Filemon Vela

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Texas A&M University's (TAMU) Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy (ANRP) Internship Program for the admirable work they do to provide students a front-row seat to experience and understand the policymaking process.

For over 30 years, the ANRP internship program has provided students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with the chance to immerse themselves in the legislative process at the state, federal, and international levels. This program helps students obtain internships in a variety of settings that match their career goals in Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and Rome, Italy, and provides the opportunity to use their academic knowledge in a professional setting while gaining real-world experience.

From 2013 to 2021, I had the pleasure of hosting 25 ANRP interns in my Washington, D.C. office, many of whom went on to pursue careers in teaching, law, agriculture, and other commendable fields of work. Thanks to the excellent education they received at TAMU and the unparalleled experience they gained through the ANRP program, two of those students, Mickeala Carter and Hannah Followill,

rose through the ranks to become full-time staff members on my team. Both Mickeala and Hannah are now government professionals in the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce, respectively.

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the students from this program during my tenure in Congress, and I commend the ANRP Internship Program for the great work they do in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 268, legislation to add the Fort Brown earthworks to the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

I introduced this legislation to preserve a piece of history that is not only

central to south Texas, but to our great Nation. Adding this piece of Fort Brown is critical to interpreting the Mexican-American War and the changes made to our international boundary. It is a record of our Nation's border expansion extending to the Pacific Ocean.

In hopes of establishing the Rio Grande River as the southern border of the United States, General Taylor ordered the construction of Fort Texas in March of 1846.

On May 3, 1846, Mexican General Mariano Arista attacked Fort Texas. Under the command of General Zachary Taylor, U.S. forces, including Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant, fought at the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, two decisive victories that would force the Mexican retreat across the Rio Grande.

While the siege produced limited damage to the fort, Major Jacob Brown, who had command of the post, was mortally wounded in its defense. Afterward, General Taylor named the site Fort Brown, and the surrounding area became the town of Brownsville, Texas.

The Fort Brown earthworks is the only standing architecture in the United States associated with the Mexican-American War. Bringing the earthworks into the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park helps tell our Nation's story and protects this important symbol of the transformation of the country resulting from the 19th century westward expansion.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation so we can protect an essential piece of our history that will help us to tell the story of our Nation long into the future. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support in this legislation.

Madam Speaker, l rise to recognize The Honorable Eddie Lucio, III, who has admirably represented the people of southwestern Cameron County in the Texas House of Representatives for the past 15 years.

Eduardo Andres ``Eddie'' Lucio, III was born in Brownsville, TX, on December 19, 1978, to Andres ``Eddie'' Lucio, Jr., and Herminia Cerda Lucio. He graduated from James Pace High School in 1997 and attended Texas Tech University for a year before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2001 and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2005.

After law school Eddie was called to public service, a value instilled in him at a young age by his parents. He worked for the Texas Comptroller for Public Accounts before running for Texas State Representative of District 38 in 2006, a position he won and to which he was re-elected in every consecutive election until he announced his retirement in 2022.

Eddie worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for residents of Cameron County during his tenure in the Texas House of Representatives and through his work as a lawyer. His efforts have made an indelible impact on the Rio Grande Valley, especially in the areas of children and families, education, and the environment.

As a state representative, he found a way to make Pre-K education cost-neutral for Cameron County school districts, giving young children a better chance to succeed in school; and championed legislation that gave foster children a voice in their placement. Eddie also aided in the creation of the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2013, which came into being through the merging of the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. UTRGV has had a transformative influence on the community thanks to its affordable tuition, its diverse academic curriculum, and the establishment of a new medical school that fills a void in an area of the country that is medically underserved.

Eddie's concern for the environment is evident in his work to pass legislation to preserve Texas' access to water for future generations through the creation of a regulator system for seawater desalination, and his efforts to secure funding for the State Water Plan. He also led the effort in the Texas House to make it illegal to buy or sell shark fins in Texas, receiving special recognition for the bill's passage by the Discovery Channel during its annual Shark Week programming.

In addition to his work in the Texas House of Representatives and his law practice, Eddie's commitment to the community is widely reflected through his volunteer work for the Brownsville Independent School District, the City of Brownsville's ``Just Say No'' Program, Meals on Wheels, Survivors of Domestic Violence Program, Good Neighbor Settlement House, the Optimist Club, and Help One Student to Succeed Program. He is also a local Orangetheory Fitness franchise owner, providing good jobs at his two locations in Brownsville and Harlingen and promoting a healthy lifestyle in the region.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, his wife, Jaime, and his children, Olivia Rose and Eduardo Andres `Luc' Lucio IV, in recognizing Texas State Representative Eddie Lucio, III, for his many years of public service and his personal contributions to the success, happiness, and well-being of the residents of the Rio Grande Valley.