[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 137 (Monday, October 5, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9454-H9455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ROXANNE H. JONES POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4001) to designate the United States Postal Service building 
located at 2601 North 16th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the 
``Roxanne H. Jones Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4001

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

     SECTION 1. ROXANNE H. JONES POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 2601 North 16th Street, in Philadelphia, 
     Pennsylvania, shall be known and designated as the ``Roxanne 
     H. Jones Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Roxanne H. Jones Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Sessions) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the bill, H.R. 4001.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SESSIONS Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4001 was introduced by the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), also one of my colleagues on the 
subcommittee. The legislation was introduced on June 5, 1998 and is 
cosponsored by the entire House delegation from the State of 
Pennsylvania pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight.
  H.R. 4001 designates the building of the United States Postal Service 
located at 2601 North 16th Street in Philadelphia as the Roxanne H. 
Jones Post Office Building.
  In 1984, Roxanne H. Jones became the first African American elected 
to the Pennsylvania State Senate. She was reelected for two additional 
terms before her untimely death in 1997.
  Ms. Jones was involved in numerous community and professional 
organizations. She helped the founding of the Philadelphia Citizens in 
Action, participated in the National Welfare Rights Organization, and 
worked diligently on the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.
  As a former welfare recipient, Ms. Jones was committed to improving 
the conditions of people who were on welfare. While in the Pennsylvania 
State Senate, she was instrumental in passing legislation to help break 
the cycle of welfare dependency. She supported legislation expanding 
affordable housing and obtaining State funding for drug treatment 
centers for mothers and their children who were addicted to drugs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 4001, naming a 
post office in honor of Ms. Roxanne H. Jones who performed selflessly 
for the people of her State and community.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman and, through him, the 
majority for allowing this and these other bills that we have handled 
to come to the floor under this expedited procedure.
  The late Senator Roxanne Jones is someone who I served with in the 
State Senate of Pennsylvania. Before that, as I worked as a member of 
the State House, I had an opportunity to visit the upper chamber from 
time to time to seek her guidance and wisdom as I sought to move 
legislation through that chamber. She is someone who, however, I knew 
well before that.
  She led many a demonstration, protest, meeting, conference on issues 
related to the plight of those more disadvantaged, perhaps, than some 
others in our city of Philadelphia, which has been referred to as the 
city of brotherly love, but Roxanne also suggested that it was also the 
city of sisterly affection, if you will.
  She was both brilliant and beautiful and brave. I saw her lead 
demonstrations and sleep-ins in the rotunda of the capitol fighting on 
behalf of issues that many other legislators from time to time wanted 
to ignore.
  She helped successfully pass legislation years ago that moved people 
from welfare to work through a provision of job training and day care 
and transportation subsidies that saw in Pennsylvania, under both 
Republican and Democratic governors, our welfare rolls go down by some 
300,000 through the provision of helping people off of the welfare 
roles, which is something that was before its time as it became an 
issue of national occurrence.
  Her efforts in terms of drug treatment were not just to secure 
treatment for young women who were drug addicted, but to make sure that 
they did not have to make the unfortunate choice of separating 
themselves from their children. She fought for successfully the first 
drug treatment facilities

[[Page H9455]]

in our State so that women could come and also bring their children 
along so that they could be there and close by.
  She was someone who worked hard up until her untimely death. Her 
chief of staff, Michael Joynes, and others served the city of 
Philadelphia and their constituents well, people who continue to 
remember her.

                              {time}  1700

  She was also a parent of children and as a mother saw to it that her 
own children were well taken care of. Yes, she was a national leader on 
issues of aid to the poor and a state Senator. She also was someone who 
placed her faith in God, worked very hard, and rose above the ordinary 
and achieved the extraordinary.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for allowing this great honor to 
be bestowed upon her, but in truth, she bestowed upon us a great honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for 
his grace and charm in enunciating the love of Philadelphia and 
Pennsylvania for both of these people.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barrett of Nebraska). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sessions) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4001.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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