[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 22 (Monday, February 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H780-H782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Soto) until 10 p.m.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, first, I take a moment to acknowledge that we 
celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. 
Signed into law February 5, 1993, FMLA established the right for many 
workers to take an unpaid leave from work for serious illness, 
adoption, or to care for newborns or family members.
  Unfortunately, unpaid leave is still inaccessible for 63 percent of 
working Floridians because they are ineligible for the FMLA or cannot 
afford to take unpaid leave. This means 63 percent of Florida's 
families face an impossible choice: work or family responsibilities.
  Failure to guarantee paid family leave not only hurts our economy, it 
hurts our families, and it is women who suffer most. In Florida, 79 
percent of Black mothers, 56 percent of Latina mothers, and 53 percent 
of White mothers are key family breadwinners. Paid family leave means 
these mothers can stay in the labor force and care for their families' 
medical needs.
  We must also think about our seniors, medical circumstances arising 
from military service, and those in need of support battling addiction. 
Paid leave not only supports American families, it boosts economic 
activity. We must expand FMLA to cover more workers for the next 25 
years and beyond.


                      Honoring Black History Month

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I take a moment to reflect on the invaluable 
contributions of African Americans and what they have done throughout 
our Nation's history and for our community in central Florida.
  We are incredibly blessed to stand on the shoulders of so many greats 
who have come before us. We give thanks to Dr. King, Rosa Parks, my 
colleague, the legendary Congressman John Lewis, to A. Philip Randolph, 
and so many others who have been critical heroes in this story, 
countless brave men and women whom we honor for demanding equality for 
all.
  Today, I want to celebrate and honor the leaders in central Florida 
who have influenced and continue to make an impact throughout their 
day-to-day lives in our community. They are an inspirational group who 
remind us that America is made stronger and greater by the countless 
contributions of our African-American community.


                        Recognizing Richard Hall

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Mr. Richard Hall. Mr. Hall is one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the 
country's first Black military aviators in the U.S. Air Force--back 
then, the U.S. Army Air Corps.
  Born in Georgia, Hall moved to central Florida with his parents when 
he was 5 months old. A graduate of the Robert Hungerford Boarding 
School in Eatonville, Hall received a 4-year scholarship to Xavier 
University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He joined the Army Air Force 
Reserves and, in 1942, was sent to fight in World War II in France.
  Mr. Hall was among the first African-American chief master sergeants 
after integration in 1949. He served his country for over three decades 
and completed tours on four continents, including the Korean and 
Vietnam wars, as well as World War II.
  In 2007, Mr. Hall, along with other Tuskegee Airmen, received the 
Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush, and in central 
Florida, he was honored with a life-sized sculpture that sits outside 
of Hannibal Heritage Center in Winter Park.
  Mr. Hall retired to Maitland in the 1980s and continues to call 
central Florida his home.

  I was honored to be able to interview Mr. Hall last week for the 
Library of Congress Veterans History Project, and it was an absolutely 
amazing story of a man from central Florida who traveled around the 
world defending our country and finally made it back home.


                      Recognizing Elizabeth Jones

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Elizabeth Jones. Mrs. Jones was born in 1942, in Savannah, Georgia. She 
made her career in military banking from Bank of America and retired 
with 29 years of experience in managing support for our soldiers in 
Germany.
  Betty arrived in Orlando and started working for Presidential 
campaigns by volunteering on phone banks to get out the vote. She also 
worked for various candidates who were running for office by 
distributing campaign literature and helping the Orange County 
Democratic Executive Committee. As a member of the Orange County 
Democratic Executive Committee, she became the precinct representative 
for her community in Wedgefield.
  In March 2016, Elizabeth joined the Orange County Democratic Hispanic 
Caucus and was elected to the executive board. She became a very active 
member within the Hispanic Caucus by registering new voters, being 
engaged in Orange County, and supporting various initiatives within the 
Hispanic community.
  Elizabeth also volunteers for various organizations within her 
community, including Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, which cares for 
children with cancer; the VA hospital in Lake Nona that we are proud to 
have in our district to serve our veterans; and the Florida Baptist 
Mobile Dental Bus for communities that are disenfranchised and in need 
of free dental care. She has been volunteering for the mobile dentist 
bus with her husband for more than 5 years.
  Ms. Jones, we honor you.

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                       Recognizing Stewart Moore

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Stewart Moore. Stewart Moore coanchors WESH 2 News on CW 18 and has 
been an important voice for the central Florida community. He joined 
the WESH news team in August of 2011. He is originally from Rock Hill, 
South Carolina.
  Since arriving in central Florida, Stewart has made a tremendous 
impact on our local community. He volunteers at schools, sits on 
multiple community boards, and has moderated several townhall 
discussions on major issues in our community.
  While at WESH, Stewart has won two Emmys and two Associated Press 
awards for his breaking news coverage of the Pulse nightclub shooting 
and as a member of the team that won an Edward R. Murrow Award for the 
same coverage. He has covered major stories, including the George 
Zimmerman trial, Pulse shooting, and the 2012 and 2016 Presidential 
elections.
  Before joining WESH, Stewart worked as a morning anchor in South 
Carolina and WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida. At WTXL, he began reporting 
and anchoring while still in college at Florida State University. He 
majored in creative writing and minored in communications.
  Stewart also interned at CNN in Atlanta.
  In South Carolina, Stewart won a consumer reporting award for his 
profile of a South Carolina shrimper and covered the 2008 Presidential 
election.
  A news junkie who keeps us all informed, Stewart is a vital voice and 
an exemplary member of our central Florida community.
  Stewart, we honor you.


                  Recognizing Roxanne ``Roxsy'' Harvey

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Roxanne ``Roxsy'' Harvey. Roxanne Harvey is currently the president of 
the Democratic Women's Club of Osceola County. She is the senior pastor 
of the Real Love Christian Center, an international missionary, 
recording artist, and a prolific motivational speaker.
  As president of the DWCOC, Roxanne has had the honor of uniting 
people of this great community by recruiting new members, mentoring, 
educating, empowering others, and uniting the Democratic Party through 
events and education.
  Roxanne established Real Love International, where her overall vision 
is to help people discover and develop new skills that will enable them 
to move from poverty into abundant living, from helplessness to 
hopelessness, and from victims to victorious living through ministry, 
education, and motivation.
  She developed programs such as Transformation Technology Station, a 
6-week computer training program that assists and educates low-income 
and at-risk families in computer technology, and Diamonds in the Rough, 
a mentoring program to help at-risk teenage girls between the ages of 
13 and 18 years of age to help develop self-esteem, academic 
achievement, social and interpersonal skills, and a spiritual 
foundation.
  As a result of this explosive dedication, she has held crusades, 
clinics, and fed the poor in various countries such as England, 
Ireland, Scotland, Honduras, in my family's native island of Puerto 
Rico in the United States, Jamaica, Uganda, Africa, and has led 
thousands of people to hope, purpose, destiny, and, most of all, God.
  Wherever Roxanne goes, she exhorts and encourages people to arise to 
their divine calling and destiny.
  Roxanne, we honor you.


                      Recognizing Shawn W. Kinsey

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Shawn W. Kinsey. Shawn Kinsey is a true example of a servant leader in 
the city of Winter Haven, Polk County, in the State of Florida.
  He is the current chairman of the Polk County Democratic Executive 
Committee and is the incoming chair of the Democratic County Chairs 
Association. He has been the president of East Central Polk Democratic 
Club and of Polk County Democratic Black Caucus, as well as assistant 
secretary for the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and board 
member at large.
  Moreover, Shawn is a member of the Winter Haven Public Education 
Partnership board of directors and the immediate past president of the 
Winter Haven branch of the NAACP.

  Lastly, he was the past president for the Democratic Black Caucus of 
Florida and Polk County Executive Committee in which he was recognized 
as the Lawton Chiles Outstanding Democratic Man of the Year.
  Shawn attended and graduated from St. Joseph's Catholic School in 
Winter Haven and Santa Fe Catholic High School in Lakeland, Florida.
  After graduating from high school, he attended Florida A&M University 
and the University of Phoenix, where he received respective degrees in 
business administration and health administration.
  Shawn's consistent community involvement is clearly based upon his 
heartfelt commitment to contribute to the overall uplifting and 
engagement of all residents of Polk County in the State of Florida.
  Shawn, we honor you.


                       Recognizing Rhetta Peoples

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize 
Rhetta Peoples. Rhetta Peoples has been working in the community as a 
community activist, journalist, and volunteering to help get voters to 
the polls and beyond with a career spanning back to the 1990s in media.
  As a volunteer, Rhetta helped candidates get and maintain direct 
access to voters in central Florida all along the I-4 corridor through 
grassroots marketing and the promotion of forums and townhalls. Rhetta 
also served as president of a thriving nonprofit organization, and she 
is a small-business owner.
  She began studying media and marketing in high school and graduated 
from Florida A&M University, majoring in broadcast journalism. During 
college, she worked as a radio announcer in Tallahassee and with Cox 
Radio in Orlando.
  Rhetta takes pride in being an award-winning journalist for the Black 
press because she says writing for Univision's The Root and an Orlando-
based newspaper, the Florida Sun, unites her with the community.
  Rhetta also studied the history of clinical trials in African 
Americans as a fellow at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and 
was awarded the outstanding reporter award for the Florida Public 
Health Association for excellence in communications and reporting in 
public health issues.

                              {time}  2145

  After working for Post-Newsweek, CBS, Cox Communications, and 
Comcast, Rhetta decided to start her own marketing and public relations 
firm.
  Rhetta, we honor you.


                    Recognizing Dawn Chantel Curtis

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Dawn Chantel Curtis.
  Dawn Curtis is a native of a small urban town called Franklinton, 
Louisiana. She has worked with the government sector for over 15 years. 
In conjunction with the government sector, she has also worked with 
nonprofit providers to help them build relationships in organizations 
within the community. Dawn has experience with assisting nonprofit 
committee boards in clarifying their organizational goals and 
identifying the leadership qualifications necessary to achieve those 
goals.
  In addition to her professional experience with governmental and 
nonprofit agencies, Dawn is an active board member with a number of 
community organizations. She currently serves as the first vice 
president of the Orange County Democratic Black Caucus, treasurer for 
the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, and secretary for the 
National Congress of Black Women.
  Dawn is a member of the NAACP, where she serves as a member-at-large 
and is the chair of the Environmental Justice Committee. She is a 
member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Psi Theta Omega 
Chapter, where she serves as the co-chair of the Strategic Planning 
Committee.
  Dawn received a bachelor of science degree from Florida State 
University and a master's degree in business administration and human 
resources from the University of Phoenix.
  Dawn serves her community with great humanity and passion. She feels 
it is her moral obligation to give back to the community. Therefore, 
she has

[[Page H782]]

dedicated her life to service and community activism.
  Dawn, we honor you.


                     Recognizing Wanda Faye Howard

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Wanda Faye Howard.
  Wanda Howard is a Lake Wales native. She became the first African-
American female president of the Lake Wales branch of the NAACP. Prior 
to that, she was the former youth adviser of many years for the Lake 
Wales NAACP Youth Council.
  Wanda has been a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Lakeland Alumnae 
Chapter since spring of 1998. At the regional level, she served on the 
regional committee in Tennessee and program planning and development at 
various regional and national conventions.
  Wanda has been a school volunteer at two schools in Lake Wales, 
Florida. She was once a member of the League of Women Voters of Polk 
County and spent time volunteering at the Lake Wales Boys and Girls 
Club. She enjoys giving her time, talent, and resources to the Lake 
Wales NAACP ACT-SO and Back to School/Stay in School programs. Wanda is 
also a very active member of her church, the Allen Temple African 
Methodist Episcopal Church in Lake Wales, Florida.
  Ms. Howard continues to visit with the Boys and Girls Club of Lake 
Wales, Florida, to talk with them about civil rights and Black history.
  Wanda, we honor you.


                     Recognizing Dr. J.A. Wiltshire

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Dr. J.A. Wiltshire.
  Dr. J.A. Wiltshire is the first African-American physician in Lake 
Wales. He was born in New Jersey and served in the Army Specialized 
Training Program from 1943 until 1946, reaching the rank of second 
lieutenant.
  While serving in the Army, he earned his bachelor's degree from Fisk 
University in Tennessee and entered Meharry Medical College, graduating 
with honors in 1946. Dr. Wiltshire moved to Tallahassee to become the 
chief of staff at Florida A&M University's hospital in 1947. He moved 
to Lake Wales in 1948 and opened up his practice on B Street, later 
moving to another office on 1st Avenue.
  Dr. Wiltshire delivered an amazing 2,500 babies in almost 50 years of 
practicing medicine in Lake Wales before retiring in 1995. His wife, 
Laura, said that he never turned away a patient and always stayed past 
office hours and made a lot of night house calls.
  Dr. Wiltshire was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Post 
Number 213 of the American Legion; and the Imperial Twenty-Five Club, a 
Bartow social club; and many other organizations, as well as helping 
the community with housing and medical care.
  In 1984, he received the Annual Medical Award from the Polk County 
Chapter of the United Negro College Fund. Dr. Wiltshire was chosen as 
Lake Wales Citizen of the Year in 1988. In 2004, a street in Lake Wales 
was named after him: Dr. J.A. Wiltshire Avenue.
  Dr. Wiltshire, we honor you.


                             National Debt

  Mr. SOTO. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk a little bit 
about the national debt and what we see going into 2018.
  It was reported this week that the U.S. Government is set to borrow 
over $1 trillion in 2018--approximately $955 billion--which is an 84 
percent increase from 2017.
  The Congressional Budget Office reports quite clearly: Tax receipts 
are going to be lower because of the new tax law.
  This is increasing bond yields, which is directly related to the 
recent stockmarket decline of nearly 1,800 points that we have seen 
over the last 2 days of trading, because we see higher interest rates, 
the highest for bonds since 2014. As a result, we have been watching a 
precipitous decline--the largest in American history--by actual number 
of points.
  President Trump's Department of the Treasury forecasts borrowing over 
$1 trillion in 2019 and over $1.1 trillion in 2020.
  President Trump has described himself as the ``King of Debt,'' 
despite campaigning on reducing the national debt. What we worry about 
is that the tax plan will be mortgaging our future for today.
  And guess who pays the bill?
  Our children, who will have to repay a massive debt; our seniors, who 
could face cuts to Medicare and Social Security; and every American, 
due to a declining economy.
  We must take this seriously. And $1 trillion being doubled the year 
before and going over $1 trillion next year, and $1.1 trillion the 
following year is not sustainable for our Nation. I encourage all of my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together to fix this 
growing crushing debt before it is too late.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________