[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16789-16790]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 DOROTHY I. HEIGHT POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6118) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., in Washington, D.C., 
as the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office Building,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6118

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

     SECTION 1. DOROTHY I. HEIGHT POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, in Washington, 
     D.C., shall be known and designated as the ``Dorothy I. 
     Height 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

[[Page 16790]]

     be a reference to the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to present H.R. 6118 for consideration. 
This measure designates the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C. as 
the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office.''
  H.R. 6118 was introduced by our colleague, the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, on 
September 14, 2010. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, which ordered it reported favorably by unanimous 
consent on September 23, 2010.
  Mr. Speaker, this chamber mourned the loss of one of America's most 
celebrated civil rights leaders, Dr. Dorothy I. Height, earlier this 
year. Today, we have the opportunity to continue to honor her life and 
achievements by giving her name to the post office in Washington, DC's 
historic Postal Square Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the minority will support this bill. Ms. Height actually 
had bipartisan support in her life. She got an award from one of the 
greatest, Ronald Reagan, and one of the more recent, Bill Clinton. And 
I think that in that spirit we should try, in a bipartisan effort, to 
support this bill.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
legislation naming a post office in Washington, D.C. after the 
godmother of the civil rights movement and a champion of social 
justice: Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
  I thank Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for providing us with the 
opportunity to honor Dr. Height's commitment and compassion, grace and 
patriotism.
  In her memoir, ``Open Wide the Freedom Gates,'' Dr. Height wrote, 
``It is in the neighborhood and communities where the world begins. 
That is where children grow and families are developed, where people 
exercise the power to change their lives.''
  Today, we have the opportunity to ensure that Dr. Height's name will 
live on in the neighborhoods and communities of our nation's capital. 
And when we do so, we will have named the first public building in 
Washington's history after an African American woman.
  I think it is particularly appropriate that the Dorothy I. Height 
Post Office Building will be just four blocks from the United States 
Capitol--where Dr. Height tirelessly lobbied on behalf of social 
justice, human rights, and equality. It is almost as if she is keeping 
a watchful eye over us.
  Men and women of every race and faith are heirs to the work, passion, 
and legacy of Dorothy Height. Together, we must continue to help build 
the America that Dr. Height envisioned: a nation defined by equality, 
shaped by civil rights, and driven by the pursuit of justice for all.
  Hundreds of people came to the Washington National Cathedral to pay 
their last respects to Dr. Height--ordinary residents of the nation's 
capital, dignitaries, and even the President of the United States. As 
President Barack Obama said that day, ``May God bless Dr. Dorothy 
Height and the union that she made more perfect''
  I urge my colleagues to join me in making our union more perfect by 
honoring Dr. Height today.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Towns for 
moving my bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 21 Massachusetts Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C., as 
the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office'' through committee, and Speaker 
Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer for bringing it to the House floor.
  Dr. Dorothy I. Height, the longtime president of the National Council 
of Negro Women who died this year, was never a public official, but she 
spent her life in service of African Americans, especially African 
American women, and in service of the people of the United States of 
America. So strong was the power of her example that she was a role 
model to generations of women beyond her reach. Dorothy Height was a 
visionary and a civil rights leader known as the ``Godmother of the 
Civil Rights Movement.'' She championed countless efforts for basic 
justice in our country, particularly equal rights for women and people 
of color, from equal pay to the integration of the nation's 
governmental institutions and its societal norms.
  Dr. Height was recognized with virtually every significant national 
honor, from the NAACP Spingarn Medal to the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Dorothy Height was also a 
proponent of strong family life, and organized the annual Black Family 
Reunion, which is held yearly. The Black Family Reunion for this region 
was held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, on the National Mall and is 
an African-American celebration held throughout the nation during the 
summer.
  Please join me in honoring Dr. Height's immensely productive and 
impactful life by designating the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, in Washington, D.C., as 
the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office.''
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask for an affirmative vote, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6118, as amended.
  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. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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