Bobby Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I, along with my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), would like to briefly discuss the importance of fully funding the Thomas Jefferson Lab's 12 GeV Upgrade. This important project received accelerated funding in the Recovery Act. It is vital that this project receive the administration's full request of $22 million in this bill. If full funding is not in place for the upcoming fiscal year due to stringent controls in how Recovery Act funds are spent, there is little flexibility for the lab to meet their construction project without costly scheduling delays or potential elimination of physics-related work. I would hope that the gentleman from Arizona will work with me and Mr. Wittman to ensure that this project is funded at the administration's request for fiscal year 2010. And I yield to the gentleman from Virginia, my colleague, Mr. Wittman.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an institution in Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Saturday, June 27, 2009, the members of Fourth Baptist Church are celebrating their 150th anniversary, and I would like to take a moment to highlight the rich history of this church and its contribution to our community. Fourth Baptist Church, the first black Baptist church in the Church Hill community in Richmond, began in 1859 as a regular assembly of slaves for prayer. The group met regularly on Chimborazo Hill until the outbreak of the Civil War, when the white congregation of the Leigh Street Baptist Church granted permission for the slaves to hold their services in the church basement. In 1865 the Reverend Scott Gwathmey, one of the group's prayer leaders, gained permission for the group to meet in a Union barracks on Chimborazo Hill. There, on December 2, 1865, the Fourth Baptist Church was formally organized, with Reverend Gwathmey serving as the first pastor. The barracks were eventually demolished, but the congregation salvaged lumber from the debris and constructed their own church building. In 1875 this church was replaced by another one of frame, on the northern side of Church Hill, near what was to be the site of the present church. The present building was completed in 1884, three months after the former church was destroyed by fire. The church has grown considerably from these humble beginnings. Major expansion was conducted under the direction of current Pastor Emeritus, Dr. Robert L. Taylor. Dr. Taylor served as Pastor of Fourth Baptist for 34 years. He was responsible for instituting many of the programs that still exist at the church, and oversaw the building of the addition to the church building now known as Taylor Hall. Fourth Baptist has vibrant Men's and Women's programs that enlighten and assist the young people as they participate in the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Youth Usher programs. Fourth Baptist also participates with the Baptist General Convention of Virginia to conduct outreach ministries throughout Greater Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia. I would like to congratulate Chairman of the Board of Deacons Gerard A. Dabney, Interim Pastor Dr. Marion Tapscott, and the entire congregation of Fourth Street Baptist on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. I would to wish them another 150 years of service to their community.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and thank my colleagues from North Carolina for bringing this tragedy to our attention and giving us the opportunity to convey our condolences. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to another colleague from North Carolina, Mr. Price.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, with this resolution, the House of Representatives acknowledges the tragedy that occurred at ConAgra on June 9, 2009, and extends our sympathies to the people of Garner, North Carolina, and to all of those who were touched by this tragedy. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) for introducing this important resolution about such a sad tragedy. Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on June 9, last Tuesday, a massive explosion ripped through the ConAgra plant in North Carolina while about 300 employees were working. The explosion killed three employees and injured at least 38 others. Three of the responding firefighters were also treated for chemical inhalation. We wish we could turn back the hands of time and prevent this terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, we can't. And, instead, we need to do all we can to understand the cause of the explosion so we can minimize the risk of explosions like it. This past weekend, the ATF response team announced that the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak in a room that housed vacuum pumps used for sealing snacks. According to news reports, the ATF has not found any evidence of criminal activity. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, along with others, will continue with the investigation. We express our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of this tragedy. We honor three employees who lost their lives in the explosion, Barbara McLean Spears of Dunn, North Carolina, Louis Junior Watson of Clayton, North Carolina, Rachel Mae Poston Pulley, of Clayton, North Carolina; and we also honor those who suffered injuries. And, finally, we commend the heroic actions of the first responders, the Garner Police and Fire Departments, the emergency medical personnel, the North Carolina Task Force 8 Urban Search and Rescue, the ATF, and all other emergency services personnel and private citizens who came to the rescue. Their efforts, along with those of the ConAgra employees themselves, no doubt prevented further loss of life and injuries. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. 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. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 540) expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the catastrophic explosion at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, North Carolina, and for other purposes.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2661, the Court Security Enhancement Act, addresses improper public disclosure of private information regarding all Federal employees, Federal officers, and persons involved in the judicial system. Specifically, this bill addresses the public disclosure of private information with the intent to threaten, intimidate or incite violence against a Federal employee or officer, a person involved in the judicial system, or his or her family. The safety of all who participate in our judicial process is essential to the integrity of our judicial system. Threats and attacks against citizens and court officials are also attacks on the fair and effective administration of justice. It is already a felony to knowingly disclose with harmful intent restricted personal information, including a Federal employee's home address, home phone number or Social Security number. However, the maximum penalty is currently 5 years. This bill will increase that penalty to 10 years. The United States Sentencing Commission has brought to our attention the disparity between the 5-year penalty for this crime and the 10-year penalty for another serious form of harassment and attack on Federal employees, that of filing false liens against the Federal employee. The Sentencing Commission has asked whether or not we intended that disparity. We did not. To reduce the disparity and to bring the penalty for disclosing private information with a criminal intent in line with the seriousness of the offense, the Court Security Enhancement Act increases the penalty from 5 to 10 years. This bill also corrects a conflict we inadvertently created last session in sections 503 and 504 of the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007. This bill eliminates that conflict and clarifies that senior judges must perform at least the equivalent of a 6-month workload of an active judge to participate in court governance matters, including the selection of magistrate judges. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. 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 bill under consideration.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2661) to amend title 18, United States Code, to increase the penalty for violations of section 119 (relating to protection of individuals performing certain official duties), as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 309, as amended.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from Ohio for introducing the resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), who represents Memphis, the location of the first Civil Rights Baseball Game.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus), who represents Cincinnati and is the chief sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 530 commends the purpose of the third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game and recognizes the historic significance of the location of the Civil Rights Baseball Game in Cincinnati, Ohio. I want to commend my colleague the gentleman from Cincinnati (Mr. Driehaus) for introducing this legislation. The Civil Rights Baseball Game is an important event, and it deserves to be recognized by the House of Representatives. The third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game will be played in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Great American Ballpark on June 20, 2009, between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. Many celebrities will be in attendance, including Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Bill Cosby, and Bebe Winans. This Major League Baseball game was created to honor those who fought both on and off the field for equal treatment of all people. The first Civil Rights Baseball Game was played in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2007, between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. It was organized as a preseason game, intended to commend the civil rights movement in the United States as part of a larger celebration of the civil rights movement. Memphis was selected for its important role in the history of the civil rights movement. This year's host city, Cincinnati, Ohio, has a long and rich history in both the game of baseball and in the field of civil rights. Cincinnati was an important stop on the Underground Railroad and is the home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center located adjacent to the ballpark. Cincinnati was also home to the Negro League's Cincinnati Tigers from 1934 to 1937, and it was in Cincinnati that the first night baseball game was played in 1935. Mr. Speaker, baseball has long been considered the great American pastime. It is part of our culture. It reflects the values of teamwork, competition, fair play, and the pursuit of excellence. Baseball was once segregated, as was most of the rest of the country, until Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The rest of the Nation would follow in time, but it was on the diamond that we made the most important steps towards ending Jim Crow. As Mr. Rickey said, ``Prejudice has no place in sports, and baseball must recognize that truth if it is to maintain stature as a national game.'' Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague from Ohio in honoring the Civil Rights Baseball Game. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. 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. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 530) commending the purpose of the third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game and recognizing the historical significance of the location of the game in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1385, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act. I want to thank my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran) for, again, introducing this bill. Similar legislation passed this body by voice vote in the 110th Congress, but it was never acted on in the Senate. Two years ago, Virginia and the Nation celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America. Jamestown is the cornerstone of our great Republic, and its success relied heavily on the help of the indigenous people of Virginia. Virginia's Native Americans played a critical role in helping the first settlers of Jamestown survive the harsh conditions of the New World. After the Jamestown colony weathered its first few years in the New World, the colony expanded, and the English pushed further inland, but the same Native Americans who helped those first settlers were coerced and were pushed from their land without compensation. Treaties, many of which precede our own Constitution, were often made in an effort to compensate the Virginia Native Americans, but as history has shown, these treaties were rarely honored or upheld. Like many other Native Americans, the Virginia Indian tribes were marginalized from society. They were deprived of their land, prevented from getting an education, and they were denied a role in our society. Virginia's Native Americans were denied their fundamental human rights and were denied the very freedoms and liberties enshrined in our own Constitution. Mr. Chairman, the bill will finally grant Federal recognition to the Chickahominy, to the Eastern Chickahominy, to the Upper Mattaponi, to the Rappahannock, to the Monacan Indian Nation, and to the Nansemond tribes. H.R. 1385 will ensure the rightful status of Virginia's tribes in our national history. Federal recognition will provide housing and educational opportunities for those who cannot afford it. Federal recognition will also promote the tribal economic development that will allow Virginia's tribes to become self-sufficient. These new opportunities will allow Virginia's tribes to flourish culturally and economically, which will lead to a brighter future for a whole new generation. The Virginia tribes have waited far too long for Federal recognition. Again, I want to thank my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran) for his excellent leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 426) honoring police officers and law enforcement professionals during Police Week.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas, the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Michigan for their strong support of this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this important resolution, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman who, prior to coming to Congress, was a law enforcement professional himself, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).