G. K. Butterfield: “First, I want to thank you, Mr. Lowenthal, for those kind words and thank you for your leadership. Thank you for…”

“First, I want to thank you, Mr. Lowenthal, for those kind words and thank you for your leadership. Thank you for yielding time today and for working very hard to bring this important resolution to the House floor. I also appreciate the work of the Natural Resources Committee chairman, Doc Hastings, and Ranking Member Pete DeFazio, and you, Mr. Young, for considering this resolution expeditiously and for seeing that it was favorably reported by the committee. Also, let me thank Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut, who used to serve in this body and now serves in the United States Senate, for introducing a companion bill in the Senate. His support is critical, and I thank him for his commitment to this important issue. I hope that the Senate will act as expeditiously and in as bipartisan a fashion as has the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Joint Resolution 120, a bill that I introduced that will formally approve the location that was selected by the Administrator of the General Services Administration of a memorial that will recognize the thousands of slaves and free persons of color, or as historians sometimes refer to, free Negroes, who fought for independence during the American Revolution. Federal law requires, Mr. Speaker, that the location for the memorial identified by the Administrator of GSA be formally approved by Congress within 150 days of receiving the recommendation by the GSA Administrator.…”