[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2004-E2005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2004]]
                      RETIREMENT OF TERRY EVERETT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. ARTUR DAVIS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2008

  Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Congressman Terry 
Everett on his retirement after 16 years of service in the House. 
Everett has been a reliable supporter of the two sectors that drive the 
economics of the 2nd Congressional District-agriculture and national 
security--and his successor will have much to do to match Everett's 
influence.
  What I have always admired about Terry Everett is the fact that he is 
the rare civic leader who comes to politics as a mid-life career. 
Everett ran a newspaper in the Wiregrass and learned from that how to 
run a business and how to measure community sentiment. His path is not 
the conventional route in an institution full of strivers who 
fantasized their Congressional career in grade school. But if you know 
Terry Everett, his path leaves him a happier, more decent man than a 
sizable chunk of his colleagues who stress about the offices they never 
held and the publicity they never received.
  I remember Everett's election in 1992 well because I lived in his 
district when I was home from law school. He was not his party's early 
favorite in the primary. Nor was he given good odds in the general: his 
opponent was none other than the son of Alabama's political prodigy 
George Wallace. But odds don't determine elections and Everett managed 
to beat a lot of money and establishment clout on the other side. To 
his credit, he never saw another tough race.
  I think the way Everett won made him a little freer to be his own 
man. I never sensed he took a path for the sole reason that his party 
took it, or because he thought an opinion would elevate him with his 
party leaders. I sensed that Terry Everett always felt that he knew his 
district and his people better than Washington could ever know them. He 
is a tried and true conservative--most of his voters wouldn't have it 
any other way--but his roots shaped his conservatism in a good way. It 
is the conservatism of someone who has seen certain values thrive in 
his own life and believes that they will work for others. I respect 
that, and agreed with him more times than a few.
  I wish we had more citizen politicians like Terry Everett, and I wish 
him well.
  In addition, I congratulate Congressman Bud Cramer on eighteen years 
of service to the 5th District of Alabama. Mr. Cramer is the latest 
descendant in a long line of North Alabama Democrats who have served 
their district's interests well while garnering significant national 
clout, and Alabama will miss him.
  When I think of Bud Cramer, I am reminded of a sage-sounding 
prediction by a longtime Southern political observer. In the aftermath 
of Newt Gingrich's ``revolution'' in 1994, this individual was 
predicting that the John Sparkman/Tom Bevill model was becoming 
obsolete due to the increased partisanship and ideological polarization 
in states like Alabama. His premise was that conservative Democrats 
were imperiled because of their party label: Cramer's exceedingly 
narrow victory in 1994 was even cited as an example of the uncertain 
status of ``blue dogs'' like Cramer.
  His district should be thankful that Bud Cramer disproved this 
prophecy by winning again in 1996, and then by becoming unassailable. 
He has not faced meaningful opposition in the last twelve years, even 
though every Republican presidential candidate has won the 5th District 
easily. The ultimate testament to his popularity: in a hotly contested 
race to succeed him, both the Democratic and Republican nominees are 
promising to ``be another Bud Cramer.''
  Cramer leaves North Alabama's economy stronger than he found it. The 
missile research program in Huntsville is now one of the largest, most 
vital components of the US military budget, partly because of Cramer--
his skilled support has helped sustain missile defense against a 
variety of political foes. He has also nurtured a series of economic 
development projects in a region that has wide pockets of unemployment; 
one of the last projects he worked on creates a new opportunity zone in 
Colbert County, which will lead to at least one major new industry 
locating there.
  In Washington, Cramer's legacy is his thoughtful leadership on 
national security issues. Cramer's influence actually rose as the 
Intelligence Committee on which he served grew more partisan--the 
congressman's refusal to either rubber stamp or reflexively oppose the 
Administration's agenda underscored the value of more moderate voices.
  I wish Bud well. He's earned the right to weeks that don't begin with 
the 7 a.m., Monday morning direct flight from Huntsville to Washington.
  I would also like to submit the following articles from the 
Huntsville Times for the Record.

               [From the Huntsville Times, July 27, 2008]

          BRAC Success a Result of Team Approach, Says Cramer

       As U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer reflects on retiring after nine 
     terms in Washington, he says his proudest achievement has 
     been his team approach to getting the job done.
       ``Whenever we saw what needed to be accomplished, we 
     planned and then worked as a team to reach the goal, from 
     regional economics to the Space Station,'' Cramer says. ``The 
     team approach applies to each success. I was a team member 
     and leader in identifying what we needed to do to help 
     ourselves.''
       Cramer's approach was no more apparent than when he worked 
     on presenting the area for the U.S. Army's plan to 
     consolidate commands or base realignment, better known as the 
     Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). When BRAC 
     emerged, the congressman says he immediately recognized he 
     had to be in the forefront of this plan. In 1994-95, he 
     proactively gained jobs and then prepared for the next BRAC 
     round for more jobs. He worked in unison with the Alabama 
     congressional delegation to demonstrate to the Army what 
     Redstone's capabilities are.
       ``It meant understanding the issues,'' Cramer says. By 
     serving on the House Appropriations Committee and teaming 
     with with Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, Democrat Cramer 
     says the pair got money to modernize Army facilities in 
     Huntsville to make them more efficient and appealing as a 
     workplace. Redstone impressed the Army and the Pentagon, and 
     won the ``mother of all BRAC rounds'' and thousands of jobs 
     for Huntsville. It was teamwork, he says, that paid off.
       Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer credits Cramer for his 
     accomplishments with BRAC. ``When the opportunity came again 
     to win a favorable BRAC ruling, elected officials and 
     business groups from the Tennessee Valley region formed a 
     task force for cohesion in pooling resources,'' she says. 
     ``However, as strong as our region's presentation was, we 
     could not have had the results without the support of Bud and 
     our congressional delegation.''
       Since coming to Congress in 1990, Rep. Cramer has been a 
     leading advocate for missile defense.
       As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Cramer, 
     with Shelby and the other members of the Alabama delegation, 
     secured more than $211 million for the construction of the 
     Von Braun Complex. Cramer's District 5, which includes 
     Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison 
     counties and portions of Morgan County in North Alabama, also 
     includes the Army's Redstone Arsenal and NASA's Marshall 
     Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
       In 2005, Cramer called it a ``good day for North Alabama'' 
     when the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced it would 
     recommend to the BRAC Commission that 3,000 jobs be relocated 
     to the Redstone Arsenal. Comprising this relocation were 
     components of U.S. Army Materiel Commands, the U.S. Army 
     Space and Missile Defense Command and a significant part of 
     the Missile Defense Agency.
       Soon after, the U.S Army Security Assistance Command and 
     Aviation Technical Test Center were also relocated to 
     Redstone. It made North Alabama one of the nation's largest 
     gainers with BRAC.
       ``Today marks a proud and historic day for Redstone and for 
     all of us in North Alabama,'' Cramer said then. ``I am 
     pleased that the hard work by our community has paid off. 
     North Alabama presented an excellent proposal highlighting 
     Redstone's strengths, and the daily contributions people 
     working there make to our national security.''
       Cramer emphasized teamwork involving BRAC committee 
     chairman Joe Ritch and the entire Tennessee Valley BRAC team, 
     spanning several years, to help bring the commands to North 
     Alabama.
       In October 2005, Cramer announced that BRAC supporters 
     defeated a resolution in the House of Representatives that 
     would have disapproved BRAC recommendations. By law, Congress 
     had 45 legislative days to reject the BRAC report entirely, 
     or it became law.
       Following the decision, Cramer discussed the move with 
     senior Army officials to ensure it came about.
       Given today's budget environment, I wanted to make 
     absolutely sure that even if we encounter potential 
     challenges, North Alabama's gains will be completed,'' said 
     Cramer after the hearing.
       Keith Eastin, assistant secretary of the Army for 
     installations and environment, confirmed to Cramer that the 
     DOD was legally obligated to comply with each of the 103 BRAC 
     recommendations by Sept. 15, 2011.
       At the time Cramer said, ``BRAC is a congressionally 
     authorized process that the Department of Defense has used to 
     reorganize its base structure to more efficiently support our 
     forces. BRAC is critical to U.S. national security and cannot 
     be undermined. It balances national defense priorities, 
     supports our military modernization objectives and creates 
     opportunities for private economic development.''
                                  ____


               [From the Huntsville Times, July 27, 2008]

       Economic Development Has ``No Barriers'' in Cramer's View

       When U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer was first elected to Congress in 
     1990, he recognized a need to take a regional economic 
     approach for

[[Page E2005]]

     North Alabama, and it has paid off with hundreds of new jobs.
       ``In the early years, I saw the district's need for a 
     regional economic development agenda,'' Cramer says. Issues 
     like countering unemployment or building an airport were 
     identified, and he went to work. With this agenda, he was 
     ``committed to tell our story better by working with 
     necessary parties like the Alabama Development Office and 
     other North Alabama economic development professionals.''
       As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, he also 
     set out to provide the resources to help make North Alabama 
     conducive to, and attractive for, economic development. His 
     efforts manifested in securing funding for transportation and 
     infrastructure development, including water and sewer 
     projects. He also got money for workforce training 
     initiatives across North Alabama, which earned him 
     recognition for systematically setting the stage to invite 
     growth in the Fifth District and surrounding areas.
       In the years that followed, the successes have included 
     U.S. Gypsum, Toyota's $20 million production expansion at its 
     Huntsville plant, National Rail Car, North American Lighting, 
     Steelcase, the Boeing rocket plant in Decatur and the 
     HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.
       At the Toyota announcement in 2003, Cramer reinforced his 
     goal of telling Alabama's story.
       ``They have discovered what a good area North Alabama is to 
     do business, and this expansion is great news for both Toyota 
     and the people of North Alabama,'' he told the crowd about a 
     project that brought 350 to 500 new jobs. ``We need these new 
     good jobs, and I'm proud to stand here with Toyota today to 
     make this announcement.''
       From the start, Cramer says he sought to represent Alabama 
     as a ``can-do state'' and to tell its story better, but he 
     also recognized regional economic growth would require 
     teamwork throughout his nine terms in Congress.
       By fortifying the state's image, infrastructure and 
     teamwork on all levels, Alabama became more competitive and 
     more attractive to prospects.
       HudsonAlpha President Jim Hudson praised Cramer's energy 
     and devotion to bringing about development.
       ``When HudsonAlpha was in its very formative stages, 
     Congressman Cramer took the initiative,'' Hudson says. ``In 
     order to understand the potential of biotechnology in North 
     Alabama, he traveled to leading biotechnology centers in 
     Arizona and New York. Convinced that biotechnology would be 
     an ideal engine of economic growth and human progress, 
     Congressman Cramer became a tireless advocate. His role in 
     the founding of HudsonAlpha was critical. Congressman 
     Cramer's willingness to work hard, to listen to all sides, to 
     investigate the issues and to build the key relationships 
     needed have enhanced the quality of life for everyone in 
     North Alabama.''
       In 2005 Cramer joined Hudson and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to 
     announce the creation of the HudsonAlpha Institute for 
     Biotechnology in Huntsville. Cramer heralded a vital new 
     direction for Alabama, saying, ``With the creation of the 
     HudsonAlpha Institute, we have an opportunity to lead our 
     nation's biotechnology effort.''
       HudsonAlpha would turn out to be a crown jewel in setting 
     the state on the biotech path. But Cramer has been involved 
     in the recruitment and expansion of many North Alabama 
     companies.
       Just a year earlier, Cramer's regional economic approach 
     had paid off with U.S. Gypsum Co.'s $20 million expansion to 
     the building material manufacturer's Bridgeport, Ala., 
     facility. Of the development, the congressman said at the 
     time, ``When a strong well-established company like U.S. 
     Gypsum decides to expand, it reaffirms the fact that Jackson 
     County is a great place to do business.''
       The location was completed in 1999 and provided 180 jobs.
       In 2005, Cramer joined several state officials in 
     announcing North American Lighting, a subsidiary of Tokyo-
     based Koito Manufacturing Co., was going to build its $21 
     million, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at the 
     Northwest Alabama Airport Industrial Park in Muscle Shoals. 
     The 200,000-square-foot facility, which is producing tail 
     lamps for automakers like Toyota, Nissan and Honda, created 
     320 jobs. Cramer commended the Shoals region for working 
     together on the project and attributed the success to the 
     area's cooperative efforts.
       ``All of our area's economic development leaders were 
     determined to do what it took to land this company, and today 
     is a direct result of our efforts,'' Cramer told the group. 
     ``It is further proof that if we work together as one 
     community, we will be much stronger and better prepared to 
     promote the benefits of Northwest Alabama.''
       In 2006, which would turn out to be a banner year in the 
     congressman's regional economic development efforts, he 
     joined Gov. Bob Riley in breaking ground for the North 
     American Lighting plant, and again hailed regional 
     cooperation for winning the project.
       ``The successful recruitment of North American Lighting was 
     the culmination of a partnership within the entire Shoals 
     area,'' he said. ``The county and municipal leaders here 
     clearly showed that they no longer view the Tennessee River 
     or city and county lines as barriers to economic progress, 
     and they fully understand that a new facility anywhere in 
     this region will reap economic benefits for the entire area. 
     All of them should be commended for their leadership.''
       Cramer, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, 
     secured $600,000 in 2006 to help install water and wastewater 
     infrastructure at the Muscle Shoals Industrial Park.
       Again in 2006, Cramer in his annual economic recruitment 
     trip with the North Alabama Industrial Development 
     Association (NAIDA) to Chicago, Ill., promoted Alabama's 
     capabilities and strengths to biotech leaders in an effort to 
     expand its biotech base, showcasing HudsonAlpha as the 
     state's opportunity to lead the nation's biotech efforts.
       Cramer also led an economic development trip to New York 
     City, again with NAIDA and area development officials, 
     reinforcing their ``economic development team'' in recruiting 
     new industry and maintaining relationships with existing 
     businesses. He also reinforced a central theme to his 
     economic development success. ``Each year, this trip sends a 
     strong message to business leaders and site consultants that 
     our region is united and committed to doing what it takes to 
     bring new industry to North Alabama.''
       At an economic development summit held by Cramer and U.S. 
     Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) with business and government 
     leaders in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee, both 
     congressmen strongly emphasized the value of regional efforts 
     to grow and recruit business in areas on both sides of the 
     Alabama-Tennessee border.
       Collectively, their districts include Arnold Engineering 
     Development Center, the Marshall Space Flight Center, 
     Redstone Arsenal, automobile assembly and supplier plants, 
     and many other manufacturing facilities and small businesses. 
     Also, as a result, many individuals in both Alabama and 
     Tennessee have chosen to live in one state and work in 
     another. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) 
     recommendations were discussed, in which 4,700 jobs were 
     directed to the Redstone Arsenal.
       Cramer and Davis also met with officials throughout the 
     Tennessee Valley to learn more about how both communities 
     could further compliment each other.
       ``This team effort made all the difference in the world,'' 
     Cramer says of his industrial recruitment efforts in his nine 
     terms in Congress. It took many meetings to generate 
     consensus among the counties and a new view on how to get it 
     done. ``I worked without barriers, without county lines.''

                          ____________________