[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H319-H321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                  LYNN C. WOOLSEY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2842) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 120 4th Street in Petaluma, 
California, as the ``Lynn C. Woolsey Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2842

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LYNN C. WOOLSEY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 120 4th Street in Petaluma, California, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Lynn C. Woolsey Post 
     Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Lynn C. Woolsey Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) and the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. 
LaTurner) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H320]]

  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of 
H.R. 2842 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 120 4th Street in Petaluma, California, as the Lynn C. 
Woolsey Post Office Building.
  Lynn Woolsey was born Lynn Carol Robinson in Seattle, Washington, on 
November 3, 1937. A graduate of Seattle's Lincoln High School, Woolsey 
attended the University of Washington from 1955 to 1957. She left 
school to marry Terry J. Critchett in 1958, and they eventually settled 
in Marin County, California. They had three children, Joseph, Ed, and 
Amy.
  After working as a secretary at a technology company and relying 
partly on welfare assistance, Woolsey opened a personnel services firm 
and returned to college at the University of San Francisco to earn her 
bachelor's degree in 1980.
  In 1984, Woolsey won a seat on the Petaluma City Council, where she 
served until 1992, including as vice mayor in her final year. When 
California Representative Barbara Boxer ran for the Senate in 1992, 
Woolsey ran to replace her and was elected in 1993 with 65 percent of 
the vote.
  Congresswoman Woolsey served on the House Budget Committee, the 
Government Operations Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee. 
As subcommittee chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, she 
led a measure to provide job-protected leave for family members of 
injured soldiers.
  Among other successes, Congresswoman Woolsey fought legislation that 
threatened to reduce the scope of welfare programs; advocated for 
expanding school breakfast programs; and sponsored legislation to 
encourage young girls to study math and science, her ``Go, Girl'' 
initiative.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congresswoman 
Woolsey advocated for a budget proposal to lower the deficit while 
supporting the social safety net.
  A prominent member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, Woolsey criticized the 
George W. Bush administration's prosecution of the war, voted 
consistently to suspend funding for the war, and introduced a bill to 
redirect $60 billion in Pentagon funds toward domestic civilian 
programs.
  Throughout her congressional career, Woolsey tended to her northern 
California district. She delivered hundreds of millions of dollars back 
home for a variety of capital-intensive projects, including $9 million 
for a Petaluma River flood control project and $52 million for a 
seismic retrofit of the Golden Gate Bridge.
  Naming a post office for Lynn C. Woolsey is entirely appropriate 
given her distinguished career and contributions to her State and 
country, and I urge all Members to support this bill.
  I will just add what a privilege it was to have a chance to get to 
know and serve with Lynn Woolsey. She was a fierce advocate for her 
point of view. She spent every single day on the floor of this body 
during the Iraq war and spoke out against it every single day without 
fail. She is a woman of her convictions and someone who fiercely 
defended making sure that her constituents' voices were heard.
  Mr. Speaker, it was a privilege to serve with her, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2842, which would name a 
California post office after former Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.
  Woolsey first entered politics after winning a seat on the Petaluma 
City Council in 1984. She served on the city council until 1992, when 
she entered the race to succeed then-Representative Barbara Boxer.
  During her two decades in the U.S. House, she brought attention to 
the struggles of impoverished women and children. She retired from 
Congress in 2013 at the end of the 112th Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), who succeeded Congresswoman 
Woolsey.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida and my 
other colleagues for their kind words about our friend, my predecessor 
and our former colleague, Lynn Woolsey.
  Lynn is a one-of-a-kind, barrier-breaking trailblazer and a lifelong 
advocate for women and working families. In her 20 years of service in 
this body, she was a passionate voice for progressive values, 
unflinching in her convictions and ahead of her time in so many ways. 
Speaker Pelosi often called her the conscience of the Congress.
  She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, but she put her roots 
down as a young woman in Sonoma County, raising a family, becoming a 
civic leader, and eventually launching a political career. She chaired 
the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women and then served on 
the Petaluma City Council before being elected to the House in the 
``Year of the Woman.''
  Congresswoman Woolsey understood firsthand the challenges and 
struggles confronting single mothers because she lived them. She never 
forgot the hardships she faced when she was forced to go on public 
assistance to keep her family afloat. It was because of this journey as 
a former welfare mother--the first to ever serve in Congress--that she 
fought so hard for children and families.

  She dedicated her career to improving education and empowering 
American workers through her service on the Education and Labor 
Committee and as ranking member of the Workforce Protections 
Subcommittee. She was a champion for healthier school meals and 
sponsored the first-ever expansion of FMLA to ensure that military 
families have access to leave to prepare for a deployment or to care 
for a wounded warrior.
  Lynn also served as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, 
using that platform to push for workers' rights, environmental justice, 
and equity for all as well as a people's budget that would invest in 
working people instead of corporate tax cuts and military campaigns.
  Her passion for conservation and protecting our national heritage can 
be seen throughout my district. From the rebuilding of Hamilton 
Wetlands and Bel Marin Keys, to the cleanup of Skaggs Island, to the 
dredging of critical waterways, her work will ensure future generations 
can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of California's north bay.
  One of her greatest, hardest-fought achievements was the expansion of 
the Cordell Bank and Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. 
Because of her work, one of the most productive marine areas off the 
West Coast is now permanently protected.
  Since she was a young child, Lynn wished for a more peaceful and just 
world. Mr. Speaker, you have just heard some words about her advocacy 
for peace and the way she spoke against the Iraq war. Together with 
Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters--they called themselves the Triad--she 
formed the Out of Afghanistan and Out of Iraq Caucuses to promote a 
safe, responsible way to bring our troops home and to put an end to 
those conflicts.
  As some of the floor staff may remember, Lynn gave nearly 500 Special 
Order hour speeches advocating for what she called smart security, a 
progressive approach to global engagement and foreign policy, one that 
emphasized diplomacy and humanitarian assistance rather than military 
force.
  Her work in Congress was all about fighting for children and 
families, and nothing made her prouder than her own children and 
family. Anyone who knows Lynn understands that she considers them her 
greatest legacy of all.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues, I am so honored today to ask 
for you to vote ``yes'' and join me in honoring Congresswoman Woolsey's 
unique and exemplary career and service by passing this legislation.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I support this 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, what a gift to be able to help 
name this post office and give this well-deserved honor to a remarkable 
woman, who I hope is watching right now, because she deserves every 
ounce of the respect that this naming represents.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 2842, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

[[Page H321]]

  

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this honor for 
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.
  As a single mom with three small children, she went on welfare before 
working her way to success in both business and local politics. She 
went on to serve with distinction in Congress but she never forgot the 
children.
  In Congress she was a fierce advocate for peace her entire career and 
she was right. She was a founding member of the Out of Iraq Caucus when 
that was not very popular with the general public and with most of our 
congressional colleagues. She was right about social policy. She was 
right about war and peace. And she is a delightful human being. I am 
pleased to support this commemoration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2842.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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