Gwen Moore

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. This is the question I have for my colleagues here. If it's so clear, as you've indicated, gentlelady from Texas, that TRIO works, if it's so clear, as the gentleman from Virginia has indicated, that we need, in order to remain globally competitive and to continue to be the innovative country and to really develop a way to develop and create new revenues for our country, we're not going to just cut spending and raise taxes and have that be adequate for remaining a first-class nation. If it's true that we don't have enough upper-class students who are graduating from college that we can afford to ignore low-income white students, low-income African American students, low-income Hispanic students, low-income Asian students, disabled students and veterans who are in these programs, if we can't afford to ignore them, we've got to grab them and educate them so that we can meet those goals and that bar, why has TRIO been flat funded? What are the consequences of the fact that TRIO was flat funded during fiscal year 2006 and 2008, had just a minimal increase in 2009, a minimal increase in 2010 and, God bless him, our Appropriations Chair, Dave Obey, added $20 million to TRIO this cycle, but after all of the negotiations with the Senate, only $5 million was retained in that program. What are the consequences of reducing these vital services to TRIO students and our remaining competitiveness of the world? We need at least $200 million for this program.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I was just looking at an article that was published in Forbes Magazine recently, called Investing in America's Future, and one of the points that the author made was that in California, two-fifths of the State's jobs are expected to require college degrees by the year 2020. But the number of adults with those credentials will fall short. So it's not just a matter of providing an opportunity for middle-class and upper-class students. We've been joined by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, who has spoken often about the need for businesses to have an educated workforce. I've heard her speak very passionately about how there are so many requests among our business leaders for foreign students to come into the country because we don't have an educated workforce. And so, gentleman, I'd like you to respond to that.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Thank you so much. I'm so happy this evening that we've been joined by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee from Houston, Texas; and I would yield to her at this time.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Will the gentlelady yield?

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. This has been great, this has been fantastic, and I would say that the importance of this program is its diversity. It is not a program that just benefits one group of people. Thirty- seven percent of TRIO students are white, 35 percent are African Americans, 19 percent are Hispanics, 4 percent are Native Americans, 22,000 of TRIO's students are disabled students, and 25,000 are our beloved veterans. This is a program that embraces every American from all backgrounds and makes sure that money is not the reason that you cannot use your brain. Talk about a brain drain, it's a brain drain when the only thing that stands between you and greatness is an education. Thank you so much and good night.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Thank you so much, gentlelady from Houston, Texas. And thank you, my dear friend and colleague on the Budget Committee and also on the Education and Labor Committee. Before we close out this hour, I just want to sort of summarize what we have said here this evening. We really admire this Congress and our President for really revamping tuition and making adequate tuition a priority. It has been so important to revisit how we make student loans so that we don't just provide funding for bankers, that we actually use those funds for students, to simplify student forms. It is even important to invest in research about educational outcomes. It has been very, very important to have seen the dramatic increase in the Pell Grant because, without this tuition assistance, students would not be able to make it. Tuition assistance is a vital component in helping low-income and first-generation college students or any students get through college. Without these dollars, higher education would be unattainable for millions of students who rely on Pell to pay the bills. But all too often, Pell is a wasted investment for our low- income kids because they don't have access to guidance counselors and tutors and the other types of support that come with the TRIO programs. It doesn't do the student or our country much good if we spend millions on first-year Pell recipients only to have those students drop out after their second or third year. That's not a sound investment. A sound investment is making sure that when we commit to providing educational resources for our most vulnerable kids, we give them all the tools to successfully see that journey through. That's why we're here today. This Congress has drastically increased vital funding for Pell Grants. I have been and will continue to be a staunch supporter of that increased investment, but I also know that millions of those dollars will be wasted unless we also invest in the tools to get these students through college. More importantly, our country, our country, our beloved country that we love so much, and love so dearly, and a country that has given us an amazing life-style of modern living is at risk if we don't educate the future workforce. We have got to start with our tiny tots in early education, but that's a more long-term goal. Right now we are having an emergency, an emergency; students are either not graduating from high school or they are graduating with deficiencies. In order to step up, we need a TRIO program, a modest amount of funding, $200 million in the scheme of things, nothing like we are spending on all the other crises in this country, that would help these programs serve those students who are on waiting lists. With that, I would yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Thank you so much. That was just amazing information. The gentlelady from Texas, I would love to hear what you have to say on this matter.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Wow. Before I yield to the gentlelady, I just want to say that old adage, ``pennywise and pound foolish.'' I started this hour out by talking about all of the competing problems that we discuss on this floor, the cost of the war and cost of health care, costs of Medicare and Social Security, those entitlement programs, the cost of escalating the war in Afghanistan, the great recession where, at its height, 700,000 jobs were lost in a single month, the bailout funds for the ``too big to fail'' institutions. And so if we allow ourselves to get mired down in this and decide that $200 million for an education program is just too much money, that would be the perfect place to talk about pennywise and pound foolish, wouldn't you agree, gentleman?

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Thank you so much for that, gentleman. That is so important. You know, the Department of Education really bears this out. They say a high school dropout earns about $18,000 a year--of course that's if they're not costing us money in the prison system--a high school graduate, $26,000 a year, an associates degree, $38,000, and a bachelor's degree, $65,000. When we consider our aging baby boomers, we certainly are going to need to make sure that we have a lot of higher- income individuals working toward all of these innovations that we are so capable of.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. My colleague Representative Scott is a great mentor of mine. He serves on the Budget Committee, and he is an expert on one of the subjects that really consumes a great deal of time on this floor and in our committees, and that's the subject of the budget deficit and how we dig ourselves out of this hole. And I guess I was wondering if he would share--I'm sort of surprising him with this question, but I guess I would like for him to talk about the revenue options or the cutting options or how we got into this fiscal hole that we are in and what the role of educating and having an educated workforce will have on us ever being able to approach some sort of deficit reduction. And I will yield to the gentleman.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Gentleman, you indicated, I heard you say that we need to get all of our kids prepared to go to college. And I'm wondering if we aren't concerned about class warfare. We talked about those parents who are not low income. They've gone to college. They've had a college fund for their children early on. And perhaps these are parents who might feel somewhat resentful that there's a program out there that provides supportive services for low-income students, as I indicated, I mean, 41 percent of low-income students, just--I mean, if you're not an athlete and you can win a scholarship, you know, if you're not summa cum laude, valedictorian of your high school, you might not have access to scholarship funds. What would you say to those parents who do have a baccalaureate degree about the need to make sure we give access to all students to college?

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I just want to mention to the gentleman from Minnesota, we're neighbors in the Midwest, and of course you know there have been hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs that have been lost in the Midwest over the last 30 years. But since 2008, we have lost more jobs during 2008 than in any--for the last 70 years that these data and statistics have been collected. And so that, I think, is really telling about the attrition of jobs. I hear people often talking about how horrific the 10.4 percent unemployment rate is. If there were a 10.4 percent unemployment rate within the confines of the city of Milwaukee, we would be dancing in the street with delight. We have a researcher named Marc Levine from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee who has kept data of the discouraged workers-- those people who are not officially unemployed because they're no longer standing there, discouraged workers. And among white men in my community, we have a 17 percent unemployment rate. And we have a 40 to 50 percent unemployment rate among white men, and of course a staggering statistic, about 30 percent among Hispanic men. But about 17 percent among white men in our community. So it's really a crisis of gargantuan proportions.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Yes.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Well, thank you, gentlelady from Ohio for yielding. And I can tell you that I found the remarks of our Chair very, very compelling, and I guess I would agree with her. But I want to add that while a couple of the categories of the Congressional Black Caucus include infrastructure jobs and providing funds for local programs, and while I believe that there is a general call for these types of spending to stimulate our economy, I've heard on both sides of the aisle calls for moneys to be used for infrastructure improvements. I would say, with a qualification, that we need to make sure the funds for infrastructure projects go directly to cities and counties and allow those governments the flexibility to determine where the greatest infrastructure needs are for their communities. I think that while the Recovery Act saved between 600,000 and 1.6 million jobs, we ought to learn from some of the mistakes that were made there, and I think that the Congressional Black Caucus, in its wisdom, has pointed out that we need to target our initiatives more and not just give the moneys to those States that don't necessarily target those funds, and make sure that it gets to the cities and States to work on infrastructure programs that are needed. The other qualification that I would give, and I think that the Chair raised it in her comments, is that we need to make sure that the infrastructure projects include those people that--that they target them to those communities that are in need. And with that, I would say that we need to target, we need to create programs for pre- apprenticeship programs so that all of the moneys don't go to those, all of it doesn't go to those laborers and those folks who are typically building within our communities, those people who already have some of the skill sets and education that can transition them into the new energy-related initiatives, but that we ought to look at pre- apprenticeship programs so that we can expose individuals with low skill sets to other workers with family-supporting jobs by working alongside with them nearby and on the same projects. From those experienced workers, the pre-apprentice participants can learn a pathway on how to move forward and develop those skill sets that will move them up the career ladder, and at the same time, provide them with sustainable income. To help enforce this, lady from Ohio, I believe that contractors could be required to include a certain percentage of pre-apprenticeship participants in their so-called Federal floor participation of women and minority workers that is already required by executive order. The reality is that we cannot afford to wait while the unemployment rate for minorities continues to rise. Unemployment, reemployment is a lagging indicator, and we can't wait until we reduce these numbers. The unemployment rate among black males is currently 15.6 percent. And by April of 2009, the gap between black and white men grew to a 13-year high of 7 percent. The time is now. And I urge my colleagues to consider all proposals that present the American people with a jobs bill that not only creates jobs, but sets up training programs and education programs that will help dislocated workers gain new skills that will lead to sustainable employment. Now, Madam Chairman, lady from Ohio, I have in fact, mentioned that we need to work toward helping women and minorities get into these infrastructure jobs and the new energy-related jobs. And there has been feedback that we ought not target this specifically toward a particular race, or perhaps toward a particular gender. But when you look at the framework that the Congressional Black Caucus has laid out, that we need to target it toward those census tracks where there is a dearth of persons who have these kinds of jobs, or who are unemployed, we will find, much to many people's amazement, that there's a great deal of poverty among minorities, and there certainly is a great deal of poverty among women who find themselves increasingly heading households and providing the greatest source of income. I thought it was very interesting that Maria Shriver recently did a study that really elucidated the fact that women were providing a greater and greater amount of the family income. And so this is something that I think the Congressional Black Caucus is raising in a very timely manner. And with that I would yield back to the gentlelady from Ohio.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I could not resist coming to you and speaking to you about my experience when we passed the financial reform bill last Friday. You know, Wall Street has provided an unparalleled life-style for Americans. The speculation and the brilliance and genius of futures and credit default swaps and derivatives have provided us with a life-style where every bride can have a diamond ring and every handsome groom can have a gold band. We can have two cars, one a gas-guzzling SUV, lobster dinners, McMansions, Madam Speaker, with six bedrooms, five fireplaces, 4\1/2\ baths but, of course, not enough closet space for all the shoes and designer clothes that we have. Last fall, all of this balloon spending came to a crash. And it was amazing to me, Madam Speaker, that when we tried to rein in Wall Street and some of the speculation, that there was tremendous resistance from both parties with developing a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, putting together an assessment from all of these ``too big to fail'' companies to pay for an orderly dissolution of the mess that they created. I can tell you, Madam Speaker, it was amazing to me. This bill that we passed, for those who have asked the question, what is government for, this bill demonstrates better than anything that I have seen what the purpose of government is, and that is to regulate unfettered greed and avarice that can bring our country and, indeed, the world to financial brink.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill because domestic violence costs as much as $750 billion to our health care system.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I am disappointed that we have gotten to the point that the House even has to consider this resolution before us this week. I am inclined to vote for this resolution but not without reservations. My vote for this resolution should not be read either as an endorsement of Operation Lead Cast or as an endorsement of the position that investigations of serious allegations of war crimes should not be undertaken. We cannot act as if the devastating war in Gaza in January did not have consequences for Palestinians, Israelis, and the international community. We cannot and should not brush aside legitimate allegations about abuses committed by both sides during this conflict. Yet, now more than ever, we also need to intensify efforts to resolve the very serious issues that had unfortunately led to many needless deaths and continuing tensions and may continue to do so if we let the status quo linger. I have reservations that the resolution before the House this week would do nothing to defuse the demagoguery that has long plagued the Middle East and to help steer us to a future devoid of more rocket attacks or violence in the region. Ten months after the ``cessation'' of overt fighting in Gaza, tensions remain high and both the Palestinian and Israeli people continue to live with tremendous insecurity and fear. I am dismayed that it appears to be only a matter of time until the endless cycle of violence repeats itself again along with the resumption of increased misery for innocent Israeli and Palestinian men, women, and children in the region. We as a Congress, at this point, would be better served by trying to support efforts to reinvigorate the peace process, defuse these mounting tensions, and pressing both parties to meet at the negotiating table. Nonetheless, the Goldstone report includes some very serious charges relating to possible war crimes or other crimes against humanity committed by Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups. To give just one example, there are allegations of deliberate and premeditative efforts to target a wastewater treatment plant--that did not have any link to ``Palestinian armed groups or any other effective contribution to military action''--sending over 200,000 cubic meters of raw sewage onto farmland. What is lacking in this report is a full and complete accounting of the reckless, indiscriminate, and ongoing use of rockets by Hamas and other groups to target innocent civilians in Israel. Such a report cannot shortchange such an effort because doing so allows those seeking to score political points--rather than seeking peace, stability, and accountability--to hijack this process. Again, the breadth and gravity of these charges demand that these ``facts'' be established in a comprehensive and fair way. Yet, even our own State Department--which has been actively engaged in pursuing peace in the region and urging both sides to move that process forward--has raised concerns about both the mandate for the report as well as the report itself, noting ``serious concerns about the report's unbalanced focus on Israel, its sweeping factual and legal conclusions, and many of its recommendations.'' I am not saying that there should not be a serious and comprehensive finding of fact that can serve as a starting point on the road to truth and justice about what occurred on both sides. But this is not it. The lack of a widely credible report on potential human rights abuses during the Gaza conflict is a missed opportunity to advance peace or stability in the region. It does not advance accountability. In a region with plenty of easy opportunity for division and unleashing of tensions, I believe that a more widely credible report could have been so much more useful in promoting transparency about what occurred, justice for those affected, and the prospect of a future peace for all. And it would have made this resolution on the floor this week unnecessary.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Elmer Winter, a noted Milwaukee philanthropist, entrepreneur, artist, and author. In 1948, Mr. Winter cofounded Manpower, Inc., based in Milwaukee, WI and today the largest temporary employer in the world. Elmer Winter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 6, 1912. His father was a clothing merchant and belonged to a small, liberal Jewish community in Milwaukee in the 1920s. He was educated in Milwaukee Public Schools, graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in economics as well as a law degree. He practiced law in partnership with his brother-in-law, Aaron Scheinfeld. Manpower began with the illness of their secretary: Winter and Scheinfeld were frantic to find a typist in order to finish a legal brief for the state Supreme Court. The deadline was met only because a former secretary worked until dawn. The partners knew that other businesses must face these types of challenges and launched the temporary help agency with an investment of $7000. Manpower is now a multibillion-dollar company with 30,000 employees in 4,100 offices throughout 82 countries. Mr. Winter had many community-building interests such as improving the central city of Milwaukee, including its schools. ``I am very much concerned about the movement of corporate executives away from public schools to charter and voucher schools,'' he said in 2000. ``Corporations have forgotten about the fact that we have 100,000 young people in the public school system that need help''. Mr. Winter considered jobs as the bedrock for any social reform because a job meant a better place to live, streets that are safe, and kids who are out of mischief. In his spare time, he created art and wrote 13 published books. As a painter and sculptor his work was displayed throughout the United States and Israel. His efforts included everything from the Youthpower Jobs Program to getting business-donated computers refurbished at the state women's prison at Taycheedah for MPS classrooms. Mr. Winter founded the Milwaukee Center for Independence, which serves people with disabilities and is one of Milwaukee's largest nonprofit agencies. He served as a national president of the American Jewish Committee and worked on behalf of the Jewish community on both the national and international level. Mr. Winter formed and led the Committee for the Economic Growth of Israel, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding trade relationships between Israel and the United States. Mr. Winter was married to Nannette Rosenberg for 54 years and together they raised three daughters, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Nannette passed away in 1990. In 1992 he married Hope Melamed. Mr. Winter retired as president of Manpower in 1976. He drove daily to the office he maintained at Manpower's headquarters in Milwaukee until shortly before his death on October 22, 2009, at the age of 97. Madam Speaker, Milwaukee has experienced a profound loss of a valued native son with the passing of Mr. Winter. Today, I thank him and his family for their immeasurable achievements. I mourn his loss and salute his legacy to our community and the world.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I thank the chairwoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the fiscal year 2010 Agriculture appropriations conference report, and specifically the provision included in the bill that will grant Wisconsin a waiver in the Child and Adult Food Care Program to serve a third meal through the At-Risk After-School Supper Program. As a matter of fact, Representative Andre Carson and I have introduced H.R. 3321 that would also provide a third After-School Supper meal. I want to thank the chairwoman here and Senator Herb Kohl in the Senate for diligently putting together a bill with record funding that will help to meet the needs of all those who are food insecure. Every 35 seconds a child is born into poverty, and in the United States 12 million children are at risk of going hungry. In the city of Milwaukee, a city I represent, this is the 11th-poorest large city in the Nation, and we are in dire need of this expansion. Mr. Speaker, as a school-aged youth, I attended school hungry every day. But now that our country is facing a recession, all signs point to an epidemic of hunger unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of people we have seen living in poverty and suffering from very low food security rose from 8.5 million to 11.9 million. This is a 40 percent increase in the numbers of households living in poverty. In my own city of Milwaukee, we have the largest achievement gap between blacks and whites in Wisconsin. But studies have shown that students who eat nutritious meals every day perform better on standardized tests, improve reading and are more attentive in class. Every single day this program provides 3.1 million children with nutritious meals. Mr. Speaker, I again congratulate the gentlewoman.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Marshall and Marjorie Barlow for being selected for the 2009 Angels in Adoption Award. This award is to honor the tremendous and selfless work of two of my constituents that has enriched the lives of foster children and orphans. I believe the Barlow family is truly deserving of this high honor and I want to commend them for their service to our community. According to most recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2006, 79,000 children were taken away from their parents in the court systems but only 51,000 were adopted. According to the same data, in 2006, there were a total of 510,000 children in the U.S. foster care system that needed a safe environment to live. These startling facts demonstrate that foster care families, like the Barlows, are so tremendously important for helping and preserving our nation's most valuable investment for the future, our children. Marshall and Marjorie have gone consistently above and beyond the call of duty by taking on a rather specialized role in the foster care system. In addition to over 400 children who have entered their doors, the Barlow family serves as an assessment family. Assessment families are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to ensure that a potential adopting family meets the requirements for providing a safe and caring environment for the children. The Barlow family also shows their deep and personal dedication to the foster care system through many different aspects of their own lives. For example, their household contains what they call a ``virtual store,'' a collection of clothes, toys, and care items for children of all ages. Another example of their generosity is when Marjorie and Marshall, already parents of three, opened their family to one of their foster children. The first young woman that they took in was pregnant and they helped her give birth to the first child that they adopted into their own family, Taliyah. Marshall and Marjorie Barlow are truly deserving of this honor and recognition for their dedication to such a noble cause. The Barlow family is a true inspiration to us for touching the lives of so many children that desperately need our help.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. I am so proud of the light that Congress shined on domestic violence 15 years ago this week, of the work that the dedicated staff and advocates have done for the past decade and a half, and of the bravery shown by victims and their families. For 15 years now, the Office on Violence Against Women has served as a safe haven for families everywhere. Through it, we have provided services and counseling during victims' darkest hours, emergency and transitional shelter in times of need, and legal assistance to help prosecute perpetrators. Domestic violence is a scourge in this country, one that recognizes no income brackets, no race, no age. Earlier this week, I joined my constituents in Wisconsin for the fourth annual Brides Walk. We donned wedding dresses and marched through the streets of Milwaukee, calling attention to the violent murder of Gladys Ricart. Gladys was in the process of handing her bouquet to her maid of honor 8 years ago in New York when a former lover burst into the church and killed her in her wedding dress. Domestic violence is not a private matter. Domestic violence against a partner or a child, whether physical or mental, is not okay. On this anniversary, I urge my colleagues to recommit themselves once again to ending this injustice in our country.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation. The Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation was created in 1999 founded on the Potawatomi belief ``to take what we need and give back what we can.'' A review of the history of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe will help to understand their desire to give back to the community. The tribe was forcibly removed from its homeland, endured strained relationships with governments, and lived in hardship and poverty. They survived by relying upon their internal strength and sharing with each other. Through its foundation, the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe now provides to others who are struggling in the community. I believe that despite of or rather because of these centuries' old struggles, the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation has emerged to reflect their tribal values and beliefs to return assistance to the communities where they live and work. The Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation supports civic and community projects, such as public health care issues, education, economic development, and the arts. They have funded many different types of organizations ranging from large, well known associations to small grassroots organizations. The foundation meets with any organization that applies for a grant and, if funded, works in partnership with the group to ensure success. The foundation feels each agency it funds allows them to carry on the Potawatomi tradition of ``giving back what we can.'' Now celebrating their 20th Anniversary, the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation has delivered over $18 million dollars to more than 250 charities and nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Milwaukee area. I am grateful for their empathetic spirit of giving. Madam Speaker for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation for their support, dedication and service to the people of my district and throughout Wisconsin.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw awareness to the unconscionable human tragedy that is still taking place in the Darfur region. It has been 5 years since the United States Congress declared genocide in Darfur, but thousands continue to perish. Today I join activists in 34 countries who started fasting in April when eight organizations were kicked out of Darfur by the Sudanese President, leaving 1.1 million innocent civilians without basic access to food, water, and medicine. From sunrise to sunset today, I will consume only water to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Darfur. It is an insignificant act relative to the magnitude of the tragedy unfolding there. But I join thousands in this simple act and hope that a critical mass will prick our global consciousness, keep us focused on the hundreds of thousands who have lost their lives. I especially want to thank the Plymouth United Church of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, members of the Faith Darfur Coalition, who are joining me today. My fast won't stop the tragedy unfolding in Darfur, but I hope it will carry me deeper into thought and to help me reflect on how to end this tragedy.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a visionary, veteran, mentor, ambassador for the African American community, and grassroots activist. On September 12, 2009, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Ballroom, Reuben K. Harpole, Jr. will celebrate his 75th birthday being honored by grateful members of the community for 50 years of service. Mr. Harpole was born in Milwaukee to parents Mardee Johnson Harpole and Mr. Reuben K. Harpole, Sr. After graduating from North Division High School, he earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education from UWM. He and his wife Mildred are long time members of All Saints Catholic Church. After his parents' divorce, Mr. Harpole and his three siblings were raised by his single parent mom and his maternal grandparents. Mr. Harpole was close to his Grandfather Johnson who ran numerous family businesses, all while working fulltime at a Milwaukee foundry. Mr. Harpole worked for 31 years at UWM. When he retired in 1997 he was a Senior Outreach Specialist at UWM's Center for Urban Community Development. Since 1998, he has served as Special Advisor to the President of the Helen Bader Foundation. Mr. Harpole created and managed the Sankofa-Youth Development Program Area for 10 years, awarding more than $5.6 million in grant dollars to small grassroots- oriented youth organizations in Milwaukee's low-income neighborhoods. Mr. Harpole helped initiate Homework First, an educational enrichment program serving low income students in more than 40 Milwaukee Public Schools. Mr. Harpole received numerous awards including: an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2005 from UWM, as well as the St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church's 2006 Dr. Martin Luther King Award. He and his wife of 50 years, Mildred were recipients of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund's 2005 Community Service Award, the YMCA's 2004 Lincoln Gaines Award, and the 1993 Vatican II Awards. Mr. Harpole helped found numerous organizations benefitting the greater Milwaukee community. He continues to serve in a leadership role in various community groups including: the Community Brainstorming Breakfast Forum, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Black School Educators, and the United Negro College Fund. Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Reuben K. Harpole, Jr. Mr. Harpole's contributions have greatly benefitted the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chair, as Congress continues to address proposals intended to decrease the poverty gap and increase access to higher education for low-income and first generation college students, as well as at-risk youth, I strongly encourage a significant funding boost for Federal TRIO programs. TRIO has offered effective supportive services with proven results for hundreds of thousands of students across the country. However, these local programs work on a shoestring budget that forces them to turn away thousands of eligible students every year. I applaud the increase that TRIO received in the FY 2010 House Labor- HHS-Education Appropriations bill, but it is nowhere near enough to address the need. I offered an amendment to increase funding by an additional $5 million, offset by a new and unproven grant program that aims to accomplish exactly the same goals that the proven TRIO program is already working towards. I fully support innovation, but not at the expense of meeting the needs of students now. TRIO is a proven program currently serving nearly 850,000 at-risk students ranging from middle school to college students nearing graduation. TRIO provides the academic and personal support that young, low- income, and at-risk students need to help take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them. TRIO students who have participated in pre-college programs have a higher matriculation rate than other low-income students. In 2005, 77.3% of all students who participated in Upward Bound programs immediately went to college the following fall and 86.5% of students who participated in Upward Bound-Math Science went directly to college. Similarly, 73% of Talent Search participants enrolled in college the fall following high school graduation. These figures stand in sharp contrast to the immediate college enrollment rate of all low-income high school students--only 41%. Several data sources illustrate the success of TRIO by showing that students who participate in TRIO Student Support Services (SSS), with Pell Grant funding, are almost 10% more likely to attain a bachelor's degree than those who solely received Pell Grants without SSS participation. 51% percent of campuses that enroll over 1,000 Pell recipients host SSS programs. Yet, the average size of an SSS grant only allows a typical program to serve a portion (25.11%) of eligible students. Many others--students for whom consistent supportive services could mean the difference between a college degree and dropping out--do not receive the support they need. TRIO has not received a significant increase since FY 2006. According to the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Education 2009, current TRIO funding levels are only sufficient to serve 11% of the students who are eligible for help. Students from the bottom income quartile ($38,660 or under per family) have a 25% chance at completing a college degree once they begin. In contrast, students from the top quartile ($105,800 or over per family) have a 95% chance of completing a college degree. As such, services offered by the TRIO programs become all the more critical to ensure that such students have the opportunity to become economically viable and independent members of our post-industrial, global society. The High School Graduation Initiative is an untested program that received $50 million dollars in the Department of Education Appropriations Act of 2010. It aims for the same goals as TRIO, yet it is unproven. My amendment would have drawn $5 million from this fund to put towards TRIO. It is not enough to ensure that this effective program can reach all eligible students, but it is a start.