[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 73 (Tuesday, May 10, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2172-H2173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARIEL RIOS FEDERAL BUILDING
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4957), to designate the Federal building located at
99 New York Avenue, N.E., in the District of Columbia as the ``Ariel
Rios Federal Building.''
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4957
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The Federal building located at 99 New York Avenue, N.E.,
in the District of Columbia shall be known and designated as
the ``Ariel Rios Federal Building''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the Federal building
referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to
the ``Ariel Rios Federal Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Curbelo) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4957.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
H.R. 4957 would designate the Federal building located at 99 New York
Avenue, N.E., in the District of Columbia, as the Ariel Rios Federal
Building.
I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this legislation, along with the
chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management--my colleague
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and my colleague from Indiana (Mr.
Carson).
Special Agent Ariel Rios joined the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives in 1978, where he became one of the most
effective agents who was assigned to then-Vice President George H. W.
Bush's task force. Special Agent Rios worked as an undercover agent as
part of the task force.
During his undercover assignment in 1982, he and another agent
arranged to meet two suspects at a motel in Miami, Florida, to purchase
large quantities of drugs and machine guns. A confrontation ensued and,
during a struggle, Special Agent Rios was shot and was seriously
wounded. He died shortly after in the hospital on December 2, 1982.
Special Agent Rios received a number of posthumous awards, including
the Secretary of the Treasury's Exceptional Service Award and a
Meritorious Service Award from the Dade County Chiefs of Police
Association. The previous location of the ATF headquarters on
Pennsylvania Avenue bore his name for 27 years. During that time, the
ATF relocated to a new headquarters building, and the old building was
occupied by another agency and was renamed. H.R. 4957 would
appropriately name the current location of the ATF headquarters after
Special Agent Rios.
[[Page H2173]]
I am very proud to recognize this American hero who so sadly perished
while protecting the people of Miami, my hometown, from crime and
drugs. As a Member with the honor of representing south Florida in
Congress, I thank Special Agent Rios for his service to our country,
and I thank his family for their sacrifice of such a brave person on
behalf of all of us.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I thank Representative Curbelo.
I am pleased that this bill is being considered by the House this
afternoon during National Police Week. I also appreciate Subcommittee
Chairman Barletta's support of this measure and the support of the
other members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
who also agreed to be original cosponsors of this great bill, which
would name the current headquarters of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, or the ATF, after fallen Special Agent Ariel
Rios.
As was mentioned by my colleague, Agent Rios was born in 1954. He
attended the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, and he
graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 1976. Agent Rios
immediately started his career in criminal justice by working for the
Department of Corrections in both Washington, D.C., and in New York
City. Later, he joined the ATF in 1978 and developed a reputation as an
effective law enforcement officer.
In 1982, Agent Rios was working as a member of Vice President George
H. W. Bush's anti-drug task force. It was here that he was shot and
killed while working undercover to unravel a drug ring in Miami,
Florida.
In 1985, Congress saw fit to honor the ultimate sacrifice that
Special Agent Rios made. Congress acknowledged the fact that he was the
first ATF agent to die in the line of duty by naming the headquarters
of the ATF building the Ariel Rios Memorial Building. This name stood
for nearly 30 years until the building was renamed for President
Clinton in 2012 so as to reflect the fact that the old building now
housed the EPA. Unfortunately, the ``Ariel Rios'' name was not
transferred to the new ATF headquarters.
This bill seeks to correct this omission and name the new ATF
headquarters as the Ariel Rios Federal Building.
As a former police officer, I have a special appreciation for the
risks that face officers each and every day. Agent Rios' death serves
as a reminder that when law enforcement officers walk out the door and
leave their families for the day, they are putting their lives on the
line to protect our communities.
It is fitting that the House is considering this legislation during
National Police Week, which is an annual event when thousands of law
enforcement officers from around the world travel to Washington, D.C.,
to participate in events that honor those who have been killed in the
line of duty. By naming the ATF headquarters after Mr. Rios, a front
line law enforcement officer, we offer a very public tribute to the
commemoration of the sacrifices that too many officers have made.
This legislation comes at the request of many current and former
agents who would not rest until this recognition was restored to
Special Agent Rios. Because of their tireless efforts, the House will
vote today to restore the name of Special Agent Rios to the ATF
headquarters. This is an overdue and well-deserved acknowledgment of
both Special Agent Rios and of the nearly 20,000 law enforcement agents
who have died in the line of duty in the United States of America.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that so many on both sides
of the aisle from our committee have agreed to cosponsor this
legislation. I am also honored that Mr. Rogers, the chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations, supports this bill.
Former President George H. W. Bush has written Congress in support of
naming this building after Special Agent Rios, as have several former
Directors of the ATF and as have several organizations that represent
law enforcement officers.
I am very proud that this legislation is being considered today, and
I urge my colleagues to support my bipartisan bill that honors Special
Agent Rios.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1615
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I thank my colleague from Indiana (Mr. Carson) for his leadership on
this issue.
This, of course, is a simple naming bill, but it honors one of the
many men and women who paid the ultimate price to keep Americans safe.
This has a special place in my heart, obviously, because this took
place in my community where Special Agent Rios lost his life.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4957.
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. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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