[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 140 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 140

Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving 
                member of the House of Representatives.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 9, 2009

 Mr. Kildee (for himself, Mr. Upton, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Camp, Mr. Levin, 
 Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Hoekstra, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Mr. 
 Rogers of Michigan, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Miller of Michigan, Mr. Schauer, 
    and Mr. McCotter) submitted the following resolution; which was 
           referred to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving 
                member of the House of Representatives.

Whereas John D. Dingell was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of 
        Representatives on January 22, 1956;
Whereas John D. Dingell took office after winning a special election on December 
        13, 1955, to replace his father, who had served with distinction as a 
        12-term Congressman and proud supporter of President Roosevelt during 
        the New Deal;
Whereas John D. Dingell, prior to being sworn in as a Member of Congress, had 
        already dedicated himself to public service through his work as a 
        National Park Ranger, a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army 
        during World War II, and an Assistant Prosecutor in Wayne County;
Whereas John D. Dingell was appointed by Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn to the 
        Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, which would later become 
        the Committee on Energy and Commerce;
Whereas John D. Dingell has authored or been instrumental in the passage of some 
        of the Nation's most important environmental laws, including the 
        National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the 
        Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990;
Whereas John D. Dingell's length of service has given him the wisdom to foresee 
        the long-term implications of congressional actions, as shown in his 
        warning during the 1999 debate over deregulation of the financial 
        services industry that ``You are going to find that they [banks] are too 
        big to fail, so the Fed is going to be in and other Federal agencies are 
        going to be in to bail them out. Just expect that'';
Whereas John D. Dingell has been a strong and vigorous defender of civil rights 
        and civil liberties, having led the drafting and supported the Civil 
        Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and is well 
        known as a champion of the Second Amendment;
Whereas John D. Dingell made health care for all Americans a priority during his 
        entire career, having offered legislation (first introduced by his 
        father) in every Congress since 1957 that would provide for national 
        health insurance, having presided over the House of Representatives on 
        April 8, 1965, when Medicare passed the House, having been a leader in 
        getting the Children's Health Insurance Program signed into law in 1997 
        and an expansion of the program signed into law in 2009, and having been 
        an active leader on many other health care issues during his tremendous 
        career;
Whereas John D. Dingell has been a tireless advocate on behalf of working 
        Americans, and was described by President Obama on June 15, 2008, as 
        ``somebody who has done more for working people than just about anybody 
        in the history of the House of Representatives'';
Whereas John D. Dingell was elected to his 28th term as a Member of the House of 
        Representatives on November 4, 2008, and has served as the Dean of the 
        House since the 104th Congress; and
Whereas John D. Dingell will become the longest serving Member of the House of 
        Representatives on February 11, 2009: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. HONORING JOHN D. DINGELL FOR HOLDING THE RECORD AS THE 
              LONGEST SERVING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    The House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the Honorable John D. Dingell for his 
        tireless advocacy on behalf of his constituents in the State of 
        Michigan in the past, present, and future;
            (2) honors the Honorable John D. Dingell for his lifelong 
        commitment to public service;
            (3) celebrates the Honorable John D. Dingell and his more 
        than 53 years of dedication to the United States Congress, as 
        well the Nation and the ideals upon which it was founded; and
            (4) congratulates the Honorable John D. Dingell upon 
        attaining the record for longest serving Member of the House of 
        Representatives.

SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION.

    The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an 
enrolled copy of this resolution to the Honorable John D. Dingell.
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