[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8971-H8972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE LANE EVANS, MEMBER OF CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to pay special tribute 
to our beloved colleague from Illinois, Congressman Lane Evans.
  Truly, Lane has been a man for others throughout his entire life; a 
patriot, a marine, someone who began his career after serving in 
Vietnam as a marine as a legal aid lawyer. He was always there for 
others. He truly is a beloved Member of this House, probably one of our 
most humble Members, and yet heroic throughout his service; a very, 
very strong human being.
  I was privileged to be elected with Lane back in 1982 as we became 
classmates in the 98th Congress of that year. It was quite a large 
class, over 60 new Members at that time. I can remember meeting him at 
the very beginning, another son of the working class of people who came 
here to make a difference.
  Lane ultimately became a leader in veterans affairs, a leader in 
fighting for better jobs with wages and pensions that people can depend 
upon, and taking on causes that were close to his heart, obviously 
representing rural Illinois. He cochaired the Ethanol Caucus long 
before we had the kind of attention paid to it today.
  But in his capacity on the Veterans Affairs' Committee where he 
served from the very beginning, he was successful in spearheading 
efforts to pass legislation to compensate Vietnam veterans for diseases 
linked to exposure to Agent Orange.
  I can remember the debate in those days back in the 1980s when the 
scientists would come up and say, Well, you know, we can't really prove 
why those cancers are caused, all these soft tissue cancers related to 
Agent Orange. The committee, with Lane's leadership and personal 
experience, came to conclude that there is a difference between doing 
what is morally right and what is scientifically provable, and Lane 
Evans always stood for what is morally right.
  Many words come to mind when I think of Lane: his honesty, his 
trustworthiness, his likability. He was a man of his word, a really 
good human being, and a good humored human being. He always had a joke. 
He was kind to all of us, intelligent, persevering and very, very 
unselfish.
  He won passage of a law that delivers health and compensation 
benefits to children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange who were born 
with spinal bifida, a crippling birth defect. It represented the first 
time children of veterans received that benefit. And he led efforts to 
expand services to women veterans and pushed for increased help for 
veterans suffering from PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder, and 
crafted legislation to direct services to the large numbers of homeless 
veterans.
  I can remember his efforts to set up the storefront homeless centers 
all across our country so that homeless veterans would feel 
comfortable. Many of them were not going into the traditional veterans 
facilities. He understood that. He played a leadership role in helping 
us to recognize the health needs of First Gulf War Syndrome.
  In 1995, he rose to become ranking member on the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, and he was the chief House sponsor of legislation to ban the 
use of anti-personnel land mines. He knew a lot about that, having been 
a veteran himself.
  In recognition of his outstanding leadership, Congressman Evans in 
1990 was awarded the Vietnam Veterans of America first annual 
President's Award for Outstanding Achievement, and then in 1994 he 
received the AMVETS Silver Helmet Award, called the Oscar of veterans 
honors.
  Lane is the son of a firefighter and a nurse and has been a tireless 
advocate and champion of the rights and needs of working Americans, 
from fighting for higher minimum wage, to seeking affordable health 
care for all Americans, to protecting good jobs at good wages in 
Illinois and throughout our country. Throughout our two decades here, 
that has been a monumental struggle, and he never let up on his 
persevering efforts.
  I want to thank the people of Illinois tonight for sending such a 
great human being to this Congress.

[[Page H8972]]

  Eight years ago, Lane Evans contracted Parkinson's disease. As he has 
served with us and we have sat by him and worked with him, he never 
complained once. We watched him as it became more difficult for him to 
smile and to lift his arms and to come here to the floor, and he has 
done that through his 24th year.
  I can remember when he started the basketball games over at 
Georgetown to raise money for philanthropic causes here in the Capitol 
for the needy. He was always helping others, and he did not pay that 
much attention to himself. In fighting Parkinson's disease, which he is 
still fighting, he became a model to all of us on what the words 
``Semper Fidelis'' mean.
  So, Lane Evans, I want to thank you on behalf of the people of Ohio 
and on behalf of your colleagues here in the House. You truly have been 
a worthy servant and it has been an honor to serve by your side. We 
wish you Godspeed, and we thank you so very much for making us better 
by knowing you.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to honor the 
distinguished career of my good friend and colleague, Congressman Lane 
Evans. Lane is retiring at the end of this Congress, and the House of 
Representatives will miss his leadership and untiring support of our 
nation's veterans.
  Lane has devoted most of his entire professional life to service to 
the United States of America. He grew up in the heart of the district 
he represents, entering the Marines out of high school and serving in 
Vietnam. When he returned, he went to college and earned his law degree 
at Georgetown, and was elected to Congress in 1982.
  Since then, he has made a tremendous impact on issues of national 
importance, such as agent orange compensation for affected veterans, 
investigating Gulf War illness, and the effort to ban land mines. While 
never seeking the spotlight, our veterans, military retirees and active 
duty service personnel know they have not had a greater advocate in 
Congress than Lane Evans. Lane was awarded the Vietnam Veterans of 
America's first annual President's Award for Outstanding Achievement in 
1990 and he received the AMVET's Silver Helmet Award in 1994, known as 
the ``Oscar'' of veterans honors.
  At the same time, Lane has always defended the rights of working men 
and women, protecting the ability to collectively bargain while 
opposing unfair trade deals that have sent good paying jobs overseas. 
He has been a leader on environmental issues and a friend of the family 
farmer. Above all, Lane has been a steady presence for the issues he 
believes in and the constituents he represents.
  Over the last several years, Lane also gained prominence for his 
ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease. The dignity with which he has 
faced this disease has inspired many, and helped educate the public 
about the disease. Not many people know how painful the disease can be, 
and you would never know it from Lane, as he has faced this ordeal with 
the same courage and determination he went to war and served in 
Congress.
  Madam Speaker, what I appreciate most about Lane is his consistency. 
Whenever Lane was needed, he was there. His service to our country has 
been profound and I wish him the I best as he prepares for this next 
chapter in his life. I am honored to call him my friend.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in joining my colleagues tonight in 
recognizing the service of Lane Evans. Lane is one of those people who 
came to Congress willing to work and not very interested in getting 
much attention or claiming much credit. All the work he did 
demonstrated his beliefs that we are here not to make a name for 
ourselves, but to make life better for the people who make this country 
strong. He was an advocate for the American worker and an advocate for 
the American Veteran. Since 1995 when Lane became Ranking Member of the 
House Committee Veterans Affairs, no one has tried harder to honor our 
obligations to those who have served our Country in uniform. Like the 
lighthouses on the Great Lakes, Lane has been a beacon of wisdom. When 
you follow Lane Evans, you know you are going in the right direction.
  In addition, he is just a first rate human being. I wish him well and 
offer my sincere gratitude for his service.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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