[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 200 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1342-E1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ADDRESSING THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE ONE FINAL TIME

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 22, 2022

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address 
the People's House for one final time.
  While it's hard to sum up all the lessons that I've learned over the 
past 10 years as a Member of Congress and 16 years as a district 
staffer, I'd like to take the opportunity to say thanks.
  I thank the people of the 13th District of Illinois for allowing me 
the honor to represent them. Over the years we've been able to achieve 
some big wins for hardworking families throughout our district, 
including successfully updating the tax code by passing the Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act, making regulatory reforms to speed up federal highway 
projects and save taxpayer dollars through my One Federal Decision Act, 
and the passage of the Small Community Transit Improvement Act to help 
secure additional federal transit dollars for downstate Illinois 
communities that rely on transit systems.
  It's also been a pleasure to fight on behalf of our farmers by 
helping to write two farm bills that included provisions to strengthen 
critical farm programs and increase federal support for agricultural 
research.
  We also helped secure wins for our military over the years in the 
annual National Defense Authorization Act, and for our veterans through 
the passage of important bills like the Hire More Heroes Act--my bill 
to help small businesses hire veterans by amending Obamacare.
  I'm also proud of the work we've done to address the student loan 
crisis, including the passage of the Employer Participation in 
Repayment Act, legislation I wrote to create a unique public-private 
partnership.
  We've fought for families, who like my own, have fought cancer. 
Drawing inspiration from my wife Shannon, we advocated for increased 
federal funding into cancer research and access to cancer treatment and 
prevention. We passed my bipartisan Removing Barriers to Colorectal 
Cancer Screening Act, which was signed into law in 2020, to decrease 
colorectal cancer deaths by increasing cancer screenings.
  These wins were made possible thanks to my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle who were willing to work together to help make life better 
for our constituents back home. I also thank my district and D.C. staff 
who served in the trenches alongside me during some of these tough 
legislative fights.
  I also want to thank my incredible team at the Committee on House 
Administration, where I've had the honor to serve as the Ranking 
Member. We've been able to navigate unprecedented times together, 
including the House's continuity of operations during the COVID-19 
pandemic and 2020 shutdown of D.C. as the House shifted to full 
telework. We understood that no matter the circumstances,

[[Page E1343]]

the American people deserve an accessible and transparent government. 
That's why we helped ensure the safe reopening of several of our 
oversight entities, including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian 
Institution museums, and the National Gallery of Art, and we set the 
stage for a full reopening of the People's House come the 118th 
Congress under a Republican-led Majority.
  We also experienced some dark times together, including one of the 
biggest security failures that the U.S. Capitol has ever experienced on 
January 6, 2021. Despite some in Congress using this attack to turn 
Capitol security into a partisan exercise, we remained focused on our 
oversight responsibilities and investigated why the complex was left so 
vulnerable that day. As a result, we were able to successfully push the 
U.S. Capitol Police Board into greater compliance with the 2017 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report, creating important 
reforms to the Board. Additionally, we developed recommendations that 
the next Congress can implement to ensure our rank-and-file officers, 
who saved my life that day and on a baseball field in 2017, are never 
put in that terrible position again.
  This leads me to another very important thanks, which is to our brave 
Capitol Police officers. They are not just my heroes, but also some of 
the closest friends I've made during my time here. The post-Jan. 6 
memorial wall we helped create in the Cannon Tunnel only provided a 
small glimpse into the gratitude each Member and staff has for each of 
them.
  During my tenure on House Administration, we also had an important 
oversight role to play in regards to federal elections. We fought 
against several partisan power grabs, including legislation that would 
nationalize our elections like the ``For the People Act,'' and we also 
successfully stopped Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats from 
unseating Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa's 2nd 
Congressional District and instead seating their preferred candidate, 
Democrat Rita Hart. I'd like to thank my House Administration staff and 
the entire House Republican Conference for working together to raise 
public awareness on this issue and ultimately stopping this blatant 
attempt to thwart the will of Iowa voters.
  I'd also like to thank every state and local election administrator 
and key stakeholder who participated in our Faith in Elections Project; 
a 2 year, 3 pronged strategy to restore faith and confidence in our 
elections system at a time when voters most needed it. Thanks to our 
meetings where you provided me with input, I was able to introduce 
comprehensive legislation, the American Confidence in Elections Act, 
that will protect States' primary authority over elections while also 
providing States with key election integrity tools. I look forward to 
watching this advance next Congress and one day be signed into law.
  Through my work on the Committee on House Administration, I've had 
the opportunity to build relationships across this institution--whether 
it was from meeting the behind-the-scenes public servants in the 
Clerk's Office to the volunteers and leadership at the Botanic Garden, 
to the construction workers over the last 3 phases of the Cannon House 
Office Building's renovation. I want to thank every person who help 
keep this House running, and I know that there is more we can do to 
support them. That's why I've taken what I've learned from my House 
Administration role and paired it with 4 years of work on the Select 
Committee on the Modernization of Congress to outline a Roadmap with 
reforms that the next Congress should make to strengthen this 
institution, support the Members and staff, and ultimately better serve 
the American people.
  While I will no longer be a Member come January, I will continue to 
be this institution's biggest advocate and know that the great work 
will continue because of all of them. They'll also have new support 
from staff who we've trained up through our new Level Up program, and 
the incoming Members who I've been able to welcome over the past two 
New Member Orientations hosted by the Committee on House 
Administration.
  And finally, I'd like to thank my best friend and wife Shannon, and 
our three children Toryn, Clark and Griffin, for going on this journey 
with me all these years. I look forward to spending even more time with 
my family.
  Congress, its been an honor.

                          ____________________