[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BILL FLORES

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the House will lose a true class act and 
the epitome of a self-made success with the retirement of Congressman 
Bill Flores. At just 9 years old, Congressman Flores began tending to 
cattle with his dad in the Texas Panhandle, and he hasn't quit working 
since.
  He is a ninth generation Texan, representing Waco, College Station, 
and parts of North Austin and Pflugerville. You would be hard-pressed 
to find a more deeply divided district than Texas 17, and I don't mean 
divided in terms of politics or geography. You have the Aggies, the 
Bears, and the Longhorns--three of Texas's proudest fan bases--squeezed 
into one congressional district. Ever the diplomat, Bill considers 
himself tripartisan. Although he is an Aggie himself, he would gladly 
throw up the ``Hook `em Horns'' or the ``Sic `em Bears.''
  Throughout his time in Congress, I have been proud to work with Bill 
on a number of shared priorities. We teamed up on legislation to 
designate the Waco Mammoth site as a national monument. We worked 
together to rename the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center after World 
War II Hero Petty Officer Doris Miller.
  We both had the pleasure of attending the long overdue Purple Heart 
ceremony honoring the victims of the Fort Hood attack after a long 
fight here in Congress to give these heroes the recognition and the 
benefits they deserve. Bill has been a reliable advocate for our 
veterans and servicemembers, as well as our energy industry and our 
free enterprise system, in general.
  I want to thank him for his service to our State and to our Nation 
and wish him and Gina the best in the next chapter of their lives.

                          ____________________