[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5001-H5003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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JAMES A. LEACH FEDERAL BUILDING
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1505) to designate the Federal
building located at 131 East 4th Street in Davenport, Iowa, as the
``James A. Leach Federal Building,'' as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1505
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The United States courthouse located at 131 East 4th Street
in Davenport, Iowa, shall be known and designated as the
``James A. Leach United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the United States
courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a
reference to the ``James A. Leach United States Courthouse''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr.
Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
General Leave
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to
revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on
H.R. 1505.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I might consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1505, as amended, is a bill to designate the
Federal building in Davenport, IA, as the James A. Leach United States
Courthouse. Our former colleague, Jim Leach, was elected to Congress in
1977 from Iowa and served for 14 consecutive Congresses. His
contributions to and interests in the House of Representatives are
numerous, including his longstanding support for the use of HOPE VI HUD
funds to help smaller cities develop affordable housing.
A career public servant, Congressman Leach served 30 years as a
Representative in Congress, where he chaired the Banking and Financial
Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and
the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
He holds eight honorary degrees, has received decorations from two
foreign governments, and is the recipient of the Wayne Morris Integrity
in Politics Award, the Woodrow Wilson Award from Johns Hopkins, and the
Adlai Stevenson Award from the United Nations Association, and the
Edgar Wayburn Award from the Sierra Club.
Jim Leach was hard working, highly respected on both sides of the
aisle, and dedicated to the welfare of his constituents. It is fitting
and proper to honor his public service with this designation. I support
1505 and urge its adoption.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1505 designates the United States courthouse
located at 131 East 4th Street in Davenport, IA, as the James A. Leach
United States Courthouse. The bill honors Congressman Leach's
dedication to public service.
Congressman Leach began his long and distinguished career of public
service as a congressional staffer in the 1960s. He later served as a
foreign service officer and as a delegate to the United Nations General
Assembly.
In 1976 Congressman Leach was elected to the House of
Representatives. He served in the U.S. House for 30 years, from 1977 to
2007. During his time in Congress, he chaired the Committee on Banking
and Financial Services, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs,
and the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and urge 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 3 minutes to
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Jim Leach was a very decent,
distinguished and thoughtful Member of Congress. He was a learned
Member of the body. He's a personal friend.
He served this country in many capacities. He began his service as a
staff
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member for then-Congressman Don Rumsfeld. He went to the State
Department in 1968. He served as special assistant to director of the
Office of Economic Opportunity. He served in capacities with the United
Nations, with the U.S. Advisory Commission on International Education
and Cultural Affairs.
He served in an advisory capacity with the Federal Home Loan Bank
Board, rather well-rounded career before being elected to Congress one
term after I was elected.
He chaired, at one point, the Committee on Banking and Financial
Services, the Subcommittee on Asian Pacific Affairs, and the
Congressional Executive Commission on China.
He, along the way, collected a number of honorary degrees. He's the
recipient of the Wayne Morris Integrity in Politics Award, the Woodrow
Wilson award from Johns Hopkins University, the Adlai Stevenson Award
from the United Nations Association, and an award from the Sierra Club,
the Edgar Wayburn award.
He's now serving on the faculty of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School
of Public and International Affairs as a visiting professor.
He's been ably succeeded by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack),
and I really congratulate him and the entire Iowa delegation for so
graciously and thoughtfully introducing and supporting this bill to
honor one of Congress's most respected and well-liked Members.
There are rare people who pass through this body and leave with good
feelings and with good memories by those of us who continue to serve,
and Jim Leach is one of those. It is very appropriate to designate the
U.S. courthouse at Davenport, Iowa, in his honor, in his name.
And, again, I really express my great admiration to the Iowa
delegation for so recognizing this distinguished former Member of
Congress. His service in no way takes away from the service of Mr.
Loebsack who succeeded him, who is, himself, a distinguished professor,
has distinguished himself in the arena of public policy during his
college teaching career, and brings that same thoughtfulness and
constructiveness to the public policy process that his predecessor did,
whom we honor today.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and respect the
memory of Jim Leach.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa
(Mr. King).
Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri
for yielding. And I thank the gentleman from Iowa for bringing this
resolution to honor our good friend and colleague.
And we are proud, as Iowans, to stand here today and ask for support
for this resolution to name the building in Davenport the James A.
Leach Courthouse.
I look back on his career, what a stellar career. All of these years,
elected to Congress in 1976, served till the end of the 109th Congress,
a couple of days into this year, actually.
And one of the things that stands out with Jim Leach is Jim Leach was
a champion. He was a champion in 1960 as a State wrestling champion,
and I'd point out to our wrestling champions here in this Congress, a
State wrestling champion in Iowa is like being a national champion
someplace else, just to set humility aside for the moment.
But that is a characteristic that Jim Leach had, the characteristic
of real humility and the characteristic of a champion.
And as he came here to Congress and he began that long tenure that
was here, he touched a lot of different issues. But his history and his
experience in the financial industry was unparalleled in the
contemporary Congress. And I know of no period in previous history when
there's been someone that's been so respected, that has taken such
leadership in the financial affairs.
And as chairman of the Finance Committee, and then later on as
chairman of the Subcommittee on International Relations, Jim Leach was
a leader that was respected on both sides. He was, some would call him
a bipartisan legislator. I would say Jim Leach was a nonpartisan Member
of this Congress. He evaluated each one of those issues that came
before him, drew an independent judgment.
And if you might question his independence, I'll also make a
concession on Congressman Leach in that he didn't always have every bit
of his hair in place and he led sometimes with a sweater underneath his
jacket, and it was only picked up by Senator Grassley as a stylish tip.
But that's because Jim Leach followed his own mission, his own
conscience, his own intellect and, in fact, he used his time to focus
on those issues that were the good things for Americans, good things
for Iowans.
So I'm proud today to stand in support of this resolution and proud
to be able to call Jim Leach a colleague and a friend in the opposite
order. It's with great admiration I ask support for this resolution of
this Congress.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to
the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack).
Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today to offer H.R.
1505. This bill designates the United States Federal building located
at 131 East 4th Street in Davenport, Iowa, the James A. Leach United
States Courthouse.
Jim Leach represented Iowa with grace and distinction for 30 years,
and this legislation is a tribute to his service. His legacy of
statesmanship, his leadership in foreign affairs and financial services
is already recounted. His dedication to public service and his capable
representation of his constituents left a lasting impact on the
district I am now honored to represent.
Jim is a native son of Iowa; and throughout his time in Congress, his
representation of the State was based upon the values of the people he
represented and of the town in which he grew up.
Jim recently joined the faculty of the Woodrow Wilson School of
Public and International Affairs at Princeton, his alma mater. As a
former professor myself, and I say former now, I believe I can say with
some authority that the experience and knowledge that Jim has brought
to the Woodrow Wilson School has no doubt been a tremendous asset for
Princeton students and faculty.
In fact, as a professor at Cornell College in Iowa, I was pleased to
invite Jim to campus to lecture on foreign policy matters. His talks
were always informative and engaging. I know that these guest lectures
were only a glimpse of the knowledge, the depth of the knowledge and
expertise that Jim has brought to Princeton on a daily basis.
That he chose to continue his commitment to public service by
training the next generation of scholars and practitioners is
indicative of Jim's time in Congress, and I wish him the best of luck
in his new career.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Jim for his many years of
service. It is my hope that I am able to represent Iowa's Second
District as capably as he did for so many years. And I join with my
colleagues and urge you to pass this resolution.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).
Mr. LATHAM. I thank the Speaker for the time to rise in support of
this resolution to honor our great friend, Jim Leach, by naming the
courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, after him. It is a well-deserved honor.
I miss Jim Leach around here because of his great sense of humor, his
insight, his thoughtfulness, someone who was a strong Iowa Hawkeye
supporter, having the Hawks in his district, and I, myself,
representing Iowa State, so we used to go back and forth an awful lot.
Jim Leach will be remembered here in this body for his 30 years of
service, his great thoughtfulness, his intellect, someone who, whether
it be in financial services, and the Financial Services Modernization
Act bears his name, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley bill; whether it be trying
to stop gambling predators over the Internet; someone who knew and
understood international policy, foreign affairs like no one else;
someone who had such a broad breadth of knowledge, who could bring that
forth and convey it to other folks in a very kind and thoughtful way.
He does represent the very best of what's in this Congress, and that
is a spirit of bipartisanship, of thought over politics, of actions
rather than posturing; someone who I have the greatest personal respect
for. And I'm so pleased that Mr. Loebsack has
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brought this resolution to the floor of the House, and I would urge
everyone to support this resolution in honor of James Leach. And I want
to commend him, also his wife, Deva, and the family; just wonderful
people, and an honor like this could not go to a nicer person or a more
deserving individual.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to
the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's courtesy
in permitting me to add my voice, expressing the appreciation to Mr.
Loebsack and to the Iowa delegation for bringing this resolution
forward commemorating the service of our friend and former colleague,
Jim Leach.
The 30 years that we were privileged in this body to watch him at
work, the words, the recitation to what Jim Leach did doesn't do him
justice. He was dignified and principled, one of the few people who
could navigate these Halls successfully without ever being mired in
partisan politics, doing it his way, a way that was right for the
country, if often difficult for him politically.
Just reciting the facts misses the quality of his service. Jim Leach
predicted the savings and loan crisis. He was spot on in his
observations about American diplomacy from the Middle East to North
Dakota. I meant to say North Korea, probably North Dakota as well, as I
think about it.
He, as an example of his principled nature, resigned from the Foreign
Service in protest of President Nixon's firing of special prosecutor
Archibald Cox.
In his congressional campaigns, he was one of the few people who
refused to accept PAC contributions and out of State donations. He
wouldn't run negative ads, and he tried to stop outside groups who were
supporting him from, in turn, running negative ads.
In 1997, he refused to vote for Speaker Newt Gingrich because of deep
ethics concerns. And while it was the right thing to do, as history has
shown, it was a tough vote against a sitting Speaker in your own party.
But it was an example of how Jim Leach operated.
He correctly predicted what was going to happen with our ill-advised
adventure in Iraq with great clarity and force in committee and on the
floor. And then he voted against it, again, at some difficulty for
himself politically, particularly at that time. That wasn't the
direction of the prevailing winds in his party or in the country.
But that's how Jim Leach was. He thought about issues. He analyzed
them. He shared his analysis in his own thoughtful, understated way. He
was usually right, and the congressional deliberations were better as a
result.
I must say that I'm sorry that President Bush chose not to take the
advice of dozens of Members in this body on both sides of the aisle who
urged that Jim Leach be appointed as the U.S. Representative to the
United Nations, a post for which he would be eminently well qualified.
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I am confident we will see a new chapter in his distinguished career
whether in the United Nations, perhaps in a new administration. As a
friend, a colleague and an American, I look forward to whatever that
next chapter is in Jim's career.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I would love to stand with the gentleman
from Minnesota and the gentlewoman from Texas in urging our colleagues
to vote for this. He was a good individual.
Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, and thanks to Congressman Loebsack
for introducing this bill and working hard to designate the James A.
Leach Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa. I would also like to thank
Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica for reporting this bill out
of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Congressman Leach is a good man who served his constituents with
distinction and grace, and it is fitting that we honor him with a
hometown reminder of his commitment and service to Iowa. While his
career in Congress was distinguished and honorable, I want to touch on
another passion of his--wrestling.
Jim Leach began wrestling in his birthplace of Davenport as a
seventh-grader. As a student at Davenport High School, he won the 1960
state wrestling championship at the 138-pound weight class. Competing
for Princeton University, he lost just one dual meet match. Later, as a
research student at the London School of Economics, he went on to
compete in freestyle matches. In 1995, he was awarded the Outstanding
American Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
His wrestler's spirit was evident in his public service, as he took a
disciplined and hard working approach to his duties. For thirty years,
Congressman Leach served his constituents, and he never lost touch of
his Davenport roots. As an original cosponsor of HR 1505, I am proud to
support the James A. Leach Courthouse.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further
requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1505, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to designate the United
States courthouse located at 131 East 4th Street in Davenport, Iowa, as
the James A. Leach United States Courthouse'.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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