[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 178 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CELEBRATING MINNESOTA WINS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Minnesota (Ms. Omar) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I want to start out by thanking my community 
for reelecting me to serve Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District.
  Our State continues to have the highest voter turnout in the Nation. 
It is one of the easiest States to vote in and should be a model for 
States across the country.
  In my district, we increased our voter share by 10 percentage points 
from 2020, and we got more votes than any other House candidate in 
Minnesota.
  Beyond that, Minnesotans voted to flip the Minnesota Senate, creating 
a Democratic trifecta for the first time in nearly a decade.
  We also voted for incredible new leaders throughout our State that 
have many firsts behind their names.
  Bobby Joe Champion will be the first Black president of the Minnesota 
Senate.
  Zaynab Mohamed will be the first African-born Somali woman and Gen Z 
member to be elected to the Minnesota Senate.
  Along with Zaynab, Clare Oumou Verbeten and Erin Maye Quade will be 
among the first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate.
  Samantha Sencer-Mura will be the first Japanese-American member of 
the Minnesota House.
  Leigh Finke will be the first trans member of the Minnesota House.
  Mary Moriarty will be the first openly gay woman elected to be the 
Hennepin County attorney.

                              {time}  1045

  Representation matters. We know none of these candidates ran to be 
the ``first.'' They ran to make a difference for their communities.
  When I was first elected to the Minnesota House, I was the first and 
only Somali-American legislator. Now there will be 11 Somali-American 
legislators across the country. It is often said, you can't be what you 
can't see. I am incredibly proud that we, along with so many others, 
have been able to inspire countless people to run for office. So now 
many more people will finally see themselves reflected in various 
places and positions of power.
  I also want to take a moment to honor two of my mentors, 
Representative Jim Davnie and Senator Patricia Torres Ray, who are 
retiring from the Minnesota State House and Senate. I thank them for 
representing our communities so well over the years. I can't wait to 
see the work they continue to do to make sure our State thrives.
  As we get ready to welcome in new leaders throughout our State, this 
is our time to deliver meaningful changes for Minnesotans. Now is the 
time to deliver affordable childcare, lower healthcare costs, invest in 
K-12 and higher education, combat the climate crisis, and legalize 
marijuana.
  Minnesota nice is leading with compassion and getting things done. 
Let's get to work.


             International Parliamentary Inquiry on Myanmar

  Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the situation in 
Burma.
  It has been my honor this year to be a member of the International 
Parliamentary Inquiry on Myanmar. Our group of lawmakers representing 
Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America released our final report 
earlier this month, which I will submit as an extension of my remarks.
  The tragedy of the Burmese military coup is immense, but the 
resilience of the Burmese people and their movement for democracy is 
deeply inspiring. The United States must recognize the National Unity 
Government as the legitimate government of Burma and never give 
legitimacy to the coup leaders.
  But we should also be clear that the National Unity Government must 
include Rohingya representation to be legitimate. The international 
community has not done nearly enough to support the democratic 
aspirations of the Burmese people. We must lead by example while we 
still have time.

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