[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5645-S5646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Remembering Sheila Jackson Lee

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, this week my fellow Texans and people 
across the country will be celebrating the life and legacy of 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Like some of the best known Texans, 
from George Bush to Simone Biles, Sheila wasn't born in Texas. But as 
we like to say, she got there as soon as she could.
  She was born in New York, but she and her husband, Elwyn, chose to 
plant roots in Texas, and it didn't take long for her to become a 
leader in the Houston region.
  She was a lawyer, then a judge, then a city council member and, 
finally, a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  When I came to the Senate, I quickly learned a few important 
qualities about Sheila. No. 1, she was passionate--very passionate. 
Sheila was honored to represent the 18th Congressional District, and 
she cared deeply about her role as a voice for those constituents, here 
in Congress.
  Two, she was persistent. Some might even say relentless. She was 
never afraid to pick up the phone or track you down and try to convince 
you to see things her way on an issue.
  And, third, she was willing to cross party lines to get things done. 
Despite our opposing political parties, Sheila and I partnered on a 
number of bills to notch bipartisan wins for our State. Along with the 
rest of the Texas delegation, she helped secure critical resources and 
disaster assistance after numerous storms and hurricanes, which always 
seem to find their way to the southeast region of Texas. We worked on 
bills to support survivors of sexual assault and violence, including 
the Debbie Smith Act, which was just signed into law this week. We 
passed a law that serves as a first step toward establishing the 
Emancipation National Historic Trail, which will stretch from Galveston 
to Houston. And, 3 years ago, we led legislation to establish 
Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, something that existed in Texas for 
the last 40 years because Juneteenth celebrates something very 
important that happened in Galveston, TX, when, 2 years after the 
Emancipation Proclamation, the African-American slaves in that region 
learned for the first time that they were indeed free.
  Sheila was a true stateswoman. She was a Texan through and through, 
and she devoted her life to serving the people of Houston. We will miss 
Sheila, both in Texas and in the Halls of Congress.
  And Sandy and I send our prayers for comfort to Elwyn, Jason, Erica, 
Ellison, Roy, and the entire Lee family.

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