[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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