[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 22, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6660-H6664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
C.W. BILL YOUNG DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3302) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center in Bay Pines, Florida, as the ``C.W. Bill Young
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3302
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL
CENTER, BAY PINES, FLORIDA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Bay
Pines, Florida, shall after the date of the enactment of this
Act be known and designated as the ``C.W. Bill Young
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''. Any
reference to such medical center in any law, regulation, map,
document, record, or other paper of the United States shall
be considered to be a reference to the C.W. Bill Young
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include any extraneous material they may have on H.R. 3302.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Today is bittersweet as we mark both the passing of a congressional
stalwart,
[[Page H6661]]
Chairman C.W. Bill Young, and pay a fitting tribute by naming the Bay
Pines Veterans Medical Center in his honor.
Mr. Speaker, while the raw numbers themselves may speak volumes for
his dedication to America, it is his personal qualities that I admire
the most. When I came to Congress in 2001, Bill Young was one of the
first Members that welcomed me here. It was on this floor, in this
Chamber, that Bill Young introduced me to the Members of this House the
night I was sworn in. Since then, I came to regard him not only as a
mentor or a colleague but, more importantly, a personal friend.
Chairman Young served the 13th District of Florida and the people of
the United States for over 42 years. He was the senior member of the
Florida congressional delegation and was the senior Republican in both
the House and in the Senate. Counting his years in the Florida
Legislature, Bill Young served over 50 years in public service and
worked with eight Presidents.
Bill will be most remembered for his devotion to America's defense
and especially to the men and the women in the Armed Forces. Having
served in uniform for 15 years as a member of the National Guard and
Reserves, Bill was the go-to guy on defense issues here in the House.
He dedicated his legislative and personal energies to improve the
quality of life for the men and the women who serve; and, as a result,
those who wear the uniform and face our foes have improved base
housing, better medical care, increased pay, and the best equipment.
Members know Bill best for his work as chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee from 1999 to 2005, and he continued to serve
as chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense until the time of his
passing. But Bill Young was much more than a defense expert. He had
also been a leading advocate for increased medical research.
Bill worked to double Federal medical research funding and funding to
increase immunization rates for preschoolers, to improve public health
programs, and to find cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Just one example, the C.W. Bill Young Marrow Donor Recruitment and
Research program registry lists more than 9 million volunteer donors
for patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. That
simple list has provided the gift of life to more than 50,000
individuals.
To completely describe the contributions of a man who served in this
body for over 42 years would take hours. So with that, Mr. Speaker, on
behalf of the entire Florida delegation and all those who knew and
served with him in this House and in the other body, I offer our most
sincere condolences to his wife, Beverly, and his sons Rob, Billy, and
Patrick. He was your husband and father. To us, Bill was a friend we
will miss dearly.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
One of my favorite songs is ``May the Work I've Done Speak for Me.''
I rise today to pay tribute to Chairman Bill Young, whose passing we
mourn and whose dedication to American servicemembers is well known to
his fellow Floridians, as well as to all who serve in this House.
Taking care of our Nation's men and women in uniform was his passion.
He often called them ``kids'' because he cared for them as deeply as if
they were his family.
Chairman Young was an officer and a gentleman. He served for 9 years
in the American National Guard. During his decades in Congress, he and
his wife, Beverly, regularly visited the hospitalized combat troops in
Florida and here at Bethesda. They helped arrange travel for military
family members, or those who were having trouble paying the bills. Here
in the House, at the Appropriations Committee, and in any other ways he
could find, he was tireless in his work on behalf of servicemembers,
veterans, and their families.
I worked with him when we were trying to finish the new courthouse in
Orlando. This was just after the Oklahoma City bombing and all the new
security requirements that were added to protect the buildings and the
people in them.
The project was $19 million over budget, but the chairman came to
what must have been the longest town hall meeting held here in the
Capitol. Everyone had to say the chairman was a gentleman as always and
wanted what was best for the people of Florida, regardless of party.
This was the case also when it came to funding for research. Chairman
Young knew how important cutting-edge research is and made it a
priority to find the funding to help future generations of Americans.
Every year, Bill Young was a keynote speaker at the Memorial Day
program in Bay Pines. He initially worked with President Gerald Ford
and the Appropriations Committee in 1976 to replace the original
hospital building. At one point, he went so far as to personally show
the President where the building was and how badly it was leaking. He
was very proud of the new hospital, which opened in 1983. He was
thrilled when they named the road encircling it Bill Young Road.
The VA Medical Center at Bay Pines has many services to completely
serve today's veterans. There are all the health services that any
hospital would provide; but, in addition, there are services for
caregivers, dental services, extended care and services for seniors,
along with programs that help homeless veterans.
{time} 1930
In addition, the women veterans healthcare program at Bay Pines
focuses on wellness education, preventive health care, disease
management, and care for the emotional well-being of women veterans.
Today, we will go one step further in honoring the man who made the
VA Medical Center at Bay Pines a reality. Today, we take the step of
naming the whole facility after Bill Young. It is a most appropriate
tribute--to name the center whose mission it is to coordinate the care
for wounded men and women who serve in their life and that was their
mission.
Mr. Speaker, as we say good-bye to our friend and colleague Chairman
Bill Young, with this bill we can honor his service in the way I know
he would appreciate most deeply--having his name associated daily and
directly with the highest level of care for our military veterans.
I want to thank Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Miller for
bringing it before us today, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me
in supporting it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to
the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the dean of our
delegation.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased that the gentleman
from Florida, Chairman Miller, has given me some time; and I am so
pleased to support his bill that he has gotten the entire Florida
delegation, working in a bipartisan manner, to honor this good man and
warm friend, Congressman Bill Young.
Bill was a true patriot and a tenacious public servant, dedicating
his life to his constituents in Pinellas County.
As you heard from some of our previous speakers, his accomplishments
are so varied and many: creating a national bone marrow registry;
improving the quality of life for Active Duty personnel, our National
Guard, our Reserves, our veterans; protecting thousands of jobs in his
area; preserving MacDill Air Force Base; improving Florida's
environment. These are just some of Bill's many accomplishments.
Bill was always willing to lend a helping hand to members of our
entire State delegation with projects that were important in our local
community. For example, he helped me to find the funds to dredge the
Miami River, to protect Homestead Air Reserve Base after it was
devastated by Hurricane Andrew.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30
seconds.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. But, more importantly, he was the consummate
gentleman. He was principled. He was honest, maintaining civility with
his colleagues, a trait that we no longer honor as we should. Bill was
an example for all of us here in Congress. It was my privilege and my
high honor to serve with him. What a great privilege.
I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.
[[Page H6662]]
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the minority whip.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
Bill Young was my friend. Bill Young was a gentleman in every sense
of the word. Bill Young was an example for us all. I will have the
privilege of speaking on Thursday, at his request, at his funeral. Bill
and I served on the Appropriations Committee for 23 years together;
then I left when I became majority leader.
Bill Young was, as I said, a gentleman who cared about each and every
individual in this House. More than that, he cared for each and every
person who served in uniform in our Armed Forces; and he and Beverly
displayed that, as Congressman Miller has said, on a weekly, daily
basis.
I am a Democrat; Bill was a Republican. It didn't make any
difference. He was an American, I was an American, and we served our
country together. No one served it better than Bill Young. He chose to
see our differences as slight and our common purpose as great. He
always chose civility over partisanship.
He was a skilled legislator on behalf of the people of Pinellas
County, Florida, on behalf of Florida, on behalf of his country, on
behalf of the members of the Armed Forces and the defense of this
country. He was a champion of our men and women in uniform, veterans
and their families, all of whom, wherever they lived, he viewed as his
constituents. This bill to rename the VA Hospital in Bay Pines,
Florida, which I am proud to cosponsor, is a fitting tribute to his
devotion to our veterans and our troops.
Though he represented Florida longer than any Member of this House in
history, Bill was originally from a hard-scrabble coal mining town in
Pennsylvania. It was there he learned many lessons about the hardships
facing working families and the need to ensure that opportunities would
be within their reach, and he never forgot that.
He was a great Member of this body, a very powerful Member of this
body, an extraordinary, influential American. But to all of us, he was
Bill; to all those he came in contact with, he was Bill. He was a
person who understood the needs, the fears, the aspirations, the hopes
of his people and the people of our country.
My thoughts are with Beverly, with Bill Young's family, and with the
people of Florida's 13th District. This House has lost a great Member.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, it is absolutely fitting
that we take this step and name our veterans hospital on the west coast
of Florida after a great American, a patriot, a hero for our veterans--
Bill Young.
Probably more than anyone in the House of Representatives or
Congress, I have known Bill Young, I think, longer. He and I were both
aides to the first Republican Congressman since the Civil War, Bill
Kramer. He was an aide before I was, but we met and worked together
more than 40 years ago.
So I rise tonight not only as a colleague, but as a personal friend
and political ally of a great human being, someone who put his heart
and soul into his position, who loved our servicemen and -women, and
his great legacy will be all he has done to honor their memory.
Tonight, we honor his memory with renaming Bay Pines veterans
hospital for Bill Young, my friend.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of the legislation before us this
evening to rename the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
Florida the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center. I am honored to join over 200 of my House colleagues as an
original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation, a great tribute to
one of our dearest colleagues.
Indeed, Bill Young will be forever known as one of the strongest
supporters of our military and veterans in the history of this
Congress. His staunch and unyielding support of our military and our
veterans is legendary.
Likewise, he was a true champion for his district, and a fount of
knowledge about the chronicles of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bill Young will be missed in Washington, as well as in Florida. He,
along with the late Congressman Jack Murtha, were not only great
friends and mentors to me, but their wives, Beverly and Joyce, were
also friends and mentors to my wife, Vivian.
Chairman Murtha and Chairman Young were neither Democrat nor
Republican when it came to our national defense. Regardless of which
was the chairman or ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee, the men
and women of America's military would be taken care of. I am proud to
have served as a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense under both of these great leaders.
With Bill Young's death, the Nation has truly lost one of the few
remaining statesmen. Our thoughts and prayers are with Beverly and the
entire family. Congress and our Nation have lost one of its greatest
statesmen. I have lost a dear friend and a mentor.
While we could use every word in every language spoken by mankind, we
would not have enough words combined to adequately thank Bill Young for
his service. But I am pleased to join my colleagues in passing this
resolution to rename the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
Florida the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center.
It has been said that you make your living by what you get; you make
your life by what you give. Bill Young gave so much to so many for so
long. He will be greatly missed.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Georgia
alluded to over 200 cosponsors. I would announce to the House tonight
that we had 379 original cosponsors of this piece of legislation.
I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the
vice chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, whose district
abutted Mr. Young.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
379 cosponsors, what a testament. What a wonderful man. What a great
man.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly support this legislation. Over
the past five decades, Chairman Young selflessly served Florida and the
Tampa Bay area, leading many initiatives to promote economic growth,
create jobs, of which his contributions to the military and veterans in
particular are immeasurable.
In the 1970s, the chairman played a significant role in winning
critical funding for the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
which allows the facilities to support almost 100,000, Mr. Speaker, of
our heroes in our area today. With this funding, Bay Pines was able to
increase the size of its campus, replace the hospital, and now offers a
wide variety of services to these veterans in their backyard because of
Chairman Young.
Chairman Young has left behind a rich legacy in support of our
heroes, especially those in the Tampa Bay area. By renaming this
important facility in his honor, we will provide a lasting monument to
remember a great friend, Chairman Bill Young.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), whose district butts up to
Congressman Bill Young's district.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank my colleague from Florida for yielding
the time and for her dedication to the Nation's veterans as well.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of designating the Bay Pines VA
Medical Center in Pinellas County, Florida, the Congressman C.W. Bill
Young VA Medical Center. I am very proud to cosponsor this bill, and I
would like to thank Chairman Miller of Florida, Congresswoman Brown,
and all of our colleagues for honoring Bill Young with such a
designation.
I have been fortunate to serve alongside Bill Young for the 7 years
that I have been here. Seven out of the 43 years that Mr. Young served
in the Congress, we represented St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area
together. And I know I speak for my predecessors, Jim Davis and Sam
Gibbons, who also passed last year, when I say that Congressman Bill
Young was a
[[Page H6663]]
gentleman and an outstanding partner for the interests of the Tampa Bay
area and the State of Florida.
It is very appropriate that we honor Bill Young by naming the Bay
Pines VA Medical Center after him. He was a fixture at the Bay Pines
Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies every year. But more
importantly, he was a fixture when there was no ceremony, when he would
visit wounded soldiers in the hospital or at their homes, when there
was no fanfare, and he just determined that it was just his desire to
ensure that the servicemembers and their families received the care
that they deserved and that they had earned.
{time} 1945
Many facilities at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa are state of
the art due to Mr. Young's extra attention. I am very grateful for the
help he provided to me when MacDill and the soldiers and civilians who
worked there were in need. For example, in the past year, he boosted
our efforts in ``MacDill Means Mobility'' when we tried to expand the
mission at the base. When I brought to his attention that the
Department of Defense was not assisting former servicemembers and their
families who qualified for Medicaid health services, he helped cut
through the red tape.
Many also will point to his expansive earmarks and great legacy in
the Tampa Bay area in a variety of ways: our drinking water reservoir
is the Bill Young Reservoir; medical research initiatives at the
University of South Florida; programs at St. Petersburg College;
programs at Eckerd College. We are so proud that Mr. Young initiated
the national bone marrow donor program at All Children's Hospital in
St. Petersburg.
It was decades ago, through Congressman Young's leadership, that the
Bay Pines VA Medical Center in St. Petersburg was created. Bay Pines is
now the fourth-largest veterans hospital in the country. It serves
veterans all across west central Florida and employs many talented
caregivers.
So it is a fitting tribute to this remarkable American to name the
Bay Pines VA Medical Center in his honor, and I am proud to cosponsor
the resolution. Congressman Young was a model statesman. His kindness,
sincerity, and dogged advocacy for our Nation's men and women in
uniform and veterans will be missed.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank Chairman Miller for
bringing this important piece of legislation forward. We literally
could be here days speaking about the many accomplishments of Chairman
Young, and those days would not suffice.
I got a chance to work with him on the Appropriations Committee. I
will tell you that so many times I went to him for advice, for help.
Bill Young was one of those people that you always went to when you
needed help, when you needed advice. He was such a wise man.
As I just said, since we would never have enough time to talk about
all of his great accomplishments--and you have heard not only about his
accomplishments but just the fact that he was an incredibly honorable,
caring, wise--``statesman'' is the word that comes to mind.
Since my time is limited, I just want to echo something that I heard.
I am not quite sure, Mr. Speaker, who said it. But somewhere I once
read that ``to be a great man, you first have to be a good man.'' If
there is anybody that that phrase reminds me of, it is Bill Young.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas
(Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman
from Florida (Ms. Brown), and I would like to thank Chairman Miller--we
have worked together. I thank the gentleman so very much. I want to
acknowledge as well the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee,
Mrs. Lowey. Thank you for allowing me to share with you this evening my
comments, appreciation, and respect that I have for Bill Young.
First of all, I would like to say what everyone else has said. What a
great American. What a great patriot. What a great public servant.
Bill, may you rest in peace.
Congressman Young, Chairman Young was on the floor of the House just
a few weeks before he passed. I think that is important to note, that
he was working every single day to make America better. He loved
soldiers and veterans. He loved their families. It is highly
appropriate for him to have his name so honored as a named veterans
hospital.
I want to say that it is particularly important to note that
Congressman Young was able to speak to kings and queens and generals
and people of high places. But he was best when he was talking to
everyday people, to the soldiers that he loved.
He came from humble beginnings. Starting with his mother, a single
parent, losing his home early in life, living in a hunting camp. You
would think that he would not be the generous-hearted person that he is
today. But he was really what America is all about, the American Dream.
I remember his commitment to our soldiers and his easy ability to
work across the aisle as someone who advocated for soldiers suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder. I want to let his family know how
dedicated he was to providing extra resources to the thousands upon
thousands of soldiers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan who needed
extra help with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He was very kind to those of us who were concerned about breast
cancer and women in the United States military who may have experienced
breast cancer.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Florida.
He has worked with me over the last two sessions, Mr. Speaker, in
providing extra funding for post-traumatic stress disorder to a center
that is in Houston, Texas, but also dealing with additional research on
triple-negative breast cancer that might have an impact not only on the
military population of women but also with women around the Nation.
Bill was like that, if I might. Congressman Bill Young, Chairman Bill
Young was like that, always extending, always sharing.
He has a special place in my heart because my late mother is from St.
Petersburg, Florida. But I would say that he should have a special
place in the hearts of all Americans because if you ever want to see
exemplified a grand and stately gentleman who had nothing in his heart
but the love and respect and admiration for this Nation, it was our
dear friend, the Honorable Bill Young.
To his family, I say to them, we love him, and we extend our deepest
sympathies. Thank you, my dear friend. You have served well. I hope
that you will rest well.
May God bless him, and God bless his family.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack).
Mr. WOMACK. I thank Chairman Miller for this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the chorus of people remembering
our friend from Florida, Bill Young, the chairman of the Defense
Subcommittee of Appropriations.
Chairman Young, as you know, spent five decades of his life in this
Chamber fighting for a better America for both his constituents and our
country. As the dean of the Republican Conference, he was a leader and
of counsel to colleagues young or old, Republican or Democrat.
Mr. Speaker, I am the newest member of the Defense Subcommittee of
Appropriations. I was fortunate to receive his mentorship. I learned
from his fearless, unparalleled support of our troops and our veterans,
and I admired his outspoken and unwavering commitment to what was in
their best interest. Mr. Speaker, as a veteran myself of over 30 years,
I was also a beneficiary of his incredible support of those who wear
the uniform.
While his presence will be forever missed, the Bill Young Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center will serve as a small and fitting
reminder that this institution, our men and women in uniform, and
America are undoubtedly better off because of Bill Young. I am proud to
support it.
[[Page H6664]]
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, could you please tell me how much
time remains on each side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman has 4\1/2\ minutes
remaining. The gentleman has 10\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. I thank the Speaker.
At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York
(Mrs. Lowey).
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill.
For more than 40 years, Bill Young served his district and this
institution with integrity and honor after having served our country in
the Army National Guard for nearly a decade.
As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, his leadership and
advocacy for our men and women in uniform and our veterans was
unsurpassed. In a time when political culture too often devolves into
hostility, and ``compromise'' is a dirty word, Bill Young was always a
gentleman who consistently reached across the aisle.
He would share with me his visits with his dear wife, Beverly, to
wounded warriors to bring them comfort. How happy those visits made
him.
It was such a pleasure to serve with him, and he will be truly
missed. Renaming this VA facility in his memory is a tribute to his
legacy.
You will be missed, my dear friend. Rest in peace, God bless you, and
God bless America.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time and am prepared to close.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank
Chairman Miller for organizing this tribute to Chairman Young.
In closing, I often say when you are born, you get a birth
certificate; and when you die, you are going to get a death
certificate; and that little dash in between is what you have done to
make this a better place.
I don't know anyone who has done more than Chairman Bill Young. It
has just been my honor having had the opportunity to serve with him.
His leadership for the Florida delegation--I mean, we have gone through
some tough times. But I can tell you, he has always been a gentleman.
When I first began, I said that one of my favorite sayings is to let
the work I have done speak for me. Clearly he has done his work, and as
Paul said, he has fought a good fight, and he has kept the faith. He
has done his job. It has been left up to us to continue his great work.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, tonight I want to thank all the
Members on both sides of the aisle for their kind words they have said
of our friend from Florida, Bill Young. I sincerely hope that the words
give Beverly, Rob, Billy, and Patrick some measure of consolation.
While we will no longer have Bill's personal and wise counsel to go
to, that beautiful veterans medical center will bear his name. It will
give witness--witness to his many years of service to America and her
defenders.
I want to thank my good friend from Florida (Ms. Brown) for her help
in bringing this bill to the floor and the over 375 cosponsors that we
have brought on this piece of legislation.
I respectfully ask all Members to join us in supporting this piece of
legislation, H.R. 3302, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I heard from my friend, former Congressman
Norm Dicks, today, and he asked me to submit this statement on his
behalf. He had the privilege of serving with Chairman Bill Young for
over thirty years on the Defense Appropriation Subcommittee, and said
this about him:
Chairman Young did more for the men and women in the armed
forces than anyone in Congress. Bill and Beverly made weekly
trips to Bethesda and Walter Reed to see our wounded warriors
and offered personal help to their families. Bill Young
believed in bi-partisanship; the Defense Subcommittee almost
always reported the Defense Appropriation bill with all
Members, Democrats and Republicans, in full support. Bill was
a great American, a great leader, and a great friend and he
will be truly missed.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker I rise today in honor of Charles William Young,
better known to his colleagues and constituents as Bill. I am deeply
saddened Congressman Young, a man who put all others before himself,
has passed--he will be sorely missed.
Although I only had the pleasure of working with Bill for a short
time, I benefitted greatly from his leadership and the strong example
of service to the United States and Florida that he set. Congressman
Young leaves behind a long history of dedicated service to his
constituents and the veterans of America.
Bill saw the nation through, some of her most tumultuous times, and
throughout all of it--he worked tirelessly to make sure our nation's
veterans were taken care of. He was a constant fixture at VA medical
centers in Florida and in the Washington, D.C. area always making sure
the veterans were receiving the best possible care.
I proudly join my colleagues in renaming the Bay Pines VA Medical
Center the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center as a small token of the nation's gratitude for his dedicated
service.
I urge my colleagues to pass this small gesture of our gratitude
without objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3302.
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.
____________________