[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3068-3069]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    BEN ATCHLEY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3769) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 137 East Young High Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, as 
the ``Ben Atchley Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3769

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. BEN ATCHLEY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 137 East Young High Pike in Knoxville, 
     Tennessee, shall be known and designated as the ``Ben Atchley 
     Post Office Building'' .
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Ben Atchley Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration, H.R. 3769.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 3769 would name the post office building at 137 
East Young High Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee as the Ben Atchley Post 
Office Building. No tribute could be more fitting than to name a 
facility of the United States Government after one of our most 
patriotic public servants, Senator Ben Atchley.
  Ben Atchley has served for 32 years with great honor and distinction 
in the Tennessee State Legislature. He served for 4 years in the 
Tennessee House of Representatives and has served the last 28 years as 
a State Senator from Knox County, Tennessee. Senator Atchley has served 
for most of that time as the Senate minority leader, but in a coalition 
with conservative Democrats he has really had effective control of the 
Tennessee State Senate. However, I think it is fair, and I think people 
on both sides of the aisle would agree, he is perhaps the most 
respected and admired figure in the entire government of our State of 
Tennessee.
  He is a long-time personal friend. He is an outstanding family man, 
with his

[[Page 3069]]

wife Sue and two children. He is a recognized and very respected figure 
in the Presbyterian Church, having received the very first Barnabas 
award, the highest award ever given to a lay member of the Presbyterian 
Church.
  He has served as the National Chairman for the Ethics Committee of 
the National Association of State legislators. He has been a leader in 
his business, in his profession of life underwriting and in the mutual 
fund business. He has received the Distinguished President Award of the 
Optimist International.
  Ben Atchley has been outstanding in every conceivable way in both 
public and private life. He also served from 1948 to 1958 in the Naval 
Reserves. He has served his community, he has served his State, and he 
has served this Nation. I think it is very accurate to say that this 
country is a better place today because of the service of Senator Ben 
Atchley.
  So it is with great pride and a special privilege that I have 
introduced this bill to name this post office facility after him in 
tribute to his years of public service, and I urge support for this 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  As a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased 
to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 3769, legislation naming 
a postal facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, after Ben Atchley. This 
measure was introduced by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) on 
February 4, 2004 and unanimously reported by our committee on February 
12, 2004.
  Ben Atchley was born in Knoxville, grew up in the area and attended 
the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He served in the Tennessee 
State Senate from the 90th through the 103rd general assemblies. Prior 
to serving in the State Senate, Mr. Atchley was a member of the State 
House. As a member of the Tennessee State Senate, Senator Atchley 
served as the Senate Republican leader from the 95th through the 103rd 
general assemblies.
  As a seasoned politician representing District 6 in Knoxville, 
Tennessee, Senator Atchley has enjoyed a very successful career. I note 
that he is retiring this year after 32 years in politics. He has also 
been very involved in community and business organizations.
  Madam Speaker, what I find most interesting about Senator Atchley is 
that, according to his secretary, his first apartment, after he got 
married, was directly across the street from the post office being 
named after him. The Senator also worked right next door to the same 
post office where he had a job with South Central Bell Telephone 
Company. And his high school, Young High School, was a stone's throw 
down the road from the post office. This postal designation was 
definitely meant to happen.
  So I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the contributions of 
Senator Atchley and urge swift passage of this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First, I want to commend my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis), for his very kind and fitting and appropriate comments in 
regard to this legislation, and I simply would like to note that our 
congressional delegation from the State of Tennessee consists of five 
Democrats and four Republicans. I think we get along about as well as 
any delegation in this entire Congress. All nine Members of the House 
Congressional delegation from Tennessee very quickly and eagerly joined 
this legislation and cosponsored it.
  Ben Atchley has been a very loyal Republican, but he has as many 
friends on the Democratic side as on the Republican side. He is truly a 
great, great American, and I urge passage of this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1430

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3769.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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