On the recordNovember 30, 2015
I join my colleagues in standing up today for a true American hero, Billy Frank Jr. For Billy, protecting our natural world and everything that depends on it wasn't a political issue; rather, it was an innate calling. Folks responded to that. They followed his fearless protests by standing up for civil rights. They followed his example by becoming fishermen themselves in places like South Puget Sound. They followed his lead in championing clean water and fish runs and protecting Puget Sound. They listened to his ideas about keeping communities vibrant by building tribal youth centers. In the marble Halls of Congress, he convinced so many that tribal treaty rights could not be held back and that we can't keep damaging our environment, that we have got to stand up for extraordinary bodies of water like Puget Sound. He left tracks all across our State and our Nation, and his advocacy will live on. To help honor this legacy, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill sponsored by Congressman Heck that I was proud to cosponsor, renaming the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge the Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge. It is the right thing to do to honor all the work that Billy did for all of us. It should serve as a reminder that we need to keep fighting for all of those things he fought for.
