E146 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks February 3, 2010 2000, with an idea in mind, Mr. Assemi re- HONORING That is why today, along with Congressman turned to Fresno with a vision for creating a , I am introducing the Small Busi- thriving arts community in downtown Fresno. SPEECH OF ness Job Creation Tax Act 2010. This bill will With his father as a financial partner, Mr. HON. provide tax cuts to employers who increase their payroll over one year based on a per- Assemi purchased the former Red Cross OF Building and in sixteen months the Pearl centage of that increase. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Building was up and running as a true multi- This legislation will provide businesses a tax use building. The Pearl Building now serves Tuesday, February 2, 2010 cut worth 15 percent of the cost of a new job. as a place for artists to live, work and show Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I Small businesses would receive an additional their work to the public. It also has a commu- strongly support H. Res. 1022, a resolution 5%, allowing them to deduct 20% of their in- nity space with plenty of room to bring in honoring the life and sacrifice of Medgar Evers creased payroll costs. The tax cut would be guest artists and show their work without and congratulating the United Sates Navy for structured based on a firm’s quarterly payroll opening the doors to private living spaces. naming a supply ship after him. increase over the previous year, meaning Shortly after developing the Pearl Building, I would like to thank my colleague, HENRY companies would also have an incentive to Mr. Assemi took on a redevelopment project C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, for introducing this sig- expand part-time workers to full-time, or elimi- for the Vagabond Motel, also located in down- nificant piece of legislation. nate salary cuts instituted during the downturn. town Fresno. The building is about a block On October 9, 2009, the Navy This would also provide protection against away from the Pearl Building, making the site announced that the Lewis and Clark dry cargo fraud by preventing employers from firing and perfect for creating a community and helping and ammunition ship would be named. United re-hiring employees to claim the tax cut. The the area grow. This is also a mixed use States Navy Ship Medgar Evers. legislation would also contain additional pro- project; the site also serves as a commercial The U.S. Navy’s dedication to Medgar Evers tections against abuse by including a limit on space, affordable housing, and artist spaces at recognizes the slain civil rights pioneer who the tax cut claimed by any one firm to market rate rent. Since then, Mr. Assemi has led efforts to secure the right to vote for all Af- $500,000 and excluding mergers or acquisi- completed one project after another. rican-Americans and to integrate public facili- tions where no new jobs are actually created. ties, schools, and restaurants. In his State of the Union Address, President In the ten years since moving back to Fres- Medgar Evers rose to prominence in the Obama stressed the importance of creating no, Mr. Assemi has brought nearly two hun- in his home state of Mis- jobs. I cannot think of a more important action dred residential units to downtown Fresno. His sissippi. He discovered his passion for activ- we can take as a Congress than creating in- most recent project, the Iron Bird Lofts, was ism while working for the Regional Council of centives for businesses to grow their job force. completed December 1, 2009. He has already Negro Leadership, which he began in 1951 I urge my colleagues to support this important began looking to his next project, restoring a upon graduating from Alcorn University. legislation. historic downtown Fresno building to create Appointed Mississippi’s first field secretary f twenty-three residential lofts. His vision for es- for the National Association for the Advance- tablishing a viable, economically stable neigh- COMMEMORATING 65TH ANNIVER- ment of Colored People (NAACP), Evers es- borhood and thriving arts community has SARY OF THE LIBERATION OF tablished local chapters of the NAACP made Mr. Assemi a pioneer in the downtown AUSCHWITZ throughout the Delta region. development of Fresno. As an NAACP worker, Medgar Evers fought SPEECH OF Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend against segregation and by or- and congratulate Reza Assemi for his tremen- ganizing boycotts on gasoline stations that re- HON. MARCY KAPTUR dous contributions to the revitalization of fused to allow blacks to use their restrooms. OF OHIO downtown Fresno and upon being awarded His boycott of Jackson, Mississippi merchants IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the ‘‘You Get It Award.’’ Invite my colleagues in the early 1960’s attracted national attention, Tuesday, February 2, 2010 to join me in wishing Mr. Assemi many years and his effort to have admit- Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this year we re- of continued success. ted to the University of Mississippi in 1962 member the 65th Anniversary of the liberation brought much needed federal assistance. of the Auschwitz concentration camp by U.S. f In 1963, Evers met an untimely death when Armed Forces. After Auschwitz opened in he was assassinated in his driveway. He was MEDIA GIVE OBAMA BETTER 1940 the Nazi army wasted little time in round- murdered just hours after President John F. COVERAGE THAN BUSH ing up Polish prisoners for imprisonment at Kennedy’s speech on national television in this killing field. support of civil rights. However, Medgar Evers’ Auschwitz-Birkenau, also known as Ausch- HON. LAMAR SMITH sacrifice and legacy of challenging racism and witz II, was the largest killing center of all. SS segregation endures today. authorities established it in the spring of 1942. OF TEXAS I join my colleagues in honoring Medgar It was not subordinated to the regional SS, but IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Evers and applaud the U.S. Navy for recog- was part of the SS Economic-Administration Wednesday, February 3, 2010 nizing him by naming one of its vessels after Main Office. such a great American activist. ‘‘Block 10’’ was where the Nazis, including Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, the f Mengele, the ‘‘Angel of Death,’’ conducted un- national media gave President Obama about speakable medical experiments on prisoners twice as much favorable news coverage as INTRODUCTION OF THE SMALL and ‘‘Block 11’’ was where people were lined they gave former President George W. Bush BUSINESS JOB CREATION TAX up against a wall and shot. during the first year of their presidencies, ac- ACT 2010 Before the death camp’s liberation on Janu- cording to a study by the Center for Media ary 27, 1945, almost a million Jews from Po- and Public Affairs. HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY land and adjoining nations died there along The analysis revealed that while around half OF NEW YORK with 21,000 Roma (gypsies) and countless ho- the stories about President Obama were posi- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES mosexuals, communists and Soviet and Ukrainian POWs. At least 75,000 Poles were tive, just 25 percent of stories about President Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Bush were favorable. summarily executed. When all acts of horror Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, since the ceased, the Nazis had murdered 1.1 million Not surprisingly, the New York Times gave recession began in December 2007, 8 million President Obama the most favorable cov- people at this site. jobs have been lost in America. The unem- Mr. Marian Wojciechowski, a constituent erage, followed by Time Magazine and News- ployment rate has more than doubled since and lifelong friend of mine, is a survivor of week. then to 10% and the underemployment rate is Auschwitz and Block 11. He served as an offi- It’s no wonder seven out of ten Americans at 17%. To keep pace with population growth, cer in the Polish cavalry and bravely fought say the national media are promoting the 127,000 jobs must be created each month just Nazi tanks as they rolled into his homeland of Obama presidency, according to a recent pub- to keep unemployment from rising. Historically, Poland near the Czech border as World War lic opinion poll. small business has generated 64 percent of II began on September 1, 1939. The national media should give Americans net new jobs over the past 15 years, accord- He and colleagues in his unit fought with the facts, not tell them what to think. ing to the Small Business Administration. such valor against the invaders they were

VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:11 Feb 04, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A03FE8.022 E03FEPT1 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REMARKS