[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1645
        TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE CARRIE MEEK, MEMBER OF CONGRESS

  (Mr. TAUZIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to rise, too, to let the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) know that, from this side of the 
aisle, the feelings that have been already expressed about her 
personally are shared broadly across this body.
  I say to the gentlewoman from Florida, we have shared a lot of time 
together, I have shared time on both sides of the aisle, and we have 
come through a lot together. We came through Hurricane Andrew. When it 
got through messing with the gentlewoman's folks, it came down to 
Louisiana and messed with mine, and we share the horrors of those 
tragic days with our constituents together, and helped rebuild 
together.
  More importantly, I say to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), 
she has been a dear friend, a dear friend to so many of us. We have 
come to love and admire her in so many ways.
  I have often said that this House is filled with real people who 
represent real people. In a real sense, the gentlewoman from Florida 
(Mrs. Meek) has literally represented the best of what the House of 
Representatives is all about. It is about people coming from the 
bottoms, the small places of America, and representing them with 
dignity and honor and respect; and she has done that in a magnificent 
fashion.
  She has honored this body by her presence. She will be remembered a 
long time by more than those grandchildren who love her so much. She 
will be remembered with honor and love by all of us in this House for 
the time we have been privileged to share with her here.
  I wish you bon voyage, Carrie. I hope you have a great time in 
whatever you do.

                          ____________________