[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H202-H204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSWOMAN JAN MEYERS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4095) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas, as the
``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4095
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONGRESSWOMAN JAN MEYERS POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park,
Kansas, shall be known and designated as the ``Congresswoman
Jan Meyers 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 ``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
General Leave
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and add any extraneous materials.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As chairman of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over the
United States Postal Service, I am pleased to present H.R. 4095 for
consideration. This legislation will designate the United States Postal
Service facility located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas,
as the ``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building.'' Introduced by
my friend and colleague Representative Dennis Moore of Kansas on
November 17, 2009, H.R. 4095 was reported out of the Oversight and
Government Reform Committee on December 10, 2009, by voice vote.
Notably, H.R. 4095 has the support of the entire Kansas House
delegation.
Since the lead sponsor, Mr. Moore, is here, I would like to yield him
such time as he may consume in bringing this resolution to the floor.
Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to rise in
support of bipartisan legislation which I introduced with my colleagues
in the Kansas congressional delegation, H.R. 4095, designating the post
office located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas, as the
``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building.''
Jan Meyers was elected to represent the Third Congressional District
of Kansas in 1984 and reelected in five subsequent elections. In 1995,
she became the first Republican woman to chair a standing House
committee, the Small Business Committee, in more than 40 years. That
milestone capped Jan's long tenure as a public servant that began with
5 years of service on the Overland Park City Council and included 12
years in the State senate. As Congressional Quarterly described her,
Jan was ``a mild mannered social moderate known for her willingness to
compromise . . . Meyers' middle ground instincts make her a case swing
vote.''
Janice Lenore Crilly, Jan, was born on July 20, 1928, in Lincoln,
Nebraska, the daughter of Howard M. Crilly, a newspaper publisher, and
Lenore N. Crilly. Jan and her brother Donn were raised in Superior,
Nebraska. In 1948, she graduated with an associate fine arts degree
from William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri, and with a B.A. in
communications from the University of Nebraska in 1951. Following
graduation, she worked in advertising and public relations.
Jan Crilly married Louis ``Dutch'' Meyers who eventually became a
Kansas City television station executive, and they raised a daughter
and son, Valerie and Philip. Jan's career in Kansas GOP politics began
in 1966 when she served as Overland Park chairwoman for Larry Winn,
Jr.'s campaign for the Third Congressional District U.S. House seat.
Two years later, she was the district co-Chair for the first of Senator
Robert Dole's string of five successful Senate races. In 1974, Jan
chaired Republican Bob Bennett's gubernatorial campaign in Johnson
County.
From 1967 to 1972, she served as a member of the Overland Park City
Council, presiding for 2 years. In 1972, Jan won election of the Kansas
State Senate and served there for the next 12 years, rising to chair
the Public Health and Welfare Committee as well as the Local Government
Committee. When Representative Winn retired in 1984, Jan entered the
GOP primary to succeed him. By that point, the district was a narrow
north/south sliver, nestled in the northeast corner of Kansas across
the river from the metropolis of Kansas City, Missouri. In a five-way
race, she won the party nomination; and in the general election, she
faced a formidable opponent in the Democratic candidate, Kansas City
Mayor Jack Reardon.
Jan emphasized her long experience in State politics and campaigned
around the district. When Congresswoman Meyers arrived in the House
after winning that race, she was appointed to the Committee on Science
and Technology, the Committee on Small Business, and the Select
Committee on Aging. In the 100th Congress, she transferred from Science
and Technology to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Jan was most active on the Small Business Committee where she
introduced a number of legislative measures to protect small business
interests and to ensure they had fair representation in government. She
worked to bring permanent tax cuts for small business. When Republicans
took control of the House in the 1994 elections, Jan Meyers was
promoted to chair the Small Business Committee. It marked the first
time that a Republican woman had chaired the House committee since
Edith Nourse Rogers headed Veterans' Affairs in the 83rd Congress from
1953 to 1955.
``Leadership positions come as a result of seniority,'' Jan said. And
later she said, ``I sincerely hope that women
[[Page H203]]
continue to run and continue to get elected, and I think that will
ultimately result in more women being elected to leadership
positions.'' Jan declined to run for reelection in 1996, noting that
she wanted to spend more time with her family. ``There are other things
in life I want to do, and being a Member of Congress, if you take the
job seriously, simply does not leave time,'' Jan told the press. She
also said she believed that Members of Congress should serve no more
than 10 to 14 years.
Jan returned to Overland Park, Kansas, where she joined foundation
boards for a local library and a community college.
Mr. Speaker, Jan Meyers was a valued and important Member of Congress
during her tenure in this body, and it is fitting that we vote today to
name on her behalf a post office in the city she served as a
commissioner. This is bipartisan. I ask for the support of my
colleagues.
Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4095, which would
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service, located at
9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas, as the Congresswoman Jan
Meyers Post Office Building. Congresswoman Meyers dedicated her career
to serving the people of Kansas.
After working on Larry Winn's successful campaign for a Kansas City-
based House seat in 1966, Meyers began her own career in public service
as a member of the Overland Park City Council from 1967 until 1972. In
1972, Meyers won a seat in the Kansas State Senate. She would serve in
the State senate for 12 years, eventually becoming the Chair of the
Public Health and Welfare Committee. In 1984, Congressman Larry Winn
decided to retire. Meyers won the election for the district's open
seat. She served her constituents for five terms, during which time she
became the Chair of the Small Business Committee. She was the first
woman in almost 20 years to chair a Permanent House committee.
Small businesses were very important to her throughout her career.
She once commented, ``There may be more dramatic issues, but none that
are more important . . . because the small business sector employs at
least 50 percent, maybe a little more, of the individuals in this
country. Virtually all of the entry-level employees are with small
business.'' A quote that is relevant to today.
While some wanted to eliminate the Small Business Committee at the
time, Congresswoman Meyers was committed to seeing the committee was
active and served an important purpose. In 1995, Congresswoman Meyers
decided that she would retire and not run for reelection in order to
spend more time with her family. She considered bills that she
introduced that lowered taxes and reduced regulation on small business
owners as some of the greatest accomplishments in her career.
Throughout her five terms of service, Congresswoman Meyers believed
that it was very important to ``listen to your conscience and your
constituents, both. Most of the time, they'll agree.''
Mr. Speaker, to honor Congresswoman Meyers' career of service and the
work that she did both for her constituents in Kansas and for small
business owners throughout America, I encourage my colleagues to
support this bipartisan bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time; however,
I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my distinguished
colleague from the great State of Kansas (Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN of Kansas. I appreciate the gentleman from Illinois for
recognizing me today.
I am here today to honor former Kansas Congresswoman Jan Meyers, a
fiscal conservative and a true public servant. Jan served in the House
of Representatives from 1985 to 1997, representing the communities
around Kansas City. In 1995, she became the first woman chairman of a
House committee since 1976.
Before her election to Congress, she served on the Overland Park City
Council and as a senator in the Kansas State Legislature. While serving
Kansans in the House of Representatives, Jan was a consistent advocate
for fiscal responsibility, an example that many in Washington today
could follow. Whether she was promoting legislation in the Small
Business Committee to protect small business owners or offering
conservative solutions during the debate over welfare reform, she
always remembered that when Congress spent money, it was the taxpayers'
money, not the government's.
She regularly voted to cut taxes so that Americans could keep more of
what they earned and worked to reduce the budget deficit and eliminate
wasteful government spending. Kansas son and American hero Bob Dole
summed it up well when he said of Jan Meyers on the Senate floor that
she ``never stopped fighting to reduce the regulatory and tax burdens
on America's small businessmen and women.'' She was a true steward of
the people's resources and worked hard on their behalf.
Yet it was her caring and attentive nature that Kansans really
remember. Although a conservative Republican, Jan reached out to
Kansans of every philosophy. She was sensitive to the needs of Kansans
and always quick to respond to their problems. Jan never forgot who she
worked for and always had time for the folks back home.
To me, Jan was more than an ideal public servant. She is also a
friend. The manner in which she met difficult circumstances with a
smile gave me comfort on several occasions, and I value her kindness
and gentle spirit. While we recognize Jan today, it's also important to
note the recent loss of Jan's husband of 56 years, Dutch. Together, Jan
and Dutch made a good team and raised two wonderful children.
Our Nation needs more public servants like Jan Meyers, people that
are good stewards of taxpayer money and put service above self.
Designating a post office in her hometown of Overland Park in her name
will remind Kansans of these characteristics and honor her legacy for
years to come. I thank Jan Meyers for a job well done and for a life
well lived.
I appreciate the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) for bringing this
legislation to the floor.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I urge support and passage of H.R. 4095, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to rise in
support of bipartisan legislation I introduced with my colleagues in
the Kansas congressional delegation, H.R. 4095, designating the post
office located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas, as the
``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building''.
Jan Meyers was elected to represent the Third Congressional District
of Kansas in 1984, and re-elected in five subsequent elections. In
1995, she became the first Republican woman to chair a standing House
committee, the Small Business Committee, in more than 40 years. That
milestone capped Jan's long tenure as a public servant that began with
5 years of service on the Overland Park City Council and included
twelve years in the state senate. As Congressional Quarterly described
her, Jan was ``a mild mannered social moderate known for her
willingness to compromise. . . . Meyers' middle ground instincts make
her a key swing vote.''
Janice Lenore Crilly (Jan) was born on July 20, 1928, in Lincoln,
Nebraska, the daughter of Howard M. Crilly, a newspaper publisher, and
Lenore N. (Hazel) Crilly. Janice Crilly and her brother, Donn, were
raised in Superior, Nebraska. In 1948, she graduated with an Associate
Fine Arts degree from William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri, and
with a B.A. in communications from the University of Nebraska in 1951.
Following graduation, she worked in advertising and public relations.
Jan Crilly married Louis ``Dutch'' Meyers, who eventually became a
Kansas City television station executive, and they raised a daughter
and son, Valerie and Philip.
Jan Meyers's career in Kansas GOP politics began in 1966, when she
served as Overland Park chairwoman for Larry Winn, Jr.'s campaign for
the Third District U.S. House seat. Two years later, she was district
co-chair for the first of Senator Robert Dole's string of five
successful Senate races. In 1974, Jan chaired Republican Bob Bennett's
gubernatorial campaign in Johnson County. From 1967 to 1972, she served
as a member of the Overland Park City Council, presiding for two years.
In 1972, Meyers won election to the Kansas state senate and served
there for the next 12 years, rising to chair the public health and
welfare committee as well as the local government committee.
[[Page H204]]
When Representative Winn retired in 1984, Jan entered the GOP primary
to succeed him. By that point, the district was a narrow north-south
sliver nestled in the northeast corner of Kansas across the river from
the metropolis of Kansas City, Missouri. In a five-way race she won the
party nomination. In the general election she faced a formidable
opponent in the Democratic candidate, Kansas City Mayor Jack Reardon.
Jan emphasized her long experience in state politics and plastered the
district with ``Jan Can'' posters. Benefiting from being on a ticket
that featured President Reagan and the popular Senator Nancy Kassebaum
(who received more votes than Reagan in the November elections), Jan
won.
When Congresswoman Meyers arrived in the House, she was appointed to
the Committee on Science and Technology, the Committee on Small
Business, and the Select Committee on Aging. In the 100th Congress
(1987-1989), she transferred from Science and Technology to the Foreign
Affairs Committee.
Jan was most active on the Small Business Committee. She introduced a
number of legislative measures to protect small business interests and
to ensure that they had fair representation in government. She worked
to bring permanent tax cuts for small businesses.
When Republicans took control of the House in the 1994 elections, Jan
Meyers was promoted to chair of the Small Business Committee. It marked
the first time that a Republican woman had chaired a House committee
since Edith Nourse Rogers headed Veterans' Affairs in the 83rd Congress
(1953-1955). ``Leadership positions come as a result of seniority,''
Jan said later. ``I sincerely hope that women continue to run and
continue to get elected, and I think that will ultimately result in
more women being elected to leadership positions.''
Jan declined to run for re-election in 1996, noting that she wanted
to spend more time with her family. ``There are other things in life I
want to do, and being a Member of Congress, if you take the job
seriously, simply does not leave time,'' Jan told the press. She also
said she believed that Members of Congress should serve no more than 10
to 14 years. Meyers returned to Overland Park, Kansas, where she joined
foundation boards for a local library and a community college.
Mr. Speaker, Jan Meyers was a valued and important member of Congress
during her tenure in this body and it is fitting that we vote today to
name on her behalf a post office in the city she served as a
commissioner.
Ms. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to
voice my support for H.R. 4095, a bill to designate the facility of the
United States Postal Service located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland
Park, Kansas, as the ``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building''.
I would like to also congratulate my colleague and fellow Kansan, Mr.
Moore, the sponsor of this bill, for his service to our state. And
thank Mr. Moran and Mr. Tiahrt, the other members of the Kansas
delegation who joined me as the original co-sponsors of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, We Kansans are proud of our pioneering spirit and
Congresswoman Jan Meyers is a great example of that spirit. Born in
Lincoln, Nebraska, Jan attended public schools in Superior, Nebraska
before receiving a bachelor of arts from the University of Nebraska in
1951.
After moving to Kansas, Jan served on the City Council of Overland
Park, from 1967 to 1972. She then served in the Kansas Senate from 1972
to 1984 and in 1984 she was elected to the House of Representatives
where she served until January 3, 1997. During her time in this body,
Jan chaired the Committee on Small Business in the 104th Congress, the
first woman to serve in that capacity in more than 20 years.
Jan's commitment to fiscal responsibility made her a regular
recipient of the Golden Bulldog Award from Watchdog of the Treasury for
her work to eliminate wasteful in government spending she was regularly
named Taxpayer Hero by the Citizens Against Government Waste.
Jan is also an advocate for children and was a leader for health care
reform. A committed conservationist, Jan was essential in the creation
of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 10,894 acres of protected
Kansas tall grass prairie, which forms the only unit of the National
Park System dedicated to the rich natural and cultural history of this
cherished ecosystem that is in our state.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, Jan Meyers is a great Kansan who served our
State and this Nation with distinction and I consider myself lucky to
call her my friend.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, again I encourage my friends on both sides of
the isle to join Mr. Moore of Kansas in honoring the life and legacy of
Congresswoman Jan Meyers through the passage of H.R. 4095, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4095.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________