Not a new phenomenon. These tragedies, yes, are part of a dark legacy of injustice born in the sufferings of the middle passage, nurtured through slavery and codified in jim crow. On april 4 1967, Stanford University dr. King described these issues in his two americas speech. He said theres one america. One america is overflowing with the milk of prosperity and honey of opportunity. Tragically and unfortunately theres another america. This other america has a daily ugliness about it that constantly transforms of hope into the fatigue of despair. The ugly fact is that two americas still exist nearly five decades later. An africanamerican male is killed by a police officer, a selfproclaimed vigilanty one in every 24 hours. A reason why men from communities of color unfortunately make up more than 70 of the United States prison population. And sadly, our laws have a criminal having a criminal justice record means a lifetime barrier to the honey of opportunity as dr. King described. A formerly incarcerated individual who has paid his or her time cant get a pell grant. 10 states enforce lifetime bans on receiving food assistance, snap benefits for drugrelated felonies only. Drugrelated felonies. These limitations are a component of the system that continues to punish someone for life for having made a mistake. This system maintains cyclical and systemic barriers that keep generations of africanamericans from building pathways out of poverty. Recently the joint combhick committee, under the leadership of Ranking Member economic committee, under the leadership of carolyn maloney, on the economic state of black america, which congressman butterfield laid out the bleak findings. And i hope members recognize this is a wakeup call. Children in africanamerican households are nearly twice as likely to be raised in the bottom 20 of Income Distribution as children in white houseleds. And while africanamerican students represent 18 of the overall preschool enrollment, they account for 42 of preschool student expulsions. These are kids ages 2 to 5 years old. Expulsions. These children dont even get a start, let alone a head start. The link between economic inequality, our broken criminal Justice System is Crystal Clear and Congress Must do more to break down these systemic barriers. As our friend and colleague, our chair of the Congressional Black Caucus said in his inaugural speech when he was sworn in, he said we as the Congressional Black Caucus have an obligation to fight harder and smarttory help repair the damage. We must come together as never before to address the systemic, structural and rampant racial bias endem our crnl Justice System. Weve introduced h. R. 258 to create a National Strategy to cut poverty in half in 10 years. By coordinating and empowering all federal agencies, we can lift 22 million americans out of poverty and into the middle class, but thats only one step. We must make serious Structural Reforms to our broken criminal Justice System. Im proud to be a cosponsor of the stop militaryizing Law Enforcement act. Thats h. R. 1252. Because war weapons dont belong on main street. We also need to pass the Police Accountability act. Thats h. R. 1102. And the grand jury reform act. Thats h. R. 429, to ensure accountability that deadly force cases are actually heard by a judge. We also need to stop the racial profiling that disproportionately feans africanamericans. We need to pass h. R. 1933, because racial profiling has no place in a 21st Century Police force. Its also time to pass ban the box for federal contractors and agencies. Im proud to be working with our colleagues on the senate side. Senator booker and brown to do just that. We cant stop with the criminal Justice System. Weve got to create job training, work force training, Economic Opportunities for people of color, marginalize communities who have been unfortunately impacted by generations of endemic barriers road rooted in rooted in discrimination. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. Huelskamp, for five minutes. Mr. Huelskamp i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Huelskamp thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to tell you about a brave lady named ellie who i met a few years ago in kansas. This is her story. One Tuesday Morning back in 1973, she opened up her local newspaper to read about a u. S. Supreme Court Decision that shocked her, outraged her and saddened her. She questioned how a small group of unelected judges could reach such a tragic and the illegitimate decision in the name of constitutional rights. That case was the fateful roe v. Wade decision that mandated abortion on demand throughout all 50 states for all nine months of pregnancy. In response to the courts ruling, elly rushed out to the nearest elly rushed out to the nearest Abortion Clinic expecting kansans to be there. Ellie found herself alone. It seemed that Supreme Court in faroff washington had imposed its radical decision on ellie and the entire nation without anyone noticing, few caring and no one responding about the lives of the unborn. But as history does report, that seemingly deafening see lens didnt stay that way. Soon ellie was joined by others, many others and contrary to the expectations of the elite lawyers on the Supreme Court, their decision did not shortcircuit or end the debate over abortion. Rather over the following years it ignited the debate. While the courts still stubbornly clings to the ruling science has exposed its folly. Legal scholars recognize its defects and most important, Public Opinion from the young to the old has passed them by and today an overwhelming majority of americans oppose an overwhelming percentage of abortions. Today the Supreme Court may be tempted to repeat that same mistake. They may be embolden to impose again a socalled 50state solution on the entire nation. By radically attempting to redefine marriage for ellie and the entire country by invalidating centuries of marriage laws and by silencing the more than 50 million americans. Thats 50 million americans who have voted to protect marriage as between one man and one woman. This court would once again be repeating their arrogant mistake of misreading both the American Public and our american constitution. But unlike 1973, i believe that americans are already beginning to engage on this issue. This time ellie will not be alone, and if this Supreme Court attempts to shred again another foundational aspect of our society, there will be a strong, quick and ferocious response. For a small group of lawyers should not impose the redefinition of marriage on every single american state, every single american citizen, every single American Family and every single American Church and synagogue. Therefore, i implore this court to learn from the roe v. Wade mistake, do its job, read and obey the constitution and correctly affirm that ellie and the citizens of everyone of our United States are free to affirm or restore marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. Rangel for five minutes. Mr. Rangel thank you mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Rangel thank you for this opportunity. I feel so proud to be an american and be in this great country where so many members of congress have come from families and communities that have been poor without the dreams or hopes that they would ever be in the position to serve this great country in the most august legislative body in the world. I know. Ive been through more riots than anyone else coming from harlem and being older than most members, and yet throughout the world im so proud that people respects our country because of the opportunities we have here. And so therefore to all americans it has to be painful embarrassing to see on International News or to have our International Friends to think that were a country that alaos young black men to be shot down and murdered and killed and allows young black men to be shot down and murdered and killed but this does not in my mind represent our country. It represents poverty. But its so hard for people to believe that the richest country in the world could have this cancer of poverty that eats away from so many things that we could be doing. There was so many dreams and hopes that when president obama came in and recognized how much you can accomplish if you have access to education. And i was among those who recognized that above from lennox avenue in harlem, being given an opportunity with the g. I. Bill can go to new york university, go to law school and come here become a federal prosecutor and come here in congress. So i knew the president understood the power of being exposed to education and what it has done to make america all that she is today, but i had no idea of the problems he would face as our president , the depth of people who wanted to prevent him from making a contribution to our country the partisanship that exists today and the pain that i feel that now when you talk about education is whether or not you support traditional Public Schools or charter schools. The greatest thing that we can do and the obligation we have as members of congress is to invest in the education of our young people for the future of this great country. Poverty is more than lack of selfesteem. Poverty means that theres a degree and the connection between poverty and hopelessness poverty and joblessness, poverty and not being able to send your kids to School Poverty and not even know how to take care of yourself in terms of health. Poverty can cause people not to be able to make the contributions they can make to the country. The disparity between the wealthy people that we have in this country and those who work hard every day and doesnt have enough money doesnt have enough money for disposible income. Poverty and near poverty reduces the ability of the middle class to have disposible income to be able to support jobs through Small Businesses and poverty is so costly. Not only in the prestige and the power and expectations of our great country but how much we pay to put poor folks in jail. How much really do we pay to subsidize earned income tax credits lowincome housing credits, children tax credits, sdeeze subsidies because not because they dont pay off but we have to do everything we can . These are costly. But who can deny the return on these types of investments, the trillions of dollars that we have invested in our defense has little or no return but the investment that we can have in people and the talent of our minds can make this country all that she can be. Lets increase education and decrease poverty and thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the house agriculture subcommittee on conservation and forestry, which i chair, conducted a hearing to review the National Forest system and active forest management. The health of our National Forest is an issue of vital importance for rural america. Not only our National Forest is a sense of Natural Beauty but it has healthy watersheds, Wildlife Habitat, but perhaps most importantly they serve as economic engines for the surrounding local communities. Our National Forests are capable of providing and sustaining these benefits but they need proper management to do so. The u. S. Forest service manages more than 193 million acres of land across 41 states. Within those 41 states are over 700 counties containing National Forestland. These forestland. These counties and communities rely on us to be good stewedwards of these lands. Theres a direct correlation between Forest Health and vibrant Rural Communities. The People Living in these rural areas depend on well managed National Forests to foster jobs and Economic Opportunities. These jobs come from diverse sources such as timberg, energy production, recreation. However, if those jobs disappear, so do jobs that support those industries. Its a Snowball Effect from they are threatening School Systems and infrastructure in these Rural Communities. As a result, effective management and Forest Service decisions have significant consequences on our constituents who live in and around National Forests. Healthier, well managed National Forests are more sustainable for generations to come due to the continued continual risk of catastrophic fires and Invasive Species outbreaks. Especially with the design in Timber Harvesting and the revenue to counties from timber receipts over the past two decades, rural economies will benefit immensely from increased timber harvests. If we can continue supporting a diverse population of wildlife through active Land Management practices such as prescribed burns. Our National Forests are not museums. They were never intended to sit idle. I say frequently, but National Forests are not national parks. When congress created the National Forest system more than 100 years ago, it was designed so the surrounding communities would benefit from multiple uses. Our national for wrests are meant to provide timber, oil natural gas, Wildlife Habitat recreational opportunities and clean Drinking Water not just for the Rural Communities but these tend to be the headwaters of the waters that provide water for our cities as well. During yesterdays hearing members of the conservation and forestry subcommittee called upon Forest Service chief to use the tools that congress made available in the 2014 farm bill in order to strengthen rural economies and improve the health of our National Forests. One certainly complements the other. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from ohio, for the gentlewoman from ohio for five minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. Thank you so much, mr. Speaker. Im here today to talk about the policy failures of this body. Ms. Fudge when we look at baltimore, let me tell you why its not a shock to me. When you disinvest in education when you provide no places for kids to play and no summer jobs baltimore happens. When you refuse to provide resources for job training, for decent housing and you have a lack of resources to the communities of highest need, baltimore happens. The budget we are working on this week continues to prove that the majority of people in this house care little about the plight of the poor and underserved communities. There is a lack of concern for education. I sit on the Education Committee as we are talking about reauthorizing esea, and the majority passed out of committee the ability to block grant all title 1 funding. So now children who are poor disabled, or minority will be at the mercy of their state to determine what kind of education they get. Ohio has one way to do it. Indiana has another way to do it. It all depends on what your zip code is anymore as to what your Educational Attainment may be. They further have reduced federal funding for education every year of their plan. I work in a body where the majority wants to block grant medicaid. So state by state they will determine who qualifies, who is sick enough to qualify. I work in a body where there is no value placed on our greatest asset, which is our people. These are the people who want to reduce block grants and Community Funding and community policing. Our communities are crying out every day for our attention. Did what happen in baltimore get our attention . It should have and it did. Was it right . No. Violence is never right. But