[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3726-3727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      LINO PEREZ, JR. POST OFFICE

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 437) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 500 West Eisenhower Street in Rio Grande City, 
Texas, as the ``Lino Perez, Jr. Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 437

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LINO PEREZ, JR. POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 500 West Eisenhower Street in Rio Grande 
     City, Texas, shall be known and designated as the ``Lino 
     Perez, Jr. Post Office''.
       (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 ``Lino Perez, Jr. Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration 
of H.R. 437, legislation naming a postal facility in Rio Grande City, 
Texas, after the former postmaster of Rio Grande City, Lino Perez, Jr.
  Lino Perez, Jr., was the 18-year-old son of the mayor of the City of 
Rio Grande, Texas, where he witnessed how a breakdown in a government 
service could disrupt the lives of nearly all of its beneficiaries.
  The City of Rio Grande, with a population of over 2,000, was 
disincorporated in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression over 
local businesses' refusal to pay taxes, causing young Perez's high 
school to lose its accredited status.
  Thereafter, unable to complete in school in town, Mr. Perez 
persevered with his education, attending classes 100 miles away in 
Brownsville and eventually receiving his diploma from a school in 
Austin. Mr. Perez's father, Lino Perez, Sr., had served for 4 years as 
the Democratic mayor of the now disbanded town of Rio Grande. Some 
might have feared that a town which had financially defaulted and 
disbanded its government would suffer the fate of so many ghost towns 
in the western States, slowly fading from the map.
  However, Mr. Perez, Sr., continued to look after his community, 
volunteering for the office of postmaster to his unincorporated 
neighbors. Mr. Perez, Sr., put his son, Lino Perez, Jr., to work 
delivering letters that same year.
  Mr. Speaker, Lino Perez, Jr., succeeded his father as postmaster of 
Rio Grande on New Year's Eve, 1957. During his first term, Mr. Perez 
improved service to the growing downtown district and the surrounding 
rural areas of Starr County. Mr. Perez strove to further serve the city 
by winning approval for a new post office building.
  The Perez family, senior, and then junior, ran that post office in 
Rio Grande from 1934 to 1975. Together, they watched the town heal from 
economic stagnancy and grow in population throughout the century.
  When Lino Perez, Jr., retired from the postal service, he continued 
his public service as State warden, State secretary and finally State 
treasurer of Texas. Lino Perez, Jr., learned from his father and, in 
turn, showed his town the strength of a community to weather difficulty 
as one, and the power of letter carriers to knit the lives of their 
fellow citizens together, to make all of the neighbors' stories into 
one story.
  Many local officials support naming this post office after Lino 
Perez, Jr., including the city mayor, the county judge, and the area's 
State Representative.
  Mr. Speaker, together with my colleagues, we urge the swift passage 
of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is not uncommon in this body to name post offices 
after former Members of Congress, national figures, Presidents and the 
like. But it is incredibly appropriate today to name a post office 
after two generations of hard work on behalf of that very post office.
  As a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I have 
managed many bills for post offices, and in my 6 years I have not seen 
a more befitting naming of a post office. Because, in fact, it is this 
group of tireless workers for the Federal Government, often the butt of 
jokes, the postmasters and the postmen and postwomen, that make sure 
that our bills, our letters, our correspondence, and, yes, our junk 
mail, are delivered to us.
  I think this is among the most appropriate pieces of legislation that 
I have had the opportunity to help manage. I urge the passage of this. 
I urge the people of this Congress to take note that we are, in fact, 
naming a post office after a postman this one time.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield for as 
much time as he may consume to my esteemed colleague from Texas (Mr. 
Cuellar).
  Mr. CUELLAR. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for his kind 
words, and the gentleman also from California for the kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 437, a bill to name the postal 
facility of Rio Grande City, Texas, after Lino Perez, Jr.
  Mr. Lino Perez, Jr., is a role model and a leader in south Texas, who 
helped ingrain a rich tradition of public service in his community. Mr. 
Perez was born in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1914. He attended high 
school in south Texas, as well as in Austin, and then returned home to 
Rio Grande City shortly after graduation to begin his post office 
career.
  He first started with the United States Post Office in 1934 under the 
guidance of his father, who was then the postmaster of Rio Grande City. 
Lino Perez, Jr., worked through the ranks of the Rio Grande City Post 
Office; and after two decades, 20 years, he was named postmaster for 
Rio Grande City.
  Under his leadership, the Rio Grande Post Office was upgraded to a 
second-class post office. Mr. Perez also established the city's first 
mail delivery, created several rural routes in Starr County, and helped 
lay that foundation for his community's further progress.
  In addition, Mr. Perez served several terms on the Starr County 
Hospital Board of Directors, was actively involved in the Knights of 
Columbus, including being Texas State deputy, the highest Knights of 
Columbus position in Texas. After 41 years of loyal service, Lino Perez 
retired from the Rio

[[Page 3727]]

Grande Post Office. Forty-one years of great service.
  Mr. Perez still resides in the region, is warmly remembered by his 
family, friends and community as a community leader. Lino Perez, Jr.'s 
service to our country shall be remembered and celebrated through this 
small tribute, and I urge swift passage of this bill.
  Again, I want to thank the gentleman from California and the 
gentleman from Massachusetts.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, we are indeed very proud that 
this post office is being named after a postal employee, a very proud 
family.
  On behalf of all the workers of the United States Postal Service, we 
want to urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 437.
  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. LYNCH. 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 and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

                          ____________________