ms. richardson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. richardson: i thank the gentleman for yielding so that i might speak tohe house companion bill of map-21 of h.r. 14 of which i'm a co-sponsor. map-21, which we call h.r. 14 going forward, will generate jobs, repair roads and bridges and invest in our infrastructure. this surface transportation authorization bill passed by the senate by far with the majority and with bipartisan support. i come before you today to urge my colleagues to let's bring th bill fward, h.r. 14, so that we might establish some consistency, unlike what we saw with the f.a.a. re-authorization. consistency for states, for companies, for workers, for projects that need to get done. this bill will maintain current funding levels for highways and public transportation, it will consolidate and streamline highway programs and establish a much-needed national freight program. this bill will authorize $1 billion for projects of national significance which many of us feel in our own particular districts. h.r. 14 also impro

ms. richardson, for five minutes. ms. richardson: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. richardson: this in month of march as we celebrate women's history month, i would like to take a moment to recognize some of our great female leaders who throughout history has persevered in the face of monumental opposition and successfully have accomplished great things on behalf of the american people. from the words of the great poet, maya angelo, from the beautiful singing voice of marian anderson, from the tireless activism of dough lore rest wuerta, to secretary of state hillary clinton, secretary of labor francis perkins, and of course our own democratic leader, nancy pelosi. these women and many more have played an integral role in our his -- history and this nation. every day women take great strides to help others and improve the quality of life for everyone. unfortunately in matters involving health care, women

ms. richardson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. richardson: i thank the gentleman for yielding so that i might speak to the house companion bill of map-21 of h.r. 14 of which i'm a co-sponsor. map-21, which we call h.r. 14 going forward, will generate jobs, repair roads and bridges and invest in our infrastructure. this surface transportation authorization bill passed by the senate by far with the majority and with bipartisan support. i come before you today to urge my colleagues to let's bring this bill forward, h.r. 14, so that we might establish some consistency, unlike what we saw with the f.a.a. re-authorization. consistency for states, for companies, for workers, for projects that need to get done. this bill will maintain current funding levels for highways and public transportation, it will consolidate and streamline highway programs and establish a much-needed national freight program. this bill will authorize $1 billion for projects of national significance which many of us feel in our own particular districts. h.r. 14 also

ms. richardson. the chair: the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. richardson: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of the congressional black caucus' alternative budget for fiscal year 2013. this budget should be considered and made in order by all of our colleagues. minority communities took the hardest hit during the economic recession. in my district we suffered rates of unemployment arranging as high as 25%, home foreclosures and significantly more experiencing pain than across the country. our budget deals with these issues, helping us to have a skilled educated work force. it increases the maximum pell grant award. invests an additional $25 billion of the president's budget in education and job training and $50 billion in transportation infrastructure projects and provides $5 billion for the president's budget to help people in our communities with foreclosures. mr. speaker, we stand today -- i stand in support of the c.b.c. budget and urge my colleagues to support it as well and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelad