Darren Soto

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I do not rise today for another moment of silence for Parkland, Florida, for the semiautomatic weapon and shooter who wielded it already silenced 17 Floridians and injured countless others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Instead, I rise to make their voices heard. I rise to call for action on sensible gun reform. The Parkland shooter likely got his semiautomatic weapon through a private sale or a gun show without a background check, in spite of a record of mental health issues. It is time to close that loophole. The Las Vegas shooter used a bump stock to convert a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon--which is already illegal. Bump stocks should also be illegal. Why is nothing happening? In my own home of Orlando, the shooter at the Pulse nightclub was on the FBI watch list. Imagine if we passed no fly, no buy and stopped that from happening. Now is not the time for silence. Now is the time for action, and now is time for solutions.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Russell Drake. Russell Drake is the president of the Orange County Democratic Black Caucus. He is a Christian man, community activist, engineering professional; and he attended Howard University with a focus in systems and computer science. Upon finishing school, he moved to Orlando, Florida, where he has worked as a systems engineer at two Fortune 500 corporations over the last 15 years. Outside of work, Russell has a focus and passion for uplifting the community, leading him to be a very active member in the Orlando metropolitan area through individual and group efforts of service. On his own accord, Russell is a supporter of various youth programs, mentoring activities, food drives, homeless empowerment initiatives, voter action rallies, and civic and political awareness causes. Mr. Drake is part of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, Central Florida Urban League Young Professionals, National Pan-Hellenic Council of Metro Orlando, NPHC, the NAACP Orange County Branch, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida. Mr. Drake's active nature has earned him appointments to the African American Advisory Board of WESH 2 News Orlando and to the Boy Scouts of America, Whitney M. Young Council. In spiritual life, Mr. Drake is a member of the Saint Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church where he serves on the trustee board, usher board, praise and dance team, and men's choir. Last but not least, Mr. Drake regards his lovely family to always come first. For that, Mr. Drake, we salute you. Honoring the Life of Recy Taylor

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Lawrence Epps. Lawrence Epps moved to Lake Wales with his grandmother when he was 12 years old. As a Boy Scout, he and his troop shoveled out the graves, quickly changed into their uniforms during the funerals, then changed again and dashed back to the cemetery to cover the graves back up, just as a young boy. About 4 years ago, he began driving the ambulance on calls while also working for James P. Austin Construction Company, preparing the newly built homes for occupancy. An alumnus of Roosevelt High School, he transferred to Lake Wales High School in his senior year in 1969, the first year that the schools in Polk County were integrated. Epps completed his associate's degree in mortuary science at Miami- Dade Junior College in 1973, and returned to Polk County serving as a special deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office from 1974 to 1980. Epps, who was barely 26 when he began Epps Memorial Funeral Home in 1976, has served the bereaved of the community for over four decades. In 2013, the State organization named him Mortician of the Year, which Tommy L. Hayes, president of the Florida Morticians Association, says is an honor bestowed by Epps' peers. Two decades later in 1996, Epps achieved a personal goal when he was ordained a minister through the Progressive Missionary & Educational Baptist State Convention. Mr. Epps has been president of the Roosevelt Alumni Association since 1978, an organization that helps raise money through scholarships and school supplies for students of Lake Wales. He also is a member of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce and has been a member of the board since 1998. Epps has said that the mortuary business is a lot of hard work and dedication, but the rewards that come with helping people get through a difficult time are great. He is a firm believer in the adage, ``The village raises the child,'' and plans to continue giving back to his adopted home for many years to come. And for that, Mr. Epps, we salute you. Saluting and Honoring Russell Drake

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Dr. Barbara Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins is the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools. She is a recognized education leader, who has been dedicated to serving the needs of students for over 30 years. In January 2017, she received a presidential appointment as director of the National Board of Education Sciences. She serves on the executive board of directors of multiple councils in the central Florida area. Also in 2017, she was named the Florida Superintendent of the Year, and she was one of four finalists for the national title. The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents named her Hispanic-Serving School District Superintendent of the Year. The Florida Association for Career and Technical Education named her CTE Superintendent of the Year. Under Dr. Jenkins' leadership, the district won the prestigious 2014 Broad Prize for Urban Education, which earned a half a million dollars for student scholarships. The district also received the Governor's Sterling Award in 2014 and 2015, and the Sustained Excellence Award in 2017. Deeply engaged in the community, Dr. Jenkins serves on the board of directors of United Arts of Central Florida, Orlando Economic Partnership, Florida Hospital, Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, and the Orange County Youth Mental Health Commission. For that, Dr. Barbara Jenkins, we salute you. Saluting and Honoring Lawrence Epps

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Recy Taylor. Recy Taylor was a 24-year-old African American in 1944 when she was kidnapped and raped maliciously by six White men in Abbeville, Alabama. The NAACP sent a young activist, Rosa Parks, to investigate this travesty. Like so many other crimes involving African-American victims in this era, this crime was never brought to trial. After reporting the crime to local officials, Mrs. Taylor was intimidated to recant by vigilantes, but she did not. Even after an all-White, all-male jury dismissed the first case after 5 minutes of deliberation, Recy Taylor, with the help of Rosa Parks and the NAACP, continued to organize and form the Committee for Equal Justice for the Rights of Mrs. Recy Taylor. This committee had 18 chapters across the Nation and included activists such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary Church Terrell, and Langston Hughes. The committee lobbied Alabama Governor Chauncey Sparks until he called for another investigation. In the documentary, ``The Rape of Recy Taylor,'' Mrs. Taylor said: `` . . . they didn't try and do nothing about it. I can't help but tell the truth of what they done to me.'' Mrs. Taylor's acts of courage were one of the catalysts that led to the modern-day civil rights movement. She was also recently referenced by the famous and world-renowned Oprah Winfrey in her ``Time's Up'' speech and will forever be memorialized as a result. Many of the members of the committee went on to plan and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott as well. Today, I posthumously honor this long-term Winter Haven resident in my district, Recy Taylor, for her act of courage and bravery, and for that I recognize you, Mrs. Taylor. Honoring Desmond Meade

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Desmond Meade. Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually be the current executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, chair of the Floridians for Fair Democracy, chair of the Florida Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Black Men's Roundtable. Desmond is a graduate of the Florida International University College of Law. As president of the FRRC, which is recognized for its work on felon disenfranchisement issues, Desmond led the citizen's initiative to allow Florida voters to decide to end the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with felony convictions, create a more human reentry system that will enhance successful reentry, reduce mass incarceration, and increase public safety by empowering those impacted by our criminal justice system. Desmond spoke before national organizations, such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bread for the World, on the challenges of returning citizens as well. Desmond recently orchestrated a historic meeting at the White House between returning citizens and the President's administration. He was recognized as a foot soldier on the Melissa Harris-Perry show on MSNBC. Desmond recently successfully got a restoration of rights amendment onto the ballot which gives Floridians the right to vote to end this legacy of Jim Crow laws in the South that bar felons from restoring their rights after they have fulfilled their sentences and met their debt to society. We are one of only four States left with this terribly discriminatory law. Desmond is married and also has five beautiful children, and for that, Mr. Meade, we honor you. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Captain Keva Harris, born in Bartow, Florida, and raised in Haines City, Florida, in a family that stressed community involvement. While in high school, Ms. Harris worked with her grandmother to raise funds for band instruments and school trips. After her high school graduation, she started studying tae kwon do, opening a school for the Oakland community with her future husband, Ricky. She attended Polk Community College, and was hired as Haines City's first African-American female officer in 1993. While on the force, Captain Harris attended Warner University, graduating with a bachelor's degree and an MBA. She also attended the University of Phoenix, graduating with a master's in science and criminal justice. She is also the first Black woman in the city's history to hold an administrative position with the police force, but always coming back to community involvement, she became commander of the community service division in 2015. Harris became a lieutenant in 2006, and later that year was promoted to captain. In addition to her police duties, Ms. Harris is a longstanding member of the Haines City branch of the NAACP, which her mother-in-law served as a longtime president. Captain Harris is a member of the Northeast Revitalization Group, an organization that serves the Oakland community with neighborhood cleanup, a Christmas breakfast, a local museum, and the city's annual Martin Luther King, Jr., parade. She is also part of the Unity in the Community, started by a group of local pastors that give back to the community through backpack drives for schoolchildren, holiday turkey giveaways, and a health fair. She is a member of the New Beulah Missionary Baptist Church. Captain Keva Harris, we salute you. Saluting and Honoring the Austin Family of Lake Wales, Florida

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I first would like to take a moment to remember a hero of the civil rights movement in central Florida. Harry T. Moore was born on November 18, 1905. He was an African- American educator, a pioneer leader of the civil rights movement, and founder of the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP, in Brevard County, Florida. Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, who was also an educator, were the victims of a bombing of their home in Mims, Florida. On that fateful Christmas night in 1951, he died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital in Seminole County, while she died January 3, 1952, at a hospital also in Sanford, Florida. Forensic work in 2005 to 2006 resulted in the naming of the probable perpetrators as four Ku Klux Klan members, all long dead by the time of the investigation. The Moores were trailblazers as the first NAACP members to fight for civil rights, and, unfortunately, were murdered as a result of their activism. Moore has been called the first martyr of the early stages of the civil rights movement. Mr. Harry T. Moore and Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, we salute and honor you. Saluting and Honoring Captain Keva Harris

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize the Austin family of Lake Wales, Florida. James P. Austin, Jr., was born in 1919. He served in the United States Army as a staff sergeant during World War II. Mr. Austin served as the Lake Wales NAACP president for over 33 years, founding the branch along with his wife, Jeresa Austin, and Reverend W.J.H. Black. During his tenure, both Austins were instrumental in the sit-ins and swim-ins as far away as Ocala and St. Augustine in the 1960s, as well as the integration of the Polk Theatre in Lakeland in 1976. Mr. Austin was elected to the Lake Wales City Commission, vice mayor, and became the first African-American mayor of Lake Wales in 1987. As well as a civil rights leader, Mr. Austin was a major developer in Lake Wales, building many of the homes on the northwest part of the city, and had a community center named after him. Jeresa lived for about 4 years after her husband's death, serving as a teacher in Polk County schools. James' brother, Reverend Allen Austin, was a longtime pastor of the First Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Wales, and for the past 5 years has served as pastor of the First Baptist Hilltop Church in Frostproof. James' sister, Lula Jones, was born in 1925 in Lake Wales, Florida. After graduating, Ms. Jones worked as a housekeeper and, along with her brothers, was a member of the Lake Wales branch of the NAACP. Ms. Jones is involved with the American Legion Post 71 Auxiliary in Lake Wales, supporting veterans in the community. Ms. Jones said of her family's service to the community: ``We remember how it was back in the day and always worked to make it better for our children.'' Ms. Jones is highly regarded as a pillar of the community. For that, we salute the Austin family. Saluting and Honoring Dr. Barbara M. Jenkins

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk a little bit about the national debt and what we see going into 2018. It was reported this week that the U.S. Government is set to borrow over $1 trillion in 2018--approximately $955 billion--which is an 84 percent increase from 2017. The Congressional Budget Office reports quite clearly: Tax receipts are going to be lower because of the new tax law. This is increasing bond yields, which is directly related to the recent stockmarket decline of nearly 1,800 points that we have seen over the last 2 days of trading, because we see higher interest rates, the highest for bonds since 2014. As a result, we have been watching a precipitous decline--the largest in American history--by actual number of points. President Trump's Department of the Treasury forecasts borrowing over $1 trillion in 2019 and over $1.1 trillion in 2020. President Trump has described himself as the ``King of Debt,'' despite campaigning on reducing the national debt. What we worry about is that the tax plan will be mortgaging our future for today. And guess who pays the bill? Our children, who will have to repay a massive debt; our seniors, who could face cuts to Medicare and Social Security; and every American, due to a declining economy. We must take this seriously. And $1 trillion being doubled the year before and going over $1 trillion next year, and $1.1 trillion the following year is not sustainable for our Nation. I encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together to fix this growing crushing debt before it is too late. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, first, I take a moment to acknowledge that we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Signed into law February 5, 1993, FMLA established the right for many workers to take an unpaid leave from work for serious illness, adoption, or to care for newborns or family members. Unfortunately, unpaid leave is still inaccessible for 63 percent of working Floridians because they are ineligible for the FMLA or cannot afford to take unpaid leave. This means 63 percent of Florida's families face an impossible choice: work or family responsibilities. Failure to guarantee paid family leave not only hurts our economy, it hurts our families, and it is women who suffer most. In Florida, 79 percent of Black mothers, 56 percent of Latina mothers, and 53 percent of White mothers are key family breadwinners. Paid family leave means these mothers can stay in the labor force and care for their families' medical needs. We must also think about our seniors, medical circumstances arising from military service, and those in need of support battling addiction. Paid leave not only supports American families, it boosts economic activity. We must expand FMLA to cover more workers for the next 25 years and beyond. Honoring Black History Month

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I take a moment to reflect on the invaluable contributions of African Americans and what they have done throughout our Nation's history and for our community in central Florida. We are incredibly blessed to stand on the shoulders of so many greats who have come before us. We give thanks to Dr. King, Rosa Parks, my colleague, the legendary Congressman John Lewis, to A. Philip Randolph, and so many others who have been critical heroes in this story, countless brave men and women whom we honor for demanding equality for all. Today, I want to celebrate and honor the leaders in central Florida who have influenced and continue to make an impact throughout their day-to-day lives in our community. They are an inspirational group who remind us that America is made stronger and greater by the countless contributions of our African-American community. Recognizing Richard Hall

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Roxanne ``Roxsy'' Harvey. Roxanne Harvey is currently the president of the Democratic Women's Club of Osceola County. She is the senior pastor of the Real Love Christian Center, an international missionary, recording artist, and a prolific motivational speaker. As president of the DWCOC, Roxanne has had the honor of uniting people of this great community by recruiting new members, mentoring, educating, empowering others, and uniting the Democratic Party through events and education. Roxanne established Real Love International, where her overall vision is to help people discover and develop new skills that will enable them to move from poverty into abundant living, from helplessness to hopelessness, and from victims to victorious living through ministry, education, and motivation. She developed programs such as Transformation Technology Station, a 6-week computer training program that assists and educates low-income and at-risk families in computer technology, and Diamonds in the Rough, a mentoring program to help at-risk teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age to help develop self-esteem, academic achievement, social and interpersonal skills, and a spiritual foundation. As a result of this explosive dedication, she has held crusades, clinics, and fed the poor in various countries such as England, Ireland, Scotland, Honduras, in my family's native island of Puerto Rico in the United States, Jamaica, Uganda, Africa, and has led thousands of people to hope, purpose, destiny, and, most of all, God. Wherever Roxanne goes, she exhorts and encourages people to arise to their divine calling and destiny. Roxanne, we honor you. Recognizing Shawn W. Kinsey

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Shawn W. Kinsey. Shawn Kinsey is a true example of a servant leader in the city of Winter Haven, Polk County, in the State of Florida. He is the current chairman of the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee and is the incoming chair of the Democratic County Chairs Association. He has been the president of East Central Polk Democratic Club and of Polk County Democratic Black Caucus, as well as assistant secretary for the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and board member at large. Moreover, Shawn is a member of the Winter Haven Public Education Partnership board of directors and the immediate past president of the Winter Haven branch of the NAACP. Lastly, he was the past president for the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida and Polk County Executive Committee in which he was recognized as the Lawton Chiles Outstanding Democratic Man of the Year. Shawn attended and graduated from St. Joseph's Catholic School in Winter Haven and Santa Fe Catholic High School in Lakeland, Florida. After graduating from high school, he attended Florida A&M University and the University of Phoenix, where he received respective degrees in business administration and health administration. Shawn's consistent community involvement is clearly based upon his heartfelt commitment to contribute to the overall uplifting and engagement of all residents of Polk County in the State of Florida. Shawn, we honor you. Recognizing Rhetta Peoples

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Rhetta Peoples. Rhetta Peoples has been working in the community as a community activist, journalist, and volunteering to help get voters to the polls and beyond with a career spanning back to the 1990s in media. As a volunteer, Rhetta helped candidates get and maintain direct access to voters in central Florida all along the I-4 corridor through grassroots marketing and the promotion of forums and townhalls. Rhetta also served as president of a thriving nonprofit organization, and she is a small-business owner. She began studying media and marketing in high school and graduated from Florida A&M University, majoring in broadcast journalism. During college, she worked as a radio announcer in Tallahassee and with Cox Radio in Orlando. Rhetta takes pride in being an award-winning journalist for the Black press because she says writing for Univision's The Root and an Orlando- based newspaper, the Florida Sun, unites her with the community. Rhetta also studied the history of clinical trials in African Americans as a fellow at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and was awarded the outstanding reporter award for the Florida Public Health Association for excellence in communications and reporting in public health issues. After working for Post-Newsweek, CBS, Cox Communications, and Comcast, Rhetta decided to start her own marketing and public relations firm. Rhetta, we honor you. Recognizing Dawn Chantel Curtis

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Dawn Chantel Curtis. Dawn Curtis is a native of a small urban town called Franklinton, Louisiana. She has worked with the government sector for over 15 years. In conjunction with the government sector, she has also worked with nonprofit providers to help them build relationships in organizations within the community. Dawn has experience with assisting nonprofit committee boards in clarifying their organizational goals and identifying the leadership qualifications necessary to achieve those goals. In addition to her professional experience with governmental and nonprofit agencies, Dawn is an active board member with a number of community organizations. She currently serves as the first vice president of the Orange County Democratic Black Caucus, treasurer for the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, and secretary for the National Congress of Black Women. Dawn is a member of the NAACP, where she serves as a member-at-large and is the chair of the Environmental Justice Committee. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Psi Theta Omega Chapter, where she serves as the co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Dawn received a bachelor of science degree from Florida State University and a master's degree in business administration and human resources from the University of Phoenix. Dawn serves her community with great humanity and passion. She feels it is her moral obligation to give back to the community. Therefore, she has dedicated her life to service and community activism. Dawn, we honor you. Recognizing Wanda Faye Howard

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Wanda Faye Howard. Wanda Howard is a Lake Wales native. She became the first African- American female president of the Lake Wales branch of the NAACP. Prior to that, she was the former youth adviser of many years for the Lake Wales NAACP Youth Council. Wanda has been a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Lakeland Alumnae Chapter since spring of 1998. At the regional level, she served on the regional committee in Tennessee and program planning and development at various regional and national conventions. Wanda has been a school volunteer at two schools in Lake Wales, Florida. She was once a member of the League of Women Voters of Polk County and spent time volunteering at the Lake Wales Boys and Girls Club. She enjoys giving her time, talent, and resources to the Lake Wales NAACP ACT-SO and Back to School/Stay in School programs. Wanda is also a very active member of her church, the Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lake Wales, Florida. Ms. Howard continues to visit with the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Wales, Florida, to talk with them about civil rights and Black history. Wanda, we honor you. Recognizing Dr. J.A. Wiltshire

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize Dr. J.A. Wiltshire. Dr. J.A. Wiltshire is the first African-American physician in Lake Wales. He was born in New Jersey and served in the Army Specialized Training Program from 1943 until 1946, reaching the rank of second lieutenant. While serving in the Army, he earned his bachelor's degree from Fisk University in Tennessee and entered Meharry Medical College, graduating with honors in 1946. Dr. Wiltshire moved to Tallahassee to become the chief of staff at Florida A&M University's hospital in 1947. He moved to Lake Wales in 1948 and opened up his practice on B Street, later moving to another office on 1st Avenue. Dr. Wiltshire delivered an amazing 2,500 babies in almost 50 years of practicing medicine in Lake Wales before retiring in 1995. His wife, Laura, said that he never turned away a patient and always stayed past office hours and made a lot of night house calls. Dr. Wiltshire was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Post Number 213 of the American Legion; and the Imperial Twenty-Five Club, a Bartow social club; and many other organizations, as well as helping the community with housing and medical care. In 1984, he received the Annual Medical Award from the Polk County Chapter of the United Negro College Fund. Dr. Wiltshire was chosen as Lake Wales Citizen of the Year in 1988. In 2004, a street in Lake Wales was named after him: Dr. J.A. Wiltshire Avenue. Dr. Wiltshire, we honor you. National Debt

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Mr. Richard Hall. Mr. Hall is one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the country's first Black military aviators in the U.S. Air Force--back then, the U.S. Army Air Corps. Born in Georgia, Hall moved to central Florida with his parents when he was 5 months old. A graduate of the Robert Hungerford Boarding School in Eatonville, Hall received a 4-year scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He joined the Army Air Force Reserves and, in 1942, was sent to fight in World War II in France. Mr. Hall was among the first African-American chief master sergeants after integration in 1949. He served his country for over three decades and completed tours on four continents, including the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as World War II. In 2007, Mr. Hall, along with other Tuskegee Airmen, received the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush, and in central Florida, he was honored with a life-sized sculpture that sits outside of Hannibal Heritage Center in Winter Park. Mr. Hall retired to Maitland in the 1980s and continues to call central Florida his home. I was honored to be able to interview Mr. Hall last week for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, and it was an absolutely amazing story of a man from central Florida who traveled around the world defending our country and finally made it back home. Recognizing Elizabeth Jones

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Elizabeth Jones. Mrs. Jones was born in 1942, in Savannah, Georgia. She made her career in military banking from Bank of America and retired with 29 years of experience in managing support for our soldiers in Germany. Betty arrived in Orlando and started working for Presidential campaigns by volunteering on phone banks to get out the vote. She also worked for various candidates who were running for office by distributing campaign literature and helping the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee. As a member of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, she became the precinct representative for her community in Wedgefield. In March 2016, Elizabeth joined the Orange County Democratic Hispanic Caucus and was elected to the executive board. She became a very active member within the Hispanic Caucus by registering new voters, being engaged in Orange County, and supporting various initiatives within the Hispanic community. Elizabeth also volunteers for various organizations within her community, including Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, which cares for children with cancer; the VA hospital in Lake Nona that we are proud to have in our district to serve our veterans; and the Florida Baptist Mobile Dental Bus for communities that are disenfranchised and in need of free dental care. She has been volunteering for the mobile dentist bus with her husband for more than 5 years. Ms. Jones, we honor you. Recognizing Stewart Moore

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I recognize Stewart Moore. Stewart Moore coanchors WESH 2 News on CW 18 and has been an important voice for the central Florida community. He joined the WESH news team in August of 2011. He is originally from Rock Hill, South Carolina. Since arriving in central Florida, Stewart has made a tremendous impact on our local community. He volunteers at schools, sits on multiple community boards, and has moderated several townhall discussions on major issues in our community. While at WESH, Stewart has won two Emmys and two Associated Press awards for his breaking news coverage of the Pulse nightclub shooting and as a member of the team that won an Edward R. Murrow Award for the same coverage. He has covered major stories, including the George Zimmerman trial, Pulse shooting, and the 2012 and 2016 Presidential elections. Before joining WESH, Stewart worked as a morning anchor in South Carolina and WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida. At WTXL, he began reporting and anchoring while still in college at Florida State University. He majored in creative writing and minored in communications. Stewart also interned at CNN in Atlanta. In South Carolina, Stewart won a consumer reporting award for his profile of a South Carolina shrimper and covered the 2008 Presidential election. A news junkie who keeps us all informed, Stewart is a vital voice and an exemplary member of our central Florida community. Stewart, we honor you. Recognizing Roxanne ``Roxsy'' Harvey

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Castro for his great leadership on this issue. I want to take a moment to talk about the story of Mariana Castro. Mariana is going to be interning for us this year, and she is an ambitious young DREAMer from Florida. In 2005, Mariana left Lima, Peru, at the age of 10 with her mother, leaving her father and brothers behind for a safer life. She was in the high school IB program. Not until the 10th grade did she realize that regardless of her excellent grades and involvement in hundreds of hours of community service, her undocumented status would be a hurdle to pursuing higher education. A few months before graduation, DACA--Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals--was a miracle. She would now be able to provide for her family, drive, and no longer live in the shadows. Mariana enrolled in the University of Florida, but faced severe financial difficulties due to her status. As her only way to higher education, she temporarily paused her education and fought for tuition equity in the State of Florida. I had the honor of having a role in that, having been in the Florida Senate at the time when we passed instate tuition along with a bill that I had that admitted DREAMers into The Florida Bar. This would spark her passion for social justice. Throughout her time at UF, she utilized her voice to speak for immigrant rights and human rights by taking several leadership positions within Chispas, the only student-led immigrant advocacy organization at UF. She has helped start programs that provide training for professional staff under student affairs about relevant immigration laws that affect students as well. She has helped raise thousands of dollars for Out of the Shadows, a scholarship specifically for undocumented students in Florida that she oversaw for 3 years. She spent a semester working for the Florida Senate and has also worked as a Know Your Rights trainer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, where she was able to educate the immigrant community about their rights in the United States through mobile consulates. Due to her status, she is unable to qualify for loans and only qualifies to be eligible for a very limited amount of scholarships. Mariana has been paying for her education out of pocket, working 20 to 30 hours during school and 50-plus hours during school breaks. Her only close relative in the States, her mother, has been undergoing difficult medical procedures, including treatment for human papillomavirus and, most recently, severe glaucoma, making her unable to support her daughter. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school to continue her fight for immigrant families across the Nation. But if the DACA program doesn't exist, if DREAMers aren't given their rights, then she will never be able to practice law under Florida law. I am proud to announce that Mariana will be completing a congressional internship in my office this semester. In Florida, we have 92,000 individuals who would be eligible for DACA, 92,000 DREAMers, and I have met so many of them. They are ambitious. They are attending college. They are starting small businesses. They are joining our military. They are the very best of what this Nation has to offer. Their struggles have shaped them. Their obstacles have made them better, sharper, and hungrier for it. We need to encourage these new American DREAMers, much like so many generations before them, in fact, the generations of ancestors of so many who occupy the seats in this Chamber. The time for action is now. We want to have a clean Dream Act. That is our priority. But at the very least, rather than talk about shutdowns, let's talk about solutions. There is a bill in the Senate. It is not perfect. There are things in there that I really don't like at all and that I know a lot of the members on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus don't like--in the Graham bill, along with Senator Durbin--but it is a compromise and it is a start. I challenge for them to put it on the floor, have a vote, and send it over to the House. And then I challenge Speaker Ryan to put this bill, whatever comes over from the Senate, on the floor. Let's put together amendments. Let's take the very best of our debate, of our ideas in this august Chamber, and let's put forward a product that deals with DREAMers, that deals with TPS, that deals with border security, and let's put it on the desk of the President. Let's dare the President not to sign something that could be the embodiment of a generational opportunity to resolve so many issues that are so important to both parties. Mr. Speaker, let us not talk about shutdowns. Let us talk about solutions. I am honored to be here today with Congressman Castro to do just that.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for giving me that opportunity. Florida has every color in the rainbow, every religion, every background. Where you have Mickey Mouse, you tend to have a lot of folks around the world who are familiar with Orlando. So we have Haitians who are DREAMers. We have Peruvians who are DREAMers. We have folks from Vietnam and from Laos who are DREAMers. We have folks from every continent other than Antarctica. I want to make this point: the law makes all the difference in these statuses. I am of Puerto Rican descent. My father was born on the island, so, therefore, he is a citizen by a statute. We have a large Puerto Rican population, where most of my constituents who are from the island are only citizens because of an act passed over 100 years ago. We also have a huge amount of Cuban Americans. Because of wet foot, dry foot policy, and because they were escaping tyranny, they are citizens. So a law makes all the difference, and we know that for a fact and we live it every day in Florida, and that is what these kids need. The law needs to be on their side because it is the right thing to do. A law makes all the difference in these families' stories and these kids' opportunities. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman again for giving me this opportunity.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of an Orlando favorite son, a hero that we lost this past weekend, Astronaut John Young, who was inspirational and legendary to our community and who grew up in College Park in Orlando, Florida. Streets named after him span our district, as well as Congresswomen Murphy's and Demings' districts in central Florida. He was described by our local paper as a ``country boy who grew up in Orlando, Florida, back when it was mostly farmland.'' He even got in trouble for smuggling a corned beef sandwich into space on Gemini 3. He was mostly known for his coolheadedness and calm demeanor as he took numerous trips into space with NASA. Some of the flags and mission patches he flew into space are on display in our Orlando Science Center. In central Florida, we are proud to have the John Young Parkway bear his name. He died on January 5, this past Friday, at his home in Houston. Mr. Young was NASA's longest-serving astronaut. He was the first person to orbit the Moon by himself and the ninth person to walk on the Moon as well. He was the first person to travel to space six times during NASA's Gemini and Apollo lunar missions, and into the space shuttle programs as well. John Young commanded the first space shuttle flight mission, an iconic view that so many central Floridians and so many Americans have seen over the years during that program. He was awarded the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1981. He represents the very best of the Orlando area. Rest in peace, Astronaut John Young.