[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 179 (Wednesday, December 4, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6325-H6327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER POST OFFICE
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 9600) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 119 Main Street in Plains, Georgia, as the ``Jimmy
and Rosalynn Carter Post Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 9600
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 119
[[Page H6326]]
Main Street in Plains, Georgia, shall be known and designated
as the ``Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office''.
(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 ``Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. COMER. 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 suspension.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which would rename a post
office in Plains, Georgia, for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Carter in 1946. Jimmy Carter served as
the Governor of Georgia until 1974 before serving as President of the
United States from 1977 to 1981.
During their time in the White House, Mrs. Carter worked tirelessly
to assist refugees escaping Cambodia's genocide and was a strong
proponent for mental health.
I might add, Mr. Speaker, I may not have agreed with all of President
Carter's policies. From a historical standpoint, I was a very young boy
when he was President. I have always been a fan of the Carter family,
their great Christianity and their great support for Habitat for
Humanity, and I believe that President Carter will go down in history
as one of the greatest former Presidents in the United States of
America.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H.R. 9600.
President Carter was a great patriot, a great humanitarian, and a
great citizen. He, of course, was a member of the Georgia State Senate.
He wrote a beautiful book about his rise in politics. He was the
Governor of Georgia, and he is, at 100 years old, I think our longest
lived President that we ever had.
He did remarkable things in office, and he did remarkable things when
leaving office. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, was an extraordinary first
lady, beloved by our whole country. We are going to urge passage of
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Bishop) for any remarks he may have on this occasion.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise as the sponsor of H.R. 9600, legislation to
designate the United States Postal facility in Plains, Georgia, as the
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office.
President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated their
lives in service to their community, their country, and the world.
Together they rose to the greatest heights, supporting and cherishing
one another along the way as they helped people across Georgia,
America, and across the globe.
Yet, no matter where they went, they remained grounded and humble,
and Plains always remained home in their hearts.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter both grew up in Plains and attended Plains
High School. They married in 1946 and would go on to spend 77 cherished
years together until Mrs. Carter's passing in November of 2023.
President Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in
1946 and was an Active-Duty servicemember for 7 years. Following the
death of his father, Jimmy took over the family's struggling peanut
farm, quickly turning its fortunes around with Rosalynn's help and
support every step of the way.
Wanting to be more involved in the local Plains community, Jimmy
began advocating for racial integration at his church. He ran and won a
seat on the Sumter County School Board and served as its chairman for 2
years.
In 1962, Jimmy Carter decided to run for the Georgia State Senate
where he would go on to serve two terms.
In 1970, Senator Jimmy Carter launched his campaign for Governor, and
Rosalynn took a leading role on the campaign trail.
Following Jimmy Carter's election as Governor, Mrs. Carter served as
Georgia's first lady from 1971 to 1975, where she would take on the
role of her husband's most trusted adviser and confidante.
In his inaugural address as Governor, he famously declared that the
time for racial discrimination is over.
Mrs. Carter made her own mark in public policy, serving on the
Governor's Commission to Improve Services for the Mentally and
Emotionally Handicapped.
Governor Jimmy Carter completed his term in January of 1975. Prior to
moving back to Plains from Atlanta, Governor Carter had already
announced his intention to make what would become his successful run
for the Presidency of the United States in the 1976 election.
As President, Jimmy Carter showed great success in international
affairs, delivering the Camp David Accords, Panama Canal Treaties, SALT
II Treaty, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the
People's Republic of China.
He also delivered on his domestic agenda, signing legislation to
establish the United States Department of Education, expanding the Head
Start program, successfully making America less dependent on foreign
energy, and protecting millions of acres of public lands for future
generations.
As an equal partner to her husband, Rosalynn Carter attended many
Cabinet meetings and attended weekly business meetings with President
Carter where she could draw his attention to the policy issues of the
day.
In 1977, President Carter appointed Rosalynn the honorary chair of
the President's Commission on Mental Health. Thanks to her advocacy and
testimony before the United States Senate, the Congress passed the
Mental Health Systems Act when it was signed into law by President
Carter on October 7, 1980.
Following the Carters' loss in the 1980 Presidential election, Jimmy
and Rosalynn continued their ministry of service after their time in
the White House with the same vigor and urgency, becoming heavily
involved in Habitat for Humanity.
In 1982, they founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit human rights
organization, which has since become famous for its work eradicating
disease, strengthening democracies, and alleviating human suffering all
around the world.
In 1999, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were jointly awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor, by
President Bill Clinton, and in 2002, President Carter received the
Nobel Peace Prize for decades of untiring effort to find peaceful
solutions to international conflict, to advance democracy and human
rights, and to promote economic and social development.
On a personal note, it has been a privilege to call Jimmy and
Rosalynn Carter my friends and fellow southwest Georgians for over five
decades. I will always cherish their friendship, as well as their sage
counsel and advice which has been invaluable to me as I have served in
Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9600,
legislation to designate the U.S. Postal facility in Plains, Georgia,
as the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office. This is a small but
meaningful gesture we can make to honor two dedicated servant leaders
who spent their lives working on behalf of others.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I thank Representative Bishop for those beautiful and eloquent words.
I am not sure in the extraordinary encyclopedia of President Carter's
accomplishments if the gentleman from Georgia had a chance to mention
his work with Habitat for Humanity, but I got a chance to work on a
Habitat for Humanity project once with President Carter, and that is an
indelible experience in my mind.
[[Page H6327]]
He is someone who operated with great compassion, as Lincoln said:
``With malice toward none; with charity for all.''
I thank the gentleman for doing this.
That will be an amazing post office for people to be able to go to,
and people will be able to travel there with pride.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to
designate a post office for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, two people who
lived a purpose-driven life that is a model for Americans. They have
done a lot for the community of Plains, Georgia, as well as all across
America and the world for that matter.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 9600.
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. COMER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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