U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic Act

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, reported and found truly enrolled bills of the House of the following titles, which were thereupon signed by the Speaker pro tempore, Mr. McHenry, on Friday, December 20, 2024:

H.R. 663. An act to amend the Indian Child Protection and

Family Violence Prevention Act.

H.R. 1607. An act to clarify jurisdiction with respect to

certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 1727. An act to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

National Historical Park Commission.

H.R. 2468. An act to require the Secretary of the Interior

to convey to the State of Utah certain Federal land under the

administrative jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management

within the boundaries of Camp Williams, Utah, and for other

purposes.

H.R. 3324. An act to extend the authority to collect

Shasta-Trinity Marina fees through fiscal year 2029.

H.R. 4094. An act to amend the Central Utah Project

Completion Act to authorize expenditures for the conduct of

certain water conservation measures in the Great Salt Lake

basin, and for other purposes.

H.R. 4385. An act to extend authorization of the

Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991.

H.R. 4467. An act to direct the Under Secretary for

Management of the Department of Homeland Security to assess

contracts for covered services performed by contractor

personnel along the United States land border with Mexico,

and for other purposes.

H.R. 5646. An act to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965

to require institutions of higher education to disclose

hazing incidents, and for other purposes.

H.R. 5770. An act to reauthorize certain United States

Geological Survey water data enhancement programs.

H.R. 6826. An act to designate the visitor and education

center at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

as the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education Center.

H.R. 6843. An act to expand the boundaries of the

Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to include Lafourche

Parish, Louisiana.

H.R. 7177. An act to amend title 28, United States Code, to

consolidate certain divisions in the Northern District of

Alabama.

H.R. 7213. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to

enhance and reauthorize activities and programs relating to

autism spectrum disorder, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7332. An Act to require the Secretary of the Interior

and the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain Federal

land to the State of Utah for inclusion in certain State

parks, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7524. An act to amend title 40, United States Code, to

require the submission of reports on certain information

technology services funds to Congress before expenditures may

be made, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8219. An act to require the Secretary of the Interior

to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility

of designating certain land as the Lahaina National Heritage

Area, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8413. An act to provide for the conveyance of certain

Federal land at Swanson Reservoir and Hugh Butler Reservoir

in the State of Nebraska, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8663. An act to require the Science and Technology

Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security to develop

greater capacity to detect and identify illicit substances in

very low concentrations.

H.R. 9566. An act to require governmentwide source code

sharing, and for other purposes.

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, further reported and found truly an enrolled bill of the House of the following title, which was thereupon signed by the Speaker on Saturday, December 21, 2024:

H.R. 10545. An act making further continuing appropriations

for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other

purposes.

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, further reported and found truly enrolled bills of the House of the following titles, which were thereupon signed by the Speaker pro tempore, Mr. McHENRY:

H.R. 82. An act to amend title II of the Social Security

Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall

elimination provisions.

H.R. 670. An act to direct the Secretary of Health and

Human Services to establish a website to promote awareness of

available resources for individuals with disabilities, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 1318. An act to authorize the location of a monument

on the National Mall to commemorate and honor the women's

suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment to

the Constitution, and for other purposes.

H.R. 1555. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 2300 Sylvan Avenue in

Modesto, California, as the ``Corporal Michael D. Anderson

Jr. Post Office Building''.

H.R. 1823. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 207 East Fort Dade Avenue in

Brooksville, Florida, as the ``Specialist Justin Dean Coleman

Memorial Post Office Building''.

H.R. 2997. An act to direct the Secretary of the Interior

to convey to Mesa County, Colorado, certain Federal land in

Colorado, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3354. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 220 North Hatcher Avenue in

Purcellville, Virginia, as the ``Secretary of State Madeleine

Albright Post Office Building''.

H.R. 3391. An act to extend the Gabriella Miller Kids First

Pediatric Research Program at the National Institutes of

Health, and for other purposes.

H.R. 4136. An act to name the Department of Veterans

Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as

the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic''.

H.R. 4955. An act to name the community-based outpatient

clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Monroeville,

Pennsylvania, as the ``Henry Parham VA Clinic''.

H.R. 4984. An act to direct the Secretary of the Interior

to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the Robert F.

Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus to the District of Columbia

so that the District may use the Campus for purposes

including residential and commercial development, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 5103. An act to require the Director of the Office of

Management and Budget to approve or deny spend plans within a

certain amount of time, and for other purposes.

H.R. 5443. An act to establish a policy regarding appraisal

and valuation services for real property for a transaction

over which the Secretary of the Interior has jurisdiction,

and for other purposes.

H.R. 5867. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in

Casselberry, Florida, as the ``Colonel Joseph William

Kittinger II Post Office Building''.

H.R. 5887. An act to amend chapter 3 of title 5, United

States Code, to improve Government service delivery, and

build related capacity for the Federal Government, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 6062. An act to restore the ability of the people of

American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial

constitution based on majority rule in a democratic act of

self-determination, as authorized pursuant to an Act of

Congress delegating administration of Federal territorial law

in the territory to the President, and to the Secretary of

the Interior under Executive Order 10264, dated June 29,

1951, under which the Constitution of American Samoa was

approved and may be amended without requirement for further

congressional action, subject to the authority of Congress

under the Territorial Clause in article IV, section 3, clause

2 of the United States Constitution.

H.R. 6116. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 14280 South Military Trail

in Delray Beach, Florida, as the ``Benjamin Berell Ferencz

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6162. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 379 North Oates Street in

Dothan, Alabama, as the ``LaBruce `Bruce' Tidwell Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 6188. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 420 Highway 17 North in

Surfside Beach, South Carolina, as the ``Nancy Yount Childs

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6244. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1535 East Los Ebanos

Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``1st Lieutenant

Andres Zermeno Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6395. An act to amend the Energy Act of 2020 to

require the Secretary of the Interior to include the

Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultations

regarding designations of critical minerals, elements,

substances, and materials.

H.R. 6492. An act to improve recreation opportunities on,

and facilitate greater access to, Federal public land, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 6633. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 9355 113th Street in

Seminole, Florida, as the ``Army SSG Ryan Christian Knauss

Memorial Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6750. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 501 Mercer Street Southwest

in Wilson, North Carolina, as the ``Milton F. Fitch, Sr. Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 6810. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 518 North Ridgewood Drive in

Sebring, Florida, as the ``U.S. Army Air Corps Major Thomas

B. McGuire Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6852. An act to designate Holcombe Rucker Park, in

Harlem, New York, as a National Commemorative Site, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 6983. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 15 South Valdosta Road in

Lakeland, Georgia, as the ``Nell Patten Roquemore Post

Office''.

H.R. 7158. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 201 East Battles Road in

Santa Maria, California, as the ``Larry Lavagnino Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7180. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 80 1st Street in Kingsland,

Arkansas, as the Kingsland `Johnny Cash' Post Office''.

H.R. 7365. To provide PreCheck to certain severely injured

or disabled veterans, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7385. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 29 Franklin Street in

Petersburg, Virginia, as the ``John Mercer Langston Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 74l7. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 135 West Spring Street in

Titusville, Pennsylvania, as the ``Edwin L. Drake Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7507. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 203 East 6th Street in

Lexington, Nebraska, as the ``William E. and Elsie L. Barrett

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 7508. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1285 Emancipation Highway in

Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the ``Gladys P. Todd Post

Office''.

H.R. 7606. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1087 Route 47 South in Rio

Grande, New Jersey, as the ``Carlton H. Hand Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7607. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at Block 1025, Lots 18 & 19,

Northeast Corner of US Route 9 South and Main Street in the

Township of Middle County of Cape May, New Jersey, as the

``George Henry White Post Office Building''.

H.R. 7893. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 306 Pickens Street in

Marion, Alabama, as the ``Albert Turner, Sr. Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7938. An act to amend the Klamath Basin Water Supply

Enhancement Act of 2000 to provide the Secretary of the

Interior with certain authorities with respect to projects

affecting the Klamath Basin watershed, and for other

purposes.

H.R. 8012. An act to establish the Jackie Robinson Ballpark

National Commemorative Site in the State of Florida, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 8057. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 9317 Bolsa Avenue in

Westminster, California, as the ``Little Saigon Vietnam War

Veterans Memorial Post Office''.

H.R. 8641. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 401 Main Street in Brawley,

California, as the ``Walter Francis Ulloa Memorial Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 8666. An act to amend title 28, United States Code, to

authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in

Moab and Monticello.

H.R. 8667. An act to rename the community-based outpatient

clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Cadillac,

Michigan, as the ``Duane E. Dewey VA Clinic''.

H.R. 8717. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 20 West Main Street in

SantaQuin, Utah, as the ``SGT Bill Hooser Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 8841. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 114 Center Street East in

Roseau, Minnesota, as the ``Floyd B. Olson Post Office''.

H.R. 8868. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located 609 Portsmouth Avenue in

Greenland, New Hampshire, as the ``Chief Michael Maloney Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 8909. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 82-6110 Mamalahoa Highway in

Captain Cook, Hawaii, as the ``Army 1st Lt. John Kuulei

Kauhaihao Post Office Building''.

H.R. 8919. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 151 Highway 74 South in

Peachtree City, Georgia, as the ``SFC Shawn McCloskey Post

Office''.

H.R. 8976. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 20 West White Street in

Millstadt, Illinois, as the ``Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt Post

Office''.

H.R. 9076. An act to reauthorize child welfare programs

under part B of title IV of the Social Security Act and

strengthen the State and tribal child support enforcement

program under part D of such title, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9124. An act to name the Department of Veterans

Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Auburn,

California, as the ``Louis A. Conter VA Clinic''.

H.R. 9285. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 39l3 Leland Avenue Northwest

in Comstock Park, Michigan, as the ``Captain Miguel Justin

Nava Post Office''.

H.R. 9322. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 675 Wolf Ledges Parkway in

Akron, Ohio, as the ``Judge James R. Williams Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 9421. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 108 North Main Street in

Bucoda, Washington, as the ``Mayor Rob Gordon Post Office''.

H.R. 9487. An act to amend the Legislative Reorganization

Act of 1970 to authorize the Legislative Counsel of the House

of Representatives to designate more than one of the

attorneys of the Office of the Legislative Counsel as a

Deputy Legislative Counsel, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9544. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 340 South Loudon Avenue in

Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``United States Representative

Elijah E. Cummings Post Office Building''.

H.R. 9549. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 125 South 1st Avenue in

Hillsboro, Oregon, as the ``Elizabeth Furse Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 9580. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 2777 Brentwood Road in

Raleigh, North Carolina, as the ``Millie Dunn Veasey Post

Office''.

H.R. 9592. An act to amend title 44, United States Code, to

modernize the Federal Register, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9600. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 119 Main Street in Plains,

Georgia, as the ``Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office''.

H.R. 9775. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 119 North Anderson Street in

Elwood, Indiana, as the ``Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 10065. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 802 North Tancahua Street in

Corpus Christi, Texas, as the ``Captain Robert E. `Bob'

Batterson Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4136) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4136, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-

based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic.''

Sam Johnson, a legend and an American hero, was born October 11, 1930, in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 20, Sam began a 29-year decorated career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a full bird colonel.

He flew nearly 100 combat missions with the Thunderbird demonstration team, as a fighter pilot in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, and as a commander of a tactical fighter wing. Later, Sam Johnson went on to serve as the director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School.

On his 25th combat mission over Vietnam, Sam's plane was shot down, and he was captured by North Vietnamese forces. Sam would then go on to spend the next 7 grueling years as a prisoner of war, more than 3 years of that time in solitary confinement. As Sam put it: The solitary confinement did not shake his fighting spirit. He was so resistant in captivity that he earned himself a windowless 3-by-9-foot concrete cell at the infamous ``Hanoi Hilton,'' where he was then released from in 1973.

A decade later, his right hand permanently disabled and left with a limp for the rest of his life, Sam Johnson continued his service in the Texas House of Representatives where he served a total of 7 years, but Sam wasn't done yet. He ran for Congress in 1991, where he served our great Nation once again for 27 years and left an undeniable mark on this institution.

His fight for freedom and defending individual liberties never wavered, and American families are better off today because of Sam's service.

Congressman Johnson served honorably as a pilot, a decorated war hero, and a statesman. It goes without saying that there is no one more fitting to name a VA clinic in Texas after than Congressman Sam Johnson.

Now, I know there are some that will raise concerns that this bill does not meet the committee's rule for naming VA facilities. That is correct, and it is only because a small minority of the Texas delegation has not signed onto a letter expressing their support. I am not one to bend or break committee rules, but in this case, we simply can't wait any longer.

Sam toiled in a prison camp for 7 years serving our country, and we should not wait another second to honor his service.

I thank the sponsor of this bill, Representative Self, for leading this effort, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4136.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self), who also knew Sam Johnson very well.

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

I would like to take a moment to respond to Ms. Crockett's comments about breaking precedent today with this naming bill.

Sam Johnson was a prisoner of war for 7 years. He was held in solitary confinement for more than 3 of those years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.

After enduring hell on Earth, as he actually put it during his time in uniform, he kept serving our Nation, first as a commander of a tactical fighter unit, then as a State legislator, then as a Member of Congress. Sam was everything that Americans should aspire to be. He was a hero.

I understand and respect the precedent that we have had regarding naming bills, but in this case the reason for breaking that precedent is we are not going to sit here and play silly D.C. politics and take longer than he was a prisoner of war to pass a bill for naming this after Chairman and Colonel Sam Johnson.

I know Ms. Crockett would have liked to have had her naming bill that is pending for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson on the floor today, and I would be happy to work with the gentlewoman and both leadership teams to see if there is something we can do to move that forward.

However, today we are here to honor Sam Johnson. I will put this plainly. If you can find someone as deserving as Sam Johnson, then I will be glad to bypass precedent for them, as well.

I encourage everyone to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of actually doing some naming of many facilities for the VA in this position and also sponsoring some. I don't know, of all the great people in there, that there is a person who is more deserving in the naming of a facility than the Honorable Colonel and Congressman Sam Johnson.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this

resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for yielding and for bringing this bill. Especially I thank Mr. Self for his leadership in working for so long on this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is not often that we will walk amongst people who are larger than life. During my years in Congress, I have been honored to serve with two people whom I would put in that category: Sam Johnson and John Lewis. Both of them have amazing stories that are well chronicled.

I got to know Sam over the years that I served with him. It was a treat to be able to just sit down and hear stories and talk to him about the things I had heard about him because Sam was truly larger than life, Mr. Speaker. We heard stories of his early days as an Air Force pilot.

This was back in the days before the Apollo missions when our Air Force pilots were trying to push the boundaries to figure out just how far we could go, how fast we could go, and how high we could go. They were doing things that had never been done before.

I had heard a story that Sam challenged Buzz Aldrin. Buzz, of course, famously was the commander of the Apollo mission, the first mission to land on the Moon. He was the second man to walk on the Moon after Neil Armstrong. I heard that story, and one time after Sam had left Congress, I had the opportunity to meet Buzz Aldrin.

I said: I want to ask you about this story. I heard that Sam Johnson challenged you to a fighter pilot race.

He just lights up. Buzz Aldrin was just incredibly accomplished and was a national hero in his own right. He lights up at the words: Sam Johnson.

He said: That is not the whole story. Yes, Sam Johnson challenged me to a fighter pilot race. We would practice every day, and I would usually beat Sam.

He said that the night before the race, Sam had souped up his plane, and, sure enough, the next day we had this race, and Sam just flies by and wins the race.

Sam was just an incredible person. He had an unbelievable sense of humor. I got to see that.

Later on in life when we both had our physical challenges, we challenged each other to a scooter race. It was not quite the same thing, but I never saw him laugh as much as at that because, again, Sam was just an amazing person who for all the things he went through still maintained a great sense of humor while he exhibited so much leadership.

Nonetheless, we know the story that Sam lived through 7 years in the Hanoi Hilton. He wrote a book about it. As I started to get to know Sam, I said: I am not going to really truly understand Sam unless I read the book. The book is called ``Captive Warriors.'' So one week when I was going out of town, I got the book, and it was one of those books you get not for easy reading because it was a difficult read. I teared up a lot because he goes into great detail of the things that happened to him during those 7 years.

As Mr. Self talked about, he was one of the elite men who was being held captive, and so they held him in a special place, a separate place. They put Sam in shackles for a number of those years he was held. They broke almost every bone in Sam's body, but they never broke Sam's spirit. That is the one thing I think that probably frustrated the Viet Cong so much is that for all the things they did to him physically and mentally they were never going to break Sam because he loved this country. He loved his commitment to service, and he maintained that throughout those 7 years.

We know the medals he won: two Silver Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with Valor, and two Purple Hearts.

Sam wrote a line in his book, ``Captive Warriors,'' that I will read: ``If hell is here on Earth, it is located on an oddly shaped city block in downtown Hanoi, Vietnam.''

This was a man that I had the true, distinct honor of serving with because of who he was. When you met Sam, you were not let down. You truly understood you were in the presence of greatness.

May we all strive to have the kind of character and integrity that Sam Johnson had when he lived his life. Let's honor him today by passing Mr. Self's legislation to name the VA hospital in Plano, Texas, after my dear friend, an American hero, Sam Johnson.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 4136, to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic''.

Congressman Sam Johnson was a combat veteran of both the Korean war and the Vietnam war, a fighter pilot, and a nearly 28-year Representative from Texas. He flew 62 missions during the Korean war. During his 25th mission in Vietnam, his F-4 Phantom fighter bomber was shot down on April 16, 1966.

His injuries included a broken arm, a broken back, and a dislocated shoulder, none of which were properly treated during his nearly 7-year imprisonment in Hanoi's Hoa Lo, commonly referred to by many former POWs as the ``Hanoi Hilton.''

For the last 18 months of his captivity, Johnson shared a cell with future Senator John McCain. Mr. Johnson weighed 120 pounds when he was released February 12, 1973. His right hand was permanently disabled, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

Congressman Johnson graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1951 as a member of the Air Force ROTC. Following his service in Vietnam, he received a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University in 1974. He retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1979.

Congressman Johnson's political career followed shortly after. He was elected to the Texas State legislature in 1984 and won his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1991. He served the Texas Third District for nearly 28 years before retiring in 2019.

Congressman Johnson passed away in May of 2020, but he will be remembered for his courage and lifetime of public service. It is only fitting that the Plano, Texas, clinic be named in his honor.

A dedicated public servant in war and in peace, Congressman Johnson is certainly deserving of this Nation's gratitude.

Despite this bill not meeting all of our committee's rules for naming VA facilities, Republican leadership has chosen to bring it to the floor. I am supporting this bill, and I trust that Republican leadership will grant the same consideration to Representative Crockett's bill which honors our former colleague, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who served as the chief psychiatric nurse of the Dallas VA Medical Center for 16 years before her time in Congress.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Crockett).

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 4136, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Self for bringing this bill.

It is interesting to just hear the overlap between Congressman Self's bill and the bill that I have been trying to get out of committee. Congressman Self is doing this on behalf of Congressman Johnson, and I am doing it on behalf of Congresswoman Johnson.

Interestingly enough, they both were from the Dallas area or spent time in the Dallas area, as my predecessor is not from Dallas herself. However, she started her career at the Dallas VA, the Dallas VA that she ended up representing in Congress for 30 years.

After becoming the first woman and the first Black woman to be a head nurse at the Dallas VA, she then became the first nurse to ever swear into Congress.

As it was already laid out about Congressman Johnson, she went into the Texas State House, as well. She went into the Texas State House in 1972 as one of the two first Black women to ever swear into the Texas House, and then she went on to the Texas Senate where she was one of two only Black women to still ever serve in our Texas Senate.

Most importantly, I currently represent the Dallas VA, and we lost a hero in Dallas. We lost a hero in this country just like here recently, her sorority sister, when we lost Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

I am just asking, considering the standards that are set out by this committee, that we allow my bill to move forward as well because the first standard is that such individual is deceased, which she meets. The person is either a veteran or a Member of Congress. She was a Member of Congress. The individual performed outstanding service for veterans. She did that in her 16 years in service directly but also in the work that she did afterwards.

In addition to that, each member of the congressional delegation has demonstrated their support in the form of a letter. This was not met by Congressman Self's bill, and it is not met by mine. However, I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that I stood with Congressman Self on his bill, and I am happy to say that he stood with me on mine, as well.

The final requirement is letters of support from VSOs. We both have met those requirements. The only requests that I have--because I do, again, stand in support of this--is that we bring my bill to the floor as well to honor the late great Eddie Bernice Johnson who passed in December of 2023.