Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: “I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 3094, a bill to designate the National Pulse Memorial. On June 12, 2016, a shooter…”

“I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 3094, a bill to designate the National Pulse Memorial. On June 12, 2016, a shooter hatefully took the lives of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Those who died were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, and loving members of Florida's communities. This tragedy brought grief and pain to all parts of the Nation, to Florida, including my very own district, and to the LGBT community. That evening at the nightclub was Jerry Wright. His parents, MJ and Fred, are part of our community in south Florida. They described Jerry as a wonderful, loving, and caring son. He was there that evening, like any other evening, enjoying Latin music with friends, and from 1 minute to the next, his life was cruelly taken from him. He was only 31 years old. We all know that Jerry did not deserve this. His parents and family did not deserve this. I am very close friends now with the Wright family, and I know firsthand the anguish and the pain that they go through every single day, Mother's Day, Father's Day. That pain never goes away. I know that personally, Madam Speaker, because I have also lost a loved one tragically to gun violence. So the pain that the families and the friends of 48 other people who lost their lives the same way is still present today. Just over 4 years later, now it is time that we designate the Pulse nightclub as a national memorial.…”