House Passes Bill to Name Phoenix Post Office After Congressman Ed Pastor
Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed a bill (HR 4010 ) to rename the United States Post Office located at 522 North Central Ave in Phoenix as the “Ed Pastor Post Office.”
The proposal was introduced by Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), and was strongly supported by the entire Arizona Congressional delegation.
Congressman Pastor represented the people of Arizona for twelve terms, from 1991 until his retirement in 2015. He was the first Hispanic American elected to Congress from the State of Arizona.
HR 4010 will now proceed to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
A video of Rep. Gallego’s floor speech in support of the proposal can be found here.
Rep. Gallego’s remarks, as prepared:
“Mr. Speaker,
“I rise in support of a bill that – in a small but significant way – honors the legacy of a Latino trailblazer and a great Arizonan, Congressman Ed Pastor.
“Mr. Speaker, Congressman Pastor dedicated his life to fighting for working families.
“Renaming a post office in the district he represented with distinction for 12 terms is the very least that we can do to recognize his more than three decades of outstanding public service.
“I want to thank my colleagues in the Arizona delegation for their enthusiastic support.
“I’m also grateful to Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings for enabling this bill to come to the floor today.
“Mr. Speaker, Congressman Ed Pastor’s life embodies the American Dream. And throughout his time in Congress, Mr. Pastor fought to make that Dream accessible to everyone, including the most vulnerable in our society.
“As Leader Pelosi once wrote, ‘Ed Pastor never forgot his roots, and always worked to build a brighter future for the children of our nation.’
“The son of a miner, Mr. Pastor was the first member of his family to go to college and received his Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in 1966.
“After graduation, he taught at North High School in Phoenix before returning to ASU in 1971 to earn his law degree.
“Mr. Pastor subsequently worked on the staff of Arizona’s first Latino governor, Raul Castro – a job that cemented his lifelong commitment to public service.
“Mr. Pastor later served three terms on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors before being elected to the 102nd Congress in a special election in 1991.
“Congressman Pastor spent twenty-four years in this body, earning a reputation as a tireless advocate for the people of Arizona.
“I’m proud to say that Mr. Pastor is the first Latino elected to Congress from our great state.
“He was also one of the founding members of the Progressive Caucus and chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the 104th Congress.
“In addition, he served on the House Appropriations Committee and as Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Caucus.
“Throughout his career, Congressman Pastor was a passionate advocate for fixing our broken immigrating system, investing in our nation’s transportation infrastructure, and protecting the civil rights of every American.
“Perhaps even more importantly, as President Obama noted, Congressman Pastor ‘…served as a mentor and role model to young Latinos and Latinas throughout Arizona and our country.’
“He was supported in this groundbreaking work by his loving wife, Verma.
“Congressman Pastor retired in 2014 and remains a beloved and respected figure in the City of Phoenix.
“I’m incredibly proud to follow in his footsteps as the 7th district’s representative here in Washington.
“The Pastor Post Office will join Ed and Verma Pastor Elementary School and the Pastor School of Politics and Public Service at ASU as monuments to his outstanding service to our nation.
“Yet, Congressman Pastor’s legacy lives on not just in these buildings, but in the transportation projects he championed, the legislation he authored, the working families he helped and the young people he inspired.
“Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request the support of every Member in recognizing a legendary Arizonan, Congressman Ed Pastor.”