[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23831-23835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              {time}  1200

                 J.J. ``JAKE'' PICKLE FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 559) to designate the Federal building located at 300 
East 8th Street in Austin, Texas, as the ``J.J. `Jake' Pickle Federal 
Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 559

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal Building located at 300 East 8th Street in 
     Austin, Texas, shall be known and designated as the ``J.J. 
     `Jake' Pickle Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``J.J. `Jake' Pickle Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) and the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Wise) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey).
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Cooksey), my good friend, for yielding me this time, and I rise in 
strong support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, Jake Pickle was a giant in this House. He was a personal 
friend of mine. He is so deserving of this honor. Some months ago, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) introduced his resolution. I not 
only supported it, but I moved it very quickly through our committee. 
We brought it to the floor. I supported it here on the floor. We passed 
it, and we sent it over to the Senate in May, I believe.

[[Page 23832]]

  It was my hope that the Senate would have taken it up and would have 
acted upon it. That is my preference. But, unfortunately, the Senate 
has chosen not to act upon it, but rather to pass an identical Senate 
resolution sponsored by Senator Gramm from Texas.
  As recent as last night, we called the Senate again and asked if they 
would please consider the House resolution, the Doggett resolution. We 
were informed, again, in no uncertain terms, that they simply would not 
bring it up.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we are faced with a choice here today, a choice 
which is not of my making and a choice which I wish we did not have to 
face. The choice is are we going to take the identical Senate 
resolution and honor Jake Pickle, or are we not going to pass any such 
legislation? That is the real choice.
  Because Jake Pickle was such an outstanding Member of this body, a 
great American, I think that we should move ahead. Jake is in his 80's 
now. He is not in the best of health. He certainly brought great credit 
to this country and to his State of Texas. Indeed, I have on my coffee 
table at home his book entitled ``Jake,'' and I recommend it to all 
Members because it gives extraordinary insight into a very important 
time in our history.
  Mr. Speaker, Jake Pickle is very deserving. I want to see this 
building named in his honor. The only way we are going to do it is by 
passing the Senate resolution which is identical to the House 
resolution. For those reasons that I have stated, I would urge all 
Members and particularly my Democratic friends because, of course, Jake 
is and is proud of being a Democrat, so this is a Democratic 
resolution. And, indeed, I support it and would urge all Members to 
support it.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Doggett), author of the House resolution.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, with our action today, I am pleased that 
Congress will have finally completed its consideration of the naming of 
the Federal building in Austin after my predecessor and friend, J.J. 
``Jake'' Pickle. This honor is long, long overdue.
  For all of those who come to central Texas by air, there is a good 
chance when they first touch ground, they will land on the J.J. 
``Jake'' Pickle runway at our new Austin-Bergstrom International 
Airport. And if one is interested in higher education or in high 
technology, one will likely be aware that at the University of Texas we 
have a J.J. Pickle Research Center on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus 
from which great ideas and great spin-offs have had much to do with the 
success of the high-tech industry which has really fueled our progress 
in central Texas and certainly represents our central Texas economic 
future.
  In a joint project, the City of Austin and the Austin Independent 
School District have construction under way on the J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle 
Elementary School, Library, Health Clinic and Recreation Center. They 
are located in the St. Johns neighborhood and will be opening in the 
fall of 2001 as, I think, a living symbol and substantive statement 
about our commitment to equal educational opportunity in central Texas.
  To these Austin memorials it is appropriate that we add the J.J. 
``Jake'' Pickle Federal Building. This is the place where, from the 
time of the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, until his 
retirement in 1994, Congressman Pickle had his district office; and I 
am fortunate to have the very same rooms up on the 7th floor of the 
Federal building in Austin that we are naming today, a place from which 
most of the important operations of the Federal Government in central 
Texas are conducted.
  Congressman Pickle is the only Congressman that I have really ever 
known during my life in Austin. He was elected when I was a senior at 
Austin High School, and he continued to serve until I was elected to 
succeed him in 1994.
  And serve our community he certainly does and continues to do. It was 
with that service in mind that on February 12 of 1998 I introduced H.R. 
3223, the bill that the bill before us today copies verbatim. 
Unfortunately, even I was surprised at the way this Republican Congress 
handles such matters. For months last year the Republican leadership 
permitted consideration of few, if any, bills if they had the 
misfortune of having a Democratic sponsor.
  Finally, on July 14, 1998, with a bipartisan tribute, joined by 
Democrats and Republicans on this floor, we paid tribute to Congressman 
Pickle for his service and unanimously passed this bill through the 
House. My goal in filing H.R. 3223 early in 1998 was to have this bill 
signed into law by President Clinton in time for a ceremony in Austin, 
Texas, about October 11 of last year when Congressman Pickle happily 
celebrated his 85th birthday. My office was assured from the staff of 
the Senate sponsor of this measure, Senator Gramm, that we would get 
this done; that the President would be able to sign it last year; and, 
of course, this was not done.
  So on January 6, the first day of this session when I came down to 
swear my oath of office along with my colleagues, immediately after 
doing so, I refiled H.R. 3223 that the House had approved unanimously 
in 1998, and this year it was H.R. 118. Like most everything in this 
House this year, progress was painfully slow. But finally, finally on 
May 4 of this year, we had another bipartisan tribute which I hope 
Congressman Pickle enjoyed again, colleagues, Republican and Democrat, 
coming to tell some stories and to pay tribute to his excellent 
service. And the House again unanimously approved the bill.
  On June 16 of this year, my office received a call indicating that 
the Senate was at last about to approve H.R. 118. So we turned on C-
SPAN to watch the happy moment; and, indeed, we learned that at the 
last minute, apparently at the request of the sponsor of S. 559, that 
H.R. 118 would not be approved, but S. 559 would be.
  Such action is highly unusual, even in this often too contentious 
Congress. During this year of 1999, three House naming bills of this 
type with Senate companions where both the House and Senate sponsor 
filed bills, three House bills have been sent over to the Senate first 
and each one of them is already law. The same has occurred with the 
naming bills that have come the other direction where the Senate acted 
more promptly than the House and the House paid courtesy to the Senate 
and approved those bills which have been signed into law along with 
these House naming bills that had no Senate sponsor originally, but 
were also signed into law.
  The Pickle bill is thus the first and the only lone exception from 
the Lone Star State to the courtesy and the bipartisanship that is 
normally associated with such matters.
  After more than a few unreturned phone calls to staff, I spoke 
personally with our senior Senator from Texas in August to courteously 
and respectfully request prompt approval of my House bill. About one 
month later a Senate staffer again assured my staff that we would get 
Senate approval of the House bill and that it would be done shortly. 
During the last month, however, we are back to largely the old 
unreturned phone call routine.
  Now this morning's Republican Whip Notice for this very morning 
indicates that, like Senator Gramm's original S. 559, they are 
designating 33 East 8th Street in Austin to be named for Congressman 
Pickle. If that address actually represents any place, it is part of a 
sidewalk in downtown Austin; and I think this error probably results 
from a Senate author who knows as little of Austin and Austinites, 
unfortunately, as that measure suggests. Mr. Speaker, I think that 
Congressman Pickle deserves far better from both the Senate and the 
House.
  A number of strange arguments were advanced yesterday for the belated 
rush and enthusiasm to approve S. 559, the copycat version of the House 
bill. Yesterday's Congress Daily quoted a spokeswoman for the majority 
leader, Mr. Armey, as saying the House had to schedule S. 559 this week 
because it was a way to save time and avoid a

[[Page 23833]]

House-Senate conference committee. Of course that was phony because 
there were no differences between the House bill and the copycat 
version from the Senate for a conference committee to adjust.
  Then other stories were circulated, apparently Mr. Shuster heard one 
of them, suggesting that Congressman Pickle was in grave health. Well, 
I talked to him personally just after he returned from his morning jog, 
and I am pleased to report to the Members of the House this beloved 
former Member of our body is alive and kicking.
  Indeed, our community finds Congressman Pickle still mighty hard to 
keep up with because of the fact that he is no longer a formal Member 
of Congress, and only a former Member has not slowed him down a bit. We 
appreciate his energy and vigor, and we say thanks with the approval of 
this measure for what he has done.
  I have tried to gain some understanding of why it is that we would go 
through the kind of unprofessional conduct associated with the way this 
bill has been considered. First I think in this do-little Congress 
approving naming bills and commemoration of the Leif Ericson Millennium 
Medal is about all that is getting done, so it is not surprising why 
Republicans would want to sponsor as many of these measures as 
possible.
  Second, it is not unusual for Republicans to adopt good Democratic 
proposals. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, 
and who could help but be flattered by Senator Gramm's enthusiasm for 
my proposal? Republicans, even in this Congress, rely on the wisdom of 
FDR, Truman and JFK; and it is hard to hear a quote from Mr. Nixon or 
Mr. Hoover.
  But I think finally it is plain old arrogance. For one form of that 
arrogance we years ago coined a new word in Texas. It is called 
``gramm-
standing,'' which usually describes the fine art of claiming credit in 
Texas for what you voted against in Washington.
  But I think this silliness is not grammstanding. It is certainly not 
``Profiles in Courage.'' I call it ``Profiles in Pettiness.''


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded that it is 
inappropriate to characterize or cast reflections on the Senate or 
Members of the Senate either individually or collectively.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill for a great man, Jake 
Pickle, whose career stood above the kind of deceit and pettiness 
associated unnecessarily with the process that results in the approval 
of this very good bill. I urge the House to approve it.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 559 designates the Federal building in Austin, Texas, 
as the J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle Federal Building. One may recall this body 
passed H.R. 118, the House companion to S. 559, a few months ago. We 
are here today once again to honor our former colleague from Texas. 
Action on the Senate version will create a more equitable balance 
between the House and Senate versions of naming bills. Passage today 
will clear the measure for the President's signature.
  Congressman Pickle began his long career in public service by serving 
3\1/2\ years with the United States Navy in the Pacific during World 
War II. Following the war, Congressman Pickle returned to Austin, 
Texas, and held positions in the private and public sectors.
  He served his political party ably as executive director of the Texas 
State Democratic Party. In 1963, he was elected to the United States 
House of Representatives in a special election to fill a vacant seat.

                              {time}  1215

  He was then reelected to the next 15 succeeding Congresses until his 
retirement on January 3, 1995.
  During his tenure in Congress, Jake Pickle was a strong advocate for 
civil rights. He vigorously advocated and supported such legislation as 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act. For over 30 
years, Congressman Pickle continuously worked for equal opportunities 
for women and minorities. As chair of the Committee on Ways and Means 
Subcommittee on Oversight and the Subcommittee on Social Security, he 
helped shape the system of Medicare to assure that it fulfilled its 
intended purpose of bringing basic health care for those in need and 
timelessly fought for the future of Social Security.
  Congressman Pickle was a dedicated public servant who remained close 
to his Texas constituents. This is fitting legislation that honors him. 
I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support it as 
well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I am personally disappointed that the 
leadership has chosen to make the naming of a Federal building in 
Texas, my home State, a partisan issue. There is something ironic about 
that, because I have known very few Members of this Congress in my 
service here that were more nonpartisan, that were more bipartisan than 
J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle.
  But, nevertheless, I come to this floor for the primary purpose of 
saying thank you to my friend, our friend, Jake Pickle.
  Let me say, Mr. Speaker, at the outset that it takes a great deal for 
a Texas Aggie to come to this well of the House to compliment a 
University of Texas graduate. In this case, I will make an exception. 
No one deserves accolades better than our friend, J. J. ``Jake'' 
Pickle.
  I love Jake Pickle. To me, he represents the very best of public 
service, truly committed to helping people for all the right reasons. 
He epitomizes the very best of public service, someone who has served 
his country in time of war, someone who continued to serve it in time 
of peace.
  There are a lot of people today, Mr. Speaker, on both sides of the 
aisle claiming to be the saviors of the Social Security system. We will 
be debating that issue in the weeks and months ahead.
  But in the 1980s, and particularly in the 1983 Social Security bill, 
Jake Pickle, through his leadership position on the Committee on Ways 
and Means, truly did help save the Social Security system. Millions of 
senior citizens, past, present, and future have been and will be the 
beneficiaries of Mr. Pickle's strong far-sighted leadership in that 
effort.
  We could go on and on about all his many accomplishments, but it is 
not the accomplishments. It is the character of Jake Pickle that I most 
admire and love.
  I think the Bible verse that says, ``This is the day the Lord hath 
made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.'' is basically the verse that, 
to me, represents what Jake Pickle is all about.
  When he walks in the room, he brings light and life into that room. 
He has brought light and life to all of us who have known him. I honor 
Mr. Pickle today along with my colleagues.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Traficant).
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, it is sad to hear that there is a 
squabble going on about naming this building. Quite frankly, we should 
keep our eyes on the prize, and that is to make sure that we do name 
this Federal courthouse after the great Member that we shared some 
common goals with here, Jake Pickle. I hope that gets worked out.
  I would just like to take to the floor to thank Jake Pickle, because 
I worked for years on trying to change the burden of proof in a civil 
tax case, and Jake Pickle carried on a strong mantra with the Committee 
on Ways and Means.
  But in the final analysis, he became a pragmatic friend and supporter 
and ultimately played a key role in the ultimate passing of that in 
last year's reform bill, even though he was not here.
  So I want to say thank you, Jake Pickle. Many of us here love Jake 
Pickle. I hope we get beyond the partisanship. Keep our eyes on the 
prize and name that courthouse after our great former Member.

[[Page 23834]]


  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to rise and support enthusiastically this 
legislation, S. 559, as a bill to designate the Federal building on 8th 
Street in Austin, Texas in honor of Jake Pickle.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) who has previously spoken now 
represents Jake's district. He has twice introduced similar 
legislation, and he has been a steadfast advocate and supporter of this 
designation. House Members extend their thanks and gratitude to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) for his diligence in this effort.
  Now, honoring Jake in this manner is particularly appropriate 
because, for 28 of his 31 years in Congress, Jake Pickle had his office 
in this Federal building on 8th Street in Austin.
  Jake Pickle was extremely proud of his Texas heritage, a native of 
Texas, born in Big Spring in the northwest part of the State. He 
attended public schools and graduated from the University of Texas in 
1938. He was a Federal worker during the Roosevelt administration and 
then entered the Navy during World War II, serving 3\1/2\ years in the 
Pacific.
  Coming to Congress after a special election in 1963, and, of course, 
he then succeeded President Lyndon Johnson, that was LBJ's District, 
Jake wasted little time in establishing himself as a congressional 
leader. He joined only five other southern leaders in voting in favor 
of President Johnson's Civil Rights Act of 1964. Jake has acknowledged 
that the civil rights vote was a vote of which he is most proud.
  A few months later, Jake Pickle again courageously voted for the 
Voting Rights Act and then worked for 30 years to ensure equal 
opportunity for minorities and women.
  Jake's committee assignments, including chair of the Committee on 
Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight and chair of the Subcommittee 
on Social Security. He devoted his time and energies to the well-being 
of his constituents and developed a reputation for selfless work and 
tireless advocacy for his fellow Texans.
  Those of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with Jake 
Pickle are happy that this bill is finally here and that he will 
receive the honor to which he is entitled. It is with great pride that 
I support the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) and urge my colleagues 
to join me in honoring Jake Pickle with this designation.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the gentleman yielding 
me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to rise as someone who had the great honor and 
privilege of serving with Congressman Pickle. He served with great 
distinction, with great commitment to this country, obviously 
outstanding service to the State of Texas.
  But he was a national legislator and brought credit to himself and to 
our country and to this House as a Member. I am privileged and honored 
to be among his friends, his former colleagues, and supporters of this 
legislation.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Bentsen).
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia 
for yielding me this time and rise in strong support of this bill.
  Jake Pickle was a great leader from Texas, served in this House with 
distinction for many years, and has been followed ably by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Doggett). We have had this discussion many times. I 
must say that both Jake and his wife Beryl are two true great Texans.
  There is a story, and if the gentleman will bear with me on this, 
there is a great story that is similar to how this bill is being 
handled, though. There was a dispute in the Democratic Party some years 
back when it was a split party, and there was an issue of dollars for 
Democrats, but not a nickel for Pickle because Jake was on the other 
side of the issue.
  It is ironic that today we are considering the Senate bill offered by 
our senior Senator from Texas, a former Democrat, now a member of the 
Republican Party when really the bill we ought to be considering is the 
bill by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) who introduced it first, 
who is the successor of Mr. Pickle.
  I think Jake and Beryl are probably sitting back in Austin watching 
this on C-SPAN and chuckling to themselves that, even after 30, 40 
years of these types of disputes, the House of Representatives today 
can go back and have the same internecine and warfare that the Texas 
Democratic Party was capable of doing many years ago.
  Jake is a great man. He was a great leader from Texas. This is a good 
bill, even if it is not the Doggett bill. We ought to pass it.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle that I, too, lived in Austin. I was actually 
stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base during the Vietnam period while 
my colleagues were in school there.
  I, too, know Jake Pickle. There is no question that Jake Pickle is a 
gentleman and a scholar and was truly a credit to this great 
institution. But today I think that we should keep focus on what we are 
here about. We are here to name a building after a great man who was a 
great congressman and a credit to this Nation and to the great State of 
Texas.
  So I urge my colleagues to proceed with this, and we will indeed 
facilitate naming this building for Congressman Jake Pickle.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Frost).
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, there is no more appropriate person to name a 
Federal building after than Jake Pickle. Jake has a long and 
distinguished connection with the city of Austin where this building 
will be located. Jake was president of the student body at the 
University of Texas. He went on to work many years in Austin in 
politics before coming to this Congress. Jake was, in fact, one of the 
most distinguished Members from our State in the last 30 years.
  No person worked harder on making sure that the Social Security 
system would be strong and would survive well into the next century 
than Jake Pickle. No person worked harder on behalf of the high-tech 
industry of Austin authoring and fathering the semi-tech legislation 
that really created the new Silicon Valley in Texas.
  No person served with greater humility, greater humor, and greater 
distinction than my friend Jake Pickle. I look forward to being with 
Jake and seeing the name go up on the building.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\3/4\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the ranking member of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1 additional minute 
to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that action we take 
today is marred by process. But I do want to express my great 
appreciation to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) for 
recognizing the impasse that occurred when the other body refused to 
take up a House version of this legislation and made it clear that the 
only way to do it is to act on the Senate bill. That is just realism, 
and I appreciate his desire to, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Chairman Shuster) expressed himself so eloquently, his depth of 
appreciation for Jake Pickle for the service in this body, and it shows 
what a distinguished leader our committee chairman is and his 
willingness to act as we have always done on our committee, in a 
bipartisan manner.
  The gentleman from Texas whom we honor with this building naming is a 
very unusual person, a great Member of this body, and a very unorthodox 
Member. He did not go along to get along. But he pursued his own 
beliefs and pursued them vigorously and advocated on this floor and in 
the Democratic Caucus what he believed in. He was a very

[[Page 23835]]

rare article in the House of Representatives.
  He always, as our colleagues from Texas have noted, always considered 
himself President Lyndon B. Johnson's congressman, and frequently would 
tell us stories about calls he had received, well I can recall this as 
a member of the staff at the time, calls from the President and later, 
after Lyndon Johnson's presidency, calls that he would receive from the 
former President, giving him advice on one or another action.

                              {time}  1230

  And Jake was also always very responsive to that advice.
  He was a very close friend of my predecessor in Congress, John 
Blatnick, for whom I was administrative assistant, and I got to know 
Jake quite well. He served on the Committee on Public Works prior to 
going to the Committee on Ways and Means and we got to know each other 
very well. So well that after I was elected to Congress Jake Pickle 
always referred to me as John. I considered it a compliment. I never 
corrected him because I thought being associated with John Blatnick was 
just fine by me.
  Naming this Federal building in Austin, I think, will be just as 
enduring a compliment to this great public servant, and I am really 
delighted we are taking the action today, finally, to give Jake Pickle 
the recognition he so richly deserves.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green).
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana 
for yielding me this time and allowing me to say a few words about Jake 
Pickle.
  I have known Jake literally all my political life, I guess for over 
25 years, having served in the Texas legislature since 1973 up until 
coming to Congress, and Jake was always the Congressman for Austin, 
Texas.
  Having served with Jake from 1993 until he retired, I cannot think of 
any other Member that deserves this honor of having a courthouse named 
after him more than Jake, because Jake was such a great Member. He 
served on the Committee on Ways and Means and he served his community 
well.
  I know in the past, when we have talked about Jake Pickle, I talked 
about his book, ``Jake,'' and it is a great compilation of stories of 
his service in Congress. And I was proud a few years ago, for Father's 
Day, that my daughter, who was at the University of Texas at that time, 
went over and bought the book and asked Jake to just sign it for me.
  Again, I want to congratulate not only the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Cooksey), but also the House for doing this for Jake Pickle.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support 
this bill. This measure designates a federal building in Austin, Texas 
as the J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle Federal Building. This edifice will truly 
stand as a striking and fitting monument to Jake Pickle's long and 
proud legacy of service to Texas.
  J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle is a Texas icon whose shadow looms large across 
the territory from the Rio Grande to the Texas Panhandle. His presence 
is still runs deep throughout my home State of Texas.
  J.J. Pickle is one of the last of the Great Society's old guard of 
Lyndon Johnson's administration. ``Jake,'' as his friends 
affectionately call him, put himself through college during the 
Depression, worked for President Roosevelt's National Youth 
Administration, served in the Pacific during World War II, founded a 
Central Texas radio station right after the war, and represented Texas' 
Tenth Congressional District from 1963 to 1995. He's a Yellow Dog 
Democrat who never forgot his West Texas roots, and a superb raconteur.
  The following anecdote, as told by Mr. Pickle, reveals his strength 
of character:
  Even today, it's hard to believe that just thirty years ago people of 
color couldn't patronize many of the restaurants, hotels, public rest 
rooms, or water fountains in America. In retrospect, it's almost 
inconceivable that those conditions existed just a generation ago. I 
believe that in 1964 a strong Civil Rights Bill could have passed only 
under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson.
  Nobody else knew how to manipulate Congress so effectively, or hammer 
through legislation by sheer force of will. And because Johnson was 
from Texas, he could look fellow Southerners in the eye and say, ``I 
know what it will take for you to support this.'' He understood the 
risk.
  A week after the vote, I was visiting with President Johnson and Jack 
Valenti at the White House. Jack commented that he was glad to see me 
vote for the bill.
  I told Valenti it was a hard vote, and then added with feeling, ``I'm 
sure glad to get that one over with!'' President Johnson was listening 
and he said, ``Jake, that was a tough vote. But you'll be in Congress 
for another twenty years (I surprised everybody--it was thirty-one 
years!) ``and you'll probably have a civil rights vote every year from 
now on. We've just started civil rights reform, and we're two hundred 
years behind. We got a long way to catch up. So don't think for a 
second that you've got this vote behind you!''
  As, usual, President Johnson was right. And the fight continues.
  Elected to the Eighty-eight Congress by special election, December 
21, 1963, JJ Pickle served his constituents for 30 years in the House 
of Representatives after being reelected to fifteen succeeding 
Congresses. He was a leader in the fight for civil rights issues and 
equal opportunity for women and minorities. During his tenure, J.J. 
Pickle became chairman of both the Ways and Means Oversight and Social 
Security Subcommittee. It is my pleasure to support this legislation to 
designate the federal building located at 300 East 8th Street in 
Austin, Texas as the J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle Federal Building.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support S. 559, a resolution 
naming the federal building in Austin, Texas after my fellow Texan and 
friend, retired Congressman J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle.
  From his election to the House of Representatives in 1962 to his 
retirement in 1995, Congressman Pickle was the ideal public servant. I 
know firsthand how hard Congressman Pickle worked on behalf of his 
constituency in Central Texas. For over thirty years, Congressman 
Pickle had pivotal roles in legislation from civil rights to the 
protection of the environment. Naming the federal building in Austin 
after Congressman Pickle is an appropriate symbol of our admiration, 
our respect, and our appreciation for his true public service to us 
all. It's an honor to take this opportunity recognize a man of great 
integrity and valor, Congressman J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 559.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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