[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1853-E1854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RETIREMENT OF ANDY JACOBS AND JOHN MYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 28, 1996

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to two of the 
senior members of the Indiana delegation--Andy Jacobs and John Myers--
who will both soon retire after many years of distinguished service in 
this body. These dedicated public servants have each faithfully served 
their country and their constituents for 30 years as Members of 
Congress from Indiana.
  John Myers has served the people of Indiana's 7th Congressional 
District since he was first elected in 1966. He will long be remembered 
for his thoughtful leadership on the House Appropriations Subcommittee 
on Energy and Water Development. Working in close cooperation with his 
colleague Tom Bevill, Congressman Myers helped shape Federal policies 
in the fields of energy research, watershed management and flood 
control, and waterway infrastructure. His reputation for fair, 
bipartisan cooperation is well-known and greatly admired. Whether he or 
Congressman Bevill held the seat of chairman or ranking member, the 
subcommittee carried out its obligations with efficiency and comity. 
The Nation is the better for his involvement and interest in these 
issues.
  Congressman Myers also has a number of other legislative initiatives 
and accomplishments to be proud of. He served with distinction on the 
House Post Office and Civil Service Committee and the House Ethics 
Committee. He was a cosponsor of the Mammography Quality Standards Act 
of 1992. And he introduced legislation to allow States like Indiana to 
restrict the importation of out-of-State trash. But his most lasting 
legacy will be our Nation's waterways. The United States' ports, locks, 
dams, levies, and waterways in coming years will bear mute but eloquent 
testimony to his wisdom and leadership. And we, his colleagues, will 
certainly miss the gentleman from Covington, IN.
  Indiana is also losing a notable Member of Congress with the 
retirement of Congressman Andy Jacobs, ranking member and former 
chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. 
Congressman Jacobs served the people of Indiana's Tenth Congressional 
District from 1964 when he was first elected until 1972, and then again 
from 1974 to the present.
  Andy Jacobs leaves behind a legacy of legislative initiatives and 
accomplishments that any Member would be proud of. A former law 
enforcement officer, Andy worked to pass legislation to provide 
Government benefits to widows and orphans of public safety officers who 
are killed in the line of duty. In his 8 years as chairman of the Ways 
and Means Social Security Subcommittee and in the last 2 years as 
ranking member of that subcommittee, Andyx worked to improve service 
and efficiency at the Social Security Administration, and he worked to 
make the SSA an independent agency. He also served as chairman of the 
House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee from 1981 until 1985. In that 
capacity, he helped shape the changes made in 1983 that have kept the 
Medicare Program solvent. He

[[Page E1854]]

worked to freeze physicians' fees, prevent doctors from charging 
patients extra fees, and expand Medicare benefits to cover occupational 
medical therapy.

  I have worked closely with Congressman Jacobs on the Ways and Means 
Committee over the last 12 years, and I can vouch personally for his 
integrity, his intelligence, and his zany sense of humor. Andy has been 
fearless in speaking out against what he sees as unfair or unwise 
policies--regardless of public support or opposition--and he has taken 
on powerful special interests, at least one which has worked 
unsuccessfully to unseat him. He has defended public employees--not 
always the most popular thing to do--and he has worked to raise 
cigarette taxes and protect smokers rights. A combat veteran, he was a 
critic of both the Vietnam war and the Persian Gulf war. Here, clearly, 
is a man who takes a stand on principle rather than polling. Andy is 
also well-known for his frugality, and his wry, quirky sense of humor 
and his dry wit have shocked and amused his colleagues, congressional 
witnesses, and hearing audiences on countless occasions. The Ways and 
Means Committee will be a much less spontaneous place when he leaves at 
the end of this year.
  It has been an honor to serve with Andy Jacobs and John Myers. I want 
to thank them both for their many years of public service, and I wish 
both of them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

                          ____________________