Ed Towns

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. R. Sandlin Lowe III, a faculty member of the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Lowe was born in Tallapoosa County, Alabama and grew up on the family farm in Coosa County, the poorest county in Alabama. He was influenced greatly by his grandfather, Braxton Hughes Smith, who as a Christian man taught him much about faith and patience, hard work and perseverance; a farmer lives out these things every day. The work on the farm was done by hand with mules pulling the ploughs through the earth and men coming to pick the cotton and corn that grew. It was a life out of Faulkner--trips to the blacksmith's shed to reshape and sharpen ploughshares, killing hogs in the winters, the spring plantings and the eventide hymns as men finished the day's work--a wondrous grounding. The College and Medical School at Tulane University in New Orleans followed where the interests in human nature and all things human found outlets in anthropology and then later medicine, sparked interest in Dr. Lowe. While attending medical school, Dr. Lowe came to New York City to Bellevue Hospital in the fall of 1986--he has been affiliated with Bellevue either as a student, intern, resident or attending physician ever since. Currently a member of the Faculty of the New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Lowe's interests and work in brain injury and autism are personal. His research at the Brain Research Laboratories with his recently deceased friend, Roy John, and his work with his mentor and friend, Rodolfo Llinas, in the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience have led to an innovative theory of coma and vegetative states that is strangely enough applicable to autism spectrum conditions. Dr. Lowe continues his work on this issue in hopes that this work will continue to bear fruit. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. R. Sandlin Lowe III.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. Terry- Jan Blackett-Bonnett, an active and dedicated medical professional in my district. From her earliest childhood memories Dr. Terry-Jan Blackett-Bonnett entertained the burning desire of someday becoming a practicing physician. After earning her high school diploma, she enrolled in St. Francis College, where she earned a baccalaureate degree in biology. She subsequently enrolled in the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed the requisite coursework in the United Kingdom at Eastbourne District Hospital, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree. A portion of her graduate curriculum included tropical medicine, requiring that she spend time working in northeast Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas. During that time, she became adept in the use of the Spanish language. Her postgraduate work included research in the area of Human Genetics at SUNY Downstate Medical School, where she was a contributing writer to medical literature addressing the issue of a Y to X gene Translocation in Mother and Daughter. After attaining her life long ambition, Dr. Blackett-Bonnett completed her residency training in the disciplines of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey. Upon completion of residency, she joined the staff of Interfaith Medical Center as an attending physician. She later left Interfaith as a full time physician to pursue a full-time schedule as the Medical Director of the Berean Community and Family Life Center in Brooklyn, New York with which she was affiliated since 2002. Dr. Blackett-Bonnett is currently on the medical staff of Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center. She is also a professor at ASA Institute of Technology in Brooklyn, New York. She currently holds positions on the board of directors of early intervention programs in New York and also a contributing member on the advisory boards for several health insurance agencies. In addition to her involvement in her church community, Dr. Blackett- Bonnett has been instrumental in organizing health fairs for churches and schools in the greater New York area. She has also been a co- laborer in medical missions to the African countries of Nigeria and South Africa, where she provided medical care and education to village residents. Dr. Blackett-Bonnett has been a member of Berean Baptist Church since 1994. She holds fast to the ideology that ``as the body is clad in the cloth and flesh in the skin, and the bones in the flesh and the heart in whole so are we, soul and body clad in the goodness of God and enclosed.'' She is the proud mother of Harun Ibrahim and Liam Chukwuemeka, and the loving wife of Reverend Doctor Leary Bonnett. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Blackett-Bonnett.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Andrea Evans, Chairwoman of New York State Board of Parole and Chief Executive Officer New York State Division of Parole. Ms. Evans has worked the majority of her professional career in the borough of Brooklyn. For the past 25 years, she has been a member and served in a leadership capacity as the business administrator at the Rehoboth Cathedral, which is pastored by Bishop Gerald Seabrooks. Ms. Evans was most recently Director of the Division of Parole for Region II, an area encompassing Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. In this position, she was responsible for the operation of nine area offices, and the Queensboro Correctional Facility. Prior to this role, Ms. Evans served as Deputy Regional Director for Region I, where she managed the operation of five field offices in Bronx County. From 2000 to 2006, Ms. Evans served as Special Assistant to the Downstate Director of Operations. From 1997 to 2000, she worked as an Investigator in the Division of Parole's Office for Professional Responsibility, where she conducted investigations into allegations of professional misconduct. From 1994 to 1997, Ms. Evans was a Senior Parole Officer and served as Acting Supervisor in the Bronx Area Office. Additionally, she worked as a Parole Revocation Officer from 1990 to 1994. Ms. Evans began her career with the Division in 1986 as a Parole Officer. Prior to joining the State Division of Parole, Ms. Evans worked for the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council from 1979 to 1986, a community-based family services and support organization dedicated to foster care. Ms. Evans holds a B.A. in Psychology from the City College of New York. She is a Queens resident and is the proud mother of one adult daughter. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Andrea Evans.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. Theophine Abakporo, Medical Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine & Pre-Hospital Care at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and dedicated public servant. Dr. Theophine Abakporo, MD was born in Nigeria in 1964. During his childhood, he was deeply influenced by the devastating experience of growing up in a country at war. He witnessed the effects the war had on his local community--displacement, premature deaths, injuries, disease and poverty. As he grew older, he realized the importance of community organizations and public service. At the age of 23, Dr. Abakporo obtained his MD degree from Jos Medical School in Nigeria. Upon graduation, he was appointed Medical Officer with the Nigerian Army Field Ambulance. Subsequently, he relocated to the United States to pursue his postgraduate medical education. In 1995, he completed his residency in internal medicine at Brookdale University Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He is board certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine. In response to the increasing need for disaster awareness and management he took further training and certification. He is certified by the United States Department of Homeland Security in healthcare leadership and administrative decision-making in response to weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He is certified by the United States Army in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive incidents (CBRNE). In addition, he is certified by the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) in online medical control. While pursuing his medical career Dr. Abakporo became deeply involved in the health care needs of the inner-city communities in the United States. Dr. Abakporo worked hard and committed himself to participating in the health outreach and other programs related to the well being of the Brooklyn communities such as Ocean Hill, Brownsville, East New York, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick and Ridgewood communities. This strong willingness to help and care for people, contributed to his interest and focus in the field of emergency medicine and pre-hospital care. In 1996, Dr. Abakporo joined Wyckoff Heights Medical Center as an Attending Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine. His leadership, hard work and dedication earned him a promotion as Assistant Director in 2005. Dr. Abakporo currently serves as Medical Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine & Pre-Hospital Care at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. In 2008, Dr. Abakporo was honored by the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center's Nursing Administration for his motivation, excellence, dedication and service to the patients and staff. He received the Nursing Recognition Award for Physician Education & Nursing Collaboration. Dr. Abakporo is a member of World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM); the American Association of Physician Specialists, and the American College of Physicians. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Theophine Abakporo.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Obey for his assistance, and Representative Wasserman Schultz of Florida and the members of the conference committee for their hard work in putting together this conference report. Included is a provision of great importance to the Postal Service, over 600,000 postal employees, and 300 million postal customers, who are also our constituents. This conference report includes language from H.R. 22, the United States Postal Service Financial Relief Act of 2009, a bill reported out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 10 and passed by the full House on September 15. This provision will allow the United States Postal Service to lower its 2009 payment into the retiree health benefits fund from $5.4 billion to $1.4 billion. It does not provide any taxpayer funds to the Postal Service. The language was originally included in H.R. 22, a bill that has been properly vetted and amended by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In line with calls for a more fiscally responsible government, the provision lowering the Postal Service payment does not score. For these reasons, the House passed H.R. 22 by an overwhelming margin of 388 to 32. The Postal Service faces an unprecedented crisis. Mail volume is projected to drop to 175 billion pieces in fiscal year 2009, from a high of nearly 213 billion pieces. The Postal Service anticipates a loss of more than $7 billion by end of fiscal year 2009. The losses were driven by the nationwide economic recession, diversion of mail to electronic alternatives, and also by the aggressive payment schedule for retiree health benefits required by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. Its fiscal year 2008 payment total for current and future retiree health benefits was roughly $7 billion. The Postal Service has paid $10 billion into the trust fund over the past 2 years. It suffered a combined loss of $7.9 billion over those 2 years. Without the onerous payments into the trust fund, the Postal Service would have made a net profit of more than $4 billion over that period. Reducing the size of the payment into the trust fund for 2009 will bring the postal payment closer to the $1.6 billion amount recommended by the Postal Service Inspector General, while permitting the Postal Service to survive the economic crisis. Many large companies in the private sector have also temporarily reduced pension and retiree benefit contributions in order to ride out similar, difficult financial circumstances. I would like to thank Representatives McHugh of New York and Davis of Illinois for introducing this bill and for their hard work and patience in navigating the bill through the House. Further, I would like to thank the House Democratic leadership and the Budget Committee for working with us to help advance the bill to the floor. Also, I would also like to recognize Chairman Lynch of Massachusetts for his leadership on the subcommittee and being a tireless advocate for the Postal Service and its employees. Additionally, I would like to thank the Gentlemen from California and Utah, Representatives Issa and Chaffetz, for their help in securing bipartisan support for H.R. 22. In the coming months, our committee will continue to provide close oversight of the Postal Service, including studying the business model of the Postal Service to help determine what longer-term changes may be necessary. I am confident that upon enactment of H.R. 22 the Postal Service will be able to meet its financial obligations for this year.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember Rick Wagner, Director of Litigation for the Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A ``Brooklyn A'' in East New York, who suddenly passed away in his home on September 20, 2009. Mr. Wagner was well known as a champion on behalf of Brooklyn's poorest tenants and homeowners. Mr. Wagner was one of the leading foreclosure defense lawyers in the United States, single handedly leading the effort to educate and enlighten the legal community on the availability of a wide range of homeowner defenses to foreclosure actions. He fought daily against rampant predatory lending and deed thefts, often spearheading innovative new legal strategies. In the early 1990s, he pioneered the use of civil racketeering laws against landlords in East New York, winning a major victory when they were ordered to return deeds to their tenants. His most recent focus was advocating for consistency, simplification and ease of access to loan modifications--in his words, ``basic rules of the road to help homeowners keep their homes''. Mr. Wagner's lasting legacy will be his passion and commitment to social justice, and the application of his legal acumen for the needy. Under his leadership, Brooklyn A has cemented its sterling reputation as a model community- based law practice embedded in and responsive to the neighborhoods it serves. He worked tirelessly and will be remembered dearly by the many lives he touched. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in remembering Rick Wagner. May his soul rest in peace.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 22) to amend chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, to allow the United States Postal Service to pay its share of contributions for annuitants' health benefits out of the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund, as amended.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 22, the United States Postal Service Financial Relief Act of 2009, as amended, would permit the United States Postal Service to lower its 2009 payment into the retirement health benefit fund, $5.4 billion, reduce it to $1.4 billion. This bill does not provide any taxpayer funds to the Postal Service. In essence, H.R. 22 is intended to provide the Postal Service with some relief from its current financial crisis by lowering the amount of its 2009 payment due. The measure has been properly vetted and amended by the House Oversight Committee, in line with calls for a more fiscally responsible government. The bill, as amended, does not score. The bill enjoys the support of 339 Members of the House from both parties. I would like to thank Representatives McHugh of New York and Davis of Illinois for introducing this bill and for their hard work and patience in navigating the bill through the House. Further, I would like to thank the House Democratic leadership and the Budget Committee for working with us to help advance the bill to the floor. Also I would like to thank and recognize Chairman Lynch of Massachusetts for his leadership on the subcommittee and being a tireless advocate for the postal service and all of its employees. Unfortunately, Chairman Lynch could not be with us today, but his statement will be in the Record. Additionally, I would like to thank the gentleman from California, Congressman Issa, for his support and strong work on this bill. Also Congressman Chaffetz for his work as well. I would like to recognize them because this is truly bipartisan support for this important legislation, which I think is so important. The United States Postal Service is regularly acknowledged to be among the most trusted of the Federal agencies in part due to the positive relationship that its approximately 625,000 employees develop with local communities. The postal service is often the only Federal presence in many of the urban and rural areas throughout the United States, and it is often the face of the Federal Government. Yet despite the best efforts of its employees, the postal service faces financial challenges unlike at any other time. Mail volumes have declined at a record pace, falling by 7 million pieces during the third quarter of fiscal year 2009, 14.3, compared to the same period last year. In fact, volume continued to fall for all types of mail: first class, standard, periodical, and also package services. The postal service ended the third quarter ending in 2009 with a loss of $2.4 billion, its year-to-date net loss through the third quarter at $4.7 billion. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. TOWNS. On that note, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS. I have one more speaker and the right to close.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis). (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay). (Mr. CLAY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington, D.C. (Ms. Norton).

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Houston, Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), a member of the committee.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say, I am really proud that we have come to this moment to move this bill forward. I want to thank the ranking member, Congressman Issa for his work, and thank Congressman Lynch and Congressman Chaffetz and all of the people who have worked so hard on this, and especially the staff on both sides of the aisle for their work, and to say to you, yes, we still have some more work to do. There is no question about it, because the problem has not been solved, but at least we are able to get to this point. We agree to continue to work to try to bring about a solution. Let's face it, we owe it to the postal workers to be able to try to assist them in finding a solution to this problem. There is a recession. There is no question about it. We need to make some adjustments. What we are doing here is not costing the government any money. This is just being creative, recognizing the fact that something needs to be done, and we are doing that. So here again, on that note, I want to thank all of the committee for working with me on it. We will be back again trying to see how we can come about with a total solution to this problem.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3386) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1165 2nd Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, as the ``Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Memorial Post Office''.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The legislation before us pays tribute to the brave men and women from the city of Des Moines. Let me say that over 400 have been wounded, 50 have been killed, and I think that this is something that, once it's there, people will always see it and know in terms of what happened. Let me say that I urge my colleagues to support this legislation because I think it's legislation that's broad and that it recognizes the conflict and, of course, the people that have been involved in it in the local area as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 679, supporting the goals and ideals of American Legion Day, celebrated each year on September 16. This resolution expresses this Chamber's commitment to this important veterans' service group. The American Legion has nearly 3 million members across the country and worldwide, and of course I think that is so significant. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois, Congresswoman Halvorson.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 679) supporting the goals and ideals of American Legion Day.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3137) to amend title 39, United States Code, to provide clarification relating to the authority of the United States Postal Service to accept donations as an additional source of funding for commemorative plaques.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. TOWNS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the financial condition of the United States Postal Service is dismal, at best, and the agency is faced with a continually declining mail volume. Accordingly, we should all welcome cost-saving efforts such as those provided in H.R. 3137, that is not a detriment to hardworking postal employees, but rather will only serve to alleviate the financial burden of the Postal Service. We all name post offices from time to time. I know I named one after Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to serve in the United States Congress. I thought it was a great thing. But, let's face it, it cost the Postal Service money in order to be able to get the plaque, to get it designed, and to be able to put together an event because, after all, that was an important event for the first black woman who served in the United States Congress. So these are things that cost money that the Postal Service has to put up the money for. And I want to congratulate Mr. Issa for introducing this legislation because I really think that you might look at it as not a giant step or big or tremendous saving, but I see it today that every little bit helps. And this, I feel, is really helping. I reserve the balance of my time.