[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5963-H5964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THELMA HARPER POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5271) to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 2245 Rosa L Parks Boulevard
in Nashville, Tennessee, as the ``Thelma Harper Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5271
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. THELMA HARPER POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 2245 Rosa L Parks Boulevard in Nashville,
Tennessee, shall be known and designated as the ``Thelma
Harper Post Office Building''.
(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 ``Thelma Harper Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Keller) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
General Leave
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise
and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this
measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5271, a bill to honor
Thelma Harper.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr.
Cooper), the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services' Subcommittee
on Strategic Forces.
Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask support for H.R. 5271, my bill to
name this Nashville Post Office for a great friend of mine and a great
friend of all Tennesseans, the late State Senator Thelma Harper.
Thelma was many things. She was a beloved public servant. She was the
first African American to be elected to the Tennessee State senate, and
she was the first female African American to be elected to the
Tennessee Senate. She was the longest-serving female State senator in
all of Tennessee history.
Her nearly four decades of public service were marked by her tireless
service on behalf of her constituents. She started in the city council,
and she helped fight a toxic landfill in her community of Bordeaux.
She then moved to the State senate, and she continued to fight for
average people in Nashville, Tennessee. She served in the State senate
until 2018, and she had a hand in many of Nashville's greatest
projects: for example, bringing the Tennessee Titans to our city, the
development of Nashville's Music City Center, the downtown public
library, and for the National Museum of African American Music.
Thelma Harper was a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority,
and she served as chair of the Tennessee Commemorative Women's Suffrage
Commission.
She is fondly remembered by many for her annual Kids' Are Special Too
community Easter egg hunts, which kids delighted in, and which I
personally participated in for many years. Those were held continuously
and are continued by her family since Thelma passed away in May of
2021.
Most importantly, Thelma was a dear friend who was kind enough to
include me in her family. She was a member of
[[Page H5964]]
many organizations in Nashville, a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. She
taught me how to find common ground, even with some tough political
adversaries. She saw the best in everyone.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5271.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5271, which honors former
Tennessee State Senator Thelma Harper. Senator Harper was the first
African-American female elected to the State senate and the longest-
serving female State senator in Tennessee history.
Prior to this, she served as the grand jury foreman for the Davidson
County Fifth Circuit Court as a representative of the Metropolitan
Nashville Council.
Throughout her time in public service, Senator Harper championed
children's issues and has been recognized with numerous awards for her
public service.
She worked to create a safe haven law to save abandoned babies and
establish a fee waiver to provide low-income students with school
supplies and lunches.
Senator Harper was a dedicated public servant, and I encourage my
colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of
H.R. 5271, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5271.
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. FULCHER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
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