[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 215 (Wednesday, January 3, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE LIFE, LEGACY, AND IMPACT OF FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE 
         BERNICE JOHNSON OF TEXAS'S 30TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JASMINE CROCKETT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 3, 2024

  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to lay tribute to the late former 
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of the 30th Congressional District 
of Texas, who passed away Sunday on December 31, 2023.
  Born in a segregated South in Waco, Texas, Congresswoman Eddie 
Bernice Johnson never lacked the courage that would prove her to be a 
trailblazer and one of the most dedicated and iconic leaders the State 
of Texas has ever had. Her early experiences with racism fueled the 
beginning that is the legacy she now leaves behind.
  Congresswoman Johnson was a woman of many firsts. She became the 
first Black woman to serve as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Dallas 
Veterans Affairs Hospital where she worked until becoming only the 
third ever Black women elected to the Texas State House of 
Representatives. She would later be elected as the first Black woman 
from Dallas since the Reconstruction to serve in the Texas State 
Senate. During her time in the Texas Legislature, she worked to better 
the lives of the people she served, particularly by advancing fair 
housing and access to health care.
  Congresswoman Johnson would later become the first registered nurse 
to ever be elected to the U.S. Congress and the first woman and African 
American to chair the Science, Space, & Technology Committee in the 
U.S. House of Representatives. During her three decades in Congress, 
Chairwoman Johnson secured hundreds of millions of federal dollars for 
the Dallas area, including to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. And as a 
tribute to her legacy, the Dallas Union Station was renamed as the 
``Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station.''
  During her last session in Congress, Chairwoman Johnson ushered the 
CHIPS & Science Act into law. While most people know about the historic 
number of domestic jobs created from this law, few know that Chairwoman 
Johnson helped ensure this law also had historic investments for STEM 
and research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. For 
decades to come, her work will live on.
  Her legacy is not only marked by the titles she held, but also her 
decades worth of vigorous work for the people of Texas and the United 
States. As her successor, I do not take lightly the honor and heavy 
responsibility I have to honor her work and continue her legacy of 
excellence. Effectively serving in Congress is no easy task, but it is 
a noble endeavor--a fact Chairwoman Johnson knew well. Each and every 
day, I dedicate myself to the people of Texas' 30th Congressional 
District and fight for those same values Chairwoman Johnson honored.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Chairwoman Johnson's son, Kirk, and 
her entire family, friends, and the community she impacted through her 
remarkable journey of public service. During this time of mourning and 
the days ahead, I pray that her family and friends find the peace 
knowing Chairwoman Johnson lived a dutiful life in service to others.

                          ____________________