Whereas Congressman Cummings was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 18, 1951, to Ruth and Robert Cummings, former sharecroppers from Clarendon County, South Carolina, who moved their family to Baltimore as part of the Great Migration ; Whereas Congressman Cummings began his education as a student in a lower-income, segregated Baltimore public elementary school; Whereas the work ethic of Congressman Cummings led him to be an honors graduate of Baltimore City College high school, a Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate of Howard University, and a juris doctor graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law; Whereas, throughout his adult life, Congressman Cummings worked tirelessly to inspire America’s young people to strive for excellence through the example of his own early life; Whereas, early in his distinguished legal career, Congressman Cummings was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, where his dedication to the public, personal credibility, and respectful relationships with other delegates from both major political parties over nearly 14 years led to his rise to the position of Speaker pro tempore, the first African American in Maryland history to attain that position; Whereas, in April of 1996, Elijah Cummings won a special election to succeed Congressman Kweisi Mfume as the Member of Congress for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, where he brought his unyielding passion, diligence, and integrity to our national government until his untimely passing on October 17, 2019, at the age of 68; Whereas, for more than 23 years, the long and productive service of Congressman Cummings in the House of Representatives encompassed the terms of four Presidents from both political parties; Whereas Congressman Cummings’ sense of fairness, respect for others, and tireless efforts to empower the American people gained the respect and affection of his colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Armed Forces and Oversight and Reform Committees, as well as the Congress as a whole