Recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture for the City of New York.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed the following recorded votes on the House floor during the week of Monday, December 7, 2009, to Friday, December 11, 2009.

For Tuesday, December 8, 2009, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 931, on motion to instruct conferees regarding H.R. 3288; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 932, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to Con. Res. 199; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 933, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 206; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 934, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 940; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 935, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 845; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 936, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 2278; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 937, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 915; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 938, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 907.

For Wednesday, December 9, 2009, had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 939, on ordering the previous question to provide for consideration of H.R. 4213; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 940, on agreeing to H. Res. 955); ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 941, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3951; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 942, on motion to table appeal of the ruling of the chair regarding H.R. 4213; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 943, on passage of H.R. 4213; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 944, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 3603; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 945, on agreeing to the resolution H. Res. 956; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 946, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 86.

For Thursday, December 10, 2009, had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 947, on ordering the previous question to provide for consideration of the Conference Report to H.R. 3288; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 948, on agreeing to H. Res. 961, which provides for consideration of the Conference Report to H.R. 3288; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 949, on agreeing to the Conference Report to H.R. 3288; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 950, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 4017; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 951, on agreeing to H. Res. 962; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 952, on agreeing to H. Res. 964, which provides for consideration of H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 953, on agreeing to the Frank amendment No. 1 to H.R. 4173; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 954, on agreeing to the Sessions amendment to H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 955, on agreeing to the Lynch amendment to H.R. 4173; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 956, on agreeing to the Murphy (NY) amendment to H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 957, on agreeing to the Frank (MA) amendment to H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 958, on agreeing to the Stupak amendment to H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 959, on agreeing to the Stupak amendment to H.R. 4173.

For the morning of Friday, December 11, 2009, had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 960, on agreeing to the Kanjosrki amendment to H.R. 4173; ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 961, on agreeing to the McCarthy (CA) amendment to H.R. 4173; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 962, on agreeing to the Peters amendment to H.R. 4173.

I thank the gentleman for the time, and I thank both him and the ranking member for the support.

Too often we take for granted those places where we live in terms of the landmarks that are around us, and this is a celebration of a roadway that--it was stated before--it was set up or thought of originally to link the borough of Manhattan to the Bronx, but it became much more than that. It became a cultural icon. It became part of a community. And as the city grew and up to today, in its 100th anniversary, it has become grander year by year.

We are now celebrating 100 years of the Grand Concourse, and this, as said, was designed by a French immigrant in 1894, and when it opened in 1909, it was something spectacular that had not been seen before. Those of you who have come on many occasions, I'm sure--and hopefully in the future--to visit the Bronx and to visit Yankee Stadium will know that the Grand Concourse, that 4-mile thoroughfare that stretches from 138th Street to Van Cortland in my borough, the Bronx, is really majestic in form and so full of history.

The Grand Concourse has the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the United States, and those Art Deco buildings are those that you walk into and the lobbies are so special with the artwork and the murals that were painted, especially during World War II and in the late 1930s. Those buildings are now part of the National Registry.

In accordance, the Grand Concourse itself has been designated and registered as a National Historic Place and has also been designated as a special preservation district by the city of New York.

And as was mentioned before, if you go to the Grand Concourse you will see the cottage known as Poe Cottage where Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem ``Annabel Lee,'' and that is still standing there.

Many folks, as we mentioned today, have lived on the Grand Concourse. Of course I live on the Grand Concourse, and I certainly did not have the kind of year that Babe Ruth had in 1927, but I've had a pretty good year in this past year.

This Congress saw fit a couple years ago to designate $18 million that was used to renovate parts of the Grand Concourse and its infrastructure. That was in January of 2006. And now as part of that celebration, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is celebrating the roadway in its exhibition ``Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100.''

What's interesting about the Grand Concourse, I believe, is that it mirrors so much of what New York City is and what this country is. Because as you travel the Concourse not only physically but through its history, you see the different groups of people who came to New York, who came to the Bronx, who settled on the Concourse, as we called it, and became part of America.

And so as we see people enjoying the park and enjoying and socializing on the Concourse, we see the different groups that have arrived from throughout the world and from my birthplace of Puerto Rico.

The Grand Concourse has, for them, fulfilled and exceeded its planners' intentions over a series of generations--occupying a central place in the hearts and minds of Bronxites past and present.

So I have come here today in support of this resolution. I would hope everyone votes for it. I thank the committee, the chairman, and the ranking member for their support.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 907) recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture for the City of New York.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 907.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 907, a resolution recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx and as an important nexus of commerce and culture for the city of New York. I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) for his work on this resolution to honor a historic roadway in advance of this milestone.

First conceived of in 1890 as a means of connecting the borough of Manhattan to the northern Bronx, the Grand Concourse was designed by Louis Aloys Risse and opened to the public in 1909. The project was originally completed for a total cost of $14 million, the equivalent of $340 million today.

Over the past 100 years, the Grand Concourse has served as the backdrop to many historic New York City landmarks, while the apartment buildings along the roadway have been home to the likes of Babe Ruth, Stanley Kubrick, Milton Berle, and other famous New Yorkers.

Among the many landmarks along the Grand Concourse is the Loew's Paradise Theater, which was constructed in 1929 and was at one time the largest movie theater in New York City. The old Yankee Stadium opened near the Grand Concourse at 161st Street in 1923 and has served as an important centerpiece for the Bronx and the city of New York ever since.

In the course of over 100 years, the Grand Concourse has played a long-standing role in defining the Bronx community, serving as the central north-south artery of the borough. Covering over 4 miles in length, it is lined with parks, fountains, and other pedestrian- friendly community assets that add aesthetic, cultural, and transportation value to the borough.

Recently, $18 million was invested in the infrastructure of the Grand Concourse to make it more pedestrian friendly and restore the roadway's beauty that has made it vital to the cultural and economic development of the Bronx for 100 years.

So, Mr. Speaker, in honor of this historic landmark and its contributions to both the city of New York and the borough of the Bronx over the past century, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 907.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would now like to recognize for as much time as he may consume the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and as a result, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 907, recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx, which serves as an important nexus of commerce and culture for the City of New York. I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) for his work on this Resolution. Designed by Louis Aloys Risse and opened to the public in 1909, this beautiful, tree-lined thoroughfare was first conceived of in 1890 as a means of connecting the borough of Manhattan to the northern Bronx.

The original cost of the project was $14 million, the equivalent of $340 million today. Over the past 100 years, this investment has leveraged significant private and public economic development activity in the Bronx, and has served as the backdrop to many historic New York City landmarks. Among these landmarks is the Loews Paradise Theater--at one time the largest movie theater in New York City--which was constructed in 1929 along the Grand Concourse. In 1923, the old Yankee Stadium opened near the Grand Concourse at 161st Street and has remained an important landmark in the surrounding Bronx community ever since.

Over the course of its 100 years, the Grand Concourse has played a longstanding role in defining the Bronx community, serving as the central north-south artery of the borough. For over 4 miles, the Grand Concourse is lined by several parks, fountains, and other pedestrian- friendly community treasures. The apartment buildings along the Grand Concourse have been home to the likes of Babe Ruth, Stanley Kubrick, Milton Berle and other famous New Yorkers over the years.

Reflecting much of the tumultuous history of the Bronx itself, the Grand Concourse is preparing for the rebirth and restoration of key social, economic and environmental infrastructure. Recently, $18 million was committed to upgrading the Grand Concourse to make it more pedestrian-friendly and to restore the roadway's beauty that has made it vital to the cultural and economic development of the Bronx for 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, it is for these great contributions to the City of New York and to the Borough of the Bronx over the past 100 years that I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 907.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Grand Concourse. As a proud, lifelong resident of the Bronx, I am pleased to co-sponsor H. Res. 907 recognizing the Grand Concourse as one of the most important and historic commerce and cultural centers of New York City.

The Grand Concourse is both the backbone and the heart of the Bronx. Each and every day, thousands of Bronxites travel up and down the concourse, connecting our borough from the north and south of the borough. It unifies the Bronx and enables people to interact and frequent the scores of businesses and cultural landmarks which run up and down the highway.

I grew up only four blocks from the Grand Concourse, and I have very fond memories of those days and the time spent along the thoroughfare. So much of my life, and the lives of my constituents, are tied to the Grand Concourse and I would not trade one moment of it for anything. As a child I watched films at the Loews Theater, I've attended numerous games at Yankee Stadium, and driven north along the Grand Concourse to visit Van Cortlandt Park.

I look forward to the start of the next 100 years in the life of the Grand Concourse, and Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to come to the Bronx and do the same.