William R. Richardson: “I rise today to honor the newly elected Speaker of the California State Assembly, the Honorable Karen Bass. It is with…”

“I rise today to honor the newly elected Speaker of the California State Assembly, the Honorable Karen Bass. It is with great pleasure that I applaud her accomplishments and wish her future much success. At the end of this legislative year, Karen Bass will break historic glass ceilings in California and across this Nation by becoming the first African American woman Speaker of the State legislative body. Speaker-elect Karen Bass, who is respected on both sides of the aisle, received unanimous support. Throughout her career, her public service and social justice has been something that she commonly really used not only in her community but now in her service. In 1990, Speaker-elect Bass founded the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse, Prevention and Treatment. She served as its executive director for 14 years. After the 1992 civil unrest, her organization played a pivotal role in the success of South Los Angeles. Speaker-elect Bass turned to politics when she concluded that the best way to implement change would be to be an elected official herself. At the time of her election, there were no other African American women serving in the California Legislature. She was immediately appointed majority whip, and now she serves as majority leader. Please join me in congratulating her as we wish her tremendous success.”