[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 26, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E850-E851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MICHAEL BEDKE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 26, 2019

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
selfless pro bono

[[Page E851]]

work of Tampa attorney, Michael Bedke, who will receive the Florida Bar 
Foundation's 2019 Medal of Honor Award this week. The Medal of Honor is 
the Foundation's highest honor.
  Michael Bedke works to ensure the wheels of justice turn for 
everyone. He has devoted a large portion of his distinguished legal 
career in service to his community and his country. He has provided 
extensive pro bono service and advocacy for AIDS patients, domestic 
violence survivors and individuals in need. He also has maintained an 
unfailing commitment to improve the lives of veterans. He spearheaded 
the ``No Place Like Home'' initiative which establishes permanent 
supportive housing for neighbors in need of mental health services or 
who are at risk of chronic homelessness.
  Throughout his life, Mike always has recognized his duty to serve his 
neighbors and country in a wide variety of ways. He is constantly 
thinking of ways to meet unmet legal needs and has a unique ability to 
develop effective plans for meeting those needs.
  As a young lawyer, Mike took on pro bono cases to represent persons 
with AIDS in the 1980s, a time when the general public was both fearful 
and uneducated about the disease. True to his style of leading by 
example, by taking on these cases and serving on the board of the Tampa 
AIDS Network he encouraged colleagues to take similar action.
  After Category 5 Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, Mike worked 
to pass Good Samaritan legislation that removed an impediment to 
lawyers providing pro bono help to disaster survivors. He also led 
legal relief efforts in response to Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii, the 
bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and 
September 11. He founded the Greater Access and Assistance Project 
while chair of the American Bar Association's Young Lawyer's Division, 
modeling it after the Courthouse Assistance Project he created at home 
as a member of Bay Area Legal Services' board of directors.
  Mike has worked to empower domestic violence survivors for more than 
25 years. He was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on 
Violence Against Women in 2002 and has served on numerous boards 
working to improve access and support for survivors. He worked with the 
Women's Caucus of the Peruvian Parliament to draft model domestic 
violence legislation.
  Mike received his bachelor's degree with high honors from the 
University of Florida in Gainesville and served as student body 
president. He then completed his juris doctorate with honors from the 
University of Florida. He developed a program at his alma mater to 
recruit and retain minority law students. He has also served as an 
adjunct professor at Stetson College of Law.
  Close to my heart and so many in the Tampa Bay area is Bay Area Legal 
Services that provides legal aid to people who need it. As president of 
the Board of Directors for Bay Area Legal Services, in 2015, Mike 
spearheaded a fundraising effort that created a $400,000 endowment for 
a veterans program. He also led the development and implementation of 
Bay Area's ``No Place Like Home Project'' to provide pro bono help to 
low-income homeowners experiencing title issues.
  He is a partner in the Tampa office of the distinguished 
international law firm, DLA Piper. While Mike is much sought after in 
his specific area of practice, he was called to do more in service to 
his community and country--and we are better for it and grateful for 
his vision and commitment.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of America, the State of 
Florida and my neighbors across our hometown, I am proud to mark Mike 
Bedke's lifetime of leadership.

                          ____________________