[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SAM GIBBONS, A LEGEND IN FLORIDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Miller] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, after my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Florida [Ms. Brown], spoke and read passages from the 
Bible, I thought we should be in the great rotunda or something. We are 
here to praise Sam, not to bury Sam. Sam is going to be around for a 
lot longer, both here in this session of Congress but also, of course, 
I think here in Washington with family here, and also back in the Tampa 
area.
  My congressional district in Florida adjoins Sam's. I was an 
undergraduate at the University of Florida when he first came here in 
1962. You know about Sam. He is a legend in our area. When I first had 
the opportunity to come to Congress in 1992, I remember meeting Sam and 
he would introduce me. We would have Florida gatherings, and he would 
say, ``I am so glad that Dan Miller now has Sun City, Florida.''
  Sun City is an area that Sam actually helped develop as an area of 
large retirement communities in south Hillsborough County. They are 
very Republican oriented and they were not the Great Society Democrat 
supporters, so they are great for me as a Republican but they always 
gave you a lot of trouble, I know.
  Ms. Brown was giving us some of the great things that you 
accomplished, whether it is Head Start and Job Corps or NAFTA and GATT 
and such. People do not understand our area and some of the great 
contributions that you have made, and I think I need to bring it to the 
attention.
  You made the contribution to allow golf carts to cross the State 
highway in Sun City. That is how people get around, is driving golf 
carts. Instead of having two cars in every garage, you have one car and 
one golf cart, and it was against the law to have golf carts across the 
highway until Sam Gibbons got involved. I do not think that rates in 
the category of Head Start, but it is something that you have been 
helping with the community and the area for a long, long time.
  Sam and I do not necessarily agree on all the issues. We have a lot 
of things we do agree on, and I do respect Sam for believing in an 
issue and he stands for it. I can tell you two issues in the past 
couple of years that had strong bipartisan support, and very 
controversial issues, that Sam was willing to stand up and talk about 
it and take a stand regardless of what anyone else said within his 
party or such.

  One is NAFTA and GATT. The Florida delegation, 23 strong, we held 
back, 22 of us, on doing anything on NAFTA and GATT. Sam was right out 
front all along, saying NAFTA is an important issue for world trade and 
for our growing economy in this world economy of ours, so he was a 
leader on that. He did not care that it was not that popular in some 
areas of Florida, but Sam was willing to stand up and debate that 
issue.
  Another issue, one recently that I was involved in, was the issue of 
sugar. Sugar is a powerful factor in the State of Florida and a 
powerful influence. I, along with Chuck Schumer on the Democratic side, 
led the drive to do away with the sugar program, very controversial. 
Sam was the only Democrat to stand up and speak on the floor of the 
House for that particular piece of legislation. We only had half of the 
Republicans support the legislation, but Sam was willing to stand up 
there and take a stand.
  Last week we had a hearing in Ways and Means talking about a tomato 
issue and 22 of us signed a letter, but Sam felt strong enough on the 
issue to say that ``I am not going to sign just because all of you all 
signed it.'' The point was his basic philosophy on trade and trade 
issues. I respect and admire Sam for taking that stand.
  I also thank Sam for, as a newcomer coming to Washington and never 
involved in politics, how you and Martha were always so nice to us. We 
shared a lot of flights to and from Tampa. Your wife has been nice to 
my wife Glenda, and you have been to me.
  And here as a chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and I was 
a lowly freshman Republican, you were always friendly and supportive 
and talkative in sharing your thoughts and ideas with me, and 
reminiscences. We will miss you. We will look forward to the next 4 
months, and I am sure I will see a lot of you in the next years. 
Congratulations, Sam.

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