[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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