“I want to praise my friend. He did some things. He wants taxpayers to spend more money in his area. He wants rules about time off. He wants rules that help immigrants. I think he's good. I hope he does well.”

“I want to honor Chicago Alderperson Michael Rodriguez. He has served the 22nd Ward since 2019, fighting for working families, winning paid time off for workers, and protecting immigrants from federal enforcement. I thank him for his service.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of a community activist, nonprofit leader, a youth mentor, a beloved dad and husband, Chicago Alderperson Michael Rodriguez. Alderperson Mike Rodriguez is a lifelong resident of the 22nd Ward, representing it in the city council since 2019. Mike is my alderperson, my neighbor, and my good friend. I have proudly watched him fight for working-class families, always striving to increase city funding to improve the services of the neighborhoods. As a progressive leader, one of his most significant achievements is the paid leave ordinance, legislation that provides mandatory days off to Chicago workers. Mike is also a co-chief sponsor of an effort to strengthen Chicago's welcoming ordinance, which prohibits city workers to ask about a person's immigration status, ensures they are not denied city services based on immigration status, and prohibits the Chicago Police Department from cooperating with ICE. Madam Speaker, I wish Mike much success in the next phase of his career and thank him for all he has done for the 22nd Ward.”

“A restaurant closed in my district. It was open a long time. People liked it. Now it's gone. That makes me sad.”

“I am honoring Mr. Taco, a family restaurant in Cicero that closed after 49 years. It was an important part of our community.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a small family business that was a staple in my district. After 49 years in Cicero, taqueria Mr. Taco, founded in 1976 by Carlos and Thelma Lopez, has closed. The Lopez family had a simple dream to serve good food and make every customer feel at home. They succeeded in building a family restaurant that offered kindness and amazing Mexican food, becoming a common lunch spot for many people who worked in the area. Others would go to Mr. Taco for that late night burrito after hanging out with friends or would take their girlfriends on a date. I heard of a couple who even went there on their wedding night. Mr. Taco leaves not only an empty space on the corner of Ogden and Austin in Cicero, it leaves an empty space in our tummies and our hearts.”

“The National Archives is closing branches. They say they have extra space because of digital records. I don't believe them. They didn't tell anyone their plans. People need those records. They use them to prove citizenship. They use them to study history. I found my father's naturalization papers there. It was important to me. The public needs those records. I want them to stop moving the records. I want them to tell Congress their plans. I want them to keep the records where they are. We need to protect history.”

“The National Archives is closing its branches in Chicago and California and moving their records. It did not share a full plan with the public or its workers before making this choice. People need these local records to prove their citizenship and research history. I want the agency to stop the move, share its plans with Congress, and keep the records where they are.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the closing of the Chicago and California branches of the National Archives and the relocation of the records. The leadership at the National Archives and Records Administration argues that the transition to digital recordkeeping has resulted in a growing volume of extra space at both branches. However, there has not been a full plan for this transition shared with employees, stakeholders, or the public. People from across our region and Nation visit the facility in Chicago to obtain census and naturalization records to prove citizenship status, to find information about Great Lakes vessels on which they serve, to find information about exam records to identify their ancestors, or to study major historical events like the 1894 Pullman Strike and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. In a recent visit to the Chicago National Archives branch, I was able to find my father's naturalization application. This is an important piece of family history. The work of agencies, museums, scholars, teachers, and the public continues to depend on access to these records, which are vital to our history and NARA's mission. NARA must immediately halt the relocation, provide Congress with the necessary information about the agency's plans, and reverse this decision to move the more than 140,000 cubic feet of historical records. History must be protected.”