[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 18, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H10183-H10184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF 
               A NATIONAL MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION DAY

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 308) expressing the sense of 
the House of Representatives regarding the establishment of a National 
Motivation and Inspiration Day, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 308

       Whereas motivation and inspiration have played important 
     roles in the greatest achievements of civilized society and 
     are characteristics common to all great leaders;
       Whereas both children and adults need motivation and 
     inspiration in order to achieve success and happiness in 
     their lives;
       Whereas the inspiration to define goals at school, home, 
     and work and the motivation to achieve those goals is 
     critical to achieving success and happiness;
       Whereas all children and young adults need mentors to 
     inspire them to achieve their goals and to motivate them to 
     direct their energies toward positive and constructive 
     activities and goals;
       Whereas adults who mentor children and young adults become 
     inspired and motivated themselves;
       Whereas a renewed focus on motivation and inspiration is 
     particularly important in the wake of the tragedies of 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas the beginning of the year is often a time of 
     reflection, planning, and goal setting;
       Whereas the establishment of a National Motivation and 
     Inspiration Day would provide an opportunity for the people 
     of the United States to focus on the importance of 
     maintaining motivation and inspiration in their lives; and
       Whereas prominent citizens of Long Island, New York, are 
     attempting to establish January 2 as National Motivation and 
     Inspiration Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the 
     goals of a National Motivation and Inspiration Day.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann 
Davis).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous matter on House Resolution 
308, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 308, 
expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of the 
goals of a National Motivation and Inspiration Day.
  Furthermore, I commend my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Grucci), for introducing this important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, motivation and inspiration have played important roles 
in the greatest achievements of civilized society, and are 
characteristics common to all great leaders.
  Both children and adults need motivation and inspiration in order to 
achieve success and happiness in their lives. Children and young adults 
need mentors to inspire them to achieve their goals, and to motivate 
them to direct their energies toward positive and constructive 
activities and goals. Furthermore, the adults who mentor the children 
and young adults become inspired and motivated themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, a renewed focus on motivation and inspiration is 
particularly important in the wake of September 11 tragedies. The 
inspiration to define goals at school, home, and work, and the 
motivation to achieve those goals is critical to achieving success and 
happiness in our current trying circumstances.
  Mr. Speaker, the beginning of the year is often a time of reflection, 
planning, and goal-setting. For that reason, prominent citizens of Long 
Island, New York, are attempting to establish January 2 as National 
Motivation and Inspiration Day. This would set a good example for the 
rest of our Nation, and provide all with the focus of maintaining 
motivation and inspiration in their lives.
  If successful, their efforts would provide an opportunity for the 
people of the United States to focus on the importance of maintaining 
motivation and inspiration in their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this important resolution, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise to endorse House 
Resolution 308, a resolution expressing the support of the House of 
Representatives of the goals of a National Motivation and Inspiration 
Day.
  I commend my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci), for 
introducing such a resolution, and call upon all Members of the House 
to begin to focus on the importance of motivation and inspiration, 
especially as we embark upon a new year, 2002.
  After reading House Resolution 308, I was immediately reminded of an 
important passage in the Bible: First Corinthians, Chapter 13. This 
passage discusses the love man can have for his fellow man, and how we 
should not worry about ourselves, but worry about others.
  The ideals embodied in the First Corinthians passage not only embrace 
the message contained in House Resolution 308, they also speak to two 
legislative proposals we will consider today: H.R. 3072 and H.R. 3379.
  H.R. 3072 seeks to honor Mr. Vernon Tarlton, a man of great faith and 
dedication to his community, by naming a post office after him in his 
hometown. H.R. 3379 names a post office after New York City Fire 
Department Chief of Rescue Operations, Mr. Ray Downey. Chief Downey, a 
firefighter for 39 years, died in the World Trade Center on September 
11, 2001.
  These two men are and were great leaders who directed their energies 
towards positive and constructive activities and goals. Chief Downey 
led a New York fire department special unit to assist in recovery 
efforts at the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. He directed rescue 
efforts at the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, and helped the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency found a national network search and 
rescue team.

                              {time}  1430

  He truly motivated and inspired and led the way for his team. He did 
not worry about himself; rather, he directed his efforts to save 
others.
  Mr. Tarlton spent his lifetime working on behalf of others in his 
community and along the way being recognized for his efforts. In a time 
of uncertainty in the world and here at home, at a time when we as a 
Nation are called upon to show greater compassion and appreciation for 
the diversity of our people and religious faith, we need to take stock 
and focus on the importance of maintaining motivation and inspiration 
in our lives.
  As part of that, we must open our arms wide and embrace and educate 
our children and young adults. They too must learn the value of helping 
others, not for glory, but because it is the right thing to do.

[[Page H10184]]

  Mr. Speaker, I again commend my colleague for introducing this 
measure and urge its swift passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci).
  Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. 
Jo Ann Davis) for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the September 11 attacks against our 
Nation, it is now important than ever to live each day with a sense of 
renewed spirit. It is for this reason that I stand before you today in 
support of my bill, H.R. 308, which supports the goals of National 
Motivation and Inspiration Day.
  Throughout history, motivation and inspiration have been vital 
components of all great movements. They are qualities that have played 
an invaluable role in the intellectual movements, the civil rights 
movements, the suffrage movements and many more. All great leaders from 
Martin Luther King, Jr., and Winston Churchill to Ronald Reagan and 
Mother Theresa have all shared, among other things, the ability to 
motivate the masses and inspire them to achieve great goals.
  In our daily lives we look to our teachers, parents, coaches, and 
clergy to do the same, whether it is in the victory at the end of a 
sporting event, a record-breaking year in the sales department, making 
the dean's list, or earning the rank of officer in our fine military 
forces, progress and betterment for all people is certain to arise from 
motivation and inspiration.
  On September 11 we were all inspired by the hundreds of firefighters, 
police officers, and rescue workers who ran up and into the Twin Towers 
to save the lives of the thousands of people while sacrificing their 
own. The actions of these brave men and women on September 11 have 
motivated each American to do something to better contribute to the 
good of our society. Today we need to publicly recognize the importance 
of motivation and inspiration in our daily lives.
  House Resolution 308 supports the goals of celebrating National 
Motivation and Inspiration Day on January 2 of each year, a time that 
is traditionally used for reflection, planning, and goal setting. There 
is no better time to celebrate motivation and inspiration than during 
the season of New Year's resolutions, when we are all trying to find 
ways to maintain our goals throughout the year.
  While this resolution does not directly designate this day, it 
highlights the importance of motivation and inspiration and the 
valuable role those qualities should play in the education of our 
children in the United States and around the globe.
  I would like to thank the Committee on Government Reform chairman, 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Burton), and the majority leader, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), and their staff for helping me bring 
this measure to the floor. I would also like to thank my constituent 
and my friend, Kevin McCrudden, whose birthday it is today, for coming 
up with this idea and for working closely with me and my staff to see 
that this comes to fruition.
  Mr. Speaker, you do not have to be inspired by the greatest things in 
life. It is some of the smaller things that inspire people to move to 
greatness. One of the things that has inspired and motivated me on this 
House floor is the day that I traveled to New York with the 
Congressional delegation to visit the infamous Ground Zero. And as I 
was walking down the streets and getting closer and closer and 
recognizing the enormity of the damage and the severity of what 
transpired, the pain in people's hearts as I moved closer, what 
inspired me most was the passion in the eyes of the firefighters and 
the police officers. As you can look down into their soul and see what 
motivated them, that is what has been motivating me on the floor to 
continue that fight and to help them to move and to get accomplished 
the things that they have set out to accomplish.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in support of this 
resolution.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers; and as I prepare to close, 
let me again congratulate the gentleman for his very thoughtful 
resolution and for it coming at a time of great need. Because even as 
we stand here today, a great shadow is being cast across America, the 
shadow of economic crisis, of recession. We are now in our 14th month 
of decline in industrial production. There are 100,000 workers losing 
their jobs each week. More than 1.3 million Americans have lost their 
jobs this year. Poverty and homelessness are on the rise. And as usual, 
the largest group of the poor are the children. Tens of millions of 
them are without affordable health care.
  Suddenly thousands of people cannot pay their mortgages, cannot 
afford to continue college education. The hopes of millions of 
Americans who struggle to enter the mainstream of American economic 
life, to share in the American dream during the past decade, are now 
being dashed.
  The economic crisis has been worsened by the terrorist attacks of 
September 11. But despite the heartfelt outpouring of support from 
Americans of every socio-economic group for the victims of the 
terrorists, there still remain masses of poor people who are finding it 
difficult to survive in our country.
  So this resolution, this resolution calling for the inspiration and 
motivation that people need to dream, to believe that their lives can 
become whatever it is that they would endeavor to make life be, to know 
that no matter how dark it is at night, that there is sunshine in the 
morning. And so the idea of hope, of motivation, of inspiration of 
helping people to know that they can overcome any obstacles, overcome 
any fears, that they are in control of their own destinies, and they 
can help to make America and the world even greater than anything that 
we have ever experienced.
  Again, I commend the gentleman and urge all of my colleagues to 
support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Civil Service and Agency Organization, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Weldon), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis), along with the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform, 
and ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), for 
expediting consideration of this resolution. I commend my colleague, 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci).
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support House Resolution 308.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) 
that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 
308, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``Resolution 
supporting the goals of a National Motivation and Inspiration Day.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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