[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15490-15491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 WELCOMING THE HONORABLE ALMA S. ADAMS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Coble) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, Representative Adams has served 
our area in the North Carolina General Assembly in excess of two 
decades. In Raleigh, she is known as the ``legislative lady with the 
hat.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to you and to my colleagues the 
legislative lady with the hat, Alma Adams from North Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Price).
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the dean of our 
delegation, Howard Coble, for yielding, and I want to add to his words 
of introduction for our new colleague, Alma Adams.
  She was elected this past election to fill the unexpired term of our 
colleague Mel Watt, who has taken the leadership of the Federal Housing 
Finance Agency. She represents the 12th Congressional District of North 
Carolina.
  Alma Adams was born in High Point, North Carolina. She attended 
college at North Carolina A&T University. She got her Ph.D. from Ohio 
State University, and she became a teacher. She had a 40-year career as 
a professor at Bennett College in North Carolina.
  Alma Adams' career in politics began on the Greensboro school board. 
She served on the city council. She was appointed to the general 
assembly in 1994 by Governor Jim Hunt and then was elected in her own 
right for successive terms. She has had a distinguished term of service 
in our general assembly.
  She is known for her unceasing desire to improve the lives of women 
and children and families. Her issues include domestic violence, 
teenage pregnancy, affordable health care, and public education. She 
chaired the Legislative Black Caucus. She also chaired the bipartisan 
Women's Legislative Caucus.
  So Alma Adams, my colleagues, comes to us very, very well-equipped to 
be a productive and constructive and cooperative Member of this body, 
and it is my honor and pleasure to introduce you to her tonight, Alma 
Adams.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Coble, Congressman Price. 
As we all know, the journey to Congress is not made alone, and I could 
not have made it here without my faith, my family, and my friends.
  So I want to take a moment to give special thanks to my mother who 
could not be here today; to my children, Billy, Jeanele; and my son-in-
law, Ty; to my four grandchildren, one who is on the floor with me 
tonight; to my siblings; and to everyone who made the trip to share in 
this momentous occasion with me.
  I stand here on the shoulders of the fearless women who shattered the 
glass ceiling by coming to Congress and representing our country with 
pride, tenacity, and integrity. It is with great honor that I stand 
before you tonight as the 100th woman in the 113th Congress. The women 
who have served before me have proven that when women succeed, we all 
succeed.
  As I traveled across the 12th Congressional District, I heard the 
calls for us to work together, to create jobs, invest in education, and 
to be a voice for the working men and women struggling to make ends 
meet.
  I am answering their calls by pledging to work with the Members of 
the North Carolina delegation and each and every Member of this 
Chamber. To the people of the 12th Congressional District, 10 months of 
no representation stops now. I am here, and I am rolling up my sleeves, 
and I am getting to work.

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