March 5, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E307 with impossible premium increases, but our Mayor Lumumba was a nationally renowned However, we must find a balance between work on this issue is far from done. More must attorney who was licensed in Mississippi, fiscal stability and punishing homeowners who be done to reign in FEMA, create more ac- Michigan and U.S. Federal Courts. He has followed the rules. This legislation brings fair- countability in NFIP, and ensure the program represented clients in over 16 jurisdictions, in- ness to homeowners and much-needed sta- is on sound footing. We must also demand cluding Canada and the Choctaw Court. bility to the NFIP. more accountability from FEMA and NFIP and Mayor Lumumba has won settlements and/or I am pleased this bill restores the work to ensure that flood maps are accurate judgments for victims of medical malpractice, grandfathering provision, the home improve- and not overly encompassing. employment discrimination, sexual harassment ment provision clause, and provides meaning- If NFIP has taught us anything, it is that and police misconduct. He has worked in high ful protection to Pre-Firm properties. I look for- Federal government should not be involved in profile cases such as the representation of the ward to FEMA improving the flood mapping the insurance industry. Many living in Mis- late Tupac Shakur. In 2011, he helped win the process to help inform the decision-makers in souri’s Third Congressional District are in des- release of the Scott Sisters who had served communities across America. perate need of relief, and NFIP is in desperate 16 years of double life prison sentences for an Local leaders must be vigilant in managing need of reform. Private insurance companies $11.00 (eleven-dollar) robbery. He success- the growth of our neighborhoods in South Lou- have a role to play, and the program should fully represented Lance Parker who was false- isiana to ensure they are using the best avail- be changed to allow the private market to par- ly accused of assault during the 1992 Los An- able data to drive our zoning requirements, ticipate. I will continue to work to make the geles uprising which followed the brutal beat- our building codes, and our insurance ratings. program sustainable, reliable and more func- ing of Rodney King. Congress must remain engaged in its over- tional than it is today, and hope that my col- Since 1968, Mayor Lumumba has criss- sight of this program and its implementation in leagues will join me in the effort to increase crossed the globe to fight for ‘‘Human Rights the years ahead. It must be committed to find- the private sector role in flood insurance. for Human Beings.’’ He supported the sur- ing creative ways to further strengthen the f vivors of Katrina by serving on the Board of NFIP without harming policy holders or the the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and orga- general public. COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVER- nizing other activists to form the Mississippi f SARY OF POGROM AT SUMGAIT Disaster Relief Coalition and co-organizing the Gulf Coast Survivors Assembly. Mayor HONORING TORIN KOOS HON. LINDA T. SA´ NCHEZ Lumumba’s work as a community activist has OF CALIFORNIA spanned over four decades. He has worked HON. DAVID G. REICHERT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES with organizations such as the Jackson OF WASHINGTON Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Human Rights Coalition, which pressured the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES State to retry the person who murdered Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Ms. LINDA T. SA´ NCHEZ of California. Mr. Medgar Evers. He has worked for over twenty Speaker, I rise today to recognize the anniver- years organizing, directing, coaching, and Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to sary of the pogrom that took place in Sumgait, mentoring youth through programs such as honor an Olympic athlete from Washington Azerbaijan against people of Armenian de- the Jackson Panthers Basketball Organization. State’s 8th District, Mr. Torin Koos. Mr. Koos scent. A pogrom is a violent riot aimed at He was also a devout member of Word and just returned from representing our nation in massacre or persecution of an ethnic or reli- Worship Christian Church. the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Rus- gious group. On the evening of February 27, Prior to his election as Mayor, Mr. Lumumba sia. Mr. Koos is an incredible athlete who has 1988 hundreds of Armenians were massacred served as Jackson City Councilman for Ward reached the pinnacle of his sport and com- in the seaside town of Sumgait in Soviet Azer- 2. Widowed by his late wife Nubia Alake, peted in the Men’s Sprint Free Qualification. baijan. This violence against Armenians con- Mayor Lumumba was a loving and devoted fa- I applaud both his achievement and the tinued for three days and resulted in the re- ther to his three children, Kambon Mutope, hard-work and perseverance that paid off dur- ported killing of 32 people, with countless oth- Rukia Kai and . He ing these games. Simply to attend the Olym- ers that remain unaccounted for. was also the proud grandfather of Qadir pics is to be among an elite group of people. It is my hope that by speaking out publicly Lumumba-Benjamin. I thank Mr. Koos for representing America so against atrocities suffered by our brethren Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in recog- well, and I am proud to call him a constituent around the world, we will help reaffirm Amer- nizing Mayor Chokwe Lumumba as a bright, and a Washingtonian. ica’s commitment to an enduring, peaceful and caring, and humble individual. I commend his f democratic resolution. outstanding and historical contributions to the RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY I ask that my colleagues join me in solemnly City of Jackson, the State of Mississippi, the OF THE KHOJALY TRAGEDY commemorating the death of these innocent Civil Rights Movement, and national politics. lives. My thoughts are with the Armenian com- f munity, especially those that lost loved ones HON. BILL SHUSTER during the pogrom at Sumgait 26 years ago. PERSONAL EXPLANATION OF PENNSYLVANIA f IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR. TRIBUTE TO MAYOR CHOKWE Wednesday, March 5, 2014 OF LOUISIANA LUMUMBA Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan is a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES key strategic partner of the United States, and HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON Wednesday, March 5, 2014 I am honored to be Co-Chairman of the House OF MISSISSIPPI Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, due to in- Azerbaijan Caucus. Azerbaijan has been a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES clement weather on the morning of Tuesday, key ally in a post 9/11 era, emerging as one March 4, my flight was unable to leave for of the first countries to offer strong support Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Washington, DC, from Lafayette, Louisiana. and assistance to the United States. Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speak- Therefore, I was unable to return in time for I would like to take a moment to recognize er, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy votes. Had I been present to vote, my voting the anniversary of the tragedy that took place of Mayor Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, Mis- record would reflect the following: H.R. 3370— in Khojaly, Azerbaijan, a town and towns- sissippi. ‘‘yea’’; H. Res. 488—‘‘yea.’’ people that were destroyed on February 26, Mayor Chokwe Lumumba was born August I also offer the following statement in favor 1992. 2, 1947, in , Michigan. He was the sec- of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Afford- We just marked the 22nd anniversary of that ond of eight children born to Lucien and Pris- ability Act: devastating and heartbreaking day. Sadly, cilla Francis Taliaferro. Mayor Lumumba I support H.R. 3370, responsible legislation today there is little attention or interest paid to earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political keeping thousands of Louisiana homeowners the plight of Khojaly outside of Azerbaijan. Science from in Kala- from facing dramatic increases in their flood However, one of our greatest strengths as mazoo, Michigan. He later finished first in his insurance premiums. elected officials is the opportunity to bring to law school freshman class before graduating The National Flood Insurance Program must light truths that are little known and command cum laude from Law be financially sustainable and it is irrespon- recognition. As a friend of Azerbaijan, I am School. sible for it to carry a debt of $24 billion. proud to remind my colleagues that we must

VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:28 Mar 06, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K05MR8.010 E05MRPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with REMARKS