[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM D. FORD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. 
Dingell] is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the Majority 
Leader.


                             general leave

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the subject of my special order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a high but sad privilege and 
honor, and that is to pay my respects to a great friend, a 
distinguished Member of this body and a colleague for over 30 years.
  I will conclude my remarks after we have heard from others who are 
here tonight to pay their tributes to our good friend, the gentleman 
from Michigan, the Hon. William D. Ford, chairman of the Committee on 
Education and Labor, previously chairman of the Committee on Post 
Office and Civil Service.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. 
Goodling], my dear friend with whose father I had the honor of serving 
here and who was a very distinguished Member of this body, as is his 
son.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight we are honoring a gentleman who likes to think 
he is a crusty, tough man. But actually, he really is a cream-filled 
bonbon. His bark is much greater than his bite.
  I am here really to say thank you for a lot of young people in this 
country. First of all, I am here to say thank you for the college 
students, for all of the work that Chairman Ford has done on their 
behalf. I am here to say thank you for the colleges and universities 
who certainly owe a great debt of gratitude to Chairman Ford.
  I am here to say thank you for the legitimate proprietary schools, 
because there were many who wanted to wipe them off the records, and he 
would not let that happen.
  I am here to say thank you from the school children because of his 
efforts on school lunch and child nutrition. And I am here to say thank 
you for the most neglected, probably, in this country, and those are 
migrant children and the parents of those migrant children for he has 
carried their banner mostly alone for a long time.
  I am also here to say thank you from the educationally-disadvantaged 
children for the programs that he has carried forth to help those who 
are educationally disadvantaged. And I am here to thank the chairman 
for the people with disabilities for whose cause he also championed.
  The list goes on and on, and I will stop at that point because I know 
that there are many others who want to extend it. But I do want to 
thank Chairman Ford for his service on behalf of all of these people 
and, again, even though he barked quite often, he never bit. I never 
had any serious problems in negotiating what was best, as far as 
children are concerned and young adults are concerned, in this country.
  We say thank you. We will miss you. And I guess we envy you also.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I yield to the 
distinguished majority whip, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior).
  LMr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dean for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues tonight in paying 
tribute to one of the straightest shooting, plainest speaking, hardest 
working, and effective voices Michigan has ever had in the U.S. 
Congress.
  If you ask me, it seems only right that we should honor Bill Ford 
here this evening. Because he has honored the working people of America 
with his hard work, his leadership, and his service for more than 30 
years.
  Whenever I think about Bill, I am reminded of an old story people 
used to tell about Hubert Humphrey.
  As legend has it, on the day Senator Humphrey celebrated his 60th 
birthday, he was playing with one of is grandchildren.
  They were having a good time, and at one point his grandson looked at 
Humphrey and said, ``Grandpa * * * how long have you been a Democrat?''
  Humphrey thought for a moment and said, ``I've been a Democrat for 65 
years.''
  His grandson said, ``Grandpa * * * how can you have been a Democrat 
for 65 years if you're only 60 years old?''
  ``Easy,'' Humphrey answered, ``I put in a lot of overtime.''
  Well, Bill Ford has put in a lot of overtime for working families 
over the years--for their jobs and their standards of living--and we're 
all going to miss him.
  There's been a lot of talk tonight about the fact that Bill Ford is 
leaving Congress.
  But if you ask me, Congress would not be the most important thing 
Bill will be leaving behind this year.
  The most important thing he is leaving behind is a legacy that will 
continue to strengthen and nourish our Nation for generations to come.
  Today, millions of kids from working families are in college, or 
saving lives as doctors, or educating children as teachers, thanks to 
the college loan programs Bill Ford championed.
  Millions of Americans today work in safer shops and offices thanks to 
the safety laws he wrote.
  Millions of children are growing up healthier thanks to the early 
intervention programs he fought for.
  As we have heard over and over again tonight, over the past 30 years, 
nearly every law passed by Congress that is improved schools or 
worksites has had Bill Ford's fingerprints all over them.
  They are big laws with big names: The Higher Education Act; the Head 
Start Program; plant closing notification; OSHA; Hatch Act reform; Pell 
grants; and national service--and thousands of other laws with names 
too long to pronounce and impacts too great to measure.
  All of them guided by Bill Ford. All of them passed in large part due 
to the work of Bill Ford--a record matched by few other legislators the 
past 200 years.
  And to be honest, I'm still not sure what we're going to do without 
him. I'm still not sure what we're going to do without those speeches 
and those stories and that grab-them-by-the-throat-until-they-cry-uncle 
style that we all know so well.
  Mr. Speaker, people will give you a lot of reasons why Bill Ford has 
been so successful.
  They'll give you a lot of reasons why he's been able to accomplish so 
much.
  But those of us from Michigan who are here tonight know his real 
secret.
  His real secret is simply this: Bill Ford may have been in Congress 
for 30 years. But the truth is, he never really left the community, and 
the factories, and the working people he grew up with.
  He never left his roots.
  He never left the people back home.
  They have always been with him.
  They have always been the source of his strength and his commitment.
  They have been the source of his passion and his drive. And they 
always will be.
  To those who wonder what we're going to do without him here, my hope 
is this: That we're going to continue to be inspired by his example, 
heartened by his commitment, and continue to stand up for the ideals 
for which he still fights night and day.
  Mr. Speaker, of all the great tributes we've heard to Bill Ford, 
there's one tribute that sums up Bill Ford better than any I've ever 
heard.
  One that says more about who he is than any other.
  A few years ago, Bill Ford attended a community college commencement 
in Dearborn.
  And before the diplomas were handed out, the President of the college 
stood at the podium and asked which students could not have made it to 
graduation without student aid.
  Which students could not have made it without some Federal help. He 
asked those students to stand.
  Slowly, one by one, graduate after graduate stood up, until nearly 
every single one of them was standing.
  And then the President slowly turned and pointed his finger at Bill 
Ford, who was sitting on stage.
  And he said to the students, ``Before you go, make sure you stop by 
this stage and thank this man. Because he's the one who made it all 
possible.''
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Ford may be leaving Congress. But the things that 
he has fought for, and the legacy he leaves behind, will live on for 
generations to come.
  Bill, you've shown us the way for 30 years. You've been an 
inspiration to all of us. And you've certainly earned this retirement.
  But I think I speak for all of us when I say we're sure going to miss 
you.

                              {time}  2340

  Mr. DINGELL. I am happy to yield to my good friend, the gentleman 
from Michigan [Mr. Upton].
  Mr. UPTON Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight also in tribute to a man of his 
convictions. The Michigan delegation traditionally has worked very 
closely, and we are always there to help our State, regardless of the 
party affiliation. Bill Ford has served his constituency very well for 
over 30 years.
  Those of us on this side of the aisle, the Republican side, recognize 
him as a darned good adversary. I know my good friend, Bill Goodling, 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, talked about bark, no bite. I might 
suggest there may be a few broken ankles, bitten ankles, or a few 
broken arms on this side.
  However, I will tell you that as chairman of the Committee on 
Education and Labor, he has over the years been able to leave his 
fingerprints on landmark legislation impacting every American, bills 
like Head Start, minimum wage, plant closing notification, parental 
leave, Pell grants, national service, Hatch Act reform, motor voter.
  He has always stood for the working man and woman in every sense of 
the word. He has been a tenacious fighter in all of his days.
  Mr. Speaker, I must say that I have appreciated the relationship that 
we have had the last number of years. Yes, we have disagreed on a 
number of issues, but we have agreed on a number of them as well. I 
learned early that when I was on the other side, he usually had the 
votes to roll my side, but when we were on the same side, it was an 
awful lot of fun to win together.
  Mr. Speaker, there are a number of ways that a congressional career 
can end: redistricting, defeat, death, moving to the lower body, the 
Senate, and, of course, the one of voluntary retirement. Bill Ford has 
chosen the latter course.
  Bill, you can hold your head high. You have changed the way of life 
for many Americans, all Americans, and I know that you are proud of 
every moment that you have served in this Chamber. All of us in the 
Michigan delegation, Republican and Democrat, wish you well in the 
months and years ahead. Thank you for your distinguished career here.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I want to just express my thanks to the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Upton]. Whenever our delegation has 
something of concern, we can always count on the gentleman being there. 
He is an extremely valuable and worthwhile and participating member of 
the delegation, and has the affection and respect of us all.
  I am now happy to yield to my very special friend, the gentleman from 
Missouri [Mr. Clay], chairman of the Committee on Post Office and Civil 
Service.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, from time to time we are privileged to pause, 
if only for a few moments, to express our thanks to individuals who 
have devoted enormous time, energy, and talent to stem the tide and 
change the course of this ever-moving blip in space that we call Earth.
  William B. Ford is such a person. No one in the last 30 years in this 
Congress has tried harder, spoken more eloquently, fought more 
diligently to make this Nation truly a land of opportunity for all of 
its citizens, than Bill Ford. For over three decades he has been in the 
vanguard of the struggle for human decency and equal justice.

  Bill Ford has served on the Committee on Education and Labor for 30 
years, and for the last 4 years has chaired the committee, bringing to 
this task a deep reservoir of intelligence, dedication, and compassion 
which guided him as well as he tackled some of the most crucial issues 
facing this Nation. He worked with, and was influenced by, some of the 
legislative giants who preceded him as chairman of the Committee on 
Education and Labor: Adam Clayton Powell, Carl Perkins, and Gus 
Hawkins. Bill Ford fellowshipped with these incredibly able and 
outstanding public servants, while developing his own philosophy and 
style of leadership which enabled him to become one of the truly great 
chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor.
  The significance of a person's life, Mr. Speaker, is not measured by 
the positions which he has held, but by the quality and the performance 
of those whose lives he has touched. If this be so, Mr. Speaker, then 
Bill Ford's contributions to the education of the people of this Nation 
shall live on, for as they hope and dream, aspire and create, the seeds 
of his efforts shall continue to bear fruit.
  Mr. Speaker, in support of workers and union members, his record is 
envious. Other speakers tonight have mentioned those programs. Bill, as 
you move to the plains of retirement, your indomitable spirit, 
illustrious character, and countless deeds of goodness will maintain 
you on a course which is both steady and rewarding.
  As you look back on this sterling career of service to humankind, you 
may take unusual pride in the knowledge that you did it your way. Mr. 
Speaker, I guess the greatest tribute anyone can pay to Chairman Ford 
in summing up his important, impressive, and productive career is by 
quoting from that popular song which says ``Yes, there were times, I`m 
sure you knew, when I bit off more than I can chew, but through it all 
when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I 
stood it all and did it my way.'' Mr. Speaker, the record shows that 
``I took the blows and did it my way.''
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I will say that Bill Ford and I have been 
friends since the first day we met 26 years ago. Not only do I love 
this man, but I like him, and Mr. Speaker, there is a difference.
  Mr. DINGELL. I want to thank my friend for his kind comments. He and 
Chairman Ford have been very close and dear friends, as we all know, 
for a long period of time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield now to my good friend and 
colleague from the Michigan delegation, Mr. Kildee, who served a long 
time with our friend, William D. Ford.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the dean of the delegation for 
yielding. Mr. Speaker, in my life in politics I have had certain heroes 
whom I have tried to emulate. Among those are some whose names you 
would not even recognize: Bill Ryan of the Michigan House of 
Representatives; Neal Stabler, congressman-at-large, and these are 
people who guided me; Phil Hart, Senator Phil Hart; to mention a 
Republican, Governor Bill Milliken of Michigan, and Bill Ford. They 
have really helped me form my political philosophy and my life of 
service to the people of my district, and Bill Ford has been one of the 
great ones in that group.
  Mr. Speaker, when I first met Bill Ford formerly, he was well known 
in Michigan for having served on the constitutional convention and in 
the Senate, but I met him down here in my first year in the Michigan 
House of Representatives, and I believe it was Bill's first year here 
in the Congress of the United States. I had become chairman of what was 
called the Federal Relations Committee, an old committee in the 
Michigan legislature which dated back to the Civil War.

                              {time}  1150

  Speaker Kowalski sent me down here, it was during the heyday of 
Lyndon Johnson, to see what we could do to improve education in the 
State of Michigan. I thought if I could get maybe 5 or 10 minutes with 
Bill Ford, that would be great. I was ushered into Bill's office and we 
spent an hour and a half, and he really informed me as to the role of 
the Federal Government in education. I will remember to my dying day 
that meeting, because it really helped form my philosophy, that 
education is a local function, a State responsibility, but a very, very 
important Federal concern. He has certainly translated that Federal 
concern to touch the lives of people in this country. The working men 
and women of this country are certainly indebted to Bill Ford. Their 
lives are better because of Bill Ford. They have a safer workplace in 
which to live because of Bill Ford. The minimum wage has been increased 
because of Bill Ford. The quality of their lives and their families are 
better.
  And then the students. I have traveled through many a college campus 
in this country and have seen students' lives touched by that attitude, 
that education in this country is not an expenditure, it is a real 
investment. He knew that it was a real investment because he saw what 
the GI BIll of Rights did. The GI Bill of Rights moved people 2 
generations ahead in this country. In my part of town, the east side of 
Flint, no one went to college until the GI Bill of Rights came along. 
Bill Ford knew that. He knew that was an investment in this country. 
The students of this country have really benefited. I was so happy the 
other day in conference committee when Senator Kennedy moved that the 
direct loan program for which Bill Ford has worked so long be named 
after him just as the Pell grants are named for Senator Pell, now these 
direct loans will be called the William D. Ford loans.
  On a personal note, I want to say that I am a more informed person, I 
am a more informed Congressman, I am a better person, I am a better 
Congressman, but above all, Mr. Speaker, I am a more courageous person 
and a more courageous Congressman because of Bill Ford. Bill Ford 
taught me that one had to be courageous if one is to serve in congress.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gene Green].
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with many of my 
colleagues to pay tribute to the career and accomplishment of Chairman 
Bill Ford. During his 30 years in Washington, Bill Ford has championed 
the issue of education and has been one of the foremost leaders in the 
area of labor standards.
  Chairman Ford realized early in his career that the future of our 
Nation depends on our ability to educate our children. He was 
instrumental in the crafting of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act in 1965 and has been involved in every Federal education bill 
during his terms in Congress.
  He was involved in the creation of the Head Start Program, the 
Bilingual Education Act, and the Handicapped Children's Education Act.
  As the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Bill Ford has 
set himself apart as a true leader and a distinguished negotiator. Most 
recently, Ford triumphed in his negotiations with the Senate on H.R. 6 
and was able to produce a bill that improved our current education laws 
while maintaining broad support for the chapter 1 program.
  Chairman Ford also realizes that our ability to compete as a nation 
is based on our ability to maintain a highly skilled work force. He has 
been a steadfast leader on issues relating to worker training and 
especially to the rights of the working people of this nation. He has 
fought constantly for bills such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, 
National Health Care, and the rights of workers to withhold their 
skills without fear of being replaced. Chairman Ford has also crafted 
one of the most comprehensive OHSA reform bills ever presented to 
Congress.
  Chairman Ford will be remembered as a gentleman, a statesman, and an 
staunch advocate for children and working people all across the nation. 
He will be sorely missed by this House and by those of us who have had 
the privilege of serving with him on the Education and Labor Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, as a new Member, I recognize the statesmanship that he 
provided, but also because coming from Texas, he had the honor this 
last week of receiving a dozen yellow roses from the original yellow 
rose, I guess, in our Governor of Texas, Ann Richards, because in Texas 
we recognize a statesman, even if they do come from Michigan, and the 
work that they do not only for people from Michigan but also for people 
from Texas.
  Bill Ford, I will miss you, the Congress of the United States will 
miss you, but I think the people, not only the children of the country 
but the workers in our country will miss you.
  Mr. Dingell. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from California [Ms. Woolsey].
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in this 
tribute to ``my'' chairman, Bill Ford. I do not have the long history 
with Bill Ford that many of my colleagues have described this evening, 
but I do have the perspective of a new Member who has gained invaluable 
knowledge during the short two years I have served with Bill Ford on 
the Education and Labor Committee.
  When I ran for Congress I told the people of Marin and Sonoma 
Counties in California that education would be my top priority. No one 
has done more to help me fulfill this promise than Bill Ford.
  No other committee has had a more impressive legislative record in 
the 103d Congress than Bill Ford's Education and Labor Committee. Under 
Chairman Ford's Leadership, 32 committee bills have been passed by the 
House and 17 signed into law.
  Chairman Ford should be particularly proud of the work he did to 
ensure passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act; the National and 
Community Service Act; the School-to-Work Opportunities Act; the 
William Ford student Loan act; and goals 2000. Students, families, 
schools, and communities all across America have been strengthened by 
these important laws.

  I must confess, however, that at no time has my admiration for Bill 
Ford been greater than when the committee was considering two bills 
that, so far, have not become law.
  The chairman held marathon sessions to make the Education and Labor 
Committee the first full committee to report out a comprehensive health 
care reform plan. His commitment to health care for all Americans will 
serve as a model when we consider health care reform again in the 104th 
Congress.
  And I do not think anyone can truly appreciate Bill Ford's 
legislative talents until they have seen him lead, coax, even bully an 
entire House-Senate conference committee into approving a conference 
report like he did with the reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act--A reauthorization bill that makes great 
strides for our Nation's schools, and our children.
  Under chairman Ford's leadership, I was able to keep my pledge to the 
people I represent and make education my No. 1 priority. I will miss 
the benefit of Bill Ford's professional judgment; his institutional 
knowledge, and his personal support.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in carrying on the impressive 
legacy of chairman Bill Ford. We owe it to him and to America's 
children, their families, schools, and communities.
  Mr. DINGELL. I want to thank the gentlewoman from California [Ms. 
Woolsey] for those very kind words for our mutual dear friend.
  I now yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Klink].
  Mr. KLINK. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to take part in this 
special order tonight.
  In my true occupation before I decided to run for Congress, I was a 
journalist, and I sat down and attempted to write, which is what we in 
journalism do, the comments that I would want to make about the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Ford]. It was very hard to think about 
what I would want to say and to put it down on paper, because I really 
wanted it to come from my heart, because when you decide to run for the 
Congress of the United States, it is such an honor, first of all to be 
able to take that run and be taken seriously by the American people, 
and even more so when you are elected. I think that most of us who 
arrive here, arrive here with high expectations that we are going to be 
able to make a difference.
  There is something that happened in our lives that we want to be able 
to contribute. In my instance it was the fact that living in the rust 
belt area, similar to that that Chairman Ford lives in, Chairman 
Dingell lives in and the distinguished whip, Mr. Bonior, lives in, 
having watched people lose their jobs, having watched people struggle 
to get retrained for new jobs, having seen businesses that were unable 
to hire people right out of school because they came out of schools 
without the skills they needed to enter the workplace, having watched 
all of that pain that takes place as America is struggling to find out 
how our economy is going to be fueled in the years to come, that is the 
motivation to come here and to change the way our country does business 
as we relate to our labor force, as we relate to our educational 
system.
  When I got here I was lucky enough to get on the Committee on 
Education and Labor and to work with Chairman Bill Ford. Here I found 
in this diminutive package that it was packed full of dynamite, and 
fortunately by a man of very large views, a man who was concerned not 
only about the fact that people would be able to have good jobs, and 
would be able to have employment, but that their workplace would be as 
safe as it can be. I think in the history of our Nation no one has ever 
cared more about the safety in the workplace and the future of working 
men and women than Bill Ford. I have seen that in just the too brief a 
time, but the 2 brief years that we have been able to work together on 
the issue of education, again, reaching back across the aisle time and 
time again, working in a bipartisan fashion with our Republican friends 
and able to strike a chord where agreement can be made. I am just very 
glad that in the past 2 years I have known the chairman that I have 
never had to sit across the poker table from him because I am sure I 
would have nothing but holes in my pockets, because he knows how to 
read people better than anyone I have ever seen. And indeed, Mr. 
Chairman, I will say that we have disagreed on some issues. He has 
educated me greatly. But something I feel badly about is the fact that 
I do not feel that my education is complete yet. I wish I had more time 
to serve with him and more time to learn from him. It has been a good 
procedure.
  The chairman was so kind to this new Member coming from Pennsylvania 
when I first arrived here. I do not know if he remembers this 
discussion we had or not, but we were sitting in the Cloakroom, and he 
mentioned when he first got here that he remembered a great member 
named John Dent who had been very kind to him from my area. I am very 
sure, Chairman Ford, that if John Dent were alive today he could not be 
more proud of the chairman that you became, of the public servant that 
you have been to this Nation and to all of us. John Dent would be very 
proud, and if someday I can look back and say with equal pride that 
Bill Ford was as proud of the accomplishments that Ron Klink has made 
in this Congress as John Dent would be of you, I would know that I have 
been a success, and I will know I have served my country.

  God bless you. Vaya con dios.
  Mr. DINGELL. I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for those kind 
words.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield to my dear friend, the 
gentlewoman from the State of Washington, [Mrs. Unsoeld].
  Mrs. UNSOELD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I will 
enter something in the Record that probably says it a little better, 
but what I want to say comes from the heart tonight because, Mr. 
Chairman, you have been for me and for the committee my guide. You have 
often been an interpreter. You have the most marvelous fund of history 
that one sometimes regrets when we punch the button and it all starts 
to come out. But it is marvelous, and we treasure it.
  Sometimes you are a prod and often a conscience. But through it all 
you are a friend, and we will miss you and we love you.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from 
Washington for those kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, the hour is late. I wish I had more time to speak of the 
long friendship that I have shared with the gentleman from Michigan, 
[Mr. Ford].
  Suffice it to say, we went through the same kind of life, we grew up 
in the industrial community, we became a part of what is called the 
Down Rivers, a very special name with very special meaning to those of 
us who live there. I have known him since I was a justice of the peace 
and he was a young prosecutor. It was our boast that we had eradicated 
crime in the southeast corner of the State of Michigan, and indeed we 
worked at it.
  One of the great things about Bill Ford is his fundamental strong 
belief in the decency and the goodness of mankind, and also his 
fundamental belief that government is good, and that it exists to be 
the tool of men and women working together to make this country better.
  His accomplishments as a Member of the House, chairman of the 
Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, chairman of the Committee 
on Education and Labor, are too great to bear repeating here simply 
because of time. He is one who is looked up to and loved by everyone in 
the Down River area. We have changed parts of the district for years, 
have worked together with each other in campaigns serving our 
constituencies. Our two districts have been almost viewed by those who 
work and live there as a part of a common district. And we have both 
been looked at as the Congressmen of that district, and we have worked 
together as a team, as partners, as close friends.

  When my dad passed on and I was called down here to Washington, it 
was a day I was trying cases before Chairman Ford. Our friendship is 
one which has brought me great comfort, strength and happiness. Not 
only have we hunted and fished together and worked and politicked 
together, but we have been social friends and political allies for more 
years than most men have the privilege of doing. My life and being has 
been enriched by being a friend of William D. Ford. I have learned much 
from him, and I have never made an important political judgment without 
chatting with my friend, Billy Ford, to find out what it is he would 
have done or what he would have suggested.
  Bill, you are fortunate to have many friends here tonight at this 
late hour, and you are certainly fortunate to have the great number of 
friends you have back home. But those friends are even more fortunate 
to have you as a friend, you who have been a great public servant, a 
wonderful human being and, indeed, a leader not only for education but 
in many other deserving causes.
  This country owes you a great debt, the Congress owes you a great 
debt. We will never be able to fully pay or satisfy what it is we owe 
you for the leadership, for the effort and for the guidance that you 
have given us, and for the great accomplishments which you have made 
here to make this world and this country a better place for your 
friends and the people of this Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my very dear friend, William D. Ford. Billy.
  Mr. FORD of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to respond to 
all of that except to use the sometimes overused phrase that if my 
mother and father were alive today they would believe all of the nice 
things that have been said, and I would be pleased to have them believe 
it.
  Now you see why, for those of you who have asked the question: How 
could you stand this place for 30 years? You could stand this place for 
30 years because of the people.
  I told some friends last night who asked me the question that I get 
over and over ever since I announced last January that I intended to 
devote full time to the committee this year and not seek reelection so 
that I would do a half a job at each of them that the most common 
question I get is: Are you sorry you are leaving, or are you glad you 
are leaving? It is put one of the two ways. And once before I had an 
experience like this in leaving government service.
  At the end of World War II the way we were let out so that we did not 
all 11 million come home at one time and flood everything was by a 
point system, and points were awarded to you by your service. And once 
you knew that you were getting close to your points, you knew you were 
on your way home, and the closer you got to the points, the more 
exciting it got, because you knew you were going to get out. You were 
going to be doing something different. You were going to be doing 
something with the rest of your life.
  But there was always a sadness that went with that, because as you 
got closer to the day of discharge, you thought more and more about 
what is going to happen to the friends I leave behind.
  Oh, how nice it would be to stay with them, and I have that same sort 
of feeling 50 years later as I leave Federal service for the second 
time in my life that I will miss the friends that I have made and the 
friends who have left before me, many of them now deceased.
  But a person who comes to this place, no matte what is said about it 
by anyone else, is blessed not only by the opportunity to serve and the 
opportunity to do things and to form a little part of our country the 
way you would like it to be formed, but more than that, you are blessed 
with an opportunity to work with the finest people with whom you are 
ever going to come in contact in any occupation. Now that may not mean 
much to my friend Bill, the schoolteacher because I am a lawyer and, 
compared to associating with lawyers, I am sure he feels that almost 
anything would be an improvement, but I intend now to go back to being 
a lawyer again and associate with a lawyer. I will leave what I am told 
is the most despised two professions, a lawyer and a Congressman, to be 
despised as only one of them, as a lawyer.
  I kind of resent it when I hear people speaking disparagingly of the 
Congress, and I believe I will until the day I die, because serving 
here has been, in my mind, the highest calling that the son of two 
Scottish immigrant kids who came to this country looking for their 
future could ever possibly have. This country was good to me and to my 
family, and my Government has been good to me. I would a long time ago 
have been a retired autoworker if the plant had stayed open, but for 
the GI bill that took me off the assembly line when came back from the 
service and put me in college, and after putting me in college, raised 
my sights to the point where I actually had Uncle Sam's help to become 
a lawyer.
  That may not seem like much, but I grew up without ever having talked 
to a lawyer or being introduced to a lawyer or, in fact, seeing one 
anyplace except the movies. The only college-educated people that I 
knew as a child growing up, none in my family, but the college-educated 
people I came in contact with are the people to whom I probably owe the 
most of all of the people I have come in contact with, and that was my 
schoolteachers, starting right out in the first grade and going all the 
way through. The people that I can remember that have made the most 
difference to me are teachers, and I get my greatest satisfaction 
anytime that I can encourage a young person to consider education as a 
way to devote their life.
  This country will never have too many good teachers, no matter what 
we pay or what we promise, and this country will never be able to reach 
its pinnacle of greatness without an adequate supply of good teachers.
  I leave, as I said earlier this evening, with great confidence that 
people like the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] and the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee] and particularly the new chairman, 
I expect, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay] will be taking good 
care of the things and the people that I care most about.
  I do not, and have not, since I made my announcement last January, 
really been worried there was going to be any kind of a gap when I 
leave, because I find in the people I have had the privilege of working 
with every king of motivation that I have felt myself, and I think that 
these things will happen with or without Bill Ford. I am happy that I 
had a chance to go along for part of the ride.
  We live in the greatest country in the world with the greatest system 
of government ever conceived. I consider the people who willy-nilly in 
the media and elsewhere criticize this institution without specificity 
as to what it is that this institution is failing in to be un-American 
in their approach to this country, and the real Americans are the 
people who take the kind of abuse that my colleagues are expected to 
take these days and continue smiling and continue fighting. If they did 
not have the courage to do that, they would not be here, and they would 
not stay very long.

  I have thought that this institution will be here long after its 
critics are forgotten, and I hope to be remembered after I leave as one 
who tried to make it better while I was here.
  John, we became friends, as you said, when we were both young 
whippersnappers and new veterans at the end of the war, and were going 
to solve all the problems a long time ago. I do not know what happened 
that it has taken us so long and we can still identify so many 
problems.
  I once had an opponent running against me who said, ``Ford has been 
in Congress too long, and he has lost touch with the people. When he 
went to Congress, you did not have to lock your door, and we did not 
have dope in the schools.'' I waited for my opportunity, for a 
newspaper reporter to come along and ask me about that. I said, ``That 
is right, before I went to Congress, John Dingell and I made it so safe 
in southeastern Michigan nobody had to lock their door and, indeed, 
there were no drugs in our schools.'' We got busy down here doing other 
things, and we did not forget what was going on back there, but we may 
have fallen for the idea that we could cure those problems back there 
from here, and it cannot be done. The problems have to be cured where 
they exist, by the people who have the problems, and I expect to be 
doing what I can for the rest of the productive days left to me in 
helping them to do just that.
  Thank you, every one of you, for your kind words, but thank you more, 
America, for giving me an opportunity to be your servant in this great 
and wonderful body.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, we wish God's blessings on our dear friend, 
the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Ford], and on his wonderful wife, 
Mary. We pray that the Lord will be good to him, give him long and 
happy life in retirement, and let us see him from time to time to enjoy 
his company, to recall friendships that are due to us and great events 
here in this body.
  I consider it an honor to be here tonight to pay my respects to a man 
who has been my good friend and colleague for over 30 years. I 
affectionately call Billy ``my small Hillbilly friend.'' In mutual 
affection and respect he refers to me as his ``big Polack friend.'' 
Many of our friends back home call us the ``Gold Dust Twins,'' because 
of our long and close friendship.
  Billy and I go back many years--back to the days before he was a 
Member of Congress and was the Taylor Township Justice of the Peace and 
at a time when I was an Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor. I respected 
Billy back then for his tenacity, fortitude and integrity as a servant 
of the people. And Billy hasn't changed a bit.
  Bill Ford was born in Detroit in 1927. He attended Henry Ford Trade 
School in Dearborn and graduated from Melvindale High School. From 1944 
to 1946, he served in the U.S. Navy and served as an officer in the 
U.S. Air Force Ready Reserve from 1950 to 1957. He attended Wayne State 
University and Nebraska Teachers' College and received his B.S. and his 
law degree from the University of Denver.
  After his service in World War II, Billy served as a legal advisor to 
several local school boards and municipalities. Before he was elected 
to the Michigan State Senate in 1962, he was the Taylor Township 
Justice of the Peace from 1955 to 1957. He was the Melvindale City 
Attorney from 1957 to 1959 and the Taylor Township Attorney from 1957 
to 1964.
  Bill Ford was elected to Congress in 1964 by a decisive victory of 71 
percent. Billy and I have always had adjacent congressional districts 
with constituents who appreciate and admire his qualities: As our 
mutual friend Lucien Nedzi once said, ``It was clear right from the 
start that he was a man of deep substance and keen political insight.'' 
Another friend of Bill Ford's, William Coleman former president of the 
Michigan AFL-CIO, hit the nail on head when he said, ``He does his 
homework and he never forgets his friends.''
  Bill Ford quickly earned his reputation as a leader in the field of 
education. We call him, ``Mr. Education.'' During his first year on the 
Education and Labor Committee, Billy enacted several education 
initiatives of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. These included Head 
Start, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Higher 
Education Act.
  He has chaired the House Education and Labor Committee for the past 4 
years. In the 103d Congress alone, Billy has been the guiding hand in 
the enactment of the National and Community Service Trust Act, the 
Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the Education for All Handicapped 
Children's Act. He has also made major improvements in student 
financial aid programs with the Middle Income Student Assistance Act.
  Bill Ford has distinguished himself in the House in other ways too. 
From his very first day in Congress, Billy Ford has defended the rights 
of American workers. He strengthened the National Labor Relations Act 
to include over five million uncovered health industry workers. He 
helped enact ERISA and common situs picketing legislation and secured 
protection for coal miners afflicted with black lung disease.
  Bill Ford has also been a leader in job training and was a major 
force behind the Job Training Partnership Act.
  One of Bill Ford's most difficult and hard won victories took 14 
years: The enactment of legislation mandating plant closing 
notification. Most recently, he was a moving force in the House passage 
of the Striker Replacement Bill.
  Bill Ford's legacy has reached into virtually every household in 
America. Bill Ford served as chairman of the Post Office and Civil 
Service Committee from 1981 until 1990. During his tenure, he drove 
scoundrels and thieves from the Postal Service, strengthened the legal 
rights of Federal employees and helped develop a new pension system for 
Federal retirees. Billy handled that committee with grace and dignity: 
He was tough, he was smart and he was fair.
  One thing is certain: Bill Ford's constituents will sorely miss him. 
His constituent service is superb and he cares not only about his 
constituents, but those throughout southeastern Michigan. For over 25 
years, Bill and I held yearly municipal officials' and educators' 
conferences between our two congressional districts.
  He has been a steadfast partner in obtaining $300 million for the 
Rouge River in Michigan which runs through five congressional districts 
in Michigan. He has been instrumental in helping build southeastern 
Michigan's infrastructure: Detroit Metropolitan Airport, countless 
roads and bridges, post offices, and educational and social services. 
Bill Ford has been there for his people, and he has been reliable.
  There is no doubt, Bill, that many of your friends in the House can 
spend hours telling Billy Ford stories: Speaking well of your 
integrity, your lasting friendship, your tenacity and sometimes your 
unending stubbornness until the job gets done.
  I can tell you that you will always be my friend and you will always 
be welcome to return to this institution and share your stories with 
us.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make several remarks about 
Bill Ford, who is retiring this year. Bill Ford has been a longtime 
friend and colleague, and will be sorely missed. No one was more 
surprised than I when I heard of his retirement announcement.
  Bill Ford and I both come from families with deeply rooted labor 
backgrounds and both got our start in the auto industry. We came to 
Congress together in 1965, entering the historic 89th Congress, and 
helped implement the legislative proposals of President Johnson's Great 
Society. So I feel a close tie to Bill and his career, and am sorry to 
see him leave the Congress.
  Bill is leaving behind a remarkable career in the House of 
Representatives. He has played an integral role in the implementation 
of dozens of progressive initiatives; initiatives whose sole purpose is 
to make life better for working Americans. From his decade-long work on 
the passage of the plant closing bill which protects workers from 
arbitrary management decisions, to the passage of the family medical 
leave act, a landmark bill affording working families the basic right 
to take care of their loved ones, Bill Ford has committed his career to 
the advancement of the American worker and the protection of the 
underprivileged. His vision and leadership as chairman of the Education 
and Labor Committee have been respected and admired by a wide spectrum 
of political observers. He will certainly be missed by the Michigan 
delegation, his committee, and the U.S. Congress.
  But what Michigan and this Congress will miss most from the 
retirement of Bill Ford is the presence of a distinguished, honest 
representative, who never forgot the people who sent him to Washington, 
or the reasons they sent him. America is losing an effective legislator 
who committed a career to progressive social movements, helping our 
children and families. I will miss Bill Ford next year as a friend and 
as a colleague. Godspeed in all his future endeavors.
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join those of us who want to 
commend and recognize our colleague and friend Bill Ford on his 
retirement from the 103d Congress.
  The 13th district of the State of Michigan and the United States have 
for 30 years felt the presence of Bill Ford's vision. Since the 89th 
Congress, as chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Bill 
Ford has overseen the enactment of some of the most sociologically 
sweeping legislation of our time. The sea change brought about by such 
legislation as the Head Start Program, the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, and the Higher Education Act, and most recently the 
Goals 2000: Educate American Act, will no doubt shape generations of 
Americans to come. Moreover, Bill Ford has crafted masterful 
legislative victories for America's working families such as the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act, ERISA, and the Family and Medical 
Leave Act.
  Education and its inherent connection to the success of working men 
and women cannot be denied, and Bill Ford realizes the profound 
responsibility of his position. He succinctly focused the attention of 
Congress and marshaled support to serve as one of our greatest 
legislators.
  I am saddened to see Bill retire, as a colleague and as a fellow 
Democrat, however I'm encouraged by the legacy he has bequeathed us. I 
wish Bill and his family continued success in their endeavors and best 
of luck in the future.
  Mr. DELLUMS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my voice to those of my 
colleagues, who today pay tribute to the distinguished chairman of the 
Education and Labor Committee, Bill Ford.
  Bill Ford has left his indelible mark on the way this Government 
regards and funds education, having had a hand in crafting every piece 
of education legislation for the 30 years he has been a Member of 
Congress. Having benefited from Government-supported education programs 
himself, namely the GI Bill, he has fought throughout his career to 
insure that others might have the same opportunities at education and 
the doors which a quality education opens. In 1992, his leadership was 
essential in passing the Higher Education Act through Congress, 
lowering the barriers to higher education or job training for students 
from working and middle-income families. In the 103d Congress, he has 
guided through the National and Community Service Trust Act, the 
School-to-Work Opportunities Act, Goals 2000: Educate America Act, and 
the most-contentious Elementary and Secondary Reauthorization Act, 
through to final passage, to highlight just a few of his committee's 
achievements.
  Bill Ford has also fought hard for the interests of the other portion 
of his committee's jurisdiction--labor. On coming to Congress, he 
immediately involved himself in calling attention to the Nation's labor 
disputes. Throughout his career, he has involved himself in the long, 
arduous fight for the rights and protection of migrant workers. He 
fought for 14 years until his plant closing notification became law 
despite President Reagan's veto. He authored the Family and Medical 
Leave Act which eliminated the difficult decision that many workers 
faced between family and keeping their jobs by ensuring unpaid leave 
for workers in medical emergencies for themselves and their immediate 
families. He has protected the interests of American workers time and 
time again, and his retirement will leave a tremendous void in this 
institution.
  Bill Ford has never forgotten the people who quietly make this 
country work day in and day out without receiving accolades. He has 
touched the lives of nearly all Americans and has left this Nation with 
better educated children with more access to financial aid, safer work 
places and improved worker's rights. He will be sorely missed. Thank 
you, my colleague, for your incredible work. You have accomplished much 
in your remarkable career. I only hope that those that will remain and 
succeed you in this chamber rise to the task that still remains as you 
have. Best wishes to you and your family in your retirement.
  Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for 
giving me the opportunity to make a special tribute to a true leader 
and someone who will be sadly missed by many of his colleagues in the 
House of Representatives. I would also like to thank my colleagues, 
Congressman Dingell and Congressman Upton for calling this special 
order this evening.
  I think this tribute is a day for us all to say goodbye and thank you 
to Chairman Bill Ford, but also, to reflect on his life and the 
contributions he has made in his 30-year career with the House of 
Representatives.
  From the very beginning, Bill Ford has proven to be a true leader. He 
was first elected to Congress in 1965. In the first year of his service 
on the Education and Labor Committee, he helped to move through 
legislation that was initiated by Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. Some 
of these programs included the Head Start Program, the elementary and 
Secondary Education Act, and the Higher Education Act--all programs 
that are still in existence today.
  As chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, and my colleague on 
that committee, I have watched him guide through major initiatives 
since my election to congress in 1988. Just in the 103d Congress alone, 
Chairman Ford has guided the passage of National and community Service 
Trust Act, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the School-to-Work 
Opportunities Act and the Head Start Reauthorization.
  For the past several weeks, Chairman Ford has spent endless hours on 
the reauthorization of the elementary and Secondary Education Act. This 
difficult task is one that the chairman seemingly handled with ease and 
successfully guided it through the House last Friday.
  Chairman Ford has also involved himself in calling the Nation's 
attention to the rights of workers involved in labor disputes. Some of 
his legislative accomplishments in the area of labor law include: 
amending the National Labor Relations Act to include over 5 million 
uncovered health industry workers, passing ERISA legislation, securing 
protection for coal miners suffering from black lung disease and 
implementing OSHA.
  Chairman William Ford's distinguished career has earned him a legacy 
in the House of Representatives that we shall never forget. Due to his 
efforts we have a country with better educated children, a safer work 
environment, and increased rights for workers.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues 
in honoring my friend Bill Ford. I first had the opportunity to know 
the chairman over a decade ago when we served on the advisory committee 
on migrant education. I quickly learned that the gentleman from 
Michigan had a deep interest in assisting some of the most powerless 
members of American society--migrant farmworkers and their families.
  I wondered why a Member from the industrial area of Michigan was so 
interested and caring about migrants. In the 1960's the chairman of the 
Committee of Education and Labor, the late Carl D. Perkins, appointed 
Bill Ford as Chairman of a special task force on migrant labor and 
education. Bill dug into the matter and held hearings all over the 
country. The outgrowth of that task force is the existing legislation 
on migrant labor and education. Although the task force was terminated 
years ago and jurisdiction was distributed to the various subcommittees 
of the committee, Bill Ford kept in close touch with the operation of 
the legislation. Those who follow these matters know that no change to 
migrant labor or education laws was ever reported from the Committee on 
Education and Labor without the support and approval of Bill Ford.
  I doubt if there was any political mileage on this in his District, 
but millions of migrant farmworkers and their families have led better 
lives because Bill Ford cared.
  Bill Ford is the son of Scottish immigrants, their first child born 
in America on August 6, 1927. They called him their little Yankee. In 
the 1960's when he told the late Tip O'Neil of his parents nickname, a 
misunderstanding resulted. Mr. O'Neil thought he was calling himself a 
``Yankee'' such as those who discriminated against the Irish in Boston. 
It was a while before Bill Ford realized the source of the coldness and 
when he explained the origin of the nickname, a life long friendship 
flowered.
  Bill Ford has never ``gone Washington''. He has never forgotten those 
with whom he was raised. His is the primary author of the student 
assistance programs as they now exist. He immediately understood the 
harm the Reagan program would do to those he represented and with whom 
he was raised. In 1981 he stood up against the storm and tried to 
explain the danger. Although events proved him right, he takes no 
pleasure in the fact because millions have suffered.
  Chairman Bill Ford, you have served your people and your Nation well. 
I wish you and Mary the best upon your retirement.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Chairman Bill Ford 
for his remarkable leadership during the 30 years he has worked for the 
American people in the U.S. Congress.
  As we all know, it is Chairman Ford who ushered through major 
education legislation, designed to help all children succeed in our 
society and economy. Chairman Ford's work touches many children's 
lives, from the first days in Head Start to graduation from a college 
and graduate school. We all appreciate Chairman Ford's devotion to the 
future, his hard work, and his unfailing leadership.
  During my first two terms in the House of Representatives, Mr. Ford 
was my chairman. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, I 
worked closely with Chairman Ford on child care legislation and post-
secondary education issues. During those years, he was always an 
example of how to persevere in the fight to improve the education and 
support for all of America's children.
  This man has shown time and again that his eye is on the future. 
Whether he is fighting to broaden access to student aid or standing up 
for the rights of hard-working Americans, Bill Ford had only one 
agenda: a society committed to justice and opportunity for all 
Americans. We can all be grateful for what he has accomplished. His 
legacy has made ours a better Nation.
  Thank you, Chairman Ford, for your years of service to the American 
people, the people of Michigan's 13th Congressional District, and to 
this institution.
  Miss COLLINS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is not only an honor but a 
privilege to say a few words in tribute to one of the most important 
politicians of our time, U.S. Representative William Ford from the 
great State of Michigan, a man who has done so much for so many during 
his tenure in Congress.
  Congressman Bill Ford's decision to retire marks the end of one of 
the greatest eras in Michigan's political history. His departure will 
cost Michigan residents a skillful and courageous leader, and a senior 
legislator who has elevated himself to the Chairmanship of the Post 
Office and Civil Service Committee and now the Committee on Education 
and Labor.
  His mark will be engraved in history and his shoes impossible to 
fill. Representative Ford's exemplary service to Michigan has truly 
made him a legend in his own time.
  Congressman Ford has served in this body with distinction and 
courage, lending his voice to the cause of poor and working class 
Americans who might otherwise have been forgotten. Mr. Ford has not 
forgotten his roots--he himself is a product of parents who worked in 
the auto industry and has authored legislation to protect the American 
worker. One of his monumental accomplishments included the 1988 
override of President Reagan's veto of his plant closing legislation. 
Today I, along with many others commend you for carrying the torch for 
the American worker.
  Congressman Ford, I am happy to have served with you in the halls of 
Congress and I thank you for your leadership. Through your leadership, 
many have come to the realization that human hopes and desires are 
behind every piece of legislation that comes before this body. Without 
the knowledge that people count our work is useless. Again, I thank you 
for holding true to what you believe and providing excellent 
leadership.
  You have shown us that ``Government should never stand as master but 
always as a servant.''
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and some 
sadness that I join my colleagues today to pay tribute to one of this 
body's most distinguished legislators, William D. Ford.
  In his 30 years of service to the Congress representing the 13th 
district of Michigan, Billy Ford, has left a truly remarkable legacy--a 
legacy that will live on through the lives of millions of children, 
college students, workers and their families, residents of Michigan, 
and others all around the country who have benefited from his great 
work in Congress.
  There is no one who has had more impact on increasing educational 
opportunities, worker protections, and economic stability of families 
in the last three decades than Bill Ford. It is often said that Bill 
has had a hand in every major piece of education and labor legislation 
to come out of the Congress since 1965. What also needs to be said is 
that every major piece of education and labor legislation is better 
because Bill Ford has had a hand in it.
  Throughout his career whether it was student loans, Head Start, OSHA, 
plant closing notification, or family and medical leave, his work 
originated from a heartfelt, genuine desire to make a difference for 
working families in America.
  Bill and I came to the Congress at the same time in 1965. We were 
part of a large class of new Members, dubbed a reformer class. We both 
sat on the Education and Labor Committee, eager, ready to take the 
Congress by storm, we quickly became allies on many issues.
  I remember those times quite fondly, as young legislators trying to 
make our mark on the many landmark bills that passed through our 
committee--Head Start, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the 
Higher Education Act--laws that are still on the books today and that 
have proven their success over the years.
  When I decided to make another bid for the Congress in 1990, I was 
encouraged by the thought that many, like Bill Ford, were still around, 
though a bit older, certainly wiser and more experienced. The thought 
of serving with such accomplished members who I could still call old 
friends was an added incentive to make it back to the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  There has been no greater pleasure for me in returning to the 
Congress than to have Bill Ford serve as the chair of the Education and 
Labor Committee. Being in the trenches once again churning out 
legislation this time under his leadership, being able to reminisce 
about the good old days, some days it was just seeing a friendly face--
that's what made serving with Bill Ford a real pleasure.

  At the helm of the Education and Labor Committee bill has made recent 
years the most productive for this committee since those first years we 
worked together during the Johnson administration.
  Higher Education Act reauthorization, Family and Medical Leave, 
National Service, Goals 2000, Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
reauthorization, Head Start reauthorization, Child Nutrition 
reauthorization, OSHA reform, Davis Bacon reform, Striker Replacement 
legislation, and two major health reform legislation, are a few 
examples of the major accomplishments under Bill Ford.
  He is persistent and tenacious, with a keen political sense that has 
served to steer many difficult bills through the legislative process. 
Although not all of them have made it into law, Bill Ford proved time 
and time again that he will fight for what is right and never give up.
  He is my colleague and leader, collaborator on many issues, and my 
friend, I am very sorry to see him leave. This distinguished body and 
the American people have been graced by one of the greatest legislators 
and political strategists of our time, and we are better off for it. 
Bill, thank you for your productive and dedicated years of service. I 
wish you the best of luck and great happiness in whatever it is you 
choose to do. I know you will do it well.
  Mr. de LUGO. Mr. Speaker, in my 20 years as Member of this body, I 
have been privileged to work with many distinguished members on both 
sides of the aisle, but I can say with absolute sincerity that none has 
been a better friend to me personally or a better friend to the people 
I represent than Chairman Bill Ford.
  Bill Ford is from the old school. He believes intensely in party 
loyalty and supporting his President.
  Without question, his word is his bond.
  He believes in giving a helping hand to the little guy.
  He believes in fairness.
  And he believes that America can always do better.
  And America has done better, in many, many ways, because of the 
commitment and the vision of this hard working gentleman.
  I have been honored to serve on 2 committees with Bill Ford as 
chairman--Post Office and Civil Service, and Education and Labor.
  Both as chairman and as a senior member of this House, Bill Ford has 
consistently shown his real skill for proven leadership.
  It was not surprising that when the President submitted his health 
care reform package, it was the Education and Labor Committee that 
passed it out first and passed it out almost intact, something no other 
House committee was able to do.
  During that consideration, and without exception, at every meeting 
and hearing I have ever attended with him, Bill Ford has conducted the 
business of the committee he chairs with adroit professionalism and 
seriousness of purpose.
  Yet, few have as quick or as penetrating a sense of humor, one that 
not only inspires his colleagues but also serves to disarm his 
opponents.
  Back in the 1980's when I served with Chairman Ford on the Post 
Office and Civil Service Committee, I received his full support for an 
important vitally needed multiyear strategy to improve postal 
operations in my district.
  As far away as the Virgin Islands are, as difficult as the logistics 
of mail delivery can be, and as removed as they are from the attention 
of decisionmakers here in Washington, Bill Ford made sure the Postal 
Service took notice of our needs and did something about them.
  Under his leadership, we oversaw a long overdue investment in 
facilities and equipment and put in place much-needed changes in 
delivery methods. At long last, the Virgin Islands got the attention it 
deserved.
  Bill Ford didn't do it because he would reap political gain. The 
Virgin Islands is far, far away from Michigan.
  He did it because he knew that the people in my district, a distant 
U.S. territory, needed a helping hand.
  He knew that quality postal service is a vital link with the rest of 
the Nation and the world.
  He knew that if he and I didn't work to improve postal services, no 
one else would.
  When Chairman Ford took over leadership of the Education and Labor 
Committee, I was honored to be asked to join him, even though I was 
already serving on two other committees.
  Bill Ford has a commitment to education and a commitment to our 
children's future.
  As Chairman, Bill Ford made sure that my initiatives, from getting 
the Virgin Islands included in the Evenstart Program for the first 
time, to re-authorizing special assistance to education for the 
children of the Virgin Islands, were just as important as any other 
state or jurisdiction.
  Bill Ford has not only been a friend of the Virgin Islands, he has 
been a frequent visitor.
  He's an ardent sailor who has taken well deserved respites aboard 
boats that charter some of the most beautiful waters in the world.
  In fact, shortly after he announced his retirement at the end of this 
session, he acknowledged that at long last he could admit publicly his 
love for the Virgin Islands and his many visits there.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of the 13th District of Michigan will miss 
Bill Ford, this House will miss him, and this Nation will miss him. I 
know that I will miss him and so will the people of the Virgin Islands.
  No finer Member ever served in this House.
  I wish him all the best that life can offer as he undertakes with his 
wife Mary a well deserved retirement from the House of Representatives.
  Thanks, Mr. Chairman. And good luck.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, in the final days of the 103d Congress, I am 
pleased to join Members of the House of Representatives in bidding 
farewell to William D. Ford, a tireless champion of education in 
America.
  I have known Bill Ford for 4 years and during that time he has 
chaired the Committee on Education and Labor. Those 4 years provide 
only a snapshot of Bill Ford's long history of public service, but what 
an important and creative snapshot that is.
  Under the leadership of Chairman Ford, the committee has passed 
landmark legislation that has made a difference in the lives of all of 
those who aspire to learn in America: The Higher Education Act 
amendments, making college more affordable for working Americans; the 
Family and Medical Leave Act, providing working families an opportunity 
to take time away from work to care for a new child or sick family 
member; the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, giving high school 
students a means to a better job; Improving America's Schools Act, 
providing educators with Federal help to improve student achievement; 
Head Start Reauthorization, making more poor children able to 
participate in Head Start; and the National Community Service Trust 
Act, creating the first Federal national service program in this 
country. And the list goes on and on.
  Education gives power--power to determine one's fate. Let it suffice 
to say that chairman Ford's work has given power to children, to 
students, to workers, to the disabled and the dispossessed people of 
this country. He may not be here next year, but his legacy will live 
on.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, as a freshman in the 103d Congress, I 
consider myself lucky for a number of reasons. Not the least of which 
is the fact that coming to serve in this distinguished body has 
afforded me the opportunity to serve with some of this country's best 
and brightest individuals. The Michigan delegation has been fortunate 
to have its share. But there are those in this body who eclipse best 
and brightest; whose years of service elevate them to the elite. Mr. 
Speaker, William D. Ford, the representative of Michigan's 13th 
Congressional District is this type of man.
  Since 1965 Bill has represented the residents of Washtenaw and Wayne 
County in southeastern Michigan. His accomplishments for his district 
and this country are far too numerous to name, but I would like to take 
this opportunity to call some of his deeds and success to the Chair and 
the American people.
  First and foremost, Bill Ford's fingerprints are on, without 
exception, every piece of education and labor legislation that has been 
approved by this body in the 15 terms since his first election. He is 
known as Mr. Education to many in the education community and his hard 
work and dedication toward fairness in the workplace have made him 
organized labor's best friend in Congress. Bill has authored or 
assisted in passing every higher education reauthorization, the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and, this year, restructured 
the way the Federal Government will deal with student loans. He has 
rewritten OSHA to ensure reform and passed, in this body, striker 
replacement legislation to ensure that the right to strike is 
maintained.
  Another person who is happy that Bill Ford is in town, is the other 
Bill, President Bill Clinton. President Clinton owes much of the 
success in his agenda to the chairman of the Education and Labor 
Committee. This Congress, Bill Ford passed H.R. 1, the Family and 
Medical Leave Act. He also passed H.R. 20, Hatch Act reform. Around 
these two accomplishments, one must note his hard work on the Job 
Corps, Health Care Reform, the Reemployment Act, and many others. It 
has obviously been a very busy and effective Congress for the Committee 
on Education and Labor under Chairman Ford's watch. That committee will 
not know stronger leadership.
  I also need to take a moment to speak to Bill Ford's character. A man 
who grew out of modest means, Bill was the first of his family to get a 
college education. He went to school on the newly implemented G.I. bill 
and never forgot the chance that Uncle Sam gave him. His father was 
tragically killed in a plant accident when Bill was a young adult, and 
he never forgot that workplace safety is not only one of the things 
that make this country great but that it is a fundamental right of 
every American. These events that had such an impact on young Bill Ford 
have been with him his entire life and form the basis for his years of 
tireless public service.
  Perhaps the best way to speak to Bill Ford's character, however, is 
to watch him on the campaign trail. He knows his constituents, his 
constituents know him. He is one of them and it shows. Bill Ford is a 
man who has campaigned for and won 15 elections to the House without 
ever so much as mentioning his opponent's name. He has never engaged in 
a negative campaign.
  Mr. Speaker, after 30 years of service to this body and the people of 
Michigan's 13th Congressional District, Bill Ford will retire a 
statesman--a leader in education and labor issues and a model for 
serving and incoming Members alike. We will all miss him dearly and 
wish him the best in his private life.
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join our colleagues 
today in giving well-deserved recognition to Chairman Bill Ford who is 
completing his congressional service.
  With the end of the 103d Congress, Bill Ford will complete 30 years 
service in the House of Representatives. During this time, he has left 
his mark on every major education bill considered by this institution. 
His commitment to providing the best possible educational opportunities 
for the youth of our Nation is unparalleled.
  Chairman Ford is a true champion of the working man. Much important 
labor legislation is the result of his tenacity in gaining passage of 
such measures.
  I have been proud to serve on the Education and Labor Committee under 
the chairmanship of Bill Ford. His willingness to listen and to involve 
all the members of the committee in its proceedings is certainly 
praise-worthy and commendable.
  With the retirement of Bill Ford, this body loses a great 
institutional memory and a master of legislative details. His 
constituents in the 13th District of Michigan will lose a tireless 
advocate for their interests.
  Mr. Chairman, we will miss you. I am truly grateful for all the 
assistance you have been kind enough to extend to a new member and I 
wish you only the best in your retirement.
  Mrs. MORELLA. I rise to pay tribute today to one of the most 
influential and energetic members of this body, Chairman Bill Ford  of 
Michigan, who is retiring at the end of this session.
  First elected in 1964, Bill Ford has played a major role in the 
development of education and labor legislation, in addition to shaping 
legislation affecting Federal employees. These issues have been of 
personal interest for the Michigan Democrat, but his role has been 
increased greatly in recent years as he gained the chairmanship of 
first the Post Office and Civil Service and then the Education and 
Labor Committee. I served with him on the Post Office and Civil Service 
Committee and found his leadership to be most responsive to our federal 
employees.
  One of his achievements in this Congress has been passage of the 
Family and Medical Leave Act; his other recent victories also include 
approval of the Hatch Act Reform Bill.
  On Education, college aid has been an abiding concern of Bill Ford's 
for decades--going back to the 1965 establishment of the Higher 
Education Act. He has been deeply involved in a number of 
reauthorizations of the Act since then.
  Chairman Ford, whose district includes Ann Arbor and the University 
of Michigan, began his career as a justice of the peace, then assumed 
positions as city and township attorney and finally served in the 
Michigan Senate before his election to Congress. He served in the Navy 
from 1944-46 and in the Air Force Reserve from 1950-58.
  I salute Bill Ford for his many achievements in this body--and for 
the nation--and wish him continued success in his retirement.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker: Today the United States House of 
Representatives honors a brilliant chairman, a model public servant, 
and a bold man. Chairman William D. Ford has served in this body and 
worked to improve education in America since the 89th Congress. 
Chairman Ford has worked tirelessly for innovation and reform at the 
elementary and secondary levels as well as institutions of higher 
education. Most recently, he championed the Direct Student Loan program 
which is now making it easier for thousands of students to get money 
for college. Senator Kennedy, in the final moments of the conference 
committee on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), honored 
the Chairman by requesting that the program be named after Mr. Ford. 
Members and staff then gave the Chairman a standing ovation--a rare act 
of respect and admiration in such a setting.
  The Chairman has been a friend to me and a friend to Guam and the 
other territories of the United States. His understanding and 
sensitivity to the needs of the territories was evident in his 
nominating me to the ESEA conference committee.
  Mr. Ford is an effective legislator and a fair committee chairman. 
His insight and wisdom during committee proceedings was a testament to 
his knowledge and his legacy. He was demanding of his colleagues, but 
even more so of himself. Bill Ford truly knows how to lead by example. 
Seldom has another member challenged me as Chairman Ford has by showing 
me the very best of what a legislator can be.
  Mr. Chairman, we wish you all the best, you will be missed.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to 
stand on the Floor of this body and pay tribute to Bill Ford for his 
three decades of distinguished service to the American people as a 
Member of the House of Representatives. My pleasure in doing so is 
diminished only by the fact that this body will lose one of its most 
talented, dedicated, and able Member.
  Bill Ford came to the House of Representatives in 1964 and one of the 
first major issues he addressed as a freshman Member, under the 
Leadership of President Lyndon Johnson, was the Federal role in 
education in this country. As we are fond of saying, Bill Ford was 
present for the creation of the first ever Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, and the Higher Education Act, both enacted in 1965.
  It has been through his stewardship ever since, that the Federal role 
in education has continued to be defined as limited, but vitally 
important to educationally disadvantaged children and adults in this 
country.
  It would be fitting to call Mr. Ford--Mr. Education. And I could go 
on about his strong personal commitment to the education of children, 
youth and adults in this country for over 30 years, but suffice it to 
say that many of us on this Floor today, would not have gone to 
college, nor would our children, if it had not been for him.
  Needless to say, Bill Ford is not a single-issue Member. While we can 
speak here for hours about Bill Ford's contribution to education, you 
have only to mention the word labor and you get an immediate vision of 
the tenacious Bill Ford in his unending defense of the rights of 
working men and women in this country.
  For example, he worked for 13 years to bring to enactment the Plant 
Notification law--saying that if companies were going to dump employees 
or move south of our borders, they were darned well going to give 
adequate notification to employees before doing so.
  He has been a long-time defender also of migrant children, seeing to 
their right to a free and equal education in our public schools, in 
spite of the transient nature of their lives.
  In addition to elementary and secondary education issues, it was Bill 
Ford who saw to it that middle income as well as low-income American 
families were given a fair share of federal college aid. As a devoted 
supporter of vocational education, he caused vocational training to 
take a quantum leap toward the 21st Century, and gave high school 
students a sure grasp on an increasingly technological world when he 
authored the Tech-Prep Act.
  When Black Lung reform legislation needed to move through his 
Committee to the Floor of the House, Bill Ford was there; he has been 
there to guide to enactment vital civil rights measures, to feed hungry 
school children, to care for and about older Americans, and to provide 
food supplements for poor pregnant women and their children.
  From his heart he has diligently supported collective bargaining and 
the right of workers to strike without being permanently replaced; he 
has expanded education for the handicapped; assured access to 
employment opportunities for all Disabled Americans; supported public 
and college libraries, and has labored long and hard on behalf of 
professional development opportunities for teachers. He has sponsored 
many initiatives as a Member of the Education and Labor Committee that 
are too numerous to mention here.
  I would be remiss not to mention Mr. Fords chairmanship of the Post 
Office and Civil Service Committee where his major achievement was the 
timely reform the civil service retirement system. Throughout his 
chairmanship of the Committee, he was dedicated to improving and 
enhancing the terms and conditions of employment for Federal workers 
and for Federal retirees.
  I sincerely offer these words in tribute to Representative Bill Ford 
of Michigan. I wish time would permit a fuller reiteration of his many 
contributions to this country. Let us then take this opportunity to bid 
him farewell with a heavy heart for our loss of his effective 
leadership and his wise counsel, but with hearty best wishes for a 
well-earned retirement after a lifetime of service top others.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.