[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H3993-H3995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CARL D. PURSELL POST OFFICE

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3808) to designate the United States Post Office located at 
47526 Clipper Drive in Plymouth, Michigan, as the ``Carl D. Pursell 
Post Office,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3808

       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 47526 Clipper in 
     Plymouth, Michigan, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Carl D. Pursell Post Office''.

     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 ``Carl D. Pursell Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) 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 might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3808, a bill to designate the United States Post 
Office located at 47526 Clipper Drive in Plymouth, Michigan, was 
introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) on May 7, 1998, 
and was originally cosponsored by the entire Michigan State delegation 
which is pursuant to full committee policy.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is unanimously amended by the Committee 
on Government Reform and Oversight to correct the address to 47526 
Clipper, creating the deletion of the word Drive pursuant to 
information that was received from the Postal Service.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3808 represents a former Member of this body, 
Representative Carl D. Pursell, who was elected to the 95th Congress 
and was reelected to represent the Second Congressional District of 
Michigan for seven succeeding terms from 1977 through 1992.
  Born in Imlay City, Michigan, in his home State, after receiving his 
bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University he served in the 
United States Army for 2 years and then earned his master's degree. He 
then went on to a long and distinguished career in public service and, 
as I have mentioned already, coming to this House for an equally 
distinguished term.
  Currently, Mr. Pursell resides in Plymouth, Michigan, where he has 
been for his entire life; and I think most importantly, Mr. Speaker, he 
and the contributions that he has made to his community, to his State 
and, ultimately, to his Nation compile the kind of record that I think 
certainly merits this kind of designation.
  We do have several Members here today from the Michigan State 
delegation to whom I will eventually yield time. I know we will have 
more particular comments upon this man and his life and his service, 
and we are all looking forward to that.
  But, for the moment, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me first of all thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. McHugh) who, throughout his service as chairman of this very 
important subcommittee, has extended every courtesy to those of us on 
the Democratic side of the aisle. I would like to thank the gentleman.
  I would also like to rise in support of H.R. 3808, offered by another 
of my colleagues, one who I serve on the Committee on Education and 
Workforce

[[Page H3994]]

with, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, obviously we fully support the 
naming of this postal facility on behalf of a former colleague who 
served for more than a decade and a half as a distinguished Member of 
the United States Congress, and especially since the gentleman served 
prior to that as a member of the State Senate in Michigan, and I, as a 
member of the State Senate in Pennsylvania, have a certain affection 
for people who come to the House from important roles in our State 
legislative bodies. I want to also recognize his contributions and 
service on the Committee on Appropriations.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me return the kind words of the ranking member. It 
has been on these bills, as well as all business before the 
subcommittee, my honor and pleasure to work with the gentleman and the 
members of the minority side. They come to this subcommittee with only 
the best of intentions, and I do think it makes for, perhaps not 
unique, but certainly a very enjoyable experience that is reflected in 
these three bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Upton), the main sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, this was an easy bill for me to introduce, 
and it was cosponsored by every single member, Republican and Democrat, 
of the Michigan delegation.
  Carl Pursell served in this House from 1977 to 1993, and the post 
office we are naming today is in fact very close to Carl's home in 
Plymouth, Michigan. Carl served in the Army, he was a businessman, he 
was an elected official, both at the county level as well as a State 
senator, and he and his wife, Peg, a teacher in Plymouth, have lived in 
Plymouth virtually all their life.
  I got to know Carl as a member of his softball team when I was a 
staffer on the Hill back in the seventies, and I got to know him quite 
a bit more when I served at the Office of Management and Budget, as 
Carl Pursell was a founder of the Gypsy Moths.
  The Gypsy Moths, this was a Republican group, certainly a distinct 
minority, Republicans were, back in the early eighties, but they led 
the way to forging bipartisan cooperation and agreements with the other 
side of the aisle and were able to pursue Ronald Reagan's successful 
agenda that passed here in the 1980's.
  Carl Pursell served as ranking member on the Subcommittee on Labor-
HHS of the Committee on Appropriations. The chairman of that 
subcommittee, Mr. Natcher, he and Carl were very committed to education 
and health research, and helped maneuver those bills through law, and 
impacted millions and millions of Americans through this House floor.
  Carl Pursell deeply cared about the budget deficit. In fact, through 
his work in the 92 Group and others, he worked on a freeze budget, 
freezing outlays, no more than inflation, and his budget, in fact, 
failed in the House by only one vote, as I recall. Had that budget 
passed back in the eighties, we would have gotten a balanced budget 
long before today.
  In 1992, Michigan lost two Congressional seats because of 
redistricting. Sadly, Carl Pursell's was one of those. Yes, he could 
have run in another part of his old district, but he would have had to 
move from his residence and his community of Plymouth, Michigan, and he 
decided that he would stay.
  Always a competitor, Carl Pursell, whether it be on a tennis court or 
rooting for the Detroit Tigers, thank goodness for the Detroit Red 
Wings, he now serves on Eastern Michigan's board and coaches kids' 
soccer in Plymouth, where he was, in fact, earlier this afternoon. Only 
he and Ebeneezer Pennimon, who served as a Whig in this House from 1851 
to 1852, have ever served in the Congress hailing from Plymouth, 
Michigan.
  This Federal facility is deserving of his fine name through his 
excellent public service, and I would urge all of my colleagues to 
respect Carl Pursell and to vote ``yes'' on this bill later this 
afternoon.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Camp).
  (Mr. CAMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to second the remarks of my good friend, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), and rise in support of H.R. 3808, 
the bill to name the United States Post Office in Plymouth, Michigan, 
after our former colleague, Carl D. Pursell.
  The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) spoke about Carl's 
leadership, particularly to bring Congress to its fiscal senses, but I 
want to speak about him on just a personal note. He was a leader within 
our delegation. He took great personal interest in the committee 
assignments Members received and their ability to get started in the 
Congress. It was his intellect and I think his experience with people, 
serving at different levels of government, teaching, publishing, as a 
State senator, and then in Congress on the Committee on Appropriations, 
but it was that leadership quality that he had, that ability to work 
with people, certainly his sense of humor, that brought us together and 
made us a more effective delegation here in Washington.
  So it is with great honor that I rise to support this legislation. I 
think it is a fitting tribute to our colleague. Without redistricting, 
I am sure he would be serving here today in the Congress. We miss him 
very much.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg).
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) and the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), for being down here for what 
we consider a very large, extraordinary Michigan moment, and I rise in 
strong support of H.R. 3808.
  Carl Pursell is a lifelong Michigan resident. He served, as you 
probably caught from my colleagues, eight terms in this body. He was a 
friend of mine. I sought his counsel, in fact, on a very important 
matter because I represent part of his district. The gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Upton) spoke to the fact that he lost out in some 
reapportionment matter in 1992, and so I am very familiar with not just 
Carl Pursell but also his constituents.
  From his position on the Committee on Appropriations, Carl utilized 
his experience as a former educator to become a national leader on 
education. As the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Education of 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Carl was instrumental in 
improving the quality of the local schools in the district and making 
the University of Michigan one of the premier institutions of higher 
learning in this country. He also was responsible for securing funding 
that enabled Madonna University, which is a private college in my 
district, to offer a degree program for interpreters for the hearing-
impaired.
  Prior to being elected to Congress in 1976, Carl served, as I believe 
my colleague mentioned also, on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners 
and in the Michigan State Senate. His dedication to public service was 
second to none, and his accomplishments, I believe, reflect the 
commitment and tireless effort he put into his work as a legislator.
  As has been mentioned, he currently resides in Plymouth, Michigan 
with his wife Peggy, and is making a difference in that community even 
today by serving on the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents.
  I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) for 
introducing this bill to designate the United States Post Office 
located at Clipper Drive in Plymouth as the Carl D. Pursell Post 
Office. Carl was responsible for securing the funding to build this 
post office, and I believe it is only appropriate that it bear his 
name.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, with a final thanks to my friend, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), and the staff who worked on this, I would 
urge my colleagues all to join in supporting this very worthy piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion

[[Page H3995]]

offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3808, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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