[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H4035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JOYCE HAMLETT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. And still I rise, Mr. Speaker, and I rise today 
for a very special occasion. It is special to me because I have the 
opportunity today to acknowledge the friendship that I have had for 
some 15 years with a member of this august body but not as a Member of 
Congress.
  I rise, Mr. Speaker, to pay honor and homage to a great and noble 
American, a person who has made a difference in my life. This great and 
noble American works here on the floor of the House of Representatives. 
I can tell you that she has done her job well. While she is a comely, 
courtly, stately lady, she is a person who is well respected. She is 
well respected because her job as Assistant Sergeant at Arms requires 
her to sometimes approach us when we are out of order.
  I must tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am a recidivist, a repeat offender. 
On more than one occasion, she has had to bring me to order. I remember 
the first time when I was on my phone, and she came over to me and 
kindly asked that I put my phone away. There was a second time, and she 
kindly came over to me and said, ``You know better,'' and I did.
  I always respected her, and I believe all the Members respect her for 
one principal reason, that reason being, Mr. Speaker, of all the people 
in Washington, D.C., there are very few who come to work and do not 
associate themselves closely with one party or another.
  Now, I don't know what her political affiliation is, but I think I 
speak for a good many people. Let's just say I speak for myself and 
everybody who agrees with me. A good many people believe that she could 
be a member of either party because of the way she has treated her job. 
She has been exceedingly fair at all times. I believe that she truly 
deserves the position that she has as the first African-American woman 
to be the Assistant Sergeant at Arms, and that makes her also the only.
  She has done her job well. My prognostication is this: While she may 
be the first, because of the way she has conducted herself, she will 
not be the last.
  I would add this, as I come to my close, Mr. Speaker: There are times 
when you feel good about what you are doing, yet you are saddened 
because you know that something is about to happen that will, at some 
point, cause you to lose contact with a friend. I see her on a daily 
basis when I am here. Knowing that she is leaving does sadden me, but 
knowing that she has set a record for others to follow makes my heart 
warm.
  I would say to her, you truly have come a long way from the 
watermelon patch, the tobacco fields, and Broadway, North Carolina. You 
have come a long way.
  No one could have prognosticated at your birth that you would sit in 
that seat and hold this position, but you are a God-fearing person, and 
you have said to me that you believe that it was destiny.
  I am proud that you have fulfilled your destiny here, but there are 
still greater things for you to do. I want to keep in touch with you, 
and I want to be a part of them to the extent that I can.
  I want you to know that we appreciate the great job that you have 
done. You have served your country well.
  You have earned the title the Honorable Joyce Hamlett, the first but 
not the last African American to hold the position of Assistant 
Sergeant at Arms.
  God bless you, and thank you. I have a few special gifts that I will 
present to you, and I look forward to continuing to serve you in other 
ways.

                          ____________________