To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4020 Broadway Street in Houston, Texas, as the "Benny C. Martinez Post Office Building".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 203) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4020 Broadway Street in Houston, Texas, as the ``Benny C. Martinez Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 203, to honor Benny Martinez.

Mr. Martinez was born in Goliad, Texas, in 1934. He attended segregated schools before his father moved the family to Houston so that Mr. Martinez and his siblings would not have to pick cotton for a living.

At the age of 18, Mr. Martinez was inducted into the U.S. Army. He first went to boot camp in El Paso, Texas, and was then sent to supply handling school for the Quartermaster Corps in Fort Lee, Virginia. After completing this training, he was sent to Korea where he was assigned to the 564th Quartermaster Company.

On June 23, 1958, Mr. Martinez was discharged from Active Duty and transferred to the Army Reserves at Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as a medic until his final discharge on September 4, 1962. After his honorable discharge, he returned home to Houston and re-engaged with his local community.

Mr. Martinez went on to graduate from Houston Community College as a licensed vocational nurse in 1967. He later obtained a bachelor of general studies degree from the University of Houston-Downtown College. Mr. Martinez put his education degree to use as an associate teacher at Crockett Elementary.

Mr. Martinez was most known for his collaboration with fellow members of the League of United Latin American Citizens to organize a gala for President John F. Kennedy during the President's trip to Texas. Historians credit this meeting as the very first time a sitting United States President met with a Latino civil rights group.

Mr. Martinez was a member and active participant in many civic engagement organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American GI Forum, The American Legion, LULAC, and the Knights of Columbus. He was also an honorary member of the Goliad Rotary Club and active volunteer for the American Red Cross.

Due to his 35 years of service, Houston and Harris County declared Benny C. Martinez Day on August 27, 1997, and February 17, 1998. Mr. Martinez passed away at the age of 85 on December 29, 2019.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring his legacy by naming the Post Office at 4020 Broadway Street in Houston, Texas, as the Benny C. Martinez Post Office Building, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), the vice chair of the Committee on Financial Services' Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 203, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman and the ranking member for such kind remarks about a dear friend and colleague back home, Benny Martinez.

They have covered a lot of what was said, but I will repeat some of it because I think it is important, not just for people in my district to hear it, but for people across the district because, with the naming of this Post Office, Mr. Speaker, it will mean the first post office named for a Latino in the Houston area, which, too, is a remarkable achievement.

Mr. Martinez was a community leader, an advocate for Mexican-American civil rights, an Army veteran, a nurse, a Houston, Texas educator, and a friend.

Benny and his family came from humble beginnings in Goliad, Texas, but moved to Houston, like many others, to find more opportunities.

In 1956, at the age of 18, Benny was inducted into the U.S. Army. After completing his training, he was sent to Korea, where he was assigned to the 564th Quartermaster Company.

Benny put his education degree to use and worked as an associate teacher in the Houston School District at Crockett Elementary.

On top of this, Mr. Speaker, he served many organizations. As was mentioned, he was a lifelong member of LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens; the Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Knights of Columbus; and the American GI Forum. He also found time to be an usher at his local church.

The thing that has been mentioned but that I want to underscore, because it was another historical note, is that he is better known for facilitating a historic meeting between a Texas LULAC chapter--again, the League of United Latin American Citizens--and then-President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This event is the first known meeting between a U.S. sitting President and a Hispanic civil rights group--very noteworthy.

After a lifetime of a lot of achievements, Mr. Martinez passed away at 85 in 2019. This bill would name the post office after him. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill in the memory of a history maker and a pioneer in our community.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 203, which names a Houston post office for Benny Martinez.

Mr. Martinez was a native Texan and attended segregated schools in his hometown of Goliad before moving to Houston with his family in the pursuit of greater opportunities. He served in the U.S. Army and was deployed during the Korean war.

After he was honorably discharged, Mr. Martinez went back to school at Houston Community College and the University of Houston. He recognized the importance of education and became an associate teacher in the Houston School District and raised money for student scholarships.

Most famously, Mr. Martinez worked with the League of United Latin American Citizens to organize a gala for President Kennedy held the night before his assassination during his trip to Texas in 1963. This was the first time a sitting President met with a Latino civil rights group. Mr. Martinez was a leader in the civil rights movement and is deserving of this honor.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: S. 4411, H.R. 203--and the rest of them are all H.R.s--H.R. 2472,

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

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