[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H10064-H10071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening for what I
think is a celebratory occasion. It is a time of recognition and
celebration of the service of a number of the Members of this body. And
I thought it was appropriate for myself and my colleagues from Texas to
stand before this body and to be able to acknowledge a time, an era, a
collegiality, a time in space, a time in the history of this body.
As I listened to my colleagues who preceded me, it makes it even more
important that we come to the floor today, particularly as I listened
to a litany of complaints and issues that were being raised and as I
recollected of the debate we had yesterday where our friends on the
other side raised the debt limit to its highest in the history of this
Nation, and it makes it even more important that we acknowledge not
only the legacy of these colleagues who will finish their term in the
108th Congress but to note the fact that these are Democrats, proud to
be Democrats, diverse and different.
{time} 2100
Certainly we are proud that they are Texans and proud to be
Americans, and frankly, we are equally proud of their service.
What they brought to this body, all of them with different regional
backgrounds, although coming from the State of Texas and different
ideological philosophies in the political wheel of fortune, if you
will, they brought a sense and a desire to serve not only their
constituents but the American people. They also brought a sense of
reaching out and working on both sides of the aisle.
In fact, I am reminded of less than 24 hours ago when the Ranking
Member of the Committee on Agriculture, the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Stenholm), went to the floor of the House to try and strike a
reasonable response to this escalating deficit, this out-of-control
budget and, frankly, seemingly no end to tax cuts and, if you will, a
lack of a plan to be able to serve the American people.
So we come this evening, and my colleagues have come, and I am going
to call the names of those who we seek to pay tribute to tonight, and
then take time to yield to my friends, my fellow colleagues of the
Texas delegation, and then I will join in with them to speak about
great Members of the House.
Texas itself has had a very great history. I think of some of the
names like Congressman Pickle and Congressman Brooks and Congresswoman
Barbara Jordan, and I think of a number of those who no are no longer
living who have been great servants of this body. Sam Rayburn, I think
certainly of his leadership as the Speaker of the House. Certainly I
think, and he is strong in North Texas, our good friend Jim Wright and
the service that he gave. So many names that have gone down in the
annals of history for their service, and Texans are proud certainly of
those who have been able to serve. So I will call their names, and then
I will yield to my colleagues.
As I call their names, though, let me just clarify, because it is
exciting to pay tribute to them, but I just do a slight clarification.
Because whenever we do these things, we obviously think of someone
retiring or we think maybe of someone who decided that they wanted to
choose another aspect in their life. But I want my colleagues to know
that these Members of the House
[[Page H10065]]
love this body, they love the service in this body, they love serving
the American people. The reason why this is a very special Special
Order is because these individuals, most of them decided to stand and
fight in what we found to be a very unbalanced redrawing and
redistricting of the lines that saw them, in essence, redrawn out of
their seats. So this was not a race, and they lost it. This was a race
that they ran and certainly would have won if the cards had not been
stacked against them.
As I have said, we are celebrating their service tonight, but we want
our colleagues to know that these are individuals who stood up and
stood tall and through a unique set of circumstances, not of any doing
of themselves, we now will lose their very great service.
We will pay tribute tonight to Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Ciro
Rodriguez, Nick Lampson, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell.
With that, it gives me great pleasure to yield to one of our
distinguished members of the Texas delegation who likewise ran a very
tough, tough race and was faced with the same set of redrawn lines but
is here tonight to pay tribute to our colleagues and to reflect upon
the celebratory aspects of the time that we have spent together in this
body. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from
Houston, Texas, for hosting this tribute to seven extraordinary Texans,
seven dedicated public servants. Whether Americans knew them by name,
knew them personally or not, Texas will be the lesser for their loss of
service, and our Nation will be the less because of their no longer
being in this great body. But the good news is, Texas is a better place
today and America is a better place today because of the dedicated
service of these seven Texans.
Congressman Martin Frost of Dallas, a longtime friend of mine, a true
leader of the Texas Democratic delegation, the dean of our delegation.
I have never known a more dedicated public servant in my life than
Congressman Martin Frost, a protege of Jim Wright, the Ranking Member
of the Committee on Rules, a vital committee in this House. He is
someone who fought for a strong national defense, for jobs and
opportunity for his beloved constituents in Dallas and Fort Worth,
someone who always was a voice for equal opportunity for citizens of
all races in this country. We will miss Martin Frost.
Congressman Charlie Stenholm, one of the most decent human beings I
have ever known in my lifetime. Someone respected by Democrats and
Republicans alike for always being one to put the interests of our
State of Texas and our country above partisanship. An eloquent,
passionate voice for the value and values of our family farmers and
ranchers. All who respect our rural values and the importance of our
agriculture producers will miss the voice of Charlie Stenholm in
Congress.
Congressman Jim Turner, a colleague who is living proof that a good
person can do well in life. Someone who always treated his fellow
colleagues, his citizens, and neighbors with respect and decency. He
committed his adult life to public service as a State representative,
as a State Senator in Texas and then as a United States Congressman,
rising to the terribly important position of senior Democrat on the
Committee on Homeland Security, a person who, for the past 2 years, has
helped lead the fight to protect all of our families from the threat of
terrorism.
Jim Turner is someone who did not just preach family values but who
lived them every day of his life.
Noting that the commonality between Mr. Frost, Mr. Stenholm, and Mr.
Turner, and something they would all be proud of, saying themselves
that each one of them married above themselves. And often unheralded
heroes and heroines of this public process in Congress are the spouses
of our elected officials. I want to express my thanks to Kathy Frost, a
general of the United States Army, and to Cindy Stenholm and to Ginny
Turner for their public service. While they might not have had a voting
card on the floor of this House, they have been every much a part, in
every way a part of public service through this House of
Representatives.
To Max Sandlin, who rose to the high position of Chief Democratic
Deputy Whip, one of the finest legal minds I have ever known, a
personal friend who always was fighting to see that the words that end
our Pledge of Allegiance, ``with justice for all,'' were not just words
in a rote pledge but deeply meaningful words behind that pledge, ``with
justice for all.'' That was always Max Sandlin's cause in Congress.
To Ciro Rodriguez, who rose to be chairman of the House Hispanic
Caucus and a national leader on Hispanic issues, someone who I will
always remember as a voice for those who could not afford to hire a $1
million lobbyist, for the working families of his district and people
all across this country. Someone who is a national leader on civil
rights and veterans affairs, never forgetting the sacrifice of those
who wore our Nation's uniform.
To Chris Bell, who served Houston and our State of Texas and our
Nation with great distinction and integrity. Someone who, along with
these others, lost a seat as a result of not a loss of confidence of
his own constituents but because of the partisan redrawing of
congressional lines in an off year in the State of Texas. He accepted
political defeat with graciousness in a way that helped bring people
together in his beloved City of Houston and throughout our State.
And to Nick Lampson, our friend from Beaumont, someone who
accomplished much in Congress on many issues, but someone who will
always be remembered as the father of the fight to find missing
children. And as a father of a 7-year-old son and an 8-year-old son, I
think I speak for all parents in America when I say thank you to our
colleague Nick Lampson for watching out for all of the children of
America.
To each of these seven Members, they made a difference, and I can
think of no greater compliment to pass on to anyone. They made a
positive difference in the lives of their citizens, their constituents,
and the people of this country. And to Susan, Susan Lampson, again,
Nick would join his fellow colleagues in saying proudly that he married
above himself. Thank you to her for her sacrifices throughout this
career of public service.
Again, none of these lost because they lost the confidence of their
constituents that they serve today. They lost or had to retire because
of a highly unusual, unprecedented redistricting process in a year when
redistricting was not supposed to be the case in Texas. But these are
good people, decent people, great Americans who not only have made a
difference in the past in our State and country, but I know in the
years ahead will continue to make a difference for the American people.
I thank the gentlewoman from Houston for yielding me this time and
for hosting this tribute to seven great Texans, seven extraordinary
Americans and public servants.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished
gentleman, first of all, for his compassion and his spirit, and to be
able to add to the stories of these American leaders, which we will
have the opportunity to read about in the years to come. And might I,
before I yield to the distinguished gentleman from El Paso, Texas, just
thank you for thanking the families, the wives, the children, because
we all know, those of us in public life, that we just bring our
families along. How they come along is a question, but they are there
with us, and I thank the gentleman for bringing attention to the
families of these very fine individuals.
Let me now yield to my good friend from El Paso, Texas (Mr. Reyes).
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Houston for
yielding me this time tonight because, in a sense, tonight is a special
night for us, because we say goodbye to good friends and colleagues
but, in my mind, great Texans who have given their full measure so that
those that have no voice will have a voice in this, the People's House.
In Texas, we are a long ways from Texas here in this House, but in
Texas, we like to live by the standard that we simply say ``don't mess
with Texas.'' And, regrettably, Texas has been messed with in the worst
way possible and, unfortunately, messed with by Texans. And while that
is lamentable and regrettable, we have to understand that it is not so
much the individual but the actions of that individual.
[[Page H10066]]
As I sit here tonight and think about the many battles, the many
debates, the many struggles that we have had, and I am relatively new
to service in this Congress, I am finishing out my fourth term, which
is 8 years, and I look at the number of years that are represented here
that in one fell swoop that experience, that institutional knowledge,
all of that hard work that these great Texans have done, I like to
think of them as the magnificent seven. I know their representation
will be missed. I know them to be men of real character, strong
character, willing to stand up and fight when even the odds are stacked
heavily against them and against us, but fighting the good fight
nonetheless. Willing to get into that arena and willing to give their
last full measure so that those issues and those programs that are so
important to Texas working families receive full and complete
consideration here in the People's House.
{time} 2115
So, yes, we are losing seven Texans, and Texas I think will be the
lesser for it. But I also think that it is important not having been an
individual that grew up in a political system; I came to politics after
a long career in Federal law enforcement. In fact, most people know
that being here as a Member of Congress is probably an accident for me.
But I relied heavily on the advice and expertise of the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Frost), the ranking member of the Committee on Rules; the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the ranking member on the
Committee on Agriculture. I came here with the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Turner) who was our ranking member on the Select Committee on
Homeland Security.
I became friends with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sandlin) and the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), also we came to Congress together.
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) followed us by a few months.
And then the rookie, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), who has been
phenomenal in the short period of time that he has been here.
I think that is the real legacy that we are so proud of being Texans.
We are all different. We come from different backgrounds. We focus on
different priorities. We bring different expertise. But in the whole
scheme of things, we make this country greater. And no one stands
taller tonight in my eyes than these seven Texans, the Magnificent
Seven, each one with a support system. My good friend and colleague,
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), who himself I think walks
around with a target on his back, and we are so proud of the job that
he did and of the support system that he counts on.
When we mention Kathy and Cindy and Ginny and Susan and Carolina, we
mention the heart and soul of why we serve. We serve so that our
children and their children can have a better future. We serve so that
we can hopefully set an example of what this country can be and what it
should be. And while we may have differences of opinion with those on
the other side of the aisle, it is never personal in my mind, and it
should never be personal.
The last thing I want to say before I yield back my time so that my
good friend from San Antonio can speak as well, is that nobody from
Texas walks away or runs away from a good fight or a good game. There
are certain things that we expect. We expect to know what the rules of
that game were. We expect that those rules will not be changed once the
game starts. And most of all, we expect that win or lose, we can be
proud and we can be friends because we are Texans.
In this case it was not fair. The rules were changed. And I have to
say that once this story is told, we are not going to be proud of how
this was done. But the one thing that we will be proud of is the work,
the dedication, the professionalism of these magnificent Texans that
unfortunately, through no fault of their own, because of changing the
rules after the game was started, will not be able to continue their
work on behalf of Texans, on behalf of Americans, and on behalf of a
world that today needs great role models more than anything else. And
with that, I appreciate the opportunity to pay tribute to good friends,
great Texans; and they will never be forgotten by this Texan.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman. I
think the power of the words this evening really define our colleagues
and let everybody know that it was their will and determination that
caused them to persist in the battle field of politics.
In the scheme of things, when the numbers were recorded on Tuesday
night and the analysts and pundits were suggesting the numbers that the
Democrats lost and our numbers went down, it is important to note on
the floor tonight that the orchestration of the defeat of these
colleagues again was not because the voters were dissatisfied with
their work and performance, because a very unique and obviously unfair
tool was utilized.
So we are here tonight putting aside that loss and really
commemorating the great service that has been given to this body.
We thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for now giving them a
new name. The Magnificent Seven has now been recorded in the annals of
the Congressional Record, and I think that will be quite unique.
Let me say I am proud to yield to my good friend from San Antonio,
Texas. He comes from his own skill and scholarship, a former judge, but
he also will not mind us saying that we all stand on the shoulders of
his predecessor and our good friend. He will have a unique story to
tell us about why it is so important to pay tribute to his colleagues
tonight, because I know he has been told by his dad how these things
work.
Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from
Houston.
Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that all of us from the Texas
delegation on the Democratic side come to address the people's House.
We did not want to make this dinner that we had tonight earlier a
wake or anything that was sad; but the truth was that there was a great
amount of sadness. And at the end, I think we all learned a great deal
about the true strength and character of our Members that will not be
joining us in swearing-in ceremonies next January 4. I will repeat
their names again because I think it is appropriate that they be
repeated often so that we all are reminded what public service is
about. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sandlin), First Congressional
District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), Second Congressional
District of Texas; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), the Ninth
Congressional District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the
17th Congressional District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), the
24th Congressional District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), the
25th Congressional District; my good friend, the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Rodriguez), the 28th Congressional District. These were true
public servants.
Tomorrow they will be casting their last vote. And of course they
will have their Member's card and they will put it in the slot and they
will be casting their vote. And all of those votes may not be the same
because we are quite different, as my dear friend, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Reyes), was saying. We have different opinions. We come from
different regions of this great State of Texas. But what motivates us
all would be the cardinal rule of how we vote. What do we base it on?
People sometimes do ask that.
I think this is a great lesson I learned from my father who served
for 37 years in this august body, as well as from the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Gephardt). The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt)
when I arrived here in 1999 was our minority leader. He said, if you
really want to do the right thing, if you want to enjoy service in the
House of Representatives, every vote that you take, it is a real simple
formula. First you vote your conscience because those are your
principles and your values and you must face yourself every morning and
do the right thing.
Secondly, vote your district because no one else represents your
district. And lastly, vote your party. And the gentleman told me that
that makes his job really hard as your leader because he is trying to
keep us together. But thank God that that was our cardinal rule and
that is what has guided us.
The seven Members that are departing followed that rule day in and
day
[[Page H10067]]
out. It was their social conscience. It was their moral principles that
guided them here every day, not as Democrats, not as Republicans,
because like the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) said, that is
the last factor, that is the last element that you take into
consideration. But what were these individuals when they were serving
here for so many years?
They were public servants. And the way they looked at it was that
every citizen, every citizen in their district was their boss, whether
a Democrat or a Republican, whether they were registered to vote or
not, whether they were old enough to vote or not, you represented the
district. And that is what was important. And you always voted the best
interests of your district. And it was a simple formula.
But they also knew it was a higher calling. And that is what we lose
here as an institution, men of high character and moral principles.
I am going to quote now Senator Joe Lieberman in his book ``In Praise
of Public Life'':
``Although public figures may face the same everyday pressures as the
people we represent, we are not and should not be judged by the same
standards. More should be expected of us. We are public officials, not
private citizens. Everything we do can become public and, therefore,
has serious consequences for the community. We are, whether we like it
or not, role models. We have voluntarily entered a contract with the
voters that is based on trust. If we violate that trust, our
government, our democracy suffers. So the first question a public
figure must always ask himself when making a decision about his
personal behavior or actions or votes, about whether to take an
opportunity is not just is it legal, but rather, is it right.''
These are shining examples of individuals that made hard choices,
difficult choices, but really in the final analysis were quite simple
because they did the right thing.
So everyone that is listening to us tonight must wonder, well, if
they were so great, why are they not coming back? Why were they not
reelected? And I have my own theory, my own analysis of it. Not one of
these gentlemen lost on the merits. Why they lost was really about form
over substance.
Someone said it earlier, the rules were changed in the middle of the
game, unfairly and in a perverse fashion. None of these gentlemen lost
because they were not the very best that we had out there. They lost
because of manipulation. They lost because people thought they could
appeal to the most base instincts of human nature, which many times is
about unfairness and injustice and fear and insecurity by Members of
this House. This is repeated every day, day in and day out in this
country. It is just that at this point in time it was concentrated in
the State of Texas. And we see the result of seven dedicated public
officials that had so much to give and did give. And we are the losers
for it.
They did not lose. This Chamber lost; this country lost. They were
casualties of a dangerous time. Of all things, I found a quote the
other day and it is from a comedian. But it is not about comedy. And it
was not about humor that he was writing about. He had time to reflect
because he had a very serious thing that happened in his life, and that
was that his wife had passed away. And he reflected on life and where
society was today, and this is what George Carlin said:
``The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings
but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend
more but have less. We buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses
and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more
degrees but less sense, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts
yet more problems, more medicine but less wellness. We have multiplied
our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too
seldom, and hate too often. We have learned how to make a living but
not a life. We have added years to life not life to years.''
His observation is so applicable to what is happening in the
political process in this country today. Again, I will say these seven
men did not lose these elections, but rather truly were casualties of
what is transpiring, what is encouraged and promoted by seven
individuals in this country. This is not love of country. This is not
patriotism. This is not citizenship. This is not responsible behavior.
So the truth is, what should we do about it? Well, let us go back to
the way things used to be where we are going to go ahead and we are
going to have our good-faith disagreements. The truth really lies
somewhere in the middle. Righteousness. The best answers do not reside
on that side of the aisle, and they do not reside over here. They
actually reside right here in the middle of the aisle, right here.
{time} 2130
The problem is we never go and talk right there in that aisle. That
separates us. That is the greatest gulf in this great country, wider
than the Grand Canyon because we have made it wider than the Grand
Canyon.
When winning is everything, it does not matter how you do it. What is
happening? We are models. It is what Joe Lieberman was talking about.
We are models to all citizens in this country, and do we let our
citizens down and our country down? Of course we do.
Let us stop defining ourselves by our differences. Let us come to the
middle. Let us have a dialogue and a discourse. Let us not corrupt a
political process, a legislative process, for political gain, be it
Democrat or Republican. Because what happens here, great public
servants, the very best this country has to offer will be the
casualties and the victim of political greed and avarice. That is what
we have tonight.
It is a sad moment, way beyond the seven Texans that we lose. Sad
moment for this body, sad moment for this country.
I want to end my statements with my profound gratitude and
appreciation for having known these seven individuals. I will continue
to know them, and I have a sense that we will be sharing a swearing-in
ceremony sometime in the future because things will right themselves.
That is all part of human nature. We only let things get to a certain
point of excess before we know that it is truly wrong.
These are wonderful individuals, and on a personal side, the
absolutely personal side, these are my friends. It is never, never a
happy moment when we say good-bye to friends, and this is what we say
here tonight and tomorrow after the final vote. There will be great
sadness, but something tells me they will overcome the adversity of
what transpired and will rise to greater heights because they are
totally capable of doing it but for a better reason. Our country needs
them.
So to Max and to Jim and to Nick and Charlie and Martin and Chris and
Ciro, we need you and we know that you will continue making your great
contribution and making this country a greater one even better than the
one that we live in today. Thank you for your service and all I can say
is I look forward to your return.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished
gentleman for his remarks. It is worth hearing each of my colleagues
characterize what will really be in the annals of the history pages of
this body, and I think all of us came to the floor tonight just to make
sure that the story was not misinterpreted, because after every
election there are defeats. There are winners and losers and most of
the articles are written in the first week and then nothing else is
said, and oh, those guys lost.
I thought it was very important that the Texas delegation come
tonight to be able to say that those guys did not lose. If anybody
lost, this body lost, America lost and Texas lost, and I will take just
a moment myself to add just a few points into the record, as all my
colleagues have indicated in calling each of their names.
So I just simply want to say to Martin Frost, thank him for being the
political moderate but having the balance, along with his great
influence on the Committee on Rules, and I might say that any Member in
this body that has ever had an opportunity to go to the Committee on
Rules, the powerful Committee on Rules, knows the value of Martin
Frost's insight and encouragement and questioning to make a bill better
or to be able to see the reason in what you offered so that the others
who are in the room might be able to join in his reason and vote for
good amendments to make bills better.
[[Page H10068]]
We thank him for that. We thank him for coming as our leader in the
delegation week after week, leading us and guiding us around very
important issues, and might I say, for those of us who came in the last
decade, I believe that we were dealing with the redistricting issue for
at least 8, 10 years as it relates to the constituents.
Everybody says the Member, but it was the constituents, and those of
my colleagues who are here tonight recall the hearings that were held
around the State of Texas. Thousands upon thousands of witnesses came
forward and said they did not want any changes.
So it is not that we are speaking here tonight for these colleagues.
Their constituents, voters, who are our bosses, told them that they
wanted no changes, but one manipulated the system, refused to listen to
the people.
I remember a witness coming up and saying, is anybody going to listen
to us? Does anybody want to do what we said or asked them to do? This
is just a voter, a witness, that waited hours in the hearing room to
testify before the State Senate, hours into the night. I think it was
1:00 a.m. Is anybody going to listen to us?
So, Martin, we thank you for understanding that representation
belongs to the people, and when you engaged in redistricting, you
realized it was to make the people whole and to make them large.
Thank you, also, Martin, for taking this very terrible crisis that we
had of violence in schools and helping to organize the Bipartisan Youth
Task Force Against Violence that I sat on. Thank you for doing that and
making a difference.
Charlie Stenholm, 26 years of service in the House and to Texas and
to the Nation. I have just got to say one thing. It is this House, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) said it. He called it the People's
House. We like to say that in debate. I believe it is known in that
manner through history and through the concept of the Founding Fathers.
They wanted people to be different in this body.
Charlie Stenholm is a farmer. I mean, he grows cotton. He understands
farming and ranching, and he understands a large portion of this Nation
that really believes they have been left out, the farmers of America,
the ranchers of America, people that maybe some of us only know about
because of what we consume.
It is important to note that this is an $80 billion industry in
Texas, and look what happened? Because of reckless disregard for the
people of Texas and even for this House, an ill-conceived plan now
found a man that had been elected in what was really a very
conservative district, some might say a Republican district, had been
elected over and over again because those people understood that he was
their servant. Now we have lost that expertise, and as I indicated,
just 24 hours ago we were on this floor listening to his reason about
how can we raise the debt again, how can we allow the numbers to go up
even higher. Of course, we will lose that voice.
Thank you, Charlie, for, as was said by colleagues, having a pure
sense of what is right and never wavering from it.
Let me also thank Nick Lampson. As many of my colleagues know, he is
my neighbor in Houston, and I was there. We were all sort of caught up
in the tragedy of the loss of this precious little 12 year old as Nick
was just coming to Congress, and I do not know what struck him. I
remember the specifics of it. He left Congress and went and joined the
search for this very dear, little girl, something like the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Edwards) said, none of us can even mouth the words of
losing a child.
So he joined the search, and I guess out of that came the inspiration
of putting forward the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. He has
been in conferences. He has spoken. He has put it on the map. He has
been about the business of organizing communities around the idea of
being against child abduction, and the caucus has over 130 members. It
really has made a mark in its effort to fight against child pornography
and many, many other issues. So we thank him for that.
He introduced the Bring Our Children Home Act with a 103 original
cosponsors, and he really made this something that is clearly a mark
that will not be forgotten on this Congress. We thank him for that.
We all know that Ciro Rodriguez is called the nice guy, but he is a
nice guy, but he is a tough guy on the issues that are, in fact, close
to his heart. Here is a guy that I would see on the floor of the House
night after night after night, chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, but he
was on the floor talking about health care, not only for Hispanics but
for Americans, and he was always talking about it for children. He
chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, but he
took it very seriously.
I traveled with him. I saw him traveling around the country, going to
summits on the question of health care and recognizing that we have 44
million Americans without health coverage, and he got up all the time
and said how can we do this. Thank you, Ciro.
He fought to raise the attention on diabetes and HIV/AIDS and
substance abuse and mental health, and he led the fight in Washington
for Hispanic health awareness, and so we cannot thank him enough. He is
a guy with a big heart. I guess it is that social work degree that he
has, and we simply thank you, Ciro, and your wife for working to make
the NIH better, helping to get more moneys to the NIH and certainly
helping to put the focus of health care improvement in Hispanic
Americans clearly on the map. We thank you so very much.
He has been called many things, but he was awarded the Community
Superhero Award, and that speaks to Ciro in the words that he has done
and what he has done on this floor as it relates to health care.
Max Sandlin, someone said, is the lawyer's lawyer. I remember it is a
shame that we do not do what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez)
said and just meet right here in the middle because Max was a former
judge, and the only thing that he wanted us to do was to be pure in our
debate. If we had some issues about the law or legal procedures, he did
not want us to politicize it, scapegoat lawyer, scapegoat injured
individuals who have no other way of addressing their grievances,
people who have been damaged by the Food and Drug Administration, poor
quality drugs or someone's child has been on a playground and fallen
down because the equipment does not work properly or some other product
liability issue. He wants to get to the core element, debate the
merits, and he brought forth some of the most crafted, thoughtful
legislation dealing with balancing the rights of consumers and others
that may be concerned about the costs of litigation.
He was always here, not to be carrying forth the message of the
single thought of trial lawyers, our friends, of course, who helped
protect many Americans, but he was prepared to craft very intelligent
legal arguments. It is a shame that we could not meet right here in the
middle of the floor for Max Sandlin's very, very articulate, and well-
thought-out legislative initiatives could not be heard.
He spoke very clearly that as a judge he understood what justice was
all about, and I will always admire and respect him for his leadership,
his work with the Democratic Children and Health Task Forces, again his
very defined work on the Committee on Ways and Means, a new Member that
he was, but still a Member that was prepared to tackle those hard
issues on Medicare and the legal liability issue of Medicare.
You could always count on Congressman Max Sandlin to explain to you
and get the legal liability issue out and make the bill better to serve
all of us, and I thank him for that.
Let me thank Jim Turner. I had the pleasure of serving with Jim
Turner, and I met Jim Turner in Crockett, Texas. He was the mayor of
Crockett. I knew him has a long-standing public servant. They loved him
in Crockett, Texas, he and his family, his wife. He loved them, and lo
and behold he comes to be a senator out of the Senate in Texas, and
then he comes here to the United States Congress.
He did not come here to think that he was going to be the ranking
member on the Select Committee on Homeland Security. He did not come
here knowing what would happen on 9/11, but I tell my colleagues what
happened when he got to get that position, as he, even in the knowledge
of having to retire because there was no district for him, he did not
sit down.
[[Page H10069]]
Chairman of the Blue Dog Coalition, many who may not know the Blue
Dogs, the Yellow Dogs, the Blue Dogs had a different perspective. He
never carried around on his shoulder in a way that would be offensive.
He was a team player, but he had his values.
But on this Select Committee on Homeland Security he took the bull by
the horns, if you will, and constructed documents, not to poison the
waters but to make our Nation safer. We Members are better informed
because we have document after document after document about the lack
of cargo inspection, the need for more border patrol agents and
detention spaces, the need for a better bioterrorism plan, the need for
a better transportation plan.
Jim Turner, as the ranking member on this Select Committee on
Homeland Security, did just that, and we are very grateful for him in
and his knowledge and his sensitivity.
{time} 2145
Let me also say that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), as was
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), a big supporter, as is the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), of the military and the veterans.
We could always, in this time when Democrats were sort of facing an
uphill battle, sometimes because of the smearing that went about, about
our patriotism, we were always glad that we had Texans in the room
because we provided, I guess, the firewall. We could always get our
colleagues, and I am pointing to the ones I am speaking about, really
to be able to know that this is a diverse caucus and there is no divide
on the support of this caucus for veterans and the military.
As we all know, our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes),
along with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) and the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Turner), all served on the Committee on Armed Services.
So I guess we had our share of Members on the Committee on Armed
Services. And I know the work the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards)
has done on the Committee on Appropriations. And then, of course, the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which Ciro Rodriguez was on. We set the
standard that there is no challenge that you can make against us in
terms of our support for our troops.
In fact, let me just make a personal mention that I have got a
physician in my community that is reaching beyond 50 years of age, and
I know he will not mind me saying it. He has just been called up to
Germany to take care of those injured persons who are coming in, and he
is a Texan serving out of Fort Hood who is in the reserve and is now
being called out of his practice and is going. And I pay tribute to Dr.
Daley tonight. And I am only saying that I am glad he had our
colleagues, Dr. Warren Daley. I am glad he had our colleagues to be
able to protect him and to be able to stand up for him.
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), whom I traveled with, has been
an excellent member of the Committee on International Relations and the
Committee on Financial Services. He had the medical center in his
district, and of course his predecessor was Mike Andrews. A number of
others from the district, Mike Andrews, of course, most recently, and
Ken Bentson. But I can assure he did not lose any time in getting to
know the medical center's issues. After the terrible hurricane that we
had, and following up with Ken Bentson, he got right in there and
worked very, very meticulously on the needs of the medical center.
He was someone who had background in local government, the Houston
City Council, and he brought a sense of understanding about respecting
and responding to local government needs, and so we worked together on
the needs of metro. He was unabashedly for light rail and was shocked
that he would come to this body and find someone who is from Texas, our
own colleague, would be standing up against the people of Houston
getting the right kind of transportation system. So he was not afraid
to stand up for transportation issues, work with the financial
community in Houston, and as well he was a leader by being named senior
whip and being part of the whip system. And I think that he was clearly
someone who was having a great time but also was a great servant of the
people.
So tonight we have the opportunity to call their names and as well to
pay tribute. I wanted to just mention, and I see my colleague standing,
but I wanted to just mention again names like Lyndon Baines Johnson
because I had the opportunity to be with former President Johnson's two
daughters just the other day at the Clinton Library. I thanked them
again for their father and their mother. And I know that the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Edwards) talked about his predecessors, whom he named
and talked about in 1970, with so many years of experience that Texans
have brought to this body. They have been here in a collegiate manner.
We have shared with our colleagues that are here. We are not selfish,
we are not arrogant, but we are proud of our legacy and our history,
and clearly we believe that we come from good stock.
Let me just say this, that Booker T. Washington said, ``Character,
not circumstances, makes the man.'' I might paraphrase and say ``makes
the person.'' We can be assured that we have got some fellow Texans who
will be leaving tomorrow that have certainly been made by the character
that they possess.
Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Houston, as I
finish with a couple of comments on my part, Mr. Speaker.
As we celebrate the extraordinary public service of seven great
Texans, I must also say as a Texan there is a lot that we will miss. As
a Texan and as Texans we will miss 80 years of seniority in this body,
the House of Representatives, where seniority means a lot in terms of
effectiveness for our States.
Texas and I will miss having the ranking member, the senior Democrat
on the Committee on Rules, one of the most important committees
anywhere in Congress. We will miss having the ranking member of the
Committee on Agriculture, and we will miss having the ranking member of
Homeland Security. Perhaps this is Texas's gift to the States of New
York, Minnesota, and Mississippi, who will now have those ranking
positions.
We will miss having the chairman of the House Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, an important voice for Hispanics throughout Texas and our
country. We will miss having the chief deputy whip on the Democratic
side and a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and we will miss
a true national leader on the issue of missing children.
I think our greatest loss, as important as it is and as sad as it is
for our State to have lost 80 years of seniority in the ranking
positions of key committees, our greatest loss is that we will lose
people of great integrity who were truly dedicated to the principle of
unselfish public service.
I do not grieve for these Magnificent Seven. They are bright,
talented, hardworking, capable people with good families. They will do
well. I do grieve for the 4.2 million Texas citizens who were denied
the right to vote for the reelection of their present Member of
Congress as a result of redistricting.
And personally I will miss the daily friendship and interactions with
these good people, people who will be our friends for a lifetime. We
will miss that daily interaction of these good, decent people.
I have nothing but best wishes and wish Godspeed to Martin Frost,
Charlie Stenholm, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Chris Bell, Jim Turner,
Max Sandlin, and their families.
And I would finish my comments, before yielding back to the
gentlewoman from Houston, with the words of Winston Churchill who once
reminded us that ``we make a living by what we get, but we make a life
by what we give.'' By that very high standard, these great seven Texans
have lived a rich life, and I know they will continue to give to their
communities, their State, and their country; and we wish them all the
best in the years ahead.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his
kind words. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Reyes).
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me,
and I will be brief because I know that, or at least I hope our
colleagues are watching this evening. But we do thank them for their
public service and we do recognize, as the great poet once said,
[[Page H10070]]
that the true measure of an individual who is successful in life is the
fact that when that life is done he or she will have left not only a
mark but will have left a legacy of leaving the world a better place.
Our colleagues, of course, are going on to bigger and better things,
and perhaps we will see them back here in the very near future. So to
them, not only do we salute them tonight but we thank them for their
service and their willingness to share of themselves with the rest of
us here in the people's House. We wish them well. I know they are
blessed, because they have left their mark in this House.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for
being here this evening, and before I close I want to make mention of
the dean of our State who will serve us in the 109th Congress, and that
is the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), who helped to convene us for a
very warm occasion this evening. We were very grateful for that.
We know that we will move on in the 109th Congress. We will pull
together and we will work together. But for any of those who are
wondering why we stand on the floor tonight, it is because we did not
want this session to end without the appropriate knowledge and respect
for these colleagues who served, and who fought, but did not prevail.
They did not lose. And I think that is the point we want to make
tonight, that these are people defeated, but these are people who have
not lost.
Again, I want to thank Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Ciro
Rodriguez, Nick Lampson, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell. Let
it be known that the Texas delegation will remain strong and united,
full of hope and full of aspirations. Let it also be known that these
are our friends and colleagues who we have traveled down many roads
with, both smooth and bumpy roads. But let it be known, most
especially, that we wish them Godspeed.
I leave my colleagues tonight with these simple words that I
paraphrase from Mary McCloud Bethune. She said, I leave you hope. I
leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I
leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you
dignity.
Shakespeare said, Unto each of us is given a bag of tools and a book
of rules, and each must make of life as though a stumbling stone or
stepping stone. I think we have made a stepping stone tonight, and I
wish for those who will be leaving us many stepping stones and many,
many days of happiness and good luck.
I rise this evening to pay tribute to and bid a fond farewell to
seven distinguished colleagues, leaders, and friends. As we approach
the end of the 108th Congress, a legacy of successful public service
will close for these gentlemen. Tonight, Mr. Speaker, I would like to
personally thank 7 of my 17 Texas Democratic colleagues for what they
have done for their respective congressional districts, the State of
Texas, the United States of America, and to the international
community.
Congressmen Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Nick Lampson, Ciro
Rodriguez, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell will be missed for
the high standard of achievement and commitment to upholding the
integrity that membership in the House of Representatives connotates.
I have had the sincere honor of serving with Congressman Martin
Frost, the senior Member of Congress from Texas. Congressman Frost is
the ranking Democratic member of the influential House Rules Committee.
Congressman Frost is also the senior southern Democrat in the House and
has previously served as chair of the Democratic Caucus.
So it is with great sadness that Congressman Frost's long record of
leadership in Congress is coming to an end after a bitter redistricting
battle in Texas.
Congressman Frost brought common sense and a practical approach to a
variety of senior positions. Within the Texas delegation, he is widely
respected for his ability to bring together Members with different
regional and ideological backgrounds, allowing the Caucus to work
toward a common agenda that addresses the real concerns of working
families.
A political moderate, Congressman Frost has also brought together
both representatives of the business and labor communities with
Democratic Members to discuss issues affecting their industries.
Congressman Frost served on the House Committee that considered the
creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Congressman Frost has
also served as co-chair of bipartisan panels addressing the causes of
youth violence and the continuity of Congress in the event of a
terrorist attack.
Congressman Frost, I have always looked to you as a leader and as a
representative of all that is good in Congress. Your departure will
leave a gaping hole in the Texas legislature, and you will be missed.
Let me take a few minutes to congratulate Charlie Stenholm for his 26
years of service in the House to Texas and to the Nation. I've had the
pleasure of working with him since I've been in Congress and as a
friend and colleague in the Texas Democratic delegation. I appreciated
the welcome he gave to me when I came to Washington and now I want to
wish him the best as he starts his new endeavors.
Charlie's experience as a farmer, teacher, and head of the Rolling
Plains Cotton Growers Association contributed to his skillful
leadership of the Democrats on the Agriculture Committee. He was able
to understand the needs of the farmers who help to feed us in balance
with fiscal restraint. That's critical to Texas, where agriculture is
still the State's second-largest industry, with an annual economic
impact of $80 billion. In fact, Charlie still runs a cotton, wheat, and
cattle operation in Jones County with his son Cary. He brought this
great knowledge to our Congress.
Thanks Charlie for all your service.
Congressman Nick Lampson has always been fighting for what is right
in the world, and that is the well being of children.
Whatever his initial ambitions coming into Congress were, things for
Congressman Lampson were instantly changed just months into his first
term, when a family in the 9th District suffered a terrible tragedy. A
12-year-old girl from Friendswood was abducted and found murdered 2
weeks later. Congressman Lampson wanted to take immediate action and
bring Congress to their feet. He founded the Congressional Missing and
Exploited Children's Caucus to build awareness around the issue of
missing and exploited children for the purpose of finding children who
are currently missing and to prevent future abductions. He succeeded in
creating a voice within Congress on the issue of missing and exploited
children and introduced legislation that would strengthen law
enforcement, community organizing and school-based efforts to address
child abduction. His caucus currently has over 130 members.
With the power of the Caucus behind him, the former high school
science teacher has fought continuously in Congress to help families
protect their children and aid communities and law enforcement
searching for missing children. He has sponsored legislation to fund
law enforcement efforts to stop child pornography and exploitation on
the Internet.
Congressman Lampson introduced the Bring Our Children Home Act with
103 original cosponsors in both the 106th and 107th Congresses. This
bill established a right of action in Federal court for resolution of
child custody disputes and establishes a National Registry of Custody
Orders. It also requires the Department of Justice and the Department
of State to report to Congress on International Parental Kidnapping
Crime Act warrants and extradition.
I want to close with a quote from one of my personal role models,
Mary McCloud Bethune,
I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing
confidence in one another. I leave you respect for the use of
power. I leave you faith. I leave you . . . dignity.
Congressman Nick Lampson, you will be missed dearly.
The 28th Congressional District has been served by a true man for
others out of San Antonio, TX, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez since 1997.
My colleagues and I have enjoyed his leadership in the protection of
our nation's veterans through his actions in the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs. The over 50,000 veteran constituents in his district
know the sincerity and conviction of his work in that body.
As a member of the Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman did
great things for military healthcare facilities. Through legislative
efforts, he facilitated the ability of military hospitals to recoup
increased funds for civilian trauma care.
He currently serves as the chair of the 20-member Congressional
Hispanic Caucus, as well as the chair of the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, CHC, Health Task Force, leading the fight to improve access to
healthcare and reduce health disparities for Hispanics and all
Americans. During his tenure in Congress, Congressman Rodriguez
organized the first ever Hispanic Health Awareness Week focusing on
three diseases that disproportionately affect the Hispanic community:
Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse/mental health. Not only has he
led the fight in Washington for Hispanic Health Awareness, but he
continued to aid those in his district by organizing and leading the
National Hispanic Health Leadership Summit in San Antonio, TX.
This gentleman is one of a few Members of Congress with a master's
degree in Social
[[Page H10071]]
Work, was an counselor/caseworker at the Bexar County Mental Health and
Mental Retardation from 1971-1974 and 1978-1980. The result of this
training is that Congressman Rodriguez recognized that social workers
play an invaluable role within our Nation's social service
infrastructure. In 2004, he reintroduced H.R. 3887, the National Center
for Social Work Research Act, which would establish a research center
within the National Institutes of Health. Congressman Rodriguez has
continued working to encourage NIH to better integrate social work
research into their mission. In 2002, he helped secure language in a
congressional appropriations bill directing NIH to develop a social
work research plan.
Ciro has held a long and distinguished career receiving numerous
awards such as the National Hispanic Medical Association's Leadership
Award given earlier this year by the National Hispanic Medical
Association for his leadership and his initiative on Hispanic health
disparities. He earned the 2003-2002 Community Health Super Hero Award
from the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. and
Health Centers from the State of Texas recognizes the Congressman's
strong and consistent support for health centers and the patients they
serve in communities across the country throughout the Second Session
of the 107th Congress.
I along with the other members of the Texas Congressional Delegation
have been honored to serve alongside Ciro D. Rodriguez. Although we
will miss his friendship and leadership, I am sure that as he looks
back upon his illustrious career of civil service, he will be proud to
have served the constituents of 28th Congressional District of Texas.
It has been such a privilege to serve with Congressman Max Sandlin.
As one of the most compassionate Members of Congress, he was recently
appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful
and esteemed committee in the House.
Congressman Max Sandlin and I were members of the Democratic Children
and Health Task Forces. Both he and I worked hard to champion
legislation that protected working families with children. I have
always admired him for his strategic use of his position to gain
consensus among his colleagues, identify important issues, and
formulate policy.
As a Member from an urban district in Texas, I could always count on
Congressman Max Sandlin to add the voice of rural America and fiscal
responsibility to the leadership of the Democratic Party.
As we faced the harsh injustices of redistricting, Congressman
Sandlin stood strong, redoubled his efforts to maintain what he
believes in, and did not back down. Even though he was not able to
emerge victorious in this cycle, I am confident that a man of his
caliber will return to public service.
I have had the honor and privilege of serving with Congressman Jim
Turner in the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. I always
felt confident that as the ranking member of the House Select Committee
on Homeland Security, Jim was working to protect the safety and
security of the American people in the war on terrorism. He lead the
Democratic charge for the ushering in of several pieces of important
legislation that will help this nation fight back against global
terrorism and keep our families safe.
Congressman Turner retired after four terms in Congress, a decision
that I know as difficult. Unfortunately, we are not able to control all
the events in our life, and Congressman Turner did not have a fair or
unbiased chance for reelection.
A longtime fiscal conservative, Congressman Turner was the cochair of
the ``Blue Dog'' Coalition. In addition, his work in Congress focuses
on promoting economic development and forestry in east Texas. He
continues to work for senior citizens through his sponsorship of
legislation to lower prescription drug costs.
I have always enjoyed working with Congressman Turner, who was able
to bridge the partisan divide and make friends on both sides of the
aisle. I wish you the best of luck in the future.
I am honored to be here today to speak on behalf of my colleague,
Chris Bell. Our districts border one another in Houston, so I have been
privileged to know and work with Chris Bell during his time in
Congress. Similar to my own background, Chris Bell is a former Houston
City Council Member. Congressman Bell has earned a reputation as an
independent thinker with a common sense approach to governing. He has
built an exceptional public service career around defending the truth,
championing the people's issues and maintaining the integrity of public
office.
During the Enron debacle that affected thousands of Houstonian's,
Congressman Bell and former Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, held a
town hall meeting calling for corporate employee retirement security
and executive accountability. Additionally, Bell executed a citywide
campaign to educate employees on the importance of diversification of
assets. Congressman Chris Bell is an outstanding example of what it
means to stand up for truth, something that I will always admire in
him. He has taken a stand against unethical actions in this body and
the public owes him a debt of gratitude for that. Congressman Bell, I
applaud you for your groundbreaking courage.
Congressman Bell's leadership qualities have been noticed by many,
particularly by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, who appointed him as a
``Senior Whip.'' There is a large void to fill with Congressman Bell's
departure.
In closing, I would like to quote Booker T. Washington, who said,
``Character, not circumstances, makes the man.''
Gentlemen, again, thank you very much for your service, leadership,
and friendship. Please know that I will always be happy to ``yield back
the remainder of my time to you if you ever need me.'' The best of luck
to you and your respective families in your future lives.
____________________