[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H26]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HISTORIC MOMENTS FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am sure that my colleagues 
join me in welcoming the 54 new Members to this august body and the 
returning Members who are charged with helping to chart the course for 
these new Members, knowing that they have a very complex and awesome 
responsibility. But, Mr. Speaker, today has been an historic day for 
us. We have seen, for the first time ever a woman, a Democratic woman, 
whose name was put in nomination for the Speakership of the U.S. House 
of Representatives, and another woman who became the chairwoman of the 
congressional Republican Conference. Those are historic moments for us, 
Mr. Speaker, and as the Democratic chair of the Women's Caucus, I am 
very much enjoyous of this momentous occasion that has brought these 
two women front and center to leadership roles.
  So as we convene this 108th Congress, we should also pause to look at 
the other historic notes that were taken today in this esteemed body, 
as we convened with two sibling pairs of Members that have come to this 
House. The Sanchez sisters from California and the Diaz-Balart brothers 
from Florida will serve simultaneously as teams in this Congress, 
representing diverse districts on opposite coasts of this great 
country. My esteemed colleagues, with their formidable backgrounds, are 
all accomplished in their own rights, coming from immigrant families 
and immigrant backgrounds who have truly lived the American dream with 
hard work, as productive members of society, giving back and serving 
the people of their communities. They have now been elected to the U.S. 
Congress.
  The senior sister, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta 
Sanchez), has an MBA from American University and is an accomplished 
businesswoman, assisting municipalities and private companies in 
strategic planning and capital acquisition. The State of California 
selected her to independently review the financial status of Orange 
County's first toll road to save about $300 million in financing costs. 
The junior sister, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda Sanchez), 
with her law degree from UCLA, was a civil rights lawyer and labor 
activist heading up the Orange County AFL-CIO.
  The senior brother, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-
Balart), has a law degree from Cleveland, Ohio's Case Western Reserve 
University, which he used to provide free legal service to the poor. 
The junior brother, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart), 
served in the Florida State Legislature for 14 years before being 
elected to serve in this Chamber.
  Mr. Speaker, let us welcome all of these outstanding freshman 
Members, these pairs of siblings who have come to serve their 
respective districts, but who have made history, along with the two 
outstanding women, and may we all embrace them as they take their 
rightful roles. I know that all of us salute the Latino community, 
because they are proud of today's historic events, as well as all 
Americans are proud of these pairs of siblings.

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