Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Dr. Glenda Glover, Ph.D., JD, CPA, as International President and CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, I could not have asked for a better person to lead our more than 320,000 Sorors spread over at least 1,046 chapters from all over the world through the last four years.

Dr. Glover was born in Memphis, Tennessee the daughter of a civil rights activist and raised in the Civil Rights Movement. She graduated from Tennessee State University, an illustrious Historically Black College and University, before getting her MBA at another incomparable HBCU, Clark Atlanta University, proving that, truly, Atlanta Influences Everything. Not yet satisfied, she moved to Washington, D.C. and obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from George Washington University and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Professionally, Dr. Glover is a star. She spearheaded the creation of the country's first HBCU-based Ph.D. program in business at Jackson State University, and chaired the Department of Accounting at Howard University's School of Business. She has been a leader in the private sector, and currently serves as the President of her beloved alma mater, Tennessee State University, since 2013. Dr. Glover is not just the President either: she was the Thurgood Marshall College Fund's HBCU President of the Year in 2018, and HBCU Digest's 2019 Female President of the Year.

Dr. Glover did all of that while maintaining a leadership role in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Initiated into the Alpha Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated at Tennessee State University, where she served as President and Vice-President as an undergraduate. Dr. Glover has also served as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of Beta Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated in Jackson, Mississippi before moving up to International Vice-President, International Treasurer, and Treasurer to the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) of the entire Sorority.

Since assuming the International Presidency and CEO role in 2018, Dr. Glover has led our Sorors powerfully to sustain us through the pandemic, and raised our voices on critical issues like Voting Rights and Black Maternal Health--ensuring that Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated are the VOICE of the movement, not the ECHO. Dr. Glover's Alpha Kappa Alpha Congressional Women's Roundtable continues to lead the charge toward solutions to create a better world for future generations by fighting for continued, meaningful investments in HBCUs, a comprehensive approach to ending the maternal health crisis in America and protecting our democracy through safeguarding and expanding voting rights.

Dr. Glover has convened meetings with our Soror, Vice-President Kamala Harris, to bring our community's needs to the highest level of our government and is the Vice-Chair of President Joe Biden's HBCU Advisory Board.

I, and every Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Soror, am indebted to Dr. Glover for her service to our Sorority. She is a living pillar of Black Excellence, and her leadership has and continues to lift up successive generations of Black leaders. As we celebrate her enduring legacy, her enriching sisterhood, and her exemplary service, let's remember the purpose that has animated her to succeed and to bring her community up with her.

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my Fifth Congressional District constituent, Olympian, four-time NBA Champion, NBA All-Star, and member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame, Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, on winning an Oscar.

``The Queen of Basketball,'' produced by executive producers Shaquille O'Neal and Steph Curry, won the Academy Award for short subject documentary on March 27, 2022.

The film shines a light on the incredible story of Lusia Harris, the first and only woman to be drafted by the NBA and the first to score a basket in women's Olympic history.

In addition to shattering glass ceilings herself, Harris helped lead her teams to excellence, including winning three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championships and a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal.

Harris, who recently passed away in January 2022, is a trailblazer in professional basketball and must be celebrated and commemorated for years to come. I thank you Shaquille O'Neal for doing just that.

Congratulations to Shaq and the entire production team on the award- winning ``The Queen of Basketball.''

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5673) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to make technical corrections to the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5673.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5673. This bill will make technical corrections to the STORM Act, which was enacted in the 116th Congress.

The STORM Act is bipartisan and bicameral legislation that created a hazard mitigation revolving loan fund that helped States and Tribal governments finance mitigation projects. This bill corrects clerical errors in the enacted language of the STORM Act.

I urge my colleagues on both sides to join with me and support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5343) to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a report to Congress on case management personnel turnover, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5343, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5343. This bill addresses the high rate of turnover for disaster case management personnel at

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5547) to amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to require eligible recipients of certain grants to develop a comprehensive economic development strategy that directly or indirectly increases the accessibility of affordable, quality care-based services, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5547, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Care is an Economic Development Strategy Act.

I would like to start by honoring my coauthor of this bill, who recently passed away unexpectedly, Congressman Don Young, the longest- serving Member of this body, the dean of the House. As my partner on this bill, I got to see his dedication to serving the people up close.

Even though he is no longer with us in this Chamber, I know that Congressman Young would be proud that the full House is considering the bill we worked so hard on together to help our kids and our communities.

We authored this legislation with a simple idea in mind: Investing in care will help get people back to work, create good-paying jobs, and create a stronger economy for everyone.

I know this firsthand as the working mom of my 6-year-old son, my Carter Cakes. My ability to be standing before you today is dependent on making sure that my Carter Cakes is safe and cared for. Let me tell you all, it can even be difficult for families like mine.

When I was pregnant with Carter, we struggled to find childcare that was affordable and accessible. Today, it is up to my husband, Leslie, and me to make sure that Carter continues to be cared for so I can serve the people.

Just this month, my husband had to take a day off from his job so that I could make a last-minute trip to D.C. when school was closed for a teacher workday. Later that same week, it was my turn. It became ``Bring Carter to Work Day.'' So, in Atlanta, Leslie traveled to do his job, and I was home with Carter as he attended many Zoom sessions in Congress.

We have made it work, but unfortunately, during this pandemic, not everyone has been as lucky as my family.

Earlier this week, I visited Our House, a childcare center in my district that serves some of the most marginalized families, families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. One of the providers told me that, during the height of the pandemic, a parent told her that she had to reopen because: ``Corona may kill me, but poverty definitely will if I can't go to work and provide for my family.''

Care is not a luxury; it is a lifeline. Women, especially women of color, have been forced to drop out of the labor market at record rates during the COVID pandemic. This impacts the prosperity of our families and our economy at large.

Care is an economic development strategy, and it is time that we treated it like one. My CEDS Act will ensure care accessibility is prioritized for all communities and all constituents.

Currently, economic development districts must consider transportation access, workforce development, technology use, and environmental protection when creating their comprehensive economic development strategies. Right now, there is no mention of considering quality, affordable care-based services. The CEDS Act would simply add this as a consideration.

This bill will treat childcare, early childhood education, disability, long-term care, and eldercare as essential to communities' economic development. When we do this, we can help folks return to work, provide for their families, and invigorate our economy while knowing that their loved ones are in good hands.

I bring this bill before you today for every caregiver who has been forced to leave the workforce, for every working parent who has given up on finding a solution that works, for every person who feels forced to choose between their loved ones and their livelihoods. It doesn't have to be this way, y'all.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, for our children, our seniors, and our families nationwide.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Financial Services,

Washington, DC, March 7, 2022.

Hon. Peter DeFazio,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 5547, the

``Care is an Economic Development Strategy Act.'' In order to

permit H.R. 5547 to proceed expeditiously to the House Floor,

I agree to forgo formal consideration of the bill.

The Committee on Financial Services takes this action to

forego formal consideration of H.R. 5547 in light of our

mutual understanding that, by foregoing formal consideration

of H.R. 5547 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction

over the subject matter contained in this or similar

legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately

consulted and involved as this or similar legislation moves

forward with regard to any matters in the Committee's

jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek

appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any

House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation

that involves the Committee's jurisdiction and request your

support for any such request.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter

confirming this understanding, and I would ask that a copy of

our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the

Congressional Record during Floor consideration of H.R. 5547.

Sincerely,

Maxine Waters,

Chairwoman.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation as care is an economic development strategy.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2938) to designate the United States Courthouse and Federal Building located at 111 North Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the ``Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building'', and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2938.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2938, which designates the Federal Building at 111 North Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building.

Born during the days of segregation, Judge Hatchett grew up in Clearwater, Florida. He graduated from Florida A&M University in 1954 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He entered Howard University School of Law in 1956, and when he took the Florida Bar Exam in 1959, Jim Crow regulations prevented him from staying in the hotel where the test was administered.

After admission to the Florida Bar, Judge Hatchett entered private practice in Daytona Beach, practicing criminal, civil, administrative, and civil rights law in State and Federal courts.

A series of judicial appointments that began in 1971 ultimately led to his placement on the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, making Judge Hatchett the first Black man appointed to a Federal appeals court in the Deep South. Judge Hatchett retired from the bench in 1999 and passed away in April of 2021 at the age of 88.

A House companion to this bill, H.R. 4771, was introduced by Congressman Lawson and had the support of the entire Florida Congressional delegation. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed H.R. 4771 in 2021.

Madam Speaker, I support S. 2938, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1226) to designate the United States courthouse located at 1501 North 6th Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the ``Sylvia H. Rambo United States Courthouse'', and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1226.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, S. 1226, which names the United States courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.

S. 1226 was introduced by Pennsylvania Senators Casey and Toomey, and a House companion was introduced by Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure member, Representative Scott Perry, and cosponsored by several members of the Pennsylvania delegation.

Upon introduction of the bill, Senator Casey said: ``Judge Rambo's trailblazing career serves as an ongoing inspiration to countless young women across the Commonwealth, the Third Circuit, and the entire Nation. Her dedication to the judiciary is unparalleled, and there is no better way to honor her service to our Nation than by naming the new Federal courthouse in Harrisburg after her.''

Senator Toomey said: ``As the first woman to serve on both the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Cumberland County and on the bench of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Judge Rambo is a trailblazer. During her time on the bench, Judge Rambo has served Pennsylvania with great integrity and distinction. I am proud to introduce this legislation honoring a Pennsylvania public servant with Senator Casey.''

The courthouse is currently under construction. Upon completion, it will contain a total of 8 courtrooms and 11 chambers. Tenants for this new courthouse are the U.S. Courts, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Trustees, Homeland Security, and Federal Public Defender.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in advancing this legislation naming the United States Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 233) to designate the Rocksprings Station of the U.S. Border Patrol located on West Main Street in Rocksprings, Texas, as the ``Donna M. Doss Border Patrol Station''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 233.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 233, to designate the Rocksprings Station of the U.S. Border Patrol in Rocksprings, Texas, as the Donna M. Doss Border Patrol Station.

Donna Doss was a U.S. Border Patrol agent who served for 16 years on the Del Rio Border Patrol. On February 2, 2019, while working, Agent Doss was struck and killed by a vehicle.

Agent Doss was a wife, a daughter, a sister, a stepmother, and a colleague who was mourned by her community. S. 233 will recognize Agent Doss' tragic passing and sacrifice, and I ask for the bill's adoption.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2126) to designate the Federal Office Building located at 308 W. 21st Street in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as the ``Louisa Swain Federal Office Building'', and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2126.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2126, which names the Federal office building located at 308 West 21st Street in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as the Louisa Swain Federal Office Building.

In 1869, Wyoming became the first State or territory in the U.S. to continuously recognize women's voting rights as equal to the voting rights of men. Louisa Swain was the first woman to vote under that law. When she cast her vote in the general election of 1870, she was 70 years old. It would be another 50 years before women's voting rights were recognized in the rest of the country.

Swain, born in Norfolk, Virginia, was orphaned by the age of 10. She married and moved to Baltimore, where she and her husband raised four children before moving to Wyoming. Shortly after voting in the 1870 election, Swain and her husband returned to Baltimore, where Swain died in 1878.

S. 2126 was sponsored by Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis and Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, and cosponsored by Maryland Senator Ben Cardin and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. In October 2008, Congress passed a resolution making September 6, 2008 ``Louisa Swain Day.''

Madam Speaker, I am proud to support and highlight the history of voting rights in this country. I support this legislation and I encourage my colleagues to join me. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation in the spirit of voting rights in this country, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Angola's Ambassador to the United States, Joaquim do Espirito Santo, for coming to the City of Atlanta to celebrate our native son, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Angolans arrived in the American South 400 years ago as the first African slaves brought to the colonies that would become the United States. Atlanta was incorporated in 1845, and by 1850, Atlanta's population was roughly 20 percent African slaves, mostly from Western Africa and what is now Angola. Angola and the City of Atlanta have a long shared history, and Ambassador Joaquim do Espirito Santo's recent visit honors the relationship between Angola and Atlanta.

While in Atlanta, Ambassador Joaquim do Espirito Santo joined the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service alongside me at Ebenezer Baptist Church, one of the most powerful modern institutions of the Civil Rights movement. A guest of Dr. Bernice King, Ambassador Joaquim do Espirito Santo attended the service on behalf of Angolan President Joao Lourenco,

While in town, Ambassador Espirito Santo further built ties with Atlanta's thriving businesses and organizations. By meeting with Atlanta's Mayor, City Council, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Ambassador Espirito Santo has laid the groundwork for continued cooperation and partnership between Atlanta and Angola. Similarly, the Ambassador met with the Atlanta-based Carter Center to thank them for their excellent work eliminating Guinea Worm Disease in Angola.

Recognizing Atlanta's shared past and exciting future with Angola, the Atlanta City Council officially proclaimed January 17, MLK Day, as ``Angola Day'' in Atlanta. In the words of the City Council, ``this growing partnership between Atlanta and Angola is a story that has come nearly full circle, from tragedy and injustice to opportunity and hope.''

I join the City of Atlanta in congratulating the Ambassador on his timely visit and look forward to the blossoming cultural and economic relationship between Atlanta and Angola.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the CROWN Act because all hair is professional hair.

While serving in the Georgia State Senate, a colleague greeted me with what she thought was a compliment. After spending most of the legislative session in braids, I had my natural hair pressed straight. She told me, Nikema, you should keep your hair that way. It looks better, more professional, more like a State Senator.

Remarks like this are all too familiar for Black women and girls; unacceptable on their own, but the outright discrimination that flows from them is worse. If I didn't work for the people in Congress, I know that I could be fired simply for wearing my hair in braids.

Nothing about this is okay, so I make it a point to create an environment where my team feels comfortable wearing their crowns in every texture.

Everybody deserves this level of safety, no matter where they work. Our hair is an expression of our authentic selves. Braids, locs, coils, or a silk press, all hair is professional hair.

Discrimination has no place in America; that includes discriminating against Black hair. The CROWN Act would make race-based hair discrimination a thing of the past, once and for all, and that is why we should pass it today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment to proactively prevent human rights abuses against LGBTQI individuals.

As the Congresswoman representing the LGBTQI capital of the South, this amendment is just another way that my district is leading the way to achieve human rights and equity for all. Decades of advocacy, from Atlanta's first gay pride march in 1971, to annual events like Black Pride and Southern Fried Queer Pride have made Atlanta the city ``too busy to hate.''

Atlanta gets a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign, and the community that the Black and LGBTQ-plus activists have created in Atlanta is the kind of world that we want everywhere. At home, we have a saying, ``Atlanta influences everything,'' and my amendment is designed to do just that by extending human rights protections beyond my city and our Nation's borders.

With my amendment, the State Department will study how it can better coordinate internationally to prevent international human rights abuses based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics before those abuses occur. This will create a better world for everyone no matter where they live, who they love, or how they identify.

Madam Speaker, I often say that I am operating in an institution and system that was not designed by or for people who look like me. Today, however, I celebrate a pioneer who wanted to change the system so that it would work for all the people-- Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

I stand proudly on the shoulders of the first Black woman in Congress. She entered Congress ``unbossed and unbought'' and brought this energy to each of her seven terms. She paved the way for me to be here as the first Black woman to represent the people of Georgia's Fifth District in Congress.

We are the next generation of Black excellence because of Shirley Chisholm. As we face trying times, we must remember that we stand on the brink of progress. The courage of Shirley Chisholm paved the way for Black women in Congress to fight for a future that our children can believe in:

Voting rights regardless of our ZIP code.

Lasting investments in our HBCUs.

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus to end the Black maternal mortality crisis.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to end police brutality.

My Abolition Amendment legislation that will close a loophole in the Thirteenth Amendment and truly end slavery in America.

As we reflect on how far we have come this Black History Month, I am looking forward to the future we are building together because of the path set by Congresswoman Chisholm.

However, we have a long way to go. The halls of Congress are full of portraits and statues of mostly men, while depictions of women are scattered here and there. Images of trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm and Rosa Parks remind me of the imbalance of women lining the halls, and I am determined to change that.

May we always remember Congresswoman Chisholm for her tenacity, her boldness, and her guts. That is what we will need to ensure that our story continues.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for my amendment to bolster the research capacity of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

I'm a third generation HBCU graduate. HBCUs were created to provide a safe place of learning for Black Americans. Just this week, that most basic tenet has been threatened by racist bomb threats.

On Tuesday, I called on the Department of Education to lead a whole- of-government response to these threats. We owe HBCU students and faculty safety, but we also owe them so much more.

I'm here today to ensure Congress delivers for our HBCUs the same way they delivered for me and so many other graduates. My amendment will bolster the research capacity of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in two ways.

First, it will ensure that research grants from the National Science Foundation can be used for the professional development and

mentorship of student and faculty researchers at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. Second, it will make sure federal agencies provide technical assistance to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs on how to grow their capacity to manage grants from application to completion.

As the representative of the congressional district with the greatest number of HBCUs, I know investing in HBCUs supports Black excellence. My amendment will support critical educational institutions and their students, advance innovation, and grow our economy. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5577, legislation that I introduced to rename the main post office on Crown Road in Atlanta after my mentor and predecessor, a friend to many of us, Congressman John Robert Lewis.

Giving the Fifth Congressional District's main United States post office Congressman Lewis' name is a proper, lasting tribute to the life of a civil rights hero. And to have the people's House take this bill up on the first day of Black History Month could not be more fitting.

Congressman Lewis was a Freedom Rider, the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the conscience of the Congress.

The sacrifices Congressman Lewis made paved the way for me to even stand before you today as a Member of this body.

Congressman Lewis was a natural leader, and nearly 2 years after his passing, his mere memory has united over 360 cosponsors to honor his life and legacy by designating the John R. Lewis Postal Building.

As I reflect on the power of over four-fifths of this body coming together to honor the life of Congressman Lewis, I can only imagine the good we could do by coming together in the same numbers to advance what Congressman Lewis called the beloved community; the good we could do by standing together, fiercely defending the civil rights that Congressman Lewis put his life on the line for; the good we could do if we all said something, did something, whenever we see something that is not right; the good we could all do if we heeded the words in Congressman Lewis' final essay ``to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.''

While it speaks volumes that so many of us have united to commemorate Congressman Lewis, it would shout to the heavens where Mr. Lewis could hear us if we united with the same energy in the spirit of justice and moral obligation.

As we look at the trying times that our country is facing, let us not only honor Congressman Lewis with the post office. Let us channel Congressman Lewis every day in Congress. Let's make sure today's passage of H.R. 5577 is only a starting point for our work ahead in his honor.