[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SENATE RESOLUTION 75--HONORING THE LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND 
DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE OF JOHN DAVID DINGELL, JR., AND EXPRESSING 
                CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY ON HIS PASSING

  Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mr. Peters, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Markey, Mr. Casey, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Carper, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Brown, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Harris, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Reed, Mrs. Blackburn, and Mr. Burr) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 75

       Whereas, on February 8, 2019, the death of Representative 
     John David Dingell, Jr. (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``John Dingell''), former Chairman of the Committee on Energy 
     and Commerce of the House of Representatives, brought a sense 
     of deep personal loss--
       (1) to his family, including his wife, Representative 
     Deborah ``Debbie'' Dingell of the 12th congressional district 
     of Michigan, and his children and grandchildren;
       (2) to his many former colleagues and friends;
       (3) to Members of Congress; and
       (4) to the people of the United States;
       Whereas John Dingell represented the people of southeastern 
     Michigan with distinction in the House of Representatives for 
     59 years, from December 13, 1955, to January 3, 2015, making 
     John Dingell the longest serving Member of either chamber of 
     Congress in the history of the United States;
       Whereas the father of John Dingell, the late John David 
     Dingell, Sr., preceded John Dingell in service as a Member of 
     the House of Representatives from March 4, 1933, to September 
     19, 1955;
       Whereas the wife of John Dingell, Deborah Dingell, 
     succeeded John Dingell on January 3, 2015, and continues to 
     serve as a Member of the House of Representatives;
       Whereas the people of southeastern Michigan have entrusted 
     John David Dingell, Sr., John Dingell, and Deborah Dingell 
     together to serve as their voice in Congress for the past 86 
     years;
       Whereas John Dingell was raised from the age of 6 in 
     southeast Michigan, the home State of the parents of John 
     Dingell, and the State that John David Dingell, Sr., was 
     elected to serve in the 73rd Congress;
       Whereas John Dingell was fiercely proud of his Polish-
     American roots and throughout his life shared the joys of his 
     heritage with others, including by delivering paczki pastries 
     to colleagues, staff of the House of Representatives, and 
     visitors to the Capitol;
       Whereas John Dingell had his first taste of public service 
     and participation in government as a page for the House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas John Dingell, while serving as a page for the House 
     of Representatives, in the Hall of the House of 
     Representatives on December 8, 1941, witnessed President 
     Franklin Roosevelt deliver the iconic address asking for a 
     declaration of war against Japan following the bombing of 
     Pearl Harbor;
       Whereas John Dingell was drafted into the United States 
     Army at the age of 18 and served honorably;
       Whereas John Dingell received a Bachelor of Science degree 
     and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University;
       Whereas, prior to being elected to the House of 
     Representatives, John Dingell worked--
       (1) in private law practice;
       (2) as a park ranger with the National Park Service; and
       (3) as an assistant prosecutor;
       Whereas John Dingell was elected to the House of 
     Representatives following the death of John David Dingell, 
     Sr., in 1955 and was reelected 29 times;
       Whereas John Dingell--
       (1) advocated for affordable health insurance coverage for 
     seniors in the United States, a cause championed by John 
     David Dingell, Sr.; and
       (2) worked to secure the enactment of the Medicare program 
     under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 
     et seq.) in 1965, presiding over the passage of the Social 
     Security Amendments of 1965 (Public Law 89-97; 79 Stat. 286) 
     in the House of Representatives;
       Whereas John Dingell witnessed President Lyndon B. Johnson 
     sign into law the Social Security Amendments of 1965 (Public 
     Law 89-97; 79 Stat. 286), which enacted the Medicare program 
     under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 
     et seq.);
       Whereas John Dingell was a crusader for the environment, 
     helping to author and shepherd to passage--
       (1) the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.);
       (2) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
     U.S.C. 4321 et seq.);
       (3) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 
     1972 (Public Law 92-500; 86 Stat. 816), which formed the 
     basis of the modern Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
     U.S.C. 1251 et seq.);
       (4) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
     seq.); and
       (5) the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.);
       Whereas John Dingell fought to make civil rights a part of 
     the platform of the Democratic Party in 1960, standing up to 
     people who believed it would alienate certain voters and 
     declaring that making civil rights a platform issue was the 
     right thing to do;
       Whereas John Dingell was a strong supporter in the House of 
     Representatives of--
       (1) the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (Public Law 85-315; 71 
     Stat. 634);
       (2) the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (Public Law 86-449; 74 
     Stat. 86);
       (3) the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.); 
     and
       (4) the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et 
     seq.);
       Whereas John Dingell served as chairman of the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives from 
     January 3, 1981, to January 3, 1995, and again from January 
     3, 2007, to January 3, 2009, and served as the ranking 
     minority member during the years in between, making John 
     Dingell the senior Democratic member on that Committee for 26 
     years;
       Whereas, during every Congress in which he served, John 
     Dingell introduced legislation to provide universal access to 
     health care;
       Whereas, in 2010, John Dingell invited Speaker Nancy Pelosi 
     to use the gavel with which he presided over passage of the 
     Social Security Amendments of 1965 (Public Law 89-97; 79 
     Stat. 286), which included the Medicare program under title 
     XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), to 
     preside over passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable 
     Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18001 et seq.) in the House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas John Dingell, over the course of his tenure in the 
     House of Representatives, served with the following 11 
     Presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. 
     Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald 
     Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and 
     Barack Obama;
       Whereas John Dingell served as Dean of the House of 
     Representatives from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2015;
       Whereas John Dingell retired from the House of 
     Representatives in 2015 and was succeeded by his beloved 
     wife, Deborah, whom he referred to as his ``lovely Deborah'';
       Whereas Deborah Dingell carries on the legacy of John 
     Dingell and now serves as co-chair of the Democratic Policy 
     and Communications Committee in the Democratic Caucus;
       Whereas, in 2014, President Barack Obama awarded John 
     Dingell the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest 
     civilian honor of the United States;
       Whereas John Dingell, both before and after retirement, 
     gathered a large following on Twitter, where he demonstrated 
     wit, wisdom, and clever commentary on politics in the United 
     States while promoting greater civility, patriotism, 
     tolerance, justice, and inclusion; and
       Whereas John Dingell was held in the highest esteem by 
     Members of Congress from both parties because of his record 
     tenure in office, sharp intellect, good humor, congeniality, 
     and belief in working together to achieve consensus through 
     trust and camaraderie: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, achievements, and distinguished public 
     service of John David Dingell, Jr.; and
       (2) expresses condolences to the family of John David 
     Dingell, Jr., on his passing.

     

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