[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 7, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H530-H531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WELCOMING THE HONORABLE SUZANNE BONAMICI TO THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
DeFazio) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire Oregon 
congressional delegation, I'm pleased to introduce a fellow Oregon 
Duck, Italian American,

[[Page H531]]

and the newest member of our delegation, Congresswoman Suzanne 
Bonamici, from the First Congressional District of Oregon.
  Suzanne is a former Oregon State legislator, an attorney who has 
worked on consumer and small business issues with a distinguished 
record of accomplishments and service for the people of Oregon. I know 
she'll be a strong and effective addition to our delegation in the 
House of Representatives.
  Suzanne, welcome, and we look forward to working with you.
  With that, I would yield to my colleague from Oregon.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire Republican 
delegation from Oregon, I extend a very warm welcome to the newest 
representative from the Beaver State, Suzanne Bonamici. She cuts a 
similar path to the people's House as the one I traveled, having served 
in Salem as a State representative and a State senator, and as my 
colleague from Eugene points out, is a fellow Duck, having also earned 
a journalism degree, as I did, from the University of Oregon.
  She joins a congressional delegation that has a long history of 
embracing what we call the Oregon way, to set aside our differences and 
pursue solutions to take care of the State's most pressing priorities.
  From Congressmen DeFazio, Schrader, and Blumenauer to Senators Wyden 
and Merkley are on the floor today, we have mounted a number of 
bipartisan efforts in the Congress. So we are delighted to have you as 
part of this team. I think I can speak for the entire delegation in 
saying we look forward to working with you and continuing in the great 
service to the State of Oregon. Thank you, and welcome to the Congress.
  The SPEAKER. The gentlewoman from Oregon is recognized.

                              {time}  1400

  Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, members of the Oregon delegation, new 
colleagues from across this great country, friends and family. This 
afternoon I'm honored to accept the responsibility and opportunity to 
represent the people of northwest Oregon in the United States Congress.
  I want to start by thanking my family for your love, encouragement, 
patience, and sacrifice. My husband Michael Simon, and my children, 
Andrew and Sara, thank you. Thank you also to my mother, Marie Bonamici 
Woodcock, who's also here with us today, for giving me my first job in 
your small business and for instilling in me the values I hold today. 
And thank you to all the individuals and organizations who stood by me 
and worked so hard over the past several months to help me reach this 
day.
  Finally, and most importantly, to the people across the First 
Congressional District of Oregon, thank you for giving me this honor.
  It's great to be back in Washington, D.C. I started my legal career 
here more than 27 years ago as a consumer protection attorney at the 
Federal Trade Commission. A lot has changed in our world since then, 
but the importance of the work that happens here in the Capitol and the 
significance of the decisions that are made in this historic Chamber 
have not.
  Oregon's First Congressional District is full of promise and 
potential. From the vineyards in Yamhill County to the Port of Astoria 
in Clatsop County, the family communities in Columbia County, the 
engines of industry in Washington County, and the arts and culture and 
business districts in Portland, it's a very diverse and dynamic part of 
the State. Yet there are too many families still struggling to make 
ends meet, and they want to know that their voices are heard in our 
deliberations.
  Now, our economy and the Nation's confidence are both in need of 
rebuilding. As we work together, let us remember that the unparalleled 
prosperity and creativity of this great Nation over the last century 
can be traced to this promise--that if you work hard and play by the 
rules, you can succeed in America. That's the America my grandparents 
crossed the ocean for. That's the America too many people believe is 
slipping away. That's the America I want to work to rebuild.
  I'm excited to begin. I'm humbled by the tremendous responsibility, 
and very appreciative of the trust that the people of northwest Oregon 
have placed in me.

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