Extensions of Remarks E143 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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February 14, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E143 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS RECOGNIZING NATIONAL COURT HONORING BENJAMIN JACKSON natory and may even suggest hostility to reli- REPORTING AND CAPTIONING MATT gion. WEEK FEMA has a policy in place to aid nonprofit HON. SAM GRAVES facilities damaged in the storm, but the agency OF MISSOURI has excluded houses of worship from this sup- HON. RON KIND port. That is wrong. And it’s time Congress en- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF WISCONSIN sures fundamental fairness for these essential Thursday, February 14, 2013 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES private nonprofits. Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I The bipartisan Federal Disaster Assistance Thursday, February 14, 2013 proudly pause to recognize Benjamin Jackson Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013—H.R. 592— will ensure that churches, synagogues, Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to ac- Matt. Benjamin is a very special young man mosques, temples and other houses of wor- knowledge the hard work of court reporters who has exemplified the finest qualities of citi- ship are eligible for federal funds to effectuate and broadcast captioners nationwide, as well zenship and leadership by taking an active repairs, restoration and replacement of dam- as the recognition of the National Court Re- part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 314, aged facilities. porting and Captioning Week from February and earning the most prestigious award of Madam Speaker, it’s worth noting here that 17–23, 2013. Eagle Scout. Benjamin has been very active with his FEMA’s discriminatory policy of exclusion isn’t Court reporters and broadcast captioners troop, participating in many scout activities. prescribed by any law. Nothing in the Stafford have the unique skill of translating the spoken Over the many years Benjamin has been in- Act or any other law including the Hurricane word into text to record history, preserve judi- volved with scouting, he has not only earned Sandy Disaster Relief Appropriations Act pre- cial proceedings, assist individuals who are 32 merit badges, but also the respect of his cludes funds to repair, restore or replace deaf and hard-of-hearing with access to audio family, peers, and community. Most notably, houses of worship. Indeed, congressional communications, and even capture the work of Benjamin has led his troop in various positions precedent favors enacting H.R. 592 as there Congress in committees and on the floor of including Troop Guide, has earned the rank of are several pertinent examples of public funds the House and Senate. They are truly the Warrior in the Tribe of Mic–O–Say and is a bein allocated to houses of worship. guardians of the record. Brotherhood Member in the Order of the For example: The profession of court reporting is thou- Arrow. Benjamin has also contributed to his FEMA grants were explicitly authorized by sands of years old; its roots can be traced community through his Eagle Scout Project. Congress and provided to churches damaged back to 63 B.C., when Marcus Tullius Tiro cre- Benjamin led a team of more than 30 people in the Oklahoma City terrorist attack; ated shorthand reporting to service the Roman in designing and constructing a trail at Park- Homeland Security Department and UASI philosopher, lawyer, and orator Cicero. Since ville Nature Sanctuary in Parkville, Missouri. provides funding to houses of worship for se- the dawn of civilization, the desire to capture Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in curity upgrades; the spoken word and record our history has commending Benjamin Jackson Matt for his Interior Department provides funding for been the responsibility of the scribe, known accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of grants for historically significant properties in- today as the court reporter. America and for his efforts put forth in achiev- cluding churches and synagogues; The scribe has been an essential part of ing the highest distinction of Eagle Scout. It is important to note that a controlling Jus- history from times in Ancient Egypt, to the f tice Department Office of Legal Counsel drafting of the Declaration of Independence, Memorandum explains in detail the legal prin- Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE ciples which make H.R. 592 constitutional. In and the recording of our entire American his- NONPROFIT FAIRNESS ACT OF 2013 a September 25, 2002, written opinion, the Of- tory. fice of Legal Counsel concluded it was con- SPEECH OF Since the advent of shorthand machines, stitutional for Congress to provide disaster re- these scribes are now known as court report- HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH lief and reconstruction funds to a religious ers and have played a prominent and invalu- OF NEW JERSEY Jewish school, along with all sorts of other or- able role in courtrooms, state legislatures, and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ganizations, following a devastating earth- quake. in Congress preserving Members’ words and Wednesday, February 13, 2013 actions. The same principles apply to protect reli- Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, gious organizations following a devastating Court reporters and captioners are also re- Superstorm Sandy inflicted unprecedented hurricane. As the Office of Legal Counsel sponsible for the closed captioning seen damage on communities in the Northeast in- memo concluded ‘‘provision of disaster assist- scrolling across television screens, at sporting cluding my district in New Jersey. Congress ance to [religious organizations] cannot be stadiums and in other community and edu- and the President have responded by pro- materially distinguished from aid programs that cational settings, bringing information to al- viding $60 billion in emergency and recovery are constitutional under longstanding Supreme most 40 million deaf and hard-of-hearing aid. Court precedent establishing that religious in- Americans every day. Today’s debate and vote however isn’t at all stitutions are fully entitled to receive generally Congress has continuously worked with the about whether or how much funding Congress available government benefits and services, National Court Reporters Association to make appropriates to mitigate the impact of Sandy. such as fire and police protection.’’ increasing this access a reality and to ensure We’ve had that vote. The Supreme Court handed down its first that every American has access to the spoken Rather, it is about those who are being un- modern Establishment Clause decision in word. fairly left out and left behind. It’s about those Everson v. Board of Education, which involved Whether called the scribes of yesterday or who helped feed, comfort, clothe and shelter a program in my own state of New Jersey. In the court reporters and captioners of today, tens of thousands of victims now being told that case the Court held that religious institu- the individuals who preserve our Nation’s his- they are ineligible for a FEMA grant. tions are entitled to receive ‘‘general govern- tory are truly the guardians of our national It is unconscionable that foundational pillars ment services’’ made available on the basis of record. They have a tough profession but con- of our communities damaged by Sandy—syn- neutral criteria. tinue to excel through their dedication and ex- agogues, churches, mosques, temples and The Court held that the Establishment pertise. With that, it is my honor to acknowl- other houses of worship—have been categori- Clause does not bar students attending reli- edge February 17–23 as National Court Re- cally denied access to these otherwise gen- gious schools from receiving generally avail- porting and Captioning Week across the coun- erally-available relief funds. Current FEMA pol- able school busing services provided by the try. icy is patently unfair, unjustified and discrimi- government. In reaching its decision, the Court ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:55 Feb 15, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K14FE8.020 E14FEPT1 tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS E144 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks February 14, 2013 explained that even if the evenhanded provi- the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit antly noted that when Sandy hit, the leaders of sion of busing services increased the likeli- unanimously held that the direct assistance to the churches, synagogues and other houses hood that some parents would send their chil- the churches did not violate the Establishment of worship did not first ask if their facilities dren to religious schools, the same could be Clause. would be eligible for federal assistance before said of other ‘‘general state law benefits’’ that Judge Sutton said: ‘‘Detroit sought to fix up providing food and shelter and relief to thou- were even more clearly constitutional because its downtown, not to establish a religion. And sands of displaced persons. they were equally available to all citizens. as will generally be the case when a govern- Nor did these providers of assistance ask As examples, the Court cited ‘‘such general mental program allocates generally available the religious affiliation of the victims. No, they government services as ordinary police and benefits on a neutral basis and without a hid- went to work providing tangible, life-saving aid fire protection, connections for sewage dis- den agenda, this program does not have the to all comers. posal, public highways and sidewalks,’’ con- impermissible effect of advancing religion in In his letter of support for H.R. 592, Harvard cluding that ‘‘cutting off church schools from general or any one faith in particular. By en- professor Alan Dershowitz concludes that ‘‘re- these services .