[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 149 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H7463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1450
JESSE J. McCRARY, JR.
POST OFFICE
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5655) to designate the Little River Branch facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 140 NE 84th Street in Miami,
Florida, as the ``Jesse J. McCrary, Jr. Post Office.''
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5655
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JESSE J. MCCRARY, JR. POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The Little River Branch facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 140 NE 84th Street in
Miami, Florida, shall be known and designated as the ``Jesse
J. McCrary, Jr. Post Office''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Jesse J. McCrary, Jr. Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from California
(Mr. Bilbray) 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 may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. I now yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform, I present H.R. 5655 for consideration. This measure
designates the Little River Branch facility of the United States Postal
Service, located at 140 Northeast 84th Street, in Miami, Florida, as
the Jesse J. McCrary, Jr. Post Office.
H.R. 5655 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from
Florida, Mr. Kendrick Meek, on June 30, 2010. It was referred to the
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it
reported favorably by unanimous consent on July 28, 2010. It enjoys the
support of the entire Florida delegation to the House.
Jesse J. McCrary, Jr. was the first African American member of the
Florida cabinet since the end of Reconstruction, being appointed to
that post in 1978. He is also remembered for his work as a civil rights
activist, leading lunch counter sit-ins in Tallahassee during his days
studying at Florida A&M. Mr. McCrary also had an esteemed legal career,
serving as Florida's first African American assistant attorney general
in 1967. He was renowned for his knowledge of constitutional law and
for his skill at debate and argument.
In 2003, 2 years after Mr. McCrary suffered a disabling stroke, the
Florida House passed a resolution honoring him as a ``living legend''
and as a ``preeminent authority on constitutional law who won 10
landmark cases presented before the Florida Supreme Court.'' His
colleagues remember him as a dedicated public servant and as a fierce
advocate for underserved communities. Sadly, Mr. McCrary died of lung
cancer on October 29, 2007.
Mr. Speaker, let us now take time to honor the memory of this great
public servant, Jesse J. McCrary, Jr., through the passage of H.R.
5655, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BILBRAY. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5655, and 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, the gentleman from Florida,
Representative Kendrick Meek.
(Mr. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Speaker, Jesse McCrary was an outstanding American, and I believe
the chair did a very fine job in outlining his track record of what he
was able to accomplish on behalf of not only this country, but of the
State of Florida. He was a trailblazer in the first of many areas, a
barrister of all barristers in the State of Florida, his memory being
one of creating organizations for those who walked the trail that he
actually made.
He started at the Wilkie Ferguson Bar Association, which is in south
Florida. It is a place for young African American lawyers who join the
legal field in the south Florida area. It is a place where they can go
and share notes and can talk about experiences. They also receive
professional advice from those who came before them.
Jesse McCrary was an American who believed in serving. Even though he
was a legal eagle, he took time to talk to people in the public
defender's office. He took time to talk to young lawyers in the State
attorney's office. He took time to talk to 501(c)(3) lawyers and to
share with them the importance of the legal community.
So I am very honored that we are moving this legislation forward to
recognize his memory and enshrine it in south Florida, and I know the
south Florida community will be forever grateful of the House of
Representatives' endorsement of his memory and of his purpose.
Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, may I again urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting this measure.
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. 5655.
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.
____________________