[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 130 (Monday, October 7, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H7148-H7150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       JOE SKEEN FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5427) to designate the Federal building located at Fifth and 
Richardson Avenues in Roswell, New Mexico, as the ``Joe Skeen Federal 
Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5427

       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 Fifth and Richardson 
     Avenues in Roswell, New Mexico, shall be known and designated 
     as the ``Joe Skeen 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 ``Joe Skeen Federal Building''.

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This Act shall take effect on January 1, 2003.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5427 designates the Federal building in Roswell, 
New Mexico, as the Joe Skeen Federal Building. After 22 years of 
distinguished service in this body, our colleague from New Mexico, Joe 
Skeen, is retiring.
  I want to recognize the hard work of the bill's sponsor, the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico's first district (Mrs. Wilson), in bringing 
this measure to the floor with the support of over 200 co-sponsors.
  Congressman Skeen was born in Roswell, New Mexico. We will spare him 
from saying the year of his birth since he is still with us in this 
body. He served in the United States Navy for a 1-year enlistment and 
later in the United States Air Force Reserves from 1949 until 1952. 
Congressman Skeen graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in 
agricultural engineering. After graduation, he worked as a soil and 
water engineer for the Zuni and Ramah Navajo Indians. He later 
purchased the family sheep ranch.
  Congressman Skeen was first elected to public office in 1960 when he 
served in the New Mexico State Senate until 1970. For the last 6 years 
of his time in the State Senate he served as a minority leader. In 1980 
Congressman Skeen was elected to serve New Mexico's second district in 
the United States House of Representatives. He was first elected as a 
write-in candidate and served for 11 succeeding Congresses.
  While serving in the House, Joe was known and is known for his 
commitment to property rights, balancing the

[[Page H7149]]

Federal budget, and increased tax relief. He may have been the most 
influential as chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies of the 
Committee on Appropriations, enhancing the agriculture viability in New 
Mexico and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior dealing with 
natural resources and public land use.
  This is an appropriate building designation to a dedicated public 
servant, and I want to congratulate Congressman Skeen on such an 
admirable and distinguished career and wish him all the best and great 
happiness as he returns to his family and the family ranch.
  I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
  H.R. 5427 is a bill to designate the federal building in Roswell New 
Mexico as the Joe Skeen Federal Building.
  Joe Skeen was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1927. As a young man he 
served a one-year enlistment in the Navy and served in the Air Force 
Reserve between 1949 and 1952. In 1950 he graduated from Texas A&M 
University.
  Joe Skeen was elected to Congress in 1980 as a write in candidate in 
the general election. He was only the third person in the Nation's 
history to win a U.S. House set through this type of effort. Over the 
past two decades he has served the people of the 2nd district in New 
Mexico with distinction and devotion.
  As Congressman he focused his energy and interests on agriculture, 
national defense, and public land management. In 1985 he became a 
member of the House Appropriations Committee, and in 1995 he became 
chair of the Appropriations subcommittee on Agriculture. At the 
beginning of the 107th Congress he was named a chair of the Interior 
subcommittee.
  One of Congressman Skeen's major legislative accomplishments was to 
ensure the opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant--the Nations' 
first repository for defense related waste. Concerned about the 
public's health and safety, and the environment Joe Skeen working 
tirelessly to address storage of federal waste.
  Joe Skeen has supported legislation to maintain the viability of the 
agriculture industry. He also has been a leader in supporting 
legislative initiatives on the balanced budget, crime, education, and 
military spending. He is an unapologetic advocate of local control, 
insisting that citizens make their own determination, and not let 
legislative systems do it.
  Congressman Skeen is well respected on both sides of the aisle. He is 
an earnest and capable legislator, a worthy advisory, and a true 
gentleman, devoted to his family, and dedicated to his constituents. 
His good will and humor will be missed by all his colleagues.
  It is fitting and proper to honor Joe Skeen's life in public service 
with the designation of the federal building in Roswell New Mexico as 
the Joe Skeen Federal Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman 
from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor and 
privilege to have the opportunity to speak today in support of H.R. 
5427, the Joe Skeen Federal Building Designation Act. The honor of 
speaking in support of this bill, however, pales in comparison to the 
honor of having the opportunity to serve as a Member of Congress with 
Joe.

                              {time}  2115

  It is difficult to capture with words the impact and significance 
that Joe has meant, not only to New Mexicans, but to the citizens of 
the United States and the institution of the U.S. Congress as well. It 
is no secret that he has been an incredibly effective legislator on 
behalf of his constituents and that he has been an incredible asset to 
his party and the entire Congress.
  No doubt my colleagues will list many of his legislative 
accomplishments and accolades he has earned during his remarkable life. 
The list is impressive. But these are but a small part of the fabric of 
Joe's character.
  Throughout his years of service, he has been a model of integrity and 
truth. He always done what he believed in his heart to be true, and he 
has always worked in a bipartisan way to accomplish important work.
  During a time of increasing cynicism towards politics and politicians 
by the media and the electorate, Joe Skeen is a man who exemplifies 
what is good and what is right in our political system.
  Joe, thank you for your service to New Mexico and to our country, 
but, most of all, thank you for your friendship. You will be sorely 
missed by all.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as 
she may consume to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), the 
bill's author.
  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, it is really an honor to be 
here this evening to share some time with the House and to explain why 
we are naming a building in Roswell, New Mexico, after a guy named Joe 
Skeen.
  Joe Skeen was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and he is a rancher. Most 
of us around here know that, because when he was the chair of the 
Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, he never let 
us forget it. It was not just a ranch, it was a sheep ranch, and Joe 
managed to put up photographs of New Mexico around the appropriations 
subcommittee room of sheep everywhere so no one would forget this was 
an appropriations subcommittee that was chaired by a sheep rancher.
  He purchased his family ranching operation from his grandmother, and 
it is currently being run by Joe and his wife, Mary, and his son, Mike. 
He also has a daughter, Lisa, and three grandsons.
  You really cannot think of Joe without also thinking of Mary. She is 
an absolute stalwart; a wonderful woman, one of those western women of 
strength who radiates warmth and friendship; the kind of woman who 
walks into a room and just lights up the place and lights up Joe's eyes 
too. You can see that still in their relationship, having been married 
these many years.
  Joe is also known quite a bit for his sense of humor around here. In 
fact, Tom, I think probably only Mo Udall exceeds him in his 
appreciation for the importance of humor in public life. It is kind of 
a dry, western sense of humor.
  He talks about being the minority leader of the State Senate in New 
Mexico. People introduce him that way as a proud accomplishment, and he 
always points out to them that at the time he was the minority leader 
they had their caucus meetings in the phone booth because there were so 
few Republicans in the State Senate. Then he began to build the 
Republican Party, and the representation of Republicans in the State 
Senate followed him.
  He was first elected to the House of Representatives as a write-in 
candidate in 1980. It was very unusual. In fact, he was only the third 
person in American history to ever be elected to this body as a write-
in candidate. It was an extraordinary effort and an unusual time. I 
remember Mary telling me on that night, election night in 1980, when 
they got the reports in from the precincts, that it was 11 o'clock at 
night. The polls had already been closed since 7, but people were still 
waiting in line. They knew then that they were going to win. It was an 
unusual moment in American history, participated in by a very unusual 
and wonderful man.
  Joe has been an effective leader in and an outstanding Representative 
for New Mexico's Second District for over 20 years. During his time, 
Joe has shown his commitment to public service and to his constituents.
  His staff, many of whom have been with him for 22 years, talk about 
when he used to work in that Federal Building down in Roswell, and he 
would go out to take a little break and he would not be back for half 
an hour, an hour or more. He had found some constituent to chat with, 
some constituent that needed help with a Social Security check or 
veterans benefits. That was the kind of guy that Joe was as a public 
servant.
  During his tenure here, he has had a powerful influence in this 
Congress. He has served 17 years on the Committee on Appropriations. He 
has been a champion of States' rights and the idea that decisions made 
closest to the people are those that are best.
  He is also known around here for his sense of humor. Whenever anyone 
walks into his office from New Mexico, he asks about the weather. He 
asks

[[Page H7150]]

whether it has rained yet. Usually, of course, the answer is no, since 
we do not get much rain, and Joe always says, with that perfect timing 
that I cannot even begin to imitate, ``You know, there are 12-year-olds 
in New Mexico that have never even seen rain.'' His staff is very 
familiar with that story, but every constituent gets a big laugh out of 
Joe Skeen and his appreciation for the western sense of humor.
  After 11 terms in the United States Congress, Joe has decided to 
return to his ranch, a place that he describes as being ``at the center 
of my upbringing and which shaped my character and its principles.'' He 
leaves behind a proud tradition of public service, in which he has been 
a positive influence on many people's lives, including mine.
  One of Joe's actions when he first took office in 1981 was to 
introduce legislation to name the Federal Building in Las Cruces after 
the man he replaced, Congressman Harold Runnels. I believe it is 
appropriate 22 years later to return the favor.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
indicate that I want to congratulate the gentlewoman from New Mexico 
(Mrs. Wilson) for not only introducing this legislation, but also for 
that moving testimony to a fine individual who served this institution 
well. I want to thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) for his 
kind words, and urge passage of the bill.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5427, a bill to 
designate the federal building in Roswell, New Mexico as the ``Joe 
Skeen Federal Building''. Congressman Skeen has ably represented the 
citizens of the 2nd district of New Mexico for 22 years. He was first 
elected to Congress in 1980 as a write-in candidate, becoming only the 
3rd person to be elected to Congress in this manner. With his most 
recent reelection in 2000, he became New Mexico's longest serving 
member of the United States Congress.
  Throughout his career, Joe Skeen has fought consistently for local 
land management, for the rights of miners and farmers, and the ranching 
industry. He has also been a champion of popular federal nutrition 
programs such as food stamps and school lunches, and he has labored 
tirelessly to obtain defense funds for New Mexico's defense industry.
  Congressman Skeen's long career in this Body is perhaps most 
distinguished by his service on the Appropriations Committee. In 1995, 
he was appointed as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Agriculture, a position he held until the end of the 106th Congress. At 
the beginning of this Congress, Congressman Skeen was appointed as 
Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior.
  Joe Skeen's voting record is truly impressive. In 2001, as he has 
done in years past, Congressman Skeen voted in 100 percent of the votes 
called on the House floor. But Joe Skeen will be remembered not only 
for his notable voting record, but also his good humor, loyalty, and 
his sense of decency. Both sides of the aisle will miss the gentleman 
from New Mexico when he retires at the end of this Congress.
  H.R. 5427 designates the federal building in Roswell, New Mexico, in 
honor of Congressman Joe Skeen. It is a fitting tribute to a long and 
distinguished career, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brown of South Carolina). The question 
is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5427.
  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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