[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 79 (Monday, June 19, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4195-H4196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      MORRIS W. MILTON POST OFFICE

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5104) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1750 16th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, 
as the ``Morris W. Milton Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5104

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

     SECTION 1. MORRIS W. MILTON POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1750 16th Street South in St. Petersburg, 
     Florida, shall be known and designated as the ``Morris W. 
     Milton Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Morris W. Milton Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5104, offered by the distinguished gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Davis), would designate the post office building at 1750 
16th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the Morris W. Milton 
Post Office.
  Morris Milton was one of the most dedicated and courageous attorneys 
in St. Petersburg, Florida. He fought tirelessly for the rights of the 
disadvantaged and was responsible for the hiring of more minority 
teachers and the promotion of more African Americans to prominent 
administrative jobs at the Pinellas County School Board. He also 
represented the NAACP in a court battle against Pinellas County voter 
registration practices and was outspoken against police brutality.
  Along with his impressive legal career, Mr. Morris also found time to 
establish the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida and to serve as 
president of the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP for 10 years. His 
gracious community involvement also included serving on the board of 
directors of the Pinellas United Way, participating in the Pinellas 
Opportunity Council, the Pinellas County Urban League and the Bethune-
Cookman Alumni Association.
  I urge all Members to come together to honor a dedicated community 
member and true civil rights pioneer by passing H.R. 5104.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 5104, a 
measure sponsored by Representative Jim Davis. H.R. 5104 names a postal 
facility in St. Petersburg, Florida, after Morris W. Milton. Mr. Milton 
was known as a creative and courageous attorney who fought for the 
rights of the disenfranchised and disadvantaged in his St. Petersburg 
community.
  The measure has the support and cosponsorship of the entire Florida 
delegation and was unanimously reported by the Committee on Government 
Reform on May 4, 2006.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank 
Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Waxman for bringing this bill to the 
floor. Today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5104, naming the Morris 
W. Milton Post Office in St. Petersburg, FL.
  From the moment he became a lawyer until his untimely death in 1986, 
at the age of 42, Morris Wilbert Milton, Sr. was one of the most 
courageous and creative attorneys who fought for the rights of the 
disenfranchised and disadvantaged in Florida and particularly in the 
St. Petersburg area.
  Mr. Milton grew up in Welaka, Florida in Putnam County. He received 
his bachelor of arts degree from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona 
Beach and a doctor of jurisprudence from Howard University School of 
Law in Washington, DC.
  One of his greatest contributions to the community came in his 
commitment to convince the Florida Legislature to adopt a plan for 
single member legislative districts. In 1982, Florida had one of the 
smallest numbers of black state legislatures, five, in the South. In 
1981, the Florida Legislature had 21 public hearings, and Milton 
attended many of them. Traveling back and forth to Tallahassee, he was 
relentless in his appeal. In 1982, the Legislature carved the area into 
smaller districts to elect one representative each. As a result, the 
House wound up with seven majority African American House seats and 
seven majority Hispanic seats.
  In addition to this, throughout his impressive legal career, Morris 
Milton fought for the hiring of more minority teachers and the 
promotion of more African Americans to prominent administrative jobs at 
the Pinellas County School Board. He was a counsel for the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, in a court 
battle against voter registration practices in Pinellas County and 
spoke out against police brutality.
  Along with his legal work, Mr. Milton also found time to establish 
the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida and to be president of the St. 
Petersburg branch of the NAACP for 10 years.
  Mr. Milton's concern for the entire community led him to volunteer 
his services on the board of directors of the Pinellas United Way, 
Pinellas Opportunity Council, the Pinellas County Urban League, and the 
Bethune-Cookman Alumni Association. He was also on the Sixth Circuit 
Judicial Nominating Committee for judges.
  So, it is my pleasure to sponsor this legislation to designate the 
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1750 16th 
Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the ``Morris W. Milton Post 
Office,'' in honor of such a admirable man. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting H.R. 5104.

[[Page H4196]]

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the passage of H.R. 
5104, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5104.
  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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