[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 35]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING COMMISSIONER
                             EL FRANCO LEE

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this past week in Harris County, Texas, 
we lost a giant of a man in the name
of Commissioner El Franco Lee, who served the Harris County 
Commissioners Court and the people he loved for 30 years.
  One could never describe Commissioner Lee as a typical politician. As 
he walked through his district, I truly believe his giant footsteps 
touched everyone and everyone's heart. He was a lover of seniors and 
created opportunities for them to enjoy their life and swim in a 
fantastic pool at the Hester House. More importantly, he coddled and 
nurtured and created the Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital that has served 
so many from all over the county and State. The Baylor Teen Clinic 
called him a guardian angel, providing healthcare services for 
vulnerable teens.
  And, yes, he believed in something called the Olympics, not around 
the world, but right in Harris County; 10,000 children during the 
summer would have the opportunity to test their athletic prowess. And 
he was an athlete as well.
  He was a friend of Mickey Leland and Craig Washington. More 
importantly, his beautiful family, wife, and children lived in his 
beloved community, Fifth Ward. He was a friend of the community.
  He did so much as a county commissioner. He left behind wonderful 
parks and the opportunity for trails. He was a man in our community who 
knew about flooding. He was a strong, strong proponent of making sure 
that the infrastructure in Precinct 1 was the kind that would give a 
better quality of life.
  Mr. Speaker, as I close on this wonderful public servant, let me say 
may he rest in peace, working until his tragic death, and offering to 
the people who were left behind our praise for him. May he rest in 
peace.
  Thank you, Commissioner El Franco Lee, for being the giant of a man 
who reached low and touched all, loved us all, and brought us to a day 
in Harris County where we can be so proud of all that you have done.

                          ____________________