Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 863 I was unavoidably detained in a national security briefing. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Bishop of New York

I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for yielding to me, and I congratulate her for her leadership on this very important fiscal issue that really permeates throughout our society and throughout our families and throughout the entire budgetary crisis that we find ourselves in.

I'm so pleased that for the first time in nearly 15 years the House will be voting this week on a constitutional amendment to balance the Federal

budget. As a mother and a grandmother, I have long supported this proposal. It will ensure that we fix the burden--and that's what it is, the burden of endless deficits that has fallen on future generations. Unfortunately, as you know, Mrs. Schmidt, the need for this amendment has never been greater. A constitutional amendment can set us on a path to long-term fiscal stability and restore confidence after decades of deficits.

Two years ago, the United States experienced its first trillion- dollar Federal budget deficit. We thought things were bad then. Last year, we experienced our second trillion-dollar deficit. We thought things were bad then. This year, our annual deficit has reached over $1.3 trillion, the third trillion-dollar-plus deficit in our Nation's history. It took the United States over 200 years, from the presidency of George Washington to the presidency of Bill Clinton, to amass the amount of debt that was added since the year 2006. That is shocking. And according to the U.S. Treasury Department, our Nation's debt currently stands at nearly $15 trillion. Think of that astronomical amount, $15 trillion, which amounts to--how much is that per person? Because the figure is so large that we can't fathom, we can't really appreciate what it is. It amounts to a $47,900 tax for every living American. The debt has sharply increased to nearly 100 percent this year, the highest level since World War II. These are alarming statistics.

Growing debt increases the probability of a sudden fiscal crisis during which investors would lose confidence and the government could lose its ability to borrow at affordable rates. If we do nothing, the annual deficit will grow to consume nearly one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy, and the debt would grow to Greece-like levels of over 100 percent. I believe that just as our families and neighbors--like the lady you show there on that poster--have had to tighten our belts during this recession, well, then, the Federal bureaucracy must do the same.

While the budget reforms that we have passed in the House were a good start, only a constitutional amendment can ensure that we will not stray from the path of a balanced budget as we did 10 years ago. A constitutional amendment will help ensure a future of stability for our children and for our grandchildren.

So I urge all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this balanced budget amendment. It's history in the making this week, and I thank Mrs. Schmidt for her leadership and for trying to straighten out this fiscal insanity mess that we find ourselves in.

I thank my good friend from New Jersey for the time.

I rise in strong support of this Coast Guard reauthorization bill that is being considered on the floor today. I have the unique pleasure of representing over 265 miles of pristine coastline, ranging from Miami Beach all of the way down to Key West. In fact, two of the largest Coast Guard sectors in the United States, Sector Miami, commanded by Captain Christopher Scraba, and Sector Key West commanded by Captain Pat DeQuattro, are located in my congressional district. As such, ensuring that the brave men and women of the Coast Guard have the tools they need to effectively patrol our coast is of utmost concern

to me and to all of the residents in my congressional district.

This legislation before us is a fiscally responsible reauthorization of the U.S. Coast Guard and will include practical reforms which will ensure greater efficiency in the replacing of aging assets and improved utilization of all of its resources.

This is particularly important in my district as our two sectors have been working day and night to stop drugs from being smuggled into our country. These drug smugglers are becoming more sophisticated and more brazen in their efforts to bring illicit drugs to our shores. Just last month alone, the U.S. Coast Guard seized and then unloaded over 2,300 pounds of marijuana and nearly 900 pounds of cocaine in Sector Key West. Without providing upgrades to our aging assets, it will become more and more difficult to keep pace with these drug smugglers as their technology attempts to surpass ours.

That is why I rise in strong support of this Coast Guard reauthorization bill, and I thank Dr. Frank for giving me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1280) to amend the Peace Corps Act to require sexual assault risk-reduction and response training, the development of a sexual assault policy, the establishment of an Office of Victim Advocacy, the establishment of a Sexual Assault Advisory Council, and for other purposes.

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

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

I rise in strong support of Senate bill 1280, the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011.

This bill represents the culmination of bipartisan and bicameral efforts to remedy long-standing problems in the Peace Corps regarding the way that rapes, sexual assault, and other violent crimes committed against Peace Corps volunteers serving overseas are handled.

Senate bill 1280 incorporates structural reforms in the Peace Corps that I had proposed in my bill, H.R. 2699. These are based on recommendations made by the Peace Corps Inspector General. It also incorporates the essential provisions of Representative Poe's bill, H.R. 2337, to bring best practices to the Peace Corps' response to victims of sexual assault. Both of these bills, Mr. Speaker, were adopted by our House Foreign Affairs Committee by unanimous consent.

Senate bill 1280 is named in honor of a brave Peace Corps volunteer from the State of Georgia who lost her life while serving in Africa. Kate Puzey was brutally murdered in Benin when she tried to end the continuing rape of her students by reporting the assailant.

Earlier this year, in an oversight hearing held by our Committee on Foreign Affairs, we heard from Kate's mom, Lois Puzey, who testified that the Peace Corps failed to protect the confidentiality of Kate's report, and this ultimately led to the murder of her daughter. We also heard testimony from three former Peace Corps volunteers who were raped overseas. They all relayed accounts about the deplorable treatment they received by the Peace Corps after they reported their rapes.

Without the chilling testimony of these brave individuals who came forward, I do not believe that successful reform legislation like this would have been possible. They deserve the utmost respect, and they are to be commended for their bravery. Many of them are in the visitors' gallery today. Jess, Carol, Karestan, and Kate are the voices of the Peace Corps' own volunteers from across the decades, voices that can no longer be ignored.

During the course of our investigation, the House Foreign Affairs Committee received dozens of affidavits from other victims in the Peace Corps, echoing their plea for change. The accounts of these victims unveiled an institution that had too often blamed the victim and treated reports of rape as a threat to its reputation. Despite their harrowing experiences, most volunteers who have been victims of sexual assault continue to support the Peace Corps and remain committed to its noble mission--to promote world peace and friendship between peoples from different cultures.

Director Aaron Williams has begun to make important changes to better protect and serve volunteers in the Peace Corps. However, deeper reforms are needed; and the legislation before us today, which was adopted by our Foreign Affairs Committee, requires the Peace Corps to make these changes.

Senate bill 1280 combines two of our House bills, and it requires the Peace Corps to establish a confidentiality policy for reporting sexual assault. The bill sets up an Office of Victims Advocacy to oversee the response to sexual assault and other violent crimes. It also establishes a Sexual Assault Advisory Council to provide guidance to the Peace Corps volunteers and to ensure that it continues to follow the best practices as they evolve in the field.

Under this bill, the Peace Corps must keep crime statistics and track them in annual safety and security reports. It directs the Peace Corps to perform portfolio reviews to evaluate the countries where volunteers serve, including an evaluation of their safety and their security. This bill enhances the independence of the Peace Corps Inspector General by exempting that office from the 5-year limitation of Peace Corps tenure. It instructs that a Memorandum of Understanding be entered into between the Department of State and the Peace Corps, delineating responsibility for crime victim support.

I urge all Members to support this important legislation in honor of Kate Puzey and to vote in favor of Senate bill 1280. Help reform the Peace Corps to make it the polished gem of U.S. diplomacy that it was always meant to be.

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

I am honored to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Poe, the wind beneath our wings, the man who started this ball rolling, the author of H.R. 2337, which was incorporated into the bill before us today. And as Mr. Berman, my good friend from California, has pointed out, Judge Poe has been the inspiration for this legislation before us today.

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

For 50 years Peace Corps volunteers have given their generous talents and skills to help the poor in developing countries, thereby increasing understanding between diverse cultures. Peace Corps volunteers live within the communities that they serve, and they are often located in places with unreliable access to communication, nor to the police, nor for medical services. And historically, sadly, media have underplayed the dangers of serving in the Peace Corps and they have underreported or overlooked any criticism or any problem related to the Peace Corps.

But now their own volunteers, the Peace Corps' own volunteers, have come forward with a demand for change. Congress has had several previous opportunities to help pass reform legislation to help the Peace Corps better protect its volunteers overseas. But, sadly, these efforts and these previous attempts have fallen short.

Now we have this bill, Senate bill S. 1280, that has had bipartisan and bicameral support and was drafted with the input from the Peace Corps itself and from the volunteers also.

It is unacceptable that U.S. citizens, Peace Corps volunteers, do not enjoy protection from regional security officers who are stationed at our overseas diplomatic posts because their role in protecting volunteers has not been clearly defined. Regional security officers are United States law enforcement officials. They're deployed overseas, and they are in the best position to serve U.S. citizens and work with their foreign law enforcement counterparts to seek justice on behalf of crime victims. As the Peace Corps Inspector General reported over 18 months ago, further delay in forming this Memorandum of Understanding could compromise volunteer safety and hinder response to crimes against volunteers.

The language in this bill states that if the MOU is not entered into within 6 months of the bill becoming law, then the Director must report to the committee on the reasons for failing to meet this deadline, along with a detailed certification on steps taken toward meeting this requirement in a timely fashion.

This language is the result of extensive bipartisan consultation, including regular discussion with our counterparts in the Senate. This bill is a substantial step forward and will help address longstanding safety and security problems for volunteers. For the brave victims who came forward and for Kate Puzey who gave her life in the service of the Peace Corps, help us pass this bill.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 31) directing the Secretary of the Senate to make a correction in the enrollment of S. 1280, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

I thank my good friend for yielding me the time.

I stand in strong support of the Protect Life Act.

I thank my good friend, my colleague, Congressman Pitts, for introducing this important legislation because this bill will help ensure that no funds authorized or appropriated by the President's health care law will be used to pay for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

This is not something new. This is not something radical. This simply applies the bipartisan principles of the Hyde amendment, which has helped guide this Chamber's legislative deliberations for over three decades. It extends the same standards applied to Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and other federal programs.

The American people, Madam Speaker, have made it quite clear that they do not want their taxpayer dollars used to fund abortions. And the Stupak-Pitts amendment, as we know, was gutted in the Senate. The President's Executive order stating that the Hyde amendment would apply is not enough. Why? It is flawed because Executive orders can disappear as quickly as they are issued. But the Protect Life Act will create a solid framework that will safeguard taxpayer dollars.

We must protect the sanctity of an innocent human life, we must stand behind the rights of the unborn, and we must prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions. That's why I'm proud to support the Protect Life Act and the rule for it.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement.

We have been waiting to vote on this agreement since it was first signed in 2007, which means four years of lost opportunities.

But now we have a chance to repair that damage.

In the past year alone, Panama's economy grew 6.2 percent, making it one of the fast growing in Latin America and an expanding opportunity for American exporters.

Panama is already among Miami-Dade county's top 25 trading partners, and Florida as a whole ranks number one among the 50 States in exports to that country.

These figures will only increase once the FTA has been approved and American businesses no longer face heavy tariffs and other artificial barriers to trade.

Currently, U.S. industrial exports face an average tariff of 7 percent, with some tariffs as high as 81 percent.

Once this agreement goes into effect, 87 percent of all U.S. goods exported to Panama will become duty-free immediately.

In the past 4 years since the U.S-Panama Free Trade Agreement was signed, American companies have paid millions upon millions of dollars in tariffs to the Panamanian government.

Those are dollars needlessly spent by U.S. businesses, which they could have used for investments and expansion here in the U.S. instead of paying fees to a foreign government.

Approval of the U.S.-Panama FTA will eliminate this transfer of wealth, increase U.S. exports, and create new jobs here at home that so many Americans are desperately searching for.

The agreement also has many other provisions of importance to U.S. businesses, especially strengthening intellectual property rights, which are under assault around the world.

In addition to the potential economic growth stemming from this agreement, Panama is a key strategic ally in the region.

Ever since the Panama Canal was completed a century ago, Panama's importance to the U.S. has only increased as a major transportation route, with two-thirds of its traffic consisting of shipments between our west and east coasts.

For these many reasons--expanded exports, increased jobs, and closer ties with a strategic ally--I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. Speaker, at a time when millions of American families are struggling and so many people are looking for work, passage of the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement should be a top priority for our government.

It is time to grant American businesses and exporters barrier-free access to the world's 13th largest economy.

The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that it will increase our export of goods by at least $10 billion a year.

That's not even counting the high-value services in which our country leads the world, which are now largely shut out of many areas of South Korea's economy.

The Administration estimates that at least 70,000 jobs will result from the free trade agreement with South Korea alone.

That means paychecks for 70,000 American families.

The years of delay in sending this agreement to Congress since it was first signed in 2007 have put U.S. businesses at a severe disadvantage.

Earlier this year, the European Union's free trade agreement with South Korea went into effect, giving their companies a major boost and resulting in lost sales for American companies and lost jobs here in the U.S.

But there is more at stake than just increased exports.

South Korea is a key U.S. ally in an unstable region of the world, where tens of thousands of U.S. troops stand on guard against aggression, and where U.S. interests are increasingly under threat from China and other countries.

At a time when much of the world is waiting to see if the U.S. will retreat from its responsibilities, passage of this free trade agreement will serve as a clear demonstration of our enduring commitment to our ally South Korea and our determination to defend our interests throughout East Asia.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade agreement and for the creation of tens of thousands of jobs for the many Americans who desperately need them.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

After having waited for four years since this agreement was first signed, the time has finally come for Congress to vote to approve it.

This agreement is good for Colombia but is even better for the United States.

According to the International Trade Commission, the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will expand exports of U.S. goods by more than $1 billion dollars every year, which will allow businesses to create thousands of new jobs for those Americans who are struggling to find one.

In South Florida, Colombia is already our second largest trading partner.

Our two largest economic engines are the Port of Miami and Miami International Airport, both of which will benefit tremendously from the increase in trade with Colombia.

In 2010, Colombia was the 10th largest trading partner with the Port of Miami, with bilateral trade worth $6.8 billion.

And 96 percent of the flowers that are sent to the U.S. from Colombia come through Miami International Airport, which helps support tens of thousands of jobs related to the airport and several aviation industries.

These figures will grow rapidly once this agreement has been approved.

But there is more at stake here than increased trade.

Colombia has been a strong democracy and a steadfast ally in a region where U.S. interests are under assault.

We have jointly battled narco-terrorists, leftist guerrillas, and the aggressive actions of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

This agreement will strengthen that vital partnership between our two nations and demonstrate to our friends and enemies alike that the U.S. intends to remain a strong presence in the region.

Madam Speaker, it is time to put American interests first instead of the partisan political considerations that have delayed this agreement for four years.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote yes on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and allow our businesses to finally begin creating the jobs that so many Americans are searching for.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the University of Miami for being named as the country's 38th best university in U.S. News and World Report's recent rankings. The University of Miami is the highest ranked school in the great State of Florida, and it has moved up nine spots since last year and 29 over the last decade, making it one of the fastest rising institutions. The university's ascent in the rankings is attributed to a marked improvement in key areas such as graduation rates, freshmen retention rates, and average SAT scores of entering freshmen.

I earned a doctorate in education from the University of Miami, so I take special pride in this high ranking. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the university; its president, Donna Shalala; and the incredible faculty, staff, and student body. This is an honor for the ``U'' and for the entire State of Florida.

Go Canes.

I thank the esteemed chairman of the Rules Committee for highlighting what a transformation Colombia has made in recent years, thanks to the strong leadership from the top down to the cop on the beat.

If the American people are listening to this debate, they would think that Colombia is a war zone equal to Iraq and Afghanistan. And I believe that those Members have not gone to Colombia in many a year.

But I rise in strong support of the free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. I thank my good friend from California for his strong leadership on these three trade deals that we've been waiting so many years, Mr. Speaker, for them to be sent to Congress. I am pleased that at last we have the chance to vote on them, because their passage will mean American businesses will finally have a competitive level playing field.

And to give you just one example, American industrial exports to Panama--one of our sister countries to south Florida, we have so many Panamanian Americans living in our area--now face tariffs as high as 81 percent, but almost all of these will be eliminated thanks to this trade agreement.

By the administration's own estimates, Mr. Speaker, the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement alone will generate around 70,000 new American jobs. And as the Rules Committee chairman pointed out, south Florida is indeed the gateway to Latin America.

Thank you.

We will see significant benefits in south Florida, and not just for large companies but for small and medium-sized ones as well.

Let's talk about Colombia. Flower importers in the area estimate that they will save $2 million per month in duties that they now are paying on imports from Colombia.

And also, we should point out how important these trade agreements are, because these three allies are of great importance to our national security. You can't ask for better partners for peace and making sure that we have democracy in the region than South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.

I thank the gentleman for the time, and I'm pleased to support the rule.

I thank my good friend, the chairman of the committee, for yielding.

I am just astounded, but I am very pleased to hear my good friends from the other side speak so eloquently about support for human rights and support for labor leaders and workers' rights. Yet some of these folks are the very same ones who want to lift those sanctions against Communist, totalitarian Cuba, where labor unions are outlawed, where workers have no rights, and where human rights are not respected at all. I don't think the Castro brothers can even spell ``human rights'' in either language.

But on to the point of human rights and free trade and dignity for workers in Colombia, I am so pleased that, finally, we are going to pass this agreement.

In south Florida, Colombia is already south Florida's second largest trading partner. Our two largest economic engines are the Port of Miami and the Miami International Airport, both of which will benefit tremendously from the increase in trade with a free, democratic Colombia.

So I welcome this, and I hope that this newfound love for human rights and trade and labor unions will extend to my native homeland of Cuba one day.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

After having waited for years since this agreement was first signed the time has finally come for Congress to vote to approve it.

This agreement is, good for Colombia but is even better for the United States.

According to the International Trade Commission, the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will expand exports of U.S. goods by more than $1 billion dollars every year which will allow businesses to create thousands of new jobs for those Americans who are struggling to find one.

In South Florida, Colombia is already our second largest trading partner.

Our two largest economic engines are the Port of Miami and Miami International Airport, both of which will benefit tremendously from the increase in trade with Colombia.

In 2010, Colombia was the 10th largest trading partner with the Port of Miami, with bilateral trade worth $6.8 billion.

And 96 percent of the flowers that are sent to the U.S. from Colombia come through Miami International Airport, which helps support tens of thousands of jobs related to the airport and several aviation industries.

These figures will grow rapidly once this agreement has been approved.

But there is more at stake here than increased trade.

Colombia has been a strong democracy and a steadfast ally in a region where U.S. interests are under assault.

We have jointly battled narco-terrorists, leftist guerrillas, and the aggressive actions of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

This agreement will strengthen that vital partnership between our two nations and demonstrate to our friends and enemies alike that the U.S. intends to remain a strong presence in the region.

Madam Speaker, it is time to put American interests first instead of the partisan political considerations that have delayed this agreement for years.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote yes on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and allow our businesses to finally begin creating the jobs that so many Americans are searching for.

I thank the esteemed chairman for the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S.-Panama free trade agreement. In my home district of Miami-Dade, Panama is among its top 25 trading partners. In Florida as a whole, it ranks number one among all of the States in exports to that country--incredible numbers. And these figures, Madam Speaker, will only increase once the FTA has been approved and American businesses no longer face heavy tariffs and other artificial barriers to trade.

But in addition to the potential economic growth stemming from this agreement, Panama is a key strategic ally in the region. Ever since the Panama Canal was completed a century ago, Panama's importance to the U.S. has only increased as a major transportation route, with two- thirds of its traffic consisting of shipments between our west and east coast. For these reasons--expanded exports, increased jobs, closer ties with a strategic ally--I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will pass this free trade agreement.

Madam Speaker, we have been waiting for this agreement for far too long, years of lost opportunities. But now we have a chance to repair that damage. In the past year alone, Panama's economy grew 6.2 percent, making it one of the fastest growing in Latin America and an expanding opportunity for American businesses. Currently, U.S. industrial exports face an average tariff of 7 percent, but some tariffs go as high as over 80 percent. But once this agreement goes into effect, 87 percent of all U.S. goods exported to Panama will become duty-free immediately.

In the past 4 years since the trade agreement was signed, American companies have paid millions upon millions of dollars in tariffs to the Panamanian Government. These dollars are needlessly spent by U.S. businesses to foreign governments when they could have been paid here in the United States to beef up our businesses.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement.

We have been waiting to vote on this agreement since it was first signed, which means years of lost opportunities.

But now we have a chance to repair that damage.

In the past year alone, Panama's economy grew 6.2 percent, making it one of the fast growing in Latin America and an expanding opportunity for American exporters.

Panama is already among Miami-Dade county's top 25 trading partners and Florida as a whole ranks number one among the 50 states in exports to that country.

These figures will only increase once the FTA has been approved and American businesses no longer face heavy tariffs and other artificial barriers to trade.

Currently, U.S. industrial exports face an average tariff of 7 percent, with some tariffs as high as 81 percent.

Once this agreement goes into effect, 87 percent of all U.S. goods exported to Panama will become duty-free immediately.

In the past 4 years since the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement was signed, American companies have paid millions upon millions of dollars in tariffs to the Panamanian government.

Those are dollars needlessly spent by U.S. businesses, which they could have used for investments and expansion here in the U.S. instead of paying fees to a foreign government.

Approval of the U.S.-Panama FTA will eliminate this transfer of wealth, increase U.S. exports, and create new jobs here at home that so many Americans are desperately searching for.

The agreement also has many other provisions of importance to U.S. businesses, especially strengthening intellectual property rights, which are under assault around the world.

In addition to the potential economic growth stemming from this agreement, Panama is a key strategic ally in the region.

Ever since the Panama Canal was completed a century ago, Panama's importance to the U.S. has only increased as a major transportation route with two-thirds of its traffic consisting of shipments between our west and east coasts.

For these many reasons--expanded exports, increased jobs, and closer ties with a strategic ally--I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement.

I thank my good friend from Michigan for yielding.

Madam Speaker, at a time when millions of American families are struggling and when so many people are looking for work, passage of this U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement should be a top priority for all of us; but there is more at stake than just increased exports. South Korea is a key

U.S. ally in an unstable region of the world where tens of thousands of our U.S. troops stand on guard against aggression and where U.S. interests are increasingly under threat from China and other countries.

At a time when much of the world is waiting to see if the U.S. will retreat from our responsibilities, passage of this free trade agreement will serve as a clear demonstration of our enduring commitment to our ally South Korea and to our determination to defend our interests throughout East Asia.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for this U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and for the creation of tens of thousands of American jobs for the many families who are desperately in need of them.

Mr. Speaker, South Florida recently lost a truly remarkable woman and pillar of our community--Mrs. Frances Chambers. Fran, as she was affectionately known, leaves behind a legacy that will long endure.

Fran was the consummate lifelong learner. Born on November 13, 1921, in Miami, Fran graduated from Booker T. Washington High, and then went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree--with highest honors--from Bennett College in 1942. She then received a Master of Arts degree from New York University, and later continued her studies, amassing more postgraduate credits than are required for a doctoral degree from several Florida universities.

She turned her enthusiasm for studies into a love of teaching. Fran taught and guided generations of students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where she was loved by her students and admired by her peers. For more than 37 years Fran shared her passion with her students at Dunbar Elementary, Miami Jackson Senior High, COPE Center North, and Holmes Elementary. She was involved in nearly every aspect of education for the children of South Florida--finally retiring in 1979.

But Fran was not just a perennial educator; she was also a committed volunteer. She began volunteering for the March of Dimes and American Heart Association in the 1950s. Later, she served as board chair of the James E. Scott Community Association, a group that provides social services for those in need, and was also a member of the Seniors Centers of Dade County, League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Fran remained active in the community well after her retirement from Miami- Dade County Public Schools--her commitment to volunteerism and the South Florida community is as impressive as it is praiseworthy.

Her other passion was for the preservation and dissemination of the history of Miami's African-American pioneers. Fran had a vision to research and publish a book, so that the records of these remarkable people could be recorded and shared. Her goal was to help assure that future generations could appreciate the long and difficult road so many of these pioneers had to endure, and to draw strength and encouragement from them.

In 2000, Fran learned she was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. But this bad news could not keep her dream from being realized. After nearly three decades, her vision finally came to fruition. Her resolve and her vision were so admired by those in the South Florida community that others picked up her mantle and carried out her work to completion. In 2010, a collaborative effort made her dream a reality. Linkages & Legacies was the end result of all of Fran's hard work. And in true Frances Chambers style, the publication was her gift to the community so that this history could be told for generations to come.

Fran may be gone, but her legacy and love will forever be a constant presence in South Florida. It is carried on through her work, and through her 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She was a unique and truly awe-inspiring woman. All of our hearts in the South Florida community are a little heavier this week as we honor and remember Frances Chambers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary woman, a dedicated public servant, and a dear friend: Congresswoman Carrie Meek. Carrie has lived a life of distinction, and her legacy is extensive and incredible.

The granddaughter of a slave, Carrie became the first African American woman to serve in the Florida Senate. My husband, Dexter Lehtinen, and I had the honor of serving with Carrie in the Florida House and then in the Florida Senate, and then Carrie went on to become the first African American from Florida since Reconstruction elected to Congress. What an honor.

While in Congress, Carrie worked vigorously and resolutely for her constituents in all of south Florida, playing an instrumental role in rebuilding our community after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew.

Her accomplishments and service to our south Florida community are too many to be enumerated; however, she hasn't rested on her laurels. Since leaving this Chamber, she continues her commitment to service through The Carrie Meek Foundation.

I ask my colleagues to join us today in paying tribute to our dear friend, Congresswoman Carrie Meek.