Lynn Woolsey

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the backlash of hate that is occurring around the country and around the world as the result of September 11 and as a result of current actions in the Middle East. Mr. Speaker, this Congress must condemn these violent acts which are hurting families and communities around the world and here at home. During the first week in April, two men dressed in Orthodox Jewish clothing were attacked and beaten in Berkeley, California, one of the most tolerant cities in the United States, and they were beaten because they were Jewish. In the same town, a Jewish student center located near the campus was broken into and antiIsrael slogans were spray- painted on the property. Also in California, a Los Altos Hills orthodox Christian church with a congregation of mostly Palestinians and Arab Americans was destroyed in a mysterious fire. And it continues. In Los Angeles, three 17-year-old boys, all wearing yarmulkes were walking home from a friend's house at 12:30 a.m., when 2 skinheads attacked and beat them for no other reason than that they were Jewish. Across the country in Florida, a pickup truck was driven into the front of an Islamic center in Tallahassee. The driver, motivated by hatred of Muslims, bragged to the officers that he could have blown up the mosque if he had put propane tanks on the front of his truck. He also said that he tried to join the military in order to kill Muslims. Mr. Speaker, all of these events happened over the past 3 weeks. However, since September 11, the increasing trend of hate has been abundantly clear. Immigrants from south Asia appear to have been the victims of attacks and other racially motivated incidents because they were perceived, often incorrectly, to be Arab or Muslim. The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium reported 250 incidents against South Asian immigrants just in the last 3 months of the year 2001. This number compares to 400 to 500 incidents a year, bad enough, that were reported in the past. Complaints of discrimination received by Arab American Muslim and Sikh groups have soared. Since September 11, the Council on American Islamic Relations has received more than 1,700 reports of workplace bias, Arab profiling, discrimination in schools, physical assaults and other incidents compared with 322 in all of the year 2000. This backlash is not only a national problem, it is a global problem. France has seen a wave of attacks on Jewish schools, cemeteries and synagogues. According to an annual study by the Tel Aviv University, anti-Semitic acts rose sharply around the world after September 11 and following Israel's offensive into the West Bank. The study revealed some of the worst anti-Semitic days since the end of World War II. Congress must make it clear that there is no room for personal attacks and bigotry in America or abroad. The first step we as a Congress can take is to pass H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act introduced by Congressman John Conyers. Under current law, the government must prove both that the hate crime occurred because of a person's association with a designated group and because the victim was engaged in a Federal activity such as voting or serving on a jury. H.R. 1343 would eliminate these overly restrictive obstacles to Federal involvement, which have prevented government involvement in many cases in which individuals kill or injure others because of racial or religious bias. In addition, H.R. 1343 would authorize the Department of Justice to assist local prosecutions and investigate and prosecute cases in which bias violence occurs because of the victim's sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Currently, Federal law does not provide authority for involvement in those cases. Mr. Speaker, the people of the United States must set an example for the world by expressing our differences without resorting to violence against our neighbors. We must remember that disagreement can be expressed without physically attacking or demeaning those with whom we disagree. Our freedom of speech is a fundamental right that should be used for causes that citizens are passionate about, but not in a way that damages others' rights to their opinion. Mr. Speaker, this Congress has the ability to combat unnecessary hatred and lead the charge. Let us take a first step by passing H.R. 1343.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) for the partnership she provides for me in this House of Representatives. I appreciate it so much. We might want to just talk back and forth a bit, because I think there is a lot we can talk about that I think is so important. My colleague may have said most of it, but I think it bears repeating. In 1996 when we passed welfare reform, after both of us voting against it because it did not provide a safety net for children, we warned the President, then Bill Clinton, and our colleagues, many of whom agreed with us and voted with us, that getting women off of welfare and into jobs would not be enough, that just could not be the end result of welfare reform, and we warned them that that was particularly important to look at if there was a downturn in our economy. We did not mean to be prophetic. I mean, we did not want to be seers. We just knew, and there it is. We were right, because this recent economic downturn has exposed the problem that we talked about in the 1996 welfare reform bill. The guiding principle of 1996 reform was that welfare was the enemy. But the enemy was not welfare, and we knew it. The enemy, and still is, is poverty. When I hear people brag about how successful welfare reform has been, I wonder how they are measuring the success. I know how they are measuring the success. We both do. The success of welfare reform must be measured by how we break down the cycle of poverty, not how many people have left the welfare rolls. First of all, we do not know that everybody that has left the welfare rolls has gone to work. We just know how many people are no longer on welfare. We have to measure when we are looking at the success of welfare reform, we have to measure if families have become self-sufficient, which means that they are able to raise their families, that they have enough money for housing, enough money for health care, they have enough money for child care and the transportation that they need to get back and forth to their jobs and to take their children to school and the market. That is self- sufficiency. We are not saying that they have to live in mini-mansions. We are saying that they have a right to have a roof over their head; and when they are working every day and playing by the rules, they deserve to feel self-sufficient. President Bush wants to increase the requirement to 40 hours a week from what is currently 30. The only way this requirement is going to work is if we count education as work. I know the gentlewoman just discussed this, but if we want self-sufficiency and women particularly to go from welfare and get out of poverty, we have to see that they have education and training to qualify for jobs that pay a livable wage. Mr. Speaker, to that end I have introduced legislation called the Education Counts Act. What this does is allows education activities to count as work activities and not be counted against a welfare recipient who is going to school in order in the long run to earn a real living. Rather than penalize them, the clock is ticking and her welfare limits are disappearing while she is at school, I think that we should stop the clock entirely because only by giving women access to education and training will they have the background and skills needed for jobs that pay a livable wage so they can become self-sufficient. Also, if we expect women to go to school or to go to work, in particular, because that is what the goal of the President's plan is, to put everybody into jobs, whether or not those jobs pay a livable wage, and if we want families to transition into self-sufficiency, we have to make sure that we have good child care available, quality child care and enough child care because we have to ensure that moms can free their minds when they are at work and know that their children are well cared for. By quality and availability I mean also nighttime work and weekend work. That is very important. A lot of welfare moms are going into jobs working weekends and at night, and there is no child care available for them and for their children. We cannot afford to leave our children behind, and what is happening in the President's proposed welfare bill is flat-funding child care, which does not account for any increase in costs; and in the long run, it means a cut in child care when we need an increase because we are increasing the number of hours that these moms are expected to go to work. Just as welfare recipients need to be held accountable for working their way off welfare, States have to be held accountable for how they use the taxpayers' money earmarked for welfare programs. The current system rewards States for lowering the number of families on welfare without any regard to what happens to those families. That could be throwing money out the window because if States are not helping families be self-sufficient, then they are keeping families subsidized in the long run, and that costs money. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced the Self-Sufficiency Act, which helps States figure out how much it would cost for families in their States to be actually self-sufficient, to take care of their children without any public assistance. Once States have this information, they can better allocate resources to help families move towards self- sufficiency. In doing that, they will be looking at housing costs, transportation costs, child care costs, and health care costs in their communities. Every community is different. Some are higher and some are lower, and each State can look at that individually. I know what it means to need a leg up, to need some help, to hit hard times and realize that there is no place else to go but to one's government for help. Mr. Speaker, 35 years ago my children's father left us when my children were 1, 3 and 5. He was emotionally and mentally ill, and would not get help for his illness, and plain abandoned us. Lucky me, I had good job skills, some college education; and I was able to go to work because my children were solely my responsibility. It never entered my mind that I was not going to take care of them. In order to have the health care that we needed and the child care coverage and the food stamps, I went on Aid for Dependent Children while I was working. Without that, we would not be where we are today. That was exactly the safety net that it took, and it took 3 years for this mom with an education. I was very healthy; my children were healthy. Members have to know I was assertive. I could get through the system. I knew what needed to be done, but I could not do it without that help. And that was 35 years ago. It is way more difficult for young mothers now. It has never entered my mind, I did it, so can you. Lucky me, I have four great, grown children; and I am a Member of Congress. My kids are successful in what they do in their lives, and I am here as a Member of the House of Representatives; and I can tell Members, we have paid back what the government invested in us many, many, many times over. But I can also tell Members if we had not had that help, I do not know what we would have done. Mr. Speaker, I ask the public and I ask my colleagues, please, please, do not be hesitant to invest in young families and in moms who have fallen on hard times. Do not assume that if someone is having a bad time, they did it on their own and deserve it, and if they were worth their salt they would not be there in the first place because that is just not true for any of the people who are in need today. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) for being part of the welfare task force with me. We know that the things that we need to be concentrating on child care, education counting as work, flexibility in the welfare system, making sure that individuals who have domestic abuse problems, substance abuse problems, mental illness, language difficulties, making sure that they get an opportunity to get their situations together before the clock starts ticking on them will make a difference in ensuring that welfare makes work pay and count, and these people all count.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and look forward to working with her in getting the message across that the enemy is poverty, the enemy is not welfare or the welfare recipient. The enemy is poverty. If we can get that message across and do something about it, we will have helped welfare recipients as well as the working poor.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and I can tell the Members that this Republican Pension Security Act of 2002 will not make retirement secure for the majority of employees. Instead, it allows a two-tiered retirement system that gives top executives, the captains, special benefits and protections while leaving their employees, the crew, to fend for themselves if the company has troubled times. That is plain wrong. Our President has agreed: What is good for the captain is good for the sailor; or what is good for the captain is good for the crew. I introduced an amendment during the committee that would ensure that all of the crew have the pension parity, exactly the same as their captains. Every Democrat on the committee voted for my amendment for parity. Every Republican opposed it. This Republican bill leaves employees that are seeing troubled times with their firms at the end of the line when it comes to collecting retirement benefits, while the captains, those like Kenneth Lay from Enron, do not even have to get in line. Their benefits are paid for up front in full. The Miller substitute makes pension benefits for the rank and file, for the crew, as secure as for the executives, the captains. It is real pension reform, and we must support it.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I can report that the pension reform bill that passed on a partisan vote from our committee does not help employees. Instead, big business is allowed to keep a two-tiered pension system, a system that protects executives but leaves the employees to fend for themselves; and that is wrong. I offered an amendment in committee, Mr. Speaker. That amendment ensures that hard-working Americans have the same pension protections as their company's executives. Democrats are fighting for employees who work hard, who play by the rules, who plan their retirement, not punish them. Not punish them by allowing executives to raise the pension funds and then get off scott-free. I urge my Republican colleagues to join us as we fight to enact real pension reform parity between executives and their employees.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. What better way to honor this day than to act upon legislation that will help law enforcement investigate and prevent crimes based on discrimination? That is why I ask my colleagues to join me to encourage the Republican leadership to bring the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Conyers) bill, H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to the House floor. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), and others that will be here this evening for their commitment to this issue and their time to speak about it. Hate crimes have been a persistent problem in the United States. The FBI recently released its hate crimes statistics of 2000. Sadly the report indicated that bias-motivated crimes continue to increase. During the year 2000, law enforcement reported 8,063 bias-motivated criminal incidents, indicating a 3.5 percent increase since 1999. In this report, crimes based on race ranked number one, while crimes based on religion and sexual orientation ranked second and third. The most disturbing part of this report is what it does not show. The official numbers barely scratch the surface of the hate crime problem across the country. The true number of hate crimes actually committed last year could top 50,000 according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Yet hate crimes continue to go unreported because of victims' fear and lack of law enforcement resources. Mr. Speaker, hate crimes continue to occur every day in our cities and small town. What is extremely disturbing is that some of these crimes are committed by children who have learned a pattern to hate. Such an incident occurred in my home State of California on March 11 in Huntington Beach, California. Three teenagers confronted a Filipino- American in the rear parking lot of his place of employment. The teens began shouting racial slurs and ``white power'' before beating him with metal pipes. After the attack, the victim was even more frightened when he received a call from a person identifying himself as a parent of one of the attackers. This parent proceeded to threaten the victim using racial slurs. This pattern of violence, Mr. Speaker, cannot continue. Our children are learning to hate from their parents and from their peers. We must set an example in Congress by passing legislation that will help to prevent hate. That is why I am a proud co-sponsor of the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Conyers) bipartisan bill, H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. And Mr. Speaker, I am joined as a co-sponsor by 203 of my colleagues and a growing chorus that wants the Republican leadership to bring H.R. 1343 to the House floor. This bill would offer a real solution by strengthening existing Federal hate crimes laws. H.R. 1343 allows the United States Department of Justice to assist in local prosecutions as well as investigate and prosecute cases in which violence occurs because of the victim's sexual orientation, disability, or gender. It would also eliminate obstacles to Federal involvement in many cases of assaults or murder based on race or religion. This legislation is too important to ignore, especially during a week the United Nations is reminding the world to end racial discrimination. The Republican leadership must bring this bill before the House to show our Nation and the world that hate will not be tolerated in the United States. This Congress has a responsibility to fight against hate. And the Conyers bill will prove that commitment.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Girl Scouts on their 90th anniversary. As a former Girl Scout, it brings me great pleasure to see the organization continue to teach girls to become strong, goal-oriented young women. Since 1912, the Girl Scout program has been helping girls develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. Currently, there are more than 233,000 troops throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Girls who participate in the Girl Scout program acquire self-confidence and empowerment. They take on responsibility, think creatively, and act with integrity. Our children are our future, and Girl Scout programs help shape these young minds to become good citizens and good leaders. Some actually become Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have participated in the Girl Scouts, and I hope that many other girls continue to have the opportunity to take advantage of what Girl Scouts have to offer.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Richard ``Dick'' Day, a man who walked his talk with both integrity and good humor, and whose life should encourage every citizen working for a better community. Born in Idaho of a large and boisterous family 67 years ago, Dick Day matured in the hot political atmosphere of the California of the 60's. Not one to fear overwhelming odds, the young Dick Day chaired John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in the Republican heartland of Orange County. Later, Day attended U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law balancing his studies with a whimsical campaign for a seat in the California legislature, which he lost handily. After gradation in 1968, the 32-year-old lawyer moved to the fast growing city of Rohnert Park in Sonoma County. The next year, Day moved to Santa Rosa and won election to the Sonoma County Board of Education. In 1970 he lost election to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In 1979, Day was selected by Governor Jerry Brown to fill a vacancy on the Sonoma County Municipal Court, a position he lost in a mid-year election a year later. Dick Day's destiny was not to be an office-holder, but to be a man who seized on important issues from the grassroots. Day joined with Bill Kortum, Chuck Rhinehart and others to fight against an attempt by private developers to block 13 miles of spectacular coast from coastal access. As the attorney for Californians Organized to Acquire Access to State Tidelands (COAAST), Day was able to convince the state Supreme Court to overturn a county supervisor decision favorable to developers; and later become instrumental in the passage of a statewide measure that guaranteed public access to beaches in the state and formed a new agency, the California Coastal Commission which is chartered to protect California's coastline from overdevelopment. In an ongoing fight against unrestrained growth, Day served on the board of Sonoma County Tomorrow; was a founder of a coalition of Santa Rosa neighborhood groups and became chair of the Committee to Oppose Warm Springs Dam. Later he helped form Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa, which became an influential player in Santa Rosa politics and a training ground for several future leaders, including current California Assemblywoman Pat Wiggins. Day was also a founder of Sonoma County Environmental Action, an effective grassroots political organization that helped elect numerous environmental progressives to Sonoma County city and county government. Fighting against sprawl, Day pushed for city-centered transit as a founder of the Sonoma County Transportation Coalition and for downtown revitalization as a member of Heart of Santa Rosa. Dick Day provided both legal advice and political savvy to all of these groups. Always outspoken, he learned he was most effective in a background role. When there was a press release, a letter to the editor, a legal challenge to be written, Dick Day was always ready to serve. He didn't always carry the day, but working with others, he won significant victories in protecting the Russian River against dredging, limiting campaign contributions in local elections, creating greenbelts around the county's cities, and defeating tax measures to widen highways without developing public transit. Representing the Sierra Club he won a settlement from the Santa Rosa City Council in the early 90's, after charging that the Council acted improperly in providing tax incentives to the developers of a shopping center. Dick Day had many opponents, but no real enemies. It was clear that he was coming from a place of integrity. He was a gregarious man, always armed with a quip. He loved to hold court in Mac's Delicatessen in downtown Santa Rosa, advise and josh his friends, and debate and trade barbs with folks of other political persuasions. Politics was play to Dick as much as it was serious business. He was blessed with a long and loving relationship with his wife, Jean, who was a partner in all of his endeavors, and helped provide a home full of warmth, good conversation and books. Jean died last year, and Dick carried on bravely though his heart was broken. We will miss Dick Day. His activism showed us that dedicated, informed citizens can make democracy work. And clearly, for all who knew him, Dick Day has been elected to our hearts for life.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House yesterday and part of today due to California's primary elections on March 5, 2002. had I been present, I would have voted: Rollcall No. 47--``yea''. Rollcall No. 48--``yea''. Rollcall No. 49--``nay''. Rollcall No. 50--``yea''.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, today I support and applaud the House's final passage of the ``Family Immigration Sponsor Act.'' And, I thank my colleague, Mr. Calvert, for his work on this issue. A family in my district, with a tragic story, has become a well-known example of why this bill's passage is necessary. Mrs. Zhenfu Ge, a 73- year-old Chinese national, came to the United States in 1998 to help care for her dying daughter and her daughter's children. Her daughter-- my constituent Yanyu Wong--requested that her mother be allowed to stay in America to take care of her grandchildren. Following the rules of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), my constituent immediately submitted the appropriate paperwork to sponsor her mother's petition for a green card so she could stay in the United States. Sadly, on April 15, 2001, Yanyu Wong lost her fight against cancer. This was only 11 days before the INS was scheduled to grant Mrs. Ge's permanent resident status. In a desperate attempt to keep his mother- in-law in the country, my constituent's husband petitioned to be Mrs. Ge's new sponsor. However, INS law mandates the sponsor be another adult blood relative. Without an adult blood relative left alive to sponsor her, Mrs. Ge was told that she must go back to China and restart the visa process. Realizing the devastating results of these circumstances, I introduced H.R. 2011, a private bill to allow Mrs. Ge to remain legally in the United States while she completed the process to attain legal status. Forcing Mrs. Ge to abandon her family during this time would only add to the family tragedy. Enabling Mrs. Ge to stay in the country could give the children a living link to their mother, and her culture, something they would be denied forever if Mrs. Ge is deported. With the passage of Representative Calvert's Family Immigration Sponsor Act, Mrs. Ge will be able to stay in America and take care of her grandchildren, while she completes the immigration process. With the passage of this bill, Mrs. Ge can keep her promise to her daughter. There's no doubt that the Family Immigration Sponsor Act will be able to assist other families in situations similar to Mrs. Ge's. Passing H.R. 1892 is the smart way for this country to help encourage families to stay intact.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of the finest universities in the great State of California as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. Located in the heart of the Wine Country, Sonoma State University has over 7,500 students and 1,600 faculty and staff members. Originally established in 1956 as a satellite teaching campus of San Francisco State University, SSU became a member of the California State College System in 1961 and attained University status in 1978. The idyllic campus, set at the base of Sonoma Mountain, now offers over 41 baccalaureate and 14 master's degree programs. The small liberal arts university has made Sonoma County proud many times over the years. It has been home to Mario Savio, a leader of the Free Speech Movement in Berkley and a professor in the Physics Department until he passed on in 1996. For the past 25 years, Project Censored, the yearly publication that covers the top underreported news stories of the year, has brought national acclaim to SSU's Sociology department. Most recently, the unveiling of the Environmental Technology Center brought international praise. ``The Building That Teaches'' combines state-of-the-art energy efficiency and environmental responsibility and is one of only a few like it in the world. Mr. Speaker, these are only a few of the reasons that I am pleased to pay tribute to Sonoma State University. The most notable reason, however, is the pride I take in the students and the contribution they will make to our future. Congratulations Sonoma State University on your 40 years and best wishes for many, many more.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, today the people's House can clean up our election system. We have a real chance. My constituents in Marin and Sonoma Counties just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge vote 85 percent every time we have an election. They come out. They want to make sure that the Shays- Meehan bill is passed because they wisely understand the influence of big money on our government. My constituents want fair campaign processes where everyone's involvement counts. They want a government that is trustworthy and responsive to their needs, not the needs of special interests. They want our children to have an election system that they will be proud to participate in. Without real reform we tell our children that only wealthy contributors have a voice in the political process. I urge my colleagues support the Shays-Meehan bill. Vote for it and show our children that we want them to participate, too.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend, Dr. Michael Franzblau, for his many accomplishments. Chief among them is his pursuit of justice as manifested in his efforts to expose Nazi war criminals with particular emphasis on those in the medical profession. Dr. Franzblau's persistence in revealing the misdeeds of Dr. Hans Joachim Sewering of Bavaria demonstrates this dedication. Sewering is known to have murdered infants and children in a doctor-drive project ``To Cleanse the Fatherland.'' A World War II veteran and an avowed enemy of perverted medical research, Dr. Franzblau successfully lobbied the AMA to back efforts to expose Sewering, leading to his resignation as President-elect of the World Medical Association. Michael Franzblau was also instrumental in developing legislation, H. Res. 557, that I sponsored, calling for an investigation into Sewering's war crimes; H. Res. 557 passed the House unanimously in 1998. Dr. Franzblau had a full medical practice in Marin (Dermatology) and was a retired Professor of Dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco. He has lectured there and elsewhere on the ethics of health care in the Nazi era. Married to Donna Garfield Franzblau for 47 years and the father of three now grown children, Dr. Michael Franzblau has found the time to dedicate himself to other medical causes locally, nationally, and abroad. These include service on California's Medical Quality Review Committee, American Medical Association, and Marin Medical Society; international humanitarian work for Project Hope in Peru, Alliance for Health in Mexico, and a fact finding mission to Ethiopia regarding medical care for 26,000 Ethiopian Jews; assisting in the establishment of the Marin Community Clinic; and authoring bills for the California State Legislature to regulate tanning facilities and to exclude physician participation in executions at San Quentin. The American Cancer Society awarded him for arranging free skin cancer screening clinics in Marin. Dr. Franzblau also served his community on the United Way and Terra Linda Community Services Board. Dr. Franzblau has devoted his considerable energy to Jewish causes. He served on the Anti-Defamation League, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Jewish Community Federation Missions to Israel, Maimonedes Society (Marin and Sonoma), and the Marin Jewish Community Center. His passion and dedication have earned him a number of awards, including ``The Truth and Justice Award'' of the Anti-Defamation league and the ``Louis D. Brandeis Award'' of the Zionist Organization of America. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Franzblau is an exemplary citizen and a model of the Hippocratic ideal. His dedication to important causes of justice and humanity, reinforced by the persistent hard work required to accomplish his goals, have earned him the admiration and respect of his community. Dr. Franzblau has long been a university lecturer, but his most important lesson to us goes far beyond the classroom: The health of the individual and the health of society are integrally related, and both are the responsibility of the physician.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Richard ``Dick'' Day, a man who walked his talk with both integrity and good humor, and whose life should encourage every citizen working for a better community. Born in Idaho of a large and boisterous family 67 years ago, Dick Day matured in the hot political atmosphere of the California of the 60's. Not one to fear overwhelming odds, the young Dick Day chaired John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in the Republican heartland of Orange County. Later, Day attended U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law balancing his studies with a whimsical campaign for a seat in the California legislature, which he lost handily. After graduation in 1968, the 32-year-old lawyer moved to the fast growing city of Rohnert Park in Sonoma County. The next year, Day moved to Santa Rosa and won election to the Sonoma County Board of Education. In 1970 he lost an election to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In 1979, Day was selected by Governor Jerry Brown to fill a vacancy on the Sonoma County Municipal Court, a position he lost in a mid-year election a year later. Dick Day's destiny was not to be an office-holder, but to be a man who seized on important issues from the grassroots. Day joined with Bill Kortum, Chuck Rhinehart and others to fight against an attempt by private developers to block 13 miles of spectacular coast from coastal access. As the attorney for Californians Organized to Acquire Access to State Tidelands (COAAST), Day was able to convince the state Supreme Court to overturn a county supervisor decision favorable to developers; and later become instrumental in the passage of a statewide measure that guaranteed public access to beaches in the state and formed a new agency, the California Coastal Commission which is chartered to protect California's coastline from over development. In an ongoing fight against unrestrained growth, Day served on the board of Sonoma County Tomorrow; was a founder of a coalition of Santa Rosa neighborhood groups and became chair of the Committee to Oppose Warm Springs Dam. Later he helped form Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa, which became an influential player in Santa Rosa politics and a training ground for several future leaders, including current California Assemblywoman Pat Wiggins. Day was also a founder of Sonoma County Environmental Action, an effective grassroots political organization that helped elect numerous environmental progressives to Sonoma County city and county government. Fighting against sprawl, Day pushed for city-centered transit as a founder of the Sonoma County Transportation Coalition and for downtown revitalization as a member of Heart of Santa Rosa. Dick Day provided both legal advice and political savvy to all of these groups. Always outspoken, he learned he was most effective in a background role. When there was press release, a letter to the editor, a legal challenge to be written, Dick Day was always ready to serve. He didn't always carry the day, but working with others, he won significant victories in protecting the Russian River against dredging, limiting campaign contributions in local elections, creating greenbelts around the county's cities, and defeating tax measures to widen highways without developing public transit. Representing the Sierra Club he won a settlement from the Santa Rosa City Council in the early 80's, after charging that the Council acted improperly in providing tax incentives to the developers of a shopping center. Dick Day had many opponents, but no real enemies. It was clear that he was coming from a place of integrity. He was a gregarious man, always armed with a quip. He loved to hold court in Mac's Delicatessen in downtown Santa Rosa, advise and josh his friends, and debate and trade barbs with folks of other political persuasions. Politics was play to Dick as much as it was serious business. He was blessed with long and loving relationship with his wife, Jean, who was a partner in all of his endeavors, and helped provide a home full of warmth, good conversation and books. Jean died last year, and Dick carried on bravely though his heart was broken. We will miss Dick Day. His activism showed us that dedicated, informed citizens can make democracy work. And clearly, for all who knew him, Dick Day has been elected to our hearts for life.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule and in strong support of the Shays-Meehan bill. I represent a district north of the Golden Gate bridge right across from San Francisco with an 85 percent voter turnout. My constituents, the people I serve, care about a fair campaign process where their involvement counts. They want to ensure that the men and the women who are elected to head our government are truly accountable to their constituents, not special interests. They support the Shays-Meehan bill because they want big money influence out of the election process. My constituents want to give our children a democratic election system that they will believe they can be part of, and without real reform, Mr. Speaker, we are telling our kids and young voters that only wealthy contributors have a voice in the political process. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the rule and for Shays- Meehan.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage the Republican leadership to bring the Conyers bill, H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to the House floor. Congress must take action against crimes that are motivated by hate. That is why I organized these speeches today to promote H.R. 1343. I appreciate all of my colleagues who have taken their precious time to come down to the House floor to join in on this discussion. Hate crime offenses are more serious than comparable crimes that do not involve prejudice, because they are intended to intimidate an entire group. These crimes have a particularly damaging effect on victims, their families, and the communities they are part of. Victims oftentimes feel powerless, isolated, depressed and suspicious. Fear is another pervasive victim response, fear for their personal safety and for the safety of their families. Family members share some of the long-term effects of hate crime victims. They may feel guilty for not protecting their family member who has been victimized. Like those actually targeted by the hate crimes, families may feel isolated or helpless. Their effectiveness on the job or at home or in school is also affected. When the perpetrator is arrested and convicted, but not given a full consideration and a harsh penalty, families actually lose faith in the justice system. Light sentencing may also cause further disillusionment. In addition to the psychological effects hate crimes have on families, Mr. Speaker, there are particular concerns as well depending on the crime and there may be repair bills or medical bills or funeral expenses. Trials and court appearances can prolong the grieving process, as can parole hearings. If there is media coverage of a hate crime, a family may find itself dealing publicly with intensely personal issues. Currently, the Justice Department's civil rights division lists nine killings across the country as possible hate crimes in revenge for the terrorist attacks on September 11. Many families of post-September 11 murder victims believe that police are reluctant to recognize and pursue hate crimes, which is a complaint that African American victims have made for years. These outcries from victims and their families signal that hate crimes need to be taken more seriously. It is unbelievable that Congress has yet to pass significant legislation that will strengthen and expand hate crimes law. And it is unbelievable that when there is a bill already crafted that would elevate hate crimes law that Congress has the opportunity to debate, it has not been brought to the House floor. Mr. Speaker, I support the Conyers Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Protection Act because it would offer real solutions by strengthening existing Federal hate crimes law. This legislation allows the United States Department of Justice to assist in local prosecutions, as well as investigate and prosecute cases in which violence occurs because of the victim's sexual orientation, disability, or gender. H.R. 1343 would also eliminate obstacles to Federal involvement in many cases of assault or murder based on race or religion. Mr. Speaker, this bill is too important to ignore as families across our country continue to fall victim to hate crimes. We have over 200 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives who have signed on to H.R. 1343, and we ask the leadership to bring this issue before the House to show American families that hate crimes are taken seriously. This Congress has a responsibility to fight against hate and this bill will provide that commitment. I look forward to hearing the rest of my colleagues on this issue.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Over 30 years ago, Mr. Speaker, I was a single mom with three small children, and even though I was working, I needed AFDC, welfare, to add to my income for health care, child care and food stamps. When Congress passed welfare reform in 1996, I warned that getting women off the welfare rolls and into dead-end jobs would not be enough, especially if we had a downturn in the economy. The goal of welfare must be to break the cycle of poverty, not just get women jobs that pay slightly above minimum wage. Under the welfare reauthorization that is before us this year, education must count as work so we can help recipients gain access to training and education so that they can improve their economic future and the future for their children. But without skills, the skills needed for a job, a job that pays a livable wage, and the knowledge that their children are getting good child care while they are away at work, moms will have a hard time succeeding.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to tell our colleague and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) that every single day she teaches me something. In my 1992 campaign, the gentlewoman from California showed me that senior Members, important Members, actually help candidates. In fact, I learned how to run my first race by watching her first race in San Francisco. After I was elected, Nancy showed me and the rest of my class that more senior Members step aside and push junior Members forward to give them the exposure that they need and to give them the guidance that is so important in getting your feet on the ground around here. Nancy has shown us what a real Democrat is, what it is all about, while at the same time how to get bipartisan support. That is no easy task. She has shown us how to run a whip campaign, how to win, and how to bring the caucus back together at the end of that race. Finally, now that Nancy is the whip-elect and when she takes over tomorrow, she is going to show us how to fill the position of the highest-elected office for any woman in the history of the United States, while remaining the same gracious, genteel, fair and generous person that she is. I think that is the most important lesson of all that I have learned from the gentlewoman from California. You can actually be all of that and be successful.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Vermont.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maine.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. David, what am I going to do without you? Good grief. I have been here 8 years. After we lost the House in 1994, dithering, all of us, frustrated, all of us, I got a call from one of my sons. All of my kids tell me what I should be doing here because they are smart and they care. My son said, ``Mother, I hope you're listening to Dave Bonior.'' I said, ``Well, yeah, what are you saying?'' And he said, ``He's the only one that's saying anything.'' So I started listening more closely, because I knew the background and what you brought to us all along, but I listened to your message, and it became very important to me to get on your team, to be part of it. Thank you for putting me on the whip organization so I can do what I do best, which is rally and push and nudge and count. It has been a pleasure working for you. Thank you very much. I have learned more from you than you will ever know. My nice constituents worry about me here because they think it is kind of a mean place and a lot of them will say, ``How can you stand to work with all those people?'' And I say, ``Uh-uh, I get to work with Dave Bonior.'' They go, oh, yeah, there are good people there too; among others, of course. Thank you again. I miss you already. Our loss is Michigan's gain for sure.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this past Tuesday, December 18, marked the 22nd anniversary of the United Nations' adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, otherwise known as CEDAW. Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1979, CEDAW established a universal definition of discrimination against women and provides international standards to discourage sex-based discrimination. These standards encourage equality in education, health care, employment, and all other areas of public life. This comprehensive United Nations treaty serves as a powerful tool for all women as they fight against discrimination, and this treaty has led to substantial improvements for women's lives in countries including Japan, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. In fact, when Brazil redrafted its constitution, they used CEDAW as a framework for their human rights for women. The Brazilian constitution now contains provisions on gender equality, gender-based violence, equality of rights within marriage, family planning, and employment, paralleling those contained in CEDAW. To date, 168 countries have ratified CEDAW. However, the United States is not one of those countries. In fact, the United States is the only industrialized nation that has not ratified CEDAW, a distinction that places us in the company of North Korea, Iran, and Afghanistan. The decision to abandon this embarrassing distinction is long overdue. The last 3 months have focused on recovering from the tragic events of September 11 and fighting against terrorism. And as a part of our response to the terrorist attacks, the U.S. has overthrown the Taliban, a government that stripped Afghan women of all freedoms, dignity, and respect. Now the United States will play an important role in rebuilding the Afghan Government. Critical to building this new democracy will be the inclusion and acceptance of Afghan women. But in our quest to help Afghanistan rebuild, we are presented with a shameful irony. While we are trying to teach the Afghani people that women must be an equal part of a post-Taliban democracy, we contradict ourselves by refusing to ratify the one international treaty that ensures the rights of all women. If we truly want to be regarded as a world leader and champion of human rights, our country must ratify this treaty. Women around the world are depending on the United States to show support for CEDAW, because United States' support will strengthen CEDAW's purpose and enhance its credibility. During my 9 years in Congress, the ratification of this treaty has been a top priority of mine. Although it is the purview of the other body to ratify a U.N. treaty, 90 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives have signed a House Resolution asking the Senate to take up this issue and ratify CEDAW. Please join this effort to convince the administration and the other body that the time has come for the United States to join 168 other nations who have committed themselves to safeguarding basic human rights and ending gender discrimination and ratifying CEDAW.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I view this stimulus package through the eyes of a welfare mother. I can do that, because 30 years ago I was a welfare mom. And even though I was working, I needed aid for dependent children to get the health care and the child care and the food stamps I needed for my three young children. When Congress passed the welfare reform bill, I warned that getting women off the welfare rolls and into work would not be good enough if and when we had a downturn in our economy. Well, the downturn is here; and these women are hit with a triple whammy: no job, no health care, no unemployment insurance. Our top priority in stimulating this economy must be putting money in the hands of people who need it and will use it. Those are our American families. The only acceptable economic stimulus package is one that takes care of the Nation's families, not our billionaires. We must stimulate the economy by providing for our children, giving money to families, and providing workers unemployment insurance and health coverage.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise also to support this conference report. And I say, good job, gentlemen. It was hard but they made it happen. I would prefer a bill, however, that includes more funding for all that we are asking of our schools and of our teachers. We have made quite a list of accomplishments. We need to fund them so they can have the help they need. I particularly regret that we are not fully funding our Federal share of special education. There is not a school district in this Nation that is not having trouble meeting those costs. I am pleased, however, that the bill keeps funding for hate crime prevention intact. It is so important because as a result of the 11th of September, there has been a dramatic increase in hate crimes, particularly crimes directed at innocent people and innocent children, including school children. Now, more than ever, because we have this in the bill, we will be able to teach our children constructive ways to express their feelings. Nothing matters more to the future of this country than the education of our children. They are the workers, the soldiers, the diplomats, and voters of tomorrow. Congratulations, gentlemen.