[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 6, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2-H5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
The Clerk. Pursuant to law and to precedent, the next order of
business is the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
for the 106th Congress.
Nominations are now in order.
The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watts).
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Clerk, happily for our country and happily
for you and me, Republicans and Democrats, Dennis Hastert has answered
[[Page H3]]
his Nation's call. This common man will bring his strong common sense,
sharpened in the school of adversity, to bear on the Speakership. He
has many qualities of another Congressman from Illinois, the Great
Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln, and he will not hesitate, he will not
doubt and he will not falter. We are grateful that he has resolved at
whatever peril, at whatever cost, the most wonderful Nation in the
world should be preserved.
As Chairman of the Republican Conference, I am directed by the
unanimous vote of that conference to present for election to the Office
of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 106th Congress,
the name of the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, a Representative-elect
from the State of Illinois.
The Clerk. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost).
Mr. FROST. Mr. Clerk, as Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am
directed by the unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election
to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the
106th Congress the name of one of most articulate and thoughtful
Members of this Congress, the Honorable Richard A. Gephardt, a
Representative-elect from the State of Missouri.
The Clerk. The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, a Representative-elect
from the State of Illinois, and the Honorable Richard A. Gephardt, a
Representative-elect from the State of Missouri, have been placed in
nomination.
Are there further nominations?
There being no further nominations, the Clerk will appoint tellers.
The Clerk appoints the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), the gentlewoman from New
Jersey (Mrs. Roukema), and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
The tellers will come forward and take their seats at the desk in
front of the Speaker's rostrum.
The roll will now be called, and those responding to their names will
indicate by surname the nominee of their choice.
The reading clerk will now call the roll.
The tellers having taken their places, the House proceeded to vote
for the Speaker.
{time} 1315
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO (during the vote). Have we been eliminated
already? Have we been eliminated from the voting procedure?
The Clerk. Delegates and the Resident Commissioners are not qualified
to vote.
Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. We have always been qualified to vote.
The Clerk. That is not the case.
Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. What is that?
The Clerk. That is not the case.
Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Yes. We voted the last time.
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Clerk, would the Clerk respond to a
parliamentary inquiry?
The Clerk. The gentleman will state his inquiry.
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. The parliamentary inquiry for the Clerk
is for the delegates who represent American citizens. Where does that
vote come today? Will they not be allowed to vote for Speaker of this
House? The Member from Puerto Rico represents 4 million American
citizens.
The Clerk. Representatives-elect are the only individuals qualified
to vote in the election of the Speaker.
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. All right. Can we just make sure that is
duly noted under this majority, the disenfranchisement.
The following is the result of the vote:
[Roll No. 2]
HASTERT--220
Aderholt
Archer
Armey
Bachus
Baker
Ballenger
Barr
Barrett (NE)
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Bateman
Bereuter
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bliley
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bono
Brady (TX)
Bryant
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canady
Cannon
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Chenoweth
Coble
Coburn
Collins
Combest
Cook
Cooksey
Cox
Crane
Cubin
Cunningham
Davis (VA)
Deal
DeLay
DeMint
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Doolittle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
English
Everett
Ewing
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Fossella
Fowler
Franks (NJ)
Frelinghuysen
Ganske
Gekas
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Goodlatte
Goodling
Goss
Graham
Granger
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Hansen
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Herger
Hill (MT)
Hilleary
Hobson
Hoekstra
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hulshof
Hunter
Hutchinson
Hyde
Istook
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Kasich
Kelly
King (NY)
Kingston
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kuykendall
LaHood
Largent
Latham
LaTourette
Lazio
Leach
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Livingston
LoBiondo
Lucas (OK)
Manzullo
McCollum
McCrery
McHugh
McInnis
McIntosh
McKeon
Metcalf
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Morella
Myrick
Nethercutt
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nussle
Ose
Oxley
Packard
Paul
Pease
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Reynolds
Riley
Rogan
Rogers
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roukema
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Salmon
Sanford
Saxton
Scarborough
Schaffer
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Skeen
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Spence
Stearns
Stump
Sununu
Sweeney
Talent
Tancredo
Tauzin
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Thune
Tiahrt
Toomey
Upton
Walden
Walsh
Wamp
Watkins
Watts (OK)
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
GEPHARDT--205
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Allen
Andrews
Baird
Baldacci
Baldwin
Barrett (WI)
Becerra
Bentsen
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop
Blagojevich
Blumenauer
Bonior
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Carson
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Condit
Conyers
Costello
Coyne
Cramer
Crowley
Cummings
Danner
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Dixon
Doggett
Dooley
Doyle
Edwards
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Fattah
Filner
Ford
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gejdenson
Gonzalez
Goode
Gordon
Green (TX)
Gutierrez
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Hastings (FL)
Hill (IN)
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Hooley
Inslee
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind (WI)
Kleczka
Klink
Kucinich
LaFalce
Lampson
Lantos
Larson
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Luther
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Markey
Martinez
Mascara
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Millender-McDonald
Minge
Mink
Moakley
Moore
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Phelps
Pickett
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sawyer
Schakowsky
Scott
Serrano
Sherman
Shows
Sisisky
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Spratt
Stabenow
Stenholm
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor (MS)
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thurman
Tierney
Towns
Traficant
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Waters
Watt (NC)
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Weygand
Wise
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--2
Gephardt
Hastert
NOT VOTING--7
Barcia
Farr
Gallegly
Hoyer
Miller, George
Mollohan
Stark
The Clerk. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number
of votes cast is 427, of which the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert of the
State of Illinois has received 222, and the Honorable Richard A.
Gephardt of the State of Missouri has received 205, with two voting
present.
[[Page H4]]
Therefore, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert of the State of Illinois
is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 106th
Congress, having received a majority of the votes cast.
{time} 1330
The Clerk. The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the
Speaker-elect to the Chair: The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt),
the gentleman from Texas, (Mr. Armey), the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
DeLay), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Watts), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Hyde), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter), the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Evans) the gentleman from Illinois, (Mr. Lipinski), the
gentleman from Illinois, (Mr. Costello), the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Ewing), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush),
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Weller), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Blagojevich), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Davis) the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Phelps), and
the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
The committee will retire from the Chamber to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair.
The Deputy Sergeant at Arms announced the Speaker-elect of the House
of Representatives of the 106th Congress, who was escorted to the chair
by the Committee of Escort.
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, before I hand the
gavel over to our new Speaker, let me say to him simply, let us bury
the hatchet.
First, I want to say to the new Speaker that Jane Gephardt and I
would like to invite him and his wife, Jean, to our congressional
district in Missouri, and I hope that in the days ahead Jane and I can
come to your congressional district in Illinois.
The only problem that I have with this new Speaker is that as I
understand it, he is a Chicago Cubs fan, and all of my colleagues know
that I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan. He tells me his wife is a St.
Louis, Cardinals fan, which gives me real hope. But if Sammy Sosa and
Mark McGwire can figure it out, so can we.
Now, Mr. Speaker, you know that over the next 2 years I am going to
work hard to win a majority back for Democratic values and ideas. But I
want to shift the focus today away from politics to other ideas, to
other efforts that we can make together to do us all proud. Let us put
to rest finally the poisonous politics that has infected this place.
Let us join together not only in words, but in deeds, to do right by
the people, to live up to our oaths, and to move our nation forward
into a new century of prosperity.
This is hallowed ground. This is a precious place where we have
nurtured and protected for generations our democracy. We have a burden,
all of us, and we have a responsibility to live up to those who have
gone before us, and today and in the future, to reach toward the sky
and to listen to our better angels. It is in this spirit that I am
proud to hand the gavel to the new Speaker of the House, to our new
Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois, Dennis Hastert.
Mr. HASTERT. Thank you, Mr. Leader, for your kind and thoughtful
remarks. I am going to break tradition, and at this point I am going to
ask you to hold the gavel so that I may go down to the floor.
Customarily, a new Speaker gives his first remarks from the Speaker's
chair. And while I have great respect for the traditions of this House
and this institution, I am breaking tradition this once, because my
legislative home is here on the floor with you, and so is my heart.
To you, the Members of the 106th Congress, to my family and friends
and constituents, I say, thank you. This is not a job that I sought,
but one that I embrace with determination and enthusiasm. In the next
few minutes, I will share with you how I plan to carry out the job that
you have given me. But first, I think we need to take a moment, and I
want to say goodbye to a Member of this House who made history.
Newt, this institution has been forever transformed by your presence,
and for years to come all Americans will benefit from the changes that
you have championed: a balanced budget, welfare reform, tax relief, and
in fact, this week, families all over America are beginning to
calculate their taxes, and to help them, they will find a child tax
credit made possible by the Congress that you led. Thank you, Newt.
Good luck, and God bless you in your new endeavors.
Those of you here in this House know me, but Hastert is not exactly a
household name across America. So our fellow citizens deserve to know
who I am and what I am going to do.
What I am is a former high school teacher, a wrestling and football
coach, a small businessman and a State legislator. And for the last 12
years, I have been a Member of this House. I am indebted to the people
of the 14th Congressional District of Illinois who have continued to
send me here to represent them.
I believe in limited government, but when government does act, it
must be for the good of the people.
Serving in this body is a privilege, it is not a right, and each of
us was sent here to conduct the people's business. I intend to get down
to business. That means formulating, debating, and voting on
legislation that addresses the problems that the American people want
solved.
In the turbulent days behind us, debate on merits often gave way to
personal attacks.
{time} 1345
Some have felt slighted, insulted, or ignored. That is wrong. That
will change. Solutions to problems cannot be found in a pool of
bitterness. They can be found in an environment in which we trust one
another's word; where we generate heat and passion, but where we
recognize that each member is equally important to our overall mission
of improving life for the American people. In short, I believe all of
us, regardless of party, can respect one another, even as we fiercely
disagree on particular issues.
Speaking of people who find ways to work together across the
political fence, let me bring an analogy to a personal level. Two good
Illinois friends of mine, George Ryan, the Republican Governor-elect,
and Richard Daley, the Democratic mayor of Chicago, are in the
visitors' gallery side by side. I will ask them to stand to be
recognized.
Those who know me well will tell you that I am true to my word. To
me, a commitment is a commitment. What you see and hear today is what
you will see and hear tomorrow.
No one knows me better than my family. My wife, Jean, and our sons,
Josh and Ethan, are here today. They are my reason for being, and Jean,
she helps me keep my feet on the ground. She and the boys are my daily
reminder that home is on the Fox River, and not the Potomac River.
To Jean, Josh, and Ethan, thank you for everything, and I love you.
As a teacher, I explained the story of America year after year. I
soon came to realize that it was a story, but a story that keeps
changing, for we Americans are restless people, and we like to tackle
and solve problems. We are constantly renewing our Nation,
experimenting and creating new ways of doing things. I like to work
against the backdrop of American basics: freedom, liberty,
responsibility, and opportunity. You can count on me to be a workhorse.
My experience as a football and wrestling coach taught me some other
lessons that apply here. A good coach knows when to step back and let
others shine in the spotlight. President Reagan for years had a plaque
in his office that said it all: ``There is no limit to what can be
accomplished if you don't mind who gets the credit.''
A good coach does not rely on only a few star players, and everyone
in the squad has something to offer. You never get to the finals
without a well-rounded team. Above all, a coach worth his salt will
instill in his team a sense of fair play, camaraderie, respect for the
game, and for the opposition. Without those, victory is hollow and
defeat
[[Page H5]]
represents opportunities lost. I have found that to be true around
here, too.
So where do we go from here? Some media pundits say that we will have
2 years of stalemate because the Republican majority is too small. Some
say that a White House bent on revenge will not give us a moment's
peace. Some say the minority in this House will prevent passage of
serious legislation so that they can later claim this was a ``do-
nothing'' Congress.
Washington is a town of rumors and guesses and speculation, so none
of this comes as a surprise, but none of it needs to come true; that
is, if we really respect the voters that sent us here.
To my Republican colleagues, I say, it is time to put forward the
major elements of our legislative program. We will succeed or fail
depending upon how sensible a program we offer.
To my Democratic colleagues, I will say, I will meet you halfway;
maybe more so, on occasion. But cooperation is a two-way street. I
expect you to meet me halfway, too.
The President and a number of Democrats here in the House have been
saying it is time to address several issues head-on. I will buy that,
but I think we should agree that stalemate is not an option; solutions
are.
To all my colleagues, I say: We must get our job done and done now.
We have an obligation to pass all the appropriation bills by this
summer. We will not leave this Chamber until we do. I intend to be a
good listener, but I want to hear ideas and the debate that flows from
them. I will have a low tolerance for campaign speeches masquerading as
debate, whatever the source.
Our country faces four big challenges which we must address, and not
next month or next year or the year after that, but now. Each challenge
involves an element of our security.
First is retirement and health security. Both our social security and
Medicare programs will run into brick walls in a few years if we do not
do something about them now. We must make sure that social security is
there for those who depend on it and those who expect to. We also must
consider options for younger workers, so they can look forward to an
even brighter retirement.
Nearly a year ago President Clinton came here to give his State of
the Union Address. He called for reform of social security. This year I
invite him to return to give us his reform plan, and he has my
assurance that it will be taken seriously.
Second, we must ensure a secure future for America's children by
insisting that every child has a good school and a safe, drug-free
environment. In my 16 years as a teacher, I learned that most of the
decisions having to do with education are best left to the people
closest to the situation: parents, teachers, school board members. What
should the Federal government's role be? It should be to see that as
many education dollars as possible go directly to the classrooms, where
they will do the most good.
Next is economic security. In the early eighties we adopted policies
that laid the foundation for long-term growth. Except for one brief
period, that growth has continued ever since. We want our economy to
keep on growing. Toward that end, it is time for us in Congress to put
a microscope to the ways that government takes money from our fellow
citizens and how it spends it.
There is a culture here in Washington that has grown unchallenged for
too long. It combines three notions. One is that government has a prior
claim to the earnings of all Americans, as if they worked for the
government and not the other way around. Another notion is that a
government program, once it is begun, will never end. A third notion is
that every program must grow each passing year.
To borrow a musical line, it just ain't necessarily so; at least, it
will not be as long as I am around here to have something to say about
it. We must measure every dollar we spend by this criterion: Is it
really necessary?
This is important. For most Americans, money does not come easy. When
I was a kid, to make ends meet my dad had a feed business and he worked
nights in a restaurant. My mom raised chickens and sold the eggs. I
still remember, when tax time came around, our family really felt it.
What we need is a leaner, more efficient government, along with tax
policies that spur and sustain growth by giving tax relief to all
working Americans.
Finally, there is the challenge of America's security in a world of
danger and uncertainty. Without it, other elements of our security will
not be possible. We no longer worry about Soviet nuclear bombs raining
down on us. Today there are different worries: the sudden violence of a
terrorist bomb, the silent threat of biological weapons, or the rogue
state that aims a deadly missile at one of our cities.
We need a defense capability that matches these turn-of-the-century
threats. We have asked the men and women of our Armed Forces to take on
assignments in many corners of the Earth. Yet, we have not given them
the best equipment or preparation that they need to match those
assignments. That must be corrected.
These are not Democratic or Republican issues, they are American
issues. We should be able to reach agreement quickly on the goals. And
yes, we are going to argue about the means, but if we are in earnest
about our responsibilities, we will find common ground to get the job
done. In the process, we will build the people's faith in this great
United States Congress.
As a classroom teacher and coach, I learned the value of brevity. I
learned that it is work, not talk, that wins championships.
In closing, I want you to know just how proud I am to be chosen to be
your Speaker. There is a big job ahead for all of us, so I ask that God
bless this House as we move forward together. I thank the Members very
much. Now, let us bring an end to talk and let us get to work.
I recognize my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Dingell), Dean of the House, my colleague from the Committee on
Commerce, whose common sense and fairness I admire. He will administer
the oath of office.
Mr. DINGELL then administered the oath of office to Mr. Hastert, as
follows:
Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and
domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or
purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the
duties of the office on which you are about to enter. So help you God.
(Applause, the Members rising.)
____________________