[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H6245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENTS OF REPRESENTATIVES JOE PITTS AND MIKE 
                              FITZPATRICK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
two friends, two Members of the Pennsylvania delegation, here in the 
House, Representative Joe Pitts and Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, on 
their upcoming retirements and for their service to this Nation and to 
their constituents. It has been an honor to serve with both of these 
gentlemen over the past 8 years.
  Representative Pitts' retirement caps a long career of service to his 
Nation. His career started as an educator, teaching math, science, 
English, physical education, along with coaching basketball.
  He also served 5\1/2\ years in the United States Air Force with three 
tours in Vietnam. After being commissioned as a second lieutenant, he 
was promoted to the rank of captain by the time he left the service.
  After settling in Pennsylvania, Representative Pitts continued to 
teach until he felt the call of public service, launching a 24-year 
career as a Pennsylvania State representative, and serving as chairman 
of the Committee on Labor Relations and later of the Appropriations 
Committee.
  Joe was sworn in as a United States Representative in January of 
1997, the beginning of a 20-year career here in Washington, D.C., and 
in serving the residents of Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District. 
His ten terms here in the House of Representatives have included time 
spent chairing multiple subcommittees, including the Health 
Subcommittee for his last two terms here in Congress.
  I have greatly enjoyed time spent with Joe during our weekly Bible 
studies, and I wish him and his wife, Ginny, the best of luck in 
retirement.
  I also want to recognize the retirement of my friend and colleague, 
Representative Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional 
District.
  Like Representative Pitts, Mike has dedicated much of his life to 
public service and was first elected in 1995 as a Bucks County 
commissioner, a position he served in for 10 years. During that time, 
he showed a commitment to bringing jobs to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 
creating the county's first enterprise zone, which eventually created 
thousands of local jobs.
  Mike arrived in Washington, D.C., as the representative of the 
Commonwealth's Eighth Congressional District in January of 2005 and 
later worked to bring the national veterans' cemetery to Bucks County. 
More recently, he has served as the chairman of the Task Force to 
Investigate Terrorism Financing.
  Personally, I have bonded with Mike over our shared ties to the Boy 
Scouts of America. We are both longtime Boy Scouts and fellow Eagle 
Scouts. Mike's service to scouting includes time spent as president of 
the Bucks County Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
  I wish Representative Mike Fitzpatrick a great retirement, along with 
his wife, Kathy, and their children.
  Congratulations, Joe and Mike. It has been an honor serving with you.

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