CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions Of
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E30 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 11, 2016 of blacks reported having their electricity holds with incomes below $25,000 reported IN REMEMBRANCE OF DALE disconnected in the previous year because similar trouble paying bills; 31 percent said BUMPERS U.S. SENATOR, GOV- they had been unable to pay. For whites, the they had fallen behind. ERNOR OF ARKANSAS, AND number was less than 4 percent, according to FIGHTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE an analysis of the survey by the National What can be done? The best place to start Consumer Law Center. is by identifying practices that are particu- AND PROGRESSIVE REFORMS And sometimes the consequence of unman- larly damaging to black communities, and ageable debt is to fall further into debt. In a then fixing them. HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE 2013 Federal Reserve survey, about three In Missouri, for example, the attorney gen- OF TEXAS times as many blacks reported taking out a eral recently proposed a series of reforms for IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES high-interest payday loan in the previous debt-collection lawsuits to ensure that the year as did whites at the same income level. Monday, January 11, 2016 underlying debt was valid and that lawyers’ Desperate consumers turn to these loans as a Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to way to catch up on bills, but often get fees were not excessive. Collection-industry trade groups supported the proposal. pay tribute to Dale Leon Bumpers, a great tripped up by unaffordable interest pay- American, a man who embodied civility and bi- ments. Lawmakers in Missouri and other states When combined with discriminatory polic- partisanship; one of the most passionate ad- could go further and reduce the amount of vocates for civil rights, social justice, and nu- ing practices, the effect of the asset gap is to income subject to garnishment. In most magnify the racial disparity. In its report on clear non-proliferation; a man who served his states (New York and New Jersey are excep- the Ferguson, Mo., Police Department, the country honorably in the Armed Forces, the Justice Department found that officers dis- tions), defendants can lose a quarter of their Arkansas Statehouse, and the United States proportionately stopped and ticketed black post-tax income, a big hit for even middle-in- Senate. citizens. For a ‘‘manner of walking’’ viola- come families. Dale Bumpers died at his home in Little tion, it was $302; for ‘‘high grass and weeds,’’ Bank accounts are afforded even less pro- Rock, Arkansas, on January 1, 2016 at the $531. tection, allowing collectors to seize funds age of 90. Blacks accounted for about 67 percent of without limit. It’s a nonsensical system that Ferguson’s population and around 85 percent Dale Bumpers was born August 12, 1925, in restricts how much of a worker’s paycheck a of the municipal court cases. But the num- Charleston, Arkansas, to Lattie (Jones) and bers were even more lopsided when it came collector can seize, but allows collectors to William Rufus Bumpers, who had served a to the harshest consequences. Blacks ac- take the entire amount once that check is term in the Arkansas House of Representa- counted for 92 percent of the cases where an deposited. Setting even a small dollar tives of Arkansas, encouraged his son to at- arrest warrant had been issued to compel amount as automatically off limits to collec- tend all local political events telling him that payment. tors would be a substantial improvement. there was, ‘‘nothing as exhilarating as a polit- And this wasn’t a problem only in Fer- Changes like that benefit everyone, but ical victory and nothing as rewarding or as guson. Earlier this year, the American Civil they particularly help black families. Policy Liberties Union sued DeKalb County, Ga., honorable as being a dedicated, honest politi- which includes part of Atlanta, for jailing makers should pay attention. Making it easi- cian who actually makes things better and citizens over unpaid court fines and unpaid er to recover from small setbacks can make more just.’’ fees charged by a for-profit company that a big difference in people’s lives. Dale Bumpers came of age during the lean runs probation services for the government. Paul Kiel is a consumer finance reporter years of the Great Depression, which instilled About 55 percent of DeKalb County’s popu- for ProPublica. This is part of its series on in him an ethic of hard work and a compas- lation is black, but the A.C.L.U. found that debt collection. sion for those in need, what the great biog- nearly all probationers jailed for failure to rapher Robert Caro quotes Sam Early John- pay those fines and fees were black. The racial wealth gap ‘‘creates this cycli- f son as being caught in the ‘‘tentacles of cir- cal effect,’’ said Nusrat Choudhury, an cumstance.’’ A.C.L.U. attorney. An unpaid speeding ticket RECOGNIZING MRS. RONNA RICE In 1943, Dale Bumpers put his studies at may result in a suspended driver’s license, the University of Arkansas on hold to enlist in which may lead to a more severe violation. the United States Marines, serving in the Pa- Unable to pay their fines, black defendants HON. KEN BUCK cific Theater during World War II. become more crushingly entangled in debt. After his honorable discharge from the Ma- Cori Winfield, a single mother in St. Louis, OF COLORADO rines, Dale Bumpers earned his baccalaureate got caught up in this cycle. degree from the University of Arkansas and After she was unable to keep up the pay- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES then moved to Evanston, Illinois to attend ments on a subprime auto loan she took out Monday, January 11, 2016 in 2009, the car was repossessed the next Northwestern University School of Law, from which he graduated in 1951. year, but the consequences didn’t stop there. Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to rec- Because the debt continued to be bloated by In 1949, two fateful events occurred: trag- interest charges, the lender began garnishing ognize Mrs. Ronna Rice, Chief Executive Offi- ically his beloved parents were killed in an her wages in 2012. The garnishment con- cer of Rice’s Lucky Clover Honey. automobile accident; but happily, he married tinues today. Because she was unable to Rice’s Lucky Clover Honey is a family oper- his high school sweetheart and the love of his repay, she will end up paying far more than life, Betty Lou Flanagan, and together they she owed in the first place. ated 4th and 5th generation business that pro- Making matters worse for Ms. Winfield, duces unfiltered and raw honey in Greeley, raised their three children in Charleston, Ar- while her wages were being garnished, she Colorado. Since 1924, they have produced kansas. Upon graduation from law school and his was arrested for driving with a license that high quality honey, created jobs, and ex- had been suspended because she had failed to admission to the Arkansas State Bar in 1952, panded to foreign markets. pay a speeding ticket. She ended up spending Dale Bumpers entered the private practice of a weekend in jail and having to pay the cost Small business owners are the backbone of law, a field in which his natural charm, quick of bail. our economy and communities. It’s the inge- wit, and folksy manner, allowed him to excel. Ms. Winfield has a decent clerical job, nuity and hard work Mrs. Rice embodies daily Between 1952 and 1970, he won every earning about $30,000 a year. But she lives case he handled except three, which validated month to month. When hit with an unex- that makes America exceptional. She has pected expense, she is left reeling. shown true leadership in her industry and the title of his memoir which was, The Best Her vulnerability is typical. In a recent community. Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town. survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the After the Supreme Court’s Landmark deci- typical black household earning between Recently, Mrs. Rice was selected as a lead- sion of Brown v. Board of Education, the $25,000 and $50,000 reported having emergency er in small business by the White House and Charleston School Board asked his advice on savings of $400. The typical white household invited by First Lady, Michelle Obama, to the how to best respond to the Court’s decision. in that range had $2,100. State of the Union on January 12, 2016. On Dale Bumpers’s response was quick and di- Black families were much more likely to behalf of the 4th Congressional District of Col- rect: compliance rather than defiance was his report difficulty in recovering from a finan- advice, which was heeded by the School cial setback or to have fallen behind on a bill orado, I extend my best wishes to Mrs. Rice in the past year. This financial insecurity and hope she enjoys her visit to our nation’s Board. In 1962, Dale Bumpers ran for the House extended up the income scale. Of black Capital. households with income between $50,000 and seat that his father once held and although he $85,000, 30 percent said they had been unable Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize handily carried his home city of Charleston, he to pay a bill. By contrast, only white house- Mrs. Ronna Rice for her accomplishments. narrowly lost the election. VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:06 Jan 12, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A11JA8.007 E11JAPT1 smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with REMARKS January 11, 2016 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E31 But the loss neither discouraged nor de- Small Business Committee and was a senior Youth Ambassadors each year to highlight terred Dale Bumpers from seeking elective of- member of the Committees on Appropriations youth involvement and interest in agriculture.