[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 78 (Monday, May 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3354) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 220 North Hatcher Avenue in Purcellville, Virginia,
as the ``Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3354
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT POST OFFICE
BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 220 North Hatcher Avenue in Purcellville,
Virginia, shall be known and designated as the ``Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright Post Office Building''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.
General Leave
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would name a post
office in Purcellville, Virginia, for former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright.
Secretary Albright was born in Prague in 1937 and immigrated to the
United States with her family in 1948.
In 1993, President Clinton appointed her Ambassador to the United
Nations, a position in which she served until her appointment as
Secretary of State in 1996, the first woman to be appointed to that
position and the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S.
Government at that time.
For 50 years, Secretary Albright resided in Loudoun County, where
this post office is located.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3354 to designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 220 North
Hatcher Avenue in Purcellville, Virginia, as the Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright Post Office Building.
This legislation, introduced by my tremendous colleague,
Representative Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, would designate a post
office after former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Secretary Albright fled Communist rule under Czechoslovakia and
immigrated to Denver, Colorado, in 1948. She committed herself to a
life of public service, including working for the U.S. Senate under
then-Senator Edmund Muskie, and later served the Carter administration
as a White House staff member and a staffer of the National Security
Council.
Secretary Albright was appointed by President Clinton as Ambassador
to the United Nations in 1993 and was a critical force behind the
expansion of NATO ``to build, for the very first time, a peaceful,
democratic, and undivided transatlantic community.'' She was committed
to the democratization and security of European nations that escaped
Soviet rule.
Secretary Albright is remembered as an important force behind the
global fight against climate change, including by supporting the
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to fight
global climate change. This protocol was eventually adopted in 1997.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Virginia (Ms. Wexton).
Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, last year, I was diagnosed with progressive
supranuclear palsy, or PSP. PSP makes it very difficult for me to
speak, and I use an assistive app so that you and our colleagues can
understand me.
I am proud to be here today speaking in support of my bill to rename
the Purcellville, Virginia, post office in honor of my former
constituent, the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who chose
not to have her mail delivered to her rural western Loudoun County farm
but instead became a fixture at the post office that will bear her
name.
Secretary Albright was a fearless trailblazer for women and a devoted
public servant who touched the lives of so many whom she taught,
mentored, and worked with, including me. Her relentless defense of
democracy and advocacy for human rights, inspired by her own lived
experience fleeing Nazi persecution, made her an icon here at home and
around the globe.
It is my honor to lead this legislation to celebrate her historic
life and legacy here in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, where
her farm is located and where she spent as much time as she was able.
Secretary Albright once said the greatest honor of her life was
representing the United States of America, a sentiment I am sure we all
share as Members of the House of Representatives.
Throughout her life, Secretary Albright received numerous accolades
and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. I am
honored that the Virginia delegation and I can bestow this posthumous
honor on Secretary Albright and her family and help ensure that her
legacy continues to live on in Virginia for generations to come.
I urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this
bill honoring an American leader. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3354.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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