[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 134 (Thursday, September 22, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1630
 
                       WILLIAM H. NATCHER BRIDGE

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Public Works and Transportation be discharged from further 
consideration of the bill (H.R. 4980) to designate the bridge on United 
States Route 231 which crosses the Ohio River between Maceo, Kentucky, 
and Rockport, Indiana, as the ``William H. Natcher Bridge'', and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bishop). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from West Virginia?
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do not 
intend to object, but I yield to the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Surface Transportation for an explanation of the bill.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, this 
legislation would designate a bridge on U.S. Route 231 which crosses 
the Ohio River in the vicinity of Owensboro, KY, as the ``William H. 
Natcher Bridge.''
  This bridge is currently under construction due to the efforts of the 
late and great chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the 
distinguished gentleman from Kentucky.
  I think all of us in this body would agree that Mr. Natcher's 
distinguished service to this Nation, and to the people of the Second 
Congressional District of Kentucky, merits in the very least some type 
of official recognition.
  The pending legislation reflects the wishes of the Kentucky 
delegation to this body, and I believe, of us all, to in some small way 
provide this recognition. That completes my explanation of the pending 
matter.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to our colleague, the gentleman from California [Mr. Mineta], the 
chairman of the full committee.
  Mr. MINETA. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that I 
support the consideration of H.R. 4980. This legislation acknowledges 
the contribution of one of our dear friends and colleagues, William H. 
Natcher of the State of Kentucky, by designating the bridge on U.S. 
Route 231 crossing the Ohio River between Maceo, KY, and Rockport, IN, 
as the William H. Natcher Bridge. It is only fitting and proper that a 
major infrastructure project serve as a long and lasting monument in 
honor of Bill Natcher. He worked closely with the Committee on Public 
Works and Transportation to provide funding for the construction of 
this ongoing project that is nearing completion.
  For over 40 years, Bill Natcher worked tirelessly to serve his 
constituents and the Nation. His public service record is exemplary 
with having never missed a day of work and with having cast 18,401 
consecutive roll call votes until advised by his physicians to remain 
at the Bethesda Naval Hospital to receive medical treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, more importantly, the character of the gentleman is what 
set him apart from many of his colleagues. He was a courteous, 
dignified, and considerate human being who we all loved and respected. 
Throughout Bill Natcher's tenure in the House, he enjoyed tremendous 
respect. He exhibited true leadership virtues during his service as 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services and 
Education and as chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. Under his 
tenure, all 13 appropriations bills were enacted on time, without the 
need for a continuing resolution.
  In the 103d Congress, I worked closely with the gentleman from 
Kentucky and was extremely proud of his willingness to work together to 
support legislation that maintained the integrity of the legislative 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor and privilege to have served for 
over 19 years in the House with my friend and colleague, Bill Natcher. 
I am pleased to support enactment of this legislation to help recognize 
his tremendous work for the State of Kentucky, its Second District, and 
the Nation, and I urge passage of the bill.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the author of the bill before us, our distinguished colleague, 
the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Lewis].
  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for 
yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Public Works 
Committee, Mr. Mineta, and the ranking member, Mr. Shuster, for their 
support of this resolution, H.R. 4980. And I also want to thank the 
chairman of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee, Mr. Rahall, and 
Mr. Petri, the ranking member, for their cooperation and joint efforts 
to bring this bill to the floor in such an expedient manner.
  My legislation serves as a tribute to the dedication, caring, and 
hard work of my predecessor Mr. William H. Natcher. H.R. 4980 will 
officially give credit to Mr. Natcher for his efforts to begin and 
continue the construction of the bridge connecting Rockport, IN to 
Owensboro, KY.
  Back home, the folks in Kentucky have already designated this bridge 
in honor of Mr. Natcher. But here in Washington, we have never formally 
honored Congressman Natcher in this way.
  Mr. Natcher was dedicated to this project due to the benefits it 
would bring to the people of the Second District. He guided this 
project through Congress and laid the groundwork to assure its 
completion. And now we have the opportunity to recognize his efforts at 
the Federal level and provide a visible reminder of this great 
statesman and a true friend of the Second District.
  Again, I am pleased that this legislation honoring Mr. Natcher has 
been able to move so quickly through the legislative process. I think 
this is a true statement about this Chamber's feelings for Mr. Natcher. 
He is revered by every Member from both sides of the aisle and I am 
pleased that we have joined together for this fitting tribute.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to our colleague, the dean of the Kentucky delegation, the 
gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Mazzoli].
  (Mr. MAZZOLI asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, I would like very much to thank my friend 
and colleague, the gentleman from West Virginia, for having brought 
this bill to the floor, and my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin 
[Mr. Petri] for having yielded me this time in order that I might rise 
and say a few words in behalf of the bill introduced by my friend and 
colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Lewis], on behalf of 
Congressman Natcher to name the bridge from Rockport to Maceo as the 
William H. Natcher Bridge.
  Any one of us who has served with Bill Natcher knows and remembers 
him as one of the great people of this Chamber in its history. It was 
my privilege to work with him for almost 24 years, and his loss is 
certainly a loss to the Chamber and to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  Naming this bridge will for many people be a reminder on a daily 
basis of just who Bill was and what he did for the Commonwealth.
  So I want to thank everyone for making this day possible and join 
with my colleagues from the Kentucky delegation in speaking for this 
bill.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the Republican dean of the Kentucky delegation, the gentleman 
from Kentucky [Mr. Rogers].
  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution and want to commend my 
colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Lewis], the sponsor of the 
bill and the holder of the Second Congressional District seat Mr. 
Natcher held for so many years, and to commend the chairman, the 
gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Rahall], and the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Petri] for expeditiously bringing the 
matter to the floor.
  This is a fitting tribute to our former colleague and our dear 
friend, Bill Natcher, who worked tirelessly for this project for many 
years. Bill Natcher was, and always shall remain, one of the most, if 
not the most, respected Member of this body. He was the kind of 
Representative that all of us aspire to, and I think that is everybody 
in the room. A man of impeccable integrity, fairness, he had a 
tremendous sense of right and wrong. He possessed the moral courage to 
follow those beliefs, most importantly.
  As chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and as a longtime 
member of that committee, in fact, he was elected to the Committee on 
Appropriations in his second year in this House and served as chairman 
of the D.C. Appropriations Subcommittee for 18 years before becoming 
chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee, and then 
rose to chairman of the full committee in December 1992.
  This memorial, on this bridge, will be a fitting tribute to Bill 
Natcher. There are many other tributes that I hope that we bestow upon 
his memory, and I think that we will, but certainly this tribute that 
thousands of people will see daily entering his old district will 
always be a reminder of the tremendous service that this great patriot 
gave to our Nation and to his beloved Kentucky and to his district for 
so many working years.
  Again, I want to congratulate our colleague, the gentleman from 
Kentucky [Mr. Lewis], the sponsor of this bill to which all of the 
Kentucky delegation are cosponsors, for bringing this bill up, and the 
chairman and the ranking member for giving it to the body.
  I rise in strong support of the resolution.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to my colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Bunning].
  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the unanimous-consent 
request to pass H.R. 4980, a bill naming the bridge at Owensboro, KY, 
after our beloved colleague, William H. Natcher.
  The Kentucky Post, the largest newspaper in my district, recently 
called Bill Natcher, ``Capitol Hill's Man of Steel.''
  They were, of course, referring to the 40 years during which Bill 
Natcher never missed a day of work, the 40 years that Bill Natcher 
never missed a recorded vote.
  The 40 years of unblemished, untarnished, and unquestioned integrity 
that Bill Natcher devoted to public service.
  And I think that Capitol Hill's Man of Steel is a very good way to 
remember Bill Natcher.
  He was a man of steel when it came to his commitment. It never 
faltered. For 40 years, while nine presidents came and went; while 
seven Speakers in the House came and went; Bill Natcher was there, day 
in and day out, quietly going about the business of doing the people's 
business.
  And that is why I think it is also very appropriate for us, today, to 
dedicate the bridge at Owensboro, KY, after this great man. What better 
way to remember Capitol Hill's Man of Steel than to give his name to a 
Span of Steel.
  Mr. Natcher worked hard to get this project started for his 
constituents. It would be a fitting tribute to name it in his honor; 
the William H. Natcher Bridge.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this unanimous-
consent request--it is a fitting tribute to a great man.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to our colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Barlow].
  Mr. BARLOW. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Natcher was one of the great men of 
American history and will continue to be one of the great men of 
American history down through the years.
  I commend my colleague from the second district who has sponsored the 
naming of the bridge there at Owensboro, going over into Indiana, after 
William H. Natcher.
  You know, it is the public works of our great Nation that bind us 
together as a people, all 435 congressional district, all 50 States.
  Public works are good works. Public works today are much maligned.

                              {time}  1640

  But let us look back over the years, over the decades to how they 
have transformed us into a Nation with the strongest economy in the 
world, with a people who are the most well off in the world.
  It is public works that truly have bound us together, and it is 
fitting that this bridge binds two great States, Indiana and Kentucky.
  I look forward to the years of my work in Kentucky using this bridge 
and remembering Mr. Natcher.
  Mr. Speaker, a bridge is a mighty thing, but the water system of the 
smallest town in Mr. Natcher's district was as important to Mr. Natcher 
as this bridge, as he told me when I first came here.
  Let us remember that as we all look ahead.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I yield to our colleague 
from Louisiana, the gentleman who served with Mr. Natcher on the 
Committee on Appropriations for many years, the gentleman from 
Louisiana [Mr. Livingston].
  (Mr. LIVINGSTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from the Second District of 
Kentucky for this bill, for his sponsorship of this bill. I just rise 
in support of it.
  Frankly, there will not be a single Member of this House who will 
oppose it because indeed Bill Natcher was one of the finest gentlemen 
who has ever passed through the Halls of Congress. He was a statesman, 
a gentleman, a man of integrity, a man with whom I had the great honor 
of serving for 17 years in the House of Representatives. Since 1980 
until his unfortunate death I served with him on the Appropriations 
Committee.
  I never saw Bill Natcher riled, I never saw him at odds with any 
Members. He was always in full control of himself, of his committee, of 
his Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
  Mr. Speaker, I had the luxury and the great fortune to serve with him 
for only 2 years on the Subcommittee on Labor, HHS. I just want to say 
that he was indeed that he was the epitome of the finest type of 
legislator that any one could imagine. He was the ideal, he was the 
goal, he was the mentor for those of us younger Members who were 
struggling and coming along.
  So I enthusiastically applaud this bill and wholeheartedly endorse it 
and wish the very, very best to Bill Natcher's family and to all of the 
people of Kentucky as they enjoy the benefits of this great bridge 
named after Congressman William Natcher.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, you have heard from many 
other colleagues about William Natcher. I can only say for myself that 
he set a very high standard of public service. He was really an 
inspiration to this Member and many others who, when we arrived here, 
discovered that this institution sometimes was not the way we had 
learned about it or the way that it was portrayed about in the national 
media. In fact, it was filled with many, many Members, in both parties, 
who put a very high value on public service, set very high standards 
for themselves and who felt they were doing the best they could to 
uphold the Constitution and the ideals that our Founding Fathers set 
forth. We have tried to implement them over the years and have 
contributed in some ways to making this the great republic that it is.
  Bill Natcher, every day that he served here, to the best of my 
understanding, kept a diary. I predict as future generations look back 
on this era, his diary will be a scholar's treasure that will help 
people understand the actual workings of the Congress of the United 
States, its House of Representatives, and the many issues he was 
involved in during his decades of service in this institution. It is 
just one more contribution he has made to this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bishop). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from West Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 4980

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The bridge on United States Route 231 which crosses the 
     Ohio River between Maceo, Kentucky, and Rockport, Indiana, 
     shall be know and designated as the ``William H. Natcher 
     Bridge''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the bridge referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``William H. Natcher Bridge''.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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