[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 176 (Thursday, December 12, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      WELCOMING THE HONORABLE KATHERINE M. CLARK TO THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Neal) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to introduce Katherine 
M. Clark, with the always important reminder that there are fewer than 
12,000 men and women who have had the honor in American history of 
taking this oath.
  This institution has been home to Presidents of the United States, 
members of the Supreme Court, and members of the United States Senate 
who have gone far and wide in helping America to succeed every day.
  Katherine Clark, one of those individuals who has now joined this 
important and august body, succeeds, again, a very favorite colleague 
of ours who served in this institution with distinction for 37 years, 
Senator Ed Markey.
  Mr. Speaker, Katherine Clark is well grounded in local government, 
having served at the school committee level. She served in the 
legislature as a member of the House of Representatives and as a member 
of the Massachusetts Senate. She has also served time as a prosecutor. 
She is well-distinguished in the State of Massachusetts and won a very 
handsome victory.
  It is an honor for me to submit to you for the first time the 
Honorable Katherine M. Clark from the State of Massachusetts.
  The SPEAKER. The gentlewoman from Massachusetts is recognized.
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Leader Pelosi, 
Congressman Neal, the Massachusetts delegation, and all of you for this 
very warm welcome.
  Thank you to my family and friends who are here with me today: my 
husband, Rodney, and my three sons, Addison, Jared, and Nathaniel, 
whose love every day makes me the luckiest mom and wife in the world.
  My parents, Chan and Judy Clark, I thank them for their love and 
support and teaching me that even when times are hard, approach life 
with gratitude, optimism, respect for others, and a sense of adventure.
  My in-laws, Art and Ladene Dowell, I am so grateful for all they do 
to keep our family running smoothly and all the love they give us.
  And my brother John and his partner Justin, I thank you for being 
here and for all your support.
  I am so grateful to the voters of the Massachusetts Fifth 
Congressional District for their confidence and the profound privilege 
of representing them.
  Senator Markey, you set a standard of excellence during your time in 
the House. I look forward to carrying on your work for the people of 
our district and partnering with you and the entire Massachusetts 
delegation to move Massachusetts and our country forward.
  The Massachusetts Fifth, from Revere to Cambridge, Waltham to 
Framingham, is home to some of this country's and the world's most 
respected universities and innovative companies. We are deeply proud of 
these incredible institutions.
  But what defines the Fifth District is its families. As I have talked 
with families around their kitchen tables, I found they are just like 
mine, and I am sure they are just like yours. We are teachers, small 
business owners, CEOs, and machinists. We work in stockrooms and 
boardrooms. We are recent immigrants and we are descendants from early 
American settlers. We are of all political ideologies. And, yes, deep 
in the heart of Red Sox Nation, we even have a few Yankees fans.
  What unites our families is they work hard, play by the rules, and 
all they ask in return is a fair shot at the American Dream. Our 
families want to find a good job, send their children to great schools, 
save for college, and count on a secure retirement. They want to know 
that the issues they talk about around their kitchen tables are the 
issues that we will talk about here in Congress.
  I am honored to join the Massachusetts delegation and represent the 
people of the Fifth Congressional District in the House of 
Representatives. I look forward to working together with each of you 
for the families of my district, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and 
the United States of America.

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