Jared Polis

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous materials on House Resolution 1058 into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1058, which honors the 10th anniversary of Sojourn to the Past, an educational program dedicated to developing students' appreciation for an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement transformed the United States of America, ensuring legal equality and civil rights for all people in our country regardless of race or ethnicity. Educator Jeff Steinberg understood the importance of teaching the meaning of the civil rights movement when, 11 years ago, he decided to lead a school trip to several civil rights landmarks. That field trip quickly grew into its own education and outreach program, engaging approximately 100 high school students in three trips each year through visits to historical sites and discussions with prominent veteran leaders of the civil rights era. The students visit five States and landmarks, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge; the site of the Bloody Sunday march of 1965, in Selma, Alabama; Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas; and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. More than 10 years later, Sojourn to the Past has its own rich history, inspiring students to become civic leaders for the 21st century with a base of awareness of the importance of the civil rights movement of the 20th century. Newfound knowledge and personal understanding of the civil rights movement, these sojourners, these high school students, reflect on how they can fight to end discrimination, bigotry, and inequality in their own schools and their own communities. Today, more than 5,000 high school juniors and seniors have learned these lessons through participation in Sojourn to the Past. Just like civil rights leaders before them, these students will take responsibility for ending discrimination and promoting equality for all Americans moving forward. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank a great civil rights leader, who I am deeply honored to serve with in the House of Representatives, Representative John Lewis, for introducing this important resolution and serving on the Sojourn National Advisory Committee. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I once again express my support for House Resolution 1058, which honors the 10th anniversary of Sojourn to the Past, to help young Americans understand the importance and the history of the very recent civil rights movement in this country. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1058) honoring and praising the Sojourn to the Past organization on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, as amended.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous materials on House Resolution 1543 into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1543, which honors my dear friend Dr. Jane Goodall on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of her important and ground breaking work in Tanzania, Africa. Dr. Goodall is an inspiring, world-renowned primatologist, and the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. We celebrate the educational significance of her research launched at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve 50 years ago and her continued scientific research and her environmental conservation of chimpanzees and other primates, as well as her role as a role model for young men and women in the sciences. In keeping with her childhood fascination of chimpanzees, Dr. Goodall began studying the Kasakela chimpanzee community at Gombe Stream in 1960. In part because she didn't come from traditional research training, Dr. Goodall remained open to new ideas in the field and new approaches in primatology and research. Her pioneering observations of primate behavior forever changed our understanding of the similarities between humans and other animal species, especially those with complex social behaviors. In particular, Dr. Goodall observed that chimpanzees construct and use tools, develop unique and affectionate relationships with family members and individuals in a complex social structure, exhibit reasoned thought and a concept of self, and occasionally eat food outside of a vegetarian diet. A few years after her initial research, Dr. Goodall published a collection of articles and books that today remain the foundational scientific works of chimpanzee and wildlife studies. Her works, like the ``Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior,'' and ``Through a Window: 30 Years Observing the Gombe Chimpanzees,'' detailed the range of behaviors that make up most of modern chimpanzee natural history, and they remain critical references for present-day students, researchers, and scientists. Dr. Goodall's research and publications also help inform the mission of the Jane Goodall Institute, which empowers individuals to improve the habitats of all living things through research, training, and increased awareness of animals, communities, and their environments. Her efforts in education, including the Roots and Shoots program, which is available at elementary through secondary school levels to students across the world, has helped instill environmental learning and a whole new generation of future civic, scientific, and business leaders. Dr. Jane Goodall was an inspiration to my own sister Jordana who acted as Jane Goodall in her fifth grade biology fair when we were growing up and went on to a career in science inspired in part like many millions of other young women by the example of Dr. Jane Goodall and her high-profile role at a time when there were very few women in the research sciences. Madam Speaker, I would like to express my strong support for House Resolution 1543, which honors the 50th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall's research on chimpanzee behavior and celebrates her incredibly important educational and scientific contributions to the field. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1543) honoring the educational significance of Dr. Jane Goodall's work on this the 50th anniversary of the beginning of her work in Tanzania, Africa.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I once again would like to express my support for House Resolution 1543, which honors the 50th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall's research on chimpanzee behavior and celebrates her immense educational and scientific contributions to the field, as well as her life dedicated towards a sustainable future not only for humans but for all of the residents of our wonderful and fair planet.

Mr. POLIS. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1456) congratulating the University of Dayton men's basketball team for winning the 2010 National Invitation Tournament basketball championship.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1456 into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1456, which congratulates the University of Dayton men's basketball team for winning the 2010 National Invitation Tournament Basketball Championship. The N.I.T. is the oldest tournament in college basketball. Started in 1938, it was the first postseason collegiate basketball tournament to be played in the country, 1 year before the NCAA. The Dayton Flyers claimed victory over last year's champs, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, with a 79-68 win that Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was the Flyers' first N.I.T. title in 42 years and their third in University of Dayton's history. Additionally, this was Dayton's 22nd appearance in the N.I.T., second only to St. John's at 27. This Dayton men's basketball season marked Head Coach Brian Gregory's seventh season with the Flyers. He led the time to the 2004 NCAA tournament and the 2009 NCAA tournament as well as the 2008 N.I.T. Dayton players showed excellent offense against the Tar Heels. Reserve guard Paul Williams scored 16 points for Dayton, while Chris Wright and Chris Johnson both had 14 points for the Flyers. With a strong lineup, Dayton beat four teams from major conferences en route to the championship. I also want to congratulate the Flyers for their excellence off the court. The Dayton team had a 100 percent graduation rate in 2010, a rate they have maintained every year since Brian Gregory was named head coach in 2003. I join the students, alumni, faculty, and staff at the University of Dayton in celebrating these impressive student-athletes. Madam Speaker, I once again congratulate the Dayton Flyers on winning the 2010 National Invitation Tournament, and I thank Representative Turner for bringing this resolution forward. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Once again, I congratulate the Dayton Flyers on winning the 2010 NIT tournament, and I thank Representative Turner for bringing this resolution forward. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 275) expressing support for designation of the week beginning on the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week, as amended.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 275 into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 275, which expresses support for designating the week beginning on the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week. The arts serve a critical role in the advancement of our students' education, creativity, and intellectual development. A well-rounded education that includes arts education is extremely important in our schools and communities, helping students think creatively and critically. When students leave the classroom, they use their understanding of dance, music, theater, literature, design, and visual arts to communicate in new ways, to build intellectual capital, to express themselves within and across cultures and mediums. The arts also add a new dimension of thinking to social and hard scientists, in keeping with Albert Einstein's assertion that ``the greatest scientists are artists as well.'' Arts education has a positive effect on students' academic careers. Many studies have shown that students participating in visual and performing arts had better grades and a lower likelihood of dropping out. Students who participate in arts programs are at least three times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected to class office within their schools, participate in a math and science fair, win an award for school attendance, or win an award for writing an essay or a poem. These students also maintain more positive attitudes about school and are more likely to go on to college. And yet, despite the proven benefits of arts education, the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the NAEP result, found that only 58 percent of eighth-graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where visual arts were offered more than three times a week. Arts in Education Week helps us highlight the importance of giving our students expanded opportunities to participate in the visual and performing arts in school. I took advantage of those opportunities growing up myself, participating in several school plays, and throughout lower school, in elementary school, in a music program. I know that I take many of those lessons today that have helped make me a better rounded person and a more effective representative in Congress for the people of Colorado. I strongly encourage my colleagues to join Representative Speier, the sponsor of this bill, in supporting Arts in Education Week. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, once again, I want to thank Representative Speier of California for introducing this concurrent resolution, and I, once again, express my strong support for designating the week beginning on the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution of arts in education. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland, Leader Hoyer.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1504 into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1504) recognizing and honoring the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, there are hundreds of thousands of children in our country, cheerleaders on a high school cheerleading squad, members of the high school football team, students who work hard and play by the rules, get ready for college, and yet they are unable to ever enter the workforce legally or go to college. Why? Because their parents violated the law and brought them here when they were 1 or 2 or 3 years old. The DREAM Act will address and help these hundreds of thousands of de facto Americans who in most cases don't even have a memory of another country, and frequently don't even speak any other language other than English fluently. Regardless of where one is on the larger issue of immigration reform, surely we should not visit the sins of the parents upon the children. In no other area of law do we do this, nor should we with regard to immigration. The bipartisan DREAM Act would recognize the hundreds of thousands of de facto Americans as actual Americans. It catches up with where people already are and helps our Nation be able to benefit from the hard work and study of these wonderful Americans. I call upon my colleagues to pass the DREAM Act.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. It should be common sense that with the limited dollars we have in law enforcement, diverting those law enforcement resources to hunt down immigrants detracts from our efforts to combat violent crime. However, believe it or not, some supporters of Arizona's new immigration law actually claim that it's a crime-fighting measure. That overlooks a basic point: Crime rates have already been falling in Arizona for years despite, or perhaps in part because of, the presence of immigrants. This was once again proven by a recent study conducted by America's Voice, which documented the change in violent crime levels in various Arizona police jurisdictions from 2002 through 2009. As you can see, crime is down in Arizona, the purple line. In fact, the only jurisdiction in the study where crime increased was in the part of Maricopa County under the jurisdiction of the incompetent sheriff Joe Arpaio, who's famously used anti-immigrant policies to advance his political agenda at the expense of keeping his communities safe. From 2002 to 2009, the crime rate in Maricopa County increased 58 percent while the State as a whole averaged a 12 percent decrease. Compare that 58 percent crime increase to other localities of Arizona that did not use the immigrant-bashing approach. In that same time period, Phoenix enjoyed a 14 percent decrease in crime; Tempe, a 26 percent decrease; and Mesa, a 31 percent decrease--communities dealing with the same types of immigration issues as Maricopa County and yet communities that, during the same period of Sheriff Arpaio's tenure, decreased their crime rate. Why? In recent years, local law enforcement communities have increased, successfully, community policing efforts, which includes establishing relationships with immigrant communities to fight crime. These efforts are part of the reason why crime is dropping in Arizona. And Senate Bill 1070 threatens to undo that process. That's the reason the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, the Yuma County Sheriff, Mesa Police Chief, and many other law enforcement officials nationally are opposed to the new Arizona law, Senate Bill 1070, which will stretch local police forces and hinder law enforcement's ability to obtain critical information on criminals. Anti-immigrant laws like Senate Bill 1070 will lead to a crime wave across Arizona and across the Nation, and we see the evidence right here in Sheriff Arpaio's own district. In my home district of Colorado, the chief of police of Boulder County, Chief Pelle, has been an outspoken leader on this front. He's criticized the Arizona law because it threatens successful community policing efforts that have been implemented in my district and across the Nation. Misguided laws like Senate Bill 1070 will increase crime. Only comprehensive immigration reform can address this issue, and only Congress has the power to pass it. We need to pass tough, fair, and practical reform that will secure our borders, crack down on employers who hire immigrants illegally, require all immigrants here illegally to register with the government, pass a security check, pay taxes, and learn English. I call on Congress to fix our broken immigration system now. No one from either side of the aisle thinks that the status quo is working for our country. It's time to stop playing politics with an issue that should have been addressed long ago. We must pass comprehensive immigration reform immediately.