[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18472-18474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             FRANK R. LAUTENBERG POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4975) to designate the post office and courthouse 
located at 2 Federal Square, Newark, New Jersey, as the ``Frank R. 
Lautenberg Post Office and Courthouse''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4975

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF FRANK R. LAUTENBERG POST OFFICE AND 
                   COURTHOUSE.

       The post office and courthouse located at 2 Federal Square, 
     Newark, New Jersey, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Frank R. Lautenberg Post Office and Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the post office and 
     courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the Frank R. Lautenberg Post Office and 
     Courthouse.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Barr) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 4975.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 4975, was introduced by our 
distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) 
and was originally cosponsored by all members of the House delegation 
of the State of New Jersey on July 26, this year. This legislation 
designates the Post Office and courthouse located at 2 Federal Square 
in Newark, New Jersey as the Frank R. Lautenberg Post Office and 
Courthouse.
  This legislation was referred to the House Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. The committee then discharged the 
bill and it was subsequently rereferred to the House Committee on 
Government Reform. The building located at 2 Federal Square in Newark, 
New Jersey is wholly owned by the United States Postal Service.
  The Senator from New Jersey after whom the building will be named 
under this legislation was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1924, the 
son of an immigrant silk mill worker. He graduated from Nutley High 
School in Nutley, New Jersey in 1941 and served with distinction in the 
United States Army Signal Corps from 1942 until 1946. Mr. Lautenberg 
received his B.S. degree from Columbia University School of Business in 
New York in 1949. He served as commissioner of the Port Authority of 
New York and New Jersey from 1978 to 1982 for a 6-year term. He was 
subsequently appointed by the governor to complete the unexpired term 
of Senator Brady and was reelected in 1988 and 1994 for the term ending 
January 3, 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation to name a postal 
facility in Newark, New Jersey after our colleague in the other House, 
Senator Lautenberg.
  I want to just reference his work in the United States Senate since 
1982 on a whole range of items, but I want to particularly point out 
and commend to all of my colleagues his work in the area of education, 
his sponsorship of the $1,500 HOPE scholarship credit, and his support 
for the largest increase in Pell grant assistance in the history of the 
Pell grant program. He has been a strong supporter of environmental 
legislation and other very important pieces of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is entirely appropriate to join my colleague 
from the great State of Georgia in commending to the House this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo).
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for 
yielding to me, and I rise in very strong support of this legislation.
  Senator Lautenberg has been a great ally and friend to the citizens 
of

[[Page 18473]]

New Jersey, and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), and I all join in urging this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to come before the House today in support 
of H.R. 4975, a bill designating the Post Office and Courthouse at 2 
Federal Square in Newark, New Jersey the ``Frank R. Lautenberg Post 
Office and Courthouse.''
  As many of you may know, Senator Lautenberg is retiring at the end of 
this year after 18 years of distinguished service in the United States 
Senate on behalf of the state and the citizens of New Jersey.
  Since I came to Congress in 1995, I have had the pleasure of working 
with Senator Lautenberg on several occasions. We have been able to work 
together in a bipartisan fashion on many issues of importance to my 
district--such as aviation funding, beach replenishment projects, 
protecting the interests of the coast guard and his work on behalf of 
the Coastal Heritage Trail. These are just some of the issues that we 
have been able to roll-up our sleeves on and make a meaningful 
difference that will benefit the lives of those who live in South 
Jersey.
  I would like to pay special attention to the Senator's work on 
protecting the New Jersey shore from erosion and the ocean water from 
contamination. As the Representative of the Second District in New 
Jersey, which has hundreds of miles of shoreline, protecting the shore 
is one of my highest legislative priorities.
  Recently, I had the opportunity to join with the Senator and the 
Mayor of Atlantic City, James Whelan, in urging the Senate to pass 
legislation that would require the EPA to use the latest technology 
available to sample and test ocean water at our beaches to ensure the 
public's health. I cosponsored and voted in favor of companion 
legislation, which passed the House in April of last year.
  In fact, there hasn't been an issue that the Senator and I have 
worked together on since 1995 that we haven't achieved results. We have 
been able to come together on numerous occasions to protect the 
interests of South Jersey residents. Although the Senator and I don't 
necessarily agree on every issue, I agree that naming the post office 
and courthouse in Newark after Senator Lautenberg is an excellent way 
to pay tribute to him on the eve of his retirement from public service.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4975 has gained the support of the entire New 
Jersey Congressional delegation, who have come together in a bipartisan 
fashion to support this bill and honor a distinguished public servant 
for the state of New Jersey. I would also like to thank the Majority 
Leader, Mr. Armey, for bringing this legislation before the full House 
today for consideration and my colleague Mr. Payne.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
and the gentleman from Georgia for allowing me to have a few words to 
say on H.R. 4975, the Frank R. Lautenberg Post Office and Courthouse 
designation.
  As we know, this is a very important and proud day for us in New 
Jersey and, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a sponsor of the bill to name 
the post office in my hometown of Newark, New Jersey, after one of our 
State's most accomplished and dedicated public servants, my friend and 
colleague, Senator Frank Lautenberg.
  Senator Lautenberg is well known throughout New Jersey and the Nation 
for his prolific legislative achievements, but even before his election 
to the United States Senate, he worked tirelessly in pursuit of the 
American dream.
  His is indeed a classic American success story. Born to immigrant 
parents who were forced to move constantly in search of work, he set 
goals for himself early in life and never wavered in his quest to 
fulfill his aspirations.
  After completing high school in Nutly, New Jersey, he enlisted in the 
United States Army, serving in the Army Signal Corps in Europe during 
World War II. And he is very proud of his war record.
  After World War II, he earned a degree with the great GI Bill of 
Rights, which gave opportunities to people who fought to preserve 
democracy and opportunity for higher education. And he earned a degree 
from Columbia University.
  Then, in the spirit of American entrepreneurship, which he fought so 
hard to defend, he joined with two boyhood friends in establishing a 
payroll service company, Automatic Data Processing, which now has grown 
to be one of the largest companies in the world. This started in a 
basement with two fellows saying, we have an idea.
  It is especially fitting that this post office we are naming for 
Senator Lautenberg in his honor is located in Newark because he has 
been a champion of the revitalization efforts in our city.
  From the day I was elected to the House of Representatives back in 
1988, I have been able to count on Senator Lautenberg as an advocate of 
major economic development efforts, including the world-class 
Performing Arts Center, the development of the waterfront, millions of 
dollars in funding for Urban Core mass transit projects, including the 
Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link.
  Senator Lautenberg has gained a national reputation as a powerful 
voice for environmental protection, fighting for safe drinking water, 
clean air, a ban on ocean dumping of sewage, clean beaches, prevention 
of oil spills, and a strong supporter of Superfund legislation to clean 
up toxic sites.
  His legislation to ban smoking on airplanes will go to save many, 
many lives in this country and in the world because this has been taken 
up by everyone in the world.
  So as I conclude, Senator Lautenberg has worked to improve 
educational opportunities in our Nation so that coming generations will 
have a chance to live the American dream as we all see it.
  Senator Lautenberg helped author the HOPE scholarship, which provides 
a $1,500 tax credit for students going to college. He fought to improve 
our public schools. He fought to have new computers in our high 
schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of the 
Senator.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for 
yielding me the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 4975, the bill that is 
sponsored by my colleague, the gentleman from Newark (Mr. Payne), to 
honor Senator Lautenberg with the naming of the post office in Newark 
in his honor.
  I cannot say enough about Frank Lautenberg. There is no more 
effective Member of the United States Senate or of the United States 
Congress than Frank Lautenberg.
  Let me say that over his three terms in office, and I suppose it adds 
up to 18 years as a Member of the United States Senate, I do not think 
anyone would suggest that anybody but Frank Lautenberg was the most 
effective advocate for our concerns in the State of New Jersey. He is 
the Senator that get things done.
  My colleague, the gentleman from Newark (Mr. Payne), talked about the 
various things that Senator Lautenberg has done over the years, 
legislatively. But I just wanted to focus briefly on the environmental 
issues, because my district in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties has a 
heightened concern with regard to the environment.
  In Middlesex County, the northern county, we have a number of 
Superfund sites. And over the 12 years or so that I have been in 
Congress, I have seen Senator Lautenberg constantly out there helping 
me and helping my constituents to clean up the Superfund sites, to 
improve the program, to get citizens involved in the process. That is 
his hallmark. He is a grassroots person that gets the money and gets 
things done.
  In Monmouth County, which is the county where I live along the shore, 
we have had concern for many years about ocean dumping, about the need 
for shore protection, about water quality. And if there is any area 
where Senator Lautenberg has shined and worked hard in this Congress, 
it is with regard to the need for clean water and improving our water 
quality.

[[Page 18474]]

  I would say that our economy would not exist in the strong state that 
we have now along the Jersey shore were it not for Senator Lautenberg's 
efforts to provide funding for beach renourishment, to stop all the 
various ocean dumping sites that existed when he was first elected to 
the Senate. There were about 12 sites for dumping of toxic dredge 
materials, sludge materials, acid materials, wood burning. All these 
things have now passed and all these sites have been closed because of 
the efforts of Senator Lautenberg.
  It is an amazing achievement over 18 years in the Senate. I only hope 
that this legislation, this naming of the post office, is just the 
first of many opportunities that we will have after he retires this 
year to name things after him and to make designations in his honor. 
Because he truly deserves it. I appreciate the fact that we here in the 
House have been the first to start the process with the naming of this 
post office today.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to support this 
legislation which honors my friend and senior Senator from New Jersey, 
Frank Lautenberg.
  I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and applaud my 
colleagues, Congressman Payne and Congressman LoBiondo, for bringing 
this important measure to the floor.
  Senator Lautenberg is a great American and a son of my hometown of 
Paterson, New Jersey. Good things and great people hail from Paterson!
  The son of immigrants, Frank Lautenberg came from a working-class 
background. In fact, his father worked in the silk mills in Paterson, 
located around the same area where I grew up.
  After graduating high school, he served the United States citizens by 
joining the Army Signal Corps in Europe. Upon his return, Senator 
Lautenberg began a life of public service to the citizens of the Garden 
State.
  Along with two friends, Senator Lautenberg started a company that 
served as one of the largest employers of New Jersey workers, and 
helped shape the way business is conducted in America.
  Automated Data Processing was and still is one of the foremost 
computing services companies in the world. It provides employer 
services to hundreds of thousands of businesses by providing the 
paychecks to more than 29 million wage earners each payday.
  In 1982, I joined the majority of New Jersey residents in voting for 
Frank Lautenberg to the office of Senator. We were impressed by his 
dedication to providing work and service in New Jersey and trusted that 
he would represent us well in the United States Congress.
  Our gut and our vote proved right.
  The impact he has had on our nation's health, safety and security is 
significant, and that is why we honor him today.
  He is the author of laws that have shaped the lives and enriched the 
health and safety of Americans.
  We can thank Senator Lautenberg for establishing 21 as the national 
legal drinking age, for banning smoking on airplanes and for making it 
illegal for anyone convicted of domestic violence to own a gun.
  A strong environmental leader, Senator Lautenberg also helped write 
the Superfund, Clean Air and Safe Drinking Water Acts.
  As Ranking Democratic Member of the Senate Transportation 
Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Lautenberg has consistently 
supported sound investment in our nation's infrastructure.
  Furthermore, he has worked tirelessly to secure hundreds of millions 
of dollars for New Jersey's highways, mass transit systems, airports 
and ports.
  The Garden State has known this about Senator Lautenberg for 18 
years, and I am proud to share his accomplishments with colleagues and 
fellow Americans who may not realize the impact that he has had on 
American policy and life.
  So, as the great city of Newark continues to rise, it is more than 
appropriate that Frank Lautenberg should be honored in name and 
reputation in this manner.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4975, and am proud to 
join with others in recognizing the hard work and immeasurable 
contributions he made to the economy, quality of life, and safety for 
the citizens of New Jersey and America.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this 
side, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4975.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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