[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING KAREN BASS

  (Ms. RICHARDSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the newly 
elected Speaker of the California State Assembly, the Honorable Karen 
Bass. It is with great pleasure that I applaud her accomplishments and 
wish her future much success.
  At the end of this legislative year, Karen Bass will break historic 
glass ceilings in California and across this Nation by becoming the 
first African American woman Speaker of the State legislative body.
  Speaker-elect Karen Bass, who is respected on both sides of the 
aisle, received unanimous support. Throughout her career, her public 
service and social justice has been something that she commonly really 
used not only in her community but now in her service. In 1990, 
Speaker-elect Bass founded the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse, 
Prevention and Treatment. She served as its executive director for 14 
years. After the 1992 civil unrest, her organization played a pivotal 
role in the success of South Los Angeles.
  Speaker-elect Bass turned to politics when she concluded that the 
best way to implement change would be to be an elected official 
herself. At the time of her election, there were no other African 
American women serving in the California Legislature. She was 
immediately appointed majority whip, and now she serves as majority 
leader.
  Please join me in congratulating her as we wish her tremendous 
success.

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