[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.

[[Page H760]]

  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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