[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 338 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 338
Recognizing the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke for her distinguished
career in public service.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 29, 2008
Ms. Waters (for herself, Mr. Baca, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Berman, Mr.
Bilbray, Mrs. Bono Mack, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Campbell of California, Mrs.
Capps, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Costa, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Dreier,
Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Farr, Mr. Filner, Mr. Gallegly, Ms. Harman, Mr. Honda,
Ms. Lee, Mr. Lewis of California, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr.
Daniel E. Lungren of California, Ms. Matsui, Mr. McCarthy of
California, Mr. McKeon, Mr. McNerney, Mr. George Miller of California,
Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Rohrabacher, Ms. Roybal-Allard,
Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California,
Mr. Schiff, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Solis, Ms. Speier, Mr. Stark, Mrs.
Tauscher, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Watson, Mr. Waxman, Ms.
Woolsey, Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Royce,
Mr. Issa, and Mr. Hunter) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke for her distinguished
career in public service.
Whereas the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke has had a distinguished career in
public service for the past 50 years;
Whereas Mrs. Burke, a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has
blazed a trail for African-Americans and women in public service;
Whereas her career had its genesis during her high school years when, as a
teenager, she became involved in public speaking and competitive
contests, earning scholarships to college;
Whereas Mrs. Burke attended the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in
1949, and transferred her junior year to the University of California,
Los Angeles, graduating in 1953;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was the first African-American woman in 1953 to be admitted
to the University of Southern California Law School since its founding
in 1928, and graduated with her juris doctor degree at the top third of
her class;
Whereas upon graduation from law school, Mrs. Burke opened a private law
practice, as many law firms showed no interest in hiring women as
attorneys, particularly African-American women;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was active in the civil rights movement, with memberships in
various local and national organizations, played a key role in
organizing a legal defense team for those charged in the Watts Riots in
1965, and was appointed by the Governor of California to the McCone
Commission to investigate the causes of the riots;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was elected to the California State Assembly in 1966 and,
along with the Honorable Barbara Jordan, was invited by Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., to address many meetings and conventions across the
Nation, establishing a close working relationship with the noted civil
rights leader;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was actively involved in the 1968 presidential campaign of
former Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was the vice chairperson of the 1972 Democratic National
Convention, the first African-American to hold that post, and she also
played a significant role in the 2000 Democratic National Convention by
hosting a major event for hundreds of African-American elected officials
from across the Nation;
Whereas Mrs. Burke successfully campaigned for a seat in California's 37th
Congressional District in 1972, becoming the first African-American
female elected to the House of Representatives from California;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was first appointed to the Committee on Public Works and the
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs during the 93rd Congress, and
subsequently became the first African-American woman appointed to a seat
on the powerful Appropriations Committee during the 94th Congress, where
she served for the duration of her congressional career;
Whereas Mrs. Burke authored landmark amendments in 1973 that were passed which
promoted equal opportunities for minority-owned businesses in the Trans-
Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, which also resulted in the
requirement that any future project funded with Federal dollars would
have to support non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity
initiatives;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was named the first woman elected to chair the Congressional
Black Caucus in 1976;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was one of the first members of the Congressional Women's
Caucus when it was founded in 1977, became the first Member to give
birth while serving in Congress, and the first to be granted maternity
leave;
Whereas Mrs. Burke proposed an amendment to a Community Services Administration
bill that called for additional funding for community food and nutrition
programs and other services for senior citizens, that was rejected by
the full House of Representatives;
Whereas Mrs. Burke supported the Humphrey-Hawkins bill to create a federally
coordinated program of full employment;
Whereas Mrs. Burke repeatedly sought to restrict legislation providing foreign
aid to nations that were guilty of gross human rights violations;
Whereas Mrs. Burke helped salvage a $50,000,000 appropriation for countries in
Africa's Sahel region fighting a large-scale drought in 1977;
Whereas Mrs. Burke, after running unsuccessfully for California Attorney General
in 1978, was appointed by the Governor of California in 1979 to a
vacancy in the Fourth Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was appointed by the Governor of California in 1979 and 1982
to serve on the Board of Regents of the University of California;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was elected to serve as Vice Chairman of the 1984 United
States Olympics Organizing Committee;
Whereas Mrs. Burke became the first African-American elected to the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors in 1992, representing the largest county in
the Nation with a population of over 10,000,000, serving as chair in
1993-1994, 1997-1998, 2002-2003, and 2007-2008;
Whereas Mrs. Burke has served with distinction as the Supervisor of the Second
District for the past 15 years, focusing her work on improving the lives
of children, encouraging economic development, improving transportation,
and advocating access to healthcare in Los Angeles;
Whereas Mrs. Burke amassed numerous distinctions and honors throughout her
career both as an African-American and as a woman, including being
selected as one of Time Magazine's ``America's 200 Future Leaders'' in
1974;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was selected as the Los Angles Times' ``Woman of the Year''
in 1996;
Whereas Mrs. Burke was selected as the University of California, Los Angeles'
``Alumni of the Year'' in 1996 and the school's ``Local Legislator of
the Year in 2008''; and
Whereas Mrs. Burke has served on the boards of numerous prestigious
organizations and corporations, including the National Association of
Counties Board of Directors, and as the chair of the Healthcare Steering
Committee: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke for
her inestimable contributions in public service throughout her
illustrious career;
(2) believes that Mrs. Burke's exemplary record
demonstrates she is a woman of indomitable compassion, courage,
character, and commitment;
(3) believes Mrs. Burke will be remembered for the
beneficial changes she made in the lives of minorities, women,
and the economically disadvantaged; and
(4) congratulates Mrs. Burke upon her retirement, and with
sincere best wishes, is pleased to join her family, friends,
coworkers, and associates in wishing her health, happiness, and
continued good fortune in her future endeavors.
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