[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Speaker Boehner for 
appointing me to serve as the Republican cochair of the Tom Lantos 
Human Rights Commission. It is a great honor to serve as a voice 
defending the rights of people worldwide to live free of repression and 
violence.
  I have served as a member of the Commission since its establishment 
following the passing of our dear colleague Congressman Lantos. A 
Holocaust survivor, he understood what it was like to live under the 
thumb of a brutal and oppressive regime.
  While we vowed ``never again,'' today, hundreds of millions of people 
worldwide live under governments that restrict the rights of free 
speech and religious expression--regimes that persecute minorities, 
women, and children.
  We are blessed to live in a country where individual rights are 
protected and cherished. Despite our differences, Democrats and 
Republicans work hand in hand to protect these rights at home and 
expand them worldwide.
  I am particularly honored to share the leadership of the Commission 
with Congressman McGovern. We have worked together to promote human 
rights for many years now, and I think there is much we can accomplish 
together.

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