[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING SENATOR NAN RICH

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 21, 2023

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that 
I recognize my longtime friend, sister, and someone with whom we've 
served interchangeably as mentors to one another, Senator Nan Rich, as 
she assumes the office of Mayor of Broward County, Florida.
  Senator Rich was first elected as Broward County Commissioner in 2016 
and re-elected, unopposed, in 2020. She was recently selected by her 
colleagues on the County Commission to be the Vice Mayor of Broward 
County through November 2023 and now selected to serve as Mayor. Her 
top priority has been addressing the affordable housing crisis in 
Broward, as well as ending homelessness.
  Prior to her service on the County Commission, Senator Rich was 
elected to the Florida State Senate in 2004 after serving two terms in 
the Florida House of Representatives. She was recognized as one of the 
most passionate and dedicated members of the Florida Legislature and 
was the first woman to be elected Senate Democratic Leader.
  Her years of advocacy and activism on behalf of women, children, and 
families is admirable and inspiring. She served as the National 
President of the National Council of Jewish Women, the first Floridian 
elected to that office. She was also honored to receive an appointment 
by President Bill Clinton to serve as a Member of the United States 
Holocaust Memorial Museum Council in Washington, D.C.
  My friendship with Senator Rich runs deep. When I first ran for 
office at the age of 25, she was one of the first people I called for 
advice. She subsequently succeeded me in the Florida House and the 
Florida Senate. She is someone who paved the way for women to reach and 
shatter the glass ceiling--helping to break the barriers of gender-bias 
and discrimination. I am proud to have stood on the shoulders of my 
friend--Florida's friend--Nan Rich.
  On behalf of the people of Florida's 25th district, we are grateful 
for Senator Rich's leadership and look forward to the progress she will 
continue to make as Broward County's next Mayor.

                          ____________________