[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 88 (Monday, June 16, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5370-H5371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BRUCE WOODBURY POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2254) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1101 Colorado Street in Boulder City, Nevada, as the
``Bruce Woodbury Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2254
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. BRUCE WOODBURY POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1101 Colorado Street in Boulder City,
Nevada, shall be known and designated as the ``Bruce Woodbury
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 Bruce Woodbury Post Office Building.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Carter) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).
General Leave
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the bill currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2254, introduced by my distinguished colleague, the
gentleman from the State of Nevada (Mr. Porter), designates the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1101 Colorado
Street in Boulder City, Nevada, as the ``Bruce Woodbury Post Office
Building.''
Mr. Speaker, this legislation honors a public servant whose
contributions may not garner national attention; but in southern
Nevada, few citizens are more highly regarded than Bruce Woodbury.
To those who live in and around the Third Congressional District of
Nevada, Bruce Woodbury is known as a civic official who has been among
the most influential in promoting the remarkable economic development
of this booming region. He has chaired the Regional Transportation
Commission of Southern Nevada for the last 11 years. In that capacity,
his crowning achievement was securing the construction of the Las Vegas
Beltway, probably the most ambitious transportation project ever in
Clark County.
Bruce Woodbury also has served on the Clark County Commission in
southern Nevada for 21 years. Mr. Woodbury has led this commission on
the most important issues Clark County has had to face: health care,
air and water quality, public transit, gaming, sanitation, and many
others. His fellow commissioners have selected him to be the Chair of
the Big Ben Water District Board of Trustees, the vice-chair of the
Kyle Canyon Water District Board of Trustees, among several other
posts.
Mr. Woodbury is also a partner at his law firm of Jolley, Urga, Wirth
and Woodbury that has offices in Boulder City and in Las Vegas.
In his time away from work, he is also a member of the Boulder City
Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and Elks Lodge. Previously he has sat
on the board of trustees at a bank, the Las Vegas chapter of the Red
Cross, and the Nevada Special Olympics. Finally, he has been appointed
to many state level councils, boards, and other panels, truly too
numerous to name.
In whatever spare time that he can find, Mr. Woodbury loves to spend
as much time as he can with his wife, Rose, and their seven children,
Adam, Ashley, Benjamin, Melissa, Rebecca, Rodney and Wendy, and their
seven grandchildren: Anna, Elias, Jess, Joseph, Samuel, and Silvie
Jane.
I understand that the gentleman from Nevada, the sponsor of this
legislation and former mayor of Boulder City, has worked together with
Bruce Woodbury on countless efforts affecting the residents of southern
Nevada. They have developed a close relationship, and I applaud my
colleague from Nevada for his work on this meaningful measure. This
post office in Boulder City, Nevada will hopefully soon be named after
a truly wonderful, all-around American.
Therefore, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 2254.
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, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform,
I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 2254, which
names a postal facility in Boulder City, Nevada, after Bruce Woodbury.
H.R. 2254, which was introduced by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr.
Porter) on May 22, 2003, has met the committee policy and has been
cosponsored by all members of the Nevada delegation.
Mr. Woodbury is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, and has lived in
Boulder City for over 25 years. A distinguished community and civic-
minded member of Boulder City, Mr. Woodbury has long been involved in
city politics. As a member of the Clark County Commission for 21 years
and the Regional Transportation Commission, Mr.
[[Page H5371]]
Woodbury has successfully tackled a number of challenging
transportation projects.
As chairman of the Regional Transportation Committee, Commissioner
Woodbury was a driving force behind the construction of the Las Vegas
Beltway and reducing traffic delays.
I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the numerous
contributions of Commissioner Bruce Woodbury in this manner. I note
that H.R. 2254 also enjoys the support of the Honorable Robert S.
Ferraro, mayor of Boulder City, and members of the entire city council.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly concur in the passage of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
honorable gentleman from the State of Nevada (Mr. Porter), the sponsor
of this legislation.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2254,
legislation to name the United States Postal Service facility in
Boulder City, Nevada, in honor of Clark County Commissioner Bruce
Woodbury.
I introduced this legislation to pay tribute to one of southern
Nevada's most distinguished citizens. I have worked closely with the
members of the city council of Boulder City and the mayor of Boulder
City, Robert Ferraro, to appropriately thank Commissioner Woodbury for
his many contributions to the great State of Nevada and to our Nation.
Commissioner Woodbury is a native of Las Vegas and has resided in
Boulder City, Nevada, since 1978. He is a graduate of Las Vegas High
School and attended the University of Utah where he graduated Phi Kappa
Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, and Magna Cum Laude. Mr. Woodbury then attended
Stanford School of Law where he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence and
was a member of the Board of Editors of the Stanford Law Review.
In southern Nevada, Commissioner Woodbury has been active for many
years as an outstanding civic leader. He has served as a member of the
Clark County Commission for 21 years and on the Regional Transportation
Commission of southern Nevada for 17 years, the last 11 as that body's
chairman. He was also the founding father of the Clark County Regional
Flood District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Mr. Speaker, the impact and the magnitude of his contributions are
seen by Nevadans every day. Commissioner Woodbury was instrumental in
gathering support for the construction of the Las Vegas Beltway, the
largest and most visible transportation project ever undertaken in
Clark County's history. Through his leadership, Commissioner Woodbury
has worked to minimize traffic delays, reduce inconvenience for
drivers, and maintain access to local businesses. In addition, Mr.
Woodbury has been very involved in local, civic, and youth
organizations and is a proud father and grandfather.
It has been my privilege to work with Commissioner Woodbury on a
variety of projects; and I can speak to his character as a leader, as a
citizen, and as a friend.
Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, Bruce Woodbury is a quiet man. He
actually was very embarrassed when I suggested we name the post office
after him. Bruce does not like accolades. He is the first, the first
man to give everyone else credit before taking credit for himself. Yes,
he is quiet; but he is an effective leader, and he is one of the most
visionary and caring individuals who has ever served as a public
servant. His example sets the standard for all of us serving this great
country.
Southern Nevada has grown almost threefold since Mr. Woodbury was
elected, to almost 1.6 million people. There is not a project in Nevada
that Mr. Woodbury has not touched, whether it be transportation, air
quality, schools, health care, water quality, senior citizens, and
taking care of our children.
As a matter of fact, when Bruce was first elected over 20 years ago,
there was a major flood in southern Nevada. Bruce was there with a
shovel helping citizens dig out their cars, their homes, their
livestock, making sure they could get their families back in order.
Bruce did not just sit back; Bruce then formed the Clark County Flood
Control District. We have not had the same challenges that we had in 20
years because of Bruce Woodbury's leadership.
Let us talk about traffic for a second. Bruce travels to work about
20 miles every day and got tired of sitting around in traffic and
decided to build and be the leader in developing the Las Vegas Beltway,
because Bruce, although quiet, is effective and wanted to get the job
done.
Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this body, I am truly honored to have
served with Mr. Woodbury. He has been a mentor for me and many other
public servants, and words truly cannot express my appreciation for all
that he has done to improve the quality of life in Nevada.
I urge all of the Members of this body to support the legislation
today.
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at this time.
Again, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Nevada, for
introducing this important legislation; and I thank the gentleman from
Illinois as well. I urge all Members to support the passage of this
legislation.
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 Texas (Mr. Carter) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 2254.
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. CARTER. 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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