but one must take that position because it's the right thing to do. The rule of law and economic growth have been critically linked in the development of our Nation. The strength of our laws allows investors to trust that they can do business here. A legal system like ours provides protection and has allowed investors to innovate and take risks unsurpassed anywhere else in the world. Right now we are undergoing a necessary and painful examination of our system of regulation and of our financial markets and the risks that were taken. However, we have to be careful that, in this process of correction and damage control, we do not do more harm than good. I fear that if we legislate changes to the rules in the middle of the game, we begin to undermine the trust that has made us so strong. Do we really want to be dismantling confidence in our laws now? This body should be the safety measure against arbitrary governance, not the entity that ushers it in. Just because we can do it doesn't mean we should. Yes, we can take retroactive action. We have that sovereign right. And Congress has acted accordingly in the past. But we should do so carefully and in a limited and not a broad way. The Supreme Court has made it clear that Congress has the right to act retroactively, but its right is not unfettered. And our Founding Fathers were strong in their concern about breaching contracts. James Madison summed it up this way: Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws and laws impairing the obligation of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact and to every principle of sound legislation. I am concerned about unintended consequences that will impact the jobs linked to the financial services industry in the United States and the potential impact on our economic recovery efforts. The fact is, in New York, there aren't just fat cats on Wall Street. There are everyday people that commute to their jobs from my district. Those jobs are directly and indirectly linked to the financial services sector, and as the sector goes, so goes their jobs. I just heard from one company that is losing approximately 1,000 people a week, many going to foreign competitors, and they aren't able to hire enough employees to replace them. I've also heard from companies that are nervous about participating in public/private partnerships because of the uncertainty that Congressional action could cause. Our actions are having a chilling effect on government efforts to partner with the private sector in meaningful ways. In closing, Mr. Chairman, and to sum up, let's do something. Yes, we must do something. But let's do something that won't have unintended consequences. Let's not do something that will make an already difficult economic situation far worse and perhaps irreversibly so. Let's not cut off our nose to spite our face. I find myself, for the reasons outlined, concerned about H.R. 1664, even as I support most of its provisions and its intent. And I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I retain the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, Dr. John Hope Franklin was one of the most important Americans of the 20th century. He was a citizen of the world, a towering intellectual giant and scholar who ceaselessly endeavored, as one of the preeminent historians in our nation's history, to ensure that the contributions of African-Americans would not be relegated to the status of a footnote. Rather, through dedicated scholarship, he brought to light the rich contributions African- Americans have made to the United States of America. As he once said so eloquently, ``My challenge was to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and fairly.'' He understood intimately that the story of the greatest country on earth, the United States of America cannot be told without telling the story of African-American history and that in fact, they are one and the same. Dr. John Hope Franklin was considered the Dean of African American historians. John Hope Franklin was born on January 2, 1915 in Rentriesville, Oklahoma. His family relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma shortly after the Tulsa Disaster of 1921. Franklin's mother, Mollie, was a teacher and his father, B.C. Franklin, was an attorney who handled lawsuits precipitated by the famous Tulsa Race Riot. Graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1931, Franklin received an A.B. degree from Fisk University in 1935 and went on to attend Harvard University, where he received his A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in history. Franklin began his teaching career at Fisk University before moving on to St. Augustine's College. It was at North Carolina Central University, in 1945, with a $500 advance from Alfred A. Knopf, and help from his wife, Aurelia, that Franklin began writing the classic African American history text, From Slavery to Freedom. The book, co-authored by Alfred A. Moss, Jr., has been published in several different languages. In the early 1950s, Franklin served on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund team led by Thurgood Marshall that helped develop the sociological case for Brown v. Board of Education. This led to the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision ending the legal segregation of black and white children in public schools. Dr. Franklin taught at Howard University for nine years, before becoming the first black to chair the History Department at Brooklyn College in 1956. He was then hired by the University of Chicago in 1964 and chaired the History Department from 1967 to 1970. There, he served as the John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor from 1969 to 1982, when he was made Professor Emeritus. In 1982, Franklin joined the faculty at Duke University as the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History. Dr. Franklin was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. He was an early beneficiary of the fraternity's Foundation Publishers, which provides financial support and fellowship for writers addressing African-American issues. Active in professional organizations, Franklin served as president of the Southern Historical Society, the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association. He was a life-long member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, where he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Negro History. In 1997, he was appointed by Former President Bill Clinton as chairman of the advisory board for One America, the President's Initiative on Race. Dr. Franklin wrote hundreds of articles and at least 15 books. His recent works include Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantations with Loren Schweninger, George Washington Williams: A Biography and a book about his father My Life and an Era: the Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin as well as his own autobiography, The Vintage Years. In 1978 Who's Who in America selected Franklin as one of eight Americans who have made significant contributions to society. Among his many other awards are the Organization of American Historians Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Dr. Franklin was the personification of academic excellence, dignity, self empowerment and faith. He was the scribe of a generation of African-Americans who advocated, persevered, and helped to uplift our country to live up to its creed as the land of equal opportunity. On March 25, 2009, the world lost the beacon of light that was Dr. John Hope Franklin. To his family, I offer my deepest sympathies and condolences for their loss. And while our nation has lost one of its best and brightest, I know that his legacy is one that will surely endure.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, There are wonderful examples of academic achievement and community service taking place in Southeast Queens high schools. Many students throughout the New York Congressional 6th District are performing at such a high level in their academic work and community activities that it deserves public recognition. I have been so inspired that I initiated the Exemplary Student Achievement (ESA) award program to honor these young citizens who are emerging as our community's future leaders. Since the inception of the ESA program in September 2008, I have partnered with administrators and faculty in various Southeast Queens high schools to identify and honor worthy students. It has been my privilege to award the following students with Congressional Achievement Awards: Andrew Sargeant of Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship Magnet High School Brian Herb of Queens High School for the Sciences at York College Chandraika Niranjan of Math, Science Research & Technology Magnet High School Clevelyn Murray of Humanities & the Arts High School Deborah Hector of Humanities & the Arts High School Dookumarie Persaud of Jamaica High School Kevin Thom of Humanities & the Arts High School LeeAnn Anderson of Queens High School Mariama Donzo of Hillcrest High School Marquise Moore of Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship Magnet High School Miriam Gonzalez of Hillcrest High School Oniyebiyi Hinton of Humanities & the Arts High School Peter Brown of Math, Science Research & Technology Magnet High School Philipnary Thuyamany of Jamaica High School Reaz Khan of Jamaica High School Robin Singh of Queens High School for the Sciences at York College Shannon Gordon of Humanities and the Arts High School Shelly Lekhraj of Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship Magnet High School Tracy Ganga of Jamaica High School Tracy Mangal of Hillcrest High School Zora Jiles of Jamaica High School Through their strong commitment to academic excellence and community service, these high school students have established themselves as peer role models amongst their classmates. I am proud to have such stellar students emerging within the Southeast Queens community. I encourage them all to continue their academic studies and social development at a higher education institution. I look to them to continue representing the high standards that our district's families, schools, and community organizations promote. The people of Southeast Queens look to these youth to utilize their academic knowledge, practical skills, and social networks to strengthen our community's cultural, civic, business, and political institutions. It takes a village to raise a child, so it is important that I also recognize the family members, guardians, teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, and mentors who have provided these students with the guidance and resources making it possible for them to blossom into exemplary young leaders. I thank all of these individuals for their dedication and contributions to our youth and our community's future.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize a true hero that has emerged in the New York Congressional Sixth District. Mr. Melvin Cauley, Jr. has served the Far Rockaway community for five years as a United States Postal Service Mail Carrier. He has walked the community's streets to deliver the letters and packages that are vital to the livelihood of many of my constituents. Now, Mr. Cauley walks the community's streets as a hero, as a citizen who went above and beyond his professional duties to save the life of Mrs. Margaret O'Brien, a 70-year-old resident of Rockaway Beach. On January 29th, Mrs. O'Brien experienced a traumatic fall that rendered her helpless on her kitchen floor. For the next several days, Mr. Cauley delivered Mrs. O'Brien's mail without incident. Finally on February 5, Mr. Cauley took notice of the accumulated mail not collected by Mrs. O'Brien. This concerned him because Mrs. O'Brien often greeted him to receive his daily delivery. Mr. Cauley took action by notifying the 100th Police Precinct of her absence. At his insistence, the Police visited Mrs. O'Brien's home. Upon entering, they found Mrs. O'Brien lying on the floor unconscious, but alive. She was taken to a local medical facility where she was stabilized and has recovered since then. Mrs. O'Brien, who had lain on her floor for seven days, was saved because of the caring and decisive action of Mr. Cauley. Beyond delivering letters and packages, the United States Postal Service is an important community partner in protecting the wellbeing of my constituents. For three decades, the Postal Service has had a ``Carrier Alert'' program in which Postal Carriers are empowered to alert social service agencies and law enforcement when they suspect a threat to the safety of their customers. The ``Carrier Alert'' program is a natural extension of the care that Postal Carriers have traditionally shown for their customers' wellbeing. Mr. Cauley has demonstrated the great impact that the program can have in protecting the lives of community members. Mr. Cauley has established himself as a role model amongst his professional colleagues and community members, demonstrating what it is to be a dedicated citizen, on how to care for our neighbors, and the importance of rising to an occasion when circumstances necessitate it. I know that Mrs. O'Brien, her family, and her friends are grateful for his caring actions. On behalf of the Congressional Sixth District, I thank Mr. Melvin Cauley, Jr. for helping to save the life of Mrs. Margaret O'Brien.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, on Rollcall No. 16, I was avoidably delayed and just missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you for your hard work. Madam Speaker, I think what we are subjected to here today is similar to what the drunk driver syndrome is. We have a situation where none of us likes it, where none of us cares what's taking place here--the drunk driver, the one who is intoxicated. Well, the drunk drivers here are these markets that now have had a crash on a thoroughfare, the same thoroughfare that many individuals drive on, and that thoroughfare is blocked. Unfortunately, with the drunk driver, we have to come in and rescue that drunk driver and open up that thoroughfare so that traffic can flow through it. Well, that is what we have right here. We have individuals who were drunk. The regulators are the bartenders who continued to pour the drinks and who didn't stop them from drinking. Now they're drunk. They've gotten on the main thoroughfare and have had an accident. The accident has closed the highway. Unfortunately, this highway is also the highway where we have our IRAs. It's the highway where we have our 401(k)s. It's the highway where we have our pension funds. It's the highway where we have our car loans and our mortgages. We have to clear the highway so that Main Street can go through it and can continue to survive. I support this.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to commemorate the retirement and service of a great man of God, a great American, a great New Yorker, a dear friend and one of my constituents, the Reverend Dr. Walter A. Jones, Sr., senior pastor and organizer of the Majority Baptist Church, in St. Albans, NY. The Reverend Dr. Jones rose from humble beginnings to a position of honor and distinction among our Nation's Baptist ministers. As a man of the cloth, his service and commitment to his church and the community that it serves have helped to improve the quality of life and spiritual condition of the people who reside there. The Reverend Dr. Jones is a product of his hometown primary schools in Spartansburg, SC, and is a graduate of both the Friendship College of Rock Hill, SC, and the City College of New York, and has studied psychology at York College in Jamaica, NY. Reverend Jones received his ministerial training at the New York Theological Seminary of New York City, and his initial theological education began under the guidance of his spiritual mother, the late Reverend Dr. Katherine Brazley. The Reverend Dr. Jones is the former president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Queens, and he is a member of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York. Additionally, Reverend Dr. Jones is a member of the Eastern Baptist Association, the Ministers Conference of Hampton University, the Empire Convention of New York State and the National Baptist Convention. The Reverend Dr. Jones is also a member of the American Baptist Churches of New York City. The Reverend Dr. Jones is married to Mrs. Doris L. Hope-Jones and they are the proud parents of two sons and a daughter. The Reverend Dr. Walter A. Jones, Sr., senior pastor and organizer of the Majority Baptist Church, in St. Albans, NY, has been a pillar of strength, vision and hope in the St. Albans community, and I congratulate him on his many years of service to the church and our community.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Frank for this great work. This is probably one of the most important bills that we are going to pass in this 110th Congressional Session. When you look at what is taking place and you look at the fruits of what is going on in our economy, you see that the housing crisis is the catalyst for our Nation's current economic crisis. And what this bill does, it really is, it makes this House stand up for the true meaning of its creed, the people's House, because there are a lot of things in here that go to the people of the United States of America, the taxpayers who we entrust and know that they are the heartbeat of this economy. When you talk about creating equality in wealth, it is with homeownership. And what this bill does, it makes sure that individuals continue that homeownership. It makes sure the individual receives financial literacy. It makes sure that the unscrupulous lenders, you know, those people who were victimized by the unscrupulous lenders, that they are wiped out of the map and that people get counseling that is desperately needed in this place. And also it talks about organizations who have been integrally involved in creating opportunities to folks. This is a very good bill. I vote ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud my colleagues in the House, Members of the United States Senate, the Secretary of the Treasury, Financial Industry and Housing Sector advocates and, in particular, my friend and colleague, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank for providing the leadership and resources in crafting this landmark legislation, H.R. 3221, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. My district, New York's 6th Congressional District has among the highest rates of foreclosure in the Nation. This legislation will address the severe housing crisis that has been the catalyst for our Nation's current economic crisis and has disproportionately impacted the African-American community. There is ample evidence that this crisis is having a devastating and disproportionate impact on the African-American and Latino communities. This Congress has insured that the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 not only addresses the larger problems of industry giants like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but it also specifically targets urban, low income and minority communities and homeowners who have been affected by unscrupulous sub-prime and predatory loans. These loans have led to record rates of foreclosures that are having disastrous results in the African-American and Latino community. I am particularly heartened that the measure provides nearly $200 million in Federal funding for housing counseling services. These counseling services will provide funds for nonprofit groups that serve low income, minority and urban communities to provide desperately needed financial literacy outreach and education. Organizations such as the National Urban League, which has provided housing counseling services to our Nation for over 40 years and offers a wide variety of housing counseling services to homeowners, as well as low-to-moderate income renters. Housing counseling plays a key role in increasing financial awareness and Closing the wealth gap between minority and nonminority households. Throughout my tenure in the Congress, I have fought for an expansion of housing counseling and financial literacy services in an effort to improve the financial situation for minorities with respect to securing homeownership, maintaining. good credit and attaining monetary savings. I am pleased to hear that President Bush is no longer threatening to veto this much needed legislation. I would urge the Congress to move quickly to enact this historic legislation and to get it to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name from a bill, H.R. 2488.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the achievements of America's high school valedictorians and the graduating class of 2008. With House Resolution 1229, I know that I capture the sentiment of all Members of the 110th Congress in promoting the importance of intellectual growth and the academic excellence of America's graduating high school students. In my southeast Queens community, New York's Sixth Congressional District, I personally know that great achievements have taking place in the high schools servicing my young constituents. My district's graduating seniors have achieved a major milestone in their educational and social development. With this accomplishment, I now encourage these young adults to take their next major step towards becoming our Nation's future leaders and engaged citizens by entering higher education institutions or by beginning their young careers. For this graduation celebration, I want to specifically recognize the stellar accomplishments of our Nation's high school Valedictorians. Each year, every high school recognizes an individual student who has risen above his or her fellow students through their consistency of intellectual inquiry, in their demonstration of academic discipline, and their utilization of teacher mentoring. Through their dedication and hard work, these students have attained the position of top academically ranked student within their graduating class and are honored as the ``Valedictorian'' at their graduation ceremony. Throughout their high school careers, Valedictorians have served as peer role models to fellow high school students by succeeding academically and contributing to community improvement. It is their example that shines clearly to their fellow students and community members, demonstrating the dedication and drive that it takes to become America's future civic, business, and political leaders, and maintaining our Nation's global leadership position through strengthening its economic competitiveness. During this graduation season, let us not forget that no child achieves alone, but rather it takes an entire community to rear a socially and educationally mature child. Along with our Nation's valedictorians and graduating class, I want to recognize and honor the love, support, and contributions of the parents, community members, teachers, and school administrators, who have provided these students with the resources and guidance needed to achieve. It has been the selfless contributions of these individuals who have nurtured the intellectual growth and rewarded the academic achievements of our Nation's valedictorians and graduating seniors. In closing, I make the call to all graduating seniors to further their intellectual interests and academic studies by enrolling in universities and postsecondary educational institutions and to continue their social engagement, utilizing their knowledge and skills for the betterment of their communities and the social, cultural, and economic advancement of our great Nation.

Mr. MEEKS of New York

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Let me just say, in conclusion, Madam Speaker, that what this bill does, and what we're talking about around the Nation, in a time of economic crisis, at a time when people are wondering, many, how they could afford or what kind of apartments or homes they can afford, this bill is trying to assure that all Americans can indeed have a decent roof over their head, that all Americans will understand and have the opportunity to really live the American dream. And that's what makes us such a great country. And by this Congress stepping up to the plate, as it is, making sure that those who may not have as much money as others, but yet still can live in this great country, and can live in a facility such as Starrett City, which is clean, decent, affordable housing, says that we care about all of our people throughout these United States of America. And so I think it was ingenious, by the authors of this bill, led by Mr. Towns, along with Mr. King, in a bipartisan manner say that we're going to speak up and we're going to stand up, both Democrats and Republicans, that we're going to stand on the interests of making sure that there's affordable housing for those who need it. And that's what this bill does. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5937) to facilitate the preservation of certain affordable housing dwelling units.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Access to affordable housing is one of the most serious challenges facing our Nation today. Working families are experiencing the most trying economic downturn in nearly 25 years. Rising costs in food, household necessities, utilities, along with stagnating wages and daily increases in the price of gasoline are wreaking havoc upon the lives of hardworking American men and women. The precipitous increases in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures have caused record numbers of Americans to lose their homes. This crisis has been exacerbated by the unprecedented numbers of people being wait-listed for public housing which has grown significantly. The lack of affordable housing impacts every region of this Nation. My colleagues and I have been fighting to ensure access to affordable housing in New York and throughout the country. Among my chief responsibilities to the constituents of New York's Sixth Congressional District is to work to help provide affordable housing. For those reasons, my friend, Congressman Ed Towns, along with my friends and colleagues, Representatives Peter King, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and Nydia Velazquez introduced H.R. 5937 which will facilitate the preservation of affordable housing units. Madam Speaker, at this time I reserve the balance of my time.