IV 
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. HAR-
MAN, 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. ROHR-
ABACHER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ 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 re-
ferred 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; 
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•HCON 338 IH 
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, grad-
uating 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 Af-
rican-American women; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke was active in the civil rights movement, 
with memberships in various local and national organiza-
tions, 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 As-
sembly 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 Na-
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•HCON 338 IH 
tion, establishing a close working relationship with the 
noted civil rights leader; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke was actively involved in the 1968 presi-
dential campaign of former Senator and Attorney Gen-
eral Robert F. Kennedy; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke was the vice chairperson of the 1972 
Democratic National Convention, the first African-Amer-
ican 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, becom-
ing 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 be-
came 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 opportuni-
ties for minority-owned businesses in the Trans-Alaska 
Pipeline Authorization Act, which also resulted in the re-
quirement 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; 
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•HCON 338 IH 
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 serv-
ing in Congress, and the first to be granted maternity 
leave; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke proposed an amendment to a Commu-
nity 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 employ-
ment; 
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 appro-
priation for countries in Africa’s Sahel region fighting a 
large-scale drought in 1977; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke, after running unsuccessfully for Cali-
fornia 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 Cali-
fornia in 1979 and 1982 to serve on the Board of Re-
gents of the University of California; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke was elected to serve as Vice Chairman 
of the 1984 United States Olympics Organizing Com-
mittee; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke became the first African-American elect-
ed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 
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•HCON 338 IH 
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 Su-
pervisor of the Second District for the past 15 years, fo-
cusing her work on improving the lives of children, en-
couraging economic development, improving transpor-
tation, and advocating access to healthcare in Los Ange-
les; 
Whereas Mrs. Burke amassed numerous distinctions and 
honors throughout her career both as an African-Amer-
ican 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 Cali-
fornia, 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 Brath-
waite Burke for her inestimable contributions in 
public service throughout her illustrious career; 
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