[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 154 (Tuesday, November 30, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7704-H7707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING GOLF LEGEND JUAN ANTONIO ``CHI CHI'' RODRIGUEZ
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1430) honoring and saluting golf legend Juan
Antonio ``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez for his commitment to Latino youth
programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1430
Whereas Juan Antonio ``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez taught himself
how to play golf;
Whereas Rodriguez' strive for perfection, along with his
uncompromising sportsmanship, resulted in a lifetime 38
professional wins, including 8 PGA Tour wins and 22 Senior
PGA Tour wins;
Whereas Rodriguez was the first Puerto Rican inducted into
the World Golf Hall of Fame and was elected to the World
Humanitarian Sports Hall of Fame in 1994;
Whereas the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI),
a Latino youth leadership development and educational
organization in the United States, honored Rodriguez with the
CHCI Service Award for his ongoing commitment to providing
opportunities for Latino youth to succeed;
Whereas Rodriguez is a supporter of CHCI's Fiesta de Golf
Scholarship Challenge, and helped raise more than $824,000
for CHCI's Scholarship Awards Program the past three years;
Whereas Rodriguez' efforts resulted in financial support
for more than 430 scholarships over the past three years to
help Latino youth to attend institutions of higher education;
Whereas Rodriguez remains active with his own Chi Chi
Rodriguez Youth Foundation, which funds the Chi Chi Rodriguez
Academy, whose mission is to assist at-risk children by
improving their self-esteem, character, work ethic, social
adjustment, and academic performance, using the golf course
as a living classroom;
Whereas Rodriguez has helped raise more than $4 million for
his youth foundation, which annually brings 600 children from
Latino and non-Latino low-income families or broken homes to
a municipal golf course to learn responsibility and
discipline by working at the various jobs in golf;
Whereas the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy's program is based on
love and respect, one that builds confidence, instills
discipline and provides positive educational experiences; and
Whereas the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation has earned a
number of awards, including the National Golf Foundation
Award for the Best Youth Program in the United States in
1986, the Pinellas County Sports Salute XVIII for working
with youth in 1990, the 758th Point of Light in 1992, the
Gannett Company's USA Weekend Most Valuable Athlete Award in
1983, based on an athlete's contribution, caring and
commitment off the field, and the Robie Award for
Humanitarianism, presented by the Jackie Robinson Foundation
in 1996: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors and salutes Juan Antonio ``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez
for his contributions to the successful programs of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute for Latino youth and
his lifelong leadership in shaping the lives of at-risk youth
who benefit from the generosity and devotion of the Chi Chi
Rodriguez Youth Foundation; and
(2) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
make available an enrolled copy of this resolution to the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and to the Chi Chi
Rodriguez Youth Foundation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Woolsey) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House
Resolution 1430 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1430, which
honors and salutes golf legend Juan Antonio Rodriguez, widely known as
Chi Chi Rodriguez, for his commitment to the Latino Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute, or CHCI. Mr. Rodriguez is an extraordinarily
accomplished golfer. With 38 professional wins, including eight PGA
Tour and 22 Senior PGA Tour victories, it is no surprise that he was
inducted in 1992 into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto
Rican ever to earn this honor.
Chi Chi Rodriguez worked hard for his success and has never forgotten
his roots in Puerto Rico, where he worked for a dollar a day cutting
sugar cane. Using his surroundings to teach himself the game of golf,
he used a tree branch as a golf club and a metal can as a golf ball.
Chi Chi Rodriguez has worked as tirelessly off the course as well as
on it through his dedicated support of youth and their educational
aspirations. Over the past 3 years, he has raised over $824,000 for
CHCI's Scholarship Awards Program to assist Latino youths in their
pursuit of higher education. These efforts have resulted in financial
support for more than 430 scholarships. Moreover, Mr. Rodriguez
continues to contribute to his own Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation,
which funds the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy.
The Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy assists at-risk children by improving
their self-esteem, character, work ethic, social adjustment, and
academic performance, using the golf course as a living classroom. Mr.
Rodriguez has raised more than $4 million for his academy, which every
year brings 600 children from low-income families or broken homes to a
golf course to learn responsibility and discipline through the game of
golf.
Chi Chi Rodriguez's work for CHCI and his foundation have been
recognized numerous times, including an induction into the World
Humanitarian Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and receiving the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute renowned Service Award in the
year 2010.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this
resolution to honor and salute golf legend Juan Antonio ``Chi Chi''
Rodriguez for his commitment to Latino youth programs of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I
may consume.
Chi Chi Rodriguez was born into a poor family in Puerto Rico, and by
the time he was 9 years old he was proficient at golf. And in 1947, at
the age of 12, he scored a remarkable 67, which I do many times, but I
haven't completed 18 holes of golf at that time.
Rodriguez turned professional in 1960. In 1963, at age 28, he won the
Denver Open, which he considers as his favorite win. In total, he won
eight titles on the PGA Tour between 1963 and 1979. And Rodriguez
became eligible to play on the Senior Tour, now known as the Champions
Tour, in 1985, and did so for many years with great success,
accumulating 22 tournament victories between 1986 and 1993. He was the
first player on the Senior PGA Tour to win the same event in three
consecutive years, and he set a Tour record with eight consecutive
birdies en route to a win in the 1987 Silver Classic.
In 1989, he was voted the Bobby Jones Award, the highest honor given
by the United States Golf Association, in recognition of distinguished
sportsmanship in golf. In 1991, he lost an 18-hole playoff to the
legendary Jack Nicklaus in the U.S. Senior Open. In 1992, Chi Chi
Rodriguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first
Puerto Rican so honored.
Rodriguez considers a brief encounter with Mother Teresa as the
greatest moment in his life. This event inspired
[[Page H7705]]
him to help others. Together with former golf pro Bill Hayes and Bobby
Jones, Rodriguez established the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation,
which funds the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy, whose mission is to assist
at-risk youth by improving their self-esteem, character, work ethic,
social adjustment, and academic performance, using the golf course as a
living classroom.
Rodriguez has helped raise more than $4 million for his foundation,
which annually brings 600 children from Latino and non-Latino families
or broken homes to learn life skills by working various jobs in golf.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield the gentleman from
California, Congressman Baca, as much time as he may consume.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1430,
honoring and saluting golf legend Juan Antonio ``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez.
First, I would like to thank Chairman George Miller, Ranking Member
John Kline, Subcommittee Chair Carolyn McCarthy, Ms. Woolsey, Ranking
Member Todd Russell Platts, and Mr. Roe. I want to take the time to
thank all of my colleagues for their support.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1430, to honor Juan Antonio
``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez. In 1935, Chi Chi Rodriguez was born into a poor
family in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He was one of six siblings. His
father used to earn only $18 a week as a laborer and cattle herder. His
mother was a housekeeper. Their family struggled. When Chi Chi was only
7 years old, he helped families by earning money as a water carrier on
the sugar plantation.
{time} 1640
He soon learned that he could earn more money as a caddy. At that
time, he also taught himself how to play golf--and that is very
difficult for anyone who is playing golf. I have been playing golf for
some time, and it's still very difficult, and I am still trying to
learn--by using tree limbs and a metal can hammered into a ball.
With unyielding determination and discipline by 9 years of age, Chi
Chi could play and win. Boy, that's difficult. You know, we wish we
could play and would have played when we were young like that at the
age of 9.
His uncompromising sportsmanship resulted in a lifetime 38
professional wins, including eight PGA wins, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968,
1972, 1973 and 1979, and 22 senior PGA Tour wins.
Chi Chi Rodriguez was inducted into the PGA World Hall of Fame in
1992. However, his legacy does not end on the links. And I want to
remind everybody, this resolution is not about his golf and what he did
for golf, but it's about what he did as a human being and his
contributions and scholarships to many individuals, and that's why we
are honoring him. I want people to remember that and my colleagues to
remember that. This is not about a golfer, this is about an individual
who was willing to do as much as he can to help other individuals.
Chi Chi Rodriguez's robust charitable contributions for the benefit
of at-risk and underprivileged youth have helped thousands of young
people. He and his wife, Iwalani, have changed lives, and can you
imagine many individuals lives that are changed because someone cared,
someone touched their lives, someone gave them direction, someone gave
them confidence in themselves and said, you know what, there is a
better way of life.
Chi Chi wanted to make a better way of life for many individuals, and
that's why we are honoring him and that's why we are recognizing them.
They have strengthened self-confidence and fostered stellar discipline
in many young people by founding the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy.
The mission of the academy is to assist at-risk children by improving
their self-esteem, character, work ethic, social adjustment, and
academic performance, using the golf course as a living classroom. In
addition, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute honored Chi Chi
Rodriguez with a CHCI Service Award for his ongoing commitment to
providing opportunities for Latino youth to succeed.
His support of CHCI's fiesta, which is a bipartisan Fiesta de Golf
Scholarship Challenge, has helped raise more than $824,000 for CHCI's
Scholarship Awards Program over the past 3 years. These are a sample of
many of the 430-some scholarships that have helped many of our kids,
Javier Acolan, Ranier Gonzalez, Ashley Garcia. These are a few of many
that I could name here tonight but when you look at the faces and you
look at individuals who had an opportunity to pursue their education,
become successful, contribute to our society, this is what Chi Chi is
about, improving our communities, making sure that they become
productive in our communities.
Chi Chi has received many other humanitarian awards due to his giving
nature and leadership. He has received the Salvation Army Gold Crest
Award and the Good Sport Award from Sports Illustrated for Kids.
He was inducted into the World Sport Humanitarian Hall of Fame and
received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Georgetown
College in Kentucky. He also received the American Education Award from
the American Association of School Administrators.
With his support, The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation earned the
National Golf Foundation Award for the Best Youth Program in the United
States in 1986 and the Robie Award for Humanitarianism presented by The
Jackie Robinson Foundation in 1996.
His success on the links has earned Chi Chi Rodriguez a special place
in history.
However, his work, and I state, however his work in helping many
disadvantaged children has earned Chi Chi a special place in each of
our hearts, because it's about giving, it's not about receiving, it's
about helping others, not about what you get. He wasn't about me,
myself and Irene, it was about what can I do to help others. And that's
what Chi Chi wanted to do. He wanted to touch those lives.
He proved that humble beginnings do not define a person. He has shown
us that with hard work and determination that you can be successful,
but you can be caring and you can give back. Because the Lord gave him
something, and he wanted to return something back to others.
By giving back to help our youth, he taught us. Please join me in
honoring and saluting Chi Chi Rodriguez. I urge all Members to support
the passage of H. Res. 1430.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. BACA. I yield to the gentleman from Utah.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. My understanding is that you are actually a board
member of the Congressional Hispanic Institute, is that correct?
Mr. BACA. Yes.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. My understanding is that actually 13 of the 28 sponsors
of this bill are on the board of this, is that correct?
Mr. BACA. Yes.
Would you like to join? We would love to have you join and be part of
the sponsors as well. Because we also have, from your side, a member of
our board that's on that board as well.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. My understanding is that the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute is an independent 501(c)3.
Mr. BACA. That's correct.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. My question, my concern about this is I have one about
recognizing sports folks--and that's a separate issue. He has certainly
accomplished so much on the golf course and off the golf course. I
admire the work that you have done in this Congress.
Mr. BACA. Thank you.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. But it does seem to be a huge conflict of interest to
sponsor a bill recognizing Chi Chi Rodriguez, who then, in turn for his
accomplishments for youth programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Institute. Isn't that a conflict of interest?
Mr. BACA. No, it's not. It's really thinking about someone who has
contributed, someone who has done an awful lot. And it's bipartisan
individuals, both Republican and Democrat, that belong to the CHCI
board as well. We welcome the new Members that were elected to become
part of that board that will say, you know what, we have got to honor
individuals.
It's not about a conflict of interest, it's not about anything else.
It's about
[[Page H7706]]
doing something that's positive for individuals. When someone is going
to receive something in return, then it becomes a conflict of interest.
But we are not receiving anything in return. All we are doing is
honoring an individual.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from California would
engage with me here, I do have a few more questions, and I appreciate
the dialogue and the passion you have for this.
One of my concerns is that it actually, I think, detracts from the
idea of the accomplishments of Chi Chi Rodriguez and also the good work
that I am sure that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute has
done. But to say that there is nothing in receipt, that it's all about
giving and no receiving, it seems to me, on the appearance of it, that
there is a huge conflict of interest. For Members of Congress, who
serve independently on a 501(c)3, they serve independently with this
organization, with a fiduciary responsibility to that organization, to
use the office of being a Member in Congress to advance legislation
that is surely, surely going to benefit the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute.
I would be happy to yield some of my time to address this.
Mr. BACA. Thank you. Again, this is about children.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Reclaiming my time, for the record, I have absolutely
no doubt that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute does good.
You have mentioned some scholarships. I have looked at the Web site.
There is no doubt. There is no question in my mind. My question is, why
this particular foundation, one that you serve on the board of
directors.
This country has thousands of foundations that do good work. But if
the threshold here, and my understanding is the institute raises in the
neighborhood of 6 to $7 million----
Mr. BACA. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield to the gentleman from California.
Mr. BACA. We would love to honor other foundations and other
individuals as well. This is only one of many that we should recognize,
just as I am honoring Arnold Palmer that we gave the Congressional Gold
Medal. And at one time I hope you are here to celebrate when we have
the actual gold medal that we will present under your leadership that
we will be able to do here on the floor later on next year because it
won't happen now.
{time} 1650
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Reclaiming my time, I feel, Mr. Speaker, that this is a
colossal waste of time to recognize sports heroes. That is a separate
subject. That is a separate subject. Last week I voted against Joe
Paterno, for goodness' sakes, one of the great football coaches in this
country. Chi Chi Rodriguez has accomplished amazing feats. There's no
doubt in my mind about this. But I feel as if the floor of the House of
Representatives is being used for Members' own personal benefits to
actually move forward their own foundation. And that is the concern.
There are thousands, as you just agreed to, thousands of foundations
that do great work, that inspire kids and youth. That's part of what
makes this country such a great country. But the only reason this bill
is moving forward today, the reason it's coming to the floor of the
House, is that we have 13 Members of Congress who serve on the board of
directors of this, which seems like a conflict of interest.
If you want to address that, I would be happy to yield more time to
you to address it.
Mr. BACA. Once again, I would like to state for the record that this
is not a conflict of interest. This is about bipartisan individuals who
sit on the board who continue to want to provide assistance to many
individuals who are in need of help. Whether it's this organization or
whether it's any other organization, I think it's important that we do
recognize individuals that are willing to give of their time and their
effort to make life better for someone else. And this is a humanitarian
individual.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the
gentleman addressing the questions. I really do. One of the concerns
that is there is if you look at the opportunity, if you will, to
attract corporate money to this. I went to the Web site today. These
companies donate in excess of $200,000 to the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute: AstraZeneca, Exxon Mobil, Toyota, Wal-Mart. These are
companies that donate over $100,000, according to the Website: AFL-CIO
and affiliate unions, Altria Group, American Petroleum Institute,
Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Change to Win and affiliate unions, Comcast
Corporation, Dell, Lilly, Lockheed Martin, Motorola, PepsiCo,
Southwest, State Farm Insurance, Telemundo, Time Warner Cable, the
Coca-Cola Company, UnitedHealthcare Foundation, Univision, UPS.
The purpose of this bill, according to the resolution, the very last
line here, is to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
make available an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute, of which 13 Members of this body sit on the
board of directors, and to the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 3 additional
minutes.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, just to finish the conclusion of that
thought, the reason, at least from my vantage point, and I would hope
that you would address this, the reason that this resolution is moving
forward is that there is a benefit to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Institute. They can use this as a tool to go out and solicit more
money, more support, and grow their own personal foundation. It's not
something that's afforded to other foundations. And the only reason
this is moving forward is because we have 13 Members in this body that
are cosponsors of this legislation that sit on the board of directors.
And that is of deep concern.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).
Mr. BACA. I know we are on the subject of recognizing the sports
individual, and I would like just for the record to state that my
colleague that just spoke actually supported a resolution to support a
sports individual as well, and that was H. Res. 942, for the record. So
if we are going to be consistent, let's be consistent on both angles.
With that, I would like to, once again, state that many corporations
and many individuals give because they're good corporate citizens,
because they want to make our communities a lot better. They want to
provide an opportunity for individuals to enhance their education,
further their education, be productive citizens. And sometimes many
individuals cannot afford to go on to a college or university. It's
that assistance that we give to individuals that will allow an
individual to further their education, thus for becoming productive
individuals.
This is an individual that has helped in that endeavor to make sure
that we raise the additional money, whether it's for this institution
or whether it's for other institutions. I belong to a variety of
different institutions that raise money on a bipartisan basis to make
sure that we allow many individuals to be productive individuals within
our communities.
Ms. WOOLSEY. I would like to know how much time we have on both
sides, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California has 7\1/2\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Tennessee has 12 minutes
remaining.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, what the gentleman from California pointed
out is true. Previously I had sponsored and voted for resolutions
regarding sports folks. I finally realized this is a colossal waste of
time. I took a pledge that I was no longer going to do it. I did it in
the past. It was wrong. We have people unemployed. We have people who
can't meet their mortgages.
Mr. BACA. It wasn't wrong. It was a good thing you did.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. I have come to find I think they are absolutely a
colossal waste of time. Even though they're a lot of good people, but
we're not recognizing taking care of the people's business. That's my
own personal belief.
But to clarify the question that you had, yes, I did do that in the
past. I
[[Page H7707]]
wish I hadn't, but I'm a freshman. I made a mistake, and I'm moving
forward.
Mr. BACA. I appreciate your doing it in the past, and I look forward
to your continued support.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, again, I ask my colleagues to join me in
supporting this resolution to honor and salute golf legend Juan Antonio
``Chi Chi'' Rodriguez for his commitment to Latino youth programs of
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
Mr. Rodriguez uses his experience and his career success to expand
opportunities for disadvantaged youth, and he helps them reach their
full potential. I thank Representative Baca for his leadership in
bringing this resolution forward.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1430, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum
is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
____________________