[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12] [House] [Pages 17141-17143] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]JAMES T. BROYHILL POST OFFICE BUILDING Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4534) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge Street in Lenoir, North Carolina, as the ``James T. Broyhill Post Office Building,'' as amended. The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 4534 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. JAMES T. BROYHILL POST OFFICE BUILDING (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge Street, N.W. in Lenoir, North Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``James T. Broyhill 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 ``James T. Broyhill Post Office Building''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella). General Leave Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4534, as amended. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Maryland? There was no objection. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), for introducing H.R. 4534. The bill was introduced on July 19 of this year and is cosponsored by each member of the House delegation from the State of North Carolina. This legislation, as amended, will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge Street, Northwest, in Lenoir, North Carolina, as the James T. Broyhill Post Office Building. James Thomas Broyhill was born in Lenoir, North Carolina, in 1927. He attended public schools and graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1950 with a BS degree in business administration. Later, he was elected to the 88th Congress and served until January 3, 1986. Mr. Broyhill was elected to the House of Representatives to represent the 10th District of North Carolina in 1962 and was reelected to 11 succeeding Congresses. During this period, he served as the ranking member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mr. Broyhill resigned his House seat in July 1986 when he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the unexpired term of Senator James East of North Carolina who died unexpectedly. Senator Broyhill was respected by both Houses on both sides of the aisle as a level-headed and open-minded legislator. Madam Speaker, I commend our colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), for sponsorship of this legislation. I urge support of H.R. 4534 by all of our colleagues. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4534, which names a post office after James T. Broyhill, was introduced by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) on May 24, 2000. James T. Broyhill was born in Lenoir, North Carolina in 1927. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1950. He served as vice president of Broyhill Furniture Industries and was a member of the Lenoir Chamber of Commerce where he served as president for 2 years. [[Page 17142]] In 1962, James Broyhill was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served until 1986. He was the ranking member of the House Energy and Committee on Commerce for a number of years. Upon the death of Senator John East, Congressman Broyhill was appointed to the United States Senate by the governor. He subsequently lost in his election bid for the Senate seat and was appointed to serve as the chairman of the North Carolina Economic Development Board. He is currently retired and living in Winston Salem, North Carolina. I urge the swift adoption of this measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), the author of this legislation. Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for yielding the time to me. Madam Speaker, it is indeed an honor to be here today to ask my colleagues to support H.R. 4534, which was cosponsored by every member of the North Carolina delegation. Jim Broyhill, along with his entire family, has always had a sincere dedication to serving the community and helping wherever there was a need. His parents instilled in him the importance of giving of oneself and time to help make a better place for all to live. It was because of this desire that in 1962 Jim Broyhill first ran for the United States Congress in the old eighth district of North Carolina. There is a story that is told on Jim; it is still told today about that first campaign. Old timers in Alexander County remember the first speech that Jim Broyhill gave as a candidate. They said it was one of the worst speeches they ever heard a political candidate ever give, but thank goodness Jim Broyhill got better as that campaign went on. In time, he rose to the position of ranking member of the Committee on Commerce; and with this, his influence grew and his reputation for honesty, for hard work grew with that. Jim Broyhill was a workhorse when serving in the Congress, and while he may not have been seen on the Sunday talk shows, everyone in Washington knew the value of what he was doing. In 1985, Jim announced he would run for the United States Senate; but before he could, Senator East died and he was appointed to that position. {time} 1500 For the remainder of the year after losing that Senate race, Jim could have gone into retirement, but he did not do it. He continued to serve and was appointed in 1987 as the chairman of North Carolina Economic Development Board, the chief advisory board for the North Carolina Department of Commerce. From this post, he assisted the State's efforts to recruit new business and expand existing industries in North Carolina. Then in 1989, at the request of Governor Martin, Jim took on the full-time responsibility of serving as the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, a position he held until 1991. It should be noted that in the years in which he was affiliated with the Department of Commerce, they saw some of the greatest gains in economic expansion in North Carolina's history. In 1991, Jim finally did enter retirement; and it is fortunate for Winston-Salem that he chose to be there, with his wife, Louise Robbins Broyhill, who is one of the most gracious ladies and has always been supportive of Jim's ventures. They are the parents of three children and several grandchildren. I commend Jim today, because Jim Broyhill is a true example of what a public servant should be, a man more concerned with doing his duty and serving his country than with personal gain. He has built a reputation of dedication and devotion to his State, his country, and, even in retirement, Jim Broyhill finds time to work with the local food bank and the other organizations where he gives his time and his expertise. Jim Broyhill never went in for negative campaigning. That is the type of individual Jim Broyhill was, a very optimistic person. Jim Broyhill's years of service deserve some form of recognition, and the naming of a post office in his hometown is a small way in which we can honor the work that he has already done before us. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 4534, to rename the Lenoir Post Office as the ``James T. Broyhill Post Office Building.'' Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, in listening to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), and I want to thank him for sponsoring the legislation, but he talked about Mr. Broyhill not engaging in negative campaigning. I think it was Mother Teresa who said something so profound, she said always be for something, not against things. I think that that says a lot for him. He was for himself and for making sure that his community was well represented and well served, and is still doing it. So I think it is quite appropriate that we take this action today, and again I want to thank the gentleman. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble). Mr. COBLE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland and the gentleman from Maryland for having brought this bill to the floor. Madam Speaker, about 25 years ago I had the pleasure of visiting my uncle on his Watauga County farm in the shadow of the Tennessee border. It was late April, and there was a nip in the air, because summertime comes late in the Blue Ridge. He and I were walking across the cow pasture, and I said to him, ``Have you seen Jim Broyhill lately?'' He instinctively opened the pocket of his overalls and removed a rumpled, worn letter and proudly extended it to me. It was a letter from Jim Broyhill addressed the previous Christmas, 4 months earlier, to him and his wife, to my uncle and his wife, wishing them a happy Christmas. I bet he had shown that letter to 125 people, and he proudly put it back into his overall pocket when I returned it to him. That testimony, that rumpled letter, testified to me how Jim Broyhill's constituents felt about him. He was revered by all who knew him, because, Madam Speaker, he, unlike some elected officials, was not a stealth representative. He did not all of a sudden become accessible 5 weeks before the next election. He was consistently accessible, consistently providing outstanding constituency service. He is a good man, and was an exceptional Member of Congress. Madam Speaker, I say to the gentlewoman from Maryland and the gentleman from Maryland, when I next drive through Lenoir on my way to the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I will feel just a little better as I drive through that little mountain town, knowing that its Post Office bears the name of Jim Broyhill, an outstanding American, an outstanding public servant. I know that my colleagues in the House, here in the people's House, join me in extending our best wishes to Jim and Louise Broyhill and their family. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for his very heartfelt comments. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger). Mr. BALLENGER. Madam Speaker, I would like, first of all, to thank the gentlewoman from Maryland for yielding me time, and also thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) for allowing me to be one of the cosponsors to bring this bill to the floor to name a post office after Jim Broyhill. Jim and I have been friends for years. He was in Congress, from 1962 to 1986, and during those times he was sometimes unopposed. I can remember one time, because he was so strong in the Republican Party, when things got bad, we needed somebody to run against Jim Broyhill so that he would campaign. I do not say I did this, but I was [[Page 17143]] accused of it, in fact he was unopposed until about 3 weeks before the election, and some strange, kind of a, I want to say some sort of a nut from Western North Carolina, filed against him. Jim Broyhill called me up on the telephone and said, ``Cass, you paid that guy to run against me.'' I would like to tell Jim right here and now I did not do that, but I thought it was a wonderful idea for whoever did do it. Another thing about Jim Broyhill, it was his unbelievable memory of people. I have campaigned with him many times, and he would walk up to what I would consider a complete stranger and say, ``Madam, how is your husband after his operation?'' First of all, he knew her name, and, second of all, there was an operation, and, third, two years before is when this all happened. Yet he remembered all these things. He was the most exceptional politician I ever saw in the fact that he was close to the people and they knew it, and he did a wonderful job. Madam Speaker, everybody said how he was a ranking member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the present ranking member, a Democrat, we will not mention names, has said to me many times that he was probably the most reasonable Republican he ever saw to work with. That was Jim's way of doing things. He was just a person more dedicated to getting something done than playing politics. As one might gather, I have a special reason to honor Jim Broyhill, for it was Jim's appointment to the Senate which first allowed me to run for Congress representing the people of the 10th District of North Carolina. Many of you may know Jim Broyhill for his distinguished record of public service. He is a great friend of mine and has helped me in every election since 1986. Let me just say, Western North Carolina has been greatly rewarded by both Jim and his family. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina, (Mr. Jones). Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time, and also the ranking member. Madam Speaker, I bring a little different perspective, because my father, who is deceased, served in the United States Congress from 1966 to 1992, and he had the pleasure of serving with Jim Broyhill. At the time, I was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, a Democrat at that time, and my father and I would talk on the weekends, and many times those conversations would deal with his colleagues in Washington, both the delegation, both Republicans and Democrats. The reason I wanted to come to the floor was because my father told me, he said there was not a finer Member of Congress than Jim Broyhill, because he was a man of quality and a man of integrity. So I think the fact that my friend, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), has offered H.R. 4534 and the committee has brought it to the floor is a special day, not only for Jim Broyhill and his family, but also the citizens of North Carolina, because I think too many times, as the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) said in his comments, too many times the people do not realize there are more workhorses in the U.S. Congress than show horses, and that is probably the way it needs to be, because we are doing, as the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) said, the people's business. I just wanted to come to the floor to say to Jim Broyhill, Senator Broyhill, and his wife and his children and their grandchildren, that this is not only a great day for you, but it is a great day for North Carolina, because you have been and still are one of the finest citizens, you and your family, and America is a better place because you served in the United States House and the United States Senate. Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, it certainly is appropriate that we honor Senator Broyhill. The comments that have been made today I am certain will go a long ways towards letting us know why Senator Broyhill meant so much to the great State of North Carolina, to this country and to the world. So we take this moment, Madam Speaker, this moment in time, to salute him by naming this post office after him. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4534. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentleman from North Carolina's resolution honoring James T. Broyhill, a good friend and honorable man with whom I had the privilege of serving in this body for almost twenty-three years. Moreover, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Jim Broyhill in his capacity as Ranking Member of the House Commerce Committee while I was Chairman. As a Member of the House and Senate, Jim Broyhill was a dedicated and tireless public servant. He capably and honorably represented his constituents and they rewarded him time and time again with their continual support for him as their representative. Jim Broyhill was also a good friend and true gentleman. I can think of no more honorable man in this institution and his contributions as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee were of the highest quality. Jim Broyhill was a workhorse, not a show horse. He did not seek the spotlight, but worked vigorously to ensure that the committee passed effective legislation for the good of this country. Jim Broyhill was well respected by both constituents and colleagues for his integrity, kindness and ability to get things done. Renaming the Lenoir Post Office in honor Jim Broyhill is a proper tribute to a good man and public servant who did much for his state and country. Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4534, a bill to designate a facility of the United States Postal Service as the James T. Broyhill Post Office Building. This legislation, which was cosponsored by every Member of the North Carolina Delegation, is a fitting tribute to one of our state's model public servants. Jim Broyhill was born on August 19, 1927, in Lenoir, North Carolina to the late J.E. and Sadie Hunt Broyhill and is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His parents taught him the value of service and devotion to his community that has guided him throughout his career in public service. That career began in 1962, in the old 8th Congressional District of North Carolina, when Broyhill won his first of eleven elections to the House of Representatives. Upon his election, Broyhill immediately began to build a reputation for honesty and integrity that allowed him to wield influence with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 11 terms in the House, Broyhill made a name for himself as a member, and later as Ranking Member, of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Following the untimely death of Senator John East, then Governor Jim Martin appointed Broyhill to complete the remaining two years of Senator East's term. In 1986, Broyhill's 24-year Congressional career ended when he lost his bid to win his Senate seat outright. Despite his personally disappointing loss, Broyhill continued to work on the behalf of the people of North Carolina. Broyhill's public career continued as he served as the Chairman of the North Carolina Economic Development Board. In 1989 Governor Martin gave Broyhill the responsibility of promoting and expanding North Carolina business and industry by appointing him the Secretary of the Department of Commerce. Jim Broyhill retired from public service in 1991 to spend more time with his wife, Louise Robbins, his children, and his grandchildren. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to pay tribute to a great North Carolinian and American by naming a Post Office in Lenoir after James T. Broyhill. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 4534, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4534, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed. The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Ridge Street, N.W. in Lenoir, North Carolina, as the `James T. Broyhill Post Office Building' ''. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________