[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8325-H8328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MAYOR WILLIAM ``BILL'' SANDBERG POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 6229) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 2523 7th Avenue East in North Saint 
Paul, Minnesota, as the ``Mayor William `Bill' Sandberg Post Office 
Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6229

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MAYOR WILLIAM ``BILL'' SANDBERG POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2523 7th Avenue East in North Saint Paul, 
     Minnesota, shall be known and designated as the ``Mayor 
     William `Bill' Sandberg Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Mayor William `Bill' Sandberg Post 
     Office Building''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may 
consume to Representative McCollum of Minnesota.
  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 6229, which names the post office located at 2523 Seventh Avenue 
East in North St. Paul, Minnesota, after the late William ``Bill'' 
Sandberg, the longtime mayor of North St. Paul.
  I want to thank the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for

[[Page H8326]]

bringing this bill to the floor. I also want to thank my colleagues in 
the Minnesota delegation for their support as original cosponsors of 
this bill.
  Naming a post office in honor of Bill Sandberg is a fitting tribute 
to a dedicated public servant, a successful businessman and a wonderful 
human being. Bill was loved by the residents of North St. Paul. He was 
also my dear friend and political mentor. A committed Republican, Mayor 
Sandberg took me under his wing and instilled in me the lesson that 
community always comes before politics.
  William Sandberg was born in the Selby-Grand Avenue neighborhood of 
St. Paul in 1932. His family later moved to North St. Paul where he 
lived the remainder of his life. Bill graduated from North St. Paul 
High School and the University of Minnesota. After serving our country 
with honor in the U.S. Army, he returned home to the family business, 
Sandberg Funeral Home, with his brother Paul. As a funeral director he 
was respected by his peers. He was a true business leader.
  In 1978, the voters in North St. Paul elected Bill Sandberg to serve 
as mayor. With a fatherly hand he guided the city for 30 years, sharing 
his warmth, his optimism and his generous spirit with everyone he 
encountered. A person of great faith, Bill always sought to bring 
people together in constructive ways to solve the problems of our 
community. As a mayor, Bill Sandberg's legacy is one of exemplary 
public service, distinguished by common sense, fairness and compassion.
  I was honored to serve under his leadership on the North St. Paul 
City Council and work closely with him in the following years. I 
learned from Bill's leadership that the political maxim, ``all politics 
are local'' was true. It's true whether you serve on a city council or 
in Congress.
  Mayor Bill Sandberg passed away on April 20, 2008. He left behind 
colleagues, city staff and constituents who loved him. He left behind a 
loving family who will miss him, his daughter, Karen; son-in-law, Jack; 
and his grandchildren, Carolyn and William. Bill's wife, Delores, whom 
he loved profoundly, preceded him in death.
  Mayor Sandberg loved the people he served. Upon learning about his 
leukemia diagnosis, he wrote a letter to the residents of North St. 
Paul. His letter speaks volumes about the great leader he was. In this 
letter, Bill acknowledged his illness. He expressed his pride for the 
community of North St. Paul and a pride that came directly from 
neighbors coming together to meet the city's challenges. Bill also 
wrote of his sincere gratitude for having the opportunity to serve the 
people of his city for so many years.
  I would like to conclude with Bill's words to the people of North St. 
Paul:
  ``I would like to thank everyone again for making this town a very 
special place to live and raise families. I do not know what the future 
holds, but I do know Who holds the future.''
  Madam Speaker, I greatly appreciate the support of my colleagues for 
this legislation. At the time of his death, Mayor Sandberg was the 
longest serving mayor in Minnesota history. His spirit and service are 
irreplaceable. For all who knew and worked with him, the blessing of 
his friendship was a treasure for us all. Recognizing Mayor Sandberg's 
service and leadership by naming this post office in his honor is a 
fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to a community he loved.

       Dear Citizen, As many of you know, I was recently diagnosed 
     with acute leukemia. And as many of you who have had similar, 
     life-altering diagnoses also know, such an evaluation makes 
     one stop and reflect on what is really important.
       Since this is my 30th year serving as your mayor, it is 
     undeniable that you residents and this town have been 
     significant in my life. I have written to you many times 
     about how I appreciate the friendliness of residents and 
     cooperation among residents, businesses, the school district 
     and the city. As I think back, there have been many changes, 
     none of which would have been successful without this 
     cooperation.
       Remember when McKnight Fields were under renovation in the 
     early '90s? Local service clubs provided funding for a 
     majority of the work, businesses donated materials, city 
     crews provided the labor. And after the work was done, the 
     city and school district entered a cooperative agreement for 
     allowing the schools to use the fields.
       I admit we residents haven't always agreed on everything. 
     For example, there were varying opinions on where the new 
     high school should be located. But as soon as the school 
     opened (in the fall of 1997), we put our differences behind 
     us and reunited as a community.
       I'd like to take credit for the many changes that have 
     taken place through the years, but I'm quickly reminded that 
     my pride must be directed to you. It was you citizens who 
     recognized the safety issues in our police and fire 
     departments plus crowded administrative conditions that 
     resulted in construction of our new city hall. It was you 
     citizens who supported construction of our community center. 
     It was you who, through the years, have backed the expansion 
     and construction of public works facilities and park 
     improvements.
       And it was the volunteer efforts of you citizens that have 
     certainly contributed to our town being a beautiful place to 
     live. Back in the early '90s we started the Take Pride 
     program, recognizing residents for improvements they were 
     making in their yards and gardens. And what about all the 
     volunteers who have helped through the years with North St. 
     Paul Green? I remember getting a letter from a Maplewood 
     resident who commended the city for its beautification 
     efforts. She said she'd go out of her way to drive through 
     our downtown just to see the flowers! The efforts of our 
     North St. Paul Green volunteers were also recognized by the 
     Midwest Living Magazine, which named North St. Paul one of 20 
     Midwestern cities with ``hometown pride.''
       As I close this letter, I'd like to thank everyone, again, 
     for making this town a very special place to live and raise 
     families. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know 
     Who holds the future!
           God bless you all,
                                                    Bill Sandberg,
                                                            Mayor.

  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6229, to 
rename the post office in North St. Paul, Minnesota, in honor of former 
Mayor William ``Bill'' Sandberg. Mayor Sandberg died April 20 at the 
age of 76 after serving for more than 30 years as mayor of his beloved 
hometown.
  He graduated in 1950 from North St. Paul High School where he played 
football and hockey and from the University of Minnesota in 1954 with a 
degree in mortuary science. After serving his country in the Army, 
Mayor Sandberg returned to North St. Paul and became a director at his 
family's business, the Sandberg Funeral Home.
  He became mayor in 1978 and began a career known for character, 
personality, fairness and decorum. Described by fellow members of the 
City Council as a ``problem solver who could get people to think in 
different ways,'' he made a point of never coming into a meeting with 
his mind made up. He also made a point of putting people at ease when 
they came to testify before the council and for keeping debates focused 
on the issues at hand, not personalities.
  This openness, this credibility, this unflinching optimism brought 
citizens together even when his ideas didn't enjoy universal support. 
Among his greatest legacies will be his insistence that Highway 36 run 
through the center of North St. Paul. Some feared the increased traffic 
would bring nothing but pollution and gridlock. But Mayor Sandberg 
insisted that thousands of commuters would visit the city's downtown 
area who otherwise never would know it existed. This championing of all 
things North St. Paul permeated everything the mayor did. He considered 
attendance at local high school hockey games and Chamber of Commerce 
meetings as important as attending council meetings. He encouraged 
others to participate in council activities and worked tirelessly to 
connect citizens to their government.
  The city already has begun to honor its beloved former mayor by 
renaming a bridge in his honor. Let us join in this celebration of an 
exemplary public servant, support this resolution and rename the local 
post office in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I present for consideration and support H.R. 6229, 
which names a postal facility in North St. Paul, Minnesota, after Mayor 
William ``Bill'' Sandberg. H.R. 6229 was introduced by Representative 
Betty McCollum on June 10, 2008, and was reported from the Oversight 
Committee on July 16, 2008, by voice vote. The measure has been 
cosponsored by the entire Minnesota House delegation and pays tribute 
to one of the State's most well known public officials.
  William ``Bill'' Sandberg was a longtime resident of North St. Paul, 
Minnesota, who served his beloved city as

[[Page H8327]]

mayor for 30 years until his death on April 20, 2008.

                              {time}  1415

  First elected in 1978, Mayor Sandberg was reelected seven times. 
Known for his good sense of humor, Mayor Sandberg once joked that the 
reason he kept getting reelected was simply because no one else wanted 
the job.
  As mayor, Mr. Sandberg earned a reputation for his ability to bring 
people together by his warm, personable style. During the controversial 
meeting of the North St. Paul City Council, Mayor Sandberg once 
remarked that ``we were friends before the meeting, and while we may 
not agree on this, we will be friends when we walk out.'' He exhibited 
this same unique ability in bringing people together when he 
successfully solved divisive issues, such as the reconstruction of 
Highway 36.
  Before assuming the position of mayor, Bill Sandberg served in the 
United States Army during the 1950s. He then went on to a successful 
business career, joining his parents' funeral home business in St. Paul 
and White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
  So, Mr. Speaker, given Mayor Sandberg's commitment to his community, 
his State and to our country, I urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague, the gentleman from the Indiana (Mr. Pence).
  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  Let me say I rise in support of H.R. 6229, honoring the life and the 
work and memory of Mayor William ``Bill'' Sandberg of St. Paul, 
Minnesota. I believe, given the tenure of his career and the durability 
of his reputation, we can assume in both parties that Mayor Sandberg 
was a man at the local level that attended himself to what people were 
really dealing with and he provided leadership.
  And it is about just that focus that I also wanted to rise, Mr. 
Speaker, today. Because I rise this afternoon, I think with millions of 
Americans, simply to express my frustration, that after only one day of 
debate, late in the night last night, this Congress again failed to 
pass a bipartisan bill that would set us on a course for energy 
independence in the 21st century.
  I must tell you that it was equally frustrating today to awaken and 
see headlines around the country that say ``Congress eases restrictions 
on drilling.'' But I don't want to be critical of my friends in the 
Fourth Estate. This bill was revealed to the world 24 hours before it 
was voted. It was written in the back rooms here in the Capitol, not 
considered by committees, but brought to the floor abruptly the night 
before last and just as abruptly voted without amendment or without 
serious consideration in the Congress. So I won't fault members of the 
media, who didn't understand that the drill-nothing Democrat Congress 
actually only moved to a position that was the drill-almost-nothing 
Democrat Congress.
  But this legislation, despite the headlines, is a story worth 
telling. For the past 20 months, until last week, the Democrat majority 
in Congress made one thing more clear than anything else; there would 
never be a vote on more domestic drilling in America. Speaker  Nancy 
Pelosi repeated her personal and historic opposition to drilling and 
said that she would never permit a vote. And they adjourned on August 
1, turned off the cameras and turned off the lights.
  But Republicans refused to leave. We held this floor during the 
entirety of the August recess, and during that time the Democrat 
majority changed their position. In a very real sense, millions of 
Americans contacted their Members of Congress and said we want more 
access to American oil. We want Congress to come together and 
compromise on conservation, fuel efficiency, solar, wind, nuclear, an 
all-of-the-above strategy. But we want a bill that allows us to drill 
into our domestic resources. And, to their credit, the Democratic 
majority relented in their historic opposition to drilling.
  But the bill that came to the floor abruptly and was just as abruptly 
passed last night failed in many counts. Not only did it bring with it 
an enormous tax increase, not only did it bring with it no opportunity 
for new refineries, no opportunity for nuclear energy development and 
other powerful alternatives, but also this bill truly brought with it 
very little, if any, opportunity to drill into our own domestic 
reserves.
  The bill seems to allow drilling, but not within 50 miles of shore. 
Most experts say that 88 percent of our domestic reserves are within 50 
miles of the shoreline of the east coast and the west coast and the 
eastern Gulf. Beyond that, the Democrat bill that passed last night 
would allow drilling, but only if States vote by referendum or in their 
legislature to permit the drilling.
  That sounds reasonable enough. But what is not reasonable is the 
Democratic bill, unlike current law for Gulf States that allow 
drilling, the Democratic bill offered States no revenue whatsoever. So 
people in South Carolina, people in California, would presumably have 
to decide for themselves or their elected representatives decide to 
allow drilling off of their shore if it meant nothing financially to 
their State coffers.
  Also there was a failure to provide any streamlined judicial review 
or litigation reform, leaving any drilling that would be allowed beyond 
the 50 mile limit to be tied up immediately in court, as hundreds and 
hundreds of leases are tied up today.
  So that is why I say, and I attempt to be intellectually honest about 
this, Mr. Speaker, the Democratic majority did move on their energy 
policy about drilling. They went from a drill-nothing Democrat Congress 
to a drill-almost-nothing Democratic Congress.
  And last night, most sadly, they passed on an opportunity that some 
40 Democrats had been working tirelessly to develop, legislation 
coauthored by Congressman Abercrombie and Congressman Peterson that is 
a truly bipartisan solution. I was a cosponsor of the bill myself. 
Dozens upon dozens of Republicans joined us in the bill, as well as I 
believe 40 Democrat Members of Congress.
  When it came time for the Republicans to offer their alternative, 
quite frankly, we could have played some sort of a game, but we think 
that the American people are struggling under the weight of record 
gasoline prices. Families are hurting, seniors are hurting, and this 
was not time for political posturing or games. So we brought the 
bipartisan bill to the floor as our alternative.
  Strangely, unless I can be corrected, only 13 of the Democrats out of 
the some 40 who cosponsored the bill voted for it. It was a true 
bipartisan bill that had been fashioned through tough bipartisan 
negotiation over months of time, and it was rejected by many of the 
same Democrats who had worked to build the legislation.
  We missed an opportunity last night, Mr. Speaker, to truly do 
something for the American people, to do something, as Daniel Webster 
says on words on these walls, to do something worthy to be remembered.
  So I rise today to pay sincere tribute to Mayor William ``Bill'' 
Sandberg. I am confident that this tribute on this Post Office is 
altogether fitting.
  But I also rise to just simply express my frustration that, at a time 
when we hear about one bailout after another, this Democrat majority 
passed an energy bill last night that Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu 
even said was ``dead on arrival in the Senate.'' We accomplished 
nothing to set this Nation on a course of energy independence.
  So our message is very simple: We are not going away. We are going to 
fight on this floor in every moment that we have left, in the waning 
days of this Congress and in the weeks preceding our national election, 
to demand that this Congress roll our sleeves up and seek that 
bipartisan consensus that does exist.
  Let me say from my heart, I truly believe that there is a bipartisan 
majority in this Congress that would say yes to conservation, yes to 
fuel efficiency, yes to solar, wind and nuclear, and would say yes to a 
substantial increase in domestic drilling that was real and significant 
and would lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

[[Page H8328]]

  So Republicans are going to stay in this fight. Bailouts for 
corporate America, but no relief for our citizens struggling under the 
record weight of gasoline prices is not acceptable to Republicans in 
this Congress. We will stay on this floor. We will continue in this 
fight. We are not going away until the American people have a 
bipartisan strategy that sets us on a short-term course to lessen our 
dependence on foreign oil and on a long-term course for energy 
independence in the 21st century.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of 
H.R. 6229.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our 
time and urge passage.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ross). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6229.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________