[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H625-H626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE DEATH 
OF THE HONORABLE JOHN P. MURTHA, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE COMMONWEALTH 
                            OF PENNSYLVANIA

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 1084

       Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
     the death of the Honorable John P. Murtha, a Representative 
     from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
       Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to 
     the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the 
     deceased.
       Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn as 
     a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is with great sadness 
as well as a great deal of honor that I rise this evening to 
commemorate and to celebrate the life of our friend and colleague, 
Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania's 12th District.
  As we mourn the loss of Jack Murtha and remember his life, I pass 
along my thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. Just days 
before his passing, Jack became the longest serving Member of Congress 
ever from Pennsylvania.
  I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work closely with Jack 
during our time together in Congress, and I am honored to have called 
him my friend. I thought the other day, upon returning from Pittsburgh 
and the funeral in Johnstown, that Jack and I had spent more than 5,000 
days together, and more than 2 or 3 hours each day, during our service 
in Congress together. That is probably longer than most husbands and 
wives spend together. And maybe that accounts for the fact that I feel 
such a loss.
  I looked up to Jack for his dedication to our country and our 
military troops, his strength to work in a bipartisan way, and his 
passion for his work and the Pennsylvanians he represented. Throughout 
his career in public service, Jack has been a symbol of the hardworking 
Pennsylvanians throughout the Commonwealth.
  Jack dedicated his life to serving our country both in the military, 
in the halls of Congress, and the State legislature of Pennsylvania. A 
former Marine, he became the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to 
the United States Congress.
  When he arrived here in 1974, he quickly attracted the attention of 
then majority leader and future Speaker Tip O'Neill, who became Jack's 
mentor. Tip taught him that all politics is local, which enabled him to 
become an effective advocate for his own congressional district and for 
initiatives throughout our State.
  Jack's contributions to Pennsylvania are endless. When Pennsylvania's 
Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, was slated to be eliminated 
by Federal regulations, Jack convinced the Clinton administration to be 
more flexible, and ultimately saved the program. When our steel 
industry was in crisis, he convinced the Reagan administration to 
impose higher tariffs on foreign steel, giving domestic producers an 
edge.
  When the Philadelphia Shipyard was threatened with closure, he 
secured funding to keep ship production going. When the United States 
Army was forming the Stryker Brigades, Jack helped convince Army 
leaders to field one within the Pennsylvania National Guard, creating 
the first and only brigade of its kind in the reserve component. When 
the National Park Service wanted to construct a new museum and visitors 
center at Gettysburg, he secured funding to make the project possible.
  When a decades-long mine fire threatened the residents of Centralia, 
Pennsylvania, Jack worked to secure funding to buy the town and 
relocate the residents. When the health care benefits of retired miners 
were in trouble, he twice secured funding to help save their benefits 
from termination.
  When Flight 93 crashed in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, Jack was 
there the next day to survey the scene, and later introduced 
legislation which was enacted establishing a

[[Page H626]]

national memorial in honor of the passengers and crew.
  When he found out that diabetes was becoming an epidemic in the 
military and throughout Pennsylvania, Jack secured over $150 million 
for research, prevention, education, and outreach programs.
  Jack led our Pennsylvania delegation for almost 36 years with passion 
and dedication. The legacy that he has left will surely live on as a 
symbol of the great work that one man can do, and is something that we 
can all strive to achieve. The Pennsylvania delegation is honored to 
pay tribute to his life this evening and say good-bye to a dear friend 
and colleague.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Thompson).
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, 
Mr. Kanjorski, for yielding and this opportunity to take time to 
remember and to recognize the life and the public service of 
Congressman John Murtha.
  As a freshman, and being here 14 months, I had the opportunity to 
just get to know the Congressman when I joined this chamber a little 
over a year ago. And I will say that Congressman Murtha, as the dean of 
the delegation, and someone who had been here almost four decades, yet 
despite that, he reached out to an individual who was a freshman, a 
rookie, and whenever I saw Congressman Murtha, he was always quick to 
ask how things were going, how people were treating me, and was there 
anything he could do for me. He had that bipartisan approach. He was 
first and foremost from Pennsylvania, as opposed to identifying as a 
party.
  Congressman Murtha, as I had gotten to know him, we had some common 
ties. I found out he had such a sense of public service. As Mr. 
Kanjorski mentioned, he certainly will be missed by the people of 
Cambria County and throughout his entire congressional district. And 
his sense of public service really I believe grew out of his 
experiences in scouting. Congressman Murtha was an Eagle Scout. And 
within scouting, learned those principles of leadership and citizenship 
and service, and went on to serve as a decorated war hero in the United 
States Marines, and continued that service right up until just 1990 in 
his service, retiring as a colonel.

                              {time}  1930

  And today, we remember Congressman Murtha in his public service as he 
went on to be the longest serving Member in the United States House of 
Representatives from Pennsylvania.
  All of our prayers go out to Congressman Murtha's wife and his family 
at this time as we take this time to pause and give thanks and honor 
the life of Congressman John Murtha.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1084.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered.
  There was no objection.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________