Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus package, by a vote of 244 to 188.  This package was developed by the Obama Administration and approaches stimulus by strengthening the economy from the bottom up.  This represents a significant shift from the fiscal policy of the last eight years.

Today Rep. John Lewis introduced H. Res. 73 in the U.S. House of Representatives to honor the legacy of the 80th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.  At least once during each session of Congress, Rep. Lewis draws attention to the legacy of this son of Atlanta and his lasting contribution to our nation by offering a resolution in his honor on or around the King holiday.  The following is an excerpt of the statement he made on the floor today:

On Sunday January 18, 2008, Congressman John Lewis will deliver a Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative message at the historic Shiloh Baptist Church.  Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) is the last remaining speaker from the historic March on Washington and the last remaining of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.  In the 1960’s he was chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was arrested and jailed more than 40 times on the front lines of the non-violent struggle for social change in America.  Currently, he serves as the U.S. Representative of the 5th Congressional District in Georgia, Senior Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic leadership, and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight.  As a legislator, he has remained on the forefront of the call for social change and is often called the “conscience of the U.S. Congress.”

“This weekend as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of a non-violent movement that changed America forever, we must first celebrate the distance we have come and the progress we have made toward laying down the burden of racial separation and division.  As we inaugurate the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, we must marvel at what the hands that picked cotton have done to help heal, transform, and reconcile our nation.

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program bill with a 289-139 vote.  Passage of the bill was managed by the House Ways & Means Committee of which Rep. John Lewis is a senior member.   The legislation, formerly vetoed by the Bush Administration provides health insurance for more than 7 million children.   The program  will protect coverage for those children and expand it to include an additional 4 million children who would otherwise be uninsured.  The legislation is paid for through an increase in the federal tobacco tax, as well as a prohibition on kickbacks to physicians from hospitals they own.