[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 19, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    A SUCCESSFUL BIPARTISAN RETREAT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Skaggs] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, I think we have established a bit of a 
tradition by now that when those of us that have been involved in 
putting together the bipartisan retreat in Hershey are here to talk 
about that, we will make the symbolic gesture of going to the other 
podium and talking to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, in 
part.
  It has been interesting in the days since the weekend in Hershey to 
notice how many references have been made to the retreat to Hershey, to 
civility, both in debate on the floor and in the committee hearings 
that I have been a part of. I hope that is good evidence of things sort 
of taking seed, anyway. I know we have a great deal of work to do to 
make good on the beginnings that occurred at the retreat at Hershey, 
PA.
  Before getting into a little bit of that, I just want to recognize 
and express my deep thanks to all that were involved in planning the 
weekend; my cochair, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. LaHood], and the 
other members of the planning committee that worked literally for 
months and months and months together, a gratifying experience in its 
own right, to put together with the help of some great outside experts 
a plan for the weekend.
  Those colleagues included the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. 
Clayton], the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier], the gentlewoman 
from Missouri [Mrs. Emerson], the gentlewoman from Florida [Mrs. 
Fowler], the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hinojosa], the gentleman from 
New York [Mr. Houghton], the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Sawyer], and the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Stenholm].
  As I think most of our colleagues are aware, we came away from the 
weekend in Hershey with many excellent ideas. Those are going to be 
reviewed and vetted and scrubbed and we hope then produced as 
recommendations coming out of the continuing work of the planning 
committee, that I hope now can be called an execution committee. We 
have met once since the weekend and will be meeting again.
  Among the things we have already put in place, and Members will be 
advised of this by correspondence to their office, is a briefing on the 
retreat, the evening of April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m., downstairs in HC-5, 
where we hope our colleagues who were not able to attend the weekend, 
and their spouses, if at all possible, can join many of us who were 
there and our spouses for an opportunity to review some of what went on 
that weekend, to take a look at a video that is being compiled of the 
opening session, which included remarks by the Speaker and the 
Democratic leader, as well as a truly inspirational talk by the 
historian David McCullough.
  We will have a time for socializing a bit, as well as dealing 
substantively with what went on in the weekend at Hershey and what our 
hopes are for carrying forward in very concrete terms the many, many 
good ideas that came out of that weekend.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois 
[Mr. LaHood], for any comments he might wish to make at this point.
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I too want to add 
my thanks to all of those who worked so hard on making the retreat 
possible, including the Pugh Charitable Foundation, the Aspen 
Institute, and the Congressional Institute. Those folks contributed 
mightily to making our weekend a success.
  But in large measure it was successful because of the Members who 
came, the 200 Members, about equally divided between Republican and 
Democratic Members, and then about 150 spouses and 100 children, and 
the weekend was a success because of the fact that Members took the 
time to come. The kind of encouragement that Members have been 
exhibiting to carry on the suggestions that were made at the weekend I 
think means a great deal.
  I hope that our group can get together and come up with some 
recommendations. I think many of the recommendations have a great deal 
to do more with running the House, the institution of the House, how to 
make it more effective in the sense that people have a chance to 
debate, knowing that there are going to be differences, there are going 
to be partisan and political differences, but in reality when we leave 
the floor and the vote has been cast people will continue to talk to 
one another and carry on discussions beyond the House floor, and it 
does not relegate itself to the extent that Members will not carry on 
conversations after they leave the House floor.
  Mr. SKAGGS. The gentleman's point is very well made. There have been 
some who have wanted to misconstrue our efforts in this regard as 
somehow getting rid of disagreement, which could not be further from 
the truth.
  We recognize, I think, that representing this big country of ours----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 1 additional 
minute.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. That request may not be entertained by the 
Chair. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, if I may finish this one sentence.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.

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