[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9361-9362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN SUPPORT OF CUBAN HISTORIAN GUSTAVO PEREZ SILVERIO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to support Gustavo 
Perez Silverio, an historian in Cuba who has had to endure continued 
threats from Castro's state security forces.
  This week, Castro's thugs threatened Gustavo Perez Silverio by 
telling him that he would be prosecuted for terrorist activities, but 
his only crime was to support activism and engagement in Cuban civil 
society. That is

[[Page 9362]]

not a crime. This is not the first time he has had to endure these dire 
threats.
  While in the United States last year, Gustavo issued statements about 
the current difficult situation in Cuba for human rights, but when he 
returned to the island, he learned that he lost his job as a professor 
at the university where he was teaching. This is another attempt by the 
Castro regime to silence peaceful opposition leaders.
  We cannot let this continue. What is happening to Gustavo happens to 
dozens of Cubans every day, innocent but brave dissidents who try to 
speak the truth about the human rights violations occurring in Cuba, 
violations that go unpunished due to the undeserved concessions given 
to the Castro brothers by this administration.
  Let's stand with the oppressed, the brave dissidents like Gustavo 
Perez Silverio, and not stand with their oppressor, the Castro regime.


                              Claudia Puig

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor Claudia Puig, a 
leader in television and radio broadcasting, on her receipt of the Bill 
Brooks Award from the Florida Association of Broadcasters.
  Claudia is a prominent figure in our south Florida community, and 
with over 25 years of experience, her opinion is trusted and credible. 
Claudia has been recognized by Radio Ink magazine as one of the 50 Most 
Influential Women in Radio and has been honored as Manager of the Year 
with the prestigious Medallas de Cortez Award in 2012. Claudia has 
served on many prestigious boards, including Florida International 
University's Board of Trustees, the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting, and the Orange Bowl Committee.
  For those of us who know her, the Bill Brooks Award is a deserved 
honor and a testament to her hard work.
  Congratulations, Claudia. I wish you many more years of continued 
success.


                  22nd Anniversary of Amigos for Kids

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Amigos 
for Kids, an organization in my congressional district that works to 
mitigate the harmful effects of child abuse and neglect. It has now 
embarked on its 22nd year of service to families in my congressional 
district in south Florida.
  As part of its mission, this noble organization, Amigos for Kids, 
administers an afterschool program at Jose Marti Park in Little Havana 
that provides kids with academic and extracurricular enrichment 
activities. Funded by the Children's Trust, Amigos for Kids also offers 
workshops to fortify the family bond. On June 20, Amigos for Kids will 
host its annual Miami Celebrity Domino Night. It is an event at which 
guests will enjoy live entertainment and culinary delights, which will 
benefit these kids.
  I thank Amigos for Kids for its commitment to assisting the less 
fortunate, and I encourage our community to get involved for the 
betterment of children and families. A united community can make a 
positive and lasting difference for all of us.

                              {time}  1045


                 raising alzheimer's awareness in june

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, 
and I rise today to shed light on one of the fastest growing and 
costliest epidemics facing our Nation. Having lost my mother due to 
complications of Alzheimer's, I am all too familiar with how it impacts 
not only the person, but the person's loved ones and the caregivers.
  Over 5.3 million Americans are living with this disease, including 
half a million Floridians. The Alzheimer's Association projects that, 
within the next 10 years, every State will experience significant 
increases in the number of people living with Alzheimer's. That means 
skyrocketing healthcare costs for impacted families and across all 
levels of government.
  Research is our best hope to save taxpayer dollars, and most 
importantly, to save lives. My thanks to all who are working every day 
toward curing Alzheimer's, a devastating disease. I also thank them for 
improving the patient's well-being and the caregiver's.

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