Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4009, the Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act, introduced by my colleague, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton. This bill will authorize the establishment of a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its surroundings commemorating the enslaved individuals who disembarked here after forced migration by way of the transatlantic slave trade. This memorial will honor the lives of all enslaved individuals, celebrate their contributions to our history, and recognize their remarkable resilience and fortitude throughout four centuries of slavery. During this time period, enslavers forced the transport of 12.5 million captive Africans to sell in the Americas. The Georgetown waterfront has an extensive and long-neglected history of involvement in the slave trade. In fact, 1,475 enslaved individuals disembarked at the Georgetown waterfront while the institution of slavery grew on this continent. Establishing a memorial to honor those who were enslaved will create a powerful site of truth-telling and remembrance. I thank my colleague, Delegate Norton, for introducing this important and significant piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), who is the principal sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration today.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6353, the National Service Animals Memorial Act, introduced by my colleague, Representative Susan Wild. The bill would authorize the National Service Animals Monument Corporation to establish commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its surroundings, to commemorate the heroic deeds and sacrifices of service animals--and handlers of service animals--in the United States. The bill recognizes the National Service Animals Monument Corporation's mission to honor and recognize the broad scope of service animals through a memorial to educate the public of the contributions by service animals and of the human-animal bond between service animals and their handlers. The memorial will ensure that the contributions of service and working animals are understood, and that their history is not forgotten. In doing so, the bill recognizes the lifesaving and life-sustaining service these animals so generously provide to our communities. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Wild, for introducing this legislation and championing this bill on behalf of her constituents. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 6353, a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6734) to amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's Refuges Operational Act, introduced by our colleague, Representative Hakeem Jeffries. This bill will reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnerships, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The refuge system spreads itself across 568 national wildlife refuges and protects nearly 837 million acres of land, water, and wetlands. These important lands serve as homes for over an array of species, including 700 birds, 220 mammals, 1,000 fish, and 250 reptile and amphibian species. Volunteers in the refuge system are crucial to keeping the refuges running, encouraging millions of the tourists each year, and generating billions of local revenue while creating jobs for neighboring communities. Reauthorizing these volunteer services allows the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue providing transportation, uniforms, lodging, awards, subsistence, and training for those who selflessly choose to volunteer on these projects. During the March hearing on the bill, we heard from Ms. Caroline Brouwer of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Ms. Joan Patterson from the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates about the outside role that volunteers and friend groups play in keeping refuges running, as well as serving and connecting with the local community. The Fish and Wildlife Service also testified in support of the legislation. In June, the National Resources Committee reported the bill to the House by unanimous consent. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the bill sponsor and my colleagues on the committee for the bipartisan support for this legislation, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate all involved on a significant partnership on this legislation that has brought benefits historically to our park systems and refuge systems and will continue to do so. Let me thank my friends across the aisle for their bipartisanship on that. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7618) to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7618, introduced by my colleague, Representative Shontel Brown. This bill would designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial. This bill recognizes the significance of the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial, which helps preserve the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazi regime and honors the life and legacy of the Holocaust survivors who built this memorial. Completed in 1961 by survivors of the Holocaust residing in northeast Ohio, the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial is likely the first and oldest Holocaust memorial in the United States. For more than 60 years, the Kol Israel Foundation has looked over the memorial, which has the ashes of Jewish victims and other tokens of remembrance buried at its base. The bill ensures national historic recognition for the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial and preserves the memories and resiliency of the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust. I thank my colleague, Representative Shontel Brown, for introducing this important legislation, for introducing this important acknowledgment and memorial, and championing the bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2490) to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa, Texas, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure that is before us under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2490, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. This legislation, if the House will recall, was sponsored primarily by Representative Tony Gonzales from Texas. S. 2490 is a companion to that legislation from the Senate, from Senator Cornyn, and this legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Blackwell School National Historic Site to preserve, protect, and interpret the role of the Blackwell School as an academic and cultural cornerstone in Marfa, Texas. The Blackwell School was the sole public education institution for Mexican-American children in Marfa from 1909 until 1965, when local schools were finally integrated. The building is a tangible reminder of a time in American history where separate but equal remained prevalent in our culture. It is a symbol of community solidarity, pride, and identity, and it remains to this day. Approximately 4,000 students attended the Blackwell School over the course of more than 50 years. Despite the inherent unfairness of segregation, the Blackwell School became a meeting place and a source of pride for the local Mexican-American community in the region. Today, all that remains of the once-sprawling campus is a three-room adobe schoolhouse, one of the last such schools remaining in Texas. Designating the Blackwell School as a national historic site ensures that the story of the Blackwell School is maintained so that future Americans can learn from and understand its rich, complex, and troubling history. Representative Tony Gonzales should be applauded for his efforts on this. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me today in supporting the bill and sending it to President Biden for his signature, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time on this legislation. I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 820) to establish the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 820, the New Philadelphia National Historic Site Act. New Philadelphia was the first town platted and legally registered by an African American before the Civil War. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a National Historic Landmark, and included in the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. This bill would further establish the New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Pike County, Illinois. Honoring the legacy of New Philadelphia and celebrating the history of Black Americans is critically important. The protection and conservation of New Philadelphia ensures that this important history is preserved so that visitors to the site can have the opportunity to learn from and understand an important part of Illinois and American history. The story of New Philadelphia is our story, and it rightly deserves a place in our National Park System. As chair of the Natural Resources Committee, I am committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our committee's work, including by advancing the preservation of forgotten or under- told stories. I thank my colleague, Representative LaHood, for introducing this important legislation and championing the bill on behalf of, not only of his constituents, but the overall interest of the American people. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.