Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor the mariachi students at Fort Worth's North Side High School who, under the direction of Ramon Nino, were chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 22. The appearance by the Fort Worth group will be the first Carnegie Hall concert by any mariachi band in 7 years.

With an outpouring of support from the school district and local community, the 23-member group has successfully raised partial funds for the trip. These hardworking students continue to rally the community for support and have played for donations at a host of metroplex-area restaurants to raise the remaining difference.

This is a great opportunity for these young people to step onto the national stage and proudly represent not only their school, but the Fort Worth community and the great State of Texas.

I am proud to represent this caring community, school, and such talented constituents. I wish them a safe journey to the Big Apple. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement.

Go Steers.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the citizens of Forest Hill, Texas, for their recent Memorial Day celebration to honor the military service contributions of the men and women of our Armed Forces as well as our public safety officers who have lost their lives in that city in the line of duty.

I was proud to attend the ceremony, which included 375 names of men and women who have proudly served the city of Forest Hill and lived there and have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Also at the park is the Court of Honor, where the names of prisoners of war and the missing in action serve as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices for freedom.

We must remember--perhaps now more than ever--that our debt of gratitude for veterans that have served us can never be repaid in full, but we owe it to them to keep our commitments to them as a country.

I would like to thank the citizens of Forest Hill for their display of thanks and respect.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3717.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the tragic and shocking turn of events in Nigeria, where as many as 300 young girls have been abducted by a terrorist organization known as Boko Haram.

As a father, I can't imagine the anguish that these parents must be feeling as they wonder about what happened to their young girls.

I stand in solidarity with the people of Nigeria in this difficult time and condemn the violence against innocent people committed by Boko Haram and urge that all possible actions be taken and that President Jonathan finally do something about the terrorists and the thugs that seem to be ruling the country.

Too often, women and young girls are tragically persecuted, victimized, or denied education opportunities and a voice, particularly in these countries, based only on their gender. The violence and discrimination has no place in our world today.

Today, I will be joining my fellow colleagues and urging them to sign on to House Resolution 573, to condemn this heinous abduction, and supporting all efforts to find these girls and bring them home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and honor to a great man, Pastor Raymond Charles Johnson, Sr., known in Fort Worth as ``R.C. Johnson.''

Pastor Johnson moved to Fort Worth in 1953, where he began his work at the Greater Saint James Baptist Church. He was ordained as pastor of the church in 1985, and he dedicated 61 years to the preaching of the Word. Although many in the community knew that he was a pastor, he also worked at General Motors for over 32 years and was a Korean war veteran. In addition to his work in the ministry, he was a precinct chairman for over 50 years in the same precinct.

Pastor Johnson was so proud of his work in Ministers Against Crime, where they went to local schools and worked in communities. I can tell you that they worked in those schools and that they made a difference in those kids' lives--in their behavior and in their grades. He really made a difference in the community.

Sadly, earlier this year, I was at his wife's funeral. They had been married for 63 years. She died back in the January-February time period, which was really, really tough on him. He, too, succumbed just this past week.

I want to thank Pastor Johnson for everything he did to help me and so many other people in the community. He is someone the Fort Worth community will be proud of for many years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of William ``Bill'' Blair, Jr., a talented Negro Leagues pitcher who became a voice for Dallas' African-American community. His passing on April 20, 2014 leaves a void in the city Dallas, and I join with the Texas community in giving our condolences to the Blair family.

Mr. Blair attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he played football and met his wife of 70 years, Mozelle Jordan. He went on to continue his studies at Prairie View A&M University and later enlisted to fight in World War II. In 1945, Mr. Blair became the youngest black sergeant to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Mr. Blair, a Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, pitched from 1946 to 1951, for teams including the Indianapolis Clowns and Cincinnati Crescents, and was a player-manager for the Dallas Black Giants. He was instrumental in the development of the African American Museum's Texas Sports Hall of Fame and served on its advisory board. He was also inducted in 1996 as a member of its inaugural class.

After his baseball career, Mr. Blair founded the Highlight News which ran from 1947-1957. He also later founded the Southwest Sports News, a newspaper that specialized in publishing scores from Black college games throughout the United States. The paper was renamed The Elite News in 1960, and is still in publication today, serving as the official voice of the church and the community.

As a civil rights activist for more than 50 years, Blair was instrumental in establishing the Elite News Awards, the first local African-American awards ceremony, in 1975. In 1986, he established the first Martin Luther King, Jr., Parade in Dallas, which is now an institution in the community.

In honor of William ``Bill'' Blair, a pillar of the Dallas community, this statement will be entered into the Congressional Record. He will be remembered as a civil rights activist, a leader of the community, and an irreplaceable figure in the history of the city of Dallas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a giant whom we lost in the Fort Worth community--Louis Zapata, the first Hispanic ever elected to the Fort Worth City Council.

Mr. Zapata held the post for 14 years. He was one of the longest- serving city council members in the city's history.

Mr. Zapata was so proud of the city's north side, which he represented well. He did so many wonderful things for the community, like advancing the arts and protecting the Rose Marine Theater. Mr. Zapata was also someone who was interested in raising the quality of life for all of our city's citizens.

In addition to his duties on the Fort Worth City Council, he was also a union member and a union representative at Bell Helicopter, one of the city's largest employers, where he worked tirelessly to make sure that every man and woman who worked at the plant enjoyed a better quality of life.

I want to thank Mr. Zapata for everything that he did to help make our city better and to help make our community better. He will be missed. He is one of the legends of the Fort Worth City Council, and he is someone who will always be remembered fondly in our city.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend who departed this Earth last week, who I know is headed to glory because of the great things he did in Tarrant County for working men and women.

T.C. Gillespie, who was the president of the Tarrant County Central Labor Council, died after a long battle with lung disease.

T.C. was such a tireless advocate for men and women. Before he was president of the Central Labor Council, he was the treasurer and secretary of the Communications Workers of America.

T.C. just believed in people. He was someone who helped me very early on in my career, before I was in Congress. He helped so many people he believed would do the right thing for so many workers and for so many families in Tarrant County.

Even as I watched T.C. struggle in the last couple of years of his life, I would say: T.C., you don't need to be here; you need to be home resting.

He was having such a hard time walking and breathing because of the lung issue that he was having, and he just wanted to be there for people he believed in.

I want to thank the family and friends he leaves behind. T.C. Gillespie was a dear friend and a great man to so many people in Tarrant County.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Republicans released their budget blueprint to the American people.

Budgets are moral documents that reflect our priorities as a nation. Republicans have clearly outlined their priorities in this budget, which are: raising taxes on the middle class, cutting taxes for multimillionaires, and hurting seniors by ending Medicare as we know it. The budget plan introduced this week offers no real solutions.

If your thing is massive cuts to nutrition, health care, and other critical supports that give low-income children and families a decent chance at life, then the Ryan budget is your deal.

Instead of making these hits on the middle class, we should focus on improving education, investing in domestic manufacturing, and paving the way for a good future.

Also troubling is that the Ryan budget rejects the opportunity to enact immigration reform, to raise the minimum wage, and to extend unemployment insurance, which would create jobs and strengthen our economy.

As elected leaders, we owe it to the American people to invest in them, not to cut the safety net from under them.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15 to demand a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that unites families and moves our country forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the women who have shaped our Nation's history and those women who continue to make a difference in our communities. Women entrepreneurs are the fastest growing sector in the small business community.

This month, I launched a new initiative to help better understand the challenges that constituents face in their jobs and daily lives by spending the day working as a baking assistant at Del Norte Bakery, a successful women-owned-and-operated Hispanic business in Dallas.

As I rolled up my sleeves and I made pan dulce and other baked goods alongside owners and sisters Carolina Lopez and Gloria De Lira, I gained invaluable

insight on some of the challenges small minority-owned and women-owned businesses face and what I can do as a Member of Congress to help.

I also hope that by sharing their story, I can inspire other women to realize their dreams of running their own businesses. Let us all continue to work together to ensure that all women enjoy equal opportunity, because when women succeed, America succeeds.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to remind Americans today to hurry: they have 6 days left to sign up for the Affordable Care Act through their Federal and State exchanges and marketplaces. Don't believe the hype from the Republicans. The Affordable Care Act is working to improve the lives of millions of Americans. More than 5 million Americans have signed up so far through the marketplace, and they will continue to do so.

This weekend, I hosted two enrollment events in my district, both in Dallas and Fort Worth, and attended two additional ones to ensure that constituents in my district get the affordable health care they deserve. What I saw when I visited those events were rooms filled with men, women, and children looking to provide insurance for their families, looking to ensure that they are protected from unforeseen sickness and health issues.

Let's stop playing politics with people's health care. Let's work together to get every American covered.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to the tragic events that took place in Austin, Texas, on Thursday at the annual South by Southwest Festival.

A suspected drunk driver being chased by the Austin police slammed his car into the festival crowd. Two of those injured were in high school. Curtisha Davis--known as ``Tish''--and Deandre Tatum--called ``Dre''--students at Trimble Tech High School in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.

Curtisha is a senior and has broken bones and other injuries, and Deandre is in the intensive-care unit under a medically induced coma at the University Medical Center at Brackenridge.

Please continue to pray for the Trimble Tech family. It is a very close-knit family at Trimble Tech High School, known as the Bulldogs. I ask for the prayers of everyone.

There was a death involved in this particular tragedy, and I ask for prayers for all the families affected, including these two young people from my hometown, Curtisha and Deandre.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight an issue impacting constituents in my district and all across the Nation. Recently, statistics were published lauding Texas' falling unemployment rate. Articles say that Texans are finding good jobs.

I want to rise today to speak on behalf of those that have a hard time making it each month. Many of these so-called good paying jobs, after working 40 hours a week, pay about $15,000 a year. Sometimes these hardworking Americans have to work two or three jobs just to make it at the end of the month.

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that Texas families are hurting and struggling every day just to put food on the table and to put clothes on their kids' backs.

I was talking to a lady at Luby's just the other day that asked me, What are we going to do about the minimum wage? We need to vote on the minimum wage--H.R. 1010, that would raise the minimum wage and bring over 5 million Americans out of poverty.

I have signed the discharge petition and urge you to bring this bill up for a vote.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following regarding two missed votes on March 4, 2014.

``Yes'' on H.R. 3370, Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act.

``Yes'' on H. Res. 488, Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest peacefully for democratic change and calling to end the violence.