[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24350-24358]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMEMORATING THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening for what I 
think is a celebratory occasion. It is a time of recognition and 
celebration of the service of a number of the Members of this body. And 
I thought it was appropriate for myself and my colleagues from Texas to 
stand before this body and to be able to acknowledge a time, an era, a 
collegiality, a time in space, a time in the history of this body.
  As I listened to my colleagues who preceded me, it makes it even more 
important that we come to the floor today, particularly as I listened 
to a litany of complaints and issues that were being raised and as I 
recollected of the debate we had yesterday where our friends on the 
other side raised the debt limit to its highest in the history of this 
Nation, and it makes it even more important that we acknowledge not 
only the legacy of these colleagues who will finish their term in the 
108th Congress but to note the fact that these are Democrats, proud to 
be Democrats, diverse and different.

                              {time}  2100

  Certainly we are proud that they are Texans and proud to be 
Americans, and frankly, we are equally proud of their service.
  What they brought to this body, all of them with different regional 
backgrounds, although coming from the State of Texas and different 
ideological philosophies in the political wheel of fortune, if you 
will, they brought a sense and a desire to serve not only their 
constituents but the American people. They also brought a sense of 
reaching out and working on both sides of the aisle.

[[Page 24351]]

  In fact, I am reminded of less than 24 hours ago when the Ranking 
Member of the Committee on Agriculture, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Stenholm), went to the floor of the House to try and strike a 
reasonable response to this escalating deficit, this out-of-control 
budget and, frankly, seemingly no end to tax cuts and, if you will, a 
lack of a plan to be able to serve the American people.
  So we come this evening, and my colleagues have come, and I am going 
to call the names of those who we seek to pay tribute to tonight, and 
then take time to yield to my friends, my fellow colleagues of the 
Texas delegation, and then I will join in with them to speak about 
great Members of the House.
  Texas itself has had a very great history. I think of some of the 
names like Congressman Pickle and Congressman Brooks and Congresswoman 
Barbara Jordan, and I think of a number of those who no are no longer 
living who have been great servants of this body. Sam Rayburn, I think 
certainly of his leadership as the Speaker of the House. Certainly I 
think, and he is strong in North Texas, our good friend Jim Wright and 
the service that he gave. So many names that have gone down in the 
annals of history for their service, and Texans are proud certainly of 
those who have been able to serve. So I will call their names, and then 
I will yield to my colleagues.
  As I call their names, though, let me just clarify, because it is 
exciting to pay tribute to them, but I just do a slight clarification. 
Because whenever we do these things, we obviously think of someone 
retiring or we think maybe of someone who decided that they wanted to 
choose another aspect in their life. But I want my colleagues to know 
that these Members of the House love this body, they love the service 
in this body, they love serving the American people. The reason why 
this is a very special Special Order is because these individuals, most 
of them decided to stand and fight in what we found to be a very 
unbalanced redrawing and redistricting of the lines that saw them, in 
essence, redrawn out of their seats. So this was not a race, and they 
lost it. This was a race that they ran and certainly would have won if 
the cards had not been stacked against them.
  As I have said, we are celebrating their service tonight, but we want 
our colleagues to know that these are individuals who stood up and 
stood tall and through a unique set of circumstances, not of any doing 
of themselves, we now will lose their very great service.
  We will pay tribute tonight to Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Ciro 
Rodriguez, Nick Lampson, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell.
  With that, it gives me great pleasure to yield to one of our 
distinguished members of the Texas delegation who likewise ran a very 
tough, tough race and was faced with the same set of redrawn lines but 
is here tonight to pay tribute to our colleagues and to reflect upon 
the celebratory aspects of the time that we have spent together in this 
body. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from 
Houston, Texas, for hosting this tribute to seven extraordinary Texans, 
seven dedicated public servants. Whether Americans knew them by name, 
knew them personally or not, Texas will be the lesser for their loss of 
service, and our Nation will be the less because of their no longer 
being in this great body. But the good news is, Texas is a better place 
today and America is a better place today because of the dedicated 
service of these seven Texans.
  Congressman Martin Frost of Dallas, a longtime friend of mine, a true 
leader of the Texas Democratic delegation, the dean of our delegation. 
I have never known a more dedicated public servant in my life than 
Congressman Martin Frost, a protege of Jim Wright, the Ranking Member 
of the Committee on Rules, a vital committee in this House. He is 
someone who fought for a strong national defense, for jobs and 
opportunity for his beloved constituents in Dallas and Fort Worth, 
someone who always was a voice for equal opportunity for citizens of 
all races in this country. We will miss Martin Frost.
  Congressman Charlie Stenholm, one of the most decent human beings I 
have ever known in my lifetime. Someone respected by Democrats and 
Republicans alike for always being one to put the interests of our 
State of Texas and our country above partisanship. An eloquent, 
passionate voice for the value and values of our family farmers and 
ranchers. All who respect our rural values and the importance of our 
agriculture producers will miss the voice of Charlie Stenholm in 
Congress.
  Congressman Jim Turner, a colleague who is living proof that a good 
person can do well in life. Someone who always treated his fellow 
colleagues, his citizens, and neighbors with respect and decency. He 
committed his adult life to public service as a State representative, 
as a State Senator in Texas and then as a United States Congressman, 
rising to the terribly important position of senior Democrat on the 
Committee on Homeland Security, a person who, for the past 2 years, has 
helped lead the fight to protect all of our families from the threat of 
terrorism.
  Jim Turner is someone who did not just preach family values but who 
lived them every day of his life.
  Noting that the commonality between Mr. Frost, Mr. Stenholm, and Mr. 
Turner, and something they would all be proud of, saying themselves 
that each one of them married above themselves. And often unheralded 
heroes and heroines of this public process in Congress are the spouses 
of our elected officials. I want to express my thanks to Kathy Frost, a 
general of the United States Army, and to Cindy Stenholm and to Ginny 
Turner for their public service. While they might not have had a voting 
card on the floor of this House, they have been every much a part, in 
every way a part of public service through this House of 
Representatives.
  To Max Sandlin, who rose to the high position of Chief Democratic 
Deputy Whip, one of the finest legal minds I have ever known, a 
personal friend who always was fighting to see that the words that end 
our Pledge of Allegiance, ``with justice for all,'' were not just words 
in a rote pledge but deeply meaningful words behind that pledge, ``with 
justice for all.'' That was always Max Sandlin's cause in Congress.
  To Ciro Rodriguez, who rose to be chairman of the House Hispanic 
Caucus and a national leader on Hispanic issues, someone who I will 
always remember as a voice for those who could not afford to hire a $1 
million lobbyist, for the working families of his district and people 
all across this country. Someone who is a national leader on civil 
rights and veterans affairs, never forgetting the sacrifice of those 
who wore our Nation's uniform.
  To Chris Bell, who served Houston and our State of Texas and our 
Nation with great distinction and integrity. Someone who, along with 
these others, lost a seat as a result of not a loss of confidence of 
his own constituents but because of the partisan redrawing of 
congressional lines in an off year in the State of Texas. He accepted 
political defeat with graciousness in a way that helped bring people 
together in his beloved City of Houston and throughout our State.
  And to Nick Lampson, our friend from Beaumont, someone who 
accomplished much in Congress on many issues, but someone who will 
always be remembered as the father of the fight to find missing 
children. And as a father of a 7-year-old son and an 8-year-old son, I 
think I speak for all parents in America when I say thank you to our 
colleague Nick Lampson for watching out for all of the children of 
America.
  To each of these seven Members, they made a difference, and I can 
think of no greater compliment to pass on to anyone. They made a 
positive difference in the lives of their citizens, their constituents, 
and the people of this country. And to Susan, Susan Lampson, again, 
Nick would join his fellow colleagues in saying proudly that he married 
above himself. Thank you to her for her sacrifices throughout this 
career of public service.
  Again, none of these lost because they lost the confidence of their 
constituents that they serve today. They

[[Page 24352]]

lost or had to retire because of a highly unusual, unprecedented 
redistricting process in a year when redistricting was not supposed to 
be the case in Texas. But these are good people, decent people, great 
Americans who not only have made a difference in the past in our State 
and country, but I know in the years ahead will continue to make a 
difference for the American people.
  I thank the gentlewoman from Houston for yielding me this time and 
for hosting this tribute to seven great Texans, seven extraordinary 
Americans and public servants.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman, first of all, for his compassion and his spirit, and to be 
able to add to the stories of these American leaders, which we will 
have the opportunity to read about in the years to come. And might I, 
before I yield to the distinguished gentleman from El Paso, Texas, just 
thank you for thanking the families, the wives, the children, because 
we all know, those of us in public life, that we just bring our 
families along. How they come along is a question, but they are there 
with us, and I thank the gentleman for bringing attention to the 
families of these very fine individuals.
  Let me now yield to my good friend from El Paso, Texas (Mr. Reyes).
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Houston for 
yielding me this time tonight because, in a sense, tonight is a special 
night for us, because we say goodbye to good friends and colleagues 
but, in my mind, great Texans who have given their full measure so that 
those that have no voice will have a voice in this, the People's House.
  In Texas, we are a long ways from Texas here in this House, but in 
Texas, we like to live by the standard that we simply say ``don't mess 
with Texas.'' And, regrettably, Texas has been messed with in the worst 
way possible and, unfortunately, messed with by Texans. And while that 
is lamentable and regrettable, we have to understand that it is not so 
much the individual but the actions of that individual.
  As I sit here tonight and think about the many battles, the many 
debates, the many struggles that we have had, and I am relatively new 
to service in this Congress, I am finishing out my fourth term, which 
is 8 years, and I look at the number of years that are represented here 
that in one fell swoop that experience, that institutional knowledge, 
all of that hard work that these great Texans have done, I like to 
think of them as the magnificent seven. I know their representation 
will be missed. I know them to be men of real character, strong 
character, willing to stand up and fight when even the odds are stacked 
heavily against them and against us, but fighting the good fight 
nonetheless. Willing to get into that arena and willing to give their 
last full measure so that those issues and those programs that are so 
important to Texas working families receive full and complete 
consideration here in the People's House.

                              {time}  2115

  So, yes, we are losing seven Texans, and Texas I think will be the 
lesser for it. But I also think that it is important not having been an 
individual that grew up in a political system; I came to politics after 
a long career in Federal law enforcement. In fact, most people know 
that being here as a Member of Congress is probably an accident for me. 
But I relied heavily on the advice and expertise of the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Frost), the ranking member of the Committee on Rules; the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the ranking member on the 
Committee on Agriculture. I came here with the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Turner) who was our ranking member on the Select Committee on 
Homeland Security.
  I became friends with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sandlin) and the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), also we came to Congress together. 
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) followed us by a few months. 
And then the rookie, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), who has been 
phenomenal in the short period of time that he has been here.
  I think that is the real legacy that we are so proud of being Texans. 
We are all different. We come from different backgrounds. We focus on 
different priorities. We bring different expertise. But in the whole 
scheme of things, we make this country greater. And no one stands 
taller tonight in my eyes than these seven Texans, the Magnificent 
Seven, each one with a support system. My good friend and colleague, 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), who himself I think walks 
around with a target on his back, and we are so proud of the job that 
he did and of the support system that he counts on.
  When we mention Kathy and Cindy and Ginny and Susan and Carolina, we 
mention the heart and soul of why we serve. We serve so that our 
children and their children can have a better future. We serve so that 
we can hopefully set an example of what this country can be and what it 
should be. And while we may have differences of opinion with those on 
the other side of the aisle, it is never personal in my mind, and it 
should never be personal.
  The last thing I want to say before I yield back my time so that my 
good friend from San Antonio can speak as well, is that nobody from 
Texas walks away or runs away from a good fight or a good game. There 
are certain things that we expect. We expect to know what the rules of 
that game were. We expect that those rules will not be changed once the 
game starts. And most of all, we expect that win or lose, we can be 
proud and we can be friends because we are Texans.
  In this case it was not fair. The rules were changed. And I have to 
say that once this story is told, we are not going to be proud of how 
this was done. But the one thing that we will be proud of is the work, 
the dedication, the professionalism of these magnificent Texans that 
unfortunately, through no fault of their own, because of changing the 
rules after the game was started, will not be able to continue their 
work on behalf of Texans, on behalf of Americans, and on behalf of a 
world that today needs great role models more than anything else. And 
with that, I appreciate the opportunity to pay tribute to good friends, 
great Texans; and they will never be forgotten by this Texan.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman. I 
think the power of the words this evening really define our colleagues 
and let everybody know that it was their will and determination that 
caused them to persist in the battle field of politics.
  In the scheme of things, when the numbers were recorded on Tuesday 
night and the analysts and pundits were suggesting the numbers that the 
Democrats lost and our numbers went down, it is important to note on 
the floor tonight that the orchestration of the defeat of these 
colleagues again was not because the voters were dissatisfied with 
their work and performance, because a very unique and obviously unfair 
tool was utilized.
  So we are here tonight putting aside that loss and really 
commemorating the great service that has been given to this body.
  We thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for now giving them a 
new name. The Magnificent Seven has now been recorded in the annals of 
the Congressional Record, and I think that will be quite unique.
  Let me say I am proud to yield to my good friend from San Antonio, 
Texas. He comes from his own skill and scholarship, a former judge, but 
he also will not mind us saying that we all stand on the shoulders of 
his predecessor and our good friend. He will have a unique story to 
tell us about why it is so important to pay tribute to his colleagues 
tonight, because I know he has been told by his dad how these things 
work.
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from 
Houston.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that all of us from the Texas 
delegation on the Democratic side come to address the people's House.
  We did not want to make this dinner that we had tonight earlier a 
wake or anything that was sad; but the truth was that there was a great 
amount of

[[Page 24353]]

sadness. And at the end, I think we all learned a great deal about the 
true strength and character of our Members that will not be joining us 
in swearing-in ceremonies next January 4. I will repeat their names 
again because I think it is appropriate that they be repeated often so 
that we all are reminded what public service is about. The gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Sandlin), First Congressional District; the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Turner), Second Congressional District of Texas; the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), the Ninth Congressional District; 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the 17th Congressional 
District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), the 24th Congressional 
District; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), the 25th Congressional 
District; my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), the 
28th Congressional District. These were true public servants.
  Tomorrow they will be casting their last vote. And of course they 
will have their Member's card and they will put it in the slot and they 
will be casting their vote. And all of those votes may not be the same 
because we are quite different, as my dear friend, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Reyes), was saying. We have different opinions. We come from 
different regions of this great State of Texas. But what motivates us 
all would be the cardinal rule of how we vote. What do we base it on? 
People sometimes do ask that.
  I think this is a great lesson I learned from my father who served 
for 37 years in this august body, as well as from the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Gephardt). The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) 
when I arrived here in 1999 was our minority leader. He said, if you 
really want to do the right thing, if you want to enjoy service in the 
House of Representatives, every vote that you take, it is a real simple 
formula. First you vote your conscience because those are your 
principles and your values and you must face yourself every morning and 
do the right thing.
  Secondly, vote your district because no one else represents your 
district. And lastly, vote your party. And the gentleman told me that 
that makes his job really hard as your leader because he is trying to 
keep us together. But thank God that that was our cardinal rule and 
that is what has guided us.
  The seven Members that are departing followed that rule day in and 
day out. It was their social conscience. It was their moral principles 
that guided them here every day, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, 
because like the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) said, that is 
the last factor, that is the last element that you take into 
consideration. But what were these individuals when they were serving 
here for so many years?
  They were public servants. And the way they looked at it was that 
every citizen, every citizen in their district was their boss, whether 
a Democrat or a Republican, whether they were registered to vote or 
not, whether they were old enough to vote or not, you represented the 
district. And that is what was important. And you always voted the best 
interests of your district. And it was a simple formula.
  But they also knew it was a higher calling. And that is what we lose 
here as an institution, men of high character and moral principles.
  I am going to quote now Senator Joe Lieberman in his book ``In Praise 
of Public Life'':

       Although public figures may face the same everyday 
     pressures as the people we represent, we are not and should 
     not be judged by the same standards. More should be expected 
     of us. We are public officials, not private citizens. 
     Everything we do can become public and, therefore, has 
     serious consequences for the community. We are, whether we 
     like it or not, role models. We have voluntarily entered a 
     contract with the voters that is based on trust. If we 
     violate that trust, our government, our democracy suffers. So 
     the first question a public figure must always ask himself 
     when making a decision about his personal behavior or actions 
     or votes, about whether to take an opportunity is not just is 
     it legal, but rather, is it right.

  These are shining examples of individuals that made hard choices, 
difficult choices, but really in the final analysis were quite simple 
because they did the right thing.
  So everyone that is listening to us tonight must wonder, well, if 
they were so great, why are they not coming back? Why were they not 
reelected? And I have my own theory, my own analysis of it. Not one of 
these gentlemen lost on the merits. Why they lost was really about form 
over substance.
  Someone said it earlier, the rules were changed in the middle of the 
game, unfairly and in a perverse fashion. None of these gentlemen lost 
because they were not the very best that we had out there. They lost 
because of manipulation. They lost because people thought they could 
appeal to the most base instincts of human nature, which many times is 
about unfairness and injustice and fear and insecurity by Members of 
this House. This is repeated every day, day in and day out in this 
country. It is just that at this point in time it was concentrated in 
the State of Texas. And we see the result of seven dedicated public 
officials that had so much to give and did give. And we are the losers 
for it.
  They did not lose. This Chamber lost; this country lost. They were 
casualties of a dangerous time. Of all things, I found a quote the 
other day and it is from a comedian. But it is not about comedy. And it 
was not about humor that he was writing about. He had time to reflect 
because he had a very serious thing that happened in his life, and that 
was that his wife had passed away. And he reflected on life and where 
society was today, and this is what George Carlin said:

       The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller 
     buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower 
     viewpoints. We spend more but have less. We buy more but 
     enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more 
     conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less 
     sense, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts yet 
     more problems, more medicine but less wellness. We have 
     multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk 
     too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We have 
     learned how to make a living but not a life. We have added 
     years to life not life to years.

  His observation is so applicable to what is happening in the 
political process in this country today. Again, I will say these seven 
men did not lose these elections, but rather truly were casualties of 
what is transpiring, what is encouraged and promoted by seven 
individuals in this country. This is not love of country. This is not 
patriotism. This is not citizenship. This is not responsible behavior.
  So the truth is, what should we do about it? Well, let us go back to 
the way things used to be where we are going to go ahead and we are 
going to have our good-faith disagreements. The truth really lies 
somewhere in the middle. Righteousness. The best answers do not reside 
on that side of the aisle, and they do not reside over here. They 
actually reside right here in the middle of the aisle, right here.

                              {time}  2130

  The problem is we never go and talk right there in that aisle. That 
separates us. That is the greatest gulf in this great country, wider 
than the Grand Canyon because we have made it wider than the Grand 
Canyon.
  When winning is everything, it does not matter how you do it. What is 
happening? We are models. It is what Joe Lieberman was talking about. 
We are models to all citizens in this country, and do we let our 
citizens down and our country down? Of course we do.
  Let us stop defining ourselves by our differences. Let us come to the 
middle. Let us have a dialogue and a discourse. Let us not corrupt a 
political process, a legislative process, for political gain, be it 
Democrat or Republican. Because what happens here, great public 
servants, the very best this country has to offer will be the 
casualties and the victim of political greed and avarice. That is what 
we have tonight.
  It is a sad moment, way beyond the seven Texans that we lose. Sad 
moment for this body, sad moment for this country.
  I want to end my statements with my profound gratitude and 
appreciation for having known these seven individuals. I will continue 
to know them, and I have a sense that we will be sharing a swearing-in 
ceremony sometime in

[[Page 24354]]

the future because things will right themselves. That is all part of 
human nature. We only let things get to a certain point of excess 
before we know that it is truly wrong.
  These are wonderful individuals, and on a personal side, the 
absolutely personal side, these are my friends. It is never, never a 
happy moment when we say good-bye to friends, and this is what we say 
here tonight and tomorrow after the final vote. There will be great 
sadness, but something tells me they will overcome the adversity of 
what transpired and will rise to greater heights because they are 
totally capable of doing it but for a better reason. Our country needs 
them.
  So to Max and to Jim and to Nick and Charlie and Martin and Chris and 
Ciro, we need you and we know that you will continue making your great 
contribution and making this country a greater one even better than the 
one that we live in today. Thank you for your service and all I can say 
is I look forward to your return.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman for his remarks. It is worth hearing each of my colleagues 
characterize what will really be in the annals of the history pages of 
this body, and I think all of us came to the floor tonight just to make 
sure that the story was not misinterpreted, because after every 
election there are defeats. There are winners and losers and most of 
the articles are written in the first week and then nothing else is 
said, and oh, those guys lost.
  I thought it was very important that the Texas delegation come 
tonight to be able to say that those guys did not lose. If anybody 
lost, this body lost, America lost and Texas lost, and I will take just 
a moment myself to add just a few points into the record, as all my 
colleagues have indicated in calling each of their names.
  So I just simply want to say to Martin Frost, thank him for being the 
political moderate but having the balance, along with his great 
influence on the Committee on Rules, and I might say that any Member in 
this body that has ever had an opportunity to go to the Committee on 
Rules, the powerful Committee on Rules, knows the value of Martin 
Frost's insight and encouragement and questioning to make a bill better 
or to be able to see the reason in what you offered so that the others 
who are in the room might be able to join in his reason and vote for 
good amendments to make bills better.
  We thank him for that. We thank him for coming as our leader in the 
delegation week after week, leading us and guiding us around very 
important issues, and might I say, for those of us who came in the last 
decade, I believe that we were dealing with the redistricting issue for 
at least 8, 10 years as it relates to the constituents.
  Everybody says the Member, but it was the constituents, and those of 
my colleagues who are here tonight recall the hearings that were held 
around the State of Texas. Thousands upon thousands of witnesses came 
forward and said they did not want any changes.
  So it is not that we are speaking here tonight for these colleagues. 
Their constituents, voters, who are our bosses, told them that they 
wanted no changes, but one manipulated the system, refused to listen to 
the people.
  I remember a witness coming up and saying, is anybody going to listen 
to us? Does anybody want to do what we said or asked them to do? This 
is just a voter, a witness, that waited hours in the hearing room to 
testify before the State Senate, hours into the night. I think it was 
1:00 a.m. Is anybody going to listen to us?
  So, Martin, we thank you for understanding that representation 
belongs to the people, and when you engaged in redistricting, you 
realized it was to make the people whole and to make them large.
  Thank you, also, Martin, for taking this very terrible crisis that we 
had of violence in schools and helping to organize the Bipartisan Youth 
Task Force Against Violence that I sat on. Thank you for doing that and 
making a difference.
  Charlie Stenholm, 26 years of service in the House and to Texas and 
to the Nation. I have just got to say one thing. It is this House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) said it. He called it the People's 
House. We like to say that in debate. I believe it is known in that 
manner through history and through the concept of the Founding Fathers. 
They wanted people to be different in this body.
  Charlie Stenholm is a farmer. I mean, he grows cotton. He understands 
farming and ranching, and he understands a large portion of this Nation 
that really believes they have been left out, the farmers of America, 
the ranchers of America, people that maybe some of us only know about 
because of what we consume.
  It is important to note that this is an $80 billion industry in 
Texas, and look what happened? Because of reckless disregard for the 
people of Texas and even for this House, an ill-conceived plan now 
found a man that had been elected in what was really a very 
conservative district, some might say a Republican district, had been 
elected over and over again because those people understood that he was 
their servant. Now we have lost that expertise, and as I indicated, 
just 24 hours ago we were on this floor listening to his reason about 
how can we raise the debt again, how can we allow the numbers to go up 
even higher. Of course, we will lose that voice.
  Thank you, Charlie, for, as was said by colleagues, having a pure 
sense of what is right and never wavering from it.
  Let me also thank Nick Lampson. As many of my colleagues know, he is 
my neighbor in Houston, and I was there. We were all sort of caught up 
in the tragedy of the loss of this precious little 12 year old as Nick 
was just coming to Congress, and I do not know what struck him. I 
remember the specifics of it. He left Congress and went and joined the 
search for this very dear, little girl, something like the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Edwards) said, none of us can even mouth the words of 
losing a child.
  So he joined the search, and I guess out of that came the inspiration 
of putting forward the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. He has 
been in conferences. He has spoken. He has put it on the map. He has 
been about the business of organizing communities around the idea of 
being against child abduction, and the caucus has over 130 members. It 
really has made a mark in its effort to fight against child pornography 
and many, many other issues. So we thank him for that.
  He introduced the Bring Our Children Home Act with a 103 original 
cosponsors, and he really made this something that is clearly a mark 
that will not be forgotten on this Congress. We thank him for that.
  We all know that Ciro Rodriguez is called the nice guy, but he is a 
nice guy, but he is a tough guy on the issues that are, in fact, close 
to his heart. Here is a guy that I would see on the floor of the House 
night after night after night, chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, but he 
was on the floor talking about health care, not only for Hispanics but 
for Americans, and he was always talking about it for children. He 
chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, but he 
took it very seriously.
  I traveled with him. I saw him traveling around the country, going to 
summits on the question of health care and recognizing that we have 44 
million Americans without health coverage, and he got up all the time 
and said how can we do this. Thank you, Ciro.
  He fought to raise the attention on diabetes and HIV/AIDS and 
substance abuse and mental health, and he led the fight in Washington 
for Hispanic health awareness, and so we cannot thank him enough. He is 
a guy with a big heart. I guess it is that social work degree that he 
has, and we simply thank you, Ciro, and your wife for working to make 
the NIH better, helping to get more moneys to the NIH and certainly 
helping to put the focus of health care improvement in Hispanic 
Americans clearly on the map. We thank you so very much.
  He has been called many things, but he was awarded the Community 
Superhero Award, and that speaks to Ciro in the words that he has done 
and

[[Page 24355]]

what he has done on this floor as it relates to health care.
  Max Sandlin, someone said, is the lawyer's lawyer. I remember it is a 
shame that we do not do what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez) 
said and just meet right here in the middle because Max was a former 
judge, and the only thing that he wanted us to do was to be pure in our 
debate. If we had some issues about the law or legal procedures, he did 
not want us to politicize it, scapegoat lawyer, scapegoat injured 
individuals who have no other way of addressing their grievances, 
people who have been damaged by the Food and Drug Administration, poor 
quality drugs or someone's child has been on a playground and fallen 
down because the equipment does not work properly or some other product 
liability issue. He wants to get to the core element, debate the 
merits, and he brought forth some of the most crafted, thoughtful 
legislation dealing with balancing the rights of consumers and others 
that may be concerned about the costs of litigation.
  He was always here, not to be carrying forth the message of the 
single thought of trial lawyers, our friends, of course, who helped 
protect many Americans, but he was prepared to craft very intelligent 
legal arguments. It is a shame that we could not meet right here in the 
middle of the floor for Max Sandlin's very, very articulate, and well-
thought-out legislative initiatives could not be heard.
  He spoke very clearly that as a judge he understood what justice was 
all about, and I will always admire and respect him for his leadership, 
his work with the Democratic Children and Health Task Forces, again his 
very defined work on the Committee on Ways and Means, a new Member that 
he was, but still a Member that was prepared to tackle those hard 
issues on Medicare and the legal liability issue of Medicare.
  You could always count on Congressman Max Sandlin to explain to you 
and get the legal liability issue out and make the bill better to serve 
all of us, and I thank him for that.
  Let me thank Jim Turner. I had the pleasure of serving with Jim 
Turner, and I met Jim Turner in Crockett, Texas. He was the mayor of 
Crockett. I knew him has a long-standing public servant. They loved him 
in Crockett, Texas, he and his family, his wife. He loved them, and lo 
and behold he comes to be a senator out of the Senate in Texas, and 
then he comes here to the United States Congress.
  He did not come here to think that he was going to be the ranking 
member on the Select Committee on Homeland Security. He did not come 
here knowing what would happen on 9/11, but I tell my colleagues what 
happened when he got to get that position, as he, even in the knowledge 
of having to retire because there was no district for him, he did not 
sit down.
  Chairman of the Blue Dog Coalition, many who may not know the Blue 
Dogs, the Yellow Dogs, the Blue Dogs had a different perspective. He 
never carried around on his shoulder in a way that would be offensive. 
He was a team player, but he had his values.
  But on this Select Committee on Homeland Security he took the bull by 
the horns, if you will, and constructed documents, not to poison the 
waters but to make our Nation safer. We Members are better informed 
because we have document after document after document about the lack 
of cargo inspection, the need for more border patrol agents and 
detention spaces, the need for a better bioterrorism plan, the need for 
a better transportation plan.
  Jim Turner, as the ranking member on this Select Committee on 
Homeland Security, did just that, and we are very grateful for him in 
and his knowledge and his sensitivity.

                              {time}  2145

  Let me also say that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), as was 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), a big supporter, as is the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), of the military and the veterans. 
We could always, in this time when Democrats were sort of facing an 
uphill battle, sometimes because of the smearing that went about, about 
our patriotism, we were always glad that we had Texans in the room 
because we provided, I guess, the firewall. We could always get our 
colleagues, and I am pointing to the ones I am speaking about, really 
to be able to know that this is a diverse caucus and there is no divide 
on the support of this caucus for veterans and the military.
  As we all know, our colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), 
along with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) and the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Turner), all served on the Committee on Armed Services. 
So I guess we had our share of Members on the Committee on Armed 
Services. And I know the work the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) 
has done on the Committee on Appropriations. And then, of course, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which Ciro Rodriguez was on. We set the 
standard that there is no challenge that you can make against us in 
terms of our support for our troops.
  In fact, let me just make a personal mention that I have got a 
physician in my community that is reaching beyond 50 years of age, and 
I know he will not mind me saying it. He has just been called up to 
Germany to take care of those injured persons who are coming in, and he 
is a Texan serving out of Fort Hood who is in the reserve and is now 
being called out of his practice and is going. And I pay tribute to Dr. 
Daley tonight. And I am only saying that I am glad he had our 
colleagues, Dr. Warren Daley. I am glad he had our colleagues to be 
able to protect him and to be able to stand up for him.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), whom I traveled with, has been 
an excellent member of the Committee on International Relations and the 
Committee on Financial Services. He had the medical center in his 
district, and of course his predecessor was Mike Andrews. A number of 
others from the district, Mike Andrews, of course, most recently, and 
Ken Bentson. But I can assure he did not lose any time in getting to 
know the medical center's issues. After the terrible hurricane that we 
had, and following up with Ken Bentson, he got right in there and 
worked very, very meticulously on the needs of the medical center.
  He was someone who had background in local government, the Houston 
City Council, and he brought a sense of understanding about respecting 
and responding to local government needs, and so we worked together on 
the needs of metro. He was unabashedly for light rail and was shocked 
that he would come to this body and find someone who is from Texas, our 
own colleague, would be standing up against the people of Houston 
getting the right kind of transportation system. So he was not afraid 
to stand up for transportation issues, work with the financial 
community in Houston, and as well he was a leader by being named senior 
whip and being part of the whip system. And I think that he was clearly 
someone who was having a great time but also was a great servant of the 
people.
  So tonight we have the opportunity to call their names and as well to 
pay tribute. I wanted to just mention, and I see my colleague standing, 
but I wanted to just mention again names like Lyndon Baines Johnson 
because I had the opportunity to be with former President Johnson's two 
daughters just the other day at the Clinton Library. I thanked them 
again for their father and their mother. And I know that the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Edwards) talked about his predecessors, whom he named 
and talked about in 1970, with so many years of experience that Texans 
have brought to this body. They have been here in a collegiate manner. 
We have shared with our colleagues that are here. We are not selfish, 
we are not arrogant, but we are proud of our legacy and our history, 
and clearly we believe that we come from good stock.
  Let me just say this, that Booker T. Washington said, ``Character, 
not circumstances, makes the man.'' I might paraphrase and say ``makes 
the person.'' We can be assured that we have got some fellow Texans who 
will be leaving tomorrow that have certainly been made by the character 
that they possess.

[[Page 24356]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Houston, as I 
finish with a couple of comments on my part, Mr. Speaker.
  As we celebrate the extraordinary public service of seven great 
Texans, I must also say as a Texan there is a lot that we will miss. As 
a Texan and as Texans we will miss 80 years of seniority in this body, 
the House of Representatives, where seniority means a lot in terms of 
effectiveness for our States.
  Texas and I will miss having the ranking member, the senior Democrat 
on the Committee on Rules, one of the most important committees 
anywhere in Congress. We will miss having the ranking member of the 
Committee on Agriculture, and we will miss having the ranking member of 
Homeland Security. Perhaps this is Texas's gift to the States of New 
York, Minnesota, and Mississippi, who will now have those ranking 
positions.
  We will miss having the chairman of the House Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus, an important voice for Hispanics throughout Texas and our 
country. We will miss having the chief deputy whip on the Democratic 
side and a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and we will miss 
a true national leader on the issue of missing children.
  I think our greatest loss, as important as it is and as sad as it is 
for our State to have lost 80 years of seniority in the ranking 
positions of key committees, our greatest loss is that we will lose 
people of great integrity who were truly dedicated to the principle of 
unselfish public service.
  I do not grieve for these Magnificent Seven. They are bright, 
talented, hardworking, capable people with good families. They will do 
well. I do grieve for the 4.2 million Texas citizens who were denied 
the right to vote for the reelection of their present Member of 
Congress as a result of redistricting.
  And personally I will miss the daily friendship and interactions with 
these good people, people who will be our friends for a lifetime. We 
will miss that daily interaction of these good, decent people.
  I have nothing but best wishes and wish Godspeed to Martin Frost, 
Charlie Stenholm, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Chris Bell, Jim Turner, 
Max Sandlin, and their families.
  And I would finish my comments, before yielding back to the 
gentlewoman from Houston, with the words of Winston Churchill who once 
reminded us that ``we make a living by what we get, but we make a life 
by what we give.'' By that very high standard, these great seven Texans 
have lived a rich life, and I know they will continue to give to their 
communities, their State, and their country; and we wish them all the 
best in the years ahead.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his 
kind words. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Reyes).
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, 
and I will be brief because I know that, or at least I hope our 
colleagues are watching this evening. But we do thank them for their 
public service and we do recognize, as the great poet once said, that 
the true measure of an individual who is successful in life is the fact 
that when that life is done he or she will have left not only a mark 
but will have left a legacy of leaving the world a better place.
  Our colleagues, of course, are going on to bigger and better things, 
and perhaps we will see them back here in the very near future. So to 
them, not only do we salute them tonight but we thank them for their 
service and their willingness to share of themselves with the rest of 
us here in the people's House. We wish them well. I know they are 
blessed, because they have left their mark in this House.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for 
being here this evening, and before I close I want to make mention of 
the dean of our State who will serve us in the 109th Congress, and that 
is the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), who helped to convene us for a 
very warm occasion this evening. We were very grateful for that.
  We know that we will move on in the 109th Congress. We will pull 
together and we will work together. But for any of those who are 
wondering why we stand on the floor tonight, it is because we did not 
want this session to end without the appropriate knowledge and respect 
for these colleagues who served, and who fought, but did not prevail. 
They did not lose. And I think that is the point we want to make 
tonight, that these are people defeated, but these are people who have 
not lost.
  Again, I want to thank Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Ciro 
Rodriguez, Nick Lampson, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell. Let 
it be known that the Texas delegation will remain strong and united, 
full of hope and full of aspirations. Let it also be known that these 
are our friends and colleagues who we have traveled down many roads 
with, both smooth and bumpy roads. But let it be known, most 
especially, that we wish them Godspeed.
  I leave my colleagues tonight with these simple words that I 
paraphrase from Mary McCloud Bethune. She said, I leave you hope. I 
leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I 
leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you 
dignity.
  Shakespeare said, Unto each of us is given a bag of tools and a book 
of rules, and each must make of life as though a stumbling stone or 
stepping stone. I think we have made a stepping stone tonight, and I 
wish for those who will be leaving us many stepping stones and many, 
many days of happiness and good luck.
  I rise this evening to pay tribute to and bid a fond farewell to 
seven distinguished colleagues, leaders, and friends. As we approach 
the end of the 108th Congress, a legacy of successful public service 
will close for these gentlemen. Tonight, Mr. Speaker, I would like to 
personally thank 7 of my 17 Texas Democratic colleagues for what they 
have done for their respective congressional districts, the State of 
Texas, the United States of America, and to the international 
community.
  Congressmen Martin Frost, Charlie Stenholm, Nick Lampson, Ciro 
Rodriguez, Max Sandlin, Jim Turner, and Chris Bell will be missed for 
the high standard of achievement and commitment to upholding the 
integrity that membership in the House of Representatives connotates.
  I have had the sincere honor of serving with Congressman Martin 
Frost, the senior Member of Congress from Texas. Congressman Frost is 
the ranking Democratic member of the influential House Rules Committee. 
Congressman Frost is also the senior southern Democrat in the House and 
has previously served as chair of the Democratic Caucus.
  So it is with great sadness that Congressman Frost's long record of 
leadership in Congress is coming to an end after a bitter redistricting 
battle in Texas.
  Congressman Frost brought common sense and a practical approach to a 
variety of senior positions. Within the Texas delegation, he is widely 
respected for his ability to bring together Members with different 
regional and ideological backgrounds, allowing the Caucus to work 
toward a common agenda that addresses the real concerns of working 
families.
  A political moderate, Congressman Frost has also brought together 
both representatives of the business and labor communities with 
Democratic Members to discuss issues affecting their industries.
  Congressman Frost served on the House Committee that considered the 
creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Congressman Frost has 
also served as co-chair of bipartisan panels addressing the causes of 
youth violence and the continuity of Congress in the event of a 
terrorist attack.
  Congressman Frost, I have always looked to you as a leader and as a 
representative of all that is good in Congress. Your departure will 
leave a gaping hole in the Texas legislature, and you will be missed.
  Let me take a few minutes to congratulate Charlie Stenholm for his 26 
years of service in the House to Texas and to the Nation. I've had the 
pleasure of working with him since I've been in Congress and as a 
friend and colleague in the Texas Democratic delegation. I appreciated 
the welcome he gave to me when I came to Washington and now I want to 
wish him the best as he starts his new endeavors.
  Charlie's experience as a farmer, teacher, and head of the Rolling 
Plains Cotton Growers Association contributed to his skillful 
leadership of the Democrats on the Agriculture Committee. He was able 
to understand the needs

[[Page 24357]]

of the farmers who help to feed us in balance with fiscal restraint. 
That's critical to Texas, where agriculture is still the State's 
second-largest industry, with an annual economic impact of $80 billion. 
In fact, Charlie still runs a cotton, wheat, and cattle operation in 
Jones County with his son Cary. He brought this great knowledge to our 
Congress.
  Thanks Charlie for all your service.
  Congressman Nick Lampson has always been fighting for what is right 
in the world, and that is the well being of children.
  Whatever his initial ambitions coming into Congress were, things for 
Congressman Lampson were instantly changed just months into his first 
term, when a family in the 9th District suffered a terrible tragedy. A 
12-year-old girl from Friendswood was abducted and found murdered 2 
weeks later. Congressman Lampson wanted to take immediate action and 
bring Congress to their feet. He founded the Congressional Missing and 
Exploited Children's Caucus to build awareness around the issue of 
missing and exploited children for the purpose of finding children who 
are currently missing and to prevent future abductions. He succeeded in 
creating a voice within Congress on the issue of missing and exploited 
children and introduced legislation that would strengthen law 
enforcement, community organizing and school-based efforts to address 
child abduction. His caucus currently has over 130 members.
  With the power of the Caucus behind him, the former high school 
science teacher has fought continuously in Congress to help families 
protect their children and aid communities and law enforcement 
searching for missing children. He has sponsored legislation to fund 
law enforcement efforts to stop child pornography and exploitation on 
the Internet.
  Congressman Lampson introduced the Bring Our Children Home Act with 
103 original cosponsors in both the 106th and 107th Congresses. This 
bill established a right of action in Federal court for resolution of 
child custody disputes and establishes a National Registry of Custody 
Orders. It also requires the Department of Justice and the Department 
of State to report to Congress on International Parental Kidnapping 
Crime Act warrants and extradition.
  I want to close with a quote from one of my personal role models, 
Mary McCloud Bethune,

       I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing 
     confidence in one another. I leave you respect for the use of 
     power. I leave you faith. I leave you . . . dignity.

  Congressman Nick Lampson, you will be missed dearly.
  The 28th Congressional District has been served by a true man for 
others out of San Antonio, TX, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez since 1997. 
My colleagues and I have enjoyed his leadership in the protection of 
our nation's veterans through his actions in the House Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs. The over 50,000 veteran constituents in his district 
know the sincerity and conviction of his work in that body.
  As a member of the Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman did 
great things for military healthcare facilities. Through legislative 
efforts, he facilitated the ability of military hospitals to recoup 
increased funds for civilian trauma care.
  He currently serves as the chair of the 20-member Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus, as well as the chair of the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus, CHC, Health Task Force, leading the fight to improve access to 
healthcare and reduce health disparities for Hispanics and all 
Americans. During his tenure in Congress, Congressman Rodriguez 
organized the first ever Hispanic Health Awareness Week focusing on 
three diseases that disproportionately affect the Hispanic community: 
Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse/mental health. Not only has he 
led the fight in Washington for Hispanic Health Awareness, but he 
continued to aid those in his district by organizing and leading the 
National Hispanic Health Leadership Summit in San Antonio, TX.
  This gentleman is one of a few Members of Congress with a master's 
degree in Social Work, was an counselor/caseworker at the Bexar County 
Mental Health and Mental Retardation from 1971-1974 and 1978-1980. The 
result of this training is that Congressman Rodriguez recognized that 
social workers play an invaluable role within our Nation's social 
service infrastructure. In 2004, he reintroduced H.R. 3887, the 
National Center for Social Work Research Act, which would establish a 
research center within the National Institutes of Health. Congressman 
Rodriguez has continued working to encourage NIH to better integrate 
social work research into their mission. In 2002, he helped secure 
language in a congressional appropriations bill directing NIH to 
develop a social work research plan.
  Ciro has held a long and distinguished career receiving numerous 
awards such as the National Hispanic Medical Association's Leadership 
Award given earlier this year by the National Hispanic Medical 
Association for his leadership and his initiative on Hispanic health 
disparities. He earned the 2003-2002 Community Health Super Hero Award 
from the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. and 
Health Centers from the State of Texas recognizes the Congressman's 
strong and consistent support for health centers and the patients they 
serve in communities across the country throughout the Second Session 
of the 107th Congress.
  I along with the other members of the Texas Congressional Delegation 
have been honored to serve alongside Ciro D. Rodriguez. Although we 
will miss his friendship and leadership, I am sure that as he looks 
back upon his illustrious career of civil service, he will be proud to 
have served the constituents of 28th Congressional District of Texas.
  It has been such a privilege to serve with Congressman Max Sandlin. 
As one of the most compassionate Members of Congress, he was recently 
appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful 
and esteemed committee in the House.
  Congressman Max Sandlin and I were members of the Democratic Children 
and Health Task Forces. Both he and I worked hard to champion 
legislation that protected working families with children. I have 
always admired him for his strategic use of his position to gain 
consensus among his colleagues, identify important issues, and 
formulate policy.
  As a Member from an urban district in Texas, I could always count on 
Congressman Max Sandlin to add the voice of rural America and fiscal 
responsibility to the leadership of the Democratic Party.
  As we faced the harsh injustices of redistricting, Congressman 
Sandlin stood strong, redoubled his efforts to maintain what he 
believes in, and did not back down. Even though he was not able to 
emerge victorious in this cycle, I am confident that a man of his 
caliber will return to public service.
  I have had the honor and privilege of serving with Congressman Jim 
Turner in the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. I always 
felt confident that as the ranking member of the House Select Committee 
on Homeland Security, Jim was working to protect the safety and 
security of the American people in the war on terrorism. He lead the 
Democratic charge for the ushering in of several pieces of important 
legislation that will help this nation fight back against global 
terrorism and keep our families safe.
  Congressman Turner retired after four terms in Congress, a decision 
that I know as difficult. Unfortunately, we are not able to control all 
the events in our life, and Congressman Turner did not have a fair or 
unbiased chance for reelection.
  A longtime fiscal conservative, Congressman Turner was the cochair of 
the ``Blue Dog'' Coalition. In addition, his work in Congress focuses 
on promoting economic development and forestry in east Texas. He 
continues to work for senior citizens through his sponsorship of 
legislation to lower prescription drug costs.
  I have always enjoyed working with Congressman Turner, who was able 
to bridge the partisan divide and make friends on both sides of the 
aisle. I wish you the best of luck in the future.
  I am honored to be here today to speak on behalf of my colleague, 
Chris Bell. Our districts border one another in Houston, so I have been 
privileged to know and work with Chris Bell during his time in 
Congress. Similar to my own background, Chris Bell is a former Houston 
City Council Member. Congressman Bell has earned a reputation as an 
independent thinker with a common sense approach to governing. He has 
built an exceptional public service career around defending the truth, 
championing the people's issues and maintaining the integrity of public 
office.
  During the Enron debacle that affected thousands of Houstonian's, 
Congressman Bell and former Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, held a 
town hall meeting calling for corporate employee retirement security 
and executive accountability. Additionally, Bell executed a citywide 
campaign to educate employees on the importance of diversification of 
assets. Congressman Chris Bell is an outstanding example of what it 
means to stand up for truth, something that I will always admire in 
him. He has taken a stand against unethical actions in this body and 
the public owes him a debt of gratitude for that. Congressman Bell, I 
applaud you for your groundbreaking courage.
  Congressman Bell's leadership qualities have been noticed by many, 
particularly by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, who appointed him as a 
``Senior Whip.'' There is a large void to fill with Congressman Bell's 
departure.

[[Page 24358]]

  In closing, I would like to quote Booker T. Washington, who said, 
``Character, not circumstances, makes the man.''
  Gentlemen, again, thank you very much for your service, leadership, 
and friendship. Please know that I will always be happy to ``yield back 
the remainder of my time to you if you ever need me.'' The best of luck 
to you and your respective families in your future lives.

                          ____________________