[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6309-6316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               TRIBUTE TO THE COLORADO STATE LEGISLATURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. McINNIS. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Cummings) knows, I have an hour and I would be happy to yield to the 
gentleman up to 5 minutes so he could conclude his statement. I think 
the issue that he is speaking about is very important. I yield up to 5 
minutes to the gentleman.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. 
McInnis) for yielding.
  Second, we must come to an understanding that all sectors and all 
spheres of society have to be involved as equal persons in combatting 
this crisis. The health sector cannot meet this challenge on its own, 
nor can one government or one nation.
  So it is imperative that we have a collective global effort to 
increase international AIDS spending in Africa. This collective effort 
must also make vaccine research and development a priority and secure 
access to treatment for infected individuals. We must encourage 
pharmaceutical companies to reduce the percentage of spending on 
marketing and advertising and instead reduce drug prices and increase 
expenditures on patient assistance programs.
  Passage of H.R. 3519, the World Bank AIDS Marshall Trust Act, would 
be an important step towards these goals. This legislation calls for 
the governments of key nations, the private sector, and nongovernmental 
entities to partner in the creation of a Marshall Fund to eliminate 
AIDS. The fund would provide $1 billion over 5 years for research, 
prevention, and treatment.

[[Page 6310]]

  I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Leach) for having the foresight to introduce this 
measure. When the history of our time is written, it will record the 
collective efforts of societies responding to a threat that has put in 
the balance the future of whole nations. Future generations will judge 
us on the adequacy of our response.
  One of my mentors, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Chicago, has 
stated many times, ``In my time and in my space, I will make a 
difference with God's grace.''
  And so, Madam Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 3519 for this is our 
space, and this is our time; and we must make a difference with God's 
grace. With that, I yield back; and I thank the gentleman from Colorado 
for yielding.
  Mr. McINNIS. Madam Speaker, I can tell my colleagues as many have 
experienced themselves personally, the great time in my life that I 
served in the State legislature, the State of which I represent here in 
the United States Congress.
  Being able to serve in the State House of Representatives for the 
State of Colorado meant a great deal to me. I was honored to be elected 
by the people of the 57th district of the State of Colorado to serve 
five terms. I had the opportunity to go and serve as the chairman of a 
committee and ended my career in the State House of Representatives as 
majority leader.
  During that period of time, I established lifetime friendships with 
fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle. By political design, the 
activity that we have in Congress in Washington is dramatically 
different than the type of system that we operate at least in the State 
of Colorado. In Colorado, for example, we have what we call ``instant 
voting.'' Now, why do I bring up the facts to my colleagues of instant 
voting? Because I want to explain what that leads to.
  It leads to strong friendships. Why? Because instant voting such as 
we have in the State of Colorado requires that all of the State 
legislators, and I speak generically, the State senators as well, have 
to be on the House floor at the time that the voting machine is opened, 
as compared to the United States Congress here in the House of 
Representatives where we have a minimum of 15 minutes on most votes, 5 
if it is a subsequent vote, to come to the House floor and cast our 
vote.

                              {time}  2015

  As a result of that here, we do not mill as a group for a very long 
period of time.
  Under the rules of the Colorado House of Representatives, the 
Colorado State Senate, they in fact work with each other and stand 
around, sit by each other throughout the entire voting process. As a 
result of that, they have moments where they get to know the person 
sitting to their right or the person sitting to their left. They have 
an opportunity to stand in the back of the chambers and have a cup of 
coffee with a Democrat or a Republican or somebody from the city or 
somebody from the rural areas of the State of Colorado.
  It is very easy to really bring together strong friendships that last 
throughout a person's political career and throughout a person's 
personal career. I was privileged to be fortunate enough to be able to 
do that.
  I also want to point out, as many of my colleagues obviously know, 
here in the United States Congress, we have to travel great distances, 
and our travel is very, very extensive. The district that I represent 
in the State of Colorado is actually geographically larger than the 
State of Florida. My travel is extensive.
  But in the State legislature, one does not have those kinds of 
traveling requirements. In the Colorado State legislature, one has more 
opportunity to get to know each other. In the Colorado State 
legislature, they have 65 members. In the United States Congress, we 
have 435 in the House, and we have 100 in the Senate. In the Senate in 
the State of Colorado, they have 35 members.
  So simply by the fact that they have a smaller number of people, it 
is easier to make lasting and strong friendships. That is what I did.
  Tonight, I stand here in front of my colleagues talking about a few 
of those good friends that I made. I am also going to talk about a few 
fine legislators whom I did not know as well but who are concluding 
their service for the State of Colorado.
  Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the last day that the Colorado State 
legislature has in session. In Colorado, we have a 120-day limitation. 
So the legislature can only meet for 120 days. We also have in Colorado 
term limitations. We have a number of people who are subject to term 
limitations who will be leaving office or serving their last 
legislative day tomorrow.
  So with the patience of my colleagues, I am going to go through some 
of the names of some of these people, talk just a little bit about 
them, because it is kind of special for me to be back here talking to 
my colleagues, Madam Speaker, as U.S. Congressmen about some people 
that are very exceptional people in the State of Colorado.
  Let me begin with a long-time friend of mine, the speaker of the 
House in the State of Colorado. His name is Russell George. His wife's 
name is Neal. They have a fine, fine family.
  Russ has impressed me over the years because, number one, no matter 
whether one agrees with him or disagrees with him, no matter what one 
thinks of his political leanings on one day or his political leanings 
on another day, there has never been a question about Russell George's 
integrity. His integrity is second to none in the State of Colorado.
  Now, in the State of Colorado, we have waited for over 20 years on 
the western side of the State to get a speaker of the House. Russ 
George became our speaker from western Colorado. Unfortunately, under 
the term limitations, he could only be the speaker for 240 legislative 
days. So despite his qualifications, despite his remarkable career, he 
is out, automatically shoveled out of the Colorado State capitol.
  Now Russ has served 8 years in the 57th district. Russ is an attorney 
at law. He is recognized in the legal community for his capabilities 
and his exceptional knowledge of the law. He is also recognized in the 
legal community for his ability to sway in the courtroom. See, he is 
well known. He is soft spoken, but he is well spoken.
  In the Colorado State House of Representatives, he has earned 
compliments from both sides of the aisle for his fairness and for his 
leadership. I am confident that after Russ leaves the State House of 
Representatives in Colorado, that there will be a number of golden 
opportunities for the people, for him, but for the people who might be 
lucky enough to retain his services in some way or another.
  Russ dealt with a number of tough issues. His latest issue was the 
Gas and Oil Commission. Now, whether one agrees or not in the State of 
Colorado with what the speaker of the House attempted to do with the 
Oil and Gas Commission, the fact is the intensity of his work was 
reflected even up to the last few days that he served as a legislator. 
He is to be commended.
  I stand in front of all my colleagues tonight, almost all of whom 
have never met Russell George and would say to each and every one of 
them, I hope that they some time have the opportunity to at least meet 
him. I have had the absolute privilege of considering him one of my 
best friends for many, many, many years.
  We have others who are leaving the Colorado House and the Colorado 
Senate. Debbie Allen. Debbie Allen is a friend of mine. Debbie was 
elected in 1992. She has worked hard. Some of her key issues have been 
crime, law enforcement obviously falls into that category, and 
education issues.
  Debbie's husband Bob has been very faithful and good; faithful, 
meaning that he has been a good supporter. As my colleagues know, to be 
a State legislator, one has got to have a spouse that is pretty 
understanding. One has got to have a spouse that is ready to stand by 
one for those late night hours and the intensity that that job has for 
that 120-day period. Bob did that.

[[Page 6311]]

  Debbie served as the chairman of the Education Committee. Madam 
Speaker, in the State of Colorado this year, education has been an 
especially tough issue. Now, education has always been a priority of 
the Republican Party and of the Democratic Party in Colorado. But this 
year the Republicans really led the fight on more funding for 
education. Debbie was the chairman of that committee.
  She is the owner and the manager of a company called Custom Data 
Services. She served as a secretary, vice chairman, and chairman of the 
Arapahoe County Republican Party. She has been a Republican activist. 
But I can tell my colleagues, as a Republican activist, she still 
crosses the aisle. She considers many Democrats her friends.
  She was the President of Aurora Republican forum, and she was awarded 
the Junior League Champion for Small Children Award.
  Now, Debbie is not totally leaving the legislature. She is going to 
make a run for the Colorado State Senate, but her years in the State 
House of Representatives are much appreciated.
  I want to talk just for a moment here about another friend of mine, 
and that is representative Bob Hagedorn. Bob was elected in 1992. He 
was named as the CACI business legislator of the year, and his key 
issues have been education, reform, and health care.
  Bob has faced a pretty tough challenge in the last few years, and he 
overcame that challenge. While I may not necessarily agree with my 
friend Bob on a number of different issues in the political arena, I 
can tell my colleagues I consider him my friend, and I admire him for 
his courage to overcome the challenges that faced him.
  Representative Dorothy Gotlieb. Dorothy is a great person. She is an 
aggressive, aggressive legislator. She works very hard on the issues of 
the budget. She served as a member of the Denver Board of Education for 
6 years, and she was the President for the Denver Board of Education 
for 2 years. She served as a member of the State Board of Education for 
6 years and 2 years as chairman.
  As a member of the Denver Public Schools Athletic League Hall of 
Fame, she won many different education awards. Dorothy is well known 
for her expertise in education. She is also known for how hard she 
pushes to make children the highest priority of State legislative 
issues.
  She obviously was on the Education Committee. She served on the 
Transportation and the Energy Committee in the State legislature. She 
served on Criminal Justice. She worked hard on Small Business and 
efficient in Accountable Government issues.
  She, too, is running for the State Senate, but she wraps up her days 
tomorrow in the State House. I can tell my colleagues something, 
Dorothy has done a great job. I want my colleagues to know that I hope 
they someday have the privilege of getting to meet all of these people 
of which I am trying to give them some reference to this evening.
  Representative Ken Gordon. Ken has done a good job as the House 
minority leader. Minority leader. I am a Republican. But I can tell my 
colleagues I respect Ken for his efforts as a minority leader. He has 
been strong for the Democrats. He stood up on a number of different 
issues. Ken is also known for his straightforwardness. He had success 
in his plain language law, which he passed. He was elected in 1992. Ken 
has done a good job.
  I will talk about my good friend Bill Kaufman. Bill is a special guy 
to me. Bill was appointed to a vacancy in 1993, and he was elected time 
after time after time since then. He served as chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee and was a member of the Legal Services Committee. 
Currently my friend Bill is the Speaker Pro-Temp.
  Bill served as an attorney in the Loveland area. He has a good 
reputation, a strong reputation in the Loveland area for his 
capabilities in the field of law and for his honesty in that field.
  He is very active in the Republican party. He was chairman of the 
Dole-Kemp campaign in 1996. He coordinated the campaigns of people like 
Senator Armstrong, Senator Hank Brown, Senator Wayne Allard.
  He was named in 1996 as the Legislator of the Year. That is a great 
honor. CACI and the American Planning Association gave him awards in 
that regard. He got awards from the Social Legislation Committee and 
the Colorado Sheriff's Association. He has been very active in 
education, transportation, and prisons.
  Now, the reason Bill is such a good friend is, over the years, I have 
had a number of tough issues, even as late as last week where I took 
issues that we work with on this House floor. As my colleagues know, 
real government is at the local level. That is where the best 
government is is at the local level. We really should serve more of a 
perfunctory role. We have duties in regards to defense and in regards 
to commerce and international trade, but the real government is at the 
local level.
  One can always go to Bill and sit down with Bill and discuss issues 
or even conflicts between the Federal government and the State 
government. He would listen, and if he felt that one's position had 
good merit, not necessarily popular merit, but good merit, he would get 
behind one.
  I am going to miss Bill in the Colorado State House of 
Representatives. He has got a lot of good years ahead of him. He is a 
young man, and his career has just gotten off to a start. Tomorrow will 
be his last day as well, and he is to be congratulated.
  I also want to talk about his wife Diana. I will tell my colleagues 
she is quite a lady, and obviously Bill could not have done this 
without her.
  I will talk about Representative Ron May. Ron May is a good friend of 
mine. He was out in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I wish my colleagues 
could meet Ron. Ron is very good on transportation issues. He was 
elected to the House in 1992. He also has worked very hard on the 
technological capabilities.
  As my colleagues know, I think, as I have spoken before, I think we 
are in the second industrial revolution in this country when it comes 
to the Internet. Here is an individual, Ron May, who helps take elected 
officials like my colleagues and I, and try and bring us up to speed on 
some of these technological issues.
  He served on the city council before he went to the State 
legislature; and as we all know, that is pretty good training ground. 
He sponsored a number of bills on workers' compensation, unemployment 
insurance, highway speed limits, right-to-work law and information 
systems.
  He and his wife Onilla are good people. I will tell my colleagues 
something, Ron has done a great job for the people of the State of 
Colorado, and I hope my colleagues have an opportunity to meet him at 
some point.
  Representative Maryanne Keller. Maryanne I do not know well, but I 
know about her. She was elected in 1992. She cosponsored standards in 
education legislation, and she is a special education teacher. I have 
heard more about the representative of her teaching capabilities. They 
have been very positive. They have been very strong.
  As I understand it, she is exactly the kind of person that we want 
teaching. But she is an excellent teacher, and I also understand, of 
course, that she did an excellent job or did a good job on education 
issues. She did an excellent job as a State representative. She, too, 
will be leaving us.
  Same with Representative Ben Clarke. Ben was appointed in 1994. His 
key issues have been health care. Why are they health care issues? 
Because Representative Clarke is a retired doctor. He is one of the few 
doctors we have in the State legislature. Instead of leaving and living 
a cushy life of retirement, he decided that he would become active in 
the State legislature, especially in regards to health care issues.
  As many of my colleagues on the House floor know this evening, these 
health care issues are predominant, predominant on our agenda. I can go 
on and on. I would like to get into another subject and talk about the 
Republican health plan for prescription services and talk about what we 
are trying to do to get good health care delivery out

[[Page 6312]]

in our country. We already have good health care delivery, but better 
health care delivery.
  But I want to come back to Ben. He is also a veteran. He served in 
the war in Korea. Ben was a good legislator. Tomorrow is his last day. 
Again, I hope my colleagues have an opportunity to shake his hand 
someday.

                              {time}  2030

  Representative Andy McElhany. Andy is from Colorado Springs. Andy is 
probably one of the most energetic, dedicated, focused guys I have met. 
Andy was chairman of the State, Veterans and Military Affairs 
Committee. He served on the Colorado Springs Park and Recreational 
Advisory Board. In fact, he was the board chairman. He was a real 
estate broker. Has a strong reputation for integrity and 
professionalism in the real estate field in Colorado. He is the 
Colorado Library Association Legislator of the Year, the Colorado Union 
of Taxpayers' Friend of Taxpayer, and the Associated Press' Outstanding 
Legislator.
  He was the sponsor of the ``Deadbeat Parent'' bill, denying driver's 
licenses to parents not paying child support. And talk about something 
that gets people to pay child support, as Andy told his colleagues and 
as Andy told me, tell them they are not going to get their driver's 
license. Most people gasp at that. They say, well, how do they get to 
work. But the fact is very few people will ever let their license go 
like that if they have the option of paying off that child support. It 
works. Andy convinced me of it, and he has proven it.
  He worked, obviously, on other areas regarding health care reform, 
transportation, government efficiency, and tax reform. Andy has done an 
excellent job as a representative in the Colorado House of 
Representatives.
  Representative Gloria Lebya, appointed in 1995 and elected in 1996. 
She was active with the Bobby Kennedy campaign in 1968.
  She has been a champion and worked very hard with healthy 
communities. Communities and the centrifuge of how communities come 
together in regards to community activities has been where she has 
devoted a lot of her energy.
  Again, one of the people who, obviously, I know. I have met with her. 
I do not know her that well, but I speak about her based on her 
reputation, and it is a good reputation. So it is easy to speak of her, 
and I wish her the very best in her future.
  Representative Gary McPherson. Gary is a dedicated guy. I have known 
Gary for some time. He was appointed in 1994 to the Colorado State 
House. He was a member of the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees. 
He is an attorney at law, practiced for a number of years with 
Kissinger and Fellman, a professional corporation.
  He was the vice chairman and the board member of the Arapahoe County 
Recreation District. He was a CACI Legislator of the Year and the 
recipient of the Aurora Public Schools' Superintendents' award.
  He has dealt with legislation regarding minors and smoking. Gary has 
really focused on the problems that we have with smoking and minors. 
Later on, if I have the opportunity to finish what I am doing here, I 
would like to talk a little about how smoking impacts our minor 
children in this country.
  Here is a guy right here, Gary, that that was a big issue for him; 
and he was really recognized as a leader in the Colorado Legislature as 
somebody who had good capable facts on what we do with that problem of 
our young people smoking, of our young people becoming addicted to 
tobacco, which every one of us in this Chamber knows is a killer. So I 
hand it to him. He deserves a big star for that one.
  He also worked quite aggressively on education, crime, and welfare 
reform. Gary's done an excellent job in the Colorado House.
  Representative Marcy Morrison. Now, Marcy is a character. People like 
Marcy. She has been very active. Her husband, Howard, is, in my 
opinion, an excellent guy, a good supporter. She used to be an El Paso 
County commissioner, and she enjoyed a strong reputation down there in 
El Paso County for the job she did. She is tough. She is tough, but she 
has some humor about her. And it is good to see somebody who is tough 
and holds the line but can smile and sit down and have a cup of coffee 
with you after the debate.
  She served on the Committees of Health, Environment, Welfare and 
Institutions and Judiciary. She also served on the State of Colorado 
Board of Health. She sponsored the Post Delivery Care for Stays in 
Hospitals and immunization for more Colorado children, a pilot program 
to evaluate health care costs concerning children. She has done an 
excellent job. She cares and has been very active on the health care 
issues for seniors, the disabled, and child care.
  Marcy has done an excellent job, and she is also one of the people, 
if any of my colleagues ever go to Colorado and are down in El Paso 
County, they will hear about Marcy Morrison and they will want to meet 
her after they hear about her. She is that kind of person.
  Representative Penn Pfiffner. Penn was elected in 1992. His wife, 
Karen, is obviously a spouse who is supportive of the issues she has 
taken on.
  Penn is aggressive. He is tough. I would say that he is probably one 
of the more conservative members of the House. He is conservative 
especially when it comes to these economic issues and on social issues 
as well. But he is particularly astute on economic issues.
  He served as an officer in the United States Navy. He served on the 
Utility Consumer Advisory Board. He has proposed legislation on 
everything from prison reform to education alternatives to 
privatization and transportation deregulation.
  He currently serves as a consulting economist to construction and 
real estate industries. He served, obviously, on the Finance Committee. 
He served on the Legislative Audit and the State, and the Veterans and 
Military Affairs Committees.
  Penn has given good service to the State of Colorado.
  I want to visit about another good friend of mine, Senator Dorothy 
Rupert. Dorothy and I go back a long, long ways. I want to tell a 
special story about Dorothy and I.
  Years ago, she and I came back to Washington, DC, with a group of 
individuals, other State legislators; and it was the first time that I 
had ever seen the Vietnam Memorial wall. Obviously, for my generation, 
the generation of most of us in this room, that Vietnam Memorial wall 
has a very special feeling; a sad feeling, a warm feeling, a feeling of 
pleasure that these people have been recognized. All of those feelings 
were brought out by Dorothy Rupert.
  And I will never forget, as long as I have the mental capability to 
remember, I will never forget that evening. It was a cold evening, but 
the sun had been shining that day. And as Dorothy and I went up to the 
Vietnam Memorial wall, and as my colleagues know it is black granite, 
it had absorbed that sunlight. And even though there was a cold wind, 
the sun had just gone down; and that wall emitted warmth because it had 
stored it up from the sunshine during the day. It was as if the 
soldiers being recognized by that wall once again stood up to help 
protect us, keep us warm from that cold wind going down through there.
  Dorothy was appointed to the State senate in 1995. She obviously 
served honorably in the State House of Representatives before that. She 
has worked very extensively on hate crime issues. She is a high school 
teacher. She is a counselor. And I can tell my colleagues that there 
were a number of issues that Dorothy and I voted on the opposite side 
of, but never once did I consider myself really adversarial to Dorothy 
Rupert. She is the kind of person who has the type of personality that 
does not disarm someone to a disadvantage. The feeling, I guess, is one 
of professionalism, the debates that she gets into.
  She is recognized by her colleagues as a person who is very caring. 
She has a heart many, many times the size of her body. Dorothy has 
served the State of Colorado very well, and her friendship is something 
that is very special to me.

[[Page 6313]]

  Now, let me talk about one of my western people, representative Jack 
Taylor. Jack's done a great job for western Colorado. Jack comes from 
Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was elected in 1992. His wife, Geneva, 
and I go back a long ways as well. She has been very active, and Jack's 
been very active in the party.
  But Jack understands agricultural issues. Jack knows about Colorado 
water. As I have said many times from this podium, Colorado's water is 
very unique compared to most States in the Nation. In Colorado, our 
State is the only State where all of our water goes out. We have no 
free-flowing water that comes into the State of Colorado for our use. 
So as a result of that, those water resources are very precious.
  We do not get much rain in Colorado. It is an arid State. We depend 
on our snow fall and spring runoff. Spring runoff does not last all 
year long. It lasts about 65 to 90 days. We just started it in 
Colorado. This means if we do not have the capability to store water, 
we are in a lot of trouble in Colorado. And there are a lot of 
organizations that want to make sure there are no storage projects on 
our rivers; that want to make sure there are no diversions from the 
streams. Well, that is the only way we can survive out in the West. It 
does not rain in the West like it rains in the East.
  Jack Taylor knows that. And Jack Taylor has understood that for a 
long time. And Jack Taylor has been a good part of the team, lead, 
frankly, by Rus George, on the water issues back there in the State 
legislature in Colorado.
  He was chairman of the Business Affairs and Labor Committee; served 
on the Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee and the 
Legislative Audit Committee. He was a businessman for 30 years in 
Steamboat. He was named Business Legislator of the Year. He earned the 
Guardian of Small Business Awards and the NFIB, which is the National 
Federation of Independent Businesses, Colorado Legislator of the Year.
  Jack worked very hard to get equal access to telecommunications 
state-of-the-art technology throughout Colorado. As many of my 
colleagues know that represent rural districts throughout the United 
States, we are concerned. We do not want to get behind the eight ball 
in this second industrial revolution on the Internet. We need 
technological advancements that are going to the cities. We need those 
fiberoptics out in the rural areas. It hurts if we in the rural areas 
do not have access to fiberoptics; if we do not have the technological 
capability to do business with our colleagues in the cities.
  Jack understood this and he pushed it and pursued it very hard. Jack 
has a strong sense. It is kind of like a sixth sense for him, for 
common sense. He exercises it well. And, obviously, with his business 
experience that he brings to the legislative process, it has been of 
some assistance.
  I think he has worked very hard to try to create more efficiencies 
for government, and I think above probably next to water his strong 
stances on the right to private property and the respect for private 
property in Colorado is probably second to none currently in the State 
legislature. Jack's done a good job. We will miss him in the State 
House of Representatives.
  Senator Bob Martinez. Bob and I go back a long ways. Bob was elected 
in 1984, same year actually I went into office in the Colorado State 
House of Representatives. Bob and I had an opportunity to serve many, 
many years in the State House of Representatives, then he went on the 
State senate. He was a higher education administrator.
  He has always been very strong on adoption and the ability for people 
to adopt. He has been very caring for the homeless people. But I will 
tell my colleagues something else about Bob. Bob has always served in 
the minority, in the State senate and in the State house. The 
Republicans have controlled the State house and the State senate since 
Bob went into office. But Bob had that knack to be able to go across 
the aisle, and he built up relationships that enabled him to be a very 
effective legislator despite his political minority status.
  Bob is a wonderful guy. He is a good guy to work with. He is a good 
guy to have as a friend. And he is a neat guy out of the city that 
understands some of the rural issues that we in rural Colorado faced. I 
miss Bob. Bob has done good service for the State of Colorado, and he 
should be recognized for that.
  My next friend, Representative Steve Tool, whose father, Gene Tool, 
is a long-time friend of mine, former chairman of our State party. 
Steve is a guy, who also like Russell George, has an impeccable 
reputation. He serves on the Finance Committee, the Judiciary 
Committee, and the Health Environment and Welfare and Institutions 
Committee.
  He is a strong family man. Has a wonderful family. He is a real 
estate broker, an appraiser in Fort Collins. He served in the United 
States Air Force as a navigator on B-52s in Vietnam. He is a Vietnam 
veteran. He flew 160 missions, 160 missions over Southeast Asia.
  He has been very active in and has sponsored legislation for the 
changing of child abuse resulting in death from a felony to a homicide. 
He has also been very aggressive in regards to school finance and 
trying to balance school finance in the State of Colorado so the poorer 
communities are not left, and to reorganize our educational system to 
guarantee the maximum amount of dollars into the classroom and the 
maximum amount of accountability from our teachers who teach our young 
people. He has done a good job on that.
  We are going to miss Steve. He did a good job and I hope my 
colleagues here on the floor also sometime have an opportunity to meet 
Steve Tool. He is a young man, and his career has just begun.
  Senator Frank Weddig. He was appointed in 1994 and was elected in 
1996. He is an electrician. Children's welfare and children's issues.
  Again, Frank I do not know well, but you feel like you know him 
because you have heard about him. As I have said with some of my other 
colleagues who I have not had an opportunity to meet and know, like a 
Bob Martinez, or like a Rus George, or like a Jack Taylor or Bill 
Kaufman, some of those people I did not get to know that well. I kind 
of looked at their reputations and listened to what their colleagues 
had to say about them.

                              {time}  2045

  Frank has enjoyed a strong reputation amongst his colleagues, and 
that speaks well for him.
  My friend Senator Gloria Tanner. Gloria was appointed in 1994 in the 
State Senate. She served in the State House of Representatives prior to 
that. I got to serve with her.
  Gloria represented the issues of the minority community very well. 
She spoke up and helped educate those of us who did not live in the 
urban areas in the cities. She was very patient with us and very 
educational with us I guess you would say in walking us through the 
issues that are unique to minority communities in big cities. She 
worked hard on the pension fund protection issues. She is a real estate 
agent. I can tell my colleagues, my service with Gloria Tanner was 
enjoyable. She is a professional, a real pro.
  Well, the State House of Representatives is going to lose their 
Speaker of the House this year. And the State Senate in Colorado, again 
because of term limits, loses the Senate president.
  Ray Powers. His wife's name is Dorothy, a wonderful, wonderful lady. 
I have known her for years. Ray has done a tremendous job as the 
President of the Colorado State Senate. He has had a lot of tough 
issues. He has been there for many years. He has worked with a lot of 
people. The people that have worked with Ray walk away from Ray 
thinking, gosh, that guy is on the ball. He knows what is going on.
  To be the leader of the State Senate in Colorado, you have got to 
have some finesse, you have got to have some capabilities to have a 
strong personality to deal with people. That happens, too, with the 
Speaker of the House. But Ray had those.
  Ray could deal with people without making them angry. Ray could be 
firm but he did not have to be mean. He

[[Page 6314]]

could be firm without being mean. Ray Powers had a lot of capability in 
convincing people and helping educate his colleagues on the issues of 
the day.
  Now he is a former rancher. He has a ranch down in Colorado Springs. 
He is active in the local bank down there. He sponsored any number of 
bills, including bills on the death penalty, highway funding, more 
judicial requirements or appropriate judicial requirements for judges. 
He dealt with the major regional presidential primary that we wanted to 
have there in Colorado. He has been recognized by the United Veterans 
Committee Distinguished Service Award, the Colorado Springs Chamber of 
Commerce named his as Legislator of the Year. The Colorado Public 
Affairs Council named him Business Legislator of the Year.
  Dorothy and Ray will do well in their retirement. We are going to 
miss his service in the Colorado State Senate.
  Senator Mike Feeley. Mike is the minority leader elected in 1992. He 
is smart. He is aggressive. He and I did not agree on a lot of issues 
but I can tell you, as with some of his colleagues, the disagreements 
were professional disagreements.
  He was recognized by his colleagues as, let us just say, a person of 
persistence, a person who when he decided to support an issue he stuck 
with it. He was recognized as the minority leader. He enjoyed a strong 
reputation for the job that he did as the minority leader.
  Mike Feeley is spoken of by the Democrats in the State of Colorado as 
one who holds future promise for a political office. Frankly, I would 
like to convert him to a Republican. But the fact is he is a Democrat. 
They consider him a good Democrat. I consider him a good man, and we 
are going to miss him.
  Dorothy ``Dottie'' Wham. Dorothy is her former name. I called her 
``Dottie'' for all those years. I served with Dottie for the 10 years I 
was in the State legislature.
  Let me tell my colleagues something. I am not sure I have had the 
opportunity to serve with a woman who I think has been more dedicated 
to the process, more dedicated to being sure that the government in 
Colorado served the people of the State of Colorado.
  She comes from a community from Denver. Her husband Bob is a lawyer 
well recognized in the community in his own regard. But I will tell you 
something, Dottie took on tough issue after tough issue. Dottie never 
was too busy to sit down with those of us outside the Denver 
metropolitan city limits and talk to us about different issues.
  She worked hard on the juvenile justice, on the children's code in 
Colorado, on the Denver Health Authority, on AIDS legislation, proposed 
adoption, State recodification, salaries of elected county officials. 
If there was a tough issue and you wanted somebody who could take the 
arrows, it was Dottie Wham.
  I have deep, deep respect for Dottie. My years with Dottie were 
nothing but satisfying. My professional career with her and my 
professional relationship with her was excellent. Dottie will be missed 
not only by me. She will be missed by the State of Colorado. She will 
be particularly missed by the City of Denver and by her colleagues.
  Ron Tupa. Ron is a representative minority whip. I have actually not 
gotten to talk with Ron very long, but I saw him on TV the other day. I 
can tell you about Ron. I watched him and I did not agree with him at 
all on the issue. I think Ron was talking about campaign reform. And 
while everybody, of course, wants campaign reform, the issue is how do 
you go about it. I mean, who gets the short end of the stick? That is 
what the issue is about.
  But as I watched him, I was just flipping through with my remote 
control. I was in a hotel, as I often am, and sitting there and 
flipping through with my remote control, I come across this local 
station coverage and there is Ron.
  He is an impressive guy. He speaks well. He was well received by the 
audience to whom he spoke. I thought his points were frankly to the 
point. I think Ron is respected outside, not just in the legislature, 
but outside the legislature. He is a young man. He is a social studies 
teacher.
  I can tell just by listening to him that he probably has a knack for 
being able to communicate very well with his students. His issues, of 
course, have been e-mail privacy and some of the education issues. And, 
as I mentioned, he was the minority whip.
  Senator Elsie Lacy. She was elected in the Senate in 1992. I will 
tell you, Elsie is quite a lady. She is a heck of a State senator. She 
is a solid, strong State senator. And she is a good friend. Elsie has 
done a tremendous job for the State of Colorado.
  Her husband Duane, in his own regard, is well-respected. But I can 
tell you, Elsie has the respect of her colleagues. She was chairwoman 
of the appropriations committee and chairman of the joint budget 
committee. She served on the Aurora City Council. She worked primarily 
in transportation, health, education, and local government issues. 
Although, as chairman of the joint budget committee, her 
responsibilities obviously were dealing with the budget.
  In Colorado, just like here, colleagues in Congress, we deal with 
some tough issues on the budget.
  Elsie was there during the time that Colorado was just beginning to 
get out of the tough times, so she had to make tough decisions then. 
And as chairwoman she had to make tough decisions when Colorado got a 
surplus. Because then everybody thought Colorado had plenty of money. 
So people would go up to Elsie and say, Elsie, I want more money for 
this program. You got a surplus in Colorado. We want to start this new 
government program. We want to start this new government program.
  Elsie had a way of being very polite in saying no if it would not 
give us a balanced budget.
  Now, as Elsie told me one time, her choices were never choices on 
that joint budget committee between bad programs and good programs, as 
Elsie puts it. And as all of my colleagues here on the floor know, 
many, many times our choices are between good programs and good 
programs. The bad programs get eliminated very early on in the process. 
The tougher choices is as we begin to filter it out and we get to the 
good programs versus the good programs.
  I thought Senator Lacy did an excellent job in shifting through that. 
And I think her service to the State of Colorado, especially in her 
focus in regards to the State's budget, will serve the State well for 
many, many years to come. Because the State of Colorado, I am proud to 
say, in large part to her and in part to our goner, Governor Bill 
Owens, its fiscal ship is in order and is strong.
  Representative Sue Windells elected in 1998. Her big issues were 
education and tax reform. She is a teacher. Again, I did not know Sue 
that well. But I can tell you that, once again, these people that I did 
not know well, I went and asked because I knew I was going to give 
these comments tonight, I went to some of my colleagues that do know 
them and I asked them about them. What about Sue? What are some of her 
attributes?
  She is well-received. She is honorable. She is knowledgeable. And she 
is respected by her colleagues. What more do you need said about a 
person?
  In politics, if somebody acknowledges that you have got the technical 
capability, that you understand and care about people and that you are 
honest, that says a lot. Sue meets every one of those standards, and 
she is going to be missed.
  Senator Dave Wattenberg. I can tell you a lot about Dave Wattenberg. 
He and I got elected at the same time back in 1982. He and I are from 
rural Colorado, the same area. Well, we actually bordered each other. 
He later went to the State Senate because he served in the State House 
of Representatives.
  Dave and I, when we first ran for office, no one either gave Dave or 
me a chance of winning office. I was running against a very popular and 
very capable incumbent, and Dave was not given much of a chance of 
winning the seat.
  I will never forget. The day before the election, he and I were 
sitting in a

[[Page 6315]]

bar having a drink and Dave asked me, Wattenberg says, Scott, have you 
ever given any thought as to what is going to happen if by some chance 
we win this thing? I mean, we spent all this time campaigning, we spent 
all this time talking as candidates, but you and I have never been able 
to work as elected officials. I mean, we really are going to have to do 
what we said we are going to do. We are going to have to get 
aggressive. We really have got to stand up for issues like water and so 
on and so forth.
  I would say in the State legislature there is probably no one right 
now as popular as David Wattenberg.
  David is a cowboy. He is an old cowboy. I do not mean old in age. I 
mean old in respect. He is on a ranch up there in the northern part of 
the State.
  For a number of years, Dave did not have opposition. In fact, I will 
tell my colleagues, he was so popular in one of his elections that his 
Democrat opponent who was very aggressive against Dave and ran a very 
aggressive race until about halfway through the race and, after 
debating Dave on a number of different occasions, liked him so well and 
felt he was so capable and so deserving as serving that district as 
State senator, pulled out of the race, and endorsed him.
  Have you ever heard of somebody in a partisan race pulling out midway 
through the race and endorsing the other person?
  That speaks very well, by the way, for the Democrat that did that, in 
my opinion. I am sorry, her name slipped me this evening. But I can 
tell you, it speaks well for David Wattenberg.
  David, as I said, was elected to the House in 1982 and to the Senate 
in 1992. He is chairman of the agriculture natural resource energy 
committee. He also served on the business affairs and labor committees. 
His ranch is called the Wattenberg Ranch in Walden, Colorado.
  He sponsored bills on all kinds of things, everything from horse 
racing to water issues to mining and transportation to tort reform. He 
specifically focused in on agriculture, water, ranching issues, and 
banking issues.
  He has received any number of awards. He has been named Legislator of 
the Year, honored by Colorado Ski Country and Consulting Engineers 
Council and Guardian of Small Business.
  As I was on the airplane this morning, I open up the Denver Post or 
the Rocky Mountain News, I am not sure which one of those two major 
papers, and there is David Wattenberg dancing on the Senate floor. He 
was serious but he had good humor.
  As I said earlier in my comments about Dave, he is probably the most 
popular legislator in Colorado today. Dave Wattenberg is going to be 
sorely missed.
  Representative Penfield Tate. I know Penfield by his work. I know him 
as a person. I have respect for him. I have dealt with him not 
extensively, but I have dealt with him.
  Penfield is one solid guy, and he is known by his work. His work 
product is excellent. He works aggressively on it. He works hard. He 
has a strong reputation. His focuses have been primarily education and 
health issues. He is a member of the Denver Metropolitan Chamber of 
Commerce. I will tell you, Penfield is a fellow that anybody would like 
to have work as a partner with him. He has done a good job. We are 
going to miss him.
  Senator Maryanne Tebedo. Maryanne and I went in and she actually was 
appointed shortly after I was elected. But, in essence, we have served 
together for 10 years in the State House. She went on to the State 
Senate.
  Her husband Don is a retired air traffic controller. She was chairman 
of the State Veterans Military Affairs Committee, and she served on the 
Finance Committee.
  She is also our parliamentarian. She is actually a certified 
professional parliamentarian. She served on the National Task Force on 
Labor, and she has worked hard on uniform stated permits for concealed 
weapons, regulations of the funeral board, State boards, highways. I 
mean, Maryanne has worked on a lot of legislation.
  Senator Tebedo, when she took on an issue, she did several things 
with that issue. Number one, she learned about the issue. Number two, 
she figured out what the ramifications of her bill would be with that 
issue. She was aggressive in her pursuit of passing her legislation. I 
think she was professional at every step of the way.
  Now, not everyone agreed with her. But I will tell you, if you wanted 
to disagree with Senator Tebedo, you better have your facts in order. 
Because I never saw her without having her facts in order.
  We are going to miss her.
  Senator Tom Blickensderfer. Tom is a long-time friend of mine. Tom is 
a fine man. His wife is Kristen. He just got married 4 or 5 years ago. 
She is a beautiful woman. And I mean that in a very broad way. She has 
got all kinds of things about her that just make her a beautiful 
person.
  But back to Tom. Tom is a great guy. He has been an excellent State 
senator. He was in the State House. He was a Senate majority leader. He 
was an attorney at law. I knew him well before he came into the State 
legislature.
  His issues ranged from everything from water in the rural areas of 
the State. We could always go to Tom because Tom would always sit down 
with us and talk about the rural issues even though he represented a 
metropolitan area.
  His family had a long running reputation in the ski industry in the 
State of Colorado. Tom's leadership as the majority leader in the 
Senate has been second to none.

                              {time}  2100

  He is a strong leader. He is recognized throughout the political 
community for his contributions to his party. He is Republican. I am 
not talking about financial. I am talking about his volunteer time, his 
help with other candidates.
  I will say, in my opinion, Tom has a wonderful future ahead of him. 
He has a great family. He has a great background. He has served the 
State of Colorado very well, and Tom is going to do very well in his 
future.
  Representative Stephanie Takis, she was elected in 1996 and her big 
issue was affordable health care. She is a financial specialist. Again, 
I did not know Stephanie very well but as with the others I sat down 
and visited with my colleagues about Stephanie. I did not find anybody 
who said anything critical, although they had the opportunity to 
because my conversations with some of my colleagues were in private, 
and these were the colleagues that I could have that kind of 
conversation with. Not one bad word said about her.
  She has done well in her service to the State of Colorado; and she, 
too, it appears, has a very promising future ahead of her.
  Madam Speaker, I know that my colleagues may be saying, gosh, we sat 
here this evening; and we have had Scott McInnis talk about State 
legislators from the State of Colorado who are concluding their service 
tomorrow. What has that got to do with us? What has that got to do with 
the U.S. House of Representatives? After all, these are State 
legislators. This is the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C.
  It has a lot to do with us because those individuals that I just 
talked about can set an example for us back here, one that local 
government really truly is the best government. The Federal people in 
Washington, D.C., do not always know best. There are certain roles that 
we have to play, leadership in military, leadership in international 
trade, leadership in interstate commerce. But the fact is these State 
legislators are on the line. They are at the front of the battle.
  The people that I spoke about this evening, most of my colleagues 
probably will never even meet one of them, but I can say what I hope 
was gotten out of my recognitions of these special people was the fact 
of their integrity, the impeccability of their hard work, the focus on 
the issues that they really cared about, the ability to cross party 
aisles. We all know politics is partisan. It is designed to be that 
way. It has to be that way. Somebody has to be boss. We cannot all be 
equal bosses. Somebody has to be the leader. So there is

[[Page 6316]]

always partisan politics, but a real leader has the capability to step 
aside. The minority may not have a right to rule; but the minority has 
a right to be heard, and the individuals that I talked about this 
evening recognize that. They worked on both sides of the aisle.
  I consider it a real honor to stand here in front of my colleagues in 
the House on the House floor of the United States Congress and 
recognize that tomorrow will be the last day for those colleagues of 
mine and their service in the State senate or State house respectively, 
and I want them to know from the highest level of the Federal 
Government here in the House of Representatives, that we acknowledge 
the work that they do; that we appreciate their honesty and their 
integrity and the respect that people who work with them understand 
that public officials, elected public officials, almost all of them 
really are good people. They work intensely for the people that they 
represent. They work intensely on the issues they care about. They work 
intensely and are proud of the States that they represent or the 
districts that they represent.
  My colleagues in the State of Colorado are an excellent example of 
this.
  Madam Speaker, in my concluding remark, let me just say truly it was 
my privilege to get to know and work with these people as they served 
the State of Colorado in the State legislature, and I hope to have a 
continued professional and profound good friendship with all of my 
friends in the State of Colorado.

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