[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 115 (Thursday, July 28, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNITION OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CECIL L. HEFTEL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. COLLEEN W. HANABUSA

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2011

  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tremendous 
career of the late Representative Cecil L. Heftel. H.R. 2149 is a bill 
which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 4354 Pahoa Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the ``Cecil L. 
Heftel Post Office Building.''
  Known for his prowess in building radio and television broadcasting 
stations, in 1976, Cecil Heftel was elected to the 95th Congress to 
represent the First Congressional District of Hawaii. While in 
Washington, Representative Heftel's first assignments were on the 
Education and Labor Committee and the Post Office and Civil Service 
Committee. Representative Heftel was reelected four times, serving a 
total of five terms. During the 96th Congress, Representative Heftel 
was elected to the Ways and Means Committee where he stayed until his 
resignation in 1986 to run for Governor of Hawaii.
  While in office, Representative Heftel sponsored 160 bills and was a 
champion of tax reform and energy independence, always showing aloha to 
his constituency. In response to President Ronald Reagan's tax cut 
proposal, Representative Heftel said ``I cannot support a tax proposal 
which would benefit me so much more than those of my constituents who 
earn less than $30,000.00 a year.'' Statements like this would define 
who Cecil Heftel was, both inside Congress and out.
  In 1983 Representative Heftel was involved in a car crash near the 
Lincoln Memorial that left him with severe injuries. The accident 
occurred before cars were legally required to have airbags. This 
experience helped shape Representative Heftel's view of government 
regulation in the private sector. After the accident, Representative 
Heftel unsuccessfully filed suit against General Motors, blaming his 
accident on faulty brakes in his Oldsmobile. Though General Motors had 
sent Representative Heftel a letter explaining that his specific car 
model might have faulty brake, he did not receive the letter until 
after the accident occurred.
  Upon his return to the 99th Congress, Representative Heftel 
immediately introduced legislation that would provide criminal 
penalties for manufacturers who fail to notify owners of motor vehicle 
safety defects. This continued a trend of Representative Heftel using 
his life experience to impact his constituency and put forward 
efficient and innovative laws that lasted until his resignation.
  In 2004 at age 80, Heftel was successfully elected to the state Board 
of Education for the Oahu-At-Large seat continuing his passion for 
public service into his golden years.
  In light of a career dedicated to advancing the common good, I urge 
my colleagues to support H.R. 2149 and name the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 4354 Pahoa Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, 
as the ``Cecil L. Heftel Post Office Building.''

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