[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 108 (Thursday, September 14, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7607-H7608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING RON LASCH ON HIS RETIREMENT
(Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I have asked to speak out of order for 1
minute because there is a situation here on the floor that may not
recur again. There are many new Members here who are beginning to learn
that this institution could not run without the staffs that sometimes
are never acknowledged or recognized but go about their work very
quietly and efficiently.
Unfortunately, someone who had been of great assistance to our side
of the aisle for more than 42 years decided to leave just as quietly
and efficiently as he had carried out his job over the years. I am not
able to deal with the efficiency of his leaving, but I do think we can
deal with the quietness.
Somewhere back there is the gentleman by the name of Ron Lasch. I
would ask Ron Lasch to come to the floor. Mr. Speaker, as usual, Ron
Lasch is not to be found. But for 42 years, he provided this House with
good counsel and assistance in doing our jobs.
There are a number of people who make our jobs possible who do not
get the desired or needed or worthy recognition. I just thought it
would be nice, since he may not be able to be here again or he will not
be here again after this particular occasion, to say to one of our
long-time employees, thank you very much, Ron Lasch.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. THOMAS. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that Ron is not on the floor, but
I want to rise on behalf of all of us on this side of the aisle. The
gentleman from California indicated that Ron Lasch has been helpful to
his side. That is of course very true. He is, after all, assigned that
responsibility.
On the other hand, I want my colleagues to know and I want everybody
to know that those of us on this side of the aisle who happened to be
on the gentleman's side of the aisle and needed a question answered
felt very comfortable talking to Ron Lasch. Because Ron Lasch, although
he served in a partisan role, clearly felt himself an institutional
person who wanted to facilitate the workings of this institution on
behalf of the American people.
I want to join the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the
chairman of the Committee on House Administration in saying that we
share his congratulations and appreciation for all the work that Ron
Lasch has done and the service that he has performed for everybody on
the floor of the House and for the American public.
Mr. KASICH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. THOMAS. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. KASICH. Mr. Speaker, I happen to know Mr. Lasch is, in fact,
seeing this telecast, and he ought to come to the floor if he can. But
I think that what is most important about Ron Lasch is that, as he sat
in the back, he was always kind of a governor on sometimes the crazy
emotions that this House gets itself whipped up into.
What Ron Lasch is always able to do is to really, he has been around
so long, is to be so grounded and to immediately translate a sense of
responsibility and a sense of self-control and a sense of humility to
every Member. If Ron looked one in the eye and called one on something,
one listened to him. Because he had seen so much, and he had such a
great sense of this place.
Many times, Members of Congress get, as we all do in life, get full
of ourselves. Ron Lasch is one guy that always said, Wait a minute.
Remember, you came in here. It is a privilege to serve, and you are
going to leave this place. And trust me, when you go out the door, you
are only what you are when you came in the door, just another human
being trying to do a job.
{time} 1430
And he is a great, great guy, I think one of the best that we have
ever had in this House; and the House will very much miss him. But I
have a suspicion that he will move in and out.
To the younger Members, they should avail themselves of Ron Lasch in
these last couple weeks that he will be around this floor.
Speaking for many of the Members who have been here for a long time,
I think it would be fair for me to say, Ron Lasch, thank you, God bless
you, and Godspeed.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman).
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for bringing Ron's
name before us once again. He left us so suddenly, none of us really
had an opportunity to wish him well or to say a proper goodbye.
Ron served both sides of the aisle in an appropriate manner. He was
not only a time keeper, a controller of emotions in the back of the
room, but he was a good advisor.
I had the opportunity of having Ron join us on several of our CODELs
where he added a great deal and was able to exchange thinking with
parliamentarians overseas.
So I thank the gentleman for raising this. We wish Ron good health
and happiness in his retirement.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Kolbe).
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I say I can say without fear of contradiction that I
probably have known Ron Lasch longer than any other person in this
Chamber because Ron Lasch and I came to Congress together as pages just
a few months apart when we were at the age of 16 years.
Earlier this summer we did some tributes to Ron Lasch but, of course,
he chose, as he has today, to not be here on the floor.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, we almost got him.
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, we
almost got him today. The gentleman is absolutely right.
So I would simply repeat what I said in that tribute, and that is
that this body is poorer for his absence; and we have been richer as an
institution for what he brought to this body, the sense of calm, the
sense of history, the sense of understanding of where this place is and
where it is going.
I think that he has elevated and has leavened this body I think
substantially. I believe that the House of Representatives will miss
him tremendously. I know all of us individually will. I wish him well.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, just let me say that, as we move into this
period in which demands are going to be made that are actually inhumane
and we expect materials to be prepared in absolute time frames, for
those staff who are here and continue to carry on the work, I just
think that they also need to get recognition, credit, and a ``thank
you'' ahead of time. All too often we fail to say, it is not just us.
Because, without them, it would not be us.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn).
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I commend Ron Lasch. He is a real loss to our
Chamber. We all know him as an institutional citizen dedicated to the
House of Representatives and dedicated to legislative government.
On a trip to Australia and New Zealand where we met with cabinet
ministers and members of their parliament who had made their
governments more effective and efficient, Ron was a great asset to us
given his knowledge about comparisons he had seen in other parts of the
world.
[[Page H7608]]
He knew the great history of the House of Representatives. He was
dedicated. He is a very humble person, who helped many of us when as
newcomers we sought this advice. And anyone that did not ask his advice
should have because they would then have learned what kind of fine
institution is the House of Representatives. He provided good advice to
those who wanted to become effective legislators.
It is good to see Ron back. I hope that he will take these various
encomiums with the respect and affection of his elected friends as he
retires from the House that was his home for so long.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman
for his comments.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Chair of the Committee on
Appropriations and the ranking member for allowing us to disrupt the
proceedings.
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