[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9] [House] [Pages 12021-12026] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EDWARD WILLIAM BROOKE III CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 682) to award a congressional gold medal to Edward William Brooke III in recognition of his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation. The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill. The text of the Senate bill is as follows: S. 682 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Edward William Brooke III Congressional Gold Medal Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds as follows: (1) Edward William Brooke III was the first African American elected by popular vote to the United States Senate and served with distinction for 2 terms from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1979. (2) In 1960, Senator Brooke began his public career when Governor John Volpe appointed him chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, where the young lawyer established an outstanding record of confronting and eliminating graft and corruption and proposed groundbreaking legislation for consumer protection and against housing discrimination and air pollution. (3) At a time when few African Americans held State or Federal office, Senator Brooke became an exceptional pioneer, beginning in 1962, when he made national and State history by being elected Attorney General of Massachusetts, the first African American in the Nation to serve as a State Attorney General, the second highest office in the State, and the only Republican to win statewide in [[Page 12022]] the election that year, at a time when there were fewer than 1,000 African American officials in our nation. (4) He won office as a Republican in a state that was strongly Democratic. (5) As Massachusetts Attorney General, Senator Brooke became known for his fearless and honest execution of the laws of his State and for his vigorous prosecution of organized crime. (6) The pioneering accomplishments of Edward William Brooke III in public service were achieved although he was raised in Washington, DC at a time when the Nation's capital was a city where schools, public accommodations, and other institutions were segregated, and when the District of Columbia did not have its own self-governing institutions or elected officials. (7) Senator Brooke graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and went on to graduate from Howard University in 1941. (8) Senator Brooke's enduring advocacy for self-government and congressional voting rights for the citizens of Washington, DC has roots in his life and personal experience as a native Washingtonian. (9) Senator Brooke served for 5 years in the United States Army in the segregated 366th Infantry Regiment during World War II in the European theater of operations, attaining the rank of captain and receiving a Bronze Star Medal for ``heroic or meritorious achievement or service'' and the Distinguished Service Award. (10) After the war, Senator Brooke attended Boston University School of Law, where he served as editor of the school's Law Review, graduating with an LL.B. in 1948 and an LL.M. in 1949, and made Massachusetts his home. (11) During his career in Congress, Senator Brooke was a leader on some of the most critical issues of his time, including the war in Vietnam, the struggle for civil rights, the shameful system of apartheid in South Africa, the Cold War, and United States' relations with the People's Republic of China. (12) President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Senator Brooke to the President's Commission on Civil Disorders in 1967, where his work on discrimination in housing would serve as the basis for the 1968 Civil Rights Act. (13) Senator Brooke continued to champion open housing when he left the Senate and became the head of the National Low- Income Housing Coalition. (14) Senator Brooke has been recognized with many high honors, among them the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, an honor that recognizes ``an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors''; the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit from the Government of Italy; a State courthouse dedicated in his honor by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, making him the first African American to have a State courthouse named in his honor; the NAACP Spingarn Medal; and the Charles Evans Hughes award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. (15) Senator Brooke's biography, Bridging The Divide: My Life, was published in 2006, and he is the author of The Challenge of Change: Crisis in Our Two-Party System, published in 1966. (16) Senator Brooke became a racial pioneer, but race was never at the center of his political campaigns. (17) He demonstrated to all that with commitment, determination, and strength of character, even the barriers once thought insurmountable can be overcome. (18) He has devoted his life to the service of others, and made enormous contributions to our society today. (19) The life and accomplishments of Senator Brooke is inspiring proof, as he says, that ``people can be elected on the basis of their qualifications and not their race''. SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Edward William Brooke III in recognition of his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation. (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal. SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE. (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this Act. (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule the, gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) each will control 20 minutes The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, this bill was sponsored in the Senate by our very cherished colleague, Senator Kennedy, who served with former Senator Brooke for many years. It has been carried in the House with great vigor and care by our colleague from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and I yield her such time as she may consume. Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the dean of the Massachusetts delegation, not only for his assistance but for his generosity in yielding to me first on this bill that I sponsored along with him and the entire Massachusetts delegation. I have to begin by thanking the many, many Republicans and Democrats who are part of the two-thirds that are necessary to award the Congressional Gold Medal. As you are aware, it is a pretty arduous process. In this case, it was not because of the underlying substance of the bill, but because when Members sign on to a bill they obviously have to know something about it. And you have to go from Member to Member. I am pleased to say that many, indeed most, remembered Senator Brooke, who is alive, and I would say alive and well, if you could talk with him. He has had some illness. I will speak of it in a moment. Of course, it was necessary to remind others of Senator Edward Brooke who became the first African American elected to the United States Senate in 1967 presciently ahead of his time. He was the first popularly elected Black Senator. I thank Members because I never encountered a Member who didn't see Senator Brooke as a historic figure worthy of the highest award the Congress can give, the Congressional Gold Medal. Senator Edward Kennedy, of whom the gentleman from Massachusetts spoke, quickly gathered his two-thirds. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. The thoughts and prayers of the American people have been with him since his illness was discovered. He quickly gathered his two- thirds and passed this bill in the Senate. His colleagues understood Senator Brooke's accomplishments in that ``club,'' after all. He was able to get not only his colleagues to sign on quickly but to get the bipartisan leadership. The majority leader, Mr. Reid, the assistant leader, Mr. Durbin were cosponsors. The minority leader, Mr. McConnell, was a cosponsor. Senators Ted Stevens, John Warner and John Kerry were cosponsors. That gives you the flavor of the degree of respect former Senator Brooke enjoys. Now, I must say for the Record that Senator Brooke is a man who is known for his modesty. He never expected the Congressional Gold Medal. When I approached him to tell him I thought he deserved it, he warned me away from this effort. But he should have expected it. President Bush, 4 years ago, awarded Senator Brooke the Nation's highest medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award. But after all, Senator Brooke was a Member of the United States Congress. We noted last week the first African American was nominated for the presidency by a major party. The country deserves the self- congratulations it took for the distance it has come and that Senator Obama's nomination signaled. We must remember, however, that Senator Brooke was elected to the Senate from the State of Massachusetts as [[Page 12023]] a Republican. In 1967 our country was just starting down the road we are traveling and towards the landmark we saw last week. After all, the 1964 Civil Rights Act had just been passed. The 1965 Voting Rights Act had just been passed. We are talking 1967, when Senator Brooks was first elected. 1967 was the beginning of the urban disturbances known as ``the riots,'' which swept the country even before Martin Luther King's assassination, and even before Senator Robert Kennedy's assassination. There was an openly hostile climate to issues affecting race. And racial attitudes were often retrograde. Mr. Speaker, I began this effort and began to think about Senator Brooke during the struggle for the D.C. Voting Rights Act because the analogies to our struggle and to his seem to me inescapable. Senator Brooke is a native Washingtonian. He spent his entire life in this city. He never left the city until he went to the Armed Forces of the United States of America. The Senator grew up in this city when there was no example of democracy, much less a public official to emulate. There was no vote for President when he grew up in the District of Columbia. There was no self-government at all. The city was run by three commissioners from the Congress of the United States. It had been kept a segregated city by the Congress of the United States. So the medal for Senator has a double symbolic quality for those of us who live in the District of Columbia. What is most amazing about Senator Brooke is he seemed undaunted by any of the so-called barriers he encountered. The city was as segregated as any southern city in the United States. He went to public schools that will be familiar to D.C. residents--Shaw Junior High School and Dunbar High School were still segregated when I was graduating. He went to Howard University for his college education and then stayed right here to go to Howard Law School. How could Senator Brooke have thought of himself as a Senator? He probably, at the time he was at Dunbar and at Howard, did not think about the fact that he would be the first African American attorney general in the United States and the first African American popularly elected to the Senate. He could hardly have thought as a Republican who attained these offices in a heavily Democratic State then and now--that that would be his fate. But he had no fate. He obviously had only his own sense of aspiration of who he was. During his time in the Senate from 1967 to 1979, Senator Brooke was a strong advocate for the rights of D.C. residents who had nobody, had got home rule only during his time, strong advocate for home rule, got a delegate during his term, pressed hard for that. And he has been a major advocate for the pending D.C. Voting Rights Act, which again I thank this House for passing in 2007. He made calls to Senators urging passage. And during his book tour last year he spoke of the importance of passage of the D.C. Voting Rights Act. His book tour concerned the publication of his autobiography, ``Bridging The Divide: My Life.'' {time} 1615 Senator Brooke has breast cancer. Speaking of obstacles, he has regarded his recovery from this disease as an important obligation to educate men about the disease. He obviously has had some of the illnesses associated with being 88 years old, but I must say his robust mind leads me to believe that he will attend the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda if we award him this medal. It is an amazing accomplishment that with all these strikes against him, he didn't even seem to notice. So 208 years since the framers of our Constitution expected Congress to grant DC voting rights once it became the capital under its jurisdiction, in this very year when we expect in fact to get that right, I ask this House to do what it has already done for voting rights and to award the Congressional Gold Medal to our native son. We are close to voting rights. It was filibustered, but we believe we can break that now. I want to leave you with the Senator's own words when we told him that we were seeking the medal for him. He wrote this letter, which I ask to be entered into the Record, to his Republican colleagues, and he wrote a similar letter to his Democratic colleagues or former colleagues here, and I am quoting the Senator: ``As much as I would appreciate such a high honor from my peers, I would place even greater priority on a full House vote for the American citizens who live in my hometown. The right for citizens of the city where I was born and raised was not achieved when I was a Member of Congress. Witnessing the District of Columbia obtain the right to be represented in the House with votes cast by Republicans would mean more to me than any honor that I could achieve as an individual.'' I said he was modest. He means it. I think he means that sentiment. I ask that Senator Brooke be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. March 21, 2007. Dear Democratic Members: I have written to Republican Members of the House as a life-long Republican and a native Washingtonian, who was privileged to serve as the first African American elected by popular vote to the U.S. Senate (Massachusetts from 1967-1979). I am writing to Democrats as well to thank you for your long support of voting rights and home rule for my hometown, and to ask you to cast your vote for H.R. 1433, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007. I grew up in the District when it was as segregated as other Southern cities, including the city's public schools, and I was educated at Howard University. We had no local or federal rights, even to govern ourselves or to vote for President, and no one to represent our concerns in the Congress. A Democratic Congress changed all of that when Democrats and a Republican president granted the citizens of the nation's capital home rule and a delegate to the House. Now you have another historic opportunity to grant these tax-paying citizens the full representation in the ``People's House'' that they deserve. At 87 years of age, I have had rare privileges and honors as an American citizen that few Americans, particularly residents of the District have never enjoyed. At a recent press conference at the Capitol held by senators to celebrate my recently published autobiography, I learned that members of my congressional delegation and others were seeking for me the highest congressional honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. I could not help but be overwhelmed, but I had to say that as much as I would appreciate such a high honor from my peers, I would place even greater priority on a full House seat for the citizens of my hometown. I was elected as the nation's first Black attorney general and then as the first African American elected by popular vote to the United States Senate when Black Americans running for state wide office seemed the stuff of fantasy. However, I had to leave my hometown to become a Member of Congress or be represented at all. Nothing would mean more to me, particularly at this stage in my life, than witnessing Democrats and Republicans voting together to afford voting rights to the citizens of the District of Columbia. I believe that Voting Rights Reauthorization in 2006 and the D.C. House Voting Rights Act of 2007 are equivalent in their historic purposes and deep meaning. Both bills are the same in extending long-denied congressional voting rights, and in the District's case, to an African American city as well. I lived in the District until I joined the Army and was proud to serve as a combat infantry officer in [captain during] WWII. The experience of living in a segregated city and of serving in our segregated Armed forces helps explain why the pending D.C. House Voting Rights Act is so important to me personally. I have been heartened by the strong support of the Democratic leadership and committee chairs and members who are swiftly bringing this bill to the floor early in the session. The bill has passed twice by overwhelming majorities in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and this year by a two-to-one vote by the Judiciary Committee. I ask that you join the large majorities in those committees and vote for H.R. 1433. I am grateful for your work and attention to voting rights for all Americans. Sincerely yours, Edward W. Brooke, U.S. Senator, Retired. ____ March 21, 2007. Dear Fellow Republican: As a proud life-long Republican, an African American, and a native Washingtonian, I was not destined to become a United States Senator when I was elected in 1966. Yet, I served with some of you as a senator from Massachusetts (1967-1979). It is the Republican Party that gave me the opportunity not only to run, but also to serve statewide in offices that even now are still rare for African Americans to achieve. The Republican Party allowed me not only to represent others. The Republican Party allowed me to be represented in the [[Page 12024]] Congress of the United States. I am asking you to do the same for the tax paying citizens of my home town and to vote for passage of the District of Columbia Voting Rights Act of 2007. Last year, I was especially proud to watch my party lead the passage of the reauthorization of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act and to see a member of my party, Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, initiate a similar bill for the District of Columbia. Now you have before you another historic voting rights bill. At 87 years of age, I have had rare privileges and honors as an American, including the nation's highest honor generously given to me two years ago by President George Bush. At a recent press conference at the Capitol held by senators to celebrate my recently published autobiography, I learned that members of my congressional delegation and others were seeking for me the highest congressional honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. I could not help but be overwhelmed, but I had to say that as much as I would appreciate such a high honor from my peers, I would place even greater priority on a full House seat for the American citizens who live in my home town. This right for citizens of the city where I was born and raised was not achieved when I was a member of Congress. Witnessing the District of Columbia obtain the right to be represented in the House with votes cast by many Republicans would mean more to me than any honor I could achieve as an individual. I will always be grateful to the Republican party that pressed and strongly supported my candidacies, as the nation's first Black attorney general and then as the first African American elected by popular vote to the United States Senate. Republicans were first in their willingness to break ancient barriers, in the 1960's, when Black Americans running for statewide office seemed the stuff of fantasy. I was able to run and win because the Republican Party never wavered because of my race in a state where only two percent of the residents were Black. I hope you will not hesitate now in granting my hometown a vote in the House of Representatives for the first time in the two centuries of the city's existence as our nation's capital. The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 and the DC House Voting Rights Act of 2007 are equivalent in their purposes and their deep meaning. Both bills are the same in extending long-denied congressional voting rights, and in the District's case, to a majority Black city as well. I grew up in the District when it was as segregated as other Southern cities, including the city's public schools, and was educated at Howard University. We had no local or federal rights, even to govern ourselves or to vote for President, and no one to represent our concerns in the Congress. I did not live elsewhere until I joined the Army and was proud to serve as a combat infantry officer during WWII. The experience of living in a segregated city and of serving in our segregated Armed forces perhaps helps explain why my party's work on the Voting Rights Act reauthorization last year and on the pending D.C. House Voting Rights Act has been so important to me personally. The irony, of course, is that I had to leave my hometown to get representation in Congress and to become a Member. Nothing would mean more to me, particularly at this stage in my life, than witnessing Republicans and Democrats voting together to afford voting rights to the citizens of the District of Columbia. H.R. 1433 has been passed twice by overwhelming majorities by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and once by a two-to-one vote by the Judiciary Committee. I ask that you join those Republicans and Democrats in voting for H.R. 1433 on the House floor. I am deeply grateful to you for your work and attention to voting rights for all Americans. Sincerely yours, Edward W. Brooke, U.S. Senator, Retired. Senator Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts delegation, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, and I are proud to introduce the Edward William Brooke III Congressional Gold Medal Act. Senator Edward Brooke has been much honored as an outstanding two-term senator (1967-1979) who is still remembered for his courage and independence on the difficult issues of his time--from the Vietnam War to his leading work in the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. President Bush awarded Senator Brooke the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. At 87, his autobiography, Bridging the Divide: My Life tells the Senator's remarkable story. That story began here in the District of Columbia, where Senator Brooke was born and raised, and graduated from Dunbar High School and Howard University. Senator Brooke rose to the rank of captain in the segregated 366th Infantry Regiment in the U.S. Army, and won a Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Service Award. His autobiography reads like a personal and political adventure of a man born in the segregated capital, a city with no local elected officials or Members of Congress, who went on to become the first African American official elected statewide, when he won election as Attorney General, the second highest office in the state, and the only Republican to win statewide election that year. In 1966, Senator Brooke became the first African American elected by popular vote to the Senate of the United States. ``Trailblazer'' does not aptly describe the courage it took for an African American to run, much less win state- wide office as a Republican in a predominately Democratic state, where 2 percent of the population was African American. I take special pride and pleasure in introducing this bill in the House, along with the Massachusetts delegation and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. My Massachusetts colleagues justifiably claim Senator Brooke as a son of Massachusetts. We in the District concede that Massachusetts voters also deserve credit in refusing to allow racial barriers, that still remain formidable in most States, overwhelm Senator Brooke's qualifications for high office. However, I hope that Massachusetts citizens will forgive the residents of the Senator's hometown if we insist that Edward William Brooke III be counted the adopted son of Massachusetts. Senator Brooke's family, the District of Columbia Public Schools, Howard University, and the proud African American community both sheltered and prepared him for his remarkable life and service to the people of Massachusetts and the Nation. We are especially grateful for the Senator's devotion to H.R. 328, the District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2007. Senator Brooke has worked devotedly for passage of the pending legislation. While in the Senate, he never forgot that his hometown had no Senator and needed him, too. Speaking on the Senate floor for passage of the Voting Rights Amendment in 1978, Senator Brooke made it clear, as he does today, that this matter also was personal for him. He said, in part, ``[M]y enthusiastic endorsement of House Joint Resolution 554 is based primarily on fundamental concepts of liberty and justice, but my support and interest are also intensely personal, for my roots are in Washington, DC. I was born and raised here. I attended and graduated from Shaw Junior High School, Dunbar High School, and Howard University. For as long as I can remember, I have fought, along with family and friends and colleagues, to attain the goal of providing for the citizens of the District of Columbia the same rights and privileges that other citizens throughout the Nation have enjoyed.'' Because the Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that Congress can bestow, it is necessary that at least 290 Representatives and 67 Senators sign on as cosponsors. I urge every Member of the House and Senate to become cosponsors before the end of Black History Month on February 28th. Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, rarely, and rightly it is rare, do we honor one of our own with the highest civilian honor we can bestow, the Congressional Gold Medal. But rules are made to be broken, and just as Ed Brooke broke an unwritten rule and became the first African American popularly elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, we should break another and honor his courage and achievements. Just as it may be hard for college students of today to imagine segregated bathrooms and drinking fountains, it is hard for all of us to imagine a Congress without African Americans and others of color. So it is especially important to think back to the historic day when this humble man took the oath of office in the Senate 41 years ago on January 3, 1967. The America of that time, as my colleague has noted, was not far past the struggles that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which this Chamber voted a couple of months ago to honor with a commemorative coin. Mr. Speaker, many of us know the general outline of Ed Brooke's life: a soldier in the Second World War, a lawyer whose 1966 book ``The Challenge of Change'' focused on African Americans in the United States and on politics. I doubt that many Members know though that he was actually a native of the District of Columbia, as the gentlewoman noted. Born here October 26, 1919, he was a graduate of both Harvard and Boston University and followed in his father's footsteps as a lawyer before being elected Massachusetts Attorney General and then on to the United States Senate, where he served two terms. Mr. Speaker, this bill was sponsored by our colleague in the Senate, Senator [[Page 12025]] Ted Kennedy, also of Massachusetts, with 67 cosponsors, and he assured its passage before his unfortunate illness. We hope for him and his family the very best. Our prayers are with them. Here in the House a companion bill, H.R. 1000, was sponsored by our colleague Ms. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and she has collected 290 cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, this bill honors a man, Senator Ed Brooke, but it also honors an idea and an achievement, that we are all equal, and that election to the United States Senate is open to any American who can prove to the voters that his or her ideas and character are appropriate and best represent their State, regardless of race, creed or religion. We should take this opportunity to celebrate that notion. I urge immediate passage. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. How much time remains, Mr. Speaker? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 8 minutes left. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. I yield myself 4 minutes. I consider it a great honor to be able to stand on the floor of this House and as the Chair of the committee bring out the bill that would honor Ed Brooke. As a citizen of Massachusetts in 1972 and again in 1978, and as a fairly partisan Democrat, I was proud publicly to endorse him for reelection both times to the Senate. The gentlewoman from the District of Columbia made the point he was the first African American elected attorney general and then to the Senate only shortly after this country officially said segregation was morally and legally wrong. 1954 was the Brown v. Board of Education decision, not made final until 1955 in its decree. Seven years later Ed Brooke is elected attorney general. And as we look back now, it is probably difficult for some people to understand what an important accomplishment that was. But he is not a man who should be honored simply for having broken those barriers, because having gotten the opportunity, he used it. The committee I chair has jurisdiction over housing. As I work in the housing area, I find myself frequently trying to preserve some of the pioneering efforts on behalf of affordable housing that Ed Brooke created. I was very proud about a month or so ago when he called to say that he liked what we were doing. I was just reminded, Mr. Speaker, when I was up in our State of Massachusetts over the weekend, that it was in 1978, in his last year in the Senate, that Ed Brooke began the policy of saying that when housing had been built with Federal help with a certain restriction that set it aside for lower income people and those restrictions expire, it shouldn't be simply sold to the highest bidder, but that public policy ought to make some efforts to preserve it for people who were in need of housing. We are still fighting that fight today. We have something known as the Brooke amendment, one of the greatest acts of compassion ever to pass this body. It said originally that the poorest of the poor who get housing through various public programs shouldn't be expected to pay more than 25 percent of their income for housing, precisely because they have so little. That was changed, regrettably, in the eighties. I voted against it, but it was changed to 30 percent. But it is still there. It is still the Brooke amendment. It is still a major barrier to a degradation in the quality of life of lower income people, because there are those who would make them pay 40 and 50 and 60 percent of their income, depriving them and their children of the necessities of life. So it is with great pride that we fight and have fought to continue the Brooke amendment. Senator Brooke was a leader in a number of areas. Yes, he broke the barrier of racism and became the first African American to win statewide office in Massachusetts and then to come to the Senate at a time when racism was even more virulent than it is today. We have made strides in diminishing it. But, as I said, he didn't just do that. He was a leader in a number of areas, and particularly in the housing area. I don't believe anybody who has ever served in the Congress of the United States has a record that exceeds his. So I am delighted to join under the leadership of our colleague Senator Kennedy and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) in voting for this medal, the second medal, the third medal that Brooke will have gotten, because he got the Presidential Medal of Freedom and he earned the Bronze Medal in World War II, fighting in a segregated outfit, putting patriotism ahead of the indignities to which he submitted in the fight against that terrible tyranny. This is a medal well earned by a man who exemplified the commitment to the public welfare that we could well remember today. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that because of the energy of a number of people, we are going to be awarding this gold medal to a man who so richly deserves it. I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I will continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. I yield my remaining time to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran). Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I thank my good friend, the chairman of our Financial Services Committee, for the words that he said about Ed Brooke. He would be one to know, another great leader in the area of opening up housing for all. And I thank my good friend from the District of Columbia. Ed Brooke, as Ms. Norton has made clear, grew up in D.C., graduated from Dunbar, Harvard University, and then, of course, went on to be the editor of the Law Review at Boston University and got a Bronze Medal for his service in the military. But I got to know Ed Brooke from a different perspective. In fact, Terry Lierman, who is now the chief of staff to our majority leader, and I were on the Appropriations staff when Ed Brooke was the ranking Republican. And what he did is incalculable in terms of school busing, in terms of women's reproductive rights, in the area of opening up federally-subsidized housing particularly, but housing throughout the Nation to all. Ed Brooke was a temple of justice. His intellect was unparalleled. But what he exuded was a certain class, a dignity that just transcended partisanship. He was able to work with some of the, frankly, most narrow-minded Members of the Senate to get them to take votes that were the right thing to do. And he took very little credit for it. That is why this is so appropriate, to give him credit now, because he made a profound difference in the course our country took 30 years ago. He would sit there in his calm, measured tone. He would explain why it is right to open up all of society and all of our economy to everyone who was willing to work hard and obey the law. Ed Brooke was a model that all of us should look to for leadership. He was an extraordinary person. This is an extraordinary action we are taking today, but it is for someone who fully deserves it. Again, I thank my colleagues here, and I thank the Congress for making this happen today. I will yield the remainder of my time to Mr. Frank. Mrs. CAPITO. I continue to reserve. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I am about to yield back. Ed Brooke, in addition to being a superb United States Senator who fought very hard and very effectively for economic fairness and obviously against racial prejudice, but he also was the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 4 years. Just to give people a flavor of that, I will mention one accomplishment. It was under his attorney generalship that the Boston Strangler was prosecuted and imprisoned. So people who may not otherwise be able to relate should know. And if you saw him in the movie, I think he was played by Raymond St. Jacques, but if you go see again the movie of the Boston Strangler, you will see a part of that book. We are here to talk about a number of other parts, including a superb legislative record on behalf of social fairness. [[Page 12026]] I am prepared to yield back if the gentlewoman is. Mrs. CAPITO. Yes. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for S. 682, the ``Edward William Brooke III Congressional Gold Medal Act.'' It is my privilege to honor this most distinguished gentleman who broke barriers and tirelessly served his community and country with great conviction. Edward Brooke was the first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote. I am proud that he accomplished this feat in my home state of Massachusetts, which he represented from January 1967 until January 1979. He has been Captain Brooke, Professor Brooke, and Attorney General Brooke. He has fought for civil rights in our country and against apartheid in South Africa. For his many accomplishments, he has received numerous medals and awards, most notably the Bronze Star and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Senator Brooke paved the way--his election to the United States Senate was a milestone in the march toward racial equality--and his impact continues today, as we watch the first African American nominee run for President, carrying Senator Brooke's legacy forward. In a political world growing increasingly divisive and polarized, Senator Brooke has always had the distinct ability to separate the political from the personal. My husband, Paul, ran for the Senate against Senator Brooke in 1978. Although the race was tightly contested, Senator Brooke was always respectful, always warm, and Paul, in turn, greatly admired him. It is appropriate that we express our gratitude with this legislation. Senator Brooke, in his life and through his service, broke barriers and created new opportunities for so many, and in so doing, moved our country further down the path towards the America that we all hope will someday be a reality. Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. First I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to submit their comments and material on this matter. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts? There was no objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 682. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________