[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A COMMITMENT TO MAKE GOOD ON THE TRUST OF THE CITIZENS OF THE 22ND 
                         DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I am so thrilled to be here. I want to 
acknowledge my family: our daughter, Laura; my sister, Frieda; Walter's 
brother, Roger, and his wife; my cousin, Chuck; and so many friends and 
staff members. You know I could not be here without you.
  My heart is so full, as you know, as I stand where Walter stood so 
many times and looked out at all of you who were his treasured friends, 
and friendship that extended to me. How can I thank you for your 
eloquence in the memorials that you gave to him, to me and to him, 
following his death? Now you welcome me here today. I will always be 
grateful for this moment.
  As I think of the citizens of the 22nd District of the central coast 
of California, who elected Walter just a year and a half ago, they 
trusted him. Now they have extended that trust to me, so I have come 
here to make good on that trust, to build on that trust.
  I bring with me so many stories from the over 30 years that I have 
lived in our District. Just last Saturday I was at a community college, 
Cuesta Community College near the city of San Luis Obispo, and I heard 
the remarkable stories of five distinguished women being honored for 
their community service. I thought to myself, that is my inspiration. 
These are my role models to take with me to this place. I have brought 
them with me in my mind's eye today, and so many other stories like 
that.
  During the last 4 months, Mr. Speaker, I have received the mandate, 
several mandates, from the citizens of the 22nd District of California. 
Despite the din of outside special interests, in language plain and 
simple, they have told me in no uncertain terms that they want us to 
work hard to make our schools better. As one who has spent a lifetime 
in the classrooms of my district, I know the importance of local 
control; but, believe me, this task is so great that we must all work 
toward this end. The goals are too important.
  Business leaders have come to me, saying, I want to partner with 
education because the net result will be a work force, jobs that are 
meaningful, people's lives that are enhanced; the quality of life that 
we want in the central coast of California, yes, but throughout the 
country. This is what we need also to keep our economy moving.
  As a nurse, Members do not have to tell me about the mandate to 
reform health care, to curb the excesses, to bring back patient-
centered care, and to allow more access to it. For me, clean air and 
clean water are health issues. Where I come from, preserving a pristine 
coastline is a sacred trust.
  Of course, the overarching mandate is, in all of our deliberations, 
Lois, be sure to do this in a fiscally responsible way. My answer is, I 
had a good example in the 105th Congress in the Balanced Budget Act of 
1997. I say to the small business owners in my district, yes, now we 
are going to go to work to simplify that Tax Code, to reform the IRS. 
They have told me in loud and simple terms that we must do this.
  So you can see, Mr. Speaker, that I have come here ready to go to 
work. This is not a partisan task, because the bottom line is the 
common good. That which unites us, not that which divides us, is of 
enduring value. And we all know in our soul, and I am so privileged to 
be a part, that in this place, in this House what we are about is 
nothing less than preserving and strengthening democracy. I thank you 
for the opportunity to serve.

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