[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7630-H7632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   KIKA DE LA GARZA FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2322) to designate the Federal building located at 320 North 
Main Street in McAllen, Texas, as the ``Kika de la Garza Federal 
Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2322

       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 320 North Main Street in 
     McAllen, Texas, shall be known and designated as the ``Kika 
     de la Garza 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 ``Kika de la Garza Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Corrine Brown) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 2322, introduced by Representative Lloyd Doggett, designates the 
Federal building located in McAllen, Texas, as the Kika de la Garza 
Federal Building. The bill honors former Congressman Kika de la Garza 
from Texas, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 32 
years.
  Congressman de la Garza started his career of civil service early 
when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17. After his military 
service, he earned a law degree from St. Mary's University in San 
Antonio. Following law school, he was elected to the Texas House of 
Representatives, where he served for six consecutive terms. 
Representative de la Garza was elected in 1964 to the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  During his 32 years of service in Washington, de la Garza 
accomplished countless goals and participated in a number of historic 
events, including the creation of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
  This bill is a fitting tribute to former Representative de la Garza. 
I support this legislation, and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  H.R. 2322 is a bill to designate the Federal building located at 320 
North Main Street in McAllen, Texas as the Kika de la Garza Federal 
Building. This bill has bipartisan support, and I commend Mr. Doggett 
for his constant and dogged support of this bill.
  Kika, as he is known by everyone, came to the United States Congress 
in 1964 and served the people of Texas for over 30 years. He was the 
first Hispanic American to become chairman of a standing committee and 
served as chairman of the Agricultural Committee from 1981 to 1994. He 
was an outspoken advocate for U.S. agriculture and for programs to 
protect and improve the farm and rural economy.
  Chairman de la Garza led the effort to enact landmark legislation 
such as the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, which established a federally 
fund catastrophic risk coverage policy for crop losses.
  In 1990, he helped pass the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade 
Act of 1990, which reformed export assistance programs and established 
new initiatives to strengthen environmental protection of agricultural 
lands.

                              {time}  2230

  He is a World War II veteran and received his law degree from St. 
Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
  It is fitting and proper to honor the long and distinguished career 
of Congressman de la Garza by designating the Federal building located 
in McAllen, Texas, in his honor. I support H.R. 2322, and urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Doggett), the bill's sponsor.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank both of my colleagues for their 
leadership on this matter, and I am pleased to honor Congressman Kika 
de la Garza as he has honored south Texas and America by his extended 
public service.
  This particular building is located around the corner from where Kika 
de la Garza began his career practicing law in McAllen and also around 
the corner from the district office that I have had the honor to 
maintain this past 2 years in the city of McAllen.
  Kika began humbly and poorly, poor in economic terms but rich in 
talent. His first job was shining shoes, and he rose from that to 
making laws in the State House and later here in the United States 
Congress. But as far as he traveled and as important a position as he 
held here in Washington, he never stopped treating all of his 
constituents as if each one were the most important.
  Kika still remembers an episode from his early days as a lawyer when 
he loaned one of his clients a shirt to keep warm in a cold courthouse. 
Throughout his tenure in Congress, Congressman de la Garza never forgot 
where he came from. It was my pleasure to share one term with him when 
I was first elected to my term that began in 1995.
  At a time when many this year look at the Rio Grande Valley and talk 
about building walls, Congressman de la Garza believed in building 
bridges, literally and figuratively. He worked to improve relations and 
trade between the United States and Mexico throughout his career. He 
promoted dialogue between Members of Congress and our counterparts in 
Mexico. He led efforts to create modern border crossings across the 
Texas-Mexico border and bridges that are now vital links in commerce 
throughout this hemisphere.
  His hard work earned him many honors here, many things named for him 
in the Rio Grande Valley, but also the Order of Aztec Eagle, the 
highest honor that the country of Mexico can bestow on a noncitizen.
  Kika de la Garza is best known for his work here on agriculture, 
particularly his extended service as Chair of the House Agriculture 
Committee. He was the first Hispanic since 1917 to chair a standing 
committee in the United States House of Representatives; and no other 
chairman has ever done so much to advance the concerns of the small 
farmer, the family farmer, as Chairman de la Garza.
  When you ask him of his proudest accomplishments, he points to the 
farm bills that he shepherded through this Congress. He particularly 
remembers his first farm bill as chairman. He gave a speech in this 
very room that won him a standing ovation, but it was his last-minute 
persuasion of a colleague from the other side of the aisle that passed 
the bill by a single vote. Chairman de la Garza knew for the farmer in 
the field results count far more than rhetoric.
  Even though he has retired from this Congress, Kika de la Garza has 
not retired from public life. In fact, we still call him ``Mr. 
Chairman'' in the valley because he is the Democratic precinct chairman 
of Precinct 62 in McAllen. Although he has moved along in years, he has 
maintained the same interest in service that he always has had from his 
origin in the valley.
  When you ask him about his most recent political office, he quotes 
back Tip O'Neill's famous axiom that ``all politics is local.'' From 
humble beginnings in the local community, Kika de

[[Page H7631]]

la Garza has returned home but maintains a legacy that is international 
in scope.
  I want also to commend Lucille de la Garza, who clearly has been his 
partner and continues to be his partner. She served with him through 
the legislature, the Congress and now in McAllen. Kika and Lucille have 
devoted their lives together to enhance the quality of life for all 
citizens of the valley.
  That devotion is also reflected in a great family. George is a 
cardiovascular surgeon who still practices in the valley. Michael is a 
retired Lieutenant Commander in the Navy who defended our country on 
the high seas from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf. Angela is a special 
education teacher at Tobias Elementary School in Kyle, working to pass 
along the world of opportunities that come with a strong public 
education.
  Kika de la Garza is an example to all of us of a true gentleman and 
public servant who brought honor to this Congress through civility, 
respect and commitment to doing what is right. He will serve as an 
appropriate role model for the lawyers and public servants who enter 
into that courthouse, that Federal building named after him in McAllen, 
Texas.
  His lifetime dedication to public service has been a gift to our 
community. Today's tribute is richly deserved, and I thank my 
colleagues for helping to secure the approval of this legislation.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2322, a bill to 
designate the Federal building located at 320 North Main Street in 
McAllen, Texas, as the E. ``Kika'' de la Garza Federal Building.
  E. Kika de la Garza's long and productive career spanned 30 years of 
public service to his constituents in Texas. He was elected to the 
Texas House of Representatives in 1953. In 1964, Kika was elected to 
Congress and served 16 years.
  Congressman de la Garza was the first Hispanic American to become 
Chairman of a standing committee, the Committee on Agriculture. In the 
103rd Congress, Kika led the initiative to enact legislation to revamp 
and streamline the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  He also became one of the founding Members of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus, which he chaired from 1989-1991. His numerous 
legislative accomplishments included creating the Texas Water 
Commission and the Reagan/de la Garza coastal wetlands. He was also a 
driving force behind legislation creating the Nation's first state-run 
system of English language instruction for pre-school age children.
  Kika de la Garza was one of Congress' leading experts on U.S.-Mexican 
relations and worked to improve relations between the two countries. He 
served as Chairman of the Mexican-U.S. Interparliamentary Group, which 
promotes dialogue between the two countries.
  In Congress, Kika was known, on both sides of the aisle, as a 
gentleman who fostered cooperation and bipartisanship. He was devoted 
to his constituents and their needs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2322.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I appreciate this opportunity to express my 
strong support for H.R. 2322, which designates the Federal building 
located at 320 North Main Street in McAllen, Texas, as the ``Kika de la 
Garza Federal Building.'' This honor is well-deserved recognition to 
the former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, co-founder of 
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and one of the most beloved members 
to have served in this House with distinction for more than thirty 
years.
  Elected in 1964 to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas' 15th 
District, Kika de la Garza served the people of the Rio Grande Valley 
and the nation for 16 terms before retiring in 1996. He was one of the 
first Hispanics elected to Congress and the first to chair the 
Committee on Agriculture.
  Born Eligio de la Garza in Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas on 
September 22, 1927, ``Kika'' de la Garza grew up in Mission where he 
attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School and Mission High School. 
At age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served until 1946. He 
continued his education at Edinburg Junior College and the U.S. Army 
Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. De la Garza served in the 
Korean conflict as a second lieutenant with the Army's Thirty-seventh 
Division Artillery. In 1952, he earned a law degree from St. Mary's 
University in San Antonio (where he was later awarded an honorary 
Doctor of Laws degree). That same year he was elected to the Texas 
House of Representatives, where he served for 12 years until his 
election in 1964 to the U.S. House of Representatives.
  As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Kika de la Garza 
had numerous legislative accomplishments, including the absorption of 
Pan American University into the University of Texas system, the 
creation of the Texas Water Commission, and the establishment of the 
Reagan/de la Garza coastal wetlands. He was the driving force behind 
legislation creating the nation's first state-run system of English 
language instruction for pre-school age children. He also sponsored a 
bill allowing Texas' border cities and counties to build their own 
international bridges.
  Because he hailed from a district with a large agricultural base, de 
la Garza joined the House Committee on Agriculture. In 1967 he served 
as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Department Operations and Foreign 
Agriculture. From 1981 to 1994, he chaired the Committee on 
Agriculture, becoming the first Hispanic since 191 7 (when Ladislas 
Lazaro chaired the Enrolled Bills Committee) to chair a standing 
committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  During his tenure as Agriculture Chairman, Representative de la Garza 
successfully led the way for the House to pass three omnibus farm bills 
(1981, 1985, and 1990), a major overhaul of the agricultural lending 
system, federal crop insurance reform, a major reorganization of the 
USDA, reforms in federal pesticide laws, and numerous other measures 
relating to agriculture, rural economic development, and nutrition.

  During Kika de la Garza's 13 years of leadership as Chairman of the 
Agriculture Committee, major agricultural legislation was enacted, 
including the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981; the Temporary Emergency 
Food Assistance Act of 1983, which authorized distribution of 
government- owned surplus commodities to indigent persons; and the Food 
Security Act, which included provisions to shift the direction of farm 
programs to more market-oriented levels, strengthened export programs, 
and created a conservation reserve targeted at highly erosive 
croplands. His Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 revised credit 
assistance programs, restructured the Farm Credit System, and 
facilitated creation of a secondary market for agricultural loans. In 
1988 and 1989, he managed to passage the Disaster Assistance Acts to 
provide assistance to farmers and ranchers who lost crop production due 
to drought and other natural disasters that occurred during this 
period.
  A strong supporter of civil rights safeguard for minorities, de la 
Garza has successfully fought for improved access to health care for 
the elderly and veterans, better living conditions for low-income 
individuals and the impoverished, and access to educational 
opportunities for all Americans.
  An influential proponent of free trade, de la Garza also was 
instrumental in the passage of both the North American Free Trade 
Agreement (NAFTA) and the expansion of the General Agreement on Tariffs 
and Trade (GATT).
  One of Congress' leading experts on U.S.-Mexican relations, de la 
Garza worked to improve relations and trade between the two countries 
throughout his congressional career. In 1966, he became the first 
congressman from the Texas-Mexico border area to serve on the Mexico-
United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, which promotes dialogue 
between legislators from the two countries.
  All in all, Kika de la Garza gave remarkable service to the people of 
Texas, the United States, and this chamber. He was a great congressmen 
and great American.
  For these reasons, I strongly support H.R. 2322, which gives well-
deserved and long overdue recognition to this great American and former 
member of this House.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2322 which 
would designate the Federal building at 320 North Main Street in 
McAllen, Texas as the ``Kika de la Garza Federal Building.'' I want to 
thank my colleague, Congressman Lloyd Doggett for his efforts in 
bringing this measure forward.
  I am proud to represent the district that was held for over 32 years 
by my friend Kika de la Garza. Congressman de la Garza had a 
distinguished career in public service first as a state legislator then 
as a Member of Congress.
  As a state legislator, he created the Nation's first state-run system 
of English language instruction for pre-school children. As a Member of 
Congress, he was instrumental in protecting rural and agriculture 
communities through his work as Chairman of the House Agriculture 
Committee. Kika was also a founding member of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus and worked to improve the quality of life for Hispanic 
Americans. As an expert on U.S.-Mexican relations he worked to build 
bridges between Mexico and the U.S., not walls.
  After such a lifetime of service, it is very fitting that the Federal 
building in McAllen is being named after such great Texan and a great 
American. I urge my colleague to support this resolution.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H7632]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2322.
  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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