"Earlier this summer, I voted against my own pay raise in protest of Congress's failure to address the need to increase the minimum wage.  There are too many hard-working people in Arkansas who must stretch every dollar of their paychecks.  There are thousands of people in my district who hold minimum wage positions, people I was elected to serve.  I made a promise to them, and I'm going to keep that promise.  I would only be serving myself if I voted to raise my salary, and that is not why I'm here.

"Congress hasn't provided a minimum wage increase since 1997.  Another increase is long overdue.  Approximately 69 percent of workers holding minimum wage jogs are adults aged 20 or older, many of them struggle to support a family on their minimum wage earnings. 

"A person who earns the minimum wage, who works 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year, without missing a day or getting sick makes $10,712 per year.  That is simply not enough for someone trying to support a family.  I will continue to vote against congressional pay raise until the minimum wage is increased for working families."

“This loan and grant will bring a major boost to the quality of education throughout the tri-state Delta region,” Ross said.  “This distance learning project will solve a critical problem holding back our teachers and students; under-certified teachers.  Our rural schools have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers certified in Math, Science, and Foreign Languages.  As a result, our students’ knowledge in these areas suffers.  This distance learning project will not only help to bring all of our teachers to the certified level, it will enhance learning for their students while their teachers are being certified.”

The Distance Learning loan of $10,160,000 for 9 years, along with a $1,016,000 grant, was awarded to Edgenics, Inc., a company that works with universities in the Mid-South region to improve education.  The funding will be used for the following purposes:

· To provide on-line professional development courses for teachers and undergraduate student teachers in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana;
· To provide on-line math, science, and foreign language courses for public school students through an interactive classroom in one school in each of 55 counties in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana designated by the Mid-South Delta Consortium;
· To finance the lease of the data center in Jackson, Mississippi for a period of two and a half years; 
· To purchase software, courseware, digital editing systems, networking hardware, and other infrastructure to implement the distance learning services;
· To provide each of the 55 schools with a route, hub, printer, and desktop computers; and
· To deploy course content using digital video servers, web servers, e-mail servers, routers, switches, and other network equipment.

“This funding is the final go-ahead for a project that many people have worked very hard to see created,” Ross added.  “I was glad to give my support to this effort, and I am eager to see the results in our classrooms.”

“Surrounding yourself with good staff is key to any successful business,” Ross said.  “Without the hard work of congressional staff, we as members of Congress would not be able to fulfill our responsibilities of helping those in need and representing the people the way they deserve.  These members of my Pine Bluff and Washington, D.C. staff have demonstrated both leadership and achievement in their education as well as their work experience.  I am excited to have each of them on board, and I know that they will make a strong addition to our team in serving the people of Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District.”

In addition to his duties as office manager, R.J. Lightsey serves as Director of Community Outreach for the Fourth District.  Lightsey has spent 24 years working in the business marketing and consulting field, in both profit and non-profit sectors.  As Director of Community Outreach, he serves as a liaison between Ross and the various communities throughout the district.  Lightsey graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1975 with a B.A. in English, and in 1978 earned a diploma in Supervisory Management from LaSalle Extension University in Chicago.  In 1988, he graduated from the South Jersey Professional School of Business, and in 1996 received a Master of Divinity degree from Christian Bible College and Seminary in Independence, Missouri.

Lena Collins has recently moved from the Pine Bluff office, where she worked as Assistant to the District Director, to Ross’s Washington, D.C. office to work as Staff Assistant.  She works directly with constituents as they visit our nation’s capital.  Lena graduated in May, 2002 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a degree in English (Liberal Arts) and a minor in Mass Communication.  She has received numerous accolades during her academic career including 2000-2001 UAPB Student Leader of the Year and Miss UAPB 2001-2002.  She has also worked as a radio personality with Metro Media Group in Pine Bluff, AR.  Lena is a 1997 graduate of Pine Bluff High School.  In January, she will attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. to receive a Master of Arts degree in Human Communication and Culture.