[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7279-H7280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FAREWELL ADDRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Capps) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House one last 
time as a Member of Congress. Over 18 years ago, I was honored and 
humbled to be elected to this House. It has been the job and the 
responsibility of a lifetime.
  After a career spent as a nurse and in our public schools as a school 
nurse, it was the start of a life I never expected, but I was eager to 
answer the call to public service on behalf of the citizens of the 
central coast of California. It was the same call that had beckoned my 
husband, Walter, before me. He was a religious studies professor who 
felt compelled to serve. Like Walter, I sought to help restore the 
bonds of trust between the people and their government.
  While the circumstances of my joining Congress were unexpected, it 
has been a tremendous honor to serve with all of you over these years. 
Together with our colleagues, our dedicated staff, and our 
constituents, I have been proud to work on behalf of issues so 
important to our congressional district on the central coast of 
California, issues important also to our entire Nation.
  We have worked hard to ensure that everyone has the chance to fulfill 
their American Dream, while moving our economy and our country forward. 
We have fought to protect women's rights, strengthen families, and push 
for equality. We have made great strides in making health care more 
accessible and affordable so that no one has to go bankrupt just 
because they get sick. And we have championed a clean energy future 
while protecting our beautiful landscapes, our coastlines, and our 
precious natural resources for future generations.
  In recent months, I have often been asked what I will miss most about 
serving in Congress. While there is much to miss, the answer is easy: 
it is the people. To me, this job has always been and always will be 
about the people: the people we represent, the people who work so hard 
to keep this place going, the people on my staff over the years who 
have been so dedicated to making our community and our country just a 
little bit better--and the people I serve with here, you, my 
colleagues.
  It has been such a privilege and pleasure to get to know you and work 
alongside many of you over the years, learning more about your 
districts, your backgrounds, and your families. After all, isn't this 
what Congress was meant to be? You, my colleagues, coming from all over 
the country, from all walks of life, to represent your neighbors and 
communities in this place, this Congress, to work together for the good 
of our Nation.
  During my time in Congress, I have been so proud of those laws we 
have

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passed that have made a real difference in people's lives. When I am 
home, I often hear about the positive impact of our work, the role our 
office has played in the district, the difference our efforts have made 
in individual lives.
  I am proud of the progress we have made as a country, but we need to 
keep this momentum going. As we all know, cooperation and progress is 
not always easy, but it is what we are sent here to do and it is what 
we must do, regardless of partisanship. We are here, each one, because 
we believe in the role of government to make the lives of everyday 
Americans better, and that has been my guiding light both as a Member 
of Congress and as a nurse before.
  As I have said, I may be retiring, but I do not want to consider 
myself retired. I prefer to say I am graduating to continue working 
locally on issues that have defined my time in Congress.
  Our work is cut out for us, but I am deeply optimistic about what the 
future holds. I trust that the next Congress will hold healthy debates 
about how to build a better country for our children. I urge my 
colleagues to remember that, even during the most trying times, as my 
husband Walter often said: There is much more that unites us as a 
people than that which divides us.
  Now I want to take one last opportunity to thank my staff, the people 
who have become family to me both here in D.C. and in the district. And 
I want to thank you, my colleagues, for your camaraderie, your hard 
work, and the friendship that has lasted over 18 years. It has meant 
the world to me.
  And finally, thank you. Thank you, truly, to the people of the 
central coast for trusting me as your Representative, for inspiring me 
every single day with your passion and your dedication for our Nation 
and for California's 24th District. You make our community a place in 
which I have been proud to raise my children and my grandchildren now, 
one I am proud to call home.

                          ____________________