[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3992-H3993]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ED PASTOR POST OFFICE
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4010) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 522 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, as the
``Ed Pastor Post Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4010
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ED PASTOR POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 522 North Central Avenue in Phoenix,
Arizona, shall be known and designated as the ``Ed Pastor
Post Office''.
(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 ``Ed Pastor Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Iowa (Mr. Blum) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.
General Leave
Mr. BLUM. 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 the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Iowa?
There was no objection.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 4010, introduced by Representative Ruben
Gallego of Arizona. The bill designates a post office in Phoenix,
Arizona, as the Ed Pastor Post Office. Former Representative Ed Pastor
served in the House of Representatives for 24 years, from 1991 until
last year.
I look forward to hearing more about Representative Pastor from the
bill's sponsor and my distinguished colleague, Representative Gallego.
For now, I urge Members to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 4010,
a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service in
Phoenix, Arizona, as the Ed Pastor Post Office.
Ed Pastor dedicated his life to public service. After working for
Arizona Governor Raul Castro and after having served three terms on the
County Board of Supervisors, Ed Pastor was elected to this very Chamber
in 1991. Congressman Pastor was a founding member of the Progressive
Caucus, was chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the 104th
Congress, and served as the deputy whip of the Democratic Caucus.
Congressman Pastor retired following his 12th term in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to recognize the many years Ed
Pastor
[[Page H3993]]
spent in advocating on behalf of his constituents and in working to
improve the lives of all Americans. I urge the passage of H.R. 4010.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego).
Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of a bill that, in a
small but significant way, honors the legacy of a Latino trailblazer
and a great Arizonan, Congressman Ed Pastor.
Congressman Pastor dedicated his life to fighting for working
families. Renaming a post office in the district he represented with
distinction for 12 terms is the very least we can do to recognize his
more than three decades of outstanding public service.
I thank my colleagues in the Arizona delegation for their
enthusiastic support of this bill. I am also grateful to Chairman
Chaffetz and to Ranking Member Cummings for enabling this bill to come
to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, Congressman Ed Pastor's life embodies the American
Dream. Throughout his time in Congress, Mr. Pastor fought to make the
dream accessible to everyone, including to the most vulnerable in our
society. As Leader Pelosi once wrote: Ed Pastor never forgot his roots
and always worked to build a brighter future for the children of our
Nation.
The son of a miner, Mr. Pastor was the first member of his family to
go to college and receive his bachelor's degree from Arizona State
University in 1966. After graduation, he taught at North High School in
Phoenix before returning to ASU in 1971 to earn his law degree. Mr.
Pastor subsequently worked on the staff of Arizona's first Latino
Governor, Raul Castro--a job that cemented his lifelong commitment to
public service. Mr. Pastor later served three terms on the Maricopa
County Board of Supervisors before being elected to the 102nd Congress
in a special election in 1991. Congressman Pastor spent 24 years in
this body and earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for the people
of Arizona.
I am proud to say that Mr. Pastor was the first Latino to be elected
to Congress from our great State. He was also one of the founding
members of the Progressive Caucus and chaired the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus in the 104th Congress. In addition, he served on the
House Appropriations Committee and as chief deputy whip of the
Democratic Caucus.
Throughout his career, Congressman Pastor was a passionate advocate
for fixing our broken immigration system, for investing in our Nation's
transportation infrastructure, and for protecting the civil rights of
every American. Perhaps, even more importantly, as President Obama
noted, Congressman Pastor served as a mentor and as a role model to
young Latinos and Latinas throughout Arizona and our country. He was
supported in this groundbreaking work by his loving wife, Verma.
Congressman Pastor retired in 2014, and he remains a beloved and
respected figure in the city of Phoenix.
I am incredibly proud to follow in his footsteps as the Seventh
Congressional District's Representative here in Washington. The Ed
Pastor Post Office will join the Ed Pastor Elementary School and the Ed
Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service at ASU as monuments to
his outstanding service to our Nation. Congressman Pastor's legacy
lives on, not just in these buildings, but in the transportation
projects he championed, in the legislation he authored, in the working
families he helped, and in the young people he inspired.
Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request the support of every Member in
recognizing a legendary Arizonan, Congressman Ed Pastor.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4010, a bill
``To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 522 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, as the `Ed Pastor Post
Office' ''.
I support this bill because it honors the service of Ed Pastor, the
first Latino congressman from Arizona.
During Congressman Pastor's 12 terms in Congress, he committed
himself to serving thousands of constituents from the 2nd, 4th, and 7th
districts in Arizona and all across the country.
As a dedicated and active member of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Congressman Pastor served as a member of the Committee
on Appropriations, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the International Conservation Caucus,
and the Sportsmen's Caucus.
Congressman Pastor is also known for his influence in promoting
American arts, for protecting nature, and for protecting the civil
rights of Americans.
As members of Congress, it is vital that we continue to fight for the
rights of our constituents and for all Americans as we actively
conserve our precious land and indigenous cultures.
As I am a strong advocate of protecting human and civil rights, I
fully support the designation of the United States Postal Service
facility as the ``Ed Pastor Post Office'' in honor of his services to
both his country and to his constituents.
I urge all members to join me in passing H.R. 4010 as it rightfully
commemorates Ed Pastor's outstanding service.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 4010.
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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