[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H521-H523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HOWARD C. NIELSON POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3120) to designate the United States Post Office located at 
95 West 100 South Street in Provo, Utah as the ``Howard C. Nielson Post 
Office Building,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3120

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States Post Office located at 95 West #100 South 
     in Provo, Utah, shall be known and designated as the ``Howard 
     C. Nielson Post Office Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the United States 
     Post Office referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Howard C. Nielson Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us was introduced on January 28, 
1998, by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) and cosponsored by all 
Members of the House delegation from the State of Utah pursuant to the 
policy of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. This 
legislation was before the committee on February 12, at which time it 
was amended to reflect the correct address of the facility. The address 
of the postal facility in the original bill read 95 West 100 South 
Street. The committee unanimously passed the bill with an amendment 
correcting the address to read 95 West Number 100 South.
  The amended bill designates the U.S. Post Office located at that 
location as the Howard C. Nielson Post Office Building.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a number of representatives who have cosponsored 
this bill. I know they will take the opportunity to expound upon Mr. 
Nielson's great history and his service to this country so, therefore, 
I would simply note that, as has happened in many occasions in the 
past, this recipient, I think, reflects very favorably on the kind of 
individual that we have historically honored with the designation of 
the United States Postal Service.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Cannon) who has been the prime motivator and mover of this legislation 
for comments that he might have.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, when my office and I considered honoring one 
of the great Americans who has had an impact not only on my own 
district, but at the national level, our thoughts turned almost 
immediately to Howard Nielson.
  I approached several of Howard's former colleagues including the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) and the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Dingell) the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on 
Commerce, on which Howard sat. They wholeheartedly supported this 
tribute and recalled fond memories.

[[Page H522]]

  Elected in 1983 to this great body to be the first to represent my 
district, the Third District of Utah, after reapportionment, Howard is 
probably best known as a relentless public servant, a brilliant man who 
legislates honesty and integrity.
  A native of Utah, Howard Curtis Nielson was born on September 12, 
1924, in the city of Richfield in Sevier County, Utah. In 1947, after 
attending Richfield High School, he graduated with a Bachelor of 
Science from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He went on to 
receive a Master of Science from the University of Oregon at Eugene, 
and an MBA and Ph.D. from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
  Howard served in the United States Air Force during World War II. 
Then, after graduating from the University of Oregon in 1949, Howard 
accepted a position as a statistician with C&H Sugar. From 1951 until 
1957, he worked as an economist at the Stanford Research Institute and 
then obtained a professorship at Brigham Young University where he 
taught statistics, economics and business management from 1957 to 1976.
  In 1960, Howard became active in politics and after spending 6 years 
as a district GOP committeeman in Provo, Utah, he was elected to the 
State House.
  Quickly earning a reputation as a man who knew how to read the fine 
legislative print, Howard became Majority Leader in 1971, and 2 years 
later was elected Speaker. In this capacity Howard fought hard to see 
that a State budget surplus was used for tax relief rather than new 
programs.
  When the speakership came to an end, Howard retired from the 
legislature, but remained active in State politics serving as a party 
chairman in Utah County from 1979 to 1981.
  So, with this background, when Howard was elected to the U.S. House 
of Representatives, his first assignment was on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee.
  In the 99th Congress, he also secured a position on the Government 
Operations Committee, and by 1986, was ranking member of the Government 
Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of this committee.
  Most notably, Howard was active throughout these committee 
assignments on several issues ranging from the deregulation of 
broadcast, telephone and the natural gas industries, to the commercial 
interests of the motion picture industry.
  Howard was also integral in spotlighting the problem of waste dumping 
by Amtrak and by focusing on the health consequences he urged the 
railroad to take corrective measures. At the completion of his fourth 
term in Congress, Howard decided not to run again. Instead, he and his 
wife, Julia, moved first to Sidney, Australia, for 18 months and then 
to Budapest, Hungary, for 2 years where they served as missionaries for 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
  I am proud to be joined today not only by several of Howard's 
colleagues here on the floor, but with all of Congress in expressing 
our gratitude. Those of us who have had the opportunity and privilege 
of serving with Howard Nielson know him as an honorable man, a good 
friend, and in the words of Doris Wilson, a friend and former staffer, 
Howard was a model of what the Founding Fathers envisioned legislators 
to be.
  Both sides of the aisle respected his integrity and willingness to 
make the tough decisions with fairness to everybody. Today, Howard 
continues this dedication to his community serving as a member of the 
Utah State Senate.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in bringing before 
the House legislation naming United States Post Offices after a number 
of fine individuals. All of these measures have met the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight cosponsorship requirement and enjoy the 
support of their respective State congregation national delegations. I 
am proud that my colleagues have sought to honor such a diverse and 
distinguished group of people and urge swift adoption of these bills.
  Before I yield time, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) and his staff, particularly Robert 
Taub, the new staff director, and the committee counsel for their hard 
work in moving these measures forward.
  I join the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) in support of H.R. 
3120, legislation introduced by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) 
which designates the United States Post Office located at 95 West 100 
South Street in Provo, Utah, as the Howard C. Nielson Post Office 
Building.
  A former Member of Congress elected in 1991 to represent the Third 
District of Utah, Representative Nielson served on the former Committee 
on Government Operations during the 99th Congress and on the former 
House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It must be noted that 
Representative Nielson, after spending 6 years as a district Republican 
committeeman in Provo, Utah, became a member of the Utah State House 
where he was elected Speaker. After serving in Congress and later as a 
missionary, Representative Nielson has returned to the Utah State 
legislature. Naming a post office in his hometown is a very fine and 
fitting tribute to a man who is, once again, representing his 
neighbors, friends and constituents
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman 
from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the gentleman from 
New York and the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from Utah, my good 
friend (Mr. Cannon). I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3120, a 
bill to designate the United States Post Office in Provo, Utah, as the 
Howard C. Nielson Post Office. By the time I made it to the House as an 
elected Member, Congressman Nielson had already established himself as 
an active member of this body.
  His rise to the position as the representative from Utah of the Third 
Congressional District did not come as a surprise to those who knew 
him. Prior to coming to Congress, Howard Nielson was elected as 
Majority Leader of the Utah House, and 2 years later elected to the 
position of Speaker of the State House of Representatives, and it was 
from that position that he was elected to the Congress.
  As a ranking member of the Government Activities and Transportation 
Committee, Congressman Nielson played an important role in the National 
Debate on Transportation, which was going on during that time. And as 
important to me, Mr. Speaker, his interest in improving the health of 
our country's American Indians. I want to commend him for his efforts.
  To his credit, Mr. Speaker, he continues to serve the public, 
currently as a member of the Utah State legislature, and I can think of 
no more fitting tribute to him than to name the United States Post 
Office in Provo, Utah, after him. I commend, again, my good friend from 
Utah (Mr. Cannon) for proposing this bill and I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield four minutes to the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  (Mr. HANSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1972, I ran for the state legislature, and at the 
time a gentleman from Provo, Utah, came up to see me to tell me he was 
running for Speaker of the House. His name was Howard Curtis Nielson. I 
voted for the gentleman and he became Speaker of the House, and it was 
a great two years with him.
  I was impressed with how well he understood the legislation, how he 
read the bills, how his knowledge of figures and understanding was 
awesome. He could come into our caucuses or on the floor, he could come 
up with figures faster than anyone I ever met, but then I found out he 
was Dr. Nielson, Professor of Statistics at the BYU, and I could 
understand that.
  As my colleague from Utah talked about, Howard Nielson is a well-
educated man, bachelors, masters, doctorate degree. Around here, 
whenever you wanted to know something on the floor about a bill, you 
would see Howard Nielson and ask him. He could give you chapter and 
verse, both sides of the argument, and he was a real resource, and I 
always noticed a lot of people huddling around him because he had

[[Page H523]]

such a great understanding of what was going on.
  I ran for Congress in 1980, and in 1982 Howard Nielson elected to run 
for Congress, as Utah was reapportioned and we got a third 
Congressional seat. Howard was successful and served for eight years 
here. He served on the Committee on Commerce and a few other 
committees, and was well-known on both sides of the aisle as a man of 
fairness and integrity and a man who would be helpful to every Member.
  He had some funny things happen to him while he was here, as we all 
do. He loved taking dome tours, and on one occasion he was taking a 
bunch of BYU students up to the dome, and the place where the door 
opens and goes up to the roof and goes up, he was the last in line.
  Surprisingly enough, the door was open. He walked out on to the top 
of the Capitol, and the wind blew it shut, and no one knew that he was 
not with the group. So he started yelling at the police down below, and 
everyone thought somebody was suicidal up there and was going to jump 
off the roof of the Capitol. But Howard was written up in all of the 
papers in America on that little adventure, and, to this day, he still 
enjoys telling that story.
  Howard, after leaving this body at his own volition after eight 
years, served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day 
Saints. In fact he served two missions. And, like Howard, you would 
expect, he also learned two additional languages, which is one of the 
things about Utah, there are more bilingual and trilingual people in 
Utah than anyplace in America, and now Howard joins that group.
  I expected he would retire, but Howard is very healthy and very 
active and has a great mind, and Howard elected to again get back into 
politics, and ran successfully as a state senator in the State of Utah.
  I think it is only fitting and I compliment my colleague from the 
third district, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) for introducing 
legislation that would give some recognition to a person who truly 
believes in public service.
  If I may wax a little Ecclesiastical, in the Scriptures it says the 
greatest of all will be the servant of all. In this instance, Howard 
Nielson, all of his life, as an educator, as a church leader, as a 
political man, has been a servant of many people; never aspiring to 
anything for himself, but in helping other people.
  So with this humble man, with a great family of seven children and 
well over 25 grandchildren, it will now be emblazoned in stone that it 
is the Howard C. Nielson Post Office.
  Let me point out one of his sons, Curtis, worked for me for a while, 
and last year Curtis graduated number one from Chicago law school, 
which is a real tribute to the Nielsons and to Curtis.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. McHUGH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, before I yield back, I would just briefly 
state that I want to express my appreciation to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and all the committee staff members on both the 
minority and majority side for their efforts. What we heard today is 
descriptive of really an extraordinary man. I would ask all of my 
colleagues to support this measure and give a very justified honor to a 
very special person.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3120, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
designate the United States Post Office located at 95 West #100 South 
in Provo, Utah, as the `Howard C. Nielson Post Office Building'.''
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mr. COOK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 3120, a bill to 
name the U.S. Post Office in Provo, Utah after my friend Howard C. 
Nielson. Howard has been active in Provo and Utah politics since 1960. 
A long-time resident of Provo, he worked his way up from District 
Voting Chairman to Speaker of the Utah State Legislature. By vocation, 
a statistician, Howard used his aptitude for numbers to fight for tax 
relief for Utah citizens during his tenure in the legislature during 
the 1960s and 1970s. He was well-known for his ability to understand 
and explain complicated economic and budget documents.
  Howard was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, 
where he served four terms. He continued his practice of providing 
unbiased economic analyses to members on both sides of the aisle. He 
was always happy to help anyone understand the budgetary and economic 
legislation that came before Congress. During his time in the House he 
fought for the Trade Readjustment Act legislation which helped retrain 
workers who lost their jobs as a result of overseas trade deficits. He 
highlighted the problem of waste dumping by Amtrak, fought for Indian 
health care and worked on the deregulation of the broadcast, telephone 
and natural gas industries.
  But, Howard has not confined his efforts to politics. As a professor 
at Brigham Young University and Dean of the Statistics Department, he 
has passed along his love of numbers to his students. He is much sought 
after by think tanks like the Ford Foundation and has worked in places 
like Lebanon doing economic development studies.
  An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
Howard and his wife have served as missionaries to Australia and 
Hungary. He is a family man and the proud father of seven children.
  It is fitting, therefore, that the U.S. Post Office in Provo, should 
be named in his honor.

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