[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 133 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H8876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a number of 
New Yorkers who have served so well in this Congress, some of whom are 
retiring, some of whom were defeated in the last election, all of whom 
have served our State ably. I regret, unfortunately, that some members 
of our very own delegation worked for the defeat of some of these, and 
unfortunately that does affect the comity and collegiality of our 
delegation, but we have to resolve that in the coming days.
  But I would like to talk about my travel partner, Sherry Boehlert, a 
man whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the last 18 
years in my service here. He is a great guy. He is loved in his home. 
He is loved in Washington by all, as you have heard tonight, people on 
both sides of the aisle. He is a great baseball fan, a Yankee fan. 
People love the Yankees because they are the Yankees. They are New 
York. They are our brand name.
  He has served as a congressional staffer for 20 years. He served for 
former Congressman Alexander Pirnie. So he started at the bottom and 
worked his way to the very top.
  He is possibly the biggest baseball fan in the Congress. He is known 
as a centrist, a moderate.
  He served on the Science Committee since 1983 and became its chairman 
in 2001. In that capacity, he has been the leading Republican 
environmentalist in the House, a remarkable title and one that 
certainly is fitting.
  He is recognized as a champion of Federal investment in science and 
technology. He authored amendments to the Clean Air Act that have 
changed the way we breathe in this country. He authored the 
conservation title in 1996 on the farm bill, which changes the way we 
drink our water. So many things, so many contributions to our 
community.
  Perhaps the greatest contribution that someone in the Boehlert family 
made was his wife, Marianne, for the time that she spent away from him 
while he did his job here. We are deeply grateful to Marianne for that. 
I know Sherry looks forward to his move to Mike Castle's district and 
working in the Woodrow Wilson International Center, and he will serve 
us well there and his country.
  I would also like to pay tribute to my colleague and friend, Sue 
Kelly. Sue was elected in 1994 and is finishing her sixth term in the 
Congress. She represents the West Point District of New York. Prior to 
coming to Congress, she had a professional career that ranged from 
teacher, to small business owner, patient advocate, rape counselor, PTA 
president and biomedical researcher. What a resume.
  She was appointed chairman of the House Financial Services Oversight 
Investigations Subcommittee, was a coauthor of Sarbanes-Oxley, and made 
her subcommittee a leading force in Congress to improve the Federal 
Government's ability to track and disrupt terrorist financing. She also 
served on the bipartisan Congressional Anti-Terrorist Financing Task 
Force.
  Sue has also been a great advocate for the Hudson River and worked 
hard to enact the Hudson River Habitat Restoration Act. She is also a 
chief sponsor of the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, enacted in 
1998.
  She is a good friend, we will miss her, but I know she will continue 
to serve her country and her community.
  My good friend and colleague, John Sweeney, also a member of the 
Appropriations Committee, represents New York's 20th Congressional 
District in Clifton Park, New York. John served as executive director 
and chief counsel for the New York State Republican Party. John served 
2 more years as the New York State commissioner of labor under Governor 
Pataki.
  He is a fellow appropriator and serves as vice chairman of the 
Transportation-Treasury Subcommittee and HUD Appropriations 
Subcommittee for Homeland Security and Foreign Operations. He is a 
dedicated, hardworking public official. His dedication to New York is 
unchallenged.
  He worked very hard to restore the Albany International Airport and 
the Capital Region, which is a booming airport today. He helped ensure 
that I-87 was designated a high-priority corridor to receive Federal 
highway resources, and he led the charge to ban dangerous steroid drugs 
in professional sports and throughout our society.
  Significantly, John played an important role in the $21 billion 
appropriation for New York City after September 11.
  Lastly, my colleague and longest serving Member to retire is Major 
Owens. Major Owens has served New York in so many ways, representing 
New York's 11th District in Brooklyn. Before coming here, he served as 
public library community coordinator, community action executive, New 
York city commissioner, Columbia University professor, and New York 
State senator.
  What a remarkable public servant he has been. During his tenure in 
Congress, Congressman Owens gained notoriety for his role as chairman 
of the Subcommittee on Select Education and Civil Rights in the 1980s, 
for his role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 
strong supporter for the minimum wage, strong support of Davis-Bacon 
legislation and a strong supporter of workers rights to organize into 
labor unions.
  All of these men and women have given their all for the State of New 
York. We owe them much. They have asked little other than to serve. 
They have been given that award by the people of New York. Now they are 
going on to something else. We wish them all the best, Godspeed, and 
thank you deeply from the bottom of our hearts.

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