The crisis of HIV/AIDS has been at the forefront of the Congressional Black Caucus agenda for a long time—longer than I’ve been a member of the House—not only internationally, but domestically.  African Americans constitute 12 percent of the nation’s population, yet they account for 50 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in America.  African American women account for 67 percent of female HIV/AIDS cases nationally.

It seems that there are those whose consciences are not pricked by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, perhaps because they think the spread of the disease is the result of what they consider to be lewd or lascivious behavior.  What they need to realize is that a lot of HIV/AIDS patients are victims twice over.  Many patients contract the disease as a result of sexual violence and statutory rape, and in some cases they are born with the disease as a result of their mother’s infection.

The city of Milwaukee, which comprises most of my district, has the second highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, with 71 percent of the babies born to teen mothers there being the product of statutory rape.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported that between 30 and 44 percent of teenage mothers have been victims of rape or attempted rape in the past, and that 23 percent of sexual assault victims are impregnated by their assailants.  These statistics show us that there is a lot of sexual activity occurring in our city that is nonconsensual and unprotected.

Earlier this week, I joined my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues in getting tested for the disease, receiving an HIV/AIDS “swab test� from a medical mobile outreach vehicle provided by the Washington, D.C. Department of Health. The test was harmless, painless, and results are confidential.  Getting tested for HIV/AIDS, and knowing your results, are the first steps in preventing the spread of this disease.  It opens up the possibility of starting a conversation with those you know, asking them whether they’ve been tested, and encouraging them to do so.

HIV/AIDS has become a pandemic in the African American community, and people can no longer hide behind the false comfort that they’re not at risk.  By getting tested, my colleagues and I are trying to set a positive example for our constituents.  As frightening as the HIV/AIDS pandemic is, we must remember that, with knowledge, prevention and hope, we can end it.

When this Do-Less-Than-Do-Nothing Republican Congress adjourns shortly, it will have succeeded in completely ignoring the priorities of the American people, including raising the minimum wage. Republicans played a cynical political game with the minimum wage this session, by holding a long overdue increase in the hostage to a virtual repeal of the estate tax for the wealthiest few Americans.

A group of moderate Republicans wrote a letter earlier this year to Leader Boehner calling for an increase in the minimum wage, yet sat idly by while their leadership tried to hoodwink the American people on this issue. If these members truly believed in raising the minimum wage, they would join Democrats in signing Rep. John Barrow’s discharge petition to force a fair up-or-down vote on a wage increase. Their refusal to do so shows that they were really just fighing for political cover for themselves, not for an increase in the minimum wage.

The Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, which passed last night in the House, will help ensure that future generations of New Yorkers and all Americans, will enjoy a clean, well-preserved Long Island Sound. The legislation supplements conservation and preservation efforts along the shoreline of Long Island and Connecticut, and authorizes $25 million in federal appropriations over the next four fiscal years.

The Long Island Sound is critically important to our nation and vital to the health and well being of the communities I represent. As an Estuary of National Significance, the Sound provides habitat for a wide array of plant and animal life, and contributes an estimated $5.5 billion to the regional economy from boating, fishing and tourism-related commerce. Boating and fishing are deeply enmeshed in the culture and traditions of Long Island, and the Sound has long been our region’s gateway to the seas.

Unfortunately, the effects of millions of people living adjacent to the Sound’s shore have been profound. At the turn of the millennium, lobster catch rates plummeted by 90%, costing our local economy between $30 and $50 million. Dangerous levels of toxins continue to threaten the well-being of the Sound’s diverse habitats and wildlife breeding areas, as well as the livelihoods of those who depend on these resources for their livelihood.

This bill is not perfect. I strongly support and will continue to advocate for funding at the original proposed level of $40 million annually. Properly conceived, the legislation should include wetlands and underwater lands within the authority of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative, which will be established by this legislation. Additionally, I strongly support fully funding conservation and preservation offshore via the Long Island Sound Restoration Act, which has fallen victim to the Republican’s budget cuts. The Long Island Sound, however, is a national treasure and I believe that any preservation efforts to conserve any part of the Sound should be embraced.

The new version of my Iran Freedom and Support Act provides U.S. officials with the necessary tools to prevent Iran from acquiring the technical assistance, financial resources, and political legitimacy to develop nuclear weapons and support terrorism. It enjoys Administration, Senate, and bi-partisan support and provides critical leverage to secure cooperation from our allies in countering the Iranian threat.

A few months back, the FBI announced that violent crime increased at its highest rate in 15 years. There were 17,000 homicides in the United States in 2005, a jump of nearly 5%.

So what is Congressional leadership’s response to this national crisis? To defy common sense and make it even easier for criminals to buy guns.

Just this week, the House passed legislation to protect corrupt gun dealers. This legislation, HR 5092, ties the hands of the ATF in its dealings with the 1% of gun dealers responsible for the guns used in nearly 60% of crimes. We should be giving the ATF the tools to crack down on corrupt and negligent gun dealers, but this legislation makes it harder to revoke their licenses. The bill relaxes recordkeeping requirements by no longer requiring dealers to properly maintain records.

Even if the ATF is able to revoke a corrupt gun dealer’s license, this bill gives the dealer 60 days to sell off his remaining inventory. This defies all common sense. It’s like revoking the license of a tavern that repeatedly serves under-aged drinkers, but allowing it to stay open until all its liquor is sold. Read the rest of this entry »

When others in his position would be thinking about where are the papers going and how will we retire, just a matter of months ago he offered the boldest solution to combat global climate change this body has ever considered.

He has championed legislation to strengthen our Nation’s education system and increase the opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

All of us can talk about what we do here. It is what we leave for our children and our grandchildren that counts. Future generations of Vermonters will honor Jim’s legacy when they see the work that he began as attorney general and continued throughout the Senate — helping to restore Lake Champlain to its brilliance, its magnificence; or witness the bald eagles abounding in the wilderness areas, thanks to Jim.

He has served Vermont well and, just as importantly, he has served the Senate well.

There are millions of vulnerable children in America for whom we in the Congress are the last line of defense. These are abused and neglected children who through no fault of their own have been cast out, or worse. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would harm a child, but it happens every day in America. Protecting these children is one of my most important priorities, and I’m proud that we were able to do some good this week.

Working together with Republican Subcommittee Chairman Wally Herger, we passed the Child and Family Services Improvement Act. Mr. Herger and I often speak in opposition on issues, but we spoke as one voice in support of strengthening safeguards for these vulnerable children. I’d like to think we forgot about party labels for a brief moment, and remembered that we can work together for the common good of America.

The legislation contains a number of important provisions, not the least of which is to recognize and support caseworkers at the State level who are the nation’s first responders in what I see as a rescue mission: identifying vulnerable children and getting them help before they are harmed, or hurt more. We require a standard level of visits and better equip caseworkers with the tools they need to succeed. As a medical doctor and child psychiatrist, all of my training has left me at a loss to explain why some adults would hurt a child for any reason. But children are harmed and neglected, and we must intercede.

The new legislation is a step in the right direction, but we must not think that we have solved the problem. Let me give one example. We don’t do nearly enough to assist kids aging out of foster care. Those closest to these children know better than anyone that an 18 year old foster child does not have the same opportunity for success as every other young person in America, and that’s just wrong. While we can and should be proud of passing the Child and Family Services Improvement Act, we cannot forget that we are the last line of defense for vulnerable children; we are the difference between hope and despair.

The practice of loading up emergency appropriations bills with pork and other non-emergency items has become all too common in Congress.  That’s why I have introduced the Responsible Emergency Appropriation Limits (REAL) Supplemental Act.  My bill mandates that a supplemental can only provide for a single emergency, contain only emergency spending, and must be free of earmarks.

This past spring, Congress took up two emergency appropriations bill.  The first was to fund the War on Terror.  The second was to help Gulf Coast Recovery efforts.  Not only were these two bills lumped together, but additional, unrelated spending was added.  While member and senator projects in states like Hawaii, California and Illinois may be worthwhile, they had nothing to do with winning the War on Terror or helping the people along the Gulf Coast get back on their feet.

There are times when emergencies or other unforeseen events take place. And often Congress has a responsibility to respond quickly.  But when it does, Congress should do so while spending taxpayer dollars responsibly. Considering each emergency bill on its own merits and keeping earmarks far away from the bill will help us reach these goals.

It’s a victory for the entire great state of Minnesota. This will be an outstanding opportunity for us to showcase the best of our state to the entire country.

This week a powerful voice joined the call for increased oversight of our nation’s energy markets.

On Monday, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) voiced its support of increased government oversight of the energy market as provided in the Oil and Gas Traders Oversight Act of 2006.

This legislation, which I introduced in April with Senators Snowe, Levin, Cantwell, Mikulski, and Boxer, seeks to increase transparency and accountability so the federal government can determine if speculation or manipulation is occurring in the oil, gas, and electricity markets.

Without increased federal oversight, consumers across the country continue to be left vulnerable to fraud.  And consumers risk being unknowingly forced to pay more, while the energy companies reap larger profits. Read the rest of this entry »