Urging the establishment and observation of a legal public holiday in honor of Cesar E. Chavez.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 359, the Cesar Chavez Study Act, and urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, you know that the National Park System units are important components of our Nation's historic, cultural and economic and recreation and social identity.

H.R. 359 authorizes a study to determine whether sufficient historic resources still exist, so that the story of Cesar Chavez could be added to the National Park System.

I first introduced this legislation more than 6 years ago to honor the important contributions he made to the environment and to help the National Park Service finally recognize a significant Hispanic leader. Since then, I have worked hard with my colleagues to bring this bill to the floor.

I would like to personally thank Chairman Rahall and Chairman Grijalva for their support, and the staff of the committee.

Cesar Estrada Chavez was a second-generation American. He was born in the United States March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, and raised during the Great Depression.

The lessons he learned during his time inspired him to dedicate his life to improving the lives of others less fortunate even than himself.

Chavez led by action. He was a student of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy, and believed that non-violence was one of the most powerful tools to achieve change, including social and economic justice and equality.

In 1968 he fasted for 25 days, Mr. Speaker, one of many fasts he held to demonstrate a commitment to non-violence through sacrifice and penance. He was a deeply religious man.

Through his work, Cesar Chavez changed the course of history for thousands of Latinos and Hispanics and farm workers in this country. Farm workers have been empowered now to fight for fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, housing improvements, pesticide and health regulations and countless other protections for their health and well-being.

These changes have meant considerably improvements for the life of farm workers and their families, in fact, three fourths of which are Hispanic or Latino.

During his 66 years with us, Chavez made a significant difference in the lives of those he touched, well beyond improvements for farm workers. And at an early age, I too was inspired by Cesar Chavez's work on behalf of farm workers and the environmental justice movement. This includes protecting green space in both urban and rural areas so that all communities can enjoy the benefits of recreation.

Chavez strongly understood the importance of land and the value of the environment in connection to one's health and economic stability. For many Hispanics, this appreciation of the environment is cultural; 96 percent of Hispanics believe that the environment should be an important priority for this country, yet there is not one single unit of the National Park System dedicated to Hispanics.

And as a result of Chavez's belief exhibited through his actions, I was moved to introduce this legislation and believe it important that we preserve the history through our National Park System. It is my hope that one day Hispanic families all have a place in the National Park Service where they can appreciate, honor and learn about Cesar Chavez's work, his beliefs, just as we do now in celebration with African American families who can now visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site and Selma-Montgomery trail.

The significance of Chavez's life and work is widely recognized. The Department of Labor has honored Chavez in the Labor Hall of Fame, and the Bush administration, as you heard, supports this legislation. I won't list all the supporters, but there are more than 20 organizations nationally recognized who support this legislation.

In fact, at his funeral, Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles called Chavez, and I quote, ``a special prophet for the world's farm workers.''

In 1994, Chavez's widow, Helen, accepted the Medal of Freedom from President Clinton, who lauded Chavez for facing a ``formidable, often violent opposition with dignity and non-violence.''

It is my hope that through this legislation, future generations can understand who Cesar Chavez was, and why the work that he did was so important, know that they too can be courageous and work toward the betterment of all mankind.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of honoring Cesar Chavez,

an American hero, a role model, and an inspiration to many Americans. In this Congress I have reintroduced H. Res. 76, a resolution urging the establishment of a national holiday for Cesar Chavez. This resolution was introduced and supported by the United Farm Workers of America, Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and many other of my fellow colleagues. We are urging for a holiday to honor Cesar's memory and educate our youth and community about this remarkable yet humble leader who paved the way for many of us.

Cesar Chavez is a true American hero. He carried the torch for justice and freedom. He was a beacon of light for many of us Latinos in the community. His legacy will live on in our hearts and hopes and in our dreams. To quote him, si se puede, yes, it can be done.

This is the same cry we hear today, a cry of justice and equality and opportunity for all to have the American Dream here in the United States. Cesar represents the true essence of hope for many of us. From humble beginnings, Cesar was born near Yuma, Arizona, grew up in a migrant labor camp, and fought against the exploitation of workers at an early age.

In 1944, Cesar joined the United States Navy and honorably served his country as a veteran. With great courage and passion, he fought to preserve the principles of freedom and equality. He used this same courage and passion to stop the exploitation of workers.

Cesar was a trailblazer. In the early 1960s, he founded the United Farm Workers to gain nationwide attention of the exploitation of grape farmers, a too often forgotten labor force. He led his organization to increase protection for workers; to increase health and safety standards; to ban child labor from the field; to win fair wage guarantees; to fight against employment discrimination and the sexual harassment of female workers.

Cesar's dedication to social justice meant great sacrifices. This year marks the 40th anniversary of his famous public 25-day hunger strike calling for nonviolence. Cesar organized the farm workers to stand together and in one loud voice say, ``From this day, we demand to be treated like men and we should be respected as human beings. We are not slaves. We are not animals. We are not alone.''

I was lucky enough to be part of his funeral, attended by over 50,000 people. I also had the pleasure of meeting with Cesar Chavez on many occasions in the Inland Empire.

In his memory, the State of California in September of 1994 enacted a law designating March 31, Cesar's birthday, as a State holiday. However, Cesar's light reaches beyond California and across ethnic barriers and across income levels across our Nation. Ten States officially celebrate Cesar's birthday as a holiday. This month his legacy will be remembered publicly all across the Nation in over 25 States and over 35 cities. These nationwide actions are about respect, respeto.

For this reason, I continue to call for the respect of a great man, a trailblazer who changed the world by using nonviolence. Cesar taught us that all workers deserve respect and dignity. Cesar, a common man with uncommon vision; a humble leader that forged together national coalitions of students, middle-class consumers, religious groups, minorities and others.

The significance and impact of Cesar's life transcends any one cause or struggle. In 1994 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in America. And yet we should have a holiday for him.

His slogan, si se puede, yes, it can be done, still rings in the hearts of many Latinos and non-Latinos that it can be done and never give up because you can achieve whatever you want.

Yes, I say si se puede, one day Cesar Chavez will be honored, respected and remembered throughout this Nation with a holiday. This is only the beginning. Nationwide we are raising awareness of a great man who has honored our Nation, who has served our country and sacrificed himself for the betterment of others. We will keep his legacy alive.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 359) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 359 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement.

Representative Hilda Solis, my colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, has worked tirelessly for the last 6 years to move this important legislation forward. I am proud to join Representative Solis and 68 other Representatives as a cosponsor of this bill, and I want to thank Ms. Solis for her efforts and leadership in getting this important study authorized.

In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America, working to protect farm workers' rights. Chavez led the United Farm Workers for 31 years and gained increases in wages and better working conditions for farm laborers. Through his work, Chavez became a national leader on civil rights and social justice and an inspiration to millions of Americans and people around the world.

H.R. 359 directs the Secretary of the Interior to consider sites in Arizona, California, and other States that are significant to the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement in the western United States. The bill requires the Secretary to determine the appropriate methods for preserving and

interpreting the sites and to determine whether any of them meet the criteria for being listed on the National Register of Historic Places or possible designation as national historic landmarks. The Secretary has 3 years from the date on which funds are made available to submit a report describing the findings of the study as well as the Secretary's recommendations.

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on this bill in March of this year where we heard testimony from the administration in support of this bill. Later, at both a subcommittee markup and a full committee markup, this legislation advanced with bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 359 is a bill whose time has come. Similar legislation has passed the Senate once before in 2003, and I am pleased this bill is finally making it to the House floor. We need to move forward with this congressionally authorized study so that we can learn about and evaluate options to protect the resources associated with Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that these resources may be lost to development or the ravages of time. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, my colleague from the National Resources Committee, Representative Hilda Solis.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Ms. Solis again on her persistence, and congratulate her on having this brought to the floor today.

I do want to say that while Cesar Chavez certainly cast a long shadow in the western United States, I worked with an organization in Maryland that did work on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on behalf of farm workers, and he was a national hero to them. So congratulations again.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and yield back.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor the legacy of one of our nation's most important advocates of civil rights and labor organization. Cesar Chavez answered one of the highest callings of human life--to lead others in the struggle for social justice. It is for this reason that we proudly observe the 80th anniversary of his birth by voicing our support for House Resolution 76, to establish a national Cesar Chavez Holiday.

Born near Yuma, Arizona, on March 31, 1927, Cesar Estrada Chavez endured a difficult adolescence as a migrant farm worker when his formal education ended after the 7th grade. Migrant workers of this era suffered very harsh working conditions, and were routinely refused pay by farm owners. Chavez was able to escape this life by joining the United States Navy in 1944, at the age of 17.

In 1946, after 2 years of service, Chavez returned to California where he married Helen Fabela and resumed life as a farm worker. Before long, he joined the Community Services Organization, CSO, as a community organizer. Chavez traveled up and down the coast of his State urging Mexican-Americans to register to vote and become legal U.S. citizens, and frequently speaking on the topic of workers' rights.

By the late 1950s, Chavez was convinced that farm workers would be treated fairly only if they were able to form unions to represent their rights. After leaving his post as CSO president in 1962, he used his meager life savings to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, NWFA, the precursor to the United Farm Workers. Though past attempts to organize migrant workers had failed, Chavez traveled to dozens of camps in California and Arizona, teaching workers the fundamentals of union organization and inspiring many to become organizers themselves.

In 1965, Chavez and the NFWA led a strike on behalf of California grape-pickers that culminated in a 250-mile march from Delano, California, to the state capital in Sacramento. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, investigating the strike with the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, fully endorsed Chavez and his organization, and pronounced Chavez, ``one of the heroic figures of our time.'' The Delano strike

was the first major step in the battle for farm worker rights in the U.S., setting the stage for the 1975 Agriculture Labor Relations Act, the only law in the United States that protects farm workers' rights to unionize. This landmark legislation increased pension benefits, heath insurance coverage and pay for thousands of workers.

Chavez continued to demonstrate his devotion to nonviolent advocacy of workers' rights until his death in 1993, at the age of 66. In 1994, President Clinton posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying that Chavez had faced ``formidable, often violent opposition with dignity and nonviolence''. The legacy of Chavez's life's pursuit--his tireless fight for the basic civil rights of millions of workers--remains one that we must not let slip from the collective consciousness of this body. My home State of Michigan has been celebrating Cesar Chavez Day since 2003, and it is time for the Federal Government to follow our example.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pay tribute to Cesar Chavez on this day, and to commemorate his legacy by supporting H. Res. 76 to honor a true hero of our Nation.

Madam Speaker, this Saturday, March 31, marks the 80th birthday of Cesar Chavez. I am honored to rise before you today to pay tribute to Mr. Chavez's dedicated advocacy for workers.

As a young child, Cesar Chavez experienced the long hours, horrible wages and other deplorable conditions and discrimination faced by migrant farm workers, which emboldened him to fight for justice and fairness for all working people of this country.

In 1962, Mr. Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association (now known as the United Farm Workers of America), through which he organized migrant workers in campaigns for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, and the elimination of child labor.

His tireless leadership and use of nonviolent tactics, such as fasts, boycotts, strikes and pilgrimages, brought awareness to the conditions of farm workers and their struggle for better pay and safer working conditions.

Mr. Chavez is credited for the passage of the groundbreaking 1975 California Agriculture Labor Relations Act, which remains the only law in the Nation that protects farm and migrant workers' rights to unionize.

Madam Speaker, I came out of the labor movement as a lining cutter at Seaford Clothing factory in Rock Island, IL. I owe Cesar Chavez a great deal of gratitude for his diligent efforts to achieve dignity, respect, fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living conditions for all workers, which laid the ground work for the additional labor protections I was able to fight for while President of UNITE Here local 617. Mr. Chavez has and always will be an inspiration to me, as well as a reminder of what can be achieved by the will and conviction of one person.

I am happy to see that several states have acknowledged the contributions of Cesar Chavez by dedicating a state holiday in his honor, including my home state of Illinois. For four consecutive Congresses, Congressman Joe Baca has led a movement to recognize the contributions of Cesar Chavez with a national holiday. I am honored to join the distinguished gentlemen from California and 51 of my colleagues as a cosponsor of H. Res. 76, the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act.

Not only does this legislation recognize the contributions Cesar Chavez made to the labor movement but it also aims to educate students on the life and work of this courageous man.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor Cesar Chavez by supporting the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act.