I am very pleased to see our community coming together to remember our veterans and take pride in our local heritage.

He enjoyed the simple things of life, church with his family, backyard barbeques, trips back to Arkansas and Louisiana, family re-unions, poker games with the boys, interacting with his peers and students, attending community meetings or…

I am thankful and grateful for the outstanding effort by local, state, and federal law enforcement officials in bringing the rampage to an end.

the people of Illinois and Indiana, and in particular the residents of my district, are beginning the healing process after having suffered the violence of hate over the 4th of July weekend.

We have a responsibility to protect the lives of our constituents. Congress must pass and the President must sign bills to limit the purchase of handguns to one per month and to require the registration of every handgun sold in the United…

What happened as we celebrated our Independence Day should be a wake up call to Congress to step up, fulfill its duty, and pass legislation that protects the lives of our citizens.

Our constituents demand it and our children deserve it.

Notwithstanding all of his professional accomplishments, Judge was most known for his involvement in public activity and his willingness to reach out and help others.

Judge was much too young to die, and yet he did probably because like many other men and especially African American men, did not adequately look after his health.

Judge was tough, tenacious and a skilled labor negotiator who could stand like a rock and not be moved.

He lived among and worked with people in low-income communities which at one time was characterized by the Chicago Tribune as home for the permanent underclass.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a friend, a colleague and a tremendous public interest human being, Judge Charles Watkins, Jr., who recently passed away.

He would not be moved, he would not be compromised and he shall not be forgotten.

Judge had a strong work ethic and worked two and sometimes three jobs for practically all of his adult life.

How many more children will be lost before Congress gets the message?

Mothers and fathers are demanding action to protect the most vulnerable among us, our children, from the onslaught of gun violence that is taking the lives of 13 of them each day.

This amendment would provide law enforcement officials with the same three business days to conduct background checks at gunshows that they are now given when guns are bought in stores.

The American people demand action from this House of Representatives.