. a bridge to a realization of america's promise. a bridge to a better america. a bridge to a better country. a bridge as my friend and brother john lewis would say, to the beloved community. . a bridge then over troubled waters who to some degree have been stilled but not silenced. there is still prejudice in this land, there is still division in this land, there is still not the reconciliation that america still strives for. and that is why i would turn almost every year with my friend, john lewis, to walk over that year to remind myself -- and i've taken my

granddaughter to remind her as well, that although the mission of martin luther king jr. was extraordinarily successful and the mission of john lewis, which continues to this day, has been successful, it is not over. the mission and the commitment must continue. that is what we must remember on this anniversary of march 7, 1965 when a group of our fellow citizens peacefully walked to register to vote. is there any more sacred right in a democracy than that? the ability to express your opinion unbowed by government or unbowed or dissueded by threats, that was john lewis'

mission then. he was so successful, but the mission is not over. and as we vote on this resolution we ought to all commit ourselves to walking with the wind of justice of which john lewis spoke, of which he has written. but much more importantly, the life he has led teaches us the power of conscience, the power of peaceful standing up for the rights of which jefferson spoke, the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. god has blessed america through the life of john lewis and so many others whose courage and convictions have made us

better. support this resolution. but more than that, live out its promise for all of our citizens. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. mr. cohen: reserves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cao. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for three minutes, mr. cao. mr. cao: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and, mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house concurrent resolution 249 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of bloody sunday and the role that it played in ensuring the passage of the voting rights act of 1965. today we remember a moment us occasion in our history. on march 7, 1965, 600 marchers led by my esteemed colleague from georgia, congressman john lewis, were savagely attacked

by state and local police as they attempted to cross the edmund pettus bridge into selma, alabama. these brave marchers used the power of nonviolence to demand that most basic of democratic rights of every citizen, the right to vote. in return, the marchers were met with billy clubs and tear gas, but the marchers confronted terror with courage. their dignity in the face of brutality moved this house to pass the voting rights act which reaffirmed this nation's commitment that every citizen has the right to participate fully in the political life of the nation. this past weekend my family and i traveled to selma to honor the 45th anniversary of bloody sunday. kate, my wife, our two

daughters, we marched from brown chapel to the top of edmund pettus bridge. and along the way, not only did we learn of the significance of the march but also the love and admiration that the people still have for the historical marchers, among those was john lewis. i complimented them and firmly believe today that i owe so much of my personal and political success to the struggles of the african-american community. because of their perseverance and sacrifice, doors have been opened permanently to every minority community in america. mr. speaker, it was an honor to have been a part of this moment us commemoration, to work with dedicated public servants like my good friend from georgia, and i ask my colleagues to support this important

resolution. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. mr. poe: reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes, really as much time as he may consume, to the gentleman who responded to martin luther king when he first met him as a young man in alabama, john robert lewis, i yield time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. lewis is recognized for five minutes. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from memphis, tennessee, mr. cohen, for yielding. mr. speaker, 45 years ago on march 7, 1965, hosea williams and i led 600 peaceful, nonviolent protesters attempting to march from selma, alabama, to the state capital in montgomery to say to the

world that the people of color wanted to vote. we left brown chapel that afternoon on a sacred mission, prepared to defy the dictates of man to demonstrate the truth of a higher law. ordinary citizens with extraordinary vision walked shoulder to shoulder two by two in a silent, peaceful protest against injustice in american south. we were met on the edmund pettus bridge crossing the alabama river by a sea of blue, alabama state troopers. some were mounted on horseback but all of them were armed with guns, tear gas, billy clubs and beyond them were dep ue tiesed citizens who were -- deputized citizens, some even had bull

whips. then we heard that major john cloud, this is an unlawful march, you cannot continue. you have two minutes to go home or return to your church. we were preparing to kneel and pray. when the major said, troopers advance, and these troopers came toward us beating us, spraying tear gas, chasing us. i was hit in the head by a state trooper with a night stick and i fell unconchuss on the bridge. at that moment, mr. speaker, i thought i was going to die. i thought i saw death. the most brutal confrontation

of the modern day civil rights moment became known as bloody sunday. it produced a civil rights indig nation around this country and around the world to pass the voting rights act of 1965. eight days after bloody sunday, president lyndon johnson addressed the joint session of congress and made what i believe is the greatest and most meaningful statement of speech any president has ever made on the importance of voting rights in america. he began by saying, i speak tonight for the dignity of man and for the destiny of democracy. president johnson went on to say, at times history and fate meet in a single time in a single place for a man's inner search for freedom.

so was a century ago. so it was last week in selma, alabama. in the speech, president johnson condemned the violence in selma and called on the congress to enact the voting rights act. he closed the speech by echoing the words of the civil rights moment and he said over and over again, and we shall overcome, and we shall overcome. i was sitting next to martin luther king jr. at a home in a local -- at a home in selma when he said, we shall overcome, and tears came down martin luther king. and we all cried when we heard the president say, we shall overcome. and dr. king said, john, we will make it from selma to montgomery, and the voting

rights act will be passed. congress did pass the voting rights act, and on august 6, 1965, it was signed into law by the president. now, mr. speaker, this past weekend we heard from the majority leader and my colleagues, mr. cohen, that we went back to selma along with mike pence and senator brownback and several others, the faith and politics institute, on a journey. during this journey we brought our fellow members of congress on this unbelievable trip of the historic civil rights act, not just in selma but montgomery and birmingham. we ended our time together in selma by crossing one more time

on the edmund pettus bridge, crossing that bridge. i know at times here in this body we talk, we debate, maybe sometimes in not such a nonviolent way, but on this bridge we didn't see ourselves as democrats or as republicans or adversaries. we saw ourselves as americans on a journey to discover not just our history but to help create a more perfect union, to help move us closer to a truly beloved community, truly closer to a multiracial democracy. we all come away from this journey with a deeper appreciation of our democracy and the power of people to make a difference in our society. mr. speaker, with this resolution we honor the sacrifice and courage of those

brave and courageous souls who used the power of peace, the power of love, the power of nonviolence to redeem the soul of our democracy. remind ourselves that freedom is really not free, that we must continue to struggle every day. on this 45th anniversary of bloody sunday, we must use this occasion to renew our pledge to protect the right to vote for every american citizen. we have come a distance, we made a lot of progress, but there's still a distance to travel. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. mr. cohen: i'd like to inquire how many more speakers the

minority has. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: we have no more speakers. i'm prepared to close. yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: the majority has no other speakers, correct? mr. cohen: yes. mr. poe: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i think it's well said that our majority leader pointed out that in the declaration of independence the basis for who we are, it states that all men are created equal and they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. we get our rights from the almighty. we don't get our rights from government or from others or from the king. we get our rights because we get them from the almighty. and as it states in the declaration of independence that governments are instituted to secure those rights.

and first it was the 15th amendment, and yet there needed to be more legislation. and because of the events that occurred on bloody sunday, ironically a president from the south signed the civil rights act of 1965. president lyndon baines johnson from texas. and this was a bipartisan piece of legislation in that in this house of representatives the majority of the democrats, 217, and the majority of the republicans, 111, voted for this legislation. . bipartisan legislation passed with a vast majority of both the republicans and the democrats. a sign that bipartisanship on

important pieces of legislation is necessary. and it is effective. so, i totally support this resolution. i commend those folks 45 years ago when you and i, mr. speaker, were just, i guess you would be inlementary school, i was in junior high, and this event occurred, those noble 600 that walked through the streets of alabama. and thus the civil rights act as we have today. i yield back the balance of my time, totally supporting this resolution. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank each of the speakers, particularly mr. lewis, who we are privileged to serve with and i was privileged to go to montgomery with, and leader hoyer, who made such eloquent remarks, and the other gentlemen, mr. barrow was on

the trip, mrs. kirkpatrick, and others. i want to remind, mr. speaker, this house, this is an important event to remember. and there are people that go to montgomery and go to selma and go to birmingham and reflect on their history. and in brown's chapel there was a full church in selma on sunday. including, miss ruby wharton, a distinguished attorney in my city and the mayor's wife of my city of memphis. she goes ever year. also there was john nixon, district court judge in middle tennessee and the sixth circuit court judge. he goes every year because he was withle civil rights division in 1965 with the march that succeeded with dr. king took place. there are people that go back every year to renew their thoughts and experiences because we shall overcome someday. and that day hasn't occurred yet, mr. speaker, i submit. the 110th congress passed a

resolution apologizing for slavery and jim crow. in that resolution passed by voice vote, by everybody up here, we said we are going to rectify the lingering effects of slavery and jim crow. and lingering effects include saying that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are truly part of the american dream. and you can't have life without health care. and many of the people without health care don't have it because they have been denied the opportunities to participate in the economic dream of america to have jobs that give them insurance and to afford that opportunity. that's part of what bloody sunday was about. to pass this resolution is so important, but to pass it and not to carry out what will happen someday in overcoming the obstacles that have been placed before so many because of the horrific institution of slavery and those laws that were subsequent to it, throughout this country of jim crow, that denied people's rights is wrong. we must commit ourselves to

someday and that day is now, the fierce urgency of now that dr. king talked to us about. and fulfill that life which includes health care and liberty an the pursuit of happiness which gives people a job and opportunity to participate. i would ask all of the members to votey and pass this resolution -- vote aye and pass this resolution today. move passage. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time of the the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution number 249. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. cohen: i would like to request a voice vote. the speaker pro tempore: does gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. cohen: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. and pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1081. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1081, resolution supporting the goals and ideals of national teen dating violence awareness and prevention month. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohec$d and the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizings the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen. mr. cohen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cohen: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized, mr. cohen. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. house resolution 1081 designates the month of february, 2010, as national teen dating violence awareness and prevention month. by designating the month to teen dating violence awareness, congress hopes to bring more attention to the problem. we also hope to underscore the need for more effective prevention and deterrence efforts to help young people break the cycle violence. dating violence is a serious problem in this country. it often starts with teasing and name-calling but escalates to more serious violence like physical and sexual assaults. teen victims are at greater risk of doing poorly in school and abusing drugs and alcohol. 50% of young people reporting dating violence and rates also reported increased rates of attempted suicide. physically abused teens are three times more likely to experience violence in college. teens also carry the patterns of violence into future relationships. accordling to a recent report,

dating violence is occurring with people as young as 12 years of age. the department of justice study found that girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence at a rate almost triple the national average. as a result of the growing number of deaths and injuries resulting from teen dating violence we must recognize this is not only a crime but serious public health concern. today's resolution should encourage families and communities around the country to educate their teenagers about this problem and help them prevent it. i would like to thank the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis, for his leadership on this issue and important resolution. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting house resolution 1081. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe from texas. mr. poe: i rise in support of h.res. 1081 which supports the goals and ideals of national teen dating violence awareness and prevention month.

this nationwide effort seeks to increase public awareness and educate citizens about the prevalence of dating violence among american teenagers. the teen dating violence awareness and prevention initiative was spearheaded by teenagers across our nation who chose to take a stand and put a stop to teen dating violence. the initiative began in 2004, now supported by numerous national, state, and local organizations. and in 2005 this congress noted the importance of addressing teen dating violence and highlighted the initiative and re-authorization of the violence against women act. the call to end dating violence was formally recognized by the house in 2006 and to bring more public awareness about teen dating violence, the house designate designated the first full week in february to be national teen dating violence awareness and prevention week over the last three years. however the justice department worked with congress to designate the entire month of february as national teen

dating violence awareness and prevention month. this designation provides parity to the three other crimes, sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking, each of which has a designated month for public education and awareness activities. across the country, dozens of states, cities, and towns joined congress to designate february as national teen dating violence awareness and prevention month. in doing so, these jurisdictions demonstrated their collective commitment to ending teen dating violence and to support the numerous victims and survivors who live among us. research tells us that one in three adolescent girls in the united states is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner. these violent relationships can have serious consequences for victims. putting them at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide, and adult

revictimization. in fact, teen girls who are physically and sexually abused are six times more likely to become pregnant and more than two times as likely to report a sexual transmitted disease as teen girls who are not abused. perhaps the most alarming statistics is how prevalent this violence is in our country. studies show that one in three teens has suffered from some sort of violence in a dating relationship. we also know that dating violence among children is not limited to physical, emotional, or sexual assault. it also can take the form of harassment via computer or cell phone text messaging or by email. national teen dating violence awareness and prevention month provides an opportunity for parents to engage their children by dating violence and abusive relationships. surveys of teens indicate that parents often do not know their children are in a relationship that is abusive. to start the dialogue, parents

or teens can call the national teen dating abuse help line at 1-866-331-9474. the help line promotes aof healthy dating relationships and offers tips on preventing abusive relationships. so i urge my colleagues to support this house resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i yield mr. lewis, i yield to mr. lewis as much time as he may consume, the sponsor of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. lewis: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, let me begin by thanking chairman cohen, chairman conyers, chairman scott, and ranking member poe and all of their staff for their support and work on this issue. i'm proud to have sponsored this resolution and hope that all of my colleagues will

support this simple but important effort. this is an important effort. it's an important step. youth violence is spreading all across our country. in my congressional district the center for disease control, the district attorney, the partnership against domestic violence, colleges, high school, and, yes, even middle schools have been seeing an increase in abusive teen relationships. fear, stalking, bullying, violence, and abuse are unacceptable and always shocking. but it is tragic that the domestic abuse is a very real part of our children's relationship. we see it in the headlines, we see it on the streets, we see it with our own children. mr. speaker, we must break this change. we must start this cycle --

stop this cycle from being repeated over and over and over again. the c.d.c. working with liz claiborne inc. to develop dating matters, understanding teen dating violence prevention. this is a free online training course for teachers, youth leaders, and family members. i encourage all those watching this discussion and debate to research this issue, take the course, and watch for the signs. i think the time has come, mr. speaker, for us to teach our young people the way of nonviolence. our children, our teenagers, our college-age students. i know that many across the country recognize teen dating violence prevention month. i hope they continue the women history month and really the entire year. we used to think a week was enough time, but it is just not

enough. mr. speaker, our communities must have their information and the training to stop teen dating violence. i urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time of the the gentleman from georgia. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: i would inquire how many speakers the gentleman from texas has. mr. poe: we have no other speakers. mr. cohen: if so, after he closes, we would close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i'm prepared to close, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe. mr. poe: this is an important piece of legislation to show the awareness and bring national awareness to this problem. some of the violence that occurs among our teenagers is horrible. the things they are doing to each other. and those especially in a and those especially in a relationship in