[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13992]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
   CONGRATULATING THE 2009 GRADUATES OF NORTH FOREST HIGH SCHOOL IN 
                             HOUSTON, TEXAS

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to support 
the graduating class of North Forest High School in Houston, Texas, the 
2009 graduating class, a school district, the North Forest Independent 
School District, that suffered the ravages of Hurricane Rita, and then 
right on the heels of Hurricane Rita came Hurricane Ike and destroyed 
many of the buildings of that particular school district. Then 
Forestbrook High School suffered heinous acts by vandals who destroyed 
the school and caused the school district to have to close one of its 
high schools. So today the graduating class will be the merger of those 
two high schools, and boy have they united.
  I'm honored to be their guest speaker. And because of that, Mr. 
Speaker, I will miss some legislative initiatives. But I rise to 
support the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. I would have 
voted ``aye'' on the rule, ``aye'' on final passage, and I would have 
voted ``aye'' on two amendments, Mr. Green and Mr. Bright of Alabama. 
And then, as well, I would have voted ``no'' on the gentleman's 
amendment from California, Mr. Issa.
  But the main point is to recognize that I am going to salute these 
students because they deserve it. They've overcome adversity. 
Congratulations to the North Forest High School Class of 2009.

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