[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]




                              {time}  1315
                    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

[[Page H5002]]

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

[[Page H5003]]

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.

                              {time}  1330

  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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