[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19786-19787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        THANKING LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART FOR HIS SERVICE IN CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor a great public 
servant and a dear friend, Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who, after 
17 years of distinguished service to our south Florida community here 
in Congress, is retiring. The House of Representatives is indeed losing 
a great man and a dedicated leader.
  Lincoln Diaz-Balart has left a legacy that is extensive and worthy of 
praise. He has led a life guided by his principles, and he has not 
wavered in his convictions; convictions based on his love for this 
great country and the freedom that it embodies.
  Lincoln's story is truly an American story. Having fled the Castro 
regime with his family, he became a fierce and staunch defender for 
human rights and the rule of law throughout the world. He became a 
voice for those whose own voices are silenced by repressive 
governments.
  His commitment to public service is a testament to not only his 
character, but to the valuable lessons that he learned from his father, 
Rafael Diaz-Balart. The courage that Rafael demonstrated as he fought 
against Castro's totalitarian tactics left a profound impact on his son 
Lincoln. It instilled in Lincoln a sense of duty and a fierce urgency 
to help others.
  From the beginning of his life in public service, Lincoln devoted 
himself to aiding those less fortunate. Early in his career, he used 
his expertise as an attorney to assist south Florida's most vulnerable 
by providing free legal services to the poor. He also served as an 
assistant State attorney in Miami-Dade County.
  Lincoln began his career in politics by being elected to the Florida 
House of Representatives in 1986 and later to the Florida Senate in 
1989. And then, in 1992, he was elected to our body, the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  I have enjoyed working with Lincoln as we have tackled the issues 
that have been of vital importance to our south Florida communities.
  And two of his proudest moments, Madam Speaker, were the passage of 
the Helms-Burton Act and the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American 
Relief Act, both of which he helped author. The Helms-Burton Act 
strengthened and codified into law the embargo against the Castro 
dictatorship. And the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief 
Act granted temporary protected status to hundreds and hundreds of 
refugees who were fleeing repressive governments in Central America.
  Another proud moment came in 1997, when Lincoln helped secure 
legislation that extended SSI benefits to so many legal immigrant 
families.

                              {time}  1910

  Lincoln has also been a tireless advocate for providing Hispanic 
youth the resources necessary to compete in a global economy.
  Recognizing that the Hispanic community has and will continue to 
contribute much to our great Nation, Lincoln helped create the 
Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, CHLI, a nonprofit, 
nonpartisan organization that provides Hispanic youth with the 
opportunities to interact with leaders in the public and private 
sectors. Its Global Leaders Congressional Internship Program has helped 
hundreds of Hispanic students expand their professional horizons and 
enhance their understanding of governments and businesses.
  Lincoln will be missed in Congress, but I know that south Florida 
will continue to count him as a leader. He will soon begin to work 
closely with the group Rosa Blanca, or White Rose. This organization 
was formed by his father, Rafael, in order to counter the totalitarian 
and collectivism objectives of the Castro regime.
  As Lincoln begins this new stage in his professional and personal 
life, I know that our entire south Florida community, as well as my 
esteemed colleagues in the Congress, wish him and his family, his dear 
wife Cristina, and his sons, Danny and L.G., nothing but the best. 
Godspeed, my friend.

[[Page 19787]]



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