[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 13, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H3986-H3987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DELBERT L. LATTA POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 985) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 111 West Washington Street in Bowling Green, Ohio, 
as the ``Delbert L. Latta Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 985

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
     111 West Washington Street in Bowling Green, Ohio, shall be 
     known and designated as the ``Delbert L. Latta Post Office 
     Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the facility referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     Delbert L. Latta Post Office Building.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 985.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 985, introduced by my distinguished colleague from 
the State of Ohio (Mr. Gillmor), designates the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 111 West Washington Street in Bowling 
Green, Ohio, as the Delbert L. Latta Post Office Building.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a special day for this House as we have a chance 
here to honor one of our own former Members. U.S. Representative 
Delbert Latta, or Del, as he was affectionately known, worked 30 years 
for the people of the great State of Ohio's fifth district. He was one 
of the House's most devoted Members, and I am proud to be a part of 
these proceedings to honor him today.
  Del grew up in northwest Ohio before serving our country in the Ohio 
National Guard and Marine Corps Reserve. After graduating from Ohio 
Northern University's law school in 1943, Del Latta began to practice 
law in Bowling Green. Ten years later, he sought and won a seat in the 
Ohio State senate, to which he was reelected two times. Finally, in 
November of 1958, Del Latta was elected to the 86th Congress, beginning 
a career where he spent most of his time fighting for fiscal prudence.
  Not known as one of this body's most attention-seeking Members, 
Congressman Latta was definitely one of its most diligent. He held 
pivotal seats on the Committee on Rules, the Committee on Agriculture, 
and the Committee on the Budget during his time in the House. In 1975, 
he became the ranking member of the Committee on the Budget, a post he 
held for 13 years until his retirement. In that position, Del Latta 
played an important role by consistently fighting for budget-balancing 
measures and against wasteful government spending. He was the dean of 
his home State of Ohio's congressional delegation when he chose to not 
seek reelection in 1988, and he returned home to Bowling Green.
  In addition, perhaps the most suitable aspects of renaming this post 
office building after Congressman Latta is the fact that this very 
facility once housed Congressman Latta's district office in Bowling 
Green.
  Therefore, I urge all Members to recognize the public service career 
of former Ohio Congressman Del Latta by supporting the passage of H.R. 
985. I thank my colleague from Ohio for introducing this important 
measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 985, legislation which names a 
postal facility in Bowling Green, Ohio, after Delbert L. Latta. H.R. 
985, introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor) on February 
27, 2003, has met the committee cosponsorship requirement and enjoys 
the support of the entire Ohio delegation.
  Delbert L. Latta is a former Member of Congress who represented the 
Fifth Congressional District in Ohio from 1959 to 1989. A native of 
``Beautiful

[[Page H3987]]

Ohio,'' the title of the State song, Mr. Latta was born and educated in 
the State whose motto is, ``With God all things are possible.'' He went 
on to serve in the Ohio National Guard and the U.S. Marines before 
settling down and practicing law in Bowling Green.
  Prior to his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Delbert 
Latta served in the State senate for three terms. In November of 1958, 
he was elected to the 86th Congress. During his 30 years in Congress, 
Representative Latta served on the House Committee on Agriculture, the 
Committee on the Budget, and the Committee on Rules. In 1988, 
Representative Latta decided not to run for reelection and returned 
home to Bowling Green, Ohio, where he is active in numerous community 
and civic organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor) for 
seeking to honor former Congressman Del Latta in this matter, and I 
urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gillmor), the sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I am very pleased to rise and ask my colleagues to support H.R. 985, 
which would duly honor a man who was my predecessor in this body, 
Congressman Del Latta. Del served for 30 years in this Chamber, and it 
was 30 years of distinguished service to the people of the fifth 
district of Ohio.
  It designates the post office at 111 West Washington Street in 
Bowling Green as the Delbert L. Latta Post Office building, and I think 
it is particularly appropriate, because Del spent a great deal of time 
in that building. During most of his career in Congress, his 
congressional office was located there.
  He was born in Weston, Ohio, in Wood County. He attended Findlay 
College and Ohio Northern University; and before World War II, from 
1938 to 1941, he served in the Ohio National Guard and in the U.S. 
Army. He was in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1942 to 1943. He was 
admitted to practice law in 1944. He served later in the Ohio senate 
for three terms, from 1953 to 1958. After some gap in service, I had 
the privilege of also representing that State senate district. He was 
elected to the 86th Congress in November 1958.
  During his tenure, he had a number of very important assignments: the 
Committee on Rules; the Committee on the Budget, where he was ranking 
minority member; and he also served three terms on the House Committee 
on Agriculture. He was very well known as the cosponsor of the Graham-
Latta bill, which was a major tax cut bill in the Reagan 
administration. And after deciding he would not run for reelection in 
1988, he returned to his home in Bowling Green, and Del remains active 
in the community today.
  Among his achievements in public service are his involvement in the 
Watergate hearings and his role as dean of the Ohio delegation. The 
character, hard work, and the commitment he brought to public life had 
a significant effect on our State and on our Nation's public policy, 
and his accomplishments should not go unnoticed.
  So I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this important 
legislation.
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this issue, and 
I want to again thank the gentleman from Ohio for introducing this 
important legislation. I urge all Members to support the adoption of 
this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 985.
  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.

                          ____________________