[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 46 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2572-H2573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1630
JUDGE SHIRLEY A. TOLENTINO POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 1376) to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey
City, New Jersey, as the ``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office
Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1376
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JUDGE SHIRLEY A. TOLENTINO POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey
City, New Jersey, shall be known and designated as the
``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building''.
(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 ``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 1376, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Payne), would designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New
Jersey, as the Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building.
Judge Tolentino was a remarkable woman, and her life was marked by
several accomplishments. Judge Tolentino was born in Jersey City and
graduated from Henry Snyder High School as an honor student. She
attended the College of St. Elizabeth's and Seton Hall University
School of Law, where she was the only African American in her class
when she received her juris doctor degree in 1971. Judge Tolentino also
went on to receive a specialized master of laws degree in criminal
justice from New York University Graduate School of Law in 1980.
Judge Tolentino was appointed to the Superior Court of the State of
New Jersey on January 11, 1984. She was the first female appointed to
that position. She had previously been appointed as the first female to
the Jersey City Municipal Court in 1976. In 1981, she became the first
female presiding judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court.
One of her proudest accomplishments was serving on the Coleman
Commission, which later became the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force
on Minorities, as well as chairing the Commission on Criminal Justice
and Minority Defendants and serving on the Committee on Criminal
Practice.
In addition to her fine public service, Judge Tolentino was a leader
in many service-oriented organizations, including the Urban League,
Girl Scouts, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She also served on the
boards of various academic institutions, including her alma mater, St.
Elizabeth's.
Unfortunately, Judge Tolentino passed away at the age of 67 on
October 31, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Ernesto
Tolentino, two daughters, and many beloved family members and friends.
She was a pillar of her community and a strong role model for women and
men of all ages.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1376, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my
friend from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Missouri and the gentleman from Texas for giving me this opportunity to
speak on a true hero in our community.
In New Jersey, Ms. Tolentino is someone that is looked to with great
esteem. She led the way on many issues moving women and minorities
forward and showing that they had a rightful place at the table of
power, the ability to serve, and the distinction to lead.
I rise today in support of H.R. 1376, to name the postal facility
located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey,
after the late Honorable Shirley A. Tolentino.
Shirley Tolentino was born in Jersey City, served as a distinguished
jurist in Hudson County for over 26 years, and was a trailblazer for
women and African Americans as public servants in New Jersey. She was a
product of the local public school system in Jersey City, where she was
an honor student, graduating from Snyder High School. She then earned a
scholarship to attend the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, New
Jersey, graduating with a degree in Latin with honors.
[[Page H2573]]
To put herself through law school, Judge Tolentino worked as a high
school Latin and English teacher while attending Seton Hall University
School of Law, graduating as the only African American female in the
class of 1971.
After law school, she became a deputy attorney general in the State
of New Jersey, where she remained until she rose to the bench in Jersey
City in 1976. She became the second African American woman to be named
as a municipal court judge in New Jersey, and the first to be appointed
to the Jersey City Municipal Court.
In 1980, Judge Tolentino earned her master of laws degree in criminal
justice from NYU Graduate School of Law, while continuing to serve in
the municipal court. In 1981, she continued to blaze a trail for
others, becoming the first African American presiding judge of Jersey
City Municipal Court. Her successes didn't stop there. In 1984, when
she was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean, Judge Tolentino became the
first African American woman to ascend to the Superior Court of the
State of New Jersey.
Later, she was appointed to the original Coleman Commission, which
would later be called the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on
Minorities. During her time on the Commission, she became the chair of
the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, and also served as a Supreme
Court chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice and Minority
Defendants. With all her professional achievements, she viewed her
appointment and time served on the Commission as her greatest
accomplishment.
Over the years, Judge Tolentino's career was highlighted by many
firsts, and she accomplished much during her years on and off the
bench. As a member of the Jersey City Hudson County Urban League, the
Hudson County Girl Scouts board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Hudson
County CYO, the Visiting Homemakers of Hudson County board, and a host
of other local organizations, she was an integral part of her
community.
Throughout her success, Judge Tolentino always called Jersey City
home and actively participated in community service in the city that
bore and raised her.
Judge Shirley Tolentino passed away on October 31, 2010, and is
survived by her husband, Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, children, and
grandchildren.
It is not a coincidence that the post office to bear her name would
be located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There is no better way to
honor the achievements of Judge Tolentino and at the same time provide
a permanent monument of possibilities and hope for young women, African
Americans, and the citizens of Jersey City.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill in honor of
her legacy.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I urge the passage of H.R. 1376, to commemorate the life of Judge
Tolentino and all of her accomplishments and service to the Jersey City
community.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I join with my friends and colleagues
across the aisle, Mr. Payne and Mr. Clay, in urging passage of H.R.
1376, designating the postal facility in New Jersey to be named after
Judge Tolentino, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1376.
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.
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