[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12206-12207]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    HONORING ELIZABETH KIMMEL-HIEKEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 22, 2000

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Elizabeth Kimmel-Hieken for 
her outstanding contributions to the community. For more than 40 years 
in the labor movement, Liz Kimmel has tirelessly organized workers, 
walked picket lines, fed the unemployed, marched for civil rights, 
lobbied the legislature, and pioneered the way for more women and 
minorities in trade unionism.
  The Harris County AFL-CIO is honoring Liz on her 85th birthday this 
month, for her more than four decades of valuable service to the labor 
movement and to the greater Houston community.
  Texas has been fortunate to have such a daughter. Liz Kimmel arrived 
in Texas in 1947 to help organize union activities. She ended up 
staying for the latter half of the century, and our workers, our senior 
citizens, the handicapped, and the poor are better off for it.

[[Page 12207]]

  The labor movement and the community have benefitted from Liz's 
clarity, wisdom and constant dedication. She is among those inspiring 
leaders responsible for helping to eventually expand the labor movement 
through what was then a new, emerging public employee union, the 
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). 
She was at the forefront in leading AFSCME in Houston and Texas for two 
decades before her retirement.
  Liz has also used her boundless energy over the years to become a 
stalwart in the Democratic Party. She has been a true activist, serving 
as a Precinct Judge, floor leader, block walker, an avid campaigner, 
and a successful recruiter. She has been a loyal and valuable member of 
the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national level for the 
last forty years.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Elizabeth Kimmel-Hieken for more than 
four decades of service to Texas and Harris County. Her contributions 
to the labor movement and politics will always be present, and her 
legacy shall endure.

                          ____________________