[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 131 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 131

  Recognizing and honoring the lifetime contributions of Rafael Jose 
  Diaz-Balart on the dedication of the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall at the 
            Florida International University College of Law.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2007

 Mr. Meek of Florida (for himself, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida, 
 Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Feeney, 
Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Mack, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Hastings 
of Florida, Mr. Mica, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Keller of Florida, 
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Klein of Florida, Mr. Buchanan, Ms. 
Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Mahoney of Florida, Mr. Boyd of Florida, 
    Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, and Ms. Castor) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing and honoring the lifetime contributions of Rafael Jose 
  Diaz-Balart on the dedication of the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall at the 
            Florida International University College of Law.

Whereas a native of Santiago de Cuba, Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart completed his 
        studies at the University of Havana with a law degree in 1919;
Whereas soon after joining the Bar, he became a municipal judge in the city of 
        Palma Soriano, where he served with distinction for four years until, by 
        civil service examination, he obtained the post of civil law notary in 
        the town of Banes in eastern Cuba;
Whereas, while maintaining his law practice, Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart was elected 
        City Council President and Mayor of Banes;
Whereas he was later elected Congressman and transferred his law practice to the 
        city of Holguin and subsequently to Havana, where he founded the law 
        firm of Diaz-Balart, Diaz-Balart and Amador, with his son, Rafael 
        Lincoln, and Rolando Amador;
Whereas, years later, also by examination, Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart assumed the 
        post of Land Registrar, a prominent achievement for lawyers in many 
        civil law countries, including Cuba;
Whereas Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart lived in exile after 1959, and became a proud 
        citizen of the United States;
Whereas along with his son, Rafael Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart 
        commenced law school at the University of Madrid, Spain, and in 1965, at 
        age 66, earned a second Law Degree;
Whereas Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart died in Miami, Florida in 1985;
Whereas Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart instilled not only in his son, but in his four 
        grandsons a sense of honor and service, which led them to become 
        prominent members of American society;
Whereas his son, Rafael Lincoln, was a prominent member of the Cuban House of 
        Representatives, and his grandsons, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-
        Balart were elected to the United States House of Representatives in 
        1992 and 2002, respectively, Jose Diaz Balart became a prominent 
        journalist as the Washington bureau chief for Telemundo Network and was 
        the first United States journalist to host daily Spanish and English 
        language newscasts, and Rafael Diaz-Balart became a prominent Miami 
        investment banker;
Whereas, on February 10, 2007, Florida International University will dedicate 
        the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall as the new home of the College of Law;
Whereas Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall will provide a state-of-the-art facility for 
        teaching, research, and study, as well as scholarly and social 
        interaction; and
Whereas the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall was designed by the internationally renowned 
        architect Robert A. M. Stern, Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale 
        University: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives honors the lifetime 
accomplishments and legacy of Rafael Jose Diaz-Balart for his numerous 
contributions to democracy, and recognizes the Florida International 
University dedication of the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall at the College of 
Law as an appropriate tribute in his memory.
                                 <all>