To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 411 Midway Avenue in Mascotte, Florida, as the "Specialist Eric Ramirez Post Office".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5027) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 411 Midway Avenue in Mascotte, Florida, as the ``Specialist Eric Ramirez Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5027.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5027 pays tribute to the life of a fallen United States hero. Specialist Eric Ulysses Ramirez paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of this great Nation. Tonight, the House of Representatives remembers his devoted service.

Specialist Eric Ulysses Ramirez was a model citizen, a husband and a father. He was a sheriff's deputy, and he also served as a National Guardsman.

In February of 2003, Specialist Ramirez and his Guard unit were activated to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tragically, on February 12 of this year, just 42 days before his tour of duty in Iraq would have been completed, Iraqi insurgents killed Eric in an attack. Eric Ramirez was to have returned from Iraq in March with the 670th Military Police Company.

Eric is survived by his wife, Tracy Bensen-Ramirez, by his young daughter, Isis, and a brand new son, Chase. Last December, Eric was given permission to leave Iraq and return to Florida for his son's, Chase's, birth.

Mr. Speaker, this Post Office at 411 Midway Avenue in Mascotte, Florida, which is Eric's hometown, will be an exceedingly deserved and appropriate commemoration of his life. Eric loved his family. He loved his hometown. He loved this country so much that he fought and struggled and gave his life to defend them.

I strongly urge all Members to join me and also the distinguished gentlewoman from my home State of Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) to support this legislation that will create the Specialist Eric Ramirez Post Office.

Mr. Speaker, I want to also thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) for her efforts and sponsorship of H.R. 5027.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude, yielding myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, tonight we rise to recognize Eric Ramirez who was lost in service to this Nation. First, I want to thank again the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) for bringing this naming of this Post Office Building before the House of Representatives and recognizing one who, again, gave his life in service to this Nation.

It was just one week ago, Mr. Speaker, right below the level where you stand tonight, when we heard the Prime Minister of Iraq Allawi tell us that 1 million Iraqis were murdered or missing, his fellow countrymen, and that over 300,000 to date have been found slaughtered in mass graves. Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his fellow man, and here Eric Ramirez gave his life in service to this Nation so that, tonight, every American can enjoy the freedoms that they have, and the people that he never knew or never met have the potential to live in freedom and not see a tyrant continue to murder, to maim and slaughter the people of Iraq.

So we give thanks tonight for the life of Eric Ramirez. We ask that God take him in his arms and all of those who served this Nation and lost their lives and their loved ones tonight in his care and remember them.

So, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown- Waite) for remembering one American hero tonight, Eric Ramirez, and his family with this great honor.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of a fallen soldier, a man who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live free.

Eric Ulysses Ramirez was killed in action on February 12 of this year. He only had 42 days remaining on his tour of duty when he was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade launched by Iraqi insurgents.

Eric gave his life fighting in the sands of Iraq to secure our liberty while granting a new start to an oppressed people. As his friends and family know, Eric was a man of courage who was willing to fight to preserve a safe future for his children and for his countrymen.

In his lifetime, he was a model citizen, husband, father and son, as well as a sheriff's deputy and National Guardsman. He graduated from the Mount Dora High School which is very near Mascotte, and he planned on attending the University of Central Florida, but instead, he enlisted in the Navy for 4 years. Upon his return, his commitment to public service was evident when he took a job as a sheriff's deputy in San Diego.

Specialist Ramirez answered the call to duty yet again when his unit was activated to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom in February 2003. Tragically, this would be his last mission.

Since the awful day that took the life of this American hero, I have come to know the family that he left behind. His wife, his children and his parents, Reverend and Mrs. Felix Ramirez, who live in Mascotte.

I attended the funeral of this brave young man, and although I did not know him personally, when I attended the funeral, I felt as if I did know him. I was very obviously struck with emotion when I met his parents and learned that his father, Felix Ramirez, was the minister who was conducting the service for his own son. As he conducted the service, I was awe-struck with his courage and with his belief in our American troops and in what his son did to help make Iraq a free country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Members of this body to join me in honoring specialist Eric Ramirez's life and his service by naming the United States Post Office at 411 Midway Avenue in Mascotte, Florida, as the specialist Eric Ramirez Post Office.

The beautiful town of Mascotte is where Eric grew up and where his family now calls home. I believe it is the very least that we can do to honor Eric and to repay his family for the son, husband and father that they lost when he fought to defend our freedom.

Lastly, I want to also thank my Florida colleagues for their willingness to support this measure. Passage of this bill is a tremendous bipartisan effort and shows the true compassion of the Florida delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 5027, legislation naming the U.S. postal facility in Mascotte, Florida, after Eric Ramirez.

This measure, which was unanimously reported by our committee on September 15, 2004, was introduced by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) on September 8, 2004. H.R. 5027 enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire Florida delegation.

Eric Ulysses Ramirez was born and raised in Florida. He was a graduate of Mount Dora High School in Mount Dora, Florida. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy, served in the National Guard, and was working as a sheriff's deputy in San Diego, California, when his unit was activated. Specialist Ramirez was deployed to Iraq in February 2003.

Sadly, Specialist Ramirez was killed when his unit was attacked. He died on February 12, 2004. He left behind a wife, Tracy; daughter, Isis; and son, Chase.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the sacrifice, the diligence and the giving of himself of Eric Ramirez, and I urge passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Governmental Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2693, S. 2839, H.R. 5039, H.R. 4381, H.R. 4556, H.R. 4618, and H.R. 4632 en bloc, and that the Senate proceed to their immediate consideration, along with H.R. 4046, H.R. 5027, H.R. 5133, H.R. 5147, and H.R. 5051, which are at the desk, en bloc.

I would be happy to.

We will make that part of our unanimous consent request. And you might consider making it 10 minutes instead of 20 minutes, but you will have up to 20 minutes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the bills be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I am certainly not going to object, but will the majority leader yield for a minute?

I had intended to make a few remarks as in morning business when I thought we would be staying in session for several more days. I figured I had a lot of time to do it. I am certainly glad that the leaders have been able to work out an arrangement to the contrary. But I wonder if your wrap-up request could include allowing me to speak as in morning business, if the Senator from Nevada does not mind, for maybe 20 minutes. It will not take any longer than that.

I do not think there will be much time before the vote tomorrow.

Afterwards we are all going to be trying to catch planes, so I ask if I could have a few minutes.

I appreciate it.