[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22778]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 FAMILY FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE IN CONGRESS

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                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on my last 12 years 
here in United States Congress. I have enjoyed this experience and 
consider it to be one of the most gratifying opportunities of my life. 
I am grateful for the people of the Third District of Indiana who 
allowed me to serve with such intelligent, honorable and talented 
people. It is my hope that we have made some strides in making the 
lives of Americans better and more prosperous for the future. As I 
leave this body, one of my regrets will be that this institution did 
not set more of a priority on scheduling, which is essential to a 
balanced, family and professional life. With a quote, I would like to 
point to the following example of our colleagues across the Atlantic 
who have set a family-friendly precedent as part of their agenda.
  Winston Churchill once said, ``There is no doubt that it is around 
the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most 
dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and 
maintained.''
  According to an article in the New York Times, Members of the British 
Parliament recently reaffirmed their commitment to this principle. The 
House of Commons voted to end a centuries old tradition of late-night 
sessions, moving the start of business up to 11:30 a.m. from 2:30 p.m., 
and declaring that the latest a session can go is 7:30 p.m. This is 
three hours earlier than the usual closing time. This vote apparently 
came after a nine-hour debate that ended at midnight.
  This schedule is all too familiar to us here in the United States 
Congress. We have had more than our fair share of late nights. Some of 
these nights have been essential, especially when we are considering 
measures on how to combat the war on terrorism or balance the budget. 
Oftentimes, these sessions are indeed vital. However, more often than 
not, there was no compelling reason to be in session so late.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud the hard work of my colleagues during this 
107th Congress and past Congresses. I am, however, concerned about the 
impact of inefficient scheduling on our spouses and children. This 
ritual has become a norm in this governing. We have struggled through 
many late nights only to accomplish very little at times and only to 
disappoint our families when we cannot get on a plane to get home or 
make it back in time to tuck our children into bed.
  As Co-chairs of the Members and Family Committee, my friend, the 
gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Pickering, and I have worked with the 
Committee to make it possible to mesh family time with Congressional 
business. We have hosted dinners and movie nights and brought in 
speakers to make this body a more family-friendly atmosphere. The 
events have been a success but they are a far cry from the goal of 
having a family-friendly atmosphere in ``The People's House.''
  A broader level of this concern in this body should be the importance 
of having representatives in the people's house who have family 
interests in mind. It is imperative to this body for all interests of 
the American people to be represented, particularly the issues that 
affect the family. We cannot allow those interests to be forgotten as 
we continue to set an agenda for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, as I leave Congress in the coming weeks, I hope that 
this body will work to improve the schedule so that members can meet 
their priorities in life: our families. Thomas Jefferson once said, 
``The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed 
at home in the bosom of my family.''

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