To designate the United States courthouse located at the corner of Seventh Street and East Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas, as the 'Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse'.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. NORTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I join with Mr. Ortiz of Brownsville, Texas, in supporting H.R. 1402, a bill to name the courthouse in Brownsville, Texas as the Reynaldo G. Garza--Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse.

Mr. Speaker, this bill honors the life and works of two extraordinary Mexican-Americans. Judge Reynaldo Garza was born in Brownsville in 1915. He graduated from local elementary schools as well as Brownsville High School. After graduating from Brownsville Junior College he attended the University of Texas where he received a combined degree of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law.

Judge Garza served his country during World War II in the Air Force. After the war he returned to Brownsville to practice law.

In 1961 President Kennedy appointed Judge Garza to the District Court for the Southern

District of Texas. In 1979 President Carter appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In addition to his judicial duties Judge Garza has long been interested in education issues. He served former Governors John Connally and Governor Mark White on commissions to improve the quality of education in Texas. Judge Garza recognized the importance of education in judicial proceedings and his concern for the uneducated man at the mercy of unscrupulous people.

Judge Garza was very active in his church, and has served the Knights of Columbus in the Brownsville area for many years. Pope Pious XII twice decorated Judge Garza for his work in behalf of Catholic Charities. In 1989 Judge Garza was honored by the University of Texas with the Distinguished Alumnus award.

His record of public service includes work with the Rotary Club, the Latin-American Relation Committee of Brownsville, trustee at his law school, advisory council for the Boy Scouts, and he was elected as City Commissioner of the City of Brownsville.

It is fitting and proper to honor Judge Garza's outstanding, rich life, his commitment to excellence, and his numerous public contributions.

Judge Filemon Vela was also a native Texas and a veteran of the United States Army. He attended Texas Southmost College, and the University of Texas. His law degree is from St. Mary's School of Law in San Antonio.

Judge Vela served as a Commissioner of the City of Brownsville. He was an active member of the Judges Advisory Committee to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Judge Vela is a former law instructor, and an attorney for the Cameron County Child Welfare Department.

His civil activities include being the charter President for the Esperanza Home for Boys, and co-sponsor of the Spanish Radio Program ``Enrich your Life, Complete your Studies,'' Judge Vela's other civic activities include membership on the Independent School District Task Force, and membership in the General Assembly of the Texas Catholic Conference. He is also an active member of the Lions Club.

Judge Vela was nominated by President Carter for the Federal bench and was confirmed by the United States Senate in 1980.

Judge Vela's career was filled with successes, commitment to his family, devotion to his religion and his church, love for his work and respect for his colleagues. It is most fitting to honor Judge Vela with this designation.

I join Congressman Ortiz in supporting H.R. 1402.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the hard work of the author of this bill who brought this bill forward, I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz).

(Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa)

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield such time as he may consume to my friend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank very much the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) for bringing this bill to the floor, as well as the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the gentleman from Tennessee (Chairman Duncan), the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and members of the staff for quickly bringing this bill to the floor.

I also want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez) for also speaking on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, today we are passing long overdue legislation that names the United States Federal Courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, the Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse. Earlier this year, Judge Vela sadly passed away, and 2 weeks ago Judge Garza also passed away, leaving behind two distinct and honorable legacies in South Texas.

These two men were judicial stalwarts. Individually, they were trailblazers, pioneers, and an inspiration for many Hispanics, particularly Mexican Americans from the Rio Grande Valley. Together they are an enormous wealth of riches we want to forever remember.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the House for their action on this bill, and ask that we pass it unanimously

Mr. Speaker, I provide the following for the Record:

Quorum Report

Brownsville native described as trailblazer, judicial legend

Tributes have been pouring in for Judge Reynaldo Garza, the

nation's first Hispanic federal judge. The Brownsville native

and son of Mexican immigrants died Tuesday at the age of 89

after battling pneumonia.

President Kennedy appointed Garza to the federal judgeship

in 1961. President Carter appointed him to the 5th U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals. In between, he turned down an

opportunity to be Attorney General under President Johnson

because he liked being a federal judge and did not want to be

away from his family.

``Judge Garza was a trailblazer, a pioneer who set the

stage for all those that followed,'' said state Sen. Eddie

Lucio (D-Brownsville). ``He was a man of great stature. He

lived life as he preached it, as a devout Christian. He had a

tremendous work ethic and was an inspirational speaker. He

gave you a big grin that made you feel good. You just knew he

cared.''

Lucio said he knew Garza all his life. Garza officiated

when Lucio took his oath of office as Cameron County

Treasurer in 1971.

``I remember seeing him around the county courthouse when I

was a young boy and he was still practicing law,'' Lucio

recalled. ``I am proud to say that he and my father were the

two most influential men in my life. He preached Americanism

and patriotism.''

U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) said South Texas

has lost a friend, pioneer, hero and judicial legend with his

passing.

``Judge Garza became a legend in the South Texas area by

virtue of his commitment to education, community and family .

. . and in the evenhandedness of how he dispensed justice,''

Ortiz said.

``Judge Garza's wit, workhorse energy, pointed candor, and

razor sharp focus on questions of law won him an amazing

number of fans in Washington and elsewhere in the legal/

judicial establishment.''

Ortiz said Garza's granddaughter had worked as an intern in

his Capitol Hill office this summer. Ortiz said he was

working in Congress to name the new federal courthouse in

Brownsville partially in his honor.

``I have talked to members on the Committee where the bill

is being held, appealing for them to move quickly to pass

this bill. Its rapid passage would be a great tribute to

Judge Garza's life work,'' Ortiz said.

Garza's funeral is scheduled for Saturday at the Fort Brown

Memorial Center in Brownsville.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1402, the Garza-Vela United States Courthouse Designation Act offered by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz).

This bill pays tribute to two great men, Federal Judge Reynaldo G. Garza and Federal Judge Filemon B. Vela, who were judicial legends in South Texas.

Judge Garza was the Nation's first Mexican American Federal district judge. Appointed to the Federal bench by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, Judge Reynaldo Garza served this Nation through the turbulent years of the civil rights movement. His decisions contributed to the changes that opened up many opportunities for minorities.

In 1976, President Carter asked him to serve as the Nation's Attorney General, but he declined because he did not want to leave his beloved South Texas and his service on the Federal bench.

He was committed to education, particularly in encouraging literacy, and he was known to all for the even-handed way in which he dispensed justice.

His last official act took place from his hospital bed when he officiated at the swearing-in of his protege, Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa as the new chairman of the Federal Sentencing Commission. When he passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 89, I was privileged to join the thousands of mourners in paying tribute to this outstanding and extraordinary pioneer.

I offer his wife Bertha and all his children and grandchildren my heartfelt condolences.

Judge Vela was nominated to the Federal bench by President Carter in 1980 and worked tirelessly to design and have built the new courthouse in Brownsville. It is indeed fitting that his name will be on this new Federal Courthouse.

Judge Vela, like his good friend Judge Garza, was known for his impeccable integrity and fairness on the bench. He also was passionate about teaching children about the law and the criminal justice system in order to encourage them to make the right choices in life. He would bring inmates to school to tell children about the mistakes they had made and the consequences they suffered as a result.

Judge Vela was often heard on the radio giving advice and counsel to parents and students on the importance of education. Like Judge Garza, he was also a mentor to many others in his profession.

We lost Judge Vela earlier this year. He is survived by his beautiful wife Blanca, and his three children, Filemon, Jr., Rafael, and Sylvia.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation in and honor these two great Americans for their service to this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1402) to designate a United States courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``Garza-Vela United States Courthouse,'' as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1402 introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) designates the United States courthouse located in Brownsville, Texas, as the Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse.

This legislation honors two men who were pioneers, as well as judicial giants, yet at the same time two men who made time for family and community.

Reynaldo Guerra Garza was born in Brownsville, Texas in 1915 and spent his lifetime working in and serving that community as an attorney in the Army Air Corps and as a Federal judge committed to protecting the rights of legal immigrants.

President Kennedy appointed Judge Garza to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in 1961. At that time, Judge Garza became the first Mexican American on any U.S. District Court. In 1979, when President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Garza to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, he became the first Mexican American to gain that honor as well.

Filemon Bartolome Vela was born in Arlington, Texas in 1936 and attended the Harlingen public schools. Like Judge Garza, he dedicated his life to South Texas, first as a State judge, and then as a Federal judge, taking over the seat vacated by Judge Garza upon his appointment to the circuit court of appeals.

Judge Vela is perhaps best known in the community for his work with the schools, speaking to children on career days and encouraging youth to get an education by supporting literacy programs.

Each of these gentleman succumbed to their illnesses in the past year. This naming is a fitting tribute to their dedicated service. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I also want to recognize my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), for his dedication in bringing this legislation to the floor. I thank him for ensuring that these men are recognized for their service.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support passage of the bill. I again want to congratulate the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and look forward to sporting a new Washington Delegates baseball cap in the near future.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time, and I thank my colleagues for their assistance in getting this piece of legislation to the floor, and I hope it will successfully pass with very little difficulty.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the legislation, of course, but I do want to remind individuals, and I will be quick, because I know it has been a long evening and people have a lot of business, but I think Judges Vela and Garza deserve 1 minute of praise and recognition.

In 1961 when Judge Garza was first appointed, he was the first, as has already been pointed out, Mexican American Hispanic to be appointed to the Federal bench. It was the same year that my father was elected and he was the first Hispanic from Texas to have been elected to this House.

At that time, it was such a great celebration for all of us, but the truth was, we knew that they were the first, but we did not know they were not going to be the last. Things have not turned out that way, thank God.

But truly, to honor their legacies, I had the great benefit of being counseled and mentored and lectured to by both Judge Vela and Judge Garza when I was a State district judge in Texas, and I know the lessons that they imparted are still with me today, and they would reverberate today in this Chamber if they had an opportunity to meet with us, members of that other branch of government, the legislative branch, they would remind us of that incredible but very important balance and separation of powers. And their legacies will only be recognized and their contributions will only be recognized to the extent that the other two branches of government, the executive and the legislative, understand their service in the context of this wonderful, wonderful concept that we have here in the United States, in our democracy, three equal branches of government, checks and balances and separation of powers.

So I know if they were here today, they would say, ``Charlie, let us do our job. Let us go ahead and review what needs to be reviewed.''

It is the collective wisdom of that branch of government that really gives this Nation great guidance, as well as the leadership in this House and the leadership in the White House.

So to judges Vela and Garza, to their families, proper recognition tonight, but hopefully that in the future we honor their memory and their hard work by respecting the work that they did within the context of this wonderful framework called the United States of America.