Honoring the life and legacy of Václav Havel by directing the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board to provide for the display of a bust of Václav Havel in the United States Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, as the author of this resolution, I rise today to honor the life of a rather extraordinary man, Vaclav Havel.

As we watch the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, I think it is important to reflect upon the life of the man who led the people of Czechoslovakia out from under the thumb of the totalitarian system he had grown up under, out from under the Soviet Union, and played a very key role in the founding of not one, but of two vibrant European democracies, one of them the Czech Republic and the other the Slovak Republic.

I remember a young Croatian journalist, with tears in his eyes, saying, if only we had had someone, someone like Vaclav Havel, when it came to the divisions in the former Yugoslavia. Because, as he stated, the ideals that Vaclav Havel had enunciated, political pluralism, tolerance, and democratic capitalism, the way forward, the same way forward as was broadcast by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty-- broadcasts, by the way that were never heard in Yugoslavia; we never broadcast there. But he said those themes managed, without the loss of a single human life, for Vaclav Havel not only to bring independence for the Czechoslovakian people, but then to set up a separate Slovakia and a separate Czech Republic after the referendum.

As a playwright, Vaclav Havel revealed the absurdity he lived under under communist ideology. He discredited--he discredited--the repressive Czechoslovak Communist regime, and following the brutal Soviet suppression of the 1968 Prague Spring, which was a movement for greater political liberalization, Havel was banned from the theater. Their attempt to silence him was to not allow his words to be heard. But instead, they greatly underestimated his passion for freedom, because instead of succumbing to their intimidation, Vaclav Havel became the voice and increased--increased--his political activity.

Havel played the central role in drafting the now famous Charter 77 Manifesto and was a founding member of the dissident organization based upon those very principles, and in 1979 he founded the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Persecuted. These and other opposition efforts earned him multiple stays in prison as a so-called guest of the Communist authorities.

But Havel and the cause of freedom prevailed. Following the successful Velvet Revolution of 1989, Vaclav Havel became President of Czechoslovakia, and that was by a unanimous vote of the Federal Assembly, and that ended 41 years of repressive Communist rule.

The following year, Czechoslovakia held its first free elections in four decades, resulting in overwhelming support for Havel to retain the Presidency. As leader of an independent Czechoslovakia, Havel presided over the peaceful separation of the Czech and Slovak Republics, a momentous and challenging task. As President of the Czech Republic, he paved the way for the country's entrance both into NATO and into the European Union.

A strong supporter of Radio Free Europe, President Havel invited this U.S. international broadcaster to move to Prague, offering the former Czechoslovak Parliament building as a headquarters for them. And when some questioned the broadcaster's role after the fall of communism, Havel stated:

We need your professionalism and your ability to see events

from a broad perspective.

Havel's zeal for liberating oppressed people did not diminish in later years, when he continued to advocate for democratic reforms in places such as Belarus, Burma, Cuba, and Iran.

In reference to his role as a democratic activist, Havel simply wrote:

We never decided to become dissidents. We simply went ahead

and did certain things that we felt we ought to do, that

seemed decent for us to do, nothing more nor less.

The legacy of this freedom fighter serves as an inspiration for peaceful, democratic activists today. It is fitting, therefore, for us to pass this resolution and provide for a bust of Vaclav Havel to be displayed in the Capitol Building, the workplace of our great democracy. There alongside similar images of the great champions of freedom--Winston Churchill, Louis Kossuth, Raoul Wallenberg--his statue will remind future generations of the impact one man can have in the advancement and in the protection of liberty.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the original cosponsors of this resolution, as well: Majority Leader Cantor, Minority Leader Pelosi, Majority Whip McCarthy, Minority Whip Hoyer, Appropriations Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, with whom I worked particularly closely in trying to advance the values of Vaclav Havel.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 506) honoring the life and legacy of Vaclav Havel by directing the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board to provide for the display of a bust of Vaclav Havel in the United States Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the House resolution.

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

I rise in support of H. Res. 506, directing the House Fine Arts Board to place a bust of Vaclav Havel in the United States Capitol, which will serve as an honor of his exemplary life and legacy.

Vaclav Havel was a man of many talents and contributions to the world. He was a Czechoslovakian playwright, essayist, and poet.

Born and raised in Prague, during his formative years, Havel and his family were among the countless who fell under oppression when the Communists came to power and confiscated all their property; yet, still, he carried on, finding his way professionally working in the arts, but he knew he had more to give.

Havel's contributions to society are without measure. Havel used his gifts of the written word to rally his countrymen behind the true meanings of freedom and the need for the human spirit to break free from the clutches of the communist empire.

Within his well-known essay, ``The Power of the Powerless,'' he insightfully pointed out how citizens under communist regimes were forced to ``live within a lie.'' He stood as someone who would not be oppressed and served as a lead negotiator, actually, in what would be the end of more than four decades of communist rule.

Many remember him for his instrumental role in the Velvet Revolution, where he became a dominant figure in the final push for a democratic government.

Havel fought for his home, Czechoslovakia, with words and with ideas, and he aided the fight for the oppressed, and he won. Havel became a leader when his countrymen and women needed him the most.

He was so respected by his peers in Czechoslovakia that he was chosen to lead postcommunist Czechoslovakia first as an interim President and then was voted unanimously to become President of Czechoslovakia in December of 1989 by its Parliament.

In today's environment, it is somewhat awe inspiring that he was so respected that he was unanimously elected to President. You don't find that too often these days.

Six months later, Havel was elected as President at a popular election in July of 1990; and through his leadership and influence, Mr. Havel helped guide states from underneath the Soviet regime to their place in respected democracies in Europe. He helped bring down the Iron Curtain, and he aided his country's transition into a free market economy. He certainly deserves to be honored with his bust in this building that celebrates our own democracy and supports democracy, liberty, and freedom across the globe.

So I urge my colleagues to support the resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my privilege to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), who is the distinguished chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he might consume to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I would simply close by saying Vaclav Havel passed away on December 18, 2011, in the Czech Republic. He was 75 years old. And what an incredible life this man led, and I think certainly displaying his bust in the United States Capitol is certainly an appropriate and fitting tribute. So I would urge my colleagues, as well, to unanimously support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as we stand here today in this chamber as Members of the People's House sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the ideals enshrined therein-- freedom and democracy--it would only be fitting that we honor the life and legacy of a man who embodied those ideals.

Authorizing a bust of Vaclav Havel to be forever memorialized in these hallowed halls of the United States Capitol alongside some of the world's greatest voices for freedom, equal rights, and human dignity would be an apropos testament to a man who was a tireless advocate for liberty, human rights and for the right of self-determination for the people of Czechoslovakia.

It was Vaclav's unwavering commitment to his country and to democracy that inspired generations to rise up and break free from decades of communist rule.

But the fervor for which he opposed ruthless dictators wasn't limited to just Eastern Europe, but to wherever they may be.

His support of the people of my homeland, Cuba, meant a great deal and revealed Vaclav's true nature.

Vaclav advocated for the rights, dignity, and liberation of the Cuban people and created the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba in order to increase the visibility of the plight of the Cuban people and generate global support for freedom and democracy on the island.

I was honored to have authored the House Resolution in 2012 that celebrated the life and legacy of Vaclav Havel after his passing, and I stand here today to express my utmost support for H. Res. 506.

Every time we will see his bust in the Capitol will serve as a reminder that we must never give up the struggle against tyranny and oppression--and that is how we will forever honor the memory of Vaclav Havel.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 506, and I wish to associate myself with the words of the gentlelady from Michigan, as well.

Vaclav Havel was an iconic defender of democracy, a protector of human rights, and an inspiration to people all over the world in their struggle to assert human rights as a universal freedom. His writings and his activism were essential in bringing democracy to a region long plagued by the authoritarianism of a Communist dictatorship.

In 1990, Mr. Havel was elected President of the former Czechoslovakia and later, in 1993, the Czech Republic. Under Mr. Havel's administration, the Czech Republic became and remains to this day a staunch ally of the United States. After his time in elected office, Mr. Havel continued to serve as a voice for the oppressed throughout the world and a champion of freedom until his death in 2011.

This bust of Vaclav Havel in the United States Capitol is a very fitting tribute because it is a tribute to an international leader and a man whose works helped to reshape the map of the world and the hope for freedom and human rights throughout the world.

I urge all the Members of this body to support H. Res. 506 unanimously, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we want to thank Mr. Royce, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for introducing this resolution and promoting the idea of having a bust of Vaclav Havel in the U.S. Capitol. We completely agree with his motivation and the words that he has shared with us today.

With that, I urge unanimous support for this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the extraordinary Mr. Vaclav Havel who died in 2011 at the age of 75.

Mr. Havel will forever be remembered as a defender of democracy and human rights in the former Soviet Union, having fought against communism and repression throughout the Cold War. Mr. Havel played a central role in the 1989 Velvet Revolution that ultimately paved the way toward democratic governance in the Czech Republic.

Mr. Havel went on to serve as the first post-communist President of the Czech Republic. His leadership and vision helped lay the groundwork for the country's prominent standing in our democratic community of nations.

I join my colleagues in support of this bipartisan resolution.

It is time that we honor Mr. Havel's legacy by allowing his bust alongside those of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Raoul Wallenberg, Sir Winston Churchill, and Sojourner Truth in the U.S. Capitol. Their busts serve as a timeless celebration of some of our most cherished human rights defenders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge your support.