Greg Casar

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for us to pass the Faster Labor Contracts Act tonight in the U.S. House to uphold the fundamental right for all American workers, the right to bargain collectively for a fair contract.

American workers marched, bled, and died for the right to form a union. They marched, bled, and died for the right to join together and bargain for fair wages and working conditions.

However, for far too many Americans, that right exists in name only because far too often employers drag out contract negotiations for weeks, months, and then years. On average, it takes more than 465 days to secure a first union contract. That is 465 days that workers go without fair wages, benefits, and the protections that they have earned. That is unacceptable.

Today, we say: When you exercise your fundamental rights to organize a union, you deserve a contract without needless delay. After we do our job in the House, the Senate should pass this bill without delay.

I am very grateful to the ranking member and to Mr. Norcross for this effort. I also want to say a word about how the bill came to the floor. The bill itself is critically important, but today's vote is about more than any one bill.

After the Speaker refused to bring the bill to the floor, working people got to work and organized 218 signatures needed to force this vote. This vote sends a clear message that when working people stand together, we can win under the most difficult of circumstances.

It is happening more and more. Just this Congress, we have stood together to demand a vote on collective bargaining for Federal workers, the right to form a union, affordable healthcare, defense for the people of Ukraine, and the rights of those with temporary protected status.

The vote sends a message that the Speaker may hold the gavel, but in the United States of America, working people are still in charge.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Art Guerrero, a dedicated public servant whose integrity, courage, and commitment to justice helped free an innocent woman after more than two decades of wrongful imprisonment.

A native Austinite, Mr. Guerrero is an alum of Metz Elementary School, Allan Junior High School, and Johnston High School, Class of 1966. He went on to attend Southwest Texas State in San Marcos and left after his first year to enlist in the U.S. Air Force.

He continued his public service by working for a Justice of the Peace in Travis County and then as a deputy under Sheriff Raymond Frank. Then, after seven years with the Mueller Airport Police, Art was an investigator for the city until he retired in the 1980s. After retirement, Art decided to return to the Travis County Courthouse as a bailiff.

In 2005, Mr. Guerrero served during the trial of Carmen Mejia, who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison. While bailiffs are neutral observers at trial, Art recalled that this case deeply troubled him. Having witnessed many trials before, he worried that Mejia had not received adequate legal representation during her trial.

In 2022, Art connected with the Innocence Project and officials in the Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza's Office to share his

concerns and encourage a review of the case. His tireless advocacy helped initiate a reexamination of the conviction. In 2025 and 2026, District Judge David Wahlberg formally found Carmen Mejia innocent, and she was exonerated and freed after 23 years behind bars.

Throughout this process, Mr. Guerrero has remained humble about his role, emphasizing that he simply followed his conscience and his belief that justice must always be pursued with honesty and fairness. His willingness to come forward demonstrates the importance of integrity in public service and reminds us that safeguarding our liberties requires vigilance from everyone. When the powers that be are wrong, our Nation relies on the moral integrity of everyday citizens like Art Guerrero to set things right.

As the United States Representative for the 35th District of Texas, it is my great privilege to recognize Art Guerrero for his years of service to the people of Texas and for his principled commitment to fairness and accountability. His example reminds us that the strength of our democracy depends not only on laws and institutions, but also on the courage of those willing to challenge those institutions for the sake of justice.

I am grateful for his decency, his tenacity, and his commitment to the pursuit of fairness for all Texans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 1099. While I unambiguously condemn the brutal, repressive Iranian regime, I will vote against this resolution because I fear it will be used as a pretext to support Trump's illegal war of choice.

I oppose Trump's illegal war in Iran, which is killing U.S. servicemembers, destabilizing the Middle East, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, and raising the price of gas, all while Americans are losing their healthcare. I remain clear-eyed about the nature of the Iranian government and condemn its malign activities across the region and its brutal domestic repression, including its recent slaughter of thousands of protesters. However, the appalling behavior of governments abroad cannot give Trump the unilateral power to start forever wars across the globe.