[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SUPPORTING THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF LYNDON B. JOHNSON

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                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2008

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the centennial 
birthday of President Lyndon B. Johnson, a proud Texan with a Texas-
sized personality. President Johnson provided the nation with strong 
leadership following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 
and his enduring legacy includes such seminal programs as Medicare and 
Medicaid, and the groundbreaking Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights 
Act.
  One area where President Johnson's leadership continues to be felt 
today is the issue of education. Under his tenure the Bilingual 
Education Act of 1968 was signed into law. This measure directed 
instruction in English as well as multi-cultural awareness in the wake 
of the Civil Rights movement. The Act gave school districts the 
opportunity to provide bilingual education programs without violating 
segregation laws. As someone who grew up only speaking Spanish and had 
to attend a school that only taught in English, I personally know the 
significance of these actions for students in El Paso and the border 
region.
  I will always remember meeting President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 
spring of 1965 while I was attending the University of Texas at Austin, 
and I rise today to honor the impact that he had on our country, and on 
El Paso. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.
  Thank you Madame Speaker.

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