[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 119 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6223-H6224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GEORGE P. KAZEN FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 2734) to designate the Federal building and United States
courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the
``George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2734
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. GEORGE P. KAZEN FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES
COURTHOUSE.
(a) Designation.--The Federal building and United States
courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas,
shall be known and designated as the ``George P. Kazen
Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
Federal building and United States courthouse referred to in
subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the
``George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States
Courthouse''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on S. 2734.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
[[Page H6224]]
There was no objection.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 2734 would designate the Federal building and the
United States courthouse located in Laredo, Texas, as the George P.
Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
Judge Kazen was appointed to the United States District Court for the
Southern District of Texas by President Carter in 1979. He served as
chief judge from 1996 to 2003, and assumed senior status in 2009. In
March of this year, he retired from the bench.
Prior to his appointment as a Federal judge, Judge Kazen was in
private practice for 14 years. Earlier in his career, he served in the
United States Air Force as a captain and judge advocate. In addition,
Judge Kazen has been an adjunct professor of law at St. Mary's
University School of Law and served as judge on the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Given Judge Kazen's service, I think it is more than fit to name this
Federal building and courthouse after him.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of S. 2734 which designates the
Federal building and United States courthouse located in Laredo, Texas,
as the George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
I would like to commend Congressman Cuellar, our colleague from
Texas, who introduced the House companion to this bill, H.R. 5280, that
also has bipartisan support.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), to share with us the impressive story of
Judge Kazen's legal and public career.
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I first of all want to thank the
gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus) for the great leadership that she
has provided in the committee and in the House also.
I also want to thank my friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) for
his leadership and for the great service that he has provided the
country here in the U.S. Congress.
This particular bill means a lot to my district. I also want to
thank, before I forget, the members of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee for unanimous support of this particular bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2734, a bill which would
designate the Federal courthouse located in my district at 1300
Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the George P. Kazen Building and
United States Courthouse.
{time} 1745
Judge Kazen was born in Laredo, Texas, on February 29--a leap year--
in 1940. He received his law degree with honors from the University of
Texas School of Law in 1961. Shortly after graduation, he served a term
as a brief attorney for the Texas Supreme Court and entered the United
States Air Force as a JAG officer, where he was awarded the Air Force
Commendation Medal also.
Judge Kazen would return back to the city of Laredo in 1965, where he
practiced law until he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to
become a United States district judge in 1979 for the Southern District
of Texas.
During his many years of service in the courtroom, he was known as an
honest, humble, and dedicated individual.
He was also among the most respected judges in the State and in the
country, and consistently ruled with class and fairness, all while
still making time to serve numerous civic organizations throughout
south Texas.
Judge Kazen recently retired after almost 40 years of service on the
bench.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to honor him and say that this
is an outstanding individual and a very noble individual. Dedicating
this Federal building and courthouse would serve as a reminder to all
of us of this great man of character who served his community and his
country for so many years.
Also, I want to convey my legislative intent for this bill that the
central jury assembly room on the first floor of this courthouse be
known as the Marcel C. Notzon II Jury Room.
Judge Notzon was born on August 24, 1935, in Laredo. His love for the
law and justice spanned a legal career over 39 years, with almost a
quarter century on the bench as the United States magistrate judge for
the Southern District of Texas. Judge Kazen, the man whom this building
will be named after, would call Judge Notzon the ``heart of the
courthouse.''
Judge Notzon, who just recently passed away, will be most remembered
as a portrait of a beloved and compassionate public servant and for a
full life he served in accordance with the rule of law.
In particular, I want to thank Senator John Cornyn and Senator Cruz
for helping to bring this bill to the floor in the Senate and
successfully passing the Senate, and all my Texas colleagues, all 36
Members from Texas in the House, for also supporting this piece of
legislation that would honor George P. Kazen throughout this earned
gesture.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to show their support
for this bill to name the Federal courthouse located at 1300 Victoria
Street in Laredo, Texas, as the George P. Kazen Federal Building and
United States Courthouse.
I want to thank Ms. Titus and Mr. Barletta for their work and their
support, and their staff also, and the committee.
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague Mr. Cuellar for helping
explain why it is even more important for us to name this building for
Judge Kazen.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 2734.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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