José Serrano

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. This amendment is very inappropriate for this bill and sets a bad precedent. We should not be tying the hands of the ATF as it attempts to keep our law enforcement officers safe. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act established a process to ensure that police officers do not face a threat of armor-piercing bullets capable of being fired from concealable semiautomatic handguns. This law passed the House of Representatives in 1985 by a vote of 400- 21. Then it later passed the Senate by a vote of 97-1. For far too long we have dealt with irresponsible riders on appropriations bills that put limits on our ability to keep our communities and our law enforcement officers safe. This is just one more example. Mr. Chairman, I urge the defeat of this amendment. I may say to my colleagues that this is one of the issues that baffles me the most. I don't hunt, but I respect people who do. I don't target practice and target shoot, but I respect people who do. But it seems that more and more every day, as we have more and more violence, we want more and more stronger weapons because otherwise we are going to lose our rights if we don't do so. Mr. Chairman, our rights are at the ballot box and many other places, not just in our holster. I think if we continue to do this, first of all, this is the wrong place to do it, and, secondly, it is the wrong thing to do. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, just very briefly, I usually don't get up a second time, but to my friend--and he is my friend--it is a confusion in this country. This is not about protecting the Second Amendment. We all do. Everybody does. It is about common sense and asking: Where does it stop? How do we keep it from growing? How violent can we get? How many people can we shoot? That is what this is about. It is not about the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is well protected. Trust me. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very straightforward. It would prohibit funds allocated in the bill from being used on the construction and operation of private, for-profit prisons. The use of private prisons in our country is a crisis. More and more Americans are being locked up in facilities that don't respect basic human rights. One in four people behind bars worldwide is in a United States jail. That is right. A country with less than 5 percent of the world's population accounts for a quarter of all the world's prisoners. In fact, our prison population has continued to increase over the past few decades, even as statistics have shown a decrease in crime. According to the FBI, violent and major property crimes are at historic lows. Nevertheless, more and more Americans are getting locked up. There are several reasons for this: from overly punitive mandatory minimum sentences to the cycle of poverty in the school-to-prison pipeline. But one thing is for sure: so long as there is an incentive to build prison cells for profit, there will be more Americans unnecessarily behind bars. So long as we perpetuate the prison industrial complex, we will find it harder and harder to reduce our bloated prison population and make meaningful reforms to our criminal justice system. Last year, an investigative reporter for The Nation uncovered horrible conditions at private correction facilities. Inmates were not receiving basic medical care, even items required by the Bureau of Prisons. In one case, they were kept in rows of bunk beds in un-air- conditioned domes, baking in the heat and the sun. In another case, the poor conditions sparked riots by the inmates. Now, don't get me wrong. I feel no sympathy for violent criminals who have no remorse for what they did and deserve to be locked away for their crimes. But our Founders knew that we have an obligation to maintain respect for human life, and they enshrined it in our Constitution by protecting against cruel and unusual punishment. When this report came to light, President Obama's Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, chose to act. The President issued a memorandum saying that we would phase out the use of private prisons, partially by seeking to reduce our prison population. But in February, in keeping with this administration's policy of simply reversing everything President Obama did, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the order. He has since indicated that we won't continue to use private prisons. We will use more of them, and we will lock up more people to fill them. What a disgrace. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a waste of countless American lives that could be turned around and made into successful citizens. I am proud that in my home city of New York we have decided to divest our pension system from the for-profit prison industry. But now it is time for the Federal Government to divest itself as well. We must continue to work on comprehensive criminal justice reform that seeks to reform mandatory minimum sentences and curb the failed war on drugs and focus on reentry and reintegration so that those who serve time can become productive members of society, rather than lifelong inmates. Tonight, we can start with this amendment and send a message to the Trump administration. Tonight, we can tell him not to reverse the progress made under President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Tonight, we can say that making money off of incarcerating individuals is simply inconsistent with American values. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. This executive order was signed by President Obama in July 2010. The National Ocean Policy is designed to improve stewardship of our oceans, coasts, islands, and Great Lakes by directing government agencies with differing mandates to coordinate and work together. The National Ocean Policy creates no new authorities. The result of increased coordination is better stewardship of our national heritage through improved government efficiency, better development and use of data and information, and a process of open and transparent stakeholder engagement that informs decisionmaking. This increased coordination between agencies needs to take place on a Federal level to reduce inefficiency, waste, and redundancy between agencies. The National Ocean Council brings together State, local, and Tribal governments and all of the oceans uses, including recreational and commercial fishermen, boaters, industries, scientists, and the public, to better plan for, manage, harmonize, and sustain uses of ocean and coastal resources. The bottom line is that the National Ocean Policy offers an avenue for thoughtful planning around issues affecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes areas. It is the best choice for stakeholders looking to be involved in the process. For all of these reasons, I urge the defeat of this amendment. Before I reserve the balance of my time, on a personal note, it is amazing how much work we have done in the south Bronx with what little bodies of water and green space we have, how much we cherish it, and how much we feel that it has been a gift that we continue to work on. We no longer have earmarks, but when we did, it did a great job in restoring a lot of areas. I see how, in other parts of the country and at the Federal level, we want to undo years and years of progress. I keep thinking of Republican leaders who took a different view. Teddy Roosevelt would be so upset at so much of what we are doing today because he saw the world in a different way. Thank God that he was our President for that period of time when we needed him for that particular issue. Just on a personal note, I understand that a lot of people see the world differently than I do. Where I come from, tonight people know they now have places where they can row a boat, where they can eventually swim, where they can fish, and where a beaver named Jose has returned. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this unnecessary amendment. All this amendment does is prohibit use of funding to violate current law. As we all know, Federal grant recipients of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or SCAAP, are not using Federal funds in contravention of Federal law. The amendment is really about so-called sanctuary cities. This and other amendments like this seek to effectively overthrow community policing by diverting State and local police from their core mission of protecting public safety. Imposing this one-size-fits-all approach would degrade trust between immigrant communities and local police, thereby undermining public safety in all communities and for all residents. We should not be attempting by word or deed to turn our local law enforcement into an arm of Federal immigration efforts. I live in a sanctuary city, and I can tell you with great certainty that amendments like this one will make my hometown less safe. People will be less likely to report crimes and cooperate with investigations simply because of the concern that they will be deported for interacting with local law enforcement. What we need is broad and humane immigration reform which would place undocumented immigrants on a workable and earned path to citizenship, thereby allowing them to contribute even more to their families, communities, and our country. Our immigration system is broken, but this amendment does nothing to fix it. I urge my colleagues to defeat this amendment. And I must say, the sanctuary cities, as they are called, have a lot of support from law enforcement throughout the Nation because they know that they need to speak to people in the community and get information on who the bad guys are or who the bad gals are, number one. Number two, this is going to be a boom for the legal profession because just about every city and every State is going to sue if this ever became law. And we actually started holding moneys back because they know how much help is brought to their community and how much they want to keep it in place. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect New York DREAMers like Mila, who is able to go to college, get a job, and get a driver's license thanks to DACA.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank Ranking Member Lowey. I wish we could be here under other circumstances. The process to consider the CJS portion of this bill as part of an omnibus package is not in keeping with how the appropriations process should work. Each bill should be given individual consideration under an open rule. Some on the other side are cheering this floor process, which is ironic given their years of opposition to such a lumped-together package. I am not sure what has changed their minds today, and at this point we don't even know if Members will be allowed to offer amendments that are necessary to improve half of the bill and rein in this out-of- control administration because the Rules Committee has not yet provided us with that information. I also wish that the substance of what we are considering this week were better. As the ranking member of the CJS Subcommittee, I can say that the CJS portion of this bill received an inadequate allocation. After scorekeeping adjustments, the bill includes an approximately 1 percent cut below fiscal year 2017. This is far below the level needed to adequately fund the programs in this bill which are crucial to economic development, scientific innovation, and protecting our Nation's cherished constitutional values. Before we touch upon these serious problems, let me mention some areas where both sides agree. I do want to commend Chairman Culberson for rejecting several of the worst ideas in the Trump administration's budget. This includes rebuffing proposals that would have reduced research funding at the National Science Foundation and eliminated the Minority Business Development Agency. This bill also rejects cuts to educational efforts in the NSF, NASA, and a proposed cut for the FBI. Unfortunately, far too many of the President's terrible proposals are given credence by this legislation. The Legal Services Corporation, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, and the Economic Development Administration all absorb significant cuts below the current funding level. The Census Bureau is greatly underfunded and will be unable to complete the important and necessary work that must be done now to prepare for the 2020 Census. A number of other programs are shortchanged, including climate change research programs at NSF and NOAA, several National Weather Service initiatives, and a number of DOJ grant programs, like the COPS Hiring Program and several police reform grant programs. Democrats and Republicans, alike, support most, if not all, of these programs, but we simply cannot fix these problems under this allocation. I am also troubled that this bill allows many of the administration's most disturbing priorities and initiatives related to immigration and civil rights to move forward without the necessary congressional oversight. In the wake of Charlottesville and Tuesday's DACA decision, there are many in this country who are justifiably questioning the President's commitment to tolerance, fairness, and inclusiveness. The Trump administration's budget request for the Department of Justice raises those questions as well. A proposal to harm immigrants by increasing criminal enforcement is funded in this bill. There is no attempt to limit the Department's actions to undermine affirmative action, support voter restriction that disproportionally hurts minority populations, and ignore LGBT protections. Many of these ideas have long been rejected by the American people, but the President and the Attorney General continue to give them credibility. Democrats and Republicans have offered amendments to limit the reach of these drastic policy changes, but at this point, it is unclear whether any of these amendments will be made in order. I hope we will have a serious opportunity to make changes to this bill, but that seems unlikely. In its current form, I cannot support this portion of the bill or the bill as a whole.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New York for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise--and you should listen to this very closely--in support of this bill. I do it because both sides understood the importance of coming together and trying to work on a solution to this situation. I have to say that the Republicans came to the table understanding that they had the majority of the votes, but that they also had the majority of the responsibility to make sure it was a unified decision that was made. For my hometown of New York, there is money to reimburse the protection of Trump Tower, where the President has spent a lot of time and where the police department has to be picking up the bill. The Legal Services Corporation, one of our greatest programs, was scheduled to disappear. This bill does not allow that. Hispanic-serving institutions at the National Science Foundation are still alive and doing well. This bill allows for so many different issues in NOAA and in NASA to continue to grow. But most of all what this bill does, in my opinion, is prove something that perhaps--and I'm not being naive here--we can carry forward. When we set our minds to coming together and when we set our minds to working as one group of people on behalf of our country, we can do it. This bill we will vote on today, I will vote proudly because I know that we could have made this into another fight. I know for the next budget we will have differences. But please, my brothers and sisters, remember we were able to come together. And some on TV tonight will say that this side sold out or that side sold out. No. Both sides worked for the American people, and it works well.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, this past February we celebrated Black History Month, during which time we recognize the important contributions made by African-Americans to this great nation. Nowhere is that heritage more visible than in New York City. That is why, at my office's annual Black History Month Celebration, I was honored to recognize Ms. Naimah Bilal, who has been a lifelong, tireless community advocate. Born and raised in Harlem, NY, she started her community involvement at an early age. She and other community members marched for an overpass to be built for the newly constructed FDR Drive, where many accidents occurred as people tried to cross over to the park where the basketball and handball courts were located. Her efforts were successful, the overpass was built and accidents decreased. Later, Naimah and her family moved to Lenox Avenue in Harlem and she continued to be active on several committees at Masjid Malcolm Shabazz. Naimah worked for the NYS Division of Housing & Community Renewal (DHCR) Representing the Clerical Staff of this Agency and Delegate of DC 37 until retiring after 22 years in October 2007. Upon moving to the Bronx, she got involved with several community based organizations including the 44th Precinct Community Council and CASA (Community Action for Safe Apartments). She is the President of Council Member Vanessa Gibson's Tenants Block and Neighborhood Council and President of her Tenants Association. She is an active member of DC37 Retirees. Ms. Bilal prides herself on being a mother, grandmother, great- grandmother, and a community organizer. She encourages all to get involved, especially the Youth, so they have a full understanding of what is going on in their communities and to be aware of what their rights and responsibilities are so that they are empowered and civically engaged. Ms. Bilal serves as a wonderful example of those important values. She has made great contributions to the Bronx and my congressional district, and I am truly thankful to count her as a constituent. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Ms. Naimah Bilal for her continued commitment to service.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, we recently celebrated Black History Month this past February. During my office's annual Black History Month Celebration, I was honored to reflect on the tremendous contributions African-Americans have made within my district in Bronx County, and to recognize several outstanding individuals contributing to their community. Let me mention one of those people today--Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark. She is the first woman in this position, the first female African-American District Attorney in the state of New York, and has been a trailblazer for criminal justice throughout her professional career. District Attorney Clark became the District Attorney for our county on January 1, 2016. Prior to her election, District Attorney Clark served as an Associate Justice for the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department; a New York State Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County; and a Criminal Court Judge in Bronx and New York Counties. She spent more than 16 years on the bench. District Attorney Clark is also a lifelong Bronxite, raised in NYCHA's Soundview Houses. She attended public schools in New York City, graduating from Harry S Truman High School. She attended Boston College and received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science where she was the first recipient of the University's Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Scholarship. She then went on to earn her law degree at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. District Attorney Clark returned home in 1986 to begin her legal career at the Bronx District Attorney's Office. She prosecuted many cases, including drug felonies, violent crimes, and homicides. District Attorney Clark served as a Supervising ADA in the Narcotics Bureau and the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. In 1999, she left the Office for her first judicial post. District Attorney Clark also serves on the Boston College Board of Trustees and has served in leadership positions in the National Association of Women Judges and the Black Bar Association of Bronx County. Throughout her career in public service, District Attorney Clark has worked to ensure fairness, accountability, and justice for Bronxites. In her new role as Bronx County District Attorney, she has already made the office more responsive, and worked to reduce case delays that have diminished trust in our system of justice. She is an important role model to all in our community, and I look forward to working with her in the years to come. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Ms. Darcel Clark for her tireless work to ensure justice and commitment to the people of the Bronx.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, this past February, I was honored to recognize outstanding members of the Bronx community during my office's annual Black History Month Celebration. During that time, we gave pause to commemorate the innumerable contributions that African Americans have made--and continue to make--to our Nation. Today, it gives me great pleasure to rise in honor of one of those exceptional individuals, a trailblazer in youth civic engagement through the power of music. It is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you to honor Mr. Bervin Harris. Mr. Harris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Renaissance Youth Center in my district. He has over 30 years of social development experience in the areas of youth services and community development, and cofounded the Youth Center in 2001. As CEO, he has created and managed several successful programs throughout the Bronx community. Renaissance Youth Center serves close to 4,000 youth a week at multiple sites, providing children in the Bronx with educational programming, tutoring, and musical lessons. Mr. Harris also manages, writes and directs for the center's Music With A Message (MWAM) Band, performing with them in close to 100 shows a year. Mr. Harris is also the director of the center's citywide youth council, Youth In Power, with more than one thousand teens participating. Under the direction of Mr. Harris, the youth council participates in precinct, community board, and mayoral meetings by partnering with community organizations and advocating for their peers and neighborhoods. Recently, the council led the charge to hold a local slaughterhouse owner accountable for properly disposing of their trash and keeping the surrounding area clean. Their efforts brought this quality of life issue to the attention of the health department and local elected officials which in turn forced the business owner to address the community's concerns. Mr. Harris has built many partnerships for Renaissance including with the New York Police Department, Carnegie Hall, NYC Parks Department, Berklee College of Music, and many more. Prior to Renaissance, Mr. Harris was the program director at a Beacon program where he more than tripled the annual budget and was recognized as one of the 4 ``Model Beacons'' by the Department of Youth and Community Development. Mr. Harris is also an artist on Capitol Records where as an accomplished musician, singer, song writer he has produced and written songs for a wide variety of musicians, ranging from Hip Hop artists like KRS-1 to R&B artists like Mary J. Blige to Jazz artists like Herbie Hancock. Mr. Harris has also written the music score for the stage play I Sing 4 Luv and recently co-wrote and directed the stage play Bronx Side Story. Mr. Harris received his undergraduate degree from Old Westbury College and management certificate from Fordham University. Mr. Harris is an incredible advocate for the youth of our community, and he has made our borough a much better place because of his efforts. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Mr. Bervin Harris for his passion for uplifting the youth in our community.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, this past February, we all celebrated Black History Month. As part of that celebration, I was honored to hold my annual Black History Month event, and to take time to recognize and pay tribute to outstanding members of the New York City community. I was proud to pay tribute to my friend, New York City Public Advocate Letitia ``Tish'' James. She has been a public servant for many years, and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all New Yorkers. Ms. James is the first African-American Woman to serve as the New York City Public Advocate and the first woman of color to hold city wide office. This position is vital to New Yorkers, as she acts to ensure that New York City's government is responsive, efficient, and promoting policies that help all New Yorkers. Her office investigates problems at city agencies and pushes solutions both through our court system and through the New York City Council. Since her election in 2013, Public Advocate James has worked on numerous issues important to Bronxites, including criminal justice reform, paid family leave, and protecting tenants and affordable housing. She has helped lead the push for police accountability, including the use of body-worn cameras by the New York Police Department. She has also worked to ensure that special prosecutors are used in all cases of police misconduct. She has also worked to hold landlords accountable to ensure that New Yorkers have safe and affordable housing. Through the development of the `Worst Landlords' list and her active legal strategy to ensure that landlords are held to account for unsafe living conditions, she has made a difference in the lives of many Bronxites and New Yorkers. Prior to being elected Public Advocate, Letitia James represented Brooklyn as a Member of the New York City Council from 2004 to 2013. As a City Council Member, she fought for Paid Sick Leave, and passed the Safe Housing Act, which ensured that thousands of families in rental buildings receive prompt and full repairs to their apartments. She was also an early critic on the Council of the Office of Payroll Administration's CityTime contract, a payroll system later found to be overly costly and difficult to manage. As a result, she worked to pass legislation addressing oversight of high-cost service contracts with the City of New York. While Chair to the Council's Sanitation Committee, she pushed-through a revolutionary recycling package that included expanding plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and improved public space recycling. Public Advocate James is a graduate of CUNY's Lehman College and Howard University Law School. She previously served as an Assistant Attorney General, and a public defender. She currently resides in Brooklyn. Tish James has helped many of my constituents, and many residents of New York City. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Public Advocate Letitia James for her perseverance and dedication to fighting for all New Yorkers.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a good friend and colleague, Mr. Robert Garcia, better known as ``Bobby,'' who passed away on January 25, 2017. Bobby was an influential leader and trailblazer in New York, first serving the people of the South Bronx as a representative in the New York State Assembly and as the first Puerto Rican in the New York State Senate. His decade-long career in the U.S. House of Representatives began when he was elected to Congress in a special election on February 14, 1978 on the Republican and Liberal tickets to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Congressman Herman Badillo. He took his seat on February 21, 1978 as a Democrat. Bobby played an instrumental role in several local, national, and international initiatives and served New York for more than 25 years. His legacy of public service will not be forgotten. Bobby was born in the Bronx in 1933 to Puerto Rican parents. His dedication to serving his country was demonstrated at a young age when he served overseas during the Korean War in the U.S. Army's Third Infantry, earning two Bronze stars. He attended college under the GI Bill, and then began a career in public service. Bobby's political career is highlighted by his dedication to fight against inequality, intolerance and injustice. He worked on issues such as immigration reform, voting rights, Puerto Rico, economic opportunities, and U.S. policy towards Central America. Representing the South Bronx, Bobby is remembered as a significant reformer and a leader for those whose voices were too often lost. While in Congress, Bobby served on the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He also sat on the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, where he championed the Garcia Amendment to the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 to ensure the recruitment of minorities for the civil service. During his time in Congress, Bobby was a co-founder of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which allowed the Hispanic community to gain national recognition in Congress and helped develop young Latinos to be the next generation of leaders in America. In addition, he co- sponsored the bill establishing a national holiday to commemorate the life of civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. Bobby also advocated to transform the South Bronx district through federal funding, jobs and projects. He co-authored the Kemp-Garcia Enterprise Free Zone Bill as an initiative to attract businesses to areas faced with severe depression, unemployment, and poverty. Bobby also had a profound respect for and a deep understanding of religious and spiritual development for others, and was active in several Christian organizations. Bobby received numerous awards and recognition for his pioneering work and was an outstanding citizen, a transformational leader in New York, and an important voice for the Hispanic community. Garcia was a pioneer and a legend in the Latino community, and those that knew him will never forget him. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring our former colleague, Robert Garcia, for his service, leadership, and accomplishments. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban on families like that of Ghassan Assali, which was en route to Pennsylvania from Syria on approved visas and then turned away and flown back to Qatar.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Section 5: ``The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.'' Amendment XV, section 1: ``The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.''

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand before you today to honor The Kataly Band for its many years of dedication and contribution to the arts in New York City and our country. Nkumu Isaac Kataly was born in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo where he spent one half of his life before moving to New York City in 1996. Music became Mr. Kataly's path to navigate the world. Music has become Mr. Kataly's cornerstone, which holds the fragments of his identity together. Music is Nkumu's passion. The study of musical notes or beats, especially their movements, patterns, and how they are parallel to human cultures, remains his lifelong fascination. So, artistically, he discovered one tool after the other. Nkumu's musical concept was cultivated via the ``Mbonda'' or ``Ngoma'' (drum) and movements (dance). Before his new journey, Mr. Kataly had the opportunity to accomplish tremendous things as a young artist. He got to perform at renowned art venues throughout the United States and has had the privilege to work with the best artists Congo sends out to the world. He performed alongside various artists. Nkumu has presented at the Apollo Theater, Manhattan Center, Prospect Park, Summer Stage, St. Nick's Pub, and more. Additionally, he has performed at various prestigious universities throughout the United States such as Columbia University, John Jay College, Baruch College, Harvard University, and University of Chicago. His devotion to humanitarian causes continues through his music. He devotes a significant amount of his spare time to community leadership and development. He is currently the technical director of a musical group in the Living Church of God's Divine Provision. There he uses African aesthetics, music and thought processes, to exemplify how Congo influences every music style throughout the African Diaspora. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Mr. Kataly and The New Life Project for their consistently remarkable contributions to the arts and the African Diaspora.