Donald Payne

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of Taiwan on the occasion of their National Day on October 10. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am pleased to send my best wishes to our friends in Taiwan. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is our ally in the Pacific. Although it is a small island nation, it has a growing and progressive economy, providing its citizens with quality education, health care and affordable housing. Also, with its well-educated population, Taiwan is an ideal place for business entrepreneurship. Much of Taiwan's economic prowess is directly attributable to Taiwan's political system. A vibrant democracy, Taiwan's history of democratization is an important example of how other countries can change. In a little more than two decades, Taiwan has peacefully transformed its political system, from authoritarianism to democratic government, providing a role model for other non-democratic political governments in Asia. Taiwan's successful democratic experience proves that democracy can thrive on Chinese soil. We hope that in the years ahead, Taiwan and China will reach a rapprochement of sorts. Cross-strait relations are improving every day: There are now charter flights from Taiwan to the mainland, relaxation of China-bound investments, more visas for mainland tourists, and more exchange in many areas. Taiwan's new president Ma Ying-jeou is committed to pursue reconciliation and truce with the People's Republic. President Ma looks for peace and co-prosperity with the People's Republic. Congratulations to the people of Taiwan and a warm welcome to Ambassador Jason Yuan. Ambassador Yuan is a distinguished career diplomat and will represent his country well.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, this week marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most important public health achievements in U.S. history-- the chlorination of drinking water. On September 26, 1908, Jersey City, New Jersey began operating a treatment plant at the Boonton reservoir, becoming the first U.S. city to use chlorination to help bring safe drinking water to the homes of its citizens. Jersey City's groundbreaking work led to dramatic reductions in waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera. Other cities rapidly adopted chlorination, and by 1918, over 1000 cities were using this lifesaving technology to treat more than 3 billion gallons of water each day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, by the middle of the 20th century, drinking water disinfection had helped to virtually eliminate cholera and typhoid fever; diseases that once killed thousands of Americans each year. This has contributed to a dramatic 60 percent increase in U.S. life expectancy since 1900. LIFE magazine has called the drinking water filtration plus the use of chlorine ``the most significant public health advancement of the millennium.'' As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, I am gratified by the progress we are making in bringing safer water to the continent of Africa. This has been a joint effort by our government, non-profit agencies, and the private sector. Earlier this year, the American Chemistry Council and the U.S. Agency for International Development joined forces to help provide safer drinking water to Ghana, Mali and Niger. The groups announced a new two-year, $1.3 million partnership to implement household drinking water programs in communities facing some of the most severe poverty and health challenges in the world. The USAID programs use chlorine-based disinfection and safe water storage techniques to help reduce waterborne disease and improve quality of life. Working with local partners in each country, the programs are aimed at reaching an estimated three million people over two years. A recent World Health Organization study found that household based chlorination is the most cost-effective way to reduce common waterborne illnesses. Today we celebrate Jersey City's pioneering contributions to a century of healthier lives. I would like to specifically recognize the employees of United Water Jersey City and all the men and women working today to provide safe drinking water for all of us. We thank them for the fact that due to their efforts, we are so easily able to reach for a glass of safe and refreshing water.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, before this session of Congress adjourns, I would like to take a moment to ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring a very special person, Ms. Toby Solomon, who was recently selected as an Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Over two decades ago, Ms. Solomon formed and chaired an adoption subcommittee in order to address amendments to the New Jersey Adoption Statute and other adoption issues. Based on her prior personal and professional experience, she had become aware that adoption was an area which needed both reform and advocacy. The committee she chaired accomplished the task of writing amendments to the existing adoption legislation and getting the amendments passed by the legislature. The amendments to the Statute brought forth a wide range of new and much- needed concepts to the adoption process. Ms. Solomon also founded and chaired the Children's Rights Committee. Ms. Solomon has been tireless in her efforts to educate other attorneys and clients about the adoption process. Her many contributions include lecturing on the topic and composing articles on adoption in order to educate both professionals and prospective adoptive parents. Please join me in congratulating one of our unsung heroines from my home state of New Jersey, Ms. Toby Solomon, on being named an Angel in Adoption for 2008.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, as Americans everywhere are feeling the effect of President Bush's failed economic policies, Senator John McCain has once again demonstrated that if he wins in November, he will not only continue those same failed policies, but he will expand them to the health care industry. Just last month, Senator McCain, in an opinion that he wrote, said that the health insurance market should be run more like the banking industry has been during the last decade. Can you imagine that? As you can imagine, this would be a disaster for American families. By creating a deregulated national marketplace, health insurance companies could sell plans that lack even the most basic consumer protections, creating high out-of-pocket expenses and allowing insurance companies to break promises to pay medical bills. The latest financial meltdown on Wall Street highlights the need for a government to regulate big business. We need a referee on the field. Not only does Senator McCain disagree with that belief, but he wants to take the referee out of health care, leaving all Americans to fend for themselves. That's not a change the American people can believe in.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me as I rise to congratulate Union Township, New Jersey, on the celebration of its 200th anniversary. Union Township plays an integral part in Union County and the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey. Prior to the establishment of Union Township, that region known as Elizabethtown played a fundamental role in the American Revolution. It was the site of the Battle of Connecticut Farms where the British tried to force their way to Hobart Gap but were denied by the strong and resilient spirit of the Continental Forces. This spirit of determination is a testament to the solid foundation on which Union Township rests. On the 23d day of November in 1808, the State Legislature of New Jersey designated that Connecticut Farms would be separated from Elizabethtown. This new municipality was to be called Union Township. Since its inception Union Township has been a cultural hub attracting people from all cultures and backgrounds. Today, the township is comprised of over 50,000 residents and 27 houses of worship. Every year, Union Township holds several parades where people from different cultures can celebrate their heritage through various parades and festivals. The Township will celebrate the occasion with a parade on October 12, 2008. Union Township is an intermingling of Colonial American history and contemporary suburban living. In 1976 Union Township achieved the honored designation of being named an All-American City. Just this year, Union Township was. chosen by CNN as one of the top 100 places to live in the country. Union Township again stands out on the national stage because it is home to the world's tallest water sphere. Residents are also proud of their outstanding higher education institution, Kean University, as well as their excellent elementary and secondary school systems. Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues agree that Union Township and its residents have every right to be proud of the lasting contributions Union Township has made to the State of New Jersey and to the United States of America. I am pleased to congratulate Union Township on its first 200 years and proud to have a significant part of the township in the 10th Congressional District.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to gas prices, Republicans don't have a record to be proud of. For 8 years, Washington Republicans have favored profits for Big Oil while America is paying record prices at the pump. House Democrats know this country needs comprehensive energy legislation to bring down gas prices and invest in the energy sources of the future. This week we will vote on comprehensive legislation that invests in renewable energy sources and responsibly increases domestic supply by opening portions of the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling. In New Jersey, we want this energy package which will provide real relief for consumers at the pump, help end our dependence on foreign oil, create millions of new jobs, and help transition America to a cleaner, renewable energy future. Mr. Speaker, just talking about an all-of-the-above plan won't help consumers who are pumping hundreds of dollars into their gas tanks every day. We need to pass a Democratic all-of-the-above plan that will help us solve our energy problems.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, 7 years ago our Nation was struck. And as we reflect on that infamous day, as a representative of North Jersey, many of the victims came from our State. We responded with our firefighters and first responders who immediately went over to New York through the tunnel, by boat, to assist our brothers and sisters there. I want to say a special word about one of my constituents, Wanda Green, who was a flight attendant on Flight 93 that left my district, my town of Newark, New Jersey and, as you know, was on its way to the Capitol and was brought down by heroic persons on board that plane. Wanda Green was a flight attendant who switched with another attendant who asked her to take her flight because she had to do something, and Wanda said, all right. I visited her two college-age children at that time, and we talked about how courageous she was and that they had to live on and move on in her spirit. And so we are here to express and reflect on that day. To all the families who were impacted, you have our deep condolences.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, Americans everywhere are feeling the pain of 8 years of Republican economic policies. Since President Bush took office in 2001, American taxpayers have witnessed the largest increase in spending under any President since the Great Depression. Thanks to a tax policy that has overwhelmingly favored the wealthiest 1 percent, President Bush has been forced to borrow more money from foreign nations like China and Japan than all 42 of his predecessors combined. Through their recklessness, the Republicans turned a healthy budget surplus left by President Clinton into one of the most dismal economic records in history. Last week we had another reminder that the Bush economy is not producing any new jobs. In the year 2000, the Clinton economic plan created 1.4 million jobs in the first 8 months of that year. During the same period of this year, President Bush's policies have led to our economy losing over 600,000 jobs. Middle class workers in my State of New Jersey and around the Nation are not only worried about job security, they are concerned about how to get by, when the median household income has fallen by $1,000 since President Bush took office. We must change and turn this around.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Chairman, the Chair of our Congressional Black Caucus who has done such an outstanding job, it is really a great loss. We have this untimely loss of our wonderful friend and colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. A void has been left in the lives of all of those of us who had the privilege of knowing this remarkable, vibrant and accomplished woman. It is a loss shared by her family, her many friends, her Ohio constituents, and all of those around our great Nation who looked to her as a champion of justice, a person who was an advocate for the everyday people. A former county prosecutor, a judge on the municipal court, she went to break glass ceiling after glass ceiling, with her election as the first African American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio. She tore down barriers here in the House of Representatives when she successfully sought a seat on the Ways and Means Committee, and those walls came down. She was like at Jericho. When she blew that trumpet, the walls just came tumbling down. She was just so full of energy. In the little time that she was on the Ways and Means Committee, her reputation for fairness was so great that she was selected as Chair of the Ethics Committee. To chair the House Ethics Committee, you have to be the fairest person among that body. It is a tough, tough position. So, once again she was called to duty. It is really not an office you seek, it is just something that is bestowed upon you, and when you are asked, you have to take it. She was a pioneer who forged ahead, not just for herself, because she knew that she was opening doors for others. As Cochair of the Caribbean Caucus, I had the pleasure of traveling with Stephanie. We would go to the Caribbean, and she was a great traveling companion. She had a lot of interest in global issues. She was interested in understanding other cultures. She was interested in those people in nations less fortunate than ours. She was enthusiastic about promoting international trade. She wanted to have economic development to address the problems of poverty and hunger around the world. She wanted to bring more educational opportunities to regions in the Caribbean and other places that we traveled. Even though she was a diligent public servant, Stephanie always found time to laugh and enjoy life. A terrific sports fan, she was unrivaled in her enthusiasm for her hometown teams, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and she even cheered the Cleveland Indians, even though they had not won a World Series since 1948 and she would complain about that. She was just so proud of Mervyn II. She loved to sail. My brother is a sailor, and they would talk about just getting out. The only water I like is when I take my shower every day, and that is about it. But she loved to sail, and she just knew all about it, and her sister Barbara right there paid attention. I remember her proud father. He was elderly and he was so dignified. One time we were staying on the same floor at the CBC's hotel where we were, and his tie came loose. He was walking so proud, and I said, could I just fix it for you? I just felt good just trying to do something. And he was just so proud. I know how my grandfather was, the dignified black men who had to endure so much. But when they walked, they walked proud and they walked straight as an arrow, and that is how he was. She was just great. She was my pal. She was my traveling companion. It just hard to find words for Stephanie, full of life, full of energy. I didn't smoke, but I used to tell her she needed to slow down on that smoking. But we did have some times together. I won't get into that. We don't want to get into too many details. But she was good at everything. She did a great job with that tennis and golf tournament every Wednesday at the Congressional Black Caucus lunch. She would say, you have got to come. You have got to support it, scholarships for children. It is hard to be in Congress without Stephanie there, but we are going to have to remember her. She was my pal. With the untimely loss of our wonderful friend and colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a void has been left in the lives of all those who had the privilege of knowing this remarkable, vibrant, and accomplished woman. It is a loss shared by her family, her many friends, her Ohio constituents, and all those around our great nation who looked to her as a champion of justice and also an advocate for their everyday concerns. A former county prosecutor and judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court, she went on to break another glass ceiling with her election as the first African American woman elected to Congress from Ohio. She tore down a barrier here in the House of Representatives when she successfully sought a seat on the Ways and Means Committee, which had no African American woman member at the time. It was a measure of her reputation for fairness that she was selected to serve as Chair of the House Ethics Committee. She was a pioneer who forged ahead not just for herself, but because she knew that she was opening doors for others who would benefit from her groundbreaking steps. As Co-Chair of the Caribbean Caucus, I had the pleasure of traveling with Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and what a great traveling companion she was. She had a strong interest in global issues, in understanding other cultures, and in improving the lives of those in nations less fortunate than ours. She was enthusiastic about promoting international trade and economic development; in addressing the problems of poverty and hunger; and she wanted to bring more educational opportunities to regions where such opportunities were severely lacking. Even though she was a diligent public servant, Stephanie always found time to laugh and to enjoy life. A terrific sports fan, she was unrivaled in her enthusiasm for her teams, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and she even cheered on the Cleveland Indians, even though they had not won the World Series since 1948--a year before she was born. She was also very proud of her son, Mervyn II, and she loved spending time with her sister, Barbara Walker. I recall the care and attention she paid to her elderly father; it was touching to see the bond between them when they were together. Stephanie lived life out loud. Her dazzling smile, her passion for causes, and her devotion to her family made her a remarkable person to know. Her home town newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, summed it up well when they wrote that she was ``tough, exuberant, passionate . . . a woman from modest means who rose to national prominence.'' Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family as we mourn the loss of Stephanie Tubbs Jones and celebrate her amazing life and legacy.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this Concurrent Resolution recognizing the importance of our Nation's Caribbean heritage and urge its adoption. I would like to take this opportunity, in part, to focus attention on the provisions of H. Con. Res. 364 that highlight the continuing importance of the Caribbean region to our Nation. I believe it is important that the United States work harder to foster our relationships with Caribbean nations and support their efforts to enhance the financial and geopolitical stability of the region. I recently had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Emsley D. Tromp, President of the Bank van de Nederlandse Antillen, the Central Bank for the Netherlands Antilles. During that meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss the growing importance of our relationship with the Netherlands Antilles, which has grown closer, as this country has approached independent status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands Antilles has endeavored to improve its security through a more diversified economy and favorable environment for additional foreign direct investment, particularly from the United States. The Netherlands Antilles made substantial changes to their tax laws, bringing them into compliance with international norms. In addition, they entered into a tax information exchange agreement (TIEA) with the United States and have actively cooperated on tax enforcement matters. It is an important strategic partner of the United States in the Caribbean Basin with shared interests in countering transnational terrorism and crime and illegal narcotics production. A Forward Operating Location (FOL) on Curacao provides support for our drug interdiction efforts in the region. Madam Speaker, the United States should recognize and support efforts such as these in the Caribbean region, and actively work to forge closer ties with the Caribbean nations.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And let me begin by thanking you for your strong leadership in bringing this legislation through the House and advocating it through the Senate and our ranking member, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her support, and as you mentioned before, Representative Barbara Lee and Donna Christensen. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, this bill, the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, is very timely. This bill is important. In the 5 years since I have been in Congress, the original legislation authorized by the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, or PEPFAR, as it is known, has become a historical program. The road toward serious consideration regarding HIV and AIDS was a long journey. The Congressional Black Caucus began advocating for a sound domestic and international effort during the late 1980s with little success. Pressure continued through the executive branch, and in the Clinton years, an office was established headed by Ms. Thurman on the President's initiative on HIV and AIDS. However, adequate funding was still lacking, especially on the international focus. And so I must say that PEPFAR is destined, in my view, to be remembered as the single most significant achievement of the Bush administration's two terms in office because it was there that we catapulted the funding of this legislation. Over 800,000 people who would otherwise have no access to treatment are receiving anti-retroviral medication in PEPFAR's 15 focus countries. Twelve of those countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Such progress is remarkable. However, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Despite our best efforts, only 28 percent of Africans needing anti-retrovirals are receiving them. A mere 11 percent of HIV-positive women on the continent who need drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission is getting it. Shockingly, over 85 percent of Africa's children who need ARVs are going without it. This is why Congress is taking such an extraordinary step of authorizing close to $50 billion to transform PEPFAR from an emergency response to a sustainable program. It represents the best efforts to turn those statistics around. The new bill transforms PEPFAR by expanding the program beyond a series of medical interventions. For example, the lack of food and nutrition support for people on ARVs have been, up to now, a major impediment to the adherence to AIDS treatment regimens. The lack of adherence limits PEPFAR's effectiveness. Fortunately, the new component will help ease the nutrition problem. The Senate bill has incorporated elements of the provision which I authored that were in the original House bill related to addressing the nutrition needs of HIV patients, their families, and communities. When I introduced the nutrition component a year ago, no one could have accurately predicted the tremendous food security problem which besets us today worldwide. The Senate bill also contains a provision to build and strengthen health systems in developing countries. Like the House bill, it eliminates cumbersome earmarks that the Government Accountability Office and the Institute of Medicine have said limits program efficacy. Just as important as the money and programs for HIV and AIDS, the bill we are voting on today also authorizes $9 billion to fight two other diseases that have wrought havoc in the developing world: malaria and tuberculosis. Malaria kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds. It contributes to the death of an estimated 10,000 pregnant women and up to 200,000 infants each year on the continent. And what is astonishing is that malaria is preventable. With education, providing bed nets and spraying, malaria can be eliminated. TB is just as deadly. Nearly 20 percent of the people who develop full-blown TB die of the disease. They cannot get a simple, low-cost cure which is available. And those with HIV and AIDS are very vulnerable to TB infections due to lowered immunity factors. In fact, TB is the number one killer of people with AIDS. With the new cases of MDR and XDR TB, a more radical strain that is much more difficult to treat, the new emphasis on TB is very important. In South Africa in a village, 52 of 53 people who had contracted MDR TB died within a 2-week period. Mr. Speaker, given the aforementioned toll that AIDS, TB and malaria has taken around the globe, and how much we still need to do to fight all three deadly diseases, it is imperative that we redouble our efforts.

Mr. PAYNE. As I conclude, we must do so for the obvious reason: U.S.- funded programs save lives. We have a moral obligation to continue them. We should also do so for a less obvious reason: to counter a growing perception in the world that the United States does not care about anything but counterterrorism. Fairly or not, I think that this bill will go far to continue to uplift the image of the United States. It's saving lives, and it's doing the right thing. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from California, a member of the Africa Subcommittee, Congresswoman Woolsey.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the State of Washington, the father of the AGOA legislation and a health provider for USAID for many years, Mr. McDermott. (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), chairman of the Western Hemisphere Committee, for 2 minutes.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 20 seconds.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we cannot drill our way to either energy independence or to lower prices at the pump. The Bush administration's own Energy Information Administration says that opening up new areas for drilling would not affect production or prices for nearly 20 years, and even then it concludes that ``any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.'' So much for the Republican energy plan. In stark contrast, House Democrats have taken action and passed legislation that will make America more energy independent and help provide relief to Americans struggling with high gas prices. For the first time in 32 years, we passed a landmark law that will require more fuel efficient vehicles, which will produce nearly $1,000 in savings for the average American family at the gas pump. This is the kind of relief that my constituents in New Jersey want. Democrats also forced the President to stop sending oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and now we are standing and urging him to start releasing oil from the reserve.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. In keeping with what the chairman said, in addition to what Mr. Mandela did with the person who really codified apartheid, he invited his jailer, the one who locked and unlocked his cell door, to attend his inauguration as president because he felt that the prison guard treated him with a modicum of respect and he invited him to also attend the inauguration. This was certainly a unique person. With that, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me first thank our chairman, Mr. Berman, for moving this resolution swiftly to the floor in light of the time sensitivity of this resolution. Let me also recognize Mr. Jefferson for introducing this resolution and for inviting me to join him in that endeavor. Mr. Speaker, this Friday a living icon of freedom will turn 90 years old. His birthday already has been celebrated at more than 20 different charity events around the world. Now it's time for the United States Congress to rise in its voice of praise of Mr. Nelson Mandela in recognition of his remarkable life and the contributions that he has made to humankind. His struggle on behalf of black South Africans confronted with the horrific system of racial hatred is legendary. It landed him in prison under harsh conditions for 27 years. Mr. Mandela will be remembered for many things, but perhaps the words he spoke at his trial sums up his effort best. He said: ``During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideals of a democratic and free society in which all people live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal which I am prepared to die for.'' Mr. Speaker, death did not claim Nelson Mandela that day or in the decades of dismal imprisonment to follow. Instead, he grew to become a figure almost larger than life, an international symbol of an oppressed people's thirst for justice. He joined the pantheon of inspirational figures whose legacy belongs to all humankind: Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And as a measure of what he meant to us, Nelson Mandela's liberation and subsequent rise to become President of a free and democratic South Africa were greeted with joy and near disbelief around the world when it occurred. Mr. Speaker, Nelson Mandela was born in a small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His family belonged to the Thembo Dynasty, a Xhosa noble bloodline in South Africa. He was well educated, earned a law degree, set up a law practice with his long-time friend who spent 27 years with him on Robben Island, Walter Sisulu. As a young man, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress, which was established in 1912 to fight for justice and equality for Africans against discrimination and unjust laws prescribed by the minority European settlers. For decades leaders of the ANC challenged the segregation system imposed on them and demanded, through petition to the courts and to the British Royalty and government, the freedoms and opportunities afforded the whites who dominated South Africa at that time. In 1944 Nelson Mandela, along with other young educated Africans, formed the African National Congress Youth League, in large measure to shift the traditional ANC role from an elite organization to a mass- based, African nationalist movement. After the 1948 election of the Afrikaner National Party, racial segregation laws that had been adopted incoherently were codified into a comprehensive segregation policy called ``apartheid,'' creating major challenges for Mandela, the African National Congress, and its allies. Apartheid institutionalized racism through physical and social segregation of all ethnic groups. It codified race classifications, prohibited interracial marriage, and reserved certain jobs for whites. While black Africans comprised 75 percent of the population, under apartheid they were allowed to live on only 13 percent of the worst land in the country. All public facilities were segregated by race. Black Africans were forced to carry identification cards and forbidden to be in towns preserved for whites, unless they had explicit permission to go there. In 1964 when many fellow leaders of the ANC and its armed wing were arrested, Mandela was brought to trial with other comrades who were plotting to overthrow the government by violent means. He and his seven comrades were imprisoned for life for their leadership in opposing apartheid. In 1989, on the strength of South Africa's own definition of the African National Congress, the United States Government listed the ANC as one of fifty-two organizations around the world as ``the more notorious terrorist groups.'' I am pleased to say that 2 weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill introduced by Chairman Berman of our committee that several of our House colleagues joined in cosponsoring to erase this injustice. Particularly, Representative Barbara Lee was instrumental in ensuring the bill's passage in the Senate. Now Nelson Mandela and others who supported the effort of the ANC will no longer face additional security measures based solely on their association with the ANC while traveling to this country. Long overdue. In 1993 Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with former South African President F.W. de Klerk. He also has received the Order of Merit and the order of St. John from Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush. Today President Mandela is revered around the world and continues to represent the values of freedom, justice and liberation for all people. He has become the champion in the fight against HIV and AIDS through his foundation. He continues to work on behalf of everyday men, women and children so that they can enjoy lives of freedom from injustice, sickness and want. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues in the House to support the measure recognizing Nelson Mandela's unique contributions to humankind. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield to the gentlelady from California, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Lee, for 3 minutes.

Mr. PAYNE. I yield 1 additional minute to the gentlelady.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1090) honoring the esteemed former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday, as amended.

Mr. PAYNE

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, for 7 years now, President Bush and Republicans have catered to the excesses of the wealthiest few while ignoring real needs of working Americans. Over the past 6 years, the median household income has fallen over $1,000 per year while prices for health care, education, food, and gas have increased well above inflation. How can we expect working men and women to continue to meet the financial needs of their families when they bring home smaller paychecks as prices rise? The Democratic Congress has been working hard to ensure that working Americans are not ignored. We passed an economic stimulus package that puts money into the wallets of working families. We've also passed legislation addressing the concerns of millions of Americans, including many of those from my home State of New Jersey, who are afraid of losing their jobs or are afraid they might lose their homes. Senator McCain's chief economic adviser claims that Americans are whining, that the economic downturn is all in their heads. House Democrats realize that we need to turn the Bush economy around.