[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11360-11361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING THE TEXAS 53

  (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I come to the House floor today to salute 
heroes in my State, the Texas 53. Yes, these 53 State House 
representatives have taken a courageous stand to preserve justice and 
democracy in Texas. As those State representatives said in a written 
statement, they are taking a courageous stand for fair play for all 
Texans. We refuse to participate in an inherently unfair process that 
slams the door of opportunity in the face of Texas voters.
  The proposed redistricting plan blatantly violates the Voting Rights 
Act and the U.S. Constitution. In south Texas, border cities are cut up 
into as many as three different congressional districts and grouped 
into residents of downtown Austin over 350 miles away.

[[Page 11361]]



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  Democratic representatives have no voice in the development of this 
redistricting plan, nor did citizens throughout the State of Texas, in 
violation of State law.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I commend these 53 representatives for their 
courageous stand, especially those heroes from south Texas: Kino 
Flores, Jim Solis, Rene Oliveira, Aaron Pena, Miguel Wise, Ryan Guillen 
and Juan Escobar. We support them.

                          ____________________