[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO REGISTERED NURSES

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I rise today to pay tribute to the Nation's 
registered nurses and to congratulate them for the impossible job--but 
remarkable job--that they do in nurturing and serving and healing 
America's sick.
  In Harris County, Texas, the county that I represent, the county 
presents 24,480 registered nurses. Nurses are patient advocates and act 
fearlessly to protect the lives of those under their care.
  Nurses care for patients but participate in a wide variety of needed 
scientific research, and fight cultural and ethnic disparities and 
treat all patients as equal. Nurses are also teachers not only to 
future generations of nurses, but to the public, educating us on health 
and safety.
  In a year where health care reform is a top priority, it is 
significant to acknowledge that 33 national nursing organizations have 
endorsed a consensus statement for the nursing community that 
complements five of President Obama's tenets.
  The real issue is that they have come together to organize around 
good health care. I celebrate the fact that nurses are in Washington, 
D.C., speaking on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. It 
is important to respect the contributions that our nurses make.

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