[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 170 (Wednesday, November 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF ASSEMBLYWOMAN SHEILA Y. OLIVER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 18, 2015

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend, 
Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver. Ms. Oliver is a proud class of 1970 
graduate of Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey. This year, she 
will be honored at Weequahic's 45th class reunion for her many 
accomplishments and contributions to her school, community, and state 
of New Jersey.
   Ms. Oliver has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2004, 
where she represents the 34th legislative district. From January 2010 
to January 2014, she served as the Speaker of the New Jersey General 
Assembly. She was the second woman to serve as Speaker in New Jersey 
history, and the second African American to hold this post.
   Currently, she serves in the Assembly on the Higher Education 
Committee, the Labor Committee, and the Human Services Committee, as 
its chair. She also served on the Essex County Board of Chosen 
Freeholders from 1996-1999.
   Assemblywoman Oliver was one of the founders of the Newark Coalition 
for Low Income Housing, an organization that successfully sued the 
Newark Housing Authority and the United States Department of Housing 
and Urban Development in federal court to block the demolition of all 
publicly subsidized low-income housing in Newark, as there was no plan 
in place for the construction of replacement housing for low-income 
Newark residents. As a result, the Newark Housing Authority was 
directed by a federal consent order to build one-for-one replacement 
housing for low-income residents.
   Ms. Oliver's colleagues in political and public life honored her 
with a place for debating and building consensus, naming the 14th floor 
conference room in the LeRoy F. Smith Jr. Public Safety Building the 
``Sheila Y. Oliver Conference Center.'' It is fitting that Sheila 
Oliver be recognized for the historic figure that she is. She 
understands the human condition and understands government can play an 
integral role in improving the lives of all people.
   Ms. Oliver's leadership abilities have consistently been recognized 
by her peers, and she has often been described as a resourceful, 
dependable individual who is always willing to assist when needed. She 
attended Lincoln University and continued her education in graduate 
school at Columbia University. She once told a crowd of constituents 
that she never set out to run for office, but her conviction that 
government can improve lives guided her course. Congratulations to my 
friend, Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver, on this outstanding honor.

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