Donald Payne

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of House Concurrent Resolution 285. As a father of three, grandfather of triplet grandchildren and another--four grandchildren, and one great grandchild, I certainly am here to say that I think that Father's Day is a wonderful day. I was very privileged to have my children take me to a wonderful brunch, as they do every Father's Day. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to vote in favor of this resolution.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 285, which honors and celebrates the observance of the centennial anniversary of Father's Day this past Sunday, and to recognize the importance of fatherhood. This resolution highlights the long history of Father's Day, first celebrated on June 19, 1910, to honor the love and commitment that fathers give our children and their families. Every year on the third Sunday in June, families across this Nation stop to thank fathers for the hard work and dedication it takes to be a supportive and involved parent. The tradition of Father's Day began 100 years ago in Spokane, Washington. The day was first recognized nationally by President Coolidge in 1924, who urged States to follow suit. President Nixon signed the proclamation in 1972 permanently observing Father's Day as the third Sunday in June. Supportive fathers play a significant and influential role in their child's development. Children with loving fathers generally have healthier self-esteem, better peer relationships, more pro-social behavior, and an enjoyment of learning new skills. A positive environment at home also helps children thrive academically and get involved in extracurricular activities. By commending the hard work and dedication of fathers during the centennial celebration of Father's Day, we encourage responsible fatherhood and happy, successful, and stronger families and communities. I want to thank Representative McMorris Rodgers for bringing this resolution to the floor and urge my colleagues to pass this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 285 into the Record.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 285) recognizing the important role that fathers play in the lives of their children and families and supporting the goals and ideals of designating 2010 as the Year of the Father.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1034) expressing support for designation of July 2010 as ``Braille Literacy Month'', as amended.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge the support of Senate bill 2865, the Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act, to the full body.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2865, which reauthorizes the Congressional Award Program. The Congressional Award is a public- private partnership created by Congress in 1979 that works to recognize the initiative, achievement, and service of America's youth, ages 14 to 23. Participants earn recognition and bronze, silver, and gold Congressional Award certificates or medals based on their involvement in four key areas: volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration. Participants in the Congressional Award Program set and achieve personally challenging goals based on their individual interests, needs, and abilities. Because these participants set their own goals, the program is open and inclusive of youth of all ability levels. S. 2865 provides for the reauthorization of the Congressional Award Program until October 2013. It will allow the Congressional Awards Foundation to confer awards to the many youth who have completed their goals and service. We recognize the outstanding contributions of over 27,700 individuals who have participated in the Congressional Award Program since its inception, and over 1,500 youth from 45 States earned certificates or medals at one of the six award levels this current year. We congratulate them on their achievement and thank them for an outstanding 2.5 million hours of combined volunteer service. In fact, this morning, Members of Congress and community leaders will join together to honor 252 recipients of the Congressional Award Gold Medal. These recipients will represent the best of the best of the young people working to meet their goals. They will be congratulated by NFL star Michael Oher and Deputy Secretary of Education Anthony Miller. We wish these young people continued success in their personal, professional and educational goals. We also thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Gus Bilirakis, who serve on the Congressional Award board of directors. Their contributions to the program are an important part of this Congress' support of the outstanding youth who participate in the Congressional Award Program. Mr. Speaker, once again I express my support for Senate bill 2865 and the reauthorization of the Congressional Award Program. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on S. 2865 into the Record.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2865) to reauthorize the Congressional Award Act (2 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), and for other purposes.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time but would like to urge that House Resolution 1373 be passed. We also in my district on Saturday will be having a community meeting dealing with obesity, in line with the President and First Lady Obama's initiative to battle obesity. We've been doing this now for the past decade. It's in epidemic proportions in some districts. So we do urge the people to come out to Metropolitan Church on Saturday to participate. But we believe that this is very important. The health of our Nation is at stake. And so I certainly urge support of the National Physical Education and Sport Week, House Resolution 1373, and urge passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes).

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to pay tribute to the wonderful accomplishments of Gene A. Vincenti as he retires from Rutgers Newark. It is indeed a pleasure for me to add my congratulations to that of his family, friends and colleagues of the Rutgers Newark community as they celebrate in honor of ``Mr. Rutgers Newark.'' For all the contributions he has made over the years, Mr. Vincenti deserves to be feted on this marvelous although melancholy occasion. Rarely has an individual been such an integral part of a university by having received both undergraduate and graduate degrees and going on to work at the same institution for over 38 years. However, that is exactly what Gene has done. His career at Rutgers Newark can only be described as mutually beneficial. Having worked with three provosts and three presidents, Gene has been instrumental in helping to develop the current landscape of Newark. In addition to his involvement with the Council for Higher Education in Newark, CHEN, alliance, Gene had a hand in determining the locations of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Prudential Arena. He also had input on redeveloping the Broad Street train station and the Broad and Halsey Street areas near the campus. Gene's involvement in CHEN and his numerous years as a champion of Rutgers Newark helped to create some dynamic improvements and image boosting initiatives for the City of Newark. His sphere of influence in the community and the synergy he helped to create through CHEN will always be remembered by the many students, administrators and residents of the Greater Newark area. Madam Speaker, I know my fellow members of the House of Representatives agree that Gene Vincenti has been a part of the fabric of Newark Rutgers and that his departure will leave a void that will not easily be filled. We wish him well in this new phase of his life.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the radical reactionary Republicans are at it again; they want to repeal everything. The radical reactionary Republicans want to repeal the fact that children can stay on their parents' health care policy up to age 26. The radical reactionary Republicans want to repeal the fact that there will be no preconditions. The radical reactionary Republicans are the repeal Republicans. Any step forward, let's repeal them and turn them back. The radical reactionary Republicans are the new repeal Republicans; the no Republicans. Let's keep the status quo as we move on to meet the foe. Let's move forward with progress.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of World Malaria Day, which occurs on April 25th. For millions around the world--particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the global malaria burden is heaviest--the disease is a daily reality, an enduring epidemic that kills millions and impedes the progress and ambitions of entire nations. In the last decade, however, it has been proven that this need not be the case; that malaria can, in fact, be defeated. Between 2000 and 2009, 384,000 lives were saved in 12 African countries alone, through resources like insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and malaria prevention for women during pregnancy. This was accomplished through the efforts and support of many countries, organizations, and companies that effectively raised the level of prevention, treatment, program support, and health system-strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, Congress authorized an historic $48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs by passing H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. But the current level of funding is not where it needs to be to ensure that these life- saving measures reach the people who need them. In fact, current funding is only 25 percent of what is needed to achieve the malaria intervention and elimination goals established by the UN and the Roll Back Malaria partnership. World Malaria Day is an opportunity to raise awareness for this cause and address its inherent challenges. This is not an endeavor for which we lack the knowledge, skills, or resources to win. Rapidly scaling up the distribution of malaria control interventions has been proven to have a dramatic impact on reducing illnesses and deaths caused by malaria. There is a plan in place to put us on the path to eliminating this disease and, through our foreign assistance, we, as Americans, are an integral part of that plan. Congressman Boozman and I launched the Congressional Malaria Caucus to promote awareness in Congress of the efforts being made to stamp out the disease. We now have close to 60 Members of the Caucus, and I encourage us to see this plan through and help those who face the daily burden of malaria to reach their potential as a nation and as people.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I commend my colleagues and President Obama for working diligently to enact a variety of tax cuts totaling $800 billion. These tax cuts are broad based and touch on many aspects of American life, from investing in small businesses, to buying a home, to sending your children to college, to buying a car. I believe that tax cuts are helping American families and businesses across the country and injecting consumer demand into the economy and spurring business investment and job creation. The Recovery Act provides immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers and their families. The Making Work Pay tax credit provides a tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for couples filing jointly. This tax credit helps over 240,000 families in my congressional district. In addition, the first-time home buyers tax credit was increased to $8,000. An estimated 35,000 households in New Jersey have taken advantage of the tax credit. So I ask to keep America moving in the right direction.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this great health care reform bill.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we have been debating health care reform for over 1 year. Today I am urging my colleagues to step up to the plate with courage and vote for passage of this critical legislation. If we don't move forward, the American people will be faced with grave consequences due to our inaction. Rising health costs are crushing American families, forcing small businesses to choose between health care and jobs. Madam Speaker, $1 out of every $6 in the U.S. economy is spent on health care today. If we do nothing, in 30 years $1 out of every $3 in our economy will be tied up in health care. If we fail to pass health care reform, families could see their spending on premiums and out-of- pocket insurance costs rise 34 percent in 5 years and 79 percent in 10 years. Without reform, every 4 years 3.5 million American jobs will be lost. More importantly, if we fail to pass reform, insurance companies will be allowed to continue to deny coverage for preexisting conditions. Insurance companies will be allowed to drop coverage when you get sick. I urge you to pass this bill now.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Let me begin by commending Mr. Meeks from New York and Ms. Waters from California for this very important legislation, H.R. 4573, Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti. I also would like to acknowledge Mr. Bachus for his very impassioned speech. Yet I am not surprised. Mr. Bachus, you may recall, when we were fighting the brutal Government of Sudan, we tried to get capital market sanctions. You supported our legislation that brought Mr. Greenspan to the Senate to say, Defeat the Payne-Bachus legislation because it would disrupt the stock market. So I commend you again for the great work that you have done. Madam Speaker, as we have mentioned, Haiti has had such a tremendous history. Since we know what is in the bill, I might also mention that it was during the Revolutionary War that Haitian soldiers fought in one of the key battles, the Battle of Savannah, where just recently a statue was completed in Savannah. I spoke at the dedication a year or so ago. It turned the tide of the war. Haitian soldiers fought in a number of battles to help the original colonies of the United States become independent from Britain. So they shed blood for our independence. Many people didn't know that. Then, as you know, with the defeat of Napoleon's army by Haiti, as was talked about, the reparations that had to be paid back caused France to be cash poor and land rich. It therefore forced them to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States because it had lost the cash that Haiti had produced. Over 50 percent of all the commodities of tea and coffee and sugar in Europe came from Haiti. France lost that and therefore needed the cash from the Louisiana sale to have its treasury boosted. As a result, the Lewis and Clark expedition began in St. Louis, and the United States was able then to take the rest of this Nation. Once again, Haiti had a tremendous part of this.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure for me to add my congratulations to that of her family and friends as Sarah Carter Perry Brown celebrated her 105th birthday at a Book Discussion and Tribute in her honor on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at The Newark Public Library. For all the contributions she has made over the years, Sarah Carter Perry Brown deserves to be feted on this marvelous occasion. Sarah was born and raised in Jefferson, Georgia, to Reverend Thomas Gray Carter, and his wife, Channie Louisa Tatman Carter. Sarah was a witness to the cruelty African Americans faced as a result of the enforced Jim Crow Laws. She migrated north to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for better opportunities, later settling in Sicklerville, New Jersey. A strong and dedicated woman, Sarah Carter Perry Brown has always had faith when facing difficult challenges. Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded in 1928 by Sarah and her brother, Reverend Hezekiah Carter in Philadelphia. Sarah has a gift for healing others whether it is with her kind words or her use of natural remedies. She proves to be the matriarch of her family, serving as a mother figure to all those who know her. As Sarah Carter Perry Brown celebrates another year, I want to join all those gathered in wishing her a very Happy Birthday and many more!

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center for being recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) with the Gold Performance Achievement Award. Recipients of the Get with the Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) must demonstrate a minimum of 85 percent compliance with the Coronary Artery Disease treatment guidelines for heart failure. Newark Beth Israel has exceeded the minimum and is receiving a Performance Award for the second consecutive year. Newark Beth Israel was the first hospital in New Jersey to perform a heart transplant. Since then, the Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program has evolved into one of the nation's most active and respected centers. Newark Beth Israel is also the only Medicare- certified medical center in the state performing heart transplants. The center provides the most technologically advanced medical services, equipment, and research, protecting and improving the health of the region. Newark Beth Israel also responds to the needs of the community. In addition to an annual health fair for community members, Newark Beth Israel sponsors health screenings free of cost for members of the Newark community throughout the year. Madam Speaker, it gives me great honor to acknowledge such an outstanding hospital. The administration and staff members of Newark Beth Israel go beyond the call of duty to provide quality service to the citizens of New Jersey and beyond.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was created in the first month of President Obama's term after what was reported to be the worst recession since the Great Depression. Just 1 year ago, our Nation was headed towards an economic collapse with the loss of about 600,000 jobs a month. State and local budget cutbacks were putting teachers' jobs and students' educations in jeopardy. There was no doubt that our economy was in grave need to immediately begin to save and create jobs and lay a foundation for the long-term economic recovery. This month marks the 1-year anniversary of the passage of the Recovery Act which has jump-started our economy by saving and creating as many as 2.4 million jobs and providing $120 billion in tax cuts for 95 percent of working families as well as businesses across the country. The act has loaned nearly $20 billion to small businesses to expand and create jobs, funded more than 12,500 transportation projects nationwide and kept police officers and firefighters on the job. It has funded more than 300,000 educational jobs, keeping teachers in their classrooms. Mr. Speaker, I say let's continue the work.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Let me express my appreciation to the gentlelady from Cleveland for calling this Special Order. She has been such a tremendous resource to the Congressional Black Caucus. And as we know, the Congressional Black Caucus has been very involved in Haiti for many, many years. For the 22 years that I have been a Member of this Congress, Haiti has always been number one on the agenda. And we went through the years when there were dictatorships, and then the elections and President Aristide being elected to office, and then his being deposed and the military, General Cedras, Biamby and those folks took over. And then President Clinton having the foresight to restore President Aristide; 22,000 U.S. troops went to restore democracy without us having even one casualty. And the current situation where President Aristide left and the new government of Preval. So we have been involved throughout the years. Let me tell you that when we heard the news of the earthquake, 7.0 on the Richter scale, only 6 miles deep, bringing it so close to the surface it made the magnitude even greater, the aftershocks that continued, we immediately said we must do something and do something quickly and do something drastic. So since the earthquake, the Congressional Black Caucus has mobilized to holding emergency meetings regarding Haiti with USAID, the Department of State, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the region to get a sense of the effort on the ground in order to take information back to our constituents and organize the legislative efforts in Congress. On Wednesday, January 13, the CBC international task force called an emergency meeting with the CBC staff regarding the devastation in Haiti. USAID Deputy Administrator John Brause briefed staff about the U.S. response and the extent of the situation. Counselor Cheryl Mills, chief of staff to Secretary of State Clinton, briefed CBC members on January 13 and January 15. The Congressional Black Caucus held a Haiti disaster assistance meeting with Members to discuss legislative efforts and opportunities that we could then move right into effect. Various members of the Congressional Black Caucus hosted conference calls with their constituents to provide them with updates about relief efforts that were being made in our respective districts. We had tremendous interest in different parts and in our State of New Jersey, New Jersey for Haiti was formed, www.nj4haiti.org. And that organization, which I cochair with Senator Lesniak, said that we needed to move quickly into action. And Stan Neron, who is a social service worker in the city of Elizabeth was able to get the United Way of the Greater Union County to be partners in arranging drives for supplies and listed organizations that could receive contributions, Red Cross and other organizations, that were already doing work throughout the land. And so as I indicated, the CBC jumped into our meetings at the conference calls. We had a Special Order following news on January 12. Immediately, members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the floor to discuss the earthquake in Haiti and relief efforts and what we intended to do. And the following day, on the 14th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed via a conference call with David Meltzer, senior vice president for the international affairs of the American Red Cross. On the 15th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed through a conference call by the State Department for updates. And so we just remained very active. The week of January 18 to 22, the Congressional Black Caucus leadership introduced and passed two bipartisan measures on Haiti in Congress. Tuesday the 19th, Chairwoman Lee, on behalf of the caucus, introduced legislation expressing condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti. And in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, Chairman Charlie Rangel of the important Ways and Means Committee introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 4462, that would allow individuals making a charitable contribution after January 11 and before March 1 to victims of the earthquake in Haiti to claim these charitable deductions on their 2009 tax returns. Absent this change, taxpayers would need to wait until next year to claim a deduction for these contributions on their 2010 tax forms. And so this will speed up deductions eligible for 2009. The bill also makes it clear that taxpayers making a charitable contribution to victims of the Haiti earthquake through text messages would be able to rely on the cell phone bill while claiming charitable deductions, the first time any activity or action of this nature has been done. The CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the next steps on Haiti on that day of January 19 and the committee that I am privileged to chair. On Wednesday, January 20, the CBC members were briefed by Ambassador Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's Ambassador to the United States. The legislation that we had, we are also in the process of developing. What we have done in our meetings, we've taken a look to see what we can do with the U.S. citizenship and immigration services to discuss TPS and humanitarian parole and other important items. The CBC looked at other issues. Representative Hank Johnson's office drafted a letter to Secretary Clinton and Gates detailing details about the use of security contractors as a part of ongoing relief. Congresswoman Waters is working on Haiti debt cancellation of bills, and Representative Meeks from New York is dealing with a Marshall Plan on Haiti. I intend to ask the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Sachs, to come to brief the Congressional Black Caucus about the future of Haiti and planning: How should new Haiti be planned? How should Port-au-Prince be redone? How should satellite cities be created? Because we feel that this is an opportunity now to right many of the wrongs that had happened in the past. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will have a hearing on Haiti in the next few weeks, and Congressman Meeks will be holding a hearing on international financial institutions and how they can assist Haiti. Congressman John Conyers has been in contact with the Air Force liaison. He is going to participate when the time is right in CBC members taking trips to Haiti to see firsthand what we should do. We've been reluctant from going down en masse because we wanted to have our agency people on the ground be free to do things that need to be done. However, when the time is right, we will have a large delegation of members of the CBC to go. As you know on the 21st of January, the CBC held a press conference to discuss the congressional response to the earthquake. Our CBC met with TransAfrica, its director, Nicole Lee, and Melinda Miles working together for Haiti, NGOs that have been on the ground for many years to find out what is the position of the NGOs and how do they see the situation and how can they better assist as we move forward. CBC facilitated a call with NGO leaders working in Haiti with the Department of State to discuss NGO's experiences and concerns as the U.S. builds and executes recovery and relief and the rebuilding of Haiti. And we found that very instructive for the NGOs and for the Department of State. On the 19th, the CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the priorities again as relates to it. Congressman Cummings, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a briefing regarding the United States Coast Guard and its ongoing work in Haiti. We held a press conference at the Haitian Embassy. The CBC went and met with the Haitian Government and we talked about various problems. We wanted to take a look at the TPS guide. We looked at the CARACOM memo. We discussed Haiti's debt relief numbers from Treasury. We have dealt with the CBC constituency outreach guide. And these were all things, as I indicated, that the Congressional Black Caucus has done. As I wind down, I just want to once again remind Americans that Haiti has been a tremendous part of the growth and the development of our Nation. As I have mentioned on the floor before, it was back in the late 1800s when the enslaved people of Haiti had a rebellion against the Government of France, and Napoleon's army, after 12 years' struggle, lost the war to Haiti; Haiti becoming the first country where enslaved people overthrew the power, European power, and became a republic, just the third republic ever in the world at that time. So we have a tremendous amount of regard and respect for Haiti as they defeated the French, therefore causing France to lose much of the wealth that it gained from Haiti. Half of the sugar and coffee and cocoa, other products in Europe, 50 percent of them came from Haiti alone. Haiti produced more wealth to France than all of the 13 original colonies gave to the U.S. Government. And so Haiti, once it became independent from France, France became cash poor. But it still had land in the Louisiana Territory and, as a result of their defeat, were forced to sell the Louisiana Territory, negotiated by Jefferson, to the United States. And that opened up the West for the United States. As a matter of fact, France had armies of 20,000 persons where the U.S. Army was just about 5,000 strong. So the French had a more powerful military here in the Western Hemisphere and would have been a problem for the United States had not the treaty been made and France being forced to sell the Louisiana Territory. Many other Haitians are involved in our history. The Battle of Savannah, where Haitians fought for our independence, valiantly losing lives but helping to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War. We know that Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as the Father of Chicago, was a Haitian colonist in North America, mixed French and Haitian ancestry, and he was the person that discovered Chicago and was really called the Father of Chicago back in 1968. So there are so many people of Haitian descent, and Haiti itself, that has a great deal to do with our development. Finally, let me just mention this last point, that when World War II began, the U.S. started to become concerned about the dependence of rubber from a territory that was going to be controlled by the Japanese. By 1942, the Indonesians, the British-controlled rubber plantations provided 99 percent of the commercial rubber for the world. In the earliest stages of World War II, the United States realized the disastrous consequence if rubber plantations fell to Japan. This would cut off to the United States and its allies rubber supplies, an absolutely critical commodity, as you know, not only for the economy, but to keep a war effort moving forward. The United States made some presentations in 1940 and 1941. We started to increase our rubber stockpiles. However, botanists went to Haiti to attempt to grow rubber trees in Haiti. The Haitian rubber project was not supposed to be a part of the war effort, but it really was. It was not something that was necessary if we were not concerned about rubber being cut off from the United States. What happened, though, is that much of the land was denuded. Natural habitat was destroyed. Ebony trees and plants that were natural in Haiti were taken out, and the attempt to grow rubber trees was started on large portions of land. There were some Haitian botanists who said that it would not work; however, the U.S. insisted on trying the experiment. Today, one of the biggest problems in Haiti is erosion. It is because of deforestation, because people are dependent on wood for homes and heating. However, this dastardly situation started actually by the United States for the war effort with the attempt to grow foreign seeds that would not grow in that kind of topography. So, once again, as we look at the tremendous erosion that is abundant in Haiti today, the beginning of it happened to be at the time when the United States felt that it needed to have the growth of rubber trees in our hemisphere in a place that was close to the United States. And so even, once again, as we look at how Haiti has impacted on the United States, this consequence of a negative development on the part of the U.S. Government I think once again is a reason that we should have a strong passion for our sister country Haiti. So we will continue in New Jersey to continue to move forward with all of the many people that are involved. We look forward to having a mass at the basilica near the end of the month of February. Our Governor is going to provide an office that we can work with to try to be sure that people who may be coming with TPS and other problems, family unification, parole, adoption, that we will be able to service these people who are crying out for help. So with that, I see one of my colleagues here from the great State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has really done a tremendous amount of work in this area and sits on important committees and certainly has a great deal to contribute. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Texas.