[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H88-H93]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Crockett) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, for the past 12 days, the people of Texas 
and those serving in this Chamber have been mourning the loss of a 
leader, a colleague, and an advocate for change--the late Congresswoman 
Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  She was a leader who never let political differences come at the 
expense of public service and regularly reached across the aisle to 
promote policies that advanced access to healthcare and helped our 
Nation dominate in technological and scientific innovation.
  Chairwoman Johnson was a champion of bipartisanship, and from the 
Texas delegation to her colleagues on the Science, Space, and 
Technology Committee, there are many people in this building that have 
benefited from her wisdom, experience, generosity, and mentorship.
  I can personally say that the Texas delegation has a well-earned 
reputation for bipartisanship, and we continue to honor the 
chairwoman's legacy by finding areas where we can meet each other 
halfway to get things done for the 30 million Texans we are blessed to 
represent.

  While I never served with her, I was humbled to be tapped by her as 
her hand-picked successor. This honor is and will continually be a 
reminder that I have big shoes--or in the case of the great EBJ, a 
fancy pair of St. John's--to fill. She believed I could; therefore, I 
will. Her legacy will continually be held up by me all the days that I 
serve in this Chamber.
  There is no better way to give tribute to the chairwoman than by 
giving space to some of her colleagues to speak about her life and 
legacy in the many ways she impacted the people's House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), 
the Speaker Emerita.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for 
calling this Special Order in honor of the very special person that 
many of us have had the privilege to serve with--in my case for over 
three decades. She was so proud that Congresswoman Crockett would be 
following in her footsteps, so it is so appropriate that she is 
bringing us together now for this formidable force in public service.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson sat in that chair reigning for the whole time. 
She reigned. We always went to her for guidance and advice. Not only 
did Eddie Bernice make history, Mr. Speaker, she did make a difference 
as the first African American and the first woman to wield the gavel of 
the powerful Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  Not only did she make history and make a difference, she enabled our 
country to make progress. We marveled at the respect that she commanded 
in the scientific community, the academic community, in industry, from 
her constituents, and from her colleagues on Capitol Hill. The capstone 
of her career, our Chips and Science Act in her last term in Congress, 
will drive decades of scientific discovery while recruiting a diverse, 
inclusive workforce for the industries of tomorrow.
  Indeed, she insisted on it. She insisted on investing in STEM 
education so American minds of all kinds could solve our greatest 
challenges, the challenges of our time.
  Eddie Bernice was always talking about taking our Nation into the 
future. We chatted quite a bit--she was soft-spoken toward the end but 
with great force. And we chatted and laughed about and admired what is 
written on the walls of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, a 
quote from the poet Tennyson, and it is so much about Eddie Bernice:

     For I dipt into the future,
     far as human eye could see,
     Saw a vision of the world,
     and all the wonder that would be

  She understood that wonder. May it be a comfort to her beloved son, 
Kirk; dear grandchildren Kirk, II, David, and James and her entire 
family that we mourn their loss. We pray for them during this sad time. 
We thank them for sharing Eddie Bernice Johnson with us in this 
Congress, but, more importantly, with our country. May our darling 
Eddie Bernice Johnson, whom we all loved so dearly, rest in peace.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. 
Horsford), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our late former colleague, 
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. I am honored to have served with 
and to have been able to learn from such a legend in our Congress.
  She was a true trailblazer, becoming the first registered nurse to 
serve in this body. She was the first Black woman ever elected to 
public office from the city of Dallas when she was elected to the Texas 
State House and the first woman to ever lead a committee in the Texas 
chamber. She was also a Presidential appointee appointed by then-
President Jimmy Carter as a regional director of the U.S. Department of 
Health, Education, and Welfare.

                              {time}  1715

  She then returned to the Texas Legislature as a State senator, 
becoming the first Black senator from the Dallas area since 
Reconstruction.
  Mr. Speaker, she acknowledged the challenges of being both Black and 
a woman, once telling a reporter: ``Being a woman and being Black is 
perhaps a double handicap. When you see who is in the important 
huddles, who is making the important decisions, it is men.'' That drove 
her to fight for equity and to give women and people of color more 
opportunity and access.
  She came to Congress in 1993 and would later serve as the 17th chair 
of the Congressional Black Caucus. During her tenure, one of the things 
that she helped establish is the Tri-Caucus, represented through the 
coalitions of the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific 
American Caucuses that exist to this day.
  She became the first African American and the first woman to be the 
ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
and subsequently became the chairwoman of that committee.

[[Page H89]]

  Mr. Speaker, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson helped many of us. As a 
young freshman, it was Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who 
encouraged and pushed for people like me and Leader Jeffries to pursue 
leadership roles.
  Today, I am honored to serve as chair of the CBC, and Leader Jeffries 
is our Democratic leader. It is that type of mentorship, that type of 
encouragement, that I will always hold dear. Like Representative 
Crockett, we will do our part to live out her legacy.
  We truly miss Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, but she will be 
proud of the legacy she blazed, and we will honor her memory for 
generations to come.
  Rest in power, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Sessions).
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman not only for 
taking the time to initiate this important discussion about our former 
colleague, the gentlewoman, Eddie Bernice Johnson, but also thank her 
for gathering together what I think is evidence of a solid performance 
that Eddie Bernice Johnson gave not just to the people of Texas, not 
just to the people of the United States Congress, but really to the 
people who all across the country benefited from Eddie Bernice 
Johnson's character, her desire to be friendly, her desire to work 
across the aisle, and her desire to make sure that she led a life that 
she would be proud of. I can attest to each of those in a strong way.
  I had an opportunity to work with Eddie Bernice Johnson, the 
Congresswoman from the 30th District of Texas, for some 22 years. 
During those 22 years, we had an opportunity to fly back and forth. We 
would meet at DFW Airport and get on the airplane and come up. She did 
not offer small talk. She offered talk of things that she saw. She 
would offer talk and discussions about things that she would hope that 
we would become, and not just Texas, but people.
  It was really an amazing opportunity for us, whether we were sitting, 
waiting for a plane, or on a plane and attempting to move back and 
forth, to hear not just the benefit of what I believe was an outward 
view of very positive things but really how she wanted to work together 
and do her part in that process.
  She knew and I knew that I was born in Waco, Texas, and she was born 
in Waco, Texas. Another Member of Congress, Joe Barton, was also born 
and raised in Waco, Texas. I think she held that certainly in not just 
her mind but in her heart because she knew where she had come from and 
where I had come from, and we both knew where we were trying to head.
  I thank the gentlewoman, Congresswoman Crockett, for bringing 
together Eddie Bernice Johnson's friends, who will all speak not just 
about her authorship of good things but how we will miss her very much. 
I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me time to be on the floor tonight 
to say: Job well done, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. You not 
only are but you will be missed.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am glad the gentleman from Waco 
emphasized Waco, Texas, and I thank Congresswoman Crockett for bringing 
us together.
  Our friend, our colleague, was mighty proud of being born in Waco, 
Texas. For that reason, I want to take note of her loving parents, 
Edward Johnson, a tailor, and Lillie Mae White Johnson, a stay-at-home 
mother. They, of course, instilled in our friend, our sister, the love 
of this country and that you could do anything you wanted to do. She 
was surrounded by their love and the love of her siblings. She had in 
her the gifts of faith and charity and the importance of education.
  As a child, she knew she wanted to be a doctor, but how many have 
heard the word ``no'' from those who were part of her educational 
journey? Some said it was because she was a woman. Others knew it was 
because of her race.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson was not to be denied. She left the State of 
Texas ultimately and went to St. Mary's College in Notre Dame. We have 
heard some stories about how even the veterans hospital thought they 
were hiring a man when she finally came back and became chief of 
psychiatric medicine as it relates to the Veterans Administration.
  As I speak about her today, I simply want to say that she elevated 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. I remember staying on 
that committee for a while before going to the Homeland Security 
Committee, and she would always say that she will continue to invest in 
that committee so that she could lead, for she was science and 
technology.
  She loved diversity. That is why the Taiwanese community loved her. 
The LGBTQ+ community loved her because, before anyone else would 
recognize their diversity and their humanity, she did. They loved her 
in Dallas.
  No matter what walk of life you may have had, what faith you may have 
had, what walk of life you may have had, or the neighborhoods you came 
from, Eddie Bernice Johnson was there to be a fighter for your rights, 
to be a spokesperson, and to be one of strength when you needed it.

  She knew the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Yes, she was a friend of 
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, President Jimmy Carter, and all those 
who came after.
  I am glad to stand here today to be able to honor her parents, her 
siblings, and her wonderful son, Kirk, and the beautiful grandchildren 
and great-grandchildren that she loved.
  Her homegoing service was simply that, a homegoing celebration. I 
remember saying that night that she was truly a yellow rose. To fellow 
Texans, she loved Texas. A yellow rose she was, and she was a strong 
Texas woman.
  She will be strongly missed. The Congressional Black Caucus will miss 
her. Our colleagues will miss her. I will tell you, Texas and the 
Nation will miss our iconic friend, the Honorable Eddie Bernice 
Johnson. EBJ is what we called her. The 30th District of Texas will 
never be the same, but she has given her successor the tools to carry 
on.
  God bless you. May you rest in peace and rest in power.
  Mr. Speaker, we have come together on this day to celebrate, cherish, 
and honor the extraordinary life of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice 
Johnson, for a life well lived.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson was born in Waco, Texas to her proud and loving 
parents Edward Johnson, a tailor, and Lillie Mae White Johnson, a stay-
at-home mother.
  She was surrounded by the love of three siblings who grew up 
attending Toliver Chapel Baptist Church, where her mother instilled in 
her children the gifts of faith, charity, and the importance of 
education.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson as a child knew she wanted to become a doctor 
but was told by a High School guidance counselor that it would be 
impossible for her to be a doctor because of her gender.
  This attempt to crush her spirit was not successful--she graduated 
high school at 16, with a determination to pursue a career in medicine.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson moved to Indiana to attend Saint Mary's College 
of Notre Dame, where she earned her nursing certificate. She then 
transferred to Texas Christian University, to successfully pursue a 
bachelor's degree in nursing.
  She later attended Southern Methodist University and earned a Master 
of Public Administration in 1976.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson with passion and determination used her nursing 
education to enter a career in medicine; and broke barriers to become 
the first African American to serve as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the 
Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital, where she worked for 16 years.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson has amassed a legacy of being--the first--to 
accomplish many goals during and following her medical career.
  She entered public service following the enactment of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, because these 
laws enabled African Americans in the South to register and vote for 
the first time since Reconstruction.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson in 1972, during her first race for public 
office won a landslide victory to serve in the Texas State House, where 
she became the first black woman to be appointed to Chair the Labor 
Committee.
  In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her regional head of the 
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, making her the first 
African American woman in that position.
  In 1986, she returned to elected office as a member of the Texas 
State Senate.
  And, in 1993 was sworn into the House of Representatives as the 
Member serving the 30th District of Texas.

[[Page H90]]

  During her time in Washington, DC she served as ranking member and 
chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology; and sat on the 
influential Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
  She also served on many Caucuses including the influential 
Congressional Black Caucus and served as its 17th chair from 2001 to 
2003.
  Rep. Johnson was a dear friend and will be truly missed by all who 
knew her.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Lofgren).
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to join my colleagues in 
paying tribute to the incredible life and career of our friend and 
colleague, Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  When I walked into Congress as a freshman, Eddie was already here. 
When I walked into the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as a 
freshman, Eddie was already there.
  Those of us who worked with her know what an unstoppable force she 
was. She worked hard for her constituents, and she worked hard to 
advance American science.
  One of her focuses was on building a better future for everyone, 
where everyone could pursue STEM, no matter their race, gender, 
background, or ZIP Code. That was not just because of fairness for 
those individuals but because our country, unless we are able to get 
all the smart young people into STEM, is going to lose out. She made a 
difference there.
  There are countless rising generations who will see doors opened 
because of Eddie Bernice Johnson, even though they may not know that 
she did that for them.
  She always referred to the Science Committee as the committee of the 
future. It was also the committee of an island of bipartisanship. I am 
now the ranking member of the Science Committee, and I can see the 
tremendous work she did with our current chairman to make sure that the 
committee was focused on our mission, just to get the work done.
  I know the job she did was excellent because of the excellent staff 
that she built to carry forward her legacy.
  Mr. Speaker, I miss EBJ. We can all think of her as someone who 
helped America have a brighter future. She was one of a kind. I miss 
her greatly, and I honor her.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Weber).
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I rise 
to celebrate the extraordinary life of our friend, our Texan, our true 
public servant, and as has been pointed out here, a trailblazer, the 
much respected and much loved Eddie Bernice Johnson, or EBJ, as my 
friend from Texas pointed out.
  I had the honor of serving with her in the Texas delegation and on 
the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, where she served as the 
chairwoman. Before then, we went over to Europe on a T&I codel with her 
and her son, Kirk. I got to know her quite well.
  Let me tell you, when you spend time, you eat and drink, you laugh 
and cry, and you see other places, you get to know people really 
quickly. It was an absolute pleasure to know her and her son, Kirk, an 
absolute pleasure, with the southern charm and the intellect that she 
had.
  There was nothing that she loved more than her family, and she let 
that show.
  Mr. Speaker, we lost one heck of a lady, a wonderful lady. My prayers 
are with her and her family, especially her son, Kirk. We are forever 
grateful to the trailblazer that she was--quite frankly, the 
trailblazer that she is and will be for a long time, never forgotten. 
We are grateful for her service to the United States and grateful for 
her service to the 30th District in Texas.
  Eddie Bernice, you will be missed but not forgotten.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon 
(Ms. Bonamici).
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Crockett for 
organizing this Special Order.
  I am grateful to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
remember our esteemed former colleague, the late Congresswoman Eddie 
Bernice Johnson. I expect to see her sitting over there, where she 
always sat.
  Affectionately known as EBJ, Congresswoman Johnson showed tremendous 
leadership, and that is especially true on the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology.
  I have been on the Science Committee since I first joined Congress 
about a dozen years ago. I learned a lot from her example of hard work, 
civility, and perseverance.
  EBJ was a civil rights trailblazer, as we heard from Mr. Horsford.
  She led with the philosophy that building compassionate 
relationships, fostering curiosity, and working in good faith can yield 
successful, long-term policies.
  Her leadership left a lasting, positive influence on the Science 
Committee, which continues to shine as a refreshingly bipartisan body 
in this Congress today and should continue to serve as an example of 
collaborative work for years to come.
  In the last Congress, as the committee chair, she oversaw the passage 
of the bipartisan Chips and Science Act, some of the most significant 
scientific research and manufacturing legislation the committee has 
ever passed.
  I will be forever grateful for her support of several issues I 
brought to the committee, issues important to the district I represent, 
including ocean health, conservation of marine life, and investing in 
clean energy technologies that will protect our planet and address the 
climate crisis.
  I share in mourning Congresswoman Johnson passing. I send condolences 
to her family and friends. I know her legacy will live on through the 
many people she inspired and mentored throughout her storied career and 
through the legislation and policies she helped craft to help improve 
our country.
  Colleagues, please remember, with open hearts and fond memories, 
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

                              {time}  1730

  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan 
(Ms. Stevens).
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, during my first term in Congress as a 
freshman member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, we had 
a hearing at which we heard from a young woman researcher at the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who had taken the very first 
image ever of a black hole.
  Congresswoman Johnson, my chair, Chairwoman Johnson, took us to 
places that no one has been. She was constantly reaching and asking for 
more.
  In this term of Congress, I can't think of a time in which we have 
had a special order that has been bipartisan, but, for EBJ, we do, 
because that is who she was. When people were glad-handing and taking 
photos, she was cutting deals.
  The Chips and Science bill that got done under her leadership--and I 
spent a lot of hours on the phone with EBJ on that one--I watched her 
mastery on how that was going to get cooked up, because we are the 
House, and we think it starts with us, but the Senate had their vision.
  She changed my life. Her story is an American story, and it is an 
America-at-its-best story. Her legacy is profound, her friendships were 
enormous, and I will always remember what she taught me.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Congresswoman Eddie Bernice 
Johnson, a true American trailblazer, patriot, and real friend.
  I am wearing the red, white, and blue heart pin she kindly presented 
me over 15 years ago. Her kindness was legendary. Her keen political 
judgment allowed her to cut to the quick.
  She scaled above the walls of discrimination in her region, State, 
and Nation, devoting her lifetime to racial justice, advanced 
education, high science, and healing. An adopted daughter of our 
region, when southern schools refused her admission to study due to 
discrimination, she was accepted to seek a nursing degree at Saint 
Mary's in South Bend, Indiana.
  She would become the first registered nurse in congressional history 
and the first Black woman to represent Dallas, Texas, serving ably for 
three decades and retiring as dean of the Texas delegation. She rose to 
chair the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where she 
championed NASA,

[[Page H91]]

as others have referenced, and issues of import for the health, safety, 
and well-being for all Americans.
  May the angels carry her softly to her homegoing. May her loved ones 
and associates know they have been blessed by her life, as have we 
been, a life of fierce devotion to a more beloved nation and people.
  Ms. CROCKETT. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Oklahoma, Congressman Lucas.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the opportunity to 
speak this evening on my dear friend.
  Chairwoman Johnson came to Congress in the regular election cycle of 
1992, and I joined her 15 months later in a special election, so for 
28.5 years we worked together, most of that on the Science Committee.
  After I finished my time as chairman of the Ag Committee, I went over 
to be vice chairman of the Science Committee, and then ultimately 
ranking member for the 4 years that EBJ, as I lovingly called her, was 
the chairwoman of the committee.
  Eddie Bernice Johnson was an exceptional human being. She was, yes, a 
good Liberal. Yes, she was a good steward of her constituents. Yes, she 
was a great member of the CBC. Yes, she was an outstanding legislator 
and a member of Presidential administrations. But the thing that I 
admired the most was the fact that she was willing to give anyone the 
benefit of the doubt.
  It took me a little while to convince her of our commonality, our 
common spirit, and our common goals, but then she worked with me hand 
in glove. She treated me and my side of the Science Committee as 
decently as any chairperson could.
  Was she goal-oriented? Absolutely. Was she a great human being? 
Without a doubt. However, the one thing that would stress, in my 
opinion, the key to the intensity of that personality, after she had 
gone to Indiana for her advanced training, wherein after she developed 
that skill set, she could have stayed anywhere in any part of the 
country that at that time would have treated her dramatically better.
  In spite of that, she went home to make a difference, to make 
changes, to do and enable the next generation. That is so admirable, 
and, yes, EBJ, my dear, wherever you are, you are looking down on us, 
and we miss you.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Thank you so much, Congressman Lucas.
  I can recall when she first introduced me to the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), and she had a genuine affection for their 
relationship, so I thank the gentleman for his kind words.
  At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Houston, 
Texas (Mr. Green of Texas).
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman.
  And still I rise, Mr. Speaker. And still I rise to pay tribute to the 
Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson, the first lady of Texas politics.
  Yes, she has given new meaning to the name first lady, as the 
gentlewoman from Texas was the first Black woman ever elected to public 
office from Dallas.
  She was the first woman in Texas history to chair a major Texas House 
committee, the Labor Committee.
  Yes, she was the first African-American woman to hold the position of 
regional director for the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and 
Welfare.
  She was the first registered nurse elected to the United States 
Congress.
  She was the first Black person from Dallas to serve in Congress.
  Yes, she was a first. She was the first woman to chair the House 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Mr. Speaker.
  She was a history-making, glass-ceiling-breaking first lady who 
blazed huge trails in the sands of time, such that those who may 
traverse later will know that, where she was the first, she will not be 
the last.

  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I thank the gentlewoman for her hospitality 
while we were in Texas for this funeral.
  Today, I rise to honor the extraordinary legacy of Congresswoman 
Eddie Bernice Johnson, a trailblazer, a public servant, and a tireless 
advocate for her constituents. Congresswoman Johnson leaves behind a 
legacy that will inspire generations to come.
  However, for those of you who may not know, EBJ did not die of 
natural causes. She died of poisoning after neglect by workers at a 
Texas rehab facility, resulted in her lying in her own feces and urine, 
which resulted in infection setting up in the back-surgery incision she 
was recovering from.
  This was malpractice, but HB4, passed by the Texas legislature, 
limits damages in medical negligence cases to $250,000. HB4, pushed by 
the giant U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobby, was passed to protect 
corporations from so-called junk lawsuits.
  EBJ's life is worth more than $250,000. Her pain and suffering alone 
was worth more than that. Her grieving family has more than a junk 
lawsuit. That is why the so-called tort reform that the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce lobbies for is bad for consumers and good for corporate 
wrongdoers who put their patients at risk by cutting costs and failing 
to properly staff their facilities.
  I thank EBJ for telling her lawyer to use her misfortune to help make 
things better for medical negligence victims by advocating for repeal 
on damage caps for wrongful death and pain and suffering.
  Rest in peace, EBJ.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for giving 
me the opportunity to speak on my mentor, my hero, EBJ, who, you see, 
when I arrived in Congress 11 years ago after the death of my father, 
the late Donald Payne, Sr., EBJ put her arm around me and said, 
everything is going to be all right, and whatever you need, I will be 
there for you.
  So I rise today to honor a mentor, a trailblazer, and an esteemed 
former Member of Congress, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  Representative Johnson served the 30th Congressional District in 
Texas with distinction for 30 years, and she was the first registered 
nurse ever elected to Congress.
  We hear of all the firsts, that our honored colleague was able to 
break through those ceilings. In the 1960s, Representative Johnson 
fought for minority women's rights, and her work inspired her to start 
a long and distinguished career in politics.
  As we have heard, she was first elected to the Texas House of 
Representatives in 1972. I have a picture that hangs in my office of my 
father on the rostrum, as freshman Members are allowed to take their 
picture there when they arrive here in Congress. My father is standing 
there at the podium, and right next to him is EBJ. So I am fortunate 
that I will have a memory of her every time I enter my office in New 
Jersey.
  She really, on the personal side, looked out for us, gave us 
guidance, very quiet, but when she told you something, you understood 
that she was not playing around--that is for sure--and it was always to 
your benefit. You may not have appreciated it at the time or felt it 
was a little terse, but, in the long run, it was always right.
  So I am here just to pay honor and homage to a great woman--a great 
woman, a woman that defied odds that were surmountable and was able to 
accomplish so much with everything stacked against her. She still was 
able to accomplish incredible things, and so I am grateful for my 
colleague--and I am not surprised--the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. 
Johnson, for keeping it real.
  We need to understand what did happen to her, because it is a crime 
and a tragedy. After serving this country all these years and, in her 
retirement, having to suffer like that is wrong.
  We will remember the good things. We will remember the parts about 
her that we loved.

                              {time}  1745

  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Veasey), who is from the other part of Dallas.
  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to sort of paint a picture for 
everybody about what Dallas, Texas, was like. Like most other cities in 
Texas, when Eddie Bernice Johnson came from Waco and decided to settle 
in Dallas, it was not a great place for Black people

[[Page H92]]

to grow and prosper. It was very segregated, so much to the point to 
where if you were Black and you went into clothing stores in downtown 
Dallas, Mr. Speaker, you couldn't even try the clothes on.
  Nonetheless, that didn't stop Eddie Bernice Johnson. When she had the 
opportunity from Stanley Marcus to go and work at Neiman Marcus, 
instead of being happy and content to have an opportunity to work at 
what at the time was one of the premiere retail centers in the entire 
world, Eddie Bernice Johnson decided that she was going to shake some 
trees to make sure that no one else had to live through that indignity.
  She made changes when it came to retail in Dallas that led to the 
integration of stores and retail establishments in the city of Dallas.
  She did the same thing in nursing where there were not any nurses of 
color who worked at the VA. So every step of the way when Eddie Bernice 
Johnson went into a room, she always made sure that not only did she 
break glass ceilings, but she blazed trails for others who were going 
to follow behind her.
  She did the same thing in the Texas Senate. I will tell you, Mr. 
Speaker, because so much has been said about the feats that she 
accomplished when it came to transportation, a lot of people don't 
realize this, but Dallas, Texas, has probably the premiere light rail 
commuter rail system in the entire South. Had it not been for Eddie 
Bernice Johnson who had the vision that, hey, this DART system can 
actually work and be something, it is hard to imagine that DART would 
be what it is today. I can remember when I was a small child, a lot of 
people thought that there was no way that you could connect Dallas 
County and the surrounding counties by light rail. They said that it 
was too spread out.
  Nonetheless, Eddie Bernice Johnson knew better, and she became a 
champion for DART. That is why the downtown station is named after her.
  We had regional disputes between our two airports, and Eddie Bernice 
Johnson played a very key role and ultimately helped work out a 
decision that has helped both DFW and Love Field grow and prosper and 
become two of the busiest airports in the entire country. That was 
Eddie Bernice Johnson who played a role in that.
  When you think about where transportation is going tomorrow, Mr. 
Speaker, and where it currently is today, so much of the technology 
that is going to be needed to power the next generation of technology 
and the next generation of transportation, it was the Chips and Science 
Act and it was Eddie Bernice Johnson on the Science, Space, and 
Technology Committee who really put all that together.
  Mr. Speaker, I want you to think about her career when she first got 
into politics working on the more traditional means of transportation 
and the more traditional modes that we are all familiar with; and think 
about this new technology and how the new chips are going to tie in the 
old ways of how we move around and bring the new ways and empower 
America to a cleaner and better future of being able to move people. 
That was Eddie Bernice Johnson who played a huge role in that.
  We can't say enough about this woman and what she did to overcome, 
stay focused, and blaze trails for so many other people. Her legacy 
will live on forever, and the people of Dallas will always hold on to 
her legacy and her memories because what she did was just absolutely 
amazing and worthy of all of the great things that you will hear about 
her this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Dallas for putting 
this hour together.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to honor the life and legacy of our 
dear friend and former colleague, the extraordinary and the honorable 
Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  First, let me just send my deepest condolences to her loved ones. 
This Nation has lost a powerful force for good.
  When I was first elected, I served on the Science and Technology 
Committee with Eddie Bernice Johnson, and one of my very first 
congressional delegations, of course, led by Congresswoman Eddie 
Bernice Johnson was to visit technology companies in her district.
  She was adamant about making sure that I, as a new member, focused on 
the inclusion of women and people of color in all aspects of science 
and technology which led to my forming the Congressional Black Caucus' 
Tech 2020 and now Tech 2025 initiative.
  Nevertheless, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice insisted. She told me, as 
you probably have heard tonight and as she had always said: You have 
got to do the work. You have got to do the work.
  Now, the global HIV/AIDS initiative, PEPFAR, which has saved over 25 
million lives, was actually talked about and begun when Congresswoman 
and then-Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus. She organized the first meeting with 
President George Bush. I will never forget. She asked me what I wanted 
to talk about at the meeting. I said that I want to talk about all 
these people in Africa and throughout the world dying of AIDS.
  She looked at me, she smiled, and she said: That is what you want to 
talk to President Bush about?
  I said, Yes, ma'am.
  She said: Okay, talk to him and tell him what you think we should do.
  The rest is history. That was the beginning of our discussions about 
the global AIDS initiative, but had she not allowed me to raise that 
with President Bush, then who knows where we would be?
  Again, the rest is history.
  Her mark is on so much of what has been good, and that has been moved 
forward through this House of Representatives. She cared about all 
people. She cared about people of color, which was so important to her 
because she talked about our common humanity. That led her to forming 
the Tri-Caucus which consists of today the Congressional Black Caucus, 
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific 
American Caucus. The Tri-Caucus has been a powerful force for good not 
only for communities of color but for our entire country.
  Congresswoman and Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's life was 
remarkable. I have had the privilege to travel with her all over the 
world, and she was greeted as royalty in many countries. I will never 
forget her forming her organization, A World of Women for World Peace. 
She would invite all of us to meet with these phenomenal women from all 
around the world. She wanted to connect women because she knew that we 
would fight for peace and security together throughout the world. That 
was her idea. That was her idea.
  I tell you, Mr. Speaker, we are going to miss her. Her legacy will 
endure in the lives of those she touched, but also her legacy will 
endure right here in Washington, D.C., throughout our country, and 
throughout the entire world.
  As the Scriptures remind us, she fought the good fight, she finished 
the race, and, yes, she kept the faith. May her soul rest in peace and 
in power.
  Ms. CROCKETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, she is a living legend. We lost her, but she will always 
live on in the Halls of Congress.
  Leader Jeffries is unable to be here, but he tells a story that 
always makes me laugh. He talks about the fact that he and Chairman 
Horsford as freshmen were called in by Eddie Bernice. She told them: 
One of you all is going to lead the Special Order hour.
  So they said: Okay. Yes, ma'am.
  Of course, they did that. They did whatever she asked of them because 
she saw leadership in them probably before they saw leadership in 
themselves.
  He tells the story about how they led a Special Order hour at the 
behest of Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  Leader Jeffries always says that he could count on three people who 
would be watching: Steven's mom, his mom, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  Mr. Speaker, as I conclude this Special Order hour, I know that if 
there is one person who is watching as a freshman who had to do this 
job and lead her first Special Order hour, I know it is Eddie Bernice 
Johnson.

[[Page H93]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________