[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     C.W. BILL YOUNG DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 22, 2013

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support, and as an 
original co-sponsor of H.R. 3302, which the Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center in Bay Pines, Florida, as the ``C.W. Bill Young Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center.''
  I thank the Chair and Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs 
Committee, Mr. Miller of Florida and Mr. Michaud of Maine, for working 
together to expedite the consideration of this fitting tribute to one 
of the most beloved members to serve in this body.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest 
champions of the men and women who don the uniform in defense of our 
nation, the late C.W. Bill Young of Florida, who died last Friday, 
October 18, 2013, at the age of 82.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Young was more than a great legislator. He was a 
good man. Virtually every member who served with Bill has a story about 
how the gentleman from Florida lent his ear or helping hand to help 
advance a critical project or further a legislative priority. I am no 
exception.
  Earlier this year, Chairman Young worked with me to win inclusion in 
H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act, of my amendment 
providing increased funding and support for medical research related to 
Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Chairman Young also helped me to $10 
million in increased funding to support work to assist service members 
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). This act of 
kindness on the part of Bill Young is changing lives in my 
congressional district, which is home to one of the nation's largest 
concentrations of veterans suffering from PTSD. Bill's compassion for 
our veterans and his colleagues knew no limits.
  Bill Young was born December 16, 1930 in Harmarville, Pennsylvania. A 
flood washed away his home at age 6 where he lived with his single 
mother. An uncle had a hunting camp in Florida, so the family moved 
there when he was 16. Young dropped out of St. Petersburg High School 
to support his ill mother, Wilma M. (Hulings). He joined the Army 
National Guard and served from 1948 to 1957.
  In 1960 Young was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served from 
1961 to 1970, and was minority leader in that chamber from 1966 to 
1970. Until 1963, Young was the only Republican Senator in Florida.
  From 1999-2005, Congressman Young served as Chairman of the House 
Appropriations Committee, overseeing the entire federal discretionary 
budget. In fact, the last time the United States had a balanced federal 
budget was under his Chairmanship.
  Throughout his service on the Appropriations Committee, Young has 
been dedicated to improving the quality of life of the men and women 
who serve and who have served in the military. He regularly met with 
enlisted personnel and officers to assess their needs, and as a result, 
Congress has invested in improved base housing, better medical care, 
increased pay, and more modern equipment for the military.
  Young has also been a leading advocate for increased biomedical 
research. During his Chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, he 
successfully led the effort in Congress to double federal medical 
research funding over five years. He has likewise led the fight for 
federal funding for a variety of medical issues, including an increased 
immunization rate for preschoolers, improved public health programs 
nationwide, and cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.
  Throughout his career of public service, Young has been a strong 
advocate for the needs of Pinellas County. Among other issues, he has 
worked to ease congestion along U.S. Highway 19; attract high-tech jobs 
to St. Petersburg; improve health care for low-income children and 
families; protect the neighboring MacDill Air Force Base; build a state 
of the art medical center for veterans at Bay Pines; ensure a steady 
supply of water for the Tampa Bay area; and offset the effects of 
erosion on the area's beaches.
  For nearly two weeks Young had been hospitalized with back problems 
that stemmed from a 1970 small plane crash. Despite the circumstances, 
Congressman Young vowed to beat his illness and battled valiantly until 
the very last day, when he finished his journey on earth and ascended 
to the heavens.
  Congressman Young was the longest serving Republican member of the 
House and respected by all who knew him. He served over 50 years in 
public office and worked with 8 presidents of the United States. His 
presence will be forever missed and we all mourn his loss and extend 
our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
  But Bill Young's good work lives on. And in renaming the Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center at Bay Pines as the C.W. Bill Young Department 
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, we consecrate a monument to a 
remarkable public servant that exists to carry on the work to which 
Bill Young dedicated his life: serving those who risked their lives to 
keep us free.
  Mr. Speaker, none of us who knew and admired Bill Young will ever 
forget him or the way he brightened the lives of all the people he 
served. He was one in a million and he will be deeply missed. He will 
never be replaced. He was an American original. He was my friend.

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