[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 24186-24187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                FAREWELL TO CONGRESSWOMAN TILLIE FOWLER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, it is with mixed emotions that I address 
my colleagues this evening. On the one hand, I am sad to see my friend 
and colleague, Tillie Fowler, retire from Congress. On the other hand, 
I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with someone like 
her, someone who has consistently placed the needs of our country at 
the top of her priority list. Tillie Fowler is a role model and a 
devoted public servant.
  Her career has been a series of firsts: first woman and first 
Republican-elected president of the Jacksonville City Council, first 
member elected to the majority leadership from Florida, and first woman 
member and now chair of the House Page Board. I admire her many 
accomplishments, her work ethic, and above all her commitment to a 
strong national defense built upon the confidence of our men and women 
in uniform.
  One of my fondest memories with Congresswoman Fowler is of a trip we 
took together in 1998 to visit our troops in Europe and the Middle 
East. I witnessed firsthand her willingness to listen to military 
personnel and act on their concerns. Congressional Quarterly has called 
Tillie Fowler a polite but persistent advocate. I would say they hit 
the nail right on the head with that description.
  Her no-nonsense approach to policy is the reason she has enjoyed so 
much success over the past 8 years. When Tillie Fowler first ran for 
Congress, she told her constituents if they would join with her, 
together we will change Congress. Eight years later she has. She has 
been on the front lines of the battle to strengthen our military. She 
called on the President and Congress to address the fact that some of 
our military families qualify for food stamps due to low pay. In a 
speech earlier this year, Congresswoman Fowler said the citizens who 
step forward and are willing to put their lives on the line for their 
country, for your security and for my security, are waiting in food 
lines and depending on charity to feed their families. How did this 
happen? How did we get from ``the few, the proud,'' to ``the few and 
the demoralized''?
  Tillie Fowler has worked to strengthen the morale of our military. 
She began her battle before the Republicans had the majority, but she 
was no less fervent in her advocacy. This year we have seen the fruits 
of many of her labors. We have improved military readiness by approving 
a $20 billion increase in funding to rebuild America's hollowed-out 
military. The hard work, leadership and dedication of Congresswoman 
Tillie Fowler made important

[[Page 24187]]

changes possible. She is a woman who embodies the kind of leadership it 
takes to effect change. She kept her promises to the people of Florida. 
She not only changed Congress, she helped change America for the better 
by carrying out her duties with dignity and integrity.

                          ____________________