[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H676-H678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RONALD V. DELLUMS FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 396) to designate the Federal building located 
at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland, California, as the ``Ronald V. Dellums 
Federal Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 396

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located at 1301 Clay Street in 
     Oakland, California, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Franks) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Wise) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks).
  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 396 designates the Federal building located in 
Oakland, California, as the ``Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.''
  Congressman Dellums was born in Oakland, California. After finishing 
high school, he served for 2 years in the United States Marine Corps 
and received an honorable discharge. He then followed educational 
pursuits and received his A.A. from Oakland City College in 1958, his 
B.A. from San Francisco State University in 1960, and his MSW from the 
University at Berkley in 1962.
  In his public role, Congressman Dellums served on the Berkeley City 
Council from 1967 until 1970, when he was then elected to the United 
States House of Representatives to represent northern Alameda County. 
Congressman Dellums championed issues involving civil rights, equal 
rights for women, human rights, and the environment.
  At the time of his resignation, Congressman Dellums was the ranking 
member on the House Committee on National Security. During his tenure, 
he also held the chairmanship of the Committee on Armed Services and 
the Committee on the District of Columbia. Throughout his 27-year 
career, Congressman Dellums served on a variety of other committees and 
caucuses, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
the Post Office and Civil Service, the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence, and the Congressional Black Caucus. He resigned in 
January of 1998 to return to private life.
  This is a fitting tribute to our former colleague, who, I might add, 
was clearly the best-dressed Member of this body. I support this bill, 
and I urge my colleagues to support the bill as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Miller), the sponsor of the legislation.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the committee so much for bringing this 
legislation to the floor. We truly honor a man of great character, of 
great integrity and of great dignity with the naming of this building 
for our former colleague, Congressman Ron Dellums, a man who led not 
only our Bay Area delegation but led national movements on behalf of 
human rights and who brought the titans of apartheid to their knees and 
dragged a reluctant American government along the way.
  He has fought for civil rights for all Americans and, more than any 
other Member of Congress, he helped to clearly illustrate how an 
overfed military budget was literally starving our children, our 
schools and our communities. When it came time to cut that budget, when 
it came time for the base closures and the various rounds of base 
closures, Ron worked hard as the chairman of the Committee on Armed 
Services to make, in fact, sure that those closures were fair, that 
people had a chance to be retrained and to be reemployed and so their 
families would not suffer from the closure of those bases and to make 
sure that the communities in fact were able to absorb those bases into 
our local economies and to redeploy those assets in the civil economy.
  I just want to say that this building is more than about bricks and 
mortar, it is about truly a monument to an individual that, as people 
from our community go in and out of this building in Oakland, they will 
know that in fact this is named for someone who truly cared about them 
during his entire career in public service.
  I am honored to have carried this legislation. Again, I want to thank 
the committee so much for taking the time and the effort to get this to 
the floor in such a timely fashion.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 396, a bill to honor 
Ron Dellums by naming the Federal building located at 1301 Clay Street 
in Oakland, California, as the ``Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.''
  As my colleagues know, Ron represented the 9th District of California 
for 26 years and during that period distinguished himself in many, many 
ways. He fought tirelessly for vigorous examination of the state of our 
military establishment, including its purposes, its budget and other 
issues involving racial and sexual discrimination. He was a tireless 
fighter on this floor against apartheid and brought the Congress along 
with him.
  Ron was a dynamic advocate for arms reduction and peaceful resolution 
of international conflict. His interest extended to health care, civil 
rights, Congressional authority and alternative budgets. He was a great 
friend, a mentor, always a gentleman, and a leader. His kindness and 
humor on this floor are greatly missed.
  If I could just add, Mr. Speaker, there are several words that 
describe Ron. One is always ``passion,'' passion for the causes he 
fought for, fought for eloquently and always fairly. The other word 
that comes to my mind immediately is ``civility.'' This building should 
be a monument to the civility that we should have as we discuss the 
differences between us. Someone once said that the key is to be able to 
disagree without being disagreeable, and Ron Dellums represented that 
to the utmost.
  This bill has very broad bipartisan support. I wish to thank the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Miller) for his diligent efforts on 
behalf of the bill and join him and many others in supporting this bill 
and urge passage of H.R. 396.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding; and I 
particularly thank the chairman and the ranking member for their 
attention to this bill.
  I strongly support H.R. 396. I support this bill which names a 
Federal facility for a man who loved his country, even when he was one 
of its greatest critics.
  Ron Dellums had range in this body, from his deep leadership on 
international affairs to his involvement in the most local of issues, 
the District of Columbia. He was ranking member of the Committee on 
National Security, and he chaired the D.C. Committee.

[[Page H677]]

  When I say, ``range,'' I mean range. On the great issues of the day, 
eliminating poverty, protecting civil rights, making sure that all 
Americans had civil liberties, Ron Dellums' name is indelibly left with 
this body.
  Ron may be remembered perhaps most of all for South Africa's 
sanctions. He fought for sanctions against South Africa when it was all 
but a lost cause, until finally they developed a national and an 
international consensus that in fact led to the elimination, the 
beginning of the end, of South African apartheid.
  Mr. Speaker, I say without fear of contradiction that there was no 
more popular man in this body even when his views, as they often were, 
were unpopular in this body. Here is a man who could take his unpopular 
views, walk over to the other side of the aisle, ask for time to speak 
to give his unpopular view and get it from the other side. That is a 
man who enjoys respect and admiration.
  I cannot close without saying what Ron Dellums did for the District 
of Columbia in particular. He was a long-time chair of the Committee on 
the District of Columbia. It was a different time, very different. 
There was plenty of money. And, thus, the kinds of scrutiny that has 
become necessary in the hard times in the 1990s were not what the D.C. 
Committee was all about. Then it was all about protecting home rule and 
moving the District forward to stand on its own feet. He held the 
District's feet to the fire, while insisting that the District stand on 
its own feet.
  He will be remembered particularly fondly among the residents of this 
city. In this body, he will be remembered as one of its great orators, 
as he would have it I suppose, given his work on the Committee on Armed 
Services, as an officer and a gentleman.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) who has had the privilege of succeeding Ron 
Dellums in office.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia for 
yielding this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to proudly support H.R. 396, a bill to designate 
the Federal building in Oakland, California, as the ``Ronald V. Dellums 
Federal Building.''
  I want to also thank my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Miller), for reintroducing this bill which passed the 
House last session.
  The building for which we seek support was completed in 1993. 
Congressman Dellums worked closely with many of my colleagues to get 
this building authorized and appropriated. He sought our support 
because he strongly believed that this building would provide an anchor 
in the revitalized city center in Oakland, California; and, of course, 
he was right.
  His work to gain support for this building and his faith in the 
development potential of downtown Oakland have been amply rewarded. In 
the 6 years since the occupation of this building, the surrounding 
blocks have flowered with new plazas, new businesses and new buildings.
  Congressman Dellums, in his usual humble manner, would undoubtedly be 
embarrassed by these words today and by our efforts to name this 
building after him. However, I strongly believe and I hope my 
colleagues will all join me in recognizing the work that my 
distinguished colleague accomplished during his years of service in the 
House of Representatives representing what started out as the 7th 
Congressional District and evolved into the present 9th Congressional 
District.
  He is a native son of Oakland, California. Ron was born on November 
24, 1935, actually in our county hospital, in Highland Hospital. His 
family has proud roots in the union movement of the 1940s. He attended 
and graduated from public schools in the district and went on to earn 
an Associate of Arts degree from Oakland City College in 1958, a B.A. 
from San Francisco State University in 1960, and a Master's in social 
welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1962.
  My colleagues can see from the family tree that a mighty seed was 
sown. Congressman Dellums' roots were planted firmly in his interest in 
social justice for all of society. The high esteem in which he was held 
by constituents, friends, family and colleagues never wavered over the 
years.
  Ron Dellums was first elected to the Berkeley City Council on which 
he served from 1967 to 1970. He was elected on a platform of civil 
rights, civil liberties and economic and social justice. His service to 
the council was so spectacular that he was drafted to run as a civil 
rights and anti-war candidate, a peace candidate, for a seat that was 
held by a pro-Vietnam war incumbent in the House.
  Ron served 2 years in the Marine Corps, leaving with an honorable 
discharge to continue his academic education. His training and service 
in the Marine Corps stood him in good stead as he sought an appointment 
and then served as a member of the Committee on Armed Services.
  Ron's constituents were civil rights and anti-war activists, and one 
of the first commitments he made was to find a peaceful resolution to 
the war in Southeast Asia. He became one of the strongest voices and 
advocates for arms reduction and developing alternatives to military 
excursions and war. He served for 25 years on the Committee on Armed 
Services, now known as the Committee on National Security, and became 
the chair of that committee in 1992.
  So it is not an exaggeration to say that many in his district love 
him for his work and for the humanity and the humility with which he 
conducted himself. His record is one to which we all can aspire.
  The Federal building in Oakland, California, stands tall with dignity 
and it commands respect. It is very fitting that it be named the 
``Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.''
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 396, 
a bill to name a federal building in Oakland, CA, in honor of the 
former Chairman of the House National Security Committee, Ronald V. 
Dellums.
  After a distinguished tour in the United States Marine Corps, 
Chairman Dellums began dedicating his life to public service and to 
helping others. Congressman Dellums was first elected to public office 
as a member of the Berkeley City Council.
  Congressman Ronald Dellums was first elected to the 92nd Congress on 
November 3, 1970 and re-elected to each succeeding Congress until his 
retirement during the 105th Congress. Marine, Council Member, 
Congressman, Chairman, leader and father--these are just a few of the 
many titles utilized to describe Representative Dellums.
  As Chairman, Congressman Dellums was a passionate and reasonable 
advocate of lower military spending. He used the power and discretion 
of the gavel to foster a wide and robust debate on issues about 
national security, military spending and acquisitions.
  I can not think of a higher compliment to give a lawmaker than to say 
that he stood upon his convictions in the face of opposition with honor 
and dignity. Although, Congressman Dellums was a democrat, he was a 
non-partisan coalition builder that diligently worked to make America 
stronger and more inclusive for everyone.
  I urge every member of Congress to join me in expressing our 
appreciation for Ron's dedicated years of service to this House and our 
country. Let us pass H.R. 396. It has the support of the Transportation 
and Infrastructure Committee and the citizens of California.
  Congressman Dellums fought for this building to be authorized and 
appropriated because he had the economic projections and the faith that 
the construction of the building would provide one of the major 
financial anchors in a city center that had every potential of 
abandonment.
  It is only appropriate that this building be named in his honor.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 396 which names the 
federal building in Oakland, CA, after Ron Dellums, our distinguished 
former colleague and dear friend.
  Mr. Speaker, by designating the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building we 
honor a colleague who provided the nation and his constituents with an 
outstanding record of public service.
  All of us in this chamber know of the leadership Ron Dellums provided 
on the Armed Services Committee. He defined national security to 
include not only a strong defense, but a nation with a strong economy 
and a system of justice that lifts up all its citizens.
  It is most appropriate that we honor Ron by naming the federal 
building in Oakland after him because Ron Dellums never forgot where he 
came from and the people he represented. Ron took their issues of 
economic justice and civil rights and not only made them his priorities 
but our nation's as well.
  Ron stood before us in this chamber and in his splendid speeches 
reminded us of the need to recognize the human consequences

[[Page H678]]

of the legislation we were about to vote on. Ron Dellums always spoke 
about our responsibility to be compassionate and remember how our 
actions effect the individual citizen.
  Mr. Speaker, by naming the federal building in Oakland after Ron 
Dellums we tell the citizens of Oakland that their government not only 
honors Ron Dellums but seeks to emulate him by providing the type of 
service that Ron gave to his constituents for so many years.
  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of HR 396 to 
designate the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, CA.
  Ron Dellums spent his 27 years in Congress as an advocate for special 
justice. Throughout most of his career in Congress, I had the privilege 
to serve with Ron Dellums as he fought to bring home our troops in 
Vietnam, championed civil rights, and worked to end apartheid in South 
Africa. As a member and then Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, 
he argued powerfully and persuasively for cuts in wasteful defense 
spending.
  The Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building will be a lasting tribute to 
my East Bay neighbor and friend for the legacy he leaves our nation.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I enthusiastically urge support of this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 396.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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