[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7374-H7376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       JOE SKEEN FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3734) 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. 3734

       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''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Burns) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns).
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 3734, introduced by my colleague, the gentlewoman from New 
Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), designates the Federal building located at Fifth 
and Richardson Avenues in Roswell, New Mexico, as the Joe Skeen Federal 
Building.
  Congressman Skeen was born and raised on his family's farm outside of 
Roswell, New Mexico. In 1948, Congressman Skeen enlisted in the United 
States Navy and served for 1 year before transferring to the United 
States Air Force Reserves, where he served from 1949 until 1952.
  Following his military service, Congressman Skeen attended and 
graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural 
engineering.
  After graduation, Congressman Skeen worked as a soil and water 
engineer for the Zuni and Ramah Navajo Indians. He later purchased and 
ran his family's sheep ranch.
  Congressman Skeen was long dedicated to public service. He was first 
elected to public office in 1960 where he won a seat in the New Mexico 
State senate. He served until 1970. For the last 6 years of his time in 
the State senate, he served as the minority leader.
  In 1980, Congressman Skeen ran as a write-in candidate and was 
elected to serve in New Mexico's 2nd District in the United States 
House of Representatives. Congressman Skeen served in this body for 11 
terms.
  Congressman Skeen was known for his commitment to property rights, 
balancing the Federal budget and increased tax relief. He may have been 
most influential as chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, 
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration and Related Agencies, enhancing the agricultural 
viability in both New Mexico and throughout the United States. He was 
also chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 
dealing with natural resources and public land use.
  I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the 
same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I might consume.
  H.R. 3734 is a bill to designate the Federal building in Roswell, New 
Mexico, as the Joe Skeen Federal Building, in honor of a former Member 
here, Congressman Joe Skeen.
  Congressman Skeen was born in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1927, and as a 
young man, he served a 1-year enlistment in the Navy and served in the 
Air Force Reserves from 1949 to 1952. In 1950, he got his Texas marks 
by graduating from Texas A&M University.
  He 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 seat through this type of effort. For more than 2 
decades, he served the people of the 2nd district in New Mexico with 
distinction and devotion, and I had the pleasure of serving with him.
  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 Committee on Appropriations, and in 1995, he became 
Chair of the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Agriculture, 
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. 
At the beginning of the 107th Congress, he was named the Chair of the 
Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies.
  One of Congressman Skeen's major legislative accomplishments was to 
ensure the opening of the waste isolation pilot plant, the Nation's 
first repository for defense-related waste. Concerned about the 
public's health and safety and the environment, Congressman Joe Skeen 
worked tirelessly to advance storage of Federal waste.
  He supported legislation to maintain the viability of the 
agricultural industry. He also has been a leader in supporting 
legislative initiatives on a 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 the 
legislature do it for them.
  Congressman Skeen was well respected on both sides of the aisle. He 
was an earnest and capable legislator, a worthy adviser and a true 
gentleman devoted to his family and dedicated to his constituents. His 
goodwill and humor are missed by all of us.
  It is fitting and proper to honor Joe Skeen's life and public service 
with the designation of the Federal building in Roswell, New Mexico, as 
the Joe Skeen Federal Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to my 
colleague, the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson).
  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, when Joe Skeen was elected to 
the Congress, one of the first acts that he introduced in 1981 was 
legislation to name the Federal building in Las Cruces, New Mexico, 
after the man he replaced, the late-Congressman Harold Runnels, and I 
believe it is appropriate 23 years later to return the favor.
  Joe Skeen won his election with a successful write-in campaign. It 
was only the third such victory in the history of the United States 
Congress, and during his nearly 22 years in the House of 
Representatives, he was a defender, a staunch defender, of New Mexico's 
rural lifestyle and its farming and ranching interests.
  Even as Parkinson's began to claim his speech in his later years, 
Joe's sense of humor remained intact, and it is one of the things that 
all of us here treasure about him. Just about everybody in this body 
has a Joe Skeen story, something that makes us smile. One always knew 
if they had to go to talk to Joe about something, they might as well 
start smiling because before it was over he was going to make them 
laugh.
  After 11 terms in the United States Congress, Joe decided to return 
to his ranch, a place that he described as being ``at the center of my 
upbringing and which shaped my character and principles in life.''
  Joe's ranch in Picacho is 17 miles from pavement, and Joe was never a 
gentleman farmer. He was a farmer, a rancher and a gentleman. He could 
be

[[Page H7375]]

fixing fences and working with his one hired hand, and hop in the truck 
and drive to Roswell, fly out, take a shower at his apartment in 
Washington and come to the floor of the House.
  Throughout his service in the Congress, he kept a foot in both 
worlds, and the country and New Mexico benefited from it. He leaves 
behind a proud tradition of public service in which he has been a 
positive influence on many people's lives, including my own.
  Joe died peacefully in his sleep of Parkinson's disease and its 
complications in Roswell, New Mexico, on December 7, 2003. His 
wonderful wife Mary was with him.
  Joe was truly a great New Mexican. He will be deeply missed, and now, 
near his hometown in Roswell, New Mexico, there will be a building with 
his name on it. Every time people in Roswell walk by that building, 
they will look up and smile.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3734 and to honor 
Mr. Joe Skeen of New Mexico. Joe served New Mexico with distinction and 
dedication. During the 4 years we served together in the Congress, I 
found Joe to be a true gentleman and a statesman.
  Today, I am pleased that we will be passing this legislation to name 
the Federal building in Roswell, New Mexico, after Joe. It is an 
excellent tribute to honor a great man.
  One of the things I respected about him the most was his 
bipartisanship, and I think every Member of Congress, Democrat and 
Republican, every Member of this House, loved him for that. He loved 
this institution. He had a great sense of humor. He did not take this 
place, where we do this the serious business of the country, too 
seriously, and he would always have a good story or a quip.
  It is difficult to capture with words the impact and the significance 
that Joe has meant not only to New Mexicans, but to the citizens of the 
United States and the institution of the Congress as well.
  During his tenure as New Mexico's longest-serving U.S. House Member, 
he built a dedicated and talented staff on Capitol Hill. He was 
renowned for his tireless work on behalf of agrarian interests. 
Although he did not get the credit he deserved, he also helped steer 
millions of Federal dollars to our State.
  I was proud to work with Joe on legislation that helped return 
mineral rights to the Acoma Pueblo. That bill, now Federal law, was 
easily steered through Congress by Joe's knowledge of the legislative 
process. While we were ultimately not as successful as we would have 
liked, we also fought together to change the dairy sections of the 2002 
farm bill that were unfair to our State's strong milk and cheese 
industry. Through it all, I enjoyed working with him every step of the 
way.
  Throughout his years of service, he was a model of integrity and 
truth. The way he approached his job is the way every elected official 
should, as a highly principled individual who stuck to his beliefs. He 
walked his talk. While we did not agree on everything, he always did 
what he believed in his heart to be true, and he always worked in a 
bipartisan way to accomplish important work.
  Again, this is a deserved honor for a great public servant.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce).
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3734 would designate the Federal 
building located at Fifth and Richardson Avenues in Roswell, New 
Mexico, as the Joe Skeen Federal Building.
  On December 7, 2003, the Nation lost a leader, but New Mexico lost a 
friend. As others have said, Joe Skeen was born in Roswell, New Mexico. 
He was an Aggie, and he stayed an Aggie for his whole life.
  He joined the Navy and he served there. Again, that has been 
mentioned, but I do not think that other people realize just how much 
he saw the light when he left the United States Navy and scooted over 
to the U.S. Air Force, but as a former Air Force pilot, I recognized 
what was going on in his life.
  He continued to see the real light when he saw Mary Helen Jones and 
married her in 1945. I will tell my colleagues that Mary and Joe 
continued to be favorites throughout their entire careers in New 
Mexico. Even today people say, ``Tell Mary that we are thinking about 
her.''
  One of the most important things that people remember about Joe was 
his sense of humor, and I hear about that constantly. When I go to town 
hall meetings, they listen to me for 2 hours, and then the first thing 
they say is, ``Joe Skeen was funny.'' I have enjoyed the comparisons. 
They also tell me that ``Joe Skeen left big shoes to fill; make sure 
you fill them, son.''
  Joe was just a lifelong servant to the Nation and to the State. He 
has been recognized throughout New Mexico, though. They have begun to 
name different buildings after him already. He helped at New Mexico 
State University, New Mexico Tech, Holloman Air Force Base and White 
Sands, and those institutions have begun to name buildings after him. 
New Mexico Tech named their library after Joe Skeen. New Mexico State 
University named their new agricultural research building after Joe and 
Mary Skeen. Chaves County named their new administrative building after 
Joe Skeen, and New Mexico has named Highway 70, the Joe Skeen Highway.
  Today, I am pleased the U.S. House of Representatives will act so 
that the Federal Government will name a Federal building after Joe 
Skeen, who left after 22 years of service in this House of 
Representatives.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. Skeen was a strong supporter of rural New Mexico and all that it 
requires. He supported roads, schools, medical care, electricity and 
water and sewage treatment plants. He was impartial when it came to 
serving the people of New Mexico.
  Joe was tremendously respected. He was quiet, yet he had a demeanor 
that created respect. And his sense of humor disarmed people with 
grudges and helped all citizens realize that by working together we can 
solve the people's problems. Joe used to say, let us talk about what we 
can agree on, and we will work from there.
  The people of New Mexico will never forget Mr. Skeen. He was a man of 
the people. People in the second district have expressed their love for 
him as I travel through the district. As I took my place in this 
national Congress and heard from his many friends, I realized he was 
just as respected nationally as he was in the state.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3734.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
thank the gentlewoman from Texas and the speakers here today as they 
honor Joe Skeen. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 
3734 in naming the Federal Building in Roswell, New Mexico, for our 
former colleague.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3734, a 
bill to name a federal building in Roswell, New Mexico as the ``Joe 
Skeen Federal Building.'' We were all saddened when our dear friend and 
colleague retired at the end of the 107th Congress and passed away in 
December 2003. However, we were fortunate to serve with Joe and the 
people of New Mexico were better off because of his 20 years of 
service.
  As Members of Congress, we often work with colleagues from different 
parts of the country and from across the aisle. It was a great 
privilege to have worked with Joe Skeen. Since his first election in 
1980, he served on the Appropriations Committee, chairing the 
Subcommittee on Agriculture and then the Subcommittee on the Interior. 
Joe has always been a true gentleman and always told it like it was. 
When dealing with Joe, I always knew he would give me a fair hearing on 
an issue and try to accommodate me when he could and politely say 
``no'' when he couldn't. I could also always depend on Joe telling me a 
good story to underscore the point he was making.
  On a personal note, I had the pleasure of working with Joe to further 
the progress of Parkinson's Disease research in America. In 1999, along 
with my colleagues, Mr. Evans, Mr. Mark Udall, Tom Udall, and Mr. 
Waxman, Mr. Skeen and I formed the Congressional Working Group on 
Parkinson's Disease.

[[Page H7376]]

  Joe Skeen was a true leader in the fight against Parkinson's Disease. 
Over the years, the Working Group has sought to increase awareness 
among Members of Congress on Parkinson's related issues. Most 
importantly, the Working Group advocates for accelerated and increased 
funding for Parkinson's research in the hopes that we soon find the 
cure for what leading scientists call the most curable neurological 
disorder.
  We will carry on the fight to cure Parkinson's, in part, inspired by 
the legacy of the great Joe Skeen. This bill ensures that the people of 
New Mexico and those around the country never forget our friend, Joe. I 
fully support its passage in honor of Joe Skeen--a true national 
treasure.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3734.
  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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