[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 149 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7470-H7471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1540
                     SAM SACCO POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6387) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 337 West Clark Street in Eureka, California, as the 
``Sam Sacco Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6387

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

     SECTION 1. SAM SACCO POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 337 West Clark Street in Eureka, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Sam Sacco 
     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 ``Sam Sacco Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Bilbray) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. 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 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  On behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am 
pleased to present H.R. 6387 for consideration. This legislation will 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
337 West Clark Street in Eureka, California, as the Sam Sacco Post 
Office Building. Introduced by our colleague, Representative Mike 
Thompson of California, on September 29, 2010, H.R. 6387 enjoys the 
support of the entire California House delegation.
  Born and raised in Susanville, California, Sam Sacco moved to Eureka, 
California, in 1956 with his wife Mary Beth and four children: Sam, 
Jr.; Joe, Jim, and Lisa. For the next 30 years, Mr. Sacco dedicated his 
life to serving his community as a local business owner and public 
official.
  As a longtime owner of a Farmers Insurance agency in Eureka, Mr. 
Sacco also attended to the needs of local families with a warmth and 
generosity that will not be forgotten. In addition, in 1974, Mr. Sacco 
was afforded the opportunity to further serve the city of Eureka upon 
his election as mayor. Throughout his mayoral tenure, which began in 
1975 and ended in 1979, Mr. Sacco devoted his attention to advocacy on 
behalf of the city's working families. Notably, for example, Mr. Sacco 
worked tirelessly to safeguard the interests of hundreds of local 
timber industry workers during the expansion of Redwood National Park.
  Mr. Speaker, Sam Sacco is well regarded as a model citizen and a 
dedicated public servant, whose compassion for his local community was 
larger than life. The life of Sam Sacco stands as a testament to his 
public service, and it is our hope that we can honor this remarkable 
individual through the passage of this legislation to designate the 
West Clark Street post office in his honor.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 6387.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6387, and I think it is 
quite appropriate that we pass this bill.
  Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of serving as a 
fellow mayor with Mayor Sam back in the late seventies. We actually 
served in the League of California Cities together. I just find it 
interesting that all these years later I stand here on the House floor 
voting on a post office named after a colleague of mine who, though he 
lived almost 1,000 miles away, was a fellow mayor in my State at one 
end, while I was at the southern end.
  I would ask that we support H.R. 6387.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask again for support of H.R. 
6387.
  Seeing that this is our last bill for at least the foreseeable 
future, I would like to just point out I think there is one thing that 
all of us have seen, and today probably is a good example, especially 
those who have been watching.
  This process that we have gone through today is one that we have gone 
back into over the last decade, and a lot of Members have raised the 
issue, is this the most prudent way of us handling these procedures? I 
know the gentlelady from the Federal district has raised issues about 
how to streamline it and expedite the process.
  I think these issues of the resolutions and the way we are naming the 
post offices are ones that need to be reviewed, and hopefully both 
sides in the new Congress will be willing to look at this and say, 
look, historically this type of process has been used to buy time for 
leadership to be able to try to get individuals to vote their way, not 
necessarily the way the district constituency wanted them to vote.
  I think that this is one place that we should be able to have a frank 
discussion in January. Hopefully we will see this type of process be 
put in, let's just say the trash heap of history, and we go to a much 
more expedited process that talks about substance.
  I don't think any of us were very happy with what happened in the 
last few years while we were doing resolutions and naming post offices 
while there were major budgetary and financial crises going on. I think 
we can all agree, especially after what we just went through today, 
let's try to look in January at having a better process

[[Page H7471]]

that talks about more substantive issues.
  Even though these are important to the individuals involved, the 
Nation is in a very critical time, and for us to be spending the 
majority of our time in the last few years actually doing things that 
the average citizen would say were not critical, I think that this is 
one time we can get together and say this process needs to be reformed, 
and hopefully in January we will not be going through a day like we 
just did.
  I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Federal district for working 
with me today on these items.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman as well, and again I 
urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6387.
  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.

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