[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H752-H760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL GARVER ``MIKE'' OXLEY
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mooney of West Virginia). Under the
Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Chabot) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the
majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I would ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special
Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. CHABOT. I include in the Record two eulogies that many of us
actually heard personally given in Findlay, Ohio, when we attended a
very wonderful service for our colleague, Mike Oxley, recently. These
two specific eulogies are from his son, Elvis, and from Jim Conzelman,
who is his long-time devoted chief of staff.
[Jan. 5, 2016]
Eulogy of Mike Oxley
o-h-i-o
My name is Michael Chadd Elvis Oxley, son of Patricia and
Mike, husband to Jennifer, and father to Maximus Garver
Oxley. I stand before you this afternoon to mourn the loss of
and celebrate the life of my father.
As the joke goes, ``How do you know if someone is vegan or
does Cross Fit?'' They'll tell you.
Bob Hope
Beachboy Al Jardine
Orville & Wilbur Wright
General William Tecumseh Sherman
Archie Griffin
Wendy's
Cooper Tire
Marathon Petroleum
Kroger
Victoria's Secret
You may have heard of these, they're from Ohio. And so was
one Michael Garver Oxley.
Everyone in this church knows, on average, between 300-500
direct or indirect accounts of where my father's golf ball
landed, what club was implemented at the time, and the
associated weather conditions, so I won't focus on that
today.
Looking back now, I see how supremely fortunate I am to
have had Mike Oxley as my father. I can go to YouTube,
LexisNexis or the Hancock County Historical Museum Oxley
Government Center, click a button and see my father in action
again. 99% do not have that beautiful blessing, and for that
privilege I am thankful and humbled.
However, if I may make one request of you when you have a
chance: I want your personal stories. Not for attribution,
not for publication. I want the insider view into my father
from your perspective. I want meat. For instance, a member of
the Real Miami staff reached out to me and said how charmed
she was that rather than sitting at the big donor table, Dad
sat with the staff to ask them about their Miami experience,
and it touched her heart. A former Member shared with me
yesterday that Dad politely brokered a meeting between him
and a Committee Chair so that a public flare up would soon be
quelled and that closure could be reached on an important
issue.
I know all too well where Dad's ball landed, or how the
press statements were presented. I selfishly want this living
history to be the very marrow on which I can chew when I miss
him the most. I want more in a time when I have less.
When my father was, so we thought, in his final days in
October, Dad pulled me close and reminded me that I tended to
get things wrong the first time, but the second time I got
them right. He told me he loved me and was proud of me, which
is all I could have ever asked for.
My father and I had grown closer in my 30's once I had
found the love of my life, earned my MBA, and started my own
business--all things I did right the second time--our
relationship elevated to a much higher level.
The next day Dad awoke and decided it was time to have
cataract surgery. By that afternoon, with renewed ability to
clearly see his Grandson and Buckeye football, Dad had a new
zeal for life and a new inspiration to get better. Thank you,
Dr. Harry, for extending my father's quality and quantity of
life.
Quote: ``When the New York Giants, a team you would give
your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift--
that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers
and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies--
that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who
takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter--
that's something. When you have a father and a mother who
work all their lives so you can have an education and build
your body--it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been
a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed
existed--that's the finest I know.''
``So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad
break, but I've got an awful lot to live for.''
Most of you may not know that quote because it is the third
stanza after a much more memorable, pithy truth:
``Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about
the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest
man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for
seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness
and encouragement from you fans.''--Lou Gehrig July 4, 1939.
[[Page H753]]
To me, there could be no more fitting parallel to Dad on so
many levels.
Dad's Bucket List was largely accomplished:
Retired the Roll Call Trophy
Visited most continents multiple times
Propelled significant legislation in telecom reform,
brownfield cleanup, spectrum auction, fractions to decimals,
terrorism risk insurance, and anti-fraud.
Mentored hundreds of aspiring politicos on both sides of
the aisle.
Raised countless funds for charities and fellow candidates.
Rode an ostrich in Ohio, a camel in Egypt, and Air Force
One with Reagan.
Fostered the love of golf in his grandson.
And shared all of these experiences with his life partner
of 44 years.
He did everything he could to enjoy one last reunion, one
last round of golf, and one last embrace of his family. It
was that fighting spirit for which he was known in life as he
will be in death.
I am so thankful for this outpouring of love and affection
and on behalf of the Oxley family we sincerely appreciate you
celebrating Dad's life today. This will not be easy for any
of us for a while, but I know we will regularly convene over
martinis (see thrus) in order to help one another through
this. That would be Dad's will.
On the night before he passed, my father texted me ``Are
you awake?'' which indicated he wanted me to check in on him.
This was a simple request to fulfill and I did.
Retrospectively, I look at that one layer deeper. ``Awake''
in the ancient Greek is ``Gregorio'' and it takes on a more
metaphysical definition--conscious, active, focused,
vigilant.
Thanks to you, Dad, I am awake. I am very awake.
____
Good afternoon friends and family of Team Oxley!
I am Jim Conzelman and had the honor serving as Mike
Oxley's Chief of Staff from August of 1981 to January of
2007.
Pat, Chadd, Jennifer thank you from all of us for sharing
``The Ox'' with us for so many wonderful years.
Over the past couple of days, notes have poured in
regarding the passing of our friend Mike Oxley. Allow me to
read a couple of them to you.
``He was a dear friend, one of the true good guys . . . a
rarity in this town, a man of integrity, a great American!''
It goes on and on. Heartfelt notes that mean so much to this
family.
Simply put, Mike was an extraordinary human being. He was
comfortable in his own skin. I remember once Mike telling the
staff they could schedule him in any event in the district,
``just do not put me in blue jeans and boots and send me to a
farm to talk AG issues. That dog won't hunt.''
If you were to look at our office photo album, you would
see Mike on many a farm in Ohio's Fourth Congressional
District wearing slacks, white shirt with rolled up sleeves
talking substantive AG issues with farmers. Mike was very
comfortable. He was not a phony, it came through and they
loved him. You can understand why.
He enjoyed people and respected them as human beings. In
all the years I have known Mike I never heard him talk down
or poorly about another person. This was especially true with
his colleagues in the House. It just wasn't in his DNA to
tear someone else down to make himself look better. He was as
comfortable talking to friends and neighbors as he was to
colleagues in the House, the Senate and even the President of
the United States.
Mike won in a special election in 1981. President Reagan
invited him to come to the White House to meet and have a
photo op in the Oval Office. Over breakfast he told son Chadd
that he was going to meet the President. Chadd, ever the
capitalist, gave Mike his autograph book and asked him to
have the President sign it with just his name.
The meeting went very well, but ran way over schedule
because of Mike's ability to connect with the President. He
almost forgot to have the book signed but at the last minute
remembered. That night at dinner Chadd was given his book
back. To Chadd with best wishes Ronald Reagan. Chadd was not
happy. ``Dad I only wanted the President's name. Now with
mine on the page it has decreased value if I want to sell it
later.''
Mike also connected with President George H. W. Bush. He
talked to the President, then Vice President to come out to
Ohio to do a political event. After the dinner speech, the
Vice President and Mrs. Bush mingled with Mike and Pat's
friends. The Oxleys had been asked to ride with the Bushes in
the motorcade and return to Washington with them on Air Force
2. The Secret Service Agent had strict instructions . . .
when the VP departs you must be with him. As time went by,
Mrs. Bush left the room, Pat Oxley left the room, the Vice
President left the room. Mike was engaged in conversation
with friends and became totally engrossed in the
conversation. Nothing else mattered to him at that time than
talking to his friends. I told him . . . ``sir you must
leave.''
``In just a minute'', Mike replied. ``No Mike NOW.'' He ran
out catching the just as the motorcade pulling out. But that
was the way Mike was. When he was talking to you, you were
the most important person in the room and you knew it.
Another amazing attribute of Mike's was his optimistic
outlook on life. Most of this optimism was due to his
beautiful bride, Pat Oxley. Pat you never get enough credit
for being the only one that kept Mike ever optimistic and
grounded. Thank you PAT for all that you did.
Do you realize how difficult it was to be an upbeat
Republican in 70's and 80's? House Republican's got beat ALL
the time . . . in committee, on the floor of the House and
even on the field with the Republican Congressional Baseball
team.
But Mike was always the optimist. He knew we would
eventually win and was always looking for opportunities that
would help others in our great country . . . such as distant
learning, telemedicine, saving Marathon Oil in his hometown
of Findlay from a hostile takeover, keeping the Abrahams M-1
Tank in Lima from being mothballed and of course making
corporate governance stronger with his signature Sarbanes
Oxley legislation.
With each of these endeavors, Mike always came prepared. At
any hearing, any mark-up, any meeting he always knew his
facts and what to say and when to say it. Mike always made a
point, but never at anyone's expense. He would show up on
time or early to meetings because it was a right thing to do.
You would usually find him chatting with staff or witnesses
and would stay to the bitter end of a meeting or hearing long
after most had left. He would look you straight in the eye
and regale you with stories of that 4 letter word . . . .
golf, or baseball talking about his beloved Detroit Tigers or
basketball in the House gym and beating Congressman Ed
Markey, now Senator Markey in the free throw contest. It
should be noted Mike never told us when Ed beat him in the
contest.
He was always prepared with the follow up . . . returning
phone calls, and thanking folks for their hard work. Many
here today have legislative red-lines they worked on with
personal thank you note from Mike. One former staffer told
me, ``I was a no body and he thanked me. I will treasure this
forever.''
All of these Oxley attributes set an example whether it was
professional or personal he always did the right thing.
Mike loved his family. First decision after being elected
to Congress was moving Pat and Chadd to DC.
If you look at the official portrait Mike insisted on
having the family photo in it. This was PJ and PM. (pre
Jennifer Oxley and pre Max Oxley). If he was Chairman today,
I know he would have figured out a way to have their likeness
photo shopped . . . No artist shopped in.
All in all future politicians will go to campaign school to
study and learn the Oxley Model.
Treating people as human beings and with respect. Being
optimistic and looking for opportunities to leave this world
a better place than you found it.
Being prepared to engage with life . . . showing up on
time, thanking everyone, communicating face to face with
people.
Setting an example by always doing the right thing.
H O P E . . . . This is why he was a great Congressman,
great Chairman and a great friend to all of us.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that the important thing is
``not length of life, but depth of life.'' From his family to
his friends to his accomplishments, I can't think of a person
who led a deeper, fuller, richer life than Mike Oxley.
You all know Mike loved music . . . music of the 50's 60's
70's . . . 80's no so much. He could identify all the artists
and could sing all of the lyrics. He was seldom wrong. Allow
me close with a song that was #1 in 1973 that written and
sung by the late John Denver. It goes like this--
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy,
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely,
Sunshine almost always makes me high.
If I had a day that I could give you,
I'd give to you the day just like today.
If I had a song that I could sing for you,
I'd sing a song to make you feel this way.
If I had a tale that I could tell you,
I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile.
If I had a wish I could wish for you,
I'd make a wish for sunshine for you all the while.
Thank you Mike for touching our lives and making the sun
shine on all of us.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mike Oxley, who
served in this body for 25 years and who, sadly, passed away from lung
cancer on January 1 of this year. Today would have been Mike's 72nd
birthday, and he will be missed by those of us who had the pleasure and
the honor of knowing him. I served with Mike in this House for 12
years, from 1995 to 2007, and I will always remember that time very
fondly.
Mike Oxley was a lot of things: an attorney, an investigator, a
leader, a competitor, an avid golfer, and so many more things. He was
dedicated to serving his community and serving the people of the State
of Ohio and the people of our entire country.
Mike graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1966.
Speaker Ryan, my son, and many other distinguished people are graduates
of Miami University in Oxford. Mike graduated with a degree in
political science and
[[Page H754]]
obtained his law degree from Ohio State University.
Following law school, Mike was a special agent with the FBI, working
primarily in Washington, Boston, and New York. In that position, he
learned a number of investigative skills that he would later use here
in Congress.
After his time with the FBI, Mike returned to Ohio and began a
private law practice, but he was called to service once again when he
was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1972. He served in
the Ohio House until 1981, when he was elected to Congress in a special
election to fill a vacancy upon the death of Congressman Tennyson
Guyer. Mike would represent the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional
District for the next 25 years.
Upon his retirement from Congress in 2007, Mike continued to find
ways to serve our Nation when he was in the private sector. He was a
member of the board of trustees for the University of Findlay. He
remained active at his alma mater, Miami University. Most recently, he
was a senior adviser on the board of directors of NASDAQ OMX Group,
Inc.
After being diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, a type of lung
cancer usually affecting nonsmokers like Mike, he joined the board of
directors of the Lung Cancer Alliance. He would dedicate much of his
remaining time in fighting lung cancer, including serving as chairman
of the Lung Cancer Alliance board, beginning in 2014.
Mike was a very good man. He really was. He was a family man. In
fact, his wife, Pat; his son, Elvis; his grandson, Max; and other
families members; as well as his chief of staff, Jim Conzelman, are
with us in the gallery this evening.
As they know, he loved life. He had a very infectious laugh. He was a
golf enthusiast. He loved sports of all sorts and regularly played
pickup basketball with other Members.
For many who served with him, we will never forget his dedication to
the congressional baseball team and the baseball game. He viewed the
game as a chance for Members from both sides of the aisle to put aside
their differences and engage in a friendly contest of America's
pastime, all while raising money for charitable causes. But that didn't
mean he didn't want to win. He did.
In fact, he was so dedicated to the game that he was always trying to
recruit new players to improve the Republican's prospects on the
diamond. Not surprisingly, in the eight games that Ox managed the
Republican team, we beat the Democrats seven times. We have gone
downhill from there.
At times, though, Mike's competitive streak may have gotten the best
of him. In the 1994 game, Ox was playing first base when then-
Representative, now-Senator Sherrod Brown was racing to beat out a
ground ball. As Ox reached for an errant throw, the two men collided
and Mike broke his arm. You would think that might discourage him from
playing in the future, but the very next year there was Ox taking the
field again and leading the Republican team.
That is who Mike Oxley was: a true competitor who never backed down
from a challenge. Yet he approached challenges, whether it was the
congressional baseball team or a divisive fight here on the House
floor, with a positive, optimistic demeanor, a smile on his face, and
usually a kind word for those in the opposition. Put another way, he
would disagree without being disagreeable, which is an admirable trait
and an invaluable skill in all areas of life.
Here is what I will remember most about Mike Oxley: he was a friend,
a colleague, and, more importantly, he was a decent, genuine family man
who was gracious and well-liked by everyone who had the pleasure of
serving with him.
He will be missed.
{time} 1715
To Mike's wife, Pat, his son Elvis, his grandson Max, and the entire
Oxley family, please know that those of us who knew Mike are saddened
by your loss, but we appreciate the time you allowed us to spend with
him here in the United States Congress. You are in our thoughts and our
prayers. God bless all of you.
There are many other Members who will be sharing some of their
remembrances here during this Special Order. I would like at this point
to turn to one of our colleagues also from Ohio who was a very, very
good friend of Mike Oxley and just a great American himself, the
gentleman from the great State of Ohio (Mr. Tiberi).
Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, how significant and beautiful that today,
the day of Mike Oxley's birth, we celebrate his glorious and beautiful
life. Thank you, Pat. Thank you, Chadd Elvis. Thank you, Jennifer and
grandson Max. Thanks to all of you for sharing Mike Oxley with us, as
Mr. Chabot said: It was really a special, special honor.
I met the Ox when I was a senior in college, a congressional staffer
for then Congressman John Kasich. I got asked to help staff an event
that Congressman Oxley and Congressman Kasich did here in Washington,
D.C. It was called a Washington Fly-In. Here this Congressman by the
name of Mike Oxley met me and was as nice to me as he was to his
colleagues at this fly-in, as a young guy who came in for this event
from Ohio.
Ironic that 15 years later--we didn't know--that I would be his
colleague. He treated me the same then, the same throughout the time
that I knew Mike. The way that he treated people was kind of
inspirational for a really important guy. He led in that way, too. His
staff treated people, whether they be here in Washington or back in
Ohio, with the same type of respect that their boss treated people.
After that election in 2000, we had a freshman orientation. I
replaced the man that I had worked for in the 1980s and early 1990s,
John Kasich. I was at this freshman orientation filling out this form
for committee assignments.
Another Congressman from our delegation, who seemed to be the
chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, came up to me
and said: Well, you know, just fill out that form and put Financial
Services, a brand-new committee to be chaired by Mike Oxley, and
Education and Workforce, a committee that is going to be chaired by me,
as your committees because that is what you are going to get.
I said to then Congressman Boehner, well, Committee on Financial
Services sounds really good, Committee on Education and the Workforce
not so much.
So I filled out my form, and I put Committee on Financial Services
among some other committees. I excluded Education and the Workforce.
About 10 days later, I got my committee assignments, Committee on
Financial Services and Committee on Education and the Workforce.
I told my new chairman, Mike Oxley, the story. I said: Was this thing
wired? In his glorious, special way, he got that grin, and he just
laughed, as Mike Oxley often did. He was such a cheerful guy. He was a
special chairman.
I didn't realize then how lucky I was to have Mike Oxley as a
chairman for 6 years on this brand-new committee. Every year that went
by, more and more Members wanted to be on this committee. It was
obviously an important committee, but they also wanted to be on a
committee chaired by Mike Oxley. His disposition was great, but he also
was such a team guy. It was just in his blood that he wanted to get
things done, and he wanted to help the team, the team being our
Republican Conference, the team being the Congress, the team being
members of the Committee on Financial Services.
I remember one day we were doing a delegation meeting, and during the
meeting Mike said: I am going to do an event for one of the members of
our Committee on Financial Services. If you have nothing going on, why
don't you join me? I am driving. We get into his car, and out blares
Beach Boys music, which obviously was one of Mike's favorites.
As we are listening to the song, I am thinking how ironic, this makes
so much sense. It made sense then; it makes sense now, going back to a
simpler time. Mike was pretty simple in how he was a Congressman and
how he was a chairman. It wasn't about him. It was never about him.
That is why he was such a great mentor.
It was about moving the issues forward. He put newer members or
subcommittee chairmen in charge of issues. He helped us through it.
When the light shone, he ignored it. He shared it, he put us out in
front. It was about the team.
As Mr. Chabot mentioned, he was a great manager for the congressional
[[Page H755]]
baseball team for the Republicans. He was a manager as our chairman. He
was a great manager as our chairman. We learned a lot. We learned a lot
from Mike Oxley--not just members of the committee, but staff members,
so many people who have come through this building, who have come
through the Rayburn Building. He was a mentor.
He made a lot of people who touched his life better. He made me
better as a Member of Congress. He made me better as a person, and I
appreciate that, Pat. We thank you for having you share him with us.
God bless you all.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman. We greatly appreciate the
gentleman's comments here this evening.
I now yield to another gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers).
Mr. STIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a fellow Ohioan who
had distinguished service in this body for 25 years and made a huge
difference for everyday Americans for 25 years. Today would be his
birthday, Congressman Mike Oxley, Chairman Mike Oxley, who made a huge
difference.
I did not have the honor of serving with Congressman Oxley, but what
I did have was a chance to meet him and have him be an adviser and a
mentor. When I got here and got on the Committee on Financial Services,
a committee that he was formerly the chairman of, he took me under his
wing. He introduced me to hundreds of people. He helped me find my way
here. He helped make sure I got on the path to being a good legislator.
He did that, not really knowing me before that.
He became a great friend, a great mentor, and a great adviser. I am
really thankful that he was willing to share his time and energy and
talents with a guy like me. I want to thank his wife, Pat, his son
Chadd, and all the whole Oxley family for letting him share his life,
even after he left Congress, with folks who were coming in brand new,
trying to make a difference.
He will be remembered as somebody who made a difference for all
Americans who wanted to figure out how to make sure they could invest
their life savings and not be taken advantage of. Obviously, the famous
bill that bears his name was part of a bipartisan response to the Enron
crisis. He deserves the credit for saving our financial system and
making sure it was safe and sound in the future for all Americans.
He would always take on tough issues. He would always work with
people across the aisle. That is who he was and what he did. He served
the people of his district proudly, and he worked to bring people
together. He was loyal, optimistic, and pragmatic. Even though he was a
strong Republican, he would work with Republicans and Democrats to get
things done. I think there is a lot that we could all emulate from Mike
Oxley's service. We could learn a lot today and in the future.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Pat, and the entire Oxley
family during this difficult time. Even during his time when he had
lung cancer, he was optimistic and happy and helping other people. I
know he has got to be a tough guy to lose and not have around every day
because he brightened everybody's day. I know I miss him, and I know
you will miss him, and America misses Mike Oxley, and they should.
I hope that in saying good-bye today, we can honor his incredible
legacy that he left and the difference he made for America into the
future. I just want to remember Mike Oxley as the incredible patriot
and friend and mentor that he was and say Godspeed, Mike Oxley.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman. This is a bipartisan evening, so I
would now like to recognize our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia
(Mr. David Scott).
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise to say some
words for a very, very, very good man, Mike Oxley. When I came to
Congress in the year of 2002, I was assigned to the Committee on
Financial Services, and that is where I met Mike Oxley. Our lives
intertwined. He was a tremendous help to me on that committee as I was
breaking in.
I am very delighted, and it opened my eyes to a world which I was
only dimly aware when he asked if I would join him as one of the
Members to travel to Scotland and to Europe and to be able to visit and
to sit with other bankers and financial people to learn the importance
of finance, to learn how it is important for the United States to stay
totally in front and to maintain our financial system as the most
powerful system in the world.
In order to do that, you have to get across the world and talk with
other financial systems. I found out, and it took me going over there
to the Bank of Scotland to realize why Mike Oxley wanted to do that,
because very few people knew--and I didn't know--that the Royal Bank of
Scotland was the fifth largest bank in the United States. To go to
Europe and to meet with the finance ministers in Europe, in Brussels,
in Paris, and the reason for that was because there was the emerging
markets of derivatives and swaps, which was just a burgeoning part of
the economy. Now it is an $800 trillion piece of the world's economy.
I went and learned so much there. We went to make sure that the
United States had what would be seen as equivalency, to be able to deal
with these other nations and their financial systems and banking
systems. Then to come back, and roughly 8, 9 years later, and I am
sitting now as the ranking member on the subcommittee in Congress that
deals with derivatives and swaps. Quite honestly, ladies and gentlemen,
when I went with Mike Oxley, I did not know what a derivative was.
Now, Mike and I became friends. When you travel with people, you get
to know them, you get to share things with them. I came back, and Mike
Oxley comes to me one day. I am wondering what this is about.
He said: David, I have got to see you; David, I have got to see you.
I said: Mike, what is it? What is it?
He said: I heard that your brother-in-law is home run king Hank
Aaron. Can I meet him?
Everybody knows that Mike Oxley loved baseball. He loved baseball I
am sure almost as much as he loved politics. I know his family knows
how much he loved baseball.
I said: Sure, sure.
It was a great evening when Hank came back up. I had dinner, and I
invited Mike Oxley to join me and his guests with me and my wife and
Hank Aaron, my wife's brother, for dinner at The Capital Grille. Ladies
and gentlemen, what an evening that was. I mean, to be there and to
hear Mike Oxley and home run king Hank Aaron talk baseball, two great
Americans loving America's pastime.
I remember at one point Mike Oxley said: Hank, can I ask you a
question?
So Hank said: Sure.
He said: Who was the toughest pitcher who ever pitched against you?
Hank said: All of them, all of them.
Mike said: All of them, all of them.
We would carry that story many times in our conversations.
He said: Oh, man, I will never forget that, when Hank said ``All of
them.''
A great man. You know, we all live a life. There are three things
that we all are going to see on that gravestone: the year we were born
and the year we died, but then there is that other thing. There is that
dash in the middle, and the question in everybody's life is, what did
you do with your dash, that period from when you were born to when the
Lord calls you home.
{time} 1730
Mike Oxley did a tremendous amount. One of the things he did was
touch my life. Mike Oxley helped me. Mike Oxley was my friend.
I know everybody joins me in saying from the bottom of our hearts to
the family, to this Congress, to the people of America: We thank God
for sending Mike Oxley our way.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank Mr. Scott for his tribute to our colleague and
friend, Mike Oxley.
I learned something here this evening. I did not know that I had Mr.
Scott's brother-in-law's picture up on my wall. He was here in
Washington 15 years ago or so, and I was like a kid meeting one of his
heroes. I got a picture with him, and it is hanging on my wall.
I yield to my colleague also from Ohio, Mr. Latta.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, to Pat and Elvis, again, you have heard such
great tributes not only at the funeral not too many weeks back, but
this last week in the memorial service in Findlay, and with the Members
here tonight.
I will go back. I can remember Mike's first race that he ran for the
[[Page H756]]
Ohio General Assembly. I was in high school at the time. I used to
drive my dad around the district, so we would run into each other quite
often while we were campaigning.
I know that one of my aunts from Putnam County thought that Mike was
just about perfect. She used to rave about Mike all the time. That is
the type of person he was. He had an infectious smile, a great laugh,
and he could connect with people.
As you have heard from many of the folks speaking here tonight, that
is what made Mike such a great individual. He knew how to reach out and
touch people and how to get those people to work together and make
things actually work.
One of the times I will never forget is back in 1981, after Tenny
Guyer passed away, the election was taking place that summer. I was
studying for the bar at the same time, but I can still remember
everything that was going on. They were tough times. Having gone
through a special election myself, I know what those things are like.
Mike was one of those kinds of individuals that things didn't affect
him; he just went into it and got things done.
One of the things I mentioned just last week at the memorial service
is what my dad taught me years ago. There are two types of people that
get into public service. There are folks that want to be politicians
and there are folks that want to be true public servants.
He said to always remember what the difference between a politician
and a public servant is. A politician is a person who goes out there
and sees how much they can take from the people they represent for
their own benefit, while a public servant sees how much they can give
of themselves back to the people they represent. That was Mike. He was
that true, dedicated public servant.
With redistricting over the years, I have several of the counties
that Mike represented. I can tell you that when I am out, it is quite
often that I have people come up to me and tell me about something that
Mike did for them. I don't care if it was Social Security, a veteran's
case, or Medicare, you name it, people remember those things because
Mike was out there. He was a very caring person because, again, he
never forgot the folks back home.
When you talk about the folks back home, Mike never forgot his roots
in Findlay, Hancock County. Hancock county is my dad's home county.
There are great people that live there.
Mike and Pat were very, very generous to the University of Findlay
and one of the buildings there. Mike, as the chairman mentioned, served
on the Board of Trustees. He was very, very influential with his
service. He gave of his time. He wanted to make sure he left things
better than he found them. He did this with helping Miami University,
his alma mater, and with the Findlay-Hancock Community Foundation,
where Mike and Pat were so generous in establishing a scholarship.
One of the things I would really like to talk about is that one of
the things Mike really believed in was the Hancock Historical Society.
They established the Mike Oxley Government Center. I remember the day
the Center was dedicated not more than 2 years ago. Then-Speaker
Boehner came up. It is one of those things that I think people need to
go and see.
Again, Mike truly wanted to leave things better than he found them.
He also believed the best way to do that is to educate our kids. There
is an interactive center where people can go in--especially children--
and learn about their government.
Mike said this is the greatest form of government that the world has
ever seen. To make sure you have that government go on to the next
generation, you have to make sure that the children and those students
know what to do when they become adults. Sometimes it is too late once
they become adults and don't learn these things.
At the Oxley Government Center, it is in perpetuity now. The children
in Hancock will have that opportunity to learn about the greatest form
of government the world has ever created and make sure that it does
continue on. He really, truly believed that our children are our
future.
To get into it again, as my dad said, you want to make sure that you
are a true public servant, to give of yourself not 90 percent, not 100
percent, but 110 percent. That is what Mike did.
Again, that legacy is going to continue on because the people back
home will never forget it. As I am out in the district that Mike
represented, as I said, I hear it from his former constituents. It is
not that they just like Mike, they loved him.
Again, Pat and Elvis, from the bottom of our hearts Marcia and I
offer our deepest sympathies. The world was a much better place because
Mike Oxley was in it.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his very nice
remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, Dr. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank Mr. Chabot for his leadership on this
issue.
It is funny that the gentleman should call me Dr. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, because I do have my doctorate from the University of Miami.
One of the rivalries that I enjoyed with Mike Oxley is that he would
wear this obnoxious Miami shirt whenever we were at the Congressional
Baseball Team practice. I said: That is the fake Miami. I would wear my
University of Miami T-shirt and he would remind me all the time that
Miami University was the first.
I am so pleased and so honored to be part of this Special Order that
has been organized by my dear friend, Mr. Chabot of Ohio--he really is;
we have such similar backgrounds--in remembrance of a colleague and a
dear friend, the late Congressman Mike Oxley. I am not from Ohio. As
you heard, I am from Florida.
Mike and I served together here in the people's House for over 15
years. When I got here in 1989, Mike had already been serving for a few
years, and I looked upon him with great respect. He was a man who was
driven by his commitment to his constituents. I was always very
impressed with that.
He served his great State of Ohio and our Nation with great
dedication, integrity, and efficiency. These were qualities that were
seen in his work throughout his years of service in the United States
Congress.
As chair, as we heard, of the Financial Services Committee, Mike was
known to reach across the aisle. You have heard speaker after speaker
talk about how bipartisan he was in ensuring that every American could
prosper.
He worked on bills ranging from the interest of the financial sector
to the improvement of commerce to the enhancement of emergency
management always with the consumer--always with the American people in
mind. It was during his tenure that we were able to pass bills like the
Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act that allows consumers access
to free credit reports, which reduces identity theft.
Mike Oxley was a born leader, a natural leader. He was coauthor of a
bill that sought to fight corporate fraud. We thank him for that. He
was guided by the principle of economic prosperity and what made
America great. His legislative record and legacy speak for themselves.
He was a kind man. He was good to all of the Members. That is why so
many of us are here saying good things about him. He deserves that and
more. He was enthusiastic about public service. He had a work ethic
that is sorely missed in the people's House.
I had a special relationship with Mike because, as I pointed out, he
was a player and then manager of the Congressional Baseball Game, which
I foolishly joined many years back when I was younger and thinner and
fitter.
Encouraged by Mike, I actually became the first woman to get on base
in this traditional game. Mike made sure that this charity--it really
is a charity game--was able to generate thousands of dollars for
various charities around this great town.
Though Mike is no longer with us, we should not be mourning the loss
of a life, but celebrating an extraordinary life lived. May Mike's
memory live forever in our hearts and in our minds.
Mr. Chabot is doing the same thing that Mike Oxley would do by
leading this great tribute to a Member of Congress. I thank Mr. Chabot
for his leadership.
And I thank Mike. I know that you are enjoying a good, cold beer and
a great baseball game in heaven.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentlewoman very much for her very nice
remarks this evening.
[[Page H757]]
I yield to another Buckeye, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan),
chairman of the Freedom Caucus and a dear colleague of ours.
Mr. JORDAN. Normally, I don't have prepared remarks when I come to
the floor, but I thought when you are honoring someone like former
Congressman Oxley, it is best to have them in written form.
Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues from Ohio and across the Nation in
paying tribute to former Congressman Michael G. Oxley, who passed away
at the beginning of the year after a battle with lung cancer. I thank
my colleague from Cincinnati, Mr. Chabot, for putting together this
Special Order on what would have been his 72nd birthday.
Mike was one of the finest and most respected public servants Ohio
has ever known. He was tireless in his promotion of his hometown of
Findlay and all of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District: its people,
businesses, and institutions.
His work on behalf of Lima's Joint Systems Manufacturing Center,
commonly known as the Tank Plant, helped preserve that vital facility
and its skilled workforce for a long, long time, ensuring that it
remains open today to make the armaments that our Armed Forces need to
keep our great country safe.
I am grateful to my colleagues who have already spoken about some of
Mike's many accomplishments. I want to share something perhaps lesser
known about this individual: his longtime connection to Buckeye Boys
State, a week-long educational exercise for high school boys hosted by
the American Legion of Ohio.
Mike attended this program as a young man, and always said that it
helped prepare him for a career in public service. From 1978 through
2006, he was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony--an event
that he often said was one of his favorites of the year.
In these speeches, he encouraged Boys Staters to develop a clear
vision, set high goals, work hard, and act with integrity at all times.
These life lessons, no doubt, inspired the many thousands of young men
who have had the privilege of attending Boys State during that
timeframe. Mike took great pride in being inducted into the Buckeye
Boys State Hall of Fame, an honor shared by a select few, among them
being Neil Armstrong.
Of course, the titles Mike held most dear were of husband, father,
and grandfather. Our prayers continue to go out to his family. I know
they are joining us here today. We offer them our sincerest condolences
at this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, we remain grateful that decent men like Mike Oxley are
willing to commit their lives to public service and to inspire others
to do the same.
{time} 1745
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Lucas).
Mr. LUCAS. I thank Chairman Chabot for the opportunity to visit this
day about our friend and old colleague.
Mr. Speaker, I came to this body in May of 1994 in a special
election; and I can't remember whether it was that day or the next day
or the day after, but that is when I met Mike.
He had a way of charming and disarming you, a way of being warm.
Mike, from that very first moment, referenced me as ``Big Frank.'' Now,
I am not sure whether he was representing height or girth, but that was
his affectionate term.
He noted to me in that first conversation we had that he, too, had
been a ``special election baby'' and that I was pursuing the route that
he pursued, not coming in as a part of a big class, but coming in by
myself, as he had done in 1981, getting to know the Members, working
the way to the committee that I would want to be on, as he had done.
He had a very open-arms sort of a fashion. Now, I will confess that,
even at that point, I understood in those days, as a member of the
Energy and Commerce Committee, an E&C guy, the unique nature of that
committee. But he was always kind and warm to me.
And when, as the result of a great compromise--actually, a statement,
when we became a part of the majority then not that many months later--
because Mike had served in the minority from 1981 until we became the
majority in 1995, in January. He had served in the minority. He
understood both sides of the perspective.
Ultimately, in the great compromise of 2001, when he came to be
chairman of what used to be the Banking and Urban Affairs Committee,
the Financial Services Committee, and brought substantial new
jurisdictions to the committee, Mike made a huge difference.
Suddenly, it went from the committee that Members wanted off of to
one of those committees that everyone wanted to be on. Suddenly, it
became a committee of action that wasn't just a constant battle over
whether Karl Marx or Adam Smith was right, but a committee that made a
difference.
And the way he worked with both Republicans and Democrats, the way he
addressed the crises that we dealt with--Sarbanes-Oxley being a major
example of a piece of reform legislation that no one ever thought would
occur; that was Mike Oxley.
As my friends have said before and my friends will say after me, an
amazing fellow, a charming personality, a kind of individual that I
would describe as an old-school Member of Congress, an old-school
chairman.
What do I mean by that? Someone who cared about this place and cared
about the Members. Sometimes that is absent now in what we do. But he
cared about the institution, and he cared about the membership. He
cared about the country, and it was demonstrated in his work product.
I am a better person, a better Member of Congress, for having served
with Mike from the day I walked in here in 1994 until his retirement at
the end of 2006, a better Member.
I think this place is better for him having been a Member.
The only regret I have is that there are not more Mike Oxleys out
there; there are not more Mike Oxleys out there. But, you know, his
legacy, I think, should lead all of us to try and emulate the way he
conducted himself, the way he focused, the way he worked. If we do
that, then his spirit will live on.
Again, Chairman Chabot, thank you for the opportunity to come and
visit about my friend and the fellow that I served with for half of his
career in Congress.
And to the family, thank you for having shared him with us for all
those years, all those years. Thank you.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for his tremendous
remarks here this evening. And we really do appreciate his recollection
of his time shared up here with Mike.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan).
Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio especially
for taking the time to organize this very appropriate tribute to Mike
Oxley.
Do you ever get one of those people that you walk into a room and you
make eye contact, and you just get a smile on your face? That was Mike
Oxley.
It was just that moment which, that sense of fun was part of that
original contact. And I can remember it as fresh today, the first time
I met Mike Oxley.
But it wasn't as a Member of Congress that I really became aware of
Mike Oxley. It was some years ago, in a previous time, when I had been
a United States attorney serving in the Department of Justice.
It was a very serious time for our country because it was in the
immediate aftermath of the Enron crisis, one in which Americans all
over the country, and many small investors, began to have a concern
about the integrity of the very institutions which they had entrusted
some of their resources.
As a member of the United States Attorney's Office, I was appointed
by the President to be sitting with other U.S. attorneys and a number
of cabinet members on something called the Corporate Fraud Task Force.
It was the group, under the auspices of Michael Chertoff, which was
responsible for initiating the investigations and the prosecutions into
those who had committed the corporate misdeeds.
But, at the same time, we were aware that while we were going
backwards
[[Page H758]]
and looking at conduct that had taken place, the real challenge was
moving forward. How do you instill a sense of confidence back in the
very institutions which people have relied on for their economic
confidence?
It was a guy on a committee here in Washington, D.C., who understood
the essence of what this was all about. And it wasn't a huge, 2,000-
page bill with all kinds of regulations en gros; it was a bill that was
built on a very simple principle.
I think, in many ways, it reflected who Mike Oxley was, from his days
as an FBI agent, but somebody who knew that, when you were in a
position of power or responsibility, you had that responsibility to
those below you, and your obligation and your word needed to be
connected with that.
And when it really drilled down it, that was the essence of what
Sarbanes-Oxley was all about, the idea that you would certify, if you
were the fiduciary, that you knew the accuracy but, really, the
underlying integrity of that information because it represented the
little people.
So when I came to see Mike Oxley for the first time, and it was by
the good fortune to be part of something called the Ripon Society, and
his former chief of staff, Jim Conzelman, runs that program. And I was
invited in, as a young freshmen Representative, to become part of this
organization which has a tremendous purpose.
You see a guy named Mike Oxley for the first time. You know of him,
but you have never really met him. And I think about that reputation.
Gee, this guy is a pretty important guy. What it is going to be like?
But he is the kind of guy that sits you down and says: Hey, why don't
you sit here and have a cup of coffee with me. And it's a funny story
about a golf game he may have had, a couple of observations about some
of the things you might be thinking about as a young Member of
Congress, and an arm around your shoulder and says: If you ever need
me, let me know. I'm happy to be there for you.
Anytime I ever saw Mike Oxley from that point forward, it was that
same sense, a little smile, probably a little story about his last
round of golf, and always a warm feeling.
Mike is going to leave quite a legacy. But when you think about what
it stands for, the two things that I saw in him in the very end, first
and most significantly, the work that he had done with that bill which
will not only bear his name moving forward but will forever leave that
sense of responsibility and integrity associated with our fiduciary
responsibilities in that financial space.
But it was also this powerful guy, Mike Oxley, who used that
influence that he had, after he had contracted cancer, to turn that
into a positive and make that a part of his mission in life, to use
that influence he had to gather other people around him who were
powerful and wealthy and, otherwise, to focus on moving forward with
finding the way that we can continue to treat and ultimately cure those
with cancer.
It is a tremendous legacy and one in which I would hope any one of
us, as one of my previous colleagues had said, we wish that we could
fill that dash between the beginning of life and the end of life with
such fullness, with such integrity and such fun.
Thank you, Mike, for what you did for all of us.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman for his very poignant remarks this
evening.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton). And
one of the things that Joe Barton is known for--he is known for many,
many things around here--but one of the things he is known for was when
Mike Oxley was no longer the coach of the baseball team, he turned over
the reins to Joe Barton.
Mr. BARTON. I thank the gentleman. I appreciate being one of the
eulogists for Mike Oxley.
I am going to go at this a little bit differently than the other
speakers. I am going to talk about Mike Oxley as the baseball player
and manager of the Republican baseball team.
I didn't get here until 1985. I assume that Mike immediately became
the starting first baseman for the Republican baseball team when he got
elected in the special election.
The photograph to my left shows the baseball team from 1992. And in
his beloved Cincinnati Reds uniform, next to some skinny kid from
Texas, is Mike Oxley. Carl Purcell of Michigan was our manager. I was
on that team. Mike was on that team. Dan Schaefer of Colorado, who
later became the manager; Jack Fields; Jim Nussle; Governor John
Kasich, who is now running for President; Chris Smith, who is still in
the House; Rick Santorum, who later became a Senator and a Presidential
candidate; Dean Gallo. And the skinny guy on the very left is the
current chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton.
Mike was a hard-hitting first baseman. He was a very good player. And
my favorite story on the baseball team, we were playing out in Virginia
at the old Four Mile Run Park, and we weren't playing in the fancy
Nationals Stadium like we are today.
Mike was in his customary position at first base. I was the pitcher.
They hit a pop fly down the first base line. And the Democratic runner
who had hit the fly was running to first base, and he ran into Mike.
Mike fell to the ground. He didn't catch the pop fly, and he began
writhing around on the ground, holding his wrist.
You know, we have to be honest. Mike was known as somewhat of a
jokester and a prankster, and I thought he was kidding. I didn't think
he had hurt himself. So I went over and kind of kicked him in the ribs
and said, get up, let's get going. He said: No, no. I'm hurt. I'm hurt.
They took him to the bench, and we finished the inning. Even when we
got over onto the bench, he was still holding his wrist. And I kidded
him again. I said: Mike, come on. You have got to get back in the game.
Well, they took him to the emergency room; and, as his wife, Pat,
knows, he had broken his wrist. He actually broke his wrist. So from
then on, I never kidded him about things like that.
When Dan Schaefer, who was the manager right before Mike Oxley,
retired, the tradition on the baseball team is that the current manager
picks the next manager.
{time} 1800
So Dan Schaefer called Mike and me into his office and said: Which
one of you two wants to become the next manager?
We both said that we wanted to become the next manager. Mike had
seniority on me by 2 years--maybe 3 years.
I said: Well, I will be the assistant coach, and, Mike, you can be
the manager if that is the way Dan wants to do it.
Mike looked at me, and he said: I will only do it one time.
I said: Okay.
Well, that one time turned out to be about 12 years. He was the
manager for 12 years. Every year he would say to me: Joe, this is the
last one, the last one.
But about the time he became manager, we became the majority. We
elected a bunch of really good baseball players: J.C. Watts, who had
been an all-American quarterback at Oklahoma; Steve Largent, who was in
the NFL Hall of Fame; Chip Pickering; Zach Wamp--really good players.
So we won 10 or 11 games in a row against the Democrats, and Mike
enjoyed being the winner. So as those guys began to retire, Mike
decided that it might be time to turn it over.
I have right here the last trophy that the Republicans won. It is
true that we actually used to win baseball games. We have lost six in a
row. But when Mike was the manager, we won, I think, 10 or 11 in a row.
The trophy is in my office. There is Mike Oxley, the manager, and Joe
Barton, who is the assistant coach, the last trophy that the
Republicans won.
He was a great manager, he was a great player, and he was a great
guy.
Now I want to switch over from his baseball career to his legislative
career. He is remembered as the chairman of what we now call the
Financial Services Committee. Before that, Mike was on the Energy and
Commerce Committee. When the Republicans took the majority in 1995, Tom
Bliley became the chairman. Mike Oxley became one of his subcommittee
chairmen, one of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairmen. I
served on Energy and Commerce with Mike Oxley.
[[Page H759]]
He was an excellent subcommittee chairman. He did his homework. As
has been pointed out, he was very bipartisan. He worked with the
others, the Democrats, on the other side of the aisle.
After Tom Bliley retired, we term-limited our chairmen to three terms
or 6 years. So in 2001, we had to pick a new chairman for Energy and
Commerce. Billy Tauzin had been on the committee as a Democrat. He had
switched parties and was a Republican. So the top two contenders to be
chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee were Mike Oxley of Ohio,
longtime Republican, excellent legislator, and Billy Tauzin of
Louisiana, who had been a Democrat and then became a Republican.
It was a pretty hotly contested race. It divided the committee. It
divided the House. I was on the steering committee at the time
representing Texas. It was a close vote. Billy Tauzin was picked to be
chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee; but because of the
esteem and respect that Mike Oxley was held in--he had served on what
was called the Banking Committee, but he had never been a subcommittee
chairman--he was elevated to be chairman of the Banking Committee and
given the securities jurisdiction that had long been at Energy and
Commerce, renamed the committee the Financial Services Committee, and
he became the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and did just
an outstanding job there. Sarbanes-Oxley is probably the most notable
legislative achievement in his tenure as chairman.
He was a great person and a good friend. I never saw him down or
unhappy. He was great on the floor, he was great in committee, and he
was a super guy on the baseball field.
After he retired, he continued to frequently come by and visit when
we were practicing. When he became ill, he kept a very, very upbeat
demeanor. The last time I talked to him on the telephone was right
before he passed, and by that time he couldn't speak--or he couldn't
speak very well. He could just whisper.
He said: I appreciate you calling.
I told him I loved him.
I really respect Mike Oxley. He helped me a lot as a young
Congressman. We had a lot of fun on the baseball team. He was a great
legislator. His family should be very proud of him. He will be missed.
We will also honor him.
Hopefully this summer, if he is looking down from Heaven, he will
watch us beat the Democrats, and we will finally begin the Oxley
winning tradition again in the charity baseball game.
Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman very much for his remarks.
There are so many Members that have had an opportunity to speak here
this evening. We only had an hour, unfortunately, and we would like to
go on a lot longer, but our hour is nearly up.
So let me just conclude by saying to Mike's family--his wife, Pat;
his son, Elvis; and to his grandson, Max, whom he loved so much; and to
all his family, including Jim Conzelman, his chief of staff, who was
actually, let's face it, family, and to all the other family members--I
think you all know by the testimony, the reflections, and the personal
stories that you heard here this evening that Mike really was a beloved
figure in this House, the people's House. He will be missed. He will be
long remembered. We know that you all love him very dearly, and we
loved him too.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues from Ohio and across
the nation in paying tribute to former Congressman Michael G. Oxley,
who passed away at the beginning of the year after a long battle
against lung cancer. I thank my colleague from Cincinnati, Mr. Chabot,
for putting together this special order in Mike's honor on what would
have been his 72nd birthday.
Mike was a friend, mentor, and one of the finest and most respected
public servants Ohio has ever known. He was tireless in his promotion
of his hometown of Findlay and all of Ohio's Fourth Congressional
Districts--its people, businesses, and institutions. His work on behalf
of Lima's Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (commonly known as the
Lima Army Tank Plant during most of Mike's time in office) helped
preserve that vital facility and its skilled workforce throughout the
1980s and 1990s, ensuring that it remains open today to make the
armaments that our armed forces need to keep our nation safe.
I am grateful to my colleagues who have already spoken about some of
Mike's many accomplishments. I want to share something perhaps lesser
known about him: his longtime connection to Buckeye Boys State, a
weeklong educational exercise for high school boys hosted by the
American Legion Department of Ohio. Mike attended this program as a
young man and always said that it helped prepare him for a career in
public service. From 1986 through 2006, he was the keynote speaker at
the annual Boys State graduation ceremony--an event that he often said
was one of his favorites of the year. In these speeches, he encouraged
Boys Staters to develop a clear vision, set high goals, work hard, and
act with integrity at all times. These life lessons no doubt inspired
the many thousands of young men who attended Boys State during that
time.
Mike took great pride in being inducted into the Buckeye Boys State
Hall of Fame--an honor shared by a select few, among them Neil
Armstrong. Of course, the titles he held most dear were those of
husband, father, and grandfather. Our continued prayers go out to
Mike's wife, Pat; their son, Chadd; daughter-in-law, Jennifer; and
grandson, Max. We offer them our sincerest condolences at this
difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, we remain grateful that decent men like Mike Oxley are
willing to commit their lives to public service and to inspire others
to do so.
Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life and
legacy of former Congressman Mike Oxley from Ohio.
I had the pleasure of serving with Congressman Oxley on the House
Financial Services Committee. Under his leadership as Chairman, the
Committee pursued a pro-growth economic agenda, protected American
consumers, and conducted robust oversight of Washington's regulatory
agencies.
Congressman Oxley was a true American patriot that dedicated his life
to public service and helping his constituents in Ohio. His passion for
America was profound. This legislative body and the institution of
Congress became a better place because of his service and legacy.
I ask my colleagues to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to
the Oxley family. May God Bless the Oxley's and may God continue to
bless the United States of America.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and in
remembrance of former Representative Mike Oxley.
As a valued member of this Chamber, Representative Oxley represented
Ohio's Fourth District for over twenty-five years and served as
Chairman of the Financial Services committee. As only a freshman Member
of Congress on his committee, Chairman Oxley met with me and helped me
pass the Life Insurance Fairness for Travelers (LIFT) Act, which
prohibited discrimination by life insurance companies based on travel
to Israel and other countries without an actuarial analysis of risk. It
was one of the first bills I passed in Congress, and his respect and
inclusion of the minority Members of our committee taught me that
things could indeed get done across the aisle. It is a lesson I have
not forgotten.
Many remember Representative Oxley for his tireless efforts in
passing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This law was and continues to
ensure our confidence in public corporations and financial reporting in
the private sector.
However, more than his legislative accomplishments, I remember him
for his involvement in the Congressional Baseball Game--an annual
tradition that brings Members of both parties together for a good
cause.
No matter what he was involved in, Chairman Oxley was a fair and
decent man who ensured all Members felt respected. As a cancer
survivor, his loss to cancer is even more heartbreaking and makes me
more determined to fight to defeat this deadly disease. Mike Oxley's
work, integrity and passion for public service bettered both the
Congress and our nation.
It is with great pleasure that I honor Representative Oxley.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of
Congressman Mike Oxley, who dedicated his career to protecting average
citizens from special interests.
During his 25 year tenure in the House of Representatives, and as
Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, he tirelessly led
investigations of major corporations like Enron. Congressman Oxley's
2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act reformed corporate oversight in this country.
Congressman Oxley also worked on telecomm issues in Congress; helping
usher in policies that support our current mobile economy. He helped
sponsor legislation to authorize the first ever spectrum auctions, an
issue that continues to drive innovation today.
Congressman Oxley also dedicated his life to our country by serving
as a FBI agent before being elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives.
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Most of all, Congressman Oxley was a wonderful colleague working hard
with both parties to represent his constituents in the best way
possible. He will be greatly missed.
On a personal note, Mike and Pat and Bob and I were personal friends.
We got to know each other ``back in the day'' when members of Congress
saw each other socially.
Even though we came from different parties, it didn't make a
difference when it came to friendship. At that time I was a
Congressional spouse, so Pat and I got to know each other well and
participated actively in Congressional spouse activities. Our sons also
got to know each other when we took bipartisan trips to places like New
York.
In fact, I remember one funny incident when the two families were
together on a Congressional Arts Caucus trip to New York City. As we
were riding around, touring on a bus, our sons Brian and Elvis, 10
years old at the time and dressed in their blue blazers, hopped off the
bus and started walking down the street. Bob and Mike, alarmed, jumped
off the bus and ran after them. They finally caught up with them and
asked them what they were doing. The boys calmly replied and said that
``they were all dressed up and ready to see the town!'' We had such a
laugh recalling those days in subsequent conversations.
When I think of Mike Oxley, I think of family and the joy he had with
Pat and Elvis. We will all miss him.
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