A resolution honoring the memory of Jereima "Jeri" Bustamante on the 1-year anniversary of her passing.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of one of Florida's brightest lights--a light that was extinguished far too soon.

One year ago today, we lost Jeri Bustamante in a tragic accident. She was my press secretary, but she was so much more. She was my Spanish tutor. She was my travel partner. She was so kind to everyone that you couldn't help but love her.

Everyone thought Jeri was their best friend because she was so loving to everyone. She brightened every room that she walked into and made everyone around her better. There is not much that brings the Florida political world together, but Republicans, Democrats, and even her friends in the press loved and respected Jeri.

She lived the American dream. As a small child, Jeri moved from Panama to the United States with her family, speaking only Spanish. She grew up in Miami, where she attended Miami Beach High, Miami-Dade Community College, and Florida International University.

She had a passion for communications. She started out at a local Miami TV station and eventually worked for the Miami-Dade property appraiser under Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who became my Lieutenant Governor.

She joined my reelection campaign for Governor in 2014, and she was with me for 4 years. She was determined. She was courageous. She had big goals. She wanted to be the Press Secretary for the President of the United States, and I have no doubt she would have been. That is the kind of person she was. She never stopped working to meet her goals in life, but she always did it with a smile, with a joke, and with a kind word.

In Jeri's memory, my wife Ann and I established the Jeri Bustamante Memorial Scholarship to support a graduate of Miami Beach Senior High School, who, like Jeri, is trying to become the first in their family to go to college.

Today Senator Marco Rubio and I are introducing a resolution to honor Jeri's memory. We will never forget her, and we will never forget the ways she made all of us better.

Now I would like to honor Jeri in the best way I know how, speaking the Spanish she taught me.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate in Spanish.

I have provided a translation to the Senate for the Record.

(English translation of statement made in Spanish is as follows:)

Jeri lived the American dream. She was determined. She was brave. She had great goals. She wanted to be the Press Secretary of the President of the United States. I have no doubt that she would have achieved it. That is the kind of person she was. She never stopped struggling to fulfill her goals in life and always did so with a smile, a joke, and a kind word.

Senator Rubio and I today present a resolution to honor Jeri's memory. We will never forget her.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 147, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.