Bobby Rush

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by commending Chairman Upton, Chairman Whitfield, Ranking Member Pallone, and the committee staff for working with my office to bring the 21st century workforce legislation to the House floor today. I would also publicly acknowledge the leadership of my colleague, Mr. Hudson of North Carolina, and his staff who played an instrumental role in helping us to get to this very point. The good faith talks held between my office, the majority and the minority committee staff, and Mr. Hudson's office have resulted in this bipartisan jobs bill that will go a long way in helping to get our Nation's economy back on track and working for everyone. Mr. Speaker, this workforce bill before us provides an example of how Congress should function and how Congress should work on behalf of the American people. Here we have bipartisan members of the Energy and Commerce Committee who represent various constituencies from diverse regions of the country and who come from different political persuasions. However, Mr. Speaker, it must be well noted that we were able to put aside our differences and focus our efforts on bringing forth a jobs bill that will benefit all of our Nation's communities and help lift up the entire American economy. And exactly what does this bill do, Mr. Speaker? This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to prioritize the training of underrepresented groups, including minorities, women, veterans, as well as displaced and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers, in order to increase the number of skilled candidates trained to work in these same related fields. Mr. Speaker, this bill will strengthen and more fully engage DOE programs and national laboratories in order to carry out the Department's workforce development initiatives. That includes the Minorities in Energy Initiative that was established 2 years ago, with my encouragement, under Secretary Moniz's leadership. There will be a clearinghouse of information and resources on training and workforce development programs for energy and manufacturing-related jobs, State by State and region by region all across our Nation. Mr. Speaker, this bill will help increase outreach to minority- serving institutions to ensure that the wealth of existing resources at DOE are made available to these worthy establishments. It will also provide additional outreach to displaced and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers with the objective of improving the opportunities for these candidates to find employment. This legislation, Mr. Speaker, will help to develop a skilled labor force, trained to work in a wide array of sectors, including renewables, energy efficiency, oil and gas, coal, nuclear, utility, pipelines, alternative fuels, as well as energy-intensive and advanced manufacturing industries. Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges that I have heard far too many times from my constituents is of individuals participating in training programs that in many cases do not always lead to actually finding a job. With that in mind, Mr. Speaker, this bill will help industry, help schools, and help community-based workforce development organizations to identify candidates for enrollment into training and apprenticeship programs, with the objective of ensuring that the skills learned are immediately transferable to good-paying jobs and good-paying careers within the energy and manufacturing sectors regionally, nationally, and, indeed, all across this globe. Mr. Speaker, as you well know, and as all Members in this House know, the energy and manufacturing industries are two of the most critical and fastest growing sectors both domestically as well as internationally. The potential of these two sectors can help bolster the American economy and are also vital to the growing number of people seeking middle class status all across the developing world. It is important, Mr. Speaker, that we equip our citizens, those who need jobs and those who are out of work, with the skills needed and necessary to meet this growing demand so that we can tap into these tremendous opportunities. This very bill before us today will accomplish that goal. Why is the 21st century workforce bill so very necessary? Mr. Speaker, just last week, my office had yet another visiting delegation, a meeting this time with an energy company out of the great State of North Carolina, whose representatives informed me that right now, today, as we stand here in this great Chamber today, they have over 1,000 job openings that they cannot fill because they cannot find enough qualified skilled workers. The 21st century workforce bill will address that difficulty and be a solution to that and many other similar problems all across our country. In fact, Mr. Speaker, my office has been holding many of these same types of meetings over the past 4 years with a variety of different energy and manufacturing industries that are indeed facing this very same predicament. At a time when African American and Latino unemployment rates are still too high, when coal workers throughout Appalachia and beyond are finding themselves without work, when too many female heads of household cannot find adequate employment to take care of their families, and when veterans returning home from defending our Nation still cannot find a job, it is a travesty and a shame that eager employers still cannot find the trained workers they need. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense jobs bill that will help to match up trained, qualified candidates with good-paying jobs and careers that will fit them and their families, help lift up their community, help strengthen the energy and manufacturing industry, and will bolster the entire American economy as a whole. Whether you are a student pursuing your engineering degree at an HBCU or a single mother taking classes at your neighborhood community college, this bill seeks to provide additional opportunity to all those individuals who are out there looking to better themselves and improve the financial situation for their families. Mr. Speaker, when this bill becomes law and its provisions are implemented, it will help out-of-work coal miners retool and retrain for the jobs of the 21st century. This bill will also help returning veterans use their skills and use their talents to find employment and provide a dignified future for their families. So, Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my distinguished colleague from the great State of Michigan, Chairman Upton; my friend from the great State of Kentucky, Chairman Whitfield; Ranking Member Pallone; my friend from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson); and all my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as those who are on the Education and the Workforce Committee who helped bring us to this point today, where we are bringing forward this bill with this focus not only on underserved communities, such as minorities, women, and veterans, but also displaced and unemployed coal miners and out-of-work energy workers in other places. I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, when this bill ultimately becomes law, it will go a long way in helping not only communities that look like the one I represent on the south side of Chicago, but every community in every district throughout this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Bishop Perry N. Thompson of Richmond, Virginia, for offering the opening prayer. A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology and Norfolk State University, Bishop Thompson is the senior pastor of the Freedom Chapel International Christian Center here in Washington, D.C., and Bishop Thompson oversees ministries abroad in Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, Bishop Thompson is the Admissions and Financial Officer for the Supreme Court of the United States, the First Vice President of Administration for RBI Institute, and serves on the Executive Board of the Apostolic World Christian Fellowship. Mr. Speaker, Bishop Thompson is also the pastor of our beloved colleague Joyce Hamlett, Assistant Sergeant at Arms in charge of floor security. Mr. Speaker, again I thank Bishop Perry N. Thompson for his excellent work and for his being here today.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 44 on January 13, 2016, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address this esteemed House of Representatives on an issue that is facing the American people, an issue that is facing our great Nation from coast to coast. This is the issue of wanton, senseless murders of unarmed young Black men and women throughout this Nation. This past year, Mr. Speaker, we have all seen on the many news platforms all across this Nation--the morning news, the noon news, the evening news--all have been punctuated with videotapes of unarmed Black men mostly, Hispanic men, men and women, boys and girls, teenagers, being shot down in cold blood by just a few--I want to emphasize ``a few''--rogue cops that hunt our Nation's cities, that hide behind a badge and a gun. These rogue police officers operate not to serve and protect, but to commit murder and mayhem and use their badge, their official status to get away with it. This popular television show, ``How to Get Away With Murder,'' could use many departments all across this Nation as a formula, indeed as the plot of ``How to Get Away With Murder.'' I bear witness that this has been going on, these murders--wanton, senseless, lawless murders--have been going on in this Nation for far too long. Last year, Mr. Speaker, at this same time I stood before the Members of this body sharing with the Members of Congress the life and the murder of my best friends in Chicago, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. They were both members of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. They were young men full of leadership abilities, young men who were committed to serving their neighbor, young men who were committed to try to uplift the African American community and similarly situated communities all across this Nation. At this very time last year, I talked about December 4, 1969, the day that Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were killed by the Chicago Police Department and the State's Attorney's police department in my city of Chicago. They were shot. Our pathologists indicated that, at the time that the police raided their apartment, Fred Hampton lay sleeping in his bed, that he had been drugged with a drug called Seconal, and that Fred had in his body at the time of his murder enough Seconal to immobilize an elephant. That is what the science and our pathologists indicated to us. On December 4, 1969, at 4 o'clock in the morning, members of the Chicago Police Department sneaked into the streets on the west side of the city of Chicago in utility trucks, trucks that had been decorated with the signage of the local gas company, and came in with murder in their hearts. They knocked on the door of the apartment. Mark Clark answered: ``Who is it?'' The police at the front door said: ``Tommy.'' Mark said: ``Tommy who?'' The police at the front answered: ``Tommy Gun, Tommy Gun.'' At that time, after kicking the door down, they came in shooting with a machine gun and other automatic weapons, aiming to kill everybody in that apartment. After the first shot was fired in the front door, then that was a signal to those who were gathered in the rear, and they came bursting in, firing. Ninety-nine shots all total went into that apartment. A Federal grand jury indicated after the investigations were concluded that possibly only one shot exited that apartment. One shot fired out and 99 fired in. Cold-blooded murder 46 years ago. Fast-forward to today. All across this Nation cops are killing citizens, cold blooded, without any justification, and getting away with it. It is not only in Chicago, but all across this Nation, all across America. Dontre Hamilton was a 31-year-old African American male killed by the Milwaukee Police Department in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 30, 2014, just a little over a year ago. Eric Garner, an unarmed 43-year-old father, was killed by the New York City Police Department on July 17, 2014, a little over a year ago. On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed teenager, was killed by the Ferguson, Missouri, police department, a little over a year ago. A little over a year ago, Mr. Speaker, Ezell Ford, an unarmed 25- year-old mentally ill man, was killed by the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, California, August 11, 2014, a little over a year ago. Mr. Speaker, Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old teenager, was killed by a member of the Chicago Police Department on October 20, 2014, a little over a year ago. A little over a year ago, Mr. Speaker, in Cleveland, Ohio, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, was killed by the Cleveland Police Department on November 22, 2014. In the State of my birth, in DeKalb County, Georgia, Anthony Hill, a 27-year-old unarmed Air Force veteran, was killed by the DeKalb County Police Department on March 6, 2015, less than a year ago. Less than a year ago, Nicholas Thomas, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man, again in my birth State of Georgia, in Smyrna, Georgia, was killed by the Smyrna Police Department on March 24, 2015, less than a year ago. Less than a year ago, Mr. Speaker, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, while in custody of the Baltimore Police Department in Baltimore, Maryland, was killed on April 12, 2015, less than a year ago. We all remember Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old woman who was found hanging in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015, less than a year ago. The list goes on, Mr. Speaker. November 16, 2015, Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old unarmed Black man, was killed by a member of the Minneapolis Police Department, less than a month ago. Mr. Speaker, there are many, many others. In my city, a few years back, about 3 years ago, Rekia Boyd was killed by a police officer who was out of uniform, firing over his shoulder and striking Rekia Boyd in her head, killing her. The now-terminated ex-police superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Garry McCarthy, at the time of Rekia Boyd's murder had the unmitigated gall to stand before the citizens of Chicago and say that this unarmed, young Black woman who was killed was the target, that the police officer aimed at the person who he killed. This statement has been repudiated so many, many times. He fired over his shoulder into a crowd of people. There is a conspiracy in our police departments, a cancer in our police departments, all across our very Nation. State by State, urban area by urban area, large cities and small cities, young Black men and young Black women are targets, fair game, for some who are wearing a badge and a gun and hiding behind a uniform and a vow that they don't believe in and that doesn't govern their lives and their official and unofficial duty. They don't believe in serving and protecting. They believe in: How can we commit murder and get away with it? How can we murder those who don't look like us, murder those who we stereotypically view as criminals and thugs? We have a right because we wear a badge. We have a gun and we have a uniform to hide behind. We have an unmitigated right to shoot them down at will. There are laws in this Nation that protect even wild animals from being killed. In Chicago, Illinois, my city, there are only about 30 officers who have in excess of 10 citizen complaints against them. This police officer who was just indicted for the first time in the history of our city--only one police officer indicted for the murder of an unarmed Black man in Chicago--had 18 citizen complaints against him--18--mostly for excessive use of force. Why was he even on the street? Why was he wearing a uniform? Why were our tax dollars being used to pay for his livelihood when he had no appreciation for the lives and the rights of American citizens 18 times? He shot Laquan McDonald while Laquan was walking away from him. That is what the video showed. Laquan McDonald wasn't even within 20 feet of this police officer, now ex-police officer. But he shot him 16 times, 15 times when Laquan McDonald was on the ground. He couldn't have threatened him at all. He fired 16 rounds, 15 of them while Laquan McDonald was on the ground. He fired 16 rounds in 15 seconds. Forty-six years later we have these kinds of police atrocities occurring throughout the Nation. It is up to this body, Mr. Speaker, this Congress, to finally stand up and protect all of the people of this great Nation from these rogue cops who are roaming to and fro in our communities mercilessly, wantonly murdering our citizens, mostly Black and Latino young men and young women. Mr. Speaker, I will be introducing in a matter of days a resolution to establish a permanent select committee on the excessive use of force by America's police departments, a permanent and select committee on excessive use of force by America's--yours and mine, the Members of this body--police departments. Mr. Speaker, if we can have a select committee on Planned Parenthood and women's health, we can have a select committee on excessive use of force by America's police departments. This select committee will be authorized and directed to conduct a full and complete investigation and study and to issue a report and recommendations of its findings to the House of Representatives regarding each of the following: Number one, a uniform definition of excessive use of force; Number two, create national guidelines on excessive use of force; Number three, collect accurate and reliable data on police shootings and use of excessive force, both lethal and nonlethal; Number four, implement and create a national database to make available public data of citizen complaints filed against police officers and departments; Number five, include demographic data on police officers involved in shootings in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program; Number six, require mandatory FBI reporting of police departments on the number of justifiable homicides committed by those departments; Number seven, create effective training methods and mental counseling of police officers to increase their understanding of the word ``threat'' and weed out any indication of racial animus and hostility; Number eight, create adequate training for police officers dealing with mentally ill persons. Yes, we have mentally ill patients and police do not know how to deal with them. Under this resolution, this select committee will require training for our Nation's police to deal with mentally ill patients. Number nine, require transparency of internal police discipline and police accountability; Number ten, report to this Congress on the rising cost of lawsuits and settlements that are indicative of problematic policing and civil rights violations and civil rights abuses. This is the resolution that I will be introducing over the next few days, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to conclude by repeating something that I said last year, and I intend to repeat this throughout the remaining days of my life. The murders, the political assassinations, the cold-blooded murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark on December 4, 1969, will not be in vain. The murders of American citizens, particularly young, unarmed African American boys and girls, Hispanic American boys and girls, other minorities, unarmed mentally ill Americans, unarmed White Americans, these murders by America's police agencies must come to a screeching halt. Justice demands it. This Congress ought to promote it. This Congress, this esteemed body, ought to protect all of our citizens. We have to show and demonstrate, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that just because you have a badge, you wear a badge, just because you are dressed in a uniform, just because you have a gun, with a license to arrest and detain, just because you have those assets, those powers, you do not have a right, the authority, the power to commit cold- blooded murder. And don't believe, not for 1 millisecond, that you will continue to get away with it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, how in the world did we get to this point? How did we get to the point of the majority party bringing forth this highly partisan, backwards-looking, does-more-harm-than-good so-called energy bill after all the time and all the effort that was put forth by both sides to come up with a bipartisan compromise? Mr. Chairman, after working together for the majority of this year, literally moments before the full Energy and Commerce Committee was set to mark up this bill, the rug was pulled out from under the minority side, and the Republicans turned their collective back on the legislative compromise. We were informed that the majority had reneged on its prior commitments, and what was initially supposed to be an infrastructure bill would contain no actual funding for any infrastructure projects-- not one red cent. In addition to reneging on a promise to fund a grid modernization program and a pipeline replacement program that would have benefited low-income consumers, the majority has also stripped the one provision of the bill that received widespread praise and support from both sides of the aisle. The 21st Century Workforce title that my office had authored has been stripped from this awful excuse for a comprehensive energy bill. It would seem, Mr. Chairman, that all of the care and support that my Republican colleagues professed to have for helping minorities, women, and veterans find good-paying energy jobs and careers has somehow not only dissipated, but has totally disappeared. It would appear, Mr. Chairman, that due to the apathy and indifference of a few highly privileged desk jockey elitists from the Heritage Foundation, helping to improve the plight of millions of disadvantaged Americans who have been historically underserved and underemployed within the energy sector is now considered to be, to use their very words, ``wasteful, ineffective, and inefficient.'' So, what we are left, Mr. Chairman, with is this: What aspects of this bill can we take back to our constituents? What aspects of this bill can we tell our constituents with a straight face will help them improve their lives? All this bill does, Mr. Chairman, is attempt to strip away oversight and roll back regulations in order to help industry game the system and increase its profit at the expense of the American people. Mr. Chairman, this bill is a sham, and it will actually take the Nation's energy policy backwards, all the way back. Mr. Chairman, the 21st Century Workforce amendment represented a win for industry, a win for our communities, and a win for Americans all. Deleting this very provision that was unanimously approved in committee speaks volumes about the majority's commitment to minorities, to women, and to veterans. This bill, H.R. 8, leaves women behind, it leaves minorities behind, it leaves veterans behind, it leaves low-income communities behind, and it leaves America behind. Mr. Chairman, for this reason, I oppose the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, this amendment aims to address the threat of electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic storms on the Nation's electric grid. While I agree that we should protect our Nation's electric grid, I don't agree that we should only focus on these high-impact, low- frequency events. There are many other threats, Mr. Chairman, to the grid that deserve just as much focus. The Franks amendment may undermine current FERC authority in the process for developing consistent technical standards for grid security already in place under Federal law. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Apostle Richard D. Henton who made his heavenly transition on October 22, 2015. Apostle Henton was called into the ministry in 1948 and rose to become one of the most prolific speakers of our day. Apostle Henton served in ministry for 66 years, 50 of those as pastor of the 5,000 member Monument of Faith Church located in my district. Apostle Henton also founded the R. D. Henton Breakthrough Ministries, a weekly program that aired on television, radio and online throughout the world and allowed Apostle Henton to touch the lives of millions across the globe. This tremendous ministry permitted the world to know Apostle Henton's charismatic and captivating voice that brought breakthroughs for his members and the world at-large and led many to know him not only as a faithful pastor but as their ``TV Evangelist". Mr. Speaker, Apostle Henton was a learned man who held three Doctorate of Divinity degrees and was the recipient of numerous certificates of merit. Apostle Henton was not only honored by our colleagues here in the House, but also with letters from presidents, and having been given keys to many cities. Of his numerous awards, he was especially proud of two very special awards he was given in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois: The N'Digo Foundation's N'Faith Award and the Luminary Senior Citizen Hall of Faith Award presented by former Mayor Richard M. Daley. Of his many accomplishments, Mr. Speaker, we must not forget that, ultimately, Apostle Henton was a family man and the father of four children who worked faithfully with him in the ministry. Mr. Speaker, Apostle Henton will truly be missed by us all but I will always remember what an amazing pastor and friend he was. My thoughts and prayers are extended to his family, church family and many friends. No one can prepare for a loss; it comes like a swift wind, but, I take solace in the fact that he is now resting in the arms of our Lord.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit a letter that I and my colleagues sent to the FCC asking for an end to site commissions. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the FCC will finally take action to reform prison telephone rates also known as Inmate Calling Services. This action is long overdue. The inmate calling service industry is a monopoly with less than three dominant players. Basically, each correctional facility contracts with one of the big players to be an exclusive service provider. While there is a bidding process, the companies typically agree to pay a percentage of their profits back to the department in exchange for the contract. ( an average of 48 percent according to Prison Legal News). Simply, the company that can offer the largest ``Kickbacks'' wins the contract. This is purely ``reverse competition''. Operating without regulation or proper oversight this shadowy industry has taken advantage of millions of families and their loved ones. I must mention two citizens critical in my education on this process. First is Charlie Sullivan of CURE a tireless prison reform advocate who approached me over 10 years ago about this injustice. The second is Ms. Martha Wright, a grandmother, who in 2003 filed a class action lawsuit against these unscrupulous businesses alleging they charged ``exorbitant and unconscionable long-distance rates. In 2005, I first introduced The Family Telephone Connection Protection Act, calling for more competition, rate caps and an end to these insane and insidious ``Kickbacks'' also known as ``site commissions''--which is just a polite name for ``Bribery''. For too many years we have allowed predatory companies like Securus to gauge these faceless and voiceless families who are already emotionally and financially devastated. It is unreasonable, unjust and unacceptable to pay $17 for a 15 minute call or $300 dollars a month to talk to a loved one. Mr. Speaker, more than two million Americans are currently incarcerated in our nation's jails and prisons. Their chances for rehabilitation and a successful return to society are vastly improved if they can remain in communication with their families, children, and critical support services. Expensive phone call rates deter such communication and result in recidivism and costly re-incarceration. After a decade of no oversight, no regulation and no transparency the FCC has a chance tomorrow to finally right a wrong to a powerless segment of our society. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, October 20, 2015. Hon. Tom Wheeler, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Wheeler: More than two million Americans are currently incarcerated in our nation's jails and prisons. Their chances for rehabilitation and a successful return to society are vastly improved if they can remain in communication with their families, children, and critical support services. Expensive phone call rates deter such communication and result in recidivism and costly re- incarceration. For the past decade we, the undersigned Members of Congress, have been imploring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide a market-based solution to curb these high telephone rates (see the Family Telephone Connection Protection Act, first introduced in the 109th Congress). The Commission is poised on October 22, 2015, to approve a final order on comprehensive inmate calling services (ICS) and we firmly believe that such comprehensive reform is needed to rein in the predatory practices in the ICS marketplace. The lack of competition and the out of control site commissions paid to correctional facilities are partly the cause of these skyrocketing costs. Simply put, up to 60 percent of what prisoners' families pay to receive phone calls from their incarcerated loved ones has nothing to do with the cost of the phone services provided. These artificial rates account for hundreds of millions of dollars paid to state prison systems for exclusive contracts. For several years, the Commission has correctly concluded that unconstrained site commission practices are the most significant contributing factor to high ICS rates. In its 2013 order, Reducing High Inmate Calling Rates, the Commission cited many examples demonstrating the correlation of site commission and high phones rates. On September 15, 2015, the Commission outlined in a fact sheet that it ``strongly discourages site commissions'' but did not provide any assurance that it plans to eliminate or curb this predatory practice. It also outlined a rate cap of $1.65 for intrastate, interstate, and international calls. Although establishing a rate cap is a step in the right direction, we believe it must be coupled with eliminating site commissions in order to yield the lowest possible phone rates. We, therefore, urge the Commission to use its statutory authority under Sections 201 and 276 to address site commissions when it undertakes comprehensive ICS reform. We have all heard the stories and cries of our constituents who, at times, have had to pay up to $17 for a 15 minute call just to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones. We know all too well that ongoing contact between the incarcerated and their families reduces the rate of recidivism in our society. Ending these predatory practices of price gouging at the expense of families is a human rights issue. As the Commission moves towards a vote on ICS, we urge you to exercise the fullest extent of your jurisdiction to protect and service more vulnerable consumers. Sincerely, Bobby L. Rush, Member of Congress. G. K. Butterfield, Member of Congress. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of Congress. Charles B. Rangel, Member of Congress. Marcia L. Fudge, Member of Congress.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I must say that I did not come here to Congress to shadowbox with the majority party over jobs and economic opportunities for the intergenerationally and chronically unemployed citizens of my district and similarly situated districts across the country. Mr. Chairman, my amendment, which was not allowed by the majority party, would have provided real solutions to real problems. My amendment would have put dollars in the pocketbooks of the unemployed minorities, the unemployed women, and the unemployed veterans of this Nation. Mr. Chairman, I must say, this amendment before us is like pouring perfume on an overused pigsty. It provides DOE--and I quote from the amendment, Mr. Chairman--it provides DOE with the authority to continue its ongoing work. In other words, it tells the Department of Energy: Do what you are already doing. Mr. Chairman, unlike the amendment I offered in the Rules Committee that was drafted with input and collaboration from the various stakeholders who would benefit most had it been adopted, there is no specific initiative, no program, and no objections in the Cuellar amendment. Mr. Chairman, the Rush amendment would have established--not encouraged, but established--partnerships between DOE, Commerce, the Small Business Administration, Minority Business Development Agency, industry, the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council, the Women's Business Enterprise Network Council, and minority chambers of commerce chapters across the Nation. The Rush amendment would have established programmatic commitments for diversity hiring for vendor and contracting opportunities within the supply chain through contractual obligations, incentives, and other means with a goal of no less than 10 percent participation by minority- owned firms by the year 2020. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would have created regional diversity supply chain specialty centers to develop strategies for minority business contracting and vendor opportunities, and to hold business development sessions in strategic locations where energy development exists or is expanding. The Rush amendment would have helped minority- and women-owned firms form consortiums and partnerships in order to better meet qualifications and capacities that industry is seeking. Mr. Chairman, the Rush amendment would have established a program to provide access to capital for loans, financing, and insurance assistance for minority- and women-owned businesses. Mr. Chairman, the Rush amendment would have established--not just encouraged, but established--public-private partnerships between minority-owned banks and private investors as well as provided grants to Minority-Serving Institutions to help recruit businesses for energy- related supply chain sector activity. Again, Mr. Chairman, I am not here to criticize my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar). I am here to just bring out the differences between what an imaginary amendment would do and what a real amendment would do.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, over the past couple of months, I have worked tirelessly to find a reasonable compromise with the sponsor of H.R. 702, my friend and colleague from Texas (Mr. Barton), that would allow me and others with similarly situated constituencies to support this bill. Although I share the concerns of many of my Democratic colleagues on how this bill might impact the environment and climate change, I have always stated that I believe in the all-of-the-above energy approach that balances environmental concerns and economic opportunities. Mr. Chairman, yesterday in the Rules Committee I advocated for an open rule process that would have allowed Democrats to offer amendments that would reflect priorities and concerns of the minority party. In fact, Mr. Chairman, I myself submitted an amendment that would have expanded access for minority- and women-owned firms to more fully participate in the energy supply chain, which we know will be greatly enhanced if the export ban is lifted. Mr. Chairman, although my friends in the environmental community wouldn't agree, in my district, we say: Oil is not just a commodity. Oil is indeed an economic opportunity. Mr. Chairman, my most pressing concern is making sure up front and from the beginning that minority firms would be part of the pipeline economy and would directly benefit from vendor and contracting opportunities that lifting this ban would create. Instead, Mr. Chairman, despite positive rhetoric from members of the majority party, a closed rule was adopted. While my comprehensive amendment was not allowed, Members are asked to vote now on Trojan horse amendments that would do nothing to actually benefit minorities and women as my far-reaching amendment was designed to do. Rather than shielding the majority party from charges of creating a multibillion-dollar boondoggle for the energy industry, today there is not much in this bill as currently drafted that I can point to as really benefiting all segments of the American population. As I have said time and time and time again, cut us in or cut it out. Cut us in or cut it out. Cut women in or cut it out. Cut the minorities in or cut it out.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the bill.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I respectfully decline the time the gentleman was gracious to give. I really want my own time on the bill.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and honor the life and legacy of Mr. Joseph Young who made his heavenly transition on Wednesday, September 23, 2015. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Joseph was the fifth of eight children born to the union of the late Willie Frank Young and Margaret Elizabeth Lindly. Joseph relocated to New Orleans in 1965, where he would meet his future wife Perry, while she was matriculating at Dillard University. Upon returning to Chicago, Joseph answered the call to serve his country in the United States Army, where he would serve a tour of duty in the Republic of Vietnam before being discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1970. Joseph and Perry were united in holy matrimony on July 18, 1970 and to this union, one son, Damon Avery, was born and their second son, Jimmy Myu, was adopted. Mr. Speaker, throughout his life, Mr. Young served in positions of leadership. Whether serving as President of the Foster Park Community Council, organizing two separate little league baseball teams, or serving in a political capacity as Field Director for former Congressman Harold Washington's mayoral campaign in 1983 and Illinois State Director for the 1992 Clinton Campaign, Mr. Young set so many examples of leadership and courage. A feat that was recognized in his becoming the first African American Illinois State Director for the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Young will surely be missed. I join his devoted and loving wife, Perry; two sons, Damon Avery and Jimmy Myu (Nikkie); daughter, Lavitia (Rev. Larry) Arnold, brother, Supt. James Young (Betty Jean), sisters, Rev. Rhoda Barnes and Judy Young, sister-in-law Gert; grandchildren; nephews, nieces and many friends and colleagues in mourning his passing. I am honored to pay tribute to this dedicated community and political leader.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, Scripture says that you shall know the tree by the fruit that it bears. A good tree bears good fruit. Strong trees bring forth strong fruit. Loving trees bear loving fruit. Mr. Speaker, what then is to be said about a tree whose fruit is a respected and courageous freedom fighter? Mr. Speaker, I am speaking of a great woman of distinction, Helen Burns Jackson, the mother of renowned Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., who is the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition that is based in the First Congressional District of Illinois. Mother Burns Jackson, Mr. Speaker, was the epitome of a strong, good, fruit-bearing tree. She made her transition from life to eternity on September 7, 2015, after a lengthy illness. She was surrounded by her loving family and her friends. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Ms. Burns Jackson instilled in her children a sense of dignity, self-respect, and loving justice in the face of the inhumane treatment of African Americans in the segregated South. Born in 1925, she endured the hardships of poverty, the hardships of racism, to raise two sons of great accomplishment, great distinction, an American hero and civil rights legend, the Reverent Jesse Louis Jackson, Senior, and the Motown music phenomenon Charles Jackson. A gifted singer of world renowned. Mrs. Burns Jackson herself was a singer and dancer, and she passed on a scholarship to a great college to raise her two sons. Her life, Mr. Speaker, was the quintessential American story of overcoming the odds with an unbreakable will and a deep, abiding faith. She planted the seeds of courage, the seeds of perseverance, and the seeds of hope in Reverend Jackson and in his brother, Charles. Reverend Jackson would go on to not only free American hostages, but became the freedom fighter for those who are oppressed and those who are poor all around this globe. It is on this very day, September 10, 2015, that I rise before the House of Representatives to pay tribute to this beautiful and extraordinary Movement mother. Mrs. Jackson was a cosmetologist by profession, and she was known as a towering pillar of her community. Her home became the central station of the civil rights movement. Mr. Speaker, she often provided me with great encouragement when she traveled to Chicago to visit her son and his family. As a young activist, I certainly was inspired by her words of wisdom. As a young activist, she inspired me to commit myself to serving others. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that trees are the Earth's endless efforts to nurture life. Mrs. Helen Burns Jackson was a beautiful tall tree among all of us who has returned to the heavenly glory of her God, our God Almighty. Her spirit lives not only in her children, her grandchildren, and in her great-grandchildren, but her spirit also lives in the righteous fruits that may be found in those of us who were touched by the endless love, the great kindness, the great grace, and the tremendous wisdom of Ms. Helen Burns Jackson. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of the First Congressional District and on behalf of my loving wife, Carolyn, we pay tribute to this remarkable and special woman, this great tree, this inspiration to all of us, Ms. Helen Burns Jackson. She is indeed a mother of the movement. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, and I want to thank Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Pallone, Ranking Member Green, and Ranking Member DeGette for their tireless work and commitment to this issue. Mr. Chairman, this landmark piece of legislation will help modernize and personalize health care, encourage greater innovation, support research, and streamline the healthcare system to deliver better, faster cures to more and more patients. Mr. Chairman, we might live in different regions, we might live in different times, we might be of different nationalities, we might even be of different faiths, but when it comes to the overall health of our Nation, we can surely put aside our differences and do the right thing for the American people. I want to highlight two provisions of my bill, H.R. 2468, the Minority Inclusion in Clinical Trials Act of 2015, that were included in the 21st Century Cures Act. The first provision will require the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to include, within its strategic plan for biomedical research, ways to increase representation of underrepresented communities in clinical trials. The second will ensure that it remains a priority at NIH to increase the inclusion rates of traditionally underrepresented communities within the future biomedical workforce.

Mr. RUSH. Simply put, Mr. Chairman, these provisions addressed persistent systemic and widespread disparities in health outcomes for minority communities. As you know, many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, lupus, osteoporosis, asthma, sickle cell, and kidney diseases have been studied at length and still afflict minority populations in disturbing numbers and at disturbing rates. Minorities are disproportionately underrepresented in clinical trials. There are many reasons attributed to this disproportionality, such as a lack of funding. The chief culprit is that research professionals tend to work toward solutions for the cure of diseases to which they have personal connections and have personal experiences. Mr. Chairman, I am so glad that the 21st Century Cures Act does address some of these critical issues. I rise in support of the 21st Century Cures Act, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of H.R. 6.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, June 25, 2015 I was unavoidably delayed and missed rollcall vote 388. Had I been present I would have voted in the affirmative.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, the legislation before us, which I prefer to call the ``Just Say No'' bill, would effectively give Governors the power to opt out of the Federal requirements of the EPA's proposed clean power plan if they decide that complying with the plan would have an adverse effect on either rates or reliability. Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, the language allowing a Governor to opt out is ambiguous and does not take into account other costs that States are already paying due to the impacts of climate change. So, Mr. Chairman, in order to address this issue, I am offering a straightforward amendment that simply states that a Governor must certify that, within his or her State, any ratepayer increases associated with implementing a State or Federal plan would be greater than any costs associated with responding to extreme weather conditions associated with human-caused climate change. Mr. Chairman, this would include the costs associated with cleaning up after mass flooding, intense wildfires, more frequent and intense storms, as well as the costs associated with loss of crops and livestock due to increased drought. Mr. Chairman, as any State that has had to deal with the aftermath of any of these destructive extreme weather events can attest, Americans are already shouldering the costs of climate change--and these costs are getting worse and worse. In fact, according to the National Climate Assessment, if we do not seriously invest in addressing climate change impacts now, we can expect to see more expensive and costly future damages associated with almost every facet of our society, from negative health impacts, to stressing our infrastructure and water system, to harming our national security, up to and including hurting our overall long-term economic growth. Mr. Chairman, just 2 days ago, on Monday, the EPA, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Pacific Northwest National Lab, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, released a peer-reviewed study detailing the costs if we fail to address climate change. This report stated that failure to act could cost 12,000 lives from extreme temperatures and 57,000 lives from poor air quality in the year 2100, as well as cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars each and every year. The analysis also looked at the impact of climate change on health, electricity, infrastructure, water resources, agriculture, forestry, and the ecosystem. It found that if we acted to reduce emissions, we could avert loss of life, reduce the number of droughts and floods, and save up to $34 billion in power system costs in the year 2050 alone. So, Mr. Chairman, with all of these dire warnings coming from both the experts as well as from Mother Nature herself, we cannot allow Governors to ``just say no'' to reducing harmful pollutants from their States and simply put their heads in the sand. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment to ensure that Governors are held accountable for their failure to act to reduce harmful pollutants that impact the overall public good.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the fine ranking member of the full committee, for yielding me this time. Mr. Chair, I applaud the Obama administration for its veto threat of this abhorrent legislation that we are now considering, this just say no bill, which would effectively give Governors the power to sabotage EPA's proposed clean power plan by allowing them to opt out of the Federal requirements of the plan based on arbitrary and ambiguous determinations. Mr. Chair, when implemented, the clean power plan will allow the EPA to cut common pollution from some of the Nation's oldest, dirtiest, and most inefficient power plants. We know, Mr. Chair, that these same power plants account for the largest share of greenhouse gases from stationary sources in the country, and they are responsible for about one-third of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, Mr. Chair, there are no Federal limits on the amount of carbon pollution that these very same power plants are allowed to emit. The clean power plan would decrease power sector carbon emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2030. However, Mr. Chair, this bill is an attempt to abort EPA's efforts before they even have the chance to take hold, despite the fact that the clean power plan gives States great flexibility when implementing the rule, based on their existing utility infrastructure and policies. Mr. Chair, the proposed clean power plan could not be more timely, as we are experiencing more and more frequent extreme weather events due to climate change, with disastrous effects being felt in our economy and in our communities all across our Nation. In fact, no region in America has been safe from the impacts of climate change, with nearly annual record wildfires and heat waves in the West and the Southwest, perennial flooding along the coasts, and damaging and costly droughts and crop loss in the Plains and the Midwestern portions of our Nation. Mr. Chair, when implemented, the clean power plan would help to reduce carbon pollution by hundreds of millions of tons, decreasing particle pollution, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by hundreds of thousands of tons annually. Additionally, Mr. Chair, the clean power plan would help protect the health of our most vulnerable citizens, our children, older Americans, and low-income and minority communities. Mr. Chair, not only do the vast majority of the American people believe that climate change is a serious problem and that the government--our government, this Federal Government, we in this Congress--should take action to address it and take it now, but also, the overwhelming majority of our Nation's doctors believe so, also. Earlier this year, the American Thoracic Society found that, by a huge margin, most doctors believe that climate change is already negatively impacting their patients' health. Fully 77 percent of responding doctors reported that increases in air pollution caused by climate change is making their patients' illnesses even more severe, a trend, I might add, Mr. Chairman, that they expect will steadily increase in the future.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, these findings are in line with a similar study conducted by the National Medical Association last year which found that older Americans, low-income communities, and the sick will all be disproportionately impacted by climate change if we fail to act. Mr. Chairman, this is not just a political issue. This is not just a partisan issue. This is also a moral issue. Just last week, in a landmark encyclical, Pope Francis himself warned of the grave implications of climate change when he stated: Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political, and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced. I urge all of my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, to heed the warning of our scientists, of our doctors, and one of the world's foremost moral authorities, the Pope himself.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.