Cleo Fields

I mean, almost 60 percent, about 57 percent of the people who earn minimum wage, are female. These are the people who wake up every morning and go to work. I think we also, whenever we talk about the minimum wage debate, if you are for…

I would only suggest to the gentleman that I think a minimum wage is the right thing. Now, lastly, finally, the gentleman stated that it gives employees some sense of knowing that the Government will reward you for an increase versus the…

My assertion and my belief is people did not lose jobs when we raised the minimum wage the 17 times that we did raise the minimum wage in the past, and young people were not thrown out of the work market, which, and I will be quite honest…

If the gentleman would just answer a few questions for me so I can understand exactly what mode of operation the gentleman is in in terms of his philosophy on the minimum wage. Does the gentleman believe that there should be in fact a…

the American workers, have not received a minimum wage increase since 1991, and I am sure that the gentleman would agree with me that the cost of living between 1991 and 1996 did not go down but it went up. As a matter of fact, inflation…

I am asking you as a human being. As either. As a human being, do you think that this Congress should have a standard in terms of a wage when a person enters the work force?

Mr. Speaker, Ron Brown was a very personal friend of mine. I had an opportunity to meet him on a Presidential campaign in 1988, where he and I shared many platforms together. There is not another American that I have ever met in my…

Absolutely. And for anyone to even think that a redistricting plan, and I do not care if it is congressional, I do not care if it is legislative or even a city council's plan or a school board plan, to think that politics does not play a…

I can state several reasons why I feel that the district has been singled out, one being the fact that it is a majority-minority district. In Shaw versus Reno the Court, when it ruled, it gave an invitation to plaintiffs all across or…

I want to also talk a little bit about some of the history, not only in Louisiana but all across this country, as relates to the Voting Rights Act. As the gentleman knows, the Voting Rights Act was actually instituted by this institution…

The gentleman mentioned diversity, and mentioned how the whole purpose of the Voting Rights Act or one of the purposes of the Voting Rights Act was to integrate the political system, such as the U.S. Congress and State legislatures across…

I want to personally thank all the African-American women in this country, those who came before us, or before me, and those who are present today in our society who have opened up so many doors of opportunity. That leads me to a very…

I want to commend her also for her hard work and enthusiasm and working for seniors and working for not only her constituents, but working for people all across this country. We certainly thank you for having this special order. Let me…

today I rise to commend President Clinton for his leadership in vetoing the mean-spirited rescission bill that passed this body. It is unbelievable that our President has to use his first veto on a bill to stand up for our children and our…

today I take special pride in recognizing a very outstanding constituent of mine. She is a 19-year-old professional tennis player from Lafayette, LA. I speak of no other than Chanda Rubin, daughter of Judge and Mrs. Edward D. Rubin. I am…

Without question. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. One of the points that I wanted to make was the point of the alternative minimum tax proposal that was eliminated in this piece of legislation. I mean, the whole purpose of this…

It brings me great pleasure to take this moment to recognize a leader not only in my State, but a leader in this entire Nation, Bishop Roy Lawrence Hailey Winbush, who was recently elected the chairman of the Congress of the National Black…

Goals 2000 last year we appropriated $371 million. This year we took away $142 million. Louisiana, my State, will lose $8,200,000, money that is needed to develop our educational system. School improvement programs last year we…

We entered into a contract with the American people. We entered into that contract in 1994 in this hall, in this Congress. We told the American people that we were going to fund this program and that program, meaningful programs so that we…

today I had a very, very important visit from my district. I had a visit from a very, very young kid, whose name is Jonathan Edwards. He is a kindergarten student. He is 6-years of age. He walked into my office and he had some little red…

What this amendment simply would do is not take out, it would not take out the sentence of death, as much as I would want to do that, but it would maintain that language, but it would add to, to give the jury and the court the opportunity…

First of all, under the fourth amendment of the Constitution, it says in no uncertain terms that "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be…

Mr. Speaker, since 1800, the residents of Washington, DC, have been the only tax paying U.S. citizens denied equal representation in Congress, denying the residents of the District of Columbia to send Representatives to Congress who can…

I believe it is safe to say that each and every one of us in the U.S. House of Representatives is supportive of programs that provide our young people with learning opportunities. Today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to spotlight an…

I rise this morning feeling like Fannie Lou Hammer. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am sick and tired because, the courts are consistently inconsistent in their interpretation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. I am sick and…