[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 5, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2856-H2857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ELWOOD HAYNES ``BUD'' HILLIS POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2043) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2719 South Webster Street in Kokomo, Indiana, as the 
``Elwood Haynes `Bud' Hillis Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2043

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

     SECTION 1. ELWOOD HAYNES ``BUD'' HILLIS POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2719 South Webster Street in Kokomo, 
     Indiana, shall be known and designated as the ``Elwood Haynes 
     `Bud' Hillis Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Elwood Haynes ``Bud'' Hillis Post Office 
     Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Idaho (Mr. Otter) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 2043.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Idaho?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, House Resolution 2043, introduced by the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) on May 25, 2001, designates the facility at 
the United States Postal Service located at 2719 South Webster Street 
in Kokomo, Indiana, as the Elwood Haynes ``Bud'' Hillis Post Office 
Building.
  Pursuant to the policy of the policy of the Committee on Government 
Reform, all Members of the House delegation of the State of Indiana are 
cosponsors of the measure.
  Bud Hillis is a native Hoosier. He was born in Kokomo and attended 
public schools there. He was a graduate of Culver Military Academy. At 
the age of 18, he enlisted as an infantryman in World War II and served 
in Europe for 27 months. When he returned, he received his bachelor's 
degree from Indiana University and, continuing his studies there, he 
earned a law degree.
  He practiced law in Indiana and was chairman of the Howard County Bar 
Association. He was elected to the Indiana State House of 
Representatives and served for two terms. Because of a vacancy in the 
Fifth Congressional District when the incumbent was chosen to fill a 
United States Senate seat, Bud Hillis was selected to run for the House 
seat and was elected to the 92nd Congress in 1970, and he served there 
until 1986.
  Representative Hillis was a member of the Committee on Armed Services 
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He was a founding member of the 
Congressional Auto Task Force and a strong advocate of the 
Congressional Steel Caucus.
  Madam Speaker, it is a fitting tribute to name a post office in 
Kokomo, Indiana, after the distinguished gentleman from that city who 
selflessly served the interests of his constituents in the State house 
and in Congress for many years.
  I urge our colleagues to support House Resolution 2043.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 2043 to designate the U.S. Post Office at 2719 
South Webster Street in Kokomo, Indiana, as the Elwood Haynes ``Bud'' 
Hillis Post Office Building was introduced by the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Buyer) on May 26, 2001. This measure has the support and 
cosponsorship of the entire Indiana delegation.
  Of course, former Congressman Elwood ``Bud'' Hillis served honorably 
and with great distinction, representing Indiana's Fifth District from 
1971 to 1986. He was an outstanding member of the House, well loved by 
his constituents, well loved by the people in the communities that he 
represented and that he served, and I think it is altogether fitting 
and proper that we bestow upon him and upon his memory the honor of 
naming one of our institutions in his honor.
  I certainly join in sponsorship, as well as in support of this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Pence).
  Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. 
Otter) for yielding me this time.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), for his leadership on this measure 
and the balance of the Indiana delegation for their efforts in 
designating the Kokomo Post Office in honor of Congressman Bud Hillis.
  Madam Speaker, many Hoosiers might be deserving of this honor, but 
few are more deserving than Congressman Hillis. His career and 
distinguished record of public service testify to his dedication to the 
United States and the State of Indiana.
  As a member of this Chamber, he was instrumental in saving thousands 
of Hoosier jobs through the Chrysler bailout, and his membership on the 
Committee on Armed Services ensured that Indiana's sons and daughters 
who served in the military were well equipped to face the threats 
across the world.

                              {time}  1445

  Madam Speaker, on a personal note, as a young candidate during my 
first bid for Congress in 1988, I looked at the service and the career 
and the integrity of Congressman Bud Hillis, and I pledged to myself 
then that if ever elected to serve in this body, it would be my purpose 
to serve as a man of integrity and commitment, to serve as did 
Congressman Bud Hillis. Thirteen years later, Congressman Hillis still 
stands as an example for all of us who seek to be men and women of 
integrity in the United States House of Representatives.
  It is said that a good name is more precious than rubies. Madam 
Speaker, I believe I speak for every Member of the Indiana delegation 
when I say we are proud to put the good name of a great Hoosier 
Congressman, Bud Hillis, on the Post Office on South Webster Street in 
Kokomo, Indiana.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I thank both gentleman for coming to the 
House floor with this bipartisan legislation, and I also want to thank 
my good friend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) for his eloquent 
words. I think he said it very well, and I feel sort of awkward here 
following him.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to honor who I believe is one of the most 
distinguished men ever to represent the State of Indiana in the United 
States House of Representatives, my dear friend and former Congressman, 
Elwood Haynes Bud Hillis. Those of us that know this gentleman the 
best, I suppose, all refer to him as ``Bud.''
  Bud honorably and effectively served the people of Indiana's fifth 
district in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1986, 16 years of 
dedicated service to his country. During his time in the House of 
Representatives, he was a reasonable and authoritative voice on matters 
of national security, trade, and veterans' issues.

[[Page H2857]]

  He is a graduate of Indiana's Culver Military Academy, and he 
enlisted to fight in World War II at the age of 18. He served as an 
infantryman in the European Theater for 27 months, leaving active duty 
as a first lieutenant.
  After the war, Bud attended Indiana University and Indiana University 
School of Law. He came back to his home community and set up a law 
practice right on the courthouse square in Kokomo. He then went on to 
become chairman of the County Bar Association. In November of 1970, he 
was elected to served two terms in the Indiana House of 
Representatives. He then went on to serve here in the United States 
Congress.
  While in Congress, Bud was known for a unique combination of genteel 
civility and firm resolve. During his years in Washington, he was noted 
for his leadership on several issues of vital importance to Hoosiers 
and to the Nation as a whole.
  As a Member of the Committee on Armed Services, Bud was instrumental 
in the development and deployment of the M-1 tank, for it to be built 
here in the United States. When I returned after my service during the 
Persian Gulf War, I never realized until I sat down with Bud how eager 
he was to discuss the Persian Gulf War, because a decade or 15 years 
earlier he sat down and he worked on the development of the M-1 tank. 
And he believed in that tank, and then he had the opportunity to see 
some of it on CNN, like a lot of the country observed the Gulf War. But 
he was anxious to hear firsthand of the use of a weapon system that he 
was so instrumental in deploying.
  He also took a very serious interest in the automobile industry. It 
is very fitting he would do so, because well over 100 years ago there 
were two brothers, Elmer and Edgar Apperson, who, along with Bud's 
grandfather, Elwood Haynes, who invented the automobile, something that 
we just take for granted today, which revolutionized the transportation 
system of this country. And Bud's grandfather invented the automobile.
  So when he came here to serve in Congress, he was a founding Member 
of the Congressional Automobile Task Force. And he was the leading 
advocate for the rescue of Chrysler as a corporation, and what a viable 
corporation it is today. He was also a strong force in the 
Congressional Steel Caucus as vice president of its executive 
committee.
  Bud also took seriously our Nation's commitment to our veterans. As a 
Member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, he was a leader in caring 
for not only our country's veterans, but he was also instrumental in 
the construction of a VA outpatient clinic in Crown Point, which is 
Lake County, Indiana.
  Bud also had a very strong impact upon me. At age 32, when I returned 
from the Gulf War, I saw life in a different dimension and sought to 
yet serve my country in a different perspective. I went and sat down 
with Bud Hillis, and through all the way up to even today, he continues 
to give me great counsel and advice.
  The impact that he had upon Joni and the Buyer family was that Bud 
raised his family in Indiana, and for 16 years he commuted. So I could 
see firsthand many Members raise their families, and this is not a 
family-friendly institution. And I followed, not necessarily his 
advice, because that is not the way Bud is, but I chose then to raise 
my family in Indiana, and I do the commute back and forth. And it was 
probably the best thing for me, because it does not let this town 
overtake you, and it keeps you well-grounded when your children are 
raised in the district which you represent.
  Bud is a family man. Carol and their children, I wish them the very 
best. Bud has a distinguished record of service to his country, in war 
and in peace and here in the halls of Congress.
  To the people that Bud represented here in Indiana, I offer this bill 
with great pride on behalf of the entire Indiana delegation. It is 
because of the dedication of his service to his country that the Kokomo 
Post Office on Webster Street will be a fitting tribute to such an 
honorable and accomplished Hoosier.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, that concludes the remarks that we have on Mr. Hillis. 
I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) for 
introducing the legislation and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) for their kind remarks in 
the dedication for and paying tribute to Mr. Hillis on this occasion.
  Mr. ROEMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution 
designating the Elwood Haynes ``Bud'' Hillis Post Office Building in 
Kokomo, Indiana. This tribute will serve to commemorate the 20 years of 
distinguished public service that Congressman Hillis provided to the 
state of Indiana in both the Indiana General Assembly and the United 
States House of Representatives.
  A native of Kokomo, Indiana, Congressman Hillis graduated from Culver 
Military Academy in 1944 before entering the Army. He served in the 
European theater during World War II, and ended the war with the rank 
of first lieutenant. After retiring from reserve infantry duty with a 
rank of captain in 1954, he attended Indiana University and the Indiana 
University School of Law. Hillis then began practicing law in Howard 
County, where he was active in the community from the beginning. 
Hillis' involvement in charitable causes in his hometown of Kokomo 
earned him the admiration of his peers in the community. Among the 
organizations that he has helped over the past four decades include the 
United Way, the YMCA, the YWCA, and the Salvation Army.
  Hillis' reputation as a man who embraced his causes and worked for 
them eventually encouraged him into politics. He made his initial 
venture into politics when he was elected to begin his first term in 
the Indiana House of Representatives in 1967. After serving two terms 
in the Indiana General Assembly, Hillis was elected to the 5th district 
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970. As a member of the 
U.S. Congress, he became heavily involved with military and veterans 
affairs. Among his committee assignments were the Veterans Affairs and 
Armed Services Committees, where he was instrumental in upgrading 
Grissom Air Force Reserve Base to make that an integral part of our 
nation's defenses. Bud always seemed to be supportive of our nation's 
veterans. Even in the period of immediately following the Vietnam War, 
Bud recognized the need to stand by American forces here and abroad. 
Although he was in the minority for a number of years following that 
tumultuous time in American history, his efforts certainly showed him 
to be a man of principle.
  His soft-spoken polite nature was admired by many of his peers in the 
House of Representatives, and he gained great respect in Washington for 
his 16-year legislative record. Although he was popular in his 
district, Hillis voluntarily stepped down in 1987 after serving eight 
terms.
  This dedication of the Kokomo post office certainly would be a 
fitting tribute for a distinguished gentleman representing the state of 
Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2043.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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