[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 103 (Monday, June 25, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7015-H7017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    GEORGE HOWARD, JR. FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2011) to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as 
the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2011

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

     SECTION 1. GEORGE HOWARD, JR. FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED 
                   STATES COURTHOUSE.

       (a) Designation.--The Federal building and United States 
     courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, 
     Arkansas, shall be known and designated as the ``George 
     Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other

[[Page H7016]]

     record of the United States to the Federal building and 
     United States courthouse referred to in subsection (a) shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the ``George Howard, Jr. 
     Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Boustany) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 2011.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2011 is a bill to designate the Federal building 
and United States courthouse at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, 
Arkansas as the George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.
  Judge Howard, who recently died at age 82, was an icon of the 
judicial community in Arkansas. He had a lifetime filled with 
accomplishments, first African American Federal judge in Arkansas, 
distinguished legal career, Navy veteran, and dedicated family man. He 
served with distinction on the Arkansas Supreme Court, the Arkansas 
Court of Appeals, and the Arkansas State Claims Commission.
  After graduating from the University of Arkansas Law School, George 
Howard, Jr. began a long illustrious, trailblazing legal career in his 
home State of Arkansas. After initially working as an attorney in 
private practice, Judge Howard received his first appointment in 1967 
to the Arkansas State Claims Commission. He was then appointed to the 
Arkansas State Supreme Court as an Arkansas State Supreme Court 
Justice, and was later appointed by then Governor Bill Clinton as State 
Court of Appeals judge in 1979. Judge Howard later began his Federal 
service in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter appointed him a Federal 
District Judge in Arkansas.
  The bill has bipartisan support from the Arkansas delegation. It is 
both fitting and appropriate that we honor Judge Howard's legacy with 
this designation. I support H.R. 2011 and urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 2011 designates the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as 
the George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse. 
The bill honors Judge Howard, who was the first African American 
appointed to the Federal bench in Arkansas.
  Judge Howard served in the United States Navy during World War II. 
And after receiving his law degree from the University of Arkansas at 
Fayetteville, he engaged in the private practice of law in Pine Bluff, 
Arkansas.
  His career in public service included serving on the Arkansas State 
Claims Commission, the Arkansas Supreme Court, and the Arkansas Court 
of Appeals, and culminated in his appointment to the Federal bench.
  In 1980, President Carter appointed Judge Howard to the United States 
District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. Judge 
Howard's tenure on the bench ended with his passing at the age of 82 on 
April 21, 2007.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues 
to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Ross of Arkansas.
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2011, a bill 
to dedicate the Federal building and United States courthouse in Pine 
Bluff, Arkansas as the George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United 
States Courthouse.

                              {time}  1430

  First I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Norton, 
Congressman Boustany, and others for their support and assistance in 
moving this bill from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
in a bipartisan manner to the floor of the United States House of 
Representatives. I am also pleased that the entire Arkansas 
congressional delegation, Congressmen Marion Berry, Vic Snyder, and 
John Boozman, are supporting and cosponsoring this very important bill 
with me in a bipartisan way.
  Judge George Howard, Jr., was a great American who served his country 
in the State of Arkansas with great dignity. He was born in Pine Bluff, 
Arkansas, where he practiced law and actively served in the community 
for over 40 years. He attended Lincoln University in Missouri and the 
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received his law 
degree in 1954, among the first African Americans to graduate from the 
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Law School.
  During World War II, he chose to serve his country by enlisting in 
the Navy. Judge Howard was known to be a pioneer throughout his career 
as he became the first African American in the State of Arkansas to 
serve on the State Claims Commission, State Supreme Court, the court of 
appeals, and eventually rising to become the first African American 
Federal judge for the U.S. District Court in Arkansas.
  Judge Howard was the first African American member of the State 
Supreme Court, appointed by then Governor David Pryor in 1977 before 
being appointed to the State court of appeals by then Governor Bill 
Clinton in 1979.
  As a judge, George Howard, Jr. was admired for his fairness and deep 
belief in the fundamental idea of justice for all. Judge Howard will 
forever be remembered as a dedicated public servant who cared deeply 
about his faith, his family, his work, his State, his country, and the 
judicial process.
  In respect to Judge Howard's life, career and public service, I felt 
that it was appropriate to introduce legislation in Congress to 
dedicate the Federal building and courthouse in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 
as the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.''
  Mr. Speaker, I can think of no better way to recognize his legacy and 
his steadfast commitment to justice and equality than by officially 
renaming this Federal building and courthouse in the city he loved and 
called home, Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
  His life and service have paved the way for so many others who pursue 
careers in public service and law. His life and service opened many 
doors for African Americans throughout Pine Bluff in southeast 
Arkansas.
  Judge Howard passed away on April 21, 2007. He will forever be 
remembered and his contributions to the State of Arkansas and our 
Nation live on. It is my hope that each person who walks through the 
doors of the George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse in Pine 
Bluff, Arkansas, will have an even greater appreciation for the 
countless contributions Judge Howard made in the lives of people across 
the State of Arkansas. May this courthouse that hopefully will soon 
bear his name serve as a reminder to all of us that while he is no 
longer with us, the example, the shining example, of community service, 
public service, and of being fair to all people can live on.
  This recognition will serve as a reminder to young people in Pine 
Bluff, Arkansas, and to future generations that committing one's self 
to education, hard work, and pursuing a career in public service can be 
good and noble.
  I am proud to sponsor this bill in Congress, and I urge my fellow 
colleagues to vote in favor of it today.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. 
Ross) for bringing this legislation to the floor, and I commend the 
Arkansas delegation for its consideration of Judge Howard's tenure and 
time on the bench.
  I support this legislation and urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Arkansas for 
recognizing a true civil rights and judicial pioneer when that was not 
easy at a time when there were few like him.

[[Page H7017]]

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
2011, a bill to designate the Federal building and United States 
Courthouse in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal 
Building and United States Courthouse''.
  Judge George Howard, Jr. was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on May 13, 
1924. He began his service to our Nation at the age of 18 when he was 
drafted into military service during World War II. Judge Howard served 
with distinction in the United States Navy with the Construction 
Battalion--or the ``Seabees''--in the South Pacific.
  After completing his military service, Judge George Howard, Jr. 
returned to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and re-enrolled in high school to 
complete his high school education. Upon graduating from high school, 
Judge Howard attended the pre-law program at Lincoln University in 
Missouri and graduated with honors. Judge Howard subsequently attended 
the University of Arkansas School of Law. He was the first African-
American student to live on campus in the newly desegregated campus 
dormitories. He earned his law degree in 1954.
  After graduating from law school, Judge Howard began a long, 
illustrious, and trailblazing legal career in his home State of 
Arkansas. In the 1950s, Judge Howard started a private law practice and 
devoted his energies to representing those whose voices would not 
otherwise be heard. He subsequently served on the Arkansas State Claims 
Commission, the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the Arkansas Supreme 
Court. In 1980, President Carter appointed Judge Howard to the U.S. 
District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. Judge Howard 
was Arkansas' first African-American Federal judge.
  Through his pursuit of legal and racial equality, and his exemplary 
career in public service, Judge Howard helped to pave the way for other 
African-Americans to pursue careers in law and public service. From his 
time as a private attorney, to his service as President of the State 
Council of Branches of the National Association of Colored People, 
NAACP, Judge Brown's judicial ideals were grounded in the fundamental 
belief of justice for all.
  Judge Howard passed away on April 21, 2007, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 
at the age of 82. In honor of Judge George Howard, Jr.'s outstanding 
contributions to the State of Arkansas, the Federal judiciary, and his 
distinguished legal career, it is both fitting and proper to designate 
the courthouse located at in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the ``George Howard, 
Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2011.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2011.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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