[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 445 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 445

                     In honor of Henry B. Gonzalez.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 7, 2000

Mr. Frost (for himself, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Leach, Ms. Roybal-Allard, and 
Mr. Rodriguez) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
           referred to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
                     In honor of Henry B. Gonzalez.

Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his Nation and the people of the 20th District 
        of Texas in San Antonio with honor and distinction for 37 years as a 
        Member of the United States House of Representatives;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez became an internationally recognized leader in the 
        fields of banking and housing, having held more than 500 hearings as 
        Chairman of the Committee on Banking and Urban Affairs, and having 
        shepherded more than 70 bills from introduction to enactment into law, 
        including landmark legislation to revamp and rescue the United States 
        savings and loan industry;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez focused the attention of the House of Representatives 
        on solving numerous and challenging public policy problems, especially 
        the needs of the poor and the powerless, including making affordable 
        housing available to the poor, making credit more readily available to 
        underprivileged communities and small businesses, making the Board of 
        Governors of the Federal Reserve System more transparent and accountable 
        to the United States public, and strengthening civil rights for all 
        Americans;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez represents the quintessential American success story 
        by virtue of having become the first American of Mexican descent in 
        Texas history to represent Texas in the United States House of 
        Representatives, and one of the first Mexican-Americans to rise to the 
        position of Chairman of a major congressional committee of the House of 
        Representatives;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his country in World War II in military 
        intelligence, and taught math to veterans and citizenship classes to 
        resident immigrants seeking American citizenship;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez leaves a proud legacy to his hometown of San Antonio 
        (in whose public schools he was educated), encouraging the development 
        of public housing, 2 major medical centers, numerous development 
        projects, and the public laws he authored that brought the HemisFair '68 
        World's Fair to San Antonio, thereby making the city a recognized center 
        for international conventions and tourism;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez, a champion for the downtrodden and the poor 
        (exemplified, among other things, by his 22-hour long filibuster of 
        segregationist bills in the Texas Senate in the 1950's), consistently 
        brought his skill and passion to bear on behalf of the underprivileged, 
        thereby making our Nation a much better place;
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez, a modest man of great popularity and of a fervently 
        independent character, was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in 
        Courage Award for his display of political courage as a leader who acted 
        on principle throughout his multifaceted career, without fear or favor; 
        and
Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez will always remain an enduring symbol of integrity, 
        independence, solid principles, and strength of character, and will 
        always remind us of what it means to give honorable public service, as 
        he did to his San Antonio constituents, the State of Texas, and to all 
        Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) has learned with profound sorrow of the death of the 
        Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez on November 28, 2000, and 
        extends condolences to the Gonzalez family, and especially to 
        his wife Bertha and their 8 children;
            (2) expresses its profound gratitude to the Honorable Henry 
        Barbosa Gonzalez and his family for the service that he 
        rendered to his country; and
            (3) recognizes with appreciation and respect the Honorable 
        Henry Barbosa Gonzalez's commitment to and example of 
        leadership and commitment to public service and to his 
        constituents, and his serving as a role model for generations 
        to come.

SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION

    The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an 
enrolled copy of this Concurrent Resolution to the family of the 
Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez.
                                 <all>