[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 105 (Thursday, July 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H5030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING INDIANA STATE REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM H. CRAWFORD

  (Mr. CARSON of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of 
Representative Bill Crawford, America's longest-serving African 
American State legislator. Crawford, who is retiring in 2012, has 
served Indianapolis' 98th District with distinction since 1972.
  During his tenure, he served as chairman of the House Ways and Means 
Committee, where he left a lasting imprint by crafting budgets that 
afforded every child an equal opportunity to receive a quality 
education and every minority and woman-owned business an opportunity to 
compete.
  Crawford has also fought to ensure workers on public contracts 
reflect the communities where the work is performed. A believer in the 
power of redemption, Crawford authored Indiana's ``second chance'' law, 
under which one who pays their debt to society and has been trouble-
free for 8 years can have their criminal record sealed to ensure they 
can find employment.
  Crawford has been called both ``the dean'' and ``the conscience'' of 
Indiana's black caucus, as his metric for gauging the wisdom of any 
action has been simple: Is it right? Not safe, not popular, but right.

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