[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H7640-H7642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RONALD H. BROWN FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R.

[[Page H7641]]

29) to designate the Federal building located at 290 Broadway in New 
York, NY, as the ``Ronald H. Brown Federal Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 29

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located at 290 Broadway in New York, 
     New York, shall be known and designated as the ``Ronald H. 
     Brown Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Ronald H. Brown Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Kim] and the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California [Mr. Kim].
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 29 designates the Federal building 
located at 490 Broadway, New York City, as the Ronald H. Brown Federal 
Building. Ronald H. Brown was the first African-American Secretary of 
Commerce. He was a strong advocate for economic development, promoting 
United States exports, technology, and entrepreneurship throughout the 
world, in pursuit of accelerating the Nation's economic growth and the 
creation of new job opportunities for America.
  Secretary Brown was also a dedicated advocate for the Department of 
Commerce. He avidly pursued the Department's mission to ensure economic 
opportunity for all the citizens of the United States and provided a 
strong voice for business in the Presidential Cabinet.
  Secretary Brown was killed in a plane crash in April 1996 while 
overseas on an economic development mission. He is survived by his wife 
and two children, a son and daughter. This is a fine tribute to his 
memory. I support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel], the author of this bill, one 
of the strongest Members in the Congress and leader on tax and trade 
issues.
  (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the committee, 
the subcommittee chairman, the members of the committee and the entire 
committee for considering this great honor we pay to one of our own who 
was in Government. The reason I am so close to this is because I come 
from that same community that the late Ron Brown did come from, and it 
just makes you feel more of an American when you can see someone soar 
with the eagles and able to perform for our great Nation, and you 
remembered him from the streets of Lennox Avenue in Harlem, remembered 
him as a kid in a hotel where his dad was the manager of that hotel, 
and I, of course, served as a desk clerk there. I remember him going to 
school, working late in law school at night, and at the same time, 
fighting for people's rights with the Urban League.
  To see him succeed and still not lose any of the grace that he had 
when he was a younger man and to move up even further to become our 
great Secretary of Commerce, I think it honors not just the people from 
the Harlem that I come from, but those communities throughout this 
great Nation of ours that have so little hope for themselves that 
vicariously they can see that any American, regardless of his or her 
background or their color, that our country would not be able to clamp 
the personality, the pride, and the distinguishing features that he had 
to make our Nation even greater. So we have already passed this bill, 
and it was not worked on by the other side. I do hope that we are 
successful this time, that we all can persuade the Senate to basically 
do the right thing.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with those remarks. I would 
like to say that were it not for the political savvy, acumen, and 
skill, we may not have had a President by the name of William Jefferson 
Clinton. Ron did a tremendous job in bringing the Democrat Party 
forward, working out many of the problems, and as Secretary of Commerce 
he advanced the interests of the business concerns of the United States 
of America around the world.
  He was a leader, he was a fighter, he was tenacious, and he was a 
kind and gentle person and he cared for people. It is absolutely 
fitting that we join forces with the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Rangel] here today and pass this.
  Let me say this to the gentleman from California [Mr. Kim], we will 
need all the help of the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Shuster] and 
everyone on that side of the aisle, because this is a fitting tribute 
and naming and we will need help with the other body. I thank the 
gentleman for working with us on this issue and his staff.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
in support of H.R. 29, a bill designating a Federal building in New 
York City as the ``Ronald H. Brown Federal Building.'' I want to 
recognize the efforts of Representative Rangel who introduced this 
legislation in January with 25 cosponsors.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, in April 1996, 33 Americans including 
Secretary Ron Brown, employees of the Department of Commerce, business 
leaders, and military personnel died in a plane crash in Croatia. Ron 
Brown spent his entire life as a consensus builder working hard for his 
family and his Nation, constantly striving to bring people together. He 
was a man who was always in the arena striving for greatness and truly 
embodied what is right in America. With his death, America lost a 
tremendous leader.
  Having served as the first African-American Secretary of Commerce, 
Ron Brown was always seeking to bridge the racial divide in our country 
and worked hard to create and protect American jobs. He brought a sense 
of energy and creativity to the Commerce Department which allowed him 
to successfully rally labor and management, Republicans and Democrats, 
and foreign governments with American interests. This was most evident 
in the strong support that the private sector had shown for the 
Department.
  Today, the House will pass this legislation which represents a small, 
yet meaningful, gesture of our admiration and appreciation for a man 
whom many considered the best Secretary of Commerce ever. I am sure 
that Alma and the entire Brown family is proud to see this building 
named in honor of Ron Brown. I applaud the leadership in bringing this 
legislation to the floor and join with my colleagues in supporting H.R. 
29 and allowing the legacy of Ron Brown to live on in the Federal 
building located at 290 Broadway in New York City.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I join Mr. Rangel in supporting H.R. 29 a 
bill to designate the new Federal building at 290 Broadway in New York 
City as the Ron Brown Federal Building.
  Ron Brown was an extraordinary man--a leader who gave his boundless 
energy and enthusiasm to numerous causes. He served as an army captain, 
vice president of the National Urban League, counsel to the Senate 
Judiciary Committee, and was the first African-American Secretary of 
Commerce.
  He was an attorney, a trusted adviser, friend, husband, and father.
  It is most fitting to honor Ron Brown by designating the new Federal 
building in his hometown of New York as the Ron Brown Federal Building.
  Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend and 
great American, Ronald H. Brown or as he was known to millions of 
people around the world, those who knew him well and those who barely 
knew him, Ron. This fact alone, is a testament to the great charisma 
that Ron possessed and indeed, the true mark of a statesman.
  Ron worked tirelessly as the Secretary of Commerce to forge new 
ground for U.S. commerce and create new jobs for all Americans. He 
traveled the world seeking out new opportunities for U.S. businesses. 
It was on one of these fateful trips that Ron lost his life in an 
airplane crash on a hill in Bosnia. Ron made the ultimate sacrifice for 
something he believed in--the United States of America.
  It is fitting that this building that houses Federal agencies and the 
site of the recently discovered African slave burial ground, serve as a 
memorial to this American son who worked so hard and gave so much to 
make this country an even greater one.
  I encourage all my colleagues to join me in designating this Federal 
building the Ronald H. Brown Federal building as a tribute to one of 
America's hardest working public servants, Ronald H. Brown.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by

[[Page H7642]]

the gentleman from California [Mr. Kim] that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 29.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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