[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 43 (Thursday, March 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WELCOMING THE HONORABLE ANDRE CARSON TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I know Julia Carson, who was a 
beloved Member of all of us in this body, is looking down from heaven 
today and is very, very proud of Andre. He was the apple of her eye, 
her grandson, and if there was one thing she wanted, she wanted him to 
succeed her in the Congress of the United States. I am sure she is 
very, very happy today.
  Andre has a background in law enforcement. He worked with the State 
police, he worked with Homeland Security in the area of terrorism 
watching and controlling. He is a past member of the City-County 
Council of Indianapolis, and I presume they are going to have to pick 
somebody else to fill your seat now.
  He will be a welcome Member of this body. We congratulate you on your 
election and we look forward to working with you.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I would like everyone to know that we all 
enjoyed Julia very much. But I want you to know this, what just 
happened in the well is Andre responded to the Speaker with two words 
that would make Julia very proud. His first two words as a new Member 
of Congress, he turned and said, ``Yes, ma'am.''
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Andre's wife, I presume, is here with him 
today, Mariama. They are the proud parents of a 1-year-old daughter, 
Salimah. I am sure when she is a little older, she will be very proud 
as well.
  I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky).
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. I appreciate the gentleman yielding, and I appreciate 
the biographical information. That is very important for all of us to 
recognize as far as Andre's achievement. I do think today as he is 
sworn in, he is probably best known as Julia Carson's grandson. 
Henceforth, he will be Andre Carson, Member of Congress, and we welcome 
you.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to our new Member of 
Congress.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, my fellow colleagues, thank you 
for your warm welcome.
  Today, I want to thank the people of Indiana's 7th Congressional 
District. I am truly and extremely humbled by the trust they have 
placed in me, grateful for their support, and committed to serving them 
each and every day.
  I want to thank my wife, Mariama, who has stood with me every step of 
the way, and our 1-year-old daughter, Salimah, who inspires me to 
serve.
  I also want to thank and honor and salute a great leader who I wish 
were here, my grandmother, Congresswoman Julia Carson.
  Thank you.
  For 11 years, she came to this floor as the people's champion. I am 
committed to building on her accomplishments and service to the people 
of the 7th Congressional District and the City of Indianapolis. I can 
think of no better way to honor her memory than by rolling up my 
sleeves and getting to work on day one.
  Our working families, our seniors, our children and our troops are 
counting on us to stand up and take responsibility for the changes we 
need in our country. In Indianapolis and across America, working 
families are struggling in our failing economy. As we are all painfully 
aware, in February alone, 63,000 Americans lost their jobs, many of 
them in the great Hoosier State of Indiana.
  Overseas, we must honor and care for our brave troops. And the best 
way to honor them is to change our direction in Iraq, end this war, and 
bring our troops home.
  Solving these problems won't be easy, but together we can make real 
changes and offer real solutions. We can start by giving middle-class 
families property tax relief. That is why I am proud that today, as my 
first official legislative action, I am signing on to my colleague 
Congressman Baron Hill's bill to provide property tax relief. This will 
help families in Indianapolis and those who have been hit hard with 
high taxes.
  As we move forward, I look forward to meeting with working with all 
of you, Republicans and Democrats, to strengthen our economy, create 
good jobs, and invest in our children.
  Thank you, Indiana; thank you, 7th Congressional District; and thank 
you all. God bless.

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