[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 170 (Monday, October 28, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8530-H8536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JOHN CONYERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Congressman John Conyers. He was one of the 13 founding members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus. I stand here today joining the chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, Karen Bass, in recognizing that he served 
for 53 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, making him one of 
the longest-serving House Members in history and the first African 
American to hold the title of dean.
  Congressman Conyers was born in Detroit on May 16, 1929, the eldest 
of four sons of John and Lucille. He attended Detroit public schools 
and graduated from Northwestern High School. After graduating he served 
in the National Guard and then joined the U.S. Army.
  He was inspired by his friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, to run for 
office and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964. His 
first hire was civil rights hero, Rosa Parks.
  As a human rights and civil rights champion, Mr. Conyers opposed the 
death penalty and fought police brutality. He also co-led and was a 
cosponsor for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Mr. Conyers also assisted 
in passing the Help America Vote Act, the Violence Against Women Act, 
the motor vehicle bill, the National Jazz Preservation, Education and 
Promulgation Act, and the Martin Luther King Federal Holiday Commission 
Extension Act.
  Today I am joined by a number of my colleagues who will be giving 
remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with honor that I yield to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne). My colleague and my colleague's father both served 
with John Conyers.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentlewoman from 
Detroit for her leadership on this issue tonight. We felt it was only 
fitting that she lead us in this Special Order hour for Mr. Conyers.
  I rise to honor the former Congressman, John James Conyers, after his 
passing on October 27, 2019. I would like to start by offering my 
thoughts and prayers to his wife, Monica, and his sons, John and Carl, 
during this time of loss.
  Mr. Conyers spent 53 years as a Congressman from Michigan, mostly 
from districts in and around the Detroit area. Mr. Conyers was the 
third longest-serving Congressman and the longest-serving African 
American Congressman in United States history.
  He helped found the Congressional Black Caucus with some of our 
Nation's most prominent civil rights leaders and colleagues such as 
Shirley Chisholm and William Lacy Clay, Sr., the father of my esteemed 
colleague, William Lacy Clay, Jr., from Missouri's First District.
  During his life he had several accomplishments in and out of 
Congress. He joined voter registration drives in Selma, Alabama, in 
1963, a year before the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act even became law. 
As a Congressman, he led the drive to help make Martin Luther King, 
Jr.'s birthday a national holiday and succeeded through perseverance 
and continued efforts to make that happen despite insurmountable odds. 
He helped calm revolters in his district during Detroit's racial strife 
of 1967. He was a vocal opponent of apartheid in South Africa, a 
political system of legal racial discrimination that he just--as many 
of us in this great Nation--would not tolerate. He fought for 
restrictions on gun ownership to prevent violence, because he knew what 
it meant in so many of our communities to have these lax laws.
  At one point Mr. Conyers was called the leading Black voice in 
Congress. He was also known as one of the best dressers on Capitol Hill 
and a lover of jazz. He even got the Congress to declare jazz a 
national American treasure in 1987.
  He was a dedicated public servant, an honored Korean war veteran, a 
champion of racial equality, and a strong figure in this House for half 
a century. His legacy will be remembered long after his passing. The 
work that he has done on this floor and in these Halls is second to 
none. He cared about this Nation, he cared about his colleagues, and he 
cared about his constituents in his district.
  We will miss him dearly. Mr. Conyers was one of a kind. We are 
saddened by his loss, so we are here to honor him in the manner in 
which he should be as an esteemed former Member of this House.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, there are so many facts that we need to 
share about John Conyers, including the fact that in his 52 years in 
office he represented Michigan's First Congressional District, 
Michigan's 14th Congressional District, and Michigan's 13th 
Congressional District. Also during his time in Congress he chaired the 
House Oversight and Reform Committee and also the House Judiciary 
Committee and served as dean of the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) who is 
my amazing colleague and who will have comments about the passing and 
honoring of our colleague whom we all are mourning, John Conyers, who 
impacted so many of us in this country.
  Mr. LEWIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the young lady from 
Michigan-- Mrs. Lawrence. I love that.
  Mr. LEWIS. Well, you are still very young--for bringing us together 
to honor John Conyers.
  The former dean of the House of Representatives and the cofounder of 
the Congressional Black Caucus, John Conyers, was born at a time when 
we needed someone to stand up and to speak up and speak out and to get 
in the way of getting what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.
  As a matter of fact, John Conyers and Martin Luther King, Jr. were 
born

[[Page H8531]]

the same year, so maybe history, faith, and maybe God Almighty placed 
the two of them here to work together.
  Before being elected to Congress, Mr. Conyers served in the Korean 
war and on the staff of Representative John Dingell. When the people of 
Michigan elected Mr. Conyers in 1964, he brought Congress to the front 
lines of the civil rights movement, and he took civil rights, voting 
rights, labor rights, and human rights to the United States Congress.
  John Conyers, perhaps more than any other Member of Congress, made 
trips over and over and over again to the South to identify with the 
struggle going on in the South. He came to Alabama, to Georgia, 
Mississippi, and other parts of the Deep South.
  Mr. Speaker, Representative Conyers was one of two Members of 
Congress, both from Michigan, who voted on the original and every 
single reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. He could give us the 
backstory of every major law from the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to the 
20-year effort to establish a National Day of Service honoring my 
friend and leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  When Rosa Parks, a person I got to know so well, was forced to leave 
her home State of Alabama after the Montgomery bus boycott, Mr. Conyers 
more than anyone else gave her a position on his staff, and she was 
very proud and pleased to work in the office of John Conyers. She 
served in his district office for 23 years.
  The record should be clear: John Conyers loved music, but he loved 
jazz. He loved jazz more than any other form of music.

                              {time}  2015

  He loved this institution, and he dedicated his life to realizing the 
dream of what our Nation could be. He was of the people, and he was for 
the people.
  On this difficult day, I offer my deepest condolences to his beloved 
wife, sons, family, and the people of Michigan who mourn his loss.
  May he rest in peace and in power.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lewis.
  Some other facts that people may not know about John Conyers: He 
worked for the Lincoln auto factory and was a member of the UAW. He 
became the director of education for UAW Local 900. He was the first 
African American to chair the House Committee on the Judiciary. He also 
sponsored the Racial Justice Act and the Police Accountability Act 
during that time.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. 
Davis), a Member of Congress who has fought many fights and has stood 
up and knows the story of justice in our country.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the 
gentlewoman, first of all, for organizing this Special Order that gives 
all the rest of us the opportunity to come to pay tribute to my hero.
  As a matter of fact, I am old enough to remember in a very vivid way 
the late 1950s and early 1960s with people like John Conyers, Martin 
Luther King,   John Lewis, Whitney Young, and other heroes of the 
period.
  Although John was elected in Michigan, he was really all of our 
Congressman. He was the Representative for all of us. We didn't have 55 
African American or Black Members of Congress at that time, but we had 
those voices that were strong and vibrant, those voices that gave hope.
  There was so much hope and possibility being expressed during that 
period that those of us who were emerging had no idea that there was 
anything that we couldn't accomplish, any changes that we couldn't 
bring about, any possibilities that did not exist. And that, to me, was 
the true essence of John Conyers.
  I was tremendously impressed with John because he was always for the 
underdog. He was always for the little guy, always for the little 
person, always representing those who were left out, those who were 
unheard, even those who were unheard of.
  I don't think there was any place in America where action was going 
on that John didn't go. As a matter of fact, at the time when we were 
electing the first African American mayor in the city of Chicago, John 
was there every week. We thought he had moved to Chicago, that he 
didn't live in Detroit. I mean, every week, from the time, I guess, he 
left here, in churches and churches and block parties and everyplace 
that you could possibly turn, there was John Conyers.
  John has given the very best that you can give.
  To his wife and sons and other members of his family, we say thank 
you for lending John to all of us.
  I guess the poet Walter Foss maybe had John in mind when he penned 
these words that I end with.

     There are hermit souls that live withdrawn in the peace of 
           their self-content;
     There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart, in a 
           fellowless firmament;
     There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths where highways 
           never ran;
     But let me live by the side of the road and be a friend to 
           man.
     Let me live in a house by the side of the road, where the 
           race of men go by;
     The men who are good and the men who are bad, as good and as 
           bad as I.
     I would not sit in the scorner's seat, or hurl the cynic's 
           ban;
     Let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a 
           friend to man.
     I see from my house by the side of the road, by the side of 
           the highway of life,
     The men who press with the ardor of hope, the men who are 
           faint with the strife.
     But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears, both 
           parts of an infinite plan;
     Let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a 
           friend to man.

  So let me live in my house by the side of the road where the race of 
men go by, men who are good, men who are bad, wise, foolish, but then 
so am I.
  So why would I sit in the scorner's seat or hurl the cynic's ban? Let 
me live in my house by the side of the road, like John Conyers, and be 
a friend to man.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. That was 
beautiful.
  We continue in our effort to capture the life of a great man who 
served in this House.
  Again, another fact: Since 1989, John Conyers had introduced H.R. 40, 
the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. 
This bill would establish a commission to examine the institution of 
slavery in the United States. The legislation has now been taken up by 
our colleague from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans), 
my colleague who has shown to be a voice of reason, hard work, and 
compassion in his service to Congress.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my honorable friend, Congresswoman 
Lawrence, for her leadership on someone who really set a tone, not just 
in Detroit and Michigan, but the entire Nation. I thank her for her 
leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I knew Chairman Conyers, not as well as some of the 
Members who have spoken, but I did know him. We each represented the 
largest city in a large northern industrial State. Philadelphia and 
Detroit have many of the same problems, such as poverty, gun violence, 
a loss of good manufacturing jobs, and access to healthcare.
  I didn't tell my colleague, Congresswoman Lawrence, that when she 
mentioned May 16, I was born on that same day, so there is that 
connection there.
  The chairman was one of the 12 founders of the Congressional Black 
Caucus. From Pennsylvania, the person who was one of them was Robert 
N.C. Nix, who was elected in 1958.

  So 48 years ago, as a result of the chairman, we have built on the 
backs of those founders. Today, there are 54 of us in the caucus, 
including the House majority whip, two Senators, four chairs of House 
committees, and one of our former members who became a two-term 
President of the United States.
  The chairman helped to lay the groundwork for this progress. When he 
cosponsored the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I was 10 years of age. In 
1965, the Voting Rights Act banned discrimination at the ballot box. He 
was a fierce critic of the Vietnam war that led to a clash with 
President Lyndon Johnson. It even won him a spot on President Nixon's 
enemy list.
  It is rather interesting to have this conversation today because, as 
I recall, he played an important role in the impeachment proceedings. 
Mr. Speaker, I want my colleagues to know that I saw that on my black-
and-white TV.

[[Page H8532]]

  Once again, we are building on the back of the work that he and other 
Members did in 1973 and 1974.
  We should thank the chairman for his leading role in creating the 
Federal holiday that honors Martin Luther King. He introduced a bill 4 
days after Dr. King was murdered. When Congressman Lewis talks about 
that, he knows what he is talking about. The fight took 15 years, but 
he succeeded.
  The chairman also played a leading role in another long fight, the 
struggle to end apartheid in South Africa, with a Congressman from 
Pennsylvania by the name of William Gray. I recall, Mr. Speaker, 
meeting President Mandela.
  I say all of these things because there is a connection to all of us 
who are here today. I think that we should honor the chairman for all 
that he has contributed to this Nation.
  I want to close with how I recall the chairman urging skeptical 
African Americans to get involved in politics. He used to say, 
``Register, vote, run for office. It is power that counts.''
  He used to say, ``Register, vote, run for office. It is power that 
counts.''
  There is an election, Mr. Speaker, 8 days from now. An important way 
for all of us to honor the legacy of Chairman Conyers, to honor 
everyone who has worked for civil rights, is to vote.
  I recall him loving music so much. I heard him talk about John 
Coltrane.
  I think it is important to recognize that the chairman did so much 
for all of us. I feel really a sincere obligation and a commitment to 
add my voice to the foundation that he has laid.
  As a person who has been a Member of the Congress for only 3 years, 
because of the foundation he laid, I have the opportunity to stand here 
today. So many of us not just in the Congressional Black Caucus but 
Members who are in this House, he has contributed to all of us.
  I want you to use your voice and be heard. As he would say, ``Vote.''
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for mentioning so 
many of the accomplishments that John Conyers had.
  I want to add to that his legislative record extends to introducing 
the Medicare for All Act, legislation to establish a government-
sponsored single-payer healthcare option to control costs. 
Additionally, he championed the issues of reparations to establish a 
commission that I had mentioned earlier.
  He fought for justice that also extended to international issues. He 
was an early leader in the anti-Vietnam war movement in addition to the 
anti-Iraq war movement.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), my 
colleague and a hardworking freshman. It is hard to recognize that he 
is a freshman.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair and the anchor for this 
Special Order hour, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, for her commitment, 
dedication, and service, not just to the people of Detroit but to the 
people of this great Nation.

                              {time}  2030

  I join with my colleagues, not only in the Congressional Black 
Caucus, but this body of government as a whole, in mourning a giant in 
the legacy of Representative John Conyers.
  Representative John Conyers was a force to be reckoned with, a leader 
of the civil rights movement who stood tall in the House of 
Representatives for more than a half century, the longest serving 
African American Congressman.
  During his 53 years as the Representative for the part of Michigan 
encompassing Detroit, Congressman Conyers fought for the people of his 
State tooth and nail.
  Congressman Conyers was known as the dean of the House of 
Representatives, and he paved the way for all of us who are here this 
evening. I really believe that we stand on his shoulders.
  Speaking to his legacy, he was a cofounder of the Congressional Black 
Caucus. So, the fact that we are now 54 members in number representing 
more than 84 million people across the country, it was the vision of 
people like Congressman Conyers and others that allowed the 
Congressional Black Caucus to come forward.
  He also led the charge to declare, as has been stated, a national 
holiday in honor of the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a day 
Congressman Conyers fought for tirelessly that we now hold in our 
hearts as a day of remembrance for the legacy of another fearless 
leader.
  He also served on two powerful committees as chairman: the House 
Committee on Oversight and Reform--and we just mourned the passing of 
the chairman of that great committee, Chairman Cummings--and the House 
Judiciary Committee, which has great responsibility; and, in both, he 
never shied away from speaking truth to power.
  As has been stated by my good friend Congressman Evans, one of his 
early mottos was: Register, vote, run for office. It is power that 
counts.
  So we will continue to harness this power to promote the ideals that 
Congressman Conyers espoused during his career.
  I want to note, and I don't think I shared this with Congresswoman 
Lawrence, but there is a group called the Detroit Connection. Because 
so many people tend to come to Las Vegas to retire, we have a big 
contingency of Detroit people, and they have an event every year called 
the Detroit Connection. They raise money. They provide scholarships.
  I was so honored one year to have Congressman Conyers come to Las 
Vegas and attend the event for the Detroit Connection, and it made that 
group feel so good to know that their champion and their Representative 
was still there.
  So, we will use the privilege of serving--I know I will as one of the 
new, younger Members--to continue to fight for equality and justice for 
all, just as Congressman Conyers did during his 53 years here on 
Capitol Hill.
  Tonight, we honor him with our words, but tomorrow we must honor him 
with our actions.
  Congressman Conyers, we will continue the good work you started all 
those years ago. May you rest in power.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a statement by the 
Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson about the Congressman.
  She said: I pay tribute to the life and legacy of a distinguished 
public servant and colleague, John James Conyers Jr., who passed away 
this weekend, and she asked that her colleagues join her in extending 
sympathies to Congressman Conyers' wife, Monica; Conyers' sons, John 
Conyers III and Carl Edward Conyers; and all whom he influenced over 
the course of his life. May he rest in peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring forth my Michigan delegation 
colleague. It is significant to note that Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman 
Tlaib, actually represents the seat from which John Conyers retired.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan, Rashida Tlaib.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart in joining my 
beloved colleague, who also represents the city of Detroit, in paying 
tribute to our wonderful, late Congress Member John Conyers, the 
longest serving African American in the United States Congress, a true 
civil rights icon and visionary, and the man who will forever be our 
Congressman.
  The Honorable John Conyers Jr.'s mission to make sweeping changes in 
civil rights by fighting on behalf of the people started well before he 
ever stepped onto the United States House floor. One of the things that 
he said at the passing of Rosa Parks, his dear friend, was: ``We've got 
a tremendous legacy to fulfill. You can't maintain a democracy and an 
empire simultaneously.'' And he said, ``Rosa, you taught me that.''
  But, when he first was sworn in to the Congress in 1965 during a time 
of great social unrest in our country's history, he embarked on what 
would become a 50-year tenure of service to our people that would 
result in that mission being accomplished, and then some.
  Indeed, his more than 50 years of service brought forth the vision of 
reparations for African Americans, the centering of voting rights, a 
continued push for universal healthcare, the creation of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, and the inspiration of not just those in 
Detroit for whom he worked tirelessly, but he directly impacted many, 
many countless Americans across the country.
  When I first was elected to succeed Congressman Conyers, I knew that 
I

[[Page H8533]]

had a tremendous legacy to carry. It is that tremendous legacy that 
propels my work on behalf of Michigan's 13th Congressional District 
that I fight for every single day.
  I remember when I was in his presence of greatness, he never 
exhibited anything less than grace and kindness. He always paused and 
took time to talk to the residents. He taught me that.
  Sadly, the last time I spoke to him was at his 90th birthday 
celebration in Detroit. He was joyful and, yes, he still had the 
presence of greatness, as Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence saw for herself 
as well.

  Detroit and our district will sorely miss him.
  May he rest in peace as we continue to fight for what he fought for 
for so long with unwavering strength: for jobs, justice, and peace.
  I pray that his wife, Monica Conyers, and the family find strength 
during this difficult time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman as we share the 
amazing honor of representing the city of Detroit, a place that John 
Conyers loved and gave his life to.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to also read from a statement from our 
chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Karen Bass. Her statement 
outlines his life and his history.
  It also talks about how he fought apartheid and that he confronted 
President Nixon about imposing sanctions against South Africa; and, 
when it became clear that the President wouldn't act, he joined 
Congressman Dellums in introducing legislation to that end and was even 
arrested at a protest, in front, of South Africa.
  He impacted so many people in his district and throughout the 
country. America is a better country today because of the legislative 
and advocacy work of Representative John Conyers Jr.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring forth a chair of this amazing 
body--a chair, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and an 
amazing leader, Congressman Scott.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
holding this Special Order and recognizing the legacy of Congressman 
John Conyers. I want to join those who are honoring his legacy.
  He served in Congress longer than any other African American. He 
represented Michigan and the Nation for over 50 years. He was a 
founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he served as 
dean of the House.
  He was a giant in civil rights. He often bragged about being the only 
candidate for elective office ever endorsed by Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr.
  Also, for many years Rosa Parks worked in his Detroit district 
office.
  As a legislator, he was a true champion of civil rights and leaves 
behind a legacy of fighting for transformative change that continues 
today. His five decades of service in Congress are marked by a core 
fundamental belief in equity and justice for all.
  For many years, I worked with Congressman Conyers on the Judiciary 
Committee, and most recently, we worked together to address segregation 
in our public schools. We also fought together for equity in education, 
as well as criminal justice reform, voting rights, and breaking down 
barriers to employment.
  I want to send my condolences to his family, his loved ones, the 
entire Detroit community, and all who are mourning the loss of a 
lifelong champion for a better America.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those kind 
words and informative message.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to bring forth a woman in our 
Congress, the longest serving woman in Congress, Marcy Kaptur, who 
served with the dean of Congress and would like to reflect.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for 
inviting us to come to the floor this evening to share our sorrow with 
the Conyers family and the people of Greater Detroit that Congressman 
Conyers represented here so forcefully throughout his entire career.
  I would like to extend sympathy to his wife, Monica, and to his sons, 
John and Carl, that he used to come walk through Congress, even when 
they were small. He would take them on the train from one side of the 
Capitol to the other. I can still see him doing that.
  As others have mentioned, he served from 1965 to 2017. So, from the 
civil rights movement at its apex, that fervor came into this Chamber, 
and John served over half a century in furtherance of America's 
betterment.
  He was the 44th dean of the House. He became its most senior member 
and, certainly, the longest serving African American in the history of 
the United States of America.
  I think most Members would agree, he truly was a drum major for 
justice and also a drum major for jobs and fair wages for all workers.
  His service was anchored by those parallel visions, and I can still 
remember coming as a new Member to Congress. There were three men who 
were serving at that time: John; another John, John Dingell; and a man 
named William Ford.
  The three of them together, in my mind, actually formed the northern 
apex of the civil rights and labor rights movement in this country, and 
America was bettered by all of their services. They worked in tandem.
  They had been forged by the same set of experiences and came to us 
from what we in the Midwest call Motown, Motor City. That is a place 
that is unlike any other in the United States of America.
  It has a rich history. It has a history of struggle. It produced 
famous singing groups like The Supremes, contemporaneous with John's 
adulthood, the Detroit Tigers, and lots of jazz. John loved jazz.
  If you think about what he represented, Detroit is not really a tea 
and crumpets city. My apologies to all those who enjoy tea and 
crumpets. It is really a heavy-duty town, a very pluralistic community 
where the fight for organized labor was rooted and, something that we 
know well in our region, the strike at a place called River Rouge that 
began the work in our country to value labor through contract--not just 
happenstance, but by an actual contract.
  And John Conyers was a part of the development of the law that 
allowed for the dignity of labor, but it was born out of the struggle 
in Detroit, a very rough-and-tumble world.
  One of his early jobs was with the United Auto Workers, in which our 
family has had members for many generations now, and he and I shared 
that affinity.

                              {time}  2045

  He was not an arrogant man, but he was rooted, again, in the fight 
for justice during the best years of his life.
  When he arranged for the funeral in Detroit of Rosa Parks--and the 
history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott is written, I don't think a lot 
of people really know that he actually had hired Rosa Parks in his 
office from 1965 to 1988. I can recall, in 2005, attending the funeral 
of Rosa Parks--what a central role John Conyers played in that 
magnificent ceremony. But through it was the continuing education of 
the people of the United States of America as to what the civil rights 
struggle, and our struggle as a people, has actually been comprised of, 
a constant struggle.
  I have to say, on the humorous side, he loved cars that drove fast. I 
happened to be in one of those cars one time, 90 miles an hour on I-75. 
I don't know how we ever didn't get a ticket.
  But he was always moving forward. I would guess we shared thousands--
I started adding it up today--thousands of airplane flights between 
Washington and Michigan, as we went to our respective hometowns. And I 
always found him to be very cordial, very friendly, full of good humor.
  He was a perpetual anchor for us on moving American forward, a 
leading strategist in that endeavor.
  So I hope it is of some comfort to his loved ones and to the people 
that he represented that his being and his indefatigable spirit are now 
freed from Earth's binds; and that his soul may rise high and shower 
our precious world with peace and justice from sea to shining sea.
  With heavy heart, golden memories, and abiding gratitude may I extend 
deepest sympathies on the passing of Congressman John Conyers of 
Detroit, Michigan to his family, his loving wife Monica, sons John and 
Carl, his

[[Page H8534]]

constituents and colleagues who honor his life of service to our 
nation.
  An accomplished lawyer and passionate civil rights and labor leader, 
Rep. Conyers rose through the ranks of Congress to become Chair of the 
powerful House Judiciary Committee. In 2015, he because Dean of the 
U.S. House of Representatives. His contributions to advancing the cause 
minority and labor rights as intertwined is legendary. He was a 
founding member of the Black Caucus, along with Rep. Bill Clay of 
Missouri and Rep. Louis Stokes of Ohio now 54 members strong. When Rep. 
Conyers arrived in Congress, and helped create The Congressional Black 
Caucus, there were only 13 African American Members. He authored and 
passed legislation creating the Martin Luther King holiday in 1983, and 
by 2000--17 years later--all 50 states had adopted it.
  John Conyers served as a perpetual anchor in the North for the 
burgeoning Civil Rights movement of the 1960's and became a leading 
strategist. His deep commitment accompanied by an affable nature drew 
people to his cause. A lover of jazz and the arts, Rep. Conyers never 
lost his joy of living despite the serious obstacles he confronted. 
Along with his Michigan barrister colleagues Rep. William Ford and Rep. 
John Dingell, the three formed a triumvirate that defined the value set 
and meaning of ``Democrat'' from the industrial, pluralistic cities of 
middle America.
  May it be of comfort to his loved ones that his being and 
indefatigable spirit are now freed from earth's binds, May his soul 
rise high and shower our precious world with peace, and justice from 
sea to shining sea.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee 
(Mr. Cohen) for his remarks.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, when I was a freshman, in 2007, I was the 
only Member of the House who chose Judiciary as their first committee 
choice, at least the only Democrat. That gave me the opportunity to be 
on John Conyers' committee, him being my chairman for 10-plus years, 
and that was a blessing to me.
  He taught me much. I would consider him my mentor. He taught me about 
life; he taught me about Judiciary issues in the Congress. He taught me 
about life.
  John Conyers was a spirit. I sometimes thought of him kind of as like 
a hippie because he had these ethereal thoughts about the way people 
ought to be, and about caring about people, and about justice, and 
about civil rights that was unlike thoughts you would hear from most 
people.
  But he was ahead of the hippies. He was ahead of Bernie Sanders. He 
was ahead of so many people.
  And we talk here today, so many people, about him being--which is all 
true--the longest serving African American Member of Congress. But it 
was more than that. He was a voice for truth on this floor before 
people realized the truth was the truth. He was a voice for truth when 
people just thought it was an African American guy talking about 
African American issues. But it wasn't African American issues, it was 
human issues. It was the essence of America, about justice, and 
freedom, and opportunity, and right, and he espoused it at an early 
time, when a lot of people didn't get it. People get it now.
  Dr. King got a holiday. Dr. King was great, but people hated Dr. King 
for years.
  People didn't know about Rosa Parks, per se. He gave her a job, and 
he put her on a pedestal, which she deserved to be.
  I will tell you a story about John Conyers. When I was a freshman, 
and I have an African American district, and some people weren't so 
crazy about me being up here. John Conyers took me under his wing from 
day 1.
  I had a resolution to apologize for slavery and Jim Crow. I had that 
resolution because I had suggested it to Bill Clinton in 1997 and wrote 
him a letter when I was a State Senator and suggested he should sponsor 
such a thing and have a dialogue about race in America. I got a 
response from Bill Clinton, but it was gibberish and he didn't act upon 
it.
  But when I got elected to Congress and I was going through my letters 
as a State Senator in my office, I came across that letter; and I said 
to myself, I am a Congressman now and I can do something about it. I 
don't have to write Bill Clinton and get a meaningless response.
  So I introduced that resolution, heartfelt, and appropriate. Some 
people didn't want it to come to the floor. Some didn't want a White 
person to sponsor it. Some thought I was using it for politics to get 
re-elected.
  The fact is, my political consultant told me not to do it. He said: 
``You've got this race won. Don't do it. It can only hurt you.''
  I said: ``You don't get it. I'm doing this because it matters to me, 
to make it happen. It has mattered to me since 1997 when I was a State 
Senator.''
  So one day, I had my cell phone, low on power; and I had a staffer 
bring from Longworth, where my office was, a charger, and I charged it 
up in the Judiciary Committee.
  I went back to Longworth and I couldn't find my cell phone. I had 
forgotten where I had left it. I realized I left it charging in the 
Judiciary Committee, so I went over there at the end of the day. That 
is the only time that ever happened to me. It was about a week or 10 
days before my election in August, just to put it in perspective. I 
went there, and John Conyers was having a meeting with his staff on 
what to do the next week.
  We were in the midst of interviewing people on the Bush team, Alberto 
Gonzales, and some lady from Liberty University who had done some stuff 
that was questionable; and we were taking on the Bush Justice 
Department which had done some egregious things.
  I was a freshman, and pretty much in awe of John Conyers, and so I 
was in the back room and he was in his office and he said: ``Steve, 
come on in.''
  Well, I was 10 feet high. I was going into a meeting with John 
Conyers of what was going to go on that next week. They were tossing 
about ideas about maybe bringing up an impeachment of George Bush and 
some other issues. And I decided to throw out kind of a Doug Flutie 
Hail Mary pass. I said: ``Well how about if we have an apology for Jim 
Crow and slavery?''
  And without a blink, John Conyers said: ``That's a great idea. Put it 
on for next week.''
  That is how it got scheduled. We came here, John Conyers managed the 
time. It passed on a voice vote. I regretted that because I wanted to 
have everybody vote on it, but John Conyers said, and properly so, take 
your victory when you can get it.
  We had a man on the other side, a Republican, who brought up some 
insane babble about some Christians being thrown off a boat in the 
Mediterranean by some Moroccans or something. What this had to with 
slavery and Jim Crow was beyond any of us, and I wanted to respond to 
it.
  Mr. Conyers said: ``Let him be. Let's just pass this and move on.'' 
And he was right.
  My proudest accomplishment as a freshman, and one of my proudest 
accomplishments in this Congress, was the passage of that resolution. 
It would not have happened but for John Conyers' sponsorship and 
support. So I thank him for being a mentor, and teaching me so much, 
and giving me that opportunity.
  He did love jazz. We talked about jazz all the time. He played jazz 
in his office. He had jazz musicians come up to any proceedings he had 
in Washington and had them perform. And I learned about different jazz 
people that I had previously not known about.
  He came to Memphis to support me in my first term as the first 
Congressperson to come there. He was honored with an April 4th 
Foundation award, which goes to great, courageous leaders in civil 
rights on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. He was 
given that award.

  He came to Memphis also just to support me. He was a proud Kappa, 
coming in his red coat. And all the Kappas were there with him, and the 
Kappas loved him. He was a Kappa, and they loved it.
  I thanked him for his service. I think about him almost every day up 
here. We used to sit here together on the floor.
  He would ride the escalators when he would leave the Judiciary 
Committee. Sometimes I ride the escalators now, and I think about John 
Conyers. It is not really the quickest way to go, but John Conyers did 
it, and I do it.
  So thank you, John Conyers, for teaching me so much, and for being a 
great leader, a man beyond his years in terms of his knowledge, and his 
spirit, and ahead of his time with his ideas of civil rights and 
justice and fairness for all people.

[[Page H8535]]

  God bless you.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, as I wrap up now in our tribute to John 
Conyers, the dean, he was many things: He was a UAW labor member; he 
was a military veteran; he was a fighter for voters' rights, for 
healthcare, for reparations, for racial justice. He was a lover and 
promoter of jazz.
  But most of all, I stand here today, as a Member of Congress 
representing Michigan's 14th District. He was Detroit. He was Motown. 
He was a person whose thumbprint will remain throughout history as a 
political voice, a leader, and a beloved man in the history of our city 
and of metro Detroit.
  I want to say to the family, we send all the love and respect; and to 
say, in closing, John Conyers, rest in power.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am very saddened to hear 
Congressman Conyers passed away. He was a champion for racial equality 
and changed Congress for the better by co-founding the Congressional 
Black Caucus. John was a powerful and effective legislator who never 
stopped fighting to improve our nation, which he served longer than any 
other black Member of Congress to date. His career helped pave the way 
for the thriving Black Caucus we now enjoy.
  John lived through many pivotal moments in our nation's history. When 
Rosa Parks struggled to find a job after her historic protest, John 
rushed to hire her. She worked in his district office for 23 years 
until her retirement. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 
assassinated, John began to fight for a holiday to honor him 4 days 
after Dr. King's death.
  It took him 15 long years, but John kept pushing to honor King's 
memory and the battle for civil rights.
  Vivian and I send our condolences to his wife, children, and all 
loved ones as we keep them in our prayers in this difficult time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
life and legacy of a distinguished public servant and colleague, 
Congressman John James Conyers, Jr., who passed away this weekend.
  Congressman Conyers was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, to 
parents Lucille Janice (Simpson) and John Conyers. He graduated from 
Northwestern High School before answering his country's call to service 
and joining the military. Congressman Conyers served three stints in 
the military; in the Michigan National Guard from 1948 to 1950; in the 
U.S. Army from 1950 to 1954; and in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1954 to 
1957. Following his military service, he attended Wayne State 
University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws.
  Congressman Conyers had the opportunity to represent three 
Congressional Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives during his 
52 years in office; Michigan's 1st Congressional District, 14th 
Congressional District, and 13th Congressional District, respectively. 
During his time in Congress, he chaired the powerful House Oversight 
and Judiciary Committees, served as Dean of the House, and notably 
hired Rosa Parks as a staffer in his district office. Additionally, 
Congressman Conyers is marked as an original co-founder of the 
Congressional Black Caucus and was the first to introduce a bill 
calling for the recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a 
national holiday. At the time of his retirement from public office, he 
was the longest-serving African American Member of Congress in our 
history.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in extending sympathies 
to Congressman Conyers' wife, Monica Conyers, sons John Conyers III and 
Carl Edward Conyers, and all whom he influenced over the course of his 
life. May he rest in peace.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressional Black Caucus 
for convening anchoring this Special Order in remembrance of Chairman 
John Conyers, Jr., the tireless fighter for justice and equality, 
Chairman of House Committees on Oversight and on the Judiciary, 
founding member of Congressional Black Caucus, Member of Congress, 
Member of Congress from Michigan for 53 years, my mentor, a beloved 
colleague, and dear friend who died on Sunday, October 27, 2019, at his 
home in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 90.
  Mr. Speaker, John Conyers, Jr. was a statesman and strong and 
supporter of equality, economic and social justice, civil rights, and 
human dignity for all.
  John Conyers, Jr. was born May 16, 1929 in Highland Park, Michigan to 
Lucille Janice and John Conyers, Sr., a union organizer in the 
automotive industry and an international representative with the United 
Auto Workers.
  After graduation from Northwestern High School, John Conyers 
dutifully served his country in the Michigan National Guard from 1948 
to 1950, the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1954, and the U.S. Army Reserves 
from 1954 to 1957, serving during the Korean War and as an officer in 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he was awarded combat and merit 
citations.
  Following his military service, John Conyers earned his Bachelor of 
Arts and Juris Doctor from Wayne State University and was admitted to 
the Michigan State Bar.
  Chairman Conyers began his legislative career on the staff of the 
late Congressman John Dingell and during this time he also served as 
counsel to several Detroit-area labor unions and was referee for 
Michigan's workmen's compensation department.
  In 1964, John Conyers was first elected to represent the First 
Congressional District of Michigan and was reelected to the succeeding 
90th Congress and the following 15 Congresses until he retired on 
December 5, 2017.
  On the retirement of Congressman John Dingell at the end of the 113th 
Congress in December 2015, John Conyers became the longest-serving 
Member of the United States Congress, serving as Dean of the House from 
January 3, 2015 until December 2017.
  Mr. Speaker, John Conyers was also the third longest-serving Member 
of the House in history and the sixth longest-serving Member of 
Congress in history; the second-longest serving Member of either the 
House or Senate in Michigan history, trailing only his former boss, 
Congressman Dingell; and was the last member of the large Democratic 
freshman class of 1964 to serve in the House of Representatives.
  In the more than half century he served in Congress, John Conyers was 
at the forefront of most of the seminal moments in American political 
history, such as working to enact into law this partial list of 
landmark legislation:
  Voting Rights of 1965, Title XVIII of the Social Security Act 
(Medicare), Fair Housing Act of 1968, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, 
Help America Vote Act, Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank Act, Americans 
With Disabilities Act, Assault Weapons Ban, Immigration Reform and 
Control Act of 1982, Drug Kingpins Act, Fair Chance Act.
  Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Social Security Amendments of 
1965 (including Medicaid and Medicare), Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, National Foundation on the 
Arts and the Humanities Act, Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, 
Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke Amendments, Freedom of Information 
Act, Child Nutrition Act, National Historic Preservation Act, National 
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, Foreign Gifts and 
Decorations Act, Cuban Adjustment Act, Public Broad casting Act of 
1967.
  Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Bilingual Education 
Act, Civil Rights Act of 1968, Consumer Credit Protection Act, National 
Trails System Act, Gun Control Act of 1968, National Environmental 
Policy Act, Organized Crime Control Act, including the Racketeer, 
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (``RICO''), Urban Mass 
Transportation Act of 1970, National Cancer Act, Federal Election 
Campaign Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Act, War Powers Resolution, 
Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act, District of Columbia Home Rule Act, 
Endangered Species Act, Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974, Legal Services Corporation Act, Employee Retirement Income 
Security Act (ERISA), Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act 
of 1974.
  Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, National Mass Transportation 
Assistance Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Privacy Act of 1974, 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Copyright Act of 1976, 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Resource Conservation and 
Recovery Act, Water Resources Development Act of 1976, National Forest 
Management Act.
  The proposal to expand Medicare to all, a political idea gaining 
increasing popularity daily, was first introduced by John Conyers in 
2003 as the United States National Health Insurance Act.
  John Conyers served on the Judiciary Committee that investigated 
Watergate and voted articles of impeachment against President Richard 
Nixon in August 1974.
  John Conyers marched in the historic March from Selma to Montgomery, 
Alabama, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and later employed civil 
rights legend Rosa Parks in his congressional office until her 
retirement in 1988.
  John Conyers was loved by his constituents, regularly winning 
reelection with 80 percent of the vote or more.
  John Conyers is one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional 
Black Caucus in 1971, which has worked diligently to strengthen 
African-American lawmakers' ability to address the legislative concerns 
of African American and minority citizens and has now increased to 55 
members in the House and Senate, including myself.
  While in Congress, John Conyers chaired the prestigious House 
Judiciary Committee from 1989-1995 and Oversight from 2007-2011, the 
first African American to hold these coveted positions.
  Throughout his career, John Conyers used his influence to push civil 
rights; in 1968, only days after the assassination of the Rev. Dr.

[[Page H8536]]

Martin Luther King Jr., Chairman Conyers began a long and ultimately 
successful effort to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday, which 
was enacted in 1983.
  John Conyers also cosponsored and worked tirelessly to pass the Anti-
Apartheid Act of 1986, which help topple South Africa's system of 
apartheid and free Nelson Mandela from prison.
  In the 101st Congress, John Conyers introduced legislation to study 
the issue of reparations for slavery and was the original sponsor of 
H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for 
African-Americans Act.
  I am proud to have assumed principal sponsorship of this piece of 
landmark legislative proposal and continuing the fight for justice.
  John Conyers was dedicated to justice for all, he supported 
legislation to generate the Justice Department's national study on 
police brutality.
  John Conyers was opposed to the imposition of the death penalty and 
began a series of hearings on police brutality.
  As Judiciary Committee Chairman, John Conyers also worked to create 
and enlarge federal death benefits for police officers and firefighters 
who died in the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, John Conyers dedicated his life to serving his 
constituents and the citizens of the United States; his persistence for 
justice and his fight for equal rights is a testament to his character.
  Chairman John Conyers will live forever in the hearts of the people 
of Detroit, his State of Michigan, and the United States.
  John Conyers was a legislative lion whose presence will forever be 
missed, and we all mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to 
his wife Monica, his children, and family and friends who loved him so 
dearly, my deepest sympathies go out to and I hope you find consolation 
in the certain knowledge that John is now resting peacefully.

                          ____________________