[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 176 (Thursday, December 12, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H8085-H8086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND LEGACY OF NELSON MANDELA AND 
                 EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON HIS PASSING

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration of House 
Resolution 434, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 434

       Whereas Nelson Mandela's defiance of injustice and 
     commitment to peace and reconciliation, were critical to 
     achieving the abolition of apartheid, a system of racially 
     based social, political, and economic discrimination, and to 
     adopting in its place a system of multiparty democracy and 
     universal suffrage for all South Africans;
       Whereas on August 5, 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested for 
     his acts to end the discriminatory policies of apartheid and 
     was found guilty of all charges against him and sentenced to 
     life in prison;
       Whereas during his imprisonment, Nelson Mandela was 
     confined to a small cell and forced to perform hard labor 
     while being gravely mistreated by prison officials;
       Whereas during 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment on Robben 
     Island, Nelson Mandela was permitted only one visitor a year, 
     and for only 30 minutes;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela remained resolute, refusing offers 
     to renounce his struggle against oppression in exchange for 
     his freedom, and became widely viewed and respected as a 
     symbol of the anti-apartheid movement;
       Whereas the United States Congress dramatically shifted its 
     policy toward South Africa and supported the political ideals 
     that Nelson Mandela struggled for, by enacting the 
     Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-440) 
     on October 2, 1986, and has honored Nelson Mandela by passing 
     the Mandela Freedom Resolution in the House of 
     Representatives on September 18, 1984 (H. Res. 430), and in 
     the Senate on October 10, 1984 (S. Res. 386), by adopting the 
     resolution concerning United States support for the new South 
     Africa on October 5, 1994 (H. Res. 560), and by awarding 
     Nelson Mandela the Congressional Gold Medal on July 29, 1998;
       Whereas on February 11, 1990, under growing international 
     and domestic pressure, Nelson Mandela was released from 
     prison, marking the end of his 27 years, 6 months, and 1 week 
     of continuous incarceration;
       Whereas former United States President William J. Clinton 
     honored Nelson Mandela with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal in 
     1993;
       Whereas in 1994, following the first fully representative, 
     multiracial national elections, Nelson Mandela was elected on 
     May 9 as President of the Democratic Republic of South Africa 
     under a Government of National Unity;
       Whereas President Nelson Mandela led the peaceful 
     transition from minority rule and apartheid to a 
     multicultural, multiracial democracy, and played a critical 
     role in initiating South Africa's ongoing efforts to foster 
     national reconciliation;
       Whereas President Nelson Mandela sought to promote equal 
     opportunity for jobs and education, access to social 
     services, and quality-of-life improvements for all South 
     Africans;
       Whereas during the presidency of Nelson Mandela, South 
     Africa established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to 
     investigate gross human rights violations committed during 
     the apartheid years;
       Whereas former United States President George W. Bush 
     honored Nelson Mandela with the Presidential Medal of Freedom 
     in 2002; and
       Whereas Nelson Mandela leaves a legacy that transcends his 
     time and place in history

[[Page H8086]]

     and will guide and inspire generations to come: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) has learned with profound sorrow of the death of Nelson 
     Mandela, former President of the Republic of South Africa;
       (2) tenders its deep sympathies to the members of the 
     family of the late President Nelson Mandela and his fellow 
     citizens;
       (3) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of former 
     President Nelson Mandela and for his friendship to the United 
     States;
       (4) requests the Secretary of State to communicate these 
     expressions of sentiment to the family of the deceased and to 
     the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa; and
       (5) requests that when the House adjourns today it do so as 
     a mark of respect to the memory of the late President Nelson 
     Mandela.

  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________