[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO FORMER REPRESENTATIVE LANE EVANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 2014

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, last week we lost a dear friend and a 
distinguished former Member of this House.
  Lane Evans ably served the people of Illinois's 17th District for 24 
years. He had been a public interest lawyer and a Marine veteran when 
he took office in 1983, and he got right to work fighting for his 
constituents by standing up for workers' rights, pushing for better 
care and benefits for those who had served in uniform, and advocating 
for greater opportunities for middle class families.
  Lane was known as a champion of constituent services, helping 
northwestern Illinoisans get the help they needed from federal agencies 
and ensuring that casework was processed quickly and effectively. And 
America's veterans will always remember him for his work on behalf of 
those suffering from exposure to Agent Orange and those disfigured by 
land mines. When the Rock Island Arsenal faced cuts and closure 10 
years ago, he fought with tenacity and determination to keep it open 
and save jobs across his district.
  Lane was a self-described populist, someone who always put his fight 
for the common men and women of America first. He always kept faith 
with those he served, even after receiving the difficult diagnosis of 
Parkinson's disease in 1995. While his Parkinson's grew worse, Lane 
only grew more determined to achieve a better future for his 
constituents and his country. All of us who served with him were awed 
by his strength in body and in character as he faced that challenge 
with grace and resolve.
  I join with the many whose lives he touched and made better 
throughout Illinois and across the country in paying tribute to Lane 
Evans and his legacy. I want to thank Representative Cheri Bustos for 
organizing this special order in Lane's memory and for carrying his 
work forward in Illinois's 17th District.
  The people of Illinois and the United States--and the Members of this 
House--will not forget Lane Evans, his work, and his unwavering 
commitment to serving the country and community he so loved.

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